Chapter 17, The Forge

(Reskeme, The Forge)

Reskeme sat on a wooden bench breathing heavily as Ned Pumped at the bellows. He could see the steel in the forge remaining a regular dark of cool metal. Even after switching with Clair and Micheal the metal wasn't heating.

" Whats going on Micheal?" asked Clair over the deep bellows of the forge.

" Maybe it's the life mana Reskeme added? It could keep the metal from heating?" said Micheal. Ned pressed on the lever, putting all of his weight into each of the blows from the bellows. Clair strolled across the room and switched, Ned pushing down on the bellows. The steel changed slowly, much slower than the first or the second time.

" I actually have fire mana not life." said Reskeme scratching his head sheepishly.

" What? I saw the test, it was green." replied Micheal doubtfully.

" I did not tell you, but I have a deviant magic." said Reskeme nervously.

" Well, that makes this much more interesting. A spear with life magic would be useless anyway." said Ned cracking a smile.

" What else are you hiding?" asked Micheal.

" You never asked me if it was life magic." replied Reskeme innocently.

" You can trust me with your secrets, I won't tell anyone." said Micheal. Reskeme doubted that immensely, but nodded and smiled anyway.

Ned Grasped his metal tongs and pulled the now white hot steel from the coals, placing the V shaped steel on the anvil. Clair slammed her hammer, and the steel folded together. She placed the metal on a spike like object, creating a tube into the block of steel at the base. Clair turned to Micheal and presented the hammer to him. Micheal grasped the hammer from her hand and shaped point of the spear. First, he shaped the tip. Flattening it out to a point before widening the sides to a leaf-shaped blade.

That left the tube of steel where the wooden shaft would connect. Micheal waved Reskeme forwards. He squinted, but the shape of the spearhead was clear. Micheal took his hand once more and Reskeme winced, the pull of mana once more making him woozy.

" Just one rune on each side." said Micheal never looking from the white hot metal.

An inverted purple triangle formed in purple mana before Ned turned the spear head over.

" Hurry, do it!" said Micheal. Reskemes hands shook, but he used his mana to create his leaf shaped flame rune onto the other side of the spearhead, the rune settling into the metal. The blistering heat of the metal faded, and Ned rushed from the anvil to a line of barrels. He dunked the metal the liquid bubbling, then another.

" What, does putting the metal in water do?" asked Reskeme, panting.

" That isn't water, its oil to first clean impurities and then to harden the steel." replied Ned, swirling the metal around in the one of the barrels

" Micheal, get one of those Oakwood staves from the storage room, we can prepare it for the spearhead." said Clair.

Micheal walked to a backroom, Reskeme just sat on his bench still stunned at the work involved with creating just one damned spearhead. Was it even worth all the work? If it was anything like when he put runes on a spear it would only last one, maybe two uses.

Ned placed the spear head onto an old piece of fabric, before walking to a street facing window and pulling back the shutter. The man sighed deeply in the fresh air. Reskeme felt the cool air and immediately the sound of the bustling streets and the light of the midday sun filled the room. Wait midday sun? Had it already been hours, no it couldn't have taken that long, could it?

Micheal returned, a long stave in his hands. The dark wood over two heads taller than the young man, nearly reaching the roof of the forge.

Micheal took to wood and leaned it against the wall before taking the metal spear head to a circular stone. Clair stood next to him and spun the circular stone with a connecting handle. Clair smirked at Reskeme as he almost fell off his chair. How could these people do this kind of labour in this heat for so long? No wonder all three of them had arms bigger than most of the soldiers he had met. Micheal would pass fit right in with most of the infantry in Reskemes opinion.

Sparks flew from the metal as it changed from dirty, ashen steel to gleaming, reflective metal. They lost him in the art of grinding and then the polishing. As the two smiths ground the metal, removing bumps and making the metal reflective. Reskeme watched as they drilled four holes in the tube connecting to the leaflike blade. Micheal grasped the long wooden pole and inserted it into the metal.

Micheal pounded several metal spikes into the holes fastening the wooden pole to the spear firmly.

" Well, come on." said Micheal smiling happily towards Reskeme.

" Place the tip in the forge before you activate your runes, just in case something happens. No telling what might happen with deviant magic." said Ned, eying Reskeme curiously.

" Good idea Dad, I did not think of that." replied Micheal sheepishly.

Reskeme breathed int the hot air, sweat drenching his entire body. He grasped the spear, taking it from Micheal and holding the point above the coals. Micheal grasped the wood of the spear. Reskeme pulled it away.

" it's my flame runes on there. They do not hurt me, if the wood catches fire I do not want you to get burned." said Reskeme.

"Wait, they do not hurt you? I thought you said you have fire? Don't you?" asked Micheal.

