Spirit Taming

Chapter 660: True Forging

"Jerolf, get a move on. There are other things to do." Ralph's gruff words were enough to make Jerold give him a slight glare. However, it wasn't enough to scare Jerold away.

"Really? You are still going to stand there instead of letting me through?" Ralph's tone became a little deeper as he started to clench his fists. But when Jerold noticed an odd piece of metal in Ralph's hand, he had an idea of what might be going on.

"You made that in the last hour then came here to finish it, didn't you?"

"So you do have eyes. I wanted the chance to be alone, so scram." Ralph still showed the abrasive side and attitude he normally had. But what was more evident was the hard efforts that went in to what he had made. Jerold just smirked a little.

"Rough like sand paper but soft like pudding on the inside." Jerold dashed away before Ralph could turn around and hit him after saying this. He knew well that Ralph did not like to be called soft hearted in any way or analogy. Regardless, Ralph found that Grace was working hard in her own way.

She noticed that Ralph had come almost immediately. Her quizzical look prompting him to explain why he had come and what the piece of metal was that he carried. "I made this to help you when you go to fight. I know that you won't just hold back when the rest of us go to our positions. Apparently I even have to lead a group to fight in the market district forging and crafting areas."

The causal explanation was what Grace knew well would happen. She had already planned it out with her frost finch. She and it had made a great use of the herbs here. The pair had digested nearly twenty each which greatly strengthened their bonds.

Specifically, the radiant wind and ice energies flowing between Grace and her frost finch had become more than what Ralph was used to. He felt that he would struggle to handle the power that Grace had right now.

The damage done to her on a deep level due to the rampant wind and ice energies when she had foolishly fused partially with the frost finch had left scars and an illness. Yes, she was still ill even now. But the energies she and the frost finch had consumed were from a specific list that Clark had made.

Each herb had unique ice and wind energies known to be calm and controlled. They were unique in those means which specifically aided the two in creating a tougher bond between them.

The evidence was in the more fluid appearance of the first finch and the color that returned to Grace's face even more. But due to the lasting illness, she now radiated a lot of the ice and wind energies around her. Making her hair become slightly frosty and move with a slight breeze.

She had clearly taken on some of the characteristics that the first finch would have shown had it grown more openly rather than hiding away some of its strength to protect Grace even more.

"This is an armor plate. It is held together with some straps made of frost bison leather. It can fit multiple elemental energy crystals. They will be the backing for you to maintain energy without harming yourself. And if you get pushed too far, the high quality crystals can be destroyed so that your partner can forcefully grow. You won't be hurt, just exhausted completely."

While Ralph knew this would be a last ditch effort on Grace's part, he also understood if it did not work as a trump card, that she would be left completely defenseless. Basically there to be killed by her enemies.

If Clark had been there to look at the breastplate, he would have been amazed that Ralph had pulled it off.

'Glacial blizzard plate- ultra rare

Due to the self damaging creation technique that used eternal ice forging, violent metal forging, and explosive flame energy forging techniques, the wind and ice energy affinity metals used were perfectly forged in to what is known as extremely rare tundra alloy.

The tundra allow requires blacksmiths of extreme experience and knowledge to forge. If not, there is a high chance that the blacksmith will be injured with various ailments that require years to heal from. However, if completed, they will gain an extreme amount of enlightening knowledge by working on metals and techniques well above them.

The ice and wind energies can easily travel through and be stored within this plate made to protect a woman's front and back. Along with this, it also allows very high quality ice and wind elemental energy crystals to be placed within. This allows energies to be drawn from it at a very quick and fluid rate.

Created by a young blacksmith, this is an ultra rare creation that very few can make in a short time….'

That analysis would have shocked Clark very much but also worried him. It was clear that Ralph would be suffering from ice and wind related energy injuries. Not to mention whatever violent metal forging and explosive flame energy forging were. Two techniques that none of the group had even heard of.

Reaching out and touching the glacial blizzard plate, Grace felt that it thrummed with ice and wind energies. As if it was made with only her in mind. Not that this statement would be far from the truth. It was ideally forged with her in mind. Every curve and every single detailed runic carving matched the flow of energies she used every single day.

The frost finch made a chirping sound when it felt the energies waiting for it to use when it needed them. While it had rarely shown much reaction to Ralph since it was averse to the fire energies that countered its ice energies within Ralph, it flew over and rested on his shoulder for just a moment. Enough to share that it greatly appreciated this assistance to protect Grace.

"I'll leave it to you." The soft whisper before the first finch flew back toward Grace was enough of an agreement between them.

"I need to sharpen my axes before anything else. I Already have other metals to work on too. I will see you when we come back together after all this." Ralph started to walk away but found himself stopped. Two arms had grabbed him and made him halt his every movement. When he turned, he could only feel the soft touch on his lips…

"Ralph kicked you out from watching Grace? I figured that would happen. He went wild in the forge. Apparently an entire forge furnace was ruined. They are all angry about it but that's fine. It can be replaced with whatever we gain from cleaning up the city." Isa had already sent off the other blacksmith and crafting oriented students who had been hard at work.

Their efforts had been made and were still being made to prepare the armor and weapons for as many as possible. This was their base after all. They were one of the many backbones that would support everyone fighting in the next hours.

"It's fine, I was going to help with Clark, but it looks like everyone is finishing up. I will need to head out soon. My partner is just waking up after getting himself ready." Jerold started stretching a little. He would be a hidden assassin using the camouflaging of his armored chameleon to sneakily attack and poison powerful enemy beasts. He was a hidden support.

"Then I want you to keep an eye on the supply lines I am running. There are going to be beasts we fight that can fly or sneak up behind us. Maybe even a few trying to get here where the injured will be." Isa's mind was also doubling as the opposition.

In her head, she was thinking of what she would do to break the merchant routes she was creating in her head. Each one could be broken by singular enemies taking down the supplies. That would weaken everyone. Stop the healers from getting unique medicines and supplies to break through the large enemy mansions throughout the city.

"I can manage that. Apparently, the Mane family was not very focused on scouting and assassination, go figure for a family that was altruistic, but, that doesn't mean that the academy did not have classes and students good at it." Jerold knew well that some of those very students were still here on their side.

Just because someone was studying the techniques related to stealthily killing beasts or scouting beasts territories, did not mean that they were cruel or evil. They could be fighting for the betterment of the world too. They just might be a little more comfortable in the shadows.

Just as Jerold was now. His mind and body were more comfortable there. He didn't have to be anyone else. He didn't need to be a brilliant and shining hero. He could do amazing things without the need for a single eye to see it other than his own.