Chapter 5:
Blu could not remember a single time in his whole life where he fell so hurt and tired. Not even the fatigue he experienced after running away from Nigel or after walking all the way to Dominic's nest could compare to the one he experienced after his training with Nightfly. His muscles were aching so hard it almost looked like someone tried to rip them off and his shoulders were burning hotter than a volcano.
Regardless of his efforts, he could just not stand his grounds under Nightfly's attacks. They all sent him flying back like a miserable mosquito. "No, no, no!" Nightfly told him. "The strength of your resistance must not come from your wings; it must come your shoulders and your hips. Try to keep your shoulders and hips as firmly locked as possible." Blu started regretting not taking gym class earlier in his life. Then again, he couldn't have guessed that a bird like him would have to use a shield one day...
Luckily, his mate welcomed him with a loving hug and kiss once he entered their hollow in the artificial jungle. He couldn't have asked for a better consolation prize. When she asked him how his training went, Blu told her that, on the bright side, he could now summon his shield, and on the bad one, he couldn't block an attack for the sake of cheese and sprinkles. Plus, Nightfly discovered that, due to his inexperience with magic, Blu could only summon his shield three times a day before getting tired.
"How did your check-up go, sweetie?" he asked her after finishing with his explanation.
Jewel giggled a bit with an amused expression. "You remember that trick Nightfly did to heal my wing before we left for Dominic's nest? Well, Tulio almost jumped out of his chair when he saw the result of his analysis He didn't understand what the heck was going on, called my healing a miracle, and started wondering if I had... super healing abilities or something. It was hilarious!"
The two macaws shared a good-hearted laughter before the tiredness of the day caught up to them, and they decided to hit the nest.
Jewel woke up with a loud yawn the next morning. In spite of everything that happened recently, she managed to have a good night's sleep with pleasant dreams. Dreams where she flew above the Amazon rainforest, feeling the wind brushing her feathers, and the sweet smell of wildlife tickling her nostrils. Such pleasant dreams that it almost made her feel sad to wake up and remember that her wings would have to wait longer before being able to fly again.
Standing up from her comfortable nest, she stretched her wings and back, ready to start a new day. "Hey, honey! I-" Her instincts kicking in, the female parrot grabbed the intruder in the hollow and flipped it above her shoulder, slamming him hard on the floor. Only when she saw who the intruder was did she regret her action.
"Oh my gosh! Blu, are you okay?!"
"Well, I think some of my backbones snapped, but except that, I'm fine," the male bird replied, rubbing his poor back with a frown of pain. His mate helped him back up by taking his wing with hers.
"Where did you go?"
"I wanted to surprise you with a nice breakfast in the nest for this morning," Blu explained, designing two mangoes Jewel failed to notice before on the floor. "Since you don't really like bird crackers, I woke up early to go in the rainforest and get you mangoes. Thought you'd like the surprise and all," he added with rubbing the back of his head.
"Aww, you're too sweet!" Jewel cooed, giving her mate a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry for my reaction. It's just... I'm still not used to share my nest with somebody else. I've been on my own for so long... Plus, I'm not exactly into romantic stuff like the rest of the girls in this city..."
Blu frowned a bit, knowing that what Jewel was saying was true. She wasn't like the other girls at all. There wasn't a single book in Linda's library or tip from Nico, Pedro or Rafael that could have prepared him to meet someone like the last female Spix on Earth. Where most girls were easy-minded and loved stuff like flowers, Jewel was free-spirited and loved flying while being independent.
"It's okay, Jewel, you don't have to explain anything," Blu assured, wrapping two wings around her. "Honestly, I'm kinda new to the whole world of romantic stuff too. Guess that makes two of us."
For some reason, Jewel blinked her turquoise eyes in disbelief, as if Blu just said something she could not believe. "Wait a second, Nerdy Boy. Are you telling me that you never got involved in a romantic relationship before?"
"Not really. Back in my hometown of Minnesota, not a single girl wanted anything to do with me. That's because nerdy boys, as you say, are not very popular," Blu explained with a somewhat sad expression. "I think I had a date with Alice once, but it was very awkward... for the both of us..."
