[God Quest] Fight, little wolf, fight

// I've been trying to fix my pride //

Slipping from Mel's side after they're done eating post bonfire shenanigans, he takes the time to walk through the city and reappraise the work done on the tower. A few trembles quiver through the ground, which is unsettling to say the least, and Iskra is more than happy to get the fuck out of town. First though, he swings by a dessert shop he'd seen while laboring here, and a toy store. It'd be better to visit Ludo here, where Longheat's presence is much better known, Halo's cold still too biting he would assume (and with 0 interest to test it).

Crouching before the shrine that serves Ludo, he places down the wriggling caramel custard that is flan. Beside it, he places a cat-slinky, the midsection being the part that stretches, the front and back half rigid and cat-shaped. "Ludo," he greets, pulling the shield he's crafted from his back and patting it affectionately. "The shield is ready for your blessing now," he murmurs.

---

Gaucho | A shield that blocks fire attacks, decorated with engravings depicting antlers and suns that flare when struck.

Quest received here Like father like son?

1. Complete a thread selecting a material for the shield (wood, metal, bone, whatever you like!) and crafting/shaping it yourself.
I only feel alive inside the flame Carved out a piece of bone from a giant tortoise shell, shaped it with the pattern of the scute and the rib on the inside serves as a handle.

2. Complete a training thread whilst holding the shield. (You can also use a weapon as well, that's fine!)
[Training] the finest steel Sparred with the shield, using it several times

3. Complete a thread hiking through The Climb with the shield on your back, exposing it to the soot and heat of the region. Setting it on fire optional.
Hannah Montana's actor has a song about this Hiked through the climb wearing the shield

4. Complete a thread building a bonfire and leaping through the flames with the shield on your person.
[SE] a perfect match Leaped through a bonfire several times with the shield on his back

Iskra

// But that shit's broken //

ludo Braved the forests, braved the stone Braved the icy winds and fire Braved and beat them on my own Halo's cold is always too biting for Ludo, and Iskra has made a wise choice in coming to the Celestine instead, quakes be damned. Alone, too, which will absolutely earn the raggedy god's approval. But first there are offerings to accept, and Ludo unfurls into existence in a swathe of dark fabric and porcelain, two raggy tendrils reaching out for the dessert. Raising it up as if to show it off to some invisible audience (who are invisibly applauding), the expression on its mask is solemn and reverent. "FLAN," it declares. And then the wiggly custard is gone, vanished into the terrifying void beneath Ludo's robes.  "Oh, right. The shield." Taking up the slinky instead now between two rags that serve as hands, it slinks back and forth as Ludo cranes forward to look at the carved shell. "Oooh, cool," it says. A third fabric scrap reaches out to also pat the shield, and as it does so something crackling and vibrant seems to pour over the bone, sinking deep into it. "There you go! I hope you get a lot of fire thrown at you." It sounds like its trying to be encouraging, even if the wording is not ideal. Iskra has completed his quest! He has received: Gaucho | A shield that blocks fire damage, decorated with engravings depicting antlers and suns that flare when struck.

// I've been trying to fix my pride //

Shouting the name of the dessert is the only true way to approach flan. The manner in which Ludo takes it...is more questionable. Not inclined to peek behind the curtain more than necessary, Iskra politely does not stare after the vanishing custard. Instead, he tilts out a contented smile, glad that the offerings are acceptable, slinky already wobbling amid the rags now.

Iskra's expression lifts, breath caught in anticipation as something weaves itself amid the bone carapace, pouring from the god's touch as easily as air from lungs. It's not known, not entirely, but there's a familiarity to it that makes Iskra's nerves prickle with excitement. Power, in its truest sense, is what he just witnessed, raw from the rags and now sinking into Gaucho with a promise. His grin deepens, an unspoken eagerness flaring within. "I hope so too," Iskra laughs, because now it won't matter if it does. Reaching to reclaim his shield, Iskra bids Ludo farewell with a wave and an exuberant "thank you!"

[FIN]

Iskra

// But that shit's broken //