Exoskeleton

Entering the private areas of the fortress, the Lich would guide the artisan to his room - which was extremely empty.. But it held several utensils! Such as a forge and a golden anvil. Perfect for advanced crafting.

Truly.. Great.

In this place, the undead were already waiting with the materials in their hands, ready to deliver if requested by the crafter - where then the entity would remove his own armor.. A fundamental piece of work.

Yes, since such would be used.

"Here you go, you can start." A quick speech was delivered while the piece of equipment was delivered to the Rhoy.

Where now the Lich moved to the center of the room, sitting in the armchair and letting the blacksmith work. To make something, which would be improved after that by the arts of the Fleshcrafter..

As said before.
(Nidaz)

There is a saying that speaks about how enemies can become allies under the right circumstances,

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'

There was no way he could ever deny the fact that the Lich was indeed a sworn enemy of his people and to everything they believed and yet, here was he.

So, why was he here to begin with?

To say it was only because he was interested in the many riches hidden within the walls of this undead fortress would be misleading. Even if the Lich was an enemy, he knew many secrets that most believed to be long lost to time.

For example, the art of creating synthetics was one of these secrets that most believed to be lost.

As an artisan and the current lorespeaker of the Ilian, Cáligo desired to obtain these secrets for himself as he believed they would be useful to him and his people.

"I must say, most artificers struggle to get a single piece of arcanium and yet, you have an alloy that is farsuperior to a metal said to be from divine origin." His words carried some admiration towards the much older creature that was the Lich, "I've been thinking of what we can do with this given the-... Well, the exquisite nature of your requests."

Cáligo took a few steps towards the undead in the room, his gilded eyes set on the many materials being held by the creatures. He scratched his chin for a while, a sigh or two escaped through his lips before he continued, "I was thinking of using that 'Super Alloy' and also your 'Shroud of The Abyss' to forge an exoskeleton to then use the 'Armament of Mypos' and the 'Fragment of Meteoriote' to forge the actual-... Armor?

However, I can't say it would be a very compact build since I would transform your bluesteel chestplate into a full-body exoskeleton and then conceal your vitals with plates made out these other materials.

What do you think?"

(Cáligo Pseimanthe)

Truly the people of the Rhoynish didn't see what Vanreth was like as a good thing.. Well, no one these days saw him in a positive light, aside from a few who were on his side. But something was clear, the Lich's goals were something great!

Yes, which few could do at that moment.

Which, clearly, was something they all had in common.. So why not help each other? And well, those who help the undead king - are always well rewarded. A well-known fact at this moment, because of the contributions of Famished - who received his award for assisting Nidaz.

Yes, for saving his unlife..

Regardless, at this point he was quiet and totally immobile in his seat, thus letting the blacksmith concentrate on his work and offer his best to the making of his armor..

Well, that is - until the artificer spoke to him.

"Mm.. I think such a thing will be satisfactory, as long as it allows for some more future modifications - which will be done through Fleshcrafting.

Yes, yes.. To better suit me.

So yes, it's to my liking and then you can do the procedure. And well, years of life have made many things possible for me, as well as finding unique and rare materials! Something that will be made possible for all who stand by my side." In response to Cáligo's words, the necromancer's ghostly voice echoed through the room – repeating itself a few times, before everything fell back into sepulchral silence..

As now, it was time to work.
(Nidaz)

Though Cáligo believed himself to be a somewhat experienced artisan, blacksmith and runemaster, there was still many other more experienced individuals out there. Yet, he was confident he would be able to complete this piece.

"Mhn..."

Having an anvil and also a furnace of a higher degree of quality would be enough for him given his rather unique approach to blacksmithing due to the blessing bestowed by his ancestors.

He touched the so-called 'Super Alloy' with his index finger, his mana came in contact with the strange material and slightly changed its form, truly a miraculous material.

"I see."

Having now a better understanding of the inner workings of this alloy, Cáligo took a step back and then a few towards one of the skeletons, the one carrying the 'Shroud of the Abyss'.

A piece of a higher degree of quality that few would be able to match.

Unfortunately, most of it would have to be modified to fit with the whole exoskeleton theme.

"I'll start now."

With a snap of his fingers, the furnace was lit even though he would only use it later on. He removed his gloves and coat, he let the undead servants take care of them for now.

A thin layer of earth appeared around both his arms, protecting him from the heat and perhaps even from the otherworldly energies that exuded from these materials.

He signaled to one of the servants to bring him the chest-piece and then, cracked his knuckles. Once it was brought to him, from the ground a table made out of stone rose from the ground and he laid the armor there. With his bare hands he begun to modify it (or rather take it apart).

Unfortunately, some of the glyphs inscribed on it were 'washed away' as they were responsible for holding the whole thing together. If they were kept, 'dismantling' it would be impossible through the usage of brute force.

'However did this is a freakin' genius.'

More than just a few minutes went by before Cáligo was able to separe the blackened plates and the frame made out of steel and blue mercury. By the time he finished, his forehead was dripping with sweat and his muscles were going through a rather moderate amount of pain from the effort needed.

"Tsk."

A sigh escaped through his lips before he signaled to another one of the servants to bring him the 'Super Alloy.' Even though (around) an hour had passed since he begun the procedure, they were still standing there lifelessly. Just like with the 'Shroud of The Abyss', the alloy was delivered in a matter of seconds.

