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The next period of time all blurs together in my mind. The others slept, while Crystal carved large chunks out of the wall, which I then purified and shaped into various objects with my magic. We were on a deadline, and I could feel the clock counting down relentlessly on us, so I pushed myself repeatedly to exhaustion. Melt stone. Purify stone. Enhance stone. Strengthen stone. Shape stone. Harden Stone. Refine Stone. Pass out. Wake up. Eat tasteless food. Piss in the corner, if I didn’t forget and piss on myself – I truly did enter one of those mindless stupors of completely exhausted labor.

A blade for myself, so I could fight up close if need be. Then a stone breastplate for Mongo to protect his heart and vital organs – dreaming up a way to hold the breast piece and the back piece together, and also maintain flexibility was almost beyond my imagination.

Oddly enough, the design I settled on to hold it together was made similar to the hinge on a door. Two circular sections of stone overlapped each other where the front and back plates met at the side, and a simple stone rod slid through those holes to hold the whole piece together. It was crude, but it worked to hold the two halves together.

Flexibility of the armor was maintained by layering the stone in strips about two finger’s width square, with stone links over them to hold it together. In the end, what I’d created was a pure white, marble looking suit of chain-plate! And, unfortunately, it was heavy!

Which added even more work as I had to alter the stone to reduce the weight. Another stage of refinement and enhancement was added, where I enchanted the armor to almost float by itself – effectively making it almost weightless – and then I added a natural resistance to heat and fire to the armor. It looked to me like it’d be hotter than hell to wear, so I had to add a minor enhancement to help pull the users excessive body heat outside the armor so it’d stay cool.

In the end, after who knows how much time had passed, I’d created a breastplate that was stronger than steel, as light as air, resistant to heat and fire, and basically had a built in air conditioner! And, I was exhausted.

Exhausted, and with a seemingly impossible workload before me!

Time lost all meaning for me. I honestly couldn’t say if it was day or night; if I ate breakfast or supper. I pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion so many times; so often; that I went to sleep exhausted and woke up the same way. The constant nagging feeling that time was against us drove me to push myself mercilessly.

The others did…

Honestly, I don’t have a clue what the hell they were doing during this time. I had the vague impression that they were talking from time to time, or that they were eating, or trying to thin the dead through the bars in the hall, but I was so tired that nothing truly registered. I think I participated in a few conversations and helped make some plans, or talk about what I was going to do with my life when I got out of this place, but I wouldn’t swear to it.

I was simply lost in a daze. Greaves, boots, gloves, and helm – one by one, I slowly made a whole suit of Heartstone Crafted armor for Mongo. It wasn’t fancy. I didn’t take time to engrave it or make it look pretty. I cut corners and I rushed the process as much as I possibly could. Strength, durability, and usability was all I cared about – and even then I worked myself into a stupor.

Or have I said that already? I don’t know.

All I know is that once I was finished with Mongo’s suit, he looked like some odd white-marble knight wearing a strange combination stone plate-chain set of armor. It looked effective to me, and I suppose it was better than running around in just his underoos, but only time would tell how truly effective it was.

In a mindless daze, I turned my attention to starting the refining and purifying process to make a set of armor for Crystal as well, but suddenly I found myself on the ground and the world went black. It sounded like someone was saying something while standing over me, but I couldn’t make out what it was they were talking about. My exhaustion was too great, my head now hurt too bad, and I couldn’t resist the lure of darkness any longer.

I have no idea how long I was unconscious, or asleep, or whatever the heck it was that I was. When I was able to open my eyes and take in my surroundings, I was laid in the ‘common room’, off in one of the corners, with my head in Crystal’s lap.

“Are you alert and functioning again, My Lord?” Tilting my head back, I was greeted by the site of her bare breasts dangling so lusciously near my head. Reaching up, I cupped and squeezed one lightly – and then shivered as the sensation carried over to my own chest as well. Damn, I didn’t like that!

“I’m alert,” I told her, wrinkling my nose as I released my grip on her chest. “What happened?”

“I knocked you out,” Crystal said plainly, as if it was just a normal, everyday occurrence.

“Knocked me out?” I blinked several times but couldn’t make sense of what I’d heard.

“Yes,” was Crystal’s simple reply.

“Why?!” I was at a total loss!

