Forging an Alliance

Exam Conditions:

The scorching, tropical sun hanging high in the sky above Aspen stepped off the boat with a deep breath, taking in the surrounding view of the ocean and beach. She was honestly not used to this kind of weather at all, even the summer in Pergrande were still relatively cold, so was the weather in the phoenix mountains at most times, so this sudden transition was ... uncomfortable to say the least. The sun wasn't the worst part of it, though, the constant shaking of the boat nearly driving the young slayer mad, the delicious, dark beverage she had consumed this morning, she had learned it was commonly known as "coffee", nearly erupting from her stomach when they were still skimming over the shallow waves of the shores. Of course, the feeling quickly subsided after the girl's healing factor had kicked in and the nausea faded, Aspen now glad that she was on the firm ground of the dock as opposed to the shaky vessel. Though now there was the problem with the sun again. She sighed. "Guess this is too much", taking off the jacket and stuffing it into the bag that was loosely flung over her shoulder. So ... this was Ca-Elum, huh ? Aspen had never been here before, obviously, but she, as opposed to some other places she had heard of since her departure from the secluded land of Pergrande, had heard of Ca-Elum before, when she had still been part of the Paladins. Ca-Elum was the main source of imported iron, steel and various other metals and rare materials that the massive army of Pergrande relied on.

Why she was here all of a sudden ? Well ... she had gotten an a mission from her guild, the place she now called home, Silver Wolf. Of course, she was used to missions, she had spent a good portion of her life in the military, after all, but this one ... this one was a little different, trickier, closer to diplomacy rather than actual tactical combat. Well, for the soldier girl it would be a welcome change for once since, in all fairness, that was why she had left Pergrande in the first place. Now, though, her task was to approach one of the local smiths, who were famous for their metalworking skills and finesse with the forge. It would have been a rather appropriate task for the young Metal Dragon Slayer ... if it wasn't for her complete lack of social skills. Naturally, proud Aspen Azarov would never admit that to herself, and so, without much hesitation, started strolling the dock and further into this bustling, tropical port city to find the one smith she was looking for, an undoubtedly difficult task considering that ... Ca-Elum harboured a lot of smiths ...  a LOT. Already after a good half an hour in town, a quick snack and a refreshment Aspen had come to admit to herself that finding the needle in the haystack seemed like it had been easier said than done. She had been given an address, sure, but would she actually ask anyone for directions ?

It had taken her a good little while, the scorching Ca-Elum sun already past its zenith before she had finally found what looked like a brick shack, a building with a wooden roof that open to one side and seemed to double as both workshop and store, what appeared like a somewhat run down, but still colourful sign, spelling out "Ironfist Metalwares". Staring down at the piece of paper with the details in her hands before looking up, she nodded. The place she was looking for. Determined, she stepped into the space, the heat immediately hitting her with the force of a freight train. It had been a while since the girl had been in a forge, and even now it took some getting used to. The one thing that was overshadowing everything else was this, the heat and ... the periodical banging of metal against metal, sparks flying with every swing of the hammer. "Excuse me", the girl went over to the bulky, sun tanned man at the anvil, his long, black hair that was tied into a tight ponytail swinging from side to side with every move. It appeared like he didn't hear her "Excuse me !". "Heard ya alright, girl. No need to scream in my face". Well, why didn't he say something then ? It was no use. "My name is Aspen Laeta Azarov and I come in the name of Silver Wolf to-" "This why you interrupt me smithin', girl ? Sorry, but I 'ave n order to fulfill, come back later".

Aspen's eyebrow twitched in anger while her face however remained stoic, her eyes expressionless and devoid of emotion, simply continuing where she left off "-in the name of Silver Wolf to propose a business alliance, Mr. Ironfist ?". The man now laid down the hammer he had picked back up on the anvil, stepping away from it and turning towards her, his face giving away that he did not like being interrupted at all, straightening his back, towering over the small form of the Silver Wolf mage, and stepped towards her. Aspen reacted instinctively, pulling the copy of her Iron Key from her pocket that, with a flash of light, turned into one of her handguns, the end of the barrel pointed straight at his face. "What's that 'spposed to be girl, a toy ?", the man curiously pointing at the weapon, seemingly unsure what to make of it. Aspen stared for a few second, confused. "This is a weapon, old man. Step back or I'll use it". The smith laughed out loud, not intimidated by the gun in the least. "This' a weapon ? How's that work ? Show me". This startled the girl even more. Did the man not know what a gun was ? Had he ever seen a gunpowder weapon ? Hesitantly, she lowered the gun, the smith looking at her with expecting eyes. Lifting it back up and pointing it at a clay pot filled with water nearby, giving the smith a questioning look, who, in turn, gave her a nod. She pulled the trigger, the pot exploding into a thousand pieces as water splashed and spilled to the floor. The smith's eyes widened. "No way, yer shitting me, right ? This is 'mazing", stepping over to the now broken pot as he inspected the shards. "Don't 'sppose you can teach me how this works, no ?". The subtlest smirk formed on the girl's lips. Seemed like this would be the basis for fruitful cooperation, she would teach the man how to produce guns and he in turn would deliver them and materials to Silver Wolf ... win-win for everyone, right ?

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Word Count: 1.137