Dell had no idea what it would be like to fall asleep unconscious in a dream. He thought about it before, but never really felt fatigued enough to try it out. But today, he was forced to. Lifting his heavy eyes, he looked up at the dark ceiling glowing faintly as the purple furnace raged on. As he became readjusted to his surroundings, he heard the same clammering and deep humming of the smith, forging something on an anvil again. Swiftly, Dell rose to face the smith, finding himself on an incredibly soft bed, covered with an intricately woven purple fabric. Eventually, he noticed that his body was free of pain.
" I feel great... better than before! "
Looking down, he saw black bandages covering all of his wounds, then looked at the demon, who looked back at him while laughing.
" Better, yes? "
" You did this...? Incredible... I thought you were just a blacksmith! "
Putting his hammer down on a table, he stretched his four grand arms and took a seat on a huge throne-like chair.
" You're right. I am just a blacksmith! "
Its deep laughter boomed in the chamber. Dell confusedly raised his eyebrow.
" Then how did you heal me? "
It raised two of its arms as if it was shrugging.
" Where are your manners, I save your life and you ask me questions, young reaper! "
" O-oh, sorry! Than- "
It laughed again.
" Ah, don't worry, I'm just humoring myself. It's very lonesome down here, so enjoying my time with another intelligent being is no common occurrence! "
" Yeah... I can imagine. "
Its voice grew more serious as he sighed.
" But if you must know... I've covered your body in a special black metal, imbued with a special ability. These bandages constantly suck up the soul of beings, including yourself. "
Dell's eyes widened as he looked at his arms, chest, and legs covered with the black bandages.
' My soul? '
" The essence then circulates around the metal constantly, targeting the areas that are most wounded. Slowly, the bandages consume the essence and heal the wound. You'll mostly be consuming the essence of other creatures, but be warned, if you aren't quick enough it can start to take your soul! And I'm sure you wouldn't want that!. "
Dell's body shivered.
" Once your current wounds are healed, the bandages will lose their effects, and act like... armor I suppose. "
" What if the bandages are broken? Are they destroyed easily? "
" Ah, you don't have to worry about that much! Unless you're facing an incredible opponent, they'll remain strong. Their effect remains unless they are completely destroyed. '
The pair remained silent for a bit, allowing Dell to digest the information. From now on, if he wanted to heal himself he had to fight and kill.
" I let a few souls reach you as you slept, so now you shouldn't be in such agonizing pain, but you'll feel it when you begin to move about. Don't take it too easy, the more you fight the more you'll heal! "
Dell got up off the bed and felt a strong pain course through his body again. The smith was right.
' But it's bearable now... '
Walking around a bit and getting a feel of his repairing body took Dell a few minutes, but he did confirm that he could fight. These bandages were truly amazing! Looking over at the relaxed smith, a small smile appeared on his face.
" Thank you! You've saved my life! "
It remained silent, before nodding.
" You are welcome Dellin. However... in return for this, may I ask for you to do something? "
' Well... I should've expected this. I just hope it won't be so impossible. '
" You see... within the 3 realms, living, under, and ascendant, there are grand kings and queens who rule over them. We are in the space between the great realms, stuck for all eternity. Those who dare try to leave the orbit of the grand realms re punished in this eternal purgatory. I was sent here after a gruesome battle, and as such, cannot return back there. "
" Do you want me to... free you? "
It shook its head.
" No, I cannot escape no matter what. Regular beings cannot leave, and that is exactly why the Under King, Calfa, sent me here. So that in his next battle for the living realm, I cannot participate. "
" So... this Calfa guy wants to take over the living realm? What am I supposed to do about that...?
Getting up from its chair, it walked over to the anvil and picked up the metal it had been working on. It was a black blade the size of Dell's arm, with a small hole in the blade containing a small crystal, radiating a violet light. Pointing it at Dell, the smith began to talk again.
" Simple. Reapers are the only beings able to cross the great purgatory, so to stop him, you shall cross into the under realm, wielding this weapon, and... "
Suddenly a row of floating words appeared in front of Dell as the smith spoke, catching his attention instantly. His eyes and mouth widened in shock.
" ...slay the Great King of the Under-Realm. "
The words read:
OBJECTIVES FOUND: SLAY 'CALFA' THE KING OF THE UNDER-REALM [0/1]
??? [0/0]
Dell felt his entire body shiver at the appearance of the words. The Drive objective is given out randomly inside people's trials and it tells you exactly what you need to complete to finish the trial. So the appearance of the Drive Objective filled Dell with hope and motivation. However, the tasks he had received filled him with slight despair.
