Chapter 9 - Proper Tool

With unwavering focus, she hammered away at the blade on her anvil, each strike sending a shower of sparks into the air. She was in her element, the rhythmic pounding of metal against metal filling the forge with the melody of creation. The lines were nearly perfect, and each of her blows got it just a little bit closer. This blade would make her father proud, and maybe even sad, since it would prove that she was better than him at this point. She felt it, for sure this time.

The sparks, dancing like fiery sprites in the air, suddenly took on a new intensity, blooming into a red fireball that caught Mia off guard. 'Huh?' she thought, her concentration broken. Turning to her left, she realized the fiery red wasn't from her forge but from Lilly, who had entered the workshop without making a sound. Probably.

"And you call me obsessed, look at you!" Lilly exclaimed, with fake outrage on her face.

"Lilly! Nice to see you, but you're interrupting something infinitely important," Mia responded, half-exasperated, half-amused.

"Really? That sword looks so bent though," Lilly teased. The blade was clearly not in a good shape, even she could tell.

"Shut it, it will be perfect soon! I just need a few more blows," Mia retorted, unwilling to admit that the battle with this blade was lost.

Lilly observed Mia, rarely having seen her this absorbed in her work. "What's so special about it?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"What do you mean? It's obviously mithril, super hard to forge properly," Mia replied, with exasperation in her voice.

"Oh, of course, now I see it. How stupid of me," Lilly said, with blunt sarcasm. “I’m not a smith Mia.”

"It's a test Dad made for me, or more of a bet, I guess," Mia explained, her gaze returning to the cooling metal.

Realizing the metal had lost too much heat, Mia knew she had to reheat it. But as she looked at the sword, she decided to call it a day. "Ah, forget it. Next time, though," she said, pointing a stern finger at the metal as if admonishing it.

"Isn't mithril super expensive?" Lilly asked, having heard about it somewhere before.

"Yeah, more than its weight in gold. It's not very heavy, but this junk," Mