Chapter 111:

Anton, after taking a quick detour to a food storage barn, where the four ate and drank their fill, decided the smithy was their next destination. Humans and Beastkin passed them by along the streets of Atros. The Beastkin looked very nervous, their tails hanged low and still and their posture closed and guarded, but some were less so. Anton didn't give them more than a passing smile but he overhead discussions that’s sounded promising. Many were talking about tomorrow's work and what it would entail and not in a negative way. Others asked about Anton freeing more Beastkin. It was all very heartening stuff to hear. Doubly so since he didn't hear anything bad, one couple of turtle Beastkin appeared to be having some sort of panic attack but a human and a canine Beastkin were calming them down and telling them to keep breathing.

What concerned Anton the most, personally, was their reaction to Kal, the reaction to a human feline half-breed. Most Beastkin held a subdued near reverence as they passed but Anton saw a few with looks of utter contempt. There was no way he could miss the guarded sneer and the eyes of hate directed at Kal. The moment he looked anywhere near them they turned away but he knew their intent. What they might try in his absence, even though without them they would still be prisoners. Thankfully with their presence, none were willing to try anything. Kal knew how to take care of herself. The third dagger on her hip, taken from the slain Orc Zig, was proof of that. But it still worried him. And he had no idea what to do about it. The idea they would still hold such archaic views about racial purity even though almost all of their kind were still in chains was baffling. He made a note to ask Marion about it later, perhaps after dinner. Talking during dinner about such an unsavoury topic would be crass and ruin the atmosphere

They moved in silence until the clanging of metal and the distant crackling of fire drowned out the murmur and clamour of city life. The Atros smithy had doubled in size, again. Four large brick chimneys gently poured a steady stream of black smoke into the sky. From within he could hear the pounding of metal on metal, coinciding with grunts and shouts of exertion. Even with the Goblin threat only dealt with a few hours ago the smithy was in full swing.

"How much bigger is it going to be each time we come here?" Verona slyly remarked to Anton.

Anton rubbed his beard. “If…Much bigger. If I can get everything done that I want to then the smithy will have to be bigger than Atros is now. Perhaps even a few times larger.”

“That’s a lot of that special project of yours.” Verona frowned as she leant forward. “How many do you want to make?”

“Not just that.” Anton smiled. “There are a lot more things I want to bring to this world. Things far more interesting than a cannon or a gun.”

“Like what?” Kal asked.

“It’ll be hard to explain. But in order for it to work, we’re going to need a lot more metal. And rubber. Do either of you know what that is?”

Verona and Kal shook their heads after glancing at one another.

“Oh well. We’ll figure that out later, or if there’s an alternative.” Anton shrugged. “But my future plans will just have to wait. I’m really curious as to what Shawn and Jocelyn have made.”

“If they’ve managed to actually to…infuse something with some of your powers…” Kal smiled. “I don’t know if it’s ever been done before. At least I’ve never heard of one.”

“Considering the Old Gods are essentially outlawed in everywhere except for the Deweth Clans, I don’t think anyone’s going to admit having a weapon or armour with their power,” Anton said. “Doesn’t mean that someone won’t just lie about it. Cetina did say that normal mages were able to make those heating stones somehow…”’

Anton shrugged again as they moved inside. A few eyes turned towards them but they quickly returned to their work. Jonathan wasn’t the only smith in Atros, though he was originally the only one, as they had brought several from Qaiviel as well as their apprentices. They worked hard, covered in a mixture of soot and sweat over large fires, hammering swords and armour into shape. None, not even the youngest apprentice, was slim or weak in any way. There was simply no way one could be weak after working in a place like this. One smith nodded towards the back of the smithy. Anton saw Jonathan and Loretta talking near a rack of swords and spears in a secluded room. Their children were absent but once Shawn and Jocelyn realised they had a chance to show off their work they would emerge.

Luna, still nestled in his arms, dug her head deeper in an attempt to avoid the near-deafening noise. Anton remembered Kal’s sensitivity to noise. When he turned back Kal had already covered her ears but still appeared to be in no small amount of discomfort. How Beast-kin, at least those with sensitive hearing, could work in such a place and not be deafened was beyond him. Perhaps certain breeds, like Drakelings, had some sort of higher tolerance to noise.

The noise began to wane as they reached the secluded area. Several wooden walls acted as buffers and reduced the noise to a far more manageable level. It was still loud but at least his ears were no longer hurting. Jonathan spotted him first and gave a small wave.

