The end of the year is terrifyingly close. Still got some Christmas shopping to do and not much time to do it. Darn my procrastination!
Speaking of procrastination. Got carried away with other stuff this week and woke up today with less than 1k words written. Reminded me of my old high school days, when I'd wait until the night before to write an entire paper instead of starting when it was assigned a month earlier. Thanks to all that practiced, I managed to crank out an entire chapter in one sitting, but boy do I miss taking my time. My poor keyboard does, too.
On an unrelated note, I had a discussion recently about how Gaston might've been a hero had he triumphed over the Beast. Monster lurking near town that kidnapped an old man, then imprisoned his daughter, isolated her, and started out by denying her food until she basically became a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. When the townsfolk learned about this creature, they feared for their safety, so their local hero led them to siege a castle filled with possessed furniture and fight the monster himself. Had he won, he would've been seen as a rescuer of the town and the writers probably would've done a whole enemies to lovers arc in the end so he gets the girl.
Random thoughts for the day. On with the story!
Morning came far too soon for Adam. By the time he dragged himself out of bed, Soji was already missing, leaving the room strangely empty. It was weird how unused Adam was to having his own room. Then again, he hadn't really had his own space since back in Shizukana. Unless you counted his brief stay in Katai's cells.
Which he didn't.
It seemed so…empty. He hadn't really interacted with his roommates much in the orphanage, but he'd always had Erik there to keep him company. Sleeping out on the trail came with the surprisingly comforting symphony of Soji and Rikyu snoring, sometimes joined by Jean when Jesse was on watch. Instead of reveling in the temporary privacy of the room, he found the silence oppressive. He hurried to get dressed and fled his isolation for the friendly sounds of the dining area.
It didn't take long to spot a friendly face.
"Awake at last!" Soji cheered, waving him over before seeking out Julia. She nodded from across the room and disappeared into the kitchen. "It's a rare day indeed when the sun rises before our Adam does."
"Rough night," Adam groused, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before trying to stifle a yawn. "Yesterday's training took a lot out of me."
Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Blaine had put him through the meat grinder, slicing him up and taunting him in some demented plan to teach him about aura. Part of Adam wished it hadn't worked, but he'd gone from struggling with the basics to manifesting his aura fully in a single afternoon.
"Make sure you don't overdo it today, then," Soji instructed. "There's work to be done."
The loading of the wagons. They'd be leaving first thing in the morning, which meant the wagons needed to be fully loaded before nightfall. As the newbie and the youngest of the group, Adam would be the one doing most of the grunt work while Soji and Rikyu mostly directed things, balancing the carts and organizing the load as they saw fit. It was nothing new, and honestly, Adam kinda enjoyed it. There wasn't anything complicated on his end, and with each crate loaded, he could see progress and know he was contributing.
"When are we loading?"
"The oil will be delivered after lunch. The mayor himself is overseeing it." Soji beamed with pride, as if it were some great honor. Given what Captain Zoster had told them before, the man was probably just bored and looking to kill some time, but Adam wouldn't rob his friend of the notion. "Ah! Excellent timing, my dear."
Any thoughts of deliveries and politics were cast aside as Julia deposited two large bowls on their table. Adam practically inhaled his, burning his mouth a little in his desperation for food. Julia fetched an extra bowl just as he polished off the first, quickly becoming one of Adam's new best friends in the process. Of all the things in Tsubaki, Adam would miss breakfast the most. "How early do you start serving in the mornings?"
"I already asked Mom to whip up some early tomorrow," Julia promised with a wink. "We'll even pack a little extra for the road."
Yep. It was official. Tsubaki was his new favorite town.
"You are too kind, my dear," Soji declared as Julia went to help one of the few morning customers. "Tsubaki is truly a diamond in the rough, as it were. It's a shame it took a tragedy to find this wondrous place."
"That's life, I guess," Adam posited, doing his best to match Soji's pondering. The somber words Jean shared when he unlocked Adam's aura came to mind. "The greatest triumphs often come from the most painful losses."
Soji tilted his head with a bemused smile. "A merchant, a warrior, and a poet. A man of many talents, it seems."
"I'll stick to the sword," Adam said before Soji could go off on another tangent. Better to master one skill than be passable in many. Much to Soji's dismay, he wouldn't be focusing on either of the man's priorities.
