Forging Twin Daggers

When Serina eventually ran out of complaints, she went out of the tent and returned with Shui and Fatty. 

"Thanks, Shui. And you as well. You must be Serina's friend, Fatty Zain, I believe?"

"That's right, Brother Sef. Please call me Fatty."

"I see... You can just call me Sef."

"Yes."

Sef sat up to greet them despite his sister asking him to stay down. However, since it wouldn't affect his condition, Shui didn't say anything.

"Shui, could you tell me what happened? I think I was hallucinating so the last thing I remember was seeing some strange creature at the bottom of the cave system."

"Well, the short answer is that you weren't hallucinating."

Shui then gave Sef the same explanation that he gave to Serina and Fatty, in addition to the fact that the Darino Gang had surrounded the mountain range. Shui thought that Sef would be more concerned about his safety after this incident, but his first question was about something else.

"So what happened to the ores?"

"Brother!"

"What?"

Even Serina was shocked by her brother's one-track mind. He had just come back from a life-threatening situation which he couldn't have escaped from without their help, with his condition still not perfect, and yet the only thing on his mind were the ores he saw. Shui couldn't hold back a laugh, but he restrained himself when he remembered that he wasn't any better since he almost killed himself with the void flame after manifesting it.

"Most of them degraded after the qilin passed, but I took the best ones before we left the cave."

"Oh!"

Sef seemed almost ecstatic at first, but then he quickly cooled down.

"I wouldn't mind giving you a few pieces."

"No, they were beautiful but if I tried to use them with my current skill, they would only be wasted. Still, it would be nice if I could watch a forge master use one."

"Hmm," Shui looked around before nodding, "I guess I could do that."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh? Didn't I tell you? I'm a forge master."

Serina and Fatty looked at Shui with wide eyes while Sef was only mildly surprised. Even Sef didn't know why he wasn't very surprised, but as a blacksmith perhaps he could tell that Shui also possessed skill in the field. The main difference between blacksmiths and forge masters in current times, was that forge masters could craft artifacts while blacksmiths could only make mortal tools. In ancient times, there had been no distinction as the title forge master was originally just another term for blacksmith, but that had changed over the ages.

As for Serina and Fatty, since Shui had already shown great talent in cultivation and arrays, they hadn't expected for him to also be skilled in forging. However, they didn't doubt him either.

"Wow, so you can forge too Boss. But how are you gonna do it out here?" Fatty asked.

"I would prefer a proper work station, but I can do without as well."

Shui exited the tent and the three followed him. Shui willed the ground into the shape of an anvil and a stool before changing them into suitable materials through the Four Elements Technique and his own insights gained from Nature's Eternity. He planned on forging a pair of daggers for Serina, so he selected mithril as the base since it had excellent conductivity both with nature energy and electricity. For it to harmonize well with Serina, he also took out the claws of a great beast that had a strong wind affinity. Next, it was time to begin forging.

"You can watch, but make sure to take a step back if you feel uncomfortable."

The three spectators nodded while also sharpening their focus to watch Shui at work. While the void flame was stronger, Shui stuck to using his heart flame since it was better at bringing out the potential of the materials. However, as his heart flame was dangerous to look at directly, he hid it while melting the materials. The melting happened gradually, but though every stage of the process was visible, it also seemed to happen all at once.

After everything was reduced to a spring green solution, Shui separated it into two equal portions and placed them on the anvil. While the solutions began to solidify, Shui waited patiently with his eyes closed. Though he appeared to be taking a break, the atmosphere around him made it hard to look away. He was like a swordsman with his hand on the hilt of his blade at the start of a battle, simply waiting for the right moment to make his move. 

Shui used mental control to give the two solutions a cuboid shape, and allowed a slightly cold breeze to help them gain density. While this happened, Shui got himself in tune with the alloy and thought about how to make it harmonize with Serina. Fortunately, she was nearby so it was easy for him to implement her aura into the process. When the solutions eventually became solid, he lowered them to the anvil and upon a small ding, he opened his eyes.

For his hammers, Shui decided to create a pair using his own body which had combined with Sui. When the spectators saw the simple pair of black hammers appear in Shui's hands, they were less surprised by the hammers and more by what their presence meant. When creating twin artifacts it would indeed be better to forge them simultaneously, but even ambidextrous forge masters would be reluctant to seriously attempt the task as it was far more difficult than forging them sequentially. Shui also wouldn't normally do this, but after his experience in the cave and completely integrating with Sui, he had a feeling that he could succeed. 

'Don't do two at once, make the two become one.'

After reminding himself of his objective, Shui lowered both hands at the same time while holding the materials in place with martial intent. This first strike produced a vibration that rippled across the ground and resonated with the spectators. Right before the vibration had ended, Shui rose his right hand and swung it down once more. As soon as that vibration reached his left hand, he raised it and swung down. Then, like an eccentric form of music, Shui continued his performance by alternating his hands and striking. 

As Shui no longer paid attention to anything but artifacts being forged, the spectators were left to fend for themselves. While he wasn't affected by the first strike, each of the following strikes had Sef feeling more and more uncomfortable. There was nothing wrong with Shui's performance, in fact, it was the opposite. It was so good that Sef's bones resonated with the vibrations and while his mind was entranced, his internal injuries worsened. Perhaps due to possessing the same bloodline. Serina was in a similar situation so she didn't notice even when blood dripped from his mouth, but while interested, Fatty was still able to check on them. He couldn't bear to shout and interrupt Shui's focus, so he simply pulled Sef back and covered him with a barrier.

Sef's immersion was reduced due to this, but he could still see clearly enough to be entranced. After protecting Sef, Fatty checked on Serina. She was in a similar state so he was worried, but he quickly judged that in her case it would be better if he kept his hands off. Although the vibrations also infiltrated her body, her vitality seemed to increase in response. Though Serina's cheeks had a rosy shade, Fatty could tell that she would only benefit from this experience.

'To think he could cause so much just by forging. As expected of Boss!'