“Hello, Anton. I was beginning to think that you were not going to visit us today.”

Anton chuckled, taking a quick glance at the women standing either side of him. “I’ll tell you it was a little difficult to decide to leave, especially since it’s the first time we’ve had a bed in some time.”

Kal’s tail flicked through the air as she shook her head.

“But we made a promise to see their work and now we’ve come. So…Where are they?”

“Right now they are in the back room.” Jonathan nodded to an ajar wooden door. When Anton focused he could hear something that sounded like children talking. “We have put some of the more important stuff there, like the special items that you had me make. Do you want to see it now?”

“Sure. I know that they’ll be happy to show off their work.”

Jonathan smiled. “They have been very excited to show you. Ever since they made the first piece.”

“I don’t think this is for me.” Loretta chuckled. “From what Jonathan was telling me earlier I know it’s all going to go over my head. And I really should explore this place a little more with my children since, you know, we’ll be living here from now on.”

“Right…” Jonathan wasn’t that happy about her leaving.

“Well…Maybe I’ll stay for a bit.” Loretta flashed him a smile. “Could actually be fun. Even if I have no idea what’s going on.”

“It feels like that for us sometimes,” Verona said. “But we just go along with it.”

Anton nudged Verona, who flashed him a wicked smile in return.

Jonathan poked his head through the door. “Shawn? Jocelyn? Could you please come out here? We are ready to show off your work.”

The noise stopped, followed by a light scrambling of feet on dirt, as Shawn and Jocelyn emerged, their faces beaming with pride. Seamus and Lili followed soon after, though clearly more than a little confused as to the other twins sudden burst of happiness.

“Hey!” Shawn said loudly. “Are you ready to see our work?”

“Calm down.” Jocelyn held her brother's arm but it did little to diminish the enthusiasm burning through his body. Through their bodies. “They’ll think we’re weird if you don’t take a deep breath.”

Shawn looked at his sister and followed her words. After a few short breaths, he was back to normal.

“Where…” Seamus looked around. “Where are the others?”

“What others?” Verona asked, tilting her head.

“Do you mean the Beast-kin we were travelling with?” Kal asked. “Cetina, Rasha, Eider, Irso and Ulyaa?”

Seamus nodded.

“We can’t just drag them around all the time with us.” Kal smiled faintly. “They have their own lives to live now.”

Seamus appeared to understand but Lili gave him a sideways glance. He was probably annoyed he couldn’t ogle them. Not that Anton blamed him, they each had their own alluring traits.

"So where are you hiding these fancy pieces of armour that you've made?" Anton asked. "Oh, and congratulations on making metal tools all by yourselves. I know your father is very proud."

Shawn and Jocelyn smiled, a faint flush crept up their necks.

"We couldn't have done it without Dad helping us." Shawn laughed as Jocelyn nodded seriously. "They're in the back room. We were just showing them to Seamus and Lili while..."

Shawn trailed off as he looked between his father and Loretta. It was clear on his face that he didn't know what to say.

"While they were talking, Shawn." Jocelyn continued. Shawn coughed lightly, grateful that his sister had intervened.

"Yes...They're back here."

Shawn and Jocelyn led them into the back room. Only a single window, heavily barred, allowed any light into the dim room. The far sides were filled with more steel weapons and armour but a large table in the centre held their prize. Four items lay on the table, two almost glowed a fiery red, slowly pulsing and twisting over the dull grey steel. The other two glowed a bluish purple, these marks were much thinner and moved far more violently and erratically than the flames.

"I take it these are them?" Anton asked. "If so they look really interesting."

"No one would say these aren't magical," Verona added.

"So how did you make them look like this?"

"Well..." Jocelyn looked at her brother. "It's just what sort of happened after we started putting our magic into them as we made them. We didn't want them to look like that. It…Just sort of happened."

"But we, at least I, like how they look." Shawn gently slapped the table. "I think they look really cool."

"When I tried to push some of my magic into a weapon, my fire and lightning at least, it just wouldn't work. And when I did it to something that was alive." Verona looked at Anton in silence, her eyes filled with worry. "It didn't exactly have favourable results."

"We didn't try that." Shawn frowned light.

"Don't," Anton said sternly. "Don't even think of trying."

"Okay..."

Loretta quietly asked Jonathan what he was referring to. Jonathan replied something too soft for Anton to hear, but Loretta quietly nodded.

Jocelyn cleared her throat. "We made these by gently pushing our magic into it as we made them. It took a lot of mana just to make these four."

