Derek was worn out. Not only had the last hour drained him of his mana as he healed the commoners that had come to him, but he felt emotionally and mentally drained from listening to their anxieties and psychological stresses as well. He could not solve their problems but the combination of physical healing and a sympathetic ear worked wonders. Though the experience took a lot out of him, he felt strangely uplifted by it.

Finally he stepped away and was met by the priestess once again. She smiled at him, “See what good you were able to do? It is only through our interactions with our communities that we can truly be human.”

He returned the smile and responded, “Thank you for this opportunity priestess. I will remember it.”

She nodded as she led him back to his family. “Of course child, thank you for your help. May the Mother’s Blessings be upon you.”

As Derek returned to the front of the building, he saw that his mother and Alicia were buying flower wreaths for their hair from one of the orphans’ stalls. The others were sitting and chatting nearby. When she saw him, his mother smiled warmly and came to hug him. “Oh, look how tired you are, you didn’t over do it did you?”

He hugged her back, “I am sorry for making you wait. I am fine. It was just harder than I thought. These people go through quite a bit.”

His mother paid the young girl behind the stall before leading him and Alicia away. “It is true. All people have their hardships and not everyone is as lucky as we are to have the backing of powerful families. It is good to remember this often or we risk losing our humanity. With how long high tier people can live, it truly is something to be concerned about.”

As they approached the others, he saw Granny Penny and his grandmother having a quiet conversation while the three men listened. His grandfather was the first to see them and stood to greet them, “Ah, it is good to see our young physician has returned. I had half thought he was going to quit the family business and run off to be a village healer.”

Derek turned to look at the line that didn’t seem to have diminished since he started. “While it was very spiritually rewarding, tending these people was quite stressful and fatiguing. I do not know whether I have it in me to commit to doing this long term. Besides, I still want to become a questing knight. Though this is nice, I would much rather do that instead.”

Ander laughed at that, “Yes, it is what you have wanted to do since childhood, I don’t think any of us could convince you otherwise. Come on, the next temple over is the Temple of the Forge God. Let’s get over there before it is too late. We have offerings to make and proof of your work to deliver to the priests there.”

The family exited the Temple of the Hearth Goddess and went back into the busy street. Right next to Her brightly lit and warmly decorated Temple was another building, Utilitarian in contrast but showing the finest of craftsmanship this building was no less grand, if a little more understated. Smoke could be seen coming from furnaces and forges throughout the building, and the distinct ring of hammering could be heard along with the sounds of saws and several other tools. Among all the industrial smells Derek could smell the more unpleasant stench of tanning, but the whole effect of the competing smells didn’t seem so bad to him.

The women of the group all seemed to have a different opinion, covering their noses and opting to head across the street to visit the Temple of the Goddess of the Moon. They were escorted by Ovid and Reginald. As the goddess who rules over the night, her worshippers included maidens, the recently married, and night watchmen. Her Temple was quiet and reserved in comparison to the others on the street.

Waving goodbye to the others, Derek hurried to follow his grandfather. The old man smiled at him, “You understand the ways of our god, but this will be your first time interacting with the priesthood. They are craftsmen just like us. They each have their favored trades. Treat them all with the respect you would of any master craftsman and you will be respected in kind. Do you understand me? Good.”

The old man turned and led them into the interior. Inside was a large open space, with an opening in the roof. Blast furnaces powered by a waterwheel were situated in the center of the room, with crafting stations arrayed around it. There were men and women scattered throughout the room working at many of the stations. The various noises all blended to create what felt to Derek like a hymn to the god of industry. At the back of the room was a great altar with racks of items behind it. Derek’s grandfather led him to it and came to a stop before the dias it was situated on.

An older priest in a leather apron came around the altar and offered his hand to greet them. “Welcome, welcome. I am Rune Priest Cnut, what can I do for you?”

Derek’s grandfather stepped forward and shook his hand firmly. “Cnut, I am Disciple Ander and this is my grandson and apprentice, Derek. He has recently completed his Dedication and we have brought our works as offerings of thanks to our patron.”

