Kago
Active Member
Word Count: 1,292
The massive chunk of metal rested across both of Dio’s shoulders. The weight of the material forced the giant man into a hunched over position and rest it down his back. Each step forward brought him closer to the forge - even though his pace felt more like a crawl.
Just a few more steps and...
He stood up straight and relaxed his grip on the metal edges. As the material slipped from his back and crashed to the floor, Dio released a deep breath. His muscles groaned from all of the heavy lifting Elidor had requested.
As his rubbed his shoulder, a curious thought crossed his mind. He turned toward the blacksmith . The man was grinding a smaller chunk of material.
“Elidor?”
“Hm?” the older man murmured as he stopped the stone wheel. “What is it?”
“How do you plan on smelting down so much metal?”
Elidor glanced toward the growing pile of metal next to the forge and chuckled. “Oh, we won’t be needing any of that. I’m nearly done with the replacement panel. And, not a moment too soon!”
“What will we be using it for then?” Dio asked.
A spark of creativity flourished in his mind. With so much metal, they could make nearly a legion’s worth of weapons. Or perhaps, they will be constructing panels for a new warfare ship. The possibilities were nearly endless.
“All of that has already served its purpose. I just needed to see how much weight you could carry,” Elidor smiled and carried the metal panel to a table near the back wall.
Inside, Dio’s creative spark roared into a resentful flame. He understood that he would be used for menial labor; however, he had assumed it would have a grander purpose to it than to merely test him. He felt like a fool. And, to top it off, Elidor found it amusing. He would show the blacksmith how humorous he could be.
“Now, then. I’m a bit famished,” Elidor announced, patting his oversized belly. “And from that look in your eye, I can tell that you are too. Why don’t we head back into the tavern and get a quick bite?”
The hunter clenched his fists. Something within him found satisfaction at the thought of hurting the blacksmith. Unfortunately, that would most likely mean the end of his protection here. Irving would revoke his previous goodwill and inform the lawmen of his precise location. Then, he would be on the run, making protecting Aeliana and himself more difficult.
Seething, Dio closed his eyes. He took a minute to calm the wildfire raging within before responding.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
As the duo reached the main room of the Tavern, Elidor found them a pair of chairs at a back table. Dio was still disgusted with the man for his perceived maltreatment, so he turned his chair to face out towards the room.
His eyes subconsciously drifted toward the table in the far corner. As expected, Sorena was not there. He figured she would still be sleeping off the events of the previous night. A part of him, however, hoped to catch a glimpse of her.
Sighing, Dio turned his attention to a woman with braided blonde hair conversing with Irving. As the proprietor spoke, she played with the bottom frill of her white shirt that poked out from beneath her leather corset. Her back was to them, but Dio could tell from her petite frame that it was Aeliana.
The hunter watched as Irving reached up and stroked her face with his hand. His gaze dipped toward her neckline and a flash of something pulsed in his eyes. It took all of Dio’s willpower not to dash across the room and bash the slimy proprietor’s face in.
“Looks like the boss is taking a stab at the fresh meat,” Elidor muttered amusingly.
The comment pulled the hunter’s attention away from his prey and toward the blacksmith. “What did you say?”
“The girl?” he explained and pointed. “She’s new. Irving usually tries to pull the new ones into his personal harem on the first day. See?”
Irving leaned in to say something into Aeliana’s ear and placed his hand on her brown skirt. Giving her rear a squeeze, he winked and smiled confidently.
Dio shot out of his chair. Something rough but massive wrapped around his wrist. He looked down to see Elidor’s stubby, powerful fingers gripping him tightly and holding him back.
“Are you nuts, boy?” the blacksmith asked in a hushed tone. “You would never make it to him. He’s got guards hidden among the crowd. They’re EVERYWHERE!”
With a defeated grunt, Dio sat back into his chair. A quick tug freed him from the blacksmith’s grip and he folded his arms across his chest. His eyes narrowed as he stared toward Elidor.
“Fortunately, it looks like she was too smart for him,” the blacksmith said with a laugh.
Dio turned back to see Aeliana headed toward the far side of the room. Irving’s mouth hung agape for a brief moment. The dumbfounded expression quelled the raging beast inside of the hunter. Aeliana would not be his - not today at least.
