The following morning, once both Aki and Valen finished designing the equipment they were to forge, they started the work on it. Valen was tasked to cut out the parts needed for each step of the process. It was dirty work, but he knew he had to do it. The first step was to recover the scales, which would be the basis of everything, once properly processed.

  Aki asked for batches of materials, and she did her part for everything while Valen was butchering up the corpse. However, at certain steps, she needed extra hands to help her, and Valen duly responded, most notably by pumping fans or manipulating bowls of liquid metal and material.

  Once the process asked for it, the dull clang of metal against metal started to be a constant rhythm in the forging process. He was notably impressed by the quantities of material required during the whole process but also knew that there would still be excess.

  “We’ll be able to store part of it, so that you’ll be able to perform repairs if needs be, but the rest will probably simply be sent to the Wycademy so they can study it. They do have the right to it.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me, we do find new information about monsters constantly.”

  This was only a small break in the forge process. But over the hours, on the Armor stand where the finished product would lay, more and more pieces were starting to be proudly displayed. Every step was a part of a whole. However what surprised Valen was the number of layers that were incorporated in each piece. He thought they would use only the outer shell of the body, but surprisingly, they also used greatly-processed muscles to form the inside of the armor.

  “There needs to be something that can absorb and redistribute the strikes after all. And nothing better than to use the monster’s insides.”

  This made sense to Valen, and he refocused on helping mix metal and scales.

  He also quickly realized that they were forging the weapon at the same time as the armor, and not separately. It simply was going slower and more care was put into it. But he could see the different elements of the finished weapon slowly coming together, ready to be assembled for the final step of the process.

  Time blurred together as they worked, and Valen wasn’t sure at the moment how many hours they spent in the forge, not even leaving it for the night, simply sleeping in the bedrooms carved into it. He was thankful many times for the protective suit Aki provided to him, as it helped stave off the infernal heat they were working in.

  He only was barely aware when he finally retrieved one of the most important parts of the body: the wings, but he knew that they would become the center of the new armor and weapon.

  Finally, one evening, after managing to help Aki hammer together two pieces of the armor, she put down the hammer, placed the now-finished helmet on the stand, and nodded. “It is done.”

  This snapped Valen out of the trance he seemed to have been working under for the past several days, and he asked, “Is it? I feel like we barely progressed.”

  Aki giggled and pointed at the armor stand. “Look at the result and dare tell me it’s not complete!”

  So Valen looked at the armor, and he gasped.

  To him, it was a marvel of engineering, he could recognize the blueprints they had drawn together being made reality. The helmet, clearly inspired by a Valstrax’s head, sat triumphantly at the top of the armor, two slits for the eyes that seemed to be red-colored glass, but that Valen knew was a trick of the light, as he could see as clearly as usual through the other side.

  The breastplate was pointed forwards, bringing to mind the chest of the Valstrax, though it was lacking the vents themselves and simply reproduced the general shape. The bracers prominently had the bulky trio of scales that protected the monster’s forearms. The inside of the hands was lined with the red membrane that kept the wings together for better grip.

  The coil was reminiscent of the small fins between the wings, and finally, the pants completed the whole.

  However, the most prominent feature of it all was the set of jet engines that were attached to the back of the armor, two pairs of them upon the back. This was the modification Valen requested from Aki, and the incredible result surprised him. It completed the whole set, and he hoped, would allow him limited flight and short bursts of movements.

  However, as they have discussed, one more thing needed to be done. He first went to retrieve the drawstring bag he had stored in his bedroom and picked up the Gem from it… He had named the Ruby Dragon Mindstone on prompting from Aki, who had told him that all gems had special names, and were named by the first hunter who obtained them… However, it also meant they were generally named X Gem, with X being the name of the monster it came from.

  Then he slotted it into the space being made for it at the back, perfectly fitting it, and placed a clasp on it, securing it. Immediately, the armor seemed to gain a certain aura and seemed complete.

  “Go on! Put it on! This is yours after all!”

  “What about the weapon though?”

  “Good point, you want to see it first? It’s right there!” She exclaimed while pointing at a table, where the completed weapon sat.

