Chapter 121
One thing a lot of people forget, is that emotions as we know them are driven by chemical reactions in the brain. So while most of the party was coming off their battle high of fighting a heap of respawning bus sized serpents that were attempting to reform into an eight headed hydra, SITA was just hovering in place and smiling brilliantly at the job well done.
The rest of us were huffing and trying not to twitch too much while the adrenaline faded. "What... where did you put it?" Ren asked. "Being near it made my skin feel like it was sun burnt."
"Among my many features is an inventory box." SITA said, "The sakura stone is still in my mouth though." She paused, "I sense that this chamber is now pressure equal with sea level. Except the place you fought the clone hydra is slightly lower than sea level."
"That's a bit of a problem." Sadeena said, gliding around us in her huge-yet-nimble whale form. "It's bad enough this thing crapped all that fog everywhere."
"Part of combat is cleaning up, right?" Ren scrubbed the back of his head, "But..."
"Why are you so tall now?" Solitaire demanded of Fohl, oblivious to the mood.
"I'm... not sure?" He replied, looking down at everyone (including me, but not Sadeena), "But now that I'm not fighting..." He wobbled on his feet, and started to shrink, his transformation much like mine, the animal features reducing, shifting, then vanishing. "Phew..."
"You're much cuter this way." Sadeena teased(?).
"Calculations complete." SITA announced, "If this chamber is sealed during low tide, there will not be a recurring flood of seawater above. The people of the town may need a little convincing to do the work, but it is possible."
"Let's head up then. Before Raphtalia comes down and looks for us." I said, "Good job everyone."
"If we did a good job, why do you sound disappointed?" Atla asked, reaching up to give her brother exactly one pat on the head.
"Oh oh!" Tetsu started, stretching her wings and body out with a long groan, like a giant cat. "Cause there wasn't anything to pick up! Monster bits!" After her stretch, she walked after us, "Or food..."
"I won't be petty and say 'no fair that Ren gets a cool sword'." I chuckled, "But back home? I had to invent a metal scale press, because serpent and drake scale armour was so good, no one bothered to think of metal instead."
"Well if it makes you feel better, I don't want that sword until it stops glowing angrily." Ren replied, "Besides, I really like the one you made for me already."
It was at this moment, I felt that I no longer needed to push Ren to improve. And it made up for the lack of drop items for crafting.
We slipped out of the little tide pool with a weird splash effect as the water slipped off our 'water breathing enchantment' envelopes. A quick look around, ignoring the people, revealed that the battlefield was... well mostly flat now. Rocks, roots and bits of tree stuck out in places, but otherwise it looked to have been crushed flat by whatever Raphtalia and her teams had done. Probably run the hydra around...
Two seconds after coming to that conclusion, the people (a little rough looking, lots of muddy clothes, a few 'terrain based' injuries from getting caught on rocks roots and fallen trees) started cheering.
"We were just about to go looking for you!" Raphtalia said, making Sadeena laugh behind her hand, "But it's all done?"
For this, I put a tail on SITA and stepped aside for her to speak. "We can seal the cavern below at low tide, but yes. The cursed object that created the hydra is contained, and the threat with it." She said, using my tail as a scarf.
"We can work on that when we next have time." Raphtalia said, and because she said it, well, it might as well have been a decree by god for the island natives. She did however go a step further, turning away from me and the others, "We return to the port town to continue our preparations for the move to the old capital!"
On the way back, the support teams from before went about first aid. As well, our two halves of the operation recounted the battles in the usual 'after action' style from back home. Sadly, no comfortable couches were involved.
When we got back to the town proper, people were cheering, but the after party of the first battle at the lighthouse and the short rest after, meant it was... less energetic than before. But that was good, since the next part of 'the plan' would require a long walk.
Then we were intercepted by Erhard and his master.
"Fox!" Erhard called out as we got closer.
He wasn't Welf, but he had the exact same eager face as he did when I returned from the dungeon. With my level and a few quirks from my status, I almost always brought something interesting home from the dungeon.
"Sadly, all we got this time were a couple Sakura stones we've already re-purposed. And this." I paused my Kotetsu chin scratching to make a 'here's your prize' motion at SITA.
