My hands shook as I accepted the quiver from her. The jet-black artifact was obviously crafted with skill far beyond the ability of any mere mortal. Banded with pure Khelduin that had somehow been altered from its usual silvery color to a dark black finish, the entire object practically echoed with power as I held it in my hands.
Although it had appeared empty when the Goddess handed it to me, as soon as my fingers grazed the surface of the quiver, it was suddenly filled to capacity. Twenty deadly arrows sprung up within its confines with equal numbers fletched in red, blue, green, and brown. Then, before I had time to contemplate the gift I had received, its description appeared in my vision.
Quiver of the Elements – God-forged Artifact – This Quiver was crafted for Dreya Sintári by the Goddesses of Fire and Earth and the Gods Air and Water, along with the Goddess of Vengeance. It holds five arrows imbued with the power of each element. These arrows are indestructible and will return to the Quiver immediately after they are used. While the arrows effects have been provided by the Deities, they also draw upon the Essence of the Sintári, and will grow in power to a certain extent as she does. The Quiver is irrevocably bound to Dreya Sintári and neither it, nor its arrows can be used by another.
“Put it on,” Nentai coaxed me.
I was still stunned by what was happening, and tried to follow her command, but I struggled to do so since the Quiver had no strap or harness that I could see.
“No, Dreya. Just put it on,” Nentai smiled in amusement. “It will fasten itself to you.”
Numbly, I did as she told me, and the Artifact clung to me when I placed it over my shoulder where I usually put my quiver.
“You have had your fun—now it’s my turn,” Set said almost petulantly.
From out of nowhere, a bundle of black leather appeared in the Goddess’s arms, and she offered it to me. My hands continued to shake as I nervously accepted it from her, and before I could unravel the strings that bound the bundle together, another message flashed before my eyes.
Armor of Melía – God-Forged Artifact – This set of armor was crafted for Dreya Sintári by Melía, Goddess of Shadow. While its leather may appear thin, it is almost impervious to slashing or piercing damage from any weapon of less than magical power. The armor’s protection against the impact of such attacks or other blunt forces is limited, however. This Artifact is self-repairing and has no effect on Encumbrance. During its construction, Melía also imparted the Armor with a limited ability to protect against shadow magic. This Armor is irrevocably bound to Dreya Sintári and cannot be worn by another.
“Yes, fairly impressive work,” Set commented dryly as I reread the description.
“I would have liked to present you with my own gift, but alas, it is not quite ready yet,” the Goddess of Nature added.
“There’s m-more?” My voice cracked as I asked.
“You will receive something from each member of the Pantheon,” Nentai answered. “Though some of the gifts, like the Quiver, are collaborations.”
“Come sister, it is time for us to go,” Set announced impatiently. “We have done what we came for, and Dreya’s companions are probably growing quite uncomfortable kneeling on the floor for so long.”
“You go along, dear sister, I’ll be right behind you,” Nentai replied. “Dreya will probably need to be shown how to put on Melía’s Armor. I want to make sure she can get into it before I leave.”
“Very well,” Set answered, although she seemed somewhat suspicious.
The form of the Goddess of Nature wavered briefly before she vanished from the room entirely, and I stared in disbelief at the spot where she had been standing until Nentai’s familiar voice broke me out of my trance.
“Wait here while I help the Sintári with her gifts,” Nentai commanded my friends as she pulled me up the stairs.
The Goddess dragged me to my room and shut the door behind us. I was still trying to recover from the incredible events when she began speaking to me.
“Never tell anyone what I have been doing to help you,” Nentai warned me. “Some of the things I have done to aid you are forbidden—especially the way I have communicated with you.”
“Why then?” I asked. “Why did you do it?”
“There is much I cannot tell you,” Nentai replied, as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. “But mostly it was because I saw how hard you fought to avenge those who had suffered abuse. All of us, the entire Pantheon, chafes at the injustice that goes on across our world. You are one of the few who dares stand against it, and your willingness to fight evil and protect the innocent is admirable.”
“Come,” she said, dismissing any further discussion of the matter as she stood up again. “Let me show you how to get yourself into this armor my sister Melía has crafted for you.”
Nentai unpacked the armor and laid it out on the bed. The leather looked almost insubstantial, but featured thin plates of blackened Khelduin along all of the more vulnerable areas.
“You will not need to wear padding beneath the leather,” Nentai told me. “In fact, doing so will only decrease the protection of the Armor. It is made for you in the truest sense and will perform best when it is in direct contact with your skin.”
I nodded my head reflexively as Nentai picked up the leather shirt and held it up for me.
“Take off your clothes and I’ll show you how to put it on.”
“I think I can figure that part out,” I replied, flushing with embarrassment.
“Dreya, I don’t have time for this,” Nentai sighed in exasperation. “You don’t have to get completely naked, just strip down to your undergarments.”
Reluctantly, I did as the Goddess suggested and stood before her as she began instructing me.
“You only need to undo the clasps along one side,” Nentai told me as she finished loosening one of the sets of small buckles that ran along the edges of the leather shirt. Then, with one side of the shirt spread open, she slipped it across my body. I started to tighten the first of the straps, but before I could, the armor began adjusting itself to me.