  The axe head was composed of three wing tips, which pointed forwards, the Sword blade looked spectacularly sharpened, and it would cut with extreme ease. Everything was made out of gleaming silver, except for the handle, wrapped with the wing membrane. There were still the two triggers that controlled the morphing properties of the weapon… But also a new one, further down where the other hand would grip. Another odd part was not the one, not two, but Three phials slots that sat at the base of the handle, two of regular size, but the last one seemed larger and was filled with a commensurately bigger vial.

  Valen smiled, he was certain he was now in possession of the most powerful set of gear ever made, tailored to him.

  Once he saw the weapon, he could not stop himself any longer and started putting every piece on, one by one, with the help of Aki. They started with the boots, the breastplate, then the coil that secured the two together, the bracers, and finally, Valen put the helmet on, a bit surprised how it didn’t restrict his vision in the slightest.

  He tested it, rolling his shoulders, walking and running a bit in the large forge space, and doing some stretches. He was surprised to not find any discomfort at all. It felt even more flexible than the chain-mail armor he previously wore… Even though it was far bulkier.

  He picked up the weapon and was surprised at how natural it felt now — it felt like a natural extension of his arm. He wouldn’t be surprised if he swung it far more easily than before.

  They moved to a room with more open space so that Valen could test the jetpack. Once he was in it, he activated the controls, which were subtle presses on his fingers in sequence, immediately, it turned on and a loud whine was heard, along with him immediately hovering a couple of feet into the air. It felt easier… Far easier than it should have, which surprised him. He expected to have some crashes at the beginning, but it was like… The armor compensated for the gap itself?

  Aki whooped in joy, to his surprise. “I knew it! The Mindstone fills in the gaps in the controls and makes the jetpack respond exactly as you wish it! Compounded by the fact it’s from a Valstrax, which is made to fly like this! Oh, this works even better than I expected!”

  Valen nodded, it kind of made sense to him, and the result of Aki’s prosthesis further demonstrated her point.

  He cut off the jetpack, then turned to the second addition they had made to the gear: the boosters on his Switch Axe.

  They had taken inspiration from a certain class of Gunlances: the Blast Dash capable ones. Those Gunlances traded their charged shelling capabilities for the ability to expel great force instead, propulsing their users in the opposite direction. Valen had the idea when he remembered the use that he made of the Switch Axe discharge to be able to mount the Valstrax to deliver the killing blow.

  Because the new Switch Axe had three wing tips, but only the top one was needed to keep the explosive phial properties, they designed the two side ones to act purely as thrusters and were fueled by a new phial type they had developed.

  So Valen held his weapon level, and squeezed the lower trigger, immediately, the two thrusters ignited and pushed Valen back, before cutting off. He bled his momentum on the ground and once he stopped he did some practice swings, adding some morphing attacks into it, and a couple of explosions. The weapon was indeed easier to wield than before.

  Satisfied with the test, he put the Switch Axe back into safety mode and placed it on the back, where it magnetized itself between the jetpack exhausts.

  “Woohoo! That is what I’m talking about!” Aki had hugged Valen, catching him by surprise, before releasing him

  “I… Thank you, Aki, I feel safer in this. And I believe Nikki would thank you as well if she was here. She considers my safety to be extremely important.”

  “As I told you, I only do the best for my customers… And go beyond for my friends.”

  Valen smiled. “That you do, even I am amazed by the result, and I helped forge it!”

  Then Aki became serious. “However, there's a serious matter. I received a message a couple of days ago, asking you to go to Dundorma as soon as your new armor was complete. They had even said they would provide express airship transport… I sent a letter yesterday because I knew I would finish everything today, it will arrive later in the afternoon. I know you wanted to see Nikki and I’m sorry for that, but the tone of the letter seemed to imply no distractions were allowed.”

  Valen stared at her for a moment, then sighed. “You’re right, it’s best that I play nicely with the Guild for now. I’ll have plenty of time to see Nikki later, though it’ll probably be harder now that I’m a G-Rank hunter. I guess I should start preparing my belongings… Oh right, what should I do about my old gear?”

  “I’ll keep it for you if you want. It’ll be a good example of what not to do for my future students.” Valen chuckled at the joke. “Now go ready yourself, you are entering a world of politicking, that I despise but find comfort in that I must suffer it as well, due to being a highly ranked Smith!”

