'Hmm, so where is that shop…?' Cassian wondered, as he wandered the streets of Magnolia.
It truly was a nice city, especially with the fresh air, coming from the close sea. There were also quite a few useful shops for Mages, like magic shops, information broker, or what Cassian was currently looking for; a weapon shop, with a smithy.
Visiting a smithy had been on his to do list, ever since he received the Master Smith talent, since even that wouldn't allow him to instantly be remarkable at it. At least, not without ever having seen the normal process, or by never having even held the right tools.
Therefore, Cassian had asked Gray that afternoon, on the way back, about this, and his fellow mage had given him a tip, but it was a bit hard to find on his own.
Eventually, though, he finally managed to find that particular alley, where the 'secret smithy' Gray had been talking about, was supposed to be situated.
It truly was well-hidden. The outer side of it, merely had a very small sign, hanging above the door, where an anvil, and a hammer was drawn on, by hand, at that.
When he stood before it, Cassian was able to hear someone talking inside, but he was unable to make out what it was about. But that was also not important, and the information that it should be currently open, was more than enough.
Without any further hesitation, he knocked once, and then went inside, only to be met with someone he hadn't expected to see there.
"Hmm? You are the one, who went on the mission with Natsu and Gray today, right?" Asked the red-haired woman most members of the guild were afraid of.
"Yup, that would be me. Though, there was one more person that would fit that description, but that isn't important. I don't think we were properly introduced yet, my name is Cassian."
She nodded upon hearing that, and then responded herself, after putting her right hand over her heart, "My apologies. That must've come off as rather rude. My name is Erza Scarlet. A pleasure making your acquaintance."
"Oh! We introduce with full names," Cassian was rather surprised, since he thought it would be rather casual, "Then, to complete my introduction, the name's Cassian Orlando Pendragon. The pleasure is all mine."
"So, what are you doing here? This isn't really a place you just stumble into." The red-head asked him, a moment later. And, even though, her voice seemed to carry the same authority as before, she seemed… more casual?
If that made any sense.
"Well, Gray gave me a hint, after I asked for it. As for why," Cassian lightly gestured to Durandal, which was hanging on his belt, as always, "I can't really use my partner, right now. Therefore, I was looking for a replacement, or rather, I'd like to witness someone forge a sword."
"I understand. So, your magic works with your sword? Doesn't matter. I know the owner, by heart, by now. So, if you want, I can arrange it." Erza generously offered.
Cassian wasn't going to look the gifted horse in its mouth, and readily accepted.
"You got time, right now, young man?" A middle-aged man, who had been standing close by, the entire time, then asked Cassian.
He reasoned that this surely must've been the owner, Erza just spoke off, and that she had previously probably been making an order.
"Sure. If it won't be a bother."
"Well, then let us head to the back!" The man said, while already heading towards the open door, which, most definitely, hid the smithy.
Before going, though, Cassian turned around to Erza again, giving her a slight bow, in appreciation, "Thank you for your help, this time. I'll make sure, to repay this favor."
"Why are you saying it like, I'll be going anywhere? I decided to watch too."
"Ah. Well, then, after you."
Well, that promised to be rather awkward, possibly.
---
In the smithy, hidden behind the shop's front, was everything a smith could ever ask for. That was at least, what Cassian's instincts were telling him.
It was also at that moment that he fully realized how instinct driven he actually was, by this point. After all, from fighting, to navigating the world, sometimes even making decisions, and now even adding the forging to the list.
Either he would fully commit to this route, or he would need to try and change his ways. Though, was it really that bad to rely on instincts, that much?
Technically, most people could be categorized in three categories, after all. Those driven mainly by instincts, those driven by logic, and those in between.
All of these three groups had their pros and cons, but that was exactly it. They somewhat kept each other in check, and yet, some had definitely higher power ceilings. Cassian would definitely need to think about this, if he ever had the time for it.
Right now, and for the next few hours, he was entirely focused on the work of 'Vulcan'. That was the name the smith tended to use, which was more of a nickname, or an alias, if one so wanted.
Nearly from the moment the two mages stepped inside of his workshop, until a few hours later, when the two of them, eventually decided to leave, to give him a bit more peace and freedom, Vulcan never stopped working on the sword.
Apparently, this particular sword was going to be one, which he had created before, which meant that he already knew what to do, which materials to pick, and exactly how to act on them.
Of course, there were also a bunch of magical items that made the entire process a lot faster, than it would've gone, without them.
Nevertheless, for Cassian, it was truly interesting to watch. Though, that was mostly the case for the first two hours. After that, it seemed like his entire being already started to acclimate to the forging process, without ever having actually held the equipment.
Even while watching, it seemed like his mind was constantly racing, thinking about ways to improve the decade long master's work, and even thinking about how to finish the sword himself, and so much more.