"This is unbelievable." Jewel pecked Blu's cheek as a kiss. "A cutie like you should have hundreds of girls at his feet. Nonetheless, I still feel very lucky to be your chosen one."
Blu's cheeks turned into cherries. Receiving such praise from a wonderful girl like Jewel meant the world to him and sky-rocketed his self-confidence. "Thanks, Jewel. Say, I'm supposed to train again with Nightfly today, but I don't want to leave you alone here and get bored to death. What would you say about I take you out for a flight after breakfast?"
"That sounds great. But where would you take me?"
"How about I get you to see Rafael? I'm sure he must be worried about us after the whole ordeal with the smugglers and Nigel. We haven't given him any news after leaving the plane, so you could go tell him everything during my training with Nightfly," Blu explained. "What do you say?"
"Fine with me. Now let's eat; my stomach is roaring."
After a fine breakfast during which Blu accidentally bit a very juicy spot of his mango and ended with juice all over his feathers, forcing him to take a quick bath, the two Spix's macaws left the aviary through the air vent. Taking his mate in his talons the exact same way he did to save her from the sea, Blu flapped his wings and took to the air. Due to his lack of experience, it took him a few seconds before getting the right balance. Once it was done, he started the travel toward his toucan friend's nest.
If his memory served him right, Blu remembered that Rafael's nest was located somewhere near the cliffs where he attempted to fly with Jewel for the first time. He used that information to navigate across the tropical jungle with Jewel, who was a lot more familiar with the landscape than him, giving him the occasional instruction. Before long, Blu started recognizing the place and a familiar nest came into view.
"I think I see Rafael's nest, Jewel!" Blu announced. "It's now time to land-"
"ATTACK!"
Before they could understand what happened, the two Spix's macaws found themselves swarmed by a wave of unseen force. Blu lost his balance and fell from the air, crashing on the forest floor with Jewel on top of him. He would've blushed at this slightly romantic scene if they were not under attack by mysterious enemies. Only once they looked up did they realize whom those invaders in question were. Eighteen of them. With orange beaks...
"Oh, cheese and sprinkles...," Blu mumbled just before the baby toucans dove at them like jets about to unleash an air strike.
Blu and Jewel could only scream and yelp in pain as the chicks pulled on their feathers, wings, and pretty much every part of their bodies. They pitifully attempted to shield themselves with their wings, but that didn't change much. Blu started regretting his decision to come here...
"What's going on, here?!" a familiar voice pierced through the amused giggles of the kids. "Get off, kids! Leave them alone! Come on!" The little babies finally got off Blu and Jewel, instead turning their attention to an adult toco toucan who entered on the scene. "Alright, alright, calm down, kids! You should go before your mother arrives."
Upon hearing the word 'mother', all eighteen toucan chicks immediately got scared off and darted away to the higher tree branches, hoping to get to safety. Chuckling softly, Rafael looked back at his two guests and went to help them back up with his wings. "Thanks, Rafael. I thought for a sec' they were going to eat us alive," Blu expressed, dusting his feathers off.
The toco toucan then wrapped his two wings around both Spix's macaws for a tight hug. "I'm so happy to see you again, amigos! You were not behind me and the guys after getting us off that plane; I was afraid you might have been caught and taken somewhere else!"
"Don't worry, everything's fine, Rafael," Jewel assured, feeling pretty touched by her friend's worry. "Well... Almost everything is fine." She pulled her bad wing upward for him to see the bandages covering it. "During our escape, my wing got injured; I'm gonna have to stay put for many days before being able to fly again."
"Oh meu Deus!" Rafael exclaimed, shocked to see the damaged limb. "I'm really sorry about that, Jewel. Does it hurt?"
"Not too much," the female avian replied, giving an accomplice wink in Blu's direction. He chuckled to himself, understanding what she was referring to.
"What's going on down there?!" another familiar (and more serious) voice came from inside the hollow. A keel-billed toucan peeked her head out of the entrance before opening her wings to come down and join the three other adult birds. Blu and Jewel recognized her; it was Eva, Rafael's mate.
