The street of Tamare was bustling still. Arlene had thought it would be more… solemn after recent tragedy. She had braced for it, but it seems people here indeed bounced back as Wattyson had said.

  Today, under Wattyson’s advice, she would take a day for herself. She still donned on her usual armour though.

  But… did she really deserve this…

  No! Stay positive!

  She would seize the day for herself. First things, visiting a blacksmith.

  Her sword was chipped and armour dented slightly. It wasn’t a big deal but having it fixed would ease the mind better.

  She needn’t ask for direction. The black smokes in the distance gave it away. The path along filled with an aroma of baking and children laughter.

  Some kids even called to her, “Look! It’s the Chosen One! She took down the demons!” while waving to her.

  Behind the kids she could see the adults were minding their own business, shovels, hammers and toolboxes in hands. They nodded slightly to her.

  Arlene simply smile and did a small wave back.

  The clean up on the mount was still ongoing.

  She just breathed in deeply and focused on herself today.

  The forge ahead was positioned near a trading hall and a fire station.

  The fire station itself seemed deserted while the trading hall was filled with people. There were traders and wagons filled with clothing, ingredients like spices and fruits, and raw ores.

  Arlene could make out from the patched banners they were from Bavasr and Taj-Hersz.

  Near the forge, it was oddly silent. She had expected the sounds of hammer and sizzling noises of hot metals, but there were none. Strange.

  Maybe they were out working at the Mound?

  She walked in regardless, a blonde man was slouching on the counter in front, his eyes slowly closing at the inevitability of slumber.

  Arlene stepped lightly, her voice raised slowly.

  “Ummm… Excuse me?”

  The man didn’t seem to hear. Rather his eyes shifted lower, his body slowly getting enveloped by the wooden chair and its armrest.

  “Ummm… Excuse me?!”

  She repeated a tad higher.

  This time it did catch the man’s attention. His blue eyes slowly drifted to her and realized. There was a customer there.

  His body gears overclocked. His legs firmly struck on to the ground and arms supporting himself standing up.

  “Y-Yes! How can I help you?!” His voice a mixed of surprise and panic. Flustered was the man.

  She could see the clerk clearly now, a young lad. Just reached adulthood likely. He was wearing an overall.

  An apprentice too perhaps?

  The clerk continued, “If you need anything, we at the Tamare Forge got you cover!” It was like a script being read out. “So! How can we help you Miss…? Miss CHOSEN ONE?!”

  He hurriedly turned around and shouted.

  “MA! THE CHOSEN ONE VISITED YOUR FORGE SHOP MA!”

  Arlene flinched a little at the sudden shouting. Chuckling lightly in her mind.

  “SHUT UP! NO SHOUTING IN THE SHOP!”

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  A retaliation to the clerk louder than his own. The master walked up, wearing the same overall. She was… short. Her posture was a bit sway back. She had a ladle in hand.

  “Sorry for me son, miss! He’s a bit daft!”

  She walked up to Arlene, her walk was full of pride.

  “So what can me do for ya?” She looked up to her, one hand on her hip.

  “Ah, yes! I was hoping I could get some repair done on my armours and weapon. My sword chipped and armour a bit dented.”

  Ma studied her, pointing with her ladle. “Ya call that bit dented?! I could see actual holes and slashes cut through! Your chestplate has a massive dented spot everywhere!”

  Ma sighed. “Don’t tell me your sword’s the same!”

  Arlene slightly blushed at Ma’s words, and unbuckled her longsword placing it on the small counter. Shifting the sheath scabbard out to reveal the blade.

  Ma examined it. “Well it is chipped for sure… A lot of claw marks chips!”

  Ma hit the blade with her ladle around where the claw marks were. All of them on only one side of the blade.

  “Must be one fearsome daemon!”

  Arlene only offered a nod. It was the story she agreed on.

  “Well laddi Miss. I can fix it up for ya! Judging from the metalwork…”

  Her ladle continued hitting the blade and then knocking on Arlene’s armour. It gave out hard yet piercing clanks.

  “I dun’ave that here. If miss’s okay with me using palladium! I can fix it for ya! It’ll be just as durable as Adamantite!”

  She paused before adding, “Unless miss planning to fight a giant golemn or dragons!”

  Arlene shook her head lightly, a faint smile worn. She bowed toward her.

  “It’s alright! Palladium’s fine!”

