Adrenaline Junkie [Book 2 Complete]

The heavy clangs of Archie's Reinforced Steel Hammer rang out rhythmically, echoing throughout the forest and hill range as he struck the molten-red Deepiron bar resting atop his Obsidiansteel Anvil, freshly taken out of his Inchoate Titansteel Forge. Each movement he made was both deliberate and fluid, as his attention focused entirely on the Deepiron in front of him.
With every blow, he channeled a steady stream of nature mana from his calloused hand into the haft of the hammer, and from the hammer into the glowing metal beneath. Threads of vibrant green mana arced and spiraled through the Deepiron, growing more defined with every strike, fusing deeper into the material with each strike of his hammer.

The metal sizzled and hissed in protest, singing beneath the repeated impacts. Droplets of sweat slid down Archie's bare shoulders, sizzling to steam on contact with the molten surface as it was being uniformed.

Exhaling through his nose, he set the hammer aside and grabbed his Level 50 steel tongs from the workbench. With practiced ease, he clamped them onto the flattened length of Deepiron and lifted it toward the raised horn of the Obsidiansteel Anvil. The moment it neared, the horn shifted, adjusting its shape and size, smoothly reshaping itself to match the contour of Archie's thigh.

Switching the tongs to his off-hand, he picked up the hammer again – not the Reinforced Steel Hammer this time, but the narrower, wedge-faced shaping hammer designed for fine adjustments. A hammer he'd created hours prior due to the lack of one to handle smaller and more nuanced hammering.

He began working the plate, angling his blows to follow the curve of the horn, striking in rhythmic succession as sparks leapt with each controlled hit.

The nature mana imbued Deepiron responded well – not too brittle, not too soft.

He licked his dried lips as he shifted the Deepiron. Too tight, and it'd pinch with every step. Too loose, and the plate would shift against the leather underneath. He rotated it, angling it for the next section, glancing back briefly at the faint chalk outline he'd etched onto the leather hide before starting.

Steam hissed from the Iron Vat filled with oil that he used for quenching nearby, still warm from the last piece he'd dunked earlier. But it was not time yet for this plate to be quenched – this one plate needed one final set of strikes before the first hardening cycle.

His mana flared again, twisting through his veins and down into the hammer for the last set of strikes. The green veins of his nature mana arced across the Deepiron's surface like shallow roots, threading themselves into the grain of the Deepiron.

With a final strike of his hammer, Archie exhaled heavily and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his forearm. He hung the hammer on the glowing, floating tool rack above the forge, then took hold of the curved Deepiron plate with his Level 50 tongs. Leaning forward, he lowered the glowing metal into the vat of warm oil.

The moment Deepiron met liquid, a violent hiss erupted, followed by a plume of steam and the sharp scent of scorched oil. Archie held the plate steady, unfazed as the sizzling oil struck his skin, watching as bubbles churned and danced across the surface before finally settling.

The glow of the metal dimmed slowly, shifting from molten orange to a smoky, tempered gray.

Yeah, guess I'm just gonna have to use the dye that I bought from that alchemist, Archie confirmed with himself before lightly smiling. I'm glad that I saw it when I did in that alchemist's shop.

Raising the Deepiron plate from out of the vat of oil, he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth in focus and lifted the plate for inspection.

Pretty good if I do say so myself, Archie mused as he placed the still steaming Deepiron arced plate onto the table to his right.

With his left arm, he swiftly pulled out his Mana Revolver and fired three shots into the skull of a Thornback Render which tried to inch its way toward his Basic Workshop – Blacksmith.

Archie slid the revolver back into its holster and loosened the leather strap around his lower back that held the holster.

The holster was one of his recent purchases from Synth & Sitch, the renowned leathersmith shop in Neo-Eden where he'd also picked up his boots, satchel, and even the tires for his bike. The craftsmanship was top-notch and plain-looking in appearance as per his request, making him appreciate it even more.

Taking a preparatory, steadying breath, Archie's brows furrowed in concentration as he activated Spatial Pull. His hand extended toward the fallen Thornback Render corpse, and with a grunt of effort, he dragged the corpse toward him.

You're a… healthy one, aren't ya? he thought to himself, as the bulky creature slowly crept closer to him, dragging with it excess dirt. His face outwardly remained tense, however, his heart quickened as the corpse neared. A few days ago, pulling anything this heavy would have been impossible.

Now, however, it was possible, only requiring him to give anything heavier than five crates of metal his full attention.

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Stopping Spatial Pull once the creature was within arm's reach, Archie exhaled sharply, the effort leaving him winded.

Popping the knots in his back, Arche turned back to look at his table, leaving gravity to drain the blood within the Thornback Render corpse. I'll roast it later and use its core as one of the three Beastcores needed for the leggings, he said to himself.

Now, normally, you would cut open the leather armor and place rectangular cut-outs of metal in separate pockets, then sew the leather pockets shut to create leather-studded armor. Archie smirked as he picked up his Thermal Carver, carefully etching thin holes along the edges of each Deepiron plate on the table. But it generally looks pretty meh. Leather should remain on the inside of the armor, especially this one.

