With the two bottles of dark red wine in hand, Elise and I made our way back to Orm's forge—Bear Paw. The familiar scent of hot metal and smoke greeted us as we entered. The soft cng of metal on metal echoed through the air, a sign that Orm was at work.
His broad, weathered hands moved with a practiced ease as he polished another set of heavy ankle weights, his gray beard shifting slightly with each movement.
His muscles were as solid as stone, built from years of forging weapons and working with his hands. He didn't look up as we entered, but the moment we stepped inside, he spoke with his deep, gruff voice."Sui's waitin' inside the red room," he said, still focused on his task.Elise and I exchanged a brief gnce before nodding. We knew what to do. We moved past Orm, heading toward the red room. The thick, wooden door creaked as we entered the area where Sui was.As we walked through the dimly lit room, we saw Sui—a strange sight to say the least. He was once again doing his weird dance—swinging his hands back and forth, jumping in small, erratic bursts, eyes tightly shut as if lost in his own world. It almost looked like he was practicing some kind of ancient martial art, but everything about it was unpredictable and chaotic.His bare feet shuffled across the floor with surprising lightness for someone of his size. Every swing of his arms seemed more exaggerated than the st, as if he were holding imaginary swords in both hands. It was bizarre, yet oddly mesmerizing.Then, in the middle of a wild spin, Sui stopped, his eyes still closed for a moment, before snapping open. He straightened up with an exaggerated flourish and pointed at us, his lips curling into a smile."Well?" he said, his tone pyful, but with that underlying edge of impatience. "You two made it back, huh? Good. Come inside."We both moved quickly toward him, instinctively following his lead. Sui gestured for us to sit on the sturdy wooden bench inside the hut. The small, makeshift room had the usual rough-hewn furniture, but the firepce in the corner gave it a somewhat cozy feel despite the coldness of the stone walls."Where's my booze?" Sui asked, his voice low and expectant.
He wasn't even bothering to look at us directly anymore, already moving around the room as if he were preparing for something—maybe his next dance, or another one of his strange routines.I handed him the two bottles of dark red wine with a sigh."Good," Sui said, taking the bottles from me with surprising gentleness for someone with so much brutal strength. His eyes lit up with a slight glimmer of satisfaction as he uncorked one of the bottles, the rich scent of the wine filling the air."You're alive," he added, gncing at us with that casual smirk of his. "Drink some water, go home, get some rest. Come back again tomorrow."I looked at Elise, silently agreeing with her. We were both completely wiped out, our muscles aching from the stress of the day. We barely had the strength to speak, but we both managed a nod in Sui's direction.Without a word, we turned and made our way back out of the red room. Sui was already too distracted by his wine to care much about our departure. He was humming to himself, swaying as he prepared to take a drink, completely in his own world.Back out in the forge, Orm waved us off with a half-hearted grunt, still focused on his work."See ya, kids," he muttered, his eyes still on the weights in front of him.With one st look at the forge, Elise and I stepped out into the cool evening air. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the city streets.
The hum of the marketpce was beginning to fade, repced by the distant sounds of the city settling down for the night.Our bodies felt like dead weight, but there was a small sense of accomplishment. We had survived."I can't believe Sui's got that much power," Elise said, stretching her arms as we walked down the road toward home.
"And I'm not even sure if he's teaching us anything useful, or just enjoying watching us suffer."I shrugged, equally unsure. "I don't know, but we'll find out more, won't we?"With a shared, tired gnce, we continued on—our steps slow, but determined.
After parting ways with Kael, Elise trudged through the streets of the Lower Housing District, her body aching with exhaustion.
The district was quieter at this hour, the hum of the bustling market long faded, repced by the occasional sound of distant chatter and the creaking of wooden doors as families settled in for the night.
The houses here were modest, simple stone and wooden structures, packed closely together. Most homes had small front porches, some with potted pnts or drying undry hanging on lines stretched between the beams.Her own house stood at the end of a narrow street—a two-story home, built from aged wood and sturdy stone. Though not extravagant, it was well-kept.
A small ntern flickered by the doorway, casting a soft glow on the entrance. Taking a deep breath, Elise pushed the door open and stepped inside.The warm glow of a small firepce illuminated the living room, casting long shadows on the wooden walls. The scent of stew and herbs lingered in the air, a comforting reminder of home. Her mother, Celia Florian, sat in a worn but sturdy wooden chair, knitting by the light of a single candle.
She was a woman of gentle features, her once raven-bck hair now streaked with silver, tied into a neat bun. Her warm brown eyes flickered up from her work the moment Elise entered, but the soft warmth in them quickly turned into concern.Her mother set aside her knitting, her gaze scanning Elise from head to toe. Bruises marred her arms, small scratches littered her hands, and her clothes were damp with sweat and dirt."I thought you'd be training with a companion," Celia said, her voice carrying a hint of disapproval. "Why do you look like you've been through a battlefield?"Elise sighed, running a hand through her sweat-drenched hair before dropping her bag near the door. "That's what I thought too, at first," she admitted, moving toward the dining table and leaning against it, stretching her sore limbs. "But the man training us… he's a bit eccentric and weird. But powerful—I can feel it. He's hiding just how strong he really is."Celia studied her daughter carefully, as if searching for any hidden pain beyond the obvious injuries.After a brief silence, Elise finally lifted her gaze to meet her mother. Determination burned in her golden-brown eyes as she spoke again, her voice quieter, yet filled with conviction."This is it, Mother. If I continue training with my friend, I can become powerful."She hesitated, swallowing hard, before muttering her next words almost under her breath."…And once I'm strong enough… I can finally hunt down the ones who betrayed Big Brother."Celia's breath hitched. Though Elise's voice had been weak, she had heard her clearly. Her wrinkled hands gripped the edges of her p, fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress.
There was a deep sorrow in her mother's eyes, but she did not speak against her daughter's resolve. Instead, she inhaled slowly before responding.