' Kill the king of hell?! This is looking a lot more hopeless than before... '
He then stared at the '???' while scratching his head. Was this normal? He didn't think it was. Not only did he have two objectives, but one was completely hidden from him.
' Weird. I'll worry about that later though, first off... '
" Am I even capable of doing that while in this injured state? "
" More than capable. Your race is death itself, and nobody can escape death. "
Sighing as the words in front of him vanished, he looked into the mist of the demon's face. He hesitated, before saying:
" Alright, I'll do it. You must have a plan that I can go through with, seeing as you prepared that special sword. "
" Indeed I do. I've had plenty of time to think of one. Of course, the first step is for you to leave purgatory itself! "
Rubbing his shoulder, he sighed and looked down.
' No rest inside of a dream. Ironic! '
-
After a couple of hours, both the smith and Dell were ready to leave the homely cell. Dell had forgotten to ask why it had chosen to keep itself down here, it could definitely slay the guards and guardian seeing as how it can create weapons capable of slaying kings of realms, nothing was keeping it trapped within. Then again, the cell was large and surprisingly cozy. Why we he need to be outside?
' Those darn ants... I'll never forget about them. ' Dell shivered.
Metal screeched as a pair of arms spread the bars of the cell creating an exit to the cave and allowing the pair to step through. Dell was carrying his oar and new blade, while the Nether Smith held a large chest on his shoulder. As they ascended the stairs, both were quiet, listening to the constant echo of footsteps. Dell was the first one to break the silence.
" So... are you truly the greatest blacksmith? Or is it self-acclaimed? "
It hummed for a few seconds thinking what to say.
" Very few can embed special qualities upon a piece of metal, and at best they were minor modifications. But my works gave me the title of 'Nether Smith' because of the devastating power the modifications bring. So, I do like to regard myself as the greatest. "
Dell looked down at the special blade on his waist and the unique armor on his body.
' Makes sense. It's probably not very common for a blacksmith can create a weapon able to kill the king of hell. '
" Then why were you banished? No offense, but you seem like a great tool for the king to use. "
" I saw no use in taking the realm of the living, conquering that realm in the first place would result in several deaths, and after that, the ascendant realm will probably fight to maintain the balance of the realms. Just imagine a war between 3 realms and the damage that could do to the world. So I simply stopped making equipment for them, which got me here. That should have set them back, but it's not long before they are ready to begin this war orchestrated by Calfa. Without him, things should gradually return to a peaceful balance. "
Digesting the information, Dell remained silent until they made it to the peak of the stairs. The Nether Smith looked around, pointing at the hall of cells.
" Those who die in the Under and Ascendant realm fall into the Purgatorial Inbetween are sent here, to the infinite cellars. Following that corridor will get you nowhere, since they continue forever keeping the fallen souls encaged for eternity. So don't die once you leave. "
He clicked his tongue and sighed, anxious about what was to come.
' Easier said than done. '
In front of them was the stairway that Dell had decided not to travel down, seemingly being the right option as he wouldn't have met the smith. Still, he felt a bit annoyed that he would yet again be going through another set of stairs.
' I think I'm growing to dislike stairs... '
But first, Dell needed to heal a bit more. And so, the pair found a couple of guards walking about and swiftly defeated them. Dell now had three souls of different guards and the guardian of the temple. This was enough.
Descending back into the darkness, Dell's bottom lip quivered as he bit into it. He was afraid of what was to come, but he knew he had to face it head-on, he was one step closer to finishing the trial - he had never really kept track of the time since he came, he was too busy trying to survive. But it felt like days, maybe even weeks.
' Almost there. Almost. '
Suddenly, they stopped as the mist began to flow up the stairs. Dell braced himself.
" We've arrived. Get ready. "
They couldn't see their feet touch the floor at the bottom because the deep hall was flooded in the cold mist up to their ankles. Dell also couldn't see into the hall well, as it was not lit by purple flames, unlike the rest of the temple. But he didn't need light to notice the danger in front of him. The mist began to swirly and ascend into the middle of the room, where four small purple lights beamed through. Gripping his oar, a shiver made its way up his spine.
" There it is. I haven't seen this lord in a long time, and yet it's still so recognizable. The strongest creature in purgatory itself... "
The silver mist abruptly burst outwards, revealing a gargantuan beast, with four long, horned skulls on the end of extensive necks unleashing a recognizable scream.
" Veindra, the Lord of Haze. "