"C'mon, time's a wastin'! Load 'em up!"

A loud voice cut through the noisy bustle of the docks. It was midday, with the afternoon sun hanging high in the sky and gleefully shining down on the City of Swords. People abound where steel met waves, from travelers arriving to bear witness to the matches that would see the crowning of a new Craftlord to dockworkers moving cargo that came from afar or would be sent out to the wider world.

Among the bustling workers were the Silver Guild apprentices. It was the day after the preliminaries rounds for the Silver Guild. The Silver Master had decided to make them pay for the nice meal they had eaten last night by helping to load up all the weapons that needed to be shipped off to Vance into one of the boats that were afloat in the docks.

Specifically, the one personally owned by Master Bron—a fact that he made known after Pratty had let slip that she had apparently snuck onto it at night. She was also quick to state that her Guardian Beast liked the atmosphere and wouldn't punch her for it… which it promptly did for throwing it under the boat as an excuse to not get in trouble.

The twins had been quick to jump on her lack of control over her Guardian Beast, with it calling the shots instead of her. Pratty was quick to snap back that they were just being petty because they were still salty about having their cooking skills being called into question. Sanary couldn't help but think they were all such children at times.

That bickering, cut short by the Silver Master, aside they had been spending the last hour getting everything loaded up on the boat. It wasn't just the weapons he had been crafting, but also those from the journeymen who had been relocated for the duration of the tournament. They were going to be taken to Vance and then sold off to one of the merchants there, who would sell them throughout the world since it was something of a trading hub.

The fact that Wysternian weapons could mend themselves so long as they weren't broken made them a valuable commodity. There were always dangerous stray summons and conflicts going on due to Summoners bickering, so quality weapons were always in demand with suppliers. And in exchange for certain trading privileges, the city received marked down prices on trade goods needed to keep themselves fed since there wasn't a lot of fertile ground to grow food in a city built on top of a sunken tower of a once-great civilization.

Even so, Sanary could barely keep the scowl off her face as she watched the twins stroll past her with a loading cart that was being used to transport barrels that carried Wysternian-crafted Spears. The smug looks on their faces as they passed by, proud of not needing to do hard work, only served to make her even more riled up. They had plucked it so that she and Welf were stuck lugging a large box of what felt like axes between them.

"You can lean more of the weight on my end if you need to," said the red-haired smith standing opposite from her. He hadn't seen the looks the twins were giving off, so she assumed he interpreted it as her struggling.

"I can hold up my end just fine," she told him in a clipped tone. Her anger wasn't directed at him, but it still bled through. "We're almost done anyway."

They made it up the ramp and onto the deck. Wood and steel made up the boat, with slightly weathered scales coating it from the salt-sweet wind caressing it. The sound of creaking from footfalls grew louder until they made it to the lift leading to the cargo-hold and sat it down along with the rest of the boxes and barrels. Then, as the Silver Master lowered the lift down below into the compartment, the two red-heads went back down the ramp to join the others in waiting on the docks.

It was around then that her counterpart decided to broach a question to the collective. "So… is this Vance place pretty far from here?"

Pratty tapped her chin in thought for a moment before she answered him. "I only went once with Father a long time ago, but I think it's about a half-day to get there. So, if Master leaves now, he probably won't be back until after midnight."

"Longer than that," Sanary corrected her, rolling her shoulders and adjusting her sword on her back. She planned to head straight to the Central Tower after this and dive into the Labyrinth. "You have to factor in that he has to oversee the trade. And then there's the fact that Stray Summons in the ocean are more likely to attack a boat at night. So, it'll be a two-day trip at the very least."

"Business talk and all takes time," spoke the Silver Master himself as he looked down at the group from the side of the ship. "Speakin' of which, three of ya are comin' along with me to help with the unloadin' and restockin'. Since I'm in a generous mood, I'll let ya work it out amongst yerselves rather than pick an' choose myself."

He then left them to decide who among their number to condemn to extra hard labor. Not only that, but those two days would cover the remainder of the preliminaries and time that could be spent combing the Labyrinth for materials. It was a huge time-sink that could be used to get a leg up on the competition instead. But as apprentices they couldn't disobey their Guild Master—so they needed to offer up three sacrifices.

