[center][h1][color=orange][b]K A L M A R[/b][/color][/h1][/center][center][h1][color=DE33FF][b]M E L A N T H A[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr][hr]As Kalmar ascended the mountain, the cave soon came within sight, and to his surprise, Melantha had taken the liberty of stepping outside of it after all. He held one hand up in a wave, to indicate his approach. [color=orange]"Melantha,"[/color] he greeted her, coming to a stop before her.

Just as Melantha was wondering where Kalmar was as if on cue, his voice entered her ears. She brought her head back down and looked at the direction the voice came from and lo and behold, there he was. [color=DE33FF]"Kalmar!"[/color] Melantha greeted back. [color=DE33FF]"Took your sweet time with that meeting, didn’t you?"[/color]

[color=orange]"Whoever I sensed had already moved on,"[/color] Kalmar answered her. [color=orange]"So I took the time time to add some life to the nearby rivers. Then I made this,"[/color] he held out a small wooden carving. [color=orange]"I don’t know why. Here."[/color]

[color=DE33FF]"Oh? For me?"[/color] Melantha stifled a giggle and accepted the offering with both her hands, bringing it closer to her face to see what it was. [i]Hmm, feathers, talons… Some kind of bird… wait a minute...[/i]

Then a sudden realization dawned on her that made her eyes light up. Without saying anything to Kalmar, Melantha immediately ran back inside the cave to the spot of one of her better drawings. She had felt especially fond of that one and spent quite some time drawing all the little details on it based on what she remembered. She placed the wooden carving next to her drawing and stood back to observe. [i]Would you look at that...[/i]

Kalmar followed her inside the cave and examined her drawing. [color=orange]"Hmm… I noticed that these creatures were active at night, so I thought of you. I didn’t know you had the same idea…"[/color]

[color=DE33FF]"Of course you didn’t or else I would have to start worrying…[/color] Melantha joked, a laugh escaping her lips. [color=DE33FF]"But thanks for the gesture,[/color] she told him with a smile.

Kalmar found himself smiling back. [color=orange]"They’re owls,"[/color] he informed her.

[color=DE33FF]"Owls huh?[/color] With that she turned her head back to the drawing and the carving, staring at them in silence. [color=DE33FF]"Remember when you created Shynir?[/color] She asked him out of the blue.

[color=orange]"It was only last night, so I hope I do,"[/color] Kalmar spoke with unusual sarcasm.

Melantha’s shapely lips twisted into a grin. [color=DE33FF]"Hey, look who’s being cheeky. It has only been a few hours since you were being all grumpy and sad."[/color] She teased back before returning on topic. [color=DE33FF]"Anyway, do you think you can teach me how to do that? You did say I am a deity after all…"[/color]

[color=orange]"I can and I will,"[/color] Kalmar promised her. [color=orange]"But there are still some basics you need to learn first, like flying."[/color]

Melantha’s face instantly shifted from inquisitive to sullen, the mentioning of flying reminding her once more about her failure. [color=DE33FF]"Yeah, I guess I do need to learn that, don’t I? Silly me…"[/color] Melantha half-muttered as she turned her back to Kalmar in an attempt to cover her frustration at his words.

Kalmar put a hand on her shoulder. [color=orange]"You will learn,"[/color] he assured her with a firm voice.

Melantha tensed for a moment at his touch before relaxing. Her hair brushed over as she turned her head to look at him, her eyes warm with appreciation for his support. From what she had seen, Kalmar was not one to make such a gesture often. [color=DE33FF]"Thanks,"[/color] she simply said.

Kalmar only nodded, looking into her eyes for a few seconds longer before turning back to the drawing. [color=orange]"There is something else you must know…"[/color] he added, his tone reluctant.

[i]Something else?[/i]

Melantha turned around to face him once more, her previous inquisitive expression returning as she wondered what he was going to say. [color=DE33FF]"What is it?[/color]

[color=orange]"As I said, whatever god passed through this area had already moved on by the time I began my search. I decided to use this opportunity to contact a different god. Katharsos, the God of Death. I only wanted to find out more about him and what his intentions were, but it turns out that he had met you [i]before[/i] you lost your memory."[/color] Kalmar revealed.

