Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Smithy

Chapter 11: Smithy

The group walks along a lengthy trail back to the village, their eyes wandering as they traverse the sandy streets in search of the smithy. A stone building amidst wooden ones. It couldn’t be too hard to find, right?

Maru said she knew where to go, so Tianyu and Francis just followed her.

The town was bustling in more ways than one. Subtle chatter and gossip occupied many of the restaurants and clothing shops; talk of foreign opportunities and trade caught the attention of those who passed through. Carriages and carts rattled frantically, carrying fruit and vegetables of all kinds.

“I haven’t seen the town this active in awhile,” Maru chimed, “is there something going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Francis added, “looks like they’re building something.”

The trio would watch as workers haul wooden planks, stone slabs, and other materials from one building to another. The air is filled with the deafening sounds of construction and labor – nails being hammered and stone chiseled.

Many of them carried materials over to the docks, stacking everything haphazardly on top of each other. The piles were enormous, lacking any sort of structural integrity; it looked as if they were about to collapse into the water at a moment's notice.

Tianyu takes a quick glance at the materials and scaffolding in the area.

“It looks like they’re building a boat,” Tianyu stated, “judging by the materials and equipment at least.”

“Oh shit, Redville is moving out to conquer the world?” Francis joked, chuckling afterwards.

“A boat?” Maru inquired, “What’s so special about that?”

“Ships and naval artillery are a major part of the economy in our world,” Tianyu answered, “especially within the Seven Seas. As inhabitants of Redville, our lives are bound to this small, secluded island and the resources it provides us. Establishing connections with other nations across the seas would be monumental for our people.”

“Looks like they’re already gettin’ some exports ready,” Francis points at a handful of crates at the docks being filled with different types of fish and herbs, all of them native.

“In a world like ours, imports and exports are the name of the game – trade is the backbone of everything. If we can start trading with big groups like Yrium, the Adventurer’s Guild, or the Grand Voyage, then our way of living will change.”

Maru ponders for a moment. “So, if Redville is capable of establishing connections with other nations through trade, then we can start getting cool stuff?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“Quality of life will improve,” Tianyu added, “which allows for more efficient production, which improves quality of life; and then it continues as a cycle. The expansion of a nation comes with many challenges, however, and few are easy to conquer.”

“War?” Maru whispered, not wanting to mention the word in public.

Tianyu nods. “Yes, war. It can both destroy an empire and rebuild it. Conflicts between nations eventually escalate, resulting in a full-scale war with many casualties – but also many innovations. More often than not, war changes the very foundation of our world.”

“Have there been any wars in the Seven Seas yet? I’m not a history junkie so I wouldn’t know.”

“Plenty – both big and small. While Redville has never been part of any wars, they have no doubt shaped the foundation of the way we live. The most impactful ones were massive conflicts such as the 500 Year War – also known as the Great War – and the Battle of Fort Fantasia. Although they are centuries behind us, we still see their effects today.”

“It all comes full circle though – back to trade,” Francis chimes in one last time, “and your father happens to be the center of war trade..”

“How so?” Maru asked as the three of them came to a stop.

A square building carved from stone stood before them, their edges rough and eroded after standing strong for many years. Most of it was covered in a layer of thick moss, a testament to how long it’s been standing. It was moderate in size with small windows on either side of the door. A large wooden sign was hammered into the nearby dirt , the word ‘Blacksmith’ written on it in black ink. Compared to the other buildings in Redville, this one looked a tad bit more old and rugged.

“You need weapons for war, don’t you?” Francis takes a moment to admire the place. It may have been old and rugged, but he felt there was a certain nuance about it. It shows just how long Maru’s father has been in this business, solidifying him as a pillar of the community.

Maru stared at the sign for a few seconds, a deep nostalgia setting in as her shoulders dropped a little.

“You alright?” Francis was the first to notice her sudden change in demeanor. He didn’t want to say too much and overwhelm her, he knew she wasn’t very talkative about her past.

“It’s been years,” she whispers, her heart sinking.