"A shame. Words can accomplish so much more than the blade."
"But the blade is necessary when words fail," Adam answered, stealing Captain Zoster's wisdom from two days ago. Words were nice and all, but a sharp wit wouldn't do anything to a Grimm.
"To live in a world where the strength of words was valued over the strength of arms. 'Twould be paradise, indeed." Adam could get behind that, if only because it would mean the end of the Grimm. Then again, mankind would just find some new enemy. Maybe even themselves. "But enough dreaming of what the world could be. Best we focus on the here and now, eh?"
The here and now being a large shipment of oil bound for the capital. Soji laid out plans for loading, discussing which carts would bear the majority of the load and how they would load them, taking extra caution to pack the crates of glass bottles without breaking anything. They'd have to be a little more careful on the rugged trail through the forest, but if they could sell it for the price Soji had in mind, it would be worth the extra travel time.
The plan was to meet up after lunch and begin loading behind the inn, where the crates would be delivered by the mayor and a detachment of guards. Adam hoped they'd stick around to help load the crates, too, because Soji's numbers sounded like a back-breaking amount. Jesse would be there to help as well, along with the rest of their small troupe.
Minus Jean, of course.
Speaking of Jean. "Have you seen him this morning?"
"Who?"
"Jean," Adam clarified.
"Ah, him. He rose early and headed out, saying he wanted to talk with that Huntsman before today's ritual." Soji's dismissive tone made it clear he didn't much care for Blaine and his methods. "Didn't look like the kind of conversation he'd enjoy, either."
Adam doubted there'd be much friendliness between the two after yesterday. With all the work in the afternoon, Adam wouldn't be able to help Cammie again. Sure, he considered using it as an excuse, but they didn't really need Adam to help her walk back. Soji, on the other hand, would absolutely want Adam's help. Maybe he'd see if he could find Cammie in the evening.
After he went to find Blaine.
No matter how grueling yesterday had been, the allure of learning more about his aura was too much to resist. Blaine had extended the offer for more training, and Adam intended to take him up on it. Jean wouldn't like it. Soji probably wouldn't either. But Adam didn't exactly plan to tell them.
Adam needed to learn more, and if Blaine could teach him, then he'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity. Then, with Jean's promise to train him harder, Adam felt confident he could learn to master his aura. It felt closer than ever before. All he needed was a little push.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Or a shove.
"Stop thinking so hard and just do it!" Blaine demanded as Adam rubbed the fresh cut to his shoulder. It was a good thing he'd bought an extra change of clothes before training. Soji would have a fit if he returned in a shredded outfit.
"I'm trying!" Adam complained.
"There's the problem. You're trying. Trying isn't doing." Blaine reset once more, waiting for Adam to give the go-ahead for another pass. Unlike last time, Adam didn't have anyone to protect. Just vague instructions to not get hit.
So far, he'd been failing.
Blaine really wasn't one for words. He believed in learning by trial and error. Lots of error. "You say you want to protect people. Well, your aura wants to protect you." It didn't protect him from the next blow to the back of his hand. "So stop holding back."
"I'm not!" Adam yelled, picking up his dropped sword.
"If you weren't, then I wouldn't be carving you up so easily." Blaine wiped his dagger against his pants, twirling it once to show he was ready. "How can you protect people if you can't protect yourself? Trying isn't enough. People won't feel better knowing you tried when the Grimm are ripping out their throats. They'll die cursing your name and how useless you were in the end."
No. He wouldn't let that happen. He'd get stronger. He'd protect them. He had to.
"Everyone you care about will die. They'll die because you failed them. Because you weren't good enough."
Faces flashed in front of him. Nila's horror in the tree. Jesse downed by an Ursa. But this time, they didn't make it. This time, the Grimm triumphed in flashes of gore that threatened to churn his stomach.
"No!" Adam screamed as he rushed forward to meet Blaine's charge, catching the strike against his sword. He saw the second dagger sweep around for his side, but he couldn't move in time to block it.
It bounced off harmlessly as a pulse of red light met it.
Well, not harmlessly. The blow still knocked the wind out of him a little and had him staggering for balance. But the blade hadn't bitten through skin for once. Even his clothes were unscathed.
"Better," Blaine summarized, as if manifesting his aura fully for only the second time wasn't a big deal. "We're making progress. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless." Blaine sheathed his weapons before bringing a hand to his chin, a single finger tapping against his lips in thought. "You've made it work twice now. What do you think sets those moments apart from all the failures?"
