Chapter 12: Your special friend - Splinter Bone!

Evening Time...

"Finally, the Tears of the Mountain flow again! Now we can finally get to work on the Makers' Key, which should be up by tomorrow's morning." Alya grinned.

"Good...we might as well get some early rest before going for the Foundry." Death grunted as he left.

Chris noticed that Valus was sitting on a stone bench, his hands clasping his chins, looking down with a sigh.

"What happened, Alya? Valus doesn't seem to be in the best of moods today." Chris asked in concern.

Alya shook her head and sighed as she washed her hands with the Tears of the Mountain.

"Aye...he mourns the loss of his friend." the redhead Maker sighed.

"A friend?" Chris wondered.

"Aye - his great hammer, Splinter Bone. It felled many a giant, and his first weapon that he created for his own. He took many days and nights, painstakingly designing and creating his hammer with pride. However, Valus lost it in a dungeon West of here, and it weighs heavy upon him." Alya nodded.

"What happened?" Alito asked.

"We hoped to restore the Shattered Forge within; it was once our Forge before an earthquake tore it apart. However, as we tried to restore the Forge, it became corrupted, and overrun by the sea and vermin. We barely escaped with our lives, no thanks to Karn." the redhead Maker grumbled.

"Karn?" Alito wondered.

"Aye, at the time we did not see the harm. Karn would do anything himself. I fear one day he will go too far." Alya sighed.

"Where might we find the Shattered Forge?" Alito wondered.

"West of the Fjord, you will be able to find the entrance thanks to the vines surrounding the doors and lakes surrounding the structures...You're not seriously suggesting that..." Alya asked, just in time to look ahead and saw Chris walking away, but not before looking back and said...

"Tell Valus, we'll get it done by nightfall..." Chris's eyes glowed; her tone became grave, infused with her resolve to prevent a repeat in history.

"Allocate locations and coördinates of the Shattered Forge based on Alya's description." Chris spoke to the satellite tracker system launched into this world.

The Shattered Forge...

Vines and creepers hung around a brown door as Corrupted Crystal fragments grown out of its walls. Water flowed from the network of pipes, the walls and door were shades of grey and brown. Smells of dusty air wafted around the surroundings.

Cracked walls and shattered powder of rocks scattered through the entrance.

"So...shall we?" Chris asked.

"Preventing history from repeating itself...why not?" Alito replied.

The door smashed open as the two maidens entered the Shattered Forge.

Waterfalls flowed from both sides. A circular platform was seen from some distance and a four-horned box was on the platform itself, separated by a flowing river.

Chris and Alito looked at each other and nodded. The latter's eyes glowed green, her right eyes became the symbol of Wind as she crossed her arms twice to raise water with a strong surge of air.

Chris's eyes glowed blue; her left eyes became the symbol of ice as the water towers froze and became icy staircases, while completely freezing the river to offer unconditional rigidity.

Chris and Alito managed to scale through the staircase with no problem; the spikes that attached upon their shoes' soles enabled them to hold their balance with ease.

As Chris and Alito managed to land on the other end of the staircase, they set their eyes upon the chest containing the Splinter Bone.

"Well, that was easy..." Chris exhaled calmly.

Unexpectedly, huge scaly, cheetah-like prowlers and bony stalkers smashed through the walls with their big, crushing claws.

"Or maybe not..." Alito shrugged.

Chris and Alito faced with their backs against each other.

"Ready?" Chris frowned.

"No pain...no gain, my Lady." Alito nodded and simpered as she transformed into Lifebane.

Chris swings the huge scythe and unleashing a huge blizzard storm, freezing the prowling foes.

"Time for you hot-tempered beasts to chill out..."

The Icy Maiden's eyes glowed once more, as she possessed one of the big prowlers, break out of the icy prison and proceeds to shatter the frozen stalkers with its huge, crushing hands, feet, and long tails.

Chris managed to freeze the possessed Prowler from the inside and smashed it as she and Lifebane got out of the beast's body.

The last Prowler roared and charged blindly at the icy Maiden, to which she promptly dodged to her left, attached her dual Lifebane by its hilt each, and unleashed a powerful boomerang scythe that froze the beast.

Without any words spoken, Chris dispatched the Prowler in no time flat by punching the icy prison with her Project Tundra on, smashing it like fragile glass upon a shopping mall in a raid.

Chris looked up in the air as she saw a golem head with corrupted spikes growing around its head as a crown. It has a big stone jaw with an arching forehead with medium-sized ears.

