The travel to Anvilius was short, yet Cassiel ensured it'd be long.
Knowing this would be the last chance he'd have to force Albus out on a pointless mission, Cassiel did his best to make the most of it, for his best friend.
Albus realized this halfway through their leisurely stroll towards Anvilius, and even still, he didn't mind one bit.
They walked a path that would usually take them an hour, in three days time, all for the sake of bonding.
.....
.....
Around late evening, walking through the last forest before reaching Anvilius, Albus finally asks his most wondered thought.
"Hey, Cassiel." Albus starts up, smiling.
Turning to face him, Cassiel says nothing, waiting for Albus to continue.
"Would you like to have a light spar before we reach Anvilius? It's been months since we last had, and back then, it was a three versus one."
Although shocked at first, Cassiel's face quickly shifts as a grin spreads across his face.
"I suppose now would be the best time, wouldn't it."
.....
Parting thirty feet across each other on the path, Cassiel's gladius forms in his hand as Albus unsheathes his sword.
"Remember, I won't use magic, and you can't take control of your sanguine soul, alright?" Cassiel reinstates, excited to duel Albus.
Without a word, Albus nods his head as his feet shift into position.
"Here I come."
Wasting not a further moment, Cassiel darts forward, clashing with Albus in the middle of the path.
Grinning, they both push off of each other, before going back in multiple times.
Dashing past each other, leaping into the air, and sliding under one another were just a few of the many movements they used against the other.
The fight was practically even, and it stayed that way for minutes to pass.
Each clash on their blades sent a loud ring throughout the forest, only for the sounds to be silenced by the flowing trees.
Shockwaves strong enough to rip up the ground were beginning to wind up a vortex surrounding the two, keeping them from being distanced more than two meters from each other.
Now forced into close quarters, the fight would only be taken up a notch from here.
.....
Flurries of swings, slashes, stabs, and cuts, were sent from both sides, neither of them out pacing the other.
However, with a twist of events, Cassiel would clash one more time with Albus, before halting the next attack, causing Albus to do the same.
"I believe we've gotten a bit carried away, haven't we?" Cassiel says, a cold sweat dripping down the side of his face as he looks around at the mayhem they caused.
The ground was pulled up, plants were uprooted, trees now wore scars from their spar, and many rocks were crushed under the force of the battle.
The entire surrounding area in a twenty foot circumference was left disheveled.
Laughing in embarrassment, Albus looks around as well, before turning back to meet Cassiel's gaze.
"I suppose we should continue on forward." Albus says awkwardly, walking back along the path as Cassiel does the same.
.....
.....
Five hours of walking had passed, and finally, Cassiel and Albus had finally made it to Anvilius.
Both of them were slightly tired from the travel, on top of their spar earlier, yet it wasn't enough to stop them from heading straight to the Foundry, where Cassiel's new set of armor awaited.
.....
Unlike before, there was no resistance to allow Cassiel inside, which brought a smile onto his face as he and Albus walked down the road.
While walking, the two quickly noticed many changes.
The guards had a stronger aura around them, perhaps from Aurei who, after fulfilling Cassiel's mission, decided to stay as captain of the guard in Anvilius.
However, it wasn't just the guards who had changed.
The people living in Anvilius, although few, all had a brighter, more relaxed expression to their faces and postures, as before they were under much stress working for Nahka.
Seeing all of the major changes taking place across Rampiel, Cassiel grew proud of himself and his party, whom all had stayed with him despite the many life threatening challenges.
.....
Spacing out in thought, it wasn't long before the two reached the Foundry, where Hildric himself was waiting patiently for their arrival.
Noticing his rugged attire almost instantly, Cassiel's expression turns worried.
Hildric's very existence was a key part in holding Rampiel together, as he is the only one fit to lead Anvilius. If he were to be seen as any less and his position were to be contested, the continent would fall into disarray.
His worries, however, were quickly put to rest.
Looking around, it was obvious how the people of Anvilius portrayed Hildric, so such thoughts and worries were needless.
"Hildric!" Cassiel calls out, walking up to him during his conversation with the entrance guards.
"Halt, not a step further towards the lord!" One of the guards cuts in, stepping forward before being stopped by Hildric.
"Forgive me, my king, these guards were held captive until just a week ago in a hidden prison within Fularis, I'm still catching them up to speed on things." Hildric says in an awkward tone.
"My king? You needn't call me that, Anvilius is free from royal intervention, that includes even my status." Cassiel exclaims, gazing upon Hildric in a friendly manner.
"Nonsense, I told you before, yet it seems you must've forgotten. Even if we are an independent city, Anvilius will serve you until it crumbles." Hildric states, smiling.
Smiling, Cassiel steps forward once more.
"In any case, allow us to go inside, I've been needing a new set of armor since my fight with the fake king." Cassiel jokes, moving the conversation along.
"Of course, let us head in."
.....
The smoldering heat from forge instantly basked over Cassiel and Albus, although to no avail.
After getting stronger, Albus was now able to bear the heat to the degree where not even a sweat would drip down his face.
Following Hildric up the flight of stairs, they headed to the third floor, where Cassiel's new armor was made finely crafted only by the two hands of Hildric.
Walking into the room, Cassiel's eyes sparkled in awe.
Made of pure dark iron, the metal was folded over itself multiple times, making over nine layers of Rampiel's strongest material fit into a thin, lightweight armor that even a child could wear.
Hildric Esh's extraordinary craftsmanship was the only one who could create such a magnificent method.
The armor was near pitch black.
The front of the chest piece was lined vertically in hundreds of flat arrow stripes to give a unique pattern and flexibility to the armor, while the sides were indented and forged in a hexagon vector pattern.
The gauntlets were sharp on the edges. Small spikes were lined on the lames surrounding the fingers, while the main base part of the gauntlet was forged in the same pattern as the chest piece.
The next piece to show was the boots.
They were just as finely tuned as the other pieces, making the set truly wondrous.
The boots were designed just as the other two with the same pattern, whereas the main sole had small spikes in them, which would give Cassiel an advantage on an open field.
Finally, there were the greaves.
They were long and thick, yet flexible light.
Designed to match the rest of the set, the greaves ensured there was virtually no seams to be exploited in the armor, finishing the king's new set.
.....
Walking out behind a covering, Cassiel shows off the set to both Albus and Hildric, showing how perfectly it fits, while also showing how flexible it really is.
It was perfect all around, and it made Cassiel feel truly invulnerable.
.....
.....
After putting the armor on, Cassiel decided he'd wear it on all occasions besides the special ones.
Leaving the forge, Cassiel caught up with Hildric through conversation, before finally exiting the city with Albus.
On the road again, Cassiel gets an idea, one for memories sake.
"Hey, Albus, what do you say we visit Bagnion again now that it's almost rebuilt? I heard the construction has been going well, yet they are taking a week off before finally finishing it."
"Yeah, I suppose that idea sounds fine, we'd best head there quickly however, I'm pretty sure that week break ends tomorrow night."
"Splendid."
One idea for memories sake would haunt him for the rest of his life.