His aura working? Adam doubted the answer was that simple. Blaine raised an important question. He'd been trying the same thing over and over, but it only worked twice so far. So what set those two moments apart? What did he do differently?
And more importantly, how could he recreate it?
The first time was with Cammie, when she'd been hurt by Blaine's attack. But there was no one to protect this time. He'd thought about it, but he'd been thinking about protecting people during his failed attempts, so that couldn't be it. Otherwise, he'd have been able to manifest his aura before they even reached Tsubaki.
So what did the two moments have in common?
Blaine's impatience proved useful for once as he decided not to wait for Adam to puzzle it out. "You acted. You didn't just stand there and wait for me to attack. You moved first." Had he? Adam looked behind him, back to where he'd been standing his ground for the past half hour or so. He hadn't moved from that spot the entire time. Until now. "You're all about defending people, but I think you'll find the best defense is a good offense."
Adam knew where he was going. "Like what you're doing with Cammie?"
"Exactly." Blaine snapped his fingers with a pleased smile. "Waiting around is what got the world into this mess we're in. We spent so much time trying to hold onto what little we have that the Grimm have practically taken over. We either take the fight to them and reclaim the land, or we sit around and wait for another Yuri to fall."
Everyone knew the world was controlled by the Grimm. That was just a fact of life at this point. People mostly congregated in the few safe havens of humanity, insulating themselves from the monsters that roamed outside the walls. It worked, but only as long as those walls held. Aside from the rare venture to establish another major settlement, like the Yuris. But even those were more out of necessity as the population grew too large for the cities to maintain. Whether the new settlement flourished or was wiped out entirely, the problem would be sorted out.
What would the world have been like if people had been more proactive in the past? The major cities had to start somewhere. What if they'd worked harder to clear the Grimm and established larger safe zones? Or pushed the Grimm back and made more cities like Mistral? Huntsmen fought Grimm all over the world, but what if they could focus on one area and free it from the Grimm, then establish that as a foothold to reclaim more land from the monsters?
Maybe Soji's dream of a land of peace could've been realized. Though they'd need far fewer words and far more weapons to make it happen at this point.
"Let's try something different," Blaine suggested, grabbing Adam's attention. "We need you to be more active, so let's switch places."
"You want me to attack you?" It sounded an awful lot like Jean's training, but with even less chance of success.
"I want you to hit me." Blaine's grin didn't exactly fill him with confidence. "Pretend I'm some evil monster." Not hard given how cruel the training had been thus far. "Your job is to beat me. All you have to do is land a single hit, and we'll call it a win. But every time you fail…well, you know the drill."
Failure equaled suffering. One of them would get hit on each exchange, and Adam had a feeling he knew who would be taking the brunt of it. Still, if being proactive was the key to success, then maybe being on the offensive would work better. Standing around and getting sliced and diced definitely wasn't the answer.
"Alright. So I just have to hit you with my sword?"
"If you can." The twin daggers came out with a quiet hiss, promising nothing but pain should he fail. "And don't hold back. I can handle a few bumps and scratches."
As if there'd be any of those. Adam didn't wait, knowing he needed every advantage he could get. He rushed in with a yell, aiming to hit Blaine's arm before he was ready. Maybe a sneak attack would be just what he needed to win.
He needed more.
"Nice try," Blaine laughed as he dodged and scored a hit to Adam's leg. "I like the initiative there, but you'll have to try harder than that."
Adam rubbed his fresh cut, cursing at himself for failing both the attack and using his aura. He'd been proactive, just like last time, but without the same results. So what changed? He'd attacked this time. He'd tried to hit Blaine. He'd known the counterattack was coming. Saw it just like last time. But no aura.
"You're doing it again," Blaine scolded, lazily tossing a dagger at him. Adam batted it aside easily, but with a quick tug on the wire, Blaine pulled it back to his hand. "Stop thinking so much. Attack me!"
Adam didn't need to be told twice. He lunged in, swinging low for Blaine's knee. Blaine dove forward, rolling across Adam's back before his dagger struck without so much as a glimmer of resistance from Adam's aura.
"Again."
Another failure.
"Again."
Adam grimaced as the blade cut across his knuckles.
