Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Seth stared at Luf, unable to speak up. This was the first time he had come across something like this. Luf was not a ghost or an undead, she was purely a soul that formed her own body, or something that looked and worked like a body.

Seth was apprehensive to call himself an expert on souls, but he knew one or two things and he immediately had some ideas about Luf’s current state. Disregarding that he had no idea how she ended up in this state, Seth guessed that the aura of decay was actually the effect of her soul leaking.

If it was so easy to live without a corporeal body, everyone would do it. One wouldn’t need food; physical objects wouldn’t be an obstacle. Technically one could fly all the time, the problem was that a soul naturally decomposed when directly exposed to reality.

That was why lost souls would turn into undeads over time. Even if they retained some sentience because of their strong emotions, they needed a way to sustain themselves. So, they either had to inhabit a dead body, develop one from ectoplasm, or possess a living body.

Luf on the other hand somehow developed a trait called “Soul body” which allowed her pure soul to take the physical form of a person. However, without a real body, her soul was still leaking power. The blacksmith didn’t know how exactly this didn’t affect her mind, but it was an explanation for the powerful aura of decay.

With her power containing this trait constantly exuding from her, she created the effect of an aura of decay. The only reason she herself didn’t seem to notice, was because her soul was incredibly strong. It was the second EX-sized soul since Al’zalsar’s.

Looking at what she did in the past and during the battle in Ypselon and the current situation in the valley, Luf was an existence on par with Al’Zalsar, an existence close to the legendary level. Maybe Luf had already become a legend when she was alive?

“D-Did I do something wrong?” she asked, seeing the blacksmith’s scrutinizing look.

“No, I just really wonder who did this to you. You really have no memories of what happened?”

Seth had heard the summary of their story from Mary. According to what Rayki told them, Luf had barely any memory of anything that happened after she was kidnapped. Seth had not unconditionally believed that story at first.

After all, Luf could have also been lying to the lovestruck bard and really run away with another man. He let go of that suspicion when he read the description of her soul. If he couldn’t describe the power of a divine skill and the description of the system, then what was he supposed to trust anymore?

It said that she really was a woman who wished to spend her life with her husband but met a dark fate. Who knew what kind of things were done to her to have this kind of outcome and when she was finally able to return home, her mere presence destroyed their home?

Her return killed the husband she wanted to see most. How tragic was that? Imagining the situation, even Seth had a hard time holding back a tear. He wouldn’t know what he would do if he lost Mina and Fin and wouldn’t even have anyone to blame but himself.

Luf looked forlorn into the distance at Seth’s question before she mumbled.

“No, I really don’t know... My memories only slowly came back to me while I was staying at... home.”

She looked at Rayki, apologetically.

“Back then, I only knew that I wanted to return, it was the only thought in my mind. I didn’t know it at the time, but I wanted to return to you. Only much later, when my memories slowly returned, did I realize what I had done with my thoughtless actions.”

A black tear ran down her pale cheek, as she caressed Rayki’s metal face.

“Don’t say that! It’s not your fault. Even Luf, the Wise is allowed to normal human emotions. The only ones to blame are the people who did this to you,” the bard asserted strongly. They stared deeply into each other's eyes.

“Well, however, they did it, at least they made it in a way that I can fix it,” Seth entered the conversation, breaking apart their own little world.

“Y-You can?!” the two exclaimed, looking at Seth like someone drowning seeing the shore.

“I do have an idea and I might also have the fitting materials in stock.”

Since Luf was a pure soul, albeit really big and special, the spirit blacksmith expected that he would be able to use her like a regular soul, as long as he had her permission. In that case, he just needed to make a frame that could withstand and empower her soul.

If the aura of decay was just the power of her soul leaking, the problem would fix itself once she actually had a body. In that case, she would be able to learn how to use her trait at will, instead of being a walking cloud of death.

The only thing Seth wasn’t quite sure about was how Soul Body would react to having an actual body. He had never heard of this trait and in the manner of traits, the description wasn’t helpful in understanding what it actually did most of the time.

“Your soul can take a corporeal shape”

Sure, but what did it mean, if she wasn’t just a soul, but was bound to a body? Would it turn into a kind of astral projection? A clone? Would it even have any effect? Also, even when Seth’s guess was right, the Trait: Daughter of Decay could also have an unforeseen effect on a fleshly body. But since they were traits, it would be on Luf to find a way to control them.

“W-What do I have to do for your help?” Luf asked shyly. Her gaze was full of hope, but she did not forget that things always came with a price. Since the blacksmith was going to put work into helping her, she didn’t expect him to do it for free.

Rayki silently looked up to Seth. Although he insisted that Seth was able to and would help them. To the point that they had thrown themselves into several portals to find a way to Urth, he wasn’t delusional. He knew that the Tower Master was a “good” person, but he was not charity.

Seeing that she didn’t intend to ask him for handouts, immediately improved his opinion of her. She wasn’t just a powerful existence, but also very intelligent. The Quick Wit-trait was not for nothing. Maybe she could even help Mary with her work?

The gods and Seth knew that he was putting a lot of pressure and responsibility in Mary’s hands. Although Leana was also helping now, a quick-witted and intelligent secretary who could also act as a bodyguard didn’t seem like a bad idea. Of course, only if she could reliably guarantee that she wouldn’t hurt the wrong accidentally.

“Of course, you will work for me,” he summed up his thoughts.

“Rayki, too. Your job will depend on how well you do, and you will sign a soul contract with me, as Rayki did.”

“T-That’s all?” she couldn’t help exclaiming.

“I mean, if you have a few thousand gold in your pockets, I will take those too, if you desperately want to pay me more,” Seth wasn’t picky. If the other party wanted to pay more, he wasn’t going to say no. Unfortunately, the soul body did not come with the status of a player, so she didn’t have an inventory or pockets.

“Ah, ermm, maybe Master has some use for this?” Rayki suddenly mentioned and brought up a crystal. It was a dark violet color, like an amethyst, and the size of a big fist.

“That is...?”

It was not a gem or an ore, but a monster core. It was a material Seth usually did not use, but this one was special.

Relic

The core of a juvenile Hydra that terrorized a small mountain village until it was slain by a brave battlebard. Used to be attached to a cane, but the wooden parts were destroyed together with the bard's village.

Inhabited by the hydra’s instincts. Skill: Deadly Venom, hold traces of Decay>

“Where did you get this?” Seth asked, surprised. It was the first time he saw a monster core that still held instincts and skill. Usually, these cores could only be used as a kind of energy storage, at best they held a slight affinity for an element.

Aside from the special element, this core was also quite big and seemed to have a great capacity. Considering Seth’s secret projects, that didn’t even get to shine during their invasion of Y-City, this was an unexpected gain. He was sure he could retrofit this into one of them and upgrade it all together.

“It’s the core of the hydra that started our misery,” Rayki said a little subdued.

“I will put it to good use. And you can stop calling me master. Just call me tower master, or Seth. I will return to make the plan for you two.”

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