บท 19: Rewards

(Half an hour prior to their arrival in the city-state center)

Just when they thought they were lost, Sayo and Rexis finally found the familiar entryway of the run-down pitiful-looking rockhouse that Hephaestus calls a workshop. Upon taking a closer look at it for the first time, the two now appreciated more the craftsmanship and dedication that the God has put on to this work.

Even if it was very far from what they were used to seeing in the modern day, it's obvious that the materials Hephaestus uses are far from substandard. All of it were of the best quality, and their strength is a guarantee. The minor details may not be appealing to all, but they were created so finely and intricately. With passion.

They found a neat, solid knocker, which they swung first to alert the smith that they were coming in.

"Hrm! You're back! Come. Tell me what happened." The god ushered them in and motioned for them to speak.

Sayo looked around but she found no other presence inside the room. "Uhm – Sir, is the woman from –"

"You mean my sister Athena? Hrm! She left! After she rejected the custom-made shield she commissioned me to work on! She said it wasn't near as perfect as her Aegis. Now she left me another task of creating for her the most superior spear! I really don't understand her, but I'll prove to her that I make nothing that is not superior! Just she wait, hrm." Hephaestus said as if he already knew what's inside Sayo's mind.

She looked down from her position, thinking that she can't claim a reward from the goddess she sparred with earlier. Now, she can only keep the memory of that intense lesson, hoping that someday, it will become useful.

Rexis began to talk. "Erm – Lord Hephaestus –"

"Hephaestus is fine, go on, lad."

"Er – Hephaestus, sir. The god who was at the center was apparently Lord Apollo. And he brought with him the victor from the race. It was the young man with the – uh, weird clothing."

"Was the young man wearing a laurel?" The god scratched the embers from his messy beard.

Rexis recalled that Julius did put something like an old-fashioned crown inside his sportsbag after he changed from his funeral attire. "Yes, sir."

"Hrm! Then he must have received some blessings from my Father." And with that statement, the god stood up from his seat and tinkered on something that he was heating from his forge. Rexis can watch him all day as he picked up a container barehanded from those burning flames of the furnace. When Hephaestus successfully got the thing out, he blew away the smoke coming from it, and the smell of soot filled the entire room. That set Rexis and Sayo into a coughing fit. When the room cleared a little, they saw that Hephaestus was playing with two things on his hands – a silver ring and a golden metal armband.

"As promised, rewards will be given to those who brings me the news! I just finished creating them." The god said proudly, but the two only gave him questioning looks.

Hephaestus: "Young lady, your name is Sayo, right?"

Sayo: "Y-yes."

Hephaestus: "Then take this ring as a symbol of my gratitude for coming over to my humble workshop."

Sayo's frown deepened and Rexis thought that this was rather a strange proposal. 'Seriously, a ring?' Despite having second thoughts on taking it, Sayo still accepted the gift from the god.

Sayo: "Thank you."

Hephaestus: "You must be wondering what's so special about that, no? Try throwing it overhead and will it to show its true form. I hid it using my forging magic."

Sayo didn't understand but she got curious of the god's instructions. She reluctantly did it – she threw the ring overhead and thought inside, 'Show your true form.'

In a flash of light, the ring extended its length until a scabbard dropped in Sayo's hands. Sayo can't believe her eyes as she stared at the thing she's holding. It's indeed a sheath! And from both of its ends – hilts can be found. Eagerly, she drew the hilt from one end and the blade slid out from it. She did the same with the hilt on the other end and the same thing emerged.

'Swords! Two swords in a single sheath!' She continued to look at the weapons in awe and realized how they closely resemble a Japanese katana. 'No wait – this isn't a katana – it's a – no way! How could he make this?!'

Hephaestus: "When my sister trains an apprentice in combat, she can readily tell what kind of weapon that apprentice is best suited with. In your case, she looked into your skillset and concluded that you are most adept in using narrow blades – two blades in fact. However, it also bothered her because she can't name this weapon. It looks like a broadsword, but not broad. So she instructed me to make this for you. I also don't know what it is, I just made that out of whim from my broadswords in the weaponry. I folded the blades of those things and made them shorter and narrower. Can you tell me what that weapon is called?"

'You mean you just made this upon short notice?!' Sayo wanted to shout, but she couldn't. Instead, she just answered the god's question.

Sayo: "This is called a kodachi – a twin kodachi to be exact. From where I came, it's a kind of a quasi-sword because it's too long to be called a dagger and too short to be considered as a proper sword. This isn't supposed to be made here…."

She recalled some of her memories from the dojo, where she used to train in using twin bamboo swords. She was so good at dual-wielding that it made her father actually stop her from pursuing that style and just made her focus on the more socially-accepted Kendo. But now, as she traced the length of the kodachi, she can't help but feel a sense of excitement from using the weapon soon – 'Oh, the Greek-style kodachi.'

