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With every step, the heat and the smell intensified. Reid stopped near the summit, but he found himself still sweating after an hour of rest and recovery. No environment so far had caused him this much trouble - aside from not being able to breathe inside the turtle's pond. The air only became more choked as he reached the lip of the volcano.

The outer rim was a dry and dusty ground, littered with fist-sized stones that tumbled and knocked into each other with nearly every step. Reid could see clear down the outer edge of the nearly-lifeless mountain to the bottom, and could just make out the small stone building Gerald was almost done building. Inside the rim, there was a lazy, hundred-foot slope that met a patchy interior. The majority of the space was covered in dark, hard ground. Obsidian blocks dotted the area in a seemingly haphazard layout. The right side of the crater sported a messy, crescent-shaped pool of bright, melted rock. Every few seconds, the pool would bubble, and spray its surroundings with bits of molten stone.

He didn't notice the beast lord at first. The creature's dark, cragged skin blended well with its surroundings, and it was only when the beast passed between two blocks of obsidian that Reid caught sight of it.

The creature moved in a crablike manner, six limbs propelling it from side to side. Each leg ended in large, circular webbed feet. The legs met a barrel torso defined by four arms of varying sizes. Three stubby, thick fingers capped the end of each. The head of the beast sat atop an hourglass-like neck. It was round on the bottom, then fanned out as it rose up to a flat 'brim'. There were eyes beneath the brim, and on top of it. There were two vertical openings - one on its head, and one on its chest. Reid couldn't tell which was its mouth. Maybe it was both.

He took a deep breath of the hot air, and settled in to watch the creature. Minutes passed, then an hour, but the duke seldom moved. It gave little indication of what it might eat, or just exactly what it was doing in the mouth of a volcano.

With no evidence that he would learn more about the creature through waiting, Reid fueled a shrapnel brock, and sent it sailing in an arc towards the creature.

As the projectile neared it, the Duke raised an arm and twisted two fingers. A small fountain of lava burst up from the ground and intercepted his projectile. The front of the ball burned away before his projectile exploded, and most of the shrapnel burned or lost momentum as it passed through the molten rock. The few pieces that made it through the lava did little to penetrate the beast's thick hide. Only a single wound visibly drew blood, a trickle of sickly green liquid that flowed down one leg.

The Duke looked down at its injury, then its eyes traced a reverse arcing path - straight towards Reid. It glowed with energy, and the fountain of lava next to it coalesced before a ball of molten material split off the main, floating mass. Another twist of fingers and dim glow sent the ball hurtling towards Reid.

Reid knew he was essentially bulletproof. He could hold his breath for a considerably long time. His durable skin and even better armor were capable of halting the most powerful blows.

None of that gave him any confidence he could tank the lava attack.

Reid leapt sideways, and gave silent thanks that the projectile didn't track after him. The glowing ball slammed hard into the ground and popped with a low note as it sent molten sparks out in all directions. The main mass of the ball coated the ground and lit pieces of the dirt on fire. Reid had managed to make enough distance that he wasn't hit directly, but the molten sparks still reached him. He was peppered by the things, each one ate its way down into his armor, leaving behind smoking holes that filled his nostrils with a distinctly unpleasant smell. None of the ones that hit his armor burned all the way through - and Reid was immensely grateful for that.

Two globs, each the size of a pea, found purchase on bare skin. One impacted the back of his knee, and the other fell down the back of his neck. The one at his neck burned its way down towards his tailbone, leaving a line of scorched flesh in its wake. The one that hit him in the knee bored two inches deep into his body and sent him stumbling to the ground. He swore at the pain, and started summoning his knife from storage even as he set to work on repairing himself. He needed the pebble out of his knee, or running was going to suck.

Before he could draw his knife, another three balls of glowing liquid rock sailed high into the air. The Duke didn't know where he was, and was making up for that fact by coating the area in attacks instead of aiming for direct hits. Reid, still prone, turned over on his stomach and used his one fully functional leg and two arms to launch himself forward like a drunk frog. The blob popped behind him and more bits of rock peppered his armor. Thankfully, none hit his skin directly.

