It was a new day, and beside the ashes of last night's fire Gerrik was showing some of the other Hain how to weave reeds and grasses into sheets and baskets. Teknall looked on from the side, his role in the education of the Hain slowly becoming more and more passive as Gerrik grew in confidence and knowledge. While Gerrik might not know everything, he was ready all the same, for he was equipped to search what knowledge he did not know.

But there was yet another reason Teknall decided he was ready. The wheels of time were in motion. The gods were acting, creating. New sentient races were appearing. He could not stay here amongst the Hain forever. He had to act more broadly.

So Teknall walked up to Gerrik and told him, [color=Peru]"I'm off to go craft something. I'll be back in a couple of days. You can handle yourself."[/color]

The last sentence was a statement rather than a question. Gerrik's eyes widened slightly in surprise, for Teknall had never announced his leave before. This must be important, he thought. "Of course, Stone Chipper. Travel safely," he replied, and as Teknall walked out of the village with his belongings Gerrik resumed his work.

As soon as Teknall was out of sight of the village and all its Hain he vanished. In this world it was dangerous to go alone, so Teknall needed to prepare a gift for his apprentice, yet he only had a day to scour the face of Galbar for the perfect materials. So he warped across the world, visiting the many biomes, observing the many fauna and flora, his far-reaching divine sense of perception greatly aiding his search...

The Heraktati, true apex predators bearing the mark of Death himself. Their anatomy was ruthlessly optimised to run and kill, by both design and competition, so their muscles and sinews were taught with strength and bones toughened against shocks. A pack ran westwards, above the Great Steppes in the arctic hinterlands. Invisible to mortal eyes, Teknall drew his bow and unleashed an arrow, smiting one of the Herakt. The rest of the pack seemed to ignore their fallen, assuming it to have fallen from weakness. So they did not notice when the slain Herakt was picked up and disappeared...

Truly, there had never existed such a jungle more despicable and toxic. The Venomweald bore the mark of Slough, yet that mark was distorted, as if it had been made while she was in some state of delirium. Everything, even the plants themselves, sought to strangle and kill, and it grew with a voracious appetite which was only held back by the unforgiving terrain around it and the self-destructive nature of the ecosystem. One such vine wrapped itself around Teknall's leg and attempted to drag him in to a mouth-like mass of thorns, although it may as well have tried to move a mountain. Teknall stared at the vine for a few moments, admiring the potency of its fibrous, cellulose and starch based muscles, before reaching down and tearing the vine from it parent plant. Prize in hand, Teknall vanished once more...

In a jungle much less bloodthirsty yet far more ancient there stood a tree which did not belong. This tree, which stood undying, was ironically the creation of Death, just as the Heraktati were. Yet seeping through the phloem of this evergreen tree was a poison so potent it could kill even the creatures of the Venomweald. Its dark-coloured wood was also fairly tough, given how durable the tree was made to be. With one swing of his axe, Teknall removed a medium sized bough from the tree, and carried it off deeper into the Deepwood...

Trees so colossal they dwarfed some mountains, and so ancient that most of them were older than the Ironheart Ranges. This was the Deepwood, suffused so strongly with Slough's essence that life grew to staggering scales. It was some of this life that Teknall wanted to harness. Up to the vast trunk of one of these trees walked, and he stroked his hand on the bark with reverence. Then, taking his axe once more, he swung it twice, cutting vertically, slicing a narrow, vertical wedge into the tree about the height of his forearm, allowing him to extract the wood he needed at the minimum of lasting damage. He removed the wedge, half of which was the life-bearing sapwood and the other half being the hardy, durable heartwood. With that sample obtained, Teknall disappeared, departing to another part of the world...

The calming mists were always a welcome sensation, yet with his critical observational skills Teknall saw that it tended to make creatures complacent. Yet he was not here for the mists, but the trees. These modifications of Niciel's to his trees made them well suited for the purpose he had in mind. Stronger, tougher, but more importantly, with an aura which reacts to evil. A few small changes would be needed, but that would be no trouble. He observed that some of the Angels, Niciel's own children, had cut down a Holy Oak to make into a shelter. As they carried the logs away, Teknall invisibly approached the stump and, with his axe, cleaved off a few more centimeters of the wood, taking off a disc of the light-coloured wood. Before the Angels could notice something odd had happened, he was gone again, taking the wood with him...

