Jevi

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."

"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.

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. 

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. 

"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."

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 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.

"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?" 

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 groaned as she stepped up to her workbench, "I'm so tired."  It wasn't the best of nights... her mind had wandered too far into the territory of bad memories, even dragging into her dreams. She fought hard to not fall back into that pit of despair, and ended up with hardly a good night's rest. Her work for the day was a reflection of that.. as she nearly failed everything she attempted to create. 

ID 207530 | CD 5 | LD 4
+2 EXP
-- Rank Up--

ID 207531  | CD 4 LD 10
+2 EXP

ID 207532  | CD 1
+1 EXP

ID 207533  | CD 5 | LD 16
+2 EXP | Keep Material

ID 207534  | CD 6 | LD 5
+2 EXP

ID 2075305 | CD 4 | LD 19
+2 EXP | Keep Material
_____________________________
- 4 Materials
+ 11 EXP
169/319 EXP

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

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.

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. 

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." 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

((OOC: Not the same day Grave is in the shop))

Flurries of white speckles slowly fell from the sky. The winter up in the mountain was cold, especially with so many open spaces that looked out over the mountain. However, out of all places to be, she was happy she was at least in a place where she needed it to be hot. And at least on this floor she could see all different weather patterns, rather than hot sand, cold sand, and sandstorm.

Maybe this new environment was getting to her a bit, at least whenever a frigid breeze cut through the open air storefront. By the end of the day, Jevi had wasted most of her materials, and made it out with only one weapon that probably would never find a home. One day she would get better at this. 

ID 207492 | CD 1
+1 EXP

ID 207493 | CD 5 | LD 8
+2 EXP

ID 207494 | CD 11
+5 EXP
Rare T4 Weapon

Name: Fish Hook Saber
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 4
ID: 207494
Roll: 12
Tier: 4
Quality: Rare
Item Type: Saber
Enhancements: Bleed |  Accuracy

A thin blade with a hook near the tip. Usually induces some extra rip an tear damage

ID 207495 | CD 5 | LD 12 (Keep Material)
+2 EXP

ID 207496 | CD 1
+1 EXP

-4 Mats
+ 11 EXP
158/159 EXP

Name:  Black Rose Breastplate
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 4
ID: 207143
Roll: 12
Tier: 4
Quality: Perfect
Item Type: Light Armor
Enhancements: MIT | MIT | REC
Post Link: Here

A dark iron breast plate with gold trimming. Pauldrons hang loosely over the shoulders as to not hinder the wearer's mobility, and bands around the arm provide extra protection. The center of the chest denotes the engraving of a rose. 

The brunette turned to look at Grave as he entered through the open doorway to her shop, winded from the journey up the mountainside. "You know.. You could have just teleported to Lharsi and traveled down the mountain rather than up." Her shoulders rose and fell with a shrug, "But hey, guess you just wanted to live that mountain man life again." she added with a wink. Pulling herself from the workbench, she walked over to Grave. "But I hope you like it.. its a lot more peaceful than the old floor five spot. It even has a small bedroom, so I don't have to sleep on the floor anymore. The old man who rented out the space also told me that if I can turn a profit, he might open up the rest of the building for me to have as my own house." 

On to business, Jevi looked at Grave's jacket for a moment before heading over to a table that housed a few of her more recent creations. "I might have just the thing already made."  Grabbing an iron breastplate, she would bring it over to Grave. Before handing it to him, she would notice the rose on his jacket, "Wait."  Taking the armor back to her workbench, some quick work with a hammer would result in a similar emblem in the center of the armor. "There, how about this?" 

Name:  Black Rose Breastplate
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 4
ID: 207143
Roll: 12
Tier: 4
Quality: Perfect
Item Type: Light Armor
Enhancements: MIT | MIT | REC

A dark iron breast plate with gold trimming. Pauldrons hang loosely over the shoulders as to not hinder the wearer's mobility, and bands around the arms provide extra protection. The center of the chest denotes the engraving of a rose. 

A new outlook on life meant a change of scenery, and that meant getting out of that literal hell hole in the middle of the desert. She only chose that spot because it was secluded, and she enjoyed being alone. At least, thats what she told her self. But she was trying to be a better person, so that meant picking herself up out of the hole she put herself in... again, quite literally. 

Never having the balls to journey up to the higher floors before now, Jevi found solace on the fifteenth floor, something about it still provided that quiet solitude she liked, while also not leaving her completely alone. The new shop was less of a cluttered death trap, and even had a small bedroom so she didn't have to sleep on the floor.

