Chapter 695 694: Testing The Alloys (1)
It took me quite a while to create all of the alloys and then shape them into something usable, and even longer to individually sharpen them to a point that would work for the upcoming tests, though that time was cathartic as I had time to just sit and think to myself, going over the various happenings and just enjoying the thoughts that drifted in and out of my head as I ground out the imperfections and put in a bevel, turning them from a lump of metal to a usable weapon.
Thoughts about the weapons I could make with some of these alloys, ideas for what other alloys I could try, thoughts about the armor that still needed to be made, ideas for some gifts for each of my lovers...
My head was full of ideas, and I just needed to find some time to complete all this work and all those ideas... which was becoming harder and harder to do it seemed, but perhaps we were in for a lull now that we had killed that idiot Fiend Tza'Inopia?
Or was that wishful thinking..?
Ah, by the Gods, please let it be a lull...
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtI let out a sigh as I stopped grinding the blade in my hand, pursing my lips as I stared at it for a few seconds before muttering "Surely one of you Divine beings would be listening..? Just a few weeks... hell, even just two weeks..."
Tapping my finger against the edge of the blade, I frowned before adding "Never thought I would have been the one to ask for it, but just a small lull from the combat, from the traveling... that's all I want for the time being. Please..?"
Running the blade over the whetstone, I continued to grind out the edge of the dagger in silence, my mood taking a slight dip as I finished up the work.
Though, a quick shake of the head and placing my focus back on the present brought me back to normalcy, so I cleared my mind and finished everything up, bundling each of the pairs of knives together and gathering them up as I left the forge behind, nodding to the various Lizardkin who were working around me.
Making my way back into the Palace, I went first to the room to clean up quickly, my body covered in sweat thanks to the sheer heat of the forge and exertion from hammering out a dozen blades.
While I was sure no one would mind, I just didn't want to keep feeling so icky if I had the ability to get clean.
So I went and took a quick shower before heading out towards the training grounds, where I found Jahi and the Marquess training, while Kat sat on the ground nearby, her lips pursed as she leaned against the wall and watched the two Demonesses spar.
Approaching them, I watched as Jahi was knocked back by the Marquess as the larger Demoness slammed her shoulder into her daughters chest, only to leap back as Jahi's great sword arced cleanly towards the Marquess' head.
Sand exploded off the ground as Jahi's blade slammed down, missing its mark and giving the Marquess time to bring her claymore to bear, stabbing the heavy blade forwards and trying to pierce Jahi's shoulder.
Twisting out of the way, Jahi mirrored her Mom and bashed her shoulder into the Demoness' chest, resetting the engagement once more.
I could sense the equilibrium that they had created, so I shouted "Wrap it up! I got something to show you!" and caught their attention, stopping them from repeating another bout that would only lead to another draw.
They looked towards me and stopped, relaxing their posture and taking some deep breaths to calm themselves before stepping over to me, curiosity dancing in the red and amethyst orbs that were locked on me.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmKat also stood up, yawning tiredly as she made her way over as well, standing beside me and looking towards the bundles in my hands.
"Where is Leone? Did she go to do alchemy with her Aunts?"
"Mhm. Do you want her here as well?"
Pursing my lips, I looked down at the bundles before nodding, which made the Marquess look over her shoulder and shout "Yulia! Go to the Sanctum and request Princess Leone's presence for me! The Empress as well, if she's available."
One of the Knights that was weightlifting stopped what she was doing and nodded, putting her stuff away and rushing off to do as the Marquess asked.
"So, what is it? What did you want to show us?"
"I made a bunch of different alloys with the Fiend scales and bones, and I wanted to test them out. One of the tests is mana conductivity, so I wanted to have someone with really potent mana - like Jahi - and someone with incredible control - like Kat or Leone - use them as well to see how the alloys react. I made six alloys of each, and I am comparing them to learn more about the individual materials as well."
The Marquess raised a brow as she looked towards the bundles, before reaching forwards and taking one form my arms and unfolding the cloth, revealing the silver alloy blades and saying "Oh? Already? I thought we'd need to wait a few weeks to get to this point. I mean, you seemed so excited about the Shell Stone and other metals you brought back from Ungrida..."
I chuckled, shaking my head as I replied "The opportunity to work with Fiend parts to forge something? Of course I wanted to sink my teeth into it already! Besides, I didn't do anything to crazy; basic alloys just to understand what these materials are better for and need to be bolstered by. But yes, I was tempted to just forge more armor instead while I have the time. I mean, who the hell knows when we're going to be sent out again, right?"
Inspecting the blades, the Marquess nodded, and we continued to wait for the Empress and Leone to arrive, so that the tests could commence.