Hera wasn't the last one to wake up, but she wasn't the first, either. When she saw Milla's message, her first instinct was to wake everyone up so they could move, but she realized this wouldn't be a good idea. Not right now, at least. After the rampage, they were very tired, and if they didn't get the chance to sleep properly, they might not be in a good enough state to even help those who were kidnapped. However, the Empress did send a message asking why Milla said it so straightforwardly. They were very careful about not mentioning the exact situation before; doing this now felt strange.
The reply didn't take long to come. Apparently, one of the guild's spies had managed to capture one of the scouts who was watching over the new compound where the experiments were going on. The scout died before it could reveal anything, but even so, the humans were able to find out that this wasn't new. Because of that, they were now rushing to move everything and everyone necessary for the lab to a different place. They already had caused an 'accident' inside that killed everyone and were on the move. Almost all prisoners were already dead, and the equipment that was left behind was too destroyed to be recognized. But, apparently, they had some success with a few of their subjects. Those were being carried to a different place to continue the project.
The Alliance had some intel about a few of their possible escape routes. One of those would overlap very close to Hera's current position. All of them had a low likelihood of being in the right place, and to avoid attracting too much attention, the guild, or whoever was responsible for those experiments, were splitting up their teams. Smaller groups would be carrying the subjects in larger crates while the most elite members of that project were carrying the data itself. Apparently, those people were already on the move. During the first two days, they had crossed five rooms each day and now returned to 3 in order to blend with the traffic. The spies and informants the Alliance had were able to indicate some of the rooms they would be going to but not their final destination. That's why they were asking Hera and her team to go to one of the checkpoints the checkpoints the humans would have to go through.
It was clear that Milla had no idea what the project actually was, just that the guild was using the other species as guinea pigs, and that was enough for her. She had already sent them the necessary information, including the location they should go to, in an encrypted file. One is that they shouldn't open it before reaching the target room and deactivating the internet connection. According to the harpy, if anyone tried to hack the file, it would take them at least five days to crack it. Saying the actual room was already a problem since the guild could have bugs in their network, but there wasn't much they could do about it.
Hera got up and got dressed before leaving the hotel room. Vash noticed that and followed along, leaving only Roan behind, who was still lying in bed resting for the moment, even if he was already awake.
Once they were outside, the performer asked, "Where are we going?'
"I was going to the doorway. To check my reward. It said I could go there through a doorway. If we had a day to rest, I would go to the next room and check if I could go to this forge, or whatever, from anywhere. But we won't have that chance so soon. So it's better to just get it already," Hera explained. Just as she called the elevator, she turned to the harpy, "If you are tired, you can stay. I know that yesterday was hard."
"I'm ok. I feel like I've slept enough. And after this week, it feels weird to just stay doing nothing," Vash shrugged, "Let me just send a message to everyone else."
"Good idea."
Getting to the doorway took almost half an hour, and things were slowly getting back to normal in the room. Some people were already coming to their homes, and the farms and buildings were working. There were even a couple of stores doing a 'end of the rampage' sale as an attempt to cash in the money people got. Now that people were less worried about fighting, they were more likely to notice this weird person with scales and a tail walking around. Thankfully, Hera's reputation was still strong as someone who you shouldn't mess with. This allowed her to continue moving around without anyone stopping her, aside from the eventual thank that one person or another who knew she was responsible for the spell that buffed everyone during the entire rampage.
Eventually, they arrived at the doorway. There was a line with a decent number of people coming and going already, but after a quick conversation with the person responsible for organizing everything, Hera was able to cut in the short line. After all, she wasn't going to leave.
"I'll be right back," Hera told Vash before approaching the doorway. She touched it, and a new option appeared, asking if she wanted to head to the Forgotten Forge. Touching it, she felt the familiar feeling of warm water covering her body. When she opened her eyes, she was in a different place, but one that fit the room very well.
Cavernous halls, carved from the obsidian rock that formed the spire reflected and eerie glow of lava pulsating beneath the cracked floor. Despite all her skills, the Ophidianite was assaulted by an oppressive heat that hung heavily on the air. No fire was lit, and no spell was in place to maintain this temperature. This was the natural state of the forge. Hera shivered, thinking about what this would be like when the furnaces were blazing. The smell of iron, sulfur, and smoke drowned out anything else that could exist here. A smell almost familiar to Hera, who spent so many days with Silah in her forge.
Even if the system was calling this place a forge, the structure didn't look like one. Yes, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of weapons, armor, accessories, and any type of gear that one could think of, but it wasn't a single floor. Instead, it had three large floors, spreading out in the shape of an X. Almost like a library, with shelves upon shelves revealing several of the works made by those who used this place.
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You have entered the Forgotten Forge.
You can only take a single item as your reward. Once you make your choice by picking the item, you will be transferred back to the place you came from.
You can only stay inside the forge for 15 minutes. If you go over that time, you will be transferred back to where you came from. If you have not picked an item when this happens, a random item will be given instead.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
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Looking to her left, the Empress noticed that the items seemed off. There was a sword on top of a table. It had a golden pummel with deep blue details in the guard, and the blade was a pristine silver, but the inscription on it was incomplete. Not in an intentional way but in an unfinished way.
