Heavy Metal

"Now that we have some time, can we talk about that?"

"By that, what do you mean?"

"I mean, when you attacked that adventurer. You seemed to lose control, and your body even began to change."

"I… I don't know. It felt like something inside me snapped, as if the rage did not even belong to me. I was not thinking. I only wanted to crush him, to make him feel everything Gleam had felt."

Rusty replied to Alexander with a shrug, a gesture he had picked up from watching the humanoids in the city. In truth, he did not really know what had happened. It felt as if everything turned red, and his emotions slipped beyond his control. All he could think about was destroying the person before him, and he focused only on that.

"It felt rather stimulating, don't you think? Like a relief. Why not lose yourself more often?"

Aburdon let out a low cackle. He was far less troubled by the matter than Alexander and, instead of warning Rusty, he encouraged him to repeat it.

"It did? I don't remember it feeling good. I only remember not feeling like myself."

"Do not listen to his words, Rusty. He only wishes to use you."

"Use me? Are you really Aburdon?"

"Me? Use you? No, of course not. Where would you get such an idea?"

For a moment, Rusty considered ordering Aburdon to reveal his true intentions, but he already had a good idea of what they were. This guide wanted freedom. He urged Rusty to place him inside one of the living armors, hoping to escape his current form. It was clear that the demon lord wished to go his own way.

Rusty did not view this as a problem. Perhaps in the future, he would grant the two guides their freedom. For now, however, until he reached a higher form of being, he intended to keep using them to help him navigate the human settlement.

"I don't believe you."

"My intentions are nothing but pure."

Aburdon cackled, his voice stretching unnaturally as if mocking the very word.

"Pure evil."

Alexander muttered right after as he interjected.

"Quiet, both of you."

Rusty finally grew annoyed enough to silence them. He rose from his lookout spot and began making his way back to where his friend was. The dungeon around them remained filled with dangers, and his friend was in the middle of a transformation that left her unable to move. Rusty had to stay close and watch over her.

Not far from their position stood a metal chest, shaped much like the kind found in ordinary homes. A radiant glow seeped from its edges, and inside rested Gleam. He had placed her there, unwilling to let her touch the dungeon floor, yet just as unwilling to keep her within his own body. If a battle broke out, she might be injured while he moved.

"It has been a few hours already. How much longer is this going to take?"

Rusty paced back and forth, the light from the chest casting his shadow against the cavern walls. His steps did not echo, as he had been practicing his own spells. He was now capable of surrounding himself with a bubble of silence, which allowed him to stay hidden while listening for anyone who might try to approach from afar.

'I might as well look through the loot while I'm here.'

He was still restless after what had happened to Gleam. Her legs had been torn apart by a rain of arrows, and he was already wondering if he should expand her armor to cover them. It would not be an easy feat, since ant legs were very different from human fingers or limbs, but he was certain that if he put his mind to it, he would be able to succeed.

The reset timer on the soul forge was nearly finished. Once inside, he could either concentrate on his new design or, more realistically, recharge the enchantments on his lightning halberd. He might also attempt to recreate some of the enchantments he had asked Aburdon to remember. With the help of his guides, he had already gathered several from the store, and inside the soul forge he would likely be able to inscribe them onto one of his weapons.

In his inventory lay the spoils from his D-rank adventures. The money amounted to nearly ten gold coins, which he could invest in his smithy project. His lair was in poor condition, and repairing the collapsed roof along with sealing the leaking holes would be a good place to start. He could also purchase materials that would aid him in forging and enchantment, ones durable enough to withstand mana-rich metals like the ore he had recently uncovered.

The ore he had mined from the dungeon could be refined into enchanted steel, but that was only the beginning. By combining it with other metals, he could create different alloys, some more resistant to mana, others better suited to withstand physical blows. The world of crafting was opening before him, and every resource he had gathered would help him master it.

He was also left with several other items, such as the archer's bow and the rogue's daggers. Each carried a minor enchantment that could prove dangerous if mishandled. The axe once wielded by the man he had beaten to death was especially distinctive. If he began using it, other adventurers might recognize the weapon and link him to the party's demise.

Few people in the region were capable of defeating an entire group of D-rank adventurers, and while he was newly ranked and unlikely to be suspected, caution was a requirement. Rather than risk exposure, he would need to sell these weapons or melt them down for parts.

'There is no thieves guild in this city, best to not push my luck.'

Once he made up his mind, he settled back into waiting. The glow inside the chest grew stronger, and for a moment he considered covering it with cloth. He abandoned the idea, worried that Gleam might suffocate without air. Fortunately, Aburdon's map-reading skills had proven reliable, and this dead end contained nothing of value. No adventurers wandered near, and after a few more hours, the light began to fade. The transformation was complete.

"Gleam? Can you hear me, Gleam?"

The glow dimmed until only faint wisps of mana curled upward like smoke. Rusty lifted the lid with care, half-afraid of what he might find inside. His metal hands trembled from anticipation and fear that she might still be missing her limbs. At first, there was only silence. Then, a faint chittering sound echoed from the chest.

" ( - ‸ - ) "

Rusty froze, his gaze fixed on the figure inside. Gleam had changed, and she seemed a little dazed. Her carapace gleamed brighter than ever, polished like silver, every line sleek and reinforced. She even looked slightly larger than before. Most striking of all, her legs were whole again. Six slender limbs flexed and tapped against the chest as if testing themselves for the very first time.

