[F17 – SP] The Battle of the Hammers | <<Challenge of Olympus>>

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari was busy at her anvil, Yuki curled up on the workbench, appearing unbothered by the rhythmic ringing of Nari’s work. She had been lost in thought over a few things, including the evolution of her relationship – if you could call it that – with NIGHT. Things were…taking a turn, for lack of a better understanding. ‘Dinner…I asked her out to dinner. What was I thinking? Did I really…?’

A sudden alert appeared beside Nari’s hand, just as her hammer rose to swing again at the piece she had been working on. The appearance of it caught her off guard, and drew her attention away for the briefest of moments as her eyes shot over to look at who it was from. The title on it noted that the sender was someone named ‘Zeus’ – likely someone Nari hadn’t met yet; at least she didn’t remember meeting a Zeus.

Bringing her hammer down in a final swing, she put away everything she had been working with. This message had her curious. Mostly because she wanted to know why random people would be messaging her – it wasn’t a major holiday, as far as she knew, so there shouldn’t be any major celebrations or parties. ‘Perhaps a belated celebration for clearing the most recent floor boss? Or for some other raid that had occurred?’

Nari tossed aside the questing guesses, knowing that the only way to figure out what the message was about was to open it and actually read it. Putting away the final pieces of her workshop, she switched into her armour – deciding that regardless of what the message was, she could use some time outside of the shop.

Opening the dialogue box, Nari’s eyes scanned the text before her – but she ended up having to read it twice to understand what it was about. For a few moments, the invitation didn’t make a ton of sense. Whomever this ‘Zeus’ was, they were inviting her to the seventeenth floor, to a place known as Olympus specifically. It appeared that the invitation was to meet the god Hephaestus, the supposed god of the forge and crafting. The message detailed how if the player followed the path to Olympus, a buff would keep most monsters out of their way, but that they would need to be provided entry by a…Satyr who guarded the entrance.

Nari’s eyes narrowed as she continued through the message, trying to figure out if it was somehow a hoax, or if there was any truth behind it. The entire thing seemed…far-fetched, in her mind. ‘Well, there’s only one way to know for sure, right?’

Collecting her sword and shield, Nari clicked her tongue, disturbing the little fox’s sleep. “What do you say, Yuki? Want to go see Olympus and meet some gods?”

The tiny fox sprung from the workbench where she had been asleep, bouncing her way across the workshop and eventually making her way up Nari’s body before snuggling in against her collarbone. Nari took a moment to scratch at the fox’s little head, before giving the forge one final lookover. Everything was packed away properly, tidied up to Nari’s high standards. A soft smile on her lips, she made her way through the shop and out onto the cobbled pathway that led out into the street beyond. The perpetual night air was a breath of relief to Nari, somehow so welcoming to her, even though many complained that the lack of light was somehow depressing.

Nari made her way along the street, passing through the many residential and commercial districts – most fairly empty, being well past the time of closure for many of them – before finding herself in the main square that contained the teleport pad. Striding across to the teleporter, Nari side stepped as a couple of other players rushed forwards, determined to make it there first – clearly in a hurry to reach their destination. Content to sit by and wait, Nari paused to lean against a low sitting concrete flowerbed, bringing up the message once more and going over it with her eyes. Something about it seemed so…odd, yet intriguing all the same. She found herself interested in finding out about this – even if it was some sort of trap, or hoax. Whatever the end results, she wanted to know why she had received it, why she had been picked out of everyone.

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth| Lv. 22 | HP: 440/440 | EN: 62/62 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 115 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0 |

| STH: -2 | THORNS [9 DMG]

Tier 2 Level

Equipped Items

Dark Fox Blade [Tier 2; One-Handed Straight Sword; Perfect] A longer hand-and-a-half sword, the blade itself contains a black centre, the edges a soft violet colour. Above the violet hilt stands the curled white fox emblem, standing stark against the dark colour of the blade itself. The hilt contains a combination leather wrapping of violet and teal colouring. | Enhancement: Accuracy [3 Slots] | Effect: Gain +(1 per slot) to the BD when attacking. Cannot be used to cause a critical hit.

Dark Fox Protector [Tier 2; Heavy/Plate Armour] Glittering with a hint of ice blue colour, this plate armour has a near-frozen appearance to it, as if ice rests on its surface at all times. Along its edge lines are a shifting ice blue and dark purple colouring, seemingly drifting in and out between the two colours with no clear path. | Mitigation [3 Slots] | Effect:  Prevent (6 per slot * Tier) damage from successful attacks against you.

Lanreth's Defender [Tier 1; Heater Shield] Black outline with a dark purple interior, red howling wolf painted in the centre. | Enhancement: Thorns [1 Slot] | Effect: Successful non-critical attacks against you deal (9 * Tier) unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

Battle-Ready Inventory

Teleport Crystal (3)

Arrowhead Brooch | Tier 1 Perfect Trinket | Accuracy III

Music Box | Tier 1 Perfect Trinket | LD III

Weapon Skills

Straight Sword Skill Rank 5 Passive Effect: +7 DMG

Sword Arts

[x12] ST-I (12 EN) | A single-target sword art.