"We're still in the middle of our masterpiece, so Ariel and I can't go," Mariel said by way of an excuse. "And we're more intellectuals than laborers."

"Unlike someone who's all muscle anyway," Ariel added snidely while turning her eyes over towards Sanary.

"Maybe you wouldn't be such twigs if you actually stopped shoving your work onto other people!" Sanary snapped right back, her face red. "And at least if you two go we don't have to worry about eating that garbage you call food!"

"It's nutritious!" replied the twins in stereo.

"You shoved vegetables and fish into a blender and then baked them into a loaf so tasteless that not even a Slime would eat it! At least learn to cook something edible, you drills-for-brains!"

"Like you're any better!" Ariel shot back. "That fish you cooked the night before was so raw it looked like it was about to come back to life! Silturnian cuisine my foot!"

Pratty, who was standing off to the side with Kutty on her head, watched the three older girls bicker before turning her attention to Welf. "I'm going since I promised to take Kutty there during one of our night walks. Do you want to come with us?"

Welf nodded his head at that. "I was planning on going anyway, since it'd give me a chance to see outside of Wystern and that might jog something loose. Besides, I'd like to see the business side of things since I might end up selling weapons one day."

"I'll come too!" Razzy added in. "I heard they have really good waffles from Uncle Bron when he came over to visit Mom after a trip, and it snows around this time of the year!"

Pratty perked up at that. "Wow, really? We don't get snow here often because we're so close to Kagaro Volcano."

"Yeah, apparently Winter comes early and stays longer there because of the cold air from the cape and something in the past during the Great War. I heard it looks really pretty at night!"

"Let's get going before Master gets upset because we're taking so long."

The red-haired smith watched as the two younger apprentices raced up the ramp in their eagerness to see a new sight before turning back to Caizo and Trish. "Try to make sure those three don't actually fight one another while we're gone. Or cook."

"That's easier than done…" Caizo briefly trailed off as she saw the three of them still going off on another's flaws. For a moment he even looked as though he was about ready to ask if he could come with them.

Then Trish grabbed his shoulder, as if to say he wasn't leaving her to manage this on her own. "…We'll do our best. Make sure Pratty and Razzy are on their best behavior as well."

"Will do." That said, Welf boarded the ship and drew up the ramp. The horn blew loudly as the ship pulled up anchor, signaling that it was departing. Soon the ship was cutting through the waves and ended up out of view.

The argument between the twins and Sanary ultimately ended with both sides splitting away from one another at the begging of their juniors for causing a fuss at the docks. Candidates to become Craftlords after passing the preliminaries had to protect their reputations. So that meant outside of the Guild they needed to avoid one another if they couldn't act civil.

So, after the twins and her juniors had left, Sanary made her way back into the city proper from the docks with the intention of heading into the Labyrinth. She needed to work out some of her frustration on whatever stood in her way before she ventured deeper inside. The Iron Sword she had was still good enough to go a little further before she would have trouble with the Stray Summons lower down, at which point she would have to see Master Bron about an improvement.

"Pardon me," an older man's voice reached her as she passed by the water fountain in the market plaza of the market district. She turned to see there was a man standing there prim and properly in what looked to be a beige blazer with gold buttons and neatly pressed trousers. The light reflected off his monocle as he pressed a hand to his chest and bowed before her. "Miss Sanary, I presume?"

"I am…" Her tone was naturally wary, and her brow was raised. "Can I help you, Mister…"

"Nigelle, madam." He straightened up. "I saw your match yesterday and would like to propose deal, if you have the time?"

[-|-|-|-]

Hours later, Welf was below deck of Bron's ship as he prepared the bundle of weapons that were meant to be delivered to the vendor as a sample of the rest that made up the purchase order. The bulb hanging from above was his sole source of light in the compartment lined with steel as he inspected the shipment in the process, just for the sake of ensuring accuracy. There was always a chance, no matter how small, that one weapon went missing during the transition from the docks due to human error and it would reflect poorly on the Silver Guild.

