I Am The Only Witch Hunter

Upon the eyes of hunter and his apprentice, the ghoul skins were soaked in the dark gray tannin mixture. The gray liquid penetrated into the tiny crevices of the hide, binding its molecules and strengthening its structure.

They slowly got stronger, denser and more durable. As their integrity changed, so did their size. The skins shrunk. Their size reduces with every passing minute.

The pale color of the dead was washed out. In its place the gray shade of the Grayground took over.

Siderius had never worked with a tannin with a gray color before. In his world, all tannins were shades of brown or orange. He wondered what the final result would be like with the tannin of this world.

Every world was unique and everything was different. The tannin of Grayground might be very similar with the tannin he was familiar with. But it was not from his world. It was from this world. And nothing could be replicated without the same amount of materials.

Siderius was truly curious what the effect it would have on the tanning process.

Soon the tanning was completed. With Siderius' guidance, Ashe took out the ghoul skins and dried them on a piece of clean drying rack. The tannin dripped out of the ghoul skins and onto the ground.

"They are a little bit smaller than before." Ashe commented.

Siderius nodded. "The tannin should reduce their overall size by around ten percent. They will shrink further once the drying is completed. Without Alchemy, there is an entire post-tanning process to stabilize the leather. But we can skip it thanks to the primes."

Siderius drew a new seal on the ground. This seal was made of Salt and Mercury. Then he placed the wet ghoul skins upon it.

"With Mercury Transformation, we can use every single last bit of the leather without it going to waste. Mercury can fuse, shape and design the perfect piece of armor you want."

Siderius clasped his hand together. He first activated the Salt to isolate the water particle inside the leather and complete the drying process in the blink of an eye. Then he used the Mercury to transform it into pieces of his armor.

A full suit of armor wasn't one piece of clothing. It consisted of many smaller pieces connected together and formed the entire suit.

There were many ways to design a suit of armor. More defensive but less maneuverability. Less defensive but more weak points and exposure. Siderius had already developed his preferences in making armor long ago.

He liked to have a well-guarded protective suit but left a lot of space in between for his body to breathe. It would allow less defense than traditional armor but which hunters shouldn't rely on their armor in Siderius' opinion.

Movement was key. Witch Hunters had a lot of tools in their hands. That was why he preferred to have more options than went all in with the armor pieces.

The Mercury climbed on the ghoul hide and quickly transformed it into several disconnected armor pieces.

A cuirass was made first. It was the largest chest piece that covered the chest in the front, the belly below, and the back behind. The cuirass was sleeveless and collarless.

Then the pauldrons formed. They were a pair of protective pads that went on your shoulders.

Under the pauldrons were the rerebraces, the pieces of armor that protected the section from the elbow to the shoulder.

The couters were next. These were two small pads that guarded the elbows.

Vambrace was the piece of armor that protected the section from the elbow to the palm. Siderius only made one vambrace for his right arm. His left arm had the silver bracer which he could summon any time.

Siderius didn't make gauntlets. Hand protection was very important for a knight. It would be one of the main weak points that a human enemy would focus on. Siderius' threat was mainly witch, not human knight. He also disliked gauntlets. To him, a pair of thick gloves was sufficient.

Then he made the cuisses. These armor pieces were strapped on the thighs to protect the lower body.

Poleyns were the pads for the knees. They served a similar function to the couters.

Then he made the greaves, the armor parts that protected the shins.

The full set of armor quickly took shape. He only cured two sets of ghoul skins in this batch. Surprisingly, Siderius still had material left once he was done.

So he made one last small piece of equipment.

The last piece was a waistband/utility belt. It had two specialized loops that Siderius could slot the two scabbards in and many small pockets to store material and tonics. It was also a thick leather that went over his crotch, potentially defending his manhood.

The new armor pieces were dark gray in color. It lacked the shine of metal and seemed dull and uninteresting.

Ashe picked up a pauldron to examine the armor. It was thick and hard, much more durable than Ashe imagined a piece of leather armor would be.

"This is… very impressive, Master." Ashe mumbled. She saw the uncountable amount of signs he used to transform the ghoul skins. It made her stomach churned. She felt hopeless for the five thousand transformation signs she needed to learn.

"Want to help me put them on?" Siderius smiled.

"Certainly, Master!"

Siderius made the armor pieces to have several slots so that durable cords and leather bands could slide in. These cords and bands would then be strapped on top of the hunter uniform to secure them in place.

Ashe helped her master wear the suit of armor like a squire. She was a bit clumsy in a few spots but Sideirus was there to guide her.

"You should learn these well. You will have your own suit of armor very soon." Siderius said.

He had a lot of ghoul skins left. After all, he had collected them all while he was in Santa Roberto. No ghoul was wasted.

Ashe nodded joyfully. "Yes, Master! I can't wait for it!"

Soon, the hunter finished putting on the armor. He could now call himself a professional witch hunter. Unlike what he had been for the last few months.

"Bring me the cloak."

"Yes, Master!"

The last piece of the equipment was put on, the bear-fur cloak.

Siderius stood in the middle of the forest. His body looked broader because of the armor and cloak. He was hulking over Ashe like a giant.

He looked very terrifying and intimidating. The complete opposite of the frail actor in a circus he once was.

He was Sir Siderius Snow Satterblade, a witch hunter of a long lost world.