Kal looked at Anton. "Did you put in everything you could every day?"

"Yep." Shawn rubbed his temple. "After each time we felt really tired and we couldn't walk straight. Dad made sure that we didn't use too much."

"Otherwise he'd give us a spanking," Jocelyn added calmly.

Jonathan could only awkwardly smile underneath their scrutiny.

"Did you have to touch it when it was still hot?" Anton asked. "I know that I can only do the same sort of thing by touching whatever I want to change. Don't tell me you touched it when it was red hot?"

"No!" Shawn shook his head. "That would be...No. It just felt like it was flowing into whatever we were working on. Through our tools…We weren't touching it with our hands most of the time. Some big leather gloves..."

"It is difficult to describe how it feels without actually experiencing it, isn't it?"

Shawn and Jocelyn nodded.

"I..." Jocelyn swallowed. "I just imagined what it would look like when I was done as I tried pushing my mana into it."

"Same." Shawn folded his arms and nodded towards his sister. "But I don't know if I did the exact same thing."

"It doesn't matter. I think that Atros's first two Mage Smiths have done an excellent job. To prepare two examples of both of your powers with no training. Doubly so since you are still children. Truly incredible."

Everyone agreed with Anton's words, only adding to their embarrassment. No one could have such praise heaped upon them without becoming at least a little embarrassed. Either that or they were huge egotists.

“Thanks…Thanks.” Shawn clapped his hands. “So, do I show mine first?”

Jocelyn nodded as Shawn ran to the table. He stood proudly in front of the two items pulsing with flames. One was a small metal hammer and a small shield, more of a buckler than what most people in Atros used. Jocelyn stood behind hers; a small knife, another small buckler and another hammer, all rippling with the blue and purple lightning. Anton didn’t see the knife the first time as it was almost hidden underneath the buckler.

“These are what I’ve managed to make.” Shawn smiled as they approached. “A hammer and a small shield. Dad said we shouldn’t go for things that are too difficult right away.”

Jonathan nodded silently.

“So could someone please hold the hammer?” Shawn held the hammer out. “You’ll know what I’m talking about the moment that you touch it.”

No one was willing to make the first move so Anton did. When his fingers touched the metal a warmth filled his body. It clearly wasn’t natural but he didn’t dislike it. If anything his body, even his breathing, felt lighter. Easier.

“I feel warm,” Anton said. “And a fair bit stronger as well.”

Shawn nodded. “That’s right.” Anton passed the hammer to Kal. The warmth faded slowly over the next few seconds. “It makes you feel really warm inside.”

“That’s it?” Verona asked, raising a silver brow as Kal passed the weapon to her. “Seems like it should do more than that.”

Shawn held up his hand as he stepped away from the table. He returned with a normal hammer in his hand and a thin piece of wood in the other. Verona took the normal hammer and looked at him blankly as she held one in each hand.

“Try swinging the hammer onto this piece of wood.”

Verona shrugged as Shawn placed the piece of wood on the end of the table and slammed the hammer down. The wood bounced but a small depression remained embedded into the wood.

“Okay…”

“Now try the new hammer.”

“Okay…”

Verona did as she was bid after Shawn turned the wood around. The flame hammer struck the wood and split it in two. Verona looked at the hammer with shock and incredulity.

“That’s different.”

Verona passed the hammer back to Anton, eager to part with it. The warmth returned to Anton, about half as it did at first, then returned to full once Verona let go.

“It makes you stronger!” Shawn happily smiled. “Quite a bit too. Dad says he could lift things…How much was it again dad?”

“About half as much again,” Jonathan said. “I did some tests and that is how much more I could do. And I did not feel anything strange or odd after touching it. I did not want to do it too much until you got back, just in case it was doing something bad inside.”

Let’s see if it did anything to me.

Anton chanted a healing prayer on himself. There appeared to be nothing that had changed. He quickly searched through his body with the magic, the sensation of water rushing underneath his skin was very odd, and couldn’t find anything either. If Jonathan was worried about the flame magic perhaps burning through one’s own life force or something else to gain power, it appeared those valid concerns were unfounded.

“Fifty percent more strength is insanely strong.” Anton mused. He looked closely at the rippling flame markings. They had not lost their intensity despite changing hands multiple times. “Too strong, really. Perhaps the maker has some very high skill with handling the magic.” Shawn smiled wildly. “It’s almost like it enhances the fire within you and makes you stronger. And I don’t feel anything odd after using it. No fatigue or tiredness. I just checked and couldn’t find anything. But everyone that touches these weapons should speak up if they feel anything strange. But, if you could make these into swords, spears or shields then it would help us greatly. I could only imagine someone like Zac wielding one of these flaming war hammers.”