" No, it is flame but it doesnt hurt me. Its complicated, but it's the truth. Just trust me, my life mana will not heal you, its more like a flame than anything." Replied Reskeme, shrugging his shoulders. Micheal raised one brow but let Reskeme hold the shaft of the spear.

" Are you ready?" asked Reskeme, gripping the wooden spear tightly.

"Lets do it, only one way to find out." replied Micheal grinning like a boy with candy.

Reskeme hair rose on his neck as both he and Micheal channel mana. He breathed through his nose and activated all three of the runes he had placed on and in the spearhead. His mana was wrenched from his body. His head exploded in pain as once again his mana was being pulled from him by Micheal. He wavered, his vision blurry as he fell to one knee.

There was a flash of dark green as Reskeme collapsed next to Micheal. Losing grasp of the spear as it melted in his hands. Reskeme awoke staring up at the ceiling of the forge, the pale faced Clair standing over him, her hand held out in front of her. Reskeme stumbled as he rose shakily to his feet. He gaped down at himself and realized his chest was now barely revealing light brown skin. His two necklaces worse for the experience, one singed mana gauge, and a singed but still intact amulet.

For some odd reason, his pants were still intact. He swiveled his head frantically towards Micheal. The young man was staring at him in fear and fascination.

" I believe you know. Sorry for doubting you. If I would have been holding that wooded shaft I would be dead or wishing I was." said Micheal, his face pale like one who realized he had almost died today.

" I'm glad you 're alright. Where is the spear? asked Reskeme, looking around but only spotting black ash covering the stone floor.

Ned pushed Micheal aside and grasped the long metal tongs. He dug them into the coals of the forge and pulled out the ashed but undamaged spear head. The only difference to the metal was it was dirty and missing the wooden shaft. Ned Held the spear head like he would a rabid rat at arm's length before placing it gently on the anvil.

" What did we do wrong?" asked Reskeme

" I'm not sure, maybe we used the wrong type of wood?" asked Micheal.

" Check your rune book again. You have been using soul magic all this time. Maybe using fire magic on a weapon requires another step?" asked Clair, furrowing her brows. Michael's eyes widen as he walked back to the back of the forge into the storage room, returning with the thin book from earlier.

A rune book? That sounded useful, Reskeme thought. He wondered fleetingly if he could make it go missing.

The spine of the book was labeled introduction to Runesmithing. Micheal was flipping through the pages, but Reskeme caught sight of the cover. The cover read, Property of Guild Elementals fury. With the Title emblazoned in golden lettering like the worst of the books in the guild masters collection.

After several minutes of flipping through the book, Micheal started reading aloud.

" For an offensive weapon with weak components. A resonating rune and a nullification rune are required. One of each must be engraved onto high-quality titanium to reduce conductivity of the mana and heat. Used correctly can make even wood stand up to flame runes." read Micheal.

" Titanium? That sounds expensive." asked Reskeme.

" Yes, it is worth its weight in gold." said Ned scratching his head.

" Do we have any." asked Micheal.

" Sorry, we just don't use high purity titanium. Take one of the Oakwood staves up the street. Marvin owes me a favour. Requisition two, inch wide bands. He will need the stave to make them correctly.If he's too busy we can attach them here." said Ned, scratching his beard.

" Thanks Dad! Ill pay you back with the profit from this spear." said Micheal giving his father a hug.

" Dont worry, son. Just be respectful to Master Marvin and don't get in his way. As you know from your Runesmithing lessons, he can do the job." said Ned. Micheal smiled to his father and mother, before retrieving another Oakwood staff from the back room. Micheal returned with an apron, grinning at Reskeme.

" You almost forgot a shirt." said Micheal smiling. Reskeme stares down at his wiry frame, his chest bare and sweaty.

" This is not a shirt. It's an apron." replied Reskeme, slipping the thick worn apron over his shoulders. The apron was like a dress that covered his chest, sides, arms and legs completely with oiled leather. Uncomfortable, but Reskeme could understand its use after seeing all the sparks flying around.

" Where are all the weapons? I thought i would see dozens of weapons in your shop." asked Reskeme as he opened the door to the muffled sounds of the Karts and people. The cinchonised clank of boots on stone filled the air and the bustling people made way as a column of soldiers five wide and and ten long. The soldier moved past, their dark brown armour like a shadow among all the brightly dressed civilians.

" Lets go Reskeme, Master Mervins shop is only twenty minutes away if we hurry." said Micheal. They pushed through the crowd, Reskeme carrying the Oakwood staff and Micheal following clutching his book, eyeing every passerby suspiciously. Reskeme wished he would have left his ornate gold and silver sword at Micheal place. He felt foolish for carrying the useless piece of metal. Every time he thought of the sword, his damaged ear throbbed, bringing back unpleasant memories.