Magic-Smithing-Chapter 122.2

There’s something about being the subject of a woman’s unbridled ire that makes me tingle all over and feel like I'm floating. It makes my old heart beat a fraction of a second faster, and I inevitably question if this is how love felt all those decades ago.

If I closed my eyes long enough, I could delude myself into believing it, and if I were a century younger, I might even act on those feelings.

Sadly, I was too old for any of that nonsense and not nearly senile enough. Besides, the only woman I wanted to embrace me was the Goddess Ebeon, and only after I found a proper place for our meeting.

Maybe that's what I was feeling. After all, the woman sitting across from me, frowning like I represented all the evil in the world, had the potential to one day take my head. Too bad we were no longer enemies.

Disappointing, really.

“Will you stop grinning at me like that, you old pervert?" General Pitz’s tongue was as sharp as her arrows. Meaning her words didn’t hurt me at all.

“What’s wrong? Can’t an old man admire how beautifully deadly you are? You should feel flattered.” I chuckle while stroking the feathers in my beard.

“No, you can’t. Stop it,” Lady Pitz sassily snaps back in a way precious few dare. My subordinates marching beside us gaze at her in wonder, which I find equally enjoyable. Maybe they would grow a backbone under her influence, though that might be asking too much from them; most of them were rank-and-file soldiers.

“So, mean,” I pout and loudly sniff as if I'm about to cry, another thing I’ve forgotten how to do in my old age.

“Oh, please,” Pitz rolls her eyes, unamused. “As if you have feelings.”

I can’t help but burst out in laughter, startling a handful of our onlookers. “I suppose you are right,” I wheeze before yawning lazily. "Though that begs the question of why you chose to accompany me,” I lean back into my seat with a knowing smirk. “You’re no longer my captive; we’re allies now. You could be anywhere else in the world, right now, and yet you’re here. With me.”

“Temporary allies,” General Pitz corrected heatedly. “And only until we drive off the dragon, upon which I expect your king to keep his end of the bargain.”

“There’s no reason to get so heated,” I tell her, knowing that it would only rile her up more. "You don't have to worry; our kings have already used their skills to seal the agreement. We’ll follow through on our end; you can trust that. As soon as the dragon is dead and gone, we’ll return the lands we rightfully won from you.”

“Lands you stole.” She corrects hotly while continuing to stare daggers at me.

“If that is how you see it,” I shrug and grin from behind my beard. "One could argue your incompetent lords gave us the land." I continued to tease her because it was so much fun, and I was growing bored. Weeks without a life-or-death battle will do that to a person.

Pitz looks like she wants to pick up the bow we graciously returned to her and take a shot at me— if only I were so lucky. It would certainly help pass the time, if nothing else.

Now that she wasn't my prisoner, and no longer forced to wear those god-awful restraints, she was once again that dangeroeroerous woman I faced across the battlefield. Even now, I can’t help but grow excited as I watch her nimble hands dance across her weapon, threatening violence.

That said, I don’t want to get her riled up too much; there was a fine line between witty banter and an international incident. So, I wait for her to simmer down a bit before continuing our conversation, the same one we've had since leaving Drey for Spotted Creek Village.

"For every soldier over level 120 that comes to our aid, we’ll secede one of the four major cities we took and its surrounding land, along with a portion of the spoils if there are any. I think that’s quite a fair deal.”

“Don’t pretend like you’re doing my country a favor,” Lady Pitz glared as if I offended her personally. “The deal hinges on whether we can drive the dragon off, a monumental task in and of itself, one that could take years. And even if we do succeed, there’s the trade agreement.” She huffed.

“Can you really fault us for that?” I cheekily ask her. “Our people are starving and need a source of food; it only makes sense that we’d cover our asses.”

I snicker when she doesn’t stop murdering me with her eyes. I couldn’t blame her for how she was feeling. Our diplomats fought tooth and nail over that part of the agreement, using her safe release as their main bargaining chip. It’s thanks to her capture that we had the upper hand in the first place.

It was inevitable that she would feel responsible, but that was how the world worked. The stronger party always gets to dictate terms, though there is always room for compromise.

The day we slay the dragon, even if it’s tomorrow or a hundred years from now, and we retreat from these lands, Olebert will have to sell us food at a quarter of the price for the following ten years. That was the trade agreement they agreed to.