[x15] ST-II (15 EN) | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn.

[x20] ST-B (20 EN) | A devastating single-target sword art. Can only be used if the sword art used the previous turn is not ST-B and had rolled a natural CD9+. When performing an AoE attack, use only the first roll.

[x11] AOE-I (11 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.

[x14] AOE-II (14 + 2 * targets EN) | AOE | A powerful sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. Only available for use when AOE-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if AOE-II had been used and had missed the previous turn.

[x12] TECH-A (13 EN) | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.

[x12] TECH-B (12 EN) | DELAY | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, applies [Delay] on the enemy. [Delay] is a status condition that reduces the enemy’s ACC by 1 for one turn.

[x3] RAW-A (10 EN) | THORNS | A single-target sword art that utilizes the [Thorns] of the individual against the enemy. Other types of enhancements that apply damage upon contact with the individual are also considered in improving the damage of this sword art (eg. Immolation Potion, Flame/Frost Aura, etc). Outgoing damage is considered mitigatable.  Must have a weapon equipped to activate this sword art. Unlock Condition: Have the skill [Heavy Armor].

Armour Skills

Heavy Armor Rank 4 Passive Effect: MIT + 25. You can only benefit from one armour skill at a time (the respective armour type must be equipped). Your evasion is capped at 1 enhancement slot and you take -1 to Stealth Rating per rank.

Extra Skills

Parry Active: Post action Energy cost: 9 EN Cooldown: 3 Turns Effect: Apply the energy cost upon proc, not activation. Reduces the final damage of the next successful attack against you by 50% (rounded down) and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack. If hit by multiple attacks, only apply parry to the first attack against you. Parry lasts for three turns. Cooldown starts when the player activates the Skill. If the player is hit when using Parry, the cooldown is reset to 3 turns.

[Parry Mod] Vengeful Riposte Cost: 6 SP Passive Cooldown: 4 Turns Effect: A successful Parry also returns 50% (rounded down) of the raw damage that would be dealt to you back to your opponent. The reflected damage can be mitigated by the opponent.

Block [Requires two Extra Skill slots] 5 Ranks Passive Effect: Requires an equipped shield. User’s evasion cannot be greater than 0 (can still be negative). Grants additional mitigation: Rank 2: 8 MIT

Combat Mastery

Combat Mastery: Mitigation Rank 3 Passive Effect: Gain +36 Mitigation.

Forager Stats

Spoiler

 

[167/299 EXP] Rank 3 - Adept Forager: Successfully forage for materials on a LD 12+.

Foraging Buffs

Greenhouse [+2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.] 

Rank 3
CD:

[1-4] = No additonal materials.
[5+] = 1 additional material.
[9+] = 2 additional materials & 1,500col.

Foraging attempts: +3 EXP
Successful forage: +5 EXP
Critical forage (additional materials/Demonic Shards): +8 EXP

 

 

Spoiler

Word Count: 727

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Lost in thought staring at the message, Nari didn’t notice as time slowly crept by. She continued pouring over the message, trying to piece together the less-than-cryptic words, which somehow seemed to carry a hidden meaning – at least to her eyes. It frustrated her that she couldn’t figure it out just by reading it over and over again – and eventually she slammed the close button on the dialogue box. Glancing about she noticed that those few others whom had been in the large square with her had disappeared, and she figured it was time that she herself moved on.

Making her way across to the teleport pad, Nari pushed the thoughts out of her mind – realising that it would go nowhere but circles for now. Standing in the centre of the pad, she closed her eyes against the coming sensation, before calling out. “Athenaia!”

There was a slight hum in her ears, and the blinding light that pierced even her closed eyelids, and then nothing. Cracking her eyes open, she saw the scene before her had shifted. Gone was the perpetual darkness, instead a soft glow as the evening began to take over the skies overhead. Around her were white pillared buildings that reminded Nari of Greek architecture – specifically those seen in movies about Ancient Greece.

Nari realised suddenly that this was her very first venture into the seventeenth floor. She stepped off the pad, letting her gaze roam over the buildings and people in the area. There were a collection of different players roaming about – most keeping to their small groups or by themselves, very few taking the time to really acknowledge Nari. She knew that at the time, she was no one of real significance – just another low level player making her way towards the front lines, no one of real consequence. Which meant she could enjoy the freedom of anonymity – something she thought was a blessing, if only for now.

The NPCs – and there was a large abundance of those – were all dressed in a collection of differing outfits; she spotted the affluent combinations of Roman, Greek and…something else, in their attire. She tossed it up to essentially just a collection of research bringing together an amalgamation of cultures. Most left Nari alone as she strode through the streets, exploring the large city. A few called out to her for their wares, trying to draw her in to purchase from their select stock.

