.^^ The Gateway to Paradise ^^

— Fa Kuro —

The flyer shook from the seemingly gentle nudges of the dragon, and shakily set itself down on a nearby crag big enough for the craft.

The dragon hummed, and clung to the walls casually, sniffing the ship. "I smell something familiar... is that you, Raava? How sweet of you to visit me!"

Raava cleared his throat, and stepped out of the craft. "Ahem... Hello, BriarFang! How are you today? You look positively radiant!!!" His voice shivered, as if he was intentionally placing a rasp into his voice.

She chuckled, laying her head near him and sniffing him. "Flatterer... you do know how to please me... who are the little westerners? They smell interesting as well..."

Her piercing gaze found me, and I stepped forward slowly, attempting the same timbre as he had, remembering from my studies how dragons had trouble hearing humans. "I am Lord Fa Kuro, Noble Ambassador of my liege, the Great Sun Emperor of the Western Isles. It is a pleasure to make acquaintance with a creature as glorious as yourself, one whose presence enhances greatly the beauty of the Ruby cliffs and Sapphire Sea that before held our vision, but are now only background for the portrait of your magnificent visage."

She blinked slowly, and then slowly advanced, a deep growl in her throat, which I took for anger for a moment, before realizing the low volume. It was a Purr, not a growl. She wrapped her neck around me slowly, loosely, and rested her head on the coils, staring at me unblinkingly. "I like this one... he is eloquent, and poetic, and he too knows to appreciate my magnificence... he must stay."

"Many poets more skilled than myself could be acquired from my homeland, I am entirely positive, to compose your praises... I am but an Emissary to the Emperor, and my humble skills pale before the storied poets of Takara." I carefully refused, and waited for a response.

She hummed, and sniffed me again, nodding. "I recognize refusal when I hear it, little Emissary, and do not begrudge you your people's company... but your poets would be nice to listen to, of course. I am particularly fond of music and delicacies... and tell Rune to visit soon, I have need of his services." She nudged Raava gently, and chuckled when he sat down heavily, before leaping away, and raising her wings, dropping them twice before she was clear of the ravine.

Raava stood, dusting himself off, and chuckled at our awestruck faces. "That's BriarFang, she comes through the waterfall every day, sometimes several times a day. She's relatively even-tempered, so long as you compliment her a lot. But don't ever give her gold or shiny things, give her food if you give her anything, and never on a schedule." He lectured us casually.

I nodded slowly. "I suppose there's reasons for those rules?"

"Giving dragons gold never ends well, first of all, and if it's on a schedule, she'll start to think it's a Tithe. Random gifts of food, company, and compliments are just that, Gifts, instead of Tithes." He explained.

"Ah... yes, I see. Well-"

A black mirror appeared at the base of the waterfall, and Rune stepped through, with Shiro and Mae. He glanced around, and spotted us, then waved, and opened another, next to us.

"Hello! Good to see you're still alive!" He grinned and patted my back, then wandering over to Raava, and speaking to him quietly.

I frowned. "Alive? Why wouldn't I be? Shiro?"

He shook his head. "Traitorous members of the Lord's Court attempted to kill Mae and the Emperor, as well as making attempts on the Empress. All failed, and Duncan killed the assassins of the Princess by himself, with Elemental Magic. Also, we've come with two more Lian, to bolster your defenses, and the princess and us twins are to stay and oversee this Fort's completion. Also, finally, Rune owns all of Ulfavir, now, by the direct Edict of the Sun Emperor. That's the basics."

I blinked slowly, and nodded slowly. "Alright... I see... Lord Rune, a Word? The Emperor had an Edict sent for you, but I'm not sure if you've already heard his orders..."

He smiled at me, taking the letter with a bow, then opening it. "Yes, he told me you had a letter for me... Hmm... a completion of our trade agreement, a deed for property on the waterfront for my store... good, good... I will draft a proper response and send it, thank you. In the meantime; Raava, can you assist them for now? I will have Talja handle all your managerial nonsense, for the day."