  Valen raised an eyebrow, even though it couldn’t be seen through the armor. “Not the best?”

  She chuckled. “Little Miss Forge and the legendary smith that departed for the new world a couple of decades ago are good enough competition for me, there is also that smith from Kamura, Hamon I believe, and I was impressed by his work. So nah, I can’t claim that title. Yet.” She got an excited gleam in her eyes. “Maybe I could once everybody learns about your armor!”

  “If you want me to spread the word, tell me so!”

  “Hmmm, nah, I don’t want the publicity, I like being an obscure smith, it keeps the workload small, keeps the mystery will you!”

  “Alright, if that is what you want. Anything else I should know?”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “No, that’s all. Get yourself ready, we have a dock at the top of the fortress.”

  Valen nodded and went to his room to ready everything. He was about to be thrust into the spotlight, and he would do his best to be prepared.

  A couple of hours later, both Valen and Aki were waiting at the top of the fortress, having spotted the small airship a while ago. It was now in the final phase of approach, and trained personnel were securing the ropes that had been thrown to them.

  Valen was surprised that it was the same airship that dropped him on the Plesioth hunt several years ago. And then what Aki said surprised him.

  “Aaron you old Zinogre! It’s been a while, is she still handling well?”

  “Never better since you gave her those upgrades! The Green Wing still has a lot of time in her yet!”

  “So, I’m guessing you know what you’re here for?”

  The Captain of the airship, whom he now knew was named Aaron, turned towards Valen and said. “I remember you lad, Plesioth hotdrop right?” Valen nodded. “Look at you! I barely look away and here you are, becoming a legend by fighting an Elder solo, and you even have the armor to fit the look!”

  “I didn’t look for it, but I guess life gave me obstacles to overcome… And overcome them I did.”

  “That you did, they were only talking about you in Dundorma when I left! So I suggest you get yourself ready to be mobbed.”

  Valen sighed. He had expected that but he still didn't feel ready for this. “I guess I have no choice… By the way, how did you and Aki meet? I’m surprised you knew each other.”

  “She gave me this brand new engine on the Green Wing a couple of years ago, and thanks to it it’s even faster than before! We’ll be at Dundorma in record time you’ll see!”

  “And you know that it took me weeks to gather the materials needed! So take care of it!”

  The Captain chuckled, then glanced at the sun and looked at Valen seriously. “We should leave now, it’ll take a full day to reach Dundorma, and the guild wanted you there yesterday.”

  Valen nodded. “Let’s go then.” He turned around to Aki. “I’ll send you news when I can, and I hope we’ll be able to meet soon!”

  “Tell me how our friend reacts to this as well! I’m sure even she will be impressed!”

  He smiled in his helmet. “I sure will, thank you again for everything, Aki.”

  “Fair winds to the both of you and may the Sapphire Star guide your way!”

  He nodded and then boarded up the airship. Soon after the ropes were untied and after bringing them back on board, the Captain pulled some levers and machinery activated on the deck below, which made the propellers at the rear of the airship spin up. He couldn’t remember them being there the last time Valen flew on the airship, so they were probably part of the upgrades the Captain mentioned., The airship quickly gathered speed and height, with Valen staring at the Fortress shrinking rapidly down below, waving at Aki all the while. It was only when people were indistinguishable dots that he turned around and looked ahead, then whistled.

  “The acceleration’s faster, that’s for sure!”

  “Aki is a magician! As I’m sure you can attest. We’re not even at top speed yet, but we’ll reach it soon enough. It makes things even safer, as fewer wyverns can catch up to us now. Haven’t been attacked once since the new upgrade!”

  “Probably would do nothing against a Valstrax though, but then, you have to be lucky to be able to ground one…”

  “You would know about that for sure.” They remained in silence for a bit before the Captain said. “Make yourself comfortable, we’re in for a long trip, but Dundorma awaits!”

  Valen nodded, and he simply stared at the ground down below, letting his mind drift.

  A day passed in the blink of an eye, but it was in the middle of the afternoon when the Captain pointed at something down below.

  “This is one of the outposts that are situated around Dundorma. It means we are getting close to the city. We are arriving.”

