After Katashi handed me a long rod, calling it "a spear worthy of a Wootz warrior," the Japanese called over his young assistant and instructed him on what needed to be done while the blacksmith himself would be absent. Then he approached me and, bowing his head, said:
"If we don't want to run," saying this, the blacksmith glanced at the iron rod lying on my shoulder, "it would be better for us to set off right now."
"As you say." Shrugging, I thereby demonstratively gave the leading role in our duo to Katashi, at least for the duration of our journey. "Just need to grab some water."
Approaching the well, I leisurely filled my belt flask with clean water. This pause was necessary for me to clear my head and discard thoughts of being merely an instrument of the Shard's fortune. Moreover, I found myself in this role for the second or even third time. If the first was considered to be saving Scully at my expense, and the second, my aid to Arien in deciphering Magevra's ritual. After all, what does it matter whether I am an instrument or not if the outcome is beneficial for me as well? This simple thought, like oil spread on water, calmed my nerves. So, when I put the empty bucket back on the well's edge and turned around to the waiting Katashi, my face showed nothing but readiness for the journey ahead.
"Now I'm ready," I said, having tightened the straps of my backpack and secured both spears on my right shoulder.
"Then let's not waste time." The Japanese nodded and, slinging a woven basket over his shoulder, confidently headed down the narrow arrow-straight path leading away from the village towards the river.
Waving goodbye to Oldon, I caught up with the blacksmith and positioned myself beside him. Like many masters of their craft, Katashi wasn't fond of idle chatter. He could only be interested in talks about the weather, gossip, and rumors if they somehow pertained to his work. So, we spent the first ten minutes of our journey in silence. The Japanese was lost in deep thought, evidently pondering the truth of my words, and I did not disturb him. However, it was difficult for me to walk beside him in silence. I constantly had to check myself, as I wanted to tell too much to someone who was destined to ascend the Divino Stairway. Usually, silence doesn't bother me, but now I almost had to physically cover my mouth to avoid blurting out something unnecessary and untimely.
To distract myself from thinking about what to tell a future God of Labor and what to keep silent about, I began to practice out of habit. This time, I chose to work on Rune magic, remembering that Katashi was also interested in this topic. Picking up smooth stones along the way, I inscribed them with the Des sign, then, tossing the stone aside, tried to activate the Rune as far away from myself as possible. This practice was quite familiar to me, as I have been doing such training for quite some time now.
After the first quiet pop from a small stone shattering in flight, the Japanese walking beside me clearly showed interest in what I was doing. However, pretending not to notice his curiosity, I continued with my task. And after the fifth river pebble exploded in the air, Kay couldn't hold back any longer and inquired:
"Are you trying to invent a grenade equivalent?" It seemed to be a rhetorical question, though, because before I could answer, the Japanese continued. "I've attempted it too. But no matter how hard I tried, the effect seemed too weak to me." He patted the hilt of his war hammer, elaborating after a short pause: "I tested it by putting a chainmail on a suspended boar carcass and blowing up stones with the Des Rune just like you did. I even designed special grenades with shrapnel... And if sometimes, with a bit of luck, it was possible to pierce the skin, the chainmail always withstood such blows. And the same Air Barrier could easily deflect the shards away, as their speed and mass are quite small."
"Nevertheless, such a skill can sometimes prove useful," I replied, shrugging, not at all upset by the Japanese's words. "For example, using a similar method, while I was still at Copper, I bombarded a dungeon boss with a hundred of these little bombs. I didn't kill him, of course, nor did I maim him, but it got him out of sorts and even slightly stunned, which then allowed me to finish off the dungeon master. And in a battle against people, such a tactic should not be discounted. Of course, not as a main weapon or primary means of attack, but as a distraction, it could work. Besides, I'm currently training not only in rune detonation but also in energy transfer, as well as improving my illusion magic." I paused and added with a heavy sigh: "I'm simply having a terrible time with these Illusions; no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to project an image outside my own body."
"Oh!" came an astonished exclamation from the Japanese, quite unlike him. "I've been struggling with that too. And only recently have I made a bit of progress." To prove his point, he used illusion magic to create a schematic drawing of a katana on the sleeve of his gambeson. Not on the skin, as I can, but on the sleeve! "Only like this so far, but I feel I'm on the right path," Katashi's voice tinged with poorly concealed pride.
