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Karna drew a deep breath while gazing at the clear night sky above. Unerring focus would be required to get the best result, so she had spent some time centering herself. The materials for her crafting project were arrayed in front of her within quick reach but still separated by magical forcefields that would stop any accidental contamination. She knew her allies were spread around her tower in a defensive formation, just to make sure she wouldn't be disturbed. It was considered the height of rudeness to disturb an artificer in the middle of their crafting, but she'd be drawing a lot of attention very soon, so it was important to be prepared. The Forgemaster and the others at the manufactory would also help keep others away out of pure principle, but she’d given Zuellni the freedom to open fire if anyone managed to slip through.
Still, Zuellni wasn’t going to be focusing on defense, as the tower spirit and the tower were more focused on enabling her crafting. The tower would draw in power from the surroundings, and Karna would even tap into the grand formation if the plan went well. “Gem, you know the drill.” She extended her hand in expectation, and the spirit transformed into an ornate hammer that would’ve made any smith drool.
She took the first pieces of material she would be working on, a large chunk of dark blue metal and a long pole she’d created from one of her scales. The Celestium glittered in the starlight, reflecting the heavenly bodies above while absorbing the power they radiated. She drew heavily on the element the titans were so famed for, and the power of thunder and lightning channeled through her and into the hammer in her hand as she brought it down on the chunk of metal. The strike sent small waves through the divine power ever-present even in this pocket dimension, and some of that power was channeled through the hammer as well, and into the metal. Her hand came down again, and the waves she made were just a smidgen larger and extended further.
Hammer strike after hammer strike landed on the metal that stubbornly resisted every attempt to shape it. Yet every strike echoed a little louder and a little further, and the metal ever so slowly started giving away. Storm clouds started forming above the tower, which was floating above the manufactory itself, as the elemental power responded to her forging. Soon her strikes slowed down as every time she lifted the hammer, a thick stream of lightning descended from the clouds and landed on her hammer, and the subsequent hammer strike channeled the power into the metal she was forging.
The waves of divine power were starting to get noticed all over the pocket dimension as more and more was channeled with her every strike, and the powerful beings cast their senses in her direction, their curiosities piqued. It wasn’t too odd for the forging of the manufactory to be felt by others, but everyone could sense that something a little different was happening this time. Even though they could already sense the waves, they were still growing and they could all sense that this was only the beginning.
Most of the time crafting was all about forming the item out of chosen materials and then applying your chosen enchantments on the formed product. Things were a little different when creating truly powerful items. For true artifacts, the forging itself was secondary to forcing the requisite power inside the object being created, and that power then gave the artifact its strength. The problem was, unless the crafter was very good, the effects were somewhat random. The better the artificer, the more control they had over the process and the more power they could forge into the object. The materials themselves acted more as containers. The better your container, and the more skilled the being creating the item, the more power the container could hold. That’s partially what separated true grandmasters in the art of crafting from just the masters, as they could instill a great power into a container made of lesser materials.
In this case as well, while the metal she was using was resisting her efforts heroically, the forging process itself was relatively simple. The weapon she was making wasn’t all that complicated after all. The real skill was in controlling the vast amounts of power she was forcing inside the weapon. The metal was forced into the shape of a rectangle that flared wider at both ends, a very classic shape for the head of a hammer, though this one was created for war and not for forging like the one she was swinging now.
The waves of divine power were now being felt even outside the pocket dimension, and they had also gained a sense of dimensional power in addition to thunder and lightning. Yet the forging continued. When the metal hammerhead seemed to reach the extent of the power it could handle, the Celestium pole slipped into the hole she had already punched into the metal just for this purpose, and suddenly the capacity of power the weapon could hold multiplied.
The strikes of lightning every time she lifted her hammer had become entire forests of lightning strikes and they all seemed to converge on her hammer. She allowed her Domain to expand just enough to cover her workshop, and she ever so carefully tapped into the grand formation, very gently coaxing a minor fraction of the power channeled there to be available for her use. The waves of divine power suddenly jumped in strength and size, and suddenly they were felt inside the realms of the gods, who suddenly got just as interested. So far, none of them had interfered, but they were paying attention.
