CHAPTER 191: TUMULT OF THE TWO WEEKS: PART 3 - BLACKSMITH HAVEN

With Telos, Aletha, and Kartara vanished, Asahi’s soul anchored back to reality, moments after he had touched the Orb of Immortality.

"Get back in the damn wagon, dimwit!" Grandpa barked, waving his arms at Asahi, trying to pull him away from the Orb.

Armed with wits and immortality, Asahi had a chance to restart, thanks to The Establisher.

"All it takes is a snap."

(So does that mean I can restart the same cycle as long as I snapped?) The thought and power itself seemed beyond overpowering. Now having grasped the ability of immortality and time travel, one were left to question.

How could Asahi possibly save everyone with the two components combined? Surely it must be easy...

(SWOOSH)

After having witnessed the icicle moment with the red-haired man the previous ’loop’, Asahi first went to Trid, hoping he was okay. Luckily enough, he arrived just minutes before the red-haired man arrived, causing the tides of the problem to shift. Then he looked for Primrose. After just barely dodging an avalanche, he ran over and hollered.

"Primrose!" His voice filled with dread and anguish.

The pink-haired girl looked back and forth, seeing a crimson-haired man approach from beyond the freezing smoke.

"Again, enough of this silliness. You do know what you have in your arms, do you?" The man said with his speedy tone. "None other than The Orb of Immortality."

Although it was self-explanatory, Asahi still hadn’t grasped what this relic does. Daring, he chose to ask the red-haired man.

"What is the Orb of Immortality?"

A grin appeared on the man’s face. He took a deep breath and summoned two icicles on his palm. He threw five at Asahi before answering.

"An ancient relic that weaklings like you shouldn’t have." Apparently, the Ruler of Forgotten targeted bad guys, too. The man continued. "Hand it over. It’s an artifact made by the ruler of---"

The red-haired man’s sentence stopped abruptly as flames filled the area. He turned to see Trid and Primrose hurling soil canisters at him like arrows. Explosions erupted in quick succession, disrupting his advance. One two, green essence flew with the whirlwind of chaos. Three, four, flames smothered this ice cold place place in a blaze.

Trid and Primrose used the chaos to bear time and reclaim the wagon and launch more canisters. In the commotion, Asahi sprinted toward the wagon, evading the red-haired man. Grandpa quickly whipped the horses into formation, shouting as they charged away.

"Yee HAW! Ride’em like the cowboys in Zomrack!"

"Cowboys?" Asahi leaned toward Primrose. "What is happening?"

"Keep your damn mouth shut, this is the power of OLD MEN, damn it!"

Asahi wanted to protest but realized words would waste precious seconds. He gripped the edge of the wagon as Grandpa moaned in pain, but kept the reins tight. The carriage jolted across the ice hills. As they sped off, the red-haired man floated beside them, introducing his title as he chased.

"I am Yawman, member of The Promise. " After taking a hit, the red-haired man chased the wagon over freezing cliffs and shouted, levitating. "Stop and I will halt my pursuit."

Suddenly, Yawman slammed his fist into a frozen chunk of earth and hurled it at the wagon’s wheels. The wagon swerved left in response to the impact, then lost control and crashed into a hill.

"You’re immortal and yet you’re still weak." He said, clenching his fists.

He threw an ice cube conjured from his magic and slammed it at Asahi. Then he threw fifteen sharp icicles. But yet not once had he been hurt. This caused him to steer back, and after pulling the wagon back up, the old man yelled.

"Get back into the damn carriage, you stupid, damn animal. How many damn times do I have to tell you?"

"Animal?"

"Just do what Gramps says..." Primrose said as she slapped Asahi straight in the face.

After doing what was necessary, Asahi, Primrose, Grandpa, and Trid all successfully left the scene, leaving Primrose wounded on the wagon while Grandpa and Trid were hurt, fighting on.

. . .

At last, after two hours of tribulation from the snowstorms.

"Last stop, damn... Blacksmith Haven."

Asahi turned to his right, scanning the surroundings. Then he glanced to his left, and suddenly...

A brown-haired girl with reindeer ears appeared in front of the carriage.

"Look at the damn way you’re going!" Grandpa said, clutching the whip. "You almost killed a damn child."

Grandpa quickly steered the wagon off the path, taking full control to avoid an accident.

Once the horse crashed into the valley near the entrance, Asahi and Primrose climbed out of the wagon and left the crash site.

"So. Where do we go now?" Asahi asked.

"I say until we get this damn thing workin’ again..." Gramps took deep breaths. "We might damn well lose it all. Give it two damn days max. Anyways, I have one request for you, vanilla boy."

