Demon Heart | Prince of the Barren Sands Volume 1

Chapter 9 (Part 2 of 4)

Bare chested, the jagged wound he received from the Night Terror breathing fresh air, Kaden worked the new tubing made for him into its required contours. The anvil that had been delivered to his private quarters was now serving its purpose. He didn't need his ever-growing muscles to wield the light cross pein hammer for the fine work he was engaged in. In fact, he found himself significantly holding back. So as not to damage the fine pipework he now crafted.

Every time Kaden's hammer struck the metal tubing, molding it slowly and neatly into the shape demanded of it to fit snuggly inside of his warrior's breastplate, Sahl cringed. The ringing pitch of each strike was sharp.

"If you keep hitting that so hard," he said. "You're going to break the tubing. Then none of the essences will reach your heart."

"Definitely not something I want," Kaden replied, continuing to work. "Can't afford for there to be any leaks or kinks."

The new tubes were finer that than the last he'd used. And they were fairly easy to mold without heating. Kaden found that using the hammer and fine strokes gave him the precise curves he needed. Bending by hand had resulted in several imperfections that needed worked out to allow flow to travel freely through them once more. Some, however, had to be scrapped entirely after attempts to repair the sections failed.

His metal working skills were questionable. He had only taken it up recently, after all. And only so that he could work on his contraption while picking up whatever he could from watching more seasoned smiths in the prince's armory. When he wasn't training, that was. Or reading the detailed sex manual the princess had politely ordered him to.

There were now three tubes that would run down from his left shoulder. All were soldered together and met at a single feeder pipe that would target them towards his heart once he finished his latest iteration and donned the armor. He figured that it would be good to have access to the three most common emotional distillates for war: Rage, Courage, and, once the battles ended, Sorrow as well. The later to mitigate the effects of the Rage once it was no longer needed. Kaden did not like the feeling that lingered inside him from that volatile emotion that spurned hatred within him.

After one final bang, he lifted the tubing and browsed his work with a thoughtful eye. He placed it against his chest to make sure the nozzle that would lead the essences into himself was where it should be.

"That looks good," the Karo Shar said. "Let's see how it fits in the armor." He walked over to a workbench where the breastplate sat chest side up and placed the pipes where they belonged. And they fit almost perfectly. There were only the slightest of imperfections. "All right, you're better at soldering than I am. See how firmly you can get this thing attached."

"Well, I don't know about that," Sahl pulled up a stool and assumed a position in front of that which he had been asked to prepare.

"It's true! Your fingers are dainty, like a woman's."

"Ha ha. Wasn't that long ago you had woman fingers too." Sahl cracked his knuckles.

"Quit your bellyaching. You seriously going to try and tell me this isn't better than being down in those catacombs? Slaving away, day after day, after day doing nothing except brewing emotions? Now get to work."

"Yes, sir, Karo Shar, sir."

Sahl took a handful of low-melting-point alloy chips and lined the metal up alongside of the tubes while tucking them ever so gently into place. Then took some oil and poured a light drizzle slowly overtop so as not to disturb his previous work. Once that was done, he used a nearby candle to light the flammable liquid on fire.

It ignited, and the burning popped and crackled. And it fumed in a sustained and putrid belch of smoke that hinted of lead.

Both Kaden and Sahl observed as the solder gleamed, then softened, and finally melted to form a singular mass between the metals. Sahl blew out the flames the moment the liquified metal filled the cracks. He then dumped a small bucket of water in to cool the work and dilute the residue remaining from the unburned oil.