Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

"Umpf!" Seth coughed as a bowling ball-sized snowball hit his face.

Beside him, he saw Pip being knocked over by another one of the massive snowballs.

"Hey, Fin! It's unfair to use transformation in a snowball fight!" he accused the fairy that had turned into a giant gorilla with paddle-like hands and was peppering everyone with giant snowballs.

Although she had suggested going on a walk, it turned into watching Asterion train, after which they were invited to join the children when they came out to play in the fresh snow. At some point, more people like Duhu, Jess, and James joined in and things became more competitive as the teams grew.

"Haha! You only want to ban it because you are losing!" Mike cried triumphantly before his mouth was stuffed by one of Seth's projectiles.

"If that is how you want to play- Asterion! Do it!" he commanded.

The fairy's rapid-fire stopped as Asterion started flexing his toned muscles like a bodybuilder to distract her. The next moment Fin was buried in snow as a more than two-meter-wide ball of snow wiped her off the battlefield.

"That's- Urgf!" Mike wanted to protest, but his sister suddenly appeared from the shadows and pressed his face into the snow wall he was hiding behind.

"M-Mina?!" "Your reign is over, Brother"

Catching a glimpse behind him, the struggling Mike's heart turned cold as he saw the sword of Damocles over his head.

"Nyaaa!" the cat man's high-pitched scream echoed through the mountains.

Mina didn't show any mercy and dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. Hearing his shriek of terror, everyone burst out in laughter, while the drenched beastman jumped out from behind his cover.

"Caw!" suddenly they heard Ceres' cry in the sky above and a bloody lump crashed in one of the snow barricades they had erected.

"Ceres, what are you doing?!" Seth called out, while others surrounded the thing the elemental had dropped in the middle of the battle. It was actually a heavily injured person.

"Well, sorry for the interruption?" it gave a snarky remark. "I found this guy half-dead beside a mountain of dead ice trolls. He kept mumbling that he had to reach Minas Mar. So I brought him over," somehow the elemental managed to accompany its explanation with a shoulder shrug while flying.

Seth cleared his throat disapprovingly but didn't say anything as he stepped toward the man Ceres had dropped. He didn't know the man, but it seemed like he had business with him. Since none of the healers had joined their snowball fight, the blacksmith used <Superior Heal> from his Golden Fleece to treat him.

It was hard to imagine what the man went through. He was absolutely mangled, with his rib cage caved in and huge chunks of muscles missing. With the magic working, the man started coughing up black, coagulated blood from his healing lungs.

Missing parts and wide gashes recovered at a visible rate, as Seth cast the magic two more times. The man's eyelids fluttered as he soon regained consciousness. Dazed he looked at the diverse cast of people that were bent over him, observing him with curiosity.

However, even after all his wounds were healed, he didn't wake up. Even a few resounding slaps could not wake him up.

"Well, I guess it's already late."

It was decided to keep the man at a room in the guard house and have someone look after him for the night.

...

Seth returned to the workshop early in the morning where he picked up Lydia's half-finished bow. Even though it was still unfinished, the composite bow made from sinew, wood, and metal already had an amber sheen to it, like polished honey.

Despite its looks, Seth had not treated the wood with anything nor did he polish it. The reason was that he planned to "etch" the wood. Or rather try to do the equivalent, to stain the wood. Seth intended to use an alchemical stain to enchant the bow using demonic runes.

The blacksmith had tested this method on other woods. Although it was weaker than when truly etching metals with special acids, it had some effect. Taking into account that engraving was not an option, to begin with, this was the best he could do for additional enchantment.

With the materials mirroring the attributes of Wepwawet which were physical prowess, fighting, and death, Seth decided to add an element befitting an archer to the bow. The verse was called "Origin of Wind" calling onto an aspect of Paimon.

It was not long, but when translated roughly "As if blind, you lose your kind. You have been pinned. Must have been the wind." Although it was called "Origin of Wind" it was more about silent death.

After staining the bow with demonic runes, Seth started on the soul bow. Seth had gotten a special soul from Tano'Mol for this. The <Soul of Armolas (Big, Epic)> an elven archer that had scout skills and the traits of Dynamic Archery and Bowkata. Seth further added some of the refined souls to increase its size to massive.

With the materials, enchantments, and traits so far all focusing on basic physical prowess and damage, Seth didn't break away from it when it came to the enchantments of the soul. Seth went all in with complex enchantments for agility and strength adding 200 points each.

And then, when he had fused the soul bow and composite bow and dunked it into the waters of Styx-

<Ding! You have finished a special item!>

<Ding! A Synergy of powers has changed your item.>

<Ding! An antagonism has refined the power of Paimon and changed your item.>

<Bow of Wepwawet

Special

Phys. Damage: 3600

Durability: 4800

1.+300 Strength

2. +350 Agility

3. 50% chance for an Attack to carry the Death Attribute

4. +250% Physical Damage

5. 36% Armor Piercing

6. Grants Trait: Dynamic Archery

7. Grants Trait: Bowkata

8. All Scout-Skill are improved by 36%

9. Active Skill: Opener of the Ways

10. Passive Skill: Opener of the Ways

11. Passive Skill: Silent Death

A weapon filled with the pure and divine aura of archery and death belonging to Wepwawet. Created by the skilled hands of Master Smith, the first master blacksmith of Urth, and empowered by Master Smith, the first master enchanter of Urth using demonic and mysterious methods.

A weapon specifically made for the Chosen of Wepwawet.

Requirements: Chosen of Wepwawet>

There were a bunch of effects, but Seth's eyes were really glued to the damage and durability. It was the first time he saw <Composer of Fusion> in action. The skill had really improved some of the effects and even the basic stats by 20% or less. Although this was the lower possible spectrum, the effects on legendary items were massive.

Most effects were as Seth had suspected, for example, Paimon's Silent Death had lost it's demonic attributes while keeping its ability. What really surprised him were the Death Attribute and the same skill as a passive and active skill.

The Death Attribute resembled decay and disease on the surface, but the cause was different. Death attribute literally brought with it a death aura on an attack that gradually killed the target starting from the wound.

In that regard it was like decay, making affected flesh rot and unable to heal, but this was only half of it. The death attribute also affected the soul, but it didn't destroy it. Unless treated, Death Aura would take away life span and mana capacity until the opponents would die and the soul was sent to the underworld.

Then there was <Opener of the Ways>. The passive version improved tracking skills. The active version was.

<Active Skill: Opener of the Ways, No Cost, Cool Down: 30min,

Shoot a devastating arrow accompanied by the gales of the underworld. Enemies in an area of 9 meters surrounding the arrow will suffer 300% physical damage and pushback, opening a path in the enemy army. >

Seth didn't get to do a test with it since he wasn't the chosen. But also because a messenger called him. The man Ceres brought showed signs of waking up.