CHAPTER 90 CREATING AN ARMOR
Most forgers begins by melting the ores and metal in a furnace for many hours before it melts.
But for Herald, he was different.
As if reading his mind, Gerald hopped on the large metal table. The pink dragon took some breath and released a massive wave of pink flames all over the table.
Whatever metal or material the table was made from seems to be incredibly durable.
It withstood the shearing heat of the pink flames, but the black ores all melted into liquid.
The metal table was designed with certain channel edges that could allow the melted liquid to pass through.
The underground forge trembled beneath the weight of its own heat.
Pink flames danced violently inside the furnace.
Herald smiled with eyes glowing.
A forge master about to create another piece. The excitement burned in his eyes as his muscular shoulders went up and down.
Roman could feel the pink slowly rising and falling with his breathing.
Herald raised the large table from the side and the liquid followed the deep channel edges carved into the metal table, and into a massive basin on the floor.
The liquid metal moved slowly, thick and luminous, its surface rippling beneath the heat. Shades of orange, red, and white flowed together, while occasional sparks leapt from the surface and vanished into the suffocating dark smoke above.
The forge room itself seemed alive.
Heat pressed against the stone walls.
There were ventilation systems, but the pink flames alone could filter the air and oxygen anytime.
The chamber remained filled with the metallic scent of molten ore and the steady roar of the furnace.
The furnace outer structure was made from layers of blackened stone and reinforced metal, but its heart belonged to the dragon. Pink fire continuously burned within its depths, producing an almost unnatural heat that could melt materials ordinary furnaces could never touch.
Roman stood close by. He remained quiet and watched with keen eyes.
His long red hair fell over his shoulders and down his back, glowing faintly beneath the furnace light. His eyes followed every movement Herald made.
He was watching a master create something from nothing.
On the other side of the chamber, a second container rested upon a reinforced stone platform.
Roman watched Herald brought out two magical ranked crystals from a shelf and tossed it in the container.
They were going to be heated separately.
These were crystals from a mammoth type danger beast know for its defense.
They would work well for a chest armor piece.
Unlike the molten ores, the crystals required a different process.
They could not simply be thrown into the same furnace and melted together.
Their defensive properties were too delicate.
With another breath from Gerald, the crystals began to melt.
The blue-white material gradually became liquid.
Yet it did not look like ordinary, It remained strangely clear, almost like liquid glass.
Tiny flashes of energy moved through it.
Herald watched carefully.
His attention never left the crystals.
The pink dragon stood beside the crystals and not affected by the heat of the container.
The molten ore burned orange.
The molten crystals shimmered pale blue.
Two different materials.
They would not be combined yet.
Finally, Herald began the first stage.
He extended one hand toward the basin containing the liquid ore.
His pink aura resided.
Then his ki flowed outward in invisible waves.
Then It moved with precision.
Thin streams of energy entered the liquid metal.
The surface immediately changed.
The molten ore began to rotate.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
The entire mass of metal began circulating within the basin, forming a controlled spiral.
Herald's ki traveled through every portion of the liquid.
The purpose was not merely to strengthen it.
He was reorganizing it.
Purifying its structure, Compressing its density.
The purification effect of the pink flames flowed through the ki and forcing every impurity toward the surface.
Roman watched the process closely.
Tiny black particles began rising from the molten metal.
They floated upward and gathered into a thin layer across the surface.
Herald moved his hand.
The impurities separated from the useful material and were drawn toward a small channel beside the basin.
They flowed away as dark liquid.
The remaining metal became brighter.
Cleaner, more denser.
The pink dragon released another breath.
A concentrated stream of pink flame entered the furnace.
Herald guided a portion of that purified flame toward the molten metal.
The metal reacted immediately.
Its orange glow turned pink.
For several moments, the liquid seemed to tremble violently.
Herald remained perfectly calm.
His ki surrounded the basin.
The molten material compressed, becoming heavier.
