Herald of Rose 3:

Malleable (2)

Gwen grasped her by cousin the ear and pulled. “Didn’t I just ban you from the Foundry for a week for starting arguments?”

“Those guys can’t take constructive criticism!” Cassidy complained.

“Well neither can you, so you’re even,” Gwen said and released Cassidy’s red ear. “And please don’t make me embarrass you more in front of our honored guests.”

Cassidy smoothed her grey dress with a self-conscious smile and her eyes set on the floor. “Fine, fine, just go already.”

One by one blacksmiths looked up from where they worked on the stone shelves, prompted by the cousins’ bickering. Then they noticed Morgan and Tory with them and gradually alerted their colleagues, and together they abandoned their work and ran to the pullies where they lowered themselves to the ground floor in small groups.

“You remember your instructions from Father, right?” Gwen inquired.

“Yes, I remember what Uncle Lu said. I am not as forgetful as you make me out to be.”

Gwen gave her cousin one more menacing glare before she turned and left while a swarm of the Foundry’s wide-eyed workers approached. At the forefront was a tall man with a shaggy brown beard and a surprisingly soft demeanor for a man of his size.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to meet again. Welcome to the King’s Foundry,” Bertram said with open arms.

“Nice to meet you too,” Tory said.

“Thank you,” Morgan said. “Your Foundry honestly looks very interesting. I look forward to working with you all.”

A massive grin split the man’s beard. “We couldn’t be more excited about it ourselves! But before we get to that we have a few questions. A lot of us grew up on stories of the legendary weapons your tribe made in the early ages of the Knife Isles. Those tales actually inspired some of us to become blacksmiths and chasing that ambition is what led most of us to take up work here. So we just wanted to pick your brain a bit, before we get to work, if that’s okay.”

“You want to do what to my brain?!” Morgan asked.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I assumed your people had that phrase as well. I just meant that we want to ask a few questions.”

None of them had the greedy, coveting stare in their eyes that the pirates had. In fact some of them looked at him with genuine curiosity and intrigue, but that just bothered him in a different way.

Morgan looked to Cassidy. “My Uncle said you only have to offer information you’re comfortable with sharing.”

When they had first been captured and imprisoned on Bora’s ship his father had cautioned him about the information he should share. But in the end had it actually changed anything? Morgan had still ended up making the Murk Blade that was later on used on D. Aside from that, he would be here for at least a few weeks. Keeping track of lies and what he could and couldn’t say wasn’t something he was sure he could maintain for that long. Either way, Morgan could give them any information but since they weren’t sea smiths they couldn’t actually do anything with it.

“Ask whatever you’d like,” Morgan finally said.

Hands shot up behind Bertram, waving and calling out to get Morgan’s attention but Bertram promptly shushed them all. “We can’t pester him with a million questions. I’ll ask the most important ones on all of our behalves.”

“You mean you’ll ask your questions,” a random voice accused and a few muttered agreement but Bertram chose to ignore them all and smiled at Morgan.

“The biggest thing we’ve been wondering is how it all works. We’ve heard that the symbols on your weapons and armor are the main source of their power, but that can’t be right can it?”

“Basically it is. We call them runes. They are the language of the world and the true names of everything that exists. That’s why when they’re inscribed using the right tools it conjures the power of whatever it symbolizes.”

“What fuels that power? It can’t be limitless right?”

“As far as we know, it is. Unlike the other tribes, our powers aren’t limited to what we personally have. The primary focus of our power is as a conduit; a means to create more power through crafting with runes.”

“So in Khantani, you must have mountains of books filled with those runes? Or do they just pop into your head when you’re born?” Bertram asked, making Tory giggle.

“Uhm, you’re actually sort of right about them popping into our heads. It’s hard to explain but if you truly understand what something is then you just…sort of know the rune for it.”

“Elaborate,” Bertram said as he folded his arms.

