you're out here naming things by putting words together, tenebris finds words with cool meanings, meanwhile I just keysmash until the letters look sorta interesting
First rays of the ascending sun brightened the night sky with each passing minute, and the stars disappeared one at a time. Tired soldiers of the night patrol gazed upon the surrounding lands from the walls of Werther Fortress. The night was ending, but they still had to remain on their posts until the day guards arrived. The most unusual sighting of the night was a shadowy figure, flying around the fort before going to the distance. Only a handful of guards saw it, for many had found a corner to lean against to, resting their eyes until they would finally be dismissed to the barracks.
One guard, a young man in light platemail armor, silently walked through the dark corridors of the contestants' sleeping quarters, holding a lit lantern with his left hand. He stopped in the middle of each floor for a moment and listened for any unusual noises, but he could only hear the quiet creaking of his lantern's metal handle. With a yawn, he eventually walked away and into the corridor which led to the dining hall. When the light of his lantern was no longer visible from the quarters, someone quickly lit a torch in the stone wall by scratching the wall with a flint. The cloth of the torch, dampened by fresh oil, went ablaze, and the dancing red flames illuminated the hooded person and his surroundings. "Time to wake 'em up," Rodolf whispered as he picked the torch, lit another torch with the already burning one, then offered it to a taller person, who was standing in front of the stairs.
"Quickly then," Sir Killian said as he took it. "We've already lost more than enough time." Rodolf was once again donned in his black protective clothing, and Killian was wearing his usual black gambeson, steel greaves, and vambraces. The sheathed shortsword and greatsword were hanging from the knight's belts, and he made sure their scabbards didn't bump against the steps or corners as he climbed up. The assassin and the knight knocked twice on the doors of each remaining contestants' rooms; Kaigan's, Nilfi's, Tika's, Hadid's, Sturgar's, Imilia's, and Conscience's. They took their essential items with them as they left the rooms and gathered in the first floor. Killian and Rodolf counted the heads, and noticed that someone was missing. "Not again," Killian groaned while he went to check Conscience's room. The soul mage was nowhere to be seen, and her belongings were gone. "Hmm..." The hunter knight felt a faint aura of something he had experienced many times before. A cold and violent one, all too familiar. He left the room, door silently closing behind him, then he found the others at a dead end. Some of the contestants were a bit dopey, either for being awakened so early, or for drinking a bit too much during the feast.
"Gone?" Rodolf asked when Sir Killian was right next to him. The knight nodded.
"Strolling in the moonless night."
"Ah... figures," the assassin whispered quickly before walking in front of a solid wall and turning towards the others. "Hope you're all prepared, contestants. We're leaving now, and uh, try to keep your voices down."
"Why the secrecy?" Nilfi the vampire alchemist asked. "Are we in danger?"
"Not as long as you do what we tell you to do," Rodolf said as he placed his torch into an empty holder of the wall. "The fewer people know of our journey, the better."
"So... where are we exactly going?" Kaigan the kobold whispered while he looked at the dusty wall. "Don't think we can get anywhere from this dead end." On that moment, Rodolf pushed a certain stone tile on the wall with his foot, and a muffled, metallic click could be heard from behind. Old iron hinges creaked and small stones rolled as the assassin pushed the hidden door with his hands, revealing circling stone stairs which led underground. Kaigan's jaw dropped, then he took a step closer with few others. Cold air emanated from the dark and narrow stairway, and a faint humming sound echoed. Rodolf took his burning torch from the holder.
"Follow me, one at a time," the assassin said while slowly walking down the steps. "I know these tunnels like my own pockets." Right behind Rodolf was Kaigan. Tika and Hadid were next, then it was Imilia's and Nilfi's turn. Sturgar and Killian were last, but the metal dragonborn stopped right in front of the stairs while hesitating a little. The walls seemed to close in further below, possibly trapping the large soldier in the darkness. Sturgar winced when Sir Killian placed his right hand onto the dragonborn's shoulder.
"You'll make it," the knight said while smiling a little, then he suddenly turned to look at the corridor. The approaching guard's lantern light reflected from the stone walls. "He's coming back. Go now!" Sturgar walked down the stairs while keeping his head down and the hunter knight pushed the stone door shut right before the guard returned. Thud! Click! The mechanism of the hidden door returned to its initial state, and the young soldier looked around the corner after hearing the noises, but couldn't see anything amiss. Killian wiped a drop of sweat away from his brow, then held his burning torch high while following the rest of the group down the long stairs.
