The First Adventure

[RukariCat]

She remembered feeling hurt, betrayed, agonized....

She remembered pain.

The anger burned fresh in her chest, only a week past and yet it seemed but a dream. It wasn't though. It was horrifyingly real.

Neila Caldell stood by the mast of her minuscule ship, staring angrily at the log pose on her wrist. Surely she had to reach an island sooner or later. She needed to. At the very least a decent meal was of the essence, let alone a place to sleep, preferably far away from any military outposts. The winds the past couple days had been vicious, but things were gratefully dying down at last. The calm seas and blue skies screamed "land ho!", if only the stupid thing would come into view. So far though, the exhausted young sailor was greeted by only endless shades of blue.

Agitation building with each moment, Neila huffed and blew a stray lock of red wine hair away from her eyes. Her right hand raised a battered pair of binoculars to her face, scanning the empty horizon. She was just about to give up when, by fate or sheer luck, a speck of land crept into view. "Could I actually be saved?" she muttered hoarsely, forcing her limbs to adjust the sail. "Come on you rotten husk of a ship, we're nearly there. Pick up the pace, I want dinner!" The slack canvas picked up a slight breeze, puffing out enough to pull the small craft forward. A thin trail of foam lapped at the bow as it parted the waves. An hour passed, then two, and gradually she edged toward the island's port, docking at the nearest platform.

[Lord Beezlebub]

Frustration. That was the best way to describe Rona's mood at the moment as stared at yet another failure blade. Sure, to the untrained mind, this was a simple but well-crafted blade. It had a gladius-esque design to it, with a small but sturdy hilt to help the wielder protect their hand. But Rona knew this blade was poor. She was only able to put 52 hours into the blade, far less than she wanted and she wasn't sure the blade would stand up for more than just a standard battle between Marine and Pirate. But the order wanted the blade done by today, delivered to the docks within the next two hours.

She sighed with annoyance and grabbed the blade's sheath, sliding in there with a bit of anger. As much as she wanted to snap the blade in two and proceed to smith a far superior blade, she had a business to run. As much as she despised this little shop, she made a promise. Rona quickly tied the blade to her hip, and then grabbed her steel linked bracers, securing them on her wrists. She stepped out out her little shop, isolated away from the main town and good distance from the main dock. Then with a sigh, she began her track to the docks.

[RukariCat]

The wind-tossed sloop slipped in near one of few ships resting in the marina. With a shaking hand she dropped the anchor, waiting until the rope wound out the try lifting the gangplank. As the hunk of metal settled into place, Neila reached for the ridged plank resting on the deck. She hefted one end onto her shoulder and used her right hand to guide the other end through the slot in the the deck wall. It took several attempts to force the hunk of wood into place, but eventually the far end slammed against the dock with a heavy thump. This morning there seemed to be few people out and about by the waters, other than perhaps a fisherman or two at their work. Though to be honest, in her depraved state Neila would have hardly noticed a person unless they were carry food or a pint of ale.

Gasping for breath after what should have been basic activity, Neila sagged against the deck wall for what seemed like a dog's age, though it was perhaps a few minutes top. Rallying the last of her stamina, she grabbed the dingy but battle-hardened halberd from its spot leaning against the small cabin at the rear deck of the ship. Clenching the worn handle until her knuckles turned white, the exhausted sailor planted the polearm and used it to lever her aching body onto the gangplank. A fighting spirit and sheer willpower kept her head up as she descended, sagging more and more against the makeshift staff which each step. She just barely made it to the sandy beach when her legs gave out and she collapsed. Instinctively her left arm shot out to brace for the fall, the lengthy sleeve of her tattered black fluttering at the rush of motion.

Arm and sleeve dug into the sand as Neila slumped forward. She failed to bite back a startled cry of pain and frustration, recoiling at the sudden impact. The halberd fell to the sand as she released it, doubling over around her left arm. "Need food. Need water... Need anything," she groaned to the wind and any kind passerby as the tribulations of the last week finally overcame her. Taking a final moment to glance up, the towering ex-marine fell forward onto the sand, eyes half-shut but gazing blankly at the island, fighting to stay conscious.

[Lord Beezlebub]

When Rona arrived at the beach, she was immediately set up a sight that shook her to the core. On the beach, half covered in sand, was the poor thing, battered and bruised, looking on the last legs of life. What being could have done this, to have so little heart to cause so much......damage. Rona, abandoning her previous path, quickly rushed forward, ready to help. Quickly kicking the girl's body to the side for being in her way, Rona picked up the battle-scarred halberd and looked it over. "Oh my, you look horrible. When was the last time you were properly tended to. Had your dents reset, received a nice sharpening and properly polished?" She paused, nodding as she listened to the response of the blade. "You don't even remember?! The horror!" She angrily clenched her fist at such a thing. Who neglected their weapons needs for so long!? What horrible monster would do this. "Well, don't worry, I shall take you back to my shop and care for you properly."