Nari ignored the majority, bowing her head respectfully, but continuing past. She slowly made her way through the city – stopping once or twice simply to ask directions along the route, before continuing onwards. The city itself was large – far larger than Nari enjoyed – and she was happy when she finally reached the gates out of it. The world beyond seemed like something out of a movie – flowing fields of tall grasses, white clouds against darkening sky. She knew the aesthetic was some Ancient Greek module, but they developers had really gone above and beyond on this, forcing every possible cliché they could consider into the design – almost overdoing it, at least in Nari’s mind. Still…she had to admit that they hadn’t held back at all – making it as godly beautiful as they could.

Spoiler

Word Count: 539

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As soon as she left the gates of the large city, it felt as though something had lifted from her shoulders – her entire form, right down to her core felt lighter. Nari smiled, enjoying the peaceful walk through the flowing fields, following the path that led towards Mount Olympia. She had gained the directions from another within the city, quickly thanking them before rushing onwards, a feeling of absolute dislike in her stomach at the conversation – not because of the other individual, but because of the action itself. Even with how much she had grown over the last little while here, she still avoided socialisation unless absolutely necessary – or with certain individuals. Very, very specific individuals.

Her mind drifted towards the few individuals she had begun to make friend’s with here; those whom she had truly come to trust and enjoy the company of. She wondered how she had ever managed to convince some of them to put up with her – but smiled at the reality that, they too had likely had similar thoughts. Maybe.

As she made her way along the pathway, Nari couldn’t help but let her eyes wander the grasses, looking for those shiny bricks that sometimes stood out to her trained eye. Although her focus was on making it to the mountain, and she would in time, she didn’t feel like there was any real harm in letting her path wander slightly on the way – I mean, she was going to get there. In time.

The grasses flowed in a slight breeze, and Nari remembered a time – long before the virtual world – when she had gone for a hike in a local park, hoping to escape the fast-paced closet that was the real world. She had spent the day making her way along paths in tree covered areas – well worn by others who had travelled through the area – before finding a slight offshoot that had shown little sign of travel. Deciding there was limited harm in following it – she could just turn around and return along the pathway if things seemed to be wrong in any way – she turned off the beaten path. It hadn’t taken her long to reach the end of the trail – maybe half an hour at most. It had led to an open field filled with wildflowers, and a wonderful view of the cloudless sky above.

Determined to enjoy the little slice of seclusion that she had found, she had settled herself on the edge of the clearing, watching the wind rustle through the trees and the few birds flittering through the skies above. She had drawn into herself after a few minutes, no thoughts, simply watching the world around her.

Her calm manner was interrupted when a twig snapped from behind her, back along the path she had taken to get here. Nari had jumped to her feet, readying herself for whatever was coming down the path after her – but she hadn’t been prepared for the small brunette that had stepped out from behind the trees. Nari had stared, transfixed by the brunette girl who was clearly of some Asian heritage – her softly tanned skin gave that much away, more so than anything else. Nari had felt her eyes roam over the girl’s face – for she was a girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen, a good five years younger than Nari, at least.

The girl had stopped as soon as she spotted Nari, her surprise shown on her face. “Oh, uhm. I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to disturb you, I had no idea anyone else knew of this place…”

Nari had remained silent, her voice betraying her as she tried to think up a response. She felt herself flush deeply, and her eyes dropped to the ground as her anxiety took over. A breeze picked up as the silence continued to stretch between them, and Nari heard the girl shift slightly in place, before she spoke again.

“I…I didn’t mean to disrupt your time alone. I can go if you want.” Nari glanced up as the girl turned slightly, appearing to head back down the way she had come. Nari’s heart suddenly constricted, the pain in her chest becoming almost too much to bear – yet she suddenly found her voice, calling out after the girl.

“N-no wait! I’m…I’m Nari…you can stay. I mean if you want to. I can leave. Or stay. Would you like to stay?”

The girl paused in her movements, seemingly shocked by the sudden words – or the offer, or both. A slight smile crossed her face as she turned back to face Nari, her voice almost ringing as she spoke again. “Hi Nari, my name’s Evelyn, but you can call me Eve.”

ID203664 | LD: 5 + 1 = 6 | Material Search | Failure [+3EXP; 170/299 EXP]

Spoiler

Word Count: 784

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari’s mind snapped back to the present as the sound of hooves clomping the ground came slowly closer. Glancing around, Nari saw what appeared to be a creature that appeared to have the upper body of a man, and the legs of…a sheep?...some hooved animal. Atop its head were two horns that curled up and backwards, similar to a goat in Nari’s mind.

She paused in her search as the creature continued to approach her, clearly making a line towards Nari herself. Her hand drifted towards her sword, the shield on her right arm raising slightly as she waited to see if this creature would be friend or foe. The Satyr clopped up towards her, eventually coming to stop a few steps away from her. The Satyr spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice, as if he was displeased to be dealing with Nari.

