[SP|F17] <<Challenge of Olympus>> Craft Battle

[ChaseR 0]

It had been yet another day of training restlessly with NIGHT, and the bluehead had almost met his goal of reaching the third tier. Before he got to questing with her again though, he thought he’d check out a rather new notification that had appeared on his menu, informing him of a rare quest with a useful drop. What he found peculiar however, was that instead of being referred to with his name, it was his profession’s title he was greeted with- ‘Skilled Artisan’. Funny, considering he hadn’t touched his workshop much in a few days.

He thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it a look, and as such, began heading to where the notification had instructed him to. That being the seventeenth floor. He left towards the portal of the twenty first and upon getting on the plaza, called out with a deep exhale. “Athenaia.”, and with that, a bright blue flash engulfs him before he emerges in…?

Spoiler

Name: ChaseR
Level: 47
HP: 960/960
EN: 94/94

Stats:
Damage: 15
Mitigation: 43
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
BH:9
VAMP DEF:48
FRZ:24
BLD:24
HLY BLS:16
LD:2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Zero Degree Icicle>> (T2/Perfect/2HSS): ACC I, FRZ I, BLD I
Armor: <<Wind Dweller>> (T2/Perfect/Light Armor): EVA I, REC II
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Perfect/Trinket): EVA II, ACC I

Skills:
Two-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 1]
Searching [Rank 1]

Extra Skills:
Familiar Mastery: Fighter
Survival
Disguise

Mods:
2HSS Finesse [R3]
Precision
Athletics
Sprint & Acrobatics

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions(heal 50HP)*3
Spyglass (2/3)*1
T1 Rare Health Potions (heal 40HP)*2
Woodland Armor (T2/Perfect) MIT III (2/3)*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

Housing Buffs:
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[ChaseR 0]

“The fuck..?”, he mumbled under his breath and looked around only to see what appeared like an ancient civilization he was quite well acquainted with due to his fascination with mythology- Ancient Greece. The name of the settlement now made sense. He looked around, completely confused. Kayaba sure must have been feeling creative the day he implemented this floor themed as such, considering he was there now. Before he knew it, he could hear clopping headed his way and suddenly, a satyr showed up before him.

The rest of the NPCs had gotten startled and fled further away from the couple, as the taller figure looked down at Chase and informed him of his invitation. Then again, it caught the bluenette off guard. “Mt. Olympia’s gates..?”, he questioned himself, but before he was able to present any doubts to the humanoid beast, it had already fled the settlement and headed back out to… somewhere.

[ChaseR 0]

He never remembered the mountain having any gates of sorts, but it must have been changed to accommodate the other awkward part to implement in the game- the twelve gods of Olympus. They probably hadn’t been developed any considering they were, as the name implied, gods. Creatures with full control of unnatural forces that would most definitely wreak havoc, on this floor, let alone the entire castle. Various references to divine beings had been sprinkled here and there though, so he didn’t really expect them to live up to their name, should they exist.

Regardless, now he had a task that didn’t seem to involve any combat. He began to head towards the mountain, crossing the plains of ruins. The buildings and structures left and right were just like the history books had described them, if not more fascinating now that he was up close and could fully appreciate them, too.

[ChaseR 0]

Now that he was coming to what looked like a long path upwards, he could see a figure walking down it and in front of gates held shut with two marble pylons and an ancient greek roof right above them. The closer he got, the more of a resemblance to the goddess of wisdom he saw, Athena. When he was near enough to make her out and fully come to the conclusion it must have been a recreation of her, he stopped, looking at her quietly. She stopped all the same, keeping a fair distance between the two.

After a tense moment of silence, she explained the reason to have summoned a simple player like Chase all the way out to the mountain of the gods. “A crafting battle..?”, he asked her, crossing his arms as a soft gust blew, his overcoat flying in the air much like the goddess’ locks did. “That’s right. I want to test a human’s possibilities, see just how closely they can resemble the might of us gods.”