“Um…I don’t think the shield would do anything.” Shawn spoke softly. “That’s the other thing. When I hold the shield I don’t feel the same warmth. It wasn’t bad…just different.”

Anton returned the hammer to the table and picked up the small flame buckler. The warmth this time was far more dull like it was lingering underneath the surface of his body. In fact, he couldn’t feel much else. He poked his skin and could barely feel it.

“I feel…like my sensations have been dulled. I can’t feel my fingers poking my skin.”

Shawn nodded. “Yes. But it doesn’t make you stronger, like the hammer does. I don’t really know what it does…”

Shawn looked quite disappointed, he only had two creations and one appeared to have no benefit apart from the dulling of senses. Perhaps that could be good for a soldier so he could keep going despite being in the thick of combat and receiving a pummeling.

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“What…Since magic depends a lot upon what you’re imagining when you make it, were you thinking of a shield as you were making this?”

“Yes.”

“And a shield is meant to defend, not attack. At least normally. Has anyone tried to use it as a shield?”

“I’ve hit it with a normal hammer,” Jonathan said. “But it sounded just like a normal shield. I had to bend it back into place after I was done.”

“Dad…”

“Perhaps when someone’s holding it it’ll work.”

“Are you going to hold that while someone swings a sword at you?” Loretta asked. “I don’t think your two lovely women here would like that…And I know there’d be a whole lot more that would be just as sad.”

“So…” Kal’s fingers fidgeted. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m not going to do anything that dangerous.” Anton rubbed Kal’s head. “I just want Jonathan to give it a tap while I hold it.”

“That’s what Loretta means,” Verona said. She looked over Jonathan. “He’s a lot bigger than you are.”

“I know that Jonathan won’t do something like that.” Anton smiled at Jonathan, a single shiver rippled down Jonathan’s face. “But I do need a normal shield to compare. Do you have one that’s sort of like this?”

“I’ll be back in a moment.” Jonathan raced out of the room and back into the clanging chorus of the smithy.

“What are you talking about?” Shawn asked Loretta, tilting his head slightly.

Loretta looked at Anton as was about to speak when Jonathan returned. He held a near identical small buckler, barring the flame writhing over the surface.

“Some of the apprentices make some of these so the smiths can judge their work.” Jonathan shrugged as he passed it to Anton. “It’s not much but it’s better than nothing. And at the worst, we can just melt it back down.”

Anton readied a stance, at least he thought he was, many of the girls playfully snickered at his stance. Anton rolled his eyes as Jonathan picked up the normal hammer.

“Are you sure about this?” Jonathan held the hammer nervously in both hands.

“If anything bad happens I can just heal myself. But…Don’t go all out. Okay?”

Jonathan glanced at Verona and Kal, sighed lightly, and readied himself. Anton raised the buckler as Jonathan struck. The metal clanged and Anton’s arm shook from the strike, letting out a groan as pain seared through his arm. Jonathan looked shocked as Verona and Kal raced to his side.

“Shit,” Verona said. “Are you okay?”

Anton shook his arm and removed the buckler. “I’m fine, you two. I know what I’m doing.”

“But you’ve got no training or any real practice in melee.” Kal gently stroked his upper arm. “It was bad enough when you got struck by that green smoke magic.”

Verona nodded furiously. Anton shuddered mentally at the sensation of his bones snapping and lungs collapsing.

Maybe having Cetina as a trainer might actually help.

“I’m fine.” He kissed Kal. “But I might want to actually get some proper training for once.”

When he turned back everyone looked oddly at them. The children looked confused while the adults looked smug. Not every person had two beautiful women who doted on him the moment he appeared hurt.

“But…I know that a person wouldn’t stand up to Jonathan with a war hammer. Last time I saw you fight it was against the Goblins from Mount Aspire.”

“Ugh. Those were bad days.”

“That they were.” Anton took up the flame buckler. “I guess I understand how much that hurts. Now, hit it again with the same force.”

Anton chanted a healing prayer. The pains faded away as Verona and Kal stepped back. Jonathan sighed as he struck again. This time it felt far lighter, like it was a child that struck him. He looked at the buckler as Jonathan stepped back. The dent looked the same, Jonathan clearly put in the same force, but Anton barely felt anything and he hadn’t used anything to make himself stronger.