Sita stood beside me while the rest of us (excluding Kotetsu and I) backed up a couple steps. "I present to you, the Cursed sword of Ama-no-Murakumo." She said opening her hands, palm up, and having the sword shaped dragon core appear.
And it was super angry. The entire length, aside from a faded almost transparently thin bit of charm paper wrapped around its expertly napped handle, was glowing with a sickly purple glow that seemed to suck in the light around us. It made my horns itch, now that I wasn't focused on fighting.
Erhard backed up a half step, as if the purple glow were a bad smell. But his master just grabbed it by the handle without a care and held it up. "Huh. WOW this is an angry thing!"
It surprised me how casually he just picked it up. But even though the purple aura started to surround him as well, he didn't notice, or care. "Are you sure you should be touching that?" Erhard asked.
"What? If I got cursed by everything I worked with, what kind of blacksmith would I be?!" The old dog-man snapped, "And you! Stop wiggling around!"
And just like I had done with the Sakura Stone, the sword stopped the special effects like an embarrassed child.
"See! Only small-fry blacksmiths get cursed!" He laughed, paused, then looked at me, "Shame really."
"I've never been cursed by my craft." I replied, frosty air misting from my mouth, "I got these pulling the corruption off an entire mountainside, and sealing the soul stone of the Tyrant Dragon Rex."
"Touched a nerve did I?" He smiled under his Golden Retriever mustachio, "Think you can out-do me? HA! You're a hundred years too early for that kind of talk!"
"You've done it now..." Erhard mumbled, "Master? This is not the kind of porcupine you want to kick."
Just about everyone I'd spent any time with was palming their face at this point. But I took a deep breath, sighed, and reached into my 'delicate items' pouch. But I stopped. With what I'd learned about the 'system' of this world, I could outdo just about anything this man could make. But that wasn't crafting that was enchantment.
"Second thoughts there, girly?" He laughed, putting the sword over his shoulder carelessly.
Instead, I pulled a pair of plain iron ingots from the Shield, then two smaller copper ones, and two even smaller silver ones. I held the stacks in both hands, "I dare you to say that again."
"Do we really have time for this?" Itsuki asked, "I mean..."
"I could show you all the things I've made, for all the people here, but no. You won't believe it until you see me do it, will you? Well old man? Plain iron, copper and silver. No magic. No enchantment. A hammer, fire, and burning passion." I offered him one of the stacks, "Or have you lost that, with all the cheap wine you drink and girls you fail to get?"
"You wouldn't know the right-"
"Do. You. Accept?" I asked, "I have a false emperor to dethrone and monsters to kill."
"Fine. What do we make?" He asked, using his free hand to pluck the offered metal from my hand.
"Why ask me? You're the one holding the metal. You can't be so washed up that you've lost your imagination, can you?" I smiled, "You can even inspect the tools I'm going to use before we start." I added, pulling a small collection of portable crafting supplies from my inventory crystal, not the Shield.
A small table, hammer, anvil, a leather roll for all my chisels and files... It was everything I needed, except for the fire and burning passion. Though, I'll admit, it was closer to 'burning anger' right this second.
He actually did move to the table where I'd unrolled my collection of 'fine tools'. But while he inspected them, Raphtalia finally gave up and sighed, "We'll get the rest of the village ready to move while you have your silly little contest." The words did sting a little, but she also gave my head a pat, "Good luck." Then, she turned, "Let's go and let the anvil heads do their thing."
The old man's workshop was both well appointed and a total mess. It reminded me of Welf's little workshop when I'd met him, with everything but the forge covered in stuff. It was obvious, by the collection of tools hanging haphazardly around the room, that the man was skilled. Each one was worn with use and cared for.
Except it looked like he organized them while drunk.
My workspace? With a bit of help, we dug up a nice little pit for the fire, set up a box bellows (Welf favoured these, and with all the bamboo around they were common here), and I bought a bunch of local charcoal. Add in a little stream that the old smith himself used, and I had everything I needed.
Part way through setting up my anvil on a stump (also locally sourced), I felt a little... ashamed? This entire waste of time was my pride talking. From his attitude, calling me pet names, and calling me 'second rate'... Sure, I had help, but I'd made things even the system couldn't recognize!