After their first failed attempt at breaking their chain and getting saved from the kids by Rafael, they very briefly got to meet Eva, but didn't have the chance to speak with her. However, they certainly did remember her... peculiar singing voice and the way she could kiss. The former mostly. Anyway, this was the perfect opportunity to formally getting familiar with her.
"Eva, my dear, I was just preventing the kids from devouring my two friends. You remember them? They are the young couple I had to get to Luiz," Rafael said, wrapping his wing around the blue birds just as he did last time they met. "This is Blu and here's Jewel."
"I sure do!" the female toucan replied with a smile, stepping forward. "Hello, y'all. I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself two days ago. You know how kids are."
"We sure do," Blu mumbled with an annoyed expression, causing Jewel to nudge his wing. They both shook wings with Eva as a politeness gesture.
"So? What good wind brings you to our nest today?" Rafael asked.
"I brought Jewel here because I have to go do... some stuff with a new friend of mine around the aviary," Blu explained, trying to remain vague on all the magic and monsters details. "We were hoping that maybe you guys could spend the day with her so that she won't just stay around and get bored in the aviary all day long. Is that fine with you?"
The two toucans exchanged a gaze and Eva then rubbed the back of her head with her wing. "Jeez, I don't know, Blu. Taking care of eighteen chicks is a lot of work; they don't give us a minute of break."
Jewel blinked her turquoise eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about? They stop everything and run away whenever you show up."
A big chuckle escaped Rafael's large beak at this statement. "I have an idea; how about I keep an eye on the kids while you stay with her, Eva? When's the last time you actually got to spend some girls time with one of your friends?"
Eva let out an amused scoff and playfully nudged her mate. "Stop messing around, Ralfi. You know that you wouldn't be able to keep those little terrors under control without my assistance."
"Is that challenge?" Rafael asked with a little grin. "Because I might just end up taking it on."
"You'd really do that for me?"
"That toucan might be old, but he doesn't have any grey feathers yet," Rafael affirmed, taking a strong posture and winking at his mate. She giggled in amusement and wrapped her wings around him, pressing her yellow beak against his orange one for a big, passionate kiss. Despite being an official couple, Blu and Jewel couldn't help but frown a bit at the lack of shyness that was displayed in front of them.
"Very well, my Pudgy Papaya. Just try to stay alive until the end of the day, okay?" Eva demanded her mate with a seductive smile, pressing her body against his.
"Don't worry, my Juicy Mango, this toucan isn't going anywhere," Rafael assured, giving one more kiss on his mate's beak before walking away to take care of his kids.
"Alright then, I better get on my way; Nightfly won't want to wait forever. Good luck with the kids, Rafael. And have fun, Jewel!" Blu said, giving a quick kiss to his mate's cheek, and taking off to the skies.
Jewel waved to her mate until he disappeared behind the jungle trees. Then, she turned toward Eva who smiled at her. "So? Wanna go grab some fruits to eat? We can talk around a snack."
*separating line*
"Not solid enough, Blu. Try again."
Groaning in anger and impatience, Blu pulled himself back to his two feet and dusted his feathers off... again. When Nightfly said that he would teach him the art of magic to defend himself, Blu thought that he would get to learn impressive magical spells and fight with a sword exactly like his teacher. Instead, he only learned to summon a shield and get knocked to the ground whenever he attempted to block something.
"Are you sure all of this is gonna help me become stronger, Nightfly?" Blu asked, taking his stance once again. The training ground was different from the last time as Blu demanded to be trained closer to the rainforest in case a monster would try to attack Jewel during the day. "We've been doing this for a long time, and I still don't feel like I'm making any progress."
"One's progress often happens when one cannot see it, my young friend," the hooded macaw pointed out. "Do not worry, I can assure you that you'll be able to block my attacks in no time if we keep this up. Now, take position again."