Our diplomats asked for fifty but allowed themselves to be talked down to ten. They couldn't go any lower than that because it was estimated that it would take at the very minimum five years to fix the surrounding lands once the dragon was gone. And that’s being generous.

“I can and I will,” the general sneered proudly, not one to back down. Things briefly devolved from there, with us making childish faces at each other until we eventually went silent.

Neither of us said anything for a good minute, and it quickly looked like I would have to be the one to keep the conversation going myself when I noticed General Pitz eyeing me out of the corner of her eye. She no longer looked combative, merely curious with a hint of expectation mixed in.

“Do you really not know why I'm here?" She asked me again with a raised eyebrow.

“I take it’s not because you’ve grown used to my company?” I deadpan, very much aware of why she was sitting across from me. There was only one reason she would put up with me as long as she has.

For once, she doesn’t rise to my provocation; instead, her eyes narrow like those of the young huntress she is. “I’m here for the girl.” I respect her for not bothering to insult my intelligence by trying to hide her true intentions, obvious as they were.

“Are you now?” I smile playfully, enjoying our back-and-forth. “Haven’t given up on my newest student, have you?” Yet, another thing I didn’t blame her for.

I expect General Pitz to snap back angrily in retaliation, maybe even lung at me in frustration, but she remains composed in her seat. And suddenly, it's like she's pointing a metaphorical bow at my heart. How fun.

“No, I haven’t,” she tells me with the barest hint of a smile on her face. “Tell me, Master Pacore the Deathless,” Pitz uses my titles sarcastically. “Did you sit through the entire negotiations, or did you leave it to the diplomats and only show up at the end as asked?”

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…. I stare at her blankly.

"I'll take that as a no." She smiles triumphantly as if knowing something I didn’t. “Have you at least read the entire agreement?”

“Possibly….” I was physically incapable of sweating unless under extreme circumstances, but the sensation was there.

Of course, I didn’t read the entire thing before signing it as Scholl’s representative. The agreement between our kingdoms was hundreds of pages long and read like a eulogy. It was filled to the brim with minor details, so where was Pitz going with this?

“Then you must have missed the part regarding travel between our nations. Namely, the section regarding merchants and other vital personnel wishing to return to Olebert-controlled lands." The general crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap, the picture of nobility. She was grinning now, and I could sense her building towards her finishing blow.

What was her game? I leaned forward, excited to see where this was going.

I don't try to hide my confusion, which General Pitz took great pleasure in, enough to snicker wildly. “I remember you saying that you can’t take the girl as your apprentice until you introduce her to your king,” Pitz reminds me once her laughter dies down. “Technically, you hold no real power over her; at least not yet.”

“And you do?” I asked back, still not seeing where she was going with this.

“As a matter of fact,” Pitz grins viciously, which I find adorable. She looked like an angry wolf cub, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. Too bad for her, I was no mouse.

“As a vital member of Olebert, young Aaliyah is free to do what she wants,” she informs me smugly.

“Dragon shit,” I snicker while grabbing and uncorking my waterskin filled with booze. “Aaliyah is a fifteen-year-old girl living in a village in the middle of nowhere. Vital, my harry ass." The alcohol pleasantly burns as it trickles down my throat.

“Ah, but by definition she is,” General Pitz attacks my one weakness—Gods, I hated politics.

“It’s stated clearly in the agreement that anybody above level 49 is classified as vital to the Olebert empire. Meaning…” Pitz trails off leadingly, allowing me to fill in the blanks myself.

“Meaning, I can’t keep her if she wants to leave,” I frown contemplatively, but otherwise barely react.

“Exactly," General Pitz beams. "It doesn't matter what she asks for. I'll move her entire village across the border if I have to. I'm not letting you snatch such a promising individual from under my nose, " she threatens me to my face.

“You’ve been planning this for a while…. Since when?” I asked curiously. She had grown less combative as the negotiations went on; I thought she had merely grown accustomed to me. Was this her plan all along?

“I may have slipped my dignitaries a note,” Pitz explained smugly. "Nothing specific, mind you, merely a request that they define who is considered vital to our nation. Your people probably thought nothing of it, as most people above level 49 had already fled before you and your armies arrived.”