Everyone tried to be as silent as possible, so the only sounds they could hear were the clicking of Imilia's heels, the burning of Killian's and Rodolf's torches, and the heavy worried steps of Sturgar. He had to keep his head down the whole time and his four arms constantly touched the walls. A moment later, they reached the end of the stairs, and walked through a dark corridor, which wasn't as narrow as the stairway. It led to a hall with low ceiling, filled with prison cells and wooden levers sticking out right next to the cell doors. Only drops of water falling from the stone ceiling's cracks could be heard from within each cell, which remained pitch-dark even when Rodolf lit a couple more torches in the hall's walls.
Art: Ferdinand Ladera
"Well, I sure didn't want to know we were sleeping right on top of a torture chamber," Nilfi said as he peeked into each cell. With his vampiric vision, he saw they've long been empty, but traces of different kinds of violence still remained.
"From the times when Lisakdonians enslaved tribal elves and dryads of Eviera for labor," Sir Killian said gravely as he looked at a slaver's desk in the corner of the hall, which was completely covered by rotten notes and spiderwebs. "They did not want to take part in the continuous war against Stelladora, so the old king and queen forced them to cut down the trees of their forests, which were used to build an armada." Tika the elf tried to pull one of the levers, which seemed to be stuck, but when she put her bodyweight into it, the rotten wood snapped in half, causing her to almost trip down.
"By the look of things," Hadid the portal mage began as he took a burning torch from the wall and inspected the rusty bars. "... these cells haven't been used in ages. And during my time here, no one has mentioned this place."
"Captain Rheinallt is one of the few people who remember these corridors," Killian stated. "Many things changed when the abyss-risen dragon attacked Lisakdonia over two decades ago. Friyena, goddess of love and war, rose from the sea, struck the mighty creature down, and has lived in the capital ever since. She asked the rulers to liberate the slaves, and even after all this time, the tribes haven't been in good terms with the kingdom. Days of slavery still live in their memories as if it all happened yesterday."
"Nothing will make them forget," Rodolf said while looking at the dark forking corridor at the end of the hall. "... except perhaps the Abyss's claws, which tear people's minds piece by piece, until only madness remains." The assassin whistled sharply and walked into the left corridor. "Come on, tourists! Or do you want to stay here all day?" The rest of the group followed, and Sturgar took the last burning torch of the hall with one of his hands before doing the same.
The long corridor led towards the surface. Tiny stalactites and spiderwebs hanged from the stone brick ceiling. Sound of dripping water and squeaking bats echoed all around Rodolf, Killian, and the six contestants. The air was colder than in the prison, so much so that some had begun to shiver. "Are we right beneath the lake?" Tika broke the silence, and Sir Killian nodded.
"Yes. Werther Fortress is surrounded by the artificial lake, which was designed to hinder invasions. The dam, where the market is, was built for that reason. Or so people think. Not many are aware of this prison which the lake also hides."
"I bet the prisoners who tried to dig their way out of this place got a nice cold bath," Rodolf chuckled, then the assassin hurried his pace once he saw golden light at the end of the corridor and heard the distant singing of birds. It was all coming from the gaps of a large wooden door, which was covered by weed and moss. Rodolf dropped his torch onto the floor, then pushed the door with his both hands in vain. "It won't budge." Sir Killian pushed the door as well with his right hand, then he turned to look at the contestants one at a time.
"Sturgar," the knight yelled with a smile. "Would you lend us your helpful hands, please?" The metal dragonborn gave his torch to Kaigan, cracked his knuckles while Rodolf and Killian moved out of his way, then he pushed the door with his four hands. Bits of soil fell and roots snapped while the heavy door slowly moved, and with one final push, the rusty hinges whistled as the way out of the dungeon was opened. Warm morning sun shone brightly in the azure sky and gentle wind rustled the leaves of the green forest. Everyone walked outside, except Hadid, who was already waiting for the others in the shade of a nearby tree. The witty mage had conjured a portal for himself while Sturgar was opening the door. Sir Killian extinguished each torch with his water bottle, then threw the sticks into the dark corridor before closing the door, which was completely covered by moss from the other side; a perfect camouflage. Contestants looked around. The hidden door was at the foot of a hill, and in the distance behind the hill they could see the fort and the dam market.
