As god after god left the meeting room, [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] felt something at the back of his mind he hadn't felt for ages.
500 years to be precise.
It had to be it, he was needed, a mortal had lost hope and begged with a true prayer to the divines as their only salvation. A hardship they can not face themselves, thus asking the gods for help. Asking [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] for help.

Shortly after Asivar had left the hall, the divine smith finished his decorative gorget of antimagic and tossed it on the table in front of him and stood up.
-"Kilgarrah... i am needed... and i shall answer!" [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] held his left fist in front of him, with a burst of embers and black soot swirling, the form of the black steel clad knight was gone, the dust swirled into the furnace of the forge-gods throne and with a short hissing of red heat, it went dark.

[i][u]On a field, outside a village.[/u][/i]
It was no use, he had like the others turned to despair. How could men face such evil? Deamonic beings, frothing blood-stained spittle and tearing those who could not get away apart with their impossibly sharp talons? Dark skin that could deflect iron swords and speed that rivaled that of wolves?
Hakon Smith had watched the soldiers in the company give up, who could blame them? They were ill equipped and ill trained, scraped together from the survivors of the raided villages in the area. Clad in padded cloth and a helmet at best, those with the best weapons had old spears, most had pitchforks or clubs.
The deamons while few outclassed them in every way. The last two pitched battles had ended in severe casualties for the ragtag militia. They now were trying to make use of the earth mounds designed to halt the advance of rams from closing with the palisades. Not that the palisades were ever completed, barely half of it stood and even a third of that was burnt.

The commander was trying his best to rally the men, but alas, they had basically given up. Some wandered aimlessly, some tried to work but barely bothered and some just sat and stared blankly at nothing.
But Jekyll Hymes, the commander, would not stand idly by! He was going to defend this village, until deamon filth chewed on his bones, then he'd behead two more!

Hakon saw his resolve, it was admirable but foolish. Only a miracle could save them, that was why he had sat himself in front of the small furnace of the camp, knelt with both his knees to the ground and prayed to the only god he remembered the name of, [i][b]Ha[/b][/i]. The lord of the forge.
He knew the gods had abandoned them, he knew it was lost, but if so was the case at least he could try to ask for a miracle to happen? It would raise their already poor odds? From nil to a bit more than nil...
He didn't even know what to say, only reason he knew of the forge god was because his old master had told him the hammer was named after him, plus the old saying of the nicked anvil.
-"Please lord of the forge, we are doomed..." He said while clasping his hands, shaking in the cold foggy evening. He had tried different 'prayers', some of the others had mocked him. The gods of old were dead, they do not listen.

Then it started to rain, a light drizzle, but something caught Hakons eye and he looked up.
Clouds had started to swirl, within them red lightning began to crackle, it looked like a cloud of fire. He despaired, the deamons were using some sort of magic on their camp, this time they were doomed!
With a massive crack, a lightning bolt struck the furnace and had the smith apprentice scramble backwards on his ass.
The air echoed with a deep drawn out voice.
[h2][color=9e0b0f]-"[b][i]Ha[/i][/b]"[/color][/h2]
The furnace was destroyed by the force escaping from within, a massive black steel clad arm was clawing its way out from the inside of the dying flames and from the ashes a massive knight of blackened steel rose, as tall as a pine.
The people was at awe, too panicked to move. [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] took a step and pointed 'Ember' at Hakon, standing like a statue.

-"You have summoned me, what ill has you pleading for aid from the such as me?" [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] spoke, his voice echoed over the area.
He was dumbstruck, was it a deamon? Could it be? No! Impossible.
-"Who... who are you?!?" Hakon managed to say while some of the militia gathered behind Hymes, who neared the god in front of them.
-"So you truly have forgotten, such miserable short existence you must have!" [b][i]Ha[/i][/b] said, and then raised his left hand to his heart and kept on.
-"I am [i][b]Ha[/b][/i]! lord of the forge, master of arms, steel personified, chivalry's father, your GOD!!!" With a booming voice that echoed through the village [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] presented himself, he kept going.
-"What would you ask of me?"
Hakon and the others was silent, too terrified to move, but Hymes stepped forth and gathered the courage to speak.
-"We need armour... and weapons!" Thunder and lightning coloured the area red, the entire area now bathed in a red glow and rain.

With a sweeping gesture, [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] conjured a drawn out pile of plate cuirasses, swords and shields of the finest gleaming steel and crossbows with bolts and quivers.
-"Such a meek request, is that what you ask of a GOD!!!" The last word [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] yelled with anger, he continued.
-"You need no artifact to protect your homes? No sword that can slay your foes with divine hatred? No armour that withstands all blows?! You ask for mere simple trinkets from ME!?" Hymes fell to his knees, his eyes tearing up and his mouth grimacing with regret.
-"Forgive me lord! I... I know not what i want..." Hymes said before clasping his hands and lowering his head.

