Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 146: Refine the Beast

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 146: Refine the Beast

Draven did not move but stared at Oscar, who was celebrating his success. He smiled under his helmet, seeing his disciple's good progress and adaptability. Finally, he moved his feet and flicked Oscar's helmet to cool him down. "Calm down. Finish off this plate, and we can move to the next step. Good job on layering your Ein over the 'Shattering Wave'. But never stop trying to accomplish the same feat with Ein alone."

Oscar nodded and finished the azureiron, turning it into a thin plate half the height it was before. Before taking more swings, Oscar turned to Draven and asked, "How do I know when it's finished? I don't want to break it past its limits accidentally."

"From this point on, it's a feeling. As you continue to work with materials and refine them, you'll develop a sense of when it's ready. You can stop right now. It's pretty much finished." Draven took up the azureiron plate with the tongs and dropped it into a new crucible to melt it down. "Now it's pure and in the best condition to create an armament. Come here."

Oscar came forth and peered into the crucible; the azureiron was melting into a hot viscous liquid, almost like molasses. Off to the side, Draven passed him the tongs.

"We don't have to let this keep melting. Pour it into the mold over there." Draven pointed to a metal plate with an indent of a shape.

Oscar did as instructed, feeling the heat travel up the tongs to make his whole body sweat. He poured the entire contents of the crucible into the mold, but some bits were stubborn, and he shook it to get the small bits out.

Draven took out a water basket with frost forming on its edges. He took out the hot metal and doused it in this frosty water, spewing smoke everywhere. "This is glacial oil, very cold and useful for quenching the metal."

Oscar waved his hand to blow it away, but the smoke persisted. When it settled, he saw Draven drop a small but thick bar of refined azureiron on the table.

"To the next step." Draven reached into his space pocket and pulled out a large black turtle shell, dropping it on the anvil. "Refine this shell from the Exalt Beast, Ashback Snapping Turtle. It is an Apprentice Exalt Beast."

"Is it similar to what I did to the azureiron?" Oscar stared at the buckler fragments in the corner of the workshop.

"Not entirely." Draven tossed Oscar a new hammer. "You'll be using the standard hammer that Fabricators use. It allows for easier flow of Ein into it to facilitate the refinement process."

Oscar held the hammer, swinging it around slowly to get a feel for it. It was a hammer with a black metal handle and a silvery-large head. "It feels nice. Are there different hammers?"

"Hammers are like armaments, so the higher grades provide better forging. That is why people with a hammer anima are often said to have the talent because it's more natural for them, and their anima can be a boon when used."

Hammers, anvils, and other tool animas were highly regarded by fabricators. The control over the Ein in an anima was superior, and their forging would be further elevated if their anima mastery advanced to the meld stage or integration stage.

Oscar listened and finally finished reducing the shell to a powder. His master poured the powder into a brick kiln that was burning a yellow flame that extended out the top. The flames roared as the opening on the bottom was sealed.

"Now we wait until the flames start to die. By the way, these flames are special grade-one yellow flames. You'll need to create better flames from special wood or another source for higher-grade beasts." Draven cleaned the anvil.

Oscar sat down and waited patiently with his master. Both stared at the roaring flame that still burned through the kiln. In an hour, the yellow flames started to flicker and no longer showed above the kiln's top.

"Take a basket of glacial oil and pour it down until there is no more light within the kiln," Draven instructed.

Oscar took the basket of frosty liquid, feeling a cool sensation that provided much-needed relief. He poured it down the chimney-like opening of the kiln, releasing a large cloud of smoke, but Oscar did not stop pouring until the small sparks of flame he could see were gone.

Draven opened the bottom hatch and reached in. He pulled out a large slag of unknown material and placed it on the anvil. "This is the result."

Oscar held the slag in his hands, feeling its rough surface but was confused by what they had made.

"It's very weak; crack it with your hammer without Ein or Reis."

Oscar swung his hammer, and the slag broke apart like a sand castle. There were small pill-sized bits that didn't match the soft material of the slag. Oscar held some between his fingers.

"First step was to destroy the beast's will and reduce the material into powder. The second step was to burn it in the kiln to make the material rebind into this slag. Finally, we end up with these small pellets, but it is the best form of the shell that exemplifies its toughness. If we tried it with fangs, the pellets would be well suited for a sharp edge. Gather all of them."

It was tedious, but Oscar crumbled every bit until he found pellets. He gathered them into a small basket, forming a small mound the size of his fist. He could not believe that the large shell had become this small result in front of him.

"What now?" Oscar asked.

"Now comes the hardest part." Draven crossed his arms. "It's time to make an armament."