The thunderous roar of airship engines tore through the skies above Rust Island, their exhaust shredding the clouds. The black hulls passed over the volcano crater, their searchlight beams stabbing down like cold, accusing swords, scouring every inch of ground with suffocating oppression.
Liam tightened his grip on the volcanic ore in his arms. He glanced up at the circling Imperial airships, his eyes grave, and pulled Elara by the wrist as he quickened his pace towards the volcano's western slope. "Reinforcements are here. The crater's exposed. We need to find cover, and we can use the chance to forge some armor."
Elara kept pace, the motion tugging painfully at the wound in her left arm, but she bit back any sound. Her silver eyes tracked the airships, her tone icy. "Airships have limited range. They won't launch a large-scale landing immediately, but they'll search the mountain sooner or later. We need to prepare quickly." Her gaze fell on the silvery-glowing ore in Liam's arms. "You plan to use the volcanic ore to forge a weapon?"
"More than a weapon," Liam said, his steps never faltering as his eyes scanned the terrain. From the original host's memories, there was an abandoned mine shaft on the western slope, a remnant from the old days when volcanic ore was mined. It supposedly held a simple forge and some steam-driven equipment. "There's a forge in the mine. I'm going to fuse the Rust-Beast remains with this ore to cast a set of Steam-Beast Soul Armor. With it, we stand a much better chance against both pursuers and beasts."
As they spoke, they ducked into a patch of low, jumbled rocks, their surfaces thick with rust dust, blending perfectly with the surroundings and providing cover from the searchlights. Liam lay behind the rocks, observing for a moment to ensure they hadn't been spotted, then tugged Elara along, both of them crouching as they moved towards the mine. Loose stones skittered underfoot; the black soil, baked by subterranean heat, was scorching, making every step a trial.
After about half an hour, a dark opening appeared ahead, mostly blocked by collapsed rubble, leaving only a narrow gap. The edges of the entrance were scarred with heat, clearly touched by past volcanic activity. Liam pushed against the blocking stones. They were immensely heavy. Gritting his teeth, muscles straining, he managed to shift them just enough to create an opening to squeeze through sideways. "Get inside. It should be safe."
Elara slipped in first, immediately enveloped by stifling heat and utter darkness. The only sounds were distant dripping water and the faint smell of sulfur. Liam followed, pulling out a fire starter he'd scavenged from a knight's body. A small flame sputtered to life, casting a weak glow that illuminated the cavern: it was spacious, with veins of silvery volcanic ore embedded in the walls. Mining picks, hammers, and other discarded tools littered the floor. Deeper in, just as he'd hoped, stood a rust-covered forge, half-buried in rubble, connected to a broken steam pipe that led to a damaged boiler.
"The forge is here," Liam breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over, touching the forge's wall with his hand. It was thick and solid beneath the rust. "But the boiler's broken. We need to fix it first to get steam for the furnace." He knelt, inspecting the boiler. The pipe connection was severed, and a few firebricks inside had fallen out, but it wasn't a complete loss. "It's salvageable. We need some heat-resistant stone to patch the furnace lining and reconnect the pipes."
Elara moved to his side, examining the forge in the flickering light, her fingers tracing the rust along its rim. "I'll patch the furnace. You find materials for the pipes." Though a swordswoman by trade, as commander of the Silver Wolf Knights, she'd had some experience with steam systems and could handle basic repairs. She began gathering rubble, then took some volcanic ore from her pouch, crushed it, and mixed it with the damp cave earth to form a thick paste, carefully applying it to the damaged sections of the furnace wall with deft, precise movements.
Liam scoured the cave for usable parts. He found a section of steel pipe of the right diameter, some rusty wire, and then retrieved a few thick metallic scales he'd salvaged from the adult Rust-Beast carcass—they were heat-resistant and incredibly hard, perfect for reinforcing the pipe joint. Crouching by the boiler, he used a hammer to knock the rust from the pipe joint, fitted the new pipe into place, wrapped the connection with the beast scales, and bound it tightly with wire, hammering it secure to ensure it wouldn't leak.
"Let me help you," Elara said.
"You..." Liam hesitated. "You should rest first, let your wound heal a bit more."
"Have you forgotten I'm a Knight?" Her tone was resolute. "I recover quickly. Besides, this is critical. If we aren't prepared, we'll both die here. Stop hesitating. Let's move."