[ChaseR 0]

And why refer to him specifically as Artisan? Now it was much easier to tell. There were twelve gods, yet seven professions. “So it’s a test depending on whatever profession the player has picked… I’m on Rank 5, meaning… I must have gotten it at some point and never noticed. All the more reason to look at my menus more often.”, he thought to himself and kept his gaze pinned right on Athena’s eyes, his eyes narrow and sharp as ever as he cocked an eyebrow up.

“And what might the challenge be?”, he decided to go along with a more dramatic, poetic almost way of talking. The goddess of wisdom simply smirked, returning the same cold stare right back at the boy before her. “A test of your skills against mine. A battle of crafts. It appears we are both artisans, in the end. So what do you have to say? Do you accept?”

[ChaseR 0]

With the challenge now sent his way, he wanted to know what he was getting into. In the rare occasion he was being called to use materials he didn’t have available or hand over an item, he’d have to think twice before accepting her offer. “Do go into details. What will we be using for this battle?”, he inquired only to get a scoff from the woman. “Hephaestus has provided me with tools you should be able to use. As such, we’ll both make a trinket and see which one’s can perform better. The satyr will be picking the trinket’s form for us and we will both have a few minutes to prepare it.”

“A simple test of skill, indeed.”, he nodded to her, dipping his head in as he accepted the challenge and returned the very same confident smile. “I accept the challenge, if that’s the case. Shall we head to the ‘field’, then?”, he asked only for Athena to answer by beginning her stride up the path, allowing the bluehead to follow her. He was about to see just how competent Kayaba’s recreations were at crafting, if that’s all they could muster.

[ChaseR 0]

It was a minute or two of walking before they arrived to a small marble building. Despite its looks from outside, there were various crafting stations inside, mostly with various materials and tools to use. Ones that Chase was quite familiar with, considering those were the ones he’d used. Chisels, hammers, nails, bracelets, the list went on. Anything to make him feel comfortable and get the best performance out of him possible. The area that Athena headed to, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be too packed with items.

If anything, she had but a chisel and the materials before her. Seeing her stand confidently right in front of her station, ready to get down to work. As much as he wanted to observe her and see what creative ways crafting would work in for this NPC, he couldn’t. If he wanted to win this battle, he’d have to work hard and focus on his creation and his alone. “The satyr will be here any moment now.”, she told him only to get a nod in return, with the swordsman beginning to grow nervous.

[ChaseR 0]

Just like she’d predicted, the satyr walked up before the two of them and stood in front of both’s benches, making sure that his eyes could easily switch from one’s workbench to the other’s. The tension was rising for the boy in the overcoat, but he’d persist and do his best after all. When the satyr coughed to clear his throat, he checked whether the two were ready. All he heard in response was silence, and eyes were pinned onto him, waiting to hear the subject of the crafting battle.

Much like Chase, the satyr wasn’t too pleased, but he’d make do with what he could. “Very well then… The two of you are to craft the following trinket- a pair of glasses, with maximum accuracy enchantments.”, he announced, and it was then that both of the crafters grabbed their materials and chisels, starting to get to work right away. “I’ll strain myself if I have to in order to become a damn great crafter, hmph!”

[ChaseR 0]

After a few minutes of working hard at their crafts, the both of them appeared to be done, one shortly after the other. They exchanged intense stares and looked back at the satyr who would evaluate their items. He walked over to Chase’s workbench and looked at it, picking up the glasses he’d created to inspect them. They appeared like nothing out of the ordinary, just a black pair of thick-rimmed specs, however their properties were indeed as high as possible with a perfect trinket.

Nothing that had gone wrong with the human, as much as Athena had expected it. She turned back to the man-beast that walked up to her workbench once he’d calmly placed the boy’s creation back down, peering over her craft quietly and in awe. Although appearances went a long way, it would seem as though the enchantment was… quite honestly, on the same level as blue’s glasses. Despite the beautiful colors and almost royal feeling the glasses gave off, they were only different in appearance.

