The Supreme Puppet

Blacksmith and I arrived back at the forest. He reached into his magic pouch and pulled out the miniature house. He places it on the ground, and using his magic, he enlarges the house back to its original size.

We entered the house and went downstairs to the Forge. Blacksmith pulls out all the materials we collected from his pouch onto the steel tables in the room. There were wyvern bones, troll bones, wyvern scales, troll hide, and many other materials. There was so much that there was hardly any space for it.

Blacksmith placed his hand to his chin and took a look at all the materials. He walked around and took note of what we had in his head. Once he finished, he came back over to me and closed his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Hm..."

"What are you doing, Blacksmith-sama?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I'm trying to figure out what to make using these materials we have," he replied.

Blacksmith grabbed some of the wyvern scales from the table. They were hard, durable, and light. They were tough and impenetrable from common weapons. He grabs the wyvern's fire glands. They were soft and very delicate. They glowed a bright red-orange light from the hot bubbling fluid inside. Blacksmith grabs the hide of the trolls. The hide was stretchy and durable, very difficult to be torn apart unlike fabric.

"Hm...I could probably use the scales to make a shield or armor. Maybe I could mix the fluid from the fire gland with some of the metals I have to make an alloy and give it a fire element. For the troll hide...I could use it to make some clothing or..."

As he muttered to himself as he went through the materials, I stared at him, intrigued. Blacksmith was often serious and earnest, but he was completely different now. Blacksmith was enjoying himself. He looked very excited and enthusiastic when he thought about what to make.

Blacksmith grabs the frost wyvern scales from the table. It was tough as the normal wyvern scales, but they had a cold element to them.

"I've decided. I think I'll make some frost wyvern armor," he said.

"Frost wyvern armor?" I repeated.

He nodded. "I'll combine the frost wyvern scales with the frost troll hide for the chestplate. As for the rest of the armor, I'll use a mixture of platinum and steel with some fluid from the ice gland of the wyvern." Blacksmith turns towards me. "I'm going to be working in the Forge for a while. You're free to roam the house and do whatever you like, Celeste."

"It's fine," I said, shaking my head. "I don't really have anything I want to do, so I'll stay here and watch you. It seems interesting."

"If you say so."

I sat down on a bench near the walls of the Forge and watched him. Blacksmith prepares by putting on his goggles and gloves, and starts his work.

He grabs the frost troll hide and lays it down flat on the table. He drew a few lines and made some shapes for the torso, then cut the hide into pieces using an obsidian-steel knife. From his stockpile, he grabs a roll of arachne spider silk—magical silk woven from arachne spiders. Using a needle and the silk, he sews the pieces of frost troll hide together, creating a tunic.

Next, he grabs the frost wyvern scales from the table. Using a chisel and hammer, he carefully placed a small hole in each scale. Blacksmith gently layered the scales together on the tunic from bottom to top in rows, then sewed them one at a time onto the tunic, creating a detailed pattern on the outside. Time passed as he patiently worked on the scaled chestplate, and eventually, he finished putting it together.

Blacksmith moved on to the armor. From his stockpile on the shelves, he grabs some platinum and steel ingots. In a crucible, he heated the metals together in the furnace until it became a fiery hot liquid. He cuts a small part of the frost wyvern's ice gland and carefully poured a few drops of the fluid into the mixture, giving it an ice element. Using a tungsten rod, he stirred the mixture together, and the red-orange color turned into a light-blue color.

Blacksmith grabs the crucible with his tongs and pours the mixture out onto a metal tray, spreading it evenly to make a flat layer. Once it cooled down and became a metal sheet, he drew lines on it, measuring and making the shapes for each of the pieces of armor. He heats it up in the furnace for a brief moment. Once it was hot enough, he pulled it out and started chipping away the parts of the metal, cutting out each piece.

He heated the pieces up in the furnace until it was hot and bright, then moved them to his anvil. He pounded each piece of platinum-steel with his hammer until it bent into the shape. With some time and patience, he eventually finished the helmet, gauntlets, leggings, greaves, and boots. The armor was finally completed.

I stood up and went over to Blacksmith. I looked at the armor laid on the table from top to bottom. The frost wyvern scales, covering the chest and arms, were glistening in white and blue. The platinum-steel armor, covering from head to feet, shined in a light-blue hue. Aside from its beauty, the entire armor looked very strong and durable.

Blacksmith takes off his goggles and lets out a sigh. "So, how does it look?" he asked me.

