"Well… it'll be similar to what Elis said earlier."
The adventurers looked at him with a unified look of confusion. Elis, specifically, had a subtle change in her expression. Her eyebrows raised slightly, slightly washing away the earlier look of uncertainty.
"Is there really no other way to get that artifact down? Surely tumbling it down this ascent of rocks wouldn't be the only way…"
"Well, it's either that, or we all risk breaking our backs by lifting it all the way down. If you couldn't tell already, you can't exactly walk down these rocks like stairs."
Quies was right. The rocks on this ascent weren't small enough to simply step over. Well, maybe in some parts, but for most of them, you had to grab and hoist yourself up over. It was enough of a hassle to get up this, rather inefficient, passage, and it would be way harder to descend with a heavy object like the forge artifact.
"Okay, but how are you going to keep it in shape?"
"I'll coat it with my blood. If it's solid enough to hold the shape of a sword, it's solid enough to at least withstand the impact of a fall. It'll be like a case."
Quies walked up to the forge artifact, his hand now coated in a vivid red liquid. Placing his crimson palm on the surface of the dark metal, he could feel its sun-washed heat radiate past the coat of liquid.
The forge artifact was uniquely shaped. First off, it was large—almost as tall as Quies—and was shaped like a spherical, metal enclosure. The metal itself seemed to be of fine quality, having a brushed finish which took a slightly darker shade, shining in the sunlight like any other metal would.
As for the gaps that come with the inherent shape of a cage, a translucent glass sealed them. Within, an eternal fire burned with violet intensity. It burned so hot to the point where its center was a pale white; it could hurt one's eyes if they looked at it for too long. It burned off of nothing, seemingly levitating in the middle of the sealed cage.
Soon, red hot crimson flowed across its metal edges. Quies had to be careful not to use too much of his own blood to coat the artifact. By the time he could feel the effects of blood loss, it would be too late to reabsorb the crimson liquid without severe consequences, such as fainting. Usually, he would be fine with that, fainting, but in the presence of these people who he barely knew… he didn't want to risk it.
So, to make sure he could still cover the whole surface area of the metal without spending too much blood, he made his coating as thin as possible—but not too thin to where the impact could scratch the actual surface of the artifact.
While his coating spread, he decided to start up a conversation with the adventurers about the forge.
"You guys said you knew a thing or two about the forge?"
"Yeah." The sharp one quipped.
"We know a little information about it, but not much. Information about it circulates around the guild."
"Guild?" Quies asked in a confused tone.
"You've never been to the guildhouse in Etris?" Elis returned a question from the side.
"No, not really. I left Etris before I was able to engross myself into that stuff. Also, what made you think I grew up in Etris?"
"Hah! You think I wouldn't notice your Etrean eyes?"
"Fair point."
'She and the warm one probably grew up there too.'
The tension between the adventurers and Quies seemed to have dissipated. At the very least, he didn't have to watch what he said as much as before—though, he still made sure to guard his tongue on important aspects about his life.
"Im guessing both of you grew up there too."
"With him? No, I never knew him. Not until I was referred to him when I went to the guildhouse." Elis replied with a lack of amusement.
"Yeah, what she said." The warm one agreed. The four were silent before Quies asked out of curiosity:
"So, what's your opinion on the lord Regent? All three of you, actually."
It was a risky question, since Quies didn't know whether Zi'eer's mental veil still had an impact on Elis and the warm adventurer. Still, he was curious as to how the hex actually worked. In fact, he wondered to himself: 'at what point did the mental veil he placed on me break?'
"I mean, he hasn't really done much for the town. I've never even seen him in person." Elis replied first.
"He's offputting. I can't place my finger on exactly why I get that feeling about him… probably something I can't remember. You?"
'So it lingers.'
"Me? I hate him." Quies stated bluntly, then offering a light smile after.
"Makes sense." The warm adventurer nodded.
Quies almost lost focus of his mantra, letting the blood slip slightly before he regained his control. It seems he was too engaged in the conversation.
'Right, the forge.'
"Where'd you even find this thing anyways?" Quies inquired, referring to the artifact he was currently coating with blood.
"We found it sitting in the megalodaunt cave just ahead, or actually, behind us, now. We went in, looked around because we saw a purple glow, and just found it laying there!" The sharp adventurer explained.
"It was a chore getting it here… Oh, if you're also wondering, the location of these artifacts have basically no relation to where the Forge of Sin actually is."
After listening to the warm adventurer, Quies sighed.
"So… you don't know where the Forge of Sin is?"
"Not exactly, but we know its general area." The warm adventurer replied sincerely. Elis continued:
"We heard from the guild about a man who, allegedly, is in possession of the forge."
"Someone has it already?"
"As I said, allegedly."
She glanced away from Quies, looking slightly upwards to the cliffs of the drifting island—Upper Erisia.