“I have been sent to ensure you make your way to Mount Olympia without any hinderance or problems.” The Satyr stomped its hooves on the ground, its impatience and annoyance clear in its stance. Nari took a few moments to continue scrounging through the grass fields before acknowledging the Satyr’s words.

“So…you were sent to…guide me? You’re a guide?” Nari could see the Satyr’s face erupt in anger at her words, clearly not impressed with how she was referring to his point of being here. Nari knew that she shouldn’t push her luck – lest she do something to disrupt the Satyr’s mood and miss out on learning what was going on. “I am…gracious, for your guidance and…and assistance. Would you please show me the way…?”

A chirp from her shoulder made Nari grit her teeth. Yuki clearly found her attempt at being welcoming and nice amusing, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the Satyr would take it the same way – or worse. He seemed to shrug it off, however, turning instead and heading back the way he came – stopping only once to make sure that Nari had begun to follow his lead.

‘Excellent, I’m stuck with the best company ever, today. This had better all be worth it.’ Sighing to herself she carried on after the Satyr, wishing that she had just ignored that request to begin with. But here she was, and now she had to follow this goat-man to where it would take her.

ID203666 | LD: 9 + 1 = 10 | Material Search | Failure [+3EXP; 173/299 EXP] 

Spoiler

Word Count: 393

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari’s search as they made their way along the pathway had so far provided her with nothing of worth. Between the Satyr’s incessant speed, and her inability to drive the sound of the clopping hooves out of her mind, she wasn’t able to properly look for the materials she so desperately wanted for her smithing. Sighing, she gave up on the search entirely after only a few moments, turning her attention instead to her guide – figuring she might as well at least try and collect some information from him while she followed along.

“The invite didn’t really…well, specify who it was I was supposed to meet…It just said to come…and well, something about a challenge?” The Satyr glanced back at Nari’s question, the annoyance plain on his face as she spoke. Clearly, he was not pleased to have to be babysitting, as if he had something better to do with his time. Nari resisted the urge to roll her eyes, somehow not surprised that the Cardinal system would send this exact type to lead her to the mountain.

“Did you not read the invitation?” The Satyr seemed to give a sound of discontent before continuing, clearly not pleased at her lack of knowledge of where she was being taken to – or even why she was being taken there. “You have been summoned to face Hephaestus, a great honour for mortals, you should know. Few get to stand in the audience of the gods, least of all someone as…unimportant as you. You are being brought forth to challenge Hephaestus, to prove your worth as a master of the hammer.”

“A…master of the hammer? Am I to fight him?” The Satyr stumbled as her words reached his ears, his eyes going wide as he stared at Nari. Clearly, she had said something that he hadn’t expected, but he had said it would be a challenge of hammers. ‘Unless…wait, who is this Hephaestus?’

Greek mythology had never been her strong suit, and although she struggled for a few moments, she couldn’t bring anything to mind that would help her understand the situation. She was just about to mention as much, when the Satyr suddenly spoke up again, his voice full of…was it disbelief?

“Hephaestus is god of the forge – the one whom your kind give praise to whenever you craft something of value, in your eyes. He has summoned you to prove your worth as one of his followers – and will challenge you to prove your worthy in his eyes. Should you succeed, you will obtain his blessings to continue upon the path he has so graciously given to you.”

Spoiler

Word Count: 437

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari came to a conclusion – she didn’t like the guide. Not because he was clearly infatuated with these gods, or because he seemed to dislike Nari and the entire idea of having to lead her to this meeting. No, it was because he had made it very clear – she was someone unworthy of being here, someone who never should have received the invitation to begin with.

For a few minutes, Nari considered testing what would happen if she attacked the Satyr – but eventually abandoned the idea. It was likely that she would find herself facing a mid-level creature, or worse. Plus – she wanted to see what this was all about, especially at the mention of a reward.

‘God of the forge… maybe it’s something to help my smithing? That would be nice.’ The remainder of the walk carried on in relative silence, and Nari spent her time thinking about what the challenge could possibly be, while also keeping an eye out for any materials – something she could always use more of.

As they drew closer to the mountain itself, Nari couldn’t help but glance up at it – a collection of sun rays beaming down upon the citadel styled building barely visible towards its peak. She was sure that for some, it would be an impressive sight to behold – but to her, it just seemed over the top. What drew her attention more than the sunlit peak, was the large, overly muscled humanoids patrolling the mountains lower areas, clearly on guard for anything approaching the area.

As she and the Satyr came closer, the beings seemed to move towards them for a moment, as if preparing to intercept their route – but suddenly turned off as they spotted the Satyr leading her. ‘Curious…’

The remainder of the walk towards the mountain ended up being fairly boring in Nari’s mind, and she found herself returning to her searching, weaving along the path behind her guide as she glanced about, eyeing the beings she had dubbed as Sentries in her head every once in a while.

ID203679 | LD: 5 + 1 = 6 | Material Search | Failure [+3EXP; 176/299 EXP]

Spoiler

Word Count: 342

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As they came to the base of the mountain, Nari couldn’t help but speak up. She knew it was unlikely that the Satyr would actually answer her question, but she was curious all the same. Speeding up her walk enough to bring her beside the Satyr, Nari waved a hand towards the Sentinels, trying to keep her tone casual as she asked her question.

