Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Looking at the clock, it was 7 in the morning. He had slept for a couple of hours and still felt kind of empty inside. A side effect of his own ballad, but he felt refreshed enough to continue.

The blacksmith looked once more at the result of his painful work,

<Angelic Soul (Massive, Rare), Crafting Material,

The soul of a high-ranking angel that inherited some of its creator's powers in the domains of metal, binding, and subjugation.>

After Seth got rid of almost everything that was the angel, it still had the powers associated with the god of chains, but not the pesky ego. His next steps were a calculated risk.

He used the golem forge to create a humanoid frame from <Mithril>. For the formation inlays that covered the whole frame, he chose the breastplate he had forged from the angel back then.

It had been collecting dust for a long while and he had lost all interest in it after seeing what the Mask did to the wearer. As he would never be comfortable wearing it or letting someone else wear it, he decided to use it in this way.

Why was using <Mithril> a calculated risk?

<Mithril> was not the best material he had available and it might lower the golem's initial stats, but Seth was counting on the previous Masks properties. He anticipated that, once he infused the soul, the divine metal would start to encroach on the <Mithril>, like the mask did on its wearer, and turn the whole body into the material the angel was originally made of.

This was also the reason why he chose <Mithril>. It had no attributes that could potentially get in the way of the change. Also, it was not overly precious to him, it would have felt like a loss if he used <Ithildin> or <Olympian Silver>, just for them to turn into the dim gray metal of the angel.

While the golem forge built the frame, the blacksmith was busy preparing the soul for the infusion into the frame. Using <Soul Forging> he turned the massive soul into a spectral replica of the golem frame.

He split off a few spectral threads he wanted to use for additional equipment. Similar to the frame, Seth did not choose an armor made of special materials. Instead, he chose a simple armor with solid enchantments, the Dark Knight Set he had been given by Tored all that time ago.

It had served Seth well and was later worn by Tekar for some time. Now it would serve him once again as a protector. Its set effects also had a great affinity with the traits of the angel and these dwarven enchantments would stay, even if the material was changed.

When the <Mithril> frame was completed, Seth started assembling everything. As the first step, before anything else, he gave the golem its new face. He thought it would be fitting to use the empty mask as the face and welded it to the blank head.

Now that the frame and the spectral fame the blacksmith prepared were identical, he infused it into the new body. As it entered, all the inlays and the mask lit up, as if happy to be reunited.

Seth took a moment to inspect the work in progress a lat time.

Without the soul, the mask showed a handsome face with a neutral expression. The face really looked like a benevolent saint when it didn't spout its fanatic nonsense. It was almost a shame, that it did not really matter, as it was covered by a menacing black helmet just moments later.

After using <Soul Forging> to turn the soul parts he separated into a mirror of the armor pieces and infusing them into Dark Knight Set he dressed the golem in its cool new armor. There was only one more thing to do before giving it a bath in styxian water.

Its armaments. What would fit it better than some of the weapons he had made from its own body? Since it was originally a being with magic skills, he connected the soul with the staff and added the shield as additional protection. After all, he didn't know whether it would transmute the <Mithril>, so giving it a shield seemed sensible.

Fully clad in items, Seth summoned the waters of Styx, and the bubble of water enveloped the dark knight. Where the water enveloped the knight, an eerie purple light started glowing from the gaps of the armor.

The color of the dark armor faded at a speed visible to the eye. Seth had expected, well hoped, for a transmutation, but he had not thought it would happen so fact. This almost remembered him of the process of reincarnation, just that in this case, the material of the golem changed, and it didn't grow an organic body.

In the end, the black armor did not completely turn gray, but stayed a mic of dark gray with a tinge of brown, almost giving it the look of a patina.

<Ding! A synergy of materials has changed your creation.>

<Burnished Knight $%

Trait: Unlimited Stamina, Men4zZe 0v deBatt$%§, *****, L0y4I

Race: Magic Golem Warrior

Age:0

Affiliation: Minas Mar

Durability: 1000/1000

Mana: 69420

...>

He had succeeded in creating something similar to Python and Ceres, at least somewhat. He couldn't see the full status, but it also seemed slightly corrupted, like the other angel items that had only parts of their function revealed.

The golem that was lowered on the ground stepped forward on its own accord. It lifted the visor and a pair of glowing purple yes examined the blacksmith.

"Master," it exclaimed and knelt before him, lowering its head.

The fact that it already seemed to have an ego was worrisome, but Asterion had been the same. But seeing it submit really calmed Seth's suspicion by a lot. There was also <Crafty Failsafe>. He could feel the skill taking full effect, despite the weird nature of the material, that the golem had turned into.

"You can stand up. Let me have a look at you." Seth asked it but the golem kept kneeling.

"Master, please excuse my insolence but I have a request. Please, grant this servant a name, master!" it exclaimed fervently.

Seth looked at it for a while. True, most unique golems already came with a name given by the system, this one didn't. Was this why it was so eager to have one? He wasn't yet a master, so he could choose the names for his creation, but if it really wanted a name...

It couldn't blame him if he came up with one on the spot.

"Okay, then your name will be Wolfram from now on." Seth named it based on the original color of the angel.

"Yes, I, Wolfram, swear my eternal allegiance to you, Master," it said with a deep, serious voice.

"i accept your Oath, now stand up and let me have a look."

The blacksmith spent the rest of the morning with making Wolfram show his skills to him. The conclusion was that Wolfram was probably the most well-rounded and reliable golem, yet.

Python, Ceres, and Wolfram, Seth felt adequately prepared with his setup of golems. A team of powerful golems he did not have to worry about. These three would hopefully be just enough to substitute Al'Zalsar and protect his friends.

~This great me does not need protection!~ the nightmare centipede complained indignantly.

Yes, Puffles was mighty but... Seth had a hard time forgetting the scene when the centipede was struggling to take down the bone dragon. At the time this gut-wrenching feeling had been suppressed by <Calm Reaction> but it wasn't like he didn't feel it.

Puffles was mighty, but so were champions and chosen ones. The age of gods would bring more of them and who knew what was waiting for them in the north...? Yes, it was better to leave things to the golems.

"I will have you wait in my inventory until you are needed."

"Yes, my Lord!"

He put the powerful golem in his inventory and left the Workshop.