We See You

The Forge - Part Two

"What kind of sword is called 'The Sword of Life'?" Tyler scoffed, hiding a laugh. Crystal looked up at him in a panic and shook her head "Shush, people will be mad if you say that stuff." She scolded him. Alex, however, wasn't listening, his eyes glued to the sword at the front of the hall. "The Ancient One's named it... although I have to agree," Zephyrhills shrugged, "it's a bit of a boring name by itself." He slowly stood up, seeing the other creatures from the hall begin to leave. "By itself?" Alex's ears pricked up as he turned to face the three. "Let's go somewhere... quieter." A hand landed on Alex's shoulder; it was Itsuki. Alex and Tyler exchanged glances; something didn't feel right.

Sometime later, the group were crammed in Itsuki's office. "The Sword of Life isn't the only thing that is kept in the temple..." Itsuki began, sitting on his desk with Crystal in his lap. "Mhm! There is also something called the Jewel of Death, when it's paired with the sword... it's practically indestructible." Zephyrhills added on, pressed up against the back wall "They aren't kept together though," he quickly added, seeing the excited look on Alex's face "if they got into the wrong hands... Life as we know it would be doomed."

Alex turned his head to look at Tyler, who seemed to be in incredible pain from hunching over for so long. "The Jewel of Death? Sounds creepy." Tyler hissed, rubbing his neck before giving up and sitting on the floor amongst the piles of weapon blueprints. "It is creepy! That's why it given as a sacrifice!" Crystal piped up, "we not just protected by the big people, but also, also also..." Crystal couldn't contain her excitement "also Dirkotholese!"

"Dirk...otholese?" Alex covered his mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. "Dirkotholese is a water demon who resides under The Forge, he's the reason we haven't been flooded with lava." Itsuki explained, putting Crystal aside and hopping off his desk, "Him and the Ancient Ones have worked together for years... saving our island, we owe him everything. As long as the Jewel stays protected, he returns the favour to us, meaning he protects us." Itsuki's speech was cut out by the rumbling of Crystal's stomach, causing everyone to burst into laughter. "Alright alright," Zephyrhills clasped his hands together, "enough of the dramatic speeches, I'll make us dinner, would you two like to join us?" he asked, resulting in Alex and Tyler nodding their heads enthusiastically.

The clanging of pots and pans were the only sound coming from the Itsuki household as Zephyrhills made dinner. Alex and Tyler sat in the chilly living room, rubbing their hands together as Itsuki attempted to light a fire. For a volcano, it seemed to be incredibly cold inside the townhouses. Crystal came running down the stairs, leaping onto the large armchair set in the corner of the room, she was holding a large box in her arms. "Hey, hey guys! Let's play a game, okay??" she shook the box lightly before emptying the pieces onto the stone floor. The game seemed to be made up of mismatched parts from other games, a crumpled card here, a weird statue there. Tyler slid from his position on the sofa, to sit cross legged on the floor, "Are you sure this is a game? It doesn't look like one." He picked up one of the pieces, observing it, before placing it back down. "I'm sure! You pick a card and then you look at it and if it's got blue on it you can move. We play it all the time!" Crystal beamed, and Itsuki chuckled, "The rules change every time we play though Crystal."

The game was just getting good, Tyler currently in a plank and Alex balancing on one leg, whilst Crystal was surrounded by the fake money she had been collecting. "Alright gang!" Zephyrhills appeared at the door frame, they all turned to look at him and Zephyrhills burst into laughter, "You all look like you are having such fun, but dinner is ready, where's Itsuki?" he rested a hand on his hip and gestured into the dining room. "Papa is right he... where did he go?" Crystal jumped up, looking around in a panic. "Oh well, I'm sure he'll be back soon, he probably went to the forge... like always." Zephyrhills rolled his eyes, once again gesturing to the dining room. Tyler pulled himself up from his plank, grabbing Alex's arm and dragging him along.