"The quality of these weapons is something for it to be standard," he muttered while glancing down the edge of a sword with his non-dominant eye closed, inspecting the works themselves. None of the weapons were extraordinary themselves in terms of design, but they were uniform and quite functional with no warping or blemishes.

The sound of a hatch opening and excess light flooding in pulled his attention away from inspection towards the source, where he found Pratty sticking her head down into the hold. "Welf! Welf! It's actually snowing!"

The red-haired smith could only put on a slightly amused smile from how enthusiastically happy she seemed. "We're finally docked?"

"Yeah!" she said. "Come look!"

He set the sword back into the bundle, finished wrapping it up, and tucked it under his arm before climbing back to the second level in the ship. The narrow corridor divided the interior of the ship level, with the engine room being to his rear and the bunks forward. He shuffled through the corridor to the first level, which had the bridge from which the ship could be steered from the front and the forge to the rear.

Through the windows in the bridge, he could see why Pratty had been excited. The time now was early evening, the time of day when rays of gold and amber would be shining down over the City of Swords. But here there were thin grey clouds lined with gold, from which gentle white flurries fell like rain onto the deck.

Beyond the ship itself they could see the expansive evergreens that rimmed the land dappled with snowfall. Bodies shuffled throughout the winter scape, dressed in thick furs that came in assorted colors that stood out on the white backdrop as every breath they took left a plume of frost in its wake. And in the distance, there was a single structure that rose high into the air not unlike the Central Tower that made up their home.

Welf took in the sight for a moment before he turned his attention to the room leading to the forge. He opened the door and stuck his head inside, where he spotted the warm glow of a flame emanating from inside. "Urus, we're here."

The Fire Spirit emerged from the chamber of the forge she had taken to loafing inside for the duration of the trip. She made her way over towards him and took her usual perch on his broad shoulders. Her incandescent gaze traced the falling white flakes beyond the glass as Welf continued onto the deck, where he found the others waiting for him.

"Right then." The Silver Master rolled his shoulders and let out a big puff of white fog into the air. "I'll go an' handle the dockin' procedure. The three of ya go ahead an' take that to the shop located at the edge of the market district. Razzy's got the map, but it's right by the Inn and has a sign with a silver sword beneath the name. Can't miss it."

"Sure thing, Master!" Razzy pumped their fists before running off the ship in the direction of the Cape Town beyond the docks. "C'mon, guys!"

"Will you two be okay as you are?" Welf called towards them as Pratty moved to match the pace of the younger warrior smith. He wasn't exactly cold given that the warmth of Urus' body naturally drove away the falling snow and lingering chill in the air. But these two weren't really dressed for the weather. "You can get a little closer to us to warm up."

"We're fine," Pratty said, jogging along as she held Kutty nestled in her arms. The Magical Beast seemed unbothered by the cold itself. "Master told us that we could just use the protective field to keep the cold at bay, just like how it does the heat. Since we aren't fighting it shouldn't be too difficult to keep it up until we reach the weapon shop."

The pathway into town was wide and paved with stonework. Carts and wagons trotted along the center as throngs of merchants moved alongside them, making it such a busy network of bodies that combing through them was as difficult as going through a thicket. But on either side of the stone-laden path was snow-veiled greenery upon which they could see the youths who called the cape home played.

Children dressed in fur and warm clothing ran back and forth. Snowmen were built. Snowballs were flung. The two younger apprentices seemed to almost envy them as they watched, only to stop themselves short when Welf reminded them of the bundle that he was carrying. Rare as the sight of snow was and young as they might have been, they were apprentice Craftknights and their duty was to see it to their destination.

Their trek continued until the open field met throngs of buildings that were laid out to form a network of roads as they entered Vance itself. Unlike the steel that was the City of Swords, stone was the material of choice that made up the dwellings of the residents. Wafting tendrils of smoke escaped nearly every chimney and along them carried the scent of delicacies native and foreign, made only more tempting by the vendors who had the audacity to park hooded carts with tantalizing treats along the way for visiting merchants and shoppers to splurge on.

