The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Bah! Those kids worry too much. If they knew half the things you've gone through, they wouldn't be so worried over one arm. It's enough to be alive." Hector worked by the anvil and held a pair of long tongs, keeping a long plate of heated metal in place. He swung his hammer on the hot teal metal, which flared brighter on each strike, hot flakes of impurities spewing out and fizzling on the ground. The steely plate was drowned in a bath of high-quality quenching oil, releasing vast amounts of smoke that wafted to the vents above.

Hector attached the curved, thick plate to an incomplete assembly of other parts. After a quick tempering in the roaring furnace, the new artificial arm was doused in another bath. Hector held the completed arm, removing his fabricator helmet to let his beady eyes scrutinize the craftsmanship as if judging his own skills. He presented the arm to Demon and watched as Demon put the new arm on. The needles pierced into his shoulder and clicked into place, tightening and linking to his nerves.

"Not bad. Your Reis-forging has improved." Demon played around with a gold coin, rotating it along his fingers to test the responsiveness of the new arm. Nothing seemed off about it.

Hector smiled bitterly at his compliment and clasped Demon on his back. He sat beside him and patted him like an endearing elder. "I advised against walking into that hell, didn't I? The moment I met you, I knew….You've changed. Will your wife even recognize you now?"

"I'm not the same man you met years ago. That man is long gone." Demon wore his clothes and clad himself in armor, covering his face with the helmet and hood. He left for the exit and gestured for Hector to accompany him outside, but Hector waved his hand in farewell and started to work on forging something else. The flames overflowed as the heat intensified, reddening the floor while his feet climbed the crooked stairs up and out. Hector's hammer rang clearly in the quiet night.

Outside, Demon covered the entrance to the hidden workshop, bringing a carpet over the sealed door. A month ago, he built the workshop for Hector to forge armaments and replacement arms if needed. As it turned out, Demon had no talent as a fabricator, unable to form a proper formation like Oscar had done. He simply couldn't create. In a way, it was good fortune to have encountered Hector and Helen many years ago while he raided a New Dawn base in a swamp. He couldn't pass on Reis-forging to any simple person, and Hector proved his worth long ago in Convecia City.

Down the ragged, broken streets, clearly needing paving and reconstruction, a wide crack, large enough for a man to enter, didn't stick out on the street full of similar damages. Demon waited by the crack as Erden trotted over, swaying to the side where a lone antler stuck out. With a good shake, his fur sprayed seawater everywhere. His wings unfurled, showing several bright cores taken from dead Lower Marshal Exalt beasts.

"Hard fight?" Demon swept his hand over the cores and stored them away.

"Hardly. But it's annoying that there are so many swarming every time I try to dive." Erden complained. The oceans and seas encompassed most of the surface and the abundant beasts that dwelled underneath the waves bred in staggering numbers. Demon would have gone if not for having to wait for the reforging of his arm. Erden transformed into his small form and hid inside Demon's clothes, remaining a secret even to the others except for Helen and Hector.

The sky continued to darken, and while the sunlight faded away, Demon leaped into the crack and fell straight down for ten seconds. Before his feet could touch the ground, he slowed and floated toward the clamoring fools in the next chamber. Metal pillars supported the newly dug-out spaces and tunnels, attached together by beams that stabilized the ceiling. Oldeye Island contained a vast underground network, which he gladly took control of.

"Is everything prepared?" Upon his arrival, everyone turned around and knelt. He entered the spacious room and noticed the wintery air filling the room, frost building on the pillars and ground. A few icicles hung from above, straight and large. In the center was a pool of water surrounded by a formation of ataerstones that he found in Draven's greater space pocket.

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Auren nervously chuckled, a bashful pair of red cheeks quivering as he scratched the back of his head. "The ice shard is a good treasure. Paired with a new formation enhanced by ataerstones, its elemental Ein can be used for several years and carry more potency for whoever wants to train here."

