[SP-F17] She who wields this hammer... <<Challenge of Olympus>>

[Jevi 0]

Every new day she felt like she was progressing. Maybe she hadn't gone out and made new friends, but she reunited with an old one. One who mattered and who had helped change her for the better the first time. That alone, she felt, was enough to keep her going on this path to bettering herself and not crawling away into her ditch of an old shop and shut down. The easiest way to assure she couldn't do this, quite literally, was to close up that sandy dome on the fifth floor and find a new place that she could call home. As she had finally felt comfortable enough to travel to floors once thought to be too dangerous, she found a love for the fifteenth floor.. something about it just made her feel at peace. Jevi was never much of an outdoorsy person, but the nomadic lifestyle of Lharsi's people could help serve as a reminder to keep on moving and not lock herself up in one place. 

So with the documents required to set up a shop once again in her hand, she managed to snag a cozy place just outside of Lharsi, close enough that she could easily get to town without putting herself in danger, while just outside enough so she could allow all players to visit her shop. The spot was much larger than she had originally needed, but the old man in town she had acquired it from told her that it was a home owned by another adventurer like her -- a typical name NPCs used for players -- that seemed to not come back after some time. Right now, he'd give it to get as a shop.. but if she kept up the hard work and threw some Col his way, maybe he'd be able to part with the location.

That would definitely beat finding an inn to crash at, or sleeping on the cold floor. 

Spoiler

Jevi,
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 1
HP: 640/640
EN: 82/82

Stats:
Damage: 20
Mitigation: 66
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 27
L.M.: 1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Eagle's Talons DMG DMG DMG
Armor: Desert Hawk MIT MIT LM

Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Light Armor R5
Fighting Spirit
Lock Picking R3
Battle Healing R4

Active Mods:
Meticulous

Addons:
Stamina x
Precision x
Ferocity x
Resolve x
Dismantling

Active Extra Skills:
Survival 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Jevi

[Jevi 0]

The shop definitely gave a new meaning to 'mountainside property' .. as it was, quite literally, built into the side of the mountain. What almost looked like half of a home sticking out of the side of the mountain proved to be much larger inside than she had anticipated, being that the rest of the house, aside from her wonderful shop, was actually built inside the mountain. A couple of windows, that she could see from her current vantage point, didn't make it a completely enclosed house.. but she looked forward to one day getting to see it and maybe, just maybe, even calling it her own. 

For now, however, the new and improved Amorous Armors and Armaments was plenty for her. Much more ground space so that she wasn't tripping over completed projects and tools, a larger variety of tools and workstations, a natural water source that she could use for the forge, and a beautiful view down the mountain through tall pillars that served as open windows. At first, she thought the open air forge might be a bit troublesome, but once the fires were roaring, and she was hard at work, she would welcome the brisk, mountain air with open arms. Most importantly, however, the shop came with a small room off to the side. Very reminiscent of the rented rooms at an inn, it simply contained a full sized bed, a small round table, a wooden chair, a tall mirror and a wardrobe. But it was enough... more than enough.

[Jevi 0]

Already, she had started getting back into the swing of things.. quite literally. Her hammer fell upon the raw materials, forming into usable weapons and armor once more. It was a tedious routine that she had fallen into at her old shop, but with an improved mindset, and a new location, it was much more bearable.. maybe even enjoyable. Still, her crafts fell short every once in awhile.. more than once in awhile, if she was being honest. Through the short time she was able to call this place her home, she had not been able to craft more than one perfect quality item, which she had given to Grave. She herself even needed some new equipment that she just could not create for the life of her. "Ugh.." she sighed as she looked down at the workbench, beads of sweat falling onto the surface from her forehead. "I just need a break." 

Opening the closet to reveal the small, natural waterfall that trickled down into a well below, Jevi cupped her hands and retrieved a handful of water, which she splashed upon her face. Gently, she would rub the cold water in, immediately cooling herself off. She continued to wash off the sweat from her body until a cool chill ran down her spine. Taking a towel from her inventory, she would dry herself off before tossing an open tunic over her shoulders and walking over to the windows looking out over the floor.

The view was usually enough to calm her emotions, whenever they started to bubble up. She could almost understand why Grave retreated to the solace of the mountains to find himself... it was calming.

