Aria refreshed herself with the cold water drained from the nearby river. She lathered herself with the simple soap made from animal fats, ashes and dried herbs that she purchased from a nearby specialty store. Enjoying the fresh scent, Aria thoroughly cleaned herself before drenching herself to rid the blood, sweat and dirt that clung to her from yesterday's battle.
She had spent her night in the spare room within the adventurer's guild after a lengthy discussion. Waking up early, she sought to cleanse herself and headed to the guild's affiliated inn to use its bathing service. As she dried herself with a thick cloth, her gaze marveled at the sight of the rising sun as it slowly illuminated her toned body, warming it up for the day. She clothed herself with the spare shirts, pants and undergarments that she had kept in her rucksack that she would always carry during her adventuring quests. Donning her simple outfit, she got out and had a quick breakfast of wheat porridge with herbs in a nearby eatery that opened before the sun even peeked over. The streets were beginning to wake up as citizens prepared for their day and by the time Aria finished her meal, the sun had fully emerged to bathe the lively streets.
Aria immediately proceeded to the adventurer's guild warehouse where her spoil of battle was kept. Inside, Granzial was waiting while inspecting the carcass of Tobi-Kadachi.
"Good morning, guild master. I assume that you are trying to understand the mechanism of which this creature creates lightning."
"Good morning to you too miss Aria. As you can see, I am just curious about the beast and what kind of equipment you will be crafting out of this. I wonder if it can unleash lightning just like this creature did. Lightning magic is very rare and until now, no one understand the machination of unleashing such devastating attack."
"You mean to say that if equipment forged from this carcass can give off similar effect as lightning magic, it will be sold with higher price? I am sorry to say, but I am going to use it to hunt down the Rathian."
"If I remember correctly, this Rathian is weak against lightning and..."
"Dragon. However, I have yet to fully understand what it is. Perhaps, the elusive dragons can create some kind of magic that can hurt Rathian. Well, since I am not going to meet a dragon, let alone hunting one down to make weapons out of it, lightning magic or weapon is the only way that can give me a fighting chance."
"That means Lord Flare is really looking after you by giving you this serendipitous encounter."
"Last I remember, I almost died."
"But you did not. In fact, Catherine came in to assist you."
"Serendipitous indeed. Speaking of her, it seems she has yet to arrive." Just as Aria finished her sentence, Catherine barged in with unkempt hair and messy outfit; clearly having just woken up, she rushed to get to her appointed location.
"I am so sorry! I overslept!" Aria and Granzial deduced as much, but decided not pursue the reason. They decided to load the carcass into several carts to be transported. The destination was decided to be the smithy that Aria had frequented: Hearth of Forge.
"I am sorry miss, you are a little too late, or should I say, they move faster than I had expected." Lucio, the owner of the smithy, delivered the devastating news. "The House of Earl Sultier had announced to all the smithy in Lapis to reject any of your request to craft equipment lest they will be punished or worse banished from the territory. Even if you go out of town to do so, I am afraid they will be one step ahead of you and have them informed. Truly, you are hated to the core by the one in charge, eh."
Aria had her face distorted into a terrifying demon as it sent shivers down into every members present. The daunting presence inherited from her father was emanating in full force and those who had an encounter with the current head of House Sultier would have no doubt in saying that Aria was his daughter. Catherine, however, was oblivious and was instead, furious at the Lord for bullying a little girl.
"This is unfair! What is the Lord thinking!? No matter what it is, doing this is only going to hurt the reputation of the House of Sultier! Aria had nothing to do with them!"
"Miss Catherine, please calm yourself down and read the room." Raymond, who had tagged along with some trusted guild staffs, tried to bring Catherine's raging emotion down. "The situation is much more complicated than what you see. Miss Aria has features that resemble the Lord of this land and as such, you can deduce the connection."
Catherine looked at Aria and analysed her features and after a moment of silent, came to the shocking realisation that Aria was the daughter of Lord Sultier. She immediately knelt down and asked for forgiveness. "My deepest apologies young miss! I did not know your esteem self was from such noble origin and I have been impudent to speak in such familiar tone! Do forgive my lowly self!"
Aria was taken aback, but it allowed her mind to clear the negative emotion and started to think of a way out of the current situation. Catherine remained on her knees, but was urged by Granzial to stand up as he tried to explain the situation to her. In the midst of this, Lucio approached Aria and urged her to come inside the forge. Inside, there was an entire area tucked away in the unassuming corner of the building where materials were piled up, furnaces were lit and various equipment used for crafting were set up.
"We were told that we are not allowed to, in any way, sell or assist you in creating any equipment. However, there is no mention of prohibiting you from entering the smith and doing your own thing. Still, I would prefer it if you keep a low profile whilst here." Lucio let out a faint smile before heading back to do his own work.