"It looks amazing," I replied. "Your work is incredible, Blacksmith-sama."

He smiled. "Thank you for the compliment, Celeste." Blacksmith grabs a few pieces of the armor. "Do you mind helping me put it up?" I nodded.

I grabbed the helmet from the table. Upon turning it, something on the helmet caught my eye. On the back, there was a symbol of a hammer with a rectangular head, blazing in a fire surrounded by wheat.

"What is this, Blacksmith-sama?" I asked, pointing to the symbol.

"It's my symbol," he replied. "Blacksmiths like me leave our signatures on everything we make. It's how we can tell them apart."

I took a glance at the other pieces of armor and found the symbol on them. I looked at the weapons hanging on the walls and I saw the same symbol on them as well. Curious, I pulled out Excalibur from its sheath and examined it. On the bottom of the pommel, I saw a blacksmith's symbol. It seems like there are symbols and signatures on everything as he said.

We moved to a room down the hall, which seemed to be an armory from the looks of it. Here, rather than common weapons, there were rare and powerful weapons hanging on the walls, ranging from mithril swords to platinum spears to adamantine shields.

Blacksmith sets up an armor stand. The two of us assembled the frost wyvern armor together on the stand. In its completed form, it was even more beautiful and amazing.

"Alright. Now, what should I make next...?

*****

Blacksmith brings out some weapons and puts them onto the table. There was a black adamantine-steel sword with an ironwood hilt and platinum guard. A large mithril shield using the frost wyvern's skull as the base and frost troll hide for straps. A warhammer made of dragonsteel and dragonwood—a metal and wood made from dragons.

"You made all of these?" I asked.

He nodded. "All made from the strongest materials I have."

After making the frost wyvern armor, Blacksmith stayed in the Forge for a few days to work on other creations. I stayed by his side and watched him as he tirelessly worked all day and night, forging these weapons one at a time. I couldn't understand him doing this. He was human, and yet, he didn't care as much about rest or eating while working in the Forge. I suppose it was because he was very dedicated and hard-working.

"What are you going to do with them now?" I asked.

"Hm...I think I'll go ahead and test them out," he replied.

"Test them?" I repeated. "But Blacksmith-sama, when I handled one of these weapons before, it couldn't withstand my strength."

"I know. That's why I'm going to be the one testing these out. I want you to help me, Celeste."

"Hm."

*****

The two of us entered the training grounds with the weapons. Blacksmith equipped the mithril wyvern shield onto his left arm and wielded the black adamantine-steel sword in his right hand. As for me, I stood in front of him, waiting for his order.

"What are we going to be doing?" I asked, tilting my head.

"We're going to have a mock battle," he said. "I want to see for myself how strong you are, and this is the perfect opportunity to test out these weapons I made."

"I see."

Blacksmith wanted to assess my strength while trying out his new weapons to see if they could fare against an opponent like me. By having this mock battle, he can figure out what he needs to work on and how he can improve them later on.

I reached for Excalibur. "Don't use it this time, Celeste."

"Why?"

"I want to see how well you can handle yourself without it. We both know how powerful and dangerous a Divine Weapon is. We can't have you rely on it every now and then. Besides, you're already strong without it."

Back when we were in the caves, I fought against the frost troll and frost wyvern. I often used my sword, but there were times where I used my bare hands and feet to take down the frost wyvern and troll.

"I suppose you're right," I agreed.

Blacksmith picks up a small rock off the ground. "I'm going to throw this in the air. When it touches the ground, that's when we'll start." I nodded in understanding.

Blacksmith and I stood on opposite sides, prepared to fight. Blacksmith threw the rock into the air and we both watched as it slowly fell to the ground. Upon touching the floor, I dashed towards him.

"...!"

I was fast. My movements were light and swift, and I had no intention of stopping. Noticing this, Blacksmith quickly raised his shield in front of him to protect him.

I pulled my fist back, then I thrust it forward, punching the center of the shield. A loud metal screech and a powerful shockwave echoed throughout the room. The training grounds shook and the ground beneath us trembled as it broke apart.

"Ggh...!" Blacksmith groaned, hurt from the sheer force of my punch.

"Hmph!"

I punched the shield again and again, each getting more and more powerful each time. The shield, although made of mithril and a wyvern skull, was beginning to crack from my strikes. I lunged forward and punched it again. This time, my fist shatters a large part of the shield.

