Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

1226. The Core

”So you managed to wrestle control of the Hydra from Natina?” Seth summarized the necromancerʼs explanation of what happened. The blacksmith looked up at the giant undead hydra, that was now silently waiting at the side..

The situation had been a little awkward when Eve appeared and the twelve-headed beast appeared over the mountain ridge. surprising Seth, who heard about this for the first time. On the other hand, Evee felt a little awkward, having rushed here to help, only to arrive right after the battle ended.

As Evee explained everything his thoughts wandered. To think he was not the only one in Minas Mar with a legendary creature under his belt anymore, he was kind of glad. Technically, Evee even passed him. Although the golems were technically his creations, as their Ego grew there was no direct bond of obedience between him and them. Not something comparable to a necromancer and their summon at least.

”You know what that means? You will probably have to leave the cozy tower,” Seth started to tease her. With this much power, Evee would probably have to take up a seat as a guardian at one of the Tree Stations. her silent days, where she hid in the laboratory in Minas Mar or Minas Palan were over.

”You would better start thinking at which Tree Station you want to stay~” he chortled. Unlike the golems who were mostly independent, Eveeʼs undead would not move without her orders. This meant she had to go, wherever her power was needed.

”Fuuu-! I didnʼt think of that...” Evee exclaimed, only realizing the consequences of fulfilling her quest after the fact. On the thought of Eveeʼs new power, Seth glanced at Diromold.

”Since we are on the topic, canʼt you take that guy, too?” he asked her, pointing at the koor worm, that was silently lying at the edge of the valley. Its summoner had died, while its mana and life force were depleted to the point that it could not even move. If there was a time to tame another legend, it was now.

There were many sea monsters that fell at the hands of heroes, just like the Hydra, in Olympian Mythology. The Koor Worm definitely met the criteria to have the cost of taming reduced, according to the skills Evee had gained from her quest.

”Erm... Even if it is highly damaged itʼs still a legend. Even if I manage to add it to my Underworld, is it worth it?” Evee looked at the koor worm hesitating. After its fight with Strix and Tatzel, the sea serpent didnʼt look too good. Especially the augmentations installed by Spatia were destroyed, meaning that it was unable to fly anymore.

”Even with my new perk, it would take a lot of effort and ages for it to recover and be usable...” Evee added, looking at the undeadʼs state. After she managed to steal the hydra, she had fallen unconscious for hours from exhaustion. Her hesitation was understandable, however-

”Iʼm sure the guys from Epsilon will be able to repair and improve on the flying aspect. I think if you see a chance without risking your life, you try to do it. It would be a waste to kill it now for materials if it could be another legend on our side in the future, ” the blacksmith argued.

Just because a creature was legendary, didnʼt necessarily mean they had legendary materials. Seth had given the Koor Worm a once over, but the best it had to offer was probably its corrupted core. if they could have the intact undead serve them, it was a much better deal.

”Alright, I will give it a shot, once I recover some more,” Evee agreed after musing over it for a while. Diromold wasnʼt going anywhere for the moment, so she had more time to prepare than in the case of the Hydra.

”Take your time, I will check the dragon for now,” Seth said and turned to the heap of bones, he had been looking forward to the most. However, as soon as he stood at the edge of the crater where the dragon fell and fought the horsemen and Hellion he fell silent.

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”...” the blacksmith was speechless upon seeing what was left of the skeleton dragon. He had expected some problems judging by the state of the dragon scales he got during the evaluation. He even expected some damage from the battle with Hellion and the others, but...

”This is too much!” Seth exclaimed accusatory, shouting at Wolfram, Bazalith, and Hellion, standing silently to the side.

The skeleton of Kalzemir, the mountain-sized ancient dragon lay before him. Of the once impressive and proud figure more than half had been turned into brittle gray metal and smashed to pieces by these brutes!

But Sethʼs exclamation was ambiguous and not just a comment on the work of the three stooges, but also because of the state of the remaining bones. The blacksmith was only able to touch the bones saturated in the ancient dragon curse because of the ”Purity of the While Bull”, an effect of Pipirima. They were even worse than the few scales he had collected back then.

”Do you still want this?” Seth asked after sharing the information with Tatzel.

”Yes!” the imugi nodded rigorously in excitement. ”Should I help you find a way to purify it?”

”No, I just need the core. Donʼt worry, I will find a way myself!” the imugi assured him of his independence. In that case... Seth had no refuse to refuse his request.