Clang. Clang. Clang.

The rhythmic smashing of hammer on anvil was loud, up close; but there was something soothing about it, something about its pattern and predictability that promised that all was well.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In the past few days, the Blacksmith had put out as many feelers as he could; deep concern gripped him. Things were... changing, and quickly, and he was uncertain as to where this change would lead them. But there were certain tasks that needed doing, and for that, he'd need the Gembounds' help.

What a strange world this had become-! But he held no ill will toward these creatures. He did not hesitate in sending out the call, asking as many as visited him to seek others for help.

"I need those who can enchant. Those who have learned. Or those I have taught. And I need those who can use the magic of water," he had explained.

But in the end, he would need far more than that; and so he waited, to see who might arrive on this, the day that he had chosen for them to meet him here.

This quest is a continuation of the following plots and threads:

[Quest] Relics of a Forgotten Age
Chains, Keys, and Fish oh my!
[Read Only] LISTEN TO ME

Any characters may join at any time. Characters are free to have heard the Blacksmith's call for aid through word of mouth, or from the Blacksmith himself in person.

And so the call went out.

Normally lurking within the warm waters of the bay, snagging fish between its teeth and terrorizing any who dared walk by, the beast had decided to wander deeper, for once, tentacles swaying this way and that as if examining the area around it as it ventured closer than usual to the volcano.

And that is how it heard the Blacksmith's call—ears flicking back as it registered the words, considering if it was even worth its time to haul itself closer. Inelegant at best on land, it much preferred the depths rather than petty sand.

...but it could not deny—it was curious. And it could use water magic, to some extent; dropping its internal water temperature to freeze others was often as effective as using its claws to scratch, although the extremities of its paws did often ache for it.

Might as well see if the caller was worth its time, or if it should eat it up.

Terror stalks into view of the caller's white mask, the many eyes dotted about its face focusing on the smithy; bar one that looked fresh with scar tissue, poorly healed from some unknown fight. "I fight with water magic. Why."

When Aran had heard about the Blacksmith's need of help, he knew he would of course. He owed the gembound for teaching how to enchant, even if he didn't tell the Blacksmith that before (a lot of gembound then learned it.. it wasn't just a thing for himself). Still, he felt he needed to repay the other somehow, and that meant using his newfound sight to slowly make his way to the Blacksmith's workshop. He had to be slow, so the skull tied around his neck didn't move too much to dizzy him, but at the same time he wondered how well this was going to go with.... The fear that came with wearing the necklace. So far he had been fine at ignoring it, except for with the collector - but what about the Blacksmith? As far as he was aware the gembound was nice enough - but did the curse think that?

Aran found himself avoiding the... Creature that was also there. It had multiple mouths, many eyes, among other things. Not something the deer wanted to get involved with or even try to talk to. It seemed like a gembound, which meant Aran couldn't just toss whatever it was away from here. Instead, he focused his attention on the Blacksmith, the eyes of the bird's skull watching, creating sight for the deer.

Forever a wanderer, Carja had left her nest and the precious chrysali within to pursue this call. Trusting her closest friends to protect them, she'd left, her wings carrying her far, wings flapping hard to carry her swiftly through the caves.

Hours later she arrived, a little tired but not exhausted, a bit wary of this cave and he who lived in it. The feeling that weighed heavy in her chest was his name, with a skull denser than stone and a brain like a dull knife.

But anyway.

Carja walked through the forge, the heat a bit stifling, but nothing she couldn't handle. Despite having the power of ice and water, fire burned in her chest and heart, making it more bearable. She peered at the Blacksmith and the others who'd arrived, curious and inquisitive, before puffing her chest up and looking forward.

”I use water magic,” she spoke up, ”And ice, need that be necessary.”

He was busy. Caves, he was so unfathomably busy -- but the Blacksmith had done him a favor, and Tahi-shei was not the type of Gembound who would abandon someone in need, especially if they had helped him in the past. So here he was, repaying a debt. Or, at the very least, a favor. Not that he particularly minded, he supposed as he made his way along the path and into the Forge.

It wasn't easy -- spores down here were sparse, if they were present at all, what with the heat and the apparently regular cleaning of the area. It was nothing like the thick Fungal webs of caves like Eridanus, Polaris, Orion, and Canis, which he could navigate surprisingly well. Thankfully though, he still had some semblance of his sight left, and as he stumbled into the workshop bearing his crown, he was able to lock on to the Blacksmith with his ghastly white gaze once the other creature began to speak.

"... I will offer you the gift you have given me in return," Tahi-shei said. "And I'll do whatever I can to help."

