Chapter 6: Crafting

Spectre was currently outside a door made of metal over 4 times his height. Larger then even an adult male by two times in total height, he was a quarter of its size. He indeed heard the clanging of hammers and felt the heat of the furnace just by touching the handle to the metal door that was larger than even his palm.

He hoped being late wasn't a problem, with as much strength as he could muster he twisted the handle, the heat was very warm but it wasn't enough to hurt. The door itself was so heavy though, that he could barely muster any strength to make it move.

He got up on the door handle that was level to his head, using both hands to grip the handle. In a comical way, he leapt up and pressed his legs against the door and one on the side of it, pulling with all his might and pushing with his legs. A large robust and strong looking man was currently outside about 30 meters from the door, because of the jagged rocks and him sitting down on one he went unnoticed to Spectre.

The man watched this 6 year old struggle with all his might, the man was currently smoking a herbal fused cigarette that gave off the smell of burning lilacs. He didn't get up but proceeded to watch him in curiosity.

Spectre was slowly but surely opening the door inch by inch. This arduous process was straining on his small arms and legs. He kept at it though, stopping and then jumping up each time to work at it again. He did this about 8 times before finally he had about a foot gap. This was enough for him to squeeze through, closing it however would be tougher then opening it as the handle was now deeper than the door frame away. The man finally got up as Spectre slipped through the door.

"hahahaha" He laughed finally, breaking his hidden cover.

Spectre looked around and saw 2 men working on a great sword together. It was wider then both his legs put together tightly. If he tried to lift it, he didn't think he could get even the handle up off the anvil. Let alone the hammer to hit the damned thing.

He felt wind behind him, light hitting his body, then darkness again. Did someone open and close the door? He turned back to see a man in the door way, almost completely 2/3rds covering its frame. This man was massive!

"You do know we have a small door we just put in for you right?"

Spectre looked around and didn't see a second door.

"it's right here" He pointed to the door, a small hole he had noticed before outside was what he was pointing at. The man proceeded to put his large finger into the hole and pull. A small door from the larger door swung open. "It's like a doggy door, but just your size."

Spectre laughed, "So uh…you musta been watching me from outside huh"

"Hahahaha yes boy, and it was something that lightened this beasts heart" He gave a deep hearty laugh, one filled not with mockery but the enjoyment of life and the things that could be seen in it.

Spectre noted this about him and laughed with him.

"You must be the kid that big chested bear came by for us to hire huh? That woman… even I don't think I could handle that" he laughed.

"Heh, if you think you can't even handle that, what makes you think I can?" Spectre laughed back.

"You got an easy going spirit, I like that boy. Since you're here I'll count you being late because of you trying with tenacity to open the door. I can respect that you opened it the way you did, but… what I want you to think about is that even when you see a door. It isn't always the first way to open it."

Spectre understood exactly what he meant, not just the fact there was a smaller door. But in craft, the intricacies of things can have a hidden value or potential one must always strive to look for.

"I understand Senior Blacksmith sir" He said respectfully and tactfully.

"No honorifics here, just call me Boss. I like that"

Boss huh? "No problem Boss" "he repeated back.

"Good, I have a task you could help me with today. Let's get started."

He proceeded to walk forward and look upon a row of tools until his eyes landed upon a small hammer just over the length of his hand and a half. He picked it up, brought it over, and gave it to Spectre. It had a weight to it, but for Spectre's size it wasn't too much of a burden.

Boss turned around again, and this time grabbed a strap with a cut through grafted leather piece meant for slipping a tool through, he threw it to Spectre. It couldn't fit around his waist so he threw it around his shoulder and over down to his waist at an angle like a wreath. He placed the hammer into it on his back. Looking like a small Halfling with a hammer weapon strapped to his back.

"hahaha that should do then"

"Now where was it hmm…?" He turned around looking for a pile of ores.

This room was approximately 150 meters by 150 meters, the good back side of it was filled with scrap, ores, mounds of coal, it was only 1/3rd a crafting smithy. He walked for about 60 feet with Spectre following before stopping in front of a pile of copper.

"You are gonna spend the day, grabbing one of these ore, you are gonna stick it in that steel block over there, go to a furnace and press the bellow while heating it. After it gets hot enough, place the block in there, get a glove and pull it out and hammer it till it's flat. Then go over to that over there…" He pointed to a large machine that was driven by earth magic.

"That's a splitter, when you get it flat, press it in and make sure it fills to the corner edge cuts. Then pull the lever and it will slice it into shapes. Combine the shapes, and then heat it and hammer it till it becomes what the shape is perfectly as a whole. You got it?" He asked with a big smile.

Spectre remembered each process "Yes Boss"

"Then get to it boy! Hahaha" He walked over to where the two men were making the great sword, Spectre noticed something he hadn't before….they weren't using gloves but their bare hands!

He saw the Boss grab the blade and energy rippled into it, earth began to pull up from the ground at as a large 5 foot by 2 foot stone table was erected. Boss set the sword on it, and a large piece of earth was picked up by the other two men, they placed it on top and stood in a triad before using earth magic to compress the sword with the two blocks.