"If you want to say good-bye to Werther Fortress, this is your last chance," Rodolf shouted to the contestants while stretching his hands. "None of you will be returning here, not in a long time at least."
"Oh, thank goodness," Imilia the witch sighed. "I won't miss an old pile of rocks that's inhabited by simpletons." The group gathered in front of the door, and the contestants awaited for further orders while Rodolf was looking for something behind nearby trees. Nilfi approached the assassin.
"Mr. Rodolf, where do we go now?" the vampire asked, then the two suddenly heard the flutter of wings right above them, accompanied by cawing of a crow. It flew away, leaving behind a few feathers which slowly descended in front of Rodolf and Nilfi. The assassin picked one of the feathers, inspected the ominous red marks on it, then threw it away.
"We go that way," Rodolf said and pointed at the direction where the crow flew.
"Right, the same way where the corrupted crow went," Nilfi groaned. "Somehow I feel this journey won't be easy." The assassin burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! You're in the second round! Of course this won't be easy!" He walked away behind nearby bushes, and the rest of the group caught up to Nilfi, who was shaking his head. Rodolf was gone for a minute before returning and gaining everyone's attention with another whistle. "Your horses are here," he shouted before walking away again.
"Horses?" Kaigan asked excitedly. Everyone followed, then they arrived to a forest opening, where many horses awaited. Six horses were eating grass, and two horses carried their riders. The lady knight in ashen plate armor was familiar for the contestants, unlike the man in a long leather jacket. He had short brown hair with a faint red tint when it bathed in sunlight. A medium-sized wooden crossbow hanged from his back. When the man noticed the contestants, he said something to the ashen knight, then the two rode towards the group.
"Finally you're here," Hestia said audibly as she opened the visor of her helmet. "We were wondering if an abyssal rift had opened and swallowed all of you." Rodolf pulled his hood off, revealing his usual smirk.
"That's a bit true," the assassin said as he walked towards his horse, which had a white spot on her head. "The soul mage went missing after the feast. You know, the girl who summoned abyssal powers during the eighth match. Probably for the best."
"Oh," the ashen knight said silently, then she looked at Sir Killian with a questioning look in her grey eyes. The hunter knight slowly shook his head, then went to prepare his horse, Rusty. The brown stallion neighed when he recognized his rider, and Killian patted Rusty's head before mounting him. Hestia and the man in the leather garb rode their horses towards the contestants, and the ashen knight cleared her throat. "Contestants! Meet Elidyr, a hunter and our guide! He will find a way through the wilds and lead us all to the tournament city!" The young man raised his right hand.
"Nice to meet you all," he shouted while smiling. "Just call me Eli! I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you during the following days. But the journey is long, so we better get going, like, right now." Eli glanced at the remaining four horses, then at the approaching Sir Killian before looking at the contestants again. "Sir hunter knight will tell you how we ride east." The young archer walked his horse at the edge of the forest opening, where Rodolf was waiting with his own horse. Killian rode right in front of the contestants.
"Hadid, Imila, and Nilfi; you may pick your own horses. I trust you know how to ride?" The three contestants walked towards the four horses to choose from; a black horse with white spots and black mane, a brown horse with golden mane, a grey horse with black spots and black mane, and a white horse with grey spots and brown mane. Sir Killian and Hestia looked at Kaigan and Tika. "Kaigan, you ride with me," the hunter knight said and reached his hand towards the small kobold, helped him climb up and sit down right in front of Killian.
"Tika," Hestia said as she rode her white horse with black spots closer to the elf. "You may ride with me, or if you want, you may pick the horse which we meant to give for Conscience." After a moment, Sturgar was the only one without a steed, but he didn't mind; his weight would certainly break any horse's back. Once everyone was ready, the six contestants, two knights, the assassin, and the archer rode away from the forest and into the windswept plains.
Art: Andreas Rocha
"Onward to the tournament city," Sir Killian shouted as the wind grew stronger.
Well, posting this chapter really shouldn't have taken two weeks, but it did, thanks to my days of assignments, distractions, writer's blocks, stress, and exhaustion.
Past me: Current me:
Jokes aside, I thought delaying the departure a bit (that got unintentionally stretched in the end) was more convenient for some players. As I understood, these days had been too busy for them to keep up with the story, so extra time was probably needed. But if this is completely wrong, I apologize.