Kodachis are usually made in pairs, and due to their lengths and handling techniques, they are best used for a hybrid of offensive and defensive sword techniques. The blade is only one-and-a-half-foot long. With its lightness and speed, the kodachi is deadly in the hands of any true samurai.

Hephaestus: "If you want the kodachi – you say, to retract back to a ring, just will it to happen and it will return to its hidden form. And since Athena is no longer here, she left me the task of giving this to you too. It seems you earned her respect from the training you've done."

Sayo caught the midnight blue cloak that Athena was wearing earlier from Hephaestus.

Hephaestus: "That chlamys can requip into an armor. Wear that constantly, and you will always be battle-ready. Just will it to protect you and it shall do it's job."

She was speechless. These godly items are simply too awesome. Before she can say a proper thanks, the god turned his attention to Rexis, who did not hide his excitement to receive his rewards.

Hephaestus: "Hrm! Of course you have yours too, my apprentice, haha! Take this and will it to show its form."

Rexis caught the gold armband from the god, put it on, raised his arm, and immediately willed it to show it's true form. It was –

Rexis: "A shield?"

Hephaestus: "That is the one I finished earlier for Athena supposedly. The one we were working on, remember? Too bad I wasn't able to get your design, but that's still the strongest I made so far – well, maybe the second best, after Aegis."

Somehow, Sayo could see the disappointment in Rexis' looks. She understands him. She got something really cool and what he only got was a shield?

Rexis: "T-Thank you…."

Hephaestus: "Don't look so disappointed, haha! I'm not yet done, come closer."

He perked up from that statement and moved closer towards the master forger.

Hephaestus: "This is my final blessing." He said while smirking.

After that, the god put his two heavy hands on Rexis' shoulders and literally set him on flames. A true-to-life baptism of fire. A live roasting. Sayo screamed, along with her friend.

Rexis: "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!"

The intense cooking lasted for about a minute before it completely ceased. Rexis fell to the floor – his body was smoking and his clothes got tattered in the process. Strangely, he wasn't burned into a crisp.

Sayo: "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"

She pushed the god away from her friend and crouched beside him. Rexis started to cough.

Sayo: "Hey, you, what the hell? Why aren't you dead?"

'Leave it to Sayo to ask such incredibly uncommon and insensitive questions.' He thought.

Rexis: *Cough, cough* "Seriously, what kind of question is that? Shouldn't you be happy I'm still alive?"

Hephaestus: "AHAHAHA! I knew it! I knew you can withstand my flames! Haha! I wasn't wrong about you, boy. So, how are you feeling?"

Rexis: "Are you expecting me to tell you I'm fine?!" His tone was very sharp and angry.

Hephaestus: "Of course, of course! You just received the ultimate blessing from Hephaestus. Among all gods of Olympus, it is only I who can grant a blessing such as this one, since I devised the proper method to do it! Congratulations, mortal, you are now immune to fire! Hone that power, and you can do so much more than just that, then!"

The two could only look at him with shock painted on their expressions. If what the god said is true, then they are no longer ordinary mortals now. That means..... they are now powerful beings suitable for this quest.

Sayo: "Rex, your….arms…and neck…."

Rexis wasn't sure what she meant so he looked at his arm and he found marks there – like tattoos, around his wrists. It was a simple black band. From what Sayo said, the same must also be wrapped around his neck.

After a few more minutes of adjustment to their acquired rewards, the two can't find the right words to say to the God of Fire for them to get away from his workshop. Right now, he was once again busy humming and tending to his forge. Rexis started to move towards him, but the god said something they didn't expect.

Hephaestus: "Hrrmmm....You're leaving, right? That's unfortunate. But I'm not a greedy god. So as long as you promise me that you will use my weapons for good, I have no qualms about that. Pay me back, someday."

The pair was so grateful for the god's understanding and promised him to use it only for the good. "Thank you, Lord Hephaestus. We promise to use these weapons wisely, and return the favor someday." They said.

Hephaestus only flashed them his yellow smile. "Now go forth, and attend to your business. If you can find me a new apprentice, just throw a prayer-message to the flames."

The two left the workshop and went to the city-state center. A few minutes after their arrival, Julius and Tobias came looking so agitated over something else. When Julius told them about his theory of the glowing book, their attention shifted towards the aforementioned thing and they hurried over to open it. Again, Alexandros left them only with codes for their next destination.

"The hell is this now?!" Julius yelled.

3-21-89-5-123-1-55-0-21-8-34-2-13-1

Shoe gone it frost a shine