Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Approaching the slimy, writhing sack Seth felt a little disgusted. Okay, not just a little.

~ Don't be such a wuss and help it. ~

"Are you sure this is strong? It can't even get out of its membrane..."

~ Yes, I am sure. ~

"Fine..."

The leathery membrane was about the size of a potato bag. He was glad for wearing gloves and he grabbed the membrane and held it still, so he could cut it open with a knife. A roundish head with big, sparkly eyes was stuck out from the whole made like this.

The eyes never left the blacksmith as the rest of the stubby, bluish-gray snake left the sack silently. The big, almost completely black eyes stayed innocently focused on him.

<Imugi lv. 1>

~ Are you... no, you are not my mother. Who are you? Did you kill her? ~

It was a new innocent voice that echoed in his mind, but the question was shockingly blunt. Not to mention that it was able to talk telepathically right after birth.

Seth was sure that lying to it and playing foster parent would be easy. However, in the long run, he wouldn't be able to keep what he did a secret.

Just thinking about the work to keep it a secret was a pain in the ass. He wasn't going to have that drama.

"Yeah. I killed you mom." the flat-out told it the truth.

~ I see. Why? ~

"You are asking some hard questions. To become stronger, I guess?"

~Are you strong? ~

"Strong enough, I would say?"

~ Good, then you are my Mom now. ~

"Huh? Why am I your mom!?"

~You killed my mom, so you have to take responsibility. I can feel her presence on you, and I like the aura of treasure around you. ~ the chubby snake explained nonchalantly.

Another one of those characters ...

~ Congratulation on becoming a mom! ~ the other one exclaimed.

~You should just accept it. ~ the lich commented dryly

"Fine. How about we make a mount contract for now and you can go to rest in a safe place?"

~...Okay ~

With its approval, the mount contract was formed. It glowed brightly and vanished into the pocket dimension for the mount.

"Well, this went smoother than expected. What did it mean with the aura of treasures?"

~It's an Imugi, which means that it just needs the right opportunity to become a dragon. Dragons have the inborn habit of desiring treasures. As a blacksmith who keeps mass-producing and wearing epic and better items, you look like a walking treasure chest to them. ~ Al explained matter of factly.

"I see. So it came out as an Imugi, is that good or bad? What other possibilities were there?"

~ Well, there were a few, but most likely was either an imugi or a flood dragon. ~

"Wouldn't a flood dragon have been better then?" he mumbled. He thought since the name had a dragon in it, it would have probably been stronger.

~Not necessarily. Flood Dragons have a worse temperament. It might have tried to fight you. ~

"And the strength?"

~ Well... flood dragons are slightly stronger since they have inherited actual dragon blood, unlike an imugi that evolves from a snake. But Imugis are said to be more intelligent, they learn quickly and are naturals in magic. ~

"I see. Well, I think we can talk about it a little more at a later time. For now, we should return to the others."

Seth had accomplished everything he had set out to do. Of course, he could have farmed the snakes more, but most of them they had seen, had a lower level than himself, and hunting them would have been less effective than simply visiting a fitting dungeon.

Using the <Map> they took the direct way to the place where they had left Duhu and the others previously. When they reached the elevated grove, they found the camp empty.

"The fireplace is still warm. They can't be gone for long." Seth stated after taking a look at the remnant of the campfire.

They started searching for them by flying in increasingly bigger spirals around their temporary campsite. It didn't take too long before they found the group battle a Titanoboa Juvenile. Well, not really the whole group.

Duhu was staying in the back with Lynri at his side. Wedan wielded a battleaxe while Evan had surrounded the beast with his tamed pets.

The Juvenile they were fighting was bigger and stronger than the one Seth had encountered all the way back then. This one was comparable in size to Puffles. However, size was not everything. Evan and Wedan had the upper hand and were ready to deal the finishing blow.

Duhu was the first to notice the flying centipede and waved at them with a smile. Puffles' landing coincided with the Juvenile's final moment. When the two warriors finally noticed Seth's arrival, they greeted them with happy smiles.

It meant they could finally leave this terrible place!

While Seth and the ivicer were gone, they had to camp in this mosquito-infested hell. The only advantage was that the monsters out there were not too strong. Wedan and Evan were able to raise their level.

Evan had found out about the mating season, which was why they had been hunting the giant snakes. He hoped to get his hands on a snakelet with a good bloodline to tame and add to his summons.

"Did you manage to tame any?"

"Actually, he already has three," Wedan said a little grumpy.

Evan had kept pulling them out here to fight, so he could get his hand on even more.

"This guy even kept on rambling about breeding them. He has gone totally crazy!" the dwarfs complained.

Seth looked at the man in question but even only blushed and evaded his eyes. Lynri and Duhu nodded affirmatively.

"Great initiative! I can see a bright future for you at Minas Mar!" he suddenly exclaimed and patted the young man's shoulder. If Evan could become a breeder, they might even be able to sell the snakes later on.

After the whole Oathguard was equipped with a giant snake mount, of course.

Seth painted a bright future for the young man, as an executive of Minas Mar. Evan blushed slightly from the praise.

"Ah, y-yes. Thank you." he stuttered surprised

"I think we are all done here. If nobody has any objections, let's return to the caravan," he stated.

Looking at the others he only saw relief. Not even Evan wanted to stay even a second longer. Everyone mounted the Ivicer and Seth decided the course with the <Map> skill.

He tried to consider where the caravan would be at this point so they could aim to cross their path along the way. With how long it had taken to reach Deltan, the caravan would have probably left the forest by the time they returned to their starting place.

With that in mind, Seth decided to travel straight north and slightly northwest so they could meet the caravan at the edge of the forest.

"In just a few days, we should be able to rejoin the caravan."

"Are you sure it will be this easy?" Duhu asked.

On the way here they had mostly traveled through the aftermath of Seth's eruption. The way back could be totally different now.