Raava relaxed slowly. "Oh thank the gods... yes, I would much rather help here."

I chuckled. "See? That's one reason I'm happy with my station in life. Little to no paperwork."

Mae laughed. "That's very true. Anyway, let's begin! The Emperor is expecting this Fort finished in the next- dear Lunas..." she had finally seen the glittering canyon walls and sea, a red-blue gradient culminating in a lovely purple color.

I blinked when her robes, Gold and red, slowly turned to the same shades of purple. "Okay... what? When did you get a magic kimono?" I frowned.

She smirked. "Duncan gave it to me, Right before he killed a number of assassins. It's actually magic armor."

Rune chuckled softly. "And it does let you fly for a short while, if you use it right."

She stared at him for a moment, and grinned widely. "Is that so?"

—

The earth mages worked together with Raava, removing the old buildings carefully, and deepening the steps and walkways along the sides of the cliffs, digging out several dozen trenches and caves, for various buildings that we were going to be carving from the Heartwood Rune was supplying.

A few hours into the construction, we had already started the main building, across the mouth of the river, and Rune drew me aside, to one of the smaller caves, near the top. Inside, there was a set of stairs, and I followed it with him, until we reached a large, traditional Temple Gate, made of redwood, to my surprise. It was carved with Dwarven Runes, however, barely noticeable without direct light, and the middle shimmered softly.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A Gateway to Paradise. Or, more specifically, the Warrior's Rest? I believe that's what it was called. This way, your Hunters can come and go as they please... though they do have to have permission, or..." he raised a hand, and the black panther that was always near him leapt down, hissing.

I smiled. "Impressive... but won't you miss your animal friend?"

"Well, first of all, she's an Automaton, and at the moment, she's programmed to recognize this Rune." He held up a simple circular Rune, with a forked interior, and the cat stopped hissing, leaping back up to rest on the top of the gate. "So, when your men have permission to pass, simply hold up this Rune, and she'll let them through. If they come through from the other side, they'll also need to be approved, but that'll happen before they even get to the gate, I assume."

I nodded. "Yes, this can be done... thank you. Transport for so many can become costly."

He laughed suddenly. "Yes... I thought a Lian was twenty or so, did you know? I didn't know it was 200 Hunters, each! There's 800 Hunters, plus 600 of everyone else! Wow! You guys, you're already bigger than the Sanctuary, in numbers! Ah! Speaking of... you'll need farmland, like the Sanctuary, to sustain so many people... I'll plant you a few crops of Beans, maybe surrounding the Beach so none of the trees tries to eat the Sailors."

I raised an eyebrow. "And how are Beans supposed to stop Redwoods?"

He grinned, and led me over to the other edge of the cliff, away from the new Village that was awaiting a name. He pulled a small golden bean from his pocket, and then wound up his hand, pitching the bean into the ocean with a whistle not unlike an arrow.

A few seconds later, a massive green beanstalk with golden leaves broke the surface of the water, and then wilted a bit. He winced. "Oops, I forgot they don't do as well in salt water... sorry!"

I smiled. "I see, they're Gilded Beans, from Giant Country! Impressive, and each would feed as many as twenty men, yes?"

"Around ten, if that's all they were eating, but yeah. Now for this..." he looked at the wide open area that was around the pirate's cove. It was all sand, but it was big, and I could see the way he moved his lips that he was drawing plans for something in his mind, muttering measurements.

"A few warehouses, and then the rest as Beans and Rice, and we should be set." I suggested.

He raised an eyebrow. "Warehouses? Those'll be in the Caves, don't worry. I've got a few plans, to make those caves much bigger on the inside. Magical Folding, like the College."

I nodded. "That would make the most of our space, yes... but there's one more thing the Emperor wanted from you, Rune."