He didn't wait for another command, pivoting almost immediately to rush in once more. Still his aura refused to appear. Each swing missed its target by a mile, while Blaine's daggers struck true time after time. But Adam refused to give up.
He didn't pause until Blaine called a sudden stop. "Hm. I feel like we're close, but you're still holding back."
"I'm attacking, just like you said."
"Yeah, but you're doing it wrong," Blaine said, earning a scowl from Adam. Attacking wrong? What did that mean? "You're trying to hit me. You should be trying to beat me."
"I am!"
"No, you're not," Blaine said confidently. "If you're not trying your hardest, then you're doomed to fail."
"I thought you said not to try," Adam recalled, earning a slap to the back of the head.
"Brat. You know what I mean." He really didn't. "Maybe you need a better target. Something a little more…threatening."
More threatening than a Huntsman bent on forcing his aura through pain? But what could-
A sudden thought flashed through his mind.
"No. Nuh uh. No way." If Blaine thought he was that reckless, he had another thing coming. "I'm not facing a Grimm."
Blaine snorted, failing to hold back his laughter. Adam didn't find the situation all that funny. "Relax, kid. I'm not putting you up against a Grimm. No way I'm cleaning up that mess, not to mention the lecture I'd get from that muscle-bound friend of yours." For once, Adam appreciated Jean's overprotectiveness. "Visualize, you idiot. You know I won't do anything serious, so the threat isn't there. You need to think you have to stop me. Otherwise, you'll just keep failing and taking cuts."
Just taking cuts? Easy for him to say. Adam was dying from a thousand paper cuts at this point. "How do I do that?" They both knew Blaine wouldn't go further than some superficial wounds, even if that seemed too much from Jean's point of view.
"Aren't kids supposed to have great imaginations?" Blaine asked. "Pretend I'm a Grimm or something. Whatever it takes to make you think you're in danger." Blaine looked around for a moment. "Dang. Where's Cammie when you need her?"
Nope. He wouldn't be letting Cammie touch him again. Not after what it felt like last time. "I can do it," Adam promised before Blaine could involve that awful Semblance again. "So I just need to picture you as something I'm afraid of?"
"Something you hate," Blaine suggested.
"Hate?" That seemed like an odd idea.
"Fear is a powerful motivator, but it can rob you of your will to act. I don't want you afraid of me. I want you afraid of what I might do. I want the very thought of letting me win be the worst thing on Remnant." That should be easy enough. Adam already felt a little bit of hatred for the man. "You fear what you can't beat. You hate what you can. We want a warrior, not a martyr. Take something you're afraid of and find the courage to beat it."
Think of something he hated? That seemed simple. He hated the Grimm. He hated how they controlled everything, trapping people in fear as they rampaged across the world. He hated the one that had chased him as a kid. Hated the Alpha that tried to kill Mazarin. Or the Beowolves that trapped him and Nila in a tree. Or the Ursai that tried to kill Jesse.
He could remember picturing Blaine as some sort of Grimm monster yesterday thanks to Cammie's Semblance. He'd genuinely feared for her safety at that moment and threw himself in front of an attack to protect her. Maybe Blaine was right. Was he holding back because he didn't really fear the consequences that much? If so, then picturing him as more threatening sounded like a good start.
Adam tried to remember the image from before. He could see it clearly in his mind, but trying to convince himself it was real without Cammie's influence proved difficult. It was hard to see Blaine as something he wasn't when the man was standing right in front of him. He shut his eyes and concentrated, trusting Blaine would give him some time for once.
White skin. Glowing red eyes. Darkness. The nightmarish figure took form, fangs dripping in anticipation of its next victim. It wasn't pretty, but it would have to do. He made it more lupine in his mind, turning it more into a shorter Beowolf than the hybrid he'd aimed for. It was easier to picture something he knew was real than make up a new creature to fight. Better the monster you knew.
You can do better than that. Adam shivered as the whisper sounded in his head, breaking his hold on the faux Grimm he'd conjured up. You want fear? I'll show you fear.
The other, far more sinister being from his nightmares swirled to life before him. Sharp eyes that saw right through him. A cruel smile that promised nothing but suffering. Fingers that could caress with nails that dug into his very soul.
Alyssa.
Much better, the imaginary figure laughed. You want fear? Then fear me. Or is that too much for you? She looked down at the dark outfit around her before cocking an eyebrow. But this isn't the me you're familiar with. Maybe I can help.
Adam's eyes shot open in panic before she could slip free of the dress, but her taunting laughter followed him back to reality, even if her form didn't. This is what you fear? Some idiot with a couple of knives? Ha. How pathetic.
Blaine waved in front of him. "You good?" Adam didn't answer, but the look on his face did. "Guess you got something, then. Let's run it again."
Maybe he should give me the knife. I always was handsy…oops, sorry- handy with a blade.
Adam tried to shake her free. Training or not, his aura could wait if it came with an Alyssa-shaped price tag. His sword lowered hesitantly.
That's right, Adam. Give up. Run away. Go back to being nothing. But don't worry. I'm not going anywhere.
Adam froze. He couldn't keep running. He'd thought escaping Katai meant escaping her, but she'd never really let go, had she. Even now, she still had her talons buried deep in his mind, lurking in the shadows for any chance to torment him further.
He feared Alyssa. There was no getting around it. He'd spent so long under her control. He'd been a fool to think he could break free so easily. Not that he'd ever tried. Not since that one night - the only time he'd ever truly stood up to her.
The only night he'd fought back.
He'd always feared Alyssa, but more than that, he hated her. He hated what she'd done - what she'd done to him. What he'd done because of her. Grimm could destroy his body, but Alyssa had gone much further. She'd gone for his mind. His heart.
His soul.
If aura was truly part of his soul, then she'd scarred it in ways he couldn't even understand. But that meant his aura knew her better than any threat he could imagine. Alyssa didn't spring to life before his eyes. She didn't materialize from the darkness like she had yesterday. But he could still hear her laughter ringing in his ears. Her taunting songs still echoed in the silence. That sinister whisper never truly left him.
So he'd make it leave.
Adam didn't aim to hit Blaine - didn't target some specific spot to score a point. He swung for blood. He'd take out all his frustration and pain on Blaine and carve through him, aura and all. He'd prove to both himself and Alyssa that he was more than just the scared little boy she'd manipulated and tortured for so long. Adam didn't roar. He didn't yell.
He screamed.
Blaine's dagger was in the way, but it didn't matter. He'd carve through that too if he had to. The second dagger slicing up at his stomach meant nothing to him. What was another hit after so many? They couldn't stop him. He'd suffered worse than some stupid knife could ever do. He had scars that ran deeper than anyone knew. But he was tired of letting others hurt him. He was done tallying his miseries. He'd never let someone hurt him like that again.
And neither did Blaine's attack.
"Much better!" Blaine cheered, but Adam didn't let up. He swung again, his sword sparking against Blaine's dagger as he felt another blow to his arm. It barely registered before he tried again. And again. He went at Blaine like a lumberjack, hacking away in the hopes of felling Blaine's defenses. Eventually, Blaine decided they were done. "Alright. Let's-"
Adam's sword cut off Blaine's words rather than his head.
"Enough, kid."
Adam swung again.
"Cut it out."
He'd cut something out, alright.
"Enough!"
Adam's sword finally hit, clashing against aura for a moment before biting into skin. He'd done it! He'd actually hurt a Huntsman. It wasn't much - barely more than any of the injuries Blaine had inflicted on him, but it was so much more than he imagined.
"You done?" Blaine's question finally broke through, sounding almost bored at having been hurt by some kid. He casually pushed Adam's sword away.
"I…I did it. I won!" He'd never been able to beat Jean, but he'd somehow managed to score a real hit on Blaine. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
"You're welcome."
"Huh?"
"You've got spunk, kid, but you don't listen very well." Blaine looked down at the fresh wound on his arm. A thin light enveloped the area for a moment. The cut was still there, but it already looked a little better. If nothing else, the bleeding had stopped. "Figured we'd just cut to the chase and give you what you were after."
He'd…wait, what was he saying? And how had Adam cut through his aura in a single hit. "You…you let me hit you?"
"It was either that or bash your face in," Blaine shrugged, acting like he didn't have a preference. "You'd be amazed how much that trick shocks people."
"You dropped your aura?" Why would he do that? Wasn't it dangerous?
"Only at the last second. Aura caught most of it, so you barely broke skin." Blaine rotated his shoulder a little before shaking his head. "Did that to a buddy of mine once in sparring class. Guy thought he'd hurt me and let his guard down. Punched him right in the nuts. You should've seen him crumble."