Morphology: Construct Sentinels

Type: Corrupted

Description: A head from a Corrupted Construct, it has powers to create Corrupted Construct Warriors and Golems from the Earth using Corruption. Be warned, during the creation process, it will release a green barrier around him, rendering it invulnerable to attacks. Range attacks recommended in minimizing repercussions from its summoned troops.

The Sentinel Head opened its moth as a glowing Corrupted orb shot out a green-yellow beam through its bottom on the floor, summoning several Corrupted Sentinel Warriors and golems waving their hammers and rock batons.

"We won't let anyone of you hurt Valus's best friend..." Chris's eyes and Lifebane's hilt glowed intensely as their voiced reverbed through the Shattered Forge.

Soon enough, Chris and Lifebane mowed through the Corrupted while evading with such grace and elegance like a ballerina, yet with a berserker's brutality slicing through her victims. Their tranquil fury shown to the foes as bodies after bodies laid waste upon Chris's feet.

The Construct Sentinels showered forth streams of Corrupted lasers upon Chris, prompting her to dodge as streams of lasers narrowed down upon her.

She winced occasionally as a few lasers burned through her armor like acid, but she managed to hold her ground like all disciplined warrior did.

Soon enough, the Corrupted head ran out of energy to shoot Corrupted energy, its eyes dimmed as it began charging up corrupted energy through its surroundings.

The Icy Maiden did a reverse flipper jump and stood over the frozen staircase. Her eyes glowed once more and she broke off several pieces of ice from the frozen staircases with a wave of her hands.

"Storming Diamonds!"

The icicle pieces rained down upon the Corrupted Construct Sentinels, impaling its eyes and shattering the green stone that rested upon its forehead.

The Corrupted howled as its death screams echoed through the walls and corridors of the Shattered Forge, and it soon exploded in a thick, yellow, gooey mess.

"Well...that's that." Alito huffed as she powered down from her spirit weapon form, and her eyes widened as soon as she saw several burn marks over Chris's armor.

"My Lady, are you alright?!" Alito shot out in worry.

"Corrupted lasers scraping through my armor, those monsters sure packed a punch in terms of the range department." Chris exhaled deeply.

"It's good that you ain't inflicted much. And they are only burns, not really infections upon your body...thank goodness." Alito sighed in relief.

Chris opened up the chest with her bare hands as a huge hammer with two orange-coated blunt sides and white and blue circular highlights decorated around its longitudinal sides, complete with a short, sharp tip made of white diamond.

"This must be Valus's Splinter Bone!" Alito shot out.

"Sure is...Let's get it back to Valus before he mourns even further." Chris nodded, simpering at the sight of Valus's precious hammer.

Back at the Forge...

Valus looked at his crafting hammer, grunting in sadness as he looked down with his mask still on.

How he wish he had the hammer back, how he wish his precious friend was still by his side, working with him, and serving him well.

Valus gave a puzzling grunt and turned around when he felt someone tapping his back.

The quiet Blacksmith Maker turned back and his eyes widened when he saw Chris and Alito standing in front of him, carrying his Splinter Bone!

"Valus...We found your friend, the Splinter Bone..." Chris simpered.

Valus cried out in gratitude as he gave both Chris and Alito a bone-crushing bear hug. After that, Valus held his head high as he raised his hammer, grunting in triumph, excitement, and relief.

The Icy Maiden simpered, relieved that Valus reunited with his best friend which felled many a giant.

"Take good care of it, Valus..." Chris's wistful expression etched upon her face.

"Valus cannot imagine the gratitude he is feeling now. Thanks for restoring his happiness back by finding his lost, precious friend. I am speechless, too, Chris and Alito...Really, many thanks!" Alya simpered.

"At least his friend is still alive, yes?" Chris replied.

"It meant a lot to him; of course he will be very relieved to know that it's still in one piece. You gave him hope that his friend might be alive by attempting to storm through the Shattered Forge, and you did bring it back." Alya nodded.

The redhead saw Chris and Alito looking wistfully upon Valus embracing his long-lost friend with his huge, strong arms.

"The Fuschias meant a lot to us...The best we can do is to carry on their will as best as we can, as our bodies can, and will, allow." Chris sighed and looked away. "One thing remains clear. The Fuschias are dead. All we hold dear are gone. We just want to prevent Valus or anyone, from becoming the next us..."

