---TS7, Spring City---
knock knock
“Hello, Lord Mike? You have a guest waiting in the lobby,” a clear voice could be heard from outside the door.
Tardily, the beastman surfaced from his sleep and the sea of sheets, careful not to wake the warm and soft being that was holding onto him. Leaving Lydia in the bed, he snuck to the door and whispered through a small gap.
“Who is that guest?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“Lord Seth.”
Mike halted at the dry statement of the priestess outside the door. He had spent a couple of wonderful days with Lydia. They enjoyed their vacation, walking around the warm and budding Spring City in the day and exploring each other in the night.
Would their vacation really already come to an end?
“I will be there in a minute,” he finally said. “I will inform the tower master,” the priestess confirmed and left.
“Mike, why are you already up?” Lydia asked when he got back to get dressed. She had woken up.
“Seth is here. I have to meet him.” “Wait for me, I will come along,” she moaned, trying to get off the bed.
“No, no, no, you will have breakfast first. This is the last part of my quest, I will have to do this alone.”
She looked at him pouting. “Well, fine, but you have to make the breakfast for me!”
Speechless, Mike couldn't refuse her.
...
Having rearranged the items of the golems one last time, dressing them in the best gear, Seth left the leadership of the golem army to the 80 elites and two bosses and returned to TS12. His inventory was filled to the brim with crates and treasure chests full of items. He could have used Home Call to return to Delta and port from there, but he preferred to keep the privilege of cooling down if he could.
As mentioned, he intended to use the great number of uncommon and rare items, as well as the smaller number of diverse epic items to strengthen their secondary forces. In this case, he thought of Baker and his men, who had become an affiliated Guild under Minas Mar.
They were not directly under Minas Mar's control like the Oathguard, but they were judged as trustworthy and acted independently for the most part. As the remnants of Y-City, they were the best recipients of items looted- reclaimed from the ruins of the district.
“Seth, you are back!” Mike finally came, about half an hour later after the priestess told him Mike would come in a few minutes. Well, he had been sitting in the lobby of the hotel, eating breakfast, he didn't mind having more time to eat.
“Oh, Mike! There you are. How was vacation with Lydia?” he asked jokingly, waving at the beastman coming over. They engaged in small talk and after Seth teased him a little more, they changed locations to talk seriously.
Mike repeated everything that happened since he lost contact and separated from Ceres, who had still not returned to Minas Mar or contacted them. After recounting the event, they finally got to business. A quest that had kept Mike on the go for ages, Finally he finished the last point of his quest, handing a fitting blacksmith the materials.
Epic Unidentifiable Metal Ore that was exposed to magic wind and storms for a long time, absorbing the elemental power. Great Affinity with Wind and Storm magic.> Seth managed to catch a glance of the ore in the bag, just before it started glowing in a blinding light. This was the reward of Mike's quest. Maahes, the god of war and storms was blessing the ore, turning it into a special material! Special Ore blessed by Maahes, the God of War and Weather, inheriting his power over the Battlefield and the Weather.> The moment Seth received the bag, he also got a quest notification. After an arduous journey, the Chosen of Maahes offers materials blessed by his god to be made into Holy Armaments. Maahes himself wishes for you to do the job. Requirements: Create the Slaughterer's Set from Create the Slaughter Blades from Hand the Slaughterer's Items to his Champion 0/1 Rewards: Enchantment: “Minor Sigil of Maahes” Enchantment: “Minor Sigil of Slaughter” Blueprint: Slaughterer's Set Blueprint: Slaughter Blades Title: “Blacksmith of Maahes” > Seth was startled for a moment. It wasn't just that he had actually gotten a quest from the god, unlike when he did a hammer for Tyr's Chosen, but the rewards were actually really good. Not only was he getting the blueprints that had the approval of a god, he was also getting a title and learning two sigils. Seth was not deterred by the little word “minor” in front of their names. Sigils were rare and mysterious enchantments that didn't follow the normal rules of engraved enchantments. They were not direct circuits but represented something or someone. It meant they gained their powers from outside, in this case from Maahes. The unique Olympian enchantments could also be called Sigils. Seth didn't hesitate to take on the quest, especially since having a blueprint would make his work a lot easier, than trying to come up with a fitting set for the An Armor Set designed by Ptah, god of creation and Craftsmen, for Maahes, God of War, Weather, and Protection, and his chosen.