Reid followed his ungraceful landing by rolling himself sideways, away from the lip of the volcano. Balls of lava continued to rain down above him, and Reid was thankful the rock expended its energy quickly, or he would've had to contend with rivers of molten rock chasing him down the side of the mountain.

He got the pebble free from his body, then continued until he was halfway down the mountainside where the air was less oppressive.

Reid had magic resistances, but he wasn't immune to lava. Or magma? He couldn't remember which was which, but it had hurt like hell either way. The stuff had burned through his skin with ease, and did enough damage to his armor that it was clearly not capable of taking much more abuse.

He hadn't faced a foe this tricky or interesting since the Guinea Pigs. A warm heat rose in his gut.

Reid knew he could draw blood - and if he could draw blood, the beast could be killed. The issue was how he would manage it. The creature proved aware enough that it intercepted a ranged throw. It was perceptive enough to determine where Reid was attacking from. It was smart enough to send out area-blanketing attacks to kill him, and it was strong enough to actually pose a threat.

Ideas worked through Reid's mind one after another as he considered what to do. Enhancing and thickening his armor was a must, and he was going to add so much material to the bottom of his bone boots, he'd be wearing platforms that Gene Simmons could be proud of.

Sure, he could've ended his response to the threat there. Chances were good he would be able to run back up, rush headlong into the fight and sustain potentially near-fatal injuries to deal a sufficient amount of damage to the Duke. But... Reid was on a 'making smart decisions' kick, and he had another smart decision in mind. He didn't have the tools to properly win the fight - or at least, he didn't have them yet.

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Reid sat cross legged on the ground, and closed his eyes. He had made a series of excellent pieces of equipment. His mace was a truly wonderful weapon. His armor gave him exactly what he needed from it - but even it wasn't going to be perfect against every foe. His knife and ring and brock were all splendid creations. But in all his fighting so far, Reid had never felt the need for something that was, honestly, quite basic.

He finally needed a shield.

Reid let his mana flow freely as a large, convex rectangle formed before him. He figured he could change the shape later if he decided it wasn't a good shape long term, but Reid's need for this fight against a magma mage meant full body protection. With the basic shape set, he dove into the shield and started the real work.

The internal structure of the shield changed, and the thing expanded in size until it was thicker than Reid himself. It felt right, but Reid still worried about making something that would be unwieldly. He pulled himself out of the crafting process, and stood up to try out the size and weight. The equipment was heavy to Reid, which meant someone without his level of strength would have no chance of using it properly. For Reid, it would just mean less mobility in combat.

Satisfied that he was making something he could actually use, Reid resumed his work on the internals, and moved from intent to instinct as his desires for the shield came to the fore.

Bonded was a must, as were recall and growth. Those three traits had been absolutely essential to his progress so far, and he didn't see their usefulness going away anytime soon. There was also something Reid wanted to try out, a combination of sorts between what Marrow could do, and what Lycra's eggshell armor was capable of. A way to mitigate damage and sacrifice components all at once. The potential for a fifth option again pulled at Reid, and he obliged with something that would be very useful for his current target. When it was nearly done, Reid realized he had something else he could try. He adjusted himself, and fed power into his mana compressor, then directed it through himself and into his crafting process. Energy drained away in a rush as highly concentrated mana flew into his shield and bolstered its crafting process. Reid had to pull more mana from battery band to keep going - and then, with a flash of light and a notification, his work was complete.

Reid panted, coughed, and downed two waters. The sky overhead had turned to night while he was crafting, and he felt as exhausted as one might expect for half a day's worth of crafting.

In front of him, the newest ivory creation for his personal arsenal sat unceremoniously in the dirt. The sheer weight of his creation caused it to sink a bit into the dry ground, and its thickness made the thing look similar to a solid mattress. The face and the rear of the shield were both strikingly plain, and the inside sported a few handles and hand-holds he could use to equip and maneuver it. There was one additional piece that jutted out near the middle, which he could use to attach the creation to his back for easier travel or a free hand.