Swallowing his desire to argue, Blu nodded and went back to take his defensive position, rising his magical shield upwards. Even if he had to be knocked down a thousand times to become stronger, he'd do it. It was for Jewel and all of his friends after all. Lifting one wing forward, Nightfly once again concentrated his magic energy, creating an air ball, and shooting it at his pupil.
"Here it goes!" Blu thought to himself, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the impact.
The attack once again connected with Blu's shield, causing him to slide back a little. However, things were different this time. Opening his eyes, the Spix's macaw realized that he was in fact still holding his defensive position, on his two feet. He did it. He managed to withstand Nightfly's attack at last!
"Congratulations, Blu. Looks like you did progress after all," Nightfly praised him, crossing his wings and giving a little smile.
"Awesome!" Blu beamed with a little jump of joy, proud of his accomplishment. "So that means I'm officially strong enough to block any attack now?"
Nightfly's smile disappeared and got replaced by a more serious and professional expression. "Don't get too confident too soon, Blu. That was only the beginning of your training. You still have a lot to learn before being able to defend yourself from the forces of evil. Even the biggest prodigy in the magic department can take years before becoming able to stand on his or her own."
Blu's joy faded away in a second. "Y-Years?!"
"Indeed," Nightfly confirmed with a nod. "One of the most beautiful things about studying magic is that there is always something new to learn about it. Personally, I've been training in the magic ways with the Order of the Sacred Sword for years, and I still haven't fully developed the potential of my skills. But there is nothing quite like the pleasure of learning something new all the time."
Blu zeroed his gaze down to his shield. So magic was so deep and complex that it would take him years before becoming like Nightfly? Somehow, the thought didn't discourage Blu; it instead gave him a thrill of excitation. Being a literature lover, there was one thing he knew for sure: one could never have too much knowledge. As Albert Einstein said: "Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death."
"So you're saying that I could do a lot of things with that shield one day?" Blu asked.
"It's possible. I never saw that technique before, so its potential is beyond my knowledge." The hooded macaw then realized something. "Speaking of which, since you're the one who discovered this magical shield, why don't you find a name for it?"
"A name?" Blu asked, blinking his hazel brown eyes in curiosity.
"Yes, a name. We're not just gonna keep calling it 'the shield' all the time. And since you're its user, it seems only fit for you to decide how to call it. So? What will it be?"
Blu rose his right wing to give a good look at his shield while using his other one to rub his chin. What name could he possibly give his magical power? The name should be fitting with its description. Let's see... The shield was cobalt-blue in color, so... "How about... Cobalt Shield? This does sound good, don't you think?"
"Naming your shield after its color?" Nightfly remarked with rubbing his chin. "This is not the most original concept idea... but then again, you are also named after the color of your feathers, so that seems like a fitting choice." Giving a nod, he smiled at his pupil. "Cobalt Shield it is then."
A shiver of excitation caused by the prospect of naming something he technically created ran down Blu's spine. "So? What must we do now?"
"I think we worked your defense enough for today. It's time to approach another important disciple of a warrior's skill tree."
"And what would that be?"
"So far, you have been training in the art of defense; it is now time to learn the art of offense."
Blu blinked his eyes. "O-Offense? B-But I've never been in a fight before, Nightfly! Well, technically I did, but I'm usually the one trying to avoid the punches and thinking of a way out; not the one attacking."
"Don't worry, I will teach you everything you need to know. Now, do you know where we can find some wooden swords around here?"
"Wooden swords?"
"Yes, wooden swords. In the Order of the Sacred Sword, we don't train exclusively in the ways of magic; we also learn physical combat, which includes using weapons," Nightfly explained, designing the two swords tied to his back with a wing for emphasis. "Unfortunately, swords are the only weapon I know how to use, therefore the only one I can train you with. We're gonna need wooden swords to begin as I don't want you to get injured."
"Oh? Hum, okay, if you say so," Blu responded, not feeling a hundred percent sure he would be comfortable around a sword. "Well, sorry, but I don't know any sword maker around here. We're not exactly in medieval times anymore, plus I've only been in this city for a few days, so I don't know-" However, a recent memory popped in his mind. "Unless... Actually, there might be someone who could help us. He lives in the city and owns a garage. I haven't gotten to know him that much, but he seems to know a lot about crafting and practical work. Maybe he could help me."