The two men unlike Boss didn't use earth magic, but actually placed their hands on each side of the stone. The stone started to glow until it was bright red in color. Under this intense heat the sword was being purified to its potential. Since the stone was compressing it as it was refined it was perfectly becoming a weapon. The two men stopped with the flow of fire heat, and lifted the block up and off. Revealing a sharp sword beneath it still crimson from the heat. Boss picked it up and quenched it in water before walking over to a wheel that he started making rotate until it achieved a good momentum and started to sharpen it further.

Spectre was amazed at this feat. Magic and crafting?! The use of magic was versatile indeed!

He looked over to the copper ore and began to grab a piece, hefting it up and bringing it over to the closest furnace. He was burning with the passion to craft after seeing that. He started to jump up and down on the bellow, his arms may not last pulling it, but jumping on it was much easier. He created heat wave after heat wave until the coal was hot and burning. He grabbed the heavy steal stint block, placed the ore in it and began to heat it up. The outer edges of it filled with impurities melted off quickly.

He pulled out the block using its handle with two gloves. He brought the block over and scooped the hot ore out with prongs. He slipped his hammer out from his back and smashed with all his might!

Peng!

A sound of hammer hitting metal was heard, Spectre felt a strange feeling in his hand but also his mind. He felt the essence of the metal and with each strike felt it more and more. It was as if he could feel the copper in front of him. As if it was energy, he thought of his affinity with one being in metal one of the 9 elements and decided to test out moving it with his mind…

It didn't move just yet, as he focused deeply it slightly trembled and then *clink* moved over to one of its edges. "wohhhhh" Spectre was amazed at this. He felt moving it while solid was very difficult but maybe…

He placed it back in the furnace again until it glowed and then pulled it out again and smashed it. It was becoming easier to warp and compress it because it was heated up. Copper didn't have that high of a melting point to start with. Once it started to turn into a liquid he focused his mind again, it started to move like waves at first before a couple drops of it started to float up into the air!

"BrooOOoo"

He could move the droplets with his mind!

Boss was finishing up his weapon when he saw multiple droplets of molten copper metal float up into the air in front of Spectre, he thought they were bubble at first but realized they didn't pop! He ran over and grabbed Spectre by the shoulder, breaking his focus, the droplets fell back down into the steel box.

"BOY how did you do that???" He was amazed by this, manipulators of metal were so rare that none were here in the vast lands of even the south where the arcane arts were the largest. Where as in the north warrior class arts were taught more often. As well as those with body vessel's being more often born there, and mind vessel's more often more in the south. Thus creating a feud between the continents of which are better. However, people with metal affinities were unheard of regardless of which society!

"Do you know what this means!!!" Boss yelled.

Spectre was unsure of what to say "uh uh what WHAT what does it mean???" he said extremely confused.

"It means you could become the greatest smith this continent has ever seen! I may be able to use earth or fire magic as a tool…But if you can manipulate the source, what shape couldn't you create with your imagination out of metal!" Spectre thought of this and suddenly realized the potential of a metal affinity; he saw a door hidden within the plain sight of what he had just seen. The hidden potential boss had mentioned.

"Is there anyone to teach me how to use metal magic????" Spectre was excited, but he noticed boss's face slowly turn an inquisitive look on his face of how to answer.

"As far as I know…You are the only one on our continent." Boss said.

"Only…only one? I guess that means I am the only one like me. That also means….I'm…the only one like me." He said both optimistically and yet self-deprecatingly twice.

"Regardless, we gotta see just how far you can go. Lads get a heavier metal of ten different kinds at the least, go get…" he listed off different ores and a couple strange ones of low grades to high grade.

"Heat them up and place them on the stone table over there, let's see if he can hit the higher grade"

Spectre watched as the men quickly grabbed 10 steel essence pans, 10 ores, and then each separately began to use there fire and furnace to heat them up into molten sources. Boss grabbed Spectre and put him in front of the table.

Spectre couldn't feel the energy of the ores to his far right. He could feel what only he could call…Metal Energy from the 5 to the left.

"It's like I can feel energies from them, what does that mean?''

Boss looked at him surprised, "Usually if you have an affinity you can manipulate with the mind…like me earths... there is however a limit, a child can manipulate a dust cloud of dirt, a teen dirt itself, an adult after arduous training mounds or mountains dirt. However, they can't manipulate all earth. The higher the grade you can manipulate the higher your potential affinity. Or well this is how crafters see it; I can manipulate Dense stone, as well as 2nd grade stone vein rock. Which is several times harder than regular stone. After that, it gets tough because the energy is too dense, or you just don't feel a pull. Some can manipulate certain things, like only sand, others just dirt. Just like someone with a spirit related to a specific animal related to their affinity. For mind vessel mages, it's sometimes works best for one material and not as much for another. Understand boy?"

Spectre listened to every word, "I do definitely".

"Alright, we got some training to do, now lift what you feel you can! You may be young, but the higher the affinity the earlier to shows in a child"

Spectre breathed in the hot air around him, before using his hands to point at the first ore, although he was mostly using his mind it still felt right to do and helped him focus. Boss didn't stop him from pointing, as a lot of mind manipulators did this at first instinctively. Slowly but surely the first drop floated up into the air….