I got fire in my soul

Artorias had seen the clear disappointment in his nephew’s eyes when he’d relieved him of the blade he’d taken, but his duty to keeping Titus safe and educated outweighed any tender feelings toward the lad’s disappointment. When he had been his age, Artorias had also pined for a sword of his own. It was only once he was a yearling and old enough to handle such a weapon was he permitted one. He’d hated it too, but now that he was older he could understand why. Titus would understand one day too. For now, safety was paramount over enjoyment and coolness, and a pup handling a sword? Well, he might as well have turned himself over to Bowen to end his life now!

Thankfully, Titus was quick to recover his enthusiasm as Artorias asked the boy for his help sharpening the sword. Titus did as he was told, and when the grindstone began to spin, Artorias brought the edge of the blade to its surface. The shrill raking of steel against the stone filled the forge as sparks flew from the sword as its edge was honed. Art moved his paws with deft practice, handling the blade this way and that to shape the edge exactly as he wished. It was a showcase of his abilities as a bladesmith. This was a craft he’d been perfecting for most of his life, and it showed in his labor of love for the weapons he made.

"Bună treabă, nepotule. Keep doing what you’re doing." Art smiled down at Titus as he praised the lad’s enthusiastic assistance. With Titus working the grindstone, Artorias continued working the edge of the blade along the grindstone, sharpening it down until one side was honed to a deadly flawlessness. He then turned the blade around with a quick flip of the sword in his paws and proceeded to repeat the process on the other side, careful to make sure none of the sparks flying off the blade came near Titus. "Do you know how to tell if a blade is sharp enough, Titus?" asked the much larger brute to the pup, a knowing smile on his muzzle. This would lead them nicely into the weapons testing part of the forging process, which Artorias knew Titus would get a kick out of.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"