“Ye’re gettin’ sound proofin’ on yer room,” Orlana whispered.

Kat and Ann shrank into their seats at the late breakfast, both mortified. Rosalyn, blessedly missing their keen hearing, ate her meal happily, humming quietly to herself.

The queen stood, then took her seat at the head of the table. Kremdol wasn’t giving them any indication he knew anything, but Ann wasn’t going to assume.

She chewed nervously on her bacon and eggs, taking a pastry from a platter set out at the fine table. After a few minutes, she gathered the courage to speak up.

“So, um, Kat, you said you have siblings, right? Where are they?”

“The youngest, Kierran and Jonathan, ate an hour ago,” Kremdol answered as he nibbled at a tart. “Junia and Somnal, our eldest, are away at the moment. Junia tending to matters in Thalten while Somnal is working with the mages in Indelholm. I doubt they will be back for another few weeks.”

“Kat hasn’t said much about them,” Ann said, remembering to swallow before speaking. The weeks of informality with their party, and being on the road had deteriorated her manners. “Honestly, there’s so much about everything I’m still completely in the dark on, it feels like I’ll never catch up.”

“Well, ye’ve got all the time in the world,” Orlana said, smiling at them. “Just choose what ye want tae go after first. Things’ll fall intae place from there. Speakin’ of, we’ve sent a missive tae the Church o’ Orenous this mornin’. They’ll likely be wantin’ tae speak wit’ ye later. I didn’t give ‘em anythin’ that’ll set ‘em gossipin’, but enough tae get the head priestess tae set up an audience. Ye wouldn’t know, but aside from the Qu’Sella priests, they’re a real gossipy bunch. Comes wit’ the domain o’ their Goddess. But, knowin’ them, they’ll be ready fer ye later in the evenin’. The mornin’ an’ afternoon are yours.”

“Thanks,” Ann replied. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt to have leaders of a kingdom, and the church was so interested in her that they were setting up meetings for her, but it was part of her assignment from Orenous. It was nice she didn’t have to do all this on her own, but also wanted to make sure she wasn’t accidentally restricted by some party getting greedy with their own plans.

“That would be for the best,” Bren spoke up. “I would suggest we visit a weaponsmith, or an armoury, to see about replacing your blade, Ann. A warrior without her weapon is much diminished.”

“Right. Probably going to use whatever this ore is that Tylina gave me.”

“I’ve got a few smithies that’ll suit ye,” Orlana said, an eager glint in her eyes. “Much o’ me own armour, an’ me axes, were made by the best o’ the kingdom.”

“Actually, I was kind of hoping to run into someone specific. Have you heard of Pile?” Ann asked.

“Can’t say I ‘ave. Darlin’?” Orlana turned to Kremdol.

“No, me neither.”

“She’s who gave Ann ‘er first sword. Met ‘er in the outpost southeast o’ the Keep,” Kat explained, giving Ann some time to continue eating. “Apparently she’s a bit o’ a myth with the smiths. Guessin’ that’s got Ann’s interest.”

Ann nodded, mouth full of food.

“Problem is, she’s an elusive type. Spoke wit’ Jeb in the Keep, one o’ the smiths who I get tae do me armour, an’ he seemed tickled we’d run intae ‘er.”

“Well, considering her reputation, I doubt we can track her down in any expedient manner,” Kremdol hummed, hand stroking his chin as he thought. “I believe for now we can give you a list of the craftsmen Orlana knows, and you could ask around?”

“That can work. Guess we’ll just kind of wander for the morning. That sound all right with you all?” Ann asked the rest of her group.

“Oh, yeah!” Rosalyn chirped. “I just kinda want to see the city and people. Oooh, there’s probably some cool subterranean animals and things to see. Never been underground before, and while it’s all big and spacious like this, and doesn’t really feel like it’s underground, we’re under a mountain! How cool is that?”

“We’ll see if we can find something for you,” Ann promised, leaning over to squeeze her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Sorry if these meetings and things get a bit boring. You don’t have to stick around for all of them.”

“Nope, I am sticking,” Rosalyn decided, sitting up straight to further confirm her determination. “It’s you and our future. Just because it’s going to be boring me out of my horns doesn’t mean it’s not important. I’ll find something to amuse myself.”