Now I would like to thank and congratulate all of you who have kept the threads alive, supported this contest by making cards, posted your stories, and simply being here talking about the events! Even if I am absent for some days, this contest is still in my mind and I am not resting until this is over and we have one true champion!
The first round has ended, and the second round is approaching, so I think this is a perfect moment for a checkpoint, where we look at what has happened so far and you can tell me what you want me to change or keep in the future; Want me to use your champions in my stories more often or not? Did you like the information posts (Exploration and New Acquaintances and Sparring Partners) or should I wove them into the narrative? Did I write too much/little in the matches or the story chapters ? Some other things in your mind that you want me to answer or do more often?
I want you to post your feedback here if you're reading this right now. Doesn't matter if you're a remaining player, lost player, or even just a spectator. All opinions help make this more fun for everybody!
Right now I've been planning to introduce random encounters to the game. They would work like this: for each hero that's waiting for their match, I roll a die, and the result will give them an encounter from my encounter table. I send a personal message to the hero's player that describes the encounter, and then they may post a story segment here, where the hero resolves the encounter in their own way. These could help kick-start some character moments of the heroes and maybe even lead to some growths or side adventures. And naturally, reacting to an encounter would yield a point for the player.
I'll probably start hosting the second round at someday during the next week, but I am still not sure of the exact day, as some players still haven't upgraded their hero card or signature/companion card. (You don't HAVE TO make a new card for your hero, but it would greatly improve their chances on Round 2!) I said earlier that the journey to the tournament city would last a week real-time, but since I'm late, I'm thinking of speeding it up a little, and just include the one event which happens before your heroes arrive to the city. The six players whose heroes are traveling right now can write their own story bits for the event, so prepare yourselves for that optional bonus challenge!
The event will begin on Saturday 22th of May 16.00 Central Standard Time!
First Round's Statistics
These statistics are just my own random notes, but if you're interested to check them as well, then here you go.
Stormy weathers: 1 Unusual weathers: 0 Monster encounters: 0 Heroes who were granted Kara's abyssal mark: 10 Times a hero died in their match: 6 Permanent deaths: 2 Players who continued their hero's story after losing: 4 Heroes who visited the market: 4 Times a player used their hero to interact with... ⦁ Sir Killian: 3 ⦁ Rodolf: 0 ⦁ Mimosa: 4 ⦁ Rezar: 1 ⦁ Captain Rheinallt and/or his soldiers: 4
@TenebrisNemo , I think random encounters will throw the story out of wack and add unnecessary work for you and others imo. But I believe that the opinions of the current participants should have more weight than mine.
The feast was... well. It was unlike anything Kaigan had ever experienced before. The dinners before he had thought were amazing. The bounty of food at them was huge, and he had been being careful to try everything at least once. But this! Some of the dishes were almost as big as him, and the tables went on for absolute ages. If he had only a single bite of each dish before moving on he'd not get done with half of the variety before he was stuffed and would have to roll himself up all the stairs to his room.
That being said, Kaigan did his best to sample out the most exotic dishes he could, no matter what they looked like. However, less than an hour in he was full. No one else seemed even close yet; most of them were on their third plate. Still eager to sample the hard work of the chefs, he took some meat and bread and made some sandwiches. Nobody noticed as he slipped out of the feasting chambers, walking the deserted grounds, using his spear almost as a walking stick. He'd be leaving here soon, and well. He hadn't gotten to talk to near everyone; there were so many people here! Friends in the guard, in the chapel... everywhere.
His strolling brought him to one of the areas he hadn't been to besides as a walk through: the fort's infrastructure. This was where the non-military personnel worked to keep this place running. The citizens that if he won he'd be protecting. Everything seemed to be closed except one place. A warm red glow coming from the forge of a smithy. Curious, Kaigan stuck his head in and looked around. If it was an unattended fire he'd take care of it; that'd be a very bad thing if houses burned down.
However, there wasn't a worry. The fire was controlled as the smith pulled a chunk of softened, glowing metal out of the heat and onto the anvil. Humming a tune, the smith picked up a hammer and slammed it down on the metal, blue sparks flying out with each strike. Entranced, Kaigan watched as the bar was battered into something more blade-like before being placed back in the coals to heat up more.
The smith turned to him, a smile on his face. His eyes still had the blue glow of the sparks from his work, but they fade into normal eyes.