[ChaseR 0]

Now moving back between the two, the satyr looked rather hesitantly and announced with both hands behind his back. “Now then… Having inspected both of your crafts, although appearances may vary- it seems as though they are just as effective as one another…”. Silence took over for half a minute or so when the two exchanged glares, only for their gazes to soften and themselves to smile. “Not bad at all, are you?”, Athena cooed to the young man, only to get a chuckle from him.

“I didn’t expect any less of a goddess either.”, he responded, as they turned back to the satyr. It appears they’d move on to another round, and although he was trying his darndest, it was probable that she’d get the best of him and come out the victor. “No matter… Even if I lose and fail the quest, I’ll go down fighting.”. He’d made his mind up, and although he’d appreciate successfully finishing the quest, he’d push Athena to her limits, at least as much as he could.

[ChaseR 0]

With the satyr waiting for the two to regain their composure, he noticed that both of them seemed at the ready and put forth the next challenge. “Very well then… For the second bout, you are to create a bracelet with an ambition bonus. Start!”, he called out and once more, the two got down to business, starting to work their crafts. Chase had no time to peek by the side and see Athena’s possibly mesmerising rhythm, the way she worked effortlessly yet created something so fancy and classy compared to him.

Once the two were done again, there were the two bracelets- Athena’s golden one that reminded of olive branches weaved together, and Chase’s black one that bore a pattern akin to blue streaks at random along the circle. Off to inspect the two, the satyr walked around the workbenches and picked them up, making sure to get a good look at both before delivering his verdict.

[ChaseR 0]

“It would appear as though… Once more, despite appearances, you’ve both succeeded all the same.”, he called out with his arms behind his back once more. He knew, much like Chase, that until he made a single mistake, this would keep on going all the same. Thankfully, his prior experience crafting his current Chained Bracelet trinket was backing him up, as well as his pride in being able to theoretically help out any frontliners or newbies, crafting the items that they’d very well need to get going in Aincrad.

The goddess of wisdom looked back at the boy once more, the same way he averted his gaze to her, but there was nothing to be said. He was trying his hardest, with not a clue whether she was stressing herself to perform this well or not. He didn’t even know whether this battle was winnable or not, he could only bet and hope for the best.

[ChaseR 0]

Now that there had been two draws, there had to be a tiebreaker of sorts. After all, the first to best the other would win and be crowned as the victor. “So then… Next up, for the third bout. I’d like you to both craft a necklace equipped with a maximum Loot Die enchantment.”, he gave out the order and this time, there was no need to tell the other two when to start. As soon as he’d finished uttering those worlds, they got down to business, chiselling and hammering away at their materials. At least that’s what Chase did.

It took a bit, but perfecting his movements, making very small but precise strikes every single time, he eventually created an exact copy of his first trinket, his Hopeful Tears. He looked to the side to see yet another golden, royal trinket from Athena. This was an uphill battle that he was slowly coming to the realization, he couldn’t beat.

[ChaseR 0]

Crafting was unfair, to many. Himself included. Getting a perfect craft was possible, but three, let alone four in a row… His luck would run out, despite his skill, sooner or later. And then, he’d lose. So far he was just dragging out the inevitable and trying to escape his certain fate. He opened his mouth before the satyr could get to examining, stopping him dead in his tracks and getting both his and Athena’s attention. “I admit defeat. There’s little way somebody like me, would beat a goddess such as yourself, Athena.”

His words sounded much too humble for Chase, but it was true. “I’ll eventually get tired, make a mistake and slip up. Humans weren’t meant to compete with gods, after all.”, he noted rather dramatically, having gotten absorbed into this quest’s story and little plot in full. Both of the NPCs before him remained silent, trying to process what the boy had just said.

[ChaseR 0]

They didn’t really respond. Although Chase was expecting to be shoved out of the mountainside and right back towards the settlement, he instead watched the satyr nod to the godly being in front of him, starting to walk further up towards the top of Mt. Olympia. While they were waiting for the man beast to return, the woman looked at Chase and walked over, picking up his craft to inspect it and putting it back down. “Do you truly believe in your words? That you cannot beat me?”, she asked. This… Brought up a lot of questions, if’s and but’s from Chase, but ultimately he agreed with a nod.

