The next morning, Enzo woke up feeling refreshed and better than he had since he’d left Starstone. Full stomach of meat, and a night without having to worry about an attack has me feeling ready to tackle the world. He stretched as he stood, and flexed a bit before climbing from the subterranean room that served as his home.

Talwen was already awake when he entered the main room of the cave. The large, red dragon sat perched by the cliffs, watching the waves roll in and splash against the stone. The sunrise was bright, no trace of the storm of the last couple days remained. Enzo approached and sat next to her on the ledge.

“I made some pretty good progress while you were gone,” he started, breaking the silence of the morning.

“Oh?” replied the dragon, not looking at him.

“Yeah, I found a way to create a fireball, got halfway decent with the bow and even trapped a bird,” said Enzo, proud of his accomplishments. He picked up a small rock and heated it, then produced fire to encompass it in his hand and threw it. The fireball smashed into the water below with a satisfying hiss of steam.

“Interesting work around,” Talwen responded, a bit uninterested. The dragon paid little attention to the attempt, instead looking at the egg nestled under her wing.

“Yeah, I was pretty proud of it, wasn't easy to get working properly,” said Enzo.

“Keep practicing, only without the stone,” Talwen replied without looking at him. The dragon didn’t seem interested in paying him any attention. After a moment, he stood and left her to her own contemplations.

Last night, she seemed interested in my progress but today it’s like I don’t exist. He went about his morning routines, checking the traps and gathering up water and berries for the day. Nothing was out of place, his traps still set and bait still where he’d set it.

He returned to the cave and found that the dragon had already left for the day. A quick search showed she’d taken the egg with her, so Enzo ate a handful of berries before gathering his pack and his small coin pouch. He slipped on the gloves Tobias had given him on his last visit, then tucked a small bit of salted meat into the pack and strapped the bow over his shoulder. With a last look around the cave, Enzo set off for the village at a jog.

The rain had washed away the trails he’d followed previously, but Enzo was becoming familiar with the forest around his home. As the sun rose in the sky and the early morning warmed, he wove through the trees, passing the groups of bushes and small streams that had become like road signs directing him through the forest.

Soon, he found himself pushing into the cleared meadows that surrounded the village. The trip that had taken half a day previously, was now only an hour or two if he jogged the whole way. Slightly out of breath, he cycled the excess warmth from his body and recovered as he approached the village gate.

The guards seemed more alert as he approached, but the man atop the wall recognized him from his previous visit and didn’t stop him from entering. Enzo made a direct line to Tobias’s shop, paying no attention to the young boy that streaked past him through the gate. He pounded on the old smith’s door and waited.

While he stood outside, a group of rough looking men left Olena’s inn. The group looked prepared for battle, each carrying a crossbow and shield, with a sword strapped at their waist or a spear on their backs. The leader of the group sneered at Enzo as they passed, and he was quick to turn away. Thankfully, the old smith opened the door to the shop and allowed Enzo inside.

“Enzo! Good to see you, my boy!” Tobias said, grasping Enzo’s hand and pulling him into a rough embrace. “Come to work for me?”

“Yes sir, I have,” Enzo stated warmly, encouraged by Tobias’s enthusiasm. “I’m ready to get started when you are.”

Tobias hastily shut the door behind him, eager to get to work.

“Who were those guys?” Enzo asked. “I don’t remember seeing anyone like that here the last time I was in town. They look a bit rougher than anyone else I’ve run into here.”

“They’re some traveling mercenaries. The Elders sent out a group to Baybreach the day you left to pick up some supplies and that group accompanied them back for protection,” Tobias quickly responded. “Now, let’s get to work. We’ve got a lot to get done, and I want to take advantage of you being here while I have you.”

Enzo nodded, and pulled his gloves on tighter. The pair headed back to the work area of the shop. The room was dark, the furnace cold and the bars of iron they’d created last time were stacked up against the far wall. Enzo looked at Tobias, confused.

“Aren’t we doing some smithing today? Why is the forge cold?” he asked.

“We’re going to rebuild the forge today. I can’t rely on you to be here every time I need to heat metal and get work done,” Tobias explained. “We’ll rebuild it so it doesn’t lose heat like it currently does. With you here, I can test the forge quickly and find weak spots without having to waste all day waiting on the temperature to rise.”

He handed Enzo a large, heavy hammer. “We’ll start by knocking this old beast down,” he said, looking forlornly at the forge. “It’s done some excellent work over the years, but it's time to say goodbye.”

The pair hammered away at the forge, careful to destroy the walls without destroying the workshop at the same time. After an hour or so, Enzo had cleared most of the debris away while Tobias had gathered the usable rubble and began to crush it into powder.

“We’ll combine this dust with water and mix it into concrete. I don’t have enough of this material to start fresh, so we’ll have to make due with reusing the leftover mixture,” Tobias explained. “Grab that bucket of sand and add it in, then pour in the water.”

Enzo did as he was instructed and began to stir the mixture together. Over time, it formed into a thick paste.

“Now the hard part,” said Tobias. “There’s a few fresh wooden beams out back. We’ll use those as the frame of the forge and pour the concrete around the frame. You hold the posts up, and I’ll do the pour.”

They worked one side at a time, building up the walls of the forge four feet tall on three sides. With the easy part done, the pair moved on to the front of the forge.

They began by creating two holes in the bottom of the wall, and inserted the pipes of Tobias’s old bellows into the holes. They then built a chamber just above the air intake holes for fuel. Tobias salvaged a pair of small, metal doors and built one into the entrance of the fuel port. Finally, they molded the main chamber of the forge and attached a second door to allow for metal to be reheated while it was worked.

“Now, we let things dry. Tomorrow, we’ll light a fire and burn out the remaining moisture and check for weak spots.”

Enzo nodded. He was drenched in sweat from the work that day and was starving. He pulled the salted meat from his pack and offered some to Tobias.

“Getting good with the bow, eh?” asked Tobias.

“Been practicing, but had more luck setting some traps around our cave,” Enzo replied.

The pair ate voraciously, and soon the meal was gone. Enzo opened the exterior door to the workshop and saw that it was nearly night already. He turned back to Tobias.

“I’ve got to go, we agreed that I’d return by sundown while I apprentice with you,” said Enzo hurriedly. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning for work again.”

Tobias waved and tossed him his bag. “Alright then my boy, see you tomorrow!”

Enzo dashed out the door, and back through the woods. He was just able to find his way through the forest before darkness had completely fallen. Talwen was curled around the egg by the fire when he arrived.

“Ready to take your watch?” she asked, stretching. “I need to sleep for a few hours. I will relieve you then.” She stood and walked to the back of the cave, before leaping from the cliffs and glided to her perch atop the mountain.

Didn’t even have a chance to tell her about how things went… thought Enzo as he dropped his pack and settled in near the fire.