Two days later, after Michael's diagnosis by Oinna, a new morning came and the forge of the Tuskir smithy was roaring as plumes of light smoke were raising from the chimney. Zurra was seated at a work bench within the smithing shop's small yard sharpening blades for the first batch of peelers and fitting them into the wooden handles specially carved by Yenna. Just as she was fitting another blade into one of the polished handles, Azhul arrived holding a waterskin, putting it on the table where there was still some space. "Brought you the water ya asked for earlier, mother. How come you aren't tending the forge? Want me to go and make sure the fires don't go out?" The young sow hunter asked as she looked in the direction of the small building where the forge was situated.
"Nay. No need. I got me new little apprentince to help." Zurra said with a snort and chuckle as she was sharpening another one of the tiny blades, her flat snout wiggling slightly as her eyes squinted to focus on her work.
"You mean... Michael? You left him unattended at the forge to stoke the fires?!" Azhul said with a slight worry in her tone and as her body almost instinctually began to face the building and move towards it, Zurra's large hand grasped her wrist lightly.
"Let'im be. He asked for it, literally. I showed him the ropes of it, I check on him when I am taking a break from this and honestly the lad seemed to really need something to do. Technically I don't even need the fires roaring anymore, but... he was interested in learning something, so I told him to keep it going. He came to me at the crack o' dawn. He seemed to have trouble sleeping, a bit down with the snout in the mud. Anythin' happened?" Zurra asked as she let go of Azhul's wrist and then returned to her sharpening, while still maintaing conversation with her daughter.
"Ah. I see... Ye. Oinna found out he been takin' in mana from the air, since his body makes none o' his own, a few days ago. He then wanted to learn to do some druidic rune based magic, so Oinna tried teaching him to use some numbing ice magic, at his request. But... Apparently, because of the whole thing of... not being able to feel mana cause he got none, he... puts too much into it and what was supposed to be a simple magic, ended up with Oinna's home bein' covered in frost on the inside and the rune conduit she let him use, shattering into pieces in his hand." Azhul said with a bit of a sigh as she sat herself down on a stool next to her mother, taking one of the unsharpened blades, a whetstone, some water from a bowl and going at it alongside her.
"Oh. Well... ye. I can see how that would get someone down a bit, but he can train into it. I remember you struggling with how much mana you put in your enlarging spells when ye were younger." Zurra said as she looked towards her daughter with a nostalgic gaze, for just a moment.
"That's what I thought as well, but of couse, the Brood Mother wasn't with him on this one either. After I gave him false hopes, without knowing, Oinna, not realizing how it would make 'im feel, quickly corrected me and said that even if he trained on channeling mana better, due to him not knowing where the mana around him ends and he begins, he would end up with the varying unstable results on his castings. That, he didn't cope with well. He seemed genuinely excited to use spells." Azhul said with a tired oink thinking about, how the human, just seemed to drop the idea entirely, once his hopes for it got throughly shattered.
Zurra nodded as she listened. "Well... it could've been worse. Let's be glad he isn't sucking mana out of the air constantly and harmin' us without wantin'."
Azhul rolled her eyes slightly at her mother's concenpt of a wooden mug half full, as her gaze then landed on something resting on the table. She would stop her sharpening and then grasp the object, holding it up. "Is this what he was asking to be made for him as a weapon? It is kind of small..." Azhul asked as she held up a nicely made iron knuckle duster, with leather padding at the pack end of it.
"Yes. I like the name of it, knuckle duster and don't be talkin' about size. When I finished it and Michael with Runhar took a look at it, Runhar offered to put an earth armor on himself for Michael to test it. He was adamant about doing so on something not alive. So, we took a caprimello fruit, which was the best thing we had for a head. Let me tell you, the way he holds it is weird, he said he can't swing exactly like he normally does with it, but once he hit that capri with it, he smashed it to pieces. It was like he ripped it apart with claws he didn't have." Zurra then snorted and oinked a laughter. "Should have seen Runhar, who seemed real glad he didn't insist with his idea too much. That thing would have hurt even throught earth armor."
As Azhul listened with deep interest, the door to the forge's building opened as Michael stepped out, dressed in an oversized leather apron and wearing three fingered large gloves that have been tied with leather straps to his forearms. "Doamne, ce oribil..." (*"God, how horrible..."*) He groaned, as sweat dripped off of him like he just came out of sauna, his body under the apron shirtless and having taken a slightly more reddish hue than usual. He began approaching the table, while taking off his gloves, his eyes immediately focusing on the water skin, which he took, unquirked and drank from with a desperate greed.
