Shell-shocked! The lost Fable
This looks like a game Title...
Cough!
Hey guys!
I quite like this chapter, I hope some things get answered... Or not!
Questions are cool, as long as it keeps you engaged in the story in a natural way.
This chapter was initially made in conjunction with tomorrow's next chapter in mind, but when I noticed that I had written 3K words, I divided the two and added a few more words to make things more smooth.
If you wish, you can wait a few hours and leave it for another day to read the two chapters back to back, it should make things easier to understand... Hopefully.
Bye!
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"Failure huh… I kind of understand why you said that."
Dale stared at the spear before passing his finger through the edge, he could feel its sharpness and that if he applied even a bit of force, his finger would end up cut.
'This isn't half-bad...'
He grabbed the shaft and tried to bend it, but of course, he failed even after he used his entire power.
With a smile, he put the spear back on the counter and said:
"Even so… I think this is a good spear, be proud as most could only dream of working with such materials, much less actually accomplishing something with them."
'I actually don't know about that, but what not say a few good words and gain some Reputation? It has been several days since it increases... No, over a week in fact.'
'Have I reached the cap? Focus...'
Dale shook his head, taking another look at the spear.
"One day, you'll make a true Masterpiece and inscribe your name in it, isn't that what you wanted?"
Barme's expression was dark as he looked at the ground but he smiled slightly as he raised his head, red flames of determination in his eyes.
"Heh, don't try to sweet talk me, lad, I know very well what I want, and I'll keep going after it, this won't stop me."
'On the contrary, in fact, it has shown me that there is something way above myself, this is much more tangible than those books.'
He got off his chair and grabbed it.
"I have to go back to work, there are simply too many commissions and work keeps pilling up, not to say the time I need to set aside for studying and practicing…"
He raised his hand and waved it at Dale.
"I did everything I could for you, with my current abilities, I don't think there's anything left for me to do apart from basic maintenance… But that you can do your own."
Scratching his stomach, he walked to the backroom of the shop, and with his back facing Dale he said one last time:
"So make me a favor and… Go get me some damn ores!"
[DING]
[Your quest has been updated]
[Blood and Iron
The old smith of Resko's motivation has been reignited, burning fiercely like the fires on a forge.
But even a flame needs fuel, his materials will eventually end, and he shall once again rust...
Secure a supply line of materials for the old smith so he can work to his heart's content! 0/?
/Optional -> Secure more Unusual and Unique materials so his experience may increase, further reducing the chances of failure/
*The final reward will be based on the quantity and quality of the materials.
*Thanks to a large assortment of lost knowledge, his Skills have greatly increased over the course of 2 weeks, massively heightening the chances of him succeeding in the creation of a Masterpiece.
]
"... I will." Dale replied with a half smile
'I wasn't expecting a quest update out of nowhere... But I guess this is a reminder for me to go out there and do something...'
'But 'Failure' huh… Would something happen to him were him to fail in his dream?'
Dale gazed at the workshop behind him, faint heat emanating from the door as Barme ignited the forge once more.
'How worrisome… One more thing to throw at the back of my mind.'
"I have to speed up… More than what I already did..."
Dale turned around, preparing to leave when… Barme hushed out of the room with a small wooden box, saying, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it." in an awkward voice.
"There's more? What's left to talk about?"
"Have you forgotten already? You asked me to fix these 2 weeks ago… Did you train so much your brain turned into a muscle as well like that Mercenary?"
"How funny of you…"
/Creak…/
The old man opened the box, revealing a series of trinkets no bigger than his fingers carefully laid atop a black cloth…
"!"
With a look of enlightenment, Dale remembered what this was about.
'Right on time… I was indeed in a need of stats to use this Armor properly.'
Inside the box was a series of rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other similar jewelry, no more than 12 such items.
Some were pretty simple, others had beautiful gems or were full of details, sometimes both clearly work of proficient experts…
They weren't to be confused for normal items since those were… Accessories!
"Finally, I can get rid of these annoyances."
Very carefully, Barme grabbed one of the rings, one with a beautiful green gem, it reflected light in a very strong way and it was pretty neat.
Dale could also see an emblem inside the gem, a small eye with a lizard pupil…
It had a faint pressure, he even felt his skin itch...
"These are the ones I managed to fix the most… Ahhh what am I saying? 'Fix' is an embellishment as the only thing I did was polish them."
"I'm a smith, and throughout all of my life, this has been my first time seeing gems like these... Items like these..."
"There are still many others tucked away in a chest, the ones I didn't dare touch for fear of damaging them."
"They are better left in the box, left for the hands of someone that knows what they're doing and can see their worth."
