After his battle, the pieces of obsidian he had selected appeared in his hands.
He approached the furnace and exhaled:
"Wow… what heat! This is really more powerful than last time. The obsidian will never withstand such a temperature."
He placed the fragments in the furnace, then, before they began to heat up, he opened the material selection window.
Choose your materials
Stored materials:
Several windows appeared:
• Fulgurant Squirrel ×3
• Mist Serpent ×1
• Fiery Hedgehog ×1
• Acid Wasp Queen ×1
• Thunderclaw Forest Feline ×1
• Stormbeak ×1
• Black Dragon ×1
• Slytherik ×15
• Rubryx ×1
• Obsidian ×28
Alex selected the Rubryx, ideal to go along with blood.
Do you wish to skin it?
[Yes] / [No]
He gave an amused smile:
"Why press when you can speak? Yes, I wish to skin it."
[Voice command activated — Skinning in progress…]
• Red claws, long and sharp like razor blades ×20
• Scarlet scales, thick and shining like polished glass ×500
• Translucent red bones, sturdy and light ×150
• Long prehensile tail, scaly and jointed ×1
• Stretchable tongue, bright pink, thin and flexible ×1
• Muscular forelegs with integrated claws ×2
• Powerful hind legs with integrated claws ×2
• Broad skull, robust with powerful jaws ×1
• Sharp teeth, pointed, semi-translucent ×32
• Rigid red dorsal spines, sharp and cutting ×15
• Flank skin, supple yet resistant, dark scarlet color ×1
• Inner limbs (long bones and joints) for structure ×16
[Skinning complete]
Alex gave a satisfied smile.
"Very well, voice command, I will take three bones from the left foreleg and three from the right foreleg. Then, four bones from the left hind leg and four from the right hind leg. If possible, I would like them to be crushed."
[Starting bone crushing… Estimated time: 37 seconds.]
While waiting, he began to think about the other necessary components.
"For the edge to be strong, I will take ten large scales from the back and six scales from the tail, for density and weight. Then… eight claws and one extra rigid piece. And to balance the weight and the axe's center… one fifth of the tail."
PROCESSING THE REQUESTS OF THE MATRIX ADMINISTRATOR…
[Bone crushing complete]
The powder from the crushed bones gathered in a bucket that appeared out of nowhere.
[Cutting one fifth of the tail complete]
The scales, claws, and rigid piece then materialized on a table that appeared just as mysteriously.
In the furnace, the heated obsidian suddenly became malleable. Alex poured in the crushed bones. The mass reacted instantly: violent cracking resounded, and clouds of whitish dust mixed with small dancing sparks.
When he added the scales and the claws, the obsidian began to boil. It twisted around the fragments, as if to absorb them. Reddish and black gleams burst from the furnace, casting a trembling, unsettling light on the walls.
The molten matter vibrated and rumbled. It seemed almost alive, whispering in a low voice.
Finally, Alex added the tail pieces to stabilize the center of gravity, then prepared to pour the molten alloy into the mold to shape the mini-axe heads.
The obsidian had completely fused with the bones, claws, scales, and the Rubryx's tail. The incandescent mass still boiled, pulsing as if it were breathing. Alex gazed at the molten metal, the intense heat coursing through his body despite his natural armor. He took a deep breath, ready to move on to the next step.
Carefully, he seized the crucible and began to pour the mass into the mold. The furious blood-red liquid, deep black like lava and pearly white like bone shards, flowed slowly, perfectly filling every groove and every detail of the mini-axe heads.
The claw splinters and bone fragments seemed to dance within the colored fusion, as if the matter itself were trying to align and come to life.
When the last stream fell into the mold, Alex stepped back slightly. The metal still vibrated, emitting a muffled crackling, as if the fusion had just finished. The mini-axe heads were now set in the mold, ready to be removed, their exact and sharp shape just as he had imagined.
He observed the mold for a moment, smelling the acrid, metallic scent of heated obsidian, and a shiver of excitement ran through his body. Every detail of the axe heads—the points, the outlines, the reinforcements—stood out perfectly.
Alex knew he could now move on to the next step: preparing and assembling the handle, which would complete his mini-axes and turn them into weapons ready for action.
The still-hot mass settled, and Alex tapped the mold lightly to remove air bubbles. The matter was left for a few moments so that the heads could begin to harden without fully cooling.
Before the mass completely hardened, Alex activated a voice command so that the mold itself would delicately make a hole under each head, at the correct angle and with the exact diameter to fit the future obsidian handle.
The hot mass remained malleable yet solid, allowing the mold to integrate these openings without breaking the structure, while perfectly controlling the temperature.
Once the shape was stabilized and the holes integrated, the blood mold liquefied and evaporated. The heads retained their solidity but remained malleable for the next step: the creation of the handles.
He returned to the first window and said with a confident voice:
"Voice command: I want to forge handles for my axe heads."