“So, do they guard the area from monsters?” The Satyr seemed to side eye her for a moment, as if wondering if he had to answer or even acknowledge that she had spoken. When he finally did give a reply, it was short and full of discontent – and clearly that discontent was aimed at her.

“They keep out any unworthy beings from the great mountain. Only those chosen by the gods may stride forth without hindrance, and you would do well to remember that.” It wasn’t very friendly, but it was also far more than Nari had expected to get from the man… goat… thing. She considered that a win, at the very least.

As her eyes continued to scan the area that they passed through, constantly on the search for any of the shiny metallic bricks that she had come almost obsessed with finding every time she was outside of a main settlement area. She had to admit – it was both a good and bad obsession to have, seeing as it directly affected her ability to provide top notch blacksmithing services to other players.

“So do you know… what sort of challenge I’ll be facing?” Nari tried to keep her tone casual, yet respectful all at the same time. She had hoped that maybe this Satyr would give her some insight so she could prepare better – even if it was simply to have an idea of what exactly she was walking into.

“You will find out soon enough. We’re almost there.” Nari glanced up the path they had been following. It didn’t seem like they were almost there, the large buildings were still a ways off, but she knew she had no real argument to provide and so stayed silent, simply content to follow the Satyr for the time being.

‘At least he answers questions. Imagine if this all had to be passed in silence…’ Nari cocked her head at the voice, confused for a moment at the thought. She had always enjoyed silence… and she wasn’t quite sure why that could possibly be a bad thing. Shaking her head, she put the whole thing aside for now – that was something to revisit another time.

ID203681  | LD: 2 + 1 = 3 | CD: 10 + 1 = 11 | Material Search |  Failure [+3EXP; 179/299 EXP]

Spoiler

Word Count: 430

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice roll results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The trek continued on in silence for another ten minutes or so, before the Satyr suddenly turned to the left, taking a path that Nari would’ve missed entirely if she hadn’t been guided through the area. Hastening after him, she realised something – she had no idea what this creatures name was, or if he even had a name. The shock of it brought a tinge of red to her ears, and she hurried along to catch him.

“Uhm… I know we’re not really friends or anything… but… I just realised I don’t even know your name. And that just seems rude, for me not to ask.” The Satyr stumbled as he turned to look at Nari, a look of pure surprise on his face at her words. Apparently he had never thought that this situation could possibly occur, and it was a couple of moments of silence before he responded, his words full of uncertainty.

“You may call me…Tim. It is the closest name of consequence in your language.” The Satyr fumbled for a moment before carrying on along the path, his stance somehow off compared to how he had been before. Nari rushed after him, determined not to let the moment pass.

“It’s nice to meet you… Tim. I’m Nari.” She grinned at the Satyr, trying both to be friendly, as well as relish in the uncomfortable situation she had put the being in – something she could align with all too well. The Satyr gave her a side glance, but no actual verbal response. She figure that maybe that was for the best – she didn’t want to push things too far, especially in territory that she was no expert in. Deciding to just let it all drop, she glanced down the pathway they were headed, trying to figure out where their destination might be.

As far as she could tell, the path seemed to end at the wall of the mountain itself, as if it was entirely a dead end. Nari figured that Tim would have some sort of plan here, but she felt herself questioning if she had done something to upset him, and had somehow derailed the meeting with this Hephaestus somehow. Deciding she would remain alert but follow along, she gave Yuki a slight nudge, making sure her companion was awake and keeping an eye out for danger.

Spoiler

Word Count: 392

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Tim led her to the wall of the mountain, coming to an abrupt stop an arm’s reach away from it. He suddenly turned to Nari, an extremely serious look on his face. Her eyes had already shifted all around by the time the Satyr started talking, looking for any sign of threats in the vicinity – and finding nothing.

“We’re going into the forge directly, as pure Hephaestus’ desire. I must warn you…he is very concerned about his appearance. Do not gawk, stare, wide-mouth, gaze or otherwise draw attention to his appearance. No matter how...inspiring it may be.” Nari was not prepared for the Satyr’s warning, and so it took her a moment to realise what was being said – her eyes still scanning the area for signs of an impending ambush or other trap.

When she did eventually response to the patiently waiting Satyr, her only word was likely not what he was expecting either. “Huh?”

The Satyr blinked. Once, twice, and then suddenly the serious expression broke into one of frustration. His words carried a tone of displeasure and general exasperation, and Nari wondered what Cardinal was thinking programming the man-goat like this. “He is very conscious of his – you know what, just…just follow me. And don’t stare. And…don’t speak. Unless spoken to. Try not to upset him.”

Nari stared at the Satyr for a good, solid minute before responding with, “Okay…” Seemingly content, the Satyr turned and placed its hands on the mountain wall, pushing against it and opening a small passage behind the wall. Glancing back once, the Satyr headed into the hallway, lights blazing to life as he came near.