James had come after hearing the call from the mouths of others. Soon after, his familiar had come, putting images in his head of the forge and the clanging. His ears perked up and his eyes widened, and two pairs of wings had taken to the air to go to the aid of something they'd helped before.

Soon he landed, trotting to the forge with Darling waddling behind, the two rarely separated. He left her outside, however, not wanting to subject her to the heat of the forge and the lava.

He walked up beside Carja, taking comfort in her familiarity, with Aran on his other side. He gave the deer the side-eye, but said nothing. There was nothing to say.

Talys had been meaning to come find the Blacksmith for a while now, but it seemed like there was a whole party -- he'd been sending out feelers for people who could help, and somewhere along the way, someone had picked out Talys as someone who might have been willing to help. That was fine; he was. He made his way in with his walking stick, leaning against it as he drank in the sights of the workshop with wide eyes.

He really should have come here sooner. "I, uh -- hey!" he greeted, eyeing the gathered crowd. "Blacksmith, right? I've been meaning to, um, come see you -- wanted help learning how to work metal. But I'm here to offer you my help now. I don't know how to do either of those two things, but, uh, I'll do whatever I can to help. I'm good with my hands, and I'm creative, and I'm not afraid to get dirty." He had honestly danced around the outskirts of the Forge before, to bask in the heat, and had probably been glimpsed before, but he'd always scampered off when he'd noticed the Blacksmith approaching.

Nerves, mostly.

Comet had followed James here after hearing the calls from the others too. She knew that since she had both the magic of enchantment and water she could certainly be very helpful. And she loved to help! It was the Blacksmith again, who she had originally learned enchantment from. Standing by James, she waited for him to explain why he had called them here.

Leviathan had grown since the last time his recorded presence had graced the caves. He was easily at his full size now, a hulking mass of bright red creature. He had heard whispers of the Blacksmith once again -- it was mere curiosity that drew him. Last time, the Blacksmith had taught some of them how to do new magic. Levi hadn't had any interest in it, but perhaps something he was intrigued by would be shared this time.

His wings were drawn tight to his body to try and make him fit better into the space; the lower portions of Leo were spacious, of course, but they were becoming crowded. He slunk in ahead of his mother -- she was coming too, at least she'd said she would be, but right now he was scanning the room like a predator looking for prey. He noticed that the purple one and Comet were here. He remembered Comet better than her not-maker; he'd fought her, once. A very long time ago. It hadn't gone very well.

He chuffed like a lion (or perhaps a jaguar) and settled down, all (give or take) a thousand pounds of him. Five feet at the shoulder when he was walking quadrupedally and twelve feet at the top of his head when he wasn't, his horns threatened to approach the clearance of some of the smaller tunnels. Leviathan was a monster of a creature -- it was a good thing, then, that he was quite fond of being in the water. Here, though, he was carving out a space for himself and Kaimana in the crowd. Better to keep Mama close; she was so much smaller than he was.

"I have water magic," he rumbled. "Not much. I'm better at breaking things." He opened his sharp beak to show off the pointed, feline teeth inside -- plus his heavy paws, currently tucked underneath him as he lay on the ground. It was just better for everyone's sake if he were lying down -- made him look smaller, and a little less scary.

He liked this water. Not as much as Cetus; he couldn't hide here in the dark, waiting to ambush prey. But the heat of this place was soothing, the warmth and bright light almost reassuring, somehow.

Dragon had no idea that he belonged in tropical sorts of swamps, of course; and if someone were to combine these two caves, Leo and Cetus, perhaps he'd have been truly content. But for now he'd taken a dip in the waters below (a little detour on his way to investigate the newest summons to Gembound cave-wide) and found it good.

When he felt as though he'd investigated this place enough, with its warm waves crashing on towering rocks, he at last took flight. Twisting horns jutted from his head, ethereal red-black wings flaring out from ridged back, and then he was lifting--water streaming from his flanks and tail--out of Leo's waters.

He arrived in the Forge after a brief surge, slamming down too heavily for his own liking--eliciting a grunt--in a rapidly-growing puddle of water. And there he looked around.

"Other" dragons; deer, a horse, humanoid and wolf. Most of them, he'd never met, and he wondered, with a sort of dismal marvelling, how he'd managed to fall so out of touch with the denizens of the caves. Or maybe it's a good thing. Perhaps they all die and are reborn so quickly, compared to those of us who survive... that is another perspective.

"I am Dragon!" he greeted the rest, and--wings and horns fading--began to haul himself with one limp hind leg toward the anvil up ahead. "I have heard this summons." He could have added more, explaining that he bore fire magic, and not water; that he wanted to know what was happening within the caves. To keep up on current events, now that few other Children remained to scout for him. But there was no point in giving out more information than was necessary; better to gain what he could, and give back little or nothing of his motives.