It was actually quite frightening, to witness the first real extent of the talent that Senji Muramasa had held, when he was still alive. He must truly have been worthy of being called the gods' equal, in his element.
Regardless, after Vulcan finished the first real step; the forging, the two of them chose to leave. Completely finishing the blade would probably take until the next morning, if Vulcan worked through the entire night.
---
After leaving the workshop, and the shop front, Cassian headed wordlessly back towards the same spot, where he had spent the night before.
This time, though, not alone.
It seemed Erza was very keen on following him, since even when he began taking multiple detours, trying to make her leave him alone, which all ended unsuccessfully, of course.
He could've flown away, yes, but that would only delay the problem. Therefore, he abandoned the idea of getting rid of her, and simply headed straight towards his chosen resting place.
A while later, he finally reached it, and sat down, making the red-head looking at him weirdly, "What are you doing?"
"Why? I like this spot. It feels better, than some stuffy apartment, not that I had much time to get a place, until now…"
She seemed surprised by his curtly answer, and studied his expression for a moment longer, not finding any discomfort, or anything that might've been there, if he had been telling a lie.
"So, you're homeless?"
This short question somewhat triggered a nerve within him, "No. Well, technically, yes. But, honestly, I enjoy being surrounded by nature, a lot more, than I would in an apartment, like I said."
Shaking his head for a moment, he finally asked what was on his mind, the entire time, since she had behaved like that. After all, they had spent a few hours together now, and it really was awkward, at this point. It was also already getting dark, too.
"What do you actually want? I mean, don't get me wrong, spending time with a someone like you isn't really a punishment, but it's starting to be weird." Cassian eventually came clean, in an exasperated tone, hoping to not come off as too rude.
"You use swords, right?"
Being caught off-guard, for just a second, he quickly replied, after a shrug, "I guess. But, I don't really have one that I could comfortably use, right now."
Erza looked at him for a moment longer, before a small magic seal appeared before her right hand, only to reveal a sword, a moment later. She took the sword, and then unceremoniously tossed it over to Cassian, who, while a bit exasperated by her, still caught it.
"Show me, what you got!" She said this, while she summoned another sword, for herself.
Sighing in regret, Cassian eventually stood up, and got himself in a somewhat proper stance. Well, he had never actually been taught, so it was what he imagined, a proper stance to look like.
"Come on!"
Erza challenged him once again, which prompted him to start.
The two of them stood a few meters away from each other, but that distance was bridged in merely a second, if even, and the next moment, Cassian was already directly in front of Erza, slightly surprising her with his speed.
Nevertheless, she blocked it basically effortlessly, letting it slide off to the side, before she went in to counter.
Caught in an unfortunate position, Cassian couldn't block this counter, but he didn't need to. Instead, he chose to go for the most simple method, complete the over-committed attack, by pushing off the ground, with his left foot, effectively getting behind the red-haired mage, before using the remaining momentum to spin around, to counter on his own.
Without even properly looking at him, she managed to block the attack directed at her back.
Afterwards, both got themselves some distance, and looked unimpressed towards the other.
"Is that all? Surely there must be more!" Erza, once again, demanded more.
"Just leave me along…" He grumbled, before deciding on a simple course of action. "Well, you asked for it!"
The next moment, he raised his sword above his head, and what followed went by, in a seemingly near instant.
'Sword trial! Mana Burst!' Activating both skills in his mind, Cassian not only suddenly boosted himself forward, completely bridging the gap between them, but also brought his sword down, in that very instance.
He purposefully aimed at her sword, which caused both of them to directly clash against each other, with sparks getting send flying, by the pure friction between the two swords.
Eventually, though, the consistent pressure was too much for the unprepared Erza, and she had to shift her weight, letting Cassian's blade pass, right next to her.
Booom!
The instant it finally had somewhere to go again, the blade continued downward, hitting the ground, not even half a second later, leaving a deep fissure in the ground.
After having finished the attack, Cassian straightened up again, the sword still in his hand. It seemed a bit battered, but was otherwise still in one piece.
"Satisfied now?" He asked Erza who was still standing a few meters to the side, after having retreated there, a moment ago.
Her face seemed indifferent, but that was most likely not the case. Cassian didn't know what she was thinking, but she most likely did not expect his move just now.
"Good. I have decided."
Hearing these words, he had a bad premonition, but he didn't want to paint the devil on the wall, just yet. That thinking was too optimistic, though.
"You will come along tomorrow." She said this completely matter-of-factly.
"No, I will not."
"Yes, you will."
"Nope."
"Yes."
This scene continued for nearly five more minutes, after which Cassian finally gave in. Erza only nodded afterwards, told him to not be late, and then left.
'Have I done something, in my previous life, to deserve such people?!' He wondered exasperated.
Still, no matter how little he wanted it, he had given his word, and sincerely hoped that a sizable reward would await them afterwards, so he would be there.
It seemed that Mira had thoroughly jinxed him...