ReCreation

Brengard gave Alessia the largest grin. "Well met, Knight Alessia!" he said heartily. "If it's provisions you'll be needin' I'd say hit up Wendy. She's the best apothecary around these parts; has a lot of unique stuff for sale, she does. But if you're here in my forge then that must mean you want me to work on some of your equipment, would I be right in assumin'?" There was an excited gleam in his eye. He could see that the equipment she bore now had been through quite some recent wear. There would be nothing he would have liked more than to set to hammering out those dents and sharpening that steel into something fearsome.

Alessia chuckled. "Yes sir," she answered kindly, "I wanted to see if you could enhance my blade." She drew the weapon and placed it down on the counter in front of her. Although it had seen quite a few battles since she picked it up, it still appeared to be in pretty good condition. Blue-green eyes swept over the rune depicting a sword with a burst of aura extending from it – Magic Circle: Blade Beam. The glyph was mostly responsible for the weapon being in such great shape. "The mana flowing through that symbol has kept the sword from being easily broken in battle, but it can only do so much."

Placing her hand over the symbol, she focused intently for a moment before placing her hand onto the frame of the blade. A small glow emitted from her hand as she removed the circle from the metal and came to hold an azure sphere with the same depiction floating within it in her hand. "Whatever you can do will be more than sufficient, I'm sure," Alessia finished with another smile.

Elisia frowned. So Wisteria was afraid of magic too? And from what she was saying, it didn't seem like something one could control by ignoring it – it wasn't like learning a physical skill that could be forgotten with a lack of practice. In that way it was more like shooting a gun than shooting a bow. It would kill every time if it hit its mark, and though she had little practice with guns she felt safe in thinking that it was much easier to hit something with bullets than arrows. Maybe it would be smarter to find Natasha a teacher...

The Sharpshooter's thought, however, scattered when she saw Wisteria creating a multitude of stars on her dark dress. The tiny mage voiced the (now clearly evident) fact that magic could also create beauty. Little lights reflecting off her gray eyes, Elisia quickly wiped them and nodded. "That is beautiful," she responded, allowing herself another small smile. "I suppose when we get back to town I should talk to my sister about finding a teacher. Someone who can help her learn the control you already possess."

Brengard took the sword in his hands. It wasn't damaged in the least bit, maybe a few light nicks on the blade itself here and there, but it seemed to be holding up quite well. There was a lot he could do to the weapon, so he asked for clarification.

"I'm capable of much, Knight Alessia," Brengard explained in a low tone, still eyeing the blade and brainstorming all the things he could do with it. "I can enhance it to make it stronger! I can fortify it to make it accentuate your body's other strengths! I can enchant it to give it devastating powers! Or I can make you a completely new sword altogether! What will it be?"

Alessia listened carefully to Brengard's explanation, noticing the way he sized up the blade and admired the handiwork. All of the options seemed exceptionally useful, but the last one stood out to her – if he crafted an entirely new weapon then she might just be on par with her allies. At the very least it would aid her in defending Wisteria, who had come dangerously close to being injured numerous times. With the tiny mage's well being in mind, Alessia smiled and said, "Forge me something brand new. I'm sure it'll be wonderful!"

"Excellent!  I will get to work immediately!"

Brengard begins to forge a new weapon out of First Chance!

Enhancements made...
Fortifications made...
Enchantments made...

Finalizing...

Brengard has forged the Dreamchaser!

Brengard wiped the sweat from his brow as he put the finishing touches on the new sword, picking it up when able and swinging it about through the air.  It was a light weapon with a blade that was not only strong, but sharp as well.  He handed it over with a bow of his head to the lady knight who had asked for the change.

"I present to you, the Dreamchaser, Knight Alessia," Brengard stated as formally as he could, a look of satisfaction on his face.  "I could sense you've had your original weapon for a long time--your first blade as a knight, correct?  Well this beauty here is a testament of your accomplishments since then, a semblance of how much effort you put into chasing your own dreams.  How does it feel in your grasp?  Do you like it?"