I stepped backwards and Blacksmith lowered the shield to the ground. He let out a painful groan and grabbed his arm holding the shield.

"So...this is what they felt like when they fought you. I almost feel sorry for killing them. I think I might've broken a few bones and muscles..."

"I'm sorry," I said gently. "If you want, I can go a little softer."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. Come at me with everything you've got."

"Everything?" I repeated.

"Everything."

Well, I suppose if Blacksmith-sama allows it...

I prepared myself, steadily placing my foot back and clenching my fist.

"Wait, actually-"

Mustering my strength into my foot, I smashed the ground and quickly launched myself towards him. Blacksmith was aware of the shield's condition. He knew well it wouldn't be able to take another hit from me. As I got closer to him, he timed it right and quickly stepped off to the side, avoiding the attack.

In doing so, my fist came into contact with the wall and shattered it. The room shook, and the wall crumbled apart and fell to the ground. I turned around to face Blacksmith, and there he stood with his sword readied.

"Hmph!"

He lunged towards me and thrusted his sword forward. I took a step to the side and managed to avoid it. He followed the attack by swinging his sword, but using just my hands, I parried every one of them.

His sword was durable and sharp, light and fast. It was doing well holding on its own. However, it still wasn't strong enough against me.

"If this isn't working, then..." Blacksmith placed his hand to his sword. "Wind Edge!"

He casts the wind spell on his sword, enhancing its sharpness. Blacksmith tuned the strength of the spell to improve the sword while keeping its physical strength. With his sword, he swiftly swung it directly at me.

Moving my head slightly to the side, I managed to avoid it, the blade cutting only a few strands of my hair. Blacksmith leapt up into the air and came down with his sword. I raised my hand upwards and caught the blade of the sword in my palm.

"Ggh...!"

Blacksmith mustered his strength and tried to pull it away from me, only to no avail. I clenched my hand and firmly gripped onto the blade, and the sword began to crack. I gripped my hand even tighter and eventually, the sword broke completely in half, sending it crumbling to the ground.

Using this opportunity, I clenched and swung my fist towards him. Moving as fast as he could, he quickly raised his shield in front of him to protect himself. However, it was useless. Upon contact, the shield instantly crumbled apart. My fist pushed past through the shards of the broken shield and struck Blacksmith straight in the chest, knocking him crashing into a wall.

"Gaagh...!" he let out a painful groan, coughing up blood.

"Blacksmith-sama!"

Noticing the condition I put him in, I rushed towards him. However, Blacksmith raised his hand to gesture to me, telling me he was fine. He took a few deep breaths, and his injuries instantly healed themselves.

"Ah..." Blacksmith let out a sigh and stood back up.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Your punch had such force and power. You did well not holding back, Celeste."

I stared at him and looked at his body. Like that time when he was burned by the wyvern's fire breath, he healed instantly, leaving no wounds behind. Whether it was magic or not, Blacksmith was fortunate enough to have it.

"Looks like it's all broken again," he said, seeing the destruction from our training session.

"I'm sorry for breaking it," I said gently.

"No, it's fine. I can always fix it with my magic."

He raised his hand and cast Repair on the training grounds. Everything comes back together and returns to normal. He casts Repair on his sword and shield, returning them back to their original state as well.

"I'll make some modifications on them later," he said. "I'll test the warhammer out next. Since I'm here, I think I'll test out the frost wyvern armor I made the other day."

"Are you sure you don't want to rest for a moment?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'll take a rest once I'm done."

"Hm."

Blacksmith grabbed the frost wyvern armor from the armory across the hall and put it on. He grabbed the dragonsteel warhammer that had been standing against the wall and wielded it.

"Well? How does it look?" he asked.

"Hm. It looks great," I replied.

Blacksmith and I took our positions and readied ourselves. He showed the rock in his hand to me, then threw it up into the air. Once it fell down and touched the ground, we dashed towards each other.

"Hmph!"

Blacksmith leapt upwards and swung his hammer down. I instantly stopped myself and quickly backed away, avoiding the attack. He lunges forward and swings his hammer again. I took a step back, and he misses me. He follows it up with another attack by thrusting his hammer forward. I crossed my arms to block it and the hammer hits me, knocking me backwards.

Such force...

Blacksmith and his weapons didn't disappoint. However, against me, I received no damage from them.

"I'll try this. Lightweight!"

Blacksmith casts a low-tier spell on his hammer, making it lighter. By using this spell, he could use the hammer more efficiently and quickly.

