Jack's boots echoed against the stone streets as he made his way back toward where he'd left Seryth. Seryth was waiting near the temple steps.

Her wings were folded tight against her back, and when she saw Jack approaching, her expression shifted.

"Soul Warden," Seryth greeted him. "I trust your communion was... enlightening?"

"It was something," Jack said, keeping his tone flat. He wasn't about to explain what had just transpired in Dreknar's throne room. "I need to see your smith now. Malsyn, you called him?"

Seryth's eyes flickered down to Jack's blood-stained armor, then back to his face. "Of course. Follow me."

They walked through the city streets, Kyren trailing behind them like a silent shadow. Demons parted before them, their glowing forms creating a corridor of light and fearful whispers. Jack caught fragments of their conversations as they passed.

"...ate a demon's heart right in front of..."

"...Soul Warden is actually here..."

Jack ignored them all. His mind was still turning over the impossible choice Dreknar had given him. Kill Seryth or Vok'thar. Destroy the ceasefire he'd just established. Become the monster everyone already feared he was.

Or refuse, and lose himself to the demonic transformation entirely.

'One problem at a time,' Jack thought, forcing himself to focus on the immediate task.

Seryth led him to a building near the eastern edge of the city. Unlike the grand temples and noble houses they'd passed, this structure was utilitarian.

Solid stone walls, a wide entrance designed for moving large materials, and the unmistakable heat radiating from within.

A forge.

The sound of hammer on metal rang out as they approached, rhythmic and precise. Each strike carried weight, purpose, the sound of someone who knew their craft intimately.

Seryth stopped at the entrance. "Malsyn doesn't leave his forge often. He's... dedicated to his work." She glanced at Jack. "And he doesn't scare easily. So don't expect him to treat you like the others do."

Jack nodded.

They stepped inside.

The forge's interior was exactly what Jack expected.

A massive stone furnace dominated the center of the space, its flames burning with unnatural intensity that turned the air shimmering hot.

Anvils of various sizes were positioned around the room, each one showing signs of heavy use. Racks of tools lined the walls, hammers, tongs, files, chisels, all organized with meticulous care.

And working at the central anvil was Malsyn.

The demon was shorter than Jack expected, maybe five and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders and arms corded with muscle that spoke of decades working metal.

His skin was a deep bronze color, and his eyes glowed with a dull orange luminescence that matched the forge fires.

Two small horns curved from his forehead, and his hands, currently gripping a hammer, were scarred from countless burns and cuts.

He didn't look up when they entered. His focus remained entirely on the blade he was working, a curved sword that was taking shape under his precise strikes.

Each impact of the hammer sent sparks flying, and Jack could see the metal responding to the demon's will, bending and shaping exactly as intended.

"Malsyn," Seryth said, raising her voice to be heard over the ringing hammer. "I've brought the Soul Warden. He requires your services."

The hammer paused mid-swing. Malsyn set it down carefully on the anvil, then turned to face them.

His orange eyes swept over Jack, taking in the blood-stained armor, the yellow eyes, the white hair matted with dried demon blood. He studied Jack the way a craftsman might study raw material, assessing quality and potential.

Then he grunted. "You look like shit."

Seryth's light flickered with surprise, but Jack felt a smile tug at his lips. Finally, someone who wasn't terrified or worshipful. Just honest.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "That's why I'm here."

Malsyn wiped his hands on a cloth hanging from his belt, then gestured at his forge. "What do you need? Repairs? New weapon? Armor?"

"All of it," Jack said, stepping closer. "New clothes because this armor is covered in blood and I'd rather not walk around looking like I just finished a massacre. And I need to see if you can make quality weapons. Something that'll actually last."

The smith's eyes gleamed with interest now. "Quality weapons require quality materials. You bring me pig iron, I'll make you pig iron weapons. You bring me something better…"

"What do you need?" Jack asked. "Ore? Materials?"

"Demon bones work well," Malsyn said, crossing his arms. "High-grade demon bones, specifically. The stronger the demon, the better the bones. Can forge them into weapons and armor that carry demonic properties naturally." His gaze sharpened. "You got any of those, Soul Warden?"