The materials collected, Teknall appeared on a barren plateau in the Ironheart Ranges. There was nothing special about this place, other than the lack of animals, which made it a suitable place to set up an impromptu workshop. He had not used his divine powers for the creation of any object since he had become a Hain, yet now they demanded to be used. At a snap of his fingers the stone rose to become a workbench, and another patch of ground flattened off and cleared itself of dirt and gravel. On that patch of ground Teknall laid down the Herkat corpse and dissected it with a steel knife, removing the powerful hind-leg tendons and bones. Putting those items aside, he then skinned the beast and removed its fat, placing the hide and fat in a pit he conjured in the ground, although he kept some of the hide with the bone and sinew. At his will, boiling water rose up through the stone and filled the pit, carrying dissolved lime with it.

Leaving the hide to render, Teknall returned to the workbench. He placed the slice of Deepwood tree and log of Holy Oak upon the stone table and, procuring tools which had never existed before in this world yet were now called into being because of their necessity, he carved and shaped them until they formed a disk, only slightly larger than a hand. With the piece of hide he had laid aside, he scraped it clean and dry with the edge of a knife and formed a length of rawhide from it, which would form a strap. The three disks of wood, one of Holy Oak, one of Deepwood heartwood, and one of Deepwood sapwood, were then sandwiched together, oriented so that their grains were orthogonal, forming a sheet of plywood. Into this plywood disk he inserted the rawhide strap, long enough for it to be bound around the arm of a Hain.

Yet Teknall did not use any resin to bind these sheets of wood together. Instead he blessed them, and the three sheets grew into each other, becoming one. This divine power of growth would be an integral part of this item's function. With the first item finished, he could move on to the second.

Thoroughly he washed the removed bones and sinews in a spring of water he called from the ground before laying them on the workbench along with the branch of the Eenal tree. Using to tools he had pulled from his apron's pouch before, and a few more besides, he shaped the wood to be that of a recurve bow half the height of a Hain, and then he shaped the femur bone to fit inside that form, and the tendons he stretched out to run the full length of the bow. When these forms were finished, Teknall beckoned towards the boiling pit, and from it emerged a thick, sticky fluid. This glue snaked its way up to the workbench and layered itself on either side of the wood. To the outside of the bow he stuck the sinew, such that its springlike properties would increase the strength of the drawn bow. To the inside he attached the slithers of bone, such that its compression would also enhance the strength of the bow. And so Teknall built that compound bow.

While the bow dried, he took out the vine he had taken from the Venomweald. Gently he peeled every individual fiber out of the vine, and once there was no more vine Teknall twisted the strands together, forming a long, strong bowstring.

Teknall then returned his attention to the bow, which was still wet with the glue. He slowly ran his hand over it, a golden glow running through it as the glue dried and hardened in moments and his power filled it. To the finished bow, he tied the bowstring, and it was complete.

These two artifacts finished, Teknall put his tools away and picked up the products of his labour. Through the time and energy spent, carving and shaping the wood, he felt a far greater affinity to the art of carpentry and the manipulation of wood than before. At a wave of his hand, the workbench and pit disappeared and fire consumed the leftover materials, erasing all trace of his presence. Then, one more time, Teknall disappeared.

[center]~-===-~[/center]

Just as Gerrik was finishing one of his lessons Teknall walked into the village and tapped him on the shoulder. [color=Peru]"Come walk with me, Gerrik,"[/color] he said. Although Gerrik found this rather abrupt, that Teknall would just walk into the village after being absent for a couple of days, he complied nonetheless.

As Teknall led him out from the mud brick huts, Gerrik tried to strike up a conversation. "So, were you able to make what you wanted?" he asked. He could not see anything new, since Teknall had hidden the two items.

[color=Peru]"Yes, yes I was,"[/color] Teknall replied. Before Gerrik could ask the obvious follow-up question, Teknall interjected with a question of his own, as they left earshot of the other Hain. [color=Peru]"I have shared with you many things about this world, and you have learned much, yet there is one thing which you don't know which you want to. So tell me, who am I?"[/color]

Gerrik opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as the true depth of the question hit him. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, before answering, "You go by the name of Stone Chipper. To many, you are a nomadic teacher, a wise man, a bringer of knowledge. To some, you are a miracle worker and a prophet of Teknall. Yet this last point is odd, for if you truly were a prophet of Teknall, then you would speak of him much more often. You had not even mentioned Teknall, though I had followed you for many winters, until that night you drove away the Fiberling with your gaze and word alone."