Rona pauses as she took a couple steps away from where she picked up the halberd and turned to look at the girl that had rudely gotten in her way earlier. "Her? Why?........Well, I'm not really a medic and I have no sympathy who would allow such degradation to happen to you........Well, I suppose if she had so little opportunity. After all, most of this does seem to be garnered in battle. I could believe that this is rather recent......Fine I suppose." Rona sighed as she carefully tied the halberd to her back and walked over to the woman, picking her up and slinging her over her shoulder with ease. Then, without another word, began the long track back to her small smithy and shop.

[RukariCat]

The sand had proven more comfortable than Neila had expected, and for a brief moment she revelled in the warmth. That was until some unknown battering ram slammed into her side, tossing the woman away like a sack of overripe potatoes. She groaned, clutching at her side for a moment before looking back at the assailant. As her glassy eyes focused in on the young girl hold a, no, her halberd, Neila pushed her body to its knees, still rubbing her battered side. "H-hey!" she croaked. "Give that back! I've a mind to throttle you unless you return it." Neila glared at the woman for several impatient seconds, confused as to just who she was muttering to. "Are you even listening to me?" Eventually the woman turned around, the polearm secured to her back. Neila scowled, wishing for the strength to knock the opposing red-head to the ground. Perhaps this for intended to kill her and take the spoils without fuss, leave no witnesses. Or maybe she thought Neila had more riches for the taking.....

Wholeheartedly distracted as she played out all the possible scenarios in her mind, Neila never saw the next moments coming. In perfect, or perhaps petulant silence, --she really couldn't tell-- the pale woman unceremoniously scooped Neila off the ground. Unprepared for this most unthinkable of outcomes, she miserably sailed through the air. A ragged gasp tore from her lips as stomach met shoulder and forced the air from her lungs. This was followed swiftly by the harsh clang of head meeting halberd. A wave of darkness, tinged by nausea and a cold sweat, swept across Neila's vision, and her body went limp as the she-devil carried her off.

The darkness remained for a while, mostly because she was too tired to bother opening her eyes. She would have gladly stayed in the dark, until the bitter tang of smoke caught her attention. Smoke....fire....gunfire perhaps? Clanging... A fight! It had to be! With a surge of adrenaline and panic her eyes shot open, casting about the room for signs of invasion. She reached down to her boot, drawing a slim dagger as she leapt from the bed, vaguely aware of a pain in her head. Creeping slowly through the small building, she lunged at the first person she saw, pining them to the wall. "Who are you?" she growled. "What's going on here?"

[Lord Beezlebub]

Rona was proud of her work. It had taken far less time than she had imagined to repair the battered halberd, to properly crease out every dent and sharpen the point to a fine cut. She spent most of her time doing her best to strengthen the blade, to keep anymore stress and wear from harming the blade more. She could feel the surges of happiness coming from the weapon with each improvement and she smiled herself as the blade practically sung its joy. She even hummed along for the majority of it. It was well over a day later when she finally emerged from the forge. Long days smithing has prepared her to go days without sleep, not that she particularly didn't make up later by sleeping days on end.

She twirled the halberd, still humming along with the song as she walked out of the forge, completely caught off-guard when something slammed into her and pinned her to the wall, slamming her head rather roughly into the stone walls of the shop. "Ouch, what the hell?" She looked over at the woman who had pinned her to the wall, the owner of the Halberd.

"Who are you?" she growled. "What's going on here?" Rona stared blankly for a moment before casually pointing to her and saying:

"Oh, you're the rude woman who got in the way when I wanted to save the halberd here aren't you?" She paused, turning towards the halberd and listening. "Oh, alright. She says I should introduce myself. I'm Toriana Rona. The owner of The Rosy Smithy."

[RukariCat]

Neila glared at the woman for several more moments, blinking a few times before everything set in. She let go, abruptly pushing away from the woman and shaking her head to clear it. "Can't be too careful," she growled, keeping her dagger drawn but hanging at her side. As her head cleared she took a brief moment to glance at her surroundings. There wasn't much to the place, mostly a forge with little furniture of any import aside from a drab little counter. No, most of the space and care had certainly gone to the forge and the weapons from what she could see. But none of that excused the smithy's owner.