But no. I said I would. So I would. And as I wrapped up some dried bamboo fibres around a spike of metal I'd hammered from cold to glowing the exact red I couldn't see, I promised I would do my best, to do what Hephaestus Herself did, and make things of utmost skill, with nothing but mortal tools and limits.
(Erhard)
He watched the two of them prepare for their... would it be disrespectful to call it a pissing match? One was his master, the other a woman who he'd have asked to marry if she wasn't set on getting home. Fine, he would never call it a pissing match out loud. One would yell at him, the other... well, she did mention burning down Melromarc in the same tone of voice one might use to say 'I went shopping'.
His master, as usual, just... puttered around his workshop. Picking up things, setting them closer at hand, taking a drink of something, eyeing a tool or two and maybe taking a whetstone to it... relaxed to the point of being slovenly. But even if this was just 'how he did things' he'd still taught him the foundations of his own craft, and made wondrous weapons here in Q'ten Lo... Though, under duress it seemed, since they'd been finding those weapons on the bodies of the assassins after little Raphtalia's life.
Kodori, outside in the cool night air, had nothing but a table for her tools, a small anvil, a pit for her furnace, and the stream behind her. Past that, was the same look on her face when she mentioned why she would burn Melromarc down.
But something was missing. It wasn't the focus, she had that. It wasn't the organized setup that seemed to just evolve around her, even in his own workshop when she used it.
Joy. There was no joy on her face. Even when she was helping him outfit her party before the Wave, cobbling together what they could before what might be a world ending disaster... There was still a shadow of a smile on her face.
So, before he signalled the start of the match, getting comfortable on a bamboo chair that gave him clear view of both work spaces, he mumbled, "Hey, relax. You got this."
He watched her closest ear turn to him, and the agitated lashing of her tails pause... Before his master yelled out, "I heard that boy! Why are you cheering her on?!"
"All my stuff is in Melromarc!" He replied, winking at Kodori when she gave him a sideways glance.
(Kodori)
I started with 'what'. I had three metals, one common and hard, another softer but still useful, the last decorative.
Erhard's comment had refocused me a little, and made me think of something I'd said once. 'A child with a good dagger had more attack power than me.' Thanks to some alchemy, that was no longer true, but it did give me an idea.
I looked upwards, at the sky that might honestly have been false, and listened to the wind push through the bamboo. And I stood up, picking up a little saw from my tool table...
I took a drink from the stream, after making sure that old bastard wasn't pissing in it while I took a break. I had tuned out the sounds of his work, but he seemed to the type to do something like that to someone.
Returning, I checked on some things I'd had sitting near the little furnace pit. The bamboo I'd cut down and cut up was drying nicely. I had some more bamboo under the anvil to compress into boards before drying... But on my table were the beginnings of three objects.
The all purpose knife. Popular in Western action movies, even more popular in Orario, this was the 'survival knife' you'd see in movies like Rambo. A bit long to call a dagger, a bit short to call a sword, it had all the things you might need in a cutting tool outdoors. It was also the exact length Raphtalia's first 'sword' had been, when we got out of the Ringmaster's care. The one she'd killed the Black Dog with.
Next, a long coil of thin copper wire. Not much to say here... I mean... it was copper, and wire.
Last, some silver wire, and a little cube of leftover silver.
Figuring I'd earned that sip of water, I got back to work, tuning out the sounds of people packing up their lives in the town below.
(S'yne)
She had to sneak away from all the work being done in the town, and then find one of the party to ask where Kodori had gone. The captain had agreed (with further promise of coin) to shelter the 'civilians' off shore, and was well on her way to doing that. Raphtalia was trying to work, but really just smiling and waving to people since no one would let her work. The rest of the Heroes were finding work, maybe trying to balance some of the karma they had for past actions.
Finally, she'd gotten someone to tell her where her boss had gone, and from there, she just had to listen for the sound of anvilheads being anvilheads.
But, even though she was trying to be quiet (instead of forced to be quiet when her Weapon was malfunctioning all the time), Erhard noticed her before she got within ten paces of the discordant anvils ringing through the air.
He motioned her to come closer, but also stay quiet.
"What's up?" He asked her, his eyes looking back and forth between the two smiths.
