The Mechanical Era

Inside a stone brick building with 2 chimneys that puffed smoke, a man worked hard with one eye as he pounded a piece of hot manacite on an anvil with a hammer. It made a large clanking sound as he went on as the manacite was being formed into a hollow oval.

He wore a green tunic, with brown breeches along with leather shoes and leather gloves. Protecting his chest and a part of his legs was a leather apron with some black stains on it. The man himself look rather old, looking to be in his 70s.

He was bald with no facial hair to be found on his face. On his forehead he had 3 little wrinkles forming sort of a tight smile. On the right of his eye was a large red scar which came from a demonic beast with sharp claws.

Though normally people have one eye color pair, this man had two. On his left eye is his natural coca brown eyes, while on his right was an ice blue. Normally, he covered his right eye when he didn't need it.

After he finished, he brought over the hot hollow oval belt and carried to over to the other room where another man worked on another part. He appeared to be much younger by at least 50 years. He had a full set of black hair, and a great mustache on his face. They both wear the same cloths.

"Is the breastplate done?" the old man asked the younger man with his rickety voice.

"Yes Uncle Dante." he replied.

"Good. Now we just place this where you usually place a belt. The only difference is that we we put it on the inside." Dante said. The young man placed the hot breastplate on the desk top, where the old man could easily slide belt in place. Using his hammer and tong, he took out any excess and hammered it in.

As the hot metal wielded together, they waited to make sure it was connected before cooling it down in water. What they achieved is a large breastplate with a manacite belt with a 6 sided diamond shaped hole on the front.

"That's the final part finished Uncle Dante." the young man said.

"Good job Harry. You can take a rest if you want to." Dante told Harry.

"Oh... no. I can continue working Uncle Dante. It's nothing..."

"No no. It's fine. Take a rest my boy. You will need it." Harry was silent in his thoughts while Dante sat on a wooden chair near an open window.

"I will attach the breastplate to the armor and be with you then." he replied.

"Alright then. Be quick." Dante turned his head to look outside. There he saw people walking down the streets, caring bags, baskets or their children on their hands. He then turned to his armoury, to only see his nephew working with him, along with some other workers.

There was a sense of regret wash over his body. He closed his eyes as he thought of the many other paths he could have taken. Though he had accepted that the past was in the past, he cannot help feel being tortured by it.

Just then, he heard a cart coming towards his armoury. He turned to see a familiar face driving the cart pulled by two horses. He immediately got up and headed out to greet the man.

"Cartman! It's good to see you my boy!" he said. The cart stopped in it's tracks as Cartman pulled the leash. He got one box from the bag before jumping down.

"Here is your delivery Mr. Dante Hardin." he said. Dante took the oak wood box and opened it up. Inside were medium purple runes, all with different codes to what they can do. The man smiled at them and closed the box.

"Thank you my boy. Say, would you want to come inside? I am sure you are tired and all?" he asked.

"Oh no Mr. Dante. I got more of them stones to deliver. I'll come back to pick up back ya suits." he said.

"I see. Well, carry on then." Dante replied. Cartman hopped back on his seat and took off down the road. Dante stood outside, waited until the cart disappeared deeper into the city roads. With the box in hand, he walks back into the armoury.

"Who was that Uncle?" Harry asked.

"Cartman. The grandson of a good friend of mine. May he rest in peace." he said.

"I see. Well, can I have the runes?" Harry asked.

"Of course! Here." Dante said. He hands over the wooden box over to his nephew. He takes it and places it on a wooden desktop. He then takes out one by one, encasing it inside of a tight manacite cage.

The cage covered the edges of the rune, while entirely covering the front half of the crystal containing the letters. He then places the finished rune on to his left, and picks up other rune to put into a socket.

He does this until there are no more runes left inside of the box. After he finished, he places the socketed runes back into the box and brings them over to the different room filled with finished suits.

A suit was made mainly out steel. It had inhibited orange lines made with manacite. It used as a form of wire to transfer the rune's power to the person wearing it, with the socket being on the lower part of the breastplate, where a belt would usually be worn.

The armor consisted of a helmet, for head protection. A breastplate to cover a knight's chest. Leggings underneath to cover a knight's legs. Shoes to cover his feet, and gauntlets with a vambrace and a rerebrace to cover a knight's arms.

Harry takes out a violet rune and place it inside socket. Just like a magnet, it attaches to the socket. The manacite lines glowed a bright orange as it started inhibiting it's powers to the armor. Harry moved on to a different set, to equip them all as well.

After he finished, he went back to Dante, who was still resting in his chair.

"Uncle. The suits have all been fitted. What now?" he asked.

"That's enough for today. Now... we just got to wait until Cartman comes back to deliver the armor to the palace." he replied.