[Jevi 0]

As the woman stood there, shoulder leaning against one of the pillars, a hand rose up to summon her menus. Maybe she should reach out to someone.. set up plans to do something, just so she could get out and socialize. As she began to pile through her inbox, however, she noticed a message sitting there from a long time ago. She had initially swiped away the message, most likely in the middle of a mental breakdown. How many friends had she ignored by doing this? This, however, wasn't from a friend.. at least, she didn't think so. The sender of the message was named 'Zeus' .. so it was either a player with a thing for Greek mythology.. or something to do with the game. 

Curiosity got the better of her, and she tapped the message. It was, in fact, the latter, Zeus being an apparent NPC. The message detailed a challenge for players of their respective craft in hopes to win the trophy bestowed upon them from the gods. Jevi blew a raspberry, thinking it to be a bunch of bullshit, until she read the details of this 'trophy.' Whatever it was, it would help her out with her crafting.. give her a bit of an upper hand. Maybe this Challenge of Olympus was worth checking out after all. 

[Jevi 0]

Changing out of the casual, sweat filled clothes she wore as she worked into her typical armor, she made her way out of her shop and up the side of the mountain into Lharis proper. There, she would make her way into the center of town where the stone platform used to teleport between floors awaited her. As she approached, she watched as a small group of players vanished into a white light.. moments later, another two appeared walking in the other direction. Jevi, alone, followed suit.. stepping upon the platform and calling out her destination. "Warp Athenaia" Everything around her went white as her digital form disappeared.

It took a moment for Jevi's golden eyes to adjust to the floor, as the white light faded around her, setting her down in an entirely new location within just seconds. Athenaia was very much a recreation of ancient Greece.. just with a little more of that Aincrad twist to it. Even from where she stood in the center of the settlement, she was able to spot her destination off in the distance. All the way to the North, she could see the tall mountain that rose up, thinner than most, before becoming lost in the clouds. "Shit.. of course its on the other side of the floor." she said with a sigh. "Guess I should start walking." 

[Jevi 0]

Pushing through the bustling city, following the main road out into the fields that surround Athenaia, Jevi eventually found herself heading towards the edge of the settlement. Merchant stalls lined the final road, calling out their wears, while patrols of military stationed nearby requested the held of all adventurers in their fight against Spartaia.. Did they really only add -aia to the ends of Athens and Sparta? As she was mulling over the interesting choice in name for the opposing cities, her eyes caught glimpse of a nearby stable that rented out horses. That was definitely a quick and easy way to get to the base of Mt. Olympus without it taking her the entire day. 

Renting the horse wasn't expensive, especially with promise of bringing it back once her quest was completed. She was never much of a horseback rider, but she managed to pick up the skill pretty quickly during that strange, dark rain event. The beautiful Andravida, with its brown coat and black mane, lowered its head to allow Jevi to rub its muzzle, nuzzling the woman with appreciation. Once the ranch hands had affixed a saddle to the steed, Jevi pulled herself up atop the horse. It took a moment for her to ready herself, but once her feet were secured within the stirrups, and the reigns in hand, she was off towards the opposite end of the floor. 

[Jevi 0]

The horse's hooves pounded against the dirt road, not at a racing pace, but just a fast enough trot that would get her to the base of the mountain within the hour. Given, of course, that she didn't run into any issues along the way. The floor was apparently experiencing a war, between Athenaia and Spartaia, so she could only hope that she wouldn't accidentally run into any ongoing battles between the two. More likely, however, she might run into one of the wandering monsters on this floor. Even though she felt a bit more comfortable with her level, she wasn't entirely sure if she could hold her own against any monsters on this floor on her own. Without someone to have her back, it was probably best that she avoided any alterations at all costs. Gripping tightly on the rope that steered the horse, her golden eyes kept watch on the horizon for anything that could spell danger for her.

[Jevi 0]

Finally within view, Jevi could see the base of the mountain clearly. Before a small clearing with a set of stairs carved into the rock stood a stone archway, though broken, with a figure standing guard underneath. The brunette gently tugged on the reins of the horse, beckoning it to slow its trot for a more quiet approach. Finally coming to a halt beside a tree, Jevi would slide herself off of the horse's back, attempting to hit the ground quietly. "Stay here, I'll be back." she would tell the horse as she pat the animal on its muzzle.  With a well tied knot, she would secure the horse to the bark, as to make sure she could return it later on after completing the challenge. As to not alert the possible hostile entity beneath the broken archway, she would keep herself low to the ground and peek around the tree.