Adam didn't find it nearly as funny. Then again, he was still fighting the shock and confusion from what had just happened.
"Anyways, you did good. Aura seems to be holding well enough." Adam looked down to see red light flickering over him. "Good thing, too, or we might've gotten a peek at your innards."
The adrenaline finally started wearing off, letting the weight of all those attacks crash down on him. He needed a nap. And food. Lots of food.
"You're still burning a little hot, but that'll come with practice." The light finally faded away. "You pack quite a punch like that, though. Kinda surprised me. Maybe Jean's been doin' better than I gave him credit for."
Jean. Mazarin. Shizukana's captain. Even Pika had helped him train in a way, teaching him how to fight through experience alone.
Blaine caught him before he fell over. "Easy there, kid. Aura crashing is a real pain."
"What's that?"
"Guess you wouldn't know," Blaine answered, setting him on the ground before plopping down beside him. "The more aura you use, the harder it hits you afterwards. And if you use it all, you might even pass out. You've got to learn to ease out of it at the end. Cutting it off cold turkey means your body has to pick up the slack suddenly, and we're not built for that."
There was so much more to aura than Adam had realized. He just assumed it was something you turned on and left running, but he had to learn to moderate it, target it, recharge it, and so much more. No wonder Jean said it took years for some people to get the hang of it.
After a minute or two in silence, Blaine suddenly asked, "Y'all are pulling out in the morning, right?"
The question was so far out of left field that it took Adam a moment to form an answer. "Y-yeah. We already loaded the wagons. Soji wants to hit the trail just before dawn."
"Smart man. The forest is no place to travel at night, even after all my cullings." They shouldn't have any Grimm encounters, but you didn't survive long on assumptions against the Grimm. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Adam."
Adam absentmindedly shook the hand Blaine offered. "You too."
"We both know that's a lie," Blaine chuckled. "Hey, before you go, what's say we head into town for a bit. I've got an idea."
"What kind of idea?" Blaine's other ideas hadn't exactly been his favorites.
"You'll see," was all Blaine said before he started off, leaving Adam to decide whether or not to follow. On the one hand, he desperately wanted to drag himself back to the inn, stuff his face, then pass out for the evening. But in the end, his curiosity won out, pushing him to run after Blaine and catch up.
The two of them meandered through the streets as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon. Life carried on all around them. Children played in the streets. A woman called out for her kids to come wash up for dinner. A young couple strolled past them, too lost in the moment to even notice the world around them. It was strangely peaceful for a place with daily Grimm attacks, though that was more Blaine's fault than anything else.
Eventually, Blaine led them to a large, squat building on the outskirts of town. Blackened walls opened up to a large room as a young boy swept around an anvil, clearing dust and ash from the floor. He spotted them and called out for someone, summoning a burly man whose dark skin seemed to mix with the soot clinging to him and his clothes.
"We're closed," he grunted, eyes locked on Blaine after a cursory glance at Adam. "Come back tomorrow."
"My friend here leaves in the morning," Blaine said, tilting his head in Adam's direction. "He's with those traders from up north."
For whatever reason, that seemed to relax the blacksmith. "One of the visitors, eh? Already talked to that Sophie fella." Adam tightened his lips to hold back a laugh, promising himself that he'd embarrass Soji later. "Didn't really have much that interested me, though."
"We're not here about that," Blaine promised with an easy smile.
"Then what can I do for the young blood?" Adam quailed under the man's attention, unsure of Blaine's plan.
Blaine waved him forward. "Boy's been training with a bum sword. One of those pre-made pieces that doesn't fit him. Was thinking he could use something a little more personal. Something a little more skilled."
Adam pulled out his sword and handed it to the smith, who snatched it and began inspecting the design with a critical eye. "Balance is okay. Maybe a little off. Hilt's a little big for someone his size. Pommel could be reduced, too. Too much weight like this."
"See?" Blaine nudged Adam with his elbow. "You can't beat a local smith."
"It's a passable blade, but that's about it. Cheap crap from some blasted machine. Okay for training and nothin' else."
"So what d'ya think? Think you could make something a little more reliable for the kid?"
