Challenge

"Armor… He's going to make me armor… I wonder what's it going to cost me?" Star frowned as she sat on the ledge looking over the underground city. She sighed and looked up at the sky.

"How can people like living here. Don't they miss the stars or even the feel or rain on their bodies?" She rubbed her legs with her hands. "I'll ask the blacksmith when I go back."

She stood up and walked down the paved road heading into the city. She sighed as she passed the taverns and bars. "I miss the mountain city… Why did the shamans send me away?" She cursed. "It's all because of the ritual of the guard… Why is it so important?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I can't worry about it now… There's a lot of missing information. I'm sure that when I do the ritual, I'll understand then."

Star continued walking ignoring the growls coming from her stomach and looked at the entrance to the tower. She followed its walls as it climbed into the earth above them. "I wonder what's up there on the surface?" She turned to walk back to the blacksmith when she stopped and looked at the gate.

"Who's that?" She watched the stranger from a distance. "He's big, but I don't see any weapons on him…" Star's mouth fell open when she saw the stranger pull out a green battery showing the attendant outside the tower gate entrance. She cursed. "How did he get his hands on those? He must have found those beasts as well."

She started to walk in his direction, and then stopped when she saw the stranger being escorted into the tower grounds. She cursed and turned around shaking her head. "I'll have to ask him later, but first I should go to the blacksmith, and see how they're doing."

An image of the now toned apprentice crossed her mind and she smiled. "Strange man, but he seems friendly, also intelligent." She put a hand through her hair and sighed. "It's getting long… Iyane likes my hair to be long... I will let it grow longer. Hope she will like it even more." She felt her cheeks start to burn and shook the image of Iyane out of her mind.

Star looked at the road of blacksmiths frowning at the large numbers of people walking along it. She frowned and made her way through the large number of people. "They must also be looking to try for the ritual… I wonder if they're strong enough?"

She walked through and stopped at the blacksmith she visited many times in the past and cursed at the large line leading into the forge. "Why is he so popular?"

"Hahahahaha… Today's a busy day for us apprentices. Let's get to work collecting the orders and coin."

She saw the apprentices walk out of the forge and stop amongst the line taking measurements and orders from them. Star looked around. "He's not amongst them… Makes sense."

"Hey blacksmith… When are you going to let us see you work?"

"Hahaha… You should know by now, that I need to work through the night on your orders… If I didn't then how could I work with a giant line out here?"

"As long as I don't have to wait a long time to pick it up… I don't want to miss the ritual."

"Don't worry about that lad… You'll have your request shortly as long as you pay the coin, the request you've made will be made to the best of my ability."

"Thank you, sir blacksmith… You seem talented enough to become the Armsguard… Would you want to join my team as we go to the capital?"

"Hey… Don't ask him that, we want to ask him."

"No. Don't accept it sir blacksmith. Choose us."

"Don't listen to them blacksmith. Look at the team around me. You can see that they're strong. With you joining us, we'll be the strongest around."

"Stop trying to recruit the blacksmith… He can see you're weak and useless. You won't even be able to use the weapons he makes to their full ability."

She sighed and watched as another large man walked up to the one who was talking to the blacksmith and frowned. "I should move out of the way before they start throwing punches… Why does it have to be shows of strength? Men and muscles. Do they lose their brains when their muscles grown?"

"Why don't you just go back to wherever you came from and let the blacksmith and I have a grownup conversation."

She watched as the large man scowled and clenched their fist throwing it straight into the mouth of the person who was talking to the blacksmith.

"Let's see you talk to the blacksmith now with a mouth full of broken teeth. Hahaha."

"Why you… Team let's take him down."

Star looked around at the crowd as it became to get noisy. She shook her head and moved out of the crowd as the fight started to grow between the two groups.

"Stop!"

She looked at the blacksmith who was standing in the middle of the crowd with his hammer pointing at the pair that started to fight. She frowned at the hammer. "That's a strange looking hammer, it's got patterns all over it."

"I'll be joining a team, but for me to do that I need to see if you're really strong enough to wield my weapons and armor that I forge."

"You can see I'm the strongest here blacksmith… Look's like we're getting the blacksmith in our team."

"Yes lad you look strong, but I'm not just talking about you, what about your heart? Is that strong too? Are you willing to face countless warriors, pirates and who knows what else being trapped in the Firelands with all those convicts?"

"Yes blacksmith… That's why we're doing the trial."

She saw the blacksmith smile and put the hammer back on his belt.

"Then prove it to me."

"How can we prove that? We've been fighting pirates and smugglers all our lives… We have the experience and the reputation here that shows our strength."

She shook her head. "That means nothing in the eyes of the ritual, or does it?" She looked at the blacksmith in confusion. "How can he test them to show their strength and courage?"

"I'm going to give a task to you all here. If you can do it, then I'll join your team as the blacksmith for the ritual."

"What's the challenge sir?"

"Hahaha. It's not an easy one… Only the strongest and the ones with courage in their hearts can complete it." Star watched the blacksmith unroll a parchment that was in his other hand and placed it on the front of the sign to the forge. "I wonder what it is?"

"If you can complete this request and bring it back to me. Whoever is first will get me to close shop and follow them."

