Chapter 27: A Return to Basics
That churning heat that filled Helena brought a long breath from her lips that seemed to help soothe the pain of being torn from her family, the suddenness of it all growing less intense as that Great Fire warmed the very depths of her being…
Then, her surroundings returned to her perception, to find herself surrounded, those masked figures encircled her and for the briefest of moments she felt her Father's final moments resurfacing, but she squashed them down, knowing that if she caused trouble here, returning to her children would only take longer.
Helena looked at those surrounding her, finding that they were all unbelievably tense, no doubt having expected a fight to break out, and Helena doubted her stunt with Inu had done much to earn her any good will… Yet, it was a mere pebble in the road of life, an inconsequential inconvenience that would be overlooked in the long term, while increasing Helena's worth in their eyes…
Whether that worth was seen as a threat, or an ally was yet to be seen… Silence dominated for a long while before Inu stepped forward, causing the surrounding masked figures to slightly relax; still ready to act, simply waiting for a signal instead of on an unpredictable variable. Helena noted the bonds these masked figures held… In Westerosi language, Helena spoke with a heavy breath, slipping her lips, "I need a forge…"
Inu tilted his head, the badly pronounced words slipping past his mask, "Faorge?"
Helena paused, curiously eyeing Inu before her gaze focused as her body moved by remembrance her feet pumped the bellows as she moved to wet her hair, a hand grabbing something at the side and moving it into the imaginary forge, allowing the imaginary metal to come to heat before moving it to an anvil that was no more than a construct of her mind, before a hammer made from the same came down and failed to produce that familiar sound, yet it rung out in Helena's mind all the same.
Hina spoke, her words slow and precise pulling Helena from her mind, "{Do Want ??? A ??????????}
Helena conferred what Hina had said; while noting down the unknown but inferred words in her mind, and shook her head butchering their language once more, making use of the word Hina had just used "{I Am Blacksmith}."
A pause, before Hina turned to Inu and they spoke, despite her effort Helena could barely keep up let along catch anything other than a few words she already knew, though she couldn't infer all of what they had spoken.
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Helena was soon to learn, as a number of masked figures brought over rolls—scrolls of parchment, and used Magicks to produce a simple forge and small anvil from a puff of smoke. Helena eyed those rolls of parchment and their strange writings for a brief moment before her attention fell upon the thin ingot they had provided…
Enough for two small blades, or maybe an axe—head… A sigh tore her lips as she cast thoughts of a weapon from her mind, she was better unarmed despite the love for the sensation of a properly balanced axe… Luckily these warriors preferred close combat, despite using Magicks…
Helena lightly dipped her head, a mere nod to show some modicum of respect before her focus honed onto the forge, inspecting its every brick the old soot lines that showed its lack of use, yet she found not cracks in the stone, next she turned towards the tools and while a few of the hammer was lacking when it came to weight, the balance of them was fairly decent…
Nothing she couldn't work with… Helena simply liked to learn about her forge, as only then would she be able to respect the Art of Blacksmithing…
Helena crocuhed down to inspect the charcoal… Surprised to find its incredible quality, she picked off a small piece and brought it to her lips giving it a small taste, while also seeing how it absorbed water…
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Inu watched with confusion as the woman brought a piece of charcoal to her lips, she had seemed intimate with the forge just a while ago, it was almost difficult to watch as it 'felt' all too sensual…
Was this all an act…? Inu couldn't tell, but he was brought to believe that the woman was indeed a blacksmith, solely for his own sanity. Such sanity didn't affect his reports… She had spent the whole rest of the day, and the whole night doing naught but running her fingers, and looking over everything they had brought.
Only by the time the sun had began to rise had she stopped, and instead of heading to rest she started a flame within the forge, and it wasn't long before the ting of beaten metal filled the courtyard and beyond…
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Helena, unfamiliar with the exact metal they have brought her, had begun with making nails. Something simple and would allow her to begin to learn how to work this metal; what she assumed was iron but held an odd consistency under temperature.
It was quick to heat, but incredibly slow to cool… So quick to heat that she had actually 'ruined' a few nails due to the heat brought by the impacts from her hammer.
Helena was more than capable enough to rise to the challenge, ever eager to prove herself in the Art her father had chosen, the same Art that had been passed through their family for generations… The same Art that she had passed into her children…
Would they do the same…? Would they continue to hone the Art of the Family…?
Helena's hammer never stilled, her work never slowed, as she could not leave this work unfinished… She had disrespected the Art long enough…
The sun rose, and the sun fell as Helena forged nails, then attempted to forge them back into a solid shape… A process that repeated itself many times over as she beat the impurities from the metal, before reintroducing them over and over again. Until she found herself gaining consistent results, as she looked over the I got laid before her…
Only then, did she allowed the flame in the forge to die out, and herself to seek some rest… but she could continue for a few more days…
Thus for two more days, ignoring all the looks of those around, and suppressing the urge to beat Hina's skull in with her hammer the times she had been interrupted, Helena worked…
Though, having graduated from nail, to small rounded dowels, of different shapes slowly testing the limits of the metal before reforging it all back into an ingot and starting once again until she felt satisfied once more…
A satisfaction that was hard to find, as it took Helena forging her way to an Axe—Head finally on the second day. It was unpolished, dull, and unfurnished… Yet, it would never find itself as an Axe, it was too small, too light to actually be wielded properly. Not that it couldn't be wielded, just not in the manner Helena preferred.
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Hizuren stared down at the report that had found his desk, that contained much of the same for the last few days, though it was the content that left Hizuren befuddled.
Was she testing the limits they would allow…? It was the first thought that entered his mind, but it was obvious she was also advertising her skill and making it clear that she was indeed a blacksmith as she had said, making it easier to believe her words continuing forward…
Hizuren puffed on his pipe as he leaned back into his seat, learning how much more troublesome the Teen could be than he had initially expected. She was cunning, things such as how little or how excessive, cunning was cunning, and underestimating such a thing would only lead to death…
"Neko," A masked figure dropped from the ceiling landing into a kneel, "Call for Shukaku and Inochi, inform the others to bring our Foreign Guest. She has learned enough to produce a productive conversation…
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(A/N: [13?? Words] Short Chapter. No Status)
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