"Look, thanks for the....help, I guess. If you could call it that. She scowled as she noticed the halberd in the young smith's hand. Quickly stooping, she hooked two fingers in her pant leg and pulled it up until she could slip the dagger back into its sheathe. Straightening back up to her full height, a proud one inch taller than Rona, she fixed the woman with a pointed stare. Taking a step forward, she held out one hand expectantly. "Regardless Miss Toriana, I would appreciate the return of my weapon. It is rather dear to me and I haven't much left in this god-forsaken world." For a moment she pauses, looking over the weapon. One eyebrow quirked as she takes in the repairs. "Though I will say your work is....quality. Just how long was I out?"

[Lord Beezlebub]

"How long were you out?" Rona asked as she thought about it. "I don't know how long you were unconscious on the beach when I found you. I was going to deliver this sword..........." Rona stopped as she looked down at her hip, her expression darkening as she realized something very important. The silence stretched for a couple of a moments before she shouted: "I FORGOT TO DELIVER THE SWORD!" Without waiting for any response to the woman that she saved from the beach, Rona turned and sprinted out the door, aiming for the docks.

[RukariCat]

"H-hey! Wait a second! Give that back first!" Neila bolts after the woman, chasing her down as fast as she can. The blacksmith puts on surprising speed, or else Neila is more out of shape than she thought. Pumping her arm furiously to try and catch up. The blacksmith was slowly gaining distance, but she was still in eyeshot. "GET BACK HERE YOU THIEF!!" Neila roared, struggling to match pace.

The village blurred past as she chased down Rona, a stitch growing in her side from the effort. "Damnit all, I'm out of shape, she thought, panting as the docks and her battered little ship came into view. She shuddered to a halt beside Rona, panting and gasping. "You.....Little....BRAT!" Neila barks between heaving breaths. She lifts her right arms and throws a wild punch at the girl's head. "What the hell is your problem?"

[Lord Beezlebub]

Rona slammed into the ground and ate a mouthful of dirt as something hit the back of her head. "Ow." She growled, hitting the ground and quickly spitting out the dirt. She turned and say the Niela behind her, feeling a vein pop on her forehead. "What the hell!?" She demanded to know, standing up and clenching her fist. "I have somewhere to be you know. Don't make me beat the hell out of you." She turned to the halberd. "You shut up! She started it!"

[RukariCat]

A snarl on her lips, Neila spat, "Your business is no concern of mine! I want what you took from me. Hand over the halberd or so help me I'll take it by force." She hunched into a brawling stance, her left arm pulled in tight to her side to keep it protected and out of the way. Glaring at the blacksmith, she stepped around to reach for her weapon, prepared at any moment to start and hopefully end the impending brawl. The prospect of fighting one-armed made her stomach churn admittedly, so to compensate she balanced on the balls of her feet, ready to dodge in anticipation of a strike.

[Lord Beezlebub]

Rona growled and cracked her knuckles, wondering if this woman was purposefully making sure that she was not going to do her job. Business was already hard enough as it was and she'd already had a few problems with not making the delivery times that she was supposed to. She already promised the old man to look after the damn shop when he was gone, and she couldn't very well do that with people impeding her deliveries. She looked at the halberd as the woman spoke and huffed, shaking her head, and tossing the halberd at the woman. "It's yours anyways." Without waiting to see if the woman caught the weapon, she turned and continued running. "Leave the money on the counter!" She yelled back before sprinting off once more.

[RukariCat]

The halberd sailed through the air and slammed right into Neila's face, rebounding off her skull and dropping to the ground with a thud. With a startled cry she clutched at her now bloody nose, glaring at the retreating blacksmith. "Unpredictable little whelp," she grumbles, stooping to grab her weapon. Her left sleeve swept over the polearm, but came up empty. For several moments the young woman stared at the dusty sleeve fluttering in the breeze before a fit of anger overtook her. "Damnit I'm sick of this!" Slamming her left arm tight against her side, Neila shook the blood from her finger, wiping the rest off with her coat. She grabbed the halberd and stalked back to the smithy, liberally kicking rocks and sand as she went. Once the rage had simmered down, she settled herself on the small counter, one leg pulled up to rest her left arm on as she sat. "Suppose I'll just wait here for now."

[Lord Beezlebub]

Rona sighed as she saw the ship in the horizon, having already left the pier. Apparently the person couldn't have the patience to wait around for his quality weapon and bought a stock weapon from her competitor, who produces junk. Nevermind the conformed grip that makes attacking with the weapon easier, and the steel being tough enough to withstand the test of time. Perhaps the weapon would break in battle and show him for going with a cheaper alternate instead of a much more masterfully crafted blade. Sighing, she tied the sword to her waist.

