Seth keenly observed the video feed, that was currently being sent by the mapping device, on one of the numerous monitors that were embedded on the walls of the surveillance room.
“These trees are about the same size as giant sequioa trees.”
The majority of the forest’s canopy was formed by it alone. And as the mapping device gained enough altitude above the forest, it became known to Seth and Lily how vast the jungle was.
“Where are we now?”
A bit confused about what she saw just now, Lily looked back at his eyes with her eyebrows furrowed.
“It’s either we’ve travelled back in time, or just transported into an artificially enhanced environment.”
After hearing his words that carried a lot of weight, she was not sure on how to react.
If they did travel back in time, she could witness all sort of things that could never be found in the present day earth. But unfortunately they didn't have the capabilities to go back to the present, and that means she could never see his father for a long time or maybe even a lifetime.
Lily hoped that the second possibility was the one they were in or else all the hard work she had exerted just to be with her father would only be wasted.
“It’s too early for conclusions, we’ll need to gather more information.”
Seth clearly saw her sullen expression and immediately tried to clear Lily of her worries about the future.
He then continued viewing the live video feed and was quite troubled by what he saw.
As the balloon ascended by at least 4000 meters above sea level, several tens of kilometers of land was now being reproduced digitally. The whole forest was shaped almost like a circle and was approximately 15 kilometers in radius. Encircling it was a mountain range that was 3200 meters above sea level. Not a single sign of civilization could be found but there were remnants of it in some isolated parts of the land. And at the center of that forest, a single clearing of vegetation was located.
We're exactly at the center.
Seth thought that their location was quite convenient since there were numerous bodies of water around it. With only one or two kilometers of distance, installing a water line would be possible.
The mapping device stayed afloat for about half an hour now and began to work its wonders. Penetrating the thick canopy with state of the art imaging technology, it could surveil almost any kind of living thing from above the air. Numerous heat signatures were scattered throughout the map but none were found near the facility. Despite the fact that it was capable of such features, the instrument could only discern the living from the non living.
“We should let it scan the area overnight. “
In order to maximize its scanning capabilities, Seth decided to let it run through the night. Postponing the hunt for a stable and clean water supply for tomorrow, he should be able to make the necessary preparations.
Lily's eyes on the other hand was still glued on the screen which projected the ongoing processing of the 3D model. A bit perplexed about the situation but still surprised from all the cool things Seth showcased.
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Rock music blared throughout the part of the warehouse Seth was currently in. Mixed with it was the humming of the machine he was working with right now.
“Hmmm. The design needs to look cool.”
Deep in thought while listening to such kinds of music, Seth wanted this project to at least be of satisfactory level when it comes to aesthetics. With every idea that pops out of his head, the machine made exact models.
Since he was planning on venturing outside, Seth deemed it necessary to at least have some sort of protection and also a weapon aside the tranquilizer gun. The idea he came up with was to 3D print an armor and a weapon he could use.
“Alright! Time to work! “
Thousands of linked layers of fluorographene placed under pressure, which was the strongest and lightest material available,was used to build the base of the armor. Not only it was only five percent the density of steel it was also ten times stronger than it. The only downside to it was that it could conduct heat so well, Seth decided to sandwich aerogels right in the middle of the layers to avoid any chances of him being fried inside it.
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Piece by piece, the machine which was gigantic compared to a usual 3D printing machine, whirled energetically. With each stroke of its probe, the models that were somewhat rushed came into existence. It was originally used by Seth for making base frames and parts for his inventions but it had greater potential in making all sort of things.
This doesn't look good.
An exact plastic model of his body which served as the mold for the printing showed something that might hinder him in making the coolest armor he could think of.
It's nearly transparent….
The armor that he envisioned to be on par with those from ancient mythologies in terms of aesthetics was transparent up to a certain degree that no one would notice that he would be wearing armor unless it was viewed closely.
“I guess I'll just paint it then.”
After printing the all parts individually, which took a gruesome 3 hour session, Seth decided to paint them all in the darkest shade of black he could possibly make with all the materials available to him. With every spray of the paint, the form of the armor slowly became visible.
“I call this masterpiece the ‘Abyssal Armor’.”
As dark as the deepest parts of the ocean, it didn't exhibit any sort of luster. Any light that hit the armor was absorbed by its deep black hue. It possessed horns on its helmet and spikes that were protruding from both its shoulders, which gave Seth the nightmarish impression of a demonic knight that brings doom to all of his enemies. Every inch of it was painted black except for the helmet. The part of the helmet ,where an opening for the face was usually located, was still covered with several layers of fluorographene but wasn’t painted in order to provide vision. Ventilation holes were strategically located on it so Seth wouldn’t suffocate just by wearing it. The helmet was also customized so that the high-tech goggles could be firmly attached onto it.
