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Leo was a simple fox, living in the hills of Douw with his family. Being a blacksmith's son, he was proud of his family's work, and was the only son in their family of four. His sister, a bunny named violet, who was his younger sibling by seven years. Being only ten, she thought the wondrous works he could make were because her big brother was "magic" and that he was a "mage of legends". Leo would just shake his head and tell her to go play. He could see why she believed that the fire was magic, because to the untrained eye, they put in chunks of warped metal, and took out shining blades, nails, and armor. Of course this wasn't the case, but that didn't stop some saying that his little sister was indeed correct. He was merely seventeen and was crafting blades to challenge the gods. He learned from his father, but had far surpassed him in skill. Now, he was almost an alchemist when it came to the different metals. He forged with metals never even thought of before, creating even stronger weapons, lighter armor, and more durable metals.

One day, as he hammered a rather fine blade to hone its point, he hear his father's booming voice. "Leo! Come out of that damn forge for at least a minute, you have a visitor!" he heard over the roar of the flames. "I'm coming, father, just a moment" he hollered back setting his tools down. He scrambled to get his gloves off, wincing as the searing hot flames licked at his hands. "Oh shut it, you" he hissed at the flames and closed the door to the forgery. He heard his father laughing at something in the cottage and couldn't help but smile. He opened the back door to the old house and peered in. his mother, who had been rather ill, was sitting bright and cheerful in the main room, smiling at his father. The thing she was smiling about was obvious. A slender, young, tan furred cat was sitting next to her talking up a storm. Leo had a feeling this was another girl his father had talked into trying her luck with him. Poor girl. Hell, poor dad. He had been trying to get him a good wife for as long as he was forging. And that was saying something!

"What company have ya brought to our home today, father?" I asked innocently. She kept her eyes cast down and curtseyed. I bowed deeply in return and looked towards my father to start the introduction. He stood there rocking back and forth on his heels. He caught me looking at him and started. "Oh, uhm, I was supposed... what it was...oh!" he said putting a finger in the air triumphantly. "Leo, this is Lady Beatrice of the Hocrux family" he said gesturing excitedly. I nodded in response and gave her my arm. She gingerly took it and I lead her out the front door and started down the long forested path.

"Madam, as I'm sure word has reached you, I am not looking for a woman, it begs the question, why are you here?" I asked bluntly. She stared at me. "I am new, my lord, and was told if I wanted a good husband, to consider the blacksmith of the green family" she said waveringly. "Let me guess, it was Fiona who told you that, wasn't it?" I stated. She nodded her head somberly. We continued walking, and I held her close. "I am sorry, she seems to believe if she throws more women on me I will change and choose her. Shame really, she has such talent to be a horse rider. You wouldn't believe how easily she should be able to sit upon a horse" I said winking slyly at her. She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Of course, I am merely making an innocent observation nothing more" I said acting horrified she thought I meant something rather naughty. "Does your father know?" she suddenly asked, somber now. I shook my head. "No, but only because of his own folly. He is so blatantly blind about it, I could bring a gigolo home and he wouldn't even have the slightest clue" I said rolling my eyes. "And have you?" she asked questioningly. "Oh lord heavens, by the gods no! I may seek the company of men, but I do have standards!" I stated shaking my head.

We reached the end of the road and I let her go. "If you ever need anything forged, give me a holler, and I'll see what I can do. And I'm sorry you had to be lured out here by jealous women and idiotic old men" I said apologetically. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that I got to meet the 'legendary blacksmith'" she said grinning. "What is this about being a legendary smith anyway?" I asked shoving my hands in my pockets. "You worked with the ancient metal Serillium. It is said only the great smithing god could mold it without dying" she said wide eyed. I shook my head. "vogtium and flax bond together creating the residue of duontine making it the perfect catalyst for integrating..." I stopped, realizing she had no clue what I was talking about. "you just need some simple stuff to make something else, and poof, you have your answer "I said after a while. She just grinned. "Well, unless you can forge some sense into your fa, there's going to be still more women beating down your door" she said walking away. I nodded, more to myself than to her, and started back up the trail.

