RCM- No… this… this can't be possible!

Sol- What? What happened?

Anri- Master, what's wrong?

RCM- Our review count… it is about to overtake that of Terrornova

Sol- Are you serious?!

Anri- Master, that's great!

RCM- But… Lord Revokov's story is so much better than my own… I'm hardly worthy of this…

Sol- But Master…

Anri- Um… Master, the readers are here…

RCM- Huh? Oh! Hello… sorry about that.

Sol- The Mega Man X fanfic Terrornova, written by Revokov, has greatly affected Master. He has followed it for several months, and hung onto every word all the way to its completion in August. Containing a wonderful mix of action, drama, humor, tension, romance, mystery… and pretty much everything else I can think of, it is easily his favorite story on the site.

Anri- Though we love Lady Aria's work as well, we have idolized Lord Revokov's masterpiece long prior to meeting her. It's size is rather daunting, but we heartily encourage those who have an interest in Mega Man X and a considerable amount of free time to read it. It has something for everyone, and… it defies explanation, it's so good!

Sol- Master, we should probably make the other announcement now.

RCM- Oh… yes. Yes, I am ending the Source Challenge now since there is no way in hell Anime-Master7 will be overtaken at this point, and… to be quite honest, I have lost interest in the game. Though I won't prevent you from asking if something in my story is something you recognize, I will ask that you do so sparingly. Please.

Anri- We don't own Zelda, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Golden Sun, or anything else that has copyrights attached.

Sol- Now we'll put the mithril portion of the story to rest. Shall we Master?

RCM- Let the games begin.

Chapter 24

Forging Ahead

As predicted, several monsters inhabited the multiple holes in the stone. Sensing the party approach, the small serpents slid out and opened their oversized jaws. Within each mouth waved an eye, looking out from what would normally be a tongue. As Link was reminded of the weak spot of his old foe Molgera, Tikal cringed at the grotesque sight. "Eww… what are those?"

"Worm drakes… individually, they aren't much of a threat, but if they're in groups…" Shadow didn't finish his statement, instead slicing a trio of attacking snakes with his scythe. Though the move easily killed the creatures, several more took their place in an instant. It was as if a cascade of scales flowed from the rock wall, never stopping nor showing any sign of slowing down.

It didn't take long for the Hylian boy to become annoyed. "Alright, that's enough." Tossing a bomb over the river of drakes, he sealed off about a third of the entryways. With only a few more explosives, the onslaught of serpents ceased.

The number remaining quickly diminished without its reinforcement flow. "Okay, people, let's get going while the going's still good!"

"Hugh, you really need to lay off the sugar." Despite the quip, Lance followed the other boy into the caverns ahead.

Inside was almost pitch-black. As Lance began searching for his lantern, Rand placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on, let me find the lights. Save your lamp for when you need it." Rummaging along the wall, the dwarf flipped a small metal switch hidden among the rocks. Seconds later, the cave was lit up by an array of torches lining the walls. "We rigged switch-activated torches through each and every passage in the mines. Mix of technology and magic they say. I think it's a damn crock, but if it works…"

The lights revealed several Keese sleeping above them. Unlike in their prior experiences, the bats did not stir. Even when Link tripped loudly over a discarded pickaxe handle, the group was completely ignored. "Well… that's refreshing."

"Oh, the Keese? We move through these tunnels so often that they've stopped paying attention. Hasn't been an attack in over 50 some-odd years." To prove his point, Rand chucked a rock between two of the rodents. The noise elicited no more than an agitated flutter followed by a brief glare. "See?" Laughing at the group's tension from his stunt, the dwarf kept moving.

The journey seemed to take hours, and though the path was full of native creatures, none of them bothered to look toward the party. After making a right turn at a fork in the path, Hugh growled in annoyance "How much longer is this gonna take?!"

"Relax, Hugh. We'll be there before you can say 'mithril plating.'" The dwarf smirked as he took the next left, waiting for the human's inevitable comeback.

"Mithril…"

"And here we are!" Opening the metal doors, he ushered them inside the Mithril Station. "We'll rest here for a spell, then keep going through the crystal mines."

The impatient one groaned. "You mean we have another mine to go through? How big is this place?!"

"Larger than Jarai Forest, and that's not including the forbidden catacombs. Since I have connections, I should be able to talk us through security. Now, relax, look around, and we'll leave in a couple hours." Clasping a hand on Shadow's arm, he dragged the Darkman toward one of the buildings. "You, my friend, are going to are going to tell me your story. What kind o' ale you prefer?"

Shaking his head slightly, Lance turned to the others. "I guess we just explore the place. How you want to do this?"

