Abyssal Awakening

"What's going on? I'm pretty sure I finished all of my commissions." A tired voice sounded out as Alice and Ria saw the owner of the voice.

They had expected the head of the blacksmiths to be a large muscular old man or woman but instead, it was a young man with a rather slim physique. Even Ria seemed more muscular in comparison.

He had short crimson hair and wore the standard blacksmith's attire consisting of a black shirt, pants and an apron with tools hanging on his belt.

Handing him the letter, the young man skimmed over the contents before furrowing his brows.

"Alright. Let's make it quick then. What kind of weapon do you want?" He asked while tossing the letter on his table.

"Well what weapon do you recommend for lightning users?" Ria asked curiously, wanting to gauge the skills of the young blacksmith.

"Depends on how you fight."

"Close range and with speed. Preferably something that can deal a lot of damage in one go without decreasing my speed." Ria answered while trying to think of other requirements that would be good for her.

"Is it for killing Hunters or fighting beasts?" The blacksmith asked while walking over to his desk and pulling out a catalogue of sorts.

He wanted to see if any of his preexisting weapons matched her requirements and if it did, it would save him time on forging a brand new weapon.

"Bit of both but mostly for beasts."

"Alright. And what about you?" He turned to Alice who was still thinking of how she wanted to fight.

"Do you have any recommendations for a close to medium ranged fighter? My Sigil powers revolve around using blood and setting it on fire." Alice asked curiously. She wanted to see how else she could utilise her Sigils.

"Blood and fire? That's a strange combination. But I do have something available." He nodded as he stood up and made his way to the storage with Ria and Alice following behind.

"However, it might require a bit of adjustment to suit your Sigils. When we get there, can you give me a quick demonstration of your blood control and flames?"

"Ah, sure." Alice nodded while Ria glanced towards her.

She was worried that Alice might reveal too much but seeing that Alice wasn't saying anything, Ria decided to trust the process.

"Same goes for your lightning. Just a quick demonstration will do."

Upon arriving at the storage, Alice could immediately feel the threatening aura some of the weapons were radiating.

Despite being held in their sheathes, it felt as though she was standing in a room full of beasts.

"All of these weapons are made from some of the finest beast materials we can get our hands on. So even though it's not a custom piece, if should be more than enough for what you require." The Blacksmith explained as he reached a box in the back and pulled out a weapon wrapped in bandages.

"Show me your blood control and fire. If the sword reacts to it, then that means you two are compatible."

Hearing this, Alice nodded her head as she stepped to a clearing before biting her forearm. She didn't want to expose what her bracelet could do so she resorted to this method.

Controlling the blood that was flowing out of her body, she created a set of needles that floated around her before snapping her finger.

In that moment, the needles erupted with bright violet flames as the faint cry of a dragon could be heard upon ignition.

"!!!" Widening his eyes, the blacksmith immediately felt the blade in his hands begin to vibrate as blood seeped through the gaps of the bandages.

Shredding the bandage apart, the malevolent blade presented itself as its body was crafted from a strange black material that looked similar to the spikes and horns she had seen on the body of beasts. A red gem was inlaid upon the guard of the blade as there was no metal present. It was entirely made from this strange material.

Countless layers could be seen as it overlapped one another to form the single edge blade while red energy pulsed beneath the gaps. As it reacted to the presence of Alice's blood and flames, the blade started to bleed as a layer of red liquid overlapped the surface of the blade before igniting with deep red flames.

It looked as though the flame was trying to contend with the violet fire that Alice had conjured as the temperature of the room started to rise yet the violet flames showed no sign of being surpassed.

"Oh my… To think the flames of this sword are actually losing out… Seems like I'll need to make some adjustments to the base material. Otherwise, it won't be able to handle your fire." The Blacksmith remarked as he gestured for Alice to cease her demonstration.

With the flames now disappearing, the blade returned to normal as he glanced at the bandages and sighed.

"What creature did you even have to kill to get such flames? It's rare for the fire belonging to the Bloodflame Gargoyle to lose out." He asked curiously as the blade in his hands was a piece he liked to call the Bloodflame Blade. It was crafted from the spine of the Bloodflame Gargoyle while being merged with the wings belonging to the Infernal Wyvern.

