Tina's Workshop Story: The Blacksmith Girl with Sake and War Hammer - Rusty War Hammer and the Bonfire of Oaths

The forge fire felt impossibly far away now. Half a day had passed since they left Cromgard's east gate. The Garm Highway lay bathed in late spring sunshine, white and yellow wildflowers swaying along the roadside. The cobblestones had been worn smooth by years of wagon traffic, deep ruts carved into the surface here and there. Tina gritted her teeth against the weight of the war hammer Donnergramm resting on her shoulder. Total length: one hundred twenty centimeters. Weight: eighteen kilograms. Her old partner, its head engraved with ancient dwarven script reading *"Carve the thunder."* Fifteen years ago, this hammer had been an extension of her arm. She'd swung it one-handed, shattered bedrock, pulverized monster skulls. Now—it was just heavy. *(...Fifteen years of rust runs deeper than I thought.)* Her leather shoulder guard creaked under the hammer's weight. Eighteen kilograms was brutal on her small, hundred-thirty-eight-centimeter frame. The muscles of her exposed thick arms twitched and spasmed with every step. "Master, are you alright? Should we rest a bit?" Leon, walking behind her, called out with concern in his voice. Beneath his brown, unruly hair, his gentle, slightly drooping eyes watched Tina's back. "...Yeah, you're right. Let's rest in the shade of that boulder." Tina answered in her usual listless tone. "It's rare for you to suggest a break yourself, Sis." Leena, her red hair tied in a side tail, tilted her head. She held a well-worn short bow in her hand. A leather quiver packed with arrows hung from her back. "Leena, don't tease the master too much. She barely touched her breakfast this morning." Milia pointed out calmly. Her light blue short-cut hair swayed in the breeze. As she walked, she unconsciously traced circles on the ground with the tip of her staff—a habit when she was deep in thought. Without a word, Tina plopped down heavily onto the boulder by the roadside. She thrust Donnergramm into the ground, and a dull *thud* echoed. She looked at her hands. Her fingertips trembled minutely. *(Not enough... booze.)* Several days had passed since that late-night intrusion. She hadn't had a single drop of proper distilled liquor. The small bottle of moonshine rum Milia had offered her was in her hip pouch. But that was a last resort. "Master. Hydration." Milia held out a waterskin. Tina took it wordlessly and let a single mouthful of water pass her lips. The lukewarm water slid down her parched throat. "...Hey, you three." She looked at each of their faces in turn. "Was this really okay? You don't have to tag along on some washed-up old hag's quest." Leon straightened his back a little. "We've already decided for ourselves. If our master is in trouble, we help. That's all there is to it." "Yeah! You think we can just stand by and watch while Sis suffers under a fine?!" She clenched her fist and shouted. Her voice was as energetic as ever, but her eyes were dead serious. "Besides, we need practical combat experience ourselves. Magic cannot be perfected through desk theory alone." Milia continued matter-of-factly. Her intelligent, pale blue eyes stared intently at Tina's trembling hands. *(These kids...)* Tina let out a small laugh. "You damn fool apprentices." She stood up. She hoisted the heavy war hammer back onto her shoulder and fixed her gaze on the road ahead. "Let's move! Let's see what this Garza Bandit gang is made of—we'll trade their heads for a hundred and twenty gold coins!" A little of her old fire had returned to her voice. --- Past noon, the four arrived at a fork in the Garm Highway. From here, the road split into the main route leading to the royal capital of Brenheim and a side road heading south into the Verna Forest. An old signpost stood at the junction, its characters faded by years of wind and rain. Tina stopped in front of the signpost and looked around. "We'll set up camp here. First—firewood." She gripped Donnergramm with both hands and faced a nearby dead tree. Once, she had shattered solid bedrock with this hammer. A dry piece of firewood or two, one-handed— "Hngh!!" She swung the hammer down. *CRACK!* The dead tree split halfway, awkwardly. *(...It won't break.)* Her arms felt heavy. A nasty pain shot through her shoulder joint. Tina bit her lip and raised the hammer again. "Daah!!" Second swing. The dead tree cracked further, but still wouldn't split. Her hands were shaking. It wasn't just the withdrawal symptoms from sobriety. It was as if her very muscles had forgotten the movements of fifteen years ago. "Master...!" Leon instinctively tried to rush over, but Milia quietly held him back with her arm. Tina raised the hammer a third time. "—Daaaah!!" *CRRRACK!!* Finally, the dead tree split clean in two. But at that moment—a sharp pain tore through Tina's right shoulder. Wordlessly, she thrust Donnergramm into the ground. A heavy *thud* echoed. *(Pathetic...)* Her breathing was ragged. Her heart pounded furiously. Three swings just to split a single piece of firewood. And now her shoulder ached. "...Alright. You're up next." She put on a brave face and turned back to the three. --- But reality proved even crueler. Leon tried to raise his iron combat shield—and his arms wouldn't lift. "I-it won't move...! This is incredibly heavy...!" He tried to lift the shield with both hands, but his knees trembled and shook. Despite his build—over a hundred seventy centimeters—the nearly ten-kilogram iron shield was too much weight for his slender arms. "What are you doing, Leon! Put some strength into your gut!" Leena shouted as she drew her own bow. As for her— *Fwit!* The arrow she released veered wildly off the target tree and stabbed into the grass. "Huh?" Second shot. *Fwit!* This time into the ground. The arrow hit a stone and ricocheted with a *clink*. Third shot. *Fwit—THUNK!