Well, well, well; I wasn’t expecting this.

She continued to flaunt her perceived victory while I enjoyed my drink. "Though I am loath to admit it, I'm not strong enough to beat you in a fair fight. And thanks to the agreement, I can’t even try without risking starting a war between our peoples—But I’m not the only one with their hands tied. What do you have to say about that?” She boisterously challenges.

Lady Pitz stares me down, waiting for me to crack.

How should I play this?

Oh, I know!

“Curses!” I wail theatrically, grabbing my sides comically. “You have bested me, General Pitz of Olebert. Whatever shall I do?" I sway in my seat like I'm about to fall over.

Across from me, the general goes bright red, and her hands clench around her bow. “Can’t you be serious for even a moment?” She leans forward and yells angrily in my face.

“I don’t know what you mean?” I fake offense.

"You're bluffing; just admit that I won this round,” she tells me with a straight face, but I can see the unease she was trying to hide. Poor girl, she'd need to spend another decade in my company to even begin the thought of besting me.

I freeze in my seat before taking a huge breath and letting out a long sigh. Then, I lock eyes with General Pitz across from me. My face is blank, a mask of indifference. I wasn’t angry or sad; I didn't feel much of anything at all, really. A small part of me wants to ask her if she really thought that she had won, but that is about it.

“Tell me,” I offer General Pitz my waterskin, which she robotically takes. “What would you do with Aaliyah?”

“Pardon?” Pitz flinches back, and suddenly, she isn't so sure of her victory. “I don’t see how any of that is your business,” she tries to deflect, but I don’t let her.

“Humor a bested old man,” I gesture for her to take a sip.

She starts coughing as soon as the alcohol touches her lips, but she manages to swallow a mouthful in between her coughs. “I’ll have my family adopt her,” Pitz tells me matter-of-factly as she wipes her mouth aggressively. “I’ll build her a workshop, one befitting her talents. She’ll never want for materials again. She’ll reach her full potential under my care,” she proclaims proudly.

I don’t immediately disagree with her; I merely nod along. “I could see that. It would certainly be good for her.”

Pitz must hear the skepticism in my voice. “What, and you think you can do better? Your kingdom is filled with nothing but battle-junkies,” she shoots back.

“Exactly, so she’ll fit right in,” I smirk.

"She is not—" Pitz tries to argue with me, but I cut her off by holding up my hand.

"Aaliyah is a once-in-a-lifetime blacksmith; there's no arguing that, but she doesn’t excel at only one thing. She has a combative soul, I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, a desire to push past her limits. I barely know her myself, but I’ve seen the exact same look before in countless individuals, especially in my students.”

“Even if both of us leave her alone, she’ll become an excellent blacksmith all on her own,” I tell Pitz sagely. “She doesn’t need us for that. It's when she's not smithing that she'll need our guidance, and you admitted yourself a minute ago that you can’t beat me as you are.”

“She’ll never want to go with you,” Pitz sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than me.

Now, it was my turn to grin wickedly. “Oh, you think so, do you? You said I have no claim to her, but what about you?” I challenge back.

General Pitz opens her mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. She wanted nothing more than to say that I was wrong, but we both knew the truth.

The fact was that Aaliyah wasn't loyal to either of us—not yet, anyway. Pitz could claim Aaliyah was a valued part of Olebert all she wanted to, but that was just laughable. What had Olebert ever done for Aaliyah or her village?

I'll tell you what: Olebert ignored them in their time of need. Young Jason informed me about the letters they received about Spotted Creek's goblin problem and the response they sent in return. The only people Aaliyah was loyal to were her friends and family. It didn't matter which kingdom they fell under; only which of us could offer her more.

“You see, that’s why I sent one of my students to watch over her,” I tell her calmly. “I was never worried that she might run away.”

“You were banking on her forming an attachment to your student, and thereby you,” General Pitz frowned in realization before snapping back. “But that’s no guarantee that she will side with you over me.”

“Maybe, but it’s more than Olebert has ever done for her.”

Pitz looks at me as if I were crazy, making me smile. She couldn't comprehend that it was the uncertainty that thrilled me. I would love to be wrong— for Aaliyah to say she wasn't coming with me, for here to make me fight for her as we should. It's just that I've seen this too many times already.