Seeing her determination, Liam said no more, simply speeding up his own work. He couldn't let himself be outdone by a woman, even if she was a Knight!
They worked in tandem, the cave illuminated only by the small flame, filled with the sounds of metal striking metal. The stifling air grew heavy with the smell of sweat and sulfur, but neither complained. After finishing the furnace patches, Elara helped Liam clear the accumulated ash from the forge. The wound in her left arm throbbed intermittently; she just tightened the bandage and bore it. Sweat rolled down her temples, dripping to the floor and raising tiny puffs of rust dust, but she never stopped.
After two hours of intense labor, the forge was finally repaired. Liam brought over the collected volcanic ore and the fragments of Rust-Beast remains—scales and bones from the adult, and smaller bones from the young beast. The beast bones retained a faint trace of bestial soul energy, glowing with a weak red light that contrasted with the ore's silvery sheen.
"The volcanic ore suppresses the curse and conducts energy," Liam explained as he loaded ore into the furnace, a note of anticipation in his voice. "The Rust-Beast remnants hold bestial soul force. Fusing them should create armor that's both durable and can tap into that energy to enhance combat power."
Elara nodded and went to the boiler to help him light the furnace. "We need to raise the steam pressure slowly. Too fast, and it might explode." She turned the boiler valve, stuffed the dry wood they'd collected into its base, and used the fire starter to ignite it. Flames licked the boiler's bottom. Soon, white steam hissed through the pipes, the sound echoing in the cave. The ore inside the furnace began to heat up, glowing a faint red.
As the steam pressure built, the furnace temperature climbed, making the cave unbearably hot. Sweat streamed down Liam's face, sizzling as it hit the floor. He watched the furnace mouth intently. When the ore had fully melted into a silvery liquid, he began feeding the beast remnant fragments into the crucible. They sizzled violently on contact with the molten ore, black impurities burning away, leaving behind a dark red energy fluid that swirled and intertwined with the silvery liquid, rolling within the furnace, emitting a strange, dazzling radiance.
"The bestial soul energy is unstable. We need Seething Beast Blood to stabilize it," Liam said suddenly. He pulled out a sealed leather pouch from his tunic containing the single drop of Seething Beast Blood extracted from the adult Rust-Beast. It still glowed faintly red within its wrapping. He opened the pouch and carefully let the drop fall into the molten mixture.
The moment the blood pearl hit the surface, a red light flashed through the cavern. The molten mixture churned violently. The interwoven silver and red hues began to merge, transforming into a deep, burnished crimson-gold, its glow softer now but radiating a powerful energy aura.
Elara, standing guard nearby with her hand on her short sword, suddenly sensed the energy fluctuations from the furnace intensifying rapidly. "The energy's about to overflow! You need to pour it now, or the furnace will burst!"
Liam sensed it too. He rushed to the forge, yanked open the pouring gate at the bottom, and the crimson-gold molten metal streamed out into a mold he'd hastily built from stones earlier—a rough shape conforming to his own torso, arms, and legs, covering only the vital areas due to limited materials.
The molten metal hit the mold with a sharp hiss, billowing white smoke filling the cave with a thick metallic odor. Liam watched closely as the mold filled, then quickly blocked the pouring gate with a stone and sprinkled the remaining volcanic ore dust over the surface of the mold to enhance the armor's toughness. Only then did he slump to the ground, gasping for breath, soaked in sweat. The rust patterns on his chest felt warm from the furnace's heat, but the energy radiating from the cooling metal suppressed them, preventing any spread.
Elara handed him a waterskin, taking a few swallows herself. She looked at the gradually cooling crimson-gold armor in the mold, a note of surprise in her voice. "The energy signature of this armor is unique... both the steadiness of the volcanic ore and the ferocity of the bestial soul. The fusion is successful."
Liam drank deeply and nodded. "It still needs to cool and set, then we grind it smooth, reinforce it, and attach the steam-driven joints before it's usable." After a short rest, he got up and touched the armor's surface. It was still warm but cooling fast. He picked up a hammer and began knocking off the excess metal flash from the edges, then used a grindstone to smooth the surface, shaping it to better fit his form.
