Valter walked out to the garden behind Desari’s house. His eyes saw through the plants that fairly radiated mana.

“The more I look at this place the more I’m impressed,” Valter said.

“The way that the gardens are balanced out?” Petor asked.

He might have been the last to learn about magic but he was a quick study. All of his companions were.

“Reminds me of the elemental font room that held the planar gem. All planted together to create an eco-system that draws in the nutrients of the ground, mana and elements. Instead of working against one another, they work with one another to better the environment,” Valter said.

“They’re actually making one another stronger instead of fighting against each other,” Petor said.

“Runes and formations in the walls and throughout the property focus the mana and elements, drawing in into certain locations. While also keeping all the noise of the city beyond out.

Valter took out his forge, the box smooth black stone with grey and white crystalline veins running through it, a silver anvil emblazoned on its surface.

Valter checked its positioning.

“What are you looking for?” Petor asked.

“Just want to make sure its in the middle of everything so that the elemental and mana is as neutral as possible.”

“Oh,” Petor looked around the garden, his eyes alight with emerald green flame. He moved around and tapped his foot against the ground. “Here you are.”

“Thank you,” Valter put the box down on where Petor had tapped and pressed a finger to the top of the forge. His mana threaded through the anvil symbol and into the forge. It was a tricky weave, thankfully his time working with his own spell casting and charging up the planar gem made it much easier.

There was an audible click as he completed the weave.

The band around the anvil spun as the hair-thin lines parted, the forge spreading out and up, it unpacked itself, spreading out to a floor as the box rose, forming a table, that began expanding outwards, legs growing up and down to connect to one another.

The forge continued to scale up, pieces spreading out and rotating into place with pleasing clicks. The whole thing unpacked into a U shape, the forge at one end, twin tables on either side and on right angles. A working area in the middle.

The top of the forge folded down, the silver anvil over the hearth.

Racks of tools covered the walls behind the tables, various sanders and other implements were connected by runes, operating with a flick of a switch or a turn of a dial, completing the runes.

Stones warmed in the heart of the forge. A plate covered in runic lines in its heart, the lines became less dense as they rose up the inside of the hearth connecting throughout.

Under the forge, there wasn’t a place to put wood instead there was a space with depressions where one might put cores, mana filled gems or one’s hand. Through a crystalline window one could see four crystals with runes drawing power from them.

“Got your Earth, Fire, Water and Air crystals in there. Talking about elemental fonts. I think those might be chunks of them.” Petor said.

Valter turned knobs under the hearth, increasing and decreasing the heat, adding in more earth element, or water or air, changing the balance.

“Perfect, this will make things much easier.” Valter took out Dimantium and put it on the work bench.

“How?”

“With Dimantium and the higher grades of ore, it needs heat and it needs mana to break down the materials. If you want the best result out of the material for the user, then you have to match the user’s mana signature and infuse this into the weapon.”

“Mana signature?”

“Everyone uses mana differently, unknowingly or not. We weave a spell through our channels in different ways and that presents in a different way. In lower grade weapons it is best to create enchantments into the gear. This is cheating in a way.”

Valter took out his carving knife. “I create a weave in my channels, or I just inject it into the enchantment and it creates a greater output. You’re turning the enchantment on and off.” He ignited the molten edge of the knife and then deactivated the runes.

“Its like Desari and her spell book, she creates a spell and then uses her book to increase its ability, well in excess of what she could perform by herself.”

Petor nodded along.

“Now, with higher grade weapons, ones that are attuned to the user properly like Dimantium, you cast a spell through it and it comes out stronger without enchantments. Instead of you turning the enchantment on and off like you were doing before, you’re taking the spell you wanted to cast and you’re increasing it dramatically.”

“Increases your flexibility on the battlefield, instead of just using one or a couple of spells you can upgrade several,” Petor said.

“Right,” Valter snapped his fingers, grinning. “It also makes enchantments that reflect upon you stronger. Instead of an enchantment that will generally increase you, or anyone that uses it. This is attuned to the final user, so the results are stronger.”

“So you can still have enchantments?” Petor asked.

“Yes, they’ll be stronger and you can have more of them because the material has a higher tolerance to mana and elements.”