When I entered the small cottage again, my father was standing in the main room, wringing his tail like a little child. "Well?" he said excitedly. I shook my head somberly, and put a hand on his giant shoulder. "fa, there's something I've been hoping you'd see on your own, but I don't think you ever will. Mother's seen it, every lass in the village knows it, and even violet knows it!" I said gripping him hard. He nodded expectantly. "Women just aren't my type" I said gently. He shook his head impatiently. "No no, you just haven't found the right girl yet!" he said almost pouting. I sighed. "no, dad, you don't get it. There are no women in the world that are my type, there never has been, and there never will." He paused and went into deep thought. After a few minutes it dawned on him. "oh" he simply stated after a while. "well, this was not foreseen, no sir not at all!" he said laughing and smacking me on the back. I smiled in response and sighed with relief. "so you get it now?" I asked carefully. "Well of course lad! If I knew before I wouldn't of tried to drown ya in women! Ha ha ha!" he boomed merrily. "aye, it explains so much! No wonder you spent more time around the male customers" he said smiling. I blushed at my father's words.

"Speaking of which, you've got a visitor! He must of come the back way if you didn't see him. He says he needs to talk to you about something. It sounded important" he said becoming serious. I looked out the window back at the forge shed, and there was a dark hooded man leaning against the door. i couldn't tell what he was, but i could see a rather scalie tail curling around one foot. "thanks father, i'll see what i can do,"i said grinning. i hugged him goodbye, and made my way back outside. "good afternoon,sir! how can this blacksmith help you today?" i asked grinning ear to ear. the man looked up, and i could see a snout and pair of eyes glaring at me. "you the blacksmith all these folks have been talking about?"he asked standing up straight. i noticed he had a sword of the drang people on his belt and slowed my pace. my smile never wavered however, as i still wanted to seem friendly. my customer obviously was not from here and his posture reeked of hostility.

"oh i don't know about that, but i am a blacksmith. how can i help you?" i said carefully. he stood there silently. after a moment he spoke. "i need to see you forge something. i can pay you handsomely," he said taking a step forward. i nodded. i had a plan already set if such a thing were to happen. the drang were the border folk of the tumsha and were very close to war. there weapons were good, but nowhere near strong enough to withstand a blow from a tumsha greatsword. "if you need something simple and strong, i can forge it, but most of my work you can find anywhere else," i said cheerily. he shook his head. "it was not a request,"he growled. i nodded. "FA: go ahead and take the family down to the pub okay?" i called behind me. i gestured for the Drang man to follow and opened the shed. i was already working on a blade before, but it was of simple iron and had no finesse. "le me start anew for you," i stated bluntly. i grabbed the still warm blade and tossed it back onto the pile of metals that i recycled. "do you have any knowledge of how smithing works?" i asked raising a brow. he slowly nodded. i breathed deeply of the fumes and grabbed a new bar of iron. i set it on the anvil and turned behind me.

as i reached into the hatch where i kept all my different metals, i slid the more powerful and precious ones over. "the secret to good metal, is not just the ore used, but the way you fold it and cool it," i said laying both down. i grabbed a bucket and sat it down in front of my audience. "take a seat friend, this may take awhile," i said cheerily. to be honest, i was looking forward to sharing this secret. it was not widely known, and would be useful to a certain degree by the drang blacksmiths. "okay, you see here we have two different metals, correct? one is normal iron, but the other is corundum," i said hefting each bar respectively. the hooded man nodded and asked,"why do you need to different metals?" i smiled. "iron by itself is strong, sure but when you mix the two metals together, you get a blade truly worthy of battle. it takes a lot of work to mold the two pieces into one, but instead of casting the metal, i like to superheat both and slowly hammer them into one another. not only does it allow you to fold the metal, but it also allows for a tougher bond if done correctly," i said getting excited. the big man nodded almost seeming to forget he was forcing me to do this. "so you are creating a weapon stronger than iron, but using something to enhance that is not stronger. but weaker than iron. how?" he asked confused. it was a good question. a bit of a convoluted way to ask it, but still a good question.