“I used to come here a lot. My dad would always take me to his shop to watch him make weapons when I was a kid. I… I can’t even remember the last time I walked in here. Ever since I started hanging out with you guys and climbing mountains, I stopped coming.”

Francis places a hand on Maru’s shoulder.

“I’m sure the old man will be happy to see ya, Maru. It’s your dad, what’s there to be scared of?”

Maru takes a deep breath, placing her hand on the doorknob and being the first to walk inside.

The trio was immediately met with the smell of fresh molten steel in the air. The entire room was warm as if it were a furnace itself. Forged spears, clubs, swords, and other weapons lined the stone walls, hung by wooden mounts with slips of paper attached and a price written on them.

Piles of wood, coal, stone, and other materials were stashed in the corners of the room furthest from the door. Beside them were large barrels, filled to the brim with minerals like gold, iron, quartz, and other things the trio couldn’t identify. A massive furnace was attached to the left wall of the forge. Grandiose in scale, it stood in the command position of the room, a chimney attached to it to let smoke escape. The furnace wasn’t on, but its continuous use has instilled the scent of steel into the room.

Tools and discarded materials were scattered across the room, left on the floor, tables, shelves, chairs, stashed in buckets, drawers, and any nook and cranny the blacksmith could put them in. Lanterns would dangle from the ceiling, providing a source of light along with the two open windows near the back wall.

It wasn’t the tidiest place in Redville – but who expects a smithy to be kempt and crisp?

An anvil sits at the center of the room, Maru’s father resting in a chair beside it. The staff that Maru brought to him lay on top of the anvil. Equipped with ample protection, he hammered away with a mallet and chisel to chip at the stone encasing the staff without damaging the weapon itself. The trio watches for a few seconds, not wanting to immediately disturb the blacksmith. The rhythmic chipping was somewhat entrancing.

“Good evening, Mr. Marshall.” Tianyu spoke quietly, as to not startle him.

Marshall stops his hammering and looks at them. Once he saw Maru, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

“Welcome! I didn’t expect for you all to come to the shop today. Are you in need of something?”

Tianyu was about to say something, but he stopped himself. He looks over at Francis, who then gestures toward Maru with a subtle nod.

He then looks over at Maru, who seemed quieter than usual.

“We came to get the staff I gave you this morning,” she muttered, “Sora came by to tell us that Yuri wanted to have a meeting. He said that she wanted me to bring the staff.”

“You’re not on a time limit, are you?”

“No, not that I know of. We have the rest of the evening to wait.”

“Alright, give me a moment then, I need to get the rest of this rock off.”

Marshall is left to his tools as the trio watches in silence. The rhythmic hammering from the mallet continues as he chips away at the little stone that remained.

After only a few minutes, the staff is unveiled from its granite cocoon. Marshall grabs a nearby towel to brush off any remaining debris, then picks it up with the cloth to present it to the trio like a trophy.

“All done!”

The staff glistened in the light from the lanterns above. The polished black obsidian was majestic in the eyes of everyone who gazed upon it. Grey spirals were engraved all throughout its body, etched beneath the thicker layer of clear obsidian that held the black gemstone like an artifact encased in glass.

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“It’s an incredibly exotic weapon,” Marshall explained, “I couldn’t think of a single culture off the top of my head that forges their weapons like this, but I have a couple of guesses. The use of obsidian makes me believe it was made by Arcanists. In their religion, they strongly believe that minerals such as obsidian and diamond are best suited for channeling Mana. It could possibly be from an Ouranist too. They usually engrave spiral patterns into their tools, weapons, and clothes. They believed it would allow the gods of the skies to bless them.”

“Woah.” Maru takes a step forward, her eyes wide as she looks at the staff in awe. All of sudden, it looked more majestic than ever before – as if it were ingrained with the essence of something celestial.

“...Now I’m reconsidering taking it.” Maru bites her lip. Her father made it seem like the staff was sacred in some way. It awakened her Magic, sure, but she wondered if she would be scolded by a follower of those religions if she were to walk around with it so casually.

“It wouldn’t be sacrilegious,” Tianyu added, “you found it, no? Not only that, it awakened your Magic. Part of me believes it may have chosen you.”

