Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

---Little Gamma---n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Who would have thought those lowly guys were useful for something? As they said, it was worth monitoring this building,” a man whispered to his partner. They were hiding in the crowd opposite the System Church in Little Gamma.

“Is that really him?” his partner asked in a hushed voice, stealing a glance at the sketch in his hands.

“It's definitely him. We have to inform the sect master,” the first said and started writing characters on a paper crane. After whispering to the origami creature, it suddenly crumbled into a tiny ball, becoming smaller and smaller until it vanished in a space anomaly.

“Why can't we just grab him? I guess he is quite tall and muscular... and kinda handsome, but he's just a savage who has not cultivated qi,” she asked eagerly. Her partner stared at his martial sister for a moment before he sighed.

~You didn't read the mission pamphlet again. Don't underestimate him because he looks like nothing much. That's the guy who beat Guardian Ho until he was only a nascent soul and destroyed the Alliance's base single-handedly. Also, please keep yourself in check, we are on a mission.~

“You are just jealous. Do you think the Sect Master will come personally then?” Her martial brother shook his head.

~The Sect Master is not that free right now. Did you forget that he helps the great masters with the barrier at the rift? He will probably send some elders and inner disciples.~ Listening to him, she couldn't help but glance at the huge tree whose crown covered the sprawling exotic city below and the strange barrier that protected the place.

“With what you just said, do you think that will be enough?” she asked unsure. The two of them were able to smuggle themselves in by the virtue of their stealth techniques and a device they purchased from the dark path that had operated for longer in this world. She doubted the elders or one of the seniors from the inner sect would stoop so low as to sneak in through a tiny hole in the barrier.

~Don't underestimate our Silk River Sect. Some of the Inner Sect seniors have already reached Spirit Severing. And please, remember to use secret thought transmission when we talk about sect matters.~ he cautioned her.

“Fine, Fine,” she said and switched to thought transmission ~Should we follow him?~

~Carefully.~ he agreed and the two started following the Tower Master from a great distance after he left the branch of the System Church.

…

Since the Tree Stations were their property, Minas Mar obviously had their own branch here. It was a great tree building, right beside the main tree’s trunk. This was the place members of Minas Amr and the Oathguard were living when staying in Little Gamma.

Seth leisurely made his way over, taking in the scenes of the city. It had been a while since he got out and it was kind of his first time visiting Little Gamma since it became Little Gamma. Although the districts were hotpots of the people of Urth, after centuries they had developed their own distinct cultures. This became very prominent when one compared Little Sigma, Little Gamma and Delta. Especially the cuisine in the restaurants was quite different. Districts Like Ypselon, Beta, and Sigma had many fish dishes because they had access to the ocean or inland sea.

Gamma on the other hand offered a very savory palate much closer to what Seth knew from his own home, Avernum. Delta offered a mix of everything since it used to be more like a representative district and seat of government where people from everywhere lived.

It had never been this prominent to Seth, although he knew about it. The difference became very obvious because many people changed their classes to something fit for more stable jobs, now that they lived in a safe place. This meant that lately a LOT of people became chefs and opened their own restaurants, seeking to recreate the tastes of their lost homes.

Some of them also go quite experimental, cooking up monster meats in the style of their homes, using various herbs to spice things up. Bravely, Seth tested a bunch of street foods that were even exotic to him, who traveled a foreign world. He tried some of the tamer ones like Orc sausages or slime slushies.

He feasted until he finally came to the entrance of their branch building, rubbing his hands. He had deliberately not called the two girls, to surprise them with his visit. He had made the deal with Mary, that she told them that she would send someone to deal with Gallwell, but not who she would send.

“Seth!” a high-pitched voice exclaimed.

The blacksmith didn’t get the chance to push open the doors before he had someone charge into him. The moment she saw him, Fin in human form rushed out and directly tackled him to the ground.

“Why didn’t you call us that you would come?” she asked, slowly crushing his rib cage as she hugged him with all her strength.

“Fin, calm down a little,” the more mature voice of Mina could be heard as she stepped into his field of view, offering a hand to help him up. The fairy was still tightly wrapped around him when the cat girl pulled him onto his feet. Finally, Fin lets go of him, only to create a gap for Mina to swoop in and steal a passionate kiss. “My turn!” Fin complained and demanded her greeting, too.

“So, you are the one Mary told us about. It makes sense if you are the one who has to deal with Gallwell,” Mina commented, after their “greeting”.

“Yep, I will meet him a little later. How about you guys show me the city in the meantime? You were here a little longer than me,” he suggested a light stroll.

“Oh, great! I have lots of stuff you have to try, like Minotaur tongue and pudding,” Fin cheered excitedly, naming some of the more exotic food he had evaded so far.

…

From an alley not too far away from the branch building two hidden pairs of eyes had watched the entire scene.

~D-Did you see that, brother? ~ the martial sister asked, her face the color of a tomato. Feeling the heat rise to her head, she looked over to her martial brother as he stayed silent. The man's face was pale and frozen. Was that a tear in the corner of his eye?

“Brother, relax your hand! Your palms are bleeding!” she explained in shock seeing that he had balled his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. At her call, she seemed to finally regain his senses and swallowed hard.

“This lucky- It’s good to know. This bastard has a weakness. We should report this to the sect master, it might come in handy,” he said, his voice wavering as he kept his emotions under control.

“No need to be jealous, brother. Those are standards you will never reach, so there is no use dreaming of it. I’m sure you will find one, too. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I mean, with your face, you can definitely make one of the less ugly servants fall for you. Or maybe you find a fairy without standards,” she evaluated him objectively.

“You are being too cruel,” her partner mumbled not amused.

“I’m just stating the honest truth, brother.”

“Some truths are better left unspoken,” he said angrily and walked off.

~Follow me, we can’t lose them now. ~ he called her with thought transmission. She shook her head in pity.

“Did I hurt his feelings? I just don’t want him to get his hopes up and get hurt later on,” she thought to herself and hurriedly followed him. Should she tell him…?

“Some truths were better left unspoken.” She remembered his words and kept her intentions to herself. She could only hope her fellow disciple’s dao heart wouldn’t crumble in the future when he flew too high just to get mercilessly shot down.