"Well done." Demon complimented. Auren's work was impeccable despite the inferiority the boy sometimes expressed. Alchemists and fabricators used a personal formation to create their elixirs and armaments, but they were limited to only that. Many could copy the formations others use, such as city barriers and others, but few could improve on the designs or create new ones like Auren. He truly lucked out on finding a genius of formations to serve him.

Auren smiled and pumped his fists to his sides, a silent cheer that brought smiles to the others. Demon walked past their kneeling figures and hoisted the woman he freed from the icy prison, holding her like a sack of potatoes. He tossed her into the pool without any care, and the snowy Ein enveloped her instantly. Her light-blue hair sprawled all over the pool's surface, and she opened her white eyes, screaming the cry of a newborn baby. She floated above the pool, resembling a snow fairy from the stories Oscar read.

Ice expanded from the pool. Sharp, cold blades pierced from below, threatening to skewer them. Demon withstood the chilling air, interested in the parts of his armor turning snow-white, a state of dense frost spreading. Eve was about to charge forward, but Demon ordered her to stay put and stomped his foot against the icy blade, bathing the entire chamber in his blue flames. He charged ahead, the flames closing in on her, and tapped the space above her chest, engraving a seal into her skin, shaped like a flame.

Ignyres first taught him how to forge this seal to stop Eve's rampage, but it worked fine on the water element. Demon tossed her down, sending her tumbling over to the others, a few pained groans escaping her blueish lips. She gasped, choking on the air and squirming on the ground, tearing parts of her white robes. Santen and the others held her down as the flame seal on her chest shone, calming her down.

"W-where am I?" The snowwoman blinked several times, her white eyes gaining clarity from each flutter. She stared around and saw Demon, shocked. Her body sprang up and bowed before him, not minding her torn robes and appearance. "Thank you, my Lord, for saving me!"

"That seal will contain the chaotic element in you. But it can't hold back if you decide to cross the threshold. What's your name?" Demon warned her and glanced at Eve, who nodded, understanding the warning was also a reminder for her.

"I am Astrid Freydetter, daughter of the Freys. I was taken by them when I was fifteen and endured for decades until my Lord saved me." Astrid showed grace and elegance, proper for a noble lady. Her face hardened, and she exhaled sharply, a resolute gaze meeting his. "I cast aside my past and hereby declare my loyalty to you. If you ever wish to destroy my family, I will stand against them."

"Someone with a family, huh…." Marcus murmured and suggested, "If you have a past and a loving family, why not return? Our lord has always said if we wish to live a different life, we are free to leave. They might be waiting for you after all these years."

"An insulting remark!" Astrid glared.

"Sorry." Marcus smiled and extended his hand. "Welcome. But don't expect to live long."

"Thank you." Astrid grinned and shook his hand. "I heard a few things while I was asleep. So you are the First? Is that a ranking based on strength?"

"No. It's the order in which we were freed."

"Then, as the Seventh, I greet the First, but I wonder if you are the foremost in strength. May I ask for a spar?" A gale of frost swirled from Astrid, her light-blue hair swaying to the cold chills. Her gaze narrowed and gleamed with deadly intent.

Demon stomped on the ground, quaking the foundations of the chamber. "Kneel." When everyone bowed, lowering their heads in shame, he moved over to Auren. "Did you finish the other formation?"

"Yes! The flame Ein is gathering well in another chamber, fit for Sister Eve to use." Auren answered quickly. He led him into the next room, where a blazing column of fire resembled a tree on fire. It used his supply of primordial flame, thanks to Ignyres, and supplied a stable stream of fiery Ein.

Nodding in approval, Demon said, "Make another for the earth element. As for the material, this is suitable." Before Auren could ask, he held out his palm. A pulsating orb of yellow light condensed in mid-air and fell on his hand. It was an extracted piece of primordial earth from Tectones's gem, which had dimmed slightly and needed to recharge. Auren received the concentration of earthly Ein, currently speechless at the power.

"Don't ask. Finish the job, and when you're done, you will accompany me outside in a week." Demon also gave him more ataerstones to work with.

"Accompany you, my Lord?" Auren exclaimed before calming down. "To where?"

"To spend the money."

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