“I barely felt that,” Anton explained. “But you clearly hit as hard as you did before. The dent…”

“So you’re more resistant to damage?” Verona asked. “But not the shield. So it’s just your body…What use is that?”

“I suppose you could keep fighting for longer.” Kal offered. “If someone like Cetina…I don’t know if it would work on her, had a shield like that it would make her so much stronger. I know she’d like that if she really wants to pursue a path of becoming a Witch Hunter, or whatever Ferula said.”

“True. We’ll need to see how it reacts to Ghlyirl.” Anton looked at Jonathan. “Do you want to have a go?”

“No.” Jonathan smiled awkwardly. “The battle with the Goblins was close enough to combat that I had. Well, that and the Kobolds but you weren’t there for that.” Verona made a noise and looked away. “But that is why I make weapons and armour. To keep everyone safe.”

“Certainly better than being ripped to pieces,” Anton spoke softly as he placed the buckler on the table. “Good work Shawn. If you could make shields or even armour like this it would go a long way to helping everyone.”

“Thanks, Anton. I’ll do my best. But I won’t be able to make many or that quickly.” Shawn slapped his arm. “I’m not that old or strong.”

Anton reached over and patted his head. “Whatever you can do I know will be fine. We shouldn’t have to ask children to help in places like this but it’s what we have to do-”

“But we like working here.” Shawn frowned at Anton, so too did his sister. “What else would we be doing?”

That is a good point. We don’t have an education system like Earth does but actually having hands-on working is a good experience to have. Helps put things into perspective. I know would have benefited from that.

The pain in his head came back, nowhere near as bad but it was still a noticeable lump in his head. He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. Shawn and Jocelyn looked a bit worried, clearly worried that his expression had to do with their words.

“You make a good point.” Anton continued. “I certainly won’t be stopping you, both of you, from doing something you love. What right do I have to do that?”’

Shawn smiled and his body relaxed.

“Can I show mine now?” Jocelyn asked.

“Absolutely.” Her father replied.

Jocelyn held back a look of joy, far better than her brother, as everyone's attention turned to her weapons. Jonathan and Loretta had at least one thing in common, their sons and daughters were nearly identical in attitude to one another.

"I..." Jocelyn coughed. "Excuse me. I did the same thing as my brother. And I made these three...things."

"Why did you make three and Shawn only two?" Verona asked slyly. "You don't want to be shown up by the girls."

"I did make one." Shawn looked away. "It's...It's not very good, that's all. It was my first try at making something...That's Jocelyn's fourth try."

"I...It is." Jocelyn looked a little embarrassed.

"Practice makes perfect," Anton said. "No one was ever good the first time they tried something. And if they say they are then they're probably a liar."

"Keep going," Jonathan said softly.

"Well, anyway, these are what I've made. And...They work a lot differently than Shawn's do."

"Instead of enhancing the fire within you it..." Anton trailed off, unable to guess what the lightning infused weapons would do.

"It's easier if you just take it." Jocelyn held the hammer out. Again Anton was the only one willing to take it.

He grasped the weapon but didn't feel anything apart from the cold steel. No prickling or jolts of any kind.

"I thought I would feel something like prickles running up my hands. But it feels normal."

"Your senses haven't just been dulled?" Kal asked.

"No...It feels just like a normal metal hammer." Anton looked at Jocelyn. "So what does it do?"

"Dad? Can I use the little metal shield?"

"Sure. It was only going to be put into storage or scrap it later. This is a much better way for it to go out."

Anton raised a brow as Jocelyn moved the other pieces away and placed the plain steel buckler on the table. He passed the hammer back to her, there was still no sensation as they touched it together or when he let go. Jocelyn took the normal hammer and slammed it down hard. The buckler bounced and rattled about, a small depression lay in the metal, but it was otherwise unharmed.

"Okay," Anton said softly.

"Just wait," Jonathan replied.

Jocelyn took the lightning hammer and struck the buckler again. Metal fragments spat out of the contact point as the lightning hammer pushed its way through the metal, only stopping when it reached the wooden table. Everyone stood stunned silent at the sight.

Jocelyn pulled the hammer out, several small fragments of metal fell inward. She scooped up a handful of the metal fragments.

"This." Jocelyn placed the hammer down and held the fragments high. "Is what happens when one of these lightning weapons touch metal. It just breaks apart and falls away. Like...Like ash from a fire."

