CH517 Falk’s Perspective

<EARTHEN SMITHING HAS COMBINED WITH HIGH DEATH MAGIC LV7 TO AWAKEN TO SOUL SMITHING>

Notifications filled Falk’s head as he laid the final tile of his massive weapon down, with his body lighting up in response, taking in all of the mana in the surrounding area while Abrus watched from the side, looking briefly in awe for his friend’s success until the great spirit needed to rush to catch him. The months of work were hitting the yeti all at once despite the doubling of all of his attributes that came with what he’d just achieved.

After so long spent pushing his body and mind to the limit, it was like a switch had been flipped off the moment he was free of all of his work, telling him he could finally rest while Abrus said the same in Falk’s final brief moments of consciousness.

“Sleep well my friend, you’ve earned it.”

He didn’t feel as the great spirit carried him off, nor did the sounds of his hammer ring out in his dreams. For the first time in ages, Falk was at peace.

He didn’t know how long it had been, but ever so slowly the yeti felt himself beginning to wake up, even if it was against his will. It had been so long since he’d slept so peacefully, it was hard to let it go, even with an almost familiar voice calling to him.

“Come now, Falk, I know you’re not asleep anymore so open your eyes.”

“Mmh, I could still be a lil’ asleep,” He grumbled as he did as he was asked, changing his tune in an instant when he saw who it was speaking before he rushed to change his position to a bow, aiming to sound far more respectful than he had moments earlier. “Nare, it’s an honour.”

“Ha, the honour is mine, Falk, and no need to bow. You stand before me as an equal.”

An equal.

The words rang out in Falk’s mind, speaking of his success. He’d done it, he’d broken through the barrier that had been holding him back for years and achieved his dream. He had become the second soulsmith in the history of the world, with all of the benefits and changes that would entail.

Emotions threatened to overwhelm him, only being kept at bay out of his desire to maintain his dignity before the one he gave his faith.

“You don’t have to, you know. It’s okay to shed some tears, this is an emotional moment, not only for you, but myself and any of my believers. Falk, you are the first of the faith to grab your godhood with your own two hands. Be proud.”

<ACQUIRED TITLE- FIRST OF THE FAITH>

“Thank you, but I’d rather be keeping my eyes dry if it’s all the same,” He said with a smaller bow, unable to keep himself from showing some respect no matter what the one before him said, even if he wasn’t feeling the need as fiercely as he had during their one meeting in the past. It seemed that among the other changes to him, reaching the third tier had lessened the effect of feeling a true god’s divinity, even without having properly reached that level himself. While it could be argued that he was already a god now that he’d reached the third tier, he wouldn’t truly be able to stand beside Nare as an equal until his mortal body died and he ascended to that greater height.

“Well, whatever you’re more comfortable with. Given how hard you worked, you deserve that much. You’ve been unconscious for an entire day. Well, you still technically are but let’s not get into the topic of physical and mental rest when your apprentice seems to live nearly entirely without the latter.”

“Ha, hope the boy hasn’t caused too much chaos while I’ve been gone.”

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough, don’t doubt that, but for the time being there’s plenty to talk about. Really, there’s enough to discuss that you’ll be occupied for another few days, but Anailia’s oracle has already informed your friends that you aren’t in any danger for however long you might sleep.”

“‘Course not, as bad as it was, that wasn’t enough to keep me down,” He said positively, not believing it for a moment, nor convincing the god before him.

“Even with your body being healed by life and light spirits while you were working you still required more when you were carried off to Anailia. You worked yourself beyond your limits, but then, that’s almost always how it has to happen for these sorts of things so there’s no point nagging when we have so much to go over.”

“Uh, such as?”

“Pff, where to begin? What you can expect when you finally pass and all that will come with it, the interactions you’ll need to have with the other tier three skill holders while you’re still technically mortal, or the fact that since you’ve gone and achieved the unusual result of gaining a third tier skill that has previously existed, you’ll be having a divine teacher as the last soulsmith will be working to educate you on all they know, as well as provide ideas they’ve had in godhood that they never got to put to the test in their mortal lives? I hope you enjoyed the rest you were allowed, Falk, you won’t be getting more for a few days to come just because you reached your goal.”

“Ah, I’m not such a fool as to think that gaining a skill like this in the middle of a war would somehow shrink my workload and I’m not so thick-headed to turn down any lessons from someone who knows more than me so if we gotta start on this then let’s get going.”

