Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

"I-It's not much, really! I just need your help to modify this formation!"

The blacksmith hurriedly explained and pulled out the schematic for a formation. Al'Zalsar's pupils constricted when she saw the formation. She pondered for a moment.

"The Soul Banishment formation? Is that the one you got from those guys that tried to kill the stone giant?" she asked seriously.

"Soul Banishment? Wasn't it soul eradication?" the blacksmith asked confused.

"That's what they called it, but now that I see it, this is different. Although they inevitably lead to the same cause of death by evicting the soul from the body, they work much differently. One destroys the soul, like your soul flame. The other cuts the bond of soul and body and whisks it away." "Anyway, can you modify it into something like a barrier?"

"You don't mean something like a: a person goes through and loses it's soul-kind of a deal, do you? Why would you want something that nasty?"

"It's the only thing that worked effectively against the infected," he admitted and took out his phone while explaining what exactly happened on the quest.

The blacksmith had a Wolfram film all his experiments on the bound infected. Seth tried to burn them with every fire he could use and the effects were only slightly better than with the worm. They burned, but they also regenerated at high speeds. Only his two flames from the underworld were able to deal somewhat lasting damage, but even that only took longer to heal.

He also tried Ravenous Sog and other soul armaments to some success. The only two options that truly ended things for good were Wolfram's transmutation to metal and this very Soul Banishment. Wolfram's transmutation was unique to the golem and other items made from the Angel of Chains. The only thing easily reproducible was the formation, but it took longer to set up and only affected what was inside. This was why Seth hoped Al could help to make it more functional.

The video showed the blacksmith laboriously setting up the formation around the man, which was bound by wrists and ankles. Once it was finished and activated by supplying it with magic power, it took only a few moments for the rabid, struggling man to fall silent. The great sorceress frowned when she saw this result. The video showed the lifeless man for several more minutes after the formation was deactivated, it did not move anymore.

"This is weird. It should take a lot longer to banish a human soul," she gave her expertise.

"You know, if you showed this to the people from Chrona, they could have done the rest themselves. Why come to me?"

"Mostly because I don't want to explain stuff? It's one thing if I swagger along with the sudden knowledge of souls and even a Soul Banishment formation from some random kingdom in the pathworks. It's something much more believable if the great sorceress comes along with a ready-made solution, don't you think so?"

"Fine, I will help you one last time before leaving. You wouldn't happen to have brought one of those infected along with you? Of course, you didn't. Don't worry, I this can work with the video. Let's go to the lab."

The two went to one of the facilities that lay idle most of the time. The only person that would visit once in a while was Evee. They were the laboratories specialized to work on enchantments. Minas Mar was a magician tower, after all, it was just that they lacked enchanters.

But do you really lack something you don't need? All three blacksmiths working in Minas Mar were able to use their kind of enchantment. There was no enchanter in Delta, at the standard Minas Mar needed and willing to come under someone's command. On the other hand, wasting finished items to level a newbie enchanter seemed simply not worth the effort in the past.

It changed with Orry Abell joining Minas Mar and the production of low-tier jewelry. Mary was currently looking for candidates to become enchanters for Minas Mar but had not found anyone yet.

Blacksmith and Sorceress entered the empty laboratories that had not seen any regular use for centuries. Al had only worked here for a while until she furbished her own place in the city. However, to change a formation, it was easiest to use the tools meant for the task.

Although Seth didn't really understand the work of an enchanter, they also had crafting stations, and tools just like blacksmiths. Even when the sorceress was just walking around between writing complicated schematics on a magic board and an advanced version of an enchantment table, each and every move of hers was alluring. Swinging her hips with every step and shaking her sizable assets, being a honey trap was really a fundamental part of Al'Zalsar's existence.

At least Seth had a good view while waiting an hour for Al to finish her work. As she had stated, it was no hard task and the people of could have done it just the same. They may have taken a little longer.

"Here, learn this. It's an enchantment to create a soul-whisking membrane. I adjusted the output based on the video you gave me. Although people may feel a little sick when passing through it, it can't banish the soul of anything stronger than an ordinary mouse."

"Will that really be enough?" he asked. This seemed a little too weak in his opinion.

"It should be enough, but you can also call the Princess and go test it. Those guys are more than able to make minor adjustments. Now then, let's finish our business."

What followed was a full two-hour long lecture about the function of the Iego Defense System, how to control it, and how it refined to . The Iego Defense System, or just Iego, consisted of many formations distributed among the floating mountain peaks above and around Delta.

Not only did it stabilize the islands, it also used them to create a self-sustaining net of attack magic and a barrier that could be activated when necessary. According to Al, it would be strong enough to even resist the attacks of a legendary existence like a dragon, although it may not be able to kill it.

Not only was Seth able to use this expansive formation to refine , the great sorceress hat even left a back door in the interface. In ordinary times it would be controlled by a team of specialists employed by Delta.

However, it also had an interface through which the Tower Ego of Minas Mar gained administrator access to the whole system. In the end, Al was always part of Minas Mar, even when working on a government project.

"I know you have to go, but I really wish you would not have to. There are still some things you have not told me and I'm sure we will have a hard time in the future," Seth said honestly, with regret in his voice. But he did no try to persuade her to stay.

"Pff, you are talking as if I wasn't going to return. You know... I also accepted this place as my home."

Hearing that she planned to return cheered him up a little. To think that the over 200-year-old lich also had some attachment to them made him feel happy.

"So, when are you going to leave?"

"Today."

"T-Today?!"

"Yes, I really pushed it back as far as I could."

Seth took a deep breath and smiled.

"Fine, but I will be sad if you don't bring any souvenirs from fighting a dragon, okay?"

"Hah! Just you wait. You will feel really silly for being happy about a hand full of dragon scales when I haul back a whole corpse for you."

"I probably will."

After bickering for a while, Al'Zalsar said her final farewell and really left. Seth sighed. Seeing her really leave made him feel a little empty inside, maybe even a little sad. It was already getting late and Seth didn't feel like going to the workshop now.

With a big sigh, he flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV. Just what he needed, some simple brainless distraction. He had been watching some old cartoon for an hour when Mina sat down beside him. She didn't speak, just cuddled up do him.

"She's really gone, isn't she?" he finally let out.

"Wanna talk about it?" his fiance asked softly.

They simply talked until late into the night. Not even about the sorceress all the time, they just talked about anything on their mind.