Legend of the Empyrean Blacksmith

FIRE (IV)

It was truly breathtaking -- even Lino had to admit; a wide, beautifully-decorated platform that was slightly elevated by hand-sculpted pillars was orbited by over a thousand seats in a half-circular fashion . Each seat was made out of smooth birch, cushioned with goose feathers for the maximum comfort . Nearly a hundred chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling, illuminating the interior of the auction house just perfectly; neither too bright nor too dark .

Lino and Seya were seated toward the top, yet that hardly impeded them from seeing and hearing everything perfectly . Sets of seats were separated by thin, yet opaque, curtains inscribed with arrays which ensured nobody could hear anyone or anything but the auctioneer on the platform .

Each seating had a hand-carved table filled with fruits and drinks which would be immediately replaced if one finished them . Lino had to admit that they truly went all out when it came to pleasing the people, yet it made sense -- after all, the sheer amount of money that would be spent in the following ten hours would make every coin Lino has earned since his birth seem like a small change .

"How many items have you put up?" Seya asked him as she nibbled on a firm yet juicy peach .

"Five," Lino replied, sipping wine worth more than half the bottles in his void world . "Two are just average, two will probably net a decent price and the last one . . . well, let’s just say this whole place’s gonna start burning . "

" . . . never a humble moment with you, huh?"

"Of course not," Lino shrugged . "I’ve spent nearly two weeks crafting that piece of shit . It’d cost me most of the materials I had at hand . I actually had to sleep for like three days straight afterwards just to rest . "

" . . . or you could have used Qi . " Seya said .

"Do you?" Lino glanced at her, grinning .

"How come I pick only your bad habits?" she sighed .

"’cause I don’t have any good ones?"

"Good point . " Seya nodded absentmindedly, her eyes peered on the beautiful platform . Over its edges, crimson curtain folded downward, blocking the view of the stage for the time being .

Lino wasn’t excessively focused on the auction; after all, he was here merely to ensure everything went without a hitch . What occupied his mind at the moment was the news Seya brought him; he had asked her to look into reaching the Sanctified Grounds -- an entirely isolated peninsula of the Holy Continent which housed all seven Holy Grounds -- by avoiding proper channels . If their only option truly was to circle it out east, and to pass by the Dragon Isles on their way there . . . that would complicate things slightly, at least for the time being . He had no intention of visiting the Dragon Isles just yet as he lacked enough information about it .

"Welcome, Honored Guests," a melodic voice quickly silenced all other noises inside the house as the crimson curtain unfolded, revealing behind an open platform where a single woman stood up front, dressed in a barely-covering piece of cloth . Behind her, a whole row of men and women stood starkly naked, each more beautiful than the former, holding onto an object covered up with golden cloth . "To Chamber’s triannual Auction . " Lino’s hand quickly swiped over Seya’s glistening eyes as she grumbled .

"What are you doing?!"

"See no evil, hear no evil . " Lino said as Seya swiped his arm away .

"I’ll see all the evil I want," she growled . "Especially if it’s dangling off of a handsome piece of meat! My, my . . . "

" . . . what the hell happened to you?" Lino sighed in lament . "You used to be so innocent . . . "

"Maybe you shouldn’t have repeatedly screwed Hannah while I was around," Seya replied . "I’m fairly certain I’ll never be scarred because of sex again, so that’s a good thing . "

.

" . . . "

"Today’s Auction," the woman continued as the piece of cloth slipped off from her, revealing a pair of bountiful peaks blended into a narrow waist and wide hips and long, lean legs . Two spaces next to her suddenly opened up as a hole popped in the platform’s floor, with two men soon ascending up, standing by her side . One ebony, one snow-white, both sported oiled muscles, lacking any clothing, much like the rest . What is this?!! A fucking auction or an orgy?! Lino growled inwardly . "Features some of the best and rarest items the entire Holy Continent has to offer; from weapons and armors, to talismans and pills, and to objects so odd they cannot be classified -- we have them all, and some of you shall too by dawn . "

" . . . " though arrays perhaps blocked the rest from hearing anything, it hardly hurt Lino whose ears were quickly filled by chatter and murmurs; though some spoke of the items, most spoke of openly exposed bodies and what they’d like to do to them . What caused Lino to break out into cold sweat was the fact that women had far more of a vivid and . . . disturbing imagination .