"Just reporting." She mumbled, leaning down to speak into his ear. She was familiar with 'the quiet workspace' even if it was filled with the sound of hammering metal. "All set to move at first light." A pause, "Oh, and I was going to remind her to eat."
He didn't reply, but nodded, looked up to the sky, and yelled out, "You have an hour!" His master glared over his shoulder at him, while Kodori only twitched her closest ear. "It's interesting to watch." He mumbled, "But I dunno who to cheer for."
(Kodori)
I'd made more than enough material for a good handle, but this let me be more careful in my selection in the end.
Oh, and unlock a new Shield. At this point, I wondered if it was trying to tease me, or attempt humour.
Anyhow. On the table, waiting for me to scrape off the clay I'd used for tempering the edge, was the 'Orario Ready' all purpose knife. The pommel was flat, in case you wanted to hammer a nail or bonk a skull. The crosspiece had a little downward curve for the first knuckle, and an upward curve on the spine to catch a blade. The spine, for the first 2/3 was serrated like a saw. There was a two finger gap of flat spine so you could whack it with a stick to split a log, then the last quarter or so was a nice sloping bayonet curve.
The edge-proper was really just a straight blade that curved nicely to a fine point. Not much to say here. You tie it to a stick for a functional spear if you had to.
However, I had also put in just a touch of functional decoration. A bit of copper at the blade's shoulder (where the tang widened to 'blade') to keep the blade from snapping if you hit it too hard against something, and to help with shock absorption. Looked nice too. The handle had a little curl of copper wire at top and bottom around the dried bamboo I'd been compressing, and of course two iron pegs to keep that in place.
Next, the copper and silver wire I'd made... Between heats for the knife, I'd started to weave them together carefully. At first, I was a little undecided on what to do with it. But during one of the little moments where I lost focus, I thought of my little sister, Maki. She'd been learning on and off how to smash metal with Welf and I, but was really more for decorative stuff. Even won a city wide competition in the amateur bracket!
So now, I had a woven copper and silver arm band. As armour? Useless. Completely pointless. But, I did know royalty, and I even liked them! Now, I could later add a leather bracer for it, or not. But it was an elegant thing of straight lines and curves that locked the two metals together. All that was left to finish it was roll it around in a cup filled with sand to polish it, then wash it off in the stream behind me.
Last... Using a technique common with India's brass work, I had carved out little grooves in the silver cube. It produced a similar effect to a sword hitting your armour and leaving a 'bright spot' of scratched metal. Putting six grooves in each side, all going in the same direction, it looked a little like water dripping down it.
But then I melted a little copper, and put the smallest drop in each of the channels. If kept clean, it would look like silver and gold. If not? Obsidian and emerald. And yes, I put a little loop on top to make it a pendant.
And I was just rinsing off the sand from the wire bracelet thing I'd made, when Erhard called the stop.
"Huh." Erhard's reaction to my work was met with a little less excitement than usual. To be fair, this wasn't really knew or magical. "Oh, okay..." Ah, there it was. The familiar chin rubbing while he pondered something. "Huh... Where did you... okay..."
On the table next to me, rested his master's work. It didn't surprise me it was good work. Sure, I didn't like him, but he'd made something worthy of the title.
A katana, of course. But the long black blade was perfectly curved, had a nice copper pommel, silver wire around the solid iron hilt, a brightly polished copper tsuba (that round crosspiece), similar copper 'shoulder' bit as well. The hamon (temper line) wasn't fancy, but certainly there. And the tsuba had a hammered and chiselled design of a tanuki sleeping around the blade.
Of course, while I examined his work, he was standing across from Erhard's table scrutinizing mine. "You used bamboo." He said, squinting at me.
"And you used clay." I replied, brushing my finger over his blade's edge carefully. "So did I, since the little stream was right there." I picked up the katana, holding it loosely so the System wouldn't force me to drop it. "Solid metal hilts aren't common where I'm from, but since you didn't want to reach out your window for a bit of bamboo, it's pretty good."
And it was good. Their wasn't enough silver to say, make a cable wrap like you might see on a fancy rapier, but he'd put grooves into the iron to give it texture, and the silver was really there to keep dirt from filling the grooves.
"And what's this monstrosity you've made?" He asked, "It's like... everything... oh..."
"Yes. It is like everything. That was the point."