Silence followed Kalmar’s words, leaving Melantha some time for the information to sink in. It didn’t take much, however, for her to put two and two together and understand the underlying meaning behind his words: He had information about her lost memories. Immediately the air surrounding them got a little heavier as Melantha’s eyes homed in on Kalmar. After mentally preparing herself for whatever was to come, one simple word came out of her mouth. [color=DE33FF]"And?[/color]

Kalmar was almost taken aback by her sudden shift in expression, but he answered the one-word question nonetheless. [color=orange]"You came to him to learn how to erase a soul’s memories. He taught you how to do it, and you left. Whatever erased your memories, he said it was likely your own doing."[/color]

Kalmar’s words were blunt and to the point, not easing into it one bit. The revelation hit her hard, the shock from it enough to make her take a few steps back. [i]Me? I did this to myself?[/i] [color=DE33FF]"But why would I ever do that? This doesn’t make sense..."[/color]

And then the throbbing started. Deep inside her head, right behind her eyes, an all too familiar sound started creeping up on her. Melantha let out a small moan of pain as she clutched the left side of her head with her hand. She turned to look at Kalmar only to see a blurry blotch covering half of her view. [i]Oh no, not again…[/i]

Kalmar recognized what was happening, and this time he was somewhat more prepared. He stepped forward, putting his arms around her to steady her and prevent her from falling. [color=orange]"Stay calm,"[/color] he said, [color=orange]"Clear your mind,"[/color] he advised, unsure if that would actually help.

[color=DE33FF]"Clear my mind?! How?! I-"[/color] pain shot right through her, drowning out whatever she was trying to say. Her breathing quickly grew shallow and irregular, and she felt as if she was tied down by something, constricting and making it extremely hard for her to regain her composure.

[color=orange]"Focus on me,"[/color] Kalmar suggested instead. [color=orange]"Focus on the sound of my voice. You are going to be okay. It’s going to be fine. Stay calm."[/color] He repeated the last three phrases over and over again in an attempt to make her focus on something in an attempt to stop her mind from trying to recall memories that were clearly not there.

And for the most part, it worked, surprisingly. Melantha followed along with Kalmar as he talked to her, repeating after him in a hushed voice. After a few moments, the pain subsided and she was able to stand on her own feet once again.

[color=DE33FF]"It’s okay… I am fine now… I think,"[/color] she told Kalmar while rubbing at her temples. She shook off his arms and wobbled near the wall before leaning against it and sliding down with a plop, sitting on the rocky cave floor once again. She brought her legs up, hugging them and burying her face in between her knees, trying to process what Kalmar had told her.

[color=DE33FF]"I did this?[/color] She finally uttered, stunned.

Kalmar nodded, and sat down beside her. [color=orange]"That’s what Katharsos said. He could have been lying, or mistaken, but I don’t see why."[/color]

[color=DE33FF]"Would he have any reason to lie?"[/color]

Kalmar shrugged. [color=orange]"If he was actually the one who erased your memories, instead of you, then maybe. But there’s no reason to assume that."[/color]

Melantha shuffled through her hair and groaned, frustration and confusion filling her mind with all kinds of thoughts. [color=DE33FF]"Do you believe him?[/color] She said after some deliberation as she raised her head and looked at him straight in the eyes.

[color=orange]"Until we find out more information, I do."[/color] Kalmar answered, meeting her gaze.

After a few tense moments, Melantha let out a sigh and buried her head back between her knees. [color=DE33FF]"Fine then, I’m going to trust your instinct on this one,[/color] she told him. [i]But I am going to have a talk with Katharsos at some point, that’s for certain…[/i]

Kalmar nodded, and the two of them fell into a long silence, which was only broken when Kalmar rose to his feet. [color=orange]"I’m going to start making the clothes,"[/color] he told her. [color=orange]"I’ll give you some time alone to think."[/color]

With those words, he stepped over to the wolf corpses, lifted them, and carried them outside.

Melantha watched him as he walked out of the cave silently. She didn’t really know what to think about his revelation. Her mind was jumbled with all sorts of feelings and thoughts that she never in a million years expected to have to deal with. 

Nevertheless, one question rose above all else, and it was a simple ‘why?’ All she wanted now was an opportunity to ask her previous self exactly why she would do such a thing? What could possibly force her to a situation she felt she had no option other than to erase her own memories in order to escape from? And even then, would she be able to handle the truth once she found out what it was?[hr][hr]Melantha opened her eyes to the whistling of wind passing by her ears. An endless sea of white clouds expanded in all directions around her, reaching way beyond the horizon. The sky, light blue with just a tinge of orange, courtesy of the setting sun, blended with the clouds below to form a picturesque scenery that could very well instill a sense of calmness and wholeness to anyone that witnessed it. She stared at the horizon, aptly mesmerized by the simple beauty of what she was seeing.

