112. Halls of Stone (2)

After the meal, the group of four left the inn. When Seth said auction house, he meant the system institution where he had sold many of his weapons during his journey. He had actually gotten a grey membership card thanks to the numerous products he sold. They didn´t have to wait long for an appointment with an appraiser. "Appraiser" was literally a job that focused solely on the appraisal skill.

Seth put down the scales, the leather, the fangs, and the horns on the table between them. The professional before them was a middle-aged man in a fine suit. His expression did not change before rare material, as it was something he actually saw often in his job.

His gloved hand gently and experiences started to handle and examine the materials.

"These scales are... to be barely rated rare. They are just a slight bit above uncommon. I would estimate them to be worth 20 silver each. The Fangs are very good, a solid rare material. 2 gold each. The horns... well they have a nice pearly white. Just below rare, a mason could use them for ornamentation, 20 silver. This leather is smooth and tender despite its thickness. It has a high affinity with wind magic and is suited for enchantment. It´s also a solid rare rating. A good tailor could do some amazing things with this, 5 gold for the whole piece." he said in one long monologue without anyone interrupting him.

So, his assumption was right, that some of the ratings were different from what he had seen. Seth and the two siblings discussed what to do. They decided that Seth would buy the scales, the fangs, and the leather from them.

He offered to make them custom equipment instead of paying them money and they happily agreed to his offer. Mina was still over the moon because of the dagger he had given her and her raving had long since convinced mike. They sold the horns to the auction house and the siblings took it to split it among the party.

It was already getting late, so Seth decided to visit the halls of Stone the next day. Instead, he gave Nädel a visit.

"Seth!" the old tailor exclaimed with actual joy. It seemed like he had really taken a liking to Seth. The staff had immediately brought him to the master when he asked to visit him.

"Hello, Nädel. I´m back from the quest. This is Fin, one of my best friends." he introduced the fairy to the old man.

"Oho, a fairy. Nice to meet you." he said with a kind smile. "How can I help you, Seth, you didn´t come just to say hello, right?" he asked with a glint. It was as if he could smell, that Seth had some good materials on him.

"Oh yeah. I actually have several orders today." he said with a smile. He grabbed Fin from his shoulder and held her before the old tailor.

"Can you make her something like a martial arts robe from the bronze thread?" he asked with puppy eyes. Fin was completely complexed. She had no idea what was going on here. Nädel on the other hand looked at her with measuring eyes.

"That´s shouldn´t be a problem."

"Seth! What are you doing?" she asked exasperated.

"I am doing what I can to repay your kindness." he said with a smile that made the fairy blush and fall silent.

"Next? You said you had several orders." the tailor beckoned him to continue. Seth brought out the rest of the rest from last time plus some Puffles had made recently.

"Do you think there is enough thread left to make a magician's robe from it?" the person he thought of was Lixiss. Nädel had offered him to make things for free from rare-rated material, and Seth was set on abusing this to his heart's content.

"It depends on the size. You don´t have another girl in your pocket, right?" he joked.

"I will send her here tomorrow. She is not a fairy, but she is on the smaller side. Her name is Lixiss and she is a quarter elf."

"There should be no problem then." the tailor nodded understanding. "And?" he could read that there was more. Seth brought out the wyvern leather and Nädels eyes sparkled. He knew that he had hooked the old man again.

"Could you make me cloak from this? Or maybe a pair of pants?" Seth asked.

"There is not enough for a good cloak. But if I use some cloth made from the thread, I could make you a pair of pants and shirt to wear below the jacket from last time." the other suggested. It was as Seth had suspected. Even with the little experience he had in sewing, he had guessed that there was not enough material for a cloak. He agreed to Nädels suggestion and left with the still completely flustered Fin.

He had wanted to make equipment for her for a long while, but until he got spirit smithing and found Nädel, he had no idea what he could do for the tiny battle freak. Any kind of armor he could make would have gotten in the way of her movements and his goldsmith skills were not even close to good enough to make tiny jewelry. With <Soul Forging> he would even be able to enchant the tiny robe for her.

It was almost night when they returned to the Inn. After a good eating competition with Puffles, they almost fell into a food coma in Seth´s room. It was like during their journey together and Seth felt his heart calming as he fell asleep.

I was close to noon on the next day when he arrived before the gates which lead to the Halls of Stone. Fin decided to tag along while the rest of the party were busy with their vacations. After the exam, it was not just Seth who needed his alone time.

The gates dividing the dwarven city carved into the mountains and the outer section shone in the sun. The doors were made of massive gold-colored bronze and depicted the history of creation the dwarves believed in.

Born from the spirits of the earth, the first dwarfs were born from the roots of the mountains. Formed from stone themself, they understood this element the best and formed it as they wished. Mason was the first dwarven profession.

The later generations inherited their dexterity and bond with the element and became miners and blacksmiths. They made the most intricate jewelry and weapon, even the arrogant elves would come to wonder and trade for their products.

To sum it up, they were really into craftsmanship.

The sentries in front of the gate were dwarves kitted in an impressive set of full-plate armor. The imposing edgings on the surface hid the intricate magic circuits engraved into the armor. Each piece was uncommon or rare with 4 or 5 effects that increased various attributes, resistances, damage, and defense. Even without a skilled priest, they were thoroughly buffed and balanced warriors. At least when it came to equipment and its effects.

Seth´s heart pumped faster. This was exactly what he was looking for. Of course, his aspirations were even higher! Once his skill was on par with his dreams, he would become an immortal juggernaut.

Fin gave him a slap on the back of the head when she noticed him drifting off into daydreams. It was their turn and, although they could not see the dwarf's eyes below his helmet, the way his eye slits looked at them seemed a little annoyed at them. His hand signaling to hand over their papers enforced this image.

After checking their adventurer cards, he waved his hand at them to make them enter. He had not even said one word the whole time...

When Seth stepped past the bronze gates into the Halls of Stone he instantly understood the name. They entered an almost stupidly huge hall. It was as if the dwarves had tried to hollow out the whole mountain like a Halloween pumpkin and put the peak back on as a cap. The floor was smooth and polished showing all the natural veins and inclusions of the mountain.

The ceiling that vanished somewhere in the darkness above was held by an uncountable number of pillars that filled the like the trunks of trees in a giant forest. The pillars were covered in carvings of lifelike faces. Most of them had a well-kept bushy beard and a dignified, serious expression. Seth was reminded of stories of people being petrified and displayed as statues. This was the level of detail of these carvings.

If it wasn´t for the warm and inviting light of the magic lanterns all around, Seth would have guessed that he entered one of the most unsettling boss rooms and a game developer could come up with. Every face had a plate with their name and class below it. Was this maybe some kind of hall of fame?

Seth only came back to his sense when he saw the small fairy, stuck in her own marvel of this place, floating in front of his face. It was rare to see Fin so completely speechless. They were not the only ones. Some people around them had also frozen at the sight of this hall, while others were actually looking at them with a knowing smile. Everyone who entered here for the first time, was in their situation at one point.