"Vanilla boy?" He shook the thought off his head. "And what is that?" Asahi asked.

"Keep that damn pink-haired girl safe, will ya’?" Grandpa said as he fixed and welded iron into the wagon.

"You too," said Trid as he fixed the wheels. "I don’t want complaints now. This is the closest thing to free warmth you’ll get. Go get comfortable or pick out a sword."

After Primrose and Asahi left the crash site and walked away, Primrose spoke up.

"Gramps may be small, but he definitely knows how to pack a punch. Not just that, but he has a big heart despite what he looks and says. Say, let’s check..." Primrose said. After they checked their arsenal and saw that all the soil canisters had been used, even the healing ones, Asahi and Primrose decided they had no choice but to enter Blacksmith Haven.

The raw smell of molten steel filled his nostrils, and the frosted chattering snowflakes flowing by the billowing wind had entered the town and his body. After slamming the gate shut, both felt a warmth and cold enter their bloodstream.

In contrast to the heat of the dozens of blacksmiths, an abiding chill kept people inside their wooden houses. Bonfires were established, with goblins gathering around the slums and elves in the wealthiest parts of Blacksmith Haven. The steel’s clings and clangs sounded over the walls, making it an uncomfortable area to be in. The townspeople themselves seemed as cold as the snowstorms enveloping the city. The pink-haired girl invited Asahi.

"Welcome... to Blacksmith Haven." She said with a tremulous tone.

Asahi kept quiet.

It seemed every second living here felt like a chore, as if every moment here were washed away by the sound of labor and sweat. The noise of steel clashed back and forth, with sweat and flames enveloping the ovens, making this both a great hub for gatherings and a source of warmth altogether. However, even after all of that...

"This place feels... off," Asahi said as he looked at the weapons shining and dangling from some of the blacksmith’s walls.

After shaking off her thoughts, Primrose ran to one of the blacksmiths and spoke to him.

"Hey, can we get a free sword?"

The man looked at the girl confusedly.

"You talkin’ to me? Or..."

Asahi stepped in.

"She was talking for me." Of course, Asahi wore a hood, cloaking his face. "I am in need of a sword," Asahi said, mysteriously.

"Sorry, kid, but nothing’s free in life!" The blacksmith yelled as the warmth of the anvil grew hotter. "Get lost or pay up!"

After seconds of thought, Asahi reached toward his Soul Storage and grabbed a giant sack of Gincoins. Suddenly, he spilled all the thousands of Gincoins onto the table, dropping stuff on the floor. Primrose blushed in embarrassment while Asahi, face cloaked, slammed his fist and almost snapped his fingers.

"I won’t repeat myself again. Give me a sword."

The blacksmith immediately quavered and resisted a reaction not fitting for a man of his bulk. He suppressed his shout, saluting and grabbing all the coins off the ground.

"It’ll be around thirty minutes. Fastest I can give it."

"Good," Asahi said as he departed with Primrose. After that mysterious encounter with the blacksmith, Primrose was caught off guard.

"Geese, Asahi, never knew you could be so... mysterious."

Asahi remained silent, remembering what had happened to Aletha. What did you do to Aletha?!" He had suppressed a couple of smiles, knowing that deeply, even with Primrose, he was left utterly alone. The only relief he had was that Aletha was watching everything he had done. From start to finish. Like a television.

And now, knowing that his youngest sister, Aiyana, was his main enemy, made him wonder.

(What is she planning and what side is the Establisher on?)

With the thoughts vanishing like leaves on a stream, Asahi and Primrose decided to take their own tour around Blacksmith Haven. Besides the blacksmiths, there were hot spas, mainly for the Blacksmiths themselves. After being hard at work for painstaking days of sweat and tears, it was only necessary that they had these in the frigid wastes of Astait. As Primrose was walking, Asahi had his cloak on. A sea of eyeballs of several colors anchored at the soft locks of white hair dangling over the side, eyeing them like a snake.

If he were ever to show his face to the public, he might be targeted, thinking that he was wealthy. When, in actuality, money-wise, that was not the case. That and just in case Yawman EVER comes back.

But then he noticed something. Asahi turned over and saw that the Orb of Immortality wasn’t on his person. Swiftly, he and Primrose checked everywhere to see where it had gone, but no luck. Then, as they made their way out of Blacksmith Haven, Primrose noticed.

"Asahi, check your heart," she said, noticing a blue glow.

"Huh?" Asahi noticed a luminance shimmering right near his heart. Quickly, he backed up, asking...

"Is the Orb inside me?" Asahi ran to the blacksmith. Primrose covered the glow.

"Keep that on until we leave. We’ll discuss this later."