  Ma had a wide grin.

  “Son! Take the blade to the workshop! Ma’s gonna be busy for a while so cook ya own food!”

  The clerk lowered his tense shoulder. “Yes, Ma…”

  He stepped lightly and crouched down, holding up the sword like it was a holy item.

  They both could hear him chanting to himself. They couldn’t make it out what stanza it was.

  Ma watched her son strode to the door leading to the workshop, committing himself to this simple task with such reverence. Shaking her head.

  “What a silly boy…”

  “I think he’s enjoying himself?”

  “He should be! I raised the boy!”

  Ma looked to her now, eyes locked. She quickly lifted her arms, thumb pointing at the other door.

  “Ya can take off the armour there! Me’ll wait here.”

  Arlene headed to where Ma pointed her ladle, walking and brushing off the cloth covering the door. A simple hallway to the living room.

  She took off her armours slowly, trying not to get her tunic shirt attached to those armour’s holes.

  A shouting in the distant.

  “STOP GROVELING OVER THE DAMN SWORD YA DUMB BOY!”

  It followed with a loud smack.

  Arlene couldn’t hold back the smirk, letting herself have a giggle.

  After a short while, she stepped out to the store, her two arms holding the upper body armours. Despite the heavy weights, she felt much lighter.

  How long had this been? To feel so light despite not sleeping.

  “Boy!” Ma called out, pointing to Arlene. “Get the metal cart!”

  “Oh come on, Ma” the clerk walked to her, hands reaching out. “I’m sure I can handle the ar-“

  A loud clank and thud came from the ground.

  The slender boy could not carry the armour pieces.

  Arlene’s lip moved to lift, trying to offer an apology before-

  “WHAT ARE YA DOING BOY! DO WHAT ME TELLIN YA!”

  Ma smacked his ankle with her ladle. The boy moved quickly afterward, almost like he was never there at all.

  “Sorry about that! He always wants to test his strength see”

  Arlene offered an awkward chuckle.

  “It’s… It’s alright.”

  Ma eyed her. Arlene’s in her tunic shirt… normal clothing.

  “Ya finally looked like someone in your age!”

  It caught Arlene’s off guard, she didn’t notice her cheek slightly burned and shifted slightly from the faint smile.

  “Why do ya still wear the cape though?”

  Arlene, still high on the earlier comment, twirled around for the cape to flutter.

  “I don’t know, I just like it. Looks normal right?”

  The boy came back out, cart pushing through.

  “Miss Chosen One, normal girls don’t wear cape.”

  Ma smirked.

  “Well maybe she aint so normal to begin with!”

  Arlene and Ma looked to one another before chuckling to themselves. The boy… clueless, muttering something about how he had to be able to lift that arm greave.

  Ma reached to a nearby counter, pulling out a receipt book and pen. Her writing scribbling loudly.

  “Ere” she showed to Arlene. “Payment total, ya ‘ave to pay upfront 20% before ‘and.”

  Arlene, still smiling, reached down leather satchel.

  Ma added, “Also, ya can come pick it up later this ‘vening”

  “I’m sorry? ‘vening?”

  “This evening!”

  Arlene raised her eyebrows with money in hand now.

  “You can finish that fast? I thought you would… you know, be busy with all the townsfolks orders about the Mound?”

  Ma placed her two hands on hip.

  “Course I can! I’m the master blacksmith after all!”

  She got close to Arlene, took the money and pat her on the back.

  “Now go off now! I got other orders and your armours to fix!”

  The pat felt more like a push and before Arlene knew it, she was already outside the forge.

  She turned back and the door was already closed. The boy was already slouching, falling asleep again. Ma was nowhere to be found in that shop.

  Now what?

  She looked around to see the busy peoples around, her eyes followed them and her legs lifted to move toward them.

  She stopped herself, clenching her fists slightly and let out a deep breath.

  “Wattyson told me to take the day for myself… I should do that.”

  She turned away from that view and walked off to nowhere, down the street that might led somewhere in Tamare Village.

  The sun was already near noon, shining down brightly in the vast blue sky. She could feel the heat on her arms now after she stripped off her armour.

  Her stomach grovelling as if it was a timer noticing the near noon.

  “I suppose I should get something to eat.”

  Her steps remained light still, but her shoulder loosened. She strode now to the village square as a normal girl… with cape.