ID 27502 | LD 12

Edited March 29, 2022 by Jevi

[Jevi 0]

The creature that stood guard was unlike one she had ever seen. At first glance, they appeared human, slightly taller than her, short brown, scraggly hair that grew down into a chin strap beard. They were shirtless, with a tuft of hair on their chest and unusually hairy arms. It was below the belt, however, that made this guardian unique. Brown hair covered their lower body, wearing a simple loin cloth that covered their nether regions, bending in curious directions.. almost similar to the hind legs of a deer, or a goat in this case, with hooves rather than feet. A spear stood upright, resting on its shoulder with an arm hooped around to hold it in place. She almost didn't catch the two protrusions that grew out from the top of their forehead, lining the top of their head. Jevi was so intrigued by the creature, that she did not even realize that it was looking in her direction with its orange, creepy, goat-like eyes.

[Jevi 0]

"Who goes there?" the voice called out, "Show yourself."  Its grip tightened on the long handle of its spear, ready, but not showing any immediate hostility. "Shit.." Jevi cursed under her breath, she was no good at sneaking around anyway. With cautious steps, the woman stepped out from behind the tree, hands at her sides with palms facing outwards to show that she was unarmed. "Uhh hey there." she said as she approached, still seeing no defensive motions from the satyr. "I don't mean any harm"

The satyr chuckled, the corner of their lips hooking into an imp-like smirk, "As if adventurers like you could bring me any harm."

Was this goat man calling her weak? She frowned for a moment as her brow lowered atop her eyes. Before she could retaliate, the satyr addressed her again. "I jest, of course. Are you here to climb Mount Olympus? To take on the challenge of the gods?" 

 

[Jevi 0]

Jevi hadn't really thought of this meeting as one with actual gods.. albeit virtual renditions of Greek mythological figures. The idea of it aroused a bit of excitement within her, giving her that feeling of fluttering within her stomach. The woman nodded her head, "Yes, yes I have." 

"Good" the satyr responded, gripping their spear and rear end of the handle into the dirt at his hooves. The sound that came from the simple act created a rumble that seemed to echo all the way up the tall mountain before them, "Another accepts the challenge." 

Turning in place, the satyr begins to walk through the broken archway towards the steps leading up the mountain. "Come, I will lead the way." 

Watching after the satyr for just a moment, Jevi felt instilled with confidence to continue on. With determination plastered upon her face, she fell in step and followed the satyr up the side of the mountain.

[Jevi 0]

The path carved up the mountain for Jevi and the satyr escort to travel was safe, for the most part. There were a few monsters that littered the path, but as the satyr got close, they seemed to clear the way, retreating into caves or sliding down to a lower part of the mountain. Was she receiving extra protection because she had accepted this challenge, or was the satyr actually a force to be reckoned with, and the wandering monsters could sense it. She stared at the back of the head of the satyr.. a part of her curious to test that theory, but she eventually thought the better of herself. She'd rather not die because she wanted to know if an NPC was actually strong or not. 

Though, even though she was thankful at how safe the path was.. the trip was rather boring. The satyr didn't really provide much conversation, even when spoken to. Jevi tried to strike up conversation every once in awhile.. but they would either respond in single word answers, or not at all. With a heavy sigh, she continued behind, climbing the many stairs to the top of the mountain.

[Jevi 0]

"Stick close to me." the satyr finally spoke up, "We'll be passing through the cloud cover soon. It'll get very hard to see.. and its a long way down."

With almost no time to allow what the satyr said to process, her vision became obscured. A thick fog fell over them, leaving her to only see about five feet in each direction. quickening her steps, Jevi close the distance between herself and the satyr.. she didn't want to lose him now after climbing for so long.

Strangely enough, the wind was very minimal for their apparent altitude. Eerily silent. All she could hear was the sound of the dirt crunching beneath their feet as they walked, Jevi being unsure of wait waited beyond the clouds. 

