Apprentice

Adrianna quickly tried to cover herself up like she was naked even though the lingerie didn't cover much. She shrunk to the ground hiding her face in her knees.

"D-Don't look at me! It isn't what you think! I promise!" She thought he would see her as a fake Sucky Succie or a monster but Timold wasn't so shallow to think like that.

He sighed, "Little Lady I won't hurt ya. I just wanted to make sure I was right about ya."

His words confused her so she looked up. The Dwarf was smiling warmly like a grandpa would and he held out his hand for her. She was crying but it made for a beautiful sight coupled with her angelic demon form.

"I know ya were not born this way, since the Gods treat yer kind differently. 'Essentials' are different from us after all." The old Dwarf smiled and patted her hands.

She was very confused. 'Essentials? What's that? And how did the Gods have to do with this?'

She believed in no God after none saved her from her kidnapping. Understanding her confusion Timold answered.

"The Gods of this world sent ya 'Essentials' down to our world to help fight against our impendin' doom. They have done it once before when the Sentinels first appeared. I think I've heard those annoyin' buggers in my store call each other 'Players.' Either way, the God of Fire and Blacksmithing sent me here to help the Essentials."

Adrianna had never looked into the lore of this world. She could care less when she first joined since her father forced her. Now she was regretting it as she had no idea what was going on.

"U-um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I don't know much about this world. I think this would be something Jax would like to hear though, maybe you should tell him instead."

She didn't want to take something that would be more beneficial in someone else's hands. Through her experience in video games, she recognized this might be one of those hidden quest things so she'd rather Jax take it than her. Especially since he spent way more time here than her.

Timold shook his head slowly, "That may be true, but he has his own ambitions right now. He will come across somethin' similar in the future plus he isn't as compatible with what I'm 'bout to ask ya."

Adrianna tilted her head. 'He wasn't compatible?' She didn't know what the old dwarf was talking about but a notification soon interrupted her thoughts.

[Hidden Quest - Stonehammer's Apprenticeship]

[Master Blacksmith, Timold Stonehammer has offered to teach you his craft. Should you succeed in learning the basics, you may be rewarded with your new knowledge.]

[Reward: Blacksmith subclass {Grade depends on the time spent learning}]

[Time limit: None]

"Do ya want to be a Blacksmith?"

She got distracted by the notification and hadn't processed his words.

"Huh?" She looked surprised and worried causing Timold to sigh.

"I'm offerin' to teach ya the Blacksmith trade. Ya have some compatibility with it, but y'll have to work hard if ya want to become a Master. It ain't an easy path."

'Subclass? Is that the same thing Jax got?' She remembered him mumbling something about a subclass after he got his mystery box but didn't really know how it worked.

"How would I do that? I-I'm not even a Dwarf so is it even possible?" Adrianna was meek as the dwarf had been pretty serious for the past few minutes making it hard to breathe with his level suppressing her.

"Ya don't have to be a Dwarf to be a Blacksmith! Ya just gotta have heart and perseverance!" The old man flexed his bicep with a proud look on his bushy face.

"I can see yer a weird lookin' Demon. That doesn't matter much to me, but you just gotta be careful around certain people and races. Demons are physically superior to almost every race. The same goes for their magic. Their downfall is their personalities so if ya want to be seen as a normal blacksmith, ya gotta make sure you hide any weird habits you have." Timold explained.

He could see she was some weird albino succubus. He had never seen a succubus before but he thought all demons sported darker colors for their skin and attire. The easiest features for her to be recognized as a succubus were her heart-shaped tail and eyes. They were very exposed and people looked at each other's faces when they talked so her eyes would be seen immediately.

"W-wait, w-what people to I have to be w-wary of?" Adrianna was scared now, as she would be seen as an enemy to an entire race of people.

"Hmmm... probably just elves and humans. Elves especially hate 'em as they were almost wiped out by 'em durin' the Sentinel Wars. Humans only hate 'em because of their religious beliefs but they are just hypocrites as plenty of 'em use demon magic to further their own greed."

Timold stroked his beard as Adrianna paled. Everyone around them was human! Timold could see her thoughts on her face and laughed.

"Don't worry too much 'bout humans. They're pretty dumb and don't have strong enough magic to break yer concealment. But if ya run into any elves or other demons they will know who ya are."

Adrianna was still worried but Timold changed the subject to take her mind off it.

"Now, back to Blacksmithing, is it a yes or no?"

She calmed herself down and confidently answered.

"Yes, please teach me!"

[You have accepted the hidden quest {Stonehammer's Apprenticeship}!]

It wasn't a hard decision. Even though she thought Jax should get something like this, if getting the blacksmith subclass would help her, help him, it was worth it.

"Alright then we will start right away." Timold walked away towards the furnaces in the back room. There were 6 of them, 3 on each side of the room, looking exactly the same.

Timold walked and talked as he went around grabbing different tools.

"I will only teach ya the basics. As every apprentice before me, a young prospective blacksmith must go out into the world and learn from others to develop their own techniques. My masters always said that every blacksmith is a master, peer and apprentice to one another.

"Once you learn the basics, it will be your job to learn more and hone your skills."

Timold dropped all the items he grabbed and pushed Adrianna towards the anvil. He threw a lump of metal on the anvil.

"Hit it."

"What?" Adrianna thought she didn't hear him right.

"Hit. It." The dwarf glared at her making it feel like she was suffocating. She quickly nodded and equipped the new gauntlets.

"Stop! Not with the those." He quickly put his hand up too stop her. Stop paused for a second but didn't disobey.

The old dwarf was scary when he was angry.

She moved close to the anvil so she was standing over it. She unequipped them and pulled her elbow back before launching it forward.

Her strike created a loud going sound that echoed in the workshop.

"Again."

She didn't even get a chance to ask him anything before being told what to do. The pouch only stung a little so she went ahead and did it again.

"Again." He repeated.

Adrianna continued to hit the metal while Timold watched her. She slowly became more exhausted and her fists became numb from hitting it for so long. They even began to bleed a bit making her worry if this was safe.

"Again." His time never changed.

"Um Timold, how does this help me learn how to be a blacksmith?"

"How did you break my Gauntlets?"

He answered her with his own question making her think she pushed him off for breaking it.

"I'm so-" "Just answer me."

He cut her off again and Adrianna was ready to cry again. The old Dwarf sighed as the girl wore her heart on her sleeve.

"I'm bein' a hard ass on ya 'cause Blacksmithin' ain't no joke. If ya aren't serious 'bout it, I won't teach ya. It may not look like it, but hittin' the metal like that actually increase yer skill. Though it's a lot more efficient to hit a heated up object, I'm tryin' to get ya to realize yer too weak."

Adrianna listened carefully. She hadn't realized how weak she was but she understood. She had been relying on others a lot so far. Mostly Jax at every turn so it was no wonder she was feeling so helpless.

"If ya want to help yer little boyfriend yer gonna have to learn to use yer demon strength to shape metal. I can tell ya have no idea how to be a demon."

"B-B-B-BOYFRIEND?!?" Adrianna stuttered and the room instantly heated up. Although she was in her demon form already, her body continued to grow similar to when she rampaged, but still kept her sensual body.

Timold had to wipe his nose and turn away. Although her charm seemed to not affect him, she was still a beautiful girl. He blushed a little but quickly regained his composure.

"Oh boy. The world is in for a lot of trouble."