1473 Soul Armor Part 1 (1/2)
”Well then, Rafel. What kind of creature is this, and how do I tame it?” The only thing Saleen about that lifeform is that it had a weak soul before it was hatched.
”Technically, the creature wouldn't serve as a steed but as equipment, called soul armor, for steeds. The Metal God had a hydra serving as his steed. When used in conjunction with soul armor, it provided additional strength to fortify him in battles against level-18 gods.”
Rafel impressed Saleen with her explanations of a soul armor's qualities.
That creature could only have been born in the void and would only develop a soul when exposed to countless streams of energy. What Saleen held in his hand then was not an egg but a shell covering a dimensional space.
He had heard about the hydra, a level-18 creature of low intelligence that was unsuitable for use with equipment. That was why it never confronted level-18 beings. When clad with the soul armor, however, it was reputed to fight ably against level-18 gods. This meant that its powers were boosted to match those of a god.
After all, level-18 gods were beings that contained terrifying equipment in their hands.
After pondering the situation, Saleen concluded that he did not need a steed. As a mage, he had the means to go wherever he wanted as long as he had powers of the elements at his disposal.
”The Thunder Dragon Bangle,” Rafel reminded Saleen.
”I have 24 of them!” Saleen reminded her in return.
”When a hydra runs amok, it splits into nine separate entities. A while back, the Metal God took advantage of that to kill a great number of gods at the same level,” Rafel answered.
Saleen sensed a tinge of sorrow in her voice but not an ounce of longing for her god.
Rafel hadn't forgotten about her god. Rather, she accepted the reality and finality of his passing.
Saleen wondered...if I die, will Nailisi forget me one day too?
When Saleen fell silent, Rafel changed the subject. ”My lord, how about we just hatch it here? I think the ruins are done for.”
”The ruins are done for?”
”Definitely. You'll only know for sure after forcing that thing to hatch. Pick a skull of a god of the highest level, my lord, and let the egg consume it.”
”Very well.” Saleen did as instructed. He picked up a piece of the most precious skull to be had that came from a level-18 god. That god was thoroughly dead and its remains were incomplete. The skull was the only thing remained; its inner power was not something he could have worked on. Saleen gingerly wrapped the skull in Water Flame and placed it next to the metal egg.
The Metal God's frail soul had guts that were disproportionate to its current status. In one shot it sucked all the god's mighty energies into the egg. Suddenly the metal egg cracked open, it's parts looking like a cross between shark teeth and tightly packed razors.
Crack! When the thing opened its mouth, every tooth crumbled.
Rafel elaborated from the sidelines, ”Soul armors are beings that conjure new weapons according to the material they consume.”
The metal egg contracted as if it was confirming Rafel's words. New metal teeth formed when it cracked again. When those teeth chomped down on the food beside it, they made a shallow dent before breaking again.
”The power absorbed was inadequate, preventing it from conjuring harder weapons.” Rafel was patient. When the Metal God was forcing the soul armor to hatch, she just happened to be next to her god and observed those changes.
Everything proceeded according to play while the skull was wrapped in Water Flame. Saleen sensed the power of that creature, also known as the soul armor. His Water Flame could do nothing to those broken teeth.
It was a matter of time before that level-18 god's soul was devoured, as the Metal God was absorbing the energies in the remains while attacking.
”Working on soul armors is easy. Those creatures are parasitic, so you won't have to do anything if one of them bumps into special creatures like the thunder dragons. The soul armor will make its choice on its own, and the thunder dragons will not separate from their host until it dies.”
The 24 thunder dragons took to the air and circled the metal egg under Rafel's instruction.
The metal egg rattled violently as if it sensed the thunder dragon's unique powers. Level-13 thunder dragons were too weak to take on a demigod; however, when there were 24 of them and their souls were interconnected, advancement was a real possibility. The lightning rules were irresistible to the soul armor.
After being tempted by the 24 thunder dragons, the metal egg sped up its hatching process.
Rafel foresaw that happening a while ago, so she left the tower early. Saleen came out of the tower too but was still concerned about the thunder dragons. He reminded himself of how weak the soul of that metal egg was and realized that regardless of how powerful the soul armor might be, its soul would never rise to terrifying levels.
The reason is, it was a parasite: The creature it latched onto would have thought of ways to protect its soul too.
Technically speaking, the relationship was a symbiotic one.