“How do you get someone’s mana signature into the metal?”

“Well,” Valter took out the metal sheets he’d had everyone inject their mana into. “With these I can adjust the outputs of the various elements—recreating everyone’s mana signature.” He set them on a table near the forge and pulled out his hammer. “I’ll need you to drain my hammer of mana and then I can infuse it with each elemental signature. As well as drain it out of the dimantium ore. It will have picked up some elements from being mined and formed into ore blocks. You’ll clear all of that out so that I can introduce each mana signature in perfectly.”

“Seems like a complicated process, will the hammer work with the dimantium, its stronger right?”

“The biggest thing with Dimantium is not about hitting it harder, its about pulling it apart on an elemental and mana level. Once alloyed and infused it hardens to an incredible degree. You want to break it, you have to use a ton of mana and strength at the same time.” Valter picked up a plate and moved to the forge. “This is also one of the easier methods.” He started turning the dials, comparing the interior of the hearth to what was in his hands.

“If I didn’t have this forge and its flame. Then I would have to search out various ingredients that I would have to alloy with the metal in a ratio to mimic each of our signatures. Instead I can use ingredients to alloy our armor or weapons to make them stronger, hold more mana and other innate benefits.” He squinted at the flame.

“More air,” Petor said.

Valter dialed it up.

“Ri~ight, there!”

Valter released his grip.

“Touch less fire,” Petor squinted at both.

Valter did as he was told.

“Yeah that should do it.”

Valter couldn’t tell a difference between the two. “Guess that I have another job for you,” Valter grinned.

“What do you want to work on first?” Petor asked.

Valter looked around, moving closer to Petor and keeping his voice low. “My armor, that way I can move my shards into the new armor, increase my capacity and let me work for longer.”

“Okay, then do you need me to drain your hammer? It is your hammer, shouldn’t it have your signature?” Petor asked.

“Correct, for this first one it should be fine. Though I’ll need your help in the ones later.”

Valter took out the books on smithing Epic gear.

First drain the last vestiges of mana and elements from the material, then place it into the hearth to be broken down by the user’s mana signature flame. Alloy it according to what each person desired, then forge it into shape, finally it would be enchanting time.

He talked through the process with Petor, placing ingots into the hearth that he’d leeched already. “The runes keep circulating everything, impressively closed loop. Don’t think that we need to really worry about where we put it. Though can’t hurt putting it in a more neutral location. Just used to the other forge.” Valter shrugged. He took out powders, using scales to check the weight.

“Just need to measure what we’re going to throw into the Dimantium to alloy it.”

“With the alloys not working to mimic your signature what are you going to have them do instead?” Petor asked.

“With lower grade materials you can use alloying to change the characteristics of metal, make it harder, make it more malleable, that kind of thing. That’s what I’ll be doing with my own. Though Desari and Mya, they’ll benefit from having armor that will allow mana to pass through it more easily.”

“How does that work?”

Valter grinned. “Well I was talking with Penrik and some of the teachers here, as well as Desari when I could find her. There’s an ingredient called liquid stone. Not sure why its called that. You can turn it to a powder, then heat it, and it will fuse together creating a network of crystal that will easily allow mana through. Its used for some of the larger formations in the city because its great ability to transmit mana and it can be blended into other materials, if you have enough and its sown throughout it can create a structure throughout the material.”

“So it creates artificial mana channels through the metal?” Petor said.

Valter poured the material into crucibles holding the different ingots.

“Right. Casters start creating spells with their hands, but as they advance, they can cast a spell across any part of their skin. Though certain metals make it harder for that spell to get out.”

“That’s pretty cool. I thought that might be something you’d do to increase your regeneration?” Petor asked.

“I thought about it, but I already have formations, that have been improved by my time in the libraries here, which can regenerate my mana. I am also not pulling the mana into my body as much. That hammer we fought, it gave me an idea.” Valter wiped his hands clean and drew out a metal stake to stir the mixtures.

“Parts of my core are already in my armor, what if I was to create channels and runes through my armor then guide my mana through them to create spells? Or I can hold spells at the ready-pre-loaded and then activate them and the various runes in different patterns to create varying outcomes?”

