Outcasts - A Fractures Alternate Universe

Chapter 7: Forged in Fire

     "You want to go where?!" Aro nearly fell out of his chair when he heard the words coming out of Abigail's mouth.

     "I want to go to the swamps in the north," Abigail repeated herself, a determined look on her face.

     "You realize that traveling there is a death wish, right?" Aro asked almost rhetorically as if it were common knowledge that the trek north was a dangerous one. "There are still many of Lance's creations roaming those lands."

   By now, news of Lance the Rogue End Mage's fall had spread far and wide, now a known fact to the largest of the splintered factions of the Overworld. "What if you get ambushed by a man-dragon? Or a real dragon, for that matter?"

     "You act as if I haven't fought stronger foes before," Abigail shot back, "I've fought a man-dragon in the past. I was the one who killed the End Mage himself!"

     Aro pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, "Firstly, Netherbane sources say that Captain Kane helped you take him down. Second, who can say that some of the beasts in the swamps are not stronger than Lance?"

     Abigail laughed, "You're telling me a skeleton with wings surpasses the  End Mage in power? No. I don't think so. Try as you might to discourage me. I'm still going on this quest."

     "But the-"

     "Aro," Abigail spoke in a stern voice, "It's either this or the Nether Star regains control of me."

     Aro sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking long and hard. Finally, he let out a defeated sigh. "Alright. I'll have one of our blacksmiths meet you down at the forges. From there, you can tell them what exactly you want them to make for you to aid you in your quest," He exhaled sharply, "Just... be careful while you're in the swamps, ok?"

     "I will. Thank you, Aro," the former Nether Princess looked back at Aro one last time before turning around, pushing through the doors to his office and out into the halls.

***

   As Abigail walked down the gravel road connecting the main fortress to the forges, she noticed the many horses scattered about the mesa. Some were being utilized by the Outcast army, clad in gold and bronze armor. The ones mounted by high-ranking individuals wore iron, diamond, and even Netherite armor.

   The sound of hammers striking metal filled her ears as she got closer to the smoky forges. Each material created a unique sound, some louder than others. She stepped into one of the forges, only to find that all the smiths inside were busy working on metalworks of their own. Well, almost all of the smiths.

   To the side of the large interior of the building was a tall, slightly muscular young woman, tying a red ribbon in her long ashy black hair. Her sleeveless red dress was covered in soot and burnt in some places, a clear indicator that she was a hard worker. She noticed Abigail approaching her out of the corner of her eye as she tied the ribbon into a bow.

   "You the one Aro wanted me to help?" She asked as she grabbed her large war hammer that had been propped up against the wall.

   "Yes, actually," Abigail responded, "I was wondering if you'd be able to forge me a set of armor. You see, I'm going on a quest, and I need something that's guaranteed to save my skin if I end up in a conflict along the way."

     The woman giggled. "Armor? Of course, I can help! I'll start on it right awaaa- Wait a minute," the woman studied Abigail closely, "Nether Princess Abigail?.." She turned her head, giving Abigail her full attention, looking a bit confused.

     Abigail sighed, a faint smile appearing on her face, "Yep. That's me. At least, that's who I used to be." 

    She returned Abigail's smile, a bit warmer than hers. "I see you've changed for the better. Back to being your selfless and loyal self before the Nether Star controlled you." 

     "Yeah..." Abigail quietly responded. She didn't have the heart to tell the woman the truth: that she wouldn't remain in control for very long.

     "I'll get to work on that armor right away. Any specific requests? Or would you like for me to do one of my designs?"

     "All I want is something that will protect my torso and forearms specifically, so no helmet, and only a little armor for the legs."

     "Alright. I think I know what design you're looking for." And with that, she got to work. She grabbed two chunks of ore, one iron, and the other copper, lifting them onto a large and worn smithing table.

   She raised the hammer and swung it down upon the chunks, smashing them until all the stone had turned to dust and the ores themselves were all that remained.

   Once she finished smashing the ore chunks, she grabbed a large piece of iron ore and shoved it into the blast furnace with her bare hand, holding it there until it was a glowing orange-white color. She repeated this process a few times until she had several large pieces of white-hot metal sitting on the smithing table. From here, the Netherkin woman put the pieces back into the furnace, melting them into a single mass of glowing metal. Abigail watched her work closely, reminded of the few times she visited the forges in the Nether.

   The woman took the mass out and began hammering it with a smaller hammer, splitting it apart and reshaping the smaller pieces over and over until she had a pair of vambraces, a chest plate, and a couple of poleyns to cover the knees. But she wasn't done quite yet. She repeated the process she used with the iron on the copper, only this time she mixed in a thin gray metal - tin - and turned the copper into bronze.

   She added bits of bronze to the already-made armor, even adding the little leftover copper strips to some parts. To finalize her creation, the woman dunked the still-hot armor into a tub of water, sending a large plume of steam into the air. When the plume dissipated, she took the armor back out and placed it down on the smithing table, wiping a little sweat off her forehead. 

   "Done," she dusted off her hands, a look of pride etched onto her face.

   Abigail stared at the armor with great admiration. "Wow... It reminds me of the armor I wore when I was still the Nether Princess. Only it's gray and orange instead of red and black."

   This comment got a little giggle out of the woman. "Funny that you say that. I directly based it off of that old armor of yours, believe it or not. Go ahead, try it on."

   Abigail slipped on the armor, starting with the chest plate, then the vambraces, and finishing with the poleyns. "It fits perfectly. Thank you, um... Sorry, I never quite got your name."

   "Name's Alice." She flicked her hair back, almost in a flirtatious way, doing yet another giggle - by now, Abigail could tell she liked giggling a lot. "It was my pleasure. If you need anything else, I'll be here. Good luck on your quest, Abigail!"

   The former princess smiled graciously at Alice before departing the forges with her new armor. By now, the Sun was halfway in the sky, and she still needed a weapon. And thus she made her way from the forges to the armory.

   The armory had a wide variety of weapons, but one particular sword caught her eye. It had a slightly curved blade, made out of the finest gray netherite and crimson red nethersteel, and featured four smaller blades that could be used if an enemy got too close, with the two blades above the handle doubling as crossguards.

   Abigail took the sword and departed, venturing off into trees beyond the armory. By stepping out of the Outcasts domain, the princess now had to brave the hardships of the Overworld, of which there were many waiting for her ahead.

***

(P.S. Alice is one of my friends' ocs)