Anton took a fragment from Jocelyn's hand and held it close to his eye. No burn, stress or fracture signs were present. It had simply fallen apart. However, the edges were not smooth and uniform. Some were at very harsh angles, others flat or rounded.

"It's like it found every tiny stress and fracture in the metal and just caused it to pop," Anton said. "At least, that's the only explanation I have."

Verona and Loretta took a few pieces and handed them out.

Kal raised it into the air and close to her eye. "There's no sign of where it was broken. Even the cleanest cut on metal leaves something behind. But I can't see anything."

"Does it just work on metal?" Verona asked.

Jocelyn nodded. "Yes. It's actually harder to break wood or rocks with this hammer than it is with a normal one. Even longer than Shawn's fire hammer."

Shawn smiled and nodded appreciatively.

"And this is good for..." Loretta trailed off. "Fighting someone in metal armour. But the monsters don't have metal armour."

"A few do," Verona said very softly.

"So that means you're going to be fighting people." Loretta glanced at Kal. "You know what I mean."

"We probably will." Anton began. "Atros hasn't but we three have. And while I would like Atros to be free from the battles between Kingdoms and Empires I just know that's not going to always be possible. It's better that we have weapons that can deal with them, and never need them, then to need them and not have them."

"I suppose. A few good spears and swords would have helped in Jaka. Wouldn't have stopped the Goblins but would have slowed them down at least."

"Hmm...Jocelyn. Does this hammer do anything else?"

"K-Kind of. It can smash through metal but...is that some dried meat?" Jocelyn pointed to the rashes sticking out of Verona's pocket. "Can I have one of those?"

Verona was hesitant to let go of any food.

Seriously, where does it all go?

"Okay. But I want another one back."

"You'll get it back," Jocelyn said teasingly as she received a single strip. Verona caught Anton looking and shrugged.

"It's easier if I use the knife. This has the same...effect as the hammer. But it should be much easier to cut through some meat. Right?"

Anton glanced at Johnathan. He had no idea what she was doing.

"The edge is pretty sharp but..."

Jocelyn began madly trying to cut through the meat. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she pushed or where she cut it simply would not work. She removed the blade, her breathing was slightly faster than normal, and the meat only had a slight cut.

"Now that's interesting," Anton said. "It can't cut through flesh."

"Or anything really. Except metal."

"That...Hmm." Anton held his chin. "That is very odd. At least the flame weapons are easy enough to understand."

"Still don't know what that shield does," Verona said quietly.

“Perhaps…I don’t know.” Anton held the lightning hammer close. “Perhaps it’s vibrations? Lightning that agitates the metal and causes it to shatter? Who really knows? But the point is it works. Excellent…Someone who uses a lightning weapon would probably need to pair with a flame or a normal weapon, otherwise they’ll just be trying to, well, do what Jocelyn did to that for the next hour.”

Loretta and her children cocked their heads. They didn’t understand what Anton meant. He continued on before they could ask.

“If Jocelyn could make a war hammer big enough the sheer weight would be deadly. Smash their bones with just the force rather than cut through flesh.” He smiled at Jocelyn. “I know that might be a bit far away for either of you but it’s something that I’ll look forward to seeing.”

Both children laughed. Anton wondered what would happen if someone like Zac wielded a fire war hammer and smashed it upon someone’s head. Something probably like what happened with Rasha’s hoof and that green Goblin. Paste…

“Last one.” Anton clapped his hands. “So what does your shield do that’s different?”

“It doesn’t give you any strange feelings, like Shawn’s does, but it does have one special thing.”

Jocelyn took the normal hammer and struck the lightning shield. A terrible clang resounded through the air, Anton scrunched his eyes in response to the sharp noise. Jocelyn held the hammer high as small metal fragments, just like those from the metal shield, slowly fell off the end. She gave it a little shake and more fell off. The flat head was now broken and mangled, a layers worth of metal fragments had fallen cleanly away.

"Now that's really awesome." Verona stepped forward. "Does that happen each time you hit it?"

"Yes." Jocelyn struck the lightning shield again. Another layer of metal fell away, perhaps slightly less than before. "Every time. Until it turns to these little bits."

"Do those fragments break up again?" Kal looked at the fragment in her hand. "Does it become dust if you do it enough?"

"I...I don't really know." Jocelyn took a fragment and hit the shield. The fragment bounced away the same size. "I suppose it can't do it again."

"That-"

"There's just one more thing to show you." Jocelyn cut him off as she picked up the splintered piece of wood. She struck the lightning shield but the wood remained unharmed.