The grinding process was exhausting. Liam's arms ached fiercely, his old shoulder wound complaining, but he pressed on. Seeing this, Elara took the grindstone from him. "I'll do the grinding. You work on the steam joints. We'll finish faster." She took the stone and began carefully smoothing the armor's edges. Though less skilled than Liam, she was meticulous, her silver eyes focused intently on the task, sweat tracing paths through the grime on her cheeks.
Liam didn't refuse. He turned to gather materials for the joints, salvaging a few intact pistons and small gears from the scrap, then painstakingly shaping some of the beast's finer bones into axles to connect the pistons to the armor. He fixed the pistons at the elbow and knee joints, meshing the gears for transmission, and connected them to a small, makeshift steam canister—a repurposed copper pipe that could hold a small amount of steam to power the joints' movement.
Installing the joints required precision; the slightest misalignment would hamper the armor's flexibility. Crouched by the armor, Liam held his breath as he adjusted the piston positions, his knuckles white with concentration. He hammered each component firmly into place, ensuring nothing was loose. When Elara finished grinding, she came to help, handing him tools and holding parts steady. They worked in silent coordination, the cave filled only with the clink of metal and their labored breathing.
Unnoticed, darkness fell outside. The roar of the airships gradually faded, having ceased their search for unknown reasons. But the pair didn't dare relax, speeding up their work under the cover of night. By deep night, the Steam-Beast Soul Armor was finally complete.
The primary armor was crimson-gold with a subtle luster. A circular piece of volcanic ore was set into the chestplate, glowing silver, positioned directly over the heart to suppress the Rust-Corrosion Curse. The armor on the arms and legs covered key areas, with piston joints hidden inside, connected to the small steam canister, ready to enhance his strength when activated. Two Rust-Beast scales were inlaid on the shoulders for added protection against blades. The helmet was fashioned from the skull of the adult beast, revealing only his eyes, giving it a fearsome, intimidating appearance.
Liam stood before the completed suit. He ran a hand over its surface, feeling the cool, hard metal and the faint thrum of energy within. A surge of excitement washed over him. He turned to Elara. "This armor... it looks like boiling volcano rock. Let's call it 'Boiling One'. What do you think?"
Elara examined the armor, clear admiration in her eyes, though her tone remained typically cool. "The name is unimportant. What matters is that it fuses volcanic ore, bestial soul force, and steam power. Its combat strength should be significant. See if you can wear it."
Liam nodded, took a deep breath, grabbed the armor by the shoulders, and heaved it onto himself. It was heavy, maybe several dozen kilograms, but once on, it fit his frame surprisingly well. The volcanic ore on the chest pressed against his skin, a cool energy spreading through him. The ever-present restlessness of the curse was instantly suppressed; the rust patterns on his left arm receded completely, leaving only faint traces. He flexed his arms; the piston joints moved smoothly. When he activated the steam canister, he felt a distinct surge of additional power in his movements, several times stronger than before.
"It fits well, and the boost is significant," Liam said, clenching his fist and punching the nearby cave wall. BOOM! The impact left a shallow crater in the rock, debris clattering down, while the armor remained unscathed. A flicker of triumph crossed his eyes. With 'Boiling One', he could face Imperial knights head-on.
Seeing the armored figure, Elara also relaxed slightly. "With this, our chances against the pursuers have improved greatly." She paused, then added, "But the steam canister's capacity is limited. We'll need more materials to improve it, or it might fail at a critical moment."
"We can optimize it later. First, let's test its combat capabilities," Liam said, turning towards the cave entrance. "It should be safe outside now. I want to find some beasts to try it out on, and maybe collect more beast remnants to reinforce the armor."
Elara nodded, gripping her short sword as she followed him out of the mine.
The night was thick and quiet, broken only by occasional distant beast roars. Clad in 'Boiling One', Liam moved with surprising lightness; the steam joints assisted his movements, making walking almost effortless. The volcanic ore on his chest cast a weak silvery light, illuminating their path.
They hadn't gone far when low growls sounded ahead. Several pairs of yellow eyes ignited in the darkness—three adult Rust-Wolves, drawn by their scent, charging towards them. Liam's eyes narrowed. Before the lead wolf could get close, he threw a punch. The armored fist, powered by steam, smashed into the wolf's skull with a sickening CRACK. The creature dropped dead instantly.