"I say we stick together." Elric loosened the strap of his quiver, adjusting it to a more comfortable position. "It's better that way so we don't have to go looking for people once Rand and Shadow are ready." After everyone quickly agreed, they went to look around. After about an hour of exploring and talking with the stocky inhabitants of the Station, the group noticed the sounds of metal striking metal. Curious, Lance led the way toward the building the noise was coming from.

The dwarf inside looked up from his work as the door opened. "Ah, welcome travelers! Come in! Come in! What can I do for ya?"

"We were curious what that noise was."

The dwarf, short and stocky like the others of his clan, laughed as he lifted the large war-hammer off of the counter. His dark beard barely draped over it, as if protecting the weapon. "My latest work, just about finished. If you didn't know, I am the metalworker in charge of weaponry here." It was then that Lance's sword caught the craftsman's eye. "That sword… be that a mithril blade?" As the boy nodded, the dwarf tentatively extended one of his thickly muscled arms. "If I may…?"

"Sure, why not." Unsheathing the weapon, he placed the blade in the merchant's hand.

"Ah yes… this is definitely one of mine… but I don't recognize yer face, and I always remember me customers…"

Lance's face dropped a little. "It belonged to my master… he gave it to me right before he died."

"You mean our master." Hugh added, slightly miffed at Lance's failure to mention his connection.

"I see… well, be this the only mithril weapon you have?" Another nod. "Well, you're in luck! As I no longer have anything on order, I can upgrade any of your current weapons into mithril-reinforced masterpieces, like this one!" Looking back into the kettle in the rear of the shop, the dwarf's smile faded. "Oh no… it seems I'm fresh out of mithril ore… I don't have enough for all o' ya…"

It was then that Rand and Shadow found them again. "Ah! There you are! Greetings, Orann! Entertainin' my guests were ya?"

"Oh, Rand! I just had the misfortune of tellin' yer friends we have no mithril left. Blasted miners can't even keep the shop stocked with enough to meet…" The clatter of metal rang throughout the room as Lance dumped the five pieces of mithril from his pack onto the countertop. "…demand…" Orann looked with shock at the metal, then at Lance, then back to the metal again. "Where did…? How…?"

"How many of our weapons can you forge now?"

Snapping back into focus, Orann examined the tools the six held out. "Well, let's see… you already possess a mithril weapon… I can upgrade those two swords… that staff should turn out nicely… that bow as well… And I think I may even be able to do something with your magic little trinket, Darkman. They'll even be some ore left over!" The shopkeeper smiled. "If you'd like to help, we can get this done a lot faster."

For the next half-hour, the seven helped Orann melt the ore and forge the mineral into their tools. Each sword was dipped in the boiling kettle, coating the blades in silver. After smoothing and sharpening the edges, the hilts were adorned with gems. Hugh chose a trio of flaming rubies on each side for his, while Link matched the color of his clothes to the single cool emerald. Similarly, Tikal's staff was completely coated, and she replaced the green orb with a smooth, glittering sphere of sapphire. Elric didn't select any particular type of gem for his weapon, equally distributing rubies, sapphires and emeralds along the shaft.

Though each was a work of art, it was Shadow's Berserker that truly showed the mastery of the smithy. As the tool was not set in form, dipping it in mithril would not have been wise. Instead, Orann tried to infuse the metal into the weapon's interior. The first try ended in failure, as the liquid metal merely seeped out onto the worktable. Then, via an idea from Tikal, they cooled the ore with concentrated cold magic, forming a fine dust out of the metal. This was easily absorbed into the Berserker, which now possessed a metallic glint in its night-black face. The ultimate weapon of Darkmen had been successfully enhanced with the strongest metal in existence. "Testing this should be fun…"

"With this arsenal, I'd say we're ready for the temple." Sheathing his improved Hero's Sword, Link asked, "How much do we owe you?"

Again, Orann laughed. "It's on the house, my friends. First off, you're Rand's guests, and second, you restocked my mithril supply! Consider these free weapons as my thanks!" Clasping his fellow dwarf's shoulder, Orann bid farewell to Rand and his guests. "Take care, brother."

"You as well, brother. I shall see you again once this Chaos nonsense is put to rest." With a nod to the others, Rand led them out of the store toward the Crystal Mine.

End Chapter 24


RCM- Their attack power has risen, but will it help them endure what is to come? We shall see…

Anri- Master, have you seen Sol? He flew off somewhere, and I can't find him anywhere.

RCM- No, not since we started… Hmm… Solaris?

Sol- (flies in, fluttering excitedly) Master! Lord Revokov posted the continuation of Terrornova! Trinity Helix!

RCM- What?! Really?!

Sol- Yeah! Come on!

RCM- I am SO there! (burst of flame, and is gone)

Anri and Sol- Hey! Wait for us! (starts to fly off) Oh, thanks for reading, we'll see you soon! (vanishes)