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Incomplete Sword of the Azure Depths
Very rare
Incomplete item
This item is incomplete; its full power was never achieved. In addition, it is not a finished product that still exists inside the Forgotten Forge; the information you are able to see is limited. This item possesses the power of the ocean and a way to protect your allies. It scales with Strength, Endurance, and Agility.
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Hera nodded, understanding how this place worked. Things like that were common in stories. A place that was too big for a single person to scour during a certain time frame. However, she wasn't exactly alone.
"Everyone comes out," she called, already giving each court member a magnet to let them move farther away, "Can you see the notification on this thing?" she pointed to the Incomplete Sword of the Azure Depths. There was a brief pause before they all confirmed, "Perfect. Spread out and look at all the items you can. If you see anything that is either a complete item or, above all, very rare, let me know. Otherwise, only warn me if you see something really interesting. Oh, and none of you can touch any of the items unless I say so. That is an order. The last thing we need is to get one item by accident. If there is anything inside a box or something called the titled blades, they can help move things around. As long as it's not one of the possible rewards."
Hera looked at her court, all who were listening to what she had to say, "That's it. C'mon, move, move, move. We have 14 minutes!"
The entire court spread out, scrambling to find things. Hera and Daskka didn't stay put either. They both moved to the center of the forge, trying to figure out where the most precious items would be.
"Do you think they hid or put it on display?" the snake asked.
"Well… the best place for a display would be right… Here," the Empress walked to the center of the X that shaped the forge. There was nothing there, just an empty space. No decorations, no shelves or benches. It does not even mark that something was there in the past. It looked more like a busy intersection.
"So hidden?" the herald asked.
'Hera, I got something. It's epic, a lance. Uses the power of metal to absorb the metal armor of the enemies,' Chris said in her mind.
'That's interesting but a bit too niche. Keep track of where it is and keep looking.'
"Hey, bird brain. Can you fly to the ceiling and see if there is anything hidden there?" Daskka yelled.
Nimbus huffed but didn't argue and just did as she asked. They had little time here, and their usual banter would get in the way. After a moment, he shook his head, "Nothing here. Just the obsidian rock."
'Yo, how about a ring that makes a barrier and heals? This one is epic too,' DJ asked.
'Maybe, keep track of where it is and keep looking,' Hera replied.
They continued moving around, with the Empress trying to find any secret places and the rest of the court checking the items. Various ideas were thrown around. A sword that could extend itself, a katar that allowed her to teleport short distances, and some metal pants capable of creating mirror images of her. There was even a bow blade. A bow that had two edges that should be allowed to enter the court. Ammo wasn't something she would have to worry since the bow also was able to make arrows using mana. But each of them was 'only' epic ranked, but also an incomplete item. So far, no one found a complete one. With three minutes on the clock, Hera was about to go for the bow when a voice rang in her mind.
'We found a door!' Crimson had an excited tone.
'It's behind a shelf in the lower south. We need help moving the thing,' Viper's voice sounded strained. It seemed like he was trying to push the shelf away.
'I'm close. Don't worry,' even when talking in their minds, Livy shouted, making everyone flinch.
Hera hurried along. When she arrived there, they had already pushed the shelf away, and the door was open. On the other side was the forge, the actual forge. With the furnaces and the fire pit where metal was heated before whoever owned this place made it bend to their will. There were some tools here, but all of them were common and had nothing special about them. To the opposite corner of the entrance was a box filled with various materials, all epic-ranked.
There was a large anvil in front of the forge and, on top of it, a hammer. A bronze hammer with small details in black and gold. One large flat surface on one side, and on the back, two pieces, one round one and another a bit more pointy, but still very smooth. Both were likely tools to shape the metal. The handle was wrapped in brown leather and red treads, and the pommel was a small knife. Probably made to cut string or something small; that part didn't seem to be part of the original item but an addition that was made later. It was as if the owner realized they needed something like that and got frustrated to the point of adding to their tool.
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Cinder Kissed Forging Hammer
Unique
Scaling:
Strength x 28, Endurance x 27, Intelligence x 26, Charisma x 13
Skills:
Echoing Enchantment: When active, any item struck by this hammer will receive a temporary enchantment. This boon is random, but it will be something that is usable for the item. This effect cannot happen more than once in an item during the same use of the skill.
Skill Duration: 1 minute
Enchantment Duration: 5 minutes
Awakened Potential: Once per day, an item that is hit by this hammer can be pushed to the limits of the material used in its creation.
Cooldown: 24 hours
Phoenix Touch: This hammer can temporarily bestow the essence of a phoenix on other items. All items affected by this skill can deal bonus Phoenix Fire damage and regenerate any damages with time. In addition, this hammer is able to use a Phoenix Fire wave attack one time.
Cooldown: 7 days.
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"Daskka, do you think this could be a part of the court?" Hera turned to the herald
"Yeah, we've got members for less than an actual knife in the pommel. You should be able to add the hammer to it."
"Perfect, I think I have my choice. We could really use a blacksmith in the court," Hera replied with a smile.