"I've tried training in illusion magic as the locals do, but all these meditations meant to uncover something new within oneself, and amorphous advice like 'you must feel a tingling in your left heel and focus on it,' didn't suit me..." My lips twisted into a slightly sad smirk. "About the tingling in the left heel, that was, by the way, a figurative comparison. But indeed, the study of some local magical schools is fundamentally built on such vague advice and teachings."
Here, I exaggerated a bit, as this "vague" training primarily concerns areas of magic like Illusions and Mental. Elemental schools of magical art, however, are more structured and specific in their training techniques.
"Yes, I agree," nodded Katashi, and something resembling understanding could be seen in his gaze. "I've had my own struggles with those Illusions... Tried to study them with local masters." A heavy sigh escaped the smith's lips. "Each of them taught in their own way, and all their methods were designed for many months, if not years, of constant practice." A satisfied smile crossed his lips. "Then an analogy occurred to me, and immediately the situation moved from a standstill."
"An analogy?" Since in the Last Cycle "I" didn't study this school of magic, I would have welcomed any advice.
"Back at my home, on Earth," the Japanese explained, "instead of a normal TV, there was a projector installed. And my study of Illusions significantly accelerated when, working with this magic, I began to imagine myself as a sort of magical projector, casting an image outside my body. Initially, to achieve a result, I needed deep meditations, but now," a new pattern ran along his sleeve, "as you see, it's become much easier."
"A projector, you say…" I mused thoughtfully. "Thank you for the advice; I'll try your technique. Maybe it'll help me too."
Then, our conversation turned to the topic of Runes. More precisely, I steered it that way. To my slight disappointment, Katashi, despite his immense talent in this area, having spent quite a lot of time studying the Rune of Destruction, did not pursue the search for other Runes. Of course, one could understand him since his main passion and aspirations lay in the realm of smithing. So, having satisfied his initial curiosity and "deciphered" the Des Rune on his own, with only a rough sketch provided by Lan Lin, he cooled off to this topic. More precisely, he categorized it for himself as interesting and requiring attention but still not a priority, thus postponing further exploration of this magic area for "some other time." So, besides the Des Rune, only two Signs of Divine Speech were added to Katashi's arsenal. These were the Runes of Metal and Stone.
I offered the Japanese to exchange the designs of the Runes we were familiar with, and he readily agreed since he was clearly interested in this magic, but he was not yet eager to spend too much of his time on it. Of course, from my side, it was not a very equal exchange since I could not understand the Runes drawn by Katashi. I could only memorize their outlines. But the Japanese, possessing a remarkable ability to Understand Runes, could, with some effort, comprehend all the Signs I showed him. Despite the apparent imbalance of such an exchange, it played into the hands of my primary strategy, namely, my desire to strengthen the Shards.
While exchanging the learned Signs, Katashi told me that the Metal Rune greatly helped him in mastering the technique of "Metal Weaving." The very technique that local blacksmiths, who have ascended to the Precious Coil of the Spiral of Elevation, use for quick chainmail production. Naturally, such a unique technique, where a master literally "knits" and "weaves" metal wire with their fingers, could not fail to interest Katashi. And the fact that only masters who have reached the Stone Coil can use it, of course, did not stop the curiosity of the earthling blacksmith. Moreover, when Katashi approached the study of this technique, he already had an Affinity with Metal and thought that this very Affinity would help him in learning it. But, no matter how hard he tried, it did not go well, or rather, it did not work at all. Thanks to the Affinity, he intuitively felt what to do, but the physical realization of this understanding just wasn't happening. Unsuccessful attempts to tie the metal wire as if it were wool threads continued right up until the moment he tried applying the Metal Rune on his palms during the work. This immediately made the metal in his hands much more malleable. With notes of pride, Katashi shared that, although he still can't work with steel in such a manner, softer metals like gold, copper, and even silver now yield to his fingers. As it turned out, those bracelets made according to an earth design that were so liked by local merchants were produced by Kay out of thin silver threads precisely using "Metal Weaving." And something similar was what that wealthy merchant ordered for his daughter, with the only addition that the bracelets must include moonstones.
Since the conversation touched upon Katashi's favorite work, he got a bit carried away. Without looking at the road, he gestured how he pulled the metal wire, as if it were much softer and more pliable wool threads, how he weaved and bound them together. And at the end of his story, using Illusion magic, he demonstrated the design of the bracelets he had made for sale.
Only by looking at their image did I understand why these items had so interested the merchants. The fine lines, unexpected transitions, and weavings that strengthen the bonds, made as artistic elements - all this gave the bracelets made by the Japanese an indescribable volume and airiness. In Ain, no one else made anything like it, and the uniqueness of the jewelry that came from Katashi's hands attracted the merchants' attention, who immediately bought everything the Japanese had made, practically without bargaining.