What it lacked in exciting visuals, the shield more than made up for with its composition.

Congratulations! Unique Shield, [Bonewall] Created! Congratulations! Experience awarded for producing a unique shield. Bonus experience awarded for creating a shield above your grade.

NOTICE: This shield possesses multiple traits. NOTICE: [Bonewall] has successfully bonded to [Reid Calderwall]!

Bonewall [Legendary] Rank: E Traits: Restorative Shedding, Insulated, Growth, Smith's Recall, Bonded

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Restorative Shedding The bonded wielder may use a small amount of energy to channel damage to the shield into its outermost layer, which is then shed off the equipment. High damage may result in multiple shed layers at once. This trait may not be used in rapid succession.

Insulated When wielded by the bonded owner, this shield can disperse or mitigate various types of energy, including electricity and heat.

Smith's Recall As the bonded creator of this shield, the osteal smith is forever connected to their creation. Whether the original is damaged, destroyed, or lost - the smith may completely recreate Bonewall through the use of mana alone. Whenever Bonewall is recreated using this method, any existing versions of the weapon are immediately destroyed - even if the recreation fails. Requires sufficient energy.

Growth This shield is capable of growth. Growth may only occur in conjunction with the growth of the bonded individual. Growth may be fueled by latent energy stored in the shield, or through external injections of energy.

Bonded This shield is bonded to its owner through the use of simple energy matching. Anyone that attempts to wield this shield without a matching energy signature will fail. Attempts to identify this shield will only show the bare minimum level of information, depending on the level of the identifying user.

He tried to whistle, but his lips were too parched to do a proper one. Instead, he coughed a bit.

Reid had gotten his intended effect in the shedding trait that could whisk damage away from the thick equipment, and an equally useful trait for his current fight in the insulation. Whether it would retain the same usefulness in other battles would be the determining factor of how useful the shield would be long-term.

The most impressive point, though, was the grade. Reid had struggled to make something a level up from his own through the entirety of the time he'd spent as an F-grade individual. It shouldn't have been his ability that was preventing it, as Reid had gotten the master moniker and had accomplished fitting five traits into a single piece of gear already. Maybe he just wasn't as far advanced as everyone liked to claim. If he couldn't craft up a rank, then Reid probably wasn't going to-

Nyx Groaned. "Reid. Sometimes I think you intentionally ignore your notifications. You shouldn't be moping. Honestly, just read them all at once."

His hand awkwardly rubbed against the back of his neck as he followed her advice.

Congratulations! Osteal Smithing Master has upgraded to Grand Osteal Smith.

New Achievements Earned!

Grand Osteal Smith (Earned for creating two or more masterworks at least one grade above your own).

Bulwark (Earned for crating and bonding a unique masterwork shield deemed legendary quality or greater).

Young Grand Master (Earned for reaching the Grandmaster level in any skill or enhancement prior to C Grade).

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Grand Osteal Smith Notably lessens the energy requirements for Osteal Smithing. Allows the smith to more easily craft items based on the intended wielder's desires. Allows the Grand Smith to use incongruous mana types to fuel crafting.

Bulwark Slightly increases the durability of all crafted items.

Young Grand Master Grants increases to learning and comprehension for students you teach. Increases your ability to influence others. Slightly improves the quality of items crafted by you or your students.

"Huh. That's cool."

"Cool? Reid, people don't make masterworks above their grade. They make standard, average, dumb weapons that don't compare to what's sitting in front of you. Honestly, your F grade weapons are already operating like E-grade items, and now you have something that was so impressive, the system recognized it as an accomplishment. To be a system-recognized Grandmaster in F grade is almost unheard of. You deserve to celebrate this."

Reid hefted the shield up and behind him, where the hook caught against his armor to hold it in place. His feet sank a bit into the dirt, and he started back up the steep, barren incline towards the lip of the volcano.

"Nyx, you're absolutely right. I think I'm going to reward myself with a shiny new level."

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