"corundum is not as strong as iron when it comes to the hardness and how well you can hammer and sharpen it, but if you use this, the blade will bend instead of snap under pressure, meaning the blade has more life, and more use after taking even the roughest of hits," i said selling it. he nodded. "you basically just bred a sword! you took the traits you wanted from one metal, put it into another, while taking out what you didn't want. that is astounding!" the foreigner exclaimed clapping his hands. i hammered while i talked and i had gotten the metal into the basic shape of a blade. "notice, when i was hammering earlier, every time i took the metal out, i would fold it over on itself, and when it cools off, you'll be able to see the layers showing through. each layer gives more sturdiness to the blade and ensures it won't shatter when hit hard enough," i said sticking the blade back in the fire. "i can show you what i mean here in a second,"i said going over to the scrap pile. i picked the iron blade i had been working on back up and brought it over to the anvil. it was mostly finished and just needed to be fine tuned and grinded. i hammered the last few bits and brought it over to the grindstone. i quickly turned, checking on the blade that i was cooking. it was heating pretty evenly but the tip had gotten slightly bent. i pulled it out and gave it a few quick powerful blows to straighten it out and plunged it back into the coals.

"you really enjoy your work, don't you?" the man said curling his tail around the bucket he was sitting on. i nodded enthusiastically. "of course! not only that, but it feels great to share a secret with another blacksmith! even explaining the basics make people confused! even my father doesn't understand, he just follows the instructions i give him," i said rolling my eyes. i finished grinding the iron sword and tested it on the leather dummy i used for sharpness test. it sliced elegantly and flawlessly with almost no effort. i sat it aside and grabbed the other sword, dipping it into the water very carefully. "i've thought about using a waterfall system, but i can't get the streams to flow exactly right to get the desired effect. dip one side of the blade in, then the other, and plunge the entire thing after ten seconds. it cools the different layers individually and makes the blade more solid," i said gently laying the sword down on the workbench. i quickly grabbed some leather and wrapped it around the hilt of the blade, making a very shoddy and makeshift grip. i did the same for the other and hefted both. "you can see the difference in the technique even if you had no clue about smithing," i said handing him the iron sword. "what are you doing?" he asked uncertainly. "we're fighting! what else? what better way to show the prowess of the craftsmanship than by full fledged use, eh?" i asked grasping the better blade. he stood up and. goty into a guard position. "i'm going to let you strike ith an overhead swing, and i am going to block it with my blade," i said preparing myself.

he slowly came at me, and gently smacked the sword down. a small ting was heard but nothing else happened. "come on, give it everything you've got! i growled at him. he took another swing, this one fierce and quick. the sword broke at the contact point, making a sickening snap as it broke away. it clanged to the floor, useless. i pumped my sword in the air in victory. "vorshoh!" i bellowed happily. it was the battlecry of our family. "now, while you are left with just a hilt, i have a full sword with barely a nick! mind you the swords were still warm but you get the premise," i said putting the sword on the workbench.

"truly, you are a blacksmith of high caliber!" the foreigner stated and handed the hilt back to me. i nodded my thanks and threw it onto the scrap pile. i turned back to the now cheery lizard and rubbed my neck. "if it my place to ask, would you tell me why you need this information?" i asked very carefully. the friendly smile disappeared, replaced with a blank stare. he suddenly bowed, making me jump. "i am sorry for my earlier hostility. i was told it was very possible i would have to force the information out of you by an...anonymous source,"he said reaching into his coat pocket. i took a step back, but saw that he was only reaching for his coin purse. "let me guess. this anonymous just so happens to be the lass named Fiona Shevergale?" i said putting my hands on my hips and smirking. he looked stunned. i just laughed. "she has it in for me that bad! i guess she doesn't take rejection very well! ha ha ha!" i bellowed.