He leaned out of the hearth and put down the stake that was starting to warm up.

“Have pre-selected spells, just point and use. Though what about new spells?” Valter pressed his lips together. “I have a theory. Though let me ask you a question. The strongest casters in Ilus, what’s made them the strongest?”

“Knowledge?”

“Sure that is a component, but what have they worked on?”

“They’ve worked on all kinds of things,” Petor frowned.

“Each of them has focused on one school of magic, getting a great understanding of that and then when they feel at the limit of that, they’ve reached over to other schools of thoughts to learn more,” Valter said.

“Become an expert in one area and then spread to another.” Petor chewed on his lip. “Desari is really strong but she doesn’t focus on one area.”

“She has, stepped outside of normal bounds from what I can tell,” Valter checked the hearth. “She’s had binding contracts with elementals. That kind of binding really increases one’s attunement with the elements around you. It jumps you ahead. As she gets stronger, they get stronger and you all work together to become incredibly powerful. Desari worked to become the deadliest mother fucker you ever did see.”

“Fair point.” Petor crossed his arms, looking off into the trees. “She’s skilled with her blade, her bow, her knives, alchemy is an extension of that, supplies that keep her on top of her game no matter what. Heal terrible injuries, poison others, increase abilities. Magic has been her trump card, learning how to use it in every facet of her fighting.”

“Fighter,” Valter tapped his finger to the table and then circled where he’d touched it. “Everything else.”

“So, what does this have to do with your theory?”

“I don’t need multiple spells, I just need to understand a few so very well that their versatility will increase dramatically. Take your shielding spell. You can create a shell around us, you can also form it into a single face. One spell, with a few tweaks of the weave it shifts to the form you desire.”

“Coming from the guy that knows how to use every weapon.” Petor raised an eyebrow with a grin.

“Yes, but it took me years to come and understand each of those weapons. Each one built upon the other. I learned from the others what people might do and could interpret them. We don’t have years to understand all of this magic,” Valter said.

“Feels like I’ve just scratched the surface in a lot of ways with the different spells. The shield spell helped with my defense, but the ones surrounding plants take up my mind the most.” Petor paused, frowning to collect the words. “I use them as weapons in my sling, though I can also use the ones that are already on the ground to trip up and harass who we’re fighting. Though it extends beyond that. The longer he was in the battlefield the more use he could get out of them.”

Petor held up his hands forestalling Valter’s reply.

“With the plants I can use them to move across the battlefield at will, getting close to targets to drain, then use that power into the plants or to you and the others. Working on the fields has really helped me to understand growing more. The resonance I have with healing people, it feels like its spread to the plants.” Petor looked at Valter who nodded, his heart beating faster, a connection and understanding between them. “While you get that resonance with your plants. I get it with my smithing.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Right!” Petor threw his hands up. “Its so hard to explain the connection. The way you know how doing something here.” He pinched the air with his fingers. “Will change the whole damn thing.” He threw his hands in a circle to encompass everything. “You just,” He pinched his fingers together, shaking his hand back and forth. “know.”

“Its part of becoming an expert, first you learn, then you do, as you keep learning and doing the activity you get to understand it on a granular level. New senses are created attuned to the work in front of you,” Valter said.

“Just like fighting. You’re trained, but as you go through fights and more training you develop your own style, your own understanding of yourself, the way you fight and the way that others fight. You figure out how to beat those you go up against by reading them and knowing yourself.” Petor crossed his arms and looked into the sky. “See with the plants. I can surround the enemy, I can harass them, I can attack them from afar. Who needs to have artillery? I can have plants that hurl exploding pollen at whoever we’re facing. Who needs caltrops? I have hellfire Thistles that will detonate, tear apart who we’re fighting and then spread once more.”

Valter blinked, digesting and taking it in. “That was well beyond what I thought.”

“I can draw in mana from an area one hundred meters around me. If I use the plants roots like the liquid stone, spreading the mana through it. Then I could reach much further. I can move around the battlefield instantly. Mya can raise up the dead, I fuse them with plants enhancing them. Desari controls the sky and keeps an eye over us, you protect over all of us and coordinate.”