'Now-... The fun begins...'

The strange material was put by the dismantled chest-piece's side and then touched by the artisan, this time he was pouring large amounts of his magical power into it. Reacting to this large amount of energy being poured into it, the alloy begun to change its shape and grow as if it was alive.

Cáligo closed his eyes and begun to concentrate, trying to shape it the way he intended.

Bit by bit, it began to take the form intended by him and due to the unique properties of the 'Shroud of the Abyss', its shape begun to resemble the Lich's (although as Cáligo had warned him before, the size of the exoskeleton was towering as it was now a full-body armor rather than a chest-piece.)

Surely it was a slow procedure and one that required large amounts of magical power but due to the abnormal reserves of magical power Cáligo possessed due the blessings bestowed by his ancestors, he was able to complete it.

A black chitinous exoskeleton that had yet to be completed as it lacked some of defensive measures.

Fortunately, this would soon be resolved.
(Cáligo Pseimanthe)

Nothing would be said from the Lich at that moment, such who was snuggled in his chair - but with his gaze in the direction of Cáligo as he was working on the relic for the undead.

Always watching.. Always studying.

Normally for things like that, people tended to look for renowned people, who already had a reputation for their past creations - but the Vanreth was always interested in looking for innovation, therefore.. Looking for new minds to work with him.

Yes, this always opened paths for new.. Alliances.

For new.. Workers to serve under him.

As such, he was demonstrating a certain degree of confidence in the skills demonstrated by the Artificer - where he did indeed look forward for a proper crafting, as it was expected. Where for now, the Lich would remain completely quiet, trying not to interrupt the work..

Because himself knew how this could affect the performance of such kind of art..
(Nidaz)

The flames burning within the inner chambers of the blackened furnace have long reached dangerous temperatures. The few undead servants would probably be burned to death (again) if they stayed so close to Cáligo. As for him, due to his magical affinities, he is capable of withstand extreme heat (and cold) for a short period of time.

Why would he endanger himself by letting the flames burn so fiercely?

Given the otherworldly nature of the 'Fragment of a Meteorite', for it to be melted down and then shaped into what Cáligo intended, temperatures that could be considered dangerous to most beings would be needed.

'It's time.'

Due to the heat, using his hands to bring the fragment into the furnace would be a TERRIBLE idea and so, a nyeshk clamp was used. A expensive utensil that he obtained in an underground auction a few months ago, worth every single penny he put into it.

As one would expect, it took a LOOONG while before it begun to actually melt and while he waited for it, Cáligo took the chance to recover some of his magical power that was drained by the shaping the alloy into the exoskeleton.

"Phuuu---"

And just like that, two hours passed.

Enough time for him to recover and for the fragment to begin to melt.

The artisan cracked his knuckles and swept away some of the sweat on his forehead. Then, he took a few steps towards the furnace and removed the meteorite (that had now an ethereal glow to it). It burned his hands, of course, but it wasn't enough to make him let it fall unto the ground.

Hurried, he ran towards another stone table he raised while waiting and left the ore there. Some of the burns on his hands were healing at an increased rate as he washed them with his magic. It took him a few minutes before he continued.

Seeing that the thin layer around his fists wouldn't be enough, he decided that it would need to be thicker and stronger.

'This will be enough.'

CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK!

And then, he begun to punch the fragment and mold it to the shape he desired. It was exhausting, more than what he had done with the magical alloy and even more painful than dismantling the Shroud through the usage of brute force.

BUT!

Even if did take him hours, the end result was even better than what he hoped. The fragment was turned into the plates that would protect the Lich's vitals from being harmed, only blades made out of arcanium and perhaps soulsteel would be able to harm him.

Having completed (most of) it, the artisan took a few steps back and then set his sights on the Lich,

"... And with this-... I think I'm done with it? Only thing left to do is to attach the 'Armament of Mypos' using your Fleshcraft to the exoskeleton and you'll have your armor completed."
(Cáligo Pseimanthe)

Each undead that dropped dead to the high temperatures of the furnace was soon collected by more minions that appeared - for no resource would be left aside.. Everything was reused.

Just as expected from a Fleshcrafter.

Regardless, as the process progressed - coming to completion… The Lich would rise from his seat, slow steps being taken toward Cáligo. By the time he'd clearly finished the piece, the Lich's voice would resonate in his mind.

Over and over again..

"Perfect, perfect! Just what we need." He would say as he stopped beside the artisan - placing a skeletal hand in his left shoulder.

His etheric flames would analyze everything in full, before a nod of contentment was given. Then a snap of the fingers was made, in which the undead came to collect the remaining materials...

Always.. Loyal servants, following his commands.

"For now, I'll leave the Mypos plates withyou - repair any past damage where as soon as you do.. We'll meet again in a week." As these words were uttered, a servant of the Lich took the pieces of armor and handed them to blacksmith..

For then.. The same being soon after be thrown into a Rift, sent to the ground - in front of the Manor. For now, his work was done and the fleshcrafter would prepare.
(Nidaz)

Having completed what he was supposed to do, the artisan waved and then left by jumping into the Rift opened by the Lich.
(Cáligo Pseimanthe)