I watched in amazement as the clasps Nentai had carefully opened slipped shut and buckled themselves closed, fitting the shirt to my body perfectly. The soft leather fit like a glove and the metal plates pressed against my skin. I thought the hard Khelduin plates might feel awkward, but when they melded themselves to my shape, I found them to be surprisingly comfortable. As I marveled over the shirt, Nentai passed me the leather pants; when I slipped into them, they practically melted around my legs.
I had no way to evaluate myself, but once I donned the matching boots and gloves, Nentai smiled and summoned a full-length mirror for me, and I stared into it in amazement.
The leather armor did little to hide my figure, but thankfully fell short of being overly revealing. The soft material covered me completely below my neck, and the knee-high boots and gloves combined perfectly with the armor. In fact, as I donned the final piece, I felt the entire set stitch itself together into a single element, leaving no gaps or seams between its parts. I tried to stretch and twist myself around in attempt to test the limits of the bonds, but no matter what I did, the armor flowed with me and revealed no openings in its protection.
“It will not fail you, Dreya,” Nentai chuckled as she saw what I was doing. “Melía’s work is very thorough.”
“So, I only have to worry about protecting my head?”
“Not even that,” Nentai replied confidently. “The armor may not cover you completely, but its protection does. As I said, my sister’s work is very thorough.”
“Thank you, Goddess,” I offered her sincerely. “And please extend my thanks the others who have been so generous.”
“Call me Nentai,” she replied. “Your companions may feel compelled to kneel in our presence, but you should not. Nor should you call us by anything other than our names. You have earned that right, Dreya.”
“Until we meet again,” Nentai added as she wavered and then d
isappeared from the room just as Set had earlier.
I sat on the bed where Nentai had been only a few moments before and contemplated the incredible events that had just occurred—in the span of a few short moments, I had met a pair of Goddesses, learned that my quest had received the blessing of an entire Pantheon, and been gifted with two God-forged Artifacts with the promise of still more to come. It was almost more than I could comprehend.
After sitting there for a while, I remembered that my companions were waiting for me downstairs, so I placed the Quiver over my shoulder; once I felt it secure itself in place, I left the room and made my way down the stairs.
I heard my companions hushed voices as I descended towards them and they fell silent as I entered the common room. Each of them stared at me in amazement, awed not only by the events they had witnessed, but by the power that they recognized in the Artifacts I wore.
Khorim reached out to touch my armor, clearly seeking to feel the Artifact and determine if what his eyes were telling him was real, but I had to stop him before he regretted where his absent-minded hand was heading.
“I won’t appreciate that, master dwarf,” I admonished him. “And Broda will like it even less.”
Khorim flushed crimson when I stopped his hand just inches away from my chest. The sound of him bursting into a series of coughs and sputters broke the rest of my friends from the trance they were under, and they began pummeling me with questions.
“Stop!” I had to shout to end their flurry of inquiries. “You know as much as I do. Nentai only helped my get into my armor before she left.”
While that wasn’t completely true, it was the limit of what I could tell them safely.
“Dreya,” Venna’s voice trembled in awe. “The Gods have blessed your quest. Not just one of them, but all of them. You have done many amazing things, but this is truly unprecedented.”
“The Gods have blessed our quest,” I reminded them all. “You joined me on this mission, and their blessing falls on you as well—never forget that.”
“Still, Sintári, you cannot deny the special role you play in all of this,” Stel replied, echoing Venna’s sentiment.
“As much as I’d like to do just that, you’re right, I can’t,” I conceded reluctantly. “I’ve fought against it for so long that it’s hard for me to admit that I have been given a great responsibility, but more than anything, this night has reminded me that I need all of you in order to fulfill that role; most importantly, I need you to stop looking at me like that!”
The sudden change in my tone caught my friends off guard, and they startled in surprise. Tási had the good sense to at least appear embarrassed while the rest of them remained off balance by my outburst.
“It’s still me inside this set of armor,” I said, as I stared each of them in the eye in turn. “I need you to treat me the same as always and not like I’m the damn Artifact.”
“We will try, Sintári,” Stel answered on their behalf. “But you do make it difficult sometimes.”
The reemergence of his trademark smirk offered me some reassurance that they would at least try, and I accepted his promise with a resigned sigh. Unfortunately, I had to admit that he was right—if things like this kept happening, I had little hope that they would be able to see me as the same person they once knew. I only prayed that any similar events occurred far enough apart that our bonds were able to recover in between.
“I think I’ve had enough excitement for one night,” I sighed again. “I’m going to try and get some sleep before anything else happens.”
I left my companions behind and climbed back upstairs, assuming they would continue discussing the night’s events endlessly, either with or without me. Once I reached my room, I shut the door behind me before I pulled the Quiver off my back and sat down on the bed once more.
I had only just changed into my night dress and slipped under the covers when Tási opened the door and crept inside. After she changed and laid down beside me, I felt compelled to speak to her before we fell asleep.