  Valen sighed, the fateful moment was arriving upon him. “I don’t feel ready to enter a world of politics.”

  “Nobody is. Trust me, I’ve transported a lot of Hunters and high-ranked Guild members in my career. And one thing was always in common: Those who were thrust into the spotlight without looking for it always hated it. It also meant that those who crave it are not people that I would recommend meeting. Those that care about the image people have of them… Are usually those that do not deserve it. You are a good man Valen, and so you should take comfort in the fact that others hate it as much as you. But if you wanna change things, this is the game you’re gonna need to play.”

  He took a while to digest what the captain just said then nodded. “That makes me feel better, thanks.” He smiled. “I would ask you as my favored Captain, but I’m sure you already have this title for a lot of people.”

  A chuckle was his answer. “You have no idea lad, the Guild trusts me, and they pay me handsomely for my services. No offense, but you don’t have the coin that my service requires.”

  “I expected that, but thank you nonetheless.”

  They were now losing altitude, and the magnificent city of Dundorma was sprawling in the distance. “You’re welcome, lad.”

  Sooner than Valen expected, they arrived at the fated destination, and he could see that a crowd was amassing near the castle. He took a deep breath. It was probably there that he would be introduced.

  They docked at the castle station, something that surprised Valen. He expected a lot of extravagance for his introduction, but to flat-out meet the Dundorma rulers? That went above even his wildest expectations.

  A line of Guild Knights were waiting for them at the dock, while employees were tying up the ropes the Captain threw to them, securing the airship to the platform.

  The gangplank was placed, and one of the Knights, probably the squad leader, asked. “Hunter Valen I presume?”

  Valen nodded, pulled out his Hunter card, and said. “That’s me all right.”

  “His Immenseness is waiting for you for an audience before you’ll have to give a speech to the public, follow me.” Then he turned around, the four other guards encircling Valen and waited for him to follow.

  Valen followed the squad leader, a bit dazed by the honor he was being granted. He surely didn’t become that big of a figure overnight, had he? He simply felt he had been lucky, both with the hunt and with the perfect experience Nikki provided. But he also realized there was no escaping this. He was thrown into the Jaggis’ pack and he would have to fight alone.

  They navigated the maze that was the castle, and Valen knew he couldn’t recall the path they took if he was asked. Eventually, they arrived at a large set of double doors, with two guards waiting in front of it. The squad leader knocked on the doors, which were pulled open from the inside not long after. Then he nodded to Valen. “Your audience will start now, do not disrespect him.”

  Nodding in response, Valen entered, and they pulled the doors closed immediately after him. The first thing he noticed was the object of his visit: an immense Wyverian, whose age Valen could not guess, he believed it was a close secret of the guild though, was sitting on a matched throne observing his approach. The room was richly decorated, but also fairly empty, save for some papers sitting next to the Wyverian.

  Large curtains were nicely bound at the windows, letting the sunlight inside, and that was all Valen could notice before he stopped at a respectable distance from His Immenseness.

  “So!” The Wyverian voice was the deepest voice that Valen ever heard, he even struggled to understand a couple of words. “Hunter Valen, you have made quite the impression these past few days.”

  “It… Was not my intention, I simply wanted to end the threat, and an opportunity presented itself, so I took it. It paid off as you can see.”

  The Wyverian stared at Valen for a bit longer, then he sighed. “Some of our nobles were calling for you to be removed from your Hunters right, as it was the elite team’s task to put it down, and you ‘stole’ it from them. They stopped complaining once they realized the terms of the hunt were that you were in full rights to receive the entirety of the rewards. There’s still some grumbling though, and beware, you didn’t make only allies in that feat.”

  Valen was not surprised, from what he had heard, the nobles were corrupt, and he suspected some of them were the origin of some of the guild’s more questionable decisions. “I will keep an eye out.”

  “I have an idea to help you with that myself though, but we’ll talk about it after. First thing first, enlighten me, did you carve the body before the Knights inspected it?”

  Valen felt a bit ashamed, he wasn’t sure he should have, but he suspected he probably would only get a slap on the wrist. “I… Yes, but only after I felt something near, and… It felt like I needed to do it fast?”

  Suddenly His Immenseness leaned forward, an action that caught Valen by surprise. “Did you carve a Gem?”