Spoiler

Word Count: 273

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari followed along behind Tim as he led her deeper into what she was beginning to believe was going to be the very centre of the mountain itself – or pretty damned close to it. The clomping of the hooves had really grated down on her over the last few minutes, to the point where she could feel herself grinding her teeth in annoyance. She knew that there was nothing to be done about it – she couldn’t very well offer to cover Tim’s feet to silence them, that would be rude. Mentally beating her head against a wall, she had no choice but to just suffer through it – hoping it would end the moment they reached their destination.

A light – somehow brighter than the others around, and yet not nearly as hard on the eyes in the darkness – suddenly appeared ahead of them. It took Nari but a moment to recognise the orange glow against the otherwise dark pathway. A forge lay ahead, she was sure of it. As they came closer, the smell of the forge hit her suddenly – the drifting smells of fire, metallics and the odd sweet-metallic smell of smelting materials.

As she continued forward, the light gave way to an open forge – the anvil in its centre easily twice as big as the one that Nari had in her own workshop. Tools lined the walls, varying sizes, shapes and uses – Nari felt a slight tinge of jealousy at it all, her own shop seemed so pitiful in comparison.

Remembering that she was here to meet someone, she glanced about – looking for the godly being who must have been watching her with some amusement. Aside from herself, the Satyr, and some weird suit of armour that seemed to shift impatiently, Nari saw no – ‘Wait, that’s not a suit of armour.’

Spoiler

Word Count: 302

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari felt herself pause as she took in the situation, not staring at the individual, but her eyes continuing to roam the forge – but keeping the metallic being in the corner of her sight at all times. Her curiosity was definitely peaked, but she didn’t want to be the one to initiate the conversation here. Plus, there was more than enough to take in while she waited – the forge was immense, and her professional eyes swept over everything as she tried to memorise the different setups, tools, and other implements that she spotted throughout.

Her admiration came to an end as a voice echoed throughout – a strength behind it that Nari immediately associated with what she would assume should be a godly voice. Turning towards it, she saw the metallic figure moving towards her, something she assumed most individuals would find menacing – but for Nari, she found it intricately interesting.

“You have answered the summons, human.” Nari waited patiently as the voice continued, her eyes sizing up the individual and trying to figure out how such a being could maneuver outside of general godly abilities – and of course, the Cardinal’s blessing. “I have summoned those whom have proved their worth at the anvil, in an attempt to best me in a challenge – a challenge that no mere mortal could possibly hope to win at. But…you, you may stand a chance – if you are worthy.”

Nari tried not to let her impatience show. She had always hated these monologues, where the individual had to explain why only the chosen one could possibly complete it – it was a trope played over far too often. Trying to curb her impatience, she forced herself to wait as the being before her continued to explain the challenge itself – she hoped quickly, but thoroughly.

“I have created a three-part challenge, and should you succeed, I will gift you something that will prove most beneficial to one who wants to become master of the craft of creation – but, in order to obtain it, you must prove to me that you are worthy of such a gift.” The being paused, and suddenly there was a shift in the voice, as if it had finished reading a script and had instead reverted back to its normal, true voice. “I am the god of the forge, but I have found within mortal beings a skill that even I can relate to, in few of those humans who dare to approach me. I am hoping that you will be one of those mortals.” 

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Word Count: 422

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The being seemed to wait for some sort of response from Nari, who in turned remained silent waiting for further instruction on what it was that was expected from her. She was determined to wait out the system here, regardless of how long that would take – which hopefully wouldn’t be forever, she had things to do, and places to be. Eventually, her patience won out, as the deity continued his monologue, a tinge of - was that concern? - to his voice.

“The challenge is rather simple. I have six pieces that I have crafted, and you will review. If you can find the flaws in each, the imperfections in their creation – I will gift you the hammer that I use at my own forge. A piece that has proven capable of boosting the users own perfection with the craft at hand.” Now that had Nari’s attention – the task itself sounded relatively simple, and the reward was something that showed real promise for her – something that would make her better as a craftswoman. Her interest peaked; she finally spoke up.

“I would wholeheartedly accept this challenge. If only for the…ability to see what crafts you have made.” The being seemed content with her answer, and waved a hand to his left, where a pathway led into some other room. Nari waited a moment to see if she should lead or follow, before heading down the pathway.

A room stood not twelve steps beyond the archway she passed through, and in its centre stood what appeared to be a polearm – ‘spear, long poled, two handed for sure. The blade contains a single tang against it’s underside…’ – held aloft on a platform that allowed it to stand freely. Nari glanced around, but saw nothing else in the room.