Strike after strike fell on the forming weapon, and Karna could feel it gaining divinity, but she was far from done. Immortals loved to categorize things. Items with divinity were normally categorized into nine levels. The first three were the standard divine items that trickled down to be used by even standard immortals. A few even fell into the Higher Planes during the events known as Heavensfall. The next three were considered artifacts, and these were usually the items only created and used by gods. They were rare, but not so rare that they were impossible to acquire if one put their effort into it. The seventh rank items were the start of what would be called the sacred items. Usually, only True Gods had them, and only a single one, which usually became their symbol. The scythe of a God of Death. A lyre of a God of Music. Eighth rank items were something only the most powerful True Gods possessed, and usually only those with powerful Divinities. Rank nine were the sort of sacred artifacts that became the cause for wars between gods, and only a very small handful of them existed in the deepest vaults of the most powerful houses.
The strikes continued and as the materials finally reached their limit, Karna lifted her hammer one last time. Instead of quickly striking down, a veritable vortex of energy formed above the crafting instrument. The power became so thick that it started to coalesce first into liquid, and then into solid form, forming a gemstone under the pressure. She then gently guided the newly created stone to the butt of the hammer, where it fit right into what looked like claws grasping it into place, making it into a pommel of sorts. The blue gem flashed one last time before it connected with the rest of the weapon.
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The power within the weapon fluctuated before settling down into the range that would have others classify it as a rank eight sacred item. She was happy with her work and started adding the finishing touches and decorations, including intricate carvings and gold embossing. Just because the main work was done, that didn't mean she would be happy with an unadorned weapon. Aesthetics mattered, and a weapon of this power required suitable looks.
The creation of such an artifact caused a stir among the gods. Items of such rank were extremely rare. Rare enough that many gods would happily kill to acquire it. However, they were less willing to just barge into a base controlled by the Host to do it. Especially now that all the other gods would be paying attention and might interfere. Had the item been a rank nine sacred artifact, such considerations would’ve been thrown aside and ignored, as the gods would’ve been prepared to go to war over it. They also considered that anyone capable of creating an item like this once might be able to do so again. Stealing from such a person might be detrimental because the artificer might decide to take revenge by arming their enemies. On the other hand, trade was always an option…
That was also one of the reasons why Karna had been satisfied with “just” a rank eight weapon. She knew going further would’ve only created trouble, even if she was capable of holding on to the weapon. Instead, this opened more doors instead of closing them. The creation of rank nine items also wasn't that simple. The materials were fine, but even she would need a lot more preparation and time to reach the pinnacle of item creation. Creating something of the ninth rank, or above, would take years instead of the hours this work had taken. Besides, she wasn’t finished.
She reached deep within her soul and brought out the item that traveled with her between her lives. Anyone witnessing it wouldn’t have paid it any attention. In her hand was a simple unassuming sheath for a slightly curved sword. The sheath looked like it had been made of black lacquered wood and had been decorated with gold leaf filigree. Most notably, the sheath was empty. There was no power radiating from it, and even if someone with eyes and senses as sharp as hers studied it, they'd think it was just a sheath. Yet at the same time, it was the most important, powerful, and most of all useful item she'd ever created. Sometimes the biggest benefits were not obvious.
She gestured towards the newly created weapon with the sheath, and the weapon seemed to turn into smoke before being sucked inside the sheath. As if due to an afterthought, she also pulled out the gauntlets that she’d been using before this, and the gauntlets disappeared in the same way. With a small secretive smile, she twirled the sheath before it disappeared somewhere no one would ever be able to find or access.
Then she looked around her workshop. She had only used a small portion of the materials she had prepared. There was a lot more work to be done. More items would be created shortly, and all of them would find a home in the same place the war hammer and gauntlets had.
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The entirety of the Divine Planes had been given a shock during those few days. The creation of even a single rank eight items was a large enough feat that it echoed across the planes, but someone had created two such items and a rank seven in a row. Items that thus far had only been the domain of the most powerful True Gods had suddenly been created like they were something easy to produce. Such weapons were not a small deal. Even one was enough to disturb the balance of a battle between some of the most powerful beings in the universe. The fact that someone was able to create them continuously was disturbing, to say the least.