“It’s yours.” Marshall insisted she take it, extending his arms out a bit more to bring the staff closer to her. “You know what the Adventurers say – finders keepers, right? Consider this to be your first find on your journey, with a long list of many to come.”

Memories briefly rush into Maru’s mind, reminding her of the countless times her father would let her hold and inspect weapons – but never keep them. Although this staff wasn’t forged by him, it was restored by his deft hands.

Reluctant at first, Maru reaches her hand out to grab the staff as she is overwhelmed with nostalgia again. For the first time, her father handed her something she could finally call her own, a weapon she would hold close to herself on her adventures.

“...Thank you dad.” Her voice was shaky, but there was a gentle smile on her face.

Maru takes a few steps away from the group as she swings the staff in the air. Her attacks were swift and brisk – the staff seemed weightless in her hands.

“How does it feel?” Marshall asked.

“It feels like mine,” she said confidently, brushing her hand against it gently. Looking down at the staff, the reflection of her eyes was more dull than usual. “I think I’ll be keeping this with me for a while.”

“Glad I could help sweetie. You kids need anything else before you make your way to Yuri’s Library?”

The three of them look around the shop for anything of interest. Most of the displayed items were bladed weaponry, armor, and shields. Maru wasn’t fond of any of those – she thought they were heavy and difficult to manage. Tianyu was much the same. His Magic could provide defense superior to any shield or set of armor.

“Could you pass me that cutlass there?” Francis points to a sword mounted on the wall, the blade covered by a leather casing.

Marshall walks over to the blade and takes it off the mount, tossing it towards Francis.

Francis catches it gently with both hands, grabbing the sword by its handle and taking off the leather sheath. He let the blade rest in his hand while he examined it briefly. The handle was wrapped with coarse black leather and some black bandages for grip. The guard and blade itself were both polished silver.

“I didn’t think you’d have interest in a sword, Francis. I’ve only ever seen you punch and kick.” Maru watched as Francis would step back and swing the blade in the air a few times, just as she did with her staff.

“Well that’s because swords are deadly, and nobody has ever pushed me to the point in which I needed to use one. It might happen one day though. Can’t you say the same?”

Maru went silent. His words reminded her of Manho and his short speech.

“On that day, your heart will be filled with nothing but hate, and there’s plenty of it to go around. Maybe then, you'll feel the warm embrace of unfiltered hatred.”

She wondered if something like that could ever happen to her or Francis. Tianyu seemed far too composed to become a killer, at least in her eyes.

Then again, fear fueled her in that fight.

“No,” she answered, “I don’t think anyone will ever push me to that point. Murder is wrong – it’s never the answer. We should forgive – that’s what my mama told me.”

“Attagirl.” Marshall chuckles and gives Maru soft pats on her hat.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Francis places the leather sheath back over the blade of the cutlass. “Being an Adventurer is all about exploring the world, protecting people, and teaching good morals.”

He walks over to Marshall, holding the blade to his side.

“How much for the cutlass, Mr. Marshall?”

“On the house,” he replied with a subtle nod, “take it as a thanks for protecting and teaching my little girl.”

“Hell yeah!” Francis exclaimed, turning around and making his way back over to the door. “If you two don’t want anything else, let’s get going then. We don’t want Yuri to get worried – you know she’s the anxious type.”

Tianyu and Maru turn around and walk towards the door.

“Thank you, Mr. Marshall,” Tianyu announced while throwing his hand up in the air to wave.

“No problem kids.”

Marshall watches as the trio leaves the shop.

“Maru,” he calls out to her before she closes the door, “come here.”

Maru looks over at Tianyu and Francis outside, putting her finger up as a gesture for “one moment.”

“Sir?” She turns around and walks back into the smithy, staff still in hand.

“Are you feeling alright? Over the past few days, you’ve been looking a little sad every time you come home.”

Marshall noticed that Maru wasn’t nearly as energetic and upbeat and she normally is. Even now, when she’s with her friends, there is some life missing from her eyes. Marshall expected her to be the opposite of that, filled with joy and overwhelmed with excitement. Yet, there was an absence of passion.