“Promise me you won’t treat me differently,” I implored her. “I need to know that I can count on you, even if I lose everyone else.”
“You’re not going to lose any of us,” she reassured me. “They may be a bit overwhelmed, but they’ll snap out of it. Broda’s already ripping Khorim a new one for almost groping you before.”
We laughed at Khorim’s misfortune, and I could only imagine just how badly Broda was tearing into the unfortunate dwarf for his near blunder. When our laughter subsided, Tási’s hand grazed my cheek and she kissed me softly on the lips as she maneuvered beside me.
“This has been a rather momentous evening, even before the Goddesses descended upon us,” she said in a mischievous tone that I’d come to recognize. “While I’m not going to treat you any differently, I do intend to treat you rather spectacularly tonight.”
Her promise turned out to be quite a bit of an understatement, and although Tási fell asleep quickly after our intense liaison, I lay awake for a while longer, still struggling to come to terms with all that had transpired despite Tási’s obvious attempt to divert my attention.
As I lie there, I missed Bane’s soothing presence and the calming effect his purr had on me. He had not returned from his scouting before we had retired, so he had been locked outside. It was not an unusual occurrence, but I felt his absence keenly that night. Eventually, my eyelids began to sag, and Tási’s soft snoring finally lulled me to sleep, despite the heavy thoughts that were running through my mind.
12
When I woke the next morning, I immediately dressed in Melía’s Armor. While I was not planning to venture beyond the fortifications that day, and had no need of its protection, I still felt almost compelled to wear the Artifact. My desire to put on the Armor came from more than just the way that it fit me so perfectly, and as I slipped into it, I remembered Nentai telling me that the armor was made for me in the ‘truest sense.’
I wondered if I had forged yet another bond, like the ones that had been created between me and Bane, Tási, and even with the land of the valley. Had Melía crafted an Artifact that also linked itself to me on some level? It was not a question that I could answer, but perhaps the next time the Goddesses came to visit me, I could ask them about it.
The thought of meeting Nentai and Set again sent a shiver through me when I remembered the implications behind it—gifts from the Gods. A blessing from the entire Pantheon on my quest. The burden that I had felt on my shoulders had been heavy before, but the weight seemed to grow almost unbearable with the added impact of that responsibility. Tási had already left when I woke up, so after I threw an outfit on over my armor, I sat down on the bed to contemplate the incredible turn of events.
My ultimate goal was to unite Arrika into one nation, and then eliminate the threat of the Dark Lands. With the realms united, and all external dangers eradicated, peace and justice could return to the lands. The realms could focus their efforts on enforcing the law and preventing the abuse of their people, rather than having to waste their resources fighting petty wars or defending against attacks from the Dark Lands.
But at that moment, I was still just trying to establish my own base of power—my own tiny realm. One that I hoped would provide an example for all the others to follow. For me to do that, I needed to bring in more people. People willing to believe in the promise that I was offering them.
I suddenly realized that the Gods’ blessing and their gifts to me were not an added burden that I needed to bear, they were tools that were meant to help me succeed. I just had to figure out how to use them correctly.
I couldn’t simply announce what had happened to the world. Such a proclamation would only spur my enemies to attack, and I didn’t want to face another assault at that time, but perhaps I could use what had happened in a subtler manner. It was an issue that would require some consideration on my part, but with the smell of breakfast wafting through the air, I set my deliberations a
side and headed downstairs.
When I reached the common area, I saw everyone sitting around the table as Tási was just setting platters of food in front of them. I had heard them talking among themselves as I walked down the stairs, but as soon as they noticed me, a hush had fallen over the table.
“So,” I said as I took a seat and began piling some food onto my plate. “Anything interesting happen lately?”
Khorim almost choked on his mouthful of eggs when I made my casual offhand comment, while the rest of my companions chuckled in response. My dismissive tone had broken the uneasy mood, and Stel replied to me in kind.
“No, not much to speak of,” he deadpanned.
“But I do have an idea that I would like for you to consider,” Stel continued. “A second foray to follow up on our recruitment efforts. It’s probably too soon just yet, but in a week or two, I would like to go back out and try to persuade as many people as I can to join us.”
“And have you run this idea of yours past Venna,” I asked him pointedly, “or are you intending to make me bear the brunt of her wrath when you depart yet again?”
“I assure you that he has not,” Venna said icily.
Stel sunk back in his chair and practically withered under the intense glare that Venna cast his way as she spoke.
“I was going to,” he replied almost meekly.
“I think it’s a good idea,” I jumped in before Venna could rip her husband to shreds. “But I also think that the timing needs to be worked out a bit. Come back to me after you discuss the issue with your wife.”
Venna’s eyes still smoldered as she stared back at Stel, but she nodded her head when I finished speaking, so I let the matter drop.
“I’m planning to make my usual rounds again today,” I announced, changing the subject to more mundane matters. “If anyone needs me, you know where to look.”
While my companions were anxious to know more about what the Gods had in store for us, they also knew that there was nothing more for me to tell them. They had witnessed almost the entirety of the events as they had unfolded, so our discussions remained focused on the day-to-day concerns until Broda asked about my attire.
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