A new sword? He'd planned to look for one at Oniyuri, but that hadn't worked out. With his meager savings and trade-in value of his current sword, he could probably get something nicer, but a custom job? Commissions had to be a bit pricier. "I don't have a lot of lien."
The smith started to hand his sword back, suddenly a lot less interested until Blaine cut in. "I'm covering the cost. Payment up front, too, since I probably won't be around when he comes back for pickup."
"You're paying?"
"Consider it your reward for winning earlier," Blaine said before turning back to the smith. "Needs to be a bit lighter. Maybe shorten the blade a little to match him. Speed is holding him back more than anything, I think."
The smith nodded and pushed past Blaine. "Got a couple training dummies out back. Show me some practice swings and I'll see what I can do."
Adam and Blaine followed him around the building to a small pen strewn with hay. Sure enough, three vaguely human-shaped figures of wood stood at one end, bearing countless cuts and scrapes. One even looked a little burnt on one side.
"Go ahead, then. Need to see what I'm working with."
Adam marched up to the center dummy and looked back for permission. The smith nodded, giving him the go-ahead. Adam went through his usual paces, cutting at the dummy's torso with purposeful swings from multiple angles. It wasn't flashy, but the basics never were.
"That'll do," the smith announced after a few minutes. "How attached are you to that style?"
"My fighting style?" He only knew the one.
"I make swords. I don't use 'em much." The smith walked up, hoisting his hands upwards with his weapon. "The design. Two-handed. Double-edged. Not sure it really fits you."
Adam had always fought like that, though. But looking at his sword now, all he could think was that it looked like what Mazarin had once called a "basic weapon." Maybe it was time to try something new.
"Whatcha thinkin' for him?" Blaine asked.
Whatever hesitance the man had with Blaine before vanished as he went into business mode. "Single-edged. Something a little lighter that he can wield one-handed, too."
"Single-edged?" Adam questioned. "Aren't two edges better than one?"
"Depends how you use it," the smith answered. "Double-edged gives you options. Better for stabbing and you can use both sides. But from what I saw, you're more of a slasher. Kept using the same side, too." Had he? Adam had never really noticed. "Why have two when you only use one? Plus, switching to a one-hander gives you other options. Lots you can do with a free hand."
"Like a second weapon?" Dual-wielding swords sounded pretty awesome.
The blacksmith went a different direction. "A gun, maybe. Or off-hand attacks. With a single-edge, you can even brace against the back of the blade for better leverage. Can't do that with a double."
A complete change in style sounded like a huge decision to make on the spot, but Blaine hurried to assure him, "Man's got an eye for this sort of thing. Might be worth a try."
"And if ya don't like it, I'll make a new one, free o' charge."
That was enough to win him over. "Deal."
"Let me take a few measurements before you go. Want to make sure I get everything right the first time." Adam didn't know anything about the specifics of weapon design, but he trusted this man to be a master of his craft. He certainly had a critical eye, if nothing else. "We can talk payment after the kid leaves. No need to worry him about numbers."
"Couldn't agree more," Blaine added. "Plus a tip for the training out back." The blacksmith's smile widened comically as he hurried to his shop and came rushing back with a measuring tape, calling out numbers to the boy from earlier. "When we're done, you'll never want to touch that clunker again.
Adam couldn't wait.
Be honest. Some of you thought he'd unlocked his Semblance there for a moment, didn't you? Couldn't resist the tease.
We're finally wrapping up the unplanned Tsubaki arc. 5 chapters of content from a random town I never intended to use and only made because I realized we didn't have any named locations in the Forest of Hinoki. Next thing you know, I've got a full town, a Huntsman with the key to aura usage, a girl with a dangerous Semblance, and even getting Adam a new sword. Funny how these things happen. I call it the Hopkins Effect (see Beacons of Love to understand).
Love him or hate him, Blaine gets things done. Kind of how I imagine some people see Huntsmen in Remnant. They come, play the hero, kill the Grimm, take their payment, and go. We don't have all the details on how everything is funded, especially for villages further out, but I think my system works out pretty well. Huntsmen basically are government-sanctioned mercenaries, fulfilling contracts put forth by various entities. RT probably has it less mercenary in the payment system, but let's be honest. A real world system like that would be driven by money for the most part. Just chalk it up to more headcanon stuff for now that, knowing my luck, will be completely disproven later on. Oh well.
Next chapter: Adam leaves Tsubaki.