“Need tae get ‘er a pet.” Kat whispered quietly enough that only Ann could hear.

“So, I guess that’s our day planned out. Figure out a smith, meet with the Church, or Temple, or whatever it is, and then end the day, oh shit!” Ann cried. A servant had appeared at her side without making a single sound. He began collecting her empty plates without a word, but wore a subtle smirk that barely curled the corners of his lips. “How the hell’d you do that?”

“Years of training, my lady,” the man answered demurely. He straightened and strode silently away.

Orlana looked like she was trying to stifle laughter, but was failing as her shoulders heaved. “Takes some gettin’ used tae, I imagine,” she chuckled.

“So used to being able to hear everyone and everything so close. That scared the shit out of me,” Ann said, sighing as she recovered from the shock.

“Well, I must be off,” Kremdol declared, standing and straightening his robes. “Katlyn, just be discreet. Bren, keep an eye on them. For the rest, enjoy your time.”

The meal wrapped up quickly after that. Orlana excused herself to begin her daily routine, while the other four retired to their rooms, preparing for their trip into the city.

They gathered in the front courtyard. Bren was a bit late, and the trio of women sat by the rock formation, watching the coming and going of people. Everyone that passed gave Kat at least a small bow, while others stopped for the full thing. Kat mostly ignored them, waving at some people she seemed to know.

Bren had just gotten there, dressed in his usual garb of robes, when a shout turned their heads.

“Kat!” the woman cried, racing towards them. She was a Vulhardrin. An avian from the prominent blue-green plumage that replaced her hair and the wings instead of normal arms. She was shorter than Kat, but a bit taller than Bren, with a lithe figure. She wore fine clothes marked with the kingdom’s seal. “Oh my gods, it’s been so long! How’ve you been!”

“Ilana!” Kat shouted back, catching the woman as she leapt into the hug. “Gods, it’s been years, hasn’t it? How’ve ye been?”

“Oh, you know, busy working on the whole diplomatic thing. It’s been going great, been making trips back and forth between the Mulsfar tribes. Oh, where are my manners?” she turned, brushing back her feathers with a wing. “Bren, it’s good to see you too! Pardon, but I don’t recognise your new friends. You pick up a new girlfriend, Kat?”

“As a matter o’ fact, I did!” Kat said, puffing out her chest proudly. “Ilana, meet Annita, and Rosalyn.”

“Two?” she asked incredulously. “You were… ahem, not in public, right? Good to meet you, Annita, Rosalyn. Where are you all from?”

“River’s Crest, just northwest of Graven Keep! Good to meet you, too!” Rosalyn said cheerily, curtsying politely.

“Far north,” Ann lied. “I’m new to the area and happened to run into Kat, so we’ve been travelling together for a bit.”

“Oh, how lucky for you. Kat, we’ll have to catch up later, but I need to hear all about what you’ve been up to. I’ve got some meetings to attend, but later. Definitely later. See ya!” Ilana waved, accidentally buffeting them with a breeze as she took off.

“Old friend?” Ann asked as she watched the woman go, marking the woman’s figure without thinking.

“Not like tha’,” Kat clarified. “But, aye. Good friend. Knew ‘er fer a while durin’ me schoolin’. One o’ the few people ‘ere I could talk tae without hidin’ shite outside o’ Bren. Well, most everythin’. More o’ the girly stuff.”

“Like swords and armour?” Rosalyn teased, looking up at Kat innocently.

Kat paused, looking down in surprise that the woman had actually thrown a barb. “Actually, nae. Talkin’ about romance, life, girls. Tha’ was most o’ it.”

“Then I definitely want to talk to her more,” Ann decided. Someone who Kat had confided in while she was growing up? She had to get some gossip going there. She could imagine teenage Kat, all gangly and cute, sitting in her rooms with Ilana, talking the night away. It was a sweet image.

“Oi, head outta the clouds, pup,” Kat snapped in Ann’s face, bringing her out of her imagination. “Let’s go see if we can get ye a new weapon. Maybe run intae Pile, if our luck holds.”