-"Muhahaha! No you don't." [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] laughed and then informed.
He then stepped back, stabbed 'Ember' into a rock which partially melted the blade stuck as it flared up with flames.
With a motion in the air, he seemingly ripped something from the ground, it began to shake as a massive six hundred kilo anvil emblazoned with the faces of smiths in gold rose from beneath the soil.
-"I.. am [b][i]HA[/i][/b]!" The forge lord yelled out.
The anvil came to a stop, in his left hand a piece of steel materialized in silver swirls and [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] held it upon the anvil as he raised his right hand.
-"The one who creates!" A lightning bolt struck his outstretched hand, [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] clenched it like a writhing eel and pressed it into the steel upon the anvil.
-"The one who strikes with the Ha'mmer!" With that he held Ha'mmer towards the heavens, then struck the steel so fiercely it shook the ground for a mile. All mortals present not already kneeling were now knocked to the ground.
-"The one who forges the metal!" With three strikes, he had somehow formed a complete blade, writhing with electricity.
-"He who tempers the steel!" He dipped the blade into a water bucket in the small smithing station nearby. The water basically exploded from the massive heat and electrical discharges.
-"He who realizes the forms of war!" With his right hand[i][b]Ha[/b][/i] held the crackling blade, small arcs danced upon his gauntlet. With his left he dropped the guard, the handle and lastly the pommel which materialized in his hand as he needed them.
-"The one who keeps the blade sharp!" Gripping the sword by the handle, he swiped his right hand along the blade and with a penetrating sching the blade was now sharpened.
-"I am the forge lord, i am... [b][i]HA[/i][/b]!" With a few earth shaking footsteps he walked up to Hymes and presented the sword.
Awestruck he stared at the massive knight who knelt before him to present the blade in both his hands.

-"This blade will strike as fast as lightning, no flesh can hope to resist its bite, it is light and durable, perfectly balanced." Hymes, Hakon and several soldiers closed in to gaze upon the artifact sword, created in front of their eyes in mere seconds. Something master smiths sometimes needed a lifetime to perform.
-"Take it... and with it act in the way of chivalry! That is my decree!" [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] said to Hymes, who carefully took the sword with wonder in his eyes.
The forge god then stood up.

-"Now, dress in the steel and wield the metal, face your opponents without fear!" [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] boomed out while pointing 'Ember' at the horizon. The men hastily began to put on the armour, and toss aside their weapons to grab hold of some of  the literal smorgasbord of armaments strewn in front of them.
The men had gained a vigor unthinkable of a few minutes ago, and Hymes mimicked the statuesque visage of pointing the sword against the same horizon.
-"Men! We are blessed! We now hold the means to fight our foe!" Jekyll Hymes triumphantly yelled to his dozen or so men who now formed a line, suitably in time for the half dozen black hided deamons to charge in the distance. Drawn near by the commotion.

The battle was short and intense, the deamonic beasts slammed into the shields of the soldiers with a clang. With sword and shield Hymes then hacked his way into the wiry black hided beasts, it took seconds to hack them down. All the while [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] not moving a muscle.

While the militia was trying to fathom their victory, [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] asked Hakon.
-"What is thy name?"
Firstly he had to forcefully withhold soiling himself after [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] addressed him. But then told.
-"Ugh! Um... Hakon... Hakon smith... sir... lord." He was barely able to speak.
-"I shall remember that name." [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] said with a calm demeanour before walking back to the small furnace.
With a flick of the wrist, silver and soot swirls with embers rebuilt the small furnace, then [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] held out the fist in the air and from the one moment to the next, he was gone, a swirl of black soot entering the ever reddening furnace before stopping and the entire scene turned normal and the heat died down.
Were it not for the weapons and armour still strewn on the ground, the massive anvil or the divine artifact blade, there was no proof the forge god had even been there.
Dumbfounded the ones present ambled around in disbelief.

[i][u]The divine foundry.[/u][/i]
[i][b]Ha[/b][/i] stepped out from the furnace in his workstation, large enough for him to stand tall in his "human" form. He began strolling through the divine forge.
Far too long ago did he have such fun, the dumbstruck awe, the glory of combat, the creation of another artifact.
Sure, it was a pathetic artifact when compared to something fit for a god, a simple blade for a simple task. He shook his head slightly at the thought the mortals would probably oogle over it like some sort of relic for years, but quickly dismissed the thought.

[i][b]Ha[/b][/i] stroke his chin, the deamonic servants were a bother. Some of them were actually in the world. Surely the ones he saw were pathetic vermin, but it was enough of a problem that even such weak ones was found close to civilization.
But this whole ordeal had tired him, he needed to think as well.
With that a human confusedly looked around while ambling along in the foundry. [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] shook his head. So the hidden ways have begun to open as well. It was only a matter of time of course, he didn't expect anyone so soon though.
He just let the poor sod wander around, the rules of the foundry was carved into a wall decorated to look like a scroll, it could be understood in any language.
If the poor sod misbehaved he'd have to punish him. But right now [i][b]Ha[/b][/i] prioritized a rest.