Gerrik looked to Teknall to gauge his response, and all he saw was the impassive expression he normally gave while he gave observations and deductions to Teknall. So he continued, "Although you do not act like a true prophet or servant of a god, you still wield power. The miracles you performed, reluctant though you seemed to do so, are clear evidence, although I've noticed clues more subtle. Some nights I notice that you've left without a trace, only to appear again before dawn the next morning- don't think I didn't notice that. You weren't even tired from being out all night.

"And when you speak, especially when we talk about the nature of this world, you always speak as though you know more, yet are holding back. There is an air of superiority about you. You also never seem afraid or unsure. You faced down one of those... deformed ones without flinching, as though it were almost another Hain. Predators never give you any concern. We've always been able to find what we need to find, even if it is hidden in an obscure location. You know more than you show. You [i]are[/i] more than you say. You're..."

Gerrik paused, unsure whether to continue, questioning whether his far-fetched conclusion could ever have enough evidence to justify. Teknall, however, could see where he was going, so with beak slightly upturned he said, [color=Peru]"You're close, Gerrik. Go on."[/color]

Gerrik turned his beak slightly towards Teknall and bent his elbows slightly, a display of nervousness. He took a breath in, then said, "This might seem a little crazy, and I'm not certain. It's just a suspicion, but... are you... actually... Teknall himself?"

There was a moment of silence, in which Teknall maintained his impassive expression, before he threw up an upturned palm. [color=Peru]"You've figured it out."[/color]

Gerrik stood for a few seconds in stunned silence, eyes wide, unable to truly believe that a god was actually standing before him, and had been standing beside him all this time. Eventually, he came to his sense enough to ask a question. "But... but why? Why didn't you tell me? Or anyone? Why are you here?"

Teknall sighed, [color=Peru]"While I could ask you to figure that one out yourself, I think you've done enough of that for one day. The secrecy is partly for reasons I have already told you- people don't like it when their worldviews are changed. Another is that it would change how people thought about me. If you had known I was a god, then how would I have been able to teach you like I have? I'd have followers who don't care about the knowledge I have to share, but only the power and divinity I wield.

"Which leads me to why I'm here. I came to do exactly what I have done- teach the Hain. I am the god of civilisations, of crafted things, and as such I want to see such things in this world. The Hain showed promise. I wanted to give them a head start. And now, you will carry on that purpose."[/color]

"Me?" Gerrik replied in surprise, stepping back and holding his palms towards Teknall.

[color=Peru]"Yes. Why do you think I've spent all this time training you, teaching you? I'm a god. By staying here, I can't attend to the rest of the world. The Hain are wide-spread. And even though you Hain will always have a special place in my heart, other races walk the face of Galbar who also need my help."[/color] Teknall gave a few moments for this information to sink in, before adding, [color=Peru]"So, are you ready? To teach the Hain as I have?"[/color]

Gerrik thought for a few moments, before finally answering, "Yes."

[color=Peru]"Excellent. Come over here. It is dangerous to go alone in this world, so I have a couple of gifts, made by my own hand."[/color] He unfurled his bedroll to reveal the composite bow and small plywood band. Gerrik walked over and picked up the two items, and the moment he touched them he could feel they were blessed and powerful items.

[color=Peru]"The bow, although its composition is advanced, should appear familiar to you,"[/color] Teknall explained, [color=Peru]"Try it."[/color]

Gerrik, unsure what to expect, took out an arrow, nocked it against the bowstring, and in one swift motion drew the bow and fired at a tree. The arrow landed slightly higher than Gerrik had aimed, it being a bit more powerful than he had anticipated, but otherwise it behaved just like a normal bow and arrow. "It didn't do anything special," he commented, "It feels like it should do something special."