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Word Count: 296

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari stepped forward – turning to see the being’s reaction to her coming so close to the piece on display. The being – for Nari could not imagine this being a man – seemed to be unperturbed by her close inspection, unmoving as it watched her eye the piece. Careful not to touch it, but getting as close as she could to properly inspect it, her eyes roamed over the piece. The shaft had been well designed, crafted of what appeared to be redwood imbedded with a metallic threading to strengthen it – something she would remember to do with her pieces going forward. Her eyes shifted up to the blade, taking in the dual-edges that were whittled down to…

“It truly is an exquisite piece. Designed to imbed the metal to strengthen the core of the pole, the blade folded extra but tampered out so that the edges would be strengthened against consistent abuse – should this piece ever be used in battle. There are no flaws that a mere mortal could comprehend.” Nari saw the being almost deflate slightly at her observations, and rushed to continue before it could speak over here. “But the blades themselves were whittled down too quickly, wearing away their edges before they could be properly refined – this piece will suffer only one strike before the edges break and snap, leaving them jagged and imperfect.”

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Word Count: 226

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

A few moments of silence passed as the being seemed to consider her words. Nari waited, curious as to if she had beaten it at its own game, or if there was something she was missing. She had studied the entire thing thoroughly, and the blade’s edges were the only piece she had picked up on…

“You have done well. Few before you had spotted that imperfection.” Was that a smile on its face? “That is the first test, shall we proceed to the next?”

It moved across to the right side of the room, where another archway led through a short tunnel and into a similar area. In the centre of this one, stood a battle axe – ‘Two-handed, single blade, core structure designed for speed over damage’ – a dark orange blade attached to a dark black handle long enough to be nearly as tall as Nari.

She wandered forward, determined to prove to this being that she was as capable as he was at crafting, her eyes glancing over the weapon before her – searching for the imperfection that she knew was there. ‘I won’t let you defeat me, I’ll show you just how capable I am. I’ll find all your flaws – no matter how long it takes me. I know they’re here…and I’m going to point them out to you.”

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Word Count: 221

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

This piece took Nari a few moments longer to find what she was looking for. As she poured over the piece, she could see the being out of the corner of her eye, a stoic look upon its face as it waited for her to finish – surprisingly patient for one who was being told all the problems with the piece. ‘Perhaps, after eons of creating perfect, you like finding imperfections?’

“Yet another exquisite piece. I will admit this one was more troubling to find than the last – as I’m sure you expected to be the case.” The being gave a nod at her words, confirming what they both knew already, but remaining silent as it waited for her judgement. “The shaft contains a micro-crack along its form, something that would be indetectable to those whom do not look for faults in their own creations. I barely noticed it myself, but once it begins to spread, it will cause the entire shaft to shatter – leaving the weapon useless.”

This time the being did smile. It was very unsettling to Nari, but she fought to keep the reaction off her face and out of her movements. The voice was filled with what Nari was starting to believe truly was joy at her findings. “Indeed, that is the case. I had made this weapon as a gift for another, but…as you say, it would shatter and leave it useless. Not fitting, as a gift, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

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Word Count: 244

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari could barely get in a nod of agreement before the being had begun moving to the next room. Another archway, another passage of minimal steps, and another room. In its centre stood a chain mail coif – settled upon a bust that was likely of someone important. Nari felt her brow furrow – now this was a piece she had limited knowledge of, this would certainly be more challenging. She glanced at the being, hoping that it didn’t notice her hesitation as she saw the piece before her.

Wandering over to it, she began her circle, trying to view it from all sides without touching it directly. The chains themselves were interlocking – and of a quality that made Nari envious of the work. The top plate – where the chains connected in order to provide a more comfortable seat for the wearer – was impressive, the curve of its structure near-mirror smooth, little in the way of what she could call an imperfection.

As she ducked down to view the underside, she suddenly saw what she would classify as a fault – although she wasn’t entirely sure that the being would agree. Sighing, she straightened herself up and turned to face the being.

“I’ve found an imperfection, although I am not sure whether you would agree with it or not.” Nari pointed to a collection of interlocked chains, all which were connected without flaw – except for one minor detail that her eyes had caught upon glancing up at it. “These have been replaced, the originals gone. The connections are different underneath, an obvious exchange that went imperfectly, likely a battle fix that caused a disconnect in the flow of the original pattern – something that cannot be meshed with ease. While it contains no actual flaw to the effectiveness, as a smith I know that I would not be proud of the work myself.”

Nari waited for the response, wondering how the being would take it. She could see him tensing as her words continued, as if taking offence at what she was saying. A brief moment passed before the being actually laughed – causing Nari to step back suddenly.

“Excellent! You are right of course, structurally there is nothing wrong with this piece – it could serve in battle time and again and likely never fail the user, for its intended purpose. But the piece itself brings shame to the crafter – the lack of perfection, the obvious signs of repair. It is something I am not proud of.”

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Word Count: 412

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

There was little more said, and the being led Nari to the next room. She had completed three of the six tests, and they were slowly getting harder as she went on. She began to wonder what the final three would be – if she would be able to even find their flaws. She was impressed with her progress so far, but there was still more to come.