* * *

With the thoughts of roughing up some men on her mind, Xylia could not help but stop at the only tavern in town: the Sunset Swill.  The outward appearance was lackluster as was most of the buildings in town.  It was a wooden shack of a place with a covered wooden front porch and a screen door leading into a room filled with more wood--the wooden bar, the wooden furniture, and even the wood in a drunkard's pants as his mind wanders into a lewd fantasy.  The place reeked of alcohol, sweat, and dust, the latter of which could be seen floating in the air in the light that peered through the cracks in the walls.  It seemed as though there were only a few men in the tavern at the moment.  Most of the men were still working in the fields or patrolling the town in the case that brigands showed up.  The most activity took place at Sunset hence the name of the bar itself.  

A rather chiseled man stood behind the bar, wiping glasses with a white rag.  His attire was professional, but the dress shirt was bulging with the muscles he tried to hide beneath it.  His skin was tanned and his facial hair was trim, hair black and slicked back into a short ponytail, eyes dark and abysmal.  They caught sight of Xylia walking in, and she clearly wasn't from around here.

"Hail, traveler!  Welcome to the Sunset Swill," the bartender greeted her with a strange thick accent to his deep voice.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Wisteria hums, smiling all the while. She was truly glad Elisia saw the truth of the matter, and she was glad she had this chance to speak with her. Wisteria was learning more and more about their little party as time went by, but this little walk with Elisia helped immensely. Perhaps Elisia will ask her questions now, and those would be welcome, given they still had the chance to talk. The village could come under attack at any moment, so they should use this chance to rest as long as possible.

"If you'd like," Wisteria adds, "I can make a request to one of my teachers from the Night's Shroud. They aren't quite on the same level as my mother, but I've learned a lot under them and I'm sure they could help your sister."

-

Xylia rubs her chin as she gazes almost longingly at the hanging sign in front of the tavern. Her ears perked up at the sounds inside and her nose grew from the smells wafting out. The place looked like a complete shitstain on the map. Everything was made out of wood and the screen door looks like it's been thrown off several times. This is the kind of place where the men gather to drink and fight and wrestle, which means the floors and walls must be stained with alcohol and blood and piss. Definitely Xylia's kind of place.

As she strode in she heard the man behind the tavern counter welcome her, but she ignored him for the moment. There were not nearly enough people around for her to get in a fight with. If anything, the piss-faced men who did drop by looked weaker than her own grandmother. A fucking disgrace is what this place is. Finding nothing else of value, Xylia strode up to the man behind the counter, finally taking notice of his appearance. He looked like something that crawled out of a sewer. His hair was greasy enough for it, anyway. Nice.

"I'm getting an itch to hit something. Anybody strong live around here?" Xylia asks roughly, leaning on the counter and pushing her hips out to make her other side just as visible as her front.

Alessia took the newly formed blade in her hand. Immediately it felt right at home in her grip – strangely enough, it felt even lighter than when she first handed it over, but she knew well that this did not make it less durable. The metal had been tempered well and the edge was sharper now than it had been when she first received it. It had been improved overall; the new title the weapon bore exemplified this, just as Brengard had mentioned the dreams she had been chasing and the accomplishments she had achieved.

She made a light swing of the blade away from Brengard and the counter. The sound of metal slicing the air had a particularly pleasing ring in this instance. Alessia laid it back on the counter and held the Magic Circle sphere over it. "This is perfect Brengard," she exclaimed, "it's exactly what I wanted." As the circle joined the new blade, she picked it up and felt the power rushing through the blade – it would do nicely in the upcoming confrontation with the brigands. "How much do I owe you?"

"That would be great," Elisia responded cheerfully, "it would be nice to have someone to refer her to. Even if she doesn't stay their student, she could still stand to start training." The archeress could not help the smile stretching on her face. If Natasha could learn then what happened last time would not happen this time. Especially if she stayed off the front lines and used her gifts strictly for self-defense. Then nothing could harm her, even if Aika could not watch over her.