Teknall nodded. [color=Peru]"It does, if you want it to. How do I put this... you have to [i]will[/i] it to do more than a normal bow."[/color]

Despite his slight skepticism at this explanation, Gerrik took another arrow and nocked it. Has he drew, he willed, and at his will the bow glowed with faint golden light. When he unleashed the arrow, it streaked forwards as a flash of gold, travelling as fast as a bullet rather than an arrow, and when it struck the tree it sunk all the way in and split it along the trunk, sending splinters flying. Gerrik raised a hand to shield his eyes, then looked at the bow in disbelief.

[color=Peru]"Your favoured weapon is the bow, so I made you a bow fit for the gods,"[/color] Teknall proudly explained, [color=Peru]"It can bring swift Death upon those who threaten you, penetrating any natural armour and ripping through any natural body, should you so need. On top of that, as it is a blessed creation of my own hands, it is indestructible. It shall never wear or be damaged. Even the other gods would struggle to destroy it, such is the might of my craftsmanship.

"Now, onto my second gift, which is complementary to the first. Put it on your arm."[/color] Teknall pointed to the plywood plate with the rawhide strap.

Gerrik picked it up and inspected it, although his face remained puzzled even as he slipped it over his left arm. "But what is it?" Gerrik asked.

[color=Peru]"It is a shield,"[/color] Teknall answered.

Gerrik scoffed. "But it is so small."

Teknall's eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. He would have simply explained its function, but he would not let an insult to his work, however slight, go without appropriate retribution. With an upwards flick of two fingers a stone the size of a fist flew up from the ground and landed neatly in his palm. Then, in a movement that was so fast as to be a blur to normal eyes, he twisted to face Gerrik and hurled the stone straight at his head, the crack of a sonic boom following behind it.

Gerrik's eyes had barely a moment to widen his eyes in shock and surprise, let alone dodge or block, but he did not need to. The shield on his arm writhed as the stone left Teknall's fingers, and as the stone was in mid-flight the shield grew, its wood expanding to become a much more appropriately sized shield. By impulses sent not from his own brain but through the rawhide strap, Gerrik's arm yanked upwards so that the shield was in a better position to block the stone. By the time the stone had arrived, barely ten milliseconds after it had been thrown, the shield was in place and grown to a size to completely cover Gerrik's face, along with most of the rest of his body. The stone shattered against the thick wood with a resounding thud, the shock pushing Gerrik a step backwards but leaving him unharmed.

Teeth still chattering, Gerrik cautiously peered out from behind the shield. Teknall's anger had passed, and he now calmly stood there as if he hadn't almost killed him seconds ago. He then looked at the shield, and to his surprise the wood was completely unharmed. Not so much as a dent or a splinter.

[color=Peru]"It is plenty big enough. It will always be exactly the right size, exactly when you need it,"[/color] Teknall explained. As he spoke, the shield slowly shrunk back until it had returned to its original size. [color=Peru]"As I have demonstrated for you, it responds automatically and instantaneously to danger, so that it will keep you safe from any blow short of that of a god's. And even the gods', to some extent. While the bow is indestructible, this is even more so. Of course, don't be fooled into thinking it can block [i]everything[/i]. But any tangible blow without the full force of a god behind it will not penetrate it. I would recommend not removing it, for your own protection, even when you sleep, but if you must you can will it to let go, like the bow."[/color] By now the rawhide strap had tightened of its own accord, and fitted firmly against Gerrik's exoskeleton.

[color=Peru]"The Eenal Bow and the Guardian Shield, two artifacts made by my own hand, with my own power, and gifted to you for your protection. Treat them well,"[/color] Teknall said. [color=Peru]"Now, come to me, Gerrik. Let me bless you, so that you may carry out my work."[/color]

Timidly, Gerrik approached, and when he was right in front of Teknall he stopped and bowed his head, with his beak facing directly towards Teknall. Teknall laid a hand on Gerrik's forehead, and a faint golden glow radiated from the pair. His words bearing true power, Teknall spoke. [color=Peru][b]"By the power of I, Teknall, I bless you, Gerrik. You will have strength, speed, stamina and longevity above all other Hain. Your senses shall extend beyond your mortal limits. You will have power to interact with the world beyond normal means. But most importantly, your mind shall be sharp and clear, that you may be able to truthfully and accurately discern fact, that you will be able to learn new things about this world and share them with the rest of hainkind. You will be my prophet among the Hain, my representative and messenger. From this day forth, you shall be known as Far-Teacher. Now arise, my chosen."[/b][/color]