"The Elder is right. You will find humanity one day, Maiden of the Ice and Wind. You will just need to have the right time and place to find it." Alya patted their shoulders.

"What is humanity to begin with...Alya?" Chris wondered.

"Humanity? Well...I cannot say, for I'm not as wise as Elder Eidard does. All I can say...it's not something that we can touch upon. I'm sorry." Alya shook her head.

Chris exhaled deeply, looked down, and replied, "It's okay, Alya."

Valus approached Chris and Alito, grunting happily, as he opened up both of his palms to the two Maidens. On his palms were two of the daggers that Chris and Alito were mesmerized by yesterday.

Alya smiled. "Valus wants to express his gratitude by giving both of you the daggers that both of you have your eyes glued upon yesterday."

Chris's dagger hilt, the emerald, shimmered under the bright moonlight. Its gleam merged with the bluish tone of its blade body.

The aura of Alito's dagger hilt, the sapphire, merged with the soft, glowing green blade body.

"V...Valus...This is...for us?" Chris could feel something hot within her cheeks and widened her eyes - she was blushing.

Alito, too, was blushing.

"Mmm! Mmmmm!" Valus nodded and waved his crafting hammer jubilantly left and right.

Both Chris and Alito looked at their daggers, and then each other's gently blushing face.

A fluttering feeling they could feel, but they could never put a hand upon...why was that?

Late at night...

Chris rolled over on her created ice bed left and right; she could not sleep.

The fluttering feelings remained stuck on her heart like a stubborn child asking for candies.

"Those feelings fleeting by...I can't even sleep with them...why? Why am I feeling them? Why now? I can't even understand..." Chris sighed as she sat up on her bed and looked at both of her hands.

The Icy Maiden sighed shortly, shook her head, and left the bed shortly after, deciding to take a walk to calm down.

The lush green fields of the Forge Plains lightened up as night dews lit up parts of the fields under the moonlight. Grasses gently danced left and right as the soft wind caressed Chris's soft, snowy skin. Petals danced around the skies like a graceful ballerina synchronising her steps in harmony.

As she strolled through the plains, her sight widened when she saw a familiar female figure admiring the skies while sitting upon a rock.

"A...Alito!" Chris called out.

Chris's confidante turned her head towards her and gave a blushing smile.

"My Lady..." she waved hello and nodded.

"Is it okay if I sit close to you?" Chris asked.

"Why would I reject your offer, my Lady?" Alito gave an amused look.

Both Chris and Alito sat close to each other, the muscles in their bodies tensed down as they gave each other a warm simper.

"You can't sleep, right?" Chris asked.

"Mmm..." Alito nodded.

"..." both women did not utter a word.

"My Lady?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it strange...that I always felt nervous when I think about you...yet I feel so relaxed when I am with you?" Alito wondered.

Chris thought about it for a moment, tilting her head from side to side, then...

"I can't say for sure...if it's strange, then ain't I strange too?" Chris wondered.

"Huh?"

"I can only interact with most people socially...only professionally. Yet, when I'm with you, I just feel relaxed too. When we're apart for even just a while, I would suddenly want to see your face again. When we're back together, you know, I just felt...relaxed and comforted." Chris sighed.

Chris shrugged. "I can't tell...Then again, it's not something we can put our hands on or judge, just like what Elder Eidard said."

"Finding ourselves, is it just like the dagger that Valus gave us?"

"What do you mean, Alito?"

"The dagger's hilt..." Alito took out the dagger and showed it to her Lady.

Alito continued, "The sapphire represents you. It's as if the dagger symbolises your heart...inside mine and vice versa, like-wise, for your dagger."

Chris blushed as she casted an affectionate gaze upon her sapphire dagger giving off a warm, green glow under the moonlight.

Alito placed her right hand softly upon Chris's left, giving a shy smile. Chris found herself blushing and smiling as she returned the heartfelt squeeze upon Alito's palms.

No one spoke a word throughout the blissful night. After what seemed like an eternity, Alito slowly felt drowsy and snuggled on Chris's lap, sleeping like a baby on her mother's lap. Chris gave a wistful gaze upon her confidante and lay down next to Alito with their nose gently rubbing against each other, holding each other's hands softly.

"Sweet dreams...Alito..." Chris simpered.

Alito seemingly acknowledged with a sweet, smile upon her sleeping face.

Chris knew that even if people would not understand her pain, her troubles, the impact of her lost, or the amount of time needed to find the meaning of humanity...at least there was still someone who shared her thoughts...

Alito...