This room contained a pair of greaves, settled upon a table for display. Engraved into their metallic roundness was the imagery of a wolf being struck by a lightning bolt – the significance of which was beyond Nari’s understanding. She felt herself glancing over everything on the greaves, before the answer suddenly popped up before her.

“The imagery is beautiful, but the indents are so deep they affect the structural integrity of the pieces themselves. While wonderful display pieces – excellent for ceremony, they would never hold up in true combat…and even over time, these would crack and digress, their beauty slowly withering away against time’s onward march.” The words flowed from her before she was aware that she was giving her answer, and as her eyes slipped over the pieces, she noticed something else about them. “There’s no proper fold on these – these have been designed from pure smelting. These were never designed for anything more than being on display, were they?”

This time the being stepped forward, carefully picking up the pieces. It glanced at Nari before putting a minor amount of force into the pieces, causing them to crumple inwards. Nari felt a stroke of sadness as they shattered and disappeared before her eyes – the imagery had been beautiful.

“You are correct. I had attempted a new method, a method that required no folding of metals for strength, no redundancy for flaws in the materials being used. I failed, and as you can see the pieces that I created were less than substantial – ceremonially beautiful, maybe. But not worthy of a warrior, or a king.”

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Word Count: 333

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Without any further words towards the piece that was just destroyed, the being moved to the next room – Nari following, wondering at the loss. If offered, she would’ve gladly accepted the piece as a gift. It definitely would’ve been more than welcomed in her own vanity collection.

The next room was slightly different than those previous. Rather than on display in the centre of the room, this piece hung on a wall directly across from the archway she had entered through. As she glanced at it – ‘military fork, twin-tined, short shaft for better management in close quarters combat’ – she wondered if the challenges were getting easier, or if she was just learning how to spot the mistakes this being had made.

Crossing to the piece, she spent a few moments looking over the workmanship, her eyes casting about for any sort of flaws in its design. Her eyes strained, glancing over every inch. She could feel her frustration growing as she stepped from side to side. But, the more she looked, the less confident she was. She couldn’t find any weaknesses in the design, any signs of imperfections or mistakes. It seemed… perfect.

Brow furrowed, she turned towards the being to say as much, knowing that she would be admitting defeat, but also knowing that she couldn’t find a damned thing wrong with it. As she turned, her eyes caught something – or rather, failed to see something – and she turned back to the piece on the wall, suddenly looking at it from a different perspective.

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Word Count: 255

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As she studied the fork more and more, she suddenly realised why the being would be upset with this piece – although it appeared on every single surface to be perfect, there was one major flaw with the entire piece.

“It’s not metallic. What is it? Ceramic…? Stone…? No… it’s something else…” She shifted around the piece, trying to figure out exactly what it was made of. The lack of reflection it was giving off was what had originally made her stop, but as she ran her gaze over it again and again she suddenly felt an urge.

Reaching up gingerly she gave the piece a light prod, jumping back as it suddenly shattered into pieces. ‘Ah, I see…’

“You tried to make this from glass, strengthened with some…some sort of bonding coverage that removed the reflective property… but in doing so made it thinner than you expected – its flaw was that it looked perfect, but it’s durability was non-existent. Something one could only determine through touch.”

The being remained silent for a time, and Nari wondered if she’d done something wrong – aside from the fact that she had just obliterated the piece entirely.

As the being moved towards her, Nari felt herself tense up, a sudden dread running through her body – a dread that wasn’t relieved entirely as the being spoke.

“You are…. Correct. The fault was not visible. It lay in the durability itself. Something I had not accounted for… nor did I expect it to shatter so… easily.” The words seemed to hover for a moment, as if somehow suspended in her mind and ears. Slowly, as if with exaggerated carefulness, the being turned and led her towards the next room. Nari followed along behind, the tension in her body not gone – but easing slightly when the being had simply moved on.

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Word Count: 304

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The final room was far different from what Nari had expected. Where the previous five had the pieces on display in wide open areas, beams of light directed down on them to bring their mastery to life, this room was tiny – barely able to fit herself and the being, alongside the piece that sat in its centre. No light shined down from above to illuminate it, and as Nari stared, she became more and more confused.

‘This is… a chair.’ Well, technically it was a throne. A throne made of numerous weapons and – was that a piece of plate armour for a back rest? The entire thing was… well, not what Nari had expected. Her gaze shifted between the being and this…chair. Trying to determine what she was missing – the entire thing, to her, seemed like a mass of imperfections. There was no mastery that she could see, in fact… to her eyes it appeared almost amateur – something that she would have crafted back in her beginning days.

She felt her gaze linger on the chair before her, struggling to figure out what she could possibly be expected to do here – there was no way it was about pointing out the imperfections, there were far too many. Something else was expected, something that wouldn’t be considered by most people… ‘Think! What would a master blacksmith think of when they saw-‘

Something clicked as Nari thought about it, and she felt a soft smile cross her face. The answer had been so obvious that she had overlooked it entirely, focusing on the piece that was clearly so poorly constructed.

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Word Count: 268