But then she realized that she was falling. Once again she was plummeting rapidly through the air and towards the ground. Flashbacks of her previous free fall flooded her mind as terror quickly overtook her, and she started screaming once again. She screamed for quite some time, at first pleading for rescue to anyone and anything, only to come up with nothing. There was nobody there to help her, no one but the wind and herself. 

Eventually, her pleas turned to random, incoherent shouting which too, soon enough, faded out of existence, mainly because she had somehow managed to shout her voice off. Just as she struggled to reign in her emotions that were all over the place, something peculiar caught her eye. The sea of clouds below was not actually approaching her, even though she was falling towards it. Fear and apprehension turned to curiosity as Melantha wondered what exactly was at play.

However, things were happening too fast for her mind to properly process. From beneath the clouds she witnessed something extraordinary emerge: a gigantic, yellow creature the size of Shinyr soared upwards and towards her falling form, with what seemed to be more of its kind following right behind it. They had no limbs or anything, just consisting of a long, cylindrical body covered in what seemed to be bushy, blond fur.

And they were fast. The two ends of their bodies seemed to function just like a bird’s wings in regards to creating lift, and the sheer size of them allowed for some extreme upwards motion. It hadn’t even been minutes since their appearance and they had all reached Melantha’s location.

They all flew in a circle around her, somehow keeping up with her falling speed and making it seem like they were floating in mid-air. For a few tense moments, the hairy creatures remained as they were, facing her. What were they doing? Watching her? Could they even see her? Those were some thoughts that passed through her mind at that time, but she didn’t get to voice them due to the fact that something even more bizarre happened.

With a flap of its wings, one of the giant, hairy creatures started moving towards her. The turbulence in the airflow created by its wings struck Melantha and would have blown her away if it weren’t for three more of the creatures coming from all other directions, flapping their wings just like the first one and creating a counterflow, helping her stabilize once more.

As she was busy recovering from the shock, Melantha failed to notice that the flying creatures kept moving towards her even after helping her. In a flash, the four appeared right next to her, surrounding her in mid-air. Then, as if straight out of some twisted pit of horrors, sharp incisions appeared all around their bodies that suddenly opened wide to reveal rows upon rows of sharp, pointy teeth. One big eye appeared in the centers of all the creatures’ bodies which immediately homed in on Melantha. Without even giving her a chance to react, the creatures jumped at her, drowning her in a sea of hair and teeth…

Suddenly, Melantha shook and sat up, wide-eyed and hyperventilating. Panicking, she started punching the empty air in front of her with her hands and kicking with her feet in an attempt to fend off an imaginary enemy but soon realized nothing was actually attacking her in the first place. After taking some time to calm down, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, stood up and walked just outside the cave in order to get some fresh air, all the while wondering in her mind [i]“What in the world have I just experienced?”[/i]

[i]“Those creatures felt so real… and I was falling, yet not actually falling either. So weird…”[/i] [color=DE33FF][b]Ouch,[/b][/color] she winced in pain and rubbed her cheek where she had pinched herself in an attempt to verify if what she was experiencing at that moment was real and not something similar to that… illusion.

And yet, Melantha could not help but feel bitter at the thought that she was not even able to fight off imaginary enemies. Thinking back at those ‘creatures’, they were nothing but a bunch of hair with eyes and mouths, and yet she was powerless to resist them. Was she always going to be like that? [color=DE33FF][i]“Do I deserve this?”[/i][/color] She brought her hands to her face as she felt her eyes start to well up.

[i][color=DE33FF]“Huh, tears?[/color] N-[color=DE33FF]Again?[/color] It’s no-[color=DE33FF]Are you really going to cry, Melantha?[/color] But… [color=DE33FF][b]Is this what you are?[/b][/color][/i] [b]NO!”[/b]

Melantha snapped her eyes open at the sudden thump and resulting rustling noise of rocks falling on the ground. She followed her arm and hand, which had gone from resting on her face to having smashed the rocky face of the mountain cave’s entrance. She slowly extricated her hand from the hole it had formed and looked at the imprint it had left behind in stunned silence. Then a smile slowly crept up her face along with a faint giggle that soon turned to full-blown laughter.