"Kuttyyyy…" The Magical Beast nestled within Pratty's grasp struggled for freedom as one such scent allured him with its aroma when they grouped up to comb over the map to ensure they were along the right path.

"I know, it smells so good. But we need to take care of the delivery first." The young girl brushed her face as his red cap tossed about white powder that had been covering it due to his squirming. "Besides, I didn't bring any Boam with me, Kutty."

He pouted and crossed his arms upon hearing that, like a child. "Ku…"

Observing the pair, Welf considered spending his own boam to purchase something for all of them to snack on. They had no idea how long they would be here and, while the evening sun was filtering through the gray clouds that brought the snowfall, night would probably fall before they were done. He opened his mouth to ask what they wanted on his coin…

"…Kutty?" It was then a soft, feminine voice that was as clear as chime rang out from behind them. "Is that… really you?"

Their gazes turned towards the source of the voice, a beauty standing amidst the falling snow like a fairy. Her skin was pale enough that it seemed to even challenge the very snow itself. Long blonde hair that looked like gold woven into delicate strands framed her elegant face. Her eyes matched the hue of the dress that fell to her ankles—pink opals with a slightly faded luster.

A white shawl draped her slender shoulders, bringing out the majesty of the gold chain around her neck that housed a beautiful blue stone. On top of her head was a fur hat that matched the boots covering her feet, snowflakes steadily piling on top of it. In her arms was a basket, covered by a sheet from which a bundle of vegetables could be seen poking out.

There was an air about her that seemed to captivate the three apprentices. Even Welf couldn't help but think that her delicate features carried an air of elegance that seemed like a Belladonna Lily that had sprouted amidst the snow and stone. A beautiful flower transplanted outside of its native environment and doomed to wither, he found himself wanting to pull her out of the cold and offer her the comfort of a hearth and blanket.

"Kuuu…." The silent entrancement upon laying their eyes on her was broken when the Magical Beast snarled at her. An act of hostility so blatant and uncharacteristic of what they had seen before that it caught them all by surprise.

"K-Kutty?" Pratty's voice, no longer lodged in her small throat, came out shakingly while her brows furled in confusion and uncertainty. "What's wrong?"

In contrast, pale beauty's eyes only softened upon seeing the display. And in their place was a look of… sadness dripping in nostalgia if one had to color it. "It really is you, isn't it?"

"KU!" He barked at her, making a lunging motion that was only cut short by the arms keeping him against his contractor's chest.

"Kutty, stop!" Pratty was quick to tighten her grasp on him as much as possible. Panic spread across her face as numerous eyes from the surrounding travelers took notice. "I'm sorry! I don't know what's gotten into him!"

"No, his reaction is understandable," the woman said, unconcerned at the hostile display as her eyes fell onto Pratty's helmeted hair. Recognition reflected in her eyes. "You must be Shintetsu's daughter then?"

Pratty's expression froze. "Did you know my father, Miss…?"

She opened her mouth to speak when the winter wind howled and stirred. It kicked up suddenly, sending the snow on the ground and in the air blowing past them harshly. Welf had to shield his eyes for a moment as the flames of Urus body met with the snow and melted it, leaving it to splash over his clothes. When he opened them again, he spotted a familiar face dressed in the color of his title—the Craftlord of Jade, Ureksa.

He was accompanied by what appeared to be a younger… non-human that wore a long green shirt that fell to their thighs that were bare. They had green hair and a set of ears that resembled that of an animal's hanging low, wearing a red scarf that fell down their body as much as the Craftlord of Jade's did, with a bell around their neck. Welf could only assume it was a Guardian Beast, who looked apologetic standing next to the winter fairy with golden hair in contrast to Ureksa's frustrated expression.

"Rumari, you were supposed to stay inside," he said, paying no mind to the others. His attention was solely on the woman before them. "Why did you leave the house?"

Her response to his frustration was only to softly sigh and put a hand on her cheek. "I needed ingredients to cook for tonight and heard from the housewives that a shipment arrived, so I thought I'd hurry to the market while they were fresh."

