Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Until the announcement of the Evaluation Results, their rewards, and compensations, Seth was free to do whatever he wanted. Except for spending time with his friends, there was one thing he wanted to do while in Chrona.

To follow the dwarf's advice and look for his sponsors for a way to lift the curse on the Dragon Scales. The blacksmith had asked Leana for information on the temples in Chrona and was surprised to find that hundreds of religions had temples of all sizes in the capital, almost like religious embassies to promote their faith.

Although the System Church was the state religion, since the system god did not require to be the only god to be worshipped, religion in Chrona was free. Otherwise, the whole concept of a multi-dimensional empire would have never really worked.

The princess handed him a map of all temples in Chrona, which almost resembled a star map. Most temples and churches were clustered in the old temple district. But as the capital grew with age, temples that did not fit in the temple district anymore, spread across the full city.

Seth chose to visit the temple district, as the sacred sites of Hades, Seth, and Hephaistos were all located there. They counted among the oldest institutions as the Olympian and Heliolopian pantheons were two of the oldest and most widespread religions in the pathworks.

Seeing how close they were, he was going to visit each of them in hope that the gods could help him lift the curse on the dragon scales, or at least give him a hint on how to solve his problem.

...

The three gods in question were already waiting for Seth to visit their temples, no matter which he visited first, they would tell him to go look for Apollo, who was also a new addition to the cinema dimension.

The archer god had been a little grumpy hearing about the recreation of Python, however, seeing his uncle and Brother speak in favor of the man who did it appeased him a little. Especially when they told him about a request and a chance to punish him, he felt much better.

Especially Seth had put a considerable time into convincing the god of light to give Seth a chance and carefully guide Apollo's actions and opinions. Although Hephaistos was also known to be quite crafty, he could not compare when it came to a master of words like Seth.

In a unanimous effort, they concealed everything about Seth, except his prowess as a blacksmith. They guided Apollo's attention, especially to the golems.

Why? Apollo and Seth had a lot in common. As the god of the sun, he had a close relationship with fire, as the god of music he always carried his lyre, and as the god of archers, he was a master of the bow that would never miss the target.

These similarities might have caused Apollo to develop some sympathy for Seth, however, he would have also known everything Seth was capable of. None of these gods was naive. Even if Apollo found some connection, his punishment would not be any less harsh.

To make up for this they kept him in dark about some of the blacksmith's skills. Not just for Seth, but also for Apollo and their own entertainment. All of them chuckled when they imagined Apollo's face when grand punishment would be crushed.

In the same way, they also assured that Apollo didn't choose a quest that would risk the little bard's life. At the same time, it had to be hard enough to fit the system god's requirements. A player had to pay a price for the blessing of a god which came usually in a divine task.

"Oh, here he comes," Hades mentioned when Seth stepped in front of the Trinity Temple.

"Why did he come to yours first?" Seth asked grumpily.

"Probably because we have a better location. It's not our fault your followers didn't build in a more prominent location," the blacksmith ghost answered smugly.

...

The Trinity Temple was located in one of the busiest parts of the temple district, especially because of the grand way it was built. The temple unified the worship int the three rulers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

Built on an island within an artificial lake it had a crown reaching high into the sky and roots that went deep into the earth. The lake symbolized Poseidon, the temple above ground Zeus and the temple below ground, mirroring it, Hades.

The other temples of the Olympian pantheon surrounded the artificial lake. This whole setup made it not just a site of worship for believers to visit, but also a popular destination for tourists.

If Hades could not answer him, he would only have to walk a short distance to reach the temple of Hephaestus. The blacksmith could even give Hermes a visit as he met the god during the creation of the Key of Hekate.

Seth's temple on the other hand was deeper in the district, according to the map.

Crossing a bridge made of golden bronze, the blacksmith entered the island in the middle and the Trinity Temple.

The high halls of the temple, held by columns thick like mammoth trees, were filled with statues of Zeus in different poses during different acts of his mythology. Such as how his mother hid him from Chronos and how he later saved his older siblings.

This was the Temple of Zeus; Seth however was on his way to the temple of Hades. He followed the guides in the temple to find a staircase leading down. Below the high halls, the mighty columns holding them continued deep into the earth.

Mighty caverns illuminated by magic lights gave a feeling of mystery and excitement. Columns that carried the weight of the earth above. Here, there were not many depictions of Hades himself or his deeds.

Instead, the walls were covered in reliefs of people and their lives. There were heroes, villains, and battles. Deeds of glory, honor, depravity, and malice were depicted, but only made a small part of the whole. Besides them, there were the simple lives. Farmers working the fields, tailors sewing clothes, and Mothers caring for their children.

All people, from all walks of life, had a place in Hades and none of them were above or beneath anyone else. Whereas the Temple of Zeus inspired awe, the Temple of Hades inspired appreciation. Appreciation for a world filled with life, despite all ending in death.

At the end of the staircase came two thrones. On one sat a statue of Hades and on the second beside him sat a woman that had the presence of Persephone, whom Seth had felt during the forging of the soul necklace.

Now Seth stood there and was a little clueless about how to continue. It might have been a good idea to find a priest or something, but Seth had not seen anybody since entering. He was about to go and look for someone when he heard a quiet breaking and grinding of stone.

The status of the tall, bearded man suddenly started moving. It silently stretched its arms and legs, before coming to rest with its legs crossed. With its elbow on the armrest, the statue leaned over and looked down at him, who was standing to the left of its throne.

"No need to go and look for someone. I have not many priests, Seth." the statue spoke to him, using his name.

"You know my name?" Seth asked witlessly.

"You are partly my champion, of course I know your name," Hades said seriously, but with a light chuckle.

Of course, he knew his name! Seth felt like facepalming.

"Well then, shall we talk about why you came to visit my temple?"

"You know why I'm here? Then do you have a way to-"

"To lift the curse on the dragon scales. Yes and No. I can't personally do it and neither can Hephaestus or Seth." the statue finished and answered his question for him.

Before he could sort out whether he felt confused or disappointed about this revelation, it continued speaking.

"However, the three of us found a solution for you. Go and visit the Temple of Apollo. The god of light will be able to help you but be prepared. There will be a price to pay."

With this, the statue returned to its original posture and fell silent. The conversation was over as abruptly as it started.

The blacksmith was a little unsure what to do for a moment. Then he hurriedly thanked the still statue and returned the way he came to go and look for the temple of Apollo.