"The better Weapons, Yeah? And a warehouse here to store them in, so that they never touch his soils? Yes, it was in the letter. I'll see about making them all some versions of my pistols... or maybe instead of weapons, I'll make them all my Wing Boots, so they can glide through the air... you're an Air-Elemental people, Correct? Flying would be something you all would appreciate." He nodded.

I blinked. "Should that be possible, I'm sure my father would prefer it over weapons... I would discuss it with him, first."

He looked out over the ocean, and sat down on the edge. "Maybe... Just my luck, huh? Set out to be a merchant, become a King. Try to be a philanthropist, become a King. Try to be a Hero, Become a King... always circled back to that, doesn't it? Guess it really is in my blood." He spat over the side of the cliff, and laid down on the rocks, looking up at the darkening sky through his dark glasses, as they slowly turned clear, and his crystal blue eyes became visible.

"You didn't want to be a King?" I asked, sitting next to him.

He snorted. "Only fools and dreamers want to be Kings. No one who actually knows what it means would wish it on their greatest enemies. Enemies all around you, slimy people who only think of themselves trying to use you, it's not a place for good men. But enough of that, no sense moping when there's work to do! I've got to go learn how you Westerners forge swords and Flyer's! I've heard good things!" He stood, and stretched.

"I could teach you how to Smith a sword, in our way, i-if you want, that is..." I offered impulsively, and blushed when he looked directly at me, so I turned to look at the ocean.

"Interesting proposition... step into my office." He smiled, and opened a black mirror into a room filled with pillows, just like the Harem.

I stepped through, with a shiver at the coldness of it, and smiled at the scent of sandalwood and lavender. The windows, I was surprised to see, showed a massive field of lava, far below, and a large northern-style castle, connected to us by a long, sturdy bridge.

"We're above the Baked Planes, right now... I change the scenery every few days... always over Ulfavir, of course. This way to my workshop, unless you want to keep looking?" He smiled.

I blinked. "Speaking of lava, there was a fire dragon at the ravine, today. She said she wanted to speak to you, one BriarFang?"

He hummed. "BriarFang? I just talked to her a week ago... well, I'll talk to her tomorrow. She's probably pregnant again, even though god's know we don't need any more of her children running around."

"How often does she get pregnant?" I asked, following him down the stairs.

"Every four years or so. It's about that time. Most every fire dragon on this continent is her spawn." He chuckled, and pushed aside a heavy curtain, letting a blast of heat wash over me.

I pulled my robes off, leaving myself in my cotton Gi pants, and folded them up on one side, so I could handle the heat. He hummed, watching, and shrugged, taking off his armor with a wave of his hands, leaving him standing in a pair of corded leather pants and white boots with blades on the toes.

His body was impressively toned, but oddly so. Where most men of his level of musculature had sectioned abs, he had two slabs of raw muscle; where most had single rows of biceps, his was three, corded together like a braid of muscle, visible on the surface as it continued, and when it reached his forearms, it got even more intricate, a set of three different braids, twining around his bones and down to his wrists. He had an archer's shoulders and chest, and his hips were thin, but not flat. I had also caught a glimpse of his butt, at one point, and found myself pleased by the curves therein.

I looked away, centering myself, and placed a pair of fire-proof gloves on, a gift from my mother a few years ago, when I began to show some interest in blacksmithing. "Alright... lets start with the metal." I nodded.

"Mm... we have Black Silver, Iron, Carbon, Carbon Steel, Anthracite Steel, Titanium Carbonate-Mithril, and Wolfram." He pointed to each of the bars of glowing metal, and nodded.

I pulled the one he'd called Mithril, and selected a hammer from the wall. It was heavy, heavier than I'd expected, but I held it, and handed it to him. "The Position of assistant, in western smithing, is to make the larger hammering strikes, while the Master smith makes the more focused strikes." I explained, taking a smaller hammer, and pointing to the end of the metal, after I had clamped it down on the long titanium anvil. "Begin there, and flatten the metal."