"Very well. Go see that friends of yours. Meanwhile, I'm gonna stay here and keep my senses up in case a monster would go after your mate. But come back as soon as you can, okay?"
"Don't worry, I will. Keep an eye open for Jewel!" Opening his wings, Blu took off to the skies and made his way toward the city. "I just hope Luiz's garage is still open..."
A Few Moments Later…
Finding Luiz's garage revealed itself to be quite the task for the young Spix's macaw. Sure, it was a very memorable location for him. After all, it is there that the chains holding him and Jewel together got broken and where he got into a pointless fight with her just because he couldn't bear the idea of her flying and leaving him behind. A decision he regretted even at this very moment...
To help himself, Blu flew high above the city until he ended up spotting the fruit market where was located the samba club of Nico and Pedro. From there, he located the tramway they took to escape the marmosets, and then just had to follow its line all the way to his destination. He recognized the sector of Luiz's garage a little before arriving and decided to make his descent down during that time.
"Here we are," Blu mumbled to himself when his talons connected with the ground. He arrived at his destination, Luiz's garage.
An old, dusty sign reading "MECANICO" stood over the three entrance doors. The one in the middle taking the form of a double fence door with the two on either sides being made of wood. Between the middle and right one stood some sort of sign with a black 'E' which was cut by a red line. Blu never knew what it was supposed to mean, but he assumed it was forbidding humans from parking their cars here.
The little blue bird stepped forward, pushing the big door out of his way as he walked inside the garage. The place still looked as old and dusty with many broken cars and other tools lying around. No one would suspect that a bulldog would be living alone in such a place. But speaking of which, this bulldog in question was nowhere to be seen.
"Luiz? Where are you? I have something to ask you!" Blu called, making his voice echo through the seemingly empty garage. Oh no, did Luiz left to the samba club?
As if on cue, the side door of a broken car shot open and out of it leaped a canine figure. In a matter of seconds, Blu found himself pinned to the floor by the huge figure, feeling like an elephant tried to squash him down. He also felt a weird warm liquid falling on the back of his head. "I gotcha, dude!" a cheery voice beamed from above. Managing to turn his head, the Spix's macaw saw Luiz looking down at him with a smile. "You didn't see me coming, did you?"
"Luiz! Get off me now!" Blu ordered while squirming under the bulldog's weight. He complied, moving aside and allowing his guest to get back on his two feet. The avian then ran a wing through his head feathers, bringing it back all wet and sticky. Saliva, just as he feared. "Disgusting...," he mumbled with shaking the gross liquid off his wing.
"Hey! I know you!" the bulldog beamed. "You were with Ralfi on the night of the carnival! I broke some chains for you and then you used me as a ride to get to the parade!"
"Yup, that's me," Blu confirmed. "I never got the chance to thank you for your help, Luiz. If you hadn't been there, I'd never have caught up with those dirty smugglers in time."
"Bah, no problem, amigo!" the canine assured with a wave of his paw. "Any friend of Ralfi is a friend of mine! And you know I'd do anything for my friends!"
Blu nodded in amusement. "Say, what did you do after we got separated in the parade? The others and I never got to see you again."
"Why, I was enjoying the carnival, of course! I don't know how, but I ended up on the top of the tallest vehicle in all the parade! You should have seen this: all the humans were looking at me while I was shaking my butt and moving my paws all around!" Luiz started jumping around and doing samba moves to emphasize his claims.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you did," Blu laughed, backing off a bit as to not accidentally getting hit. "Say, I came here because I have a favor to ask you. Do you think you could possibly make me a wooden sword?"
The expression that appeared on Luiz's face made him look like Blu asked him to forge a sword out of a star. "... A sword? What would you want a sword for, dude?"
"That's a long story, but to sum it up, I need a wooden sword to do a special training," Blu explained, rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't going to tell the bulldog he was gonna learn how to fight with a sword so that he could fend off monsters from another world.