"Ah right. So, that's what the water is for. It is still weird to me that you do that, the whole... sweating thing. Why is it like that? Wouldn't it be easier to simply drench yourself with water directly?" Azhul said as she shielded her snout slightly, although no harsh odor was coming off of the human, the memory of being shoved in his shack by Gharna a while ago, made her a bit more wary of the human's ability to stink like a corpse. "Also it stinking if you don't wash it off, seems not so useful."
Michael, kept drinking as he listened to Azhul, but it took him another few good seconds to put the waterskin down and gasp for a satisfied breath of air. "Yeah. It kind of sucks, but sweating I would say is much better than dying of how you heat up in the middle of a fight or while doing work, plus I don't have to carry water with me to drench myself uselessly, I can just drink it and my body does the rest. Also the smell isn't so bad, if you wash it in due time, it's not the sweat itself that eventually stinks... its... man... explaining biology here will make me sound like a nutcase, tiny animals you can't see in the air and on my body that, if I remember correctly, but don't quote me on it, eat it and then poop, that make the smell. I think that's the gist of it..." The young man said slightly unsure, remembering why he passed his biology exams with a score of 7.20 when he was younger.
Zurra and Azhul both stared at Michael, like he was indeed a crazy person as he spoke, Zurra grimacing at the explanation. "I-... I know ye said some useful stuff before, but I am deliberately refusing to accept that right there, because of how much it makes you sound like a mad man and because of how disgusting it would be if true." The older sow said as she then refocused on fitting another finished peeler into its handle.
Azhul nearly dry gagged, putting her hand over her mouth and snout to stop herself. "You mentioned before that your people research this and deemed it necessary to know, but it just sounds disgusting. Even animals bathe, why would you need to look into the reasons why your kin has to bathe?! Why not just do it?"
'You'd be surprised at what stupid concepts our people had about health longer ago and yes when you simplify terminology for stuff, it does sound horrible." Michael agreed as he made a slightly disgusted expression himself at the thought. His eyes then saw Azhul was holding onto his knuckle duster. "Were you taking an interest into it?" He asked curious of what the young sow hunter thought of it.
"I found it a bit... weird and underwhelming, but mother told me what you did to a poor innocent caprimello with it. I am excited to see how you use it in a true fight, especially after seeing what you can do without a weapon." Azhul said with a snort and chuckle. An excitement was obvious in her tone as she remembered how they fought back to back, although the situation was dire, there was something of an inspirational awe witnessing how Michael fought.
Immediately and visibly Michael seemed to stiffen up as she said that, softly reaching and taking the knuckle duster from Azhul. "I am hoping. To not have to do that again, nor to have to truly use this on someone..." He said as his voice seemed to dye in his throat.
Azhul's expression seemed to change as well, as she snorted and huffed slightly annoyed. "That is one thing that confuses me to frustration, Michael. I do not wish to press on it, because you seem affected by something, but I still don't understand how you can fight the way you do, but you seem spineless about it. Are you afraid of pain?! Do you just preach peace and give war to deceive others that you are weak as a fighting tactic?! What is it?" Azhul blurted out, only realizing shortly after, that she said outloud what she wished she only thought.
Zurra looked at her daughter, unsurprised. 'Yup. She's my daughter alright.' She thought with a silent snort as she remembers how she herself snapped at Michael not long ago. Their family's temper was short, at times.
Michael was looking wide eyed back at Azhul, noticing her own surprised gaze. He awkwardly smiled and just broke out in a small laugh. "Agh man... that was quite straight forward. Hah." He said wiping his brow.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"I-... *sigh*... I was thinking that, but I didn't mean to blurt it out like that-... it's not my place to ask, but it has been a confusing for all of us and..." Azhul said as Michael shook his head lightly, which prompted her pause suddenly.
"No, no. I get it. I do. I have been an enigma since I came here and you are trying to figure me out. The way I was raised and I learned to deal with things is different from what you are used to. It's normal. *Sigh*... yeah I am not gonna make a big case about it, but it is uncomfortable to go into detail about it." Michael said as he stalled a bit, taking big breaths to try and embolden himself.