He nodded, and I looked away, grabbing tongs and clips to begin the folding process, and flinched at a massing 'GONG' that sounded from the anvil. I looked, and gasped. The metal was flattened, around the hammer, from that one blow. He pulled back, and did it again, working his way down the metal as I scrambled to hammer out the inconsistencies, before he managed to flatten the whole piece.

Once it was flat, I worked the seam in, and bent it. "Folding the metal means that every layer will hold the other, when it is finished. Some blades have over a thousand folds, and take many months to complete... some say that the more folds and time you put into a blade, the more of your spirit and power resides within." I spoke as I worked, pointing him towards the spots he was supposed to hammer.

"So the westerners create enchanted blades by spending time with the blade?" He asked.

I smiled. "In a way. Having a spirit in a blade doesn't give it power, only Sentience. That can be good or bad, depending on what the Master was feeling when he created it."

He smiled, and squatted to my level. "And what are you feeling now?" He asked casually, staring into my eyes. His were that silver color again, almost matching his hair, and they slowly faded to blue as he stayed still for longer.

"I... I'm feeling proud, of course, that my father asked me to oversee the construction of his Fort." I nodded, looking back at the blade.

He hummed, and stood, continuing his hammering. "I see."

"And a little happy, that I've made what I would like to call a friend." I added softly.

He chuckled. "Friends, hm? I suppose that's enough, for now."

I blushed, and continued to fold the metal, the work going for a full two days, between rests and food. Several people came to see him, but he didn't leave my side, speaking to them as they stood by the door, shielding themselves from the heat of the room.

A warmth grew, inside my chest, at the display of dedication, and how stubborn he was, to finish this before he did anything else. Even if I wasn't arrogant enough to think he stayed to be near me, (it was his home, after all,) it still felt nice to have a friend that wouldn't run away when they got distracted by something, if they said they'd stay.

The blade came to fruition in an odd form, a mixture of western and Dwarven, with a curved, one-edged blade, up to about six inches from the tip, where the spine tapered and sharpened, curving gently, though the straight line of the blade-edge didn't wobble in the slightest.

The folds we'd managed, because of his efficiency and speed in flattening the blade, numbered exactly 1,420, (an auspicious number, being the year that the cannabis flower was discovered, and revolutionized medicine,) and flowed along the blade like a calm stream, or an ocean current, nearly invisible they were so tightly folded, with the long back of the blade holding 'waves', the gentle rises actually razor sharp, and meant for sawing through wood and even other metals.

Then, when it was finished, -as he had been the entire way through, I realized, with the end of the hammer he'd been using having a Rune emblazoned upon it,- he stamped Runes along the spine, and gently carved them along the blade, explaining them to be Runes of Strength and Durability, as well as Sharpness and Speed.

The blade, layered as it was with silver-blue metal and another, white material that he'd been adding throughout the process, weighed around fifty pounds, when he carved a final Rune under the wrappings of the handle, and didn't let me see them, before rewrapping the handle securely, and creating a small illusion spell over it.

When he handed it to me, it was heavy at first, but then as light as a feather, though I could feel the weight of it. "The Runes of Strength are doing their jobs. Good." He nodded, and then grinned. "You should Name her, now." He held out a defining chisel, and grinned happily.

I nodded, and gazed at the blade slowly, trailing a finger along the blade, then smiling. "She'll be Williwaw... the Mountain Wind, Striking the sea suddenly, and swiftly... it's a nice name for a blade the color of the sky."

He nodded slowly, and helped me carve it into the other side of the handle. "Williwaw it is." He hummed, and then sheathed the blade in a black marble sheath, with a blue velvet interior.

Then he held it out to me, and I balked, confused as to how to explain that it was my intention to make it a gift to him, before he had made himself so useful in its creation, nearly doing all the work.

A knock on the door saved me from my embarrassing babbling.