Soldiers patrolled the area with dolphins, crustaceans, and seahorses. No sharks, Huxian noted. It seemed shark taming was too dangerous for humans. Compared to the last time they’d visited, several of the sea demons now wore significantly nicer harnesses and saddles. Many of them now wore armor, a thin layer that seemed to offer barely any protection.
But that was only to the untrained eye. Huxian could see a healthy purple glow pulsing through living runes in the thin armor. They resonated with the sea, drawing power from it and delivering it to their bonded master.
“Business?” a human asked as they approached the bubble. It was a human guard captain, one they’d seen before.
We’re here to see junior Ling Dong about a job he’s working on, Huxian said. We won’t be long.
The guard captain waved them through. They entered the bubble, reverting to their unadopted forms as they shook off the seawater that drenched their fur and feathers. Gua’s skin, which used to look old and weathered, was now covered in a healthy layer of slime. The toad hadn’t been lying; the sea was really doing wonders for his obscenely ugly skin.
“Ah, you’re here,” Ling Dong said. The usually stern man dropped what he was doing. “Follow me to the back. I’ve got something for each of you.”
Gua practically shivered in excitement as they followed the short-haired man, who walked more like a predator than a human artisan.
To Huxian’s knowledge, no other human had ever become a demonic smith. It was a registered occupation in larger demon realms, though only a few demons chose to practice it. Most of those who did lived near metallic deposits or demon graveyards. They’d adapted to their natural environment by creating weapons much like humans did. They were well-respected among their kind. Therefore, Huxian’s three friends gave the man a wide, respectful berth, while the younger fox simply trotted just ahead of Ling Dong. The large man purposefully kept two feet back, a ceremonial distance, to show due deference, like a proper demon should.
“Who wants to go first?” Ling Dong asked.
Me! Me! Gua said, hopping forward. I’ve been thinking about this all night. Did you make me a coat? Or a dress?
Huxian raised an eyebrow but said nothing. While the toad was undoubtedly male, there were no clothing customs among demons. Instead, clothing was universally looked down upon, like a crutch. Huxian didn’t share their naïve feelings, of course. Perhaps Gua would look fine in a dress.
“I didn’t make you a dress,” Ling Dong said. “Or a coat. I’m sorry, it just didn’t feel right, and I couldn’t force it.”
Gua looked down, his large eyes resembling those of more subservient demon throwbacks like dogs or horses.
“But I did make you an accessory.”
Gua’s eyes brightened as Ling Dong took out a thin blue metallic object. It was forged out of blue-gray metal called deep-sea cold iron, and its surface was covered in the familiar blue-gold runes that appeared everywhere around Haijing. Unlike those sterile imitations, however, these runes seemed realer, more natural. The shape was unusual, consisting of a wide flat plate affixed to a long, thin pole. Upon further inspection, the plate was a seashell, flattened through countless hammer blows until it fused with the deep-sea cold iron and demonic runes seeped into its surface.
Gua received what appeared to be a fan with reverence. It grew and shrank in his grasp, and when he swung it, murky water filled with whirlpools and artificial flows appeared.
“When I saw your fight earlier,” Ling Dong explained, “I noticed you like constricting opponents, choking them out. You stagnate everything like a bog. This fan will help you do that better using movement. Whirlpools and tides can also help you trap opponents. Sometimes redirecting is much more effective than friction and weight.”
I love it, Gua said, teary eyed. He slashed a finger open, allowing a drop of red blood to fall onto the fan. It glowed softly before disappearing in a violet puff of smoke and reappearing on Gua’s back in the form of a violet tattoo.
That’s seriously awesome, Lei Jiang said. What did you make me?
“Exactly what you asked me to,” Ling Dong said. “You’re a little… thick-hided, so defenses aren’t a priority. You’re also very fast. But you lack attack power, and your lightning strikes can’t focus very effectively.” He pulled out a white cloth, revealing four minimalistic gauntlets. Huxian noticed that each gauntlet was tipped with metallic claws that were, in fact, real claws pillaged from other demons. He approved. No sense in reinventing the wheel. The intricate runes that covered their surface channeled lightning into the tips of the unusually sharp claws. These would be a substantial upgrade to the swift mouse’s repertoire.
“Silverwing is next,” Ling Dong said. He revealed a pair of three-clawed gauntlets.
I don’t lack offense, Silverwing said bluntly.
“I know you’re not happy, but hear me out,” Ling Dong said, holding up his hands defensively.
Either give me a proper explanation or apologize, Silverwing said. His claws were fierce, fiercer than Huxian’s teeth in many cases. Improving their offense was tantamount to an insult.
“Here’s what I figured,” Ling Dong said, holding up the clawed contraption. “You have three modes of attacking, right?”
That’s right, Silverwing said. Whirling blades of windy death created by flapping my wings, concentrated wind blades generated by flying into enemies with my wings, destroying them in the process, and my deadly claws. Which, might I add, can tear through mid-grade core armor like it’s paper.
“That’s fair,” Ling Dong said. “Actually, these gauntlets don’t change the offense of your claws in the slightest.”
Explain, Silverwing said.
“What the gauntlets do is focus your wind affinity and generate a current toward your claws,” Ling Dong explained. “Not suction. Suction is far too weak. Rather, it triggers the wind around you and uses it to force things toward your claws when you activate the gauntlets. It’ll make