"Yeah." Erhard said, "When she started out, her little party was big on living off the land. This would do just about everything. A far cry from those stone knives you made."
He walked over to one of the many bamboo stalks around the property, held it with one hand and drove the point of my knife into it with the other. Then, he brought the edge of his hand down on the flat part I'd left on the spine of the blade, splitting the stalk a bit more. Then with a sharp twist, he cracked the entire stalk in half all the way to the top, several metres above.
He set my work down, "Yeah. This would be a hit if you could mass produce them. The hunters wouldn't need to carry anything else."
"What about this stuff?" His master asked, "I thought we were making a weapon. These aren't good for anyone!"
He at least wasn't so crude as to wave the delicate bit of wire mesh I'd made, but he was giving the little silver cube the stink eye while I replied, "You asked what to make, I said it wasn't up to me."
I watched Erhard pick up his master's katana, giving it a bunch of 'surface level' tests (edge, straightness, sound when you tapped it, making sure nothing rattled when you shook it, balance), then he passed it through the same stalk he'd split with my knife.
"I just made the functional functional, and the decorative decorative." I sighed, "It's not my fault you can't think outside of the box." I looked to Erhard, then took an exact copy out of the Shield's 'auto crafting' inventory. "Since I used nothing but basic metal, the Shield can make as many as I have metal for." And handed it to him. "But I keep this one."
And I walked into his shop to collect the cursed sword shaped dragon core.
"What?! We haven't decided who won!"
Like his Katana, I held the silently screaming sword lightly as I exited his shop, "I don't care anymore. I have your island to liberate." Of course, the screaming blade started acting up again, trying to dominate the unfamiliar user.
"But can you even work with that? Haven't you eaten enough curses?" Erhard's master demanded.
I looked at him, then to the blade, and focused every speck of killing intent I could at it. To me, and my inner sense, the screaming madness of the blade went silent. Outwardly, just like it had with him, the blade stopped fouling the air with purple mist and noxious fumes. "Erhard, thank you." I was sure to relax a little before I looked at him, "We'll be marching soon I guess?"
"Yeah. Oh, S'yne said you should eat."
I looked at the blade in my hand, "Not a bad idea."
The cursed sword felt like it wanted to wiggle out of my hand, but I gave it a smile and put it into my inventory gem, away from the other cursed dragon soul the Shield had in it... someplace.
As if by magic, provided you were keeping your eyes and ears shut and turned in the opposite direction, just about everyone seemed to appear at the bottom of the steps that led up to the hermit/smith's workshop. Atla and Fohl (both cleaned up though bits of battle damage was still on their clothing). Tetsu and Kotetsu (who was hiding in the wild hair of her currently humanoid big sister). SITA and S'yne (who, once out from hiding went back to repairing bits of battle damage). Clive and Usa, both looking worried (his almost default expression and pale blue, if you were wondering). Rishia and Kuro (in big ball of feathers mode, getting brushed by Rishia). And the three other heroes, leaning on their weapons and looking...
Exactly like my Familia when they came home from the dungeon. Tired and successful.
"Feeling better?" Motoyasu asked, the look on my face likely making the answer obvious.
"I'll manage." I found Raphtalia's absence, as well as Sadeena's a little... It made me feel like someone was late for pasta night. "Sadeena enforcing some nap time?"
"Yeah. Had Solitaire guard her door too." Ren said, "What about Erhard-san and..."
"You're usually in a better mood after some time at the anvil. What's wrong?" S'yne asked.
"Most of you know, my Sin is pride. I think the problem is that I just met someone who didn't have any. And he was trying to justify it by pretending to be lusty and slothful, while being envious." I shook my head, "Ren, I'll help you with the sword later, if you want. Otherwise, I'm going to use it for something else."
He looked a little nervous, but nodded, "Yes. I think it might be my duty to keep that weapon."
Motoyasu and Itsuki both gave their fellow hero a pat on the shoulder. "SITA? Told them about the cave?"
"Even drew plans for them!"
"Good work. You know, when we're done with this? I'm going to cook my favourite stir fry for everyone. There is rice on this island, right?"
Just about everyone perked up at the mention of me cooking. And that made me feel better. Except SITA. She of course noticed me, noticing her, but smiled anyhow, "Don't worry about it. Oh! Raluva will want to talk with you... unless he woke up and instantly returned to attempting to poison himself with alcohol, he should be sober now."