Leather Leggings of Mobility (Uncommon):
Expertly crafted leather leggings made from supple hide belonging to a peak E-Grade Reedbuck, tanned and dyed by Vess Grak'th, a D-Grade Expert Seamweaver of Neo-Eden. Created to be inner armor for agile combatants or scouts. Effect: Soul-Bound (Lesser - Lesser), Flex-Weave (Moderate - Low). Status: Perfect. Requirements: Lv 90+ & Humanoid Race.

He had specifically told Vess, the halfling owner of Synth & Stitch, that he wanted the leggings to act as padding beneath his armor – wearing metal directly against his skin, especially as pants, was far too uncomfortable.

Sitting down in front of his workshop table, Archie shifted the deep charcoal dyed leggings to face him as he took out a small, square-shaped iron tray filled with steel rivets from his spatial storage and placed it to his left.

As one of the final pieces of armor he'd forge as an E-Grade, Archie decided to try something new: using rivets instead of soldering the leather directly onto the metal. Totally not because he was worried, he might accidentally scorch a large patch of the leggings with the heat from Forgesmith's Flame.

Grabbing one of the larger and moderately arch-shaped plates, he set it against the front upper thigh section of the leather leggings. Then, from the small tray to the left of the table, he picked up a set of short, thick rivets forged from tempered iron.

He aligned the plate's pre-carved holes with the punched leather behind it, then slid the first rivet through. Steadying it with one hand, Archie brought his rivet driver into place, thumb poised over the mandrel.

He paused just a moment, making sure the alignment was still perfect, then pressed down.

With a mechanical pop and a solid clamp, the rivet snapped and expanded at the base, locking the Deepiron plate firmly to the leather beneath it. The two materials compressed together with a subtle creak, joined flush.

Huh, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be, Archie mused as he brushed aside the snapped-off mandrel, watching it roll across the table and fall off the edge with a clink.

With a touch more confidence now bleeding into his movements, Archie lined up the next rivet. The reinforced plate was already seated over the charcoal-dyed leather; all that remained was to lock them into one another.

One after another, his fingers moved with calm precision, each rivet punched clean through the paired holes and sealed with a quick application of Forgesmith's Flame.

Deepiron hissed softly with each bond, and as the plates began to layer along the leg, and with every layer added, the faster his fingers moved – the charcoal-colored leather completely hidden beneath the overlapping arced segments now lining the front thigh and upper front shin.

As he connected the final front plate, Archie paused to take a swig from his Water Tin before shifting focus to the opposite side of the right leg.

He reached for the two long, gently curved plates he'd forged, designed to stop just short of where the collar of his Reinforced Deepiron Thornback Boots began.

Holding one behind the calf, he marked quick alignment points on the charcoal leather. Then, with practiced ease, he brought the rivets to his mouth and bit down, snapping off a quarter of the mandrels to bring them to size.

With the adjustments made, he pressed the modified rivets into place, punching them through Deepiron and leather with a satisfying pop.

Moving onto the hamstring, he grabbed the broader, slightly arched plates still resting on the table and repeated the same layering method he'd used for the front of the leggings – overlapping the plates down the length of the back thigh for maximum coverage without restricting his flexibility.

Now, with the final and most crucial component of the right leg armor remaining, Archie turned his focus to the knee.

He flipped the leg over and started with the side plates – left, center, and right – each one smaller and more curved, with beveled edges and light fluting to deflect glancing blows. Each was riveted individually to the leather around the knee joint, ensuring both mobility and protection.

Then, flipping the leg back again, he grabbed one of the two thin, springy, and surprisingly flexible fan-shaped guards from the table.

Carefully, he fitted it into the recess behind the knee, nestling it between the upper edge of the shin plates and the lower edge of the hamstring guard. He rotated it slightly, letting it flex and settle until it fully covered the exposed leather of the fossa without bulging outward.

He leaned back, flexed his knuckles, and let out a breath.

One down, he noted. Now to finish the left leg.

Yeah, I get why knights used cloth to cover the waist down, Archie mused, running a hand through his beard and scratching his chin.

The pelvis of the leggings was… uncomfortably prominent if left uncovered – something that chainmail skirts and cloth panels had clearly been designed to address.

I always thought those were just for show – something the nobility slapped on to be flamboyant as hell, Archie admitted with a shrug. Then again, most of what I know comes from video games and fantasy novels... probably not the best foundation for reality.

Hmm, what can I-, Archie thought to himself before his eye caught the fluttering of one of the cloaks he used to wrap the Spirit Nucleus up. Bingo! I can put that on the front end of the chestpiece I'm gonna make in a bit – after dying it, of course.

Turning back to the plated leggings, Archie used Spatial Pull to retrieve one of the crucibles he'd placed on the corner of the Inchoate Titansteel Forge – one of three he had forged alongside the rivets, designed to hold more than three cores at once after being activated and infused with his vital energy – and set it off to the side of the table where he could reach it easily after he finished etching the runes and runic scripts along the inside of the leggings.

I guess I should go all out on the runes, Archie smirked as he twirled his Runic Scriber.