“So, who is that girl? Why is she important to you?” Elidor asked after a brief pause.
Dio eyed the blacksmith curiously.
He shrugged. “Don’t need an old man’s intuition to see that you were ready to bash in the head of our employer over a small tush grab.”
“She’s my -”
What exactly was she to him? He could not call her his employee; she no longer performed services for him. If she had her way, they would be more equivalent of lovers than friends. But, neither of those words worked for him either. To be honest, he was not quite sure anymore.
“- ward,” he said, but even that felt off.
“Ward, eh?” Elidor scratched his beard. “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, she looks plenty old enough to take of herself. Shouldn’t need a guardian.”
“She chooses to stay under my protection. So long as she wishes it, I will be there to defend her.”
The blacksmith chuckled. “All right, lad. Whatever you say. Just consider yourself lucky that she wasn’t here to see your little outburst.”
“She?”
“Yeah, the woman I was telling you about earlier,” the blacksmith said, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. “The one who I think secretly runs this place. She’s always here and I’ve even caught her talking with some of the girls like she had some authority over them. Anytime I try to find out some more about her-”
“Good afternoon, Elidor. Dio.”
Morgance - the curt woman who served Dio during his first night at the tavern - sauntered up to their table. The muted tans and browns of her dress highlighted her dark skin. She wore a smile, but her lips did not seem to fully curl up at the edges.
“What can I serve you today?”
Dio glanced to Elidor and the old man adopted a broad grin. “Ah, Morgance. I was just telling Dio here how lucky we are to have such a beautiful woman in our midst.”
The woman rolled her eyes and placed her hands upon her hips. “No need for flattery; I just need to know what the two of you want to eat.”
Elidor proceeded to order food and drink for both of them while Dio reflected on the man’s hushed words. Who was this woman that he referred to? Could it be Morgance? Or was it some woman he had never noticed before? Or, was this just perhaps a conspiracy theory from an old man with too much time to think?
The hunter was left feeling disturbed as Morgance left to retrieve their food.
The massive chunk of metal rested across both of Dio’s shoulders. The weight of the material forced the giant man into a hunched over position and rest it down his back. Each step forward brought him closer to the forge - even though his pace felt more like a crawl.
Just a few more steps and...
He stood up straight and relaxed his grip on the metal edges. As the material slipped from his back and crashed to the floor, Dio released a deep breath. His muscles groaned from all of the heavy lifting Elidor had requested.
As his rubbed his shoulder, a curious thought crossed his mind. He turned toward the blacksmith . The man was grinding a smaller chunk of material.
“Elidor?”
“Hm?” the older man murmured as he stopped the stone wheel. “What is it?”
“How do you plan on smelting down so much metal?”
Elidor glanced toward the growing pile of metal next to the forge and chuckled. “Oh, we won’t be needing any of that. I’m nearly done with the replacement panel. And, not a moment too soon!”
“What will we be using it for then?” Dio asked.
A spark of creativity flourished in his mind. With so much metal, they could make nearly a legion’s worth of weapons. Or perhaps, they will be constructing panels for a new warfare ship. The possibilities were nearly endless.
“All of that has already served its purpose. I just needed to see how much weight you could carry,” Elidor smiled and carried the metal panel to a table near the back wall.
Inside, Dio’s creative spark roared into a resentful flame. He understood that he would be used for menial labor; however, he had assumed it would have a grander purpose to it than to merely test him. He felt like a fool. And, to top it off, Elidor found it amusing. He would show the blacksmith how humorous he could be.
“Now, then. I’m a bit famished,” Elidor announced, patting his oversized belly. “And from that look in your eye, I can tell that you are too. Why don’t we head back into the tavern and get a quick bite?”
The hunter clenched his fists. Something within him found satisfaction at the thought of hurting the blacksmith. Unfortunately, that would most likely mean the end of his protection here. Irving would revoke his previous goodwill and inform the lawmen of his precise location. Then, he would be on the run, making protecting Aeliana and himself more difficult.