"So it only works on metal." Anton nodded. “What about the lightning hammer?”

Jocelyn winced as she readied to strike. “Everyone should cover their ears.”

Anton stepped back as Jocelyn struck the shield. Hundreds of blue sparks streamed into the air, a high pitched scream filled the air. Kal screamed as she winced in pain, everyone else staggered back as their senses returned to normal.

“Are you alright Kal?” Anton held her hand.

“Ugh…I think so.” Kal smiled nervously. “That was…loud.”

“Sorry!” Jocelyn spoke louder than normal, deafened slightly by the lightning scream. “It was easier to just show you!”

“Pop your ears,” Anton said as he opened his jaw. A rushing sound filled his ears and everything returned to normal.

Jocelyn followed his advice. “Thanks. I don’t know why that happens but…Well, neither piece is damaged.”

Indeed, both the lightning hammer and shield remained completely unscathed.

“Well, they probably are incompatible.” Anton mused. “I wonder what use that could be? Perhaps some sort of distraction? Regardless, that's still very good. A few of these at the front of a battle line...But they would need to be supported in order to work effectively. Most people don't have the strength to wield a war hammer effectively."

"I suppose we will just have to leave it up to Jeff to figure out how these can be used best," Jonathan said. "I'm no warrior or soldier."

"There..." Anton looked at Verona, who frowned and tilted her head. "There might be other uses for this other than war."

"That's good," Loretta mumbled. "I hate to say it but children shouldn't be making weapons of war. Even if they want to." Shawn and Jocelyn turned to her. "The fact that we need you to..."

"True." Anton nodded. "That would be nice. But that is the reality we need to face. For a long time I, and a lot of us thought that Verona's powers could only be used for fighting."

"Which did annoy me."

Anton gently ruffled her hair. "And we did find something useful that she could do. And I'm just thinking about these hammers...Could both of you make picks? You know, mining picks?"

"Sure." Shawn glanced at Jonathan. "Dad would have to show us what we need to do but I think we can...Why?"

"Fire enhanced picks could tear through dirt and rocks while the lightning would break metal seams apart with ease. The lightning hammers could be used to break down scrap metal into tin chunks, which I'm sure are easier to smelt back into steel."

"That is true," Jonathan spoke softly.

"And the flame hammers would make building a lot easier too. Everything you’ve made has a lot of potential."

The children beamed at his praise.

"What..." Kal scratched her chin with her claws. "What about my arrows? The heads are metal, so could it be done for those as well?"

"I think so." Jocelyn held up a small metal fragment and frowned. "They aren't much bigger than this...It'll be tricky but we can give it a go."

"It'll be fun sis." Shawn slapped the back of his sister. She groaned and rubbed where he had struck. "But I know I'll make more than you."

"We'll see about that," Jocelyn smirked devilishly.

Anton caught Verona frowning. "I don't know how one of those arrows would be any better than the ones you can already make, which you need to make a few more if I'm right. I think you're almost out."

"I still have a few left. I'll need to get some more soon."

"Right...But those enchanted arrows of yours are so dangerous, and deadly, that having them stronger or able to punch through only metal armour wouldn’t be that much more helpful." Verona pointed to her chest. "They wouldn't have much luck with going through this. But one of those lightning or fire ones would just explode if they struck me."

"Unless these enchantments enhance magic in some way." Anton offered. "But...But this isn't the best place to try that out."

"Please do not." Jonathan chuckled nervously. "It took us a long time to get where we are."

"Maybe..." Verona mumbled something before snapping her fingers. "What about a crossbow? A metal one, obviously. I don't know how the lightning would work but the flame could make it stronger. Maybe, I don't know."

"It's a good thought." Anton patted her head gently. "Shawn, if you ever get around to it I, we'd, be interested in seeing what it does. Same goes for you, Jocelyn."

"Can do." Both replied simultaneously.

"Right." Anton looked around the room. "That looks like everything. Splendid work, you two. And to you too, Jonathan. They wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

Jonathan laughed in an attempt to hide the faintest hint of a flush. "Thanks. Everything else is going very good as well. We could easily arm over half of the new arrivals if we needed to."

"Mom." Lili tugged on her mother's pants. Both of Loretta's children had been utterly silent until now. "Where will we be working? Can it be here?"

Seamus agreed. "It seems like it's a lot of fun too. Can we? Please?"

Loretta chuckled nervously, rubbed their heads, and looked at Johnathan.

