Terrarian in the Dungeon

"Well... This day was going to happen at some point I guess." I said dryly as I looked at the forms of the deities Hephaestus and Goibniu standing with their arms folded over their chests as they waited for us to pay them notice, I guess.

Hephaestus's status as the premier Familia of weapon forgers of Orario needed no explanation but Goibniu was the patron of smiths and craftsmen within Orario in their totality as they were the ones who did much of the architectural work around the city.

And now they were standing outside my property with Hephaestus being with her captain Tsubaki and Goibniu being with a large stout dwarf that I admittedly didn't recognize but with how the Goibniu Familia forged the Loki Familia's weapons I wouldn't be surprised if that dwarf was at least level four or perhaps even level five.

"Seshat come here and let's make sure they aren't going to just attack us or something," I said dryly as I advanced with my goddess in tow as we approached the glass wall.

Standing in front of the two smith gods I then opened a small hole at face level so we could talk.

"May I help you?" I asked calmly as though I had no idea why they were here, to begin with.

"Cut the crap and let us in. We need to have words." Goibniu snapped and I gave the short wiry god a look with a raised eyebrow before I looked back to Hephaestus while Hestia was slowly walking behind me towards our group with Bell flanking her.

In response to Goibniu's snapped order to me, I just shrugged brushing a hand through my hair as I responded tiredly. "Look, I am being attacked by Evilus, and although I can feel you two are gods that doesn't mean anything... And frankly, I don't want to deal with whatever little gripes you have alright so please go away." I said bluntly as I stepped forward to put the glass back.

"Wait!" Hephaestus called out wryly as she held up a hand and I did so to at least hear what she had to say. "Look, Jake, we respect your craft. Even though your weapons are rough and not all that sharp or well balanced." Hephaestus started making my eyes twitch at how she instantly began criticizing my work and seeing my face turn dark she switched tracks instantly. "Those imperfections don't change the sheer accomplishment you have accomplished in making such... Mundanely made weapons so durable." Hephaestus finished and I just stared at her and the other smith god.

"So. What do you want? The secrets to my craft or something?" I asked dryly making the gods roll their eyes.

"Brat we are well aware whatever Skill you have is playing a large part in your crafts durability and such. But we would ask that you do not flood the market with your weapons as that would hurt-" Goibniu started but I cut him off.

"Yeah, fuck that!" I said loudly making every jump in place as the captains in front of me gripped their weapons at my loud action. "I sell literally unbreakable weapons... That's the end of it. I sell weapons that do not, will not, and most importantly cannot fail them in the dungeon... An adventurer should only die due to a lack of skill or the dungeon itself collapsing on them in their fury. Not because their overly expensive sword shattered like glass on a bit of bone or exoskeleton." I said with determination.

Both deities shared a look as they couldn't refute my words as that would make them look like the worst kind of scum that wanted adventure's weapons to break on them in the dungeon so they could get the money to make more weapons. So as the gods stood in silence Tsubaki coughed. "Bold words for you to say that nothing can break them? Willing to make a bet on that?" She asked and I gave her a look.

"Oh, what bet then? One of your weapons to go against mine in a durability test?" I asked and her face twisted, and I realized that Tsubaki probably already got one of the weapons I made and had probably been bashing her head to trying to even fucking scratch it.

"No... An actual forging competition based on who can make the more destructive blade." She spoke and I frowned as I realized what bullshit. she was pulling.

"You want me to have a competition with your pet Crozzo kid and have him make a damned Crozzo Magic Sword, right?" I said sharply while frowning at the thought.

Sure, my weapons have the advantage of not breaking but Welf Crozzo's Magic Swords were literally pocket elemental missile launchers which were probably stronger than what I could create without getting better materials... But then I had an evil thought strike me, so I smiled as I nodded lightly.

"My weapon crafting skills are I admit not as destructive as Crozzo magic swords. Yet." I added making the gods in front of me wince as my words rang truly in their divine sense. "But what is the bet before I agree, or I put the glass back and we go about our days."

Goibniu coughed and I looked back over to Goibniu. the god was actually looking at me with a bit of respect for standing up to them. "It's a simple lad. We will as Tsubaki said, have the two weapons made by you two used to test for pure destructive might on the Goliath that is spawning in the next three days. With whichever weapon doing the most damage or even killing the Goliath in a single blow." He said and that last bit pricked at my mind, and I realized the trick he was aiming for.