“If you’re listening, Orenous, please?” Ann offered to the stone ceiling far above their heads as they walked out the gates.

As they went, Ann did take note that a detachment of guards was subtly keeping an eye on them. It made sense, seeing as they were actually in the capital, that Kat had some sort of escort, but it annoyed her nonetheless. The first two forges they visited on Orlana’s list weren’t what they were looking for. The men and women had fallen over themselves to talk to Kat, offering discounts and services to try to get into the woman’s good graces. While those deals were absolutely tempting, Kat and Ann both preferred someone who took pride in their work over the promotion they’d get for making their gear.

“Shite, this is takin’ a bit,” Kat sighed, leaning against a wall, head bumping against the hard surface in frustration. They’d taken a quick break after the third failure and had stopped in a quiet alley to regroup.

“They’re all so eager, but also you can just see the gold in their eyes,” Rosalyn agreed. “I mean, even their discounts are as much as my town earns in a year.. It’s  madness! Honestly, makes me a little upset how rich all this place is.”

“Yeah, and I bet those prices are still higher than usual,” Ann sighed. “Making money off the crown, get an extra windfall. It’s shit.”

“Agreed,” Bren said. “This is one of the many trials of being well known.”

“Vultures, all o’ them,” Kat grumbled.

“Well, if y’all want somethin’, a birdie told me youse was lookin’ for me,” a gruff woman’s voice piped up from Ann’s left.

Jumping, she looked down to see Pile. The grumpy looking Indol looked up at her with her hands on her hips. A lit cigar hung from the corner of her mouth as she regarded her with cool, silver eyes.

“Shit, hi Pile,” Ann gasped, recovering.

“Good to see ya too, newbie. What’s the matter? Grow tired of that falchion ya picked out? I know it was pretty standard shit, but it’d hold up for a while, unless you beat the fucker over some rocks.”

“I, um, well,” Ann stuttered, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment as she remembered how she’d used it, both on the Snail and Horace.

“You fuckin’ didn’t,” Pile glowered up at her. “The fuck did you think it was? A sledgehammer? That was a blade, you daft bitch. Meant for cuttin’ and stabbin’. The fuck did you do to it? Let me see, now!”

Sheepishly, Ann pulled out her falchion, handing it still in the scabbard to Pile.

The Inlon drew the blade deftly and groaned at the damage. “The fuck were you fighting? Fucking Grrn?”

“A snail Warped and a giant turtle goose thing. I had to make a weak spot in the second one, and that meant getting through its shell,” Ann explained.

“If it saved your life, it’s not too fucking bad, but still. Come on. Soft bits, flesh, that’s what a sword is for. You want something to get through hard surfaces, ya need spikes and shit. Hammers. Cudgels. Fucking anything blunt. Please tell me you’ve been taking good care of the revolver.”

“Yeah, that’s still fine. Been cleaning it, oiling, all that. Even got it a new stock,” Ann said, handing it over.

Pile took it, flicked open the chamber, spun it, flicked it back, aimed it, and pocketed it. “Need to re-sight the thing. It’s a hair off to your left. Can get that handled while I work on whatever the fuck else you want. I’m not giving you another sword if you’re going to treat it like the last one, hear me?”

“Yeah, honestly, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about. It’s about a skill, though, so if we could talk somewhere a bit more, um,” Ann faltered.

“Private? Gods, girl, you’re asking like a virgin on her first night. Come on, we can talk in my workshop. Through here,” Pile said, waving to the rest of them to follow.

She led the party around a corner and to a door marked as a tailor’s shop. Pushing the door open, she beckoned them through. “Come on, ain’t got all day.”

Confused, Ann stepped through the door and entered a forge. The space was bigger than the building they had entered, making absolutely no sense. It was warm, with a sooty brick floor and walls. Weapons both in progress and completed hung around the room in neat racks, with ladders set up to reach them all. To the side was a massive forge that glowed with a blue flame, tools, anvils, and all sorts of other equipment she wasn’t familiar with were arranged neatly around.

“The fuck?” Kat gasped as she entered.

“Don’t worry your muscly brain over it,” Pile dismissed the question. “Spit it out, newbie. What’s the thing that needs privacy?”

