Inferno Ascended

"What is it?"

"It's the Forge. It was without a doubt the most interesting place on Olympus, until Hephaestus abandoned it," Hermes spoke with a hint of sadness.

They crossed the entrance atrium, cluttered with debris, and lights went on automatically with the movement of people in the great hall. Luminous globes that were not filled with the green light of Hell or the glowing luminescence of the argipyron, but... electricity.

"Holy shit, that's awesome! I can't believe my eyes!"

"I know it's often difficult to believe in your own eyes, but old Festos… That guy was a genius. Everything he did was beyond cool... But my uncles, cousins, and even my father... They were a bunch of bastards and didn't respect him as he truly deserved. They only looked for him when they wanted something. Look! Those wondrous Lightning Globes. This is just a taste of everything he has done for us."

Glax just shook his head like a fool as they walked through Hephaestus Palace. Glax had a vague idea of ​​who this god was. Vulcan was his other name, right? He was the god of fire and volcanoes, or something. But now Glax was having another view of him.

In the main hall, the central dome of which was at great height, Glax stared at a grandiose unfinished statue. Despite being covered in dust and surrounded by lame scaffolding, the figure of a female warrior of about 12 meters drew an exclamation from his mouth.

It was not a simple statue, but a mecha!

"Big and unfinished," the god beside him said, to get the valosian out of euphoria.

As they walked, Glax saw so many wonders that his mind went into overdrive. The dwelling was more than the home of a god, it was his lab. And there were not only wonders forged in metal, but sculptures, contraptions and mechanical schemes designed everywhere. Apparently the god's absurdly prolific mind was unable to stop. He scribbled his plans on any surface!

Then they went down some stairs and reached the heart of the forge.

It filled Glax with holy ecstasy, while his number one cheat - his ability to analyze machines - drew his attention to the obscure recesses and chambers attached to the large circular room.

In the center of the room was a forge chamber. Glax went to a wall, where the god's extensive collection of tools and equipment had once been at his disposal. Some items were still there.

But most had just left their mark on the wall, and they were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, few times have I seen you as excited as you're right now. Well, then. The owner won't be back. The last time I saw him, I asked him why he wasn't coming back and he said, "Hey Hermie boy, I just don't want that anymore, right? There are other things in other places, and that's what I want now."

"Did he die or leave?"

"One thing doesn't exclude the other, Glax. You are proof of that, aren't you?"

"Hm, I think so."

"But what I mean is, you'd make good use of this place."

He couldn't be listening well. Was Hermes really saying that?

"Listen, Lord Hermes, I don't even really know if I can. I mean, I have some plans, but ... This is a god's workshop."

"Yes, I know. And you will probably end up killing yourself in here. But if there's a spark of talent, perhaps you will forge a weapon or two to at least defend yourself with."

"And what do you want in return?" Glax had not forgotten that the god had said he wanted to propose something.

"Well, I have no way to focus all my time, however elastic, on looking for the lost orb. You say it's inside a machine now. And the only thing I know about machines is that they are cool and very useful! Find Lady Chriseis' soul in exchange for wearing this…" And Hermes rose a few feet from the ground in his hover shoes, opening his arms dramatically" WONDERFUL. WORK SPACE. FOR. CREATIVE MINDS. LIKE YOURS!"

'What a buffon street vendor! He's not making it easy for me just because of my pretty eyes! He wants something more from this. He's been satelliting around Glax - the other Glax - for a long time. '

"Deal. This is far damn good an offer for any mortal to pass. Even the most stupid. When I find Chriseis' soul orb, I must deliver it to you. But tell me… Why is she so special?"

"The boss has plans for all the heroes. And she was proclaimed a hero, wasn't she?"

"Who's really the boss? That Hyperion guy?" Glax remembered sleeping in his temple one day.

"No! The Invisible Old Man, Hades! Chronos' eldest son! The guy who learned his bitter lesson and came out on top. Eh, unlike my father." He sighed. "If there's one thing that Primordials don't forgive, it's hubris."

"Um, I heard so." Glax agreed, thinking that in the end, everyone wanted power. "So he reigns over the Ascended Gods? After all?"

"He allows the Ascended Ones to be worshipped and flex around Stygia, but that's all they have. Let's say that the idea of ​​breaking their way from Tartarus and into the Heavens stopped at their own Hubris."

"What happened to the other gods?"

"You can put the rest of that puzzle together yourself. We're already late. Is your answer yes? Are you going to fetch me the lost orb?"

"Yes, Lord Hermes. In exchange for using the Hephaestus Forge to create a weapon."

"I knew it would be good to do business with you. In fact, I liked your new vambraces. Where did you get them?" Hermes hovered around and stood beside him, examining the galeon vambraces in his arms.

"They were a gift from Archigeos Demophon's wife. Eh, do you want them? Like a gift, I mean? Thanks for bringing me to Olympus." While feeling pressured by the god's admiration for the object, he offered away the gift he had just received.

"I liked them. Really! I'd be very happy to have cool vambraces as yours!!! But, perhaps in the future! You know, devotion makes your god powerful!" The god smirked and winked at Glax.

Glax understood the cue. Hermes was even more of a dick than he was! "I need to ask a few more questions..."

"You can ask at any time ... But we have to go back now. Your time here is running out. I used little ether for you. Time to go back!"

'Hm, how convenient.' "So I can't breathe here normally?"

"It will pass when you get used to the ether*. Don't worry about it now," Hermes held out the helmet to Glax again. Even though he felt himself entering a trap of the god, the Valosian could not argue and put the equipment on, feeling again the same sensations as before, when he was swallowed up to Stygia.

He felt the mild morning breeze on his back as Hermes took off his helmet and heavy cloak.

"Hey, Valosian, hold this." The god spoke as he opened the locks on the equipment. Glax groped for a corrugated and rubberized handle. "Is that a sword?"

"Ah, yes, it was once even chanted by poets, but you know, when you die, nothing is taken! You will get by with this. Just use it more wisely than the other! Don't miss it! I'm serious. I have to go, I spent more time here than I should have."

Glax felt the whiff as Hermes left, finally taking the helmet with him.

'Hm, he likes surprises!' Glax looked at the object in his hands. "Hm, what is this anyway? The Greek version of a lightsaber?"

In fact, he knew what it was. A taser capable of killing, in the shape of a gladius except for the tip, which resembled a stylish fork. It came with 3 modes and ichor battery at the minimum level. The modes were: off, contact mode and distance mode, but they were signaled only by small and clever icons in the handle.

Testing in distance mode, Gas saw an arc of about 20 centimeters forming between the two stems, unlike the tasers he knew. In contact mode, the arc was not visible, but the metal blade was energized. The blade was, in fact, thick and could not really cut.

In addition, the weapon's intimidating power should be enough to send enemies running. However, he had no more than two minutes of ichor to use. But Glax wasn't worried about that at the moment. He had a little spare ichor in his travel backpack - the ampoule he took from Armorion's scout unit.

Glax knew he was outside the mausoleum again. He just had to get Alexandre and Rasmus and get out of there.

The valosian ran to the entrance to the mausoleum. The timelapse had been no more than fifteen minutes in Stygia. He was sure of that.

He was hearing noises from the throng of horses coming at full speed in that direction.

'Damn it. I'm glad I'm back now. '

But as he approached the entrance to the secluded building in the middle of the holy grove, he realized that there was something strange about Rasmus, standing at the door of the mausoleum.