Chapter 10

Tony was caught off guard by Koby's sudden outburst. He jumped to his feet and hurried over to the house-elf, desperately trying to prevent him from hurting himself any further. "Whoa! What the heck are you doing, man?"

Jamie whipped out a potion and plunked it down on the dining table. "That's enough, Koby. Go take care of yourself. I want beef stew for dinner."

Brushing Tony aside, Koby grabbed the potion with his injured hand, bowed respectfully to Jamie, and vanished with a faint pop.

Still reeling from the shock, Tony stared at Jamie in disbelief and demanded, "Why did you make him punish himself like that?"

Jamie shot him an icy glare and said, "Mr. Stark, I suggest you watch your mouth and not say stupid stuff in front of Koby. If I hadn't stopped him just now, he would've hurt himself even worse."

"So, what the hell is he, then?" Tony asked, utterly confused.

"He's my personal servant, bound to me by magic, compelled to obey my every command. If he disobeys me, he feels the need to punish himself." Jamie explained succinctly. "Alright, let's drop this topic. It's better for you not to know too much about this stuff. And don't go blabbing about it to anyone else, or I won't be able to save your sorry ass."

Tension hung heavy in the room when Yinsen abruptly broke the silence. "We've got to go, now! They're coming! I saw them through the window!"

Tony ran outside and saw a jeep approaching amidst the swirling dust in the distance. Just as he was about to rush back and alert Jamie to pack up, he realized Jamie was already standing right behind him.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and pack, we need to get out of here!" Tony anxiously tugged at Jamie's arm.

Jamie calmly evaded his grasp and reassured him, "Don't worry, they won't discover us. Just watch."

Tony stood there, torn between doubt and trust. Meanwhile, Yinsen, who had just stepped outside, also saw the approaching jeep. Clenching his fist, he headed back to the tent. From the kitchen, he grabbed two kitchen knives and handed one to Tony.

Both of them stood there, gripping the knives tightly, their hearts racing.

The rolling dust halted at the oasis's edge, and two individuals emerged from the vehicle, armed with rifles. They conversed in an unfamiliar language, exchanged a few words, and then drove past the outskirts of the oasis.

"Are they blind?" Yinsen exclaimed in shock. "They were saying, 'Where did the little oasis go?' Can't they see us?"

Tony suddenly turned to look at Jamie, who was already swaying back towards the tent. The sun was a bit too hot in the desert.

"Can you teach me your magic?" Tony asked, catching up to Jamie. Jamie rolled their eyes and replied coldly, "No, you can't learn magic."

Faced with rejection, Tony didn't pursue her further. He simply watched Jamie's retreating figure with eyes gleaming. One day he would uncover the truth about magic.

In the following days, devoid of any threats to their life, Tony continued his career as a blacksmith. Koby no longer showed up, yet their meals and clothes still arrived as usual.

Finally, on the last day of Jamie's deadline, Tony completed his armor. With a little assistance from Yinsen, he squeezed himself into the heavy steel suit, which gleamed in the sunlight.

Jamie stood nearby, intrigued. "Hey, kid! Can you give me a lift to the base?" Tony asked with a muffled voice.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Jamie frowned, as she hadn't received her payment yet!

"Hell no, I just want to fix my mistake!" Tony declared firmly. "I'll even pay you extra!"

"Koby! Take him to a deserted spot in the base!" Jamie ordered.

Koby silently materialized behind Tony, grabbed a jutting piece of the steel armor, and vanished into thin air.

Jamie pulled out her flying carpet from the tent, nonchalantly sat on it, and turned to Yinsen. "Wanna come along? No charge."

Trembling, Yinsen clambered onto the flying carpet, clutching the tassels along its edge. As the ground receded beneath them, he gulped and nervously asked, "We won't plummet to our death, will we?"

Jamie raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Seriously? You think I can't fly this thing? Don't worry, I won't let you fall!"

A small bead of sweat formed on Yinsen's forehead.

Jamie expertly piloted the flying carpet, zooming in the direction of the base. They arrived in no time and suspended the carpet in midair. Jamie produced her wand and cast an illusion spell, making herself, Yinsen, and the carpet disappear.

Both of them surveyed the silent base. Yinsen furrowed his brow and inquired, "Why is there no activity? Could he have been captured again?"

Jamie replied, "No, Koby is tailing him. He hasn't paid up yet!"

A few minutes later, the previously quiet base erupted into gunfire. Panicked figures dashed around, filling the air with cries and shouts.

squinted his eyes, scanning the area below, but he couldn't spot Tony yet, only the sound of gunshots.

Eventually, Tony in his metal armor showed up at the cave entrance. He took aim at the weapons and ammo lying around and blasted a grenade.

Wide-eyed, Yinsen yelled, "That crazy guy! Get out of here! It's gonna blow!"

Without wasting a single moment, Jamie steered the flying carpet away from the terrorist base.

Just as they were making their escape, BOOM! The base exploded in a massive blast. The shockwave knocked Jamie and Yinsen off balance, sending them tumbling. If Yinsen hadn't clung onto the carpet for dear life, he would've been thrown off that flying thing.

After the dust settled, Jamie and Yinsen gazed at the base, anxiously waiting for Tony to show up.

Just as Yinsen was getting worried, a human-like figure burst out of the flames and soared into the sky, accompanied by Tony's jubilant cheers.

Yinsen breathed a sigh of relief, and Jamie relaxed too, knowing her money was safe.

The giant metal suit carried Tony high into the sky before diving back down towards the ground. Seeing his descent, Jamie's forehead wrinkled with concern. With a wave of her wand, she casted a spell to soften the landing impact. Tony's fall slowed down, and he bounced off to the side, avoiding a nasty crash.

She then controlled the flying carpet to descend, but before it touched the ground, Yinsen hopped off and sprinted towards Tony. "Tony! You alright? Wake up!" Yinsen tapped Tony's helmet a few times.

Tony wrestled with his helmet before managing to take it off. He flopped onto the ground and burst into laughter. "Did you guys see what I just pulled off? Man, that was freaking amazing!"