Valter imagined it. “That’s beyond what I thought. That would be a force multiplier for sure.” Valter looked into the hearth. If I don’t trust him, who do I trust?

Valter took out his current armor and linked it altogether.

“What are you doing?” Petor asked.

“I wanted to show you something.” Valter linked the last of his armor together and reached out through his core.

The armor’s runes lit up before it stood up turning its eyes from Valter to Petor.

“That’s a little freaky.” Petor said.

“I was thinking about what Mya can do with her rituals and the undead, keeping their souls contained within their bodies. How Mesurial can move between her mount form and her ship. I have my soul split up and infused into my armor. A pale copy of myself. What if I was to split up that core into several sets of armor and use them as extensions of myself?”

“Each of them can fight like you?” Petor asked.

“I could stretch out the power to two other sets of armor. They’ll know how to fight like I do, but the amount of mana they can draw on will be less.”

“Well could stuff them full of cores or some other item to hold power, then they draw upon those, might actually have more mana capacity than you,” Petor said.

“I had to learn how to coordinate with all of the parts of my core to move my body when I was little more than a torso. As my core’s have increased in strength. Everything has flowed smoother. The stronger I get, the stronger they’ll become as well.” Valter chewed his cheek looking at the armor. “I can see through the armor right now, there’s a dissonance having two sets of understanding, but its smoothing out as I practice more. What if I could take it a step further, what if the other parts of my core could learn or do without me?”

“So a set of armor reads a book while you’re asleep and you come to understand it?” Petor blinked his eyes at the implications. “That would be seriously badass. Wait if they were to kill creatures, then would you get the experience?”

“If your plants kill someone you get the experience right?”

“Yeah, though would these become separate?”

“Its one core just operating different things. Each of them would be me. I would be each of them. Just there’s one meat version and several metal versions.”

“Could you split up your core more?” Petor asked.

Valter grimaced. “When my core was split before it was really crude and not really safe. When I was reborn my internal core and channels were all repaired. I feel that I’ve reached the limit of how much I can break down my core. Right now I can just extend my control to my other half.” Valter moved his hand and turned it, the armor doing the same.

His copy turned his head to the forge. Valter followed suit. “Looks like the metal is nearly done.”

“So if you were to use all the parts of your core, you could have yourself and then five other sets of armor that operate like you do.”

“Theoretically yes, though it is going to take a lot of metal to create them. Mithril is really good, but Dimantium is stronger in nearly every way and with it having my signature in the metal then it should be easier for my cores to control.”

“And if you have the saved and engraved spells, because your armors won’t have you in them with your channels they can use spells without you,” Petor said.

“Yes.”

Petor grinned. “That would be pretty friggin badass having you split into six copies.”

Valter’s mind conjured the image of pieces of his armor falling from him to connect to other sets of armor, his senses split into six different parts. Each of them fighting together as one whole. “Being connected by soul I could communicate and understand with them instantly. It would be one whole working as a collective.”

“Well with the new armor you can have atleast a second copy.”

“It’s a high mana drain and I’m still having difficulty with the split senses,” Valter said.

“Well,” Petor opened his arms. “I am one large mana charger. I can keep both of you rolling for sometime as well as the hearth. You two focus on shaping the metal. It might be frustrating with both of ‘you’ working on it, but that frustration will make you focus on making your other half work smoother and in tandem with you.”

Valter looked at the armor, it/he reached out and pulled tongs from beside the hearth, ready to withdraw the crucibles and alloyed metals.

“Okay, lets give this a go.” Valter put his apron on and took out his tools.

The armor reached into the hearth, withdrawing the first crucible and poured it into a mold Valter had set to the side.

Valter reached out the metal and drew its heat away and into his hammer, warming it up as he reached out with his own tongs to grab the metal that was cooling into a sheet. Just a little--. His armor moved the sheet to give him a better angle.

He got his tongs on the metal and drew it over to the anvil. The armor put the crucible to the side.

“Reduce the heat to let the metal cool slightly, want it malleable but not liquid anymore,” Valter tapped his hammer on the anvil and adjusted his grip, focusing on the metal his second hit it, the first few hits roughly shaping it, giving him a better understanding of the metal and how it moved.

