28 Leifhein Forge

'Mn, here again, huh? Did I actually die this time?'

'Ai~'

'Shit, again? The poking never stops.'

'Love~'

'Eh? Another miss voice in my head? No bed this time, actually this spot is killing my back.'

'Me~'

'Ah, miss voice, I can barely hear you.'

'Love me~'

'Love you? I love a lot of people, ok that's a lie, I love myself and my sister though. Damnit, quit pokin' me!'

'You will... Love me~'

'Look, sweetheart, you can't just go making people love you, ya gotta earn it! Not that I would be the one to ask about how to go about doing that.'

'I will... make you... Love meeeeeee~'

The vision of Andromeda's unnatural wide-eyed grin appeared in Ai's mind as she creepily licked her lips with an abnormally long tongue.

"FUCK!" Ai screamed out as she launched herself upwards, bashing her forehead on something particularly hard.

"Tha Fack lass! Me nose!" Hoat'l screeched out, grabbing his bloody nose. But, Ai just stared at him with a look of sheer terror on her face.

"Lass? Wha's wrong?" He leaned forward, placing his stubby free hand to her forehead, Ai flinched away immediately, curling up in a ball against the wall.

Kenji placed a hand on his shoulder. "She had a lot happen to her. She was attacked by orcs before I got to her, thankfully, I don't think they did anything to her." He looked at Ai with an empathetic expression.

"Mnnn, the hell happened... The fuck!?" Amari finally awoke, looking down at the red silk robe covering her body. "You sonovabitch, if you did anything to me while I was out, I'll kick your---" Amari was cut off as Ai scrambled and crawled up to Amari, leaving a trail of blood as she wrapped her stubbed arms around Amari's waist, burying her face into her stomach.

Amari couldn't flinch from the pain of Ai burrowing into her injury, at this point, she didn't even care that she was exposed as the robe had fallen over Ai's trembling body. Amari simply wrapped her arms around her devastated little sister. "Ai..." Was the only thing she could choke up.

Even the guys, both of which were head over heels for Amari, paid her absolutely no mind at the sight of the terrified little girl in front of them.

"Sh-sh-sh...." Ai tried to speak, but she couldn't form the words as Amari lightly brushed her hair. "Shhhh... It's ok, big sis is here." Amari tried to calm her down, but she could tell nothing would work, so she simply kept brushing her hair.

Kenji turned around and tapped Hoat'l on the shoulder, the dwarf looked up with an expression of remorse. "Let's go find the forge, Miss Amari is strong enough to take care of her sister, and they need space." Hoat'l nodded as he grabbed Kenji's shoulder and they blurred away.

Amari sat there, stroking her trembling sister's hair as seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to more. "It's ok, big sis Amari is here." She said this softly, but the look of fear and worry wouldn't leave her face.

"Sh-sh-she... she... knows... she knows..." Ai's trembling voice finally became coherent enough. Amari knew exactly what she was talking about, sure she wasn't the brightest, but she knew damn well who haunted her sister's dreams now. She had seen her sister awaken in the middle of the night, but she was never this devastated.

Could it have had anything to do with the recent traumatic experiences? Maybe, but Amari didn't think so. This was something else, Andromeda must have had a hand in this. The mere thought of that insane woman sent shivers down her spine, the bitch was crazy and powerful enough to crack an enchanted artifact weapon with her bare hands.

If she found out where they were, they needed to hurry.

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Kenji and Hoat'l stood on top of a massive anvil, looking out over a massive pit filled with ash, a single, small blue flame sitting in the center.

"So this is the legendary Leifhein forge, huh?" Kenji asked though he didn't sound as enthusiastic as he had wished, this was a monumental discovery after all. However, the thought of Ai being tormented so much wouldn't allow him the luxury of excitement.

"Mn." Hoat'l nodded with much the same feeling as Kenji. "This is it, the very forge tha' blade was made in, I only wish I could show th' excitement that it deserves." He said as Kenji nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't seem like a normal forge though, does it? Aren't there supposed to be more parts?" Kenji asked and Hoat'l nodded. "Aye, lad. This Forge be somethin' special, tha' flame o'er there, when strengthened, will melt down any metal to any shape, and ye have to be strong enough to handle the heat to carry th' molten metal to tha' there anvil, only then can ye hammer it into what ye desire."

Kenji nodded, looking over towards a rack with large chunks of the material they were looking for, sky-steel. "Well, we completed the mission we set out for, too bad it feels like a hollow victory."

Hoat'l shook his head. "Nay, I still have to work the sword, and tha's only if the metal don't reject me 'ands." He said with a stroke of his beard.

Amari appeared between them, fully dressed, with sword in hand. "Ai is alright for now, she fell asleep again and I waited a bit to make sure she wasn't having another one of her nightmares." Amari said as she handed the sword to Hoat'l.

"'M glad to hear that, miss Amari." Hoat'l said as he nodded and turned to the flame.

"First off, I wanted to say... Thanks guys, second, we need to hurry, I think a very dangerous enemy knows our location, and we don't stand a chance, even combined." Amari said, with a very serious expression.

Kenji wanted to refute that statement, but the seriousness in Amari's eyes told him all he needed to know about how serious the situation was and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Alright, lad and lass. But first, we need ta awaken the fire spirit." Hoat'l also felt the urgency from Amari and decided on the fastest, albeit most dangerous way to awaken the flame.

Hoat'l climbed into the pit, the ashes burning his feet as he walked closer to the flame. "Ol' flame o' the ancients, hear me plea in this hour o' this dwarfs need." He chanted, holding his hands up to the blue flame, channeling his mana into it. Sweat poured down his body as, even with the flame this small, the heat was almost unbearable at this distance.

'Who would awaken the sleeping flame.'

"Ol' flame o' the ancients, ignite this ancient forge once again."

'Hmph, prove yourself, dwarf of the mortal realm.'

Hoat'l took a step closer as the flame grew brighter, the flesh from his hands starting to scorch over. "Ol' flame o' the ancients..." He flinched as the flames started to burn away his flesh, bone visible on his palms. "...reforge the path fer us once more."

'Hou~ you're pretty tough for mortal. You have my attention.'

Another step and the flame grew even larger, burning his beard away, revealing his chubby cheeks that started to blister and burn. "Ol'... Flame o' the... Ancients..." His breathing became labored, pushing back the excruciating pain.

"...Grant me... your favor... Eimyrja, lady of the sacred flame." As the last words escaped his lips, the flame burst out, incinerating Hoat'l's body and covering the entire pit.

'Well, you certainly know how to make a lady blush. Very well. I will grant you what you seek, mortal.'

The blue fire turned white, light engulfing the entire room. When the light finally dimmed after several seconds, the flame slowly retracted to the center, revealing the restored body of Hoat'l, holding the small blue flame in his hands as he held it to his chest. The flame flowed through his chest, disappearing entirely.

The dwarf looked up at Amari and Kenji, who stared at him with a look of bewilderment, as Hoat'l smiled, stroking his magnificent beard.