The other two wolves, enraged, lunged for his limbs. Liam sidestepped and kicked out. The piston in the armored boot sole activated, sending one wolf flying into a tree trunk where it lay unconscious. The final wolf leaped onto his shoulder, fangs scraping against the armor, leaving only a shallow scratch. Liam reached up, grabbed the wolf's neck, and squeezed. A sharp crack ended its life.
In just minutes, three adult Rust-Wolves were dead. Liam looked down at his armor. Aside from some beast blood smeared on the surface, it was undamaged. The piston joints still moved smoothly, and the chest ore continued to glow, suppressing the curse. "Stronger than I expected. The bestial soul force enhances explosive power too," he noted with satisfaction, wiping the gore from the armor.
Elara came to his side, looking at the wolf corpses, her voice cold. "Rust-Wolves are pack hunters. Killing these will draw more for revenge. We should leave now, return to the mine to rest, and plan our next move tomorrow."
Liam agreed and was about to turn back when he caught the sound of杂乱 (disorderly) footsteps and the clatter of metal armor approaching from a distance. His expression tightened. He grabbed Elara's arm and pulled her towards the mine. "Imperial troops, probably. The search must have reached this area. Back to the mine! We'll observe."
They rushed back inside. Liam quickly shoved the stones back into place to block the entrance, piling more rubble from near the forge in front of it for good measure. Only then did he lean against the cave wall, breathing heavily. The footsteps outside grew closer, stopping near the entrance. A knight's voice called out, "There's a mine here! Search it! They might be hiding inside!"
Liam clenched his fists. With 'Boiling One', he feared no small patrol, but he worried about the noise attracting more soldiers and chose to wait. Elara moved close to him, her voice a whisper. "If they come in, we hit them fast, front and back. Make it quick and clean. Leave no trace."
Liam nodded, his sharp eyes fixed on the entrance. The volcanic ore on his chestplate glowed softly as he gathered his strength, ready to strike the moment the knights entered. But after a long wait, the sounds outside didn't advance. Instead, they heard hurried footsteps retreating, heading in another direction.
"What's happening?" Elara looked at Liam, confusion in her eyes.
Liam moved to the entrance, peering through a gap in the rocks. In the distance, within the Rustwood Forest, a fierce fire was raging, flames leaping into the sky, accompanied by the frantic roars of beasts. Something had happened. Understanding dawned on him. "They're setting the forest on fire! The Empire must be trying to smoke us out! The fire will spread fast, right towards us. We'll be burned or suffocated by smoke if we stay! We have to move, deeper into the volcano where there's more rock and less to burn!"
Elara grasped the danger immediately and helped him frantically clear the blocked entrance. As they squeezed out, a wave of heat hit them. The fire had already reached the rocky area, thick smoke billowing, making it hard to breathe. Liam, holding Elara's arm, ran towards the volcanic interior, the steam joints of 'Boiling One' working at full capacity, propelling him at speeds far beyond normal. The fire roared behind them, embers carried by the wind sputtering against his armor, the intense heat a lethal threat even if the flames didn't catch.
They ran until they burst into the volcanic heart, an area of cooled lava flows and active magma pools. The intense heat was blistering, but the lack of fuel halted the fire's advance. Liam stopped, gasping for air, and looked back at the inferno, a cold glint in his eyes. "To catch us, they'd burn down an entire island... Elias's followers are truly merciless."
Elara stood beside him, her silver eyes blazing with a hatred so profound her knuckles were white where she clenched her fists. "When we are strong enough, they will pay for this in blood." She looked at 'Boiling One' encasing Liam, her voice firm. "With this armor, our chances of escaping have grown. Once we survive this, we will leave Rust Island and make Elias pay."
Liam nodded, looking down at the crimson-gold armor. Reflected in the hellish glow of the magma, it shone with a fierce light, like burning rock and boiling blood. He knew the birth of 'Boiling One' was just the first step in his fight against the Empire and his curse. The road ahead would only get harder. But he tightened his armored fist, his resolve hardening. No matter the danger, he would carve a path to survival in this world of iron and blood, with 'Boiling One' and this iron will as his guides.
The magma bubbled slowly, heat waves laden with sulfur washing over them. Their figures, silhouetted against the molten glow, stood tall and resolute. And high above, the Imperial airships continued their patient, ominous patrol over the volcano.
A new game of survival had just begun.