Chapter 85 Hypothetical
The doorbell chimed as Isaac pushed open the door to Stan’s Smithy. Lenna was right behind him as they entered. The pair had just left the Arbencroft estate after their monthly teatime with the duchess and were now onto their last scheduled event of the day. It was time for Lenna to get a new sword. The pair had come alone, their third wheel had been given other orders. Shamesh had been instructed to keep their new home clean and defended until they could properly move in. With how long it would take for their furniture to arrive, specifically their bedding, and their lack of staff, his job was not estimated to end soon. Isaac knew that he needed to sit down and have another conversation with Shamesh about the golem as a person but it was such a difficult topic to handle that he had been putting it off.
“I’ve been waitin’ for ya.” Stan said by way of greeting the duo. “It’s done.”
Lenna’s face brightened a bit and Isaac had to tear his eyes off of her to focus on Stan. “You have it?” Lenna questioned before Isaac could.
“Aye.” Stan replied. “It’s under this rag.” He told them and gestured to a box with a large piece of cloth draped over it.
Isaac and Lenna approached and eagerly awaited Stan’s reveal. “Well, don’t just leave us hanging.” Isaac said and gestured for the man to get it over with.
Stan laughed deeply and yanked the cloth away. Inside the box was a simple steel blade, at least that’s what it looked like at first glance. The sword was polished but instead of having a mirror finish like most steel swords it was just a clean silver-gray sword. “There ya are. Yer new sword.” Stan said proudly.
Lenna hesitantly reached into the box and grabbed onto the hilt. Adamantine was expensive due to its rarity more than its overall usefulness. There was much, much more gold in the world that could be used for enchanting steel, to the same level of durability as adamantine, without the need for special equipment to even begin working with the metal. Generally, it was seen as an alternative to the conventional methodology when it came to weapon making rather than a preferred creation strategy. It was faster and able to be done by non mages, which in and of itself brought about a large amount of backlash, but it was also using an extremely rare material. An extremely rare material that would be used in the creation of something that was going to be used to fight dragons and mages, both being beings commonly known to utterly destroy everything in a general direction while fighting for their lives. Now, having mentioned all of those things, the sword itself was a first for Lenna. She had never been allowed to touch the adamantine sword on display in her uncle’s throne room and the few times she had touched an adamantine sword, she hadn’t been able to fight with it.
Lenna picked the sword up out of the box and inspected it with a palpable sense of awe. “It is heavier than I thought it would be.” She commented.
“Adamantine is heavy, even if it’s just a coating.” Stan replied. “I figure it won’t be too much for someone like you though.”
Lenna shook her head. “No, it might take some getting used to but it’s still light enough to use properly.” She told him. “Thank you for this. I am sure that Edward would have jumped at the opportunity for something like this.”
“There’s plenty left for him, lass, don’t you worry.” Stan explained. “Now, I got more work ta do so off with ya.” He told them with a wave.
“Aren’t you always the one complaining about kids always being in a rush?” Isaac jokingly questioned.
“Aye, that’s why I’m stuck scramblin’.” Stan replied with a grumble and headed into the back towards the sound of iron on steel.
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“Shamesh, take a seat.” Isaac instructed his physical and spiritual shadow. The pair sat opposite each other on the floor in their sitting room. Lenna was nearby, leaning against a wall, there more for support than anything else.
“Is something wrong?” Shamesh questioned once they had both settled into their positions. Isaac was sitting cross legged so Shamesh had copied him.
“No.” Isaac replied. “Nothing is wrong.” He told Shamesh. “This is about you and your growth.” He began. “If anything changes about how you feel about what you do, tell me so we can adjust things to make it more… pleasant for you.” Isaac’s voice had trailed off while he tried to find the exact word he was looking for. “You are new, made from something young and something old using me, someone neither young nor old, as the foundation. You could continue to change or you could stay exactly the same. We have no way of knowing ahead of time, unless you have some insight on the matter, so it is imperative that you keep us updated.”