"take this forging secret with you, and may it bring victory to any struggle in your future," i said holding out a hand to shake. he grasped it with both hands with the coinpurse between our palms. "if you are traveling anywhere near Divantia in the Drang territory, let me know. you have a friend in this Drang and the support of the 9nth legion if the need arises," he said grinning. my eyes opened wide. he was a part of the ninth legion of scales! the scale army was the most elite in the entire Drang arsenal and the ninth legion was known for their great battle tactics and infiltration. "by the stars! you don't have to promise me aid! you've already payed me more than enough!" i stated hefting the heavy coin purse. he shook his head. "nonsense. i thank you for this. it will be a great help in the struggle to come. we will make sure that your lands are never mentioned, or your name so that the tumsha do not harm your people," he said bowing. i bowed back ever grateful. "i must admit, i have other techniques, but this is one that the tumsha will stand no chance against. how long will you remain in the village?" i asked opening the door to show him out of the workshop.

he nodded his thanks and turned in the doorway. "about a week. why do you ask?" he asked leaning on the door. "to be honest, i want to make you a blade truly worthy of a man of your caliber. you have shown me and my family great respect, and i would like to keep you alive," i said chuckling. "how much would the blade cost, and do you know how to create a saber?" he asked. i just waved him off. "do not worry about the price. ad yes, the sword will be a seaber befitting a drang warrior in design but a god in metal," i said grinning. he nodded his thanks and turned to go. "i will be back to collect it at the end of the week then," he said waving. i waved back and grinned. perhaps i made a new friend? i closed the door and turned. my forge was still alight and there were a few more hours before dusk, and i needed to reforge that iron blade i had used in the showcase of the metal. a farm hand needed it to fend off some feral wolves that kept getting a hold of their sheep.

i hammered relentlessly, going through the motions deep in thought. perhaps the blade should be made out of serilium? but then again, if it is, it would be extremely heavy. maybe with a blood letter that ran most of the blade, but if it was too large it would lose stability. after completing the iron sword i was working on,i looked out the window and realized it was dark. oops. i worked a bit too late again. ah well. it couldn't be helped. the sword was due tomorrow, and i never missed a deadline. "leo! you fall in the coals out there boy?" i heard my father bellow from the window. i bellowed back, my voice echoing in the shop as i poured water over my coals. "yea. sorry but i'm going to be haunting you for the rest of your days old man!" i heard him laugh at that and i grinned. i walked out of the shop and felt the cold night air touch my searing hot skin and fur. it felt like i had died and gone to heaven. "did you get some?" he asked poking his head out the window. i saw a rolling pin appear behind him and whack him on the head. "oof, i meant some revenue not that, velena!" he whined rubbing his head. i just rolled my eyes. now he is going to try and drown me in men. granted that may not be a bad thing, but i have work to do. i can think about a relationship later. mother tugged him back inside by his ear and i laughed. violet must still be up.

i walked in and bolted the door. time for bed indeed for me. i yawned and walked into the kitchen. violet was sitting at the table playing with the doll mother made for her, and father was sitting opposite her still rubbing his beaten scalp. we switched to Artscotcsian since we were alone. we were not natives of douw, but we did think of it as home. we were originally from artscotca, the smallest country in the entire land. they were a proud people with high morals and strong hearts. they also had the fight of a thousand men. it is said when a single artscotscan fights, he has the power of a thousand stars and a million armies. an army of ours usually consisted of thirty trained and hardened warriors with short bows, daggers, bastard swords and wooden shields painted with the green and blue of the nation. one of our armies can easily dispatch an army of much greater proportions. once, ten took on three hundred of the savages of ziatha and lived.

"how are you feeling tonight, mother? i know that you were feeling better this afternoon," i said taking a bite of bread. she nodded, her tail bouncing behind her as she brought a plate of food over to violet. "i'm feeling much better thanks to that brew you made earlier. i didn't know powdered zinc could have health benefits!" she exclaimed sitting down herself. i nodded. at least its useful for something," i said chuckling. she had recently fallen ill to a disease which the doctors could not explain, but when i asked my witch friend beatrice, she simply stated, "she's missing her metals. the metals bring balance to the insides,"she warbled cryptically. most of the village people thought she was mad, and she was. it just so happened it was a very organized and eccentric madness. she saw things others did not. and her advice was best followed. "speaking of the brews, i created some pans to cook with and that glove of leather should be able to cancel out the heat. this way, when we cook, we are getting small bits of the metal into our bodies. no application needed!" i said cheerily. i ruffled violets hair which she giggled at.

