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True to its moniker, the Silent Serpent never made any noise, other than the subtlest sounds of its snaking form brushing against itself. The central chamber was an adjustable 'room' of ten tall pillars, but its walls were all composed of the Serpent's coiling body. Those shifting walls and movable pillars were what allowed the room to shrink or grow as needed, depending on what manner of precision Kurata was looking for.

So he had to be extra mindful of other sensory cues. If something was wrong, the Serpent would never give him any sound-based warnings whatsoever.

Which was why that ethereal glow was so important. It had a rare hue. Just distinct enough for Kurata to be suspicious.

And good thing, too, because not long after he stepped out of it, the chamber converged in on itself completely. The coiling bulk of the Serpent slowly came together and squeezed the center pedestal with such force that, when the Serpent receded, only a pile of dust remained behind.

Kurata sighed.

So much for that project, he supposed.

Granted, it hadn't been going very well, and a part of him had even been thinking about either starting over from scratch or scrapping it entirely, but still.

The Serpent had apparently had enough of his faffing about.

"I know it was bad," he said in Luughian, "but it was a work-in-progress."

The Serpent glowed again, more brightly this time.

Was that irritation? It sure felt like it, but Kurata wasn't about to risk touching the Forge in order to find out.

The Serpent didn't usually have bad moods like this, but when it did...

He still had to hold his ground, though. Letting oneself get pushed around by a Forge was not a recipe for long-term success, even when that Forge had a temperament as favorable as the Serpent. "How am I supposed to learn from my failure when you dust it pre-emptively like that?"

More glowing. Faintly yellow this time. And the body shifted abruptly, too. Fast movement. Very abnormal, Kurata noted.

Yeah, that was definitely irritation. He didn't even have to touch it to be sure now. The Forge was calling him a liar.

You would've been stuck for several more weeks before finally admitting that it was indeed a failure. Stubborn, posturing, time-wasting fool.

Damn. That was actually... quite hurtful. "H-hey. You're supposed to be the nice Forge."