When Elle returned a few minutes later with a metallic scale nearly 50cm across, Cairn took a second peek at her status before stating, "I just want to make something clear...I'm not against you joining our Party, but there's a chance we'll need to scout additional Blacksmiths in the future. Maybe even an entire team..."
Seemingly not minding Cairn's roundabout manner of speaking, Elle brought the index finger of her right hand up to her chin, tilting her head to the side as she replied, "That's fine by me, but I am curious to know why you'd need a team of Blacksmiths. Are you planning to establish a settlement in the Frontier? Maybe take over a Dungeon~?"
"We have a few ideas, but they're still in the drafting phase until we can recruit enough members to form an Expedition," answered Cairn. "We're currently headed to the Capital to witness the Decennial Tournament of Champions and hopefully scout some talent."
"Oh? It's already time for another tournament?" asked Elle, crossing her arms in a somewhat 'dangerous' manner. To her, it only felt like a few days had passed since the previous tournament. In reality, the event she was thinking of had occurred thirty years prior, but like many Dwarves, Elle's perception of time was heavily distorted by their penchant for immersing themselves in their interests.
Nodding in affirmation, Cairn proposed, "If closing up your shop and accompanying us right now is too difficult, we could always pick you up on our return trip to Austral. All you'd be doing right now is periodically repairing our equipment..."
"Well, someone has to..." mused Elle, her distinctive pink eyes glancing at Cairn's and Kaia's equipment, her Discerning Eye and Inspect Skill letting her see the imperfections and the Durability of each article on their body. More importantly, she could see the 'potential' of Cairn's Shadowsilk Set, causing her eyes to shimmer as a small amount of drool leaked from the corner of her open mouth...
Wiping her mouth, causing the lower half of her face to be covered in soot, Elle assured, "Anyways, you don't need to worry about my shop. I mainly established this place to earn extra income while studying runes and engraving. I also don't stock any bulk goods, so I don't have many customers outside the occasional recommendation from the Freelance Association."
"You're a Freelancer?" asked Cairn.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find a Blacksmith who isn't," responded Elle, reaching into the open front of her bodysuit to retrieve what looked like a black smartphone from a concealed pocket. When Elle removed her glove and pressed her thumb to its surface, it immediately lit up, allowing her to turn it around, revealing what looked like a digitalized State/Photo ID but with a lot of additional information, most notable being that she was a B-Rank Freelancer with the certification of an A-Rank Blacksmith.
"Have the two of you registered?" asked Elle. "If so, we can add each other as affiliates. We'll have a much easier time getting jobs if FreeCo knows we've formed a group."
"We were planning to wait until we reached the Capital," replied Cairn. "We're also traveling with a group of Neophytes and an Acolyte, so we haven't had to pay entry taxes or other fees."
"Ah, that explains a lot," said Elle, looking to Kaia as she added, "I can't imagine many Guards are happy about letting a member of the 'Forsaken' enter their cities for free, Neophyte or otherwise."
Raising her head without shame, Kaia asserted, "The Karakut are not, nor have they ever been, Forsaken. That is a label imposed upon us by others. Lady Restia is not so petty..."
Catching Kaia by surprise, Elle casually shrugged and argued, "Eh, I've always been of the opinion that the Forsaken are fortunate. The Tenets can be a pain in the ass, and venturing into the Frontier as a member of the Sovereign is just asking to be targeted by the so-called 'Followers of Darkness.' That's why I'm so eager to join your Party. I'm sick and tired of being trapped in Cliabhaan, dealing with the same piss-quality materials. At this point, I'd probably sell myself just to sniff a dragon's bone."
Seeing the strange looks on Cairn's and Kaia's faces, Elle stuck out her tongue before abruptly retreating to the back of her workshop, shouting, "Give me a few minutes to pack my things!" However, before ten seconds passed, she returned, eagerly ushering them into the back room so Cairn could store her anvil, tools, a portable forge, and a veritable mountain of kindling in his Inventory...
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With a nearly full Inventory, Cairn and Kaia, now accompanied by Elle, had to offload their scrap elsewhere. Fortunately, Elle had been living in Rahst for the better part of a century, so she had them place everything she couldn't repurpose easily into a handcart, effortlessly hauling it to a store she was familiar with before returning with a volleyball-sized bag of gold and silver coins, totaling 538,000 Gradis. This was much more than Cairn and Kaia expected, but they understood when Elle revealed she had sold off her workshop, effectively cutting ties with the city.
Though he felt that Elle and her actions were a little 'extreme,' Cairn didn't voice his thoughts aloud as they made their way to the Inn they would be staying at, using Tarou's proximity marker as a guide. The Proprietress of the Inn wasn't very welcoming, specifically of Kaia, but as she didn't want to get in trouble with the Church, she didn't say or do anything 'overt' that might offend them...
"Is it like this everywhere you go?" asked Elle, following Cairn and Kaia up the stairs leading to their rooms.
"More or less..." replied Cairn, simultaneously casting a side-long glance at Kaia to see her reaction. She immediately noticed this, the smile on her face growing as she said, "I've told you before. You need not worry about how others treat me. I knew things would be like this when I left my home to become your guide. So long as I remain kind, compassionate, and stay true to my purpose, I believe it's only a matter of time before the negative sentiments people hold toward my tribe fade..."