Petor turned down the dials on the hearth, keeping its specific mana signature.

The armor reached out his hammer to Petor.

It made Valter pause, but it would be easier with both of them working on it. “Drain it of mana.”

“Got it.”

The armor put the hammer into the forge, letting it draw in the heat and the mana within.

“What you working on first.” Petor said.

It was like his head was split up in two ways, the distraction not welcome. Though when had Valter started to try and take the easy route?

“Gauntlets to start, they’re pretty easy to make, then I’ll do the greaves. I’ll do the big sections first and then the connecting parts to pull it together.”

A second hammer hit where he had been thinking of striking. Valter shifted his aim and struck another point.

As he brought his hammer up the other fell, his focus fell on the piece, seeing it from two sides he didn’t have to move the metal nearly as much. The hammer blows coming in quickly.

Its faster a bit, want to keep it controlled so I don’t go too fast and lose control. “Smooth is fast and fast is slow.” Speed would come with time. If he didn’t build up the basics then what would come out would be crap.

The armor’s hammer started to drop in heat, Valter reached out to it, warming and infusing it with his signature.

“In the other armors going to have to draw the mana from the forge into the hammers, or just keep them neutral. If I keep them neutral then they’re going to cool the metal faster and I’ll have to heat it a lot more.” Valter chewed on his lip.

“If you use someone else’s signature and cast on it, it changes the signature?” Petor asked.

“Right. I’m going to need you a lot more for the later pieces to make sure I don’t contaminate it.” Valter shifted the metal and the armor’s hammer rang out and then his. It was honestly blurring which one was striking the metal.

“Easy enough. I’ve been practicing out in them fields easy enough. I also got some new plants to work on and test out. See what I can add in.”

Valter nodded. “Tell me if the signature starts to change at anytime. Have to keep it constant.”

“Will do, I can hold this for a while, mind if I do my plants?”

“Go for it,” Valter didn’t miss the beat or rhythm he and himself? Had worked up.

Petor was ready at the side as needed, his mana pouring into Valter, increasing his mana recovery. Valter fell into a rhythm hitting the metal, Petor calling out when the energies started to shift.

Valter used tongs to draw out the metal putting it on the anvil in the middle of the forge and started beating on the metal.

Even with heating the hammers Valter couldn’t maintain the heat he needed to form the metal continuously, bringing it back and forth between the hearth.

Petor kept an eye on them as five troughs of plants grew outside the forge.

“How’s it looking?” Petor asked.

“Just about done, needs to cool.” Valter drank from his canteen. “Having the help makes it a lot easier,” He waved at the armor and Petor.

“I can see what you’re doing but heck if I know how you’re doing it,” Petor said.

The simple answer was he was beating the metal into shape. Though the reality was much more complex.

“I was literally made for metal while I was the Xander’s war machine. My legs and arms were gone, parts of my face and torso as well. People thought that I was unkillable. What was wounded was replaced by the sacrophytes and my own creations to keep myself going. I came to know metal in a way I think few would, or really should.” Valter looked in the hearth memories sinking its fingers back into his mind.

“I’ve worked with metal a lot in my life, got to know its layers, the way it likes to act. The flames are different, but the metal, its like others. I took some time at the beginning to understand it and how to work with it best.”

He tapped the cooling gauntlet, drawing out the heat to speed up the process, but not too much to make it brittle.

“I used the mold to turn it into a sheet as that made it the right thickness and easy to hammer into the shape I want. As we go I’m infusing it and altering the heat throughout the metal. As parts are completed I guide the heat away, into my hammer, into other areas that still need to be altered.” Valter moved away from the hearth.

The armor replaced him and pulled out another crucible with its hands and poured it into the sheet mold.

Essence flowed into his core as the gauntlet finished.

Couple more pieces and I should be able to reach a green core.

Valter checked the gauntlet’s stats.

War’s Left Gauntlet

Description: Worn and forged by War, one of the Four Horsemen.

