Chapter 8: The Strongest Man, The Half-Fiend and the Strongest Leg Forward Part 1

Foreword: Blank space is the worst! Ya know one would think I would just get rid of this if I had nothing to say but I just can't because I may have something to say, also I do like my formatting. Oh also if some people were wondering why the next time in chapter 7 had a different chapter title that was due to an error on my part and the next time on chapter 7 has been corrected.

Anyway onto the story!

Story Start: Three more weeks passed as Adlet and Atro began creating the next legs. Their work on the first set had gotten them fairly used to the creation and the general concept and technology they were working with as well as allowing them to see several of the flaws from their first design that allowed them to significantly decrease the time it took to build the next set.

It only took a week to build the second set, however like the first it failed.

Another week passed and the third set was built, even with many improvements, this also failed.

Finally the third week passed and the pair had completed their greatest set, it was the peak of what their skills and technology could accomplish and with certainty they knew nothing but magic could push it further than this. Yet this set failed as well.

Each time the painful process was not made any easier as the nerves could be a touchy and cruel body part and some of the later sets actually increased the pain it caused on the wearer. Yet Fremy powered through somehow each time.

After the third set had failed and Fremy was still recovering from the effects of the attempt to use the set. Atro said to Adlet, "it seems this will be impossible without the aid of magic."

Adlet nodded and said, "true, I hoped this wouldn't have happened but I thought it may. Lucky for us not too far from here is a mining town with the temple of the God of Mined Metal and the saint of said god. Hopefully we can convince her to help."

Atro frowned and said, "I shall come with you, I have a past with this saint, she is on in her years but the dwarf is still skilled. She does nothing for free however and will likely require some form of payment if she is to agree to this."

Adlet responds, "well we will just have to hope they aren't too greedy and that we can afford her help."

Fremy gave Adlet a thumbs up and said, "good luck, you will need it. On the list she was further up on the list than Atro."

Atro looked greatly offended at this and said. "You are telling me that the fiends deemed her a greater threat than I? Absurd, I am deeply offended. If Adlet had not killed your former boss I would do it myself."

Manuela who accompanied Fremy to the mountain asked, "I haven't met the Saint of Mined Metal, what is she like?"

Atro explained, "she is irritable, short tempered, greedy, stubborn and somehow good at the same time, she is the only one that would demand a reward before saving people from fiends and if they wouldn't pay then she would save them and demand their clothes, believing she couldn't leave them to die but that they couldn't be saved for free. An interesting character I hoped I wouldn't have to deal with again."

Fremy said, "not a bad person, just someone exhausting to deal with I take it?"

Atro replied, "correct."

Manuela added, "I haven't met many people like that." This prompted a sigh from Fremy who looked at Manuela and thought to herself that she was looking at one of those people right now.

Adlet summed things up, "so we prepare and leave tomorrow for the Temple of the God of Mined Metal and hopefully we can find the saint and have her assist because if she doesn't then we are stuck."

Manuela asked a question, "is there no other saint that could do the same thing or something similar?"

Atro bluntly said, "none."

Adlet explained, "the science is complex but to put it simply, the metal won't connect with the nerves and so we basically need magic to force it to connect."

Manuela pulled Adlet into another room saying she had something she wanted to talk to him about.

Adlet asked when they were alone, "what is it Manuela?"

Manuela replied in her normal pace, "well to be honest Adlet it is about Fremy. I noticed it a few weeks ago while she has been staying in my house. She seems to have had bad dreams, she screams out softly in her sleep and is very restless. I noticed it when I would check on her late at night sometimes. I have checked on her a couple times every week and it hasn't stopped."

Adlet put his hand on his chin as his normal confident expression faded, "Fremy has nightmares, she never once had trouble sleeping, we slept next to each other on our travels for three months, sometimes in each other's arms, mainly when it was cold. I never once noticed her having trouble sleeping. I would lie awake some nights thinking of how to help recover Fremy's legs, how the parts would work and listening to Fremy's soft breathes as she slept peacefully."

Manuela said, "how strange, is it something wrong with my house or the village?"

Adlet replied, "I don't know, did you try asking Fremy?"

Manuela nodded and said, "I did and she merely told me she was fine and not to worry."

Adlet sighed, "Fremy is bad at being honest, I will just have to ask her myself and try and figure it out."

Manuela apologised, "sorry, I didn't mean to worry you and I think she probably is trying to avoid worrying us right now. I wonder if it is maybe that she doesn't want to tell me what is going on because she is afraid I will tell you and distract you from your goal?"

Adlet sighed again and said, "that sounds just like something Fremy would do, dangit do I force her to tell me what is going on despite the fact I am sure she doesn't want me to help?"

As Adlet racked his brain another voice responded, "I don't think you should undermine her struggle."

Manuela jumped back in shock as out of nowhere appearing from a revolving wall was Atro Spiker himself. Manuela exclaimed, "how long have you been there!"

Atro replied matter of factly, "long enough, the secret passages are the only places that aren't sound proofed so they are the only place to spy on people."

Adlet sighed, "you sure you should be telling me about that?"

Atro replied, "toughen up boy, you shouldn't remain ignorant about the secrets of this place nor surprised by this old man's actions. Nor should you destroy the efforts of others, I understand that you wish to help through her pain, yet she clearly is suffering through it for your sake because to fix it would likely distract her from your goal. Now when you are so close to your goal, having all the technical knowledge and skill yet lacking only a minor amount of magic, do you cease to help her? Let her see her struggle through and carry on with your task, it is the quickest way to ease her pain."