"Oh? Okay. Sorry, but I never built a sword before. To be honest, my thing is more cutting stuff with my buzzsaw or fixing metallic structures," Luiz apologized with a sorry look. However, it quickly melted away and a smile replaced it. "But one of my good friends certainly knows how! He likes to craft all sorts of stuff! Want me to get you to him?"
"Sure. Let's go!"
Blu followed in Luiz's footsteps as he made his way further into the back of his garage. By the time they reached the very end, the bird and dog arrived before a pile of junk that led to some sort of metal plate on the wall. Luiz rose his paw to knock on it a few times. "Pollo! Are you in here? Pollo!"
"What's the password?" a voice asked from the other side of the metal plate.
"How do you want me to know, dude? You change your password like three times a day," the canine pointed out with a roll of his eyes.
"... Just wait a second." The sounds of things being moved could be heard on the other side (Blu noticed that this was looking strangely familiar to when Nightfly brought Jewel and him to Dominic's nest) and the metal plate was soon moved aside, allowing a bird to step out. Possibly the last avian species he was expecting to see, Blu almost jumped when he saw the figure in question being a barn owl.
The young Spix's macaw had read a lot of books about owls for Linda always told him about how fascinating these nocturnal creatures were. Barn owls were amongst his most favorite with their heart-shaped faces, long wings, squarish tails, and sharp talons. However, none of the pictures he saw depicted them as wearing light green caps on top of their heads...or tool belts around their waists... or even safety goggles around their necks.
"What is it, Luiz? I was in the middle of a Crash Bash game!" the owl whined with the tone of someone who just came out of bed.
"Is that how you talk to the buddy who allows you to live in his garage for free?" the canine asked, rising a slightly insulted eyebrow.
The barn owl seemed ready to argue... but instead sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, what can I do for you?"
"The question would rather be 'what can you do for him'," Luiz corrected, using his paw to design Blu. "Blu, this is Apollo, the guy with whom I'm sharing my garage. Apollo, meet my new Spix's macaw friend, Blu."
"Wait a minute," Blu said with stepping forward. "Your name is Apollo? As in Apollo the Greek god of archery, music, dance, truth, prophecy, healing and diseases? As they say in Roman books about Greek Mythology?"
This question caused the tired look to fade away from the barn owl's face and be replaced by an excited one. "Yeah. Yes, absolutely! At last someone who understands where the name's supposed to come from! All the birds I've met around here mocked me, saying that I was named after a spaceship. Thanks for clearing things up!"
"So, Apollo, I was wondering if you would accept to make me a bird-sized wooden sword. Luiz told me you were the greatest crafting bird in the city."
Luiz blinked his eyes at his blue friend upon hearing this statement. "... I said that?"
"A wooden sword? Just that?" Apollo scoffed with a wave of his wing as if Blu asked him a simple service. "That's like asking a baby to suck his thumb. Come in, my blue friend." He moved aside, allowing Blu to step inside his side, and closed the metal plate behind. In the process, he plunged everything in the dark. "Sorry, I forgot that you're not used to live in the dark. Wait..."
One second later, some neon connected to the ceiling bathed the room in light... and Blu's jaw almost dropped. The whole room was cut in two sections, the first one being the dream for a gamer. A small wooden table laid between a very comfortable-looking sofa decorated with pillows and a large screen lying on a wooden shelf. Both on the lower levels of this shelf and another, bigger one to the side were lying almost all the consoles one could think of: PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and even some handheld consoles such as a Game Boy, a DS, the list went on! A third shelf on the left had hundreds of video game boxes - all of them being classed by category! - alongside action figures of famous video game characters. Upon further investigation, Blu noticed a customized lightsaber toy alongside a replica of a Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts and one of the Master Sword from Legend of Zelda. To top it all, the walls were decorated with Star Wars posters (both the original and prequel trilogies) and famous video games such as Super Mario.
"Cheese. And. SRPINKLES!" Blu exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement and amazement. "That's the best bird room I've ever seen!"