"Hopefully, it's not politics." I sighed.
Not quite, but close. Logistics. That yes, peripherally involved politics. But now it was a race against whatever information control the Imperial Palace had.
Looking a little hungover, with a cup of tea (spiked with my 'cure all' in his hand) Raluva explained. "When you arrived and told me to inform the other towns, I did so. By the time the lighthouse was taken, I had started to get replies, but none of them were..." He sipped his tea with shaking hands, sighed happily, then continued, "They doubted the veracity of message, and with my runners, they sent their own back."
"They were willing to hope." I nodded, "Suppose when you have a puppet leader who's puppeteer executes dissidents... Ah... We have witnesses now, don't we?"
"Indeed. By now, news of the Orochi," Yes, he used the 'improper' name for it, but I didn't blame him, "and the cause of its rampage, are now spreading to the other towns. While we planned to march towards the Old Capital... We may need to further prove that the Empress has indeed returned."
"Right... The military will try and lock down the 'rumour' of the Emperor doing 'wrong', and will use force if need be..." I sighed, reminded of the things that went on in Kizuna's world. "What about numbers?"
"Our force here, while stalwart and true to Her cause... Is small. We have momentum, but the wave will break before long." He sipped his tea again, perking up even as I watched, the cure-all kicking in, "I do not mean to insult you or the strength you bring, but..."
"No, I get it. Done this before as well." I nodded, thinking of how Orario took itself back from Freya Familia. "Where's that map? And if you have any idle runners..."
Raphtalia and Sadeena came in to the meeting part way through, and with a little glare at me, joined in. "Planning without me?" She asked.
"Getting started at least." I admitted, "Take a look at this."
She started to move towards the map we had laid out, but paused part way to accept a cup of tea from a servant who just seemed to appear at her elbow, then return to their place by the simmering teapot. "Oh... These are the villages and towns around Q'ten lo..." A pause, "The Old Capital." Another pause as she looked at the little wooden blocks we had placed on the map before she got here, "And a route? This will take days..."
"Yes, my Empress." Ravula said, "But, we lack the numbers to face the Imperial Army as we are. Even if we were to show up at the Palace right this instant..." He looked to me.
"We'd leave a crater, not a cut." I said, referring to the lighthouse situation.
"This would also be the perfect time to truly rally the people behind you. I did not want to say at the time, but the other towns were... hopeful, but not trusting at the news of your return." Raluva said a little nervously.
Like me, Raphtalia waved it off, "It's fine. I know we came here just to stop the assassins... But now I'm here for the people. If this is what it takes..." She looked at me, and gave me her first real smile since I'd 'left' her behind to work on my own for a time. "Right?"
"Exactly." I nodded, "But now that you're here, let's refine the plan..." I paused, "You know..." I tapped one of my sound stones, "Hey? Got eyes on any of the heroes?"
S'yne replied a moment later, "Patching up Sir Itsuki's cape as we speak. Saw Sir Ren a moment ago. No idea about Momo."
Sadeena covered her mouth to stifle a laugh while Raphtalia snorted her tea in a most un-Emperical fashion.
"Planning time at the mayor's house." I said.
"Sounds good Boss." And the sound stone darkened.
I tapped another bead, "Hey scruffy."
Pause, "I know I'm trying to grow a beard, but you know how we Japanese are." Motoyasu replied.
"Strategy meeting. And if you really wanted, I have a potion for that." I replied.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Kuro yelled through the sound stone.
"Easy easy." Motoyasu said, the sound a little distant as if holding the stone away from the angry bird. "Okay, there in a minute."
"This sounds like it's going to be fun." Sadeena said.
NOTES!
Time to give everyone a little glory, without needing to get a white board to move them around on the same scene...
AND! The next update will be on the 5th or 10th of March. I post on every 5th day, but its February... so no 30th! Yes, it's my vacation.
Thank you for reading! And if you want to see any full colour art, join the discord!
aKAQg4bnYu for the discord! As well as ways to support me!
And my actual book, Were Too? is on Inkitt.
And! I'm looking into getting some story themed merchandise made. Join the Discord to find out more!