Both beasts synergised well with one another to forge a weapon that harnesses the benefits in a single weapon. It has unholy sharpness that can cut through the skin belonging to three star beasts with ease, while contending against even some of the most lethal four star beasts.

"Secret. How long will your adjustments take?" Alice asked, not wanting to explain the truth behind her fire.

"Hmm… it should take roughly a day or so. I have the materials on hand, it's just a matter of doing the adjustments." He replied after a short pause.

Turning his attention to Ria, he gestured for her to demonstrate her power as she partially activated her resonance.

In the end, they decided on a set of long gloves that reached past the elbow. It was made from the skin of a Lightning Morph and while it was in its dormant state, it looked like a normal set of gloves.

Upon activation, however, the gloves transform into a thin protective gauntlet that will exhaust her lightning to parry attacks. Not only that, it also boosts the potency and her control over the lightning element.

Unlike Alice's new sword, it required no adjustment as the Lightning Morph is a beast famed for its adaption towards Lightning. It could harness the lightning belonging to those beneath the sixth Sigil.

"Do you want to come back in 2 days to collect your blade? Or should I ask someone to send it to where you are currently residing?" He asked while pulling out a notepad and pen.

"Ah then can you send it to this address? We're staying there until the Martial Law is lifted." Alice replied while giving him a note that Ria had prepared beforehand in case Alice was to buy more mead and needed them to be delivered.

Nodding his head, the blacksmith stored the piece of paper away and made his way to the forge.

"You can see yourselves out. I'll make a start on the adjustments immediately."

Hearing this, both Alice and Ria started to make their way out but glanced back upon hearing the roar of the fire within the forge.

To their surprise, they watched as the blacksmith activate his resonance and his entire body started to bulk up while red armour covered his arms. Scales manifested around his face as a set of horns appeared on his head.

Taking a deep breath, he spewed out a stream of fire on the blade while grabbing his hammer.

Seeing the slender man transform into a hulking half-dragon-like beast with armour, both Alice and Ria glanced at each other in shock while continuing their way out.

"Did you know resonances could be used like that?" Alice asked while Ria shook her head.

"Not really. I only focused on the hunting and fighting side of things. Grandfather never told me much about other stuff."

"The more you know I suppose. Do you think your resonance could be used… in a similar manner?" Alice shrugged while thinking back to Ria's resonance.

With how much lightning she was able to generate and how she could change the weather around her, there was a chance that it could be used to for something other than fighting.

"Maybe. But we'll have to ask Luke when we see him since he's more knowledgeable on this kind of thing."

As they made their way out, they noticed that the streets were rather empty as they had spent quite a bit of time inside the castle. If they wanted to visit the slums, now was the time.

Glancing to Ria, Alice noticed that she was thinking the same as Alice made a quick detour back to her room to store away her mead. Not before taking a quick sip to keep her motivated through the investigation.

"So where do you want to start? The slums can be split into three sections. The rooftops, the ground and then the sewers." Ria asked as they walked towards the entrance of the slums.

"Hmm… We should probably check out the ground first. Go to the centre of the incident and see if there are any clues. Personally, I think we should leave the sewers last. I don't want to ruin this outfit that I only just bought yesterday." Alice sighed.

"Fair point. We'll investigate the ground, the rooftops then the… Sewers." Ria groaned as she too wasn't excited about the idea of investigating the sewers.

However, as many would say, leave no stone unturned. If they want to get as much information as they can, they can't avoid investigating the sewer region.

Approaching the slums, the guards gave them a nod and allowed them to pass as they had been informed by Elyn regarding their entry.

Seeing that they weren't held back or questioned, the two shrugged at one another before making their way into the heart of the slums.

As they entered, countless eyes glanced at them through the gaps of their windows and walls, curious as to who they were and why they've come.

Soon, they reached the heart of the slums where a mountain of corpses and flesh greeted them. A spire of flames crackled as black smoke billowed to the top.