Stepping into the space, she felt confident as she took up her tools once more after so long. That determination to actually produce something of work proved fruitful; not a single failed craft for the day. 

ID 207140
CD 8 Uncommon T4 Light Armor
+3 EXP

ID 207141
CD 10 Rare T4 Light Armor
+5 EXP

ID 207142
CD 8 Uncommon T4 Light Armor
+3 EXP

ID 207143
CD 12 Perfect T4 Light Armor
+8 EXP

ID 207144
CD 11 Rare T4 Light Armor
+5 EXP

___________________
-5 Mats
+ 24 EXP
147/159 EXP

Jevi couldn't help but smirk as Grave joked about having a few screws loose after that trip of his put his mind and soul back together again. "Eh, I don't know if workshopping is going to do much. You've always had a few loose screws up there." half standing up, she reached an arm across the table and ruffled his already messy, white hair. "But I'm starting to think that all the best people do."  Retracting her arm, she sat back on the stool and took another sip of her milkshake, enjoying the taste as she watched Grave stand up and adjust himself. 

Seemed he was just about ready to get out of his diner, and out of his own little world. Once again, he brought up commissioning some new gear from Jevi so he could, hopefully, get back into it and maybe even back onto the frontlines. Jevi swallowed the mouthful of soft ice cream she had in her mouth before grabbing the cup and standing up herself. "I could always take it to go, whats the owner gonna do.. stop me?"  Without waiting for Grave, she turned on her heels and began walking towards the front door. "Come on, lets go see if we can't get you fitted for some better shit."

Thread Complete

Total Words: 13796 / 30 * 5 = 2295
Pages: 2

Jevi T3
2295 * 3 = 6885 EXP
400 Col

Grave T4
2295 * 4 = 9180 EXP
400 Col

"You're stuck with me now. I'm always here to help whether you like it or not,"

Maybe now, but he wasn't there when she needed him most. When she felt lost and afraid. When she felt the world turn its back on her. When she found out Opal died, when she found out Ruby killed herself. Grave was here for her now, and that had to count for something. But the promises he had made her before leaving to go off on his journey sounded just as promising. 

So much of her wanted to believe him, that he would be here to stay, that she could rely on him for whatever she needed. Whether it be a friend to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to play this game with. The realist within her, however, reminded her that if he didn't like this 'new Grave' he could just disappear to the mountains again, a hard reset to try and find a new version of himself that he was happy with. This tug of war between her old feelings for him resurfacing and being so angry at him for just abandoning her.. she could not find that happy medium to perch herself upon. 

Suddenly the strawberry milkshake didn't taste as sweet. 

As she rose her gaze to look up at him once more, she thought to herself that maybe this time he means it. Why shouldn't she allow herself this happiness, even if it does end up slipping from her grasp in due time. Better than not being happy in the slightest. "Why don't we find out together? Lets see if this new you holds a candle to the old Grave." she added with a smirk. 

The heavy thud of a full glass hit the table, and brooding eyes wandered to look at Grave's creation. A professional looking milkshake, streaks of strawberry syrup traveled up and down the inside of the glass, blending nicely with the ice cream. Even whipped cream and sprinkles, because who could be sad while staring at a fluffy white hill coated with a rainbow snowfall. Her lips twitched into a small smirk as her eyes shifted from the milkshake to Grave. 

 Picking herself up, he gently placed her fingers around the bell shaped glass and pulled it towards her, the bottom of the cup dragging on the surface of the table. Taking the straw in her mouth, she took a sip.. a bit tougher to pull since most of the ice cream was still a hard custard. Eventually though, she managed to drink some of the shake, and her slowly closing eyes were all that was needed to reveal how delicious it was. "Mmhm." she simply said, nodding her head as she swallowed the bit of ice cream, "You certainly can do drinks too." 

"Thanks" her smile lingering longer than she had intended, much longer. She decided to switch from the straw to the spoon, taking out a small scoop of the ice cream, coated with the softer cream and sprinkles and placing it into her mouth. "I know we'll both make new friends.. Especially you, being so likeable and friendly and.." she cut herself short, her gaze pulling from his "I'm still working this out.. me being more open about my emotions, trying to pick myself up out of this constant state of depression. So some of that sad shit is still gonna come out of me." 

"Just.. bear with me, okay?"  her yellow eyes looking up into his.