"I am curious, however," the Sharpshooter added after a moment, "as to how your training went. It seems to me you show exemplary skill for someone our age – clearly your mother has taught you exceedingly well. Were you always so talented or did your skill come with time? And when did you start training?" Elisia hoped these questions weren't too numerous for Wisteria. She was a quiet girl – perhaps only in groups, but Elisia knew quite well how easy it was to get overwhelmed by questions as a quieter individual herself.

"Madame, I'm afraid all the strong are working right now, including myself, and with the village on high alert because of the brigands, nobody wants a scuffle right now," the bartender explained, a rather disconcerted look upon his face. He could appreciate a hankering for a good scuffle, but now was certainly not the time. If she was a traveler, then she must have been with a guild. If she was from a guild, then she was here to fight the brigands. Why waste her energy? Maybe Irysium sent the wrong people for the job.

"Listen if there's anything else I can do for you let me know. Otherwise, I advise you get out of my bar, only because what you're looking for, well, you won't find it here, I'm afraid," he explained solemnly. "Mayhap you find action on the streets? It's not likely but it's something. I still think you're better off saving your energy. The brigands are no laughing matter."

* * *

Brengard was delighted at Alessia's reaction. She definitely loved her new weapon and rightfully so. "For you, it will be 110 Gold," he said as warmly as possible, a huge grin on his face. He outstretched a hand to take the payment and tucked it into his pocket for now. It would go in the lockbox when he got the chance.

"It's all yours now! Take good care of it, and if you have any other forging needs, you know where to find me!" he exclaimed with a jovial chuckle, certainly hoping that he had landed himself a repeat customer.

Items lost:

-First Chance

Items found:

-Dreamchaser

The Party lost 110 Gold!

Wisteria hums for a few seconds before giving any answers. She expected these kinds of questions, but still found it somewhat difficult to find the right answers. "Mother knew I had talent even before I was born," Wisteria starts. "Children have an attachment to magic, even if it is not in their blood. After all, magic does not have to be hereditary. She knew my connection was much stronger and she was prepared to start teaching me as soon as I could walk and talk. So I was four years old when my training started but practical application did not start until I was twelve, when mother was sure I knew enough to keep me safe.

"I rarely ever got complimented by her, but when she did it was the best feeling. It made me happy to see her be proud of me. Papa, on the other hand, always encouraged me and told me how bright I was. I think he knew mother only rarely gave me any compliments and tried to compensate for me." It wasn't really necessary, but Wisteria knew her father meant every word. That was enough.

"So to answer your question, I'd say I'm lucky to have both."

-

That's about anything that she expected to hear. Xylia didn't care about how this man felt about her asking for something to fight. What was wrong with finding someone to wrestle with before a battle? If anything it would get her blood moving. She felt stagnated, waiting around like this. Her rhythm will be fucked up if she goes into battle feeling this fresh. Xylia scowls, this man really knew nothing about fighting or brawling. Even with the brigands coming, any fight was better than no fight.

Xylia thought for a second about teaching this man a lesson about the nature of fighting, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. The only thing left in here is just a bunch of dead pissants. So she turns her head and strolls right back out the door. Xylia's only been here for a few minutes and she's already sick of the place. She wasn't interested in dog fighting or messing up some random schmuck on the streets. That's why she joined the guild - to get off the streets and actually get to hit something for once. Her strength was too much for the street rats to handle, that the man would even suggest it angered her.

Something her previous guild leader said struck her mind. He said the blacksmith here was rough and tough, right? At first Xylia wasn't interested in messing up the blacksmith, but maybe he'd be willing to wrestle her. She made her was through the streets, ignoring anyone that might have called out to her. She has no time to deal with beggars. Either steal or die, that was the law of living on the streets and she had no patience for people who did not even bother to try.