"It is nothing as smart as you might think... I just... I have inherited anger issues from my father and in certain situations he showed me how he was when he got agressive... I in turn, since I was little, I've faced some things while younger that made me need to learn to fight and how to be agressive to protect myself and... I got to one point where I basked in how good it felt to be wrathful and fight those that deserved it. But... it also made me think of when my father was agressive towards me, my mother, my sister... and... it made me sick to my stomach. Being younger, also made me think of those moments as him becoming a monster... when I fight, I can feel myself enjoying it, knowing that someone wronged me and I get to beat their face in.Afterwards I realize how bad that feeling is, because I am afraid that one day... I will end up being like that towards people that don't deserve it and I realize how me hurting someone affects those that care for them."
Azhul listened to Michael speak and she, sat there, not entirely sure how to reply to that, she seemed at a loss for words, slightly. 'Oh, Hunt Father, I just had to open me yapper. Still... this is good to know about him.' She thought as she snorted a sigh.
"Yer not like your father." Zurra chimed in nonchalantly as she kept on working, not even lifting her eyes up from her work.
This got Michael and Azhul to both stare at the sudden remark from the older smithy, with quite a decent amount of surprise, at which point the older sow, feeling the two gazes burning holes in her fur, stopped and looked at them. "The fact that yer even thinking all of this shows, yer not like him, if what yer saying is true. Also, don't blame yourself for shite choices others made. I am tellin' ya now, if Azhul here, started something with ya and it resulted in you kicking her tusks in... Aye, I would be madder than the Brood Mother is at cowards, that ye laid a finger on me little piglet, but... at the same time, if I knew she started it, trust me, she would be gettin' a second arse whoopin' of dissapointment from me. Everyone, will always be upset when someone they care about gets hurt, but at the end o' the day, me own mom had the best advice for this. Ahem... 'don't start what ye can't finish' ... although she told me that when refering to me accepting more smithing comissions than I can handle, it applies to fighting too. If someone starts a fight, they best hope they can finish it."
"Thank you... hearing that means a lot. Truly." Michael said looking at Zurra and smiling lightly.
Azhul sighed, nodding along in agreement with her mother's hypothetical. "Aye. That makes sense. Although, me losin' a fight seems a bit of a stretch." She said jokingly which got a snort from Zurra.
"If I were you, I would be careful. Ye might be strongest now, but others are still growin' as well and learnin'. Leaning on a ear just because ye see yourself on top is the recepy to be outdone sooner rather than later." Zurra added with a snort as she finished fitting the final blade into its handle. "Alright. Sigh... I'm done with this shite, gonna go and lie down." The older sow groaned as she lifted up her heavy frame from the stool she was sitting on.
"I-... should I keep the forge going?" Michael asked have awkwardly realizing, he wasn't exactly shown what to do exactly when the forge needed to be stopped.
"I'll deal with that boy. Ya take a seat, you did enough." Zurra said with a snort as she gave his back a "light" pat, which made him slightly lose balance, the smithy then heading inside by herself to deal with the still on going fire.
"Before you go off doing anything else. I have been discussing with Urla and Gharna to decide together where it might be best to sell these. We thought going to Road's Turn might be a good choice." The sow said as she stretched a bit in her seat.
"Oh? I presume it is a village?" The young man asked curious as he once more nursed his thirst from the waterskin.
"Yeah. Of sorts. Funnily it is built at a crossroads of two large trade routes. There's small villages all over the plains it resides in, so each of those had built a shop of sorts there, where their community brings together things to sell. It is a week of travel on foot to get there, but we should be able to manage." Azhul then paused a moment as her eyes looked at Michael and she took in a deep breath. "We... have also been debating wether or not it is a good idea to have you join us in that travel as well. The more people that know of you... we felt... might not be a good idea."
Michael froze up for a moment as he stared at Azhul with a rather dissapointed look on his expression. "Sigh... I hate that you are right. God, I would have loved to see more places, but no... you were right to discuss about that. Still, I would appreciate to be included in those discussions. At the end of the day it would also be my call wether or not I should go."
"Sorry we didn't bring ya into the discussion itself, but don't worry, not for a moment did we make a choice for you, that is why I wanted to tell you now. If you want to go, we won't stop you, but we would need to struggle to conceal you." Azhul added as she gave Michael a shoulder pat.
"Of course I want to go, but I am not that dull to not realize the risks. I will sit tight here and help around, plus, I believe there are quite a few people that are still avoiding me around here. So, it would be best I get on more people's good sides." Michael said with a small smile, clearly trying to hide that he was miffed at the fact him going out was a bad idea.