"Pretty cool, right?" Apollo asked from behind his excited friend with a smile. "Welcome to my humble home - or a gamer's paradise, it's as you want. I'm pretty sure no other bird in the world has a collection quite like this."
"Where did you get all these things, dude? I mean, my friend does have a few video games at home, but it's small when compared to this."
"Let's just say I have the right contacts in the right places," the barn owl stated, giving a confident wink to his guest. "If you want, you can take a look at my collection while I work on your sword. I'll be in my workshop right there." After saying this, he walked away to the second section of the room. Too curious, Blu decided to follow.
A forge was located at the far end of the room, connected to a chimney. It consisted of a firepot to hold the fire, a work surface, and a blower. The firepot was about 4-5 inches deep and made from old brake drum. It also had all the crafting equipment one usually found in a blacksmith shop: an anvil, a set of blacksmith hammers, a post vise, a machinist's vise, three different sizes of blacksmithing tongs, drifts, slitters, center punches, twisting tools, chisels, and even a buzzsaw table (similar to the one Luiz attempted to use to break Blu and Jewel's chains). A few piles of plates made of different types of materials and minerals were lying in a corner, right next to a big wardrobe that was closed by a locker.
"You really own all of that?" Blu asked with an amazed expression.
"Yup! I brought all of this here by myself and I lived here for years. Don't receive lots of work demands though. Mostly because birds don't really need weapons or furniture," the barn owl admitted with rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, it's time to get to work. I'm gonna need power tools such as my tablesaw and a lot of hand - or in this case, wingwork. You should avoid distracting me as much as you can for even a second of distraction can get me injured... or worse."
Once his guest was at a reasonable distance, Apollo pulled his safety goggles on and got to work. He took a 1 3/4" x 1" x piece of red oak and moved the tablesaw to approximately 15 degrees. For the cross-section, he had to make four cuts to give it a crystal shape and make it fit with Blu's size. With the sword blank ready, Apollo used a drill to pierce a hole in it so that he could dowel the pommel.
"Almost done...," the bar owl mumbled to himself, using a disc and belt sander to finish the pointy end of the sword. "Time to do the cross guard now." He grabbed two pieces of 1"x3/4"x6" red oak and placed them together. Drawing a matching line in the middle, he scribed the cross-section of the blade blank and cut the waste with a scroll saw. He now only had to glue the pieces together and sanded the cross to give it a round shape. "There!" he beamed after sliding the crossguard onto the blade.
For the pommel, he chose to take a wooden ball and tried to make it as fancy as possible. He also stamped the sides of the pommels with some old tools he had. After cutting the dowel to length, he made a test fit that revealed itself positive, and then glued.
"And... there!" Apollo exclaimed after adding the finishing touches. "I'm done, Blu!"
The Spix's macaw ceased looking through his new friend's awesome collection and rushed to the workshop, eager to see his new sword. A medium-sized, wide, smooth blade made of red oak wood held by a grip wrapped in black duct tape. Despite being sharp-looking, one could tell that its end couldn't cause any lethal wound. The rectangular cross guard gave the sword an allure of medieval times. Due to its source material, the weapon had a brownish-red surface color.
"I added some duct tape on the handle so that you won't end up with splinters everywhere on your wings," Apollo explained as he handed the wooden weapon to his client.
Blu took his time reaching his wing for the handle. All of his life, he watched movies and read books with heroes fighting bandits and dragons using swords. He always wondered how it would feel to hold one in his wings, but knew it wouldn't be possible both because the world gave up on these weapons in favor of guns, and also because he never heard of birds carrying swords. This was truly a once in a lifetime moment.
The sword revealed itself to be quite light. Well, not astounding, considering the material it was made of. Blu could easily move it around, so he decided to swing it in every direction. It sliced through the air with almost not resistance whatsoever. However, he decided to stop when it almost smacked Apollo across the face.
"I'll wait for Nightfly to teach me how to use it before swinging it again," the macaw chuckled. "Thanks a lot, Apollo. I can't wait to use it for real!"