Hephaestus continued his travels, his footsteps echoing through the rugged terrain. The world was vast, and he sought materials beyond Olympus' reach—elements that even the gods had yet to lay their hands upon.
As he moved through a deep valley, the air grew thick with a chilling mist. A massive serpent-like beast—scales like blackened ice, eyes glowing with unnatural hunger—lunged at him from the shadows.
With a swift movement, Hephaestus raised the Shield of Uria, the divine metal shimmering as it absorbed the creature's crushing bite. Sparks flew as fangs scraped against the indestructible surface. Seizing the moment, Hephaestus swung his hammer, the force of his strike shattering the monster's skull in a single, earth-shaking blow.
The beast's corpse collapsed, and silence returned.
Hephaestus inspected the remains before dragging them into the creature's lair. A cold wind greeted him inside, and there, at the heart of the cavern, stood a single flower-like plant. Its petals were translucent, glowing with an ethereal frost. Each breath Hephaestus took felt like inhaling winter itself.
As he reached out, a vision surged through his mind—images of weapons that could command ice, a tool so fine yet so deadly it could pierce even the strongest of armor.
He set up his forge within the cave, using the frostflower as the catalyst. The serpent's bones became the frame, the frozen essence of the flower fused into the very core of the weapon. The heart of the serpant become a beautifull gem at the bottom of the needle.
When his work was done, he held in his hands a masterpiece:
"Glacienne" – The Needle of Eternal Frost
A needle-like weapon, slender yet unbreakable, shimmering with icy light.
Its tip instantly freezes anything it pierces, no matter how strong.
The weapon is so light and swift that it moves like a falling snowflake, yet carries the power of a winter storm.
As he gazed at his creation, the world shuddered once more, as if recognizing the birth of another legendary artifact. The first weapon of ice had been forged.
Hephaestus smiled. This was just the beginning.