Snirie's Forge

Forget what Father Brennan said

We were not born in sin

The Lumineers

The path to the forge was a steep slope, with stones that were cleaned weekly. Trees around were responsible for the path being full of leaves that only grew in the summer, some flying with the wind.

— You know what? I always thought he was a bit of perfectionist. — Said Albion.

— Oh, yeah? — I turned my head smiling at him. — And why do you think so?

The brightness of the blades blinded me, when he drew from his saddlebag. There were two, decorated with some notches and a leather handle in the center. I looked at my right hand. The hawk tattoo appeared even though it was being covered by a glove. And maybe would stay there for a long time…

— Hey, no need to be sad, The Thunderhawk Guard isn't even that stuff!

— Personalized sword, lightning power, cool clothes, free food at the On'Me's tavern and a free pass to visit Aerileon and Zão Ying. — I counted on my fingers.

— Okay, it's full of cool stuff, but, you don't need the guard or powers to be awesome. And you're the coolest person that i'm lucky to be friend!

We arrived at the Forge's Gate, which was being covered by some vineyards. It was a beautiful camouflage for strangers on the island. Albion pushed them away and stuck the sword in the keyhole. The sword shone with electricity and the passage opened.

Snirie was well-known for all kinds of craziness, among black magic, study of creatures from another world, and of course, his forge being inside a giant tree, because, why not?

— Wait. Something is wrong… — He frowned, looking at the numerous branches of the forge above. — The fire is out.

— ''The fire is out'', what do you mean… — I felt a pain in my head, as if someone had suddenly hit it with a hammer. It was brief, and when i redoubled consciousness, i was in the middle of a library. It was freezing, and i was breathing hard through my mouth.

I noticed that i was holding a sealed scroll with a symbol in my head.

— Hey, you found it! Oh, wow, there's a lot! — Brassara appeared next to me wearing a padded winter coat. She carried the trident on her back, no longer with the frozen tip, using a type of buckle.

Brassara would never in his live use a winter coat.

— Okay… Definitely is something going on. — My hands went over my body to check that everything was fine. Aside from the fact that i was wearing a cap and the thunderhawk personalized jacket, everything was in a ''compliance''.

— Yeah, Albion found a massage chair from Snirie that is miraculous! You have to check it out, c'mon! — She took my hand, which did not freeze and which is also strange, and guided me through the rooms of the forge. We arrived at what appeared to be the center.

A stone circle took over most part of the room. Some weapons and all kinds of armor served as decoration. On the walls, thousands and thousands of photos from Snirie on her adventures. Behind Albion, a round window showed the blizzard outside.

— H-h-h-hi g-g-u-ys! — He was lying on a padded chair that was shaking wildly. He was also wearing the thunderhawk jacket. — C-c-an som-e-e-one h-h-help me!? I don't k-k-kn-ow ho-w to tu-r-r-r-n this OFF!

Laughing, Brassara went over to him, looking for a button in the chair, while Albion hopped uncontrollably. I started looking around for clues. Even i, was surprised to be able to keep calm with all this going on, but come on, when you hang out with Pogo, you start to get used to a lot of bizarre stuff. So i was kind of trained for situations like… This.

Snirie was incredibly perfectionist and organized. All the armors, weapons and even the wood floor were clean and shining. The photos were all framed with all kinds of different notches. One of them, appearing to be larger than the others, caught my attention.

It was perfectly centered, with a frame that appeared to be silver. Five individuals, three women and two men, one being Snirie, posed making faces and laughing, wearing chain mail and armed with all different types of weapons. In the background, some tents and a vast desert.

I recognized that as the land of Kinbarakz.

I came closer, analyzing the photo carefully. All eyes were torn, making it difficult to know who was who, which caused more pain in my head. One of the women's, caught my eye. She had short hair and bowed, showing her tongue.

The same tattoo, the same scar on the neck and the same stick hanging in the waist. That was Beatrice ThunderHawk. That was me.