"Interesting... I don't get many visitors at this time in the evening, although many seek my services in the daylight hours. What can I do for you Kaigan?"
Kaigan hadn't been expecting to be noticed at all, and had kind of jumped when adressed.
"Oh, uh. I had seen light and was worried there might be a fire... everyone else is at the feast, and well. I finished early and wanted to walk."
Kaigan walked into the shop proper and looked around. Many different weapons and armors lined the walls, each of them with unique flairs, hidden runes, or other pieces. Without thinking, one of his tiny hands reached out to touch a polished shield. It was a single piece of metal with tiny ridges swirling in and up to a centralized point. Each ridge had a miniscule rune embossed on it. Kaigan couldn't read them, but he admired it nontheless.
"That's an item of a prior champion... their shield. It was a custom order... well. Everything is a custom order really. Each of these things I made for a hero, or an adventurer. Most of them end up back here after their death, if recoverable. Some aren't, but... those are usually the bravest deaths. And then some of these are just given back when the hero hangs up their cape and retires."
The smith claps Kaigan on his shoulder.
"Is that the spear you used for the match?"
He gestured to Kaigan's spear, and the kobold nodded.
"Yeah... I was given it for this. Apparently it and my medallion are magical, but uh. I never found out what exactly they do. I think it's just strength stuff for the spear, it wasn't even bendable by a dragon's strength!"
Kaigan proudly offered it for the smith to inspect. The man took it, and it seemed much smaller in his hands.
"Well Kaigan. I don't mind figuring that out for you if you would like... My name is Rezar by the way."
Rezar stuck out his hand for a shake, and Kaigan took it with good will.
"So how long will it take?"
"Oh... maybe an hour. If you want to watch you can. It's not that cool to look at, but it's something."
An hour did indeed pass swiftly. In that time, Rezar managed to find runes on it and translate a few of them, find out that the spear was indeed solid silver, and even use it on a test dummy to get the feel of it. Finally, he pricked himself on the blade, gasped, winced, and wiped the blood off onto his leather apron. Kaigan kept his questions to himself for that time, watching a master at his work.
"Welp, that bloody well confirms it."
Rezar had an odd mix of elation and frustration on his face.
"Whoever made this spear had to be a master smith, although I can't find any mark of theirs. I don't know all of what this thing does, but you're right about a few things. First off, it's unbreaking for sure. A dragon not being able to break it is very impressive, but I'm not sure I could disenchant this without some things that I just don't have here. Secondly, there's supposedly a function that will eject a bolt of something from it. Not sure how powerful that is; I wasn't able to find how to trigger it in only an hour. However, the third bit is... well. I don't think this was your intention for the weapon, but it is supposed to devour and destroy the soul of anyone killed by it to fuel its magics. I think it might be out right now, but that's still some seriously dark stuff. It is your weapon, but something like this shouldn't be used in this tournament I think. It would override the marks that keep the deaths from being permanent."
This was, of course, a huge relevation to Kaigan, who stared in horror at his weapon.
"Why?" was all he could ask. "Why would someone make something like that?"
"Well, for starters, it'd be a pretty powerful tool to fight dangerous foes with. There are a few monsters that, if you took them down with this weapon, would fuel it for further monsters. However, there's no question in my mind that it's maker intended it for evil purposes."
Rezar keenly analyzed Kaigans response, and saw nothing but the pure horror at the thought of the weapon eating souls.
"You're taking this rather hard aren't you?'
"I... if I had gone up against someone else in match one... I might have killed them permanently."
Kaigan was already sitting, otherwise he would have collapsed backwards. To think that he had been starting to use his spear in training! With other people! So many things could have gone wrong! Rezar sat next to him.
"There aren't any rules in the tournament about your weapon, so this is allowed technically. However, I would ask that you let me craft you a new spear at least for the duration. I can't afford to work for free, but I can let it be so that you're just paying for materials."
Kaigan nodded eagerly.
"Yes please! Uh. My money's in my room... I'll give it to you when we get to the new area! Will you also look at the medallion then?"
"Certainly.... I hope it isn't as bad."
Rezar chuckled at that.
"Medallions usually are good things" he said as he noticed Kaigan's confusion at his amusement. "Protective spells and wards."
The conversation carried on for about 30 minutes, mainly to calm Kaigan down a bit. He then left, spearless, heading to rest for their journey out the next morning.