Grade: Mid-Epic

Innate Characteristics: Durability

Enchantments: 1. Increased Strength. 2. Spell slot [EMPTY]

Cost: 51,200 GP

He suppressed a shudder at the cost and ran his mana through the gauntlet it flowed so smoothly, he could feel his strength creeping upwards with just the one gauntlet. The Enchantment is much stronger than it was in the Mithril.

Motion pulled his eye to Desari and Mya walking towards them from the house.

“I was able to get the powder,” Desari held up a vial.

“I have a few of the cartridges and bullets you can use,” Valter put the gauntlet down and took out bullet molds, and a press, moving to an empty section of table along the side of the forge.

“You melt metal into the bullet forms, take them out when they cool and put them into this press, I created different cups based on the runes you told me about. They’re made of mithril so they should press into nearly any metal you make the rounds out of. He pulled one of the cups out of the press. “This one is for spectral grapeshot. Makes the round explode into shrapnel that is harmful to the soul. There’s also blighted shot, ghostly shot, heated shot, cold shot.”

Mya checked over everything.

“Then there are the casings,” Valter took out another press and a thick piece of brass. “You’ll need to put in blanks like this, though you put mana into the press and push it.” Valter put the round piece of brass into the press, runes lit on it, the temperature climbed as he pushed down on the lever and pulled it back up, the temperature dropped back to normal as a cartridge fell from the press and out of a small ramp on the side.

“You can change out the lever and put a bullet into the top of the press, once you have the powder in the cartridge you use it and it’ll press the bullet into the casing.”

Valter took out three boxes that rattled with their contents. “Bullets, casings and extra brass rounds.” He touched each box, their contents written on the top. “I made them the same size as what you use for your revolvers.”

Mya opened the completed loads box and picked out a round, the grey metal showing the slightly glowing runes carved into it.

“Make sure that you charge them up before you fire them.” Valter smiled.

“Damn, you know the way to this girls heart that’s for sure.”

“Just waiting on the powder,” Valter said.

“I’ll have to test out the different amounts of powder in each of the casings to see what they can take and the effect.” Mya looked up from them to Valter and Desari. “Thank you both.”

Valter shrugged. “Always good to have the person that can bring you back from the dead on your side.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Mya cracked a wicked grin.

Desari rolled her eyes behind Mya.

“So, what you doing with this fella?” Mya jutted her chin towards Valter’s armor.

It turned its head as Valter raised his eyebrow.

“Oh, oh!” Mya’s eyes lit with grey flames as she looked between him and his armor. “You turned him into a soul double. This is very cool, very different!”

“Thank you?”

“Does it confuse you if you’re doing different things?”

“A little yes.” He’d been standing still the most to concentrate on the armor moving.

“Yeah that’s the hardest, but you train that up, damn. Oh that is going to be so cool.” Her eyes shone, returning to their normal color.

“Are you sure about your ritual set?” Valter asked.

“As soon as you told me about your linking enchantments I knew it was what I needed.” Mya grimaced. “Dread Captains are captains for a reason, we need a ship. Having a ship allows us to carve and embed our rituals into them so we can cast them quickly and with ease. Without them we have our spells and our own weapons and skills.”

“Having pre-made rituals you need to only guide it and you can create the effect anywhere.” Valter said.

“Right. Mass undead, darkness, abyssal summon. Just a few words and a little mana away. With how dense the runes and channels are going to be, are you sure that there’s going to be enough tolerance in the metal to not break down the engravings and make it break?” Mya held her chin as she chewed on her lip.

“All of my research and talking to others that have worked wit Dimantium makes me think that we are well with the metals ability. That said I think it would be best if you test them out with the rest of us watching on. I can check the metal, Desarie can make sure the flow is going well and Petor can stop the ritual and also offer his insight.”

“Alright,” Mya nodded. “Just with rituals this big, having them on a plate so small, it worries me a bit.”

“Your armor I’ll be working on second. First I’m going to get those plates that you requested and then I’ll work on the ritual ones. That’ll give you plenty of time to test them out.”

“What’s the plan for the roll out?” Petor asked.