"In addition," the woman continued, her smile stretching further, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that she was being ogled by nearly a thousand pairs of eyes . "We are proud to be the first ones to introduce you to a new miracle -- a crafter you will no doubt fall in love with, as did I . Many thanks to the honorable Princess Freya who had introduced him to us, and offered us five of his creations to display to the world . Though you may be unconvinced of his title, our very own best appraisers had given it to him -- the Divine Smith . " Seya glanced at Lino dubiously, chuckling faintly when she saw a look of immeasurable pride on his face . . . which was quickly replaced by frowns of anger due to the fact that he was privy to what others were saying . "In addition, your favorites will be returning this time around as well -- Forger of Gods, Iyvillian Forager, Casts of the Sun and many, many more . "

" . . . "

"Forty items in total will be auctioned," the woman continued as she seductively turned around and walked toward the far end of the row behind her, where a young-looking, bashful woman was holding an object covered by cloth . She was soon pulled out of the row by two men and brought upfront . "The first will be from our newcomer, lest you believe us liars," the woman continued, smiling faintly as she put her hand on the piece of cloth . "The rules are standard -- bidding will go on for sixty seconds, not one more or less . The highest bidder wins . We accept three currencies -- pure gold, high-tier Qi Stones, and Dragon Gems . The exchange rate is the standardized one; hundred pounds of gold is equivalent to a single high-tier Qi Stone, while a thousand Qi Stones match up to a single Dragon Gem . Without any further ado, I present to you, [Hymn of Fury] . "

The piece of cloth vanished in a quick blaze, revealing behind it a glassed, see-through box which was holding a small, fist-sized necklace . Kite-shaped, it glittered in dark teal, a singular ruby gem at the center standing out as a protrusion and the necklace’s centerpiece . Hundreds of people, mostly women, quickly shot to their feet as the woman on the stage pulled up the item’s stats above her, for all to see .

[Hymn of Fury -- Legendary Unique]

Level: 999

Requirements: Godhood

+20% to ALL attack-related Stats, Arts and other items

+400% to ALL defensive stats when wielder is outnumbered by at least 10

+1000% to ALL stats when wielder is at the brink of death

Special Effect [Last Stand] -- when overwhelmed, the wielder receives a temporary shield whose strength is 1/4th of Vitality; in addition, each successful strike restores 2% of lost Vitality, up to 60% .

Special Effect [Beholder of Fury] -- trigger the innermost array of the necklace to temporarily encase yourself into a quasi-Avatar form of Fury; all passive stats of the item are doubled, while each successive strike increases Attack Speed by 4%, up to 80% . The wielder also gains temporary immunity to pain, as well as absolute resistance to any form of control effects . Upon leaving the quasi-Avatar form, the wielder is temporarily weakened, with ALL stats decreasing by 20% for an hour .

Note: A pinnacle Legendary-tier item, it is designed for those who enjoy the spectacle of fighting, and for those who oft find themselves walking the tender edge of death .

A temporary lull descended onto the auction house as everyone tried to properly process the item’s stats . Lino stroked his chin as a faint smile hung on his lips; they went for one of the two better items as an opener, as he imagined they would . He suddenly felt a tug at his shirt as he glanced sideways only to see a flabbergasted Seya staring at him with quizzical gaze .

"What?" Lino asked curiously .

"Why in the god’s name are you selling that?!!" she screamed at him, leaning into his face . "That should be one of our top-tier treasures!!"

" . . . oh, relax," Lino rolled his eyes, pushing her back . "As if that toy could ever be counted as a treasure . Geez, your eyes must have been starved of good items since the day you were born . Well, strap-on kiddo, ’cause . . . ah, something clever, blah blah, I’m too tired . Let’s just focus on the auction . "

"Ten Qi Stones!!" the first shout broke the lull everyone fell into, and was quickly followed by a bombardment of hundreds of others .

"Fifteen!!"

"A hundred!!"

"A Dragon Gem!"

"Two Dragon Gems!!"

" . . . " Lino listened on with faint amusement as a wave of nostalgia washed over him . A long time ago, while he was still but a kid, he got to experience a similar sensation . The difference lay in the fact that he now stood at the pinnacle, whereas before he had barely left the bottom . Even still, he was a completely different person now; he didn’t feel anything over the prices, or the voices full of lust and desire . Entirely indifferent to them, he instead focused on one of the objects in the back, twenty-third in a row to be specific, held by a young man in his early twenties . Something beyond that cloth whispered softly to him, like a distant voice of sorts, muddied by a thousand other noises . He didn’t know what it was . . . just that he had to have it by dawn .