  “I… Yes?” Valen was now surprised by the complete change of tone.

  “Show me.”

  Valen only took a split second before realizing not obeying this direct order was unwise. He turned around and showed the Mindstone embedded on the back of the armor. “This is where we put it with the Smith, Aki. We decided it would be the place where it would be best protected, and most efficient.”

  The Wyverian hummed a deep sound that almost made Valen’s bones vibrate. “This changes things. Because that means that Valstrax approved of you, and trusts you to keep their essence safe and respect it. It is a secret of the guild that you should be privy to now that Gems have supernatural qualities.” He chuckled. “Oh, I got the greatest idea. You see, a lot of hunters have Titles. But what is less known is that these titles are only discerned to hunters who have gotten a Gem from a high enough ranked monster. I got the perfect idea for you, but you will have to wait a bit to know it. Especially since you’re now the fourth hunter getting one from an Elder.”

  That made Valstrax raise his eyebrow, he truly did not know that fact. “I… Alright. Does this give me higher responsibilities?”

  “Just that we know we have you in our hands as a last resort. But we prefer still letting hunters that are less ranked as it allows them to get gear to get stronger… Hold one, what did you say your smith’s name was?”

  “Aki.”

  Then the Wyverian laughed, a deep booming noise that made his bones rattle, even through his armor. “Oh, that is just perfect, the Green Terror, who forged gear for our newest prodigy, truly fate could not have arranged this better!”

  Valen opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head, and then he chuckled as well. “Figures, she probably knew about it and wanted me to get caught off guard, that is her style.”

  “Still, at this point, it would probably be a good idea that you have a companion… I strongly suggest that you find a Palico and ask him to be your helper. It really will help you to get another pair of ears and eyes around.”

  “Especially a whole pair of ears.” Valen quipped, before removing his helmet, displaying his burned left side.

  His Immenseness raised an eyebrow and then said. “This recommendation just became an order, Hunter Valen.”

  “That is fair, I was considering the possibility myself anyway… Anything else I should know?”

  The huge Wyverian pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “Nay, I’ve held you long enough, and you still need to be introduced to the crowd. Farewell Hunter Valen, and may the Sapphire Star light your way.”

  “And you as well.”

  His Immenseness nodded, then thumped with a wooden hammer on a gong. Immediately the doors opened once again, and after a nod from the Wyverian, turned around and followed the Knight squad back out of the chamber. He put back on his helmet in the meantime, and they navigated the castle’s corridors once again. But this time, they stopped at another giant set of double doors, even more massive than the previous one.

  “This is where you’ll be introduced to the population of Dundorma. You have to wait for the doors to open, then walk out, we are giving the go-ahead to start the presentation. Good luck.”

  And thus, the squad made a salute and walked away. Valen watched them until they turned a corner and he took a deep breath, this was it, the moment where he would start facing public representation. Did he feel ready? Not even remotely. Did he have a choice in the matter? He was completely certain that he didn’t.

  Soon after though, a runner came from the direction that he came from, stopping near the doors, Valen gave her a nod and she responded in turn, but she only focused back on the doors, the faint sound of an envoy coming through it.

  Then Valen noticed the voices raised and he heard “Hunter Valen!” coming through, and with a shuddering boom, the doors started opening. Taking it as his cue, he raised his head high and walked through, trying to impose the figure of confidence.

  He didn’t pay attention to the runner, focusing on his act, but once he got through the door, he was immediately assaulted by loud cheering, coming from an impressive number of people that were gathered on the stairs of the palace. Valen nodded, and the cheers redoubled, he heard a faint chorus of “Va-len! Va-len!” Shouted by some, but they were few.

  Then he turned to look at the envoy, to which the runner was speaking in his ear, then he nodded, and the runner left and disappeared through the crowd.

  “Now, before we let our new prodigy speak for himself, I have one more thing to announce! In light of the truly incredible feat he has done, the guild has decided to award the highest honor we could bestow. Valen is the one that defeated a Valstrax alone, the Emperor of the Skies itself, majestic as they are, and untouchable unless we take great measures… Thus, seeing as Hunter Valen pierced the very Skies themselves, henceforth, he is… The Sky Piercer!”

  And the cheering redoubled.