Manuela stated, "well I don't like it at all, but when you're done with this leg project you can probably come down to the village and help Fremy face whatever disturbs her sleep."

Adlet sighed once again and said, "your right, I will simply have to finish these legs as fast as I can!"

The day passed and Fremy returned to the village to continue her training. She had grown by leaps and bounds and Manuela was considering whether to start selling some of her pieces already, she still had a ways to go and several techniques to learn and master but her progress has been exceptional. Manuela never thought a hero who saved the world would be so good at sowing, the wonders of the world seemed to never cease.

When Fremy and Manuela returned they were greeted by Yazzan, Neneriel and Lucia.

Lucia said to Neneriel and Yazzan, "I won the bet again, I knew it wouldn't work!"

Neneriel said, "You're so mean Lucia, it will work eventually ya know."

Yazzan frowned and said, "I had hoped this wouldn't happen but there is always next time, Lucia hasn't gambled everything I own away from me yet!"

Lucia smiled and replied, "one day!"

Manuela frowned and said in her normal rapid fire tone, "ya know ya shouldn't be so pessimistic, your the only one that bet against Adlet, I thought you had faith in the kid, he isn't called the strongest man in the world for nothing, he will get it right eventually."

Fremy who had heard all of this said, "I get half Lucia."

Manuela looked down at Fremy in shock, "what! Fremy, you bet against adlet as well? How could you?"

Fremy matter of factly said, "I don't doubt Adlet will do it, Adlet can do anything, as you said he is the strongest man in the world. I just doubt that the next time it will work, it will work some day I am sure, I just don't think it will be this one or the next. One of these days I am sure it will happen and I will be proven wrong, but I can't will myself to think it will."

Manuela chastised Fremy, "don't be so pessimistic, you're worse than Lucia, though that really isn't too hard." Neneriel added, "no one is more pessimistic than big sis! Even my mom thought so when she met her, though she liked her anyway. By the way Fremy mom said you should stop by to join us for dinner. She said, in her words, "you didn't have to if you didn't want to, it's not like you have any legs for someone to break, though you do still have your arms." I don't get the joke mom was trying to break but we both laughed anyway."

Manuela, Yazzan, Lucia and Fremy gave a shudder and a dry laugh at the joke all understood the less than pleasant implications. Everyone knew the wife of a legendary mercenary could be equally very kind and very prone to extreme violence. Fremy said, "sure I would love to come over for dinner."

Lucia walked over to Fremy and whispered, "sorry bout mom, she can be super scary!"

Yazzan gave a salute.

Manuela asked Neneriel a question, "does your dad not give Fremy any trouble since last you two told me he had such a grudge with Adlet?"

Neneriel replied, "he did but he seemed a lot less angry after the incident in the tavern six weeks back. I once saw the two of them chatting in the tavern when dad was drunk, it's like they became friends somehow."

Lucia said, "dad has a lack of those for sure." which earned her a little punch to the side from Neneriel. Lucia said, "ouch, sorry, sorry…" and muttered to herself, "it's true though, he gets too rude with people." Neneriel heard this and proceeded to punch her sister again.

Neneriel asked Fremy, "by the way big sis, what do they plan to try next?"

Fremy replied, "magic. They have done all they can with metal and technology so they are going to something more powerful, they are going to try and enlist the aid of the Saint of Mined Metals."

Neneriel asked Fremy, "can't you do magic as well, can't you help using that?"

Fremy shook her head and said, "sadly my magic isn't good for anything but killing and destroying."

Yazzan threw his opinion in the conversation, "to be honest Fremy, that is very narrow minded of you, just as a sword is both a weapon to kill, a symbol of power and order, a tool to protect, it is many things and can be used in many ways depending on who uses them and how it is used. Likewise your powers are only limited by your imagination. I am sure you can find ways to use them that aren't simply tools for death and destruction. That's just my two coins anyway."

Manuela said, "sorry to cut the conversation short, we have to get back to the shop, we need to get Fremy's training for the day started and we can't have her late for supper at the Nikolas."

And thus Fremy's time in the village continued eventfully.

Meanwhile Adlet and Atro journeyed east for a day on horseback until they arrived at the mining town of Hilew where the Temple to the God of Mined Metal was in. After entering the city and arriving at the entrance of the Temple they entered and heard a voice, old and gruff with just the slightest amount of femininity to it, call out from within, "wow never did I think I would see the day that Atro Spiker would show back up at me door. What the hell do ya want ya fiend huntin crazy old man, and who is the young one with ya?"

To Be Continued in Chapter 8: The Strongest Man, The Half-Fiend and the Strongest Leg Forward Part 2

Afterword: Are you just making up saints now? Yes, yes I am. Sorry put I didn't think every saint had been listed and didn't think any could do what Adlet needed done. Plus I didn't think that in a society where one of the gods literally presides over gunpowder, that a god of miners and mining would not exist so shoot me if it seems too crazy.

Why are most of your recent chapters shorter than a majority of your other chapters? I can only apologize for that, it is partly to me just procrastinating on writing these chapters at the end of the week all at once instead of gradually throughout the week like I used too. I have gotten worse and can only attempt to try and do better in the future so hopefully the quality of the story doesn't drop due to my slothfulness.

Till Next Time!