Chapter 286: One step
Arwin spent the next few hours preparing the Devil’s Den for the Dungeon Heart. Now that the decision to fight had been set in stone, there was no reason to delay it any longer. Every single component by the last one was ready, but they still had to be readied to be combined.
They were borderline identical copies of the pieces he’d made for the Infernal Armory. Arwin had intentionally chosen to avoid making them cursed — there would be enough of that from when he made the Dungeon Heart’s housing. Having potentially competing effects or too many drawbacks could end up ruining everything they’d been working for.
He laid them out in the corner of the common room before returning to the Infernal Armory and setting about creating the cage for the Dungeon Heart with its help.
Lillia took the time to work in the kitchen, preparing everything they would need for when the time to fight Twelve arrived.
Verdant Inferno sang as Arwin prepared the cage from Ivorin, just as he had the previous time he’d made a Hearthome for the Infernal Armory. He purified the metal within the molten embrace of magma, then forged it into bars and stacked them up next to the still-beating Dungeon Heart.
He connected the Ivorin pieces and formed it into ribs, leaving the top section open. The Dungeon Heart was still a fleshy organ. Arwin didn’t want to accidentally damage it while he was putting everything together.
It took a little bit longer than the previous time. Part of the reason was because the process wasn’t quite as near effortless as it had been when Lillia had helped him. The Infernal Armory was a good partner, but the benefits of Couple of Crafters didn’t seem to apply to it.
That was a good thing. Arwin did not like the idea of the Infernal Armory counting as a partner. It was an ally and an aide, but partner carried a few too many connotations with it that he preferred to reserve for Lillia.
Fortunately, the other reason it took longer was because Arwin actually knew what he was doing this time around. His intent was focused, aided by the Infernal Armory as they worked in conjunction toward making the most powerful item they could.