Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

"Can I leave this to you? I will check on the Hangingtree," he asked Leana but was already gone when she wanted to answer.

Leana's explanation had calmed his nerves. The awakening was nothing he could stop, or avoid, and most importantly it was not his fault. In that case, there was only one thing he needed to do. The next moment he appeared in the chamber of the Hangingtree, where he found a mesmerized Karina.

Standing still in front of the massive tree she was staring at her own hands. Wasn't the dryad busy scouting new places for the Tree Route? When had she come back?

"Karina, you seem a little out of it. Are you okay?", he approached the dryad carefully.

"Ah, hello. I'm okay. It's just, I think I got a new ability?" she said, still a little confused.

As his questioning look, the dryad explained what happened, she herself being surprised about what had happened. He had been growing a tree close to a mountain lake, as per the instructions of Senior White, when a massive wave of power suddenly flooded through her. The power emanated from the roots she was currently growing into a sapling.

"Before I could react I was... sucked into the tree and traveled here through the root systems. I believe it instinctively brought me here because it needed me?" she ended her wondrous explanation with a theory.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked worried.

What if something went wrong with the tree because of the path of legend? Karina didn't answer as she leaned against the thick trunk of the tree. Her hands stroked the bard before the sank into the wood itself.

"I see. The energy that suddenly flooded into it is going rampant. Even though we are separate beings, I'm still its consciousness. I need to help it control it and guide it into clear channels until it calms down," she calmed the blacksmith.

The dryad fell silent, obviously concentrating on her task. The bard did not dare to utter a word, in case he could distract her and cause her to make a mistake. As she was standing there, the Hangingtree started glowing in a dim golden light, illuminating the cavern.

Staring at her, Seth couldn't help but use his <Theia's Discerning Eyes> on the two of them.

<Hanging Tree lv.200 Path of the Guardian Tree...>

<Guardian Tree's Spirit- Karina lv.101 Path of the Guardian of the Forest...>

Surprised he found, that Karina had already crossed lv.100. The path he saw with the divine skill, was most likely assigned to her once she reached that level.

When the light slowly receded, its bark resembled ancient bronze or brass, and the leaves far above had taken green and azure hues, like crystalline copper oxides. Karina opened her eyes.

"I have managed to get the energy under control and established a channel to conduct the surplus energy through the root to the saplings," she explained with a bright smile. As she pulled her hands out of the bark, they held a big piece of wood. It was roughly the size of a big wooden log and glowed in bright yellow gold.

"This is for you," she said with an even brighter smile. "It's a present from the tree and soaked in the purest of its energy."

Seth was speechless. It would have been a lie to say that he was not here for materials, but he had not expected the tree to have already prepared something for him. How attentive of it. He cleared his throat.

"You didn't have to, but I will gladly accept the gift as a sign of hospitality," he joked with a big smile, as he received the heavy piece of wood. It was incredibly dense, almost as heavy as steel. He inadvertently checked the log with <Eyes of the Maestro>.

<Core Wood of the Guardian Tree,

Legendary

A piece of wood of a legendary Guardian Tree. Willingly given and enriched with the tree's power. Apart from its high durability, this special piece of wood inherits the powers of life and death because of the Guardian Tree's unique position as a protector who kills enemies to protect and nurtures allies.>

"Oh please, not need to act civil now. The tree had not forgotten your favor, and neither did I," Karina chuckled. "Please ask whenever you need more wood. At this point, the tree can give it to you even without my presence."

"You guys are a real blessing," he cried out, pulling the dryad into a tight bear hug.

"Urgh, please me gentler! I think my spine is cracking." she laughed loud as Seth let go of her.

"With this, I have all the materials I could ask for," he sheered. All that was left now was to raise <Instrument Maker>. The blacksmith wanted to bring the skill to reach at least the journeyman tier like <Carpentry> or get both to the craftsman tier. At that point, he could get the optimal synergy of his skills.

"Except, maybe you could also give me some relic-rated planks?" he added shamelessly to his previous statement. Karina's bell-like laughter could be heard echoing across the clearing.

"Of course, take however much you need. I will have to return now;" she chuckled.

"Return?" "Yes, I think I know how to travel through the roots of the tree now. I can travel to any tree on the tree route almost instantaneously," she explained. Her explanation had the blacksmith prick up his ears.

"Do your items also travel along with you?" he asked curiously.

"Why would you ask that? Of cou- Ah! My ring! Where is my ring!" she suddenly said in a panic. Fortunately, she quickly found it in her inventory. To the blacksmith's disappointment, it seemed that all items the dryad currently wore on her body, would be automatically unequipped upon entering the tree.

"If it is like this, it is probably only your consciousness that travels through the tree and you grow a new body to harbor your consciousness at your destination," he hypothesized based on her description.

For a moment he had hoped they could use Karina's new ability to quickly travel with their whole army between the Tree Stations. However, Legion could not be put into ones inventory because of its spatial attributes. If Karina wore it and began to travel, she would probably drop it while entering the tree.

"Anyway, I won't hold you back any longer, Both of us have work to do. Good luck, Karina."

After harvesting his materials, they finally said their farewells and Karina vanished into the trunk of the Guardian Tree. The blacksmith on the other hand locked himself in the workshop to make a ton of instruments. And then, when his skill was ready, he would finally create the Devil's-

"Seth, are you here?" it was late evening when a clear voice called for him and he heard a knock on the door.

"Mina?" he asked surprised as he opened the door and the cat girl jumped in his arms.

"You bad man! How long did you intend to let us wait? Fin and I even prepared dinner and you are locking yourself in your workshop," she complained, not letting go.

"You two cooked?" he asked surprised. The beast girl was silent for a moment.

"Okay, we asked Link to cook it, but we prepared the table and all! Don't try to distract now. I could understand if you gave more attention to Fin, but I don't intend to lose to a forge!" she said combatively and started fiddling around with the girdle of her coat.

"W-Wait! Mina what are-"

She opened her trench coat and revealed her secret weapon. A special purchase from the Silken Dream. Seth gulped hard.

"Mina, we can't- Not here!"

"Come on~ it's been a while since we did it somewhere else than the bed and we are all alone here. Do you think your furnace will get jealous?" she asked raunchy, pressing her body against him.

"Y-You evil woman! To the quarters, Tower!" he grasped her hips tightly as they vanished from the workshop.

A quiet voice could be heard, chuckling in the empty workshop.

"Kukuku, young love~ How I missed that time, " Sivri pondered with a reminiscent smile.

"I kinda wanted to watch..."

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