"Thank you." Aria muttered silently.
***
"Catherine, I need you to collect some more ingredients. However, please do it more discreetly this time." Aria almost had her entire face and hands covered in soot. She had been holing herself in the corner of the building, hidden from public view in order to forge weapons, armours and several small items that would assist her in the upcoming confrontation. "Thank the lord that guild master noticed some suspicious individuals stalking you and guided you elsewhere."
"I am ashamed. I had to move around and act as if nothing happened for days before the stalkers leave me alone." Catherine took the list of materials from Aria with an apologetic expression. "I am confident in my tracking ability, but I would never have thought that such skill would be used on me instead. Talk about retributions from all the creatures I had stalked."
"I hope you will learn from that experience on how to be more wary even in a human settlement. Anyways, you will need to collect more materials in order to compensate for the visitation days that you had to cancel."
"Quite the work you have me do." Catherine left the building and headed to the Forest of Beginners, Northern Jewel Mountain, Eastern Jewel Mountain and Waterfall Caverns located at the western mountainous range. The vastness of the area that Catherine had to explore took a tremendous amount of time and when she had gathered all the necessary materials, she headed back to Lapis with 2 moons illuminating her paths. This time, Catherine would head back to her house and when the town's activities died a little, she snuck into the smithy.
Even in the dead of night, Aria continued her work in the forge, often skipping meals and sleep. Catherine quietly placed the gathered materials onto the nearby table before approaching Aria who was hammering down the blade into the desired shape and size without losing concentration. Unsure, Catherine just watched Aria expertly forging the equipment from the carcass of Tobi-Kadachi. It was only after Aria finished quenching her blade that Catherine's presence was made known to Aria.
"Thank you as always. Your bow and arrows will be completed soon." Aria examined the materials that Catherine had collected and immediately began to craft several equipment with them. "I believe these are enough for all the equipment I have in mind."
"I am thankful for that comment. Going through all of that locations to get the needed materials is really tiring. Well, maybe not as much as what you are going through right now."
"I cannot afford to fail. My weapon broke in the previous fight and to stand up against Rathian, I need a powerful weapon to back me up."
"That may be true, but a well-rested and well-fed body is also necessary for you to perform at your peak. That is why I suggest that you eat your dinner before resuming your work; I have brought some bread and legumes stew that my mother made, so let us eat together."
"You can have your share first. I will eat later."
"Miss!" Catherine grabbed Aria's hand as the latter was about to resume her work with the furnace. "Please. I know you are strong, but you are just 11 years old. You may have the mental fortitude, but your body will break sooner or later."
After a long silence, Aria relented as she allowed herself to be dragged by Catherine to a nearby table. Catherine cleared the content of her haversack containing 2 loaves of bread onto the table before ripping the top half of the bread and created a small well in the center. Next, Catherine poured the thickened stew into the center of each bread from a small leather sack.
"Let us eat. My mother's meal is always delicious." Catherine urged Aria to eat as she ripped a piece of bread and scooped up some stew before delightfully devouring it. Aria washed her hand with water generated from her magic before eating her meal by following Catherine's example. Aria did not realised how famished she was and ended up devouring her meal in a couple of minutes.
"Hahaha, when you are too focus on things, you have the tendency to forget about everything else. My late sister was the same and mother was always worried about her. However, her skills are undoubtedly incredible. Unlike me, who can only use water magic, she commanded both fire and water at level 3."
"You must be very proud of her."
"Indeed. If only she did not die on that fateful day... that accursed beast..." Catherine trailed off with a bitter expression.
"All that I have left of her, is this necklace she crafted during one of her adventure out in the southern part of the Empire." Catherine took out the aforementioned necklace from her inner pocket and handed it to Aria.
"This..." Aria inspected the necklace and despite the string being made with woven plant fibers, the gems that were tied with it caught her attention. "Coral Crystal."
"Is that what it is called? My sister found it a year or 2 ago growing out of some rocky surfaces close to the sea. It caught her attention as it seems to glisten, but when she touched it, it was not as smooth as she had expected. The locals seemed unaware of it as well, as if these crystal just grew out after many years of slumber. My sister gathered as many as she could and sold them to various nobles and merchants while keeping some as souvenirs for me and mother. She made that necklace for me as a charm that will keep me safe from harm, but it was too bulky, so I never wear it and just keep it in my pocket whenever I went out for my quests."
"How much will this cost?"
"Huh?"
"I can use this material to sharpen my blade and your bow. It will make them stronger and more effective."
"You... You do know that is what I have left of my sister and yet..." Catherine's tone dropped and anger slowly surfaced onto her eyes. "If this is a joke, I may laugh it out."