"Then you could have sent Arno to get them or waited until I came back," he said, taking the basket from her grasp and putting it into the hands of the Guardian Beast that was assumed to be Arno. He then took hold of her freed arm. "You just got over your fever this morning. You're in no condition to be out of the house."

There was a look of resignation on Rumari's face that said she had no intention of resisting. However, she then turned her gaze back to Pratty, who had covered Kutty's mouth in the interim. Her expression turned remorseful.

"Your father… I want you to know that he was my hero… and that I'm truly sorry…"

With that apology, the wind stirred once more. The Craftlord of Jade disappeared along with the golden-haired beauty and Guardian Beast once it had died. And in their wake was only confusion amidst the group.

"…What was that about with the pretty lady?" Razzy asked, breaking the silence as their attention returned to what transpired.

It reminded Pratty of Kutty's outburst, leaving her to scowl in a manner that didn't suit her as she glared down at her Guardian Beast. "Yeah! Kutty, what was that about!?"

He refused to answer, twisting his head to the side and puffing out his cheeks in defiance.

Welf let out a breath and held his hand to his head before suggesting they get back to what they were supposed to be doing. Razzy turned their attention back to the map and led the way while Pratty followed, her mood soured by Kutty's behavior. He was getting ready to follow after them when he noticed that Urus' attention remained in the direction of where the woman had departed. "Something wrong, Urus?"

I felt the touch of fire beneath her skin. Gnawing at her from the inside out.

Her curiosity was palpable enough to where he could feel it. That, in turn, stirred his own about the woman. But they had caused enough of a commotion for the time being. "We can think on that later. For now, let's get back to work."

The Fire Spirit bobbed her head in agreement and then wrapped her arms around him as she tended to do. Her warmth was welcomed as they pressed on ahead until they finally arrived at the Silver Sword Weapon Shop. Razzy held the door open as they filed into it.

The merchant manning the counter was a middle-aged man who took the sight of three youths, a Fire Spirit, and Kutty before stating, "You must be from Wystern."

"That's right," Welf answered. "We're here on behalf of the Silver Guild. Our Master will be here shortly, but we were sent ahead to deliver the samples and purchase order to the owner."

"You're looking at him!" He slapped the counter loudly to get his aide's attention. "Bring them around back and I'll start giving them a once over while you rest your feet."

Welf and the others followed him into the backroom as he left his aide to man the counter. There was a small forge set up, nothing expansive like what they had to work with but enough to show he at least knew what he was doing. He took the sword and began to put it through the testing—up to and including snapping the blade in half, much to the shock of Razzy and Pratty.

"He's checking the grain," Welf said softly before they could kick up a fuss and disturb him. "It's complicated, but something you learn as you make it up the rank to Journeymen. That's why the sample has weapons from each type that were made by the same person. He gets a look the inside and the outside."

They nodded. Not because they understood, but rather to acknowledge that there was a reason for it beyond destruction for the sake of it. The fact that it went over their heads was just something they accepted as a fact since they were apprentices and didn't bother thinking further on—which was for the best at the moment.

It was around then that Bron emerged into the backroom, brushing snow off his large frame as he grunted upon witnessing the observation of the snap test. "Yer doin' that thorough of an inspection of my work? What happen ta trust?"

The shop owner regarded him with a nod before turning his attention back to the weapons. "Nothing personal, but lately the quality of weapons coming out of Wystern has been questionable."

"Say what now?"

The man gestured off to a worktable. "See for yourself. I bought that from another shop for comparison's sake."

Bron went over to the man's workshop, boots crossing over the stone floor covered in soot with an air of familiarity. These two were clearly on good terms. The Silver Master then picked up the broken blade and held it up the light with one eye closed as he peered at it intensely. "What amateurish work is this?"

"Is… is that bad?" Pratty asked, clearly unable to tell the difference at a distance.

"The grain was allowed to become so big that the weapon wouldn't hold up under a few strikes before it breaks!" Then he pressed against the tang with his thumb only for it to snap under pressure. "Not to mention they even went an' hardened the tang beneath the shoulder, meanin' it snaps instead of bends. That's a third-rate smith's mistake!"