“Okay, if you were a sea smith, and didn’t know the fire rune I could draw it on a piece of paper for you. You could memorize it and know that it symbolizes fire but you wouldn’t be able to use it unless you truly understand what fire is. However, the moment you understand what it is, the image of the rune would have already appeared in your head so knowing the symbol beforehand would have been pointless. The ability to inscribe runes is based around understanding. So instead of being taught the fire rune, we are taught what fire is.”

“Then you can potentially learn any rune at any time if you came to understand it?”

“Technically speaking, but in practice that almost never happens. For reference I’ve been studying since I was six years old to become a sea smith. We have to study just about everything at first for a good foundation. There are the basics of blacksmithing and the fundamentals of mana, and then separate fields for each class. The Naturalist class requires in depth knowledge of the biology of magical creatures. For Animists we learned how to harness and protect ourselves from spectral entities and apparitions, and Elementalists need to know the laws of divining elemental magic. We have to study them all until our two classes are determined and then we’re permitted by the Chief to use the forge.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of tribesmen having two classes. What are yours if you don’t mind saying?”

“Tory hasn’t had her classes determined but I am a Higher Order Naturalist and Lower Order Animist. Naturalists utilize the remains of magical creatures in our crafting while Animists bind spirits to theirs to use their power.”

“Higher Order and Lower Order? Like one of them is your primary class and you’re limited in the other?”

“We enjoy full use of both classes with a slight catch. There are five grades of weapons: Common, Uncanny, Imperious, Supreme and Nigh Empyrean. Anything we produce with our higher order class will usually be a bit more powerful than the lower order and as a result will be at least one grade higher. However, we can combine both class’ runes to make one, which is called Amalgam Opus weapons. They are always, at least, Imperious grade by default.”

“If they’re that powerful then what’s stopping you from doing that for every weapon?” Bertram asked.

Morgan paused for a second as he thought of how best to put it. “Quite a number of reasons, actually. The biggest is that the only way to make an Amalgam Opus weapon is using the Smith Hold. It’s an extremely difficult skill and it’s taxing to use. Another is that, while normal weapons or armor can be reforged once, Amalgam Opus can’t be reforged at all. It’s a big tradeoff but each combination of classes produces a unique type of weapon that’s remarkably powerful,”

“What exactly does ‘unique’ type of weapon mean?”

Not wanting to divulge too much Morgan simply said: “Well, of the three types of Amalgam Opus, one of them is living weapons.”

At that moment a crowd of workers entered the Foundry. They were carrying pickaxes, shovels and various construction tools. But one of them was carrying a brown bag, Morgan’s bag. The very same one he used to tie at his waist when he dived on foraging trips that the pirates had taken before locking him up on Daiah’s Locker.

They stopped in front of Cassidy and handed her Morgan’s bag which she promptly returned to him. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Morgan gingerly accepted it. He had expected it to be empty, a bit lighter at the minimum, but instead it was heavier. He pulled the draw strings and looked inside. At the bottom was the ore and coral he had taken from the reef and on top of it was his mother’s necklace, the chisel and the hammer she had made for him to make the Murk Blade with. Finally at the very top was with the clear essence box from his father and the bracelet his mother had made with the single glowing pearl. “I honestly didn’t expect to ever see these things again. I’m genuinely surprised those pirates gave it back.”

“Oh, they didn’t give anything back. I had to haggle for it myself since Gwen was busy with your arrival. They wouldn’t settle for anything less than an arm and a leg.” Cassidy sighed.

“An arm and a leg?” Morgan asked.

“It means it cost a lot,” Cassidy reiterated with a chuckle. “Thankfully, that’s Gwen’s problem and not mine. Anyway, Gwen had me hire a few extra workmen to help you build your forge. Feel free to order them around as you want.”

“And I can start now?”

“Sure, if Bertram doesn’t have anything left to ask or show you.” Bertram shook his head. “Go right ahead, you’ve accommodated us more than enough. Many of us have longed for the answers we got today, but none of us could have ever dreamed of seeing a sea smith work up close. I’d rather see that than just get answers.”

“I’m not sure what a dream is, but I’m happy you’re satisfied.” Morgan said. All of the people around him looked at him with perplexed expressions, but Tory was just as confused as her brother.