@TenebrisNemo it's 2AM and im zoinked out of my mind so I can't give detailed feedback right now but things are going pretty well thus far! I"ll give more deatlailed feedback later
Also, @TenebrisNemo I would really like the random encounters, as I am often out of ideas for story segments and they would help move the story along and add some variety to the mix.
MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
Comments
gotta get all of TOC4 into malterra
I hadn't realized until just now that Malterra comes from Mal and terra
it's literally the bad land
LMAOOOO
Eleven
Worthy Departure
Art: Ferdinand Ladera
Art: Andreas Rocha
First Checkpoint
Well, posting this chapter really shouldn't have taken two weeks, but it did, thanks to my days of assignments, distractions, writer's blocks, stress, and exhaustion.Current me:
Jokes aside, I thought delaying the departure a bit (that got unintentionally stretched in the end) was more convenient for some players. As I understood, these days had been too busy for them to keep up with the story, so extra time was probably needed. But if this is completely wrong, I apologize.
Now I would like to thank and congratulate all of you who have kept the threads alive, supported this contest by making cards, posted your stories, and simply being here talking about the events! Even if I am absent for some days, this contest is still in my mind and I am not resting until this is over and we have one true champion!
The first round has ended, and the second round is approaching, so I think this is a perfect moment for a checkpoint, where we look at what has happened so far and you can tell me what you want me to change or keep in the future; Want me to use your champions in my stories more often or not? Did you like the information posts (Exploration and New Acquaintances and Sparring Partners) or should I wove them into the narrative? Did I write too much/little in the matches or the story chapters ? Some other things in your mind that you want me to answer or do more often?
I want you to post your feedback here if you're reading this right now. Doesn't matter if you're a remaining player, lost player, or even just a spectator. All opinions help make this more fun for everybody!
Right now I've been planning to introduce random encounters to the game. They would work like this: for each hero that's waiting for their match, I roll a die, and the result will give them an encounter from my encounter table. I send a personal message to the hero's player that describes the encounter, and then they may post a story segment here, where the hero resolves the encounter in their own way. These could help kick-start some character moments of the heroes and maybe even lead to some growths or side adventures. And naturally, reacting to an encounter would yield a point for the player.
I'll probably start hosting the second round at someday during the next week, but I am still not sure of the exact day, as some players still haven't upgraded their hero card or signature/companion card. (You don't HAVE TO make a new card for your hero, but it would greatly improve their chances on Round 2!) I said earlier that the journey to the tournament city would last a week real-time, but since I'm late, I'm thinking of speeding it up a little, and just include the one event which happens before your heroes arrive to the city. The six players whose heroes are traveling right now can write their own story bits for the event, so prepare yourselves for that optional bonus challenge!
First Round's Statistics
Stormy weathers: 1
Unusual weathers: 0
Monster encounters: 0
Heroes who were granted Kara's abyssal mark: 10
Times a hero died in their match: 6
Permanent deaths: 2
Players who continued their hero's story after losing: 4
Heroes who visited the market: 4
Times a player used their hero to interact with...
⦁ Sir Killian: 3
⦁ Rodolf: 0
⦁ Mimosa: 4
⦁ Rezar: 1
⦁ Captain Rheinallt and/or his soldiers: 4
#toc4_info
Chapter 11: Growing Pains
That being said, Kaigan did his best to sample out the most exotic dishes he could, no matter what they looked like. However, less than an hour in he was full. No one else seemed even close yet; most of them were on their third plate. Still eager to sample the hard work of the chefs, he took some meat and bread and made some sandwiches. Nobody noticed as he slipped out of the feasting chambers, walking the deserted grounds, using his spear almost as a walking stick. He'd be leaving here soon, and well. He hadn't gotten to talk to near everyone; there were so many people here! Friends in the guard, in the chapel... everywhere.
His strolling brought him to one of the areas he hadn't been to besides as a walk through: the fort's infrastructure. This was where the non-military personnel worked to keep this place running. The citizens that if he won he'd be protecting. Everything seemed to be closed except one place. A warm red glow coming from the forge of a smithy. Curious, Kaigan stuck his head in and looked around. If it was an unattended fire he'd take care of it; that'd be a very bad thing if houses burned down.
However, there wasn't a worry. The fire was controlled as the smith pulled a chunk of softened, glowing metal out of the heat and onto the anvil. Humming a tune, the smith picked up a hammer and slammed it down on the metal, blue sparks flying out with each strike. Entranced, Kaigan watched as the bar was battered into something more blade-like before being placed back in the coals to heat up more.