Ann explained her latest skill choices. She’d been thinking about it over the past few days and was starting to lean more and more towards A Fistfull of Love. “The thing is, with a sword, I can’t really use it.”

“Yeah, I see your problem there. Love Beam seems like it’d be a damn fine skill if you were a rifleman, but your other skills contradict that. I agree that Fistfull is your best choice there. So, going to get into unarmed fighting. Seems about right for your general body setup, except the whole feet thing. Not sure how good your balance is.”

“Kat’s been working on that,” Ann said, grimacing as she remembered the countless trips and falls she suffered as they’d trained. Her balance had truly gotten better as she’d adjusted to her new body.

“Kickin’ her ass, Elf?” Pile laughed, cocking an eyebrow at Kat. “Good. She needs it. Bitch looked like she’d topple over last time you two came through. You’ve been doing a good job.”

As she spoke, she reached out and shoved at Ann’s knee. The surprising force behind the push sent Ann staggering, but she managed to keep her balance.

“Still wobbly, but you’ll get there. All right, I know what you need, but I need materials to work with. Got anything to give me?”

“I’ve got this,” Ann said, pulling the piece of ore she’d gotten from Tylina’s seed. It sparkled blue in the forge light, the flames and the ore’s own cobalt hue mixing in a dazzling light.

“Oh, that’ll do you good. You still in plain clothes or you get some proper armour yet? Kevlar and the like aren’t a thing here, yet, or anymore, fuck, whatever. You’re leather, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, wait, you know what kevlar is?” Ann asked, taken aback. “I thought I would be the only one!”

“Judging by your, well, everything,” Pile continued, completely ignoring the question, “I’m guessing you went all edgy and got black shit. The blue’s gonna stand out against it. I’ll darken it with some tricks of mine. By the way, this is basically mithril. I think this place’s people call it Bultrite, after the dwarves here. Shit’s strong as anything you’ll find. Whoever gave it to you really wanted to set you up. You’ve got new clothes, which means you got measurements. Give me the ones for your arms and hands,” Pile demanded, holding out her hand. This content belongs to Nove1Fire.net

Ann handed over the piece of paper with her measurements, head still spinning as she questioned everything she knew about Pile. She knew what Kevlar was, had called Kat an Elf, and the Bultrong dwarves. What was this woman?

Pile shoved the paper back at her, leaving some sooty fingerprints on it. “Ok, now get the fuck out. I need some me time to get this done. Three days and you be back here. Same door, half-past eleven in the morning. Don’t bother knocking, it’ll be there.”

She turned to the forge and began working the bellows. Ann would love to stick around and see the small woman work, but chose not to test the already irritable woman’s patience.

Back in the cool air of Korvas, they took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” Rosalyn said, seemingly breathless. “What in the hells?”

“That? That was Pile,” Kat said, looking a bit dazed herself.

“Ann, I have questions,” Bren said, looking at his wolfish companion intently.

“You have questions? I have questions. What the fuck? How did she know those words? Who the fuck is she?” Ann blurted, pacing around in the street. “That’s not normal for this time. That’s shit from my time.”

“Quiet, quiet,” Rosalyn shushed her. “But I want to at least hear that, too. Seems like this smith is a bit more than you all thought she was.”

“More than Jeb even knows,” Ann said, still pacing. “Also, what was that door? That was magic, right, Bren?”

“Definitely,” he confirmed. “Spacial magic. That is incredibly rare and takes massive amounts of energy to create and reproduce. If she truly has a way to link spaces to her forge, that is another enigma I would love answered. Somehow, I doubt I will get that answer, though.”

“I need a drink,” Ann decided. “I’ve got all this swimming in my head and I have to go talk to people who worship my Goddess in a couple hours. Nope, nope, we’ve gotten the first thing on the list done. Drink now, snack something. Need to think.”

“Sweetheart, yer brain’s breakin’,” Kat giggled, trapping Ann with muscular arms and pulling her in for a hug. “It’s gonna be alright. We can get ye tha’ drink, though.”

Rosalyn joined the hug too, warming Ann’s heart as she tried to calm down.

“Kevlar. Fucking kevlar,” Ann muttered as her friends led her to a tavern.