Star watched as crowds of people started to look at the request. "Are you serious blacksmith?"

She felt her curiosity grow as she watched the group looking at the parchment and sighed as their faces turned pale. "They've already failed." Star muttered to herself as she walked towards the blacksmith.

"You want us to go there, just to get some weapon? You're sending us to our deaths."

"So, you look strong on the outside, yet your heart is full of fear it seems. I don't think that heart will make it through the ritual. How could you face the tides of enemies against you, with your heart full of fear?"

"Blacksmith… You're a madman. You know that?"

She saw the blacksmith smile behind his large beard. "That I am. If you don't want the best weapons and armors, then I need that item on there."

She stood near the blacksmith and watched as groups started to lower their heads and walk away from the parchment. She eyes the large one with muscles that looked at it.

"The surface… Hmm. Fine blacksmith. My team will go get it, and then you'll be making your items for us, and not these kids walking away."

She turned to the blacksmith. "You need something on the surface?"

"Shhh. Girl. We'll talk later."

Star nodded and turned looking at the crowd around her staring at the parchment whispering to each other. "If it's to the surface, then we'll go too."

"Count us in… For the best items, you need the best materials…"

She watched the blacksmith place his hands on his belly. "Good. I see we've got some brave lads here… There's no time limit. Whoever gets it first gets my services for the ritual… Until then I'll be taking orders and making weapons and armor for whoever ask."

"Girl head inside. We can talk there. My apprentices will deal with these here."

Star nodded and followed the blacksmith into the forge. She turned and listened to the noise of fighting coming from outside. "Don't worry about them… They're all talk, and won't even be able to get up there in the first place."

Star looked at the blacksmith in confusion. "What's up there? Why is it so dangerous?"

"All that's up there are ruins, and very strong winds. Those winds are also very sharp and will cut your body into tiny pieces if you're not prepared for them."

"Then wouldn't they just ask for armor that can protect them in that environment?"

"Hahaha… You give those people outside too much praise. Just wait and see what happens."

She nodded in thought and looked up seeing the strange apprentice hiding in the back of the store. She smiled. "How is the armor that you said you'll make for me?"

"F.. f…finshhhedd. It'sssovvverrrthereeee."

Star followed the direction that the apprentice pointed, and her mouth fell open. "It's beautiful, but also it looks very strong."

"Bbbblackksmitthh. Helppp?"

"Hahahah… Fine Harnio. Girl. This armor is made to suit your nature perfectly. It has the qualities of water and lightning within it. All you need to do is put it on, and you'll be an impossible arrow shooting goddess."

"Priestess… notttt goddess."

Star looked in the apprentice's direction. "How did you know about that?"

"Tribes-people… no gods, but sserrrvantss of Creatorrr. Hence priests and priestess. Seecretttdancesss."

Star looked at the blacksmith. "He knows all about the mountain tribes… He's impressive." She saw the blacksmith nod. "You should of seen him the past few days. He's also been learning the language too."

Star felt her mouth fall open. "you know how hard that is?"

She closed her mouth and hid her shock as the blacksmith scratched his head shaking. "No idea. All I've been hearing these past few days is whistling and squeaking from him like he's a bird or something… Now try on the armor. He won't do anything until you try it on."

Star nodded and walked towards the armor staring at its helmet, chest protection, and leggings. "This looks amazing… The patterns look like waves on the ocean. I love it."

She looked around. "Where can I put this on?"

Star looked at the blacksmith as he sighed. "The room in the back. Just remember this goes over your clothes… Not under it. Also… I've been told it has a special little trick to it."

She felt her face heat up and nodded. She touched it and looked at the blacksmith. "What's this going to cost me?"

"Harnio said you've already paid the price… So with this armor, we're now even, and you'll have to pay for any future requests."

Star looked towards Harnio. "What did I do? Thank you. Did you make this?"

She watched Harnio look at the armor with a smile and nodded. "Sssoullbatterysss. That'ss the priceee. Thankkyouuu."

Star turned and looked at the weapons and armor around her. She looked at the blacksmith. "Did he make all of these?"

"Most of them yes. I still make some things, but the people don't want to buy my stuff."

"Then that challenge out there?"

"Hahaha… That's to keep people away from our little blacksmith here."

Star nodded smiling. "That's clever thinking. Continue to make orders and still keep people from trying to get you to join for the ritual."

"I wantttt to goooo to the ritttuall."

She turned and looked at Harnio staring at the ground. "You want to go through the ritual?" She watched as Harnio's head nodded.

"Senior student Harnio are you in here?"

Star looked at the entrance as a robed person walked in with an emblem of the tower on their robes.

She turned to Harnio and watched as he slowly walked and stood behind the blacksmith.

"Yessss?"

"Eiken needs your assistance with something urgent. It has to do with some batterys that have been found recently. He's asked for your urgent return."

Star looked at the blacksmith. "I saw the person delivering them… They're the same as the ones I found."

"Commingg."

She watched as Harnio followed the person who just walked into the forge sighing and shaking her head.

"Don't worry about him. He may not be good with people, but he's got a smart brain, and he knows what he can do."

Star nodded, and turned to look at the armor again, smiling. "What would Iyane say to me when she sees me wearing this? Would she even give me a chance to take it off before she jumped on me?"