“Well.” Jonathan looked a little apprehensive at Seamus and Lili. “It…It is not the easiest job. Everything is very heavy so you cannot be weak or frail. My children have been helping me most of their life, so they know what to expect. I just do not want you to get hurt. It is a real possibility. But…I do not have anything against you working here.”

“We have to do something in this place.” Loretta frowned lightly. “What would they be doing?”

“Not what Shawn and Jocelyn are doing. They are a very special case. I was thinking that they would help move stuff around the smithy. It would help the smiths and apprentices to not have to spend so much time getting stuff.” Jonathan shrugged. “And maybe, given enough time, they might be able to try smithing something.”

“Can we mom?!” Seamus asked.

“Will we be able to make things like Shawn and Jocelyn?”

“Now that’s something that I can tell you.” Anton approached and knelt before them. “What Shawn and Jocelyn have are marks of the Old Gods. Do you know who they are?”

Both shook their heads as they stepped out from behind their mother’s legs.

“It’s a little hard to explain right now, but only they can make those sort of weapons. Not even Jonathan can.”

Shawn raised his hand before taking off his shirt. For a young boy, he had a good physique, one made from working relentlessly in a smithy. He turned around and showed off the fire glyph etched into his back, smiling at Loretta’s children.

“Why did you have that?” Loretta pulled her children back from Anton. “Why do children have something like that?”

“It’s not just me.” Shawn put his shirt back on. “Jocelyn has one too.”

“So do I.” Verona pulled down the collar of her shirt and revealed the red flame-like tattoo’s liking at her neck. “And so does Kal.”

Kal nodded. Loretta looked a little concerned as she pulled her children close.

“I don’t do it.” Anton stood up. “If that’s what you’re worried about. They just happen when someone develops the ability to use the power of the Old Gods. It tends to happen during the night and it’s seemingly random. I really hadn’t spent much time with Shawn and Jocelyn and yet they were the next people to get a mark of the Old Gods after Verona. Kal only received hers when we were away.”

Jonathan leant forward slightly. “And if they did not Atros might be in a far worse state than it is. Without my children using their magic, the Goblins could have easily made it over the wall. And Anton would have to be healing hundreds of wounded people. I do not know how many would be dead.”

“Right…I’m.” Loretta shook her head. “Sorry. This is all a bit stressful for me. I’m in this new place and everything’s moving so fast and wild…”

“That happens with Anton.” Jonathan reached out and gently held Loretta’s hand. She, after a moment, gave it a little pat and held her hands in front of her lips as if in prayer.

“I can check them right now and see if they’re going to get any powers.” Anton knelt back down. “Although I think it’s only good for a day or so. Kal’s came out of nowhere and I had no idea Shawn and Jocelyn were going to get theirs in the middle of the night.”

“Hurt a lot too.” Shawn brushed the edges of his shirt. Jocelyn elbowed him hard, flashing him an angry look. Shawn immediately understood and hanged his head low.

“If you two could just step forward for me…” Anton searched Seamus and Lili for the small granule, the signifier of a budding glyph. “Nothing.”

“That’s good. I suppose.”

“But if your children want to work here I don’t see any reason why they can’t.” Anton stood up and returned to Verona and Kal’s side. “You aren’t exactly a weak woman yourself. Physically or mentally.”

“True.” Loretta’s face softened into a warm smile. “For a moment I thought you were the one who did that. Since you can use the same magic, at least that’s what Jonathan’s said. Do you have those as well?”

Anton shook his head. “No. For some reason I’m different. Apparently, you should only have one power but I can use three. I think it has to do with this.” Anton raised his hand and showed off the white gem embedded in his hand. “I think this is the only reason that I can even use magic in the first place.”

Loretta and her children peered closely at the white gem. They shrugged in defeat when they couldn’t discern anything from it.

“If you say so.”

“Since everything’s sorted, Jonathan, I’d like to borrow your children for a little bit. I need to show the new glyph users how to use their magic and teach a bit more to your kids. I didn’t exactly have much time with them before.”

Jonathan nodded. “Okay. You two have can the rest of the day off. I know that you were pretty tired after you practised last time.”

“Oh.” Verona bounced up and down. “We’ll need to get some of those Karak fruit before we start. I’m pretty sure that we’ve run out of those magic potions.”

“And we still haven’t been able to grow more of those trees yet,” Anton mumbled. “Not that we’ve really tried. Those fruits don’t seem to have seeds in them...” He shrugged and clapped his hands. “For another time. Time for some magic training!”