"It is not a joke." Aria calmly spoke. "I know it is a gift from your late sister, but if it can make your equipment better, it should be used as it is intended. Think about it, you can have an easier time hunting down stronger monster with better-"
"YOU will have an easier time!" Catherine stared straight into Aria's eyes. "I know that your circumstance is difficult and it is heroic, noble even... to do it for the orphans. However, why do you have to involve me into your selfishness? Are you going to kill my sister again even though she is dead?"
Aria did not answer her question as silent loomed over the dreaded atmosphere until Aria broke the eye contact and muttered apologetically: "I am sorry."
Another long silent ensued before Catherine left without another word.
***
"You seems upset ever since you returned from your errand yesterday." A soft and caring voice entered Catherine's ears. "Would you care to tell me what had transpired?"
"I just had an argument."
"And...? Surely there is more to it." Catherine's mother approached her and placed her hands on the former's shoulder. "I know that you want to be the pillar in this house ever since Caroline's demise, but you are barely 15 years old. There is so much for you learn and as your mother, I am more than happy to help you grow to be a better person. I have lived longer than you and I know this may sound arrogant, but I have my experience that I can impart to you."
Letting out a breath and taking in a deep one afterwards, Catherine began to explain her qualms about letting go of Caroline's gift. Her mother pondered and smiled softly. "I understand your conflicting emotion and I do think that you did the right thing. I too, find it difficult to part with what is remaining from Caroline, but I also want to move on."
Catherine's mother, got in her room and took out her own necklace with the coral crystal attachment; handing them over to Catherine before telling her to give it to Aria. This action shook Catherine as she was unable to comprehend the meaning behind it.
"I will trade whatever I have if it can help with your safety. I do not want to lose you, and if trading this memory of Caroline allows you to obtain better equipment, I will gladly part with it. I am sure with better equipment, you will have better chances of coming back to me. Caroline will want you to do the same and move on, so it is time for you to live your life and carve your own path."
"I... see..." Catherine accepted her mother's reasoning, but she still felt conflicted and holed up in her room that she used to share with her sister. She was staring at both her and her mother's necklaces as memories of her sister flowed through her mind: the way Caroline would snuggled right beside her during winter, the stories of her adventures, the awful meal she tried to cook for her, the trainings she gave her, the advices she provided her and the overall warmth that she exuded. Tears ran down her face as she slipped into her bed and allowed the night to envelop her consciousness.
When morning arrived, Catherine had her simple breakfast before leaving and headed straight to the Hearth of Forge where the bustling activities polluted the air with noise. She quietly slipped inside and saw Aria slouching over the table with various tools scattered on it. Despite the rowdiness, Aria seemed to be in deep slumber as she did not react when Catherine placed a sack on the table beside the former's resting head. As she was about to leave, her hand was grabbed by Aria who still had her head resting on the table.
"I should have known that it is impossible to sleep in this kind of atmosphere." Catherine turned back and faced the still slouching Aria. "I have decided to part ways with the necklace. I brought my mother's share as well since she also wanted to move on with her life and I believe that I should too. That is why, using this crystal that my sister gifted to us for better equipment is the way for me to grow."
"I... see... In that case..."
"Yes, you can use them to your hearts content. In the end, my sister will still be with me since her gift is part of my equipment and that serve a better purpose than just some rocks and strings occupying my pocket."
"Thank... you... for that..., but..."
"There is no need for any 'but'. Mother has taught me to move forward by giving up her own necklace first and to live for those who are still alive instead of dwelling in the memories of those who had passed. My sister would have wanted us to move on as well just like how father told us to look forward and protect those who are still present. We should bury with respect to those that we cannot protect or have failed to, within our heart and vouch to do better."
"Good... so then... can you..."
"Yes, I can cope with this feeling of sadness for being unable to repay for what my late sister and father had done for me. I can use the remaining of my life to live up to their expectations and beliefs. They, who had flown to the heavenly sky where the starry angels and Lord Flare reside, will be looking at me from above. I want to make them proud, so that when my time comes to join them among the stars, I can proudly face them and dutifully illuminate the sky together with the Lord. Therefore, miss Aria, you can go all out and I will even help you with your endeavor if you so wish too-"
"That is good to hear." A hand appeared and grabbed Catherine's shoulder. "However, please take a good look at her conditions first before you continue with your monologue. Miss Aria is currently starving."
"Eh." Catherine looked at Aria slouching posture and heard the latter's stomach growling.
"Sigh. The smithy was closed yesterday since we had just finished a huge order; I was giving everybody a day's worth of rest and missy here was left alone." Lucio placed down a piece of hard bread in front of Aria and urged her to eat which she devoured ravenously. "You did not come and visit her yesterday, did you not? That means she had not eaten anything since 2 days ago and had been crafting the entire day. That is why I was surprised that she suddenly slouched with a growling stomach and rushed to buy bread from the nearest bakery here. It is still quite a distant though, and that is why it takes longer than expected."