“It’s hard for me to expect to match one of the twelve gods. I’m unaware of your capabilities in this realm, never met one before in the first place, but… I’m definite my powers don’t go beyond yours any. Comparing ourselves to one another will only lead to your edge showing sooner or later.”, the boy explained, with a small grin on his face the entire time.

[ChaseR 0]

The satyr returned before he could continue any, but Athena didn’t seem to require any further explanation. “Of all the warriors I’ve seen, you’re one of the wisest. You know when to admit defeat, don’t you? That’s a good trait.”, she told him, only for him to notice what was up right there and then. The servant held something in his hands, waiting for the goddess to pick it up. The goddess of wisdom. Now it made sense. So while a battle of crafts, ultimately the one who decided who’d won and who’d lost was… none other than the challenger herself.

She hovered a hand over the satyr’s cupped palms and picked something up, only to hold it out to the boy. “You’ve earned this. I expect you to make the most of it and hone your skills, training hard and never doubting yourself. Know your own limits, just like you proved to me you do today, right here. Understood?”, she asked with a voice calm, yet stern. 

[ChaseR 0]

“Of course.”, he responded simply, although there was nothing but seriousness in his voice. That got a smile out of the goddess who allowed Chase to finally peer over at the item- a lens. “This is a craft I’ve created myself. Go on. Take it and use it in your future endeavors to craft the most powerful of items.”, she instructed the man, who picked up the object and looked over at its properties. “S-Something this powerful..? This removes a lot of strain from crafts in and of itself..!”, he noted to himself, noticing the massive +1CD bonus that it provided. It was with a smile that he stashed it over into his inventory and dipped his head in, as the half goat half man invited him to follow along. Promptly wishing farewell to the goddess, he began to descent the path from Olympus to head back to his home.

[ChaseR 0]

Once on the very bottom of the long path that went all the way to the peak, the satyr bid him farewell all the same and he started to head back, thinking about what all he could make now that his crafting had been bolstered by a simple quest he’d been accidentally ignoring the past few days now- it had been a week since he started after all, huh? And yet, just how far he’d gotten still felt surprising all the same. Within two days, he got through all of the first tier. And now in five more, he was about to wrap up the second tier and go straight where the frontlines are at- the third one.

That tier had to be the most dangerous one too, seeing as plenty of the bosses had been fought in it and the numbers scaled to crazy amounts of Absolute Zero was anything to go by.

[ChaseR 0]

The boy approached closer and closer to the settlement of Athenaia, silently looking around the Ancient Greek ruins and appreciating the scenery. For as out of place as it may or may not be, at least it was beautiful and aesthetic as ever to look at. “I’ll probably do a fair few quests today and get myself up to level fifty… Then I can think of my course of action alongside NIGHT and decide what’s best to start working. In the meantime, I should look for some better weapon too…”

Now was when things would begin to get truly hectic. His final build would slowly materialize and he’d have to put in his all if he wanted to perform well in the floor boss battle, which had dragged on long enough for him to believe it was quite a task to finish, let alone start. “I wonder… Were the frontlines being lazy and loafing around, or were they scared of the boss..?”

[ChaseR 0]

Sadly, pondering it won’t give him the answer any. However, asking NIGHT herself probably would. Speaking of high levels though, he was certain that now he could protect Shay more than ever. If she required any items, he could make them for her or get her the col and materials to pay them off. Likewise, he could take blows during a farming session like they were nothing and be a reliable partner for her. He had more than enough reason to believe in himself, both in and out of combat, despite his rather poor knowledge of the game nonetheless.

That’s what the library he’d made was for after all. Now that he was back in the town, he headed straight for the town plaza to get on the teleporter, opening his menu up and hovering over to his friends list to compose a message and send it right away to NIGHT. “Off for another day of hard work… Let’s see where this can get me today.”

Spoiler

Thread Rewards:

• 3 SP (1 quest, 1 page, 1 event)
• 400 Col
• Athena's Lens (+1 CD Tool)