“Because you wouldn’t listen – not even to me, My Lord.” Crystal laughed lightly and flicked herself on the tip of her nose – the sensation carried to mine and stung it as well.

“Sorry?” I said, rubbing the tip of my nose lightly. “What was I not listening to you about? And couldn’t it have waited? I need to make your armor as quickly as possible. We’re on a countdown here!”

Flicking herself on her own nose again, Crystal shook her head in frustration. “You’re still not listening,” Crystal stated, beginning to sound a little frustrated. “If you don’t shut up and hear me out My Lord, I’m going to start touching womanly places on myself that I know will get your undivided attention.”

“Fine!” Dang slave-girl certainly doesn’t act like my slave sometimes! Sometimes I wonder if it’s the other way around. “I’m listening,” I told her, as I tried to sit up but was pushed back down by Crystal back into her lap.

“The armor, My Lord,” Crystal informed me, “I don’t need it or want it.”

“Don’t be silly,” I said, dismissing such a notion completely.

Once again, she flicked herself on the nose to get my attention. “My Lord… I’m going to get very cross with you soon.”

“Sorry.” I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for, but I could feel the frustration growing in Crystal, so I felt it best to just shut up and listen for a while.

“And that’s what I’ve wanted you to do all along,” Crystal replied, having read my thoughts again. “I’ve been trying to tell you – I don’t need the armor. I don’t want the armor. We don’t have time to waste on you creating another suit of armor. As you keep telling me, we’re on a countdown!”

“That’s true, but I need to keep you safe as well. You need armor since you’re on the front lines all the time,” I told her, stubbornly.

Sighing, Crystal leaned down and kissed me. The sensation was odd, pleasant, and yet invasive. The sense of her feelings and tastes intermingled with my own and left me feely oddly excited and repulsed at the same time. Crystal was such a pleasant lover before our merging of spirits, but now I found her both attractive and repulsive at the same time. It didn’t help that I could tell she felt the same way also, since her emotions and thoughts were just as open to me as mine were to her.

Apparently, it is possible to be too close to someone. A step back in our relationship to sort out these new feelings is probably going to be a necessity.

‘Probably,’ Crystal thought, echoing my own sentiments perfectly.

“My Lord,” Crystal whispered softly and slowly stroked my cheek with the lightest of touches, “I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I’m already protected. I doubt the magics on the jewelry I’m wearing is as durable or protective as what you’ve made for the Lord Mongo, but it’s as durable as leathers; almost as strong as chain. Did I not tell you before that my jewelry was enchanted to protect? That that was why I had given my chain robe over to Jess to wear as the dead grew thicker around us.

“Remember?” She asked, gently.

“Well….” I did now that she mentioned it again. “I’m sorry,” I told her honestly. “I don’t guess I’m used to seeing a naked woman run around and thinking, ‘Hey, I bet she’s armored!’.”

“Are you certain your jewelry is sufficient enough to protect you,” I asked, worried.

“Very little is certain in life, My Lord – but I’m certain that the ritual draws closer all the time. Can we really afford to sit here for several more days while you push yourself stupid, making armor for me? What use will it be, if the ritual is completed while we’re all in here waiting on you to finish?”

Frowning, and not liking it at all, I had to agree that she was right. Nothing was certain. Her jewelry might or might not be enough to keep her safe. The ritual might or might not be finished before I could make a set of armor suitable for a woman to wear. Everything was a gamble at this point, and the best odds for us all to survive seemed to weigh more towards trusting in her magical protections and moving on. Only time slipping away was the only thing we could truly be certain of.

“Then I guess Heartstone Enterprises is closed for business once more,” I declared boldly!

“As if!” Dino snorted and looked disgusted. “You might shape stone with your magics, but you’re no Heartstone! His works are masterpieces, sought after by the royality!”

“Umm.. Sorry Dino,” I apologized, while a huge grin crossed my face, “but that’s my work. My partner handles all the selling and distribution part of our business, but the pieces sold are all my work.”

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and were staring wide-eyed at me now. Mongo staggered and sat on his ass, blinking like a mad man. “I… I’ve got a whole set of Heartstone Armor?” His voice was barely audible, even in the silence that had descended in the room.

“Yep!” I couldn’t help but laugh as I answered him. “Why? Is it really that big a deal?”