Standing there in silence, Maru’s eyes darted around the room while thinking about how to respond.

“...I’m alright. I’ve just been feeling a little tired the past few days.”

“Tired? What’s been making you so tired? You usually have a smile on your face when you come home, even after training.”

Marshall takes a seat by the anvil, reaching out to grab a nearby chair and placing it in front of him.

“Take a seat, honey. You can talk to me.”

Maru briefly puts her head down, taking a seat in front of her father while resting her staff on her lap.

“I’m just scared,” she pauses for a moment, opening her mouth to say something again before reluctantly closing it.

“Scared of what?”

“My future. I know I’ve always wanted to have Magic and I was really happy when I told you and mama about it. It’s been a few days and I’ve been thinking a lot about this whole ‘adventuring’ thing.”

“You’ve been wanting to go out and explore the world since you were a kid, honey. You’ve seen just about everything Redville’s little islands have to offer. What’s making you change your mind?”

Maru sighs, clenching her staff tightly while putting her head down again.

“Ever since I started hanging out with Tianyu and Francis, I’ve started seeing you and mama less and less.”

She bites her lip, her voice becoming weak and shaky.

“Especially recently, I’ve been spending more and more time training every day, dealing with those bandits in the village and the cultists in the mountains. I don’t get to spend time with you anymore. I don’t get to eat dinner with you anymore. Every time I come home, I have to warm up my food myself because you and Mama already went to bed…”

Her eyes are covered as she tilts her hat down and pulls her staff closer to her, her muscles tenses up.

“...And when I go out on an adventure, I just have to leave you and mama behind?”

No matter how much she tried, Maru couldn’t hold back her tears. Slowly, they began to pool down the sides of her face, her speech occasionally broken by periodic sniffles. Her father brought her up to be tough and strong, resilient and unwavering, yet she felt like her entire world was crumbling right in front of her. Just talking about her fears made it feel like they were already a reality, and she couldn’t bare the thought of it.

“I don’t wanna leave you… I don’t want you to be mad at me for leaving… Sometimes… I don’t want to go out and adventure. I want to stay with you dad. I want to stay with you… And mama…”

She covers her face with her hand, wiping away the tears as her voice becomes a little clearer.

“Sometimes I wish I was younger. I miss playing outside with you, and going on walks with you, and telling you about my stories and…”

Marshall grabs his towel and uses it to clean Maru’s face.

“Do you really think we’re going to be mad at you?”

“Y-Yes,” she trembled.

“Honey-” Marshall stops himself, making sure to choose his next words carefully.

“It’s true that, whenever you leave, your mother and I miss you very much. I too miss the days when you used to sit in the living room and tell us about the adventure stories you wrote and read. I still hold those lovely dinners and relaxing walks close to my heart. We will always miss you – but that doesn’t mean we aren’t proud of you.”

Maru says nothing, the silence broken by a quiet sniffle.

“You always talked so much about having Magic, going out to see the world, and saving lives while you’re at it. You’d talk and dream about it every day. Look at you now.”

He reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder.

“You have Magic, and you have reliable friends that will follow, help, and protect you wherever you go. Even if I don’t see you as often, nothing brings me more joy than seeing that warm smile because you’re finally able to achieve your dreams.

Maru looks into his eyes, her vision blurry as tears run down the side of her face again.

“It will not be easy. The world is dangerous, and you’ll come across plenty of challenges. But no matter what you face, I want you to know that I will always love you. That mama will always love you.”

Maru’s body starts to finally relax and her gaze softens.

“Dad…” she mumbles.

“And if the going gets rough,” Marshall continues, “you will always have a home. If you come to find that the adventuring life is not for you, or maybe you just want to see your old man again; the door will always be open, and you will always be welcome home.”

“...What if you’re…”

“I will always be here.” Marshall opens his arms and Maru jumps out of her chair and hugs him tightly, tears streaming down the side of her face as she buries it into his chest.

“No matter how old and tall you get, you’ll always be my little girl.”

“...I love you, dad.”

“I love you too, Maru.”