Welf stared at the hammer in Vahn's hand with an incredulous expression on his face. "Where did you get that hammer?" Though he expected the answer, he couldn't help but ask the question to confirm his suspicions.
Vahn could see Welf's aura, which had been a mixture of reds and blues, suddenly turn a mild yellow tinged with green along the edge. With how Welf looked at the hammer gifted to him by Hephaestus, Vahn began to feel annoyance and anger. He felt a possessiveness in Welf's expression like he would try to steal the hammer if he could.
Vahn grimaced before saying, "I see no reason to tell you. Worry about your own equipment before you start eyeing that of other's." His words seemed to awaken Welf, who quickly made his way towards Vahn.
The two glared at each other, separated by only a few feet. Welf looked down at Vahn and, with an ordering tone, asked, "You're saying that hammer belongs to you? Then explain the maker's marks. Why do you possess an item forged by Hephaestus, and who does the other symbol belong to!?"
Vahn was confused by the question as he had never paid much attention to the markings on the hammer. He knew blacksmiths often marked the items they made for recognition, but he hadn't realized Hephaestus had left the same mark as his sword on his hammer. He noticed the neck of the hammer had both marks side-by-side, and he somewhat understood why Welf was angry. But, he still didn't like how Welf, who was weaker than him, was trying to intimidate him.
Vahn squinted his eyes and simply stated, "That's my business. Who are you to ask?" Welf grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists. He stepped forward to grab Vahn by the collar as Vahn prepared to break his wrists for the attempt. Moments before Vahn grasped the soon to be broken wrist, they were both knocked to the ground by a fist from above.
"Nice passion, but no violence in my workshop! If you want to fight, do it in a more productive manner." Tsubaki was standing over Vahn and Welf who were both twitching on the ground with giant lumps on their heads. For the first time since their meeting, they both had the same thought going through their mind: (You're the violent one!)
---
Four people now sat around a low table drinking tea. They were Tsubaki, Vahn, Welf, and Lili, and the atmosphere was tense due to the earlier conflict. On Vahn and Welf's head, there was still the evidence of a lump which made the tense atmosphere seem almost comical. Tsubaki, noticing this, began laughing out loud while they each gave her a sidewards glance.
After some time had passed, Tsubaki was finally able to stop laughing. She smiled after seeing how the tense atmosphere had subsided quite a bit. "Okay, I'm going to explain a few things since the two of you don't seem to be able to talk without pissing each other off." She gave them both a look using her eye, and they each nodded as a result of the pressure.
"Heh, you two are cute when you're obedient." They both flinched after hearing her words. "Anyways, let's get some things out of the way. Welf, Vahn is a lot stronger than you. If I didn't step in earlier you'd be nursing a broken wrist for the next few months. You'll have a hard time doing any blacksmithing if that happens, so pull back on the aggressive behavior."
Hearing Tsubaki mentioning that he was weaker than Vahn, Welf was dissatisfied. He looked towards the 'small' kid and couldn't see how he could be considered strong. While he was thinking, Tsubaki continued. "It's true. Unlike you who likes to sit around boasting about becoming a great blacksmith, Vahn here ventures into the dungeon to improve his skill. Even though you're the same age, he is already Level 2 and capable of fighting weaker Level 3's."
Welf was surprised to hear Vahn was already Level 2. Though it wasn't unheard of, it was very rare for people in a production Familia to increase in level quickly. However, his surprise turned into utter disbelief when she continued.

YOU ARE READING
endless path, infinite cosmos
FantasyVahn was an atypical youth. Due to a rare mutation, his blood had the potential to target and attack ailments within the human body. Touted as a universal cure, people had elevated his status above the norm and given him the classification "Panacea"...