The smith turned to him, a smile on his face. His eyes still had the blue glow of the sparks from his work, but they fade into normal eyes.
"Interesting... I don't get many visitors at this time in the evening, although many seek my services in the daylight hours. What can I do for you Kaigan?"
Kaigan hadn't been expecting to be noticed at all, and had kind of jumped when adressed.
"Oh, uh. I had seen light and was worried there might be a fire... everyone else is at the feast, and well. I finished early and wanted to walk."
Kaigan walked into the shop proper and looked around. Many different weapons and armors lined the walls, each of them with unique flairs, hidden runes, or other pieces. Without thinking, one of his tiny hands reached out to touch a polished shield. It was a single piece of metal with tiny ridges swirling in and up to a centralized point. Each ridge had a miniscule rune embossed on it. Kaigan couldn't read them, but he admired it nontheless.
Chapter 11: Growing Pains (cont.)
The smith claps Kaigan on his shoulder.
"Is that the spear you used for the match?"
He gestured to Kaigan's spear, and the kobold nodded.
"Yeah... I was given it for this. Apparently it and my medallion are magical, but uh. I never found out what exactly they do. I think it's just strength stuff for the spear, it wasn't even bendable by a dragon's strength!"
Kaigan proudly offered it for the smith to inspect. The man took it, and it seemed much smaller in his hands.
"Well Kaigan. I don't mind figuring that out for you if you would like... My name is Rezar by the way."
Rezar stuck out his hand for a shake, and Kaigan took it with good will.
"So how long will it take?"
"Oh... maybe an hour. If you want to watch you can. It's not that cool to look at, but it's something."
An hour did indeed pass swiftly. In that time, Rezar managed to find runes on it and translate a few of them, find out that the spear was indeed solid silver, and even use it on a test dummy to get the feel of it. Finally, he pricked himself on the blade, gasped, winced, and wiped the blood off onto his leather apron. Kaigan kept his questions to himself for that time, watching a master at his work.
"Welp, that bloody well confirms it."
Rezar had an odd mix of elation and frustration on his face.
"Whoever made this spear had to be a master smith, although I can't find any mark of theirs. I don't know all of what this thing does, but you're right about a few things. First off, it's unbreaking for sure. A dragon not being able to break it is very impressive, but I'm not sure I could disenchant this without some things that I just don't have here. Secondly, there's supposedly a function that will eject a bolt of something from it. Not sure how powerful that is; I wasn't able to find how to trigger it in only an hour. However, the third bit is... well. I don't think this was your intention for the weapon, but it is supposed to devour and destroy the soul of anyone killed by it to fuel its magics. I think it might be out right now, but that's still some seriously dark stuff. It is your weapon, but something like this shouldn't be used in this tournament I think. It would override the marks that keep the deaths from being permanent."
This was, of course, a huge relevation to Kaigan, who stared in horror at his weapon.
"Why?" was all he could ask. "Why would someone make something like that?"
"Well, for starters, it'd be a pretty powerful tool to fight dangerous foes with. There are a few monsters that, if you took them down with this weapon, would fuel it for further monsters. However, there's no question in my mind that it's maker intended it for evil purposes."
Rezar keenly analyzed Kaigans response, and saw nothing but the pure horror at the thought of the weapon eating souls.
"You're taking this rather hard aren't you?'
"I... if I had gone up against someone else in match one... I might have killed them permanently."
Kaigan was already sitting, otherwise he would have collapsed backwards. To think that he had been starting to use his spear in training! With other people! So many things could have gone wrong! Rezar sat next to him.
"There aren't any rules in the tournament about your weapon, so this is allowed technically. However, I would ask that you let me craft you a new spear at least for the duration. I can't afford to work for free, but I can let it be so that you're just paying for materials."
Kaigan nodded eagerly.
"Yes please! Uh. My money's in my room... I'll give it to you when we get to the new area! Will you also look at the medallion then?"
"Certainly.... I hope it isn't as bad."
Rezar chuckled at that.
"Medallions usually are good things" he said as he noticed Kaigan's confusion at his amusement. "Protective spells and wards."
The conversation carried on for about 30 minutes, mainly to calm Kaigan down a bit. He then left, spearless, heading to rest for their journey out the next morning.
when was that brought up