Chapter 221 – Light And Dark Frames.

“It won’t take long to gather the resources for your frame…”

Rusty said as his metallic boot crunched over a crystal on the ground.

“Hmph! I can’t believe you did such a thing! The audacity, the betrayal!”

A rather unhappy Aburdon replied, his light flickering inside Rusty’s helmet.

“(ᵕ—ᴗ—)”

Gleam clung to Rusty’s shoulder as the two moved through the corridor. This time, however, they were not alone. A third figure followed them, another suit of armor, this one completely white.

“Just leave him be, Rusty. He’ll be back to cackling in no time.”

The visor flickered as Alexander spoke. He was now fully encased in newly created light steel armor. This was his first visit to the dungeon after spending time in the basement smithy, and it was the first real test of what his guide could do within the shell he had created. The armor seemed to be a difficult fit for the former hero, as he was clearly still adjusting to its balance.

“Let’s focus on the hunt. Do you think you can defeat it alone?”

Rusty pointed toward a large lizard not far away. The creature stood still, showing little reaction. In theory, Alexander’s armor was nearly as durable as Rusty’s previous evolution, which should place him around the D-minus rank. Still, Rusty was unsure. Alexander’s movements were sluggish, lacking the expertise and speed he expected.

“I’m not sure. It’s hard to get used to the way this body moves. It feels much lighter than my old one, or at least I think it does. I don’t really remember it that well anymore…”

Alexander replied while gripping a large mace with both hands. He swung it a few times, nearly being pulled off balance when he put too much force behind the motion.

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it, but can you use any of my skills, or any of your old ones?”

“I think I can, but… I’m not sure.”

Alexander seemed confused in this form. He did not have access to a system window, which made everything more difficult, so they would need to test things slowly through battle and a round of trials.

One thing he was certain of was that his guides required a full suit of armor made from this specific metal. He had tried using only the helmet with more conventional armor, but he could not occupy the mismatched pieces. This made things even harder, as the mana usage was extremely high.

“Come, Alexander. I’ll take its attention. You attack it from the flank. Gleam, give us support from the back.”

“( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و”

Alexander looked at his mace, then at the creature, and finally nodded. Rusty moved first. His mace was smaller than Alexander’s, and he also carried a shield. With a few sharp smacks against the shield, he drew the monster’s attention. To make things easier for his guide, he activated Provoking Shout, forcing the creature to focus solely on him.

The lizard’s slit pupils snapped toward Rusty the instant the skill took hold. The crystal growths on its back pulsed with mana, and it gave out a menacing hiss.

“Good. Eyes on me.”

The creature lunged, its claws scraping against the stone and throwing off sparks. Rusty braced himself with his shield raised. The impact rattled through his arm, but his frame held steady as he increased his weight. He slid a few centimeters back, boots carving shallow grooves into the cavern floor, but the creature was stopped.

“Now!”

He called out to Alexander, who had used the opening to move to one side. The white armor advanced, slow at first, then gradually picked up momentum. It was like watching a child learn to walk for the first time, except this was the relearning of skills long forgotten. Alexander gripped the mace with both hands and swung with all his might.

When the mace connected with the lizard’s flank, it produced a dull thump that echoed through the cavern. The monster screeched as the struck crystals shattered instantly. It twisted its body violently, trying to hit Alexander with one of its back legs, but he managed to evade the strike as if he had anticipated it.

“Oh?”

Rusty was surprised by the movement, as it was not something his usual puppet armors were capable of. They could perform basic tasks and were similar to basic living armor monsters. Alexander, however, showed promise and more finesse. He evaded and blocked with precision, preventing the monster from dealing serious damage. With another swing of his oversized mace, he shattered another crystal, causing the monster’s magical defenses to weaken.

“Not bad, but I’m also here!”

The large lizard began to turn its head toward Alexander, but before it could react, Rusty slammed his shield into it. Soon, the two armors were pummeling the monster without mercy while Gleam watched from afar and cheered. Only after enough crystals had been destroyed and the mana veil around the creature’s body dispelled did she join the fight, showering it with mana bolts.

“We did it. It’s down. Not bad, Alexander.”

“Thank you.”

Alexander replied.

“It seems I still remember how to move properly, but this body feels quite sluggish.”

They examined the defeated monster. It was not strange that the new body felt wrong. Alexander, a former hero who would likely have ranked among S-rank adventurers, had once wielded a body honed by countless battles, miracles, and blessings. Compared to that, this freshly forged shell was of low quality.

“Sluggish or not, you adapted fast.”

Rusty said as he knelt beside the fallen lizard and began the careful process of desynthesis.

“You reacted without me issuing commands. That alone makes you different from my other puppets.”

Alexander looked down at his white gauntlets and slowly flexed his fingers. Light gathered faintly at the joints, responding to his will with a delay so slight it was almost imperceptible.

“It’s strange, but I think I could cast some spells.”

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He extended his metallic hand forward, and light began to gather. It grew bright and intense, forming something that resembled a spear of light. Just as it was about to take shape, something unexpected happened.

“Huh?”

Alexander gasped in confusion as his body began to crumble. His knees buckled, and his entire frame collapsed. The forming spell fizzled out, and with it, his presence seemed to waver.

“Alexander?”

Rusty rushed forward to the scattered pieces of armor on the ground. He picked up the helmet and looked inside, but the wisp of light that represented the former hero was gone. Checking his status window, he saw that Alexander had returned to the Soul Forge. There was no cooldown timer, so he summoned him again at once. Soon, a white orb of light appeared before them, and he started asking questions.

“What happened? Why did your frame collapse, and what was that spell?”

“I’m not sure. I tried casting a spell. I think it was the spear of light. Then everything went white, and I was back in the Soul Forge.”

This was all somewhat confusing for Rusty. He had not gained any new titles or skills when Alexander entered the armor, which forced him to speculate on how to handle the situation. In some ways, his guide acted similarly to how he did when Rusty was being summoned. He could not separate from him, just as he could not separate from Gwen, and there were additional limitations as well.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Aburdon commented, making Rusty turn to him instantly.

“It is?”