With everything to learn and discuss taking up days, Falk couldn’t help but wonder how the others who’d achieved the same feat as himself managed with it all. Learning the laws of gods he’d be expected to follow upon death was one thing, but the planning on how to put his newfound strength towards the world had been a whole other, no matter how much sense it made given the circumstances he found himself in. There was a whole world out there just waiting to be armed, and it seemed he was going to have to play his part.

By the time he was finally done, or at least done enough that he was allowed to wake up, he was greeted with a stiffness in his joints that could only come from being stuck on a far too small bed the entire time, his yeti frame towering over any succubus had left his limbs hanging over the edges as he massaged some life back into himself, even as he was finally able to appreciate the feeling that had come with awakening.

Falk was powerful. He always had been, both due to the innate physical strength of his race and the high mana values he had from years of training and raising his magic, but now that his attributes had doubled he felt incomparable to how he had in the past.

When he clenched his fists he felt like he could crush stones, and when he moved the mana within himself it felt like the churning of an ocean, ready to swallow up anything he directed it at. His thoughts were more clear than usual and his body felt light and healthy despite what he’d just put it through. He couldn’t remember ever feeling better.

Even more than any of that though was the change in how he saw the world around him. Despite the fact that he was undoubtedly in Pelenia’s home, the residence of a queen, the room he’d been left in hadn’t been heavily furnished, having the bare minimum to make it comfortable, but without even looking he could feel the metal fixtures around it, innately sensing them, along something else in the room.

Spirits, and plenty of them. Having both an awakened earth and death magic before they’d just grown to a whole new stage, he’d been able to see both of those types in the past for many long years, but now he was seeing all of the life and light ones fluttering about, not from the mana they put out, but from the presence of their souls that now shone so bright in his eyes.

He was sure there was going to be more too, plenty of things to discover as he adjusted to his new normal, but he would have to take time to figure out what it all could be. Time he wasn’t going to get then as an old friend of his kicked open the door.

“Falk, you sleepy bastard!” Pelenia yelled, carrying a paper in hand. “Good to finally have you up! Here’s your bill for taking care of you this entire time so make sure you pay it in full, okay?”

Before he could get a word in it was shoved into his hand, simply saying ‘one hundred items of the highest rank you can create’, leaving him to sigh as he exerted just the barest bit of his newfound power, making the sheet decay in his grasp.

“And ain’t it lovely to see you too, Pel. Been a minute, you been well?”

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“As well as I can be now that I have a lovely friend with more power than I could ever dream of,” She laughed, not minding Falk destroying the note since she’d scribbled it out quickly in jest, even if she was fully planning on taking advantage of him. “It’s good to see you up though, we were getting worried.”

“Ah, looks like since I passed out anyway the gods decided to keep me knocked out to deal with some of the fine print that comes with getting so high. Looks like I’m not getting any real peace till the war ends, one way or another.”

“Ha, well unfortunately for you, there is one small thing you need to do first,” She told him, pulling out a different sheet of paper. One he immediately recognized as the letter the boy had written up for him to hand over, getting him fully supplied in a way that had finally let him reach the third tier and instantly left a lump in his stomach. He hadn’t given it much thought at the time, too deep in the idea of finally completing his dream, but it looked like he was going to have to face whatever he’d been offered up to do as he took it and read it over, feeling his eyes squint at the few short lines.

“You both really are a couple of bastards, you know that?” Falk sighed. “I already told the boy I’d do it.”

Even if I forgot.

Between his exhaustion and the talks with various gods, he didn’t have time to think about what reaching his goal had meant until it was thrown so bluntly in his face. He actually needed to talk with Sonya.

“Just be aware, if you try to back out I’ll be killing both you and your little student for raising my hopes like this, I don’t care how important either of you might be.”

“Damnable woman, I said I’d do it. Infinite hells, at least let me get myself together a bit and washed up.”

“If you think you were allowed to be placed on my sheets before you were washed given the state you were in when Abrus brought you back then you’re insane. We’ve had a couple water spirits around to keep you clean, you’re fine.”

He gave himself a quick glance hearing that. His fur was back to a beautiful snow white, free of the gunk and grime that had covered him in his unending weeks of smithing and construction and leaving him in the best state he could be in.

“…Not sure how I feel ‘bout that Pel.”

“Don’t be a baby, it’s fine. Now come on, off with you already.”

“Can’t believe you’re kicking me out minutes after I’ve woken up.”

At least I’ll have however long it takes to get back to properly think on what to say.