“I’ll get mine done first as that’ll give me a power boost and should make the following ones faster to complete. Then it’ll be Mya’s and Desari’s. They’re still using the plates that Mya then sows into their clothing to keep down on the bulk and give them better maneuverability.”

Now was a good a time as any.

“Since I have you all here, this is the last time to confirm what you want with your armor, or armor plates,” Valter said, gathering their attention.

“Desari, you want the metal alloyed so it doesn’t impede your spells at all. Enchantments that will increase the power of the spells you put out as well as the amount of mana that can be held within your armor.”

“Correct,” Desari said.

“How much mana capacity will that be?” Mya asked.

“With the size of the plates and the Dimantium, I think that we should be able to add in the capacity of two Green cores,” Valter said.

Mya let out a whistle. “Three times the amount of power and your spells coming out all the stronger. That’ll be sweet.”

“Not for the fuckers on the other side,” Desari’s mouth quirked up into a wolfish smile.

“Mya your going to get the same kind of alloying, though you have one enchantment that will link your armor and yourself to secondary ritual plates that you can switch out, allowing you to perform rituals on the fly. Your second enchantment is for speed.”

“With the new rounds and higher speed just want to see people try and shoot me before I get them,” Mya looped her hands over the handles of her pistols with an edged smile.

“Petor, yours is a little similar to both of theirs. You have the speed enchantment, though instead of having an enchantment to increase the overall mana capacity, I’m alloying the metal itself to increase its capacity. That will give you six green cores worth of capacity. Due to the amount of metal we’re using and alloying will allow it to hold more than just an enchantment.”

He glanced to Desari but she nodded along, good with her decisions.

“Let me store some of the excess power for sure.” Petor said. “Though working with you on making the armor gives me a question. My second enchantment is a barrier, first I want to be able to manipulate it as you were talking about with your spell slots.”

“Easily done,” Valter nodded.

“The second thing. Well,” Petor chewed on his cheek in thought. “What if I could change the attunement of the barrier? Like if I changed the mana signature of the barrier, say someone was hitting me with a fire spell I then use water mana in the barrier, would that make it more effective?”

“Yes, though that would really only work on elementals. They use nearly just one element so they’re easier to defend against.”

“As soon as I’m fighting anything else then their mana signature changes and no matter the spell it is going to be a blend of different energies,” Petor said quickly, getting excited. “I can interpret mana and the elements really fast and if I was to have a part of the enchantment that changes the attunement of my mana I could have it create a barrier that cancels out the incoming spell, reducing my overall power consumption and increasing the defense.”

“It would take creating a complex set of input runes.” Valter scratched his beard. “Though its really just the elements all linked together. You’d have to weave your spell through them all in the way you want, can do that when you start the barrier or when its active. Its doable.”

“Great, that will help out a lot.” Petor let out a sigh of relief. “Right now the barrier spell pulls a ton of mana from me. I think because the mana I put out is neutral it requires more to overpower spells that are attuned to different elements.”

“Do you want a new shield?” Valter asked.

“I used the shield because that was what I was trained to use when fighting on the line. Though with the barrier, my ability to jump between plants and my increased speed I’m aiming to just use my spear. Without my other hand taken up by a shield I can hit harder and faster.”

It would be a stronger offense, and clearly Petor had been thinking of using his other abilities to augment his fighting style.

If he could jump around the battlefield hitting the enemy from every direction and raising chaos with his plants?

“Makes sense to me.” Valter nodded.

“Have fun boys, we’re off to go summon some elementals, see you later!” Mya said, moving past Petor and linking her arm with Desari’s.

Valter looked back at his armor and the cooling metal.

“One gauntlet done, alright Petor, could you make sure that there aren’t any mana left overs.” Valter picked up the gear Mya had made for him and stored it away. Nothing normally fit him but Mya’s clothes fit perfectly and didn’t look terribly baggy or constrict him. It showed she took her time and care in making each of them.

No matter how flippant she was about giving them to everyone.

The mana shifted in the forge and the armor picked up the metal sheet with tongs and heated it back up in the hearth.

“Okay, that should be good,” Petor said.

The armor drew out the metal and held it over the anvil, tapping its hammer before striking the red hot metal. Valter followed suit, falling back into their rhythm.