[color=DE33FF][i]Guess Kalmar was telling the truth, after all…[/i][/color] Wiping away tears of joy with the back of her hand, she looked up towards the sky. The sun had long set by now, the day having given way to night. The Lustrous Garden slowly streaked across the starry sky, the flickering stars in the background completing a breathtaking image that imprinted itself in Melantha’s mind.

Scanning the immediate area around the cave entrance, Melantha realized that Kalmar was nowhere to be seen. [color=DE33FF][i]“Hmm, he’s probably gone deeper into the forest, which means...”[/i][/color]

With a spark in her eyes and a grin on her face, Melantha looked up at the mountain behind her. The cave was situated roughly at the middle of it, so there was a lot more of the mountain to explore. With that thought in mind, she set off, the determination in her step pushing her to prove to herself that she was more than what she previously thought she was.[hr][hr]It had not been difficult to make the clothes. It was a simple process of cutting the skin from the wolves, washing away the blood, and using his powers to alter it into a more durable and workable state. From the dark fur, which he made to be thick and firm but also flexible, he made a vest, with another band of looser fur wrapped around the waist that would function as a belt. A pair of vambraces were created as well.

As for the brown fur, he stripped the hair away from it so that it was only skin, and then made that into a pair of pants. He considered what to do about footwear; would she be content with footwraps, like what he wore? Then he had an idea. He created something without using any of the slain wolves, and instead from thin air - a pair of knee-high leather boots, that became sandals once they reached the foot itself. He enchanted them so that the wearer would leave no footprints.

Kalmar considered what else to make. He recalled that Melantha had disliked the sun, so he glanced down at the wolf carcass that was still unused, and he realized it was almost the exact same color and tone as the direwolf cloak. So he fashioned it into a hood, with the intention of attaching it to the cloak itself once he rejoined her.

There was one more thing he wanted to make. He broke a branch from a nearby tree, turned its color to a dark grey, and shaped it into a bow, a white string materializing. Then he poured a small amount of power into it. He pulled the string back, and a black arrow made from energy appeared from thin air. He took aim at a tree, shifted his aim to the right of said tree, but still thought of the tree as his target, and then loosed. The arrow turned in mid-air and struck the tree in the dead center. A moment later, the arrow vanished into nothingness, but its mark was still there. 

All of this would be sufficient. He folded up the clothes, put the second bow over his shoulder and the amulet around his own neck. Then he picked up the boots and began making his way back, only to stop and look back at the wolf corpses which had been skinned yet remained uneaten. He would make a detour, he decided, to tell some griffins or perhaps a bear where these wolves were located. At least then they would not go waste.

Only after that would he head back.[hr][hr]Higher up the mountain, bushes replaced most of the trees as the dominant flora. Tiny rocks and gravel lined up the craggy mountain path that she followed, Melantha doubting in her mind if anyone would even call it a ‘path’ considering it was so difficult to traverse. Nevertheless, she found that it was the only feasible way to go up the mountain and as such decided to trek up and see where it would lead her.

Soon enough, however, even the so-called path came to an end, and what an end it was. Melantha peeked over the edge of the cliff in front of her only to see a drop so large it made her take a few steps back in surprise. [color=DE33FF][i]“That’s… a long, long way down,”[/i][/color] she thought to herself, but then remembered that she had seen bigger drops than the one in front of her. A memory of Kalmar urging her to jump off of Shynir’s back flashed through her mind, quickly followed by the memory of her failure to fly that made her grit her teeth in frustration.

[color=DE33FF][i]“No, that is not me. I can be better, will be better. I promised so to him, and he assured me that I was capable of flight. I can do this…”[/i][/color]

Trying her best to reign in her fears, Melantha slowly walked once again towards the edge of the cliff, stopping just inches away from it. Her eyes immediately followed the drop and a sense of vertigo overtook her for a moment, causing her to whip her head back and let out a groan. [color=DE33FF][i]“Whoa, okay. Let’s relax for once. Maybe breathe? It helped with the headaches…”[/i][/color]

Taking in a deep breath in, Melantha closed her eyes and emptied out her mind before letting herself slowly lean forward. When she opened her eyes up once again, she was free falling down the cliffside, This time, however, she did not panic. Without an inkling of a second failure in her mind, she wholly focused herself on one thing only, flight. As she saw the ground rapidly approaching her, she shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice carrying her resolve to succeed. Suddenly, a loud snap echoed through her mind and Melantha felt a flood of energy wash over her, energy she somehow instinctively knew she could control. She poured her will into the flow of energy as she continued to focus on flying in her mind and as if acquiescing, the energy bloomed outwards, counteracting and decelerating her fall. Within a few seconds, she was hovering there in mid-air with an incredulous look on her face.