"I was too fearful of damaging their original structure and unique characteristics, so I stuck with these, the simplest of the bunch."
"You could say they are the best out of the others due to staying in a rather good condition, or you could say they're the luckiest of them..."
"I hope it helps." He said with a nod
There was no expression on his face because he knew where these items came from.
There was a difference between working on a bloodstained sword, and a marital ring with the message: May our love last eternally…
He felt more depressed than accomplished, shameful even because he wasn't on par with what these items truly deserved.
His hand was too rough to work on these delicate objects, this was what he believed in.
He was a smith, not a jeweler.
"I'll take them, thank you for doing your best as always."
Dale smiled, showing his full teeth, honesty was plastered on his face.
This made the old man awkward, he turned around and told him to screw off as he went back to his workshop.
"How cute."
"I CAN HEAR YA!"
"Heh..."
Dale did not leave, he placed the box on the counter and opened it, grabbing the centerpiece of all Accessories.
He had no reason for his choice, he just did it because it was in the middle…
It was a pair of earrings that were akin to two small cubes of iron hanging on a chain, pretty bland for a pair of earing, but at the same time not bad, the edges of the squares were sharp, and making something like this should've taken quite the effort.
Looking closely, he saw many straight lines running across the surface of the cubes, like the veins on his arm, albeit those were akin to the circuits of a machine.
Those lines seemed to be made of a different material, like obsidian, darker than the earrings themselves...
"It's certainly… Unique… And heavy!"
'Why are they so heavy for earrings?!'
'This is definitely at least 5Kgs!... Wouldn't my ears rip apart if I tried to wear them? Are they meant to be used by Body Cultivators or something?'
'And… They aren't clippings… Will I have to open a hole in my ears to use it? Really?'
'Damn…'
With a look of interest, he inspected the item...
[Executioner Hyfor Rememberance earrings (Half-Fable)
Rating: 7-Stars
-25 to all basic Stats.
+150 to Prime Origin
Set Bonus -> I'll Ara-Yhull
Defeating an enemy temporarily increases all basic Stats by 0.1 up to a max value of 100, lasting for a total of 5 minutes.
Each consecutive Stack resets the timer.
Once the max Stacks have been reached, all Stacks will reset to 0 and the Axe of Execution will descend.
Axe of Execution -> A tangible manifestation of Hyfor's Ritual Axe will form from the life force of all slain foes to strike a single target down.
Select a target to deal massive instantaneous damage proportional to 1% of the total Primal Origin of all slain beasts, if the target is another player, it can be no higher than Level 85.
Executing a target recovers all resources partially, draining 5% of the target's total resources and adding them to you.
(Blocked)
Special Effect -> Primal Pact
Consume 25 Primal Origin to enhance any attack with the shadow of Hyfor's Primal Origin.
Requirements: Strength: 200; Constitution: 220; Dexterity: 80; Mental Power: 230; Reflexes: 80; Mana: 100
Hidden Requirements: Soul Power: 50; Prime Origin: 150
Description: Executioner Hyfor, Honorary General of the renowned Infantry of the Sothern Corps was a Great Karkavan warrior, always the first to rush into enemy lines and fight on the battlefield, making blood pour onto the ground.
Until his Axe broke apart…
In the Karkavan language, 'I'll Ara-Yhull' can be very roughly translated to 'The beauty of War', albeit a lot of its original meaning is lost to translation.
In memory of his great accomplishments, his shattered Axe's core was recast and reshaped into a pair of incredibly heavy earrings as only the strong were allowed to wear it.
In memory of his great Attainments, the earrings were passed down from Infantry General to General, and it became a custom to bestow them onto the most promising candidate for the succession of the position.
A tradition that didn't last long as all candidates fell and the earrings were lost…
But eventually, they were found by yet another warrior walking on the path of the battlefield, would he be worthy of using it?
]
"..."
Dale was frozen solid...
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Notes
What do you think of this item? Cool?
Next chapter, Dale will go into depth about how he was getting such good items if that was in your mind.
It is already clear Dale was getting higher-class items than what he was supposed to get, and they'll likely last some time, so it is very likely he won't be changing his gear anytime soon.
This heavy armor and spear will be with him for a few more volumes XD.
Of course, things will change.
Remember that the minimum Level to be in Resko was 65, and the Southern wall Dale was in was definitely... Very high level.
Also, as an 'NPC', Dale can interact with the world in a completely different way from what normal players are capable of doing.
Normal players may see an artifact, but they would need to complete a trial to get it, while Dale would be able to get it with no problem since the trial isn't something 'real' but something from the system.
Was I clear with this? It needs some more thought...
Anyway, I'll edit tomorrows chapter and have it ready to post in the morning, until next time!
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