Finally, light began to peek through, and Jevi was greeted with a sight that seemed entirely too unreal. "Welcome, traveler, to Olympus. Home of the gods."

[Jevi 0]

The satyr stepped to the side and motioned for Jevi to continue through the front gates of the shining city. She almost felt as though she had passed through to some sort of afterlife.. it was a shame she couldn't feel any pain, so pinching herself probably wouldn't do the trick. With an upturned chin and mouth agape, Jevi stepped through into the welcoming grounds for Olympus. Multiple bridges spanned out from the surface he stood on, leading to varying layers of the city. All, however, eventually lead to one central building at the top.. which is where she assumed she needed to go. 

There were no civilians walking around.. which was to be expected if this was the home of the gods. Though, she did not even see any of them walking around either, not like she would know what they looked like. Most likely, she assumed, they were all gathered within the pantheon atop the highest point of the mountain to greet players and initiate their challenges. 

[Jevi 0]

The front door to the pantheon was even larger than she could have imagined, a entryway for a titan of an individual. At a quick glance, she did not even see any sort of knob or handle at her height to be able to open the door. "What the hell...?" she said to herself with a sigh, as she brushed the hair from her face to look upwards at the gold plated doorway. "Maybe I can just.." she said as she reached a hand out, placing it upon the face of the door in an attempt to push it open. As her skin made contact, everything went white, as if she had used the teleporter to warp between floors. 

Once the light had faded, Jevi found herself in a large chamber, illuminated by streams of lava that poured from cracks in the wall into a pool that sit still and unmoving below the platform she stood on. A tall set of stairs lead upwards to a secondary platform, much larger, and suspended in the air with massive chains bolted into the opposite walls. A flash of light illuminated the chamber briefly as what sounded like metal pounding against metal sounded out. Another flash. She recognized the sound as a hammer banging against metal, forming it into a usable form. One foot at a time, she climbed the stairs to reveal a large forge, and a burly man hunched over a workbench, hammer in hand and hard at work. 

[Jevi 0]

"I take it you are here to to test your skill as a blacksmith" the voice a presence, but slightly muffled. Placing the hammer down on the work bench, the form of Hephaestus turned around to face Jevi, struggling with the use of an ornate crutch under their arm. A single heavy boot fell back to the earth, and the light of a visible eye peeked out at the woman from the darkness of a copper helmet. Jevi looked on in both curiosity and awe at the god, a single leg supplemented with a crutch, a strange contraption with gears and pulleys bolted to the back of their shoulder, most likely to assist in movement, and a helmet that completely covered their head. Even through these obvious injuries and deformities, Hephaestus still pushed through to keep his title as the god of blacksmiths. 

"I understand if my visage frightens you.. I've-"

"No no.." Jevi reassured him, "I'm amazed. Inspired even. Here I was, close to giving up on crafting just because I felt depressed but.. seeing you. It makes that seem a bit silly now." she added with a small, nervous chuckle.

[Jevi 0]

The helmeted noggin of the Hephaestus shook his head as he took slow, assisted steps towards Jevi. "Do not allow my battles to belittle yours, for we all differ in the grand scheme of things. The fact that you overcame your battle and came out stronger is what makes us even." The man continued to step out of the way towards a large, throne like chair. Leaning his crutch on the side, he slowly lowered himself into the seat, letting out a struggling grunt as he did so. "Now, girl, show me that you've overcome your struggles. Craft me a weapon suited for a god. If I find your product worthy enough, you shall receive my blessing." A hand outstretched over the entirety of the space, "You may use the tools and materials found within my forge as you see fit. Most are metals you would not find within your mortal realm, so be aware. This will be no simple task."

"Are you prepared?" 

The forge was created for a man of Hephaestus' size, only her chin coming up to the workbench, and the hammer the size of her body. However, as the god initiated the challenge, Jevi looked over her shoulder to find everything of the perfect size for her.. had she grown? Or had the items shrunk to her size. Hephaestus, however, still remained the same, giant-like size compared to her.

Jevi looked at the god with a face of determination, nodding her head. "I'm ready."

[Jevi 0]

Grabbing an hourglass the size of Jevi's torso, Hephaestus would set it on the arm of his chair, at the same time the shutters of a window opening and allowing a ray of sunlight to cast upon the grains of sand within. "You have until the sand in this timer runs out.. or when the sun sets below the mountain's peak. The best blacksmiths must learn to work under pressure."

