Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

---Minas Palan---

“Marco, Paolo, how are you guys doing?“ James greeted the two. They were sitting in the cafeteria of Minas Palan, together with the rest of the party they joined when entering the Oathguard. Surprised they looked up at the figure of James and Jess.

Since Lydia, the leader of Field Team 3 was currently on a special mission, the rest of Team 3 were working as Supervisors at the Holy Land. However, this didn't mean they were often in Minas Palan, as they kept accompanying parties to the Abyss to level up. The two greeted their benefactors enthusiastically since it was their recommendation that allowed them to join the Oathguard back then.

“James, I didn't know you two were back. Do you have time for a spar later?” Marco spoke up and immediately asked the tank for a spar. His swordsmanship and other skills had kept improving constantly and the other swordsmen or tanks he was able to spar with could really give him a challenge.

“Jeez, I just returned and you are already asking for a spar?” James joked with a wry smile.

“Marco, I'm sure James is tired from the journey and only came by to have a meal. Stop being a nuisance,” Paolo scolded his friend in a hushed voice. Still, Jess heard it.

“Exactly. James is mine for the day. You can ask him to play with you tomorrow, if he can still walk then,” Jess added cheekily. James rolled his eyes. They had been out for almost two weeks and Jess was on edge.

“Anyway, I only wanted to tell you, that I recommended you guys for the casting. You can thank me later,” he left them with these mysterious words. The couple got their food backed up and left for their private rooms.

“You guys know Jess and James?” “How did you get to know them?” the question finally broke out of their companions after the superiors left. “What casting was he talking about?”

They embarassedly answered some of their questions about their relationship with them, although there was not much to talk about. Jess and James gave them a recommendation to join the Oathguard because they took a liking to their attitude. Afterward, they were amicable acquaintances, but not quite friends.

However, one question left them as clueless as their companions. What casting?

…

---Minas Mar---

What casting? Soon after his conversation with Evee, Seth was also surprised by this sudden question. It jumped him while he was preparing the Necronite Golem. Now he was sitting in office on the lower floors of the embassy, facing the consequences of his own actions.

Some time ago, he tried to push the task of choosing owners for the legendary items he made onto Mary. This time his tried and true method had failed him for the first time. What he got in return, was a list of people with the message “Any of these people would deserve it. Choose one yourself.” He felt like Leana had a bad influence on his beloved secretary.

This led to Seth spending most of the past three days in his office, taking auditions for the legendary items that were currently up for grabs. Namely the Harbinger of Winter Woes, a special rapier of ice with the legacy of a fallen god, the Jaws of Apep, a pair of twin Khopesh, and the Eye of the Storm, the killer wind staff. It reminded him of the time when he had to choose people to recruit for the Crafting Department, however, it was a lot better since he got to meet a few of the long-time members of the Oathguard and have a thorough talk with them.

It had another good side effect. He was present when Larish and Larosh suddenly appeared on their doorstep. This time, their arrival was much quieter, since Gallwell had pulled back most of his people for the sake of their negotiations.

Since he was in his office he was called to the meeting room, where Mary, Leana, and Luf were already waiting for him. Soon after him, came the two dark elves, while their guards waited outside the embassy.

“We greet the Tower Master and his Advisors,” Larosh greeted them with a respectful bow. The elf had become much more humble after their first encounter with Seth and the golems he made.

“We came to notify you that Arget Nore has accepted the treaty and your conditions for cooperation. The official statement will be made public in a few days. We came today, to bring you the agreed-upon items,” Larish added with a bow of her own.

With a wave of Larosh's hand, a pile of treasure appeared. Not gold and items, but chests of <Necronite> and various expensive-looking scrolls and valuable books. These were the master-tier enchantments he had been waiting for! He would finally be able to elevate most of his basic go-tos among his enchantments to the next level. It was the last puzzle piece he wanted before making Evee's new armor and reworking one of his own.

“Your gifts are much appreciated,” Seth finally tore his eyes from the items and answered with a smile.

“In exchange, I want to give you a sneak peek at our premium product I have prepared,” he said. With a clap of his hands, a portal to Legion opened outside the door and the Necronite Golem made of Evee's old armor was spat out. Larosh's and Larish's eyes opened wide when they suddenly felt the gloomy aura, unique to necromancy and dark magic.

Seth had given them a similar test run as Haa'Skon and found that their powers were similar, but the Necronite Golem's was much weaker and closer to a necromancer who had to control the undead instead of the undead following its every order in reverence.

Still, it was a genuine kind of Necromancer Golem that did not need a necromancer's soul or special necromancy enchantments. Although it was not as strong in controlling and raising undead, in exchange it managed to learn rudimentary curses and dark magic thanks to the enchantments originally meant to empower Evee.

Most importantly, it did not share the same weakness as a necromancer, which was a weak body. The door opened and revealed a dark knight and reflective, crystalline armor. The gleaming dark aura and rose-colored tint in the eye slits and breathing holes of the helmet gave it a foreboding and intimidating presence.

The blacksmith had been looking forward to their jaws falling open, and he was not disappointed as the two dark elves stared at the Necronite Golem in shock. It was a good thing they didn't know it was a dumped-down version of the original prototype. He reinforced his suspicion that it was a bad idea to show or even offer them Haa'Skon. If they knew the upper limit, Arget Nore might end up feeling threatened and become hostile.

“I-Is that a necronite Armor Golem...? Where in the world did you get so much <Necronite>?” Larish could stay polite and exclaimed crassly to vent her shock. Her reaction in turn made question whether <Necronite> was as abundant in Arget Nore as he expected...

“Larish, reign in your emotions! I'm sorry, Tower Master for this rude behavior,” Larosh pulled her back and apologized quickly.

“No harm done I didn't expect that kind of reaction, as I had the impression that <Necronite> was not that rare in Arget Nore...?” Seth ended his sentence with an audible question mark. It was Luf that had implied that <Necronite> was naturally forming north-east of Delta. It was quite obvious that Seth understood this as it forming in the land of death that was created in the former region of Gamma.

“Well, you are right. It's not as rare as other epic materials, but it is usually reserved for the rich, noble, and powerful. It's quite hard, even for people of our rank, to get our hand on one or two pieces of it. Seeing a full armor of it, it is hard to blame my sister for her reaction,” Larosh explained a little embarrassed.

“Then we will have to raise the price, right?” he said and looked over to the administrative heads, who were in charge of making the final prices.

“Ah!” Larosh was crestfallen, when he realized what he just did. Maybe they could have made a good deal, if he had just shut up...

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