Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

The snake seemed amicable, but Seth could feel an aura similar to the throne angel from her. It meant the snake was by no means weak. As a local deity, as the Demon had mentioned, her power might be just below a god.

Seeing the difference in level, Seth bet on the cuteness of her Junior Tatzel and making a good first expression by being honest. He described their situation and the reason they were in this world.

~ So, you are looking for the remnants of that old coot. ~ the white snake scoffed.

"Do you maybe know about it?" Seth asked carefully.

~Of course. I was still a snakelet like Tatzel here, when that dragon turned the world upside down. I lived through the chaos that followed his conflict with the empire and their mutual destruction. ~

"Does that mean the story about the Dragon and the empire is true?" he asked to ascertain whether what they found out about their destination was true.

The snake mused for a moment before nodding.

~ From what I heard the dragon's tower is the only thing that survived that fight unharmed. Although the dragon won the battle, he was left to die from his injuries. If there is a place that fits your description, then it's the dragon tower. But you should be careful, it won't be easy to get anything from in there. ~

~Why did they even fall out with each other, Senior? ~ the imugi asked innocently.

~Dragon greed. At least that is what the rumors said back then. As an imugi you must also feel it, right? The draconic urges to possess valuables and collect treasures. For some dragons, it worsens with age. From what I heard; the youngest prince of the empire dared to take a gold coin from the dragon's hoard. Things escalated from there. ~

The group fell in awkward silence as nobody knew how to continue from there. Finally, the deity broke the silence.

~ Anyway, what brought you here, when you were aiming for the old capital? ~

The blacksmith gladly took the chance to talk about the team's journey up to their flight from Akhaz.

~What happened to your friends? ~

"We got separated. It's actually the reason why we came here. It will become clear once I finish."

When the blacksmith mentioned their encounter with the Koor Worm and their hectic chase, he could hear a small regretful sigh from the snake and halted his narration.

"Oh, please don't pay attention. It's a shame a powerful being like him fell to the mad god's curse."

~Did you know the worm, Senior White? ~ Tatzel derailed the conversation.

~I met him only twice or thrice in the past. However, he was tremendously powerful. If even he became a rampaging monster because of the sun god... I do no longer regret spending much of my power to erect the mist barrier. Seeing you three save, must mean it is keeping my people safe. ~

Seth was able to hide it, but Ellie's face fell when she realized who her people were. The slime rancher's expression perturbed the snake. The blacksmith scratched his head. This wasn't going to be easy, no matter how he phrased it.

He put together the most diplomatic way to tell her that all her people were dead, most likely because of them. He took a deep breath and-

~ Do you mean the undead in the city below, Senior? ~ Tatzel blurted it out.

~U-Undead?... Does that mean my people are-?

~I'm sorry, Senior, but it seems that somebody killed and resurrected them while you were asleep. ~

The white snake stared at them, and a terrifying aura rose from her.

"It wasn't us! To be honest, our airship was brought down here when we were crossing the fog in an attempt to lose the Koor Worm. We fought our way out of the city and became here because Tatzel told us you were the owner of the fog. We hoped you could help us find our friends." Seth blurted out the rest of their story in a hurry.

The dangerous aura weakened a little.

~ Just who would dare to touch my people? ~ she asked wistfully. ~ Did you grant them...rest? ~

"W-We didn't have any other option than to fight," Seth answered apologetically.

~It's... okay. ~ the snake slumped down a little. Its anger made way for a feeling of deep sorrow.

She had spent so much energy on creating the mist barrier to protect her believers that she fell into slumber. During this slumber, her followers were killed and desecrated. Seth understood her loss a little, but he tried not to dwell on these kinds of feelings.

"What will you be doing now?" he asked concerned.

~I will mourn their death and then...find a different way to live. ~

There was a glint in his eyes when Seth hard the last words. This was a deity that created a giant bank of fog to protect her followers. Her good character was guaranteed. The blacksmith pulled out a silver ring, made from <Artificial Adamantium>. Its sigil showed a simplified tower below a stylized arch.

"If you ever need a place to stay, I could offer Senior a home. Please take this ring as a sign of friendship."

The snake's eyes shone with surprise and greed when her eyes fell on the ring. Even if she was not part of the system, she could easily see the quality of the material and the workmanship behind the ring.

~ I will accept your offering. ~ she said humbly.

The ring floated out of Seth's hand and vanished in the water close to the snake's body. Then the snake slithered out of the water and revealed more and more of her body. At the same time, she started shrinking.

Before the surprised eyes of her visitors, she took on a humanoid shape. She was still covered in white scales and wore a white robe. Her face was fair and androgynous. Seth was convinced she would be a hit for men and women alike.

"Whoa..." Ellie was in awe.

~Wow! Mom, do you think I can do the same as Senior White when I grow up? ~ Tatzel asked excitedly.

"Okay, I'm ready. I will help you find your friends and send you off." she said matter of factly, completely ignoring their stares as she took the lead on the way down the stairs.

What happened to mourning? Was an expensive gift enough to stave off her sorrow? Seth thought for a moment, but when he observed her face, it was clear that she was not as upbeat about helping them, as she made it seem.

Maybe she just took it as a chance to take a look for herself. Maybe there was still hope that somebody survived. Seth couldn't blame her for having this hope, after all, for all he knew there could be survivors. Somewhere.

Senior White finally stopped at the foot of the stairs, where they managed to catch up with her. The group found her rather confused staring into the distance. From the fog in that direction, they saw Brock being led and shoved towards them by a group of blobs.

"Are they...yours?" she asked perplexed as if she had never seen a slime in her life.

"They are my babies! Aren't they cute?" Ellie bragged and went forward to embrace the slime in the front. Hugging the jelly drop she came back and offered it to Senior White.

"Here! Try holding one! They are cute, super soft, and really soothing to pet." she stated.

Seth could not help to add "if one ignored that they were dirt, trash, monster, and corpse devouring sacks of highly corrosive acid" in his mind. He wouldn't say it out loud. It would hurt Ellie's feelings. Although it was true.

Awkwardly the snake received the undulating blob. A slight smile crawled on her face as the stroked the jelly. It seemed that she approved of the slime in her arms.

"Errm, what is going on? Who is this?" Brock asked faced with the beautiful, scaled newcomer to their group.

"This is Senior White, the local deity. She offered to help us find the other." Seth explained the situation, skipping the less important stuff.

"I- I see... that's great?"

"It is."

"Okay, I'm ready. Give me some room." Senior White finally said, after cuddling the slime for a moment.

The group took some distance and watched. Senior White closed her eyes and pressed her palms against each other. The next moment a light shockwave rippled through the mist. The contours of Misto Pheles became visible for a split second, right beside Seth.

Fortunately, the recorders were aimed at the local deity, performing her ritual. When her eyes opened again, she squinted at the place where the demon had been seen for a moment but did not act any further on it.

"There are several fights going on in the city. Aside from the former residents, there are at least sixteen people currently fighting in the city."

Seth was relieved for only a moment. Sixteen? They were missing seven people, how were there sixteen fights?