"so, what did the hooded customer want?" father asked taking a spoonful of stew. i took a bite of bread and swallowed. "well, he was a bit stoic at first, but he is a nice guy. and apparently we now have the ninth legion of the scale army on our family's side," i said casually. everyone laughed. so did i, not to raise suspicion. "ah, but in all honesty, it was a Drang from the ninth legion of the scale army, and he was looking for a forging technique for a sword that could withstand a blow from a tumsha greatsword. war seems to be coming," i said somberly. everyone looked at me then, and realized i was serious. "Leonardo Green, if this is a joke, it's not funny lad," my father whispered. i sighed. "i'm sorry father, its true. he was given permission to force the information out of me. i didn't give him the chance. he was very thankful, promised us aid if we need it and refuge in the drang capital if we are ever over there,"i said trying to calm him down. he was fuming. his fur was bristling in such a way it seemed his entire coat had a mind of its own. he abruptly stood up knocking his chair over. "do you realize you could have just changed the flow of history forever? you swore that you would not let anyone else know what you knew about alchemy and smithing! you could have just doomed the entire world if the Drang decide to start conquering! endless war! i am not going through that again!"he screamed collapsing onto his knees. he started rocking back and forth on the ground lost in his own mind. "i don't want my children to live through what i have...blessed mother of time, please stop this madness," he whispered staring wide eyed at the floor.

mother was at his side and so was i. violet had ran to her room when he had exploded, leaving the doll on the ground. forty years ago, when he was just a boy, father lived with his family in a little village similar to ours. his family were the local smiths, and they were respected. then one day, the ruling dictator of Shala sent an entire army around the country to the other side and began razing the entire place. his village was the second one hit, and the war was quick and abrupt. the people were dark, murderous and without pity. women, children, all were burned, slaughtered and raped. sometimes in that order. it was a sick time for all living things. his own mother and father were decapitated as he watched from the forest, and his friends stuck in their barns and burned.once in a blue moon, he would awake screaming from deep slumbers, the screams of his childhood echoing in his head. i could understand why he was upset. and i wanted to make amends.

"this family will not go through that, father. no matter what happens, i would rather wrench my own heart from its rightful place in my chest and crush it with the strength of the gods than make that happen,"i vowed hugging him. he clung to me like a child, pleading to keep his family safe. i just hugged him harder promising him sweet nothings the entire time. soon, we had him docile and mother and i gently took him by the arms and led him to bed. "leonardo Green, i swear by the great divines, what were you thinking?" mother hissed at me as she closed the door to the bedroom. i sighed. "he had permission to use force if-" i started but she cut me off. "i'm not talking about the forging, i'm talking about telling him!"she glared at me with all the might of a pissed off mother and wife. "i thought it may be pertinent information, sorry for trying to keep the family up to date on things!"i hissed back through clenched teeth. suddenly, violet popped up between us out of nowhere. "stop it, both of you! you are going to wake papa and his well being is all that matters. you can both bicker at a later date, but for now, leave it alone," she whispered fiercely. she said it with authority ringing in every word, and we knew she was right. Only ten and still more level headed than the whole family.

"i'm sorry violet, you are right. and i am sorry as well, mother. please both of you forgive me," i said somberly both nodded there heads in response. "i am sorry too, son. you did what you thought best for the safety of the family, and that is all we can ask of you. you did good, my sweet child," she whispered tearing up. she wrapped her arms around me and held me close. i grabbed violet and pulled her into the hug as well. we let go and sighed. "right. this has been enough drama for one night, i am going to bed," mother whispered straightening. we both wished her a good night as she closed the door behind her. "big brother, we both need to get to bed," she said tugging me over to our rooms. i let her guide me to the doors and i hugged her one more time. "thank you for being so grown up, little sister," i whispered in her ear and ruffled her hair. "someone has to," she said and skipped into her room. i laughed at that. it was true. i stretched, hearing my back pop with a slight give. woa that felt good. perhaps i am working too hard? this is the fifth night in a row i worked all day with no rest.i gingerly made my way to the bed and laid down. god it felt good. i idly thought it may be in my best interest to get undressed but i was soon fast asleep.