"Yeah, you know what. I admit that the weapons I can make now cannot match a Crozzo Magic sword that will only be swung once to deliver its total magical payload. I have no shame in admitting that but no. I am not going to play your game. If you wanted to test basically mundane weapons but crafted at the peak of our abilities that's one thing. But trying to screw me over as the magic sword would be used to one-shot the Goliath... To say nothing of me suffering an accident in the dungeon regardless of what happens." I shook my head as Hestia stood beside me and looked at Hephaestus.

"Hephaestus, is Jake really hurting your business or something?" Hestia asked strongly and the red-haired goddesses frowned at her question as she shook her head.

"Honestly not really, but when Adventures see Jake's weapons... Reliability they ask why Goibniu's and my own hand-crafted weapons break." Hephaestus could only shrug as she continued. "He is hurting the image of all smiths in Orario as all adventures want a weapon that won't fail them in the dungeon as Jake so aptly put."

"Jake, could you just sell the weapons to Hephaestus and the other smithing Familia so they can handle the distribution and make some money at a markup?" Hestia excitedly asked as she saw a happy ending for all parties involved.

I looked at the gods in front of me as I took in their expressions at Hestia's question. "And? Would your pride as gods of the forge allow you to sell another's work in your shop knowing people will choose it over your own work?" I finished and both Hephaestus and Goibniu's face looked like they bought something sour at the thought of that scenario playing out.

"Look I don't want to make enemies out of the smiths of Orario. Granted the fact that your weapons break after not even a year's worth of use is pathetic, whereas mine's indestructibility will last at least a century or so... But that doesn't change the fact that I cannot make weapons for all of Orario nor do I want to. I merely wish to outfit some people with the weapons and armor to help me kill the bosses I summon and get even better materials to make my own better stuff that will not be released to the public for years if ever at all." I finished.

Hearing my explanation, the forge gods nodded slowly as they shared looks with their captains before sharing an unspoken message with one another.

"Very well. The crafting Familia's of Orario won't stand in the Seshat Familia's way if they do not publicly sell more than a hundred weapons a year." Hephaestus spoke formally and then she stuck her hand through the hole I made and in the hand was a stamp. "This stamp is a guild issue stamp that is issued to Craftsmen Familia's that reach the standard. It will magically mark all items as products of your Familia so no one can make copies... Though your weapons and items are a different case as no one can copy them." Hephaestus explained as I gently took the stamp from her.

"Huh... Feels weird for my Jake to get the stamp for the Familia and not me." Seshat complained but Hephaestus rolled her eyes.

"You literally sold less than three things in as many months Seshat, don't complain. Anyway, the Guild-approved stamp that's bound to Seshat's divinity has to go through a peer process to see if the Familia is worthy to be admitted to the ranks of approved Familia's, and the cost of that approval for you is that single weapons ban. We were able to shout down the accessories and potions nonsense you guys also sell but the weapons." Hephaestus just smiled silently as I put the stamp in my inventory as I felt Seshat's divine signature coming from it.

"Fine, I agree to your limit. As I said before I was selling my weapons for help to kill bosses and acquire materials for me anyway. You guys can deal with the fallout for banning me from selling my stuff to the public because you guys couldn't match my unbreakable weapons!" I grinned viciously as I finished shouting the last bit. That way the crowd that was behind the two forge gods could hear and their faces twisted as I placed the glass back to block out the screams aimed at the two forge gods.

I then turned around seeing Hestia pouting at me as she muttered. "That was mean Jake."

"They shouldn't have tried bullying me into a cheat of a bet. Or make me sell less stuff because they cannot match my products." I said shrugging before I patted Hestia on the head. "Look I get Hephaestus is a good friend but that was business, not friends talking. Anyway, I am not even bummed about it as most of our money comes from our potions anyway." I said wryly as I sold the potions for literally the same price as my weapons and the things sold out every damn day regardless of me making a couple hundred of them.

Probably because my potions didn't come into stupid fragile glass containers like the rest of the Potion Familia's sold theirs in stupid fragile vials that could break if something bumped into the pocket they were placed within.

"Alright, girls come on. We are going to be stuck here for a couple days while Evilus pulls its bullshit and the Apollo wargame starts, so let me introduce you to something called Monopoly. You all are just going to love it." I said with a terrible smile on my face as Seshat and Hestia's face scrunched up.

"How could you lie and tell the truth at the same time?" They spoke in unison, but they never received an answer as I pulled the girls inside to begin the long lesson on the game.

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