[color=DE33FF][i]“I-I did it!”[/i][/color] Melantha exclaimed with a shocked look on her face. Although invisible, Melantha could feel the energy course within and outside, mysteriously acting upon the world to transform her wish of flight from a mere thought to a reality.

She let herself hover as she were for a few moments, relishing the feeling of success, before moving to test the newfound power further. Surprisingly, once she got the hang of it, flying became as natural to her as walking was. Testing the proverbial waters at first, she started with simple back, forth, up and down movements, her path through the air wobbly at times but soon enough stabilizing. Like this, she began flying about in the air, all the while the grin on her face getting wider and wider the more she accelerated.

However, things don’t always go as expected. High on success as she were, she failed to notice the griffin that had been stalking her from afar, its eagle eyes tracking her flight path and observing her behavior. Small in size as she was, she looked like the perfect little meal for it. It spread its wings and lifted off the rock it had perched itself, flying silently towards its prey. Its feathers were pitch black and hence offered a measure of stealth as they blended in with the dark backdrop that was the night sky.

Once it got sufficiently close enough, it flapped its wings forcefully and dove down from above, sharp front claws wide open, targeting the unsuspecting Melantha. At the moment of contact, Melantha let out a groan as she was violently grabbed, the force of the impact between the griffin’s claws and her body knocking the wind out of her. The griffin let out a triumphant shriek and clenched its clawed foot tightly around a stunned Melantha.

It took a few moments for her to come to, but when she did she found herself in the clutches of the griffin as it was heading back towards the mountain and, presumably, to its nest. [color=DE33FF][i]“Oh no…”[/i][/color] She immediately started struggling mostly out of instinct, but the griffin would not have that. It tightened its grip around Melantha, eliciting a moan of pain from her that temporarily stopped her from attempting to escape.

But that was just it, temporary. Melantha grit her teeth, stuffing the pain she was experiencing to the back of her mind and started wiggling back and forth once more, her hands making their way between the griffin’s clawed fingers in an attempt to force them apart and release herself. Suddenly, however, there was the flash of steel and a whistling noise of displaced air before a small knife appeared in her hand. [color=orange]”Use it!”[/color] Kalmar’s familiar voice echoed within her mind.

Her first thought was, [i]“How?”[/i] But then her mind went back to their wolf hunt. Melantha remembered how Kalmar so skillfully eliminated the wolves that were attacking him with his knife, and so she tried to replicate them to the best of her ability. She wormed her arm through the griffin’s talons with some effort and stabbed it right at the soft tissue in between. The knife cut through the winged beast’s tough flesh effortlessly much to Melantha’s, and the griffin’s, surprise. It let out a pained shriek and loosened its grip on her for just a moment, but that was just what she needed to slip out of its claws and climb its foreleg. Now running on pure instinct, she started slicing at the skin of its legs while holding on to it for dear life as the griffin was not at all pleased by her actions as one would expect. It bucked and tossed around in an attempt to get rid of her, having reconsidered its previous assessment of Melantha as an ‘easy prey’.

Climbing just a bit further up let Melantha grab onto the griffin’s feathers, and that was pretty much what spelled the end for the beast. It desperately tried to do everything in its power to throw her off, but like as if she had been possessed by something, Melantha refused to relent in her pursuit. The hunter had become the hunted, one could very much say. Eventually, she managed to climb onto the griffin’s back and once there, she started mercilessly stabbing it wherever she could. It took several minutes filled with furious screeches filled with pain and anger before the griffin finally succumbed to its injuries before its dead body commenced a final dive towards the ground, Melantha on top of it.

However, she could not find herself to disentangle herself from the dead beast. Her whole body was numb from the sheer exhaustion of the fight, and her mind felt heavy. She looked at her hands, filled with blood and holding a faintly shimmering knife, and her last waking thoughts were Kalmar’s urgent voice calling out to her to use it.[hr][hr]She would awake back in the cave. A fire had been started. Kalmar was nearby, a pile of feathers next to him, and he was meticulously attaching each one to the shoulders of what appeared to be some sort of fur vest. He glanced over to her when he noticed her shuffling about. [color=orange]”Are you alright?”[/color] he asked her.