In the Last Cycle, I had not heard from Katashi about such bracelets. It's quite possible that he didn't make them then. After all, in that Cycle, the Japanese only began to study Rune magic on the Legendary Coil, and by then, he had no time for jewelry. Moreover, Katashi did not master the "Metal Weaving" skill so early then. But this time, it seems, his fascination with Runes and finding the Metal Rune helped him.
When you look from the outside at such a situation and notice the nuances, you can't help but make a comparison with that butterfly, which, by flapping its wing, caused a volcanic eruption on the other side of the planet. In this Cycle for Katashi, it seems, only the composition of the group trials changed, yet as a result, his story has already gone in many ways on a different path. Because in my "memory of the future," there is no mention of the bracelets made by the Japanese, and, as a consequence, no one then stole the moonstones from Katashi's house.
"As for the armor you desire..." the thoughtful voice of the blacksmith interrupted my philosophical thoughts. "It's not that simple. I would even say it's very complicated."
Of course, I knew this, but I pretended to be surprised, even stumbled, as if in astonishment, and stared at the Japanese in theatrical bewilderment, hoping very much that I wasn't overacting:
"Elaborate." The dry and demanding word slipped from my lips.
"I'll start with the most obvious," Kay announced in a businesslike tone, unaware of my feigning ignorance, and then stretched out his left hand, beginning to bend his fingers. "First, a half-cuirass or a full western-style cuirass. I'm afraid that the process of manufacturing such armor, given the technological base available in Ain, or at least the base I'm aware of, is very difficult to replicate. You might say that magic exists here, but craftsmanship magic can't help in everything. A cuirass is not just a sheet of metal given a certain shape, although even producing a simple flat sheet poses great difficulties in the local context. A cuirass, especially when we talk about its later variants, is armor that has undergone centuries of evolution. The same hippothorax, which is known locally, cannot compare with such a cuirass neither in terms of the complex of protective properties nor in terms of technology, although it might surpass the classic cuirass of the Conquistadors in beauty." Here, he hesitated and added, "Hippothorax is..."
"I know," I cut him off, as even without the experience of the Last Cycle, I knew what it was since such armor was known in Earth's history from the times of ancient Greece.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"In general, the local masters can make the same hippothorax, but they will ask for a lot of money for it, that's one. And two, even with the help of magic, it will take them no less than two to three weeks of work. As for the cuirass that you need, none of the locals will reproduce it. More precisely, if you provide them with a detailed drawing and pay a mountain of gold, then masters at Ruby or Diamond will likely make something similar. But... exactly 'something similar,' not a full cuirass with the correct angles of the plates, with calculated ribs of stiffness, and other nuances." Katashi looked up at the darkening sky, on which the stars could already be easily distinguished. "Even I, knowing all these details and pitfalls, would not undertake to make something like that right now. Maybe in about two months, when I finally design the water-driven hammer and build a new forge, only then I... No, I will not take on this work, but I will begin to investigate how best to do it. Because the metal is different everywhere, and there's also magic involved. If I start getting something right earlier than after a dozen trial melts, and the water hammer's design doesn't require being completely redone about three times, I would be very surprised. And as you probably guess, all this will demand a huge amount of time."
"Is it all that complicated?" I asked, pretending to be greatly surprised.
"What I've listed is just the tip of the technological iceberg." The Japanese smiled, pleased with the comparison that came to his mind, although his smile looked a bit sad.
"So I better forget about the cuirass," I concluded with a heavy sigh of almost unfeigned regret.
"If we're talking about a full suit of armor, similar to the late Western models, and not about a similar handiwork that will be much less functional, then yes. Or rather, it's better not to forget but postpone the question for at least half a year." Katashi's gaze was fixed far ahead, and he added. "I have been thinking about building a normal, familiar technological base since my first day in Ain and hope, in half a year, to create something similar. Then come back, and we'll think about making your cuirass."
Yes, in the Last Cycle, he spent a sea of time, energy, and resources on this project. Ultimately, he almost accomplished everything he wanted but never used these developments, such as the water hammer, because this world could offer a replacement.
"New forge, and even powered by water. Isn't that a bit of a complex project? Or do you also understand construction?" I started from afar.
"Alas," the Japanese spread his hands, "I am not strong in this. But I am confident in myself, and I know that if I take something on, I will definitely see it through to the end. Even if it takes much more time and effort than I initially calculated, I will still do it."