I pulled away, blinking several times, trying to stay calm. Was that me in the future? My hair is not cut like that. And i was… Pretty.

— Hmm… Guys? We have a problem, i think it's Snirie! — Albion wiped the window on the door with his jacket sleeve, trying to see outside.

I could be in a parallel reality, in another universe, but being caught in the forge without his authorization could have severe punishments. Always.

— Crap! Brassara, teleport us out! — I exclaimed, going to where she was and taking her hand. My hand didn't freeze.

She frowned.

— What do you mean with ''teleport''? Wait! I HAVE TELEPORT POWERS??????

— Yes, you have, and, YOU ALWAYS HAVED, man, i think i'm gonna freak out… — I said, doing a massage on my forehead.

The lights came on. As far as i know, they were activated whenever Snirie came close. We should act fast. I looked around for somewhere to hide. Two flights of stairs led up to the 2nd floor. There would be no time.

Opting for the most logical solution, i raised my fingers to my lips and signaled to hide behind the furnace. The chances of him find us were extremely high. The others realized that, but they crouched anyway, Brassara taking the trident off his back and keeping him out of sight.

We were totally in silent, just listening to our breaths, releasing vapors. A moment passed and the door suddenly opened. We heard the blizzard outside, while Snirie stomped in. I raised my head just to spy what was going on.

He seemed to be hurt. Bandages wrapped around his right wrist and he was holding a long sword with difficulty. With his free hand, he aimed at the door, wich closed immediately, then waving his fingers and muttering some kind of magic.

— You sure about this? — A figure appeared beside him, taking off his hood and suddenly becoming visible, along with whistles and clapping. I glanced sideways at Albion and Brassara who were still neutral. I looked back at the mysterious person. It wasn't someone i knew. He was at least 30 years old and with a well-kept beard and hair. In addition to his robes, the only notable thing about him was the staff he held, with an orange crystal on top.

Snirie finished the spell and leaned on the sword.

— I think… I think this gonna hold them for a while… — Said Snirie. Getting up, he gave him a dirty look. — For all the kingdoms you could get into, why did you choose Nerwingal? Those Elves are all crazy people and you know it!

— The Order and my brothers will do what is necessary to…

— Screw The Order and your brothers, thanks to you, now i have to worry about a task force destroy my entire office! — Exclaimed Snirie, being accompanied by a chorus of ''ooooooh!!!''. Again, with a little fear this time, i looked at my friends, still with neutral expressions.

Snirie lowered his wrist and a green light pulse from there. If i tried to look at whatever was causing the light, i started to see black spots, so i started avoided looking over there.

— I'm afraid that the only way to ban the spell is, or we cut off the arm…

— WHAT, NO!

— ...Or we fight them.

Snirie started to consider that, crossing his muscular arms and looking around. For the first time, in my 18 years, i saw him look sad. If there were Elves chasing you, especially those psychopaths from Nerwingal, you just lay down and accept your death, or struggle to take at least one of them to your grave. Or try.

He fixed his eyes on the stranger and held out his hand in our direction. The parchment i was holding stuck in my hand and dragged me on the floor over to a confused Snirie.

— Hi…

— Snirie, we can explain, please not throw us in the Cabrycg! — Said Albion, raising hands together with Brassara, leaving our hiding place. Taking advantage of the situation, a lot of voices coming from nowhere started to laugh, as if they were an audience.

The blacksmith fixed his eyes on me, as did his friend who was now gaping.

— Isn't that your friend? — Asked the stranger. Now that i was closer, i could see an accent in his speech, but i couldn't tell which kingdom he was from.

I managed to detach myself from the parchment and stood up, moving away a little. Snirie was not angry. A little blood, a bright red, comes out of his nose. As well as the stranger. And Albion. Also Brassara's.

I stood still while the scene changed around me. Lights of all kinds bombarded me, along with countless guitars playing and someone hammering a piano.