blacksmith

After closing the door of the pub, I organized the tables and chairs and swept the floor of any lingering dust. However, I sensed a presence at the front door, trying to find a way in. Approaching the door, I opened it, startling the person outside.

"Hostess of Fertility is closed for today. Please come another time" I stated before closing the door once more.

"WAIT!" I heard the person shout.

Opening the door again, I waited for her to explain.

"Is there by any chance a waitress working here named Xian ya?" the woman asked.

"That would be me. Do you need something?" I tried to remember ever meeting a red-haired woman with an eyepatch.

"Ah, you're Xian ya. I've been searching for you for a full day" the woman sighed.

"My name is Hephaestus, and I've been looking for you because of a weapon you possess" Hephaestus got straight to the point.

"Hephaestus, the one who made Bell's weapon, correct? I also wanted to find you" I recollected the name Hestia had mentioned.

"Yes, but that's not important right now. Could you come over to my office right now?"

"And why would I do that? Tell me the price you're willing to pay for my time" I crossed my arms, expecting a good answer.

"You said you wanted to find me too, right? What do you need from me?" Hephaestus asked.

"I am searching for a good blacksmith to forge me a weapon. With the quality of Bell's dagger, I searched for you to make me a weapon," I revealed my objective of finding her.

"I can do that. Let's talk somewhere else more private" she began walking somewhere, and I quietly followed, not forgetting to lock the Hostess of Fertility door.

-

"So, why is a smith like you searching for me?" I sat down in the opposite chair from where she sat.

"I heard that you have a living weapon. How did you acquire it?" Hephaestus asked the main question.

"I simply engraved its sigils. As for the weapon itself, I received it from an old friend."

"Could I see the weapon? In exchange, I will make you a weapon for free" Hephaestus remembered why Xian was looking for her.

"That is agreeable. Please be prepared" I opened up a small portal to my soul.

"Prepared?" Hephaestus was confused for a moment but went serious as she felt the blade's presence.

"What is that sword?" Hephaestus solemnly said, looking at the katana wrapped in old cloth.

I gripped Kirion's handle, a familiar handle that had killed millions of soldiers and massacred innocence in cold blood.

I sensed that the binding was decaying from the already worn-out cloth, so I decided to change it as soon as possible.

"This is Kirion, the Blade of Devourer. It is a cursed sword, a curse I cast upon myself caused by my hunger for power" I regretfully said.

"Could I take a closer look at it?" Hephaestus said seriously.

"I would advise against it. The binding is the only thing keeping Kirion from massacring again" I warned her.

"Then could I unwrap the blade part?" Hephaestus cautiously said.

"You are welcome to do so, but be ready to hear the screams of souls" I handed Kirion to Hephaestus.

Hephaestus was alarmed by the sentence "screams of the soul" but ultimately steeled herself. 'She is a goddess who has lived for hundreds of years. What could a sword possibly do?' she thought to herself.

Slowly unwrapping it, she could hear the screams of agony and hatred getting louder as the sword filled the room with heavy bloodlust.

She tried to ignore the screams and looked at the blade closely. It was heavily damaged, chipped, and serrated at the blade's edge, with many unknown carvings all along the blade's base to the tip. But some carvings made sense to Hephaestus.

(Pic)

"This... This is not a weapon a mortal should have" Hephaestus felt terrified at the blade.

"Indeed, if this sword lands in the wrong hands, it will cause chaos and destruction" I chimed in.

"Sigh, I don't even want to ask how you obtained this many cursed sigils" Hephaestus handed back Kirion, and I carefully re-wrapped it and stored it back in my soul.

"So, about this weapon you want me to make. Why do you want one in the first place?" Hephaestus looked serious as she asked my intention.

"I want to seal Kirion forever, but I do not want to be left defenseless. So, I am in search of a replacement for Kirion."

"I see. If that's the case, what kind of weapon do you want me to make?" Hephaestus believed Xain, as gods and goddesses could tell between lies and truths.

"I simply want a simple, sturdy katana, nothing more, nothing less" I casually stated.

"If you only want that, I could certainly make it. Are you sure you don't want to add anything else?" Hephaestus made sure I was sure about my decision.

"I am sure" I reassured her.

"Alright, you can come back tomorrow. I'll get that weapon made. You can go now; I need to focus on making your katana" Hephaestus pointed at the exit door, and I naturally went back to Hostess of Fertility without much intervention.

~

if you're wondering how Hephaestus could recognise some of the sigils, think of it like making a fire, the things you need are essentially just sticks and spark

to put it simply a stick and a spark are to a person who does not even speak the same language and know what the two will produce