“I think something got lost in translation there,” Cassidy said.

“Looks like it. We’ll let you get to it then.” Bertram said and hurried his colleagues along. “If you need anything just call.”

Under Morgan’s command and with Bertram’s insistence, the new workers shifted tables and other equipment around and began digging the pit for the Deep Forge in the centre of the bell-shaped room. Their initial progress was slow since they had to use pickaxes to break through the flooring but after that they made smooth progress as the hours went by.

In the meantime, Morgan had borrowed one of the workbenches and was performing maintenance on the chisel and hammer, as well as taking inventory of the materials he had gotten from the reef. Tory stuck to her brother’s side the entire time, closer than his own shadow. She watched with complete focus, more than she had ever shown in mundane tasks like this. But considering she hadn’t seen crafting in such a long time, Morgan guessed that she just missed it. After all, she hadn’t actually seen him making Murk Blade and it had been weeks since they’d left Khantani.

Cassidy, however, made Morgan a lot more uncomfortable. All she did was stand a few paces behind the two of them and watch. On its own, that was fine. Most of the blacksmiths above them were essentially watching Morgan instead of working, anyway. But what was unsettling was the practiced smile she put on every time they glanced at her and she stayed that way till the Foundry’s closing time.

Morgan packed up the chisel and the rest of his items in his bag to be safe, while the lanterns around the Foundry were extinguished. Morgan was excited to begin crafting again but the pit would be finished tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, and even then there was still a lot he needed to do.

Blacksmiths and workers hailed him out and waved goodbyes as they left for the night and he and his sister followed, up to the moment a guard stopped Morgan at the door to search the bag. It only took a few minutes but when the guard allowed them to pass into the hallway, Cassidy was there waiting with the same smile.

“The chefs made more pies for tonight; will you be coming to the banquet hall?” she asked.

“We don’t eat meat, we’re vegetarian.” Morgan said.

“I meant fruit pies. Tory told me you guys are vegetarian this morning. I’m the one that saw her wondering the halls with her belly growling like a whooping drake. I couldn’t leave her like that, so I had her join us for breakfast.”

“Well, thank you for looking out for her, I guess. But in the future I would prefer that she isn’t with you and your family when I’m not there.”

“…..I suppose that’s fair given the circumstances. But for what it’s worth, I don’t support what my cousin did to get you two here. Even if it was for the peace my Uncle wants to make.”

Morgan simply nodded. He almost felt bad for being so short with her. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but he didn’t know what King Luvia might have put her up to. Although, given how they had gotten here and what he’d seen, Gwen might be the one pulling the strings.

“So is that a no to dinner at the banquet hall?” Cassidy asked.

“I’m pretty tired and I’ve had enough of people staring at me for today. Unless King Luvia is ready to discuss the deal, I think I’ll stay away from the banquet hall. See you tomorrow,” Morgan said and then left.

When Morgan got to their room and shut the door behind his sister, he immediately collapsed onto their bed. The day had been far too long. He was tired that just barely noticed that the feeling of eyes on him had disappeared.

Morgan sat up and scanned the room. Was the eerie feeling he felt before just his own paranoia or was the absence of the feeling now, proof that something had been there before?

Then he heard knocking at their door. Morgan got off the bed with a sigh and opened it. Cassidy was standing in the door way with the same courteous smile, holding a large platter of various baked goods.

“Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if you two were hungry, since you hadn’t had dinner.”

“Thank you, we actually haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

“I’m glad. I heard a lot of yelling as I ran away with these, so I hope you enjoy them,” Cassidy said as she handed the platter over.

“Couldn’t you have explained that it was for us?” he asked as he took it.

“I could have, but given my….past actions they may not have been inclined to believe me.”

From there an awkward paused followed as she stood in the doorway, and Morgan didn’t know what exactly to say until Tory said: “Stay and eat with us.”

“Really, are you sure?” Cassidy asked and then looked at Morgan.

“You brought the food, it would be rude not to.” Morgan said and this time she cracked a wide, genuine smile and walked in.