"Bors?" Aldrich stepped around the Throne Shard and in front of Bors. The

giant was large, standing at around 8 meters tall, but denitely a good amount

shorter than Aldrich Zombie Giant which stood at 12 meters.

Bors also looked a little more misshapen than Aldrich's giant. Where Aldrich's

giant had a powerful, muscular body with good proportions like a powerlifter,

Bors had a hunched back, big torso, and comparatively skinnier arms and legs.

"You're an Earth Giant," noted Aldrich.

In Elden World, most giants like Aldrich's zombie giant lived in a faraway

northern land of towering mountains. There, the giants used enormous

swathes of solid mystic clouds like giant aerial plains, living upon them or

using them to cross from mountaintop to mountaintop.

Thus, these giants were aptly called Sky Giants.

Bors, however, was a giant descended from ancient clans that split o from the

Borean line, deciding to give up life atop the skies and instead tread upon the

humble dirt. Because they decided to forego the skies to live upon the earth,

they were called Earth Giants.

"Yes, I am! Like earth I am strong, so smith I can long!" said Bors

enthusiastically.

Bors's face was covered under his welding helm, but the giant probably had a

bright smile underneath it.

Earth giants tended to be less intelligent than their sky giant counterparts, but

at the same time, they were far less aggressive and one of the friendliest races

in Elden World.

Gentle giants through and through. Which made them easy to exploit, causing

many civilizations to enslave them not only for their prodigious strength, but

their strong connection to the earth that granted them an anity for metal

working.

"I rescued Bors from a life of suering as an Elven tower builder," said the

Death Lord. "I found him when I alighted down and utterly obliterated that

little city, what was its name, ah, Ars Fisteria.

They had that puny tree tower that the elves are so fond of building in their

cities, nothing at all compared to my Necropolis, but I do give them respect for

their eorts." The Death Lord shook her head. "I granted the elves three

chances to surrender, but they refused to yield. Far too proud a people for their

own good, I dare say."

"Does Bors need coins to take a smithing request?" said Aldrich. He got a closer

look at Bors and saw scorch marks and whip wounds scarring his arms a plenty.

Signs of the giant's past as a slave.

"Coins? Nonsense," said the Death Lord. "Bors is only limited by the time it

takes for him to forge what you desire and the resources you bestow upon

him."

Aldrich briey wondered what he would do with the coins in his inventory, but

he set that issue aside for later.

"Strong I am! Forge I can!" said Bors as he nodded several times at Aldrich.

"Bors, what can you do with this?" said Aldrich as he materialized the soul of

Seth Solar. The ghostly white orb glowed in Aldrich's hand. This was, other

than the Locus, the greatest prize Aldrich had won in the past night. A symbol

of his fullled vengeance and a new age of strength.

"My, that is quite an interesting soul," said the Death Lord as she itted out her

forked tongue. "From one of these New Worlders, no? Powerful, too, I can

sense it. Go on, Bors, tell us how you will forge this."

Bors sat down behind his giant anvil and furnace. He held out an open palm,

and the soul oated above it, looking positively tiny in his huge, scarred hand.

Bors craned his neck down as he stared at the soul.

"I never see anything like this before. But I make it work!" said Bors. He looked

to Aldrich. "What you want?"

"You best not forge a weapon, my dear Usurper," said the Death Lord. "Without

even using my beautiful scythe even once! So ckle how will your lover there

think of your loyalty if she sees you hop from wondrous weapon after the

other?"

"H-huh? My master is the utmost symbol of loyalty!" protested Valera.

"Of course, of course," said the Death Lord with a smile. "You are so very easy

to tease, Guardian."

"..." Valera pouted as she turned to Aldrich. "Master...I must resist a rising urge

to duel that...that woman."

"We'll get that duel in time," said Aldrich as he glanced to the Death Lord.

"Won't we?"

"Yes. Yes you shall," said the Death Lord with bared fangs and excited grin.

"As for what I want, Bors," began Aldrich. He did not want a weapon, because

the Death Lord was right. The [Forsthallowed War Scythe] was already a superb

quality item. Aldrich also already had an armor set that would grow with him in

the form of Volantis. "Can you forge me a seal?"

"A seal? Yes I can! Forge I can!" said Bors.

A seal was a catalyst that aided in spellcasting, but unlike weapon catalysts,

seals had no inherent oensive usage. They were mostly handheld talismans

that one could not really use as a weapon like a sta or a scythe.

In exchange, however, where catalyst weapons usually only had a single strong

active ability, a seal provided several active spells as well as stronger passive

eects. To use the active spells of a seal, one had to materialize it and wield it in

one hand, preventing two handing of a weapon.

However, the good thing about seals was that you could wear them as an

accessory when their active spells were not needed, granting permanent access

to their passives.

"Thanks, Bors," said Aldrich.

"What kind of spells you want?" said Bors. "Tell me, and I try to do all!"

"Hm," said Aldrich. Considering Seth's rough strength at around level 40, he

gured he could get a Seal at the Epic+ rank. The higher the rank of a seal, the

more spells it could store, and at the epic rank, a seal could store 4 spells. "An

area of eect damage spell. A high single target damage spell. A healing spell.

And a stat boosting bu."

Bors nodded along to Aldrich's words, tapping a nger to his head to try and

help him follow along and remember. It took a solid thirty seconds after Aldrich

stopped speaking for Bors to respond.

"Okay! I get it," said Bors. "I do all that. My hammer will strike loud, and soon,

you be proud!"

Bors took the soul in his hand and led it to his furnace. He opened the metal

cylinder up and funneled in some of the black ames imbued on one of his

arms. The furnace roared with activity, aring with dark re and embers. He

stued the soul in and closed the door shut.

"I think I be done in ve days" said Bors.

"Five days? That should be ne," said Aldrich. He could not help but like Bors.

Bors was a gentle giant through and through, dutiful and always positive. But

most of all, innocent. "I expect a lot from you, Bors."

"No worries! My work always good," said Bors as he sat down in front of the

furnace cross-legged.

"Now then," said the Death Lord. She looked Aldrich over from head to toe,

closely inspecting him.

"Where are you looking?" said Valera suspiciously.

"Ogling your lover, is it not evident?"

Before Valera could react, the Death Lord laughed as she put her hand to her lip.

"A jest. No, I was simply checking on my dear Deathguard Volantis.

Instead of forging new toys, how about we take the time to x poor old Volantis

now?"