Exhibiting a startling lack of awareness, Elle chimed in to say, "Eh, I don't know about that. The hearts and minds of Humans and Felidae are pretty easy to change, but the Elves, Dwarves, and other long-lived species are beyond obstinate. Unless you can win the favor of the Grand Matron of the Elves and the Elders of the Dwarven Council, shedding your status as a Forsaken is impossible. After all, it's exceptionally 'convenient' for those in power to have a group they can redirect the blame to when the hammer misses its mark, as they say."
While Cairn frowned in response to Elle's words, Kaia maintained a smile, fully aware of the challenges awaiting her. If she acted alone, bringing about the change she and her people desired would be impossible. With Cairn and the support of the Church, however, all she required was time and a chance to prove herself...
Eager to end the conversation, Cairn placed the spherical wooden slip that served as their key against the door to their room, deactivating the magic formation that served as both a lock and rudimentary soundproof barrier. It didn't prevent all sounds, as Kaia could attest, but unless you placed your ear against the door and focused, it was nearly impossible to make out sounds from the interior.
Stopping just before entering the room, Cairn looked back at Elle, causing the perpetually smiling Dwarf to tilt her head to the side. He was tempted to tell her to get her own room, but since he usually slept on his futon, not the bed, it wasn't like they didn't have the space. More importantly, there was a chance she would reveal his identity to the others if he allowed her to interact with them freely, so Cairn didn't say anything and just entered the room, followed by the two girls.
Having seen through Cairn's thoughts, Elle waited until the door was shut behind her before teasing, "No need to be anxious. You're unquestionably my type, but I can tell by your face, bone structure, and lack of facial hair that you're still a youngling. However, once you can grow a proper beard, all bets are off..."
Seeing Elle wipe away a thread of salvia from her lips, Cairn's creased brows twitched. Elle didn't exactly look like a child, but she was barely taller than Kaia, standing around 130cm, and her proportions gave her a distinctly compact appearance, similar to the 'dwarves' of his world but with a sleeker, more athletic build. Hearing such a diminutive person refer to him as a 'brat' gave Cairn a strong urge to punt her to the moon...
*tok* *tok* *tok*
Interrupting before Elle could tease Cairn further, a loud knock came from the door, prompting her to turn around and open it without fear, revealing the towering figure of Asim.
Angling her head nearly eighty degrees, Elle unabashedly stated, "Well, ain't you a cat and a half? Been a while since I saw a Lionel this far south. Guess that means you're one of these two's traveling companions?"
Though momentarily taken aback by Elle's presence and words, Asim adopted his usual friendly smile and replied, "Indeed. As for my name, my friends and enemies alike call me Asim. And you are...?"
Thumping her chest, Elle replied, "Name's Elle! And if you haven't noticed, I'm a Dwarf! More specifically, a Dwarven Forgemaster! Nice to meetcha, Acolyte Asim~!"
Hearing Elle introduce herself as a Forgemaster, Asim's eyes and mouth widened in shock. Though he couldn't name any famous Forgemasters, he knew it was just one step shy from becoming a Mastersmith. The Church and Kingdom bequeathed even the most inexperienced Mastersmiths the honorary titles of Cardinal/Marquis, so Elle was effectively equal in status to a Bishop/Viscount.
"Well, aren't you just adorable?" teased Elle, gesturing for Asim to kneel as she added, "Come, let this Big Sister pet your head."
Though there was a moment of hesitation, Asim eventually did as Elle said, kneeling and lowering his head so she could ruffle his mane-like hair. It was a little embarrassing, but after a few seconds, the tassel end of his tail began sweeping from side to side beneath his cape, the result of Elle making excellent use of her 567 Dexterity.
"You're a good child," remarked Elle, giving Asim a few more pats before retracting her hand and stepping to the side, asking, "You had something to discuss with Cairn and Kaia, right? Come on in~."
Blushing faintly, though the only person who noticed it was Elle, Asim rose to his feet, stepped into the room, closed the door behind him, and cleared his throat before meeting Cairn's gaze and saying, "It's about the information you asked me to inquire about. There are numerous accounts of Freelancers, Knights, and even junior members of the Church getting seriously injured in Dungeons that were, until recently, considered 'safe.' There hasn't been a major outbreak like what occurred in Austral, but the people are restless..."
"The people are 'always' restless about one thing or another," interjected Elle. "That's one of the problems with protracted periods of peace. When people have nothing legitimate to complain about, they fabricate reasons out of thin air. If things were 'really' serious, the Governor would dispatch the Knights or commission a group of A-S-Rank Freelancers. If they can't solve the problem, there's no way anyone here can."
As Cairn had already invited her to his Party, Elle could see his, Kaia's, and Tarou's Levels. He would undoubtedly grow more powerful, but for the time being, he was a literal fledgling. And even Dragons had to crawl before they could fly...
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(A/N: Since there was only a single vote against her inclusion, I decided to release the next chapter instead of waiting a few more hours. Hope you enjoyed~)