Some Smithing

Always saying He said She said is a bit annoying, so I am trying to change my writing style. If it gets confusing on who is who then I'll edit it tho, so do tell me if it doesn't work out. If you find any errors then do let me know and Ill fix them. Now hope you enjoy the chappy!

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Alvar followed Hephaestus as she walked near a bookshelf and pushed it out of the way, revealing an opening. She walked inside while Alvar inspected the area inside.

The walls were embedded with glowing crystals, illuminating the room, while a forge stood at its center, its white flame burning brightly. Around the forge lay organized anvils and tools, with crates filled with materials ranging from silver to adamantine nearby. On a few tables, blueprints and designs were laid out for different projects.

"I understand why this place is hidden now. That flame is of divine nature, right?" Alvar asked, intrigued by the white flame dancing inside the forge, seemingly looking happy with Hephaestus' arrival.

She nodded at Alvar as she walked towards the flame, watching it flicker more.

"It seems to be greeting you." Alvar chuckled while Hephaestus smiled.

"It's pseudo-sentient and able to change the temperature for smithing." Alvar walked around the area, inspecting the ores.

"This should be orichalcum, I assume," Alvar said as he picked up a dark purple-like ore from one of the crates. Hephaestus looked over at Alvar.

"Yes, it is. It's quite rare and valuable metal, and also the most durable."

"But a weak magic conduit," Hephaestus nodded.

"Mythril is the best metal for magic while adamantine is the second sturdiest metal and a slightly better magic conduit."

"How fascinating..." Alvar muttered.

'They are so similar, yet only a few things are different with these metals.'

"...Want to make something interesting?" Alvar grinned, holding the ore in his hand.

"I'm listening," Hephaestus grinned as well, her desires visible in her eye, as the patterns slowly pulsed with the fire burning brighter.

"I have different types of these metals, for example, orichalcum with outstanding magic affinity." His smile widened.

"What would happen when we combine the two?" Hephaestus' grin widened.

"If combined well, we could create something with the durability, strength, and magic affinity comparable to or even better than Orichalcum and Mythril..." She walked towards the side of the forge and picked up a hammer.

"You really are 'curing' my boredom."

"Same here."

Alvar and Hephaestus set down the different ores they were going to use: a set of adamantine, orichalcum, and Mythril with their Terraria counterparts.

"This is fascinating and terrifying. With the fact that all of these metals from Terraria as magic affinity." She was shocked looking at these ore variants in front of her, but that look of curiosity kept burning in her right eye.

"You ready? It has been a while since I have used a normal forge so I might be a bit rusty," Alvar said as he looked at her.

"I don't know if I should be mad at that comment or intrigued at what you find as 'not normal'," Her lips started twitching.

"But yes, I am ready. So what are we making with all of this?"

"That item for your eye, I have the necessary equipment on me and around here. So I might as well make it with you," he shrugged as he started thinking to himself, gaining a wry smile.

"Never mind, too complicated with your current setup. So we can stick with something simple. How about a sword that can shoot out a flame projectile when swung?"

"...How is that simple again?" Alvar looked confused at her expression.

"What? Don't you have melee weapons that are used at range?" He asked, fully aware of the irony in the weapon concept.

"...That isn't melee if you use it at range." Alvar shrugged as Hephaestus gave up when she realized that he was messing with her... although she was unsure if he truly thought that it was a 'simple' weapon.

"...Soooo, is that a yes or no?" Alvar asked again with a grin, holding up a sketch he already drew for the sword.

"I never said no, I just don't understand your thought process." Hephaestus took the paper and looked at it, trying to figure out how things worked as her divinity over smithing slowly started working.

"Since that comes from a goddess, I'll take it as a compliment." Alvar laughed at Hephaestus' annoyed look.

"Speaking of Goddess, when is the next Denatus held?" Alvar asked while Hephaestus gave him a side glance.

"...Might I ask why?"

"Well, I realized that there is a certain deity who would be a future annoyance and wanted to be the first one to act." He commented offhandedly while Hephaestus had an inkling that she knew who it might be... at least from the few she knew was annoying.

"...Who might that be?" She asked while fully hoping it was Hermes instead of Freya.

"Certain peeping tom that plays waitress... Or is it a waitress that plays peeping tom? Still can't tell if her waitress persona is the real her or not?" He muttered as Hephaestus sighed as she came to the conclusion that it was probably Freya...

'...But Hermes is also a peeping tom... Would he even wear a waitress outfit though?' She almost laughed out loud at the thought.

'I am going to pretend that the target is Hermes since the image is just too funny.'

"You can laugh if you want to, you know? I also am curious at what connection you drew to try so hard at not laughing."

"...Hermes in a waitress outfit..."

"...I will probably be laughing when I know what he looks like now," Alvar said as he moved on and got all the necessary tools ready for the crafting process, trading the anvils out for better ones, while Hephaestus fully ignored the fact that he has dimensional storage.

"Doesn't really matter, I simply want to join the next Denatus as your +1." Hephaestus nodded as she answered the previous question.

"The Loki familia is said to return from their expedition in two days, so they changed the date to the day after their return. You can join me then."

"Excellent." Alvar moved certain stations a bit closer to the forge as Hephaestus simply watched his actions.

"One more favor if possible... And I would understand if you decline me and you can if you don't wish to do it," He said seriously.

"I would like to know how Falnas work. And see a few examples of them in action." Hephaestus' eyes squinted at that, as the flame in her right eye slightly flickers.

