Veryx didn’t know why Mara insisted on dragging Him here. The town was nearly abandoned anyways. What remained were just a few humans and dwarves milling about, doing whatever they could to survive. He could smell the sadness in the air, but that was something He was good at. Being the god of despair, places like these were His favorite. Cold, dark, depressing… Perfectly at home.

“I can sense you brooding again,” Mara stated matter-of-factly. Unlike Veryx, She was the goddess of love, beauty, and gross stuff like that. Usually, a pair like these two wouldn’t be spotted within miles of each other. But, they always found Themselves drawn to each other. Probably because They were “twins,” if you could even call it that. Mara always found Herself drawn to Veryx, and vice versa (even though He would never admit it).

“Why are we here, again?” Veryx asked.

“Because Chaos, our friend, needs some help - even if He won’t say it outright. He already has enough to deal with. We could at least pitch in.”

Veryx nodded, “Alright… And we’re looking for…?”

“A dwarven blacksmith named Aigor. He should just be this way. Lemme do the talking, alright?” They turned another corner. “From what I was able to gather, his blacksmith was closing down. Not enough citizens, not enough gold.”

“I’m guessing you don’t want me to -”

“Make this any worse?” Mara finished off his sentence, smirking. “Yeah, pretty much.

They turned another corner, and a few feet away was the blacksmith. Mara was right. The place definitely looked like it was closing down. Standing outside was a dwarf, who was stroking his long, brown beard that went down to his lower chest. He stood silently, staring at the shop.

“Excuse me?” Mara interrupted the dwarf’s silence. “You’re Aigor, yes?”

“That’ll be me,” he gruffed, “but whatever you’d want, I don’t think I’ll be much help.” He gestured over to his blacksmith. “Place is closing down.”

“Well that’s kind of obvious,” Veryx grunted.

Mara quickly jabbed Veryx in the elbow in his ribcage. “I’m sorry to hear that. But, that’s not why We’re here.”

“Then… Why are you two here?” he asked, looking up to them both.

“We heard about your work. Your ability to make gear, and most importantly - your skill with runes.”

“Well, I don’t like to brag, but…” his sentence trailed off.

“A friend of ours is looking to start up a band of mercenaries. A blacksmith with your skillset could help out. You’ll get paid well and a free room. How’s that sound?”

The dwarf thought to himself for a minute. “And where will we be holding up?”

“You’ll be meeting a friend of ours at Hackfield. He’ll lead you along the way.’

“Okay… If I could have my gear, I’ll meet with you guys as soon as possible. I’ve gotta pack up my forge.”

“Great. Thank you. It means a lot,” Mara replied

He smiled a little, nodding his head once more before turning back towards his shop.

“See?” Mara whispered to Veryx. “All you have to do is be kind and just talk to them. A little can go a long way.”