Teknall removed his hand from Gerrik's forehead, although the glow remained for a few seconds longer. Only then did Gerrik Far-Teacher raise his head, yet he did not yet open his eyes, for he discovered that he did not need to. Everything, all around him down to the finest detail, irrespective of line of sight, could be seen by him, out to a distance of about one hundred meters. No, seen was the wrong word. Firstly, there was no colour. He could tell what colour things were, but it was a secondary piece of information, one elucidated from the data he had, not one integral to the picture. A better word was perceived. Yes, he could [i]perceive[/i] everything. Although scaled back somewhat, this sense of Perception he had been blessed with was the same used by the gods.

Finally, he opened his eyes, and through them he could see normally, although his sense of his surroundings was greatly and seamlessly enhanced by his Perception. All things seemed clearer and crisper. And he felt stronger, healthier, in general more powerful. He savoured those first few breaths, through lungs freshly blessed by divine might.

[color=Peru]"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"[/color] Teknall said, laying a reassuring hand on Gerrik's shoulder. [color=Peru]"But you don't need to worry about it all now. Right now, you just need to continue what you were doing this morning and yesterday- teaching the Hain. I've just equipped you so you can do it without my help."[/color]

Gerrik Far-Teacher stared off thoughtfully. They stood there for a few minutes, until finally Gerrik said, "I won't let you down, Stone Chipper- I mean, Teknall."

[color=Peru]"Good."[/color]

Teknall removed his hand from Gerrik's shoulder, hesitated for a moment, then closed his arms around Gerrik in an embrace, as a father might to his child, a gesture which Gerrik reciprocated. [color=Peru]"You'll do good for this world. Now I must go."[/color]

He released, but before he could walk away Gerrik said, "What if I need to speak to you again?"

Teknall turned up a palm. [color=Peru]"I will always be watching you. I have great interest in what works you shall enact. While I trust you to make your own decisions and plans, if you ever seriously need me, all you have to do is ask."[/color]

He looked to the village. [color=Peru]"Let's leave them a sign to remember this by."[/color] Teknall spread out his arms, looked to the sky, and let a controlled amount of his divinity shine. The golden light bathed the grass and lanced into the sky like a beacon, bright as the sun and plainly visible to all the Hain in the village. Gerrik threw his arm in front of his eyes, and the shield grew enough to shade his face from the dazzling light. Then the light faded, and Teknall was gone.

As Far-Teacher walked back into the village, he was met by the confused, fearful eyes and chattering teeth if the residents who had witnessed this outburst of divine glory. He needed to explain what had happened and assuage their fears. He announced, "Why are you frightened? This very day, history has been made. The great god Teknall himself, patron of Stone Chipper, saw fit to descend to me and bless me, as he did Stone Chipper long ago. Now, Teknall's spirit is with us, and many blessings shall arise from it."

The villagers were joyful at this news. Many congratulated Gerrik. A few even saw fit to sing praises to Teknall. After the initial hype had died down somewhat, though, Gerrik Far-Teacher assembled an audience to demonstrate and teach the nuances of arrow-making to. He was indeed carrying on where Stone Chipper had left off.

[hider=In the gripping conclusion of the adventures of Teknall and Gerrik...]
Teknall creates the Eenal Bow, a powerful, magical bow. (-1 Might)
Teknall creates the Guardain Shield, an indestructible shield which reacts and grows automatically to counter incoming blows. (-1 Might)
Teknall adopts the Carpentry Portfolio (-3 Might) (he had earlier spent 2 Might to create trees everywhere)
Gerrik is gifted the Eenal Bow and Guardian Shield by Teknall.
Gerrik is made a Hero, and is given the new name, Far-Teacher. Aside from generic Hero powers, he has full, god-like Perception out to 100m (although, of course, at a level of power appropriate for a Hero), and a vastly enhanced mind, as well as a telepathic connection to Teknall. (-1 Might)
Teknall leaves Gerrik Far-Teacher, who is tasked with continuing the work of teaching the Hain.

13.5 Might Points and 0 Free Points remaining
[/hider]