27 - Spicy Nut

Can we just skip all the parts where the tsundere loli dwarf treats me like garbage and get to the end where she joins us? No? Fine.

Hassel proudly continued her introduction, despite the embarrassing scene we'd just witnessed. 

"Yes yes, Hassel like Hazel, I have a younger brother too, he's called Not. I'll hear no jokes about it."

That's relatable at least.

"As you can clearly see, I'm apprenticing here -in this dump-. I've been -the best- apprentice -in town- for 20 years already!"

She kept whispering certain parts of her bragging, my guess is she didn't want her master to overhear her exaggerating about herself and insulting the workshop, but she wasn't hiding it very well.

"I was supposed to be promoted to a Master myself already, but -they need me- so bad -ly- it's been put off for 5 years now!"

She laughed, but it sounded forced. It was getting difficult to understand the strange way she was speaking, so I suggested we talk in the alley because the furnace was too loud.

"Of course it's loud! I was about to suggest that anyways! Lets step outside everyone!"

Uh-huh.

We stepped back into the alley and Toast let out a trademark "awoo-roo-roo"

~Where did you go?!~

I bent down and ruffled the fur between his ears, but didn't reply because I didn't want Hassel to hear me talking to him. One thing at a time.

Hassel recoiled against the wall away from Toast again, but rebounded and crossed her arms, giving a cool pose as she leaned. Tamon gave a thumbs up of approval and I internally sighed at the idea of having to deal with this combo of personality types.

"Like I was saying inside, I've been working for that big lout for 20 years, but he doesn't appreciate any of my ideas! He says I'm not ready to be a Master, but everyone knows dwarves only have to apprentice for 15 years!"

She tapped on her emblem again.

"I was supposed to get my Master pin 5 years ago, but every time I bring it up he gets angry and says I'm too useless to be a Master. He just can't find anyone else in this stinking town to hire, so he's forcing me to stick around and do all the grunt work, while he takes all the credit! I don't know who he thinks he is, but I forge way better stuff than him, and I don't even like making weapons!"

She slapped her hand over her mouth and darted her eyes between us.

"I-I mean, I don't like making weapons... for him! He's just an idiot, and I'm ready to start my own shop! I'm already 60, and I'm not getting any younger you know?"

"Miss Hassel, could you not just leave and start your own shop anyways?"

Maja wasn't typically the type to start conversation, but I wondered if her love of children was softening her apprehension.

"I wish! I need a certificate signed by another Master, and mine is the only one in this crummy town. Once I get that I send it off to the king and get my pin in return."

Tamon interjected.

"Do you need to be a Master? We all managed to start a shop together and none of us knew what we were doing!"

Thanks for that, Tamon.

"You lot have your own shop?..."

Hassel got a wistful look in her eyes before biting back at Tamon.

"Of course I need to be a Master. No one would look twice at a dwarf trying to run a forge as an apprentice! I'd never be able to have my own apprentice either!"

She looked directly at me before finishing with an "Idiot!"

I didn't even say anything!

"Anyways, wait here while I go snatch- I mean... get a cheap dagger for you. What level are you?"

I mumbled my shameful answer and she stared at me blankly for a moment before laughing uncontrollably, holding her stomach and squatting to the ground.

"We don't have anything that trashy here! Only broken weapons reduce to a level 1! What a loser! You're so weak!"

Gosh, I wonder why I don't like tsundere types.

"I'll have to make something that lousy from scratch. Come back tomorrow!"

She continued laughing to herself as she re-entered the forge, but quickly dropped her smile hearing her master screaming for her again.

We were abandoned in the alley with no idea how to get back to the markets, and wandered for a long while before we found a way out. 

~~~~~~~~~

Toast and Zay'tun hung out in my room at the inn and enjoyed a rare delicacy of Rasu meat, though the overall opinion of the 'dogs' was that it wasn't as good as the 'goblin' meat. I'd saved some of the strange fruit for them as well, and hid it far under the bed behind a pillow I'd shoved in there. I knew they'd find it eventually and it would be a nice treat. While they ate I reconvened with Maja and Tamon at a tavern to review our collected information over supper.

Several people confirmed that the farther south you went, the worse conditions got. The wastelands turned to deserts and valleys that were near impossible to cross. Other towns only spread out to the east and west of Kauppala, and we wouldn't find another one if we ventured south. Resources would be scarce and if the high level monsters didn't kill us, starvation might.

All those bleak circumstances and we still didn't know for sure that the Demon Lord's castle would be there. All we had to go off of was how "demon lord-ish" the terrain sounded, and a single claim Tamon heard that a merchant had seen a frighteningly large monster with human arms and wings. It could have been Varis again for all we knew.

There was also the dwarf problem. Maja was insistent that we somehow try to help Hassel out of her poor circumstances. I was on the opposition for obvious reasons, but I received a rare scolding from Maja about helping those in need even if I didn't like them. Her skinny tail slapped the ground to end her lecture. It was during those times that I remembered Maja was older than us by a mysterious and unknown amount, but she was quite motherly.

I conceded that we would at least talk to Hassel again when we went back to pick up my precious dagger. If she did come along maybe she could be helpful in battle somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We arrived again at the forge in the early afternoon. We had intended to get there in the morning but it took us that long to find it again after getting lost, asking for directions, getting lost again, and finally finding someone to lead us straight there.

I held Toast, and Maja held Zay'tun, so we had Tamon knock on the heavy metal door. It swung open with a clang and Hassel stood there, cross as ever.

"I've been waiting ages! It's rude to keep a lady waiting, you know!"

I held my tongue about how unreasonable it was to find this place on our own.

"Your timing is awful too, my master will be back from lunch soon so hurry it up!"

She turned away and beckoned us inside the sweltering room. Toast complained about the heat right away so against my better judgement and extreme desire to not be alone with Hassel I passed him to Tamon and asked them to wait outside.

Hassel led me to a small workbench in the corner of the room. It was the perfect height for her, but I would have to sit on the floor to work there. It emphasized just how small and childlike she was for a woman in her 60's.

She looked back and snapped at me, asking where everyone went. When I said they were outside because it was too hot she seemed disappointed. 

Hassel opened a drawer under her table and dug through some materials, pulling out a bundle of wrapped cloth. She unraveled it and hoisted a plain looking knife up at me. It almost resembled a cooking knife but the handle was curved and pointed like a sheep's horn. 

"Take it already idiot!"

I grasped the handle, and clumsily thrust it forward, pretending for a moment that I was the hero. It was delightful until Hassel opened her mouth.

"You look stupid, you know. Swinging that trash around."

You made it!

A loud clang from the front rang out and Hassel's master entered, already angry and shouting. She pushed me and told me to get out just like that. The Master didn't even acknowledge me as he passed. I heard him lay into Hassel about this and that as I exited the forge. Maja had a fretful look and said the Master had yelled at them to leave if they weren't customers.

I took a moment to show them my new dagger as Tamon fumbled with a hand drawn map he'd tried to make on our way here, and we were surprised to hear a small and sharp voice from behind us.

"You don't need that! It's not like it's hard to find your way. I mean, I have to go back to the markets anyways, so you can just follow me I guess. If you have to."

Hassel had reappeared with a fat red lump on her cheek. Maja gasped and lurched forward to cast heal on her. She fussed a little.

"It's fine, I'm fine! Dwarves aren't big talking folk so we speak with our fists!"

She forced a laugh, and we insisted she join us for lunch after we got back to the markets.

I might not like tsunderes but I hate this more. She's coming with us.