Making the next five pieces of armour wasn't easier, but it did feel like it went by faster. They used the same method as before. The real trick was attaching them to the Wraith.

Wulf didn't have any plans except to use a crane, and when the armour plate was close enough, they'd all hit it hard, pushing it onto the Wraith's shoulder. He liked the plan because it involved just hitting something.

So, when they had a moment, they attached their new armour plates. When no one was working on the parts of the Wraith they needed to put armour on, that was. They started with the pauldrons, hoisting them up as high as the cranes would allow, then inching them over.

The armour was designed to clamp directly onto Wraith's shoulder, making a friction fit and sticking with just the faint elasticity of the metal. They couldn't be too large, otherwise it wouldn't work. Essentially, the armour was form-fitting, which worked, because the Wraith was already technically armoured, what with its stone shell.

Once they had the panel in place, they used Wulf's plan—hitting it really hard. The four of them lined up on the platform. Wulf gave them all a strength enhancement with a splatter potion, which triggered [Bastion] and automatically enhanced his strength, then they all struck the pauldron at once.

It shifted in halfway, creaking and groaning. The hardvellar was strained to its breaking point, and it didn't want to expand any farther.

"Again!" Wulf called. "Hit it again!"

They did. This time, Irmond blasted it in the center with an arrow instead of hitting it, and Kalee used a spell Skill to keep them grounded—to stop their feet from shifting when they struck the armour.

With a satisfying clang, it lurched forward, snapping onto the Wraith's shoulder. The entire scaffolding platform shifted, and the crane above swayed. A loose boom swung over and struck Irmond in the chest, sending him stumbling to the edge of the platform.

Wulf leapt over, arm outstretched, and clasped Irmond's wrist before he fell to the ground many storeys below.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm good…" Irmond panted.

"Well, let's see if we can't get the rest of the armour on, then," Wulf said. "We still have some time left this evening, and it's raining out. Anyone need to study for your finals? I should be good, but I've internalized about half of this stuff already."

"I need to study a bit, but it can wait," Seith said.

"Plus we've only got four to worry about," Kalee provided. "Dungeon Delving only has a midterm."

Throughout the exchange, Irmond was oddly silent, staring out across the hangar. He probably thought no one would notice, but Wulf noticed. How could Wulf not notice?

But for the moment, Wulf didn't say anything. They had to get the rest of the armour attached.

They'd made six pieces, like the set had said, all with the same function. Each piece worked together, bound through the Field. There was a second pauldron, a light cuirass, two greaves, and thin ring to protect the back of the neck, which was often exposed.

After that, they ran out of hardvellar. It had come from a scrap spirit after all, and that spirit had probably taken it from a different Oronith that fell in combat many years ago, either in the dungeon or not.

Now, they gave it a new purpose.

By making the armour, Seith had advanced to High-Copper. Wulf expected himself to advance any moment, and he was close, but he hadn't received anything for crafting the armour yet.

They navigated around the scaffolding, using different cranes to hoist up the right plates of armour, then using the same method to snap them in place. The cuirass was a little more difficult, and wouldn't hold with just a friction-fit. It needed a couple of bolts to hold in place, which Dr. Blyke had been kind enough to help them prepare.

As soon as they finished attaching the armour, that was when he felt the Field's tingle. The armour sealed to the Oronith, words scrawled across his bracer. He looked down.

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[By helping craft Oronith armour with an alchemical process, you have increased your mana. Advancement progress: 102.9%]

[You have increased your Tier to Middle-Bronze.]

[You may upgrade three Marks.]

Wulf could handle the upgrades quickly enough, so he did. He put two upgrades into [Wild Spirit] and one into [Wraithmaster], also upgrading the nested Marks as well. There was a slight warmth inside him, and he felt his body adjusting to the changes.

After that, they returned to their dorms for the night. Wulf fell asleep easily, feeling like the day was at least productive.

He was usually the first one awake, but not the next day. When he woke up, Irmond was already out of bed and gone. He'd made his bed unusually neatly, and had organized all his notes.

Wulf narrowed his eyes. First, he checked out the window, trying to gauge the time.

But the sun was still rising, and there was no one else outside—no one except the leafless deciduous trees and swaying palms, which never really changed. Apparently, it could snow in Centralis, but that was a rare occasion.

Regardless, it was early. Irmond had just woken up early.

Wulf wasn't about to search the entire campus for Irmond, but he hoped the elven boy would find them in the gym.

When he arrived at the gym, making his way as fast as he could for morning training, he found Irmond already there. Irmond stood in the archery range of the gym, firing arrow after arrow after at a target that'd already been pierced nearly a hundred times. Since everyone had to buy a new target every time they wanted to use the archery range, that was all Irmond's doing.

He'd been training all morning.

"Good morning," Wulf said, stepping up to the edge of the range and leaning on a wooden stanchion at the edge. He glanced around quickly. No one else was really here. There were a few other early-risers running around the track behind him, but they weren't paying attention. Seith and Kalee hadn't arrived yet.

"Mornin'," Irmond said, then fired an arrow.

"Everything alright?"

"Yep."

"I don't believe you."

Irmond fired another arrow. "Can't fool you, can I?"

"I don't think you were trying too hard to fool me." Wulf crossed his arms beneath him and put more weight on the stanchion. "Irmond, we're a team. I can't let things fester. I know how that goes, and unnecessary drama is unnecessary."

Irmond sighed, then lowered his bow and retrieved his arrows. "You guys are all like…special. I'm falling behind. I'm letting you guys down, and we're going to lose the Wraith. It'll be because of me."

Wulf nodded slowly, not because he agreed, but because he was pretty sure he understood. "Seith's advancement is only going so quickly because she's got crafting materials to work with, and the same goes for me. Lord Umoch knew you and Kalee were going to be the weak links because finding combat missions is hard. Lots of the mana goes to the Pilot. Besides…lots of the kids here have private estates where they can go hunting."

"That's not making me feel better."

"I have something in mind, though. A task any Ranger worth his salt has to do eventually."

"Ah…" Irmond hung his head. "A normal Ranger thing."

"Sure, but most of them do it at Iron and Silver. It gives them a big boost of mana. If you do it at Middle-Copper, you'll be ahead of most Rangers."

Irmond scratched his head. "I…don't know what you're talking about."

"No." Wulf gave him a smile. "But you'll see. It'll have to wait until we're done our finals, because we'll need all winter break to do it." He hopped over the barrier and walked toward Irmond. "I don't need a misfit Ranger, if that's not what you are. I need you. You have that spark, that willingness to work hard and the desire to do something better for the world. Having a unique aspect of fancy Class alone won't make you special."

"Can you please tell me what we're going to do?"

"Not yet. After you're done your finals. Keep training, but don't break yourself, and don't think you need to do it for us."

"But…I do. You've given me so much. I need to help you back. I need to return the favour."

"You can—by being an incredibly useful Ranger. And don't worry—what I have in mind will help me, too."

Irmond groaned. "I hate you sometimes…"

~ ~ ~

After they finished their final exams for the semester, Wulf met the others in the main hall. It wasn't quite dinner time yet, but he'd told the others that he and Irmond had a mission, though he hadn't exactly told them what the mission was going to be. No need to risk them spoiling the surprise.

Irmond was already there, with a travel bag packed. Wulf shouldered his own travel pack, as well as his coat. "Ready?"

"I'd be readier if I knew where we were going…" Irmond said.

"Yeah. You look ready. Let's go. We're going to need to snag a horse from the academy stable—I've already paid the stablemaster, with the understanding that we bring it back unharmed."

"Only one horse?" Irmond asked.

"You're not going to need one on the way back."

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