How long ago was it now since he first woke up in this seemingly nightmare? Days? Weeks? Months? Years maybe? It was hard to keep track of time when all you did was sit up on a rack all day and night. Maybe on the rare occasion was he allowed to be brought outside to see the sun and slice through the air a few times. Maybe hit a few dummies. It was boring! It sucked being a sword with no limbs. Though, if he had to think about it, it might be a bit creepy to see a weapon with limbs walking around like nothing was strange about it. Right now though he would give anything for anyone to hear him and talk with him. Or even just get some sort of action! What else was a sword made for?! It certainly wasn't made to just look at or even ignore. He had wondered on several occasions now if this is what his swords felt like when he ignored them to work on commissions. Yashi sighed heavily. What did a sword have to do to get a little action around here?
He didn't have to wait much longer today as the sweaty older man came stomping in his direction. He was twice the man Yashi was in his human time. The man's arms alone were probably the same size as his thigh. Yashi wasn't exactly a skinny man either, or well he hadn't been. It was still hard to not think of himself as human, but no matter how hard he tried to wake up it wasn't happening. He might accept this fact sooner or later. However, now wasn't the time to be thinking of this as the man picked him up. Finally! Sausage fingers, as Yashi liked to refer to him as, examined him over a couple of times before bringing him over to a weird bubbling water. Was this concoction something new? Yashi didn't remember this smell before either and it was a bit intoxicating. Like make your head spin dizzy, intoxicating. He didn't want to be stuck in there and tried to tell Sausage fingers that but of course the giant man couldn't hear him and stuck him inside the barrel anyways. It was like a tar base substance as it oozed around his blade, thick and slightly chunky with bits of something. He couldn't tell what it was just by feeling alone. The deeper he went in the barrel the thicker it got. The substance had a rather warm feeling to it as well. If you ever took a mud bath that was sitting in the sun for a few hours that was what it kind of felt like. It was nice at first but then a burning sensation burrowed it's way up his blade and into the handle. He could feel it everywhere and it hurt. It actually hurt that he cried out in pain. Sausage fingers released him for a moment as if he had gotten burned too. The man picked up his gloves and put them on quickly before picking him up and dragging him out of the oozing substance. It dripped off of him like giant globs of boogery slime. The man placed him back into the forge for a bit and then took him back out to pound his hammer against the blade a few times. He was placed in actual cool water to cool off before being dipped into that burning crap again. It was torture and one where no one heard his cries nor could he even attempt to escape. He was stuck to endure this pain that lasted for what seemed like eternity. If he hadn't known better Yashi would have thought that this man was making a masterpiece, however, unfortunately the masterpiece was just too painful for him to endure. He didn't want to repeat anymore of this torture. By the end of it he was panting and if it was even possible he could have sworn that there were actual sweat beans dripping off of him. Maybe that was just the water running off. Be careful what you wish for, that saying made a whole new meaning to him today. Though, his reward was being brought outside and laid out in the sun to soak in some rays. He didn't mind this break at all. There was a nice breeze that came by to keep his blade cool from the sun's scorching rays. Now looking up at the sky he hadn't realized before but there were two suns up in the sky. Or perhaps it was just his imagination and his pain was beyond comprehension.
Yashi must have dosed off as he was startled to consciousness by Sausage fingers picking him. He could hear voices from somewhere nearby. It was strange to hear people speaking as this man that took him back inside never spoke a word while he worked. Grunted and made other sounds, yes, but actual coherent words? No. As he listened he could make out a female and a males voice. He thought he caught some of the conversation but it was just weird sounding.
"Jaci itrewica persvek wer idol."*(1) The female sounded irritated as she spoke. Sausage fingers left him at this time to go see these people.
"Japachi, jaci ui confnir."*(2) The male responded before they were both quiet for a bit. A booming voice seemed to welcome the two before the voices took to another room and he couldn't hear them as clearly.
Glancing around the room he wondered for the first time if anyone of the other swords had a soul like him. Before he was more worried about himself than what or maybe even who else might be stuck just like him. After being like this for so long he was starting to give up the idea of being in a dream world and that all this wasn't real. He didn't feel hunger, at least how he normally would feel it. There was a strange sensation that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Maybe that was him being hungry? He didn't really sleep, he would just lose self awareness at times, like he blinked really slowly and when his eyes opened back up again time had passed him by. It was nothing like how he used to sleep. He remembered going to sleep, and at times dreamed before waking up and feeling refreshed.
Great, now he was bored again. He wasn't used to just sitting around doing nothing day in and day out. He was always moving, constantly working on something. The only time he truly stopped was in his sleep, though maybe not even then. There were times where he would thrash out of bed and land on his floor with a thud. However, now-a-days that is all he ever did. Unless someone else moved him.
It was a while before Sausage fingers came back and then he didn't stay long either. He seemed to be cleaning up a bit and then he was gone again. Yashi took that as a sign of the end of the day and the long night came upon them. Meaning more alone time and being left to his thoughts. Before he didn't mind the night so much but now, now he couldn't stand it. It seemed to just drag on and on. He didn't really sleep so it wasn't like he could just make the time go faster by sleeping it away. During the day at least he had Sausage fingers to keep him occupied as he watched him busily work away at his creations. There was something about watching someone slave away at the forge like this man did. He was a real master at the craft. There was a small piece of him that wished he knew this guy before he became a sword. They could have easily learned a lot from each other. Building each other up even more from their own talents. He could recognize a fellow master when he saw one. However, he was beginning to think that he would never be able to fire up the forge ever again let alone make another sword.
His thoughts were becoming more and more depressed and he needed a change of thought, but what? Just then something dark came into the room. A shadow of a figure. Squinting Yashi couldn't really make out who it was but he was definitely sure it wasn't Sausage fingers, but this figure was a lot shorter and slimmer. That and there was something trailing behind it. Strange. They seemed a bit disappointed after a moment before turning to leave.
"What in the world…" He was so confused in this person that he spoke aloud to himself. It wasn't like anyone could hear him anyways. Or so he thought.
The figure froze in their tracks being as still as they possibly could. After silence passed through for what seemed like hours the figure slowly started to move again looking around more cautiously as they left the room. Had they really heard him? He was too shocked himself to say anything more while the figure was in the room.
"Well that was weird…" Strangest encounter he's had since waking up here. No matter, the night went by with no other incidence. So did the next few days. Sausage fingers worked on him some more. Dipped him in other concoctions that smelt just as nasty. Some made him feel good, some made him feel like he was in a fiery pit of hell, and others made him feel like all the warmth and soul was sucked out of him.