Sighing, she began the long trek back to her home. If another customer walks out on her again, it would be bad for business. She can hardly keep her promise if she can't even get the Berri's to keep her shop opens. Growling at the thought of that man owning her shop, she kicked a nearby rock, sending it soaring into the distance. Then with nothing more to take her frustration out on, she continued back to her hut.

[RukariCat]

Neila lounged on the counter for several minutes, half-dozing as she waited. The patter of footsteps, and harsh voices muttering carried in through the open door on the breeze. She froze, head crane just in the direction of the murmuring to pick out the fragments of conversation.

"...sure about this...."

"Got to be...saw her leaving earlier..."

Slowly Neila slid to the ground, careful not to upset any tools or equipment as she crept toward the door. The length of the halberd was braced firmly in her right hand, the balance awkward but manageable without using her left arm. Edging closer to the door, she heard footsteps approaching, at least two sets that could have been headed straight for the front entrance. She cast about, eyes setting on a nearby anvil to brace herself against as she awaited the approach, tugging at the black sleeve of her coat so it fell just so around her arm.

"Do you think we'll be able to torch the place?" The first voice asked, taking the first step into the forge as Neila watched, ready to spring at any moment.

His companion followed soon after, waving a stick wrapped in long strips of cloth. "We'll make it look like an accident. A problem with the forge or something. That should take care of her for good."

"And by 'her' I assume you don't mean me," Neila growled at last, couching the polearm against her torso. She glared directly at the men, leveling her weapon at them with deadly intent. The two newcomers whipped around, quivering in their shabby garb. Neila curled her shoulders in, one foot braced against the anvil just so, like a hound about to pounce. "What business do you have here?"

"Geez, look lady, we didn't know she had any customers in..." the first man grumbled, reaching for a knife in his belt as the other man scrambled to grab an ax off the wall. "You don't need to trouble yourself in dis kinda business. Jus' run along and find another blacksmith before things go badly for you."

She shook her head. "Wrong answer." There was a flash of light catching the curved blade of the halberd, a snap of tattered fabric. Neila lunged forward with a roar, catching the first man under the arm with the hooked end of her weapon and slamming him full force into the second man. They collapsed into the work station with a crash of metal, scrambling to regain their footing as Neila whipped around, wielding her halberd more as a lance or a pike than at its full glory. "You should know better than to pick a fight you can't win."

[Lord Beezlebub]

Rona paused as she spotted the man staring at her from the edge of the village. Her eyes narrowing she stopped. Her glare was all she needed to give this man, with his long black bangs just barely hiding his blue eyes, allowing Rona to see the returned stare. He chewed on his long nail, the shiny red leather of his open-chested jacket shining in the sun and almost threatening to blind Rona with each move he made. With a condescending chuckle, he turned, his platform shoes clanking along the stone road as he walked back to his village.

Scoffing about the man's presence in general, she continued her path back to the Rosy Red Smithy. "If that man thinks that he will come anywhere near this smithy, he's got another thing coming. I dare his thugs to come by again! I send them back in more pieces than last time!" She let out an angry yell at this thought, almost relishing the idea of hitting more thugs. As her voice echoed across the empty road, she let out a sigh and continued onwards, pulling the undelivered sword up to her eye. "Well, this isn't all bad. At least I got more time to work on you. I don't personally use swords, but I'll make you look absolutely beautiful, and sell you to the perfect person. You'll like that, won't you?"

She was just starting to scratch the sword underneath its metaphorical chin when she heard a crash from the approaching shop. Narrowing her eyes, she darted forward, wondering if thugs had been watching her shop to see when she left. Rushing forward, she kicked in the door. Looking around at the chaos her shop was in, she angrily shouted: "I'm going to destroy all of you for touching my shop! You know how long this door takes to fix?!"

[RukariCat]

Neila slumped against the side of the workbench, panting and gasping as she clung to her halberd for support. The two men lay on the ground before her, still at least breathing despite their wounds. Weapons had fallen off the wall, any number of objects knocked over in the scuffle with tools scattered across the bloody floor. She started to lift her left arm toward her forehead as though to wipe the blood and sweat away, pausing halfway with a sigh before letting her arm drop again. "Damn, it's really hard to swing you one-handed," she mutters after a moment, finally glancing up at the doorway. "They didn't really seem like friends of yours. Sorry for the mess, I don't know if I can pay for it."

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