Opening her eyes to Kalmar was a relieving sight for Melantha. She groaned in discomfort as she sat up, hand on her head and looking at him groggily. [color=DE33FF]“I-I think so,”[/color] she said in a hoarse voice. It was then that she noticed the feathers he had on his hands, and her mind immediately remembered all that had transpired. [color=DE33FF]“What happened? After… [i]that.[/i]”[/color]

Kalmar continued his work, now adding feathers to the vest’s waist, but managed to keep his eyes on her. [color=orange]”I took some feathers from the griffin, then gave its body to some wolves. After that, I carried you back here to finish making the clothes. I’m not sure why you passed out - did you have another headache?”[/color]

[color=DE33FF]“No, I would know if I had. The residual pain after one of those is much more pronounced than just this small one.”[/color] She got on her knees and shuffled a little further up, coming to sit next to him. She looked at him working for a few silent moments before she talked again, this time in a questioning tone. [color=DE33FF]“Is that knife appearing out of nowhere one of your hunting tricks or something that you just came up on the spot? Also on that matter, do you have a habit of stalking people?”[/color]

Kalmar raised his eyebrows. [color=orange]”I’m a hunter, so stalking things is my job,”[/color] he said somewhat drily. [color=orange] “To be serious: no, I don’t make a habit of stalking other gods and goddesses. You weren’t at the cave, and I didn’t know where you were, so I grew concerned and wanted to find out,”[/color] he answered with a shrug. [color=orange]“As for the knife, it’s not my trick. I could replicate it if I really wanted to, but I’m not the one who made it. It was created by Chopstick Eyes, Goddess of Markets, who gave it to me in exchange for a service.”[/color]

[color=DE33FF]“Chos-chopsick eyes? Chopstick?”[/color] It was now Melantha’s turn to raise her eyebrows. [color=DE33FF]“What kind of name is that?”[/color] she asked him but retracted a few seconds later. [color=DE33FF]“You know what, don’t answer that. I don’t need to know,”[/color] she said and laughed. As her joy trailed off, her eyes settled on his, [color=DE33FF]“Thank you,”[/color] she said and continued. [color=DE33FF]“Once again you, I presume, saved me. You didn’t have to, but you did, and that means a lot to me.[/color]

She looked forward and into the crackling embers of the campfire, her mind drifting back to the time Kalmar first found her. A smile crept up on her face as she recalled that memory. [color=DE33FF]“Sometimes I wonder what would have been should you had not found me…”[/color]

[color=orange]“I’d have a lot more carvings, and fewer people to give them to.”[/color] Kalmar answered in a serious tone, before shrugging.

Melantha’s eyes widened in surprise and she looked back at him. [color=DE33FF]“Was that a joke?[/color] She asked and laughed out loud. [color=DE33FF]“See?! You can do it if you want to! Keep it up and maybe you can make half the people that hate you re-evaluate their opinion,”[/color] she said with a giggle.

Kalmar’s expression turned thoughtful, and for a moment he was quiet. He looked away from Melantha, and then back to her. [color=orange]“Maybe I should,”[/color] he said seriously. Melantha looked at him in the eyes for a moment before bursting back into laughter once again. [color=DE33FF]“Definitely needs work, yep!”[/color]

Instead of answering, Kalmar looked back down at his work. [color=orange]“I’d say these clothes are done,”[/color] he said, before passing her the vest, the pants, and the sandals. [color=orange]“Try them on. And hand me that cloak - there’s something I need to add to it.”[/color]

Melantha received the clothes, staring at them and back to Kalmar. [color=DE33FF]“How?”[/color]

Kalmar blinked in mild surprise but took the question seriously. [color=orange] “See the vest? Put your arms and your head through the large hole at the bottom, and stick them out through the holes at the top - with your head through the middle one. Do the same with your legs and the pants. For the sandals, just slide them on and tie up the greaves.”[/color]

[color=DE33FF]“Alright,”[/color] she said with a sigh, she seriously did not think having clothes would change much but she was curious enough to try them at least once. She stood up, dropping the cloak and leaving the leggings and sandals on the ground while handling the vest with an almost exploratory look on her face.

Kalmar took the cloak that was left by her feet and then picked up the hood he had fashioned earlier. With his godly powers, he attached the two pieces of fur together, all the while Melantha was dressing up behind him. After a few moments, she called out to him. [color=DE33FF]“Well, what do you think? It feels a little itchy, to be honest with you…”[/color]

Kalmar looked up at her, and then rose to his feet, cloak in hand. [color=orange]“You can use your powers to smoothen it out, then. As for what I think…”[/color] he handed her the cloak. [color=orange]“I think you look beautiful,”[/color] he said in a serious tone.