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"Your legs!"

Rusty nearly stumbled forward but caught himself against the metal chest.

"They're back!"

Gleam skittered out with surprising grace. Her movements had changed too, smoother and more precise. After hopping clear of the chest, she carefully tested her weight on the new legs. At first she hesitated, but within moments she was moving with confidence, spinning into the familiar dance steps that had grown even more elegant than before.

"( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )"

"See? There was nothing to worry about."

Alexander said as he watched her dance.

"Yeah, but still… we need to make sure this never happens again."

Rusty watched as Gleam hopped and skittered about. Her wings had grown larger and carried a sharp edge. When she stretched them open, the silver shimmer along their tips sliced a thin line into the stone wall with nothing more than a light touch.

"Those must be sharp."

Rusty remarked, and Gleam smiled.

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)"

"Please be careful with them around the children, Gleam."

Alexander added, but this made the little ant frown.

"( •̀ ᴖ •́ )"

"She knows. You don't need to remind her. Gleam is very responsible!"

"( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و"

Rusty said, trying to ease her mood. Gleam soon clambered onto his shoulder. Though she had been growing steadily, her size had not increased all that much. The biggest change was in her shine. With every transformation she looked more and more like polished silver, and Rusty couldn't help but wonder if she might eventually become some kind of living armor creature.

Perched on his shoulder, Gleam lifted herself briefly into the air. Her body balanced perfectly on her new limbs as she leapt into a midair twirl, landing with a soft clack of her feet. Rusty could only clap at the display of agility, then found himself glancing over her stats.

When Rusty reached this level, he had already gained overpoints, but Gleam was not quite there yet. Her stats that boosted spell casting were very close to the cap of one hundred fifty points. She would soon gain overpoints as well, which would carry over later just as his had.

Rusty's own progress had slowed somewhat since he became a D-rank monster. Defeating the adventurer party and the mining monsters had given him a fair amount of experience, but he was still only at level four and had not acquired any new skills. With the D-rank limit expanded from fifteen to twenty-five, he knew he would remain at that rank for quite some time.

'I wonder what new skills she received.'

After glancing over the status screen, he took some time to review Gleam's list and bring up the new skills. She had gained one upon reaching level fifteen and another after completing her evolution.

The first skill gave her a reliable means of attack, while the second enhanced her ability to cast spells. Both would prove invaluable in the challenges ahead. He was a bit jealous of the second one, as he had trouble casting spells himself, but he already had many abilities of his own that he needed to focus on.

"Well, let's head back into our lair, Gleam."

" (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) "

With nothing more to do, it was time to return. Once Gleam was back on his shoulder, everything felt as if it had returned to normal. He was happy, yet he could not ignore the possibility of trouble waiting for them. During the hours spent watching over Gleam, he had carefully stored everything in his inventory so that he would not appear suspicious. He knew that more problems could arise from this incident since there had been witnesses.

"Have you seen any strange monsters inside the dungeon, ones hidden behind black smoke?"

"Who, me? No, I have not seen a thing."

"Good, move along then."

Just as he expected, things were unsettled near the dungeon exit. Oliver and his two friends had nearly been robbed and possibly killed for that rainbow item. It was now clear that the three had managed to escape and had reported everything to the guild. This created complications, since he was not allowed to leave, and to make matters worse, someone had arrived whom he had encountered before.

"Fancy seeing you here, Ed… Eddington?"

"It is Edmund."

"Ah, may I just call you Edd?"

"Sure."

It was the man he had fought during the guild D rank test. He was probably here to investigate what had happened to the D rank party that had vanished half a day earlier and possibly bring them to justice. The big dog monster that had remained silent before was here as well. It was looking in his direction, its nose sniffing as it drew closer.

"Dobby, do you smell something?"

Melville watched the exchange while Rusty stayed motionless in his spot. The dog creature moved closer and continued sniffing, but after a moment it turned away. Rusty had predicted this. Smell was one of the main ways humanoids and other creatures hunted. He had switched into his adventurer body, the one not involved in the fight, which carried no trace of the adventurers' scent.

"It seems I was mistaken. Take care."

Once the large canine lost interest, Melville walked away with him. As before, he was snacking on something.

"It is better if we do not overstay our welcome."

"That is a good idea, Alexander."

Rusty turned and headed for the exit, and once outside he went straight to his lair. Many people were running back and forth between the city and the dungeon entrance. The incident was far larger than he had first imagined. The commotion spread from the mouth of the dungeon all the way down the main road, with guild guards and adventurers hurrying past wearing grim expressions.

'Moving around the dungeon in my true form might become difficult now…'

He had dealt with situations like this before. There was a real possibility that the guild would forbid adventurers from entering the dungeon because of his actions. His form as a living armor might have been seen by the younger adventurers as they escaped, and there was a chance a bounty had been placed on his head as a unique monster.

His trip to the dungeon had been long, taking two full days and ending in a slaughter. Nevertheless, he had returned and was ready to start his new business. With the money he had earned from the D-rank adventurers and the resources he had gathered, it was finally time to begin stage two of his plan.

'I sure hope my wares will sell.'

When he arrived home, the youngest greeted him with a wide smile. Gleam hopped off his shoulder and started playing while he descended into the smithy with a plan in mind. It was finally time for his other persona to step forward. Soon the name Oswald the Blacksmith would be on everyone's lips, or at least he hoped so.