The smithy soon came into view and she pushed herself right in, finding the blacksmith himself handing over a newly forged sword to one of her newer guildmates. She couldn't remember the woman's name. Xylia didn't say anything, only crossed her arms across her chest and waited with a frown. She had nothing to say, not yet.

Children could have an attachment to magic? Even before their birth? The archeress had never considered such an idea before – perhaps Natasha held more skill than the Sharpshooter had ever noticed. It wasn't like her younger sister was regularly using her abilities anyway. She didn't have time to ask about how such a thing worked, however, for the tiny girl brought up her parents. "Your parents sound a lot like mine only switched," Elisa commented quietly. "My father was a very strict teacher – he would always tell me that only I could accurately measure my growth as an archer. My mother, on the other hand, made sure I knew how much my learning to hunt was helping the family.

"I miss them a lot sometimes. Some days are better than others. It's always been rough because they were my best friends..." She silently counted the years. Six. It didn't feel so long ago now, but sure enough, it had been over half a decade. When was the last time she visited their graves? Not since before joining Heart of Mana. The archeress decided a return visit would be in order soon. "I think," she began again, "that it's getting easier though. Joining the Night Shroud and Heart of Mana... it's allowed me to meet some wonderful people. Yourself included, Wisteria."

Alessia happily handed over the gold that Brengard asked for, sliding her new blade into the sheath she had kept the old on in. "I'm sure you can expect to see my guildmates and I again in the future," she called as she turned to leave, "your craftsmanship is wonderful!" And with her purchase made, Alessia left the forge and headed in the direction of the apothecary – as Brengard had mentioned, Wendy had quite a selection of wares and she meandered about scanning the options before handing off a list to the woman in charge. "If you could bag these up for me, that'd be great," she added after placing the rest of the party's meager sum of gold on the table.

Alessia purchases some items from Wendy's Apothecary!

The Party obtains:

---Tonic x4
---White Lily x1
---Vial of Acid x1
---Hunter's Talisman x1
---Chest Key x2

Gold: 0

Brengard watched as Alessia made her way out of the forge, pleased to hear that she would be a repeat customer. He bowed his head graciously to the woman before catching sight of someone else in the entrance. She had been there for a few minutes now, but had not said a word. Now that the two were alone, perhaps she wanted to speak? She wasn't from around here which made it likely that she and the Knight Alessia were comrades in arms, but such a difference there was between them. Brengard decided to engage.

"How can I help you, miss? I'm just coming off the cusp of a great creation! If you have a weapon or piece of armor that needs enhancing you've come to the right place!" Brengard greeted the woman heartily despite the frigid demeanor this woman held. He had a feeling she wasn't there for any of the services he actually provided.

Wisteria felt her ears grow a little warm. She hadn't expected to hear such words today, but she was definitely pleased by them. Elisia may not be the most social character, but after having a chance to get to know her, Wisteria was glad to. Especially with such compliments. "I'm tickled you feel that way about me," Wisteria says happily. "I only wish we had more chances to get to know each other before. It would have been nice to have someone I could open up to."

-

Xylia shrugs a little before pushing her back off the wall and stepping closer to the man. "I don't have gold and I'm not particularly interested in weapons." Xylia rolls her shoulders, feeling the crack of her neck as all the stiffness breaks out. "I'm looking for someone to wrestle. I heard you were strong."

Brengard was slightly taken aback by the woman's proposition. Did she really expect for him to agree to wrestle with her? It had been a long while since had done any fighting of any sort granted he kept his body fit and strong through his craft and exercising in his free time. She looked strong but would she really be able to handle his strength? With that amount of confidence, he felt that she might actually prove to be a powerful opponent in their little skirmish. Wait, was he actually thinking about going through with it?