The priest seemed well pleased at this announcement and beckoned them up to the altar. Disciples bringing their works before the god would bring examples of their best work as a way to promote their own prestige and the prestige of the church as a whole. Thus for any true follower of the forge god it was always a pleasure to see these works when presented as some would be true masterworks.

Once they had climbed the dias and come up to the altar, Derek saw the intricate rune work on the top of it. The priest beckoned them to place their offerings upon it and a few others gathered around as well. Ander brought forth a great maul that he had recently completed.

The weapon was exquisite. Intended for a tier ten warrior, it could accept level ten spells as well. It even housed some arcane properties that Derek was too weak to discover. It’s shaft and head had intricate carvings covering its entire face that showed runes within runes. They extended all the way to a solid butt with a red and black tassel trailing from it.

It was truly one of the best works Derek had seen. The weapon was not as great as the Thorneblade, but fantastic nonetheless. As he stared at it, so too did the priests that were gathered around. After a time the Rune Priest cast his mana into the altar and it began to glow. The maul rose into the air, bathed in a bright light. The tassel flapped as if exposed to high wind before the maul settled gently back onto the altar. A light golden sheen was showing from the fine runes in the altar.

The priests were surprised, whispering among themselves before Cnut turned to the pair, “Truly amazing work Disciple Ander. This weapon is classified as a minor artifact and will be preserved here as a relic. It is a pleasure to meet a grandmaster artisan like yourself. There is only one other grandmaster in the city and he has been in seclusion for several months. Now that people will know that you are in town, I am sure they will be inundating you with commissions even if the people who could wield an artifact such as this would be few and far between.”

Ander smiled and nodded, he had been able to create tier seven equipment when he had moved to Redwyrm, and throughout the years he had focused on honing his craft. He had progressed to the ability of producing tier ten weapons just a few years before. An unexpected boon of overseeing Derek’s Dedication rite was the insight into how to add in the additional magical properties that turned a mere tier ten weapon into a minor artifact. He had spent the preceding months consolidating his epiphany and working it into a successful prototype in this very maul.

As the priest gingerly carried the great maul to the racks in the back of the room Ander clasped Derek’s shoulder, “Now boy, place your offering onto the altar.”

Derek stepped forward, drawing another offering from his storage pouch. This was a two and a half meter long spear. It had a razor sharp head and a red tassel just below the base of it. The wood of the haft was pristine and unblemished as well. The weapon was tier five and could accommodate tier 9 spells. While it was nowhere near as fantastic as his grandfather’s own offering, Derek saw an even greater look of pride in the old man’s eyes upon seeing his work.

The Rune Priest once again channeled his mana into the altar and the spear rose in a similar way to the maul before also returning to the altar, a royal blue coloration coming from the depths of the altar’s runes. The assembled priests all looked up at Derek and the Rune Priest smiled broadly, “Disciple Ander, I am truly amazed. Not only are you a Grandmaster Artisan, but you were able to raise such a young Expert Artisan as well. Ability to craft at tier five at his age is truly exceptional. You have my greatest respect.

“Young Disciple Derek, you truly are a young talent. You have my congratulations on your attainments.”

The old man merely laughed while Derek stammered in embarrassment, “This isn’t all my attainment though, some of it was the assistance of the sprites and the enchantments of the forge itself, while some was inspiration from the forge god himself and most was my master’s teachings. I can’t take full credit for this.”

The priests all laughed then and Cnut shook his head, “We all use various tools to enhance our chances of success, we all have had inspiration from the god, and we all had masters that taught us as well, but very few of us were able to craft at tier five at such a young age. No, boy, you truly are a great young talent. To act humble would be to be disingenuous. So please take this praise that you have earned if only for your master who has taught you so well.”

Derek nodded and smiled and watched as the rune priest hung his spear just below his grandfather’s great maul. This day, news of a new Grandmaster runesmith and his Expert apprentice was destined to spread from the Temple to every forge in the city and other groups interested in such things. It would cause quite a stir are grandmaster runesmiths were indeed few and far between.