Azhul would look at his clearly upset mood and she would give a glance around before, giving him a one arm side hug real quick before letting go. "Ah, don't worry. You'll be fine here. Me, Gharna, Yenna Oinna will be going to make sure we are safe and after we sell these we will buy what we need and come back."
"Alright, but before that, we will take a seat and I will show you exactly how these work. Also don't try to sell them right away openly to a large group. Try to find anywhere on the way, where you can sell a few and see how willing people are to haggle for it. It should help us gauge a rough pricing. From what I discussed with Zurra, people here go on a system of coins akin to what we humans used to do longer ago. I was glad because using bronze, copper, silver and gold coins wasn't too unfamiliar to me. After I asked her for prices on things you all have around the village, I think we could make a good 4 to 5 silvers on each these roughly, if my estimates by comparison are correct. Still, knowing people haggle, I would say to start at 7 and not go lower than a 4. People who want it for its use but are less wealthy will try to haggle a better price, while those not concerned with coin won't insist too much on a lower price or won't push for it as much. Let people test it, try selling it to simple people, traders, anyone that seems to have some coin on em and make sure to take notes on what type of people paid how much for it. I would say then we can know how much people would value these for and we can price them accordingly. Even if we sell them for 4 silvers per piece we are still coming with some decent profit, but if we are looking to get all the materials we need, we have to make some serious coin."
"I still call truffles that ye aren't a trader." Azhul added afterwards with a light oinking laugh. "Alright. I'll let the others know about your plan. We'll be headin' out tomorrow. Ya thought of any plans of what you will be doing around while we are gone?"
"Well, I'll be helping about properly, I feel I haven't been doing proper work about to truly earn my keep. Maybe I in my free time I will hang out with Woh. She's been getting a bit... clingy... ever since Urla had my gloves turned into a costume for her. I am glad she is enjoying them. Still, I am afraid she might cling to my back while I try to sit and I might squish her." Michael said with a small laugh which Azhul gave a snort and a light head shake to in response.
"I was quite surprised about it myself honestly. She was really happy to cling to me or to sit on my shoulder. Wait. What do you mean hang out? You mean like in the trees?" Azhul quickly questioned him a bit confused.
"Oh no no. It's a saying like... shooting the shit." The young man said quickly, thinking that would clarify it.
"W-why... would you shoot dung with an arrow?!" Azhul asked even more confused as she laughed awkwardly.
"Oh for fuck's sake..." Michael said looking down at his medallion annoyed. "To kill time." He said thinking that should clarify it, but the blank expression on his boarish friend's face let him know it didn't help much. After a letting out a groan and face palm at how slightly inconvenient this was he took a moment to put the words together in his head. "It means to spend your time by... doing something that isn't necessarily productive, but for the sake of relaxation and without the goal of necessarily achieving something."
"Oooooh! You mean 'to lay in mud', I see. Yeah that sounds like it could be fun with her. Also... uhm... I am presuming when you were saying '*to* *consideration of fucking*' that was... another mistranslation?" Azhul added now understanding what Michael was saying regarding the previous series of words he threw at her, but clearly she had gotten ever the faintest flustered as he said that.
'Man... note to self, manipulate literally everyone into learning these sayings, because I am not relearning entirely new ones. The human world already has too many bloody sayings to begin with, I don't need more.' Michael thought as he took a moment to rub the bridge of his nose. 'Urla wasn't joking when saying that such things don't get translated.' He groaned mentally. "No, no. That is just swearing! I promise I wasn't trying to make any sort of indecent proposal."
"Ya better not have! I was about to get me handaxe, boy!" Zurra yelled out from inside the smithy's building in a serious tone before she let out a loud laugh, without explaining exactly if her previous words were genuine or just a joke to add onto the silly misunderstanding.
"Let-... Let's just get these and show ya'll how to use em. We got twenty four, or two dozen as we say sometimes, that were made, so we will leave some of em around here for you to have, four should be enough to go about." Michael said as he began scooping the peelers into a small wooden box made of scrap wood.
"Y-yeah. Hah... Let's. Lot to do if we are heading out on the morrow." Azhul agreed as she spoke slightly awkwardly, as she then grabbed the box from him.
Michael took his knuckle dusters and after getting rid of the leather apron, him and Azhul began silently leaving the smithy going on with preparations for the soon to happen departure.