[color=DE33FF]”Thanks,”[/color] she said with a grin and accepted the cloak. [color=DE33FF]“My powers huh? Hmm…”[/color] She closed her eyes and felt out for the power that had allowed her to fly. As if a string reacting to being pulled, she felt the now familiar flow of energy within her surge. She thought about what Kalmar had said and imagined the clothes on her being smoother and more fitting on her body, and as if once again moving according to her will, the energy slightly changed them to match her imagination. She instantly felt the difference in the tightness of the vest around her torso and the pants around her thighs.

[color=DE33FF]“Oh this is nicer now, definitely,[/color] she said and moved around, testing her flexibility and movement in her new clothes. Once satisfied, she turned to the cloak Kalmar had handed to her, donning it just like how she had it before its modification. [color=DE33FF]“I suppose this goes over the head?”[/color] Melantha asked him as she touched the new furry hood.

Kalmar nodded. [color=orange]“I thought it would help with the sun.”[/color] Melantha drew it over her head, but could not see much difference. Of course, they were inside a cave and it was night-time outside. She would have to test it out once the sun rose back up again in the morning. [color=DE33FF]“Great!”[/color] she told him with a smile.

[color=orange]“Good to hear that you like it,”[/color] Kalmar said, before glancing toward the cave’s exit. [color=orange] “As I said, I’m willing to teach you how to use the rest of your godly abilities. For as long as you’re willing to stay, of course. Do you still want to?”[/color]

[color=DE33FF]“Of course! After getting a taste of what I am capable of, I don’t think I would ever pass up on knowing more about my powers. Please teach me, Kalmar!”[/color] She said with an excited look on her face.

[color=orange]“Alright then… wait.”[/color] he suddenly spoke. [color=orange]“I made something else.”[/color] He picked up the dark grey bow that rested against the wall of the cave. [color=orange]“A bow of your own. It can generate its own arrows, and they will…”[/color][hr][hr][hider=Summarino]Kalmar returns to the cave and gives Melantha carving. She then shows him something she had drawn on the cave floor, and it turns out they made the same animal. Kalmar then informs her of his conversation with Katharsos and reveals that she erased her own memory. This triggers another headache, and Kalmar has to comfort her.

Kalmar then leaves Melantha alone to think, and she falls asleep, dreaming of terrifying flying mustaches. Meanwhile, Kalmar goes out and makes her clothes, as well as the Bow of Homing and Traceless Sandals.

Melantha wakes up and then attempts to learn how to fly. She succeeds, but in her excitement, she fails to notice a griffin sneaking up on her. It grabs her and they struggle when suddenly the Knife of Friendship appears in her hand. She kills the griffin and then blacks out from the sheer exhaustion.

She wakes up back in the cave. Kalmar tells her what happened, and he gives her the clothes, which she tries on. She uses her powers to make them less itchy, and Kalmar reminds her that he is willing to teach her how to use the rest of her powers as well. She agrees, and then Kalmar remembers to hand her the bow, beginning to explain its use and special powers.[hider=Might Summary]
[b][u]Kalmar, God of Hunting[/u][/b]

[b]Starting MP:[/b] 7
[b]Starting FP:[/b] 4

[b]Expenditures[/b]
-1MP (discounted to 0 through the Hunting Portfolio) to make Traceless Sandals.
-1MP (discounted to 0 through the Hunting Portfolio) to make Bow of Homing.

[b]Portfolios in Progress[/b]
-Fishing (5/5)
-Endurance (1/5)
-Fear (0/5)
-Cold (4/5)

[b]Remaining MP:[/b] 7
[b]Remaining FP:[/b] 4
[/hider][hider=Artifact Summary]
[b]The Bow of Homing:[/b] A bow that conjures forth arrows of mundane energy, which will track and follow the intended target. These arrows will continue to gain speed and force the longer they are in the air, and will pursue the target until they hit something (which does not necessarily have to be the target.) These arrows are incapable of doing sharp or sudden turns, so it is still possible to dodge them. The arrows dissipate after impact.

[b]Traceless Sandals:[/b] Footwear that does not leave footprints. That’s about it.

All of these are 1MP artifacts.
[/hider][/hider]