> Despite being made by a god of craftsmen, the Slaughterer's Set consisted of the not very creatively named Slaughter's: Crown, Usekh, Belt, Scale Armor, Bracers and Shin Guards. The names were basic, but the items had very unique designs that differed a lot from the blueprints Seth had inherited from Forgebrand. The pieces were more in tune with what Seth would expect from the Heliopolian Pantheon. Instead of a helmet, the crown was closer to a broad circlet with the depiction of a snake that came from the back of the head and wrapped over the crown of the head. The ostentatious Usekh was a kind of collar and reminded Seth of a wide gorget. But instead of allowing for pauldrons to be attached, it took over their task, too. Protecting the torso was the scale armor made of fine overlapping scales, like those of a fish to allow a wide area of movement. The center was covered by a wide belt that integrated a skirt made of scale, mail, and ornaments that went down to the knees. Unlike the scale armor, the skirt's scales were closer to armor plates, that acted together with the chain and ornaments. Lastly, the shinguards and bracers were quite ordinary. Ostentatious like the rest, yes, but very traditional pieces of armor otherwise. “I will get to work after settling this stuff I got from Y-City,” Seth finally said, when he finished checking the blueprint. Mike on the other hand had been watching in waiting in silence, ever since he gave Seth the bag of ore. “I'm glad to hear that.,” the beastman said relieved. “Don't worry, you can enjoy a few more days of vacation here. Personally, I will probably move to Little Gamma to make your armor. I could also use some vacation again,” Seth joked slightly serious. It had been over two weeks since he saw his girlfriends and he started feeling the withdrawal symptoms. He needed his dose of Mina and Fin... “Yes, you should do that! Ah, before you leave. Are you interested in the remaining “I guess, I may be able to make room for it?” Seth said and dropped his rope. With that, Mike left and Seth was free to look for Baker, to dump a load of items on him. This was just the first delivery, as the blacksmith had only taken Epic and Rare items, which the golems weren't currently using, also holding back the Polyarkanate Armors they would wear once the mission in Y-City was over. A quick trip to Minas Palan later and Seth had returned to Tree Station 12. “Seth? Where are you coming from? Weren't you at Y-City?” Baker asked perplexed after one of his subordinates informed him of the blacksmith's arrival from the teleport hub. “I'm more or less done there, they will manage the rest without my supervision,” Seth answered relaxed. “Actually, I'm here to dump some stuff you may need. We actually found more than expected in Y-City and I think this should be used to improve the state of TS9- TS12, to make sure you can also protect yourselves if need be,” he explained and told Mark about the happening in Y-City and the items he brought along. Although they were just the items the Golems currently didn't need, they were mostly rare items with some epic ones in the mix. They were very valuable, but Seth trusted Baker, that he would distribute them fairly...after paying the expense allowance. “Of course, it wouldn't be free...” Baker commented with a cramped-up face. “it would be unfair to just gift this stuff to you when even our own guild members have to purchase their private gear,.don't you think so?” “So, how much..?” “You can negotiate the price with Jane later, I will leave the items with you for now so you can start planning. Don't worry, I will tell her to go easy on you,” … When Mike returned to their room, carrying a tablet filled with breakfast items, Lydia was already dressed, and about to leave the room. “I brought you-” “Did Seth already leave?” Lydia interrupted him with furrowed brows. “Err, yeah? Why do you ask for him?” Mike asked back, a little confused. Lydia clicked with her tongue. “I remembered that I still have that reactor from the hashing bird in my inventory. I have been trying to give it to him for ages, but I keep missing him,” she explained. “I see... Why don't you calm down and we have breakfast for now? Seth will come back once he finished my equipment. Let's just wait for him leisurely.” Lydia stayed silent for a moment. “Well, fine. What did you get us?” she asked, easily letting go of the matter, immersing herself in the breakfast. New n𝙤vel chapters are published on f(r)e𝒆webn(o)vel.com