"Whew! Watch where you're swinging that boy!"
Metal whizzed through the thick air inside of a blacksmith's forge. A mischievous looking young man held an elegant and light rapier, practicing his swings with it and getting used to the weight.
'It doesn't feel… weapony, if that's even a word.'
"Hmm… is there anything that has more heft?"
"Quies…"
"What? Can't I at least just try it out."
He studied the rapier in his dominant hand once more, the texture of the handle rubbed against his matte black gloves.
"She's right, you know? Wielding a heavier weapon really requires precision and thought through every movement. I've been there before. Ah, but I much prefer being a blacksmith. You know, a great lesson both of you could learn would be to respect your elders…"
Quies and Valerie gave each other a doubtful look, Quies avoiding the piercing gaze of her iris, though now the presence was barely there. It was like she was purposefully suppressing that suffocating force.
"Anyways, hand me that and the scabbard back and I'll fetch something with more "heft" as you call it."
The seasoned looking blacksmith wiped his forehead and fetched the rapier from Quies, adding some force into his grip. He walked down a set of stairs, which Quies presumed lead to where the blacksmith went to forge tools and weapons. When he passed it on the way into the store, he could sense that the air coming from the staircase emanated warmth.
"He looks like he's been through a bit."
"Yeah, well, people handle their traumas differently. I can hear the harmony of his song whenever he's close. Probably a former ignition union member. I feel bad for those guys."
"What's the ignition union?"
Valerie quickly glanced at Quies.
"It's a faction that works in most regions, including the depths. Although, their forces are spread quite thin. Similar to us, they do research and exploration of the depths. Probably a flamecharmer since it helps with forging and stuff like that. I've actually had a couple of flamecharmer colleagues. Speaking of which, have you ever read that flamecharm book by amor-"
The blacksmith called out from the bottom of the staircase.
"Alright young man, I've got something with more heft for you!"
A moment later, the blacksmith emerged from the stairwell holding a long zweihander. Sunlight glinted off the sharpened edge of the blade, the handle casting reflections of the stone and tan walls. The crossguard looked simple, but effective.
"Try this out, but don't break anything in my shop!"
Quies glanced at Valerie
"What?"
"Nothing."
He tried his best to stifle a grin.
He took the beautifully forged zweihander from the blacksmith's rough and worn hands. Gripping it, he felt the warmth of the forge at the hilt, slowly dissipating into his palm and fingers. He held it for a moment and made some adjustments, trying to find the balance and center of mass of the zweihander. He could understand why the book had advised to do this step. He changed his grip, adjusting based on his understanding of the sword.
Next, he performed a few overhead swings, feeling how the zweihander felt in motion. As he struck downwards, the metal parted the air, a faint sound being emanated by the swing.
'I understand why they want me to choose something lighter.'
Just from swinging the zweihander, Quies could already tell that the technique required to efficiently fight with it would have a less forgiving curve. Each swing had to flow smoothly into the next one, taking advantage of the inertia that a larger weapon would have. However, unnecessary movements of the blade would tire him out quickly. He definitely needed to spend some time sparring to get used to it, which was what he wanted. Plus, he felt that a larger weapon could deal with groups of targets faster than a lighter blade, if he ever gets into a situation like that.
"..."
Quies stared at Valerie like a child silently asking his parents for permission to get something.
"Why do you keep staring at me like that? You're a fully grown man, go make your own decisions."
He gave Valerie a look of disdain.
'Didn't need to embarrass me in front of the blacksmith…'
"How much for the Zweihander?"
"A hundred notes."
He looked at Valerie once more, and she returned the gaze, initially wondering why Quies was looking at her weirdly again. However, she soon realized that Quies was rather poor.
"Right-"
She reached into the breastpocket of her thick matte coat and pulled out 10 pristine silver-like coins.
"This should be 100. Oh, by the way, do you know anything about that new lord Regent?"
The seasoned blacksmith took the money from Valerie's hands, but seemed to freeze when Valerie asked him that question. His eyes looked blank, as if he was trying to remember something instinctually but something was stopping him. A moment later, he resumed.
"Ah yes! The benevolent lord Regent! I've known him since I first stepped foot in Etris. There has never been a leader like him! Why do you ask?"
Valerie paused.
"Oh, nothing. We've heard many great things about him, and are just wondering how someone experienced with the wilderness and surrounding regions of lumen think about him."
"I'm sure if you ask anybody in town they would share my sentiments."
Valerie studied the man as he put the Zweihander into Quies' hands.
"I'm sure they will…"