He was delighted with the final product that he began to imagine all sorts of scenes of him, fighting foes as the dark knight he wishes to be. Everything was perfect except one thing.
It can't be helped that it's a bit small.
Seth sulked at the fact that him, having a small stature, would be in the way with achieving his dreams.
“Enough of that! Next is the shield and the main weapon!”
As if to free himself from that shortcoming, Seth pumped himself up and continued to design 3D models for both the shield and the weapon he would be using.
Since weight is not a problem a tower shield should be possible.
A hundred thousand layers of fluorographene were linked to each other. In between each two layers, aerogel was again sandwiched for better heat insulation. He was undoubtedly going overboard with the construction of these articles but Seth had this premonition that he would need all types of protection he could get. Fire was one of those external dangers that he might encounter so it was better safe than sorry.
Eventually, the nearly transparent tower shield was finished within the chamber where the actual printing was happening. Seth thought for a minute that leaving it like this would be much more cooler. Kind of like an impervious, invisible shield that would protect the black knight from all sorts of attack. But soon dismissed the idea since the probability of it being lost or forgotten was high as well as it was cool.
“Let’s paint it black again before I forgot where I put it.”
Just like before, he retrieved the finished model and blasted it with the pitch black coating. The rectangular shield eventually showed its large profile that was as tall as him. Just like what he did with the helmet, Seth left a circle shaped semi-transparent area for added vision when using it.
“Last but certainly not the least!”
A weapon was clearly essential here since he already had all the armor set and shield. But then, he was quite unsure of what he want.
A sword was the best fit for the set but making swords using a 3D printer and fluorographene would be impossible. It would be very brittle and could probably shatter at first impact.
And first of all, I don't really know how to forge swords.
The only weapon Seth could think of right now was a war hammer. He could utilize the not so perfect superhuman strength of the exoskeleton to deliver devastating blows using brute force.
“I’ll just use a carbon steel alloy of the highest grade.”
The 3D printer ,that could utilize almost any known element to man, began to work its wonders once again by first creating a heat resistant mold of the weapon. Molten steel infused with pure carbon was then poured by the probe inside the mould.
Since I don’t know any smithing techniques at all, this one should do for now.
The final product was comparable to a work of an amateur but possessed the highest grade of material. Not really that visually appealing as it only looked like a huge chunk of metal with a handle. Even so, to Seth’s imagination it was no doubt a two handed war hammer he could use in crushing his opponents.
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“Can we eat breakfast now?”
The familiar voice of Lily snapped out Seth from being so immersed in his work. Adjusting and enhancing the joints of the armor, adding more mass to the hammer, testing the durability of the shield. He was stuck inside this endless loop where he wouldn’t stop unless he was satisfied with the final product.
“Oh right, breakfast.”
Already half a day had passed since he started his work and it was supposedly morning right now. It was his usual pace so it didn’t bother him that much. Even so, bags under his eyes were clearly visible to Lily. His once immaculate appearance had transformed into a zombie-like one. On the other hand, Lily was full of energy even if it was still early in the morning.
Sluggishly, he led the way to the kitchen and made some breakfast with the little supply that they have. Lily, just like before, was delighted with the homemade cooking. And Seth who was still spacing out, ate food absentmindedly.
“I’m going to explore the woods today.”
After finishing both their meal, Seth suddenly talked in a rather serious manner that Lily couldn’t help but stiffen in response.
“And I made this super cool armor! You should check it out!”
Then his manner of speaking took a three hundred sixty turn when the topic of his armor was suddenly brought up. And before Lily knew what was going on, he disappeared in no time and came back in the kitchen after a few minutes. Wearing the pitch black set of armor that was perfectly fitted to his stature, the tower shield attached to his back, and also the war hammer holstered with it.
“Wow!”
Lily’s eyes sparkled in fascination, immediately after seeing the form of Seth carrying such a gallant piece of armor that wasn’t bulky at all and looked very sleek.
Seth flexed and took different poses, with every transition in angle Lily’s surprise voice followed through everytime. He thought that it was nice that someone was admiring his masterpiece, not like before where he only worked in seclusion.
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Mapping hourly report [Session No.6]
Scanned lifeforms: 1056
Actively moving entities: 354
Terrain: Flat, Mostly covered in vegetation
Man Made structures: 5
Estimated map area: 16.7 km
Altitude: 1052 meters above sea level
Underground caverns: 3
Bodies of water: 25