* It finally hit the target tree, but on the outermost edge of the trunk. Far from the center. "...No way." The usual confident expression vanished from her face. Even without any wind, only one in three shots hit. She'd done better at the practice range, but under the tension of simulated combat, her fingers were trembling. "Leena, your shoulder is rising. Relax more." Milia pointed out calmly, but Leena clenched her teeth and hung her head. "...Shut up! I know that already!" She snapped, but her voice shook. Milia let out a small sigh and began her own practice. She raised her staff and took a deep breath. "—In accordance with the contract, release Article One. Answer the guidance of the fire spirit." A small magic circle materialized before her. Pale blue light swirled— *BOOM!!* Suddenly, the magic circle detonated. "Eek!" A small blast erupted, and the tips of Milia's bangs were singed. Her short-cut, pale blue hair gave off an unpleasant sizzling smell. "...I misjudged the output control. One-third of the magical power would have sufficed." She pinched her scorched bangs with a sulky expression. "Whoa, hey, are you okay?! Any burns?!" Tina rushed over in a panic. "No problem. It's just my bangs. It was outside my calculations—but I will succeed next time." So saying, she readied her staff again. If anything, her eyes burned with even greater fighting spirit. Tina surveyed the state of the three and let out a deep sigh. *(...We're all a complete mess, aren't we.)* Herself, and her apprentices. A reality far too distant from their former gold-rank party. But—even so. "...Well, nobody gets it right on the first day." She said it to comfort the three. Her voice lacked its old fire—but it still held warmth. --- Evening. As the sun slanted and long shadows began to stretch across the highway, Milia was immersed in magic practice again, a short distance from the campsite. "—Sequentially release up to Article Three. Magical power emission suppressed to one-quarter, accounting for the previous failure." With a serious expression, she raised her staff. Three small magic circles materialized at her feet. "Fireball." A small orb of flame was born at the tip of her staff. It slowly swelled— *Fwoosh!* A fireball, more controlled than before, was launched forward. It flew as intended—but veered off course midway. The fireball was sucked in a straight line towards a pile of dead grass stacked near the planned campsite— *FWOOSH!!* The dead grass ignited in an instant. "...Ah." Milia froze. Her intelligent, pale blue eyes were wide open. The fire spread rapidly, beginning to turn into a small grass fire. "FIRE—!!" Leon shouted in panic. He tried to raise his shield and beat the flames out, but in his nervousness—*CLANG!!* He dropped his shield on the ground. "Idiot! Don't hit it with a shield! You'll just fan the wind and spread the fire!" Leena yelled. She pulled a waterskin from her quiver and splashed it at the fire—but the amount of water was woefully insufficient. Rather, the scant water just evaporated, sending up hot steam. "Water! Someone get water—and of all times, the water source is far away!!" "Calm down! Let's see, a fire-extinguishing spell is—Article Six, no, Article Five...!" Milia frantically waved her staff, but couldn't get the incantation right. Magic circles appeared and vanished, vanished and appeared—small explosions crackled at her feet. "Enough!! Get back!!" Tina swung Donnergramm back. She struck the ground just in front of the spreading flames—with all her might. *DOOOOON!!* The ground shattered, sending a massive spray of earth and pebbles into the air. It rained down onto the fire— *Fwoosh... fwoo... sizzle...* The flames, buried under the dirt, died out. "..." The four stared wordlessly at the smoldering remains. The pile of dead grass had vanished without a trace, and the ground was gouged out like a battlefield. The acrid smell of burning hung in the air. "...I'm sorry, Master. This was my fault." Milia apologized in a voice barely above a whisper. Her face was deathly pale. "No... I misjudged my own strength too. We're both tired, I guess." Tina said this and set Donnergramm on the ground. Her shoulder throbbed with pain. Just then— Leena suddenly burst out laughing. "Ahaha... ahahahaha!!" She slapped her own chest repeatedly, laughing until tears came. "W-what's so funny, Leena?!" "Because!! I'm glad my chest is small!! If it were big, it might've caught fire!!" A moment of silence. And then— "Pfft... ahahahahaha!!" Tina clutched her stomach and burst out laughing. She curled up her small body, laughing until tears streamed down her face. "What the hell are you saying?! Were you worried about your chest catching fire?!" "Because if they were big like yours, Sis, they'd get in the way when I draw my bow, and they'd catch fire faster!!" "...Is that really the issue here? As the one who caused the fire, I have complicated feelings." Even as Milia said this, the corners of her mouth relaxed slightly. Leon started chuckling too. "...But Leena might have a point. When I hold a shield, it's easier for me too since I don't have a chest." "Huh?! Even you, Leon?! W-was that always your character?!" "Honestly. This is why shield-bearers are all muscleheads... wait, that's me." "Why are you self-destructing, Leon?!" The four looked at each other and laughed. Just moments ago, they'd all been failing, feeling down, the atmosphere heavy. Now, amidst the smell of burnt grass, they were laughing their heads off. "...Next time, I will calculate before activating. Truly." Milia declared with a straight face. "Didn't you calculate just now and still blow it up?" "Ugh... That was due to unforeseen parameters—" "No excuses!!" Laughter rang out again. As Tina laughed, she thought to herself. *(Ah... this is fine.)* Even when you fail, you can laugh together. That's what... a party is. --- After

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Episode 4

Name: Tina's Workshop Story: The Blacksmith Girl with Sake and War Hammer
Author: Novelia

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