73. A Great Axe

73. A Great Axe

Omen: 13, 14

Adam stretched, yawning as he did. “Oof. What a day to be alive.” He smiled, hearing the soft pitter patter of rain outside.

“Are you going to start smithing my greataxe?” Lucy asked from the courtyard, basking in the rain.

“Yeah, yeah,” Adam said. “I’ll try and make it look good, but enchanting is most important.”

“I will create the best handle,” Jurot assured.

“Of course, since you’re both my friends,” Lucy said.

Smithing Check (Intelligence)

D20 + 4 = 14 (10)

With Lucy’s assistance, Adam and Jurot figured out the rough shape of the weapon she wanted.

Mana: 8 -> 0

She then remained laying at one side, digesting the mana.

Smithing Check (Strength)

D20 + 5 = 8 (3)

Omen: 13, 14 -> 14

13 + 5 = 18

Adam pulled on the Thread of Fate, shifting the fortune of a young bard, who sung a lovely song for her patron, one made which him weep.

He managed to control his strength well, not ruining the head as he forged the axe.

Smithing Check (Constitution)

D20 + 4 = 8 (4)

Omen: 14 -> 0

14 + 4 = 18

Adam pulled on the Thread of Fate again, only to shift the fortune of a young guard, who also wished to impress who she admired, only to slip into the puddle of mud and embarrass herself.

He stared at the axe head, feeling the burn within his forearms.

“It looks good,” Lucy said, staring at the head of the axe, which was round with a slight point, and on the opposite side was a small dagger like head. It was dark, but the purple glimmered under the sun, though it still needed to be polished.

“I’ll finish it tomorrow,” Adam said. “I don’t want to sharpen it poorly.”

Jurot was still concentrating on the handle of the axe, and the pair left him be.

Omen: 8, 17

Mana: 8 -> 0

Lucy remained to one side as she had done the previous day, basking in the sun.

Smithing Check (Dexterity)

D20 + 2 = 4 (2)

Omen: 8, 17 -> 8

17 + 2 = 19

Once again he plucked the Thread of Fate.

The young urchin boy relaxed casually against the barrel, noting the figure adorned in full plate mail. The boy’s heart thundered within his chest as the Knight’s gaze passed him by, pausing for a moment over him, before the Knight continued to look around. His heart did not stop thundering, even after he eventually took the role of guiding another person within the town of Red Oak.

Once Adam finished polishing the axe head, he noted he blemishes within the axe. ‘Damn it!’ He had managed to forge it well, but there were a few parts where he hadn’t properly dispersed the puthral ore.

Jurot frowned as he handed the wooden handle over.

“What’s wrong?” Adam asked.

“I was unable to apply the pattern correctly, so I shaved it off.”

“Do you need more time?” Adam asked.

“No,” he said. “If I carve any more into it, it will be unusable.”

“Damn. Want me to buy some more purple wood.”

Jurot shook his head. “I will do better next time. You cannot waste your gold because I failed.”

“Alright. I didn’t exactly do the best either, but it’s usable.” Adam fit the head and the handle together.

“It looks good,” came a soft voice from beside them.

The pair glanced over to see a tall, beautiful demon woman.

The pair blinked.

“Lucy?” Adam called.

Lucy smirked wide, tossing her hair behind her ear. “Bow before me, mortals,” she demanded. She was tall, almost as tall as Adam, though was still quite thin. Her body was lean, her skin grey with a hint of purple, and a stony texture in certain places like before.

Adam then held up the greataxe’s handle to her. “Hurry up and test it out.”

Lucy frowned, but took the weapon. She swung it around, feeling how it cut through the air. If she had been shorter, it would have been awkward to wield, but since she was back to her normal size, it was fine to use. Considering the metal, she thought it would be a touch lighter, but it was still easy to use. “It’s fine, I guess.”

Adam squinted at her. “If you don’t like our first gift to you, you can hand it back.”

“Who said I didn’t like it?” She glanced aside, hugging the greataxe tight to her chest.

‘So that’s why she called them traitorous,’ Adam thought.

Lucy squinted her eyes at him suspiciously, feeling a heavy buzz in the back of her mind.

“Let’s go,” Adam said, turning on his heel quickly and retreating back to the Iyr.

“Oooh!” The children clapped as she swung it around.

Then, suddenly, the weapon disappeared.

Kitool blinked, and Amokan stared at where the weapon had been in the last moment.

“Can it disappear into another realm?” Kitool asked.

“That kind of effect is powerful,” Amokan said, his eyes falling to Adam, who was smirking.

“Nice ring,” Jaygak said.

Timojin’s lips formed a small smile too, having noted the appearance of the ring too.

“Looks like I managed to figure it out before you,” Jaygak teased her friend, rubbing her elbow against Kitool’s side.

Kitool nodded her head. “There are such times.”

“This weapon is grea-“ Lucy cleared her throat. “I mean, I guess it’s fine.”

“You know, friends can compliment each other,” Adam said, chuckling.

“It’s pretty good, I guess,” Lucy said, her tail swaying from side to side, peeking out from her pants for once, before hiding away.

“Now I should probably enchant my...” Adam furrowed his brows.

“Is something wrong?” Jaygak asked.

“No,” he said. “It’s just...” Adam had spent over two months in this world, and he had finally established a base for himself in the Iyr. He was rushing a great many things, but there was one thing he didn’t even bother to check.

“Are you going to share with us?” Jaygak asked.

“I’m not sure I can,” Adam admitted.

Seeing the seriousness on his face, Amokan and Kitool grabbed Jaygak’s shoulders.

“What?” she gasped, innocently. “I wasn’t going to do anything.” Her tail swayed from side to side, betraying her inner thoughts.

“Actually, it might be good to ask you guys,” Adam said, before retreating to the room to retrieve the item. “Do you know what this is?” He held up the broken hilt made of a metal unfamiliar to him.

The Iyrmen stared at it, but Lucy gasped. “Oh! That looks amazing!” She reached up to grab it, but Adam gripped it tight.

Athletics Check

D20 + 5 = 9 (4)

Somehow Adam managed to keep it within his grasp.

“Oh, come on, I wanna see!” Lucy grumbled.

“Then use your words.”

“Lemme see it!”

“Manners?”

“Come ooooon!”

Adam blinked at her.

“Please lemme see.”

He let go of the hilt right away, causing her to fall back. She stared at the hilt, almost as though it were that ring.

“Whoa,” she whispered. “It feels like holysteel!”

“Is that good or bad?” Adam wondered, considering that holy things were meant to be poisonous to her kind, or he assumed that was how it worked.

"It's slightly tingly to my hands, but this thing is nice!” She brushed along it gently. “You can probably make it into an artefact."

Adam blinked again. “An artefact?”

“Is it truly so powerful?” Sonarot asked.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Lucy said. “I felt holysteel once before, when that bas-“ She froze, glancing to the Iyrmen around her. “Nothing.”

“How did it come to your possession?” Sonarot asked, changing the topic.

Adam narrowed his eyes for a moment, falling into deep thought. He caught Sonarot’s eyes. “I had it the day I came here.”

Sonarot nodded her head slowly. “Let’s eat, shall we?” Once again, she changed the topic, allowing them to move on in peace.

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Adam casually changing the fate of people.

Tut tut.

Also, I love Lucy so much. She's kawaii as hell.

RIP Loli Lucy, you will be missed.

Can we get some Fs in the comments?