The sheer offense at the weapon before him was enough that it looked like he was going to turn it into scrap with his bare hands. Understandably so, given that he refused to work with second-rate smiths, let alone third-rate ones. But after huffing so hard his nostrils flared out, he set it back down on the table. "And this was Wystern-made?"

The shop owner nodded. "Considering nine-tenths of the weapons in Vance come from the Gold Guild and you're having that tournament, it's not hard to guess what happened for something like that to slip through quality control."

"That gold-grubbing Libody probably outsourced his orders since the demand would go up from Guilds who have apprentices in the tournament! He's buyin' from independents, probably apprentices at that, and re-selling them under the brand—dragging the name of the City of Swords through the mud in the process!"

That'd explain it, Welf mused as the older man groused. The Silver Guild had strict rules when it came to weapons to be sold because Bron took his reputation and that of his guild seriously. So, while the orders were still piling in at a higher demand and thus kept him busier, he would rather lose time than allow something of such poor quality to go onto the market.

It seemed the Gold Guild had no such restrictions—they were only attempting to meet the demand as quickly as possible. That would make them a lot of boam quickly, but weapons that were meant to last and known for their quality would shatter and break instead. And people would think that this was what was the norm for the City of Swords.

"Then do I need to worry about my knife being poorly made?" Pratty asked nervously. "I didn't know anything about that, so…"

"Of course not!" Bron snapped. Not out of anger towards her but the situation in general. "I gave ya techniques that'll provide perfect grain growth so long as ya follow the instructions. And in yer case, Kutty woulda snapped the blade if ya'd dare try using something subpar. Until ya get to the point yer makin' yer own weapons, focus on just stickin' to what ya learn."

She nodded before turning her attention back to Kutty. The Magical Beast had drifted off to sleep at some point she had been holding him after his little temper tantrum. It looked like she wanted to bring it up but was unsure of herself or that it would get him into trouble.

Welf himself had his own questions based on what Urus said, so he opted to speak up instead. "Master, do you know a lady named Rumari by chance?"

His thick brows furled at the name. "What brought that up?"

"We came across a woman of that name by chance before she was taken away by Master Ureksa and she seemed to be familiar with Kutty. She also apologized to Pratty and brought up how her father was her hero. Urus also sensed something off about her—like she was being gnawed at by flames on the inside."

Bron lips pursed at that, and a rumble left his throat before he spoke. "…The former Craftlord of Jade and Ureksa's older sister—the Elegant Spear, Rumari. She came down with a fever illness that left her unable to fulfill her duties, so she retired two years ago and moved here."

"But Kutty…" Pratty began before trailing off.

Bron took a moment to wait for her to continue before he made a guess. "…He acted up, right?"

She nodded. "I know we've only been together for a little while, but I never thought he'd act like that. And when I asked him, he wouldn't explain anything. I mean, I can't really understand him, but he can understand me and would try to make me understand. But he refused to say anything."

Bron crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "…If he acts like that again, remind 'em that Shintetsu wouldn' like that. That's all ya need to know unless ya become a Craftlord. Understand?"

It wasn't the answer that Pratty wanted. But his tone made it clear to all of them he wasn't going to elaborate further. So they didn't press him on it—they had no right to do so as his apprentices.

"Anyway—" He opened his eyes towards Welf before tossing him a pouch full of boam. "—ya can leave the rest of this up ta me. Head over to the Inn and get two rooms for an overnight stay. The girls can stay together in one room and ya'll bunk with me. Get somethin' ta eat as well."

Pratty stirred from her melancholy at that, turning her gaze over to Razzy. "Wait, you're a girl?"

The bandana-wearing youth tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah, why?"

Pratty struggled for the words to explain how Razzy's demeanor had thrown her off, given she seemed so much like her uncle. Eventually, she defaulted to hurrying over towards Welf and grabbing his arm in an eager attempt to get away from the awkward conversation of her own making. "Let's go get those rooms and food! Lots of food since we're both growing women!"

He sighed before letting her guide him back out into the snowscape. Better to let them eat their fill and then fall asleep, given they'd be doing all the unloading tomorrow on their own. Then they'd head right back to Wystern and get ready for the tournament to begin.