Every fragment of useful ore was being prepared to receive the energy that would eventually flow through the finished armor.
Roman's eyes followed the transformation.
He could see why ordinary blacksmithing was nothing compared to what Herald was doing.
This was not simply melting metal.
It was energy manipulation. Material refinement. Spiritual purification.
Herald eventually released his control.
The molten metal settled.
He moved to the second container.
The crystal liquid was ready.
The pale-blue substance swirled gently inside its container.
Unlike the molten ore, it did not respond immediately to Herald's ki.
Its energy resisted.
The defensive properties of the mammoth beast remained deeply embedded within it.
Herald slowly extended both hands.
His ki exploded.
Ki energy surrounded the crucible without touching the liquid directly.
The crystal substance began rotating.
Slowly at first.
Its surface brightened.
A thin transparent barrier appeared around the container.
Roman's expression changed.
The crystal was already trying to form a forcefield.
Even in liquid form, its natural ability remained active.
Herald continued manipulating it.
His ki pressed against the defensive energy, not crushing it, but guiding it.
The barrier expanded.
Then contracted.
Expanded again.
Then contracted.
Herald repeated the process several times.
Each cycle made the crystal liquid more responsive.
The forcefield became smoother.
More stable.
More controlled.
The small dragon watched from nearby.
Its pink flames continued burning.
The entire chamber now contained three distinct energies.
The heat of the furnace.
The pink purification flames.
And Herald's ki.
The molten ore responded to the ki.
The crystal liquid responded to the ki also.
Neither had yet touched the other.
That moment would come later.
First, Herald needed to create the armor's foundation.
He moved toward a large mold positioned beside the main forge.
It was shaped like a human torso.
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A/N
[A mould is basically a shaped container used to give a material a specific form.]
[Think of it like making an ice cube. You pour water into an ice-cube tray, and when it freezes, it takes the shape of the tray. The tray is the mould.]
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WRITTEN BY PRIDE CHRONICLES
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The mold contained separate sections for the chest, ribs, shoulders, and upper back.
Herald opened the channels connected to the molten ore.
The purified metal began flowing.
It poured into the mold in controlled streams.
The first layer filled the center.
The second spread across the ribs.
The third formed the upper chest.
Herald constantly manipulated the flow with his ki, ensuring the metal settled evenly.
The armor began taking shape.
It was not thick.That was intentional.
A heavy armor would protect the body but restrict movement.
Herald wanted something different.
A chest plate strong enough to withstand enormous force while remaining light enough for the wearer to move freely.
The molten metal filled the mold completely.
Herald closed the channels.
The metal began cooling.
But he did not allow it to harden naturally.
His ki continued flowing through it.
The metal solidified from the inside outward.
Its surface darkened.
Finally, the first layer of the chest armor emerged.
Herald lifted it from the mold.
The armor was rough.
Incomplete.
But the basic structure was there.
He placed it upon a massive stone platform.
Then finally, he lifted his spirit weapon, the war hammer.
It was enormous.
Yet in Herald's grip, it looked almost natural.
The first strike landed.
CLANG!
The sound exploded throughout the underground chamber.
Roman instinctively leaned forward.
The second strike followed.
CLANG!
Then the third.
Each blow shaped the armor.
But Herald was not simply striking metal.
Every hammer blow carried ki.
The force traveled through the armor.
The material compressed.
Its structure became denser.
More resilient.
The hammer continued.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Pink sparks erupted from every impact.
The armor slowly changed. Its edges became sharper.
Its curves became smoother.
The chest section developed a slight inward contour designed to distribute incoming force.
The ribs were reinforced.
The shoulder connections were strengthened.
Herald carefully shaped the central portion where the crystal liquid would eventually be integrated.
Roman watched without blinking.
He could see the pattern now.
Every movement had a purpose.
Every strike was controlled.
Nothing was wasted.
When the armor reached the required shape, Herald stopped.
He placed the hammer aside.
The chest plate was now solid.
Dark metal covered its surface.