Seething, Dio closed his eyes. He took a minute to calm the wildfire raging within before responding.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
As the duo reached the main room of the Tavern, Elidor found them a pair of chairs at a back table. Dio was still disgusted with the man for his perceived maltreatment, so he turned his chair to face out towards the room.
His eyes subconsciously drifted toward the table in the far corner. As expected, Sorena was not there. He figured she would still be sleeping off the events of the previous night. A part of him, however, hoped to catch a glimpse of her.
Sighing, Dio turned his attention to a woman with braided blonde hair conversing with Irving. As the proprietor spoke, she played with the bottom frill of her white shirt that poked out from beneath her leather corset. Her back was to them, but Dio could tell from her petite frame that it was Aeliana.
The hunter watched as Irving reached up and stroked her face with his hand. His gaze dipped toward her neckline and a flash of something pulsed in his eyes. It took all of Dio’s willpower not to dash across the room and bash the slimy proprietor’s face in.
“Looks like the boss is taking a stab at the fresh meat,” Elidor muttered amusingly.
The comment pulled the hunter’s attention away from his prey and toward the blacksmith. “What did you say?”
“The girl?” he explained and pointed. “She’s new. Irving usually tries to pull the new ones into his personal harem on the first day. See?”
Irving leaned in to say something into Aeliana’s ear and placed his hand on her brown skirt. Giving her rear a squeeze, he winked and smiled confidently.
Dio shot out of his chair. Something rough but massive wrapped around his wrist. He looked down to see Elidor’s stubby, powerful fingers gripping him tightly and holding him back.
“Are you nuts, boy?” the blacksmith asked in a hushed tone. “You would never make it to him. He’s got guards hidden among the crowd. They’re EVERYWHERE!”
With a defeated grunt, Dio sat back into his chair. A quick tug freed him from the blacksmith’s grip and he folded his arms across his chest. His eyes narrowed as he stared toward Elidor.
“Fortunately, it looks like she was too smart for him,” the blacksmith said with a laugh.
Dio turned back to see Aeliana headed toward the far side of the room. Irving’s mouth hung agape for a brief moment. The dumbfounded expression quelled the raging beast inside of the hunter. Aeliana would not be his - not today at least.
“So, who is that girl? Why is she important to you?” Elidor asked after a brief pause.
Dio eyed the blacksmith curiously.
He shrugged. “Don’t need an old man’s intuition to see that you were ready to bash in the head of our employer over a small tush grab.”
“She’s my -”
What exactly was she to him? He could not call her his employee; she no longer performed services for him. If she had her way, they would be more equivalent of lovers than friends. But, neither of those words worked for him either. To be honest, he was not quite sure anymore.
“- ward,” he said, but even that felt off.
“Ward, eh?” Elidor scratched his beard. “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, she looks plenty old enough to take of herself. Shouldn’t need a guardian.”
“She chooses to stay under my protection. So long as she wishes it, I will be there to defend her.”
The blacksmith chuckled. “All right, lad. Whatever you say. Just consider yourself lucky that she wasn’t here to see your little outburst.”
“She?”
“Yeah, the woman I was telling you about earlier,” the blacksmith said, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. “The one who I think secretly runs this place. She’s always here and I’ve even caught her talking with some of the girls like she had some authority over them. Anytime I try to find out some more about her-”
“Good afternoon, Elidor. Dio.”
Morgance - the curt woman who served Dio during his first night at the tavern - sauntered up to their table. The muted tans and browns of her dress highlighted her dark skin. She wore a smile, but her lips did not seem to fully curl up at the edges.
“What can I serve you today?”
Dio glanced to Elidor and the old man adopted a broad grin. “Ah, Morgance. I was just telling Dio here how lucky we are to have such a beautiful woman in our midst.”
The woman rolled her eyes and placed her hands upon her hips. “No need for flattery; I just need to know what the two of you want to eat.”
Elidor proceeded to order food and drink for both of them while Dio reflected on the man’s hushed words. Who was this woman that he referred to? Could it be Morgance? Or was it some woman he had never noticed before? Or, was this just perhaps a conspiracy theory from an old man with too much time to think?
The hunter was left feeling disturbed as Morgance left to retrieve their food.