Catherine's face became blank, unable to respond to the sudden comedic turn of event from her dramatic speech.
***
"So this is the completed equipment made from that monster." Lucio observed the masterpieces in delight as he ran his fingers along the curved edge of the blade. "The quality truly impresses me. I believe this blade will be more durable than the last one you have since that broke within a couple of weeks of usage."
"I do not blame the Jaggid Shotels for breaking on me. When I first casted a magic spell on it, I noticed that its started to develop rough edges and I thought that sharpening the blade would return it to its original performance. However, with subsequent usage of elemental magic enveloping the weapons, they became brittle and that last fight just happened to be the final blow that destroyed them."
"I thought that you would have made weapons that could withstand magic or even conduct it, but it seems to be too daunting of a task for a beginner. I can teach you if opportunity present itself."
"Thank you for the offer. However, I do think that it will be difficult to acquire that opportunity. Moreover, I do not think it is because of the magic per se, but rather the elemental compatibility is the true cause."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The monster that was used to made it was weakest to fire element, but it was also relatively weak to many other elements. I speculate that the equipment share the same weaknesses to the monster that made it up."
"Huh, I never thought about it that way. That being said, would the weapon not have broken down during the forging stage, heat treatment, et cetera?"
"All weapons will be weak when treated with extreme heat, would they not?"
"Hahaha! I cannot disagree with that. So, what will be the name of these weapons?"
"These dual blades are known as Pulsar Hatchets, while the bow and arrow set over there is called Pulsar Bow." Aria pointed at the bow held by Catherine who was engrossed in admiring her new weapon. "These weapons have the ability to generate lightning without having to be able to use magic. It will be able to inflict consistently high damage to the Rathian without having to rely on magic."
"I am duly impressed with the quality. Perhaps I should also study the elemental function of the native creatures and craft something that can output their magic independently from the wielder."
"The weapons are not the only one with such special ability. The armour pieces are light yet durable and grant several perks: the helm reduces stamina consumption by allowing better air circulation, the chest piece prevent knockback when you jump by dispersing the impact, the arms pieces, in conjunction with the entire set, slightly help in rolling away to a further distance due to the lightness of the armour, the waist increases your lightning element potency by channeling the static electricity building up and the leg pieces increase your resistance against lightning based attacks."
"Hahaha, thank you for the details, but I cannot understand half of what you were saying just now. Perhaps Lord Flare really blessed you with world-changing knowledge to become the saviour of this world." Lucio stared at Aria's hands that were covered in soot, but was aware of the symbol carved on them; standing much to Aria's surprise when she had been careful and was wearing gloves almost all the time. "I am just as sharp as the guild master, but you do not have to worry, I will not divulge in others' business. However, you need to think of something when it will be inevitable in the future."
"Thank you." Aria quickly wore her gloves to hide the symbol carved on her hands.
"So, when will you fight that beast?"
"Tomorrow. I have spent too much time and the deadline is in 3 days. I will proceed to the middle layer of the Cloudy Jungle later and made several preparations before the battle."
"I supposed, that old man have everything ready for you tomorrow? He works fast, eh."
***
"I do hope that you will come out of this alive." Granzial handed Aria a letter and a metallic tag when she visited his office. "This is the rough map of the Cloudy Jungle. Unfortunately, the heart of the jungle has yet to be fully explored and the extend of the vegetations are only speculative due to the rough terrain the more south or west you go."
"I am grateful for the help you have given me. As uncertain it will be, I have done everything I can think of to hunt the 'Queen of the Land'. Whatever the outcome is, I will leave it to fate."
"Quite the poetic symbolism. I will pray to Lord Flare and the angels to grant you the strength to overcome this trial. Good luck."
"Much appreciated. Thank you for being there for me and protecting me from my stepmother. I am going for the hunt now." Aria took off from the adventurer's guild and headed south west to the Cloudy Jungle. As she stepped out of the city gate, she noticed a silhouette waving at her.
"I remember telling you not to get involve, so why are you here?" Aria approached the figure she recognised despite the night still enveloping the sky.
"You can blame it on my chivalrous side that I inherited from my father. I guess I just want to make him proud." Catherine held her head with her right hand while grinning bashfully. "Besides, I may save you again just like last time."
"I have set up traps within the vegetation. You may suffer injuries if you are not careful."
"I am a scout. I specialised in detecting dangerous area."
"You will earn the ire of my stepmother if you help me."
"I just happen to meet you during one of my adventure and has decided to help you, seeing that you are in a pinch."
"..." Aria smiled a little. "Heh. In that case, suit yourself. And thank you."