Shit.. she had no idea this would be a timed challenge. Usually she took her time when making weapons.. but this added a whole other level to this challenge. Turning towards what she had available, she first needed to decide what she was going to make. A sword seemed the best option.. classic, versatile. 

Next step.. what was she going to make it out of? There were a couple of choices laid out for her, all with different possible statistics depending on how she went about heating and shaping the metal. Orichalcum, Meteorite, or Adamant. She tapped on her chin and gnawed on her lower lip for a moment, before deciding on adamant. Grabbing the mythical steel and a large pair of tongs, she took hold of the metal and brought it over to the nearby furnace to heat the metal.

However, after holding the metal within for a few moments, she noticed no yellowing.. no actual heating of the metal. If she weren't timed, she would be fine with leaving it and keeping an eye on it but... Looking over her shoulder, she would peek at the hourglass.. Still plenty of time, but that could run out faster than expected. She continued to search for an alternate method.. and then remembered where they were. Pulling the adamant slab out from the fire, she would carry it over to the side of the platform, where she would hold it directly over the lave. Flames licked up the side of the metal and up her arms, causing her a small bit of damage.. but the result she wanted was there. The slab went from a bright, silvery shine to a glowing yellow. 

[Jevi 0]

Now able to be formed, she brought the heated slab back to the work bench. Grabbing the hammer in her free hand, she began to pound the metal into shape. Sparks flew with each strike, illuminating the cavern like localized strikes of lightning. The crash of the metal echoed throughout, fading by the time she would pound the hammer once again. The sword continued to take shape. She could feel the sweat pouring down the sides of her face, droplets hitting the heated metal with a loud sizzle. Satisfied with her work, Jevi would set the hammer down. After a quick breather, she would grab the tongs in both hands once again before carrying it over to a large basin of water. Slowly, the blade plunged into the cold water with a resounding hiss, letting off a large cloud of steam that consumed everything in the surrounding space. 

Once the slab of metal had cooled, it was time to begin sharpening. Jevi brought the unfinished weapon to the grindstone, a stone wheel held within a wooden casing. As she sat down on the small seat, she began to turn the wheel by pressing down on a pedal. The stone wheel span around in place, reaching a speed that would allow Jevi to grind the stone to the sharpness she wanted. Sparks continuously flew as she sanded the sides of the blade down into sharp edges. This challenge was proving to be much tougher than working in her shop... normally it was just a couple of easy steps and the materials would form themselves but this.. this was actually forging a weapon. 

Attaching a handle was simple enough, and with the finishing touches, she tied a purple-dyed leather around the handle, and added a similarly purple piece of fabric to hang off the end of the pommel. With almost no time left to spare, Jevi had completed her weapon. 

[Jevi 0]

Giving the sword a couple of practice swings to test the balance of the blade, she felt satisfied with her work. Probably one of the greatest swords she had created. Resting the blade in the palm of her hand, she walked over to Hephaestus and held the sword out to him. Her golden eyes looked up to him, her olive skin glistening from the sweat. "There." she finally speaks through shallow breaths, "Hows this?" 

The longsword she had created seemed more like a shortsword in the grasp of Hephaestus, handling the weapon with ease in a single hand. He tilted the blade, looking closely at the edges she had sharpened, and at all the details she had put into her work. It was not the most beautifully crafted weapon, but it was strong and sturdy. He would place the blade down on the opposite side of his chair and turn back to Jevi. He looked at the girl for a long moment before nodding his head. "You've done well. You overcame your struggles and sought me out to test your skill. You did not falter when given your task, and proved to charge head on into challenged despite being faced with the unknown." 

A flash of golden light before his person, and a hammer appeared.. floating in the air. Its golden form slowly lowered itself down towards Jevi, allowing her to take the item as her own. "Take my hammer as a symbol of your passing of this test, and allow it to aid you in your future crafts."

 

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Jevi T4: 4453/30 = 148 * 5 = 740 * 4 = 2960 EXP + 500 EXP 
3460 EXP
400 Col
Hephaestus’ Hammer | Crafting Tool | Meticulous: +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Jevi