"...I am fine with showing you the concepts since you have helped me quite a lot already, but I would like to be there whenever you work on anything Falna-related, AND promise me that you won't go experimenting on random civilians. I don't know what you are capable of nor if you really can replicate its aspects, but I would be the first person to go against you if you start experimenting on people." Hephaestus said as she stared at Alvar, who was walking around, still moving everything in place.

"You don't have to worry. I won't use Falna's for anything evil nor do any wrongdoings with that knowledge. I am simply curious about how it works. I am a researcher after all." His voice was filled with genuine intrigue and curiosity. Hephaestus smiled and nodded, pleased with his answer.

"I won't be able to show you any Falna's on people since that would be rude to the person who has it, and that is the same for my members. Other than that, I can show you and tell you how it works later." Alvar smiled as he walked closer to her.

"I am thankful for your help and willingness to go along with my whims. I have the setup ready. If you want to, we can also work on a few of those commissions you have stockpiled while I watch your smithing techniques and help out."

"That would be nice, then. Let us start." She said, happy and excited about making this new weapon.

As Hephaestus and Alvar settled into their collaborative work, the atmosphere in the forge became charged with anticipation and creativity. Hephaestus took the lead, her expertise in smithing guiding their endeavor while Alvar contributed with his own ideas and insights.

With precision and skill, they began by carefully melting down the various ores they had gathered. Hephaestus monitored the temperature of the forge by using her connection with the white flame, ensuring that the metals reached the optimal melting point without compromising their integrity. Alvar observed intently, as he saw the joy in Hephaestus' facial expression while they stared at the molten metal under the white flame.

Once the metals were ready for forging, Hephaestus deftly poured them into carefully prepared molds, each one designed to shape the individual components of their sword. Alvar assisted, his hands steady as he helped guide the flow of the molten metal, his excitement palpable as the project took shape before his and Hephaestus' eyes.

As the molds cooled and the metal solidified, Hephaestus and Alvar worked tirelessly, refining each component with meticulous attention to detail. Hephaestus wielded her hammer with practiced precision, shaping the blade and hilt with expertise honed over countless centuries. Alvar didn't lag behind either, as he started working on different molds and hammering away, slowly adapting to Hephaestus' pace and technique.

With each strike of the hammer and each adjustment made, the sword began to take on a form that far surpassed mere craftsmanship. It became infused with the essence of their collaboration, a testament to their combined talents and ingenuity. Hephaestus smiled, her eyes alight with the joy of creation, while Alvar marveled at the transformation taking place before him.

'...As expected of a smithing deity, she really is capable.' Alvar smiled.

'I guess not all deities are bad.'

As they neared completion, Hephaestus and Alvar turned their attention to the sword's enchantments. Alvar infused it with different other materials like unholy essence and divine geods to give the blade some divine aspects, while Hephaestus drew enchantments and runes upon the blade.

With a final flourish, the sword was complete, its blade gleaming with a radiant brilliance that spoke of its extraordinary nature. Hephaestus and Alvar stood back, admiring their handiwork with a sense of satisfaction and pride. At that moment, they knew they had created something truly remarkable- A blade combined with the counterparts of two worlds' metals.

As they admired the sword, Hephaestus turned to Alvar with a grin, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "...Want to make more?"

Alvar laughed behind Hephaestus "Already on it, this time I'll take the lead to show you some of my skills."

"I also went and grabbed those commission papers too. We might as well make them too, give Orario a bit of a surprise." He and Hephaestus laughed.

A new friendship has been born. A Smithing goddess and a Terrarian.

What will they make next? Give your ideas here... I mean, only the future will know.

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Tsubaki came back to Hephaestus' office to tease her a bit for spending so much time with a god. But she noticed that she still wasn't in her office and with the laughter and banter coming from Hephaestus' forge, she knew they were still smithing.

Tsubaki was in a state of shock and who wouldn't? They were in there for the past six+ hours.

'...Well then... more 'ammunition' for me.' She grinned as she slowly closed the door behind her.

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Hephaestus was lying on the ground while Alvar was busy moving everything back as it was before.

"How aren't you tired!?! We have been working straight for like 8 or so hours!"

"Good question, how are you tired? Aren't you a deity?" Alvar asked back with a chuckle.

"I am a sealed goddess thank you very much." She pouted but then laughed.

"I have to say, this was the most fun I had in years. Thank you, Alvar, for doing this for me." She sat up as she stared at Alvar.

"You don't have to thank me for that. As I said, we are similar in nature. Besides, I also had a lot of fun." He sat beside her.

"..." Alvar was about to say something but decided not to. It was a nice time for the both of them, so ruining the mood didn't sit well with him.

'I'll ask another time.' He smiled.

"Want to do something like this again at a later date?" He asked her.

"Of course. The doors of the Hephaestus Familia are always open for you, Cyrus." She smirked.

"Besides, with the amount of free time you gave me is insane. I didn't expect to be able to finish all of those commissions so quickly."

"You can use the rest of that time playing around with the new materials I dropped off." He smiled and stood up.

"Well, then I should probably head back now." He reached down for Hephaestus to take his hand.

She smiled and took his hand as he pulled her up.

"I'll show you the way out." They walked together to the office.

"Not tired anymore?" Alvar asked with a grin.

"Shush," Her cheeks turned a bit red as she turned away.

"Pfft,"

'I should probably make more friends to talk to like this. Just like old times.'