The next day, after Yuffie finally woke up, Sephiroth gave everyone the ten cent tour of Windsong. It was a small village, with only a few hundred people, built at a bend in a small river. There were few electronics; all that were there were shielded against interference. In the center of town was the biggest library on the planet.
"This is used quiet often as there is no cable TV."
"You would think that a library that big would be disused without people coming to use it," stated Red XIII. Sephiroth only shrugged.
The largest source of entertainment, especially amount the young and fool hardy, was found in the regions wild chocobos. Those that thought they could would mount one, which is very easy, and try to stay on, which wasn't.
"That's cruel!" protested Aeris.
"Sure am, I got more scars from those birds then I have from fights. They know what is going on, that's why they let us on, to have some fun themselves.
"Aeris, a long time ago, the people of this region and the chocobos came to an arrangement. Besides the fun, there is another region, them," Sephiroth said, pointing to a group of chocobos riders that were training to be one with their mounts.
"The young of the humans would try to ride a chocobo and prove themselves to that chocobo. If he can stay on, the first part of the test is over. Next, the rider must prove their integrity. Those that fail, they get forced off the chocobo, one way or another. But those that pass, they become Chocobo Knights. A group that has long since been forgotten about, but at one time was great heroes."
"I never knew that," Yuffie said, and the others agreed.
"Like I said, long since forgotten. But they were real. You can find everything about them in some scrolls from an old kingdom called Alexandria in the library, along with some murals, wall scrolls, and tapestries of them. One scroll even has the complete list of names of the knights until the kingdom was destroyed by a great evil."
"A great evil? Do you mean Jenova?" asked Cloud.
"The translations don't call it that name but that is what I assume it to be."
Everyone remained silent so Sephiroth decided to move to a new subject.
"Tradition says that as the right to adulthood, every child must make their first chosen weapon. Only then can they be treated as an adult and be expected to take full responsibility for their actions. After that, the world is their playground…if they will accept the responsibility that goes with it. It also means that they can ride the chocobos."
"But why?" asked Tifa.
"Because, to quote a very good book series, 'even those without swords can be slain by them.' This village would be a prime target to Shin-Ra if they knew about it. The time will come when the world knows about us. But the chance that we will be greeting everyone with open arms does not exist right now. There will be some that will have to be met with blades."
"That's sad. But maybe when Shin-Ra is gone, it won't be needed," said Aeris
"But the first cause of it is still here. We are in a forest with some rather foul tempered frogs. And there won't always be a guard to protect someone. So, when this secret village was first established, that became its first tradition. That everyone knows how to defend themselves."
At this point, they came to a workshop where master weapon builders were teaching this batch of children to make what they wanted.
"Okay, Katela, in the making of a katana, you must pound out a block of strong metal, put metal shavings on it, and fold the metal. What two metals must you use?" one master asked a girl fourteen years old while he demonstrated.
"Original katanas were made of iron as the main with nickel as the shavings, in a process known as folding the blade. This is done hundreds, or even a thousand times. This creates what is known as Wutian Steel. As a result, the blade is very strong but flexible, making it suitable for blocking and turning away enemy blades, followed by a quick counter attack, without the fear of breaking when hit by heavier swords."
The master smiled, put down the hammer he was using, and turned to her. "You've been studying." The girl nodded in acknowledgment. "Now, for the harder question. What materials were used that still allows the flexibility, but increases its strength?"
"Wait, there's a way to do that?" asked Yuffie.
"Oh, Sephiroth, I didn't know you were watching. And you've brought guest. Yes, Miss, there is. And that brat right there was the one who found it," he said, pointing to Sephiroth.
He smiled in acknowledgement. "You were the one that said 'the day we quit trying to improve is the day someone makes something better."
Yuffie grabbed his shirt collar and started shaking him. "Alright, talk! How did you do it!"
"Shh, listen and learn."
The girl started reciting what she knew about it. "Mithril is the metal shavings while element Ti twenty-two, or Titanium, is the base metal. But as Titanium has a melting point of 3034 degrees Fahrenheit when it's an ore and over 12000 after smelting, a temperature normally found only in the fires produced by dragons, its uses as a material for weapons and armor was turned down. With Mithril having a lower melting point, it was taken up after three sets of Titanium armor was made some two thousand years ago through some unknown means.
"The only two existing swords made of these metals, by the folding technique are known as the Dragon Blades: the Dragon's claw, a katana, and the Dragon's Fang, a wakizashi. Produced by Sephiroth Valentine."
Everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen to the girl. "Sephiroth was able to melt the Titanium to a block and work with it by using a dragon to produce the fire. The blades produced through this method are thus called Dragon Blades."
"You old fart! You've been giving away my secrets!" Sephiroth said as a jest.
"Like it does anyone any good to know! Not one person has been able to get that dragon to do it again."
Yuffie grabbed him again. "HOW?"
"Now, that is a secret," Sephiroth said in all seriousness.
With that said, everyone went back to what they were doing; a twelve year old boy was making a double turn, or composite, yew bow and only had a days work left before he was done, an eight year old girl was working on an original design, a bladed yoyo.
With nothing left to show them, they went about gathering supplies and headed back to the buggy.
"Hey guys, what did you find?" asked Cait Sith.
"Just my favorite fruit trees in the world along with some great tasting deer meat." Sephiroth said.
Author's Notes: In this fanfiction and others I have written, Wutai is just the Final Fantasy version of Japan. So everything I say referring to Wutia also refers to Japan. Yes, those bits of information are true. Titanium does melt at that point, no sooner, and that is how you make a katana.
I'm tired of saying this. Yuffie, you say it this time.
Do I have ta? Oh fine. 1Sniperwolf does not own Final Fantasy 7.
Ah, thank you. That point is always boring… Hey, will you go out on a date with me?
Hell no you PERVERT! (Uppercuts 1Sniperwolf)
(lands face first in the dirt) OW! Where's the love?
None here for you, LECHER! (gives one last kick) You're Twenty now, in the first game, I'm only sixteen!
I meant the Dirge of Cerberus you! You're nineteen then!