"Hmph!"

He swiftly swung his hammer at me, but moving my body away, I managed to dodge it. He swung his hammer again and I blocked it with my arms. This time, instead of getting knocked away, I stood with my feet firmly on the ground, unwavering.

I pushed the hammer away. Unfolding my hand, I struck him in the chest with a palm strike, shattering the armor and knocking him back crashing into the wall again.

"Aagh...!" he let out a painful groan.

I looked at my hand, and opened and closed it. Even when I tried to be much softer or changed my attack to a simple palm strike, I was still too strong.

Blacksmith pulled himself out of the wall and shook the rubble from his armor. He cracked his stiff neck, and stretched his arms and shoulders.

"Ugh...well, that hurt..."

He turned and took a look at his warhammer, then his armor. The warhammer was fine, although it did have a few scratches. As for the armor, there were a few broken scales and tears in the tunic.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm all good."

"So...do you want to keep testing?"

He shook his head and took off his helmet. "No, we're done for today. I've seen enough from my weapons and equipment. I'll definitely need to make some improvements on them. Thank you for helping me out, Celeste."

"Hm."

To make sure his weapons and equipment were all in good shape, Blacksmith casts Repair on them. We left the training grounds and moved to the armory across the hall. Blacksmith and I put the armor and weapons away, hanging them on the wall and on the stands.

"Hey, Blacksmith-sama," I said. "Why do you keep these weapons in separate locations? There are some in the Forge, some here in the armory, and others in the Vault."

"I keep them apart because of quality," he replied.

"Quality?" I repeated.

"The weapons in the Forge are common ones, made out of common materials like steel and iron. They're like decorations to me. Here in the armory, this is where I put high-quality and rare weapons, made from metals like mithril, adamantine, and platinum. Think of it like a treasure room. As for the Vault, there were the Divine Weapons. You know why I keep them away, right?"

I nodded. "They have the highest quality and they're dangerous. That's why it's best to lock the Divine Weapons away in a secret and safe place." Blacksmith nodded.

"Speaking of the Vault, I think I should go and do some maintenance on the Divine Weapons."

"Maintenance? What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Every now and then, I would go into the Vault and clean them of all the dust that gathered, but it's been a while since I've done that."

"But it's dangerous, isn't it?"

"Sure, but they're still the same as any other weapon. They need to be checked and cleaned regularly."

"I see."

Blacksmith really cares about the quality and condition of all of his creations, no matter what they are. Even me.

"You want to come with me?"

"Hm."

*****

Pressing a brick on the wall in the Forge, the secret door to the Vault opened. The two of us entered inside and walked all the way down to the end. Blacksmith walks over to the seal of a silver-colored sword. He places his hand over the seal and undoes it.

Blacksmith grabs it and pulls the sword out of its sheath. There was some dust and a few stains on the sword. It was going to need a good clean and polish. Blacksmith puts it back into its sheath and hands it to me.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to hold it?" I asked.

"You can handle Excalibur. You can handle the others."

With his words of reassurance, I took the sword from him and held it. I followed behind Blacksmith as he undid the seals of the other Divine Weapons. Once we collected all eleven Divine Weapons, we went back to the Forge and gently placed them all on the table one by one, separating them from each other.

Blacksmith brings a bucket of soapy water and a few cloths. He grabs the silver-colored sword and places it in front of him.

"There are quite a few Divine Weapons, so I'm going to teach you how to clean and polish them."

I pointed at myself. "You want me to help?" He nodded. "Hm. If that's what you want me to do, I'll do it."

Blacksmith grabs a cloth and dips it into the bucket, soaking it in soapy water. He wrung the towel and started wiping the blade of the sword.

I watched him closely. He was careful and gentle, moving at a steady pace with his hand, making sure every spot on the sword was clean. He moved from the blade to the guard, then to the hilt, then to the pommel. He grabbed a dry cloth and gently wiped the sword a couple times. Once the sword was polished, there was a shiny and clear gloss to it.

"You think you can do it?"

"Hm."

Blacksmith hands me a soaked cloth. Together, the two of us carefully cleaned and polished the Divine Weapons.

*****

Although there were a few times where we triggered the abilities of some of the Divine Weapons, Blacksmith and I managed to finish cleaning and polishing them without further damage.

"Shall we put them back?"

"No, not yet," he said. "I want to check and clean the Vault first."

