Inferna's fire met my [Harden]-enhanced armor, the two forces grinding against each other like tectonic plates.
"YOUR EQUIPMENT," she observed. "EACH PIECE A MASTERPIECE. EACH ENCHANTMENT ORIGINAL."
"I had time to practice."
"PRACTICE IS FOR THE WEAK. YOU HAD OBSESSION."
"Is there a difference?"
"OBSESSION FORGES. PRACTICE MERELY POLISHES."
---
Year 250-450.
The armor became my magnum opus.
After mastering enchantment writing, I turned my attention to equipment. The game provided armor—helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots. Four pieces, each with its own enchantment possibilities.
But I wanted more.
The villagers of Eterna had grown into a proper civilization under my occasional guidance. They'd developed metallurgy, architecture, even basic engineering. They'd also developed worship.
I was their god, whether I wanted to be or not. And gods needed armor.
---
Year 270. The gauntlets.
Vanilla armor left hands exposed—protected only by the sleeves of other pieces. This seemed like an oversight to me. Hands were important for combat, for crafting, for everything.
So I created gauntlets.
The process combined manual crafting with enchantment writing. I forged netherite plates, shaped them to fit my hands and forearms, and enchanted each piece individually.
The enchantments were custom:
[Enhanced Grip] - Weapons couldn't be disarmed. [Weapon Recall] - Thrown weapons returned to hand. [Crushing Force] - Grip strength tripled.
The gauntlets took five weeks to craft. I failed twenty-three times before succeeding.
But when they were done, I had hand protection that the game had never intended.
---
Year 290. The gorget.
Neck protection was another gap in vanilla armor. A well-placed arrow or blade could end a fight regardless of helmet or chestplate.
I created a gorget—a piece of armor that protected the throat and upper chest. It fit between the helmet and chestplate, filling the gap without restricting movement.
Enchantments:
[Throat Guard] - Prevented choking and strangulation. [Voice Projection] - Speech could be heard clearly over any distance.
The gorget took two weeks. Nine failed attempts.
I was getting better at this.
---
Year 310. The pauldrons.
Shoulder armor was technically covered by chestplates, but vanilla designs left gaps. I created pauldrons—large, articulated plates that protected the shoulders and upper arms.
They also served another purpose: wing attachment points.
I'd been experimenting with elytra—the glider wings found in End cities. They were amazing for mobility but replaced chestplates, leaving the wearer vulnerable.
My pauldrons could anchor elytra wings, allowing them to be worn WITH a chestplate.
Enchantments:
[Impact Absorption] - Overhead blows did reduced damage. [Anchor Point] - Wings could not be torn off in flight.
The pauldrons took three weeks. Twelve failed attempts.
But when they were done, I had shoulder protection AND a plan for flight.
---
Year 330. The greaves.
Lower leg protection was another oversight. Boots covered feet, leggings covered thighs, but shins and calves were partially exposed.
I created greaves—plates that covered the lower legs, attached to leggings and boots.
Enchantments:
[Shin Guard] - Low strikes did reduced damage. [Climber's Grip] - Climbing was easier and faster.
The greaves took two weeks. Nine failed attempts.
---
Year 350. The complete set.
After eighty years of work, I had eight pieces of armor:
Helmet (vanilla, enhanced)
2. Gorget (custom)
3. Pauldrons (custom)
4. Chestplate (vanilla, enhanced)
5. Gauntlets (custom)
6. Leggings (vanilla, enhanced)
7. Greaves (custom)
8. Boots (vanilla, enhanced)
Full body protection. No gaps. No weaknesses.
Each piece had been manually crafted and custom enchanted. Each piece was a masterpiece of obsession.
And I still wasn't done.
---
Year 370. The elytra graft.
I had wings—or rather, I had elytra. But they were separate equipment, requiring me to choose between flight and protection.
I wanted both.
The grafting process was horrific. I had to physically attach the elytra to my chestplate, using manual crafting and enchantment writing to make them part of the armor permanently.
The [Fuse] enchantment—my most complex creation—allowed the merger. It bound the elytra to the netherite, making them one piece of equipment.
It also meant I could never remove them.
The graft took four months. Three failed attempts, each one agonizing as the enchantment rejected and had to be reversed.
But when it was done, I had wings that were part of me.
I could fly without sacrificing protection.
I could soar.
And for a moment—just a moment—I felt something like joy.
---
Year 400. The [Flight] enchantment.
Elytra were gliders—they required height and momentum to work. You couldn't hover, couldn't fly straight up, couldn't stay airborne without moving.
I fixed that.
The [Flight] enchantment was applied to my grafted wings. It allowed true flight—vertical movement, hovering, complete control.
The cost was XP. Constant XP drain while flying, like a leaky bucket.
But I had XP to spare.
I could truly fly now. Not glide—FLY.
The sky was mine.
The world was mine.
Everything was mine, except the one thing I actually wanted.
Freedom.