“You have that much faith in your student?” The general asks me lifelessly.

“Honestly, no, not really,” I shake my head while continuing to smile, causing my partner to gasp in astonishment.

“But then—” She stutters.

“Tabitha isn’t that kind of student,” I do my best to explain. “She isn’t the craftiest person I've ever taught or the friendliest, for that matter. She stands out, even amongst her peers. But what Tabitha lacks in social skills, she makes up for with loyalty. I've tried to get her to branch out and make friends, but sadly, few understand her. Tabitha’s an oddball.” I smile fondly with a far-off expression.

“That said, she follows my instructions to the letter.”

“Meaning?” Pitz was confused as to where I was going with this.

“My orders were simple: ‘watch over the girl and teach her if she asks,’ that's it. If she influences Aaliyah in any way, so be it,” I laugh at the general’s dumbfounded expression.

“And if your half-assed plan didn’t work?”

“Then I would find some other way to convince her. The girl already knows that she can’t stay in her village forever. She knows she’ll have to make a choice, eventually, and I’m the better option,” I grin confidently.

What I don’t say is that I was confident Tabitha could win Aaliyah over by virtue of skill alone. If I read the girl right, and I’m sure that I did, then she’s an extremely hard worker with lofty ambitions.

And though she had her faults, Tabitha was, hands down, one of my hardest-working students. Her single goal in life is to eventually become as strong as I am—no, to surpass me.

And I have a feeling she can do it, so long as she doesn’t die young. There were many reasons why I picked Tabitha to watch over Aaliyah for me, but not all of them were solely for Aaliyah's benefit. I’ve tried to have Tabitha teach others before, but none of them could keep up with her strict training methods and stone-like demeanor.

At the end of the day, this was as much a test for Tabitha as it was for Aaliyah. Tabitha needed someone other than me to trust, and Aaliyah might be one of the few people who could bring my student out of her shell and keep up with her.

The last thing I wanted was for Tabitha to grow old alone, as I knew better than most how hard such an existence was. I wish I could say the same about myself, but I knew better than anyone how broken I was inside. That's what happens when you outlive all your family and friends.

The only thing that’s kept me from going crazy is finding enjoyment in others. It didn't matter if a person loved or despised me, worshiped, or tried to kill me; it was they who gave my life meaning.

There was nothing better than finding a new student, someone who could bring even a shred of excitement back to my life, even if only for a moment…

Similarly, there was nothing worse than being told one of them had died, nothing more soul-crushing.

My end was fast approaching; I could feel it in my old bones. Every day, I became a hair slower, and dancing became more arduous. There was no greater disgrace for a warrior such as myself.

I refused to die of old age. I've seen what lies down that path, and that's not how I wanted to go to greet my goddess.

I knew where my resting place was, but I wasn’t ready—my kingdom wasn’t ready.

Dragon, what are you doing now? Slumbering? Protecting your egg?

If you had chosen any other body of water, this needn’t have happened, but I have people who count on me. One or both of us will die the next time we meet, and what a battle it will be.

“Ugg, alright, you win. Just stop smiling like that," General Pitz's disgusted voice pulls me from my thoughts.

“You wound me,” I place my hand over my invisible armor before once again relaxing in my seat.

“And I haven’t won, not yet.” A tiny fraction of my killing intent leaks out, causing the men marching around us to yelp in surprise and raise their weapons. "So do me a favor, and don't give up. Try to convince Aaliyah to go with you. I won’t be mad. Just whatever you do, don’t lose that blazing fire in your eyes,” I purr in my gravelly voice.

Pitz was shocked to be challenged so openly, but didn't earn her level because she was meek. Her posture straightens to perfection, and her eyes turn into daggers, ready to strike at my vitals. “I am going to make you regret those words, old man.”

"I hope so—I truly do," I chuckle as I lean back in my seat. We were perhaps an hour from Spotted Creek Village, and I couldn't wait to see Tabitha and Aaliyah's growth.

The two of them were the future of Scholl. I was merely a fossil that refused to be buried.

In my eyes, the future was so bright. That’s why, no matter how fun it was having Pitz fight me for Aaliyah, I was assured she'd be coming with me in the end.

In my chest, I could feel my heart begin to beat a bit faster, for the future, and for a glorious death!