Naturally, by the time the second item had been created, there had been plenty of observers trying to get a better idea of what was going on. There was also a decent case to be made that the reason the third item had only been a rank seven one was due to the presence of these observers disturbing the creators. Whether that was true or not was left unconfirmed, but the Forgemaster of the manufactory had clearly been displeased enough with these pests that no information had been released.
Not that such releases were necessarily required. The tower floating above the manufactory was rather obvious, and enough people could connect the tower with Princess Ynnead to allow conclusions to be drawn. Either she was the creator, or one of her companions was. Oddly though, once she exited the tower, none of the newly created items could be sensed on her person. The tower having been made of Blackstone blocked all attempts to sense what was inside, but even the seers and scryers couldn’t locate the items. Items of such power were difficult to hide, even with the assistance of something like Blackstone. That in turn made it even more difficult for anyone planning on stealing the newly created items.
“You made a mess again.” Envy commented. “I’ve always known you don’t do things halfway, but now you’re just showing off.”
“Hardly. There are other artisans capable of doing the same on the Divine Planes. Granted, I can do it faster than most, but that doesn’t mean others can’t do it. Heck, I’m pretty sure you could do it too:” Karna argued back.
“If you say so.” Envy smiled a bit mysteriously. “Now show it off. I know you made a weapon for yourself. You won’t be able to hide it for long anyway.”
Wordlessly, Karna summoned the war hammer she'd created first. For some reason, the weapon didn't radiate any of the power they both knew it possessed. The handle of the hammer was long enough that it could almost be called a halberd. Lightning seemed to be crackling around the head of the hammer almost constantly, and the gem at the pommel shined with a dangerous light. Envy gave a small whistle, and with Karna's permission, gave the weapon a small twirl. It seemed almost weightless in her hands.
“Control over thunder and lightning, as expected. Fitting for a titan. It can freely control its mass and momentum, can't it?" She looked toward Karna. "I'm pretty sure I could flatten an entire city with just a swing if I tried. And those are just the most obvious features."
“So far so good.” Karna nodded, confirming Envy’s suspicions.
"Why a hammer though? I've always thought your style to be more elegant and control-focused."
“War hammers are misunderstood. There’s no reason you can’t use one in a more elegant fashion. However, you’re correct. This one was created for a purpose. My current cultivation emphasizes speed, power, and fortitude. Sometimes taking the direct approach is the best. Why bother engaging in a dragged-out fight of skill when you can just overpower your enemies? I’d like to see someone try blocking this with a sword or a spear. Many of our future enemies will also be focused heavily on defense, and I wanted something that can take care of that. This is for bludgeoning my way through most trouble. Besides, I may have made something else for the times where elegance and control are required." Karna revealed.
“I noticed. And I believe so did the entire Divine Planes. Three items at that. Why one weaker though? Did the audience mess things up for you?” Envy asked, knowing it was unlikely.
“No. The third item was simply too small to hold as much power. Besides, it doesn’t make a difference. That one was created for a different reason entirely.” Karna confirmed her old rival’s suspicion. “Though to be fair, I was getting a little tired at the end, so creating a third item of eight rank would’ve been pushing things a bit anyway.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be so easily swayed. Still, you’ve once again made yourself the center of attention. Now everyone is aware of you.” Envy pointed out.
“That was sort of the point. We came to the Host to make a name for ourselves. Battle isn’t the only way to achieve that. I’ll likely get some orders from desperate True Gods in the future, and it will be useful to have some gods owe us some favors. Besides, making it as blatant as I did also makes it less likely someone will do something sneaky as everyone will be paying attention now.” Karna explained her reasoning.
“You could’ve gone straight for a rank nine item if that was your goal.” Envy pointed out.
“I didn’t want to incite a war just yet. Besides, all in good time.” She certainly wasn’t going to admit she’d already almost accomplished that. That was the thing about the sheath. It didn’t just hide items she fed to it. It combined them. The weapons she’d fed to it weren’t quite enough yet, but she’d get there soon enough.