"Sure, sure," I chuckled softly.
Then I told Katashi about Vidar's group, emphasizing that it includes a construction engineer who has already taken on the project of a sawmill powered by the same water drive. The Japanese understood my quite transparent hints correctly and even sincerely rejoiced to learn that these people were just two days' journey east of his forge.
"A water hammer is, of course, a step forward..." My words brought a condescending smile to the Japanese's face, but before he could insert a sarcastic comment, I continued, as if in deep thought, "But can't the 'Fire Forges' of the dwarves replace it? I've heard legends that the hammers in these forges are so huge that the famous underground masters make their renowned steel tombstones with a single strike."
"Dwarves?" The Japanese grimaced. "I've heard of them, of course, but I've never seen one. And many local peasants and even traders consider stories about them to be nothing more than fiction."
Scratching my chin, I replied in a calm and even somewhat surprised tone:
"Strange. I've even seen those dwarves. Personally." Not in this cycle, of course, but I have seen them, indeed, though Katashi is better off not knowing such details. "And from the stories of trustworthy people, I've heard that there are three 'Fire Forges' in Pentapolis. The first is supposedly in Cornis and belongs to the Artifactors' Guild. The second is located in Sun City, built by dwarves as payment for the help of the Paladin Order many centuries ago. And the third stands in Deytran, the city considered the trade capital of Ain, and the city council leases it to the best of masters for work.
It was this third "Fire Forge" that, in the Last Cycle, upon reaching the Legendary Coil, Katashi practically occupied entirely. With his incredible mastery, he proved to the trade council of Deytran that he was the best of all the blacksmiths in Ain.
My words somewhat shifted the Japanese's dismissive attitude towards dwarves and, it seemed to me, planted a seed of desire to learn more about them.
"So all these tales and bard songs about dwarves, underground citadels, skilled blacksmiths of the undermountain people, and about the great wars of antiquity that were fought in this world even before the appearance of humans - they're not entirely fairy tales?" In Katashi's voice, I still heard notes of doubt.
"I'm not sure they're all fairy tales, as I've also seen the Sidhe, personally at that, and only by a miracle did I walk away from that encounter." That I had seen those Sidhe already dead, he didn't need to know either.
"Sidhe - are they the local elves?" Katashi asked again.
"No, Sidhe are Sidhe." I shook my head sharply at such an assumption. "Though, a creature resembling an elf from fantasy books, I've also seen and even spent more than two weeks on his ship. And I must say, I've never met a more extravagant personality than this Larindel."
"It seems you've been tossed around this world far more than many others." If it were someone else, he might have misled them with his supposedly cold tone, but I easily detected the genuine curiosity the Japanese tried to hide from me.
"Tossed around." I didn't pretend to be falsely modest. "If you're interested, I can give you an overview. But! You've only mentioned the first obstacle I'll encounter when ordering my set of armor."
"The second aspect," without arguing with me, Katashi obediently bent his second finger, "is how the plates of Ottoman armor are stitched together. It's not enough to know the general principle of plate layering. To achieve the famous mobility of this armor without sacrificing protection and durability, one needs to precisely calculate the necessary plate proportions, stitching step, and the height of the main attachment. It's no coincidence that such armor appeared almost at the same time as knightly cuirasses. Behind its outward simplicity lie centuries of gradual changes and the accumulation of experience from hundreds and hundreds of masters. My advice to you is to order regular plate armor if you don't want to end up with a pathetic and poorly functioning imitation. Moreover, the advantages of Ottoman armor over the behter[1] I made for myself," he patted himself on the scale of chest plates, "are not that great. And making a behter is much simpler, especially considering that local craftsmen know how to produce this type of armor. And its basis is the well-known chainmail." He suddenly leaned forward and then did the same to the other side. "Moreover, as you can see, this armor hardly hinders movement, which, it seemed to me, is what you need."
"Behters have their flaws," I disagreed with the Japanese, shrugging my shoulders.
"Compared to Ottoman armor?" Katashi smirked with a hint of superiority. "And what are they?"
"It's easier for me to show once than to explain ten times," I allowed a bit of bloodthirstiness to creep into my voice, but the smith ignored this hint.
"Then show," he nodded confidently. "Demonstrations are always better."
Placing my hand on the Japanese's shoulder, I stopped him and, looking into his eyes, asked:
"No hard feelings?"
"What?" He didn't understand.
"No hard feelings?" I insisted.