"Well, young miss, you heard right. I am one of the strongest in the village!" Brengard explained heartily giving his muscles a bit of a flex. "Years of smithing and years of fighting before that have made me experienced in combat of all sorts. If you wanted to wrestle and get the blood pumping then who am I to decline? I certainly am no coward, I know that much. No offense, young miss, but I have seen many a far scarier opponent than yourself in the form of monsters. Maybe you have had a change of heart after hearing that?

"Well, we can be thankful that we are in this together now," Elisia replied happily. "I doubt I would want to get to know Alessia or Xylia all that much. As much help as they are on the field of battle, I don't think they're necessarily the easiest people to get along with." The Sharpshooter had been prepared to continue, but Alessia's amazonian figure appeared in her line of sight. Nodding her head ever so slightly so that Wisteria would get the message, the archeress took a moment before looking directly at the group's spokesperson. "Are we all set?" she called out.

"I believe so," Alessia returned in a similar fashion as she approached. "Our supplies are in much better shape, although I can't say the same for our gold." The Magic Knight offered Wisteria and Elisia a look into a small satchel filled with the items she had purchased. "The notice for this mission mentioned a monetary reward. Between what we get paid and the money we're sure to take off the bandits, I'm sure that won't stay a problem for long." Alessia closed the satchel and stored it on her belt, carefully inspecting her armor and the girls before her. They all seemed as ready as they possibly could be. Now all that was left would be to find Xylia, but that could wait for the moment. "How was your walk?"

"Alessia seems like a kind person," Wisteria offers briefly. "Perhaps a bit rough around the edges, but she might make an excellent friend one day." Wisteria nods back as the one they spoke of appears before them. Speak of the devil and she shall appear, it seems. Wisteria did not mind their gold situation, they had left it in Alessia's hands for a good reason - she seemed to be okay with finances. Wisteria wanted nothing to do with it until it was absolutely necessary. Her parents taught her good habits though.

"It was enlightening," Wisteria affirms, nodding once and beaming up at the taller woman. With the three of them back together, all that was left was to find Xylia so they could continue on. Wisteria was loathe to find the barbaric girl, but at the same time they couldn't leave her alone - not with so much riding on her life. "I believe I have an idea of how we can handle the demon inside Xylia," Wisteria adds in a low voice. "But we will still need help."

-

Xylia's face broke out into a huge grin at the smith's words. He was willing to tussle with her. That is exactly what she wanted to hear. "Not afraid of monsters?" Xylia almost laughs when she hears it. "Good! Monsters are afraid of me! Don't look down on me just because I'm a woman - I'm a lot tougher than I look." Xylia cracks her knuckles together, ready to get their little fight under way. "I'll even give you the first hit just to prove it."

"It is not oft that I would give the first blow in a sparring match with a woman, but you strike me as the insistent sort," old Brengard bellowed heartily as he stretched a bit, cracking his knuckles. He didn't know what to expect from this newcomer, but he would not be letting his guard down. Someone with that much confidence couldn't merely be full of it. There had to have been some basis. Regardless of whether she was weak or strong, he was about to find out firsthand for himself.

"You may regret tumbling with me," Brengard exclaimed as he rushed strong towards Xylia, building up force in his fist with the great momentum he had accumulated. For someone of his size and stature, he was rather fast, and as such it did not take him long to attain a pretty decent amount of force. He aimed for the gut aiming to knock the breath clean out of her, sharp and precise. The more quickly he could end this, the better.

Xylia's mouth curved upwards into a malefic grin when the man charged straight at her. In the instant before his fist connected, she braced herself, tightening the muscles on her abdomen. Xylia took the hit dead on, feeling the shock roll through her whole body and immediately grabbing onto Brengard's hand she threw him over her shoulder with a heavy grunt. Her grin got a little wider. "Like those abs?!" she said cheekily while rolling her shoulders. The hit definitely hurt, but she wanted to gauge his strength. She could take two more direct hits, at least. There was some amazing power behind those punches.