Thin pink lines could be seen beneath the material, remnants of the purification energy that had been absorbed during the forging process.
But the armor was still incomplete.
Herald turned toward the second container.
The crystal liquid was still glowing.
Its pale-blue surface pulsed rhythmically.
Herald lifted the crucible with both hands.
He carried it toward the armor.
The closer he came, the stronger the crystal energy became.
The liquid began to vibrate.
The chest armor responded.
A faint hum traveled through the metal.
Herald positioned the crucible above the armor.
He did not pour everything into it.
Instead, he opened a series of narrow channels carved into the chest plate.
The liquid crystal flowed.
A thin stream entered the central channel.
Then another.
The pale-blue material spread through the armor's internal pathways.
It traveled across the chest.
Down toward the ribs.
Up toward the shoulders.
Then around the back.
The armor began glowing.
The crystal liquid settled inside the specially prepared channels.
Herald raised his hand.
His ki descended.
The moment it touched the armor, the entire chest plate trembled.
A wave of energy surged through it.
The crystal liquid reacted.
Its defensive energy expanded.
A transparent forcefield appeared around the armor.
Herald immediately tightened his control.
The barrier collapsed.
Then formed again.
He repeated the process.
Again.
And again.
Each time, the forcefield became more stable.
The crystal energy and the metal were beginning to recognize one another.
Herald continued feeding ki into the armor.
The ki energy moved through the metal pathways, mixing with the defensive properties of the crystals without overwhelming them.
The armor became an energy network.
The crystals were the source of the barrier.
The metal was the structure.
The purification flames had prepared the materials.
Herald's ki became the binding force.
The process continued for hours.
Roman remained where he was.
He never interrupted.
He watched as the master repeatedly heated, cooled, shaped, reinforced, and energized the armor.
At several points, Herald returned the chest plate to the pink furnace.
The dragon's flames washed over the armor.
Each time, impurities were burned away.
The metal became cleaner.
The crystal pathways became clearer.
The pink flames also purified the ki embedded within the armor, preventing unstable energy from remaining trapped inside.
The final stage approached.
Herald removed the armor from the furnace.
It no longer resembled the rough chest plate from earlier.
It had become sleek.
Dark.
Powerful.
The central chest was slightly raised, protecting the heart.
The ribs were reinforced without becoming bulky.
The shoulders were designed to move naturally.
Across the surface were faint pink markings.
Deep within the armor, the crystals glowed with a soft blue light.
Herald placed both hands against the chest plate.
His pink aura exploded outward.
The underground forge shook.
Roman's long red hair whipped violently behind him.
Herald's ki entered the armor.
The energy spread through every channel.
The crystal energy awakened.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then.....
A transparent sphere expanded from the armor.
It surrounded the entire chest plate.
The barrier remained for several seconds before disappearing.
Herald did it again.
The forcefield formed.
This time, it was stronger.
More stable.
More responsive.
He continued.
Again.
Each activation became smoother.
The armor no longer resisted the energy.
It responded to it.
The forcefield could now emerge without damaging the crystal network.
Herald slowly lowered his hands.
The forge became quiet.
The finished chest armor rested upon the stone platform.
It looked almost ordinary at first glance, but beneath its dark exterior was an intricate network of purified metal, crystal energy, and ki.
A weapon of defense had been forged.
Roman remained silent.
His eyes were fixed upon the armor.
He had watched every stage.
The molten ore.
The separately melted crystals.
The purification.
The shaping.
The hammering.
The infusion of ki.
The integration of the crystals properties.
And finally, the awakening of the finished armor.
Herald reached toward it.
The chest plate responded with a faint pulse of pink and blue light.
"Come on, let's paint it"
Herald said.
The small dragon released a quiet breath of pink flame into the air, purifying the toxic black air.
Gerald celebrated another creation.
The forge continued burning.
Unknown to Roman, it had been an entire day and night.
The sun was slowly rising signifying dawn.
TBC