Once it was clear that Isaac was waiting for the being of bones to reply, Shamesh nodded. “I will.” He promised. “I do not see or expect any further changes. I will try to maintain an accurate understanding of myself so I can inform you if anything changes.”
“Thank you.” Isaac said with a smile. “Now, I have a, mostly, hypothetical question for you.” He told Shamesh and the golem nodded in reply that he was ready for the question. “If you could only do one household chore, regardless of what that chore would be even if you do not yet know how to do it but could be taught it in the future, what would you choose?”
Shamesh remained silent for well over a minute as his head tilted back and forth ever so slightly as he thought about Isaac’s question. Eventually the skeleton straightened again and locked eyes with Isaac. “Is being a guard a household chore?” Shamesh questioned.
Isaac nodded. “It can be but is not necessarily. If that is what you want then we can change things so it can be a household chore but otherwise it would not be considered one.” He explained.
Shamesh nodded once. “I would like guard duty to be my singular household chore, if a situation arrived that I could only complete one of them.” Shamesh replied.
“Why?” Isaac asked.
“No other chore requires continual input. Every other chore can be done by a normal person operating on a normal schedule. Only I can fulfill the role of sole guard of an area at all times.” Shamesh explained.
“Are there any other reasons?” Isaac wondered.
“It is the role that I am best suited to. No other role gives the opportunity to use all of my spells, abilities, and skills.” Shamesh replied.
“All of?” Isaac questioned.
“All of my spells, and old abilities and old skills.” Shamesh corrected himself. “I have learned new abilities and skills pertaining to the care and cleaning of an estate or manor.”
“What if guard duty was not an option?” Isaac asked. “What if everyone, including you, were only permitted to work for twelve hours per day?”
Shamesh was silent again as he processed Isaac’s inquiry. “If I am permitted to use magic, then cleaning.” Shamesh replied. “If not, arms and armor maintenance.”
“Why?” Isaac further questioned. He felt like he was getting close to finding the answer to his question. Isaac really just wanted to know if Shamesh disliked what he had been instructing him to do but he didn’t want Shamesh’s conscious thoughts to skew the truth in any way. Shamesh knew, afterall, that he was a tool and that he would be used. For all Isaac knew, Shamesh might simply tell him what the golem thought he wanted to hear.
“Magic makes cleaning much quicker and thus I would be the most optimal pick for the task.” Shamesh replied. “My vision is lower quality than average so most tasks with fine motor control and a delicate touch are far more difficult for me than others. Because of this, it is best for me to perform tasks that have a low probability of inflicting unnecessary damage or repair costs. Arms and armor are more resilient than most other objects.”
“What about cooking or gardening?” Isaac wondered.
“I cannot smell or taste. That would make me a below average cook.” Shamesh replied. “I do not believe that entrusting me with a living creature directly would be a positive experience for the creature’s growth due to the death mana that is exposed in my eyes.”
“All of your answers have been incredibly logical, Shamesh, but what would you prefer?” Isaac questioned.
“I… I do not know.” Shamesh replied after a moment of silent contemplation.
“Good.” Isaac replied. “That is a good start. If you figure it out, let me know, otherwise, continue on as normal.” He instructed the skeleton. “That should be a good marker for perceiving internal change.”
Shamesh bowed. “As you say.” He said to Isaac.
“Are your other tasks completed?” Isaac asked.
Shamesh nodded. “Yes. Everything has been cleaned to an acceptable level and the building is ready to receive furnishings. The new door to the cellar has been installed and the mess from the installation has also been cleaned.” Shamesh reported.
“Good.” Isaac replied. “We are finished here for now. Any spies have no doubt noticed your presence here so enter my shadow again just in case we need you.” Isaac instructed his retainer and rose to his feet. Shamesh did as well and bowed to Isaac. The void of the mage’s shadow opened up beneath him and brought him back to the realm of darkness and silence.