"My turn now!" Xylia touched her hand to the ground as she crouched, gathering power into her legs before shoving off, throwing her whole body at him. Using the momentum from her jump and a twisted shot of her arm she piledrived her shoulder and fist right towards the old man's own stack of abs.

Brengard's face held a look of astonishment as the woman did not so much as even budge.  She took the full brunt of his attack on purpose!  No dodging.  No counter move.  She wanted to get hit!  The hefty man grimaced as he realized that she was lifting him and hurling him into the air over her shoulder with at least some effort, but the fact that she could do it at all was a testament to her strength, aside from the fact that she took a full force attack from him without getting sent flying.

She was coming for him.  Brengard, being airborne, had nothing to hold onto--nothing to save him now.  He merely braced himself, his muscles tightening as she came hurtling at him, pounding into his abs as if she had driven into a steel plate essentially, but with as strong as Xylia was...well, she could dent a steel plate pretty easily.

Brengard lost his breath in a moment but he was able to hit solid ground, his feet sliding along the wooden floor of his shop.  The last thing he needed was a body-sized hole in the wall of his shop.  He easily caught his breath again, a technique that was invaluable to fighters.  A fighter without wind stood no chance.  If she was surprised at all by how quickly he recovered, he would take advantage of it, crouching low suddenly and sweeping out his leg to send her sprawling into the floor, using his crouching position to gain some height in a slight jump with the intention of dropping his mighty elbow down upon her prone form.

"Your abs are nice, but mine are tempered, as is the whole of my body, hahaha!" he bellowed as gravity brought his form down quickly. A speedy response would be needed from Xylia.

Her feet swept away beneath her, Xylia let her body fly and fall, catching herself on her hands. Facing the ground, she heard him jump and spun around immediately, not wanting to get caught by any sort of attack from above. She straightened her body using her hands to push off the ground. She slid past his elbow, grinning as she spun her body forward and brought down her heel on his back. Xylia would use his own weight and gravity against him, kicking him to speed up his fall. The kick propelled her up into the air until she met the ceiling.

"You might be bigger, but I'm faster!" Xylia shouted down at him. She kicked off the ceiling and plummeted down, aiming her knee to strike his fallen backside. She was only half-right, the big guy was pretty quick. She almost got hit that last time. Xylia would have to really depend on her speed more than her power this round.

The force Brengard hit the floor with was enough to splinter it. So much for no damage being dealt to the shop itself. However, that just gave him an excuse to do some woodwork for once instead of playing with metal. There wasn't time to think though; Xylia was using speed to her advantage but she was going to be greatly disappointed. Brengard rolled out of his small crater quickly, but he did not move an inch farther than what was necessary--Brengard was excellent with measurements. There could not be a wasted moment here.

Xylia came down quick but Brengard caught her leg, his thick hand tightening around it like a vice, and sent her flying towards the nearest wall. Whether he successfully managed to do some damage to her or she managed to recover, it mattered not. He only needed the time to get out of his disadvantageous position. He brought his knees to his chest and leaped up to get back on his feet, spinning around to face Xylia who, with any luck, had either hit the wall or gone through it, but he remained in a guarded stance for whatever counterattack she might hurl at him.

She was sharp for one with muscles for brains--at least in combat.

Xylia cursed loudly when he grabbed her knee and threw her. She curled her back slightly, blowing through the wall and into the outside. She flipped once, touching the ground with ehr hand and grabbing it. Her feet planted to the ground soon after and she skid to a halt some distance away from the hole. A light drop of blood ran down the side of her face. This was what she was looking for. Blunt blows that could tear the skin apart. She grinned and stood.

"Come on big guy," Xylia taunted, gesturing with her hand. "I'm not done with you yet." There was a lot more open space here outside. That would play to her advantage - she could freely use her speed without being in such a confined area. If Brengard really was the fighter he claimed to be, he would know this much about her already. But would he come after her? If he didn't, she would charge right back in. She was starting to itch something fierce. Xylia wasn't nearly done, not yet.