"If you're not going to poke me in the side with a dagger or something sharp, then I have no objections to your demonstration." Withstanding my gaze while remaining completely calm, Katashi responded.
Well, just what I needed, especially since he stood perfectly, half-turned towards me, and looked me in the eyes while also keeping my hands in his field of view. But a hit to the liver he did not expect. Therefore, he didn't even have time to tense up when my knee drove into his side, just above the waistline, below the shield covering his back. This part of Katashi's body was protected only by chainmail and a thin gambeson, more resembling a Japanese robe. Of course, such flimsy protection couldn't stop, let alone partially absorb, the blow of a warrior of the Wootz rank. Chainmail is effective against slashing and cutting blows. And if covered with small scales, as in the case of a behter, with some luck, it might stop a stabbing thrust. But in no way can the armor worn by Katashi compensate for the crushing blow.
The chain links and small plates obediently bent under my knee. At the same time, neither the rings themselves nor the plates sewn onto them nor the armor as a whole were damaged by my strike in the slightest. The same cannot be said about the body of the Japanese. Moreover, I hit accurately, sharply, and unexpectedly, almost not holding back the force of a Wootz fighter. Even a regular hit to the liver, for example, if a child accidentally elbows you there during play, is quite painful. And, for instance, in Muay Thai, knockouts from hits to the liver area happen as often as regular ones[2].
Katashi's mouth opened in a silent scream, his face contorted, his legs buckled, and the blacksmith's body began to involuntarily tip over. Casting aside my spears, I caught his belongings with one hand and the blacksmith by the shoulder with the other, preventing him from falling to the ground. Seating the Japanese, who was gasping for air, on the beaten path, I pried open his teeth and poured a painkiller and restorative potion into him. Of course, it could have been managed without it since my blow did not inflict any serious injury. If I had hit any local like that, it could have led to internal organ rupture; that's true. But Katashi, like any earthling, had a "mithril body" and was much sturdier. While the Japanese was coming to, I spoke softly and calmly:
"I really like the 'Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy, but there was always one aspect that bothered me. That scene where the giant cave troll spears the little hobbit, practically pinning him to the wall. Yes, it turned out that the spear couldn't penetrate the mithril mail, and Frodo survived. That moment always seemed very far-fetched to me. Because, even though the mithril mail, worn practically over a bare body, withstood the troll's spear, the hobbit himself did not possess such magical durability. So, Frodo should have still died at that moment due to internal bleeding and numerous blunt-force traumas to his organs... And even if by some miracle he hadn't died, he should have sustained injuries that would make further travel impossible." I sighed with slight regret. "However, the movie is still excellent, and such details can be forgiven."
While I was speaking, the potions took effect, and Katashi came to his senses. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes became cold as ice. To someone unfamiliar with the Japanese, it might have seemed that he was very angry with me. And that would only be half true. For almost a minute, he kept piercing me with a heavy gaze, then unfastened the strap of his pouch and took out three silver coins. After which, he extended them to me.
"For the spent potion," the Japanese said dryly and unemotionally.
From anyone else, I wouldn't have accepted the money, but knowing the stubbornness, to put it mildly, of Katashi's character, I swept the silver from his palm into my pouch without looking.
Making no sudden movements, the Japanese took my hand off his shoulder, then, in complete silence, picked up his belongings, and only after that got to his feet. Shaking off the grass that had stuck to his clothes, he finally looked at me again. By that time, I had picked up my spears and met the Japanese's gaze directly and openly.
"I have a good imagination," Katashi said, very much like a schoolboy answering a teacher at the board. "We're going into a dungeon inhabited by stone monsters, including huge golems three meters tall. I now have a very good idea of what being hit by a stone fist from such a creature would do to me and my armor. Thank you for the lesson." With these words, he bowed deeply. When the Japanese straightened up again, his gaze became more lively, and he added, "It hurt."
[1] Translator's note: To clarify why here and in the previous chapter term "behter" is used, Katashi said he was referring to the eastern name of this type of armor, so I used this quote from the respective wiki page, "Behterets (also spelled Bekhterets; Russian: Бехтерец), from Persian behter" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_and_plate_armour) - Persia does fit the definition of "eastern" after all. "Jashwan" was another option.
[2] Author's note: Knockouts through liver strikes have been recorded in HMB competitions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Medieval_Battles) even through such armor as a brigandine combined with a full modern reinforced gambeson. True, that was a knee strike in a jump, but it was performed by an ordinary person, not a warrior of Wootz.