Jack reached into his system storage without hesitation. His hand disappeared into the dimensional space, and he felt his fingers close around solid bone. He pulled, and a massive femur materialized in his grip.

Cho's femur. Easily three feet long and thick as Jack's arm. The bone was a deep crimson color with black veins running through it, and even now, weeks after Cho's death, it still radiated residual demonic energy.

Jack set it on the nearest workbench with a solid thunk.

Malsyn's eyes widened. He stepped forward immediately, his hands reaching for the bone before he caught himself. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

The smith picked up the femur with surprising reverence, turning it over in his scarred hands. His fingers traced the black veins, and Jack saw orange light flicker in his eyes as he assessed the material.

"This is from a low grade demon," Malsyn said. "The demonic essence is still strong even after death." He looked up at Jack. "Where did you get this?"

"I killed him," Jack said simply.

Malsyn studied Jack for a long moment, then nodded as if that explained everything. "You have more?"

Jack reached into his storage again. This time he pulled out an entire ribcage, then a skull, then another femur, then vertebrae. He kept pulling, stacking Cho's remains on the workbench until nearly the entire skeleton was laid out before them.

The forge fell silent except for the crackling of flames.

Malsyn stared at the assembled bones, his expression something between awe and hunger. His hands hovered over the materials like a painter seeing a blank canvas filled with possibility.

"Lesser demon bones are common," Malsyn said quietly, his voice almost reverent. "Low-grade bones are rare." He looked up at Jack.

"Can you work with them?" Jack asked.

"Can I work with them?" Malsyn's laugh was sharp and genuine. "This is enough material for a full set. Armor, weapons, maybe even accessories if you want them."

"How much?" Jack asked.

Malsyn considered, his gaze moving over the assembled bones. "Materials are yours, so I'm just charging for labor and forge time. Twenty-five thousand Death Tokens. That covers everything, armor, weapon, and I'll throw in some basic travel clothes to replace that blood-soaked mess you're wearing."

Jack didn't hesitate. He pulled twenty-five thousand Death Tokens from his storage and set them on the workbench beside the bones. The tokens materialized in neat stacks, their dark surfaces gleaming in the forge light.

Malsyn nodded, clearly pleased. "Good. This'll take time. Three days minimum, maybe four. I don't rush work like this." He picked up Cho's skull, examining it with professional focus. "Any specific requests? Style preferences? Special features?"

"Besides a spear, I don't care. Just make it functional." Jack said. "I don't care about appearance. I need equipment that'll keep me alive and help me kill things that are trying to kill me."

"Practical. I like it." Malsyn set the skull down carefully. "I'll design something that maximizes the demonic properties in these bones."

Jack nodded, then turned to Kyren. The reanimated demon had been standing silently by the entrance, his hollow eyes fixed on his master.

"Kyren," Jack said, and the undead demon's attention sharpened immediately. "You're going to guide me to the Aethrium deposits. The mining sites where the Aurion and Thal'Gorin have been fighting."

"Yes, my lord," Kyren's hollow voice echoed through the forge. "I know the location. The valley's eastern edge, where the river cuts through the rock."

"Good." Jack looked back at Malsyn. "I'll return in three days."

The smith was already moving toward the bones, his hands reaching for tools, his mind clearly racing with designs and possibilities. "Your equipment will be ready, Soul Warden. I promise you that."

Jack walked toward the forge entrance, Kyren falling into step behind him. Seryth followed, her luminescent form casting light across the darkening streets.

"Where are you going?" Seryth asked as they emerged into the evening air.

"To see what all the fighting's been about," Jack said, his eyes fixed on the eastern horizon where the valley stretched into darkness. "If demons are willing to die for this ore, I want to know why."

Seryth opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. Her light dimmed slightly, and Jack caught something in her expression that looked like concern. Or maybe guilt.

But she didn't stop him. She simply watched as Jack and Kyren walked away from the forge, heading toward the valley where demons had been killing each other for four years over blue crystals that grew in the ground.

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