Aside from the Divine Weapons, Blacksmith also wanted to do maintenance on the Vault itself. He wanted to make sure it was clean, the weapon stands were nice, and the runes were active and correct.

The two of us entered inside the Vault again. He raised his hand and gently touched the runes carved on the walls, running through them with his fingers.

"They're working fine, but a few of them may need to be recarved," he said.

"We'll do the same with the Vault like we did with the Divine Weapons. Can you do that, Celeste?"

"Hm."

With his guidance, Blacksmith and I each took one side of the Vault and started making our way down the hall. We wiped any dust and stains off the walls and weapon stands with our soaked cloths, then polished them with our dry cloths until they glossed. Any runes we found that were inactive were recarved using our mithril knives imbued with magic.

The two of us were careful and gentle, each moving at a fast but steady pace. We made sure everything was in good condition and nothing was missed. With some time and dedication, we eventually reached the end of the Vault.

"I'm done on my side," he said. "I'm going to go and place the Divine Weapons back in here. Do you mind finishing up here without me?"

"Hm."

Blacksmith walked away and left the Vault, going back to the Forge.

I went over to the remaining spot and started wiping it with my cloth. As I cleaned it, I suddenly felt my hand touch something.

"Hm?"

A strange red glowing rune revealed itself out of nowhere. At that moment, the wall began to shift to the side, revealing a secret door inside the Vault.

What is this?

I looked at the door left to right, up and down. I took a glance inside, only to see nothing but pitch-black darkness. I turned to look behind me. Blacksmith hasn't returned yet with the Divine Weapons. I turned back to look at the secret room.

What's in there? I thought to myself. Maybe there's nothing in there. No...there probably is something.

Blacksmith, like with the Vault, hid this room to lock something away. It could've been another Divine Weapon or it could've been something else. I did not know for sure.

I stared at the black room, then decided to take a step forward. Suddenly, my arm was grabbed and I was pulled back.

I turned around. "Blacksmith-sama?"

"Don't go inside," he said to me in a grave tone.

I stared at him in his eyes and saw how stern his face was. His gaze was intense and his grip on my hand was tight. Blacksmith was serious about this.

"I'm sorry," I said gently, stepping back.

He let out a sigh. "What happened?"

I explained to him how I started cleaning the walls, and that's when I accidentally touched something. In doing so, a strange rune appeared and the wall moved to show a secret room inside the Vault.

"I see."

Blacksmith went over to the strange rune I found. He placed his hand on the rune, then the wall moved back to where it was, closing the door to the dark room. The strange rune instantly disappeared shortly after.

"If you happen to open the room again, don't ever go inside. Close it and head back," he said explicitly to me.

"Hm. I understand."

"Are you done cleaning?" he asked.

"No, not yet," I said.

"I see. Once you're finished, help me put the Divine Weapons back on their stands." I nodded in understanding.

Blacksmith went back and started carefully placing the Divine Weapons in their original places. I stared at him for a moment, then turned back to do my work.

With some time cleaning and polishing, as well as recarving the runes on the wall, I quickly finished and joined up with Blacksmith to put away the rest of the Divine Weapons. Once they were all neatly placed back on their respective stands, Blacksmith cast spells and sealed them away.

We closed the Vault and returned back to the Forge. Blacksmith grabbed a cloth and went over to clean his anvil. As he worked on it, I stood in the back and watched him.

Blacksmith-sama was upset earlier, wasn't he? I thought to myself.

Whatever was in that pitch-black room, Blacksmith was very concerned about me finding it and trying to step inside. I assured him I understood his wishes, but even then, he was still mad.

"Blacksmith-sama," I said."I'm sorry if I overstepped and angered you."

Blacksmith stopped cleaning the anvil and the two of us stood still in silence for a brief moment.

He sighed. "I'm not mad, Celeste."

"You're not?"

Blacksmith turned around and nodded. "That hidden room...it wasn't meant to be opened, nor should it ever be opened," he explained. "So when I saw you and that door, I was worried. Worried about what would've happened to you if you stepped inside. That's why you saw me like that earlier."

"So...you were just worried about me?"

Blacksmith nodded. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad in any way."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. It was a misunderstanding on both our sides."

"Hm. Well, we've done a lot today. I should probably go and get some rest."

"What do you want me to do in the meantime?" I asked.

"You're free to do anything, but...last time, you said you had nothing to do, right? Why don't you train by yourself for a while?"

"Train..." I repeated. "Hm. I can do that."