XII
It seemed strange, Ekimu thought, that Makuta appeared more exhausted than ever, even after sleeping in an extra hour. Well, if Makuta wouldn't bring up the fact again, then Ekimu would himself. But he had more important things to do right now.
Opening a nearby cabinet, he searched fruitlessly for a chisel, eventually finding it in the drawer just below it. I don't remember putting it here. Makuta must have used it. He looked up, scanning the wall with his eyes, then took a small hammer. At least that was where it was supposed to be.
Ekimu took deep breaths, relaxing himself and stretching his arms over his head. He sat down in front of the unfinished mask, chisel and hammer at the ready. It would be easier to simply use his mask power, but he would only do that if he needed to. Besides, he thought with a smile, it's more fun by hand.
He set the chisel to the very edge of the mask's crest, making sure it lined up perfectly. Satisfied, he tapped his hammer onto the chisel, making a small indent in the mask. He hit it harder, with more confidence. This time it created a smooth cut in the mask. He continued hitting it, checking each time to see if it was smooth. As the minutes passed, the entire forge was silent as its stone walls, save the tiny chipping noise of a chisel against metal.
Ekimu's back was starting to hurt from hunching over for so long. He leaned back, picking up the mask at eye-level. One half of the outside had swirling, spiraling valleys carved into it. Three halves left, including the inside—Ekimu made a mental note to take special care when doing that.
As he put his chisel to the mask, he heard approaching footsteps. "What is it, Makuta?" he asked. "I'm busy."
"My apologies," answered his brother. "But I had a realization. Perhaps Flammik's actions were not so terrible, after all."
Ekimu turned around. "How can you say that?"
Makuta shrugged perfunctorily. "He powered up his bow to defeat those wild beasts, but he was protecting the villagers, was he not?"
"That was how he put it."
"So he was using the elemental crystals for the gain of everyone, not himself. Mind, I'm not in any way trying to say his decision was correct. But why not we power up the other protectors' weapons, rather than making a new bow and letting the other go to waste? After all, it's clearly been shown a powered weapon is more effective in defense and offense."
Ekimu nodded slowly. "That's actually a good idea."
Makuta's eyes glinted with amusement. "Hooray, I actually had a good idea."
With a sigh, Ekimu turned back to his work. "Please don't say that."
"Oh, I sincerely apologize for making you uncomfortable. I guess I'll go cry in a corner now."
"Makuta, I mean it." Ekimu's grip on the mask tightened. "This mask needs to be finished as soon as possible, and I don't have time for your distractions."
Makuta frowned. "My distractions, hm?"
Ekimu didn't respond, putting the chisel to the mask.
"I see." Makuta looked over Ekimu's shoulder. "You missed a spot."
Ekimu slammed his tools on the table in frustration. "Makuta, complain to someone else! I don't need your judgment on my work."
"Fine, I suppose I will!" Makuta stormed off, slamming the door behind him.
Good riddance, Ekimu thought to himself, grabbing his chisel and hammer with unnecessary force. After looking at them for a second, he figured that since he was angry, he'd be less accurate in carving. And this mask had to be absolutely perfect.
He put his mask power to good use.
