The Great Sederian War (OAaS)

[Quake]

Gaius Boreau // Wandering Blacksmith // Rangriz

Gaius remained silent as the young woman approached him and requested his assistance. Arrows? Interesting, he thought, as he finished his meal and wiped his greasy fingers with a cloth. Eyeing the materials laid on the ground as well as the woman sitting before him, Gaius smiled in a friendly manner, inspecting the singular arrow closely.

"This arrow is unique, it is. I can't say I've seen one quite like it before, but it shouldn't be too hard to replicate. The pattern will be the hardest part, but now that I've eaten, I could use a good challenge!" he laughed, rising to his feet and gathering the items under his arm.

"Come, let us talk while I work." Gaius motioned towards his wagon. "You are fortunate that I set everything up earlier. I can get started without much delay." He said emphatically, setting the materials down on the wagon bed and putting on the bearskin gloves he used when he worked.

"I will admit, copper arrows are an interesting choice. Most I've made are iron, bronze, even gold sometimes. Diamond as well, for the fancy," he smirked, lighting the oven. "Copper is good though. Strong, but soft at the same time. Maybe like a certain client?" Giaus laughed aloud as he began to shape and break pieces off the copper plate, slowly turning it into smaller individual plates he would melt together into a large block. This block would later be reheated, shaped and cut into arrowheads.

"So tell me, young one." The mountain man's tone grew rather serious as he continued to work. "I heard your brief introduction in the hall earlier, and your uniform speaks for itself. So are you, like Asellio, trying to return to your former glory? Or is there something more to one called Junko Habaki?" Gaius waited patiently for a response, quietly inspecting the copper block that was now quickly heating up in the forge. It was almost time to began shaping the large hunk of copper.

@Ehb

 

[Ehb]

Jun watched the blacksmith at work. Despite the intimidating look of this individual, he seemed... friendly? Or was it jolly?

Either way, she wasn't exactly expecting him to wish for small talk.

Junko had the impression that these blacksmiths types were more hermit-like, but given how big a world it was out there it shouldn't have been a surprise to come across an outlier. The responses Junko gave at first were polite but disattatched. Nothing to start a conversation with.

The genteel little prod at comparing her to copper. She wasn't entirely sure if it was a compliment or a jest but her reaction to that was a flattening of the eyelids. She was in thought - and also doing her best to disreguard the gaze of the ear'd one in the background.


But, as he progressed on, he asked about a more different topic. The tone of the conversation changed.

Why are you here? Risking your life in this war?

Junko reworded the blacksmith's question in her own head. The sort of question that Junko was still struggling to answer for herself.


"...Indeed. Lady Asellio has much on the line in the success of this undertaking. It's correct that myself and my family were once a part of the nobility of the old kingdom, but we weren't quite of the magnitude of this duchess. A few estates and businesses sure, but not to the scale of hers. Moreover... to promise all of that back is quite... unbelievable to be frank."

All that land, and those titles. The promise for all of it to come back.

"...I'm not sure if it would really be possible, to be honest with you. In the time since the end of the war, the old aristocricy was displaced to make room for the new. Moreover, years have passed since then. It only makes sense to wonder just what kind of complications would arise if you just 'promise' to give everything back when 'everything' has already been parceled out for years."

Junko knew she was getting rather off topic here.
But, this question had been bothering her since the summons party just moments ago. Bothering her to the point that she wasn't even partaking in any meal or drink till now.

"Blacksmith Gaius. You know that this lofty promise of basically anything our heart desires almost... One can only be certain that such a promise would only be made to so many people with the expectation that most of them would die, right? Therefore, I'm conflicted still. I have no problem of dying to protect the kingdom... not this kingdom of that man. But to protect Garzmaldia, my home."

She closed her eyes contemplatively as she continued.

"...But. I don't know if this army is being formed to truly drive back the enemy... or to be a living shield to hold back the inevitable. I already know, that it would be impossible for such a lofty wish of returning things to the way they were would be impossible. That man's promises mean nothing in my eyes. But, I just want to know if this army is being formed with the true sincerity of beating back the enemy."

Mulling over her words... it seemed like her dilemma was wondering if they were really meant to defeat the foe. Of course they... 'could' defeat them. But, in the logic of nobles, it was a wonder if this was merely a grand ploy. Would the new kingdom really allow this force composed of former enemies to reach a state of strength to where it could challenge back the invading empire? Knowing that such a level of strength would also potentially make them a threat?

@Quake

 

[Quake]

Gaius Boreau // Wandering Blacksmith // Rangriz

"You know, when I was a child, the elders of my village taught us that to die on the battlefield was the greatest honor one could receive. But I think a lot of us failed to understand what they meant." Gaius cleared his throat as he gently removed the molten copper from the forge and began to beat it with his hammer in slow, rhythmic blows.

"The honor wasn't found in ones death. The honor came when we fought for the betterment of the tribe, or for a worthy cause, or even for love. Love of country. Love of oneself. Perhaps love of another. Not for mere possessions or fading glory. That's the thing I have come to understand about glory, young one. It's only good for the last battle. The last fight or great action.. When another rises to an even greater challenge, all that glory is gone. It is hardly something worth fighting for, much less dying for. But honor?" Gaius thought about all the great warriors of his tribe that had come before him. "Honor will always remain. Why do you think we honor our ancestors and those that came before us? It is respect paid for what they sacrificed for our future."

By this point the copper the blacksmith had been working on was starting to take shape, cooling from its searing hot form into a triangular piece of a dark, golden brown metal.

"Hmm, time to reheat," Gaius muttered to himself, grabbing his tongs and placing the copper back into the forge. As he shut the small oven door, he took a seat on the ground, leaning back and relaxing on the massive tree trunks he called arms. A gentle smile crossed his face, and the blacksmiths gaze seemed further away than ever before.

"Tomorrow we will march to meet the enemy. And we will fight. And many of us that do will never see another sunrise. Perhaps it will be my last day. Or maybe it will be yours." Gaius paused, kindly glancing towards the woman. "if it is, my last thoughts will not be of doubt, or fear, or realizing that we were all expendable. It will be of the children of this land, and the future that awaits them. And I will hope that in some way, our sacrifices have made the world better for them, even if only by the smallest margin. Now that; that is honorable, and is something worth fighting for."

The blacksmith rose to his feet once more, adding some extra wood to the oven.

@Ehb

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Claudia Asellio - Rangriz - Field Camp - Following Day

Looking down at the map table, the Major was quick to speak. Explaining the situation in brief, he points at the so called "neck" of the map, it seemed the Imperials had pushed them back no small distance. This front was vital to prop up the Kingdom and given the long casualty lines... Well, the generous terms and frivolous nature of the land grant made a bit more sense. Leaving the details to Claudia, the man had business elsewhere.

"So.. We are to break camp and meet the enemy, the Death Knight of note.. There are some other notable commanders but he's the one that's been leading the charge.. The Forest might be a good location to attempt an ambush or the Village.. Either way, the plan seems to be to meet his army and push them back, while we have the..honor of stopping him." Pausing for a bit, it was simple as instructions and introductions went, well there would be more of the plan, but for now she was curious how most of them would react or if they had a preference at all.

"Either way, our job is to stop the giant lump of steel."