[center][h3]--- [i]Springwood Forest > The Village[/i] ---[/h3][h2][i][b]Akitsugu[/b][/i][/h2]Late Morning
[@Xaltwind][@Dragonydas][@Remram][/center][hr][hr]

"If the Slime proves inedible," Akitsugu mused as he walked with both armloads of wood perched atop his shoulders, "Do you think it might be possible to... tame it?" He asked not out of any sense of pity for the creature, but simple curiosity. "If it has some form of alchemic uses to Myrr, it might be more sustainable to... well, I don't know, actually. I hesitate to suggest...um... milking it..." He felt himself cringing at his own suggestion, and simply trailed off the thought there. At least, verbally. 

But, really. [i]Could[/i] you somehow raise a slime, and then... somehow... divest it of the useful properties of its goo? 

Maybe not. Surely if that was the case someone in this land would've done it already. Unless perhaps Slime gel just wasn't that useful as an alchemic ingredient, foodstuff, or anything else. But...

"Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed after going a while without speaking. "There are some varieties of acid-treatment used in steel processing! Most of what I've seen in that regard for swords is really just for artistry, to give it a "wootz" pattern, but, maybe if Slimes only eat [i]organic[/i] matter, they could be used to remove impurities or process ore..."

If no one else had anything to contribute to his line of thought, he was fine just walking in silence for the rest of the trip. He wouldn't even ask Brom to help carry the wood, since now the dwarf had his own potload of slime to carry. Once again, the forested floor soon turned to open fields, and soon the fields revealed a dark spot on the horizon. It was only a shabby silhouette right now, but soon it would be a place bustling with potential... There would be repaired homes for those who had wandered, many of whom no doubt being called just as the blacksmith had been. Perhaps they could find some resources to trade with other settlements. Maybe... Maybe this could be the place Akitsugu could finally settle down, after traveling for so long...

After all, for the first time in his travels, he had a home all his own now. Sure, there was a hole in the roof and one wall was missing, but as far as repairs went, those weren't the worst. And it wasn't just a house, but a workshop as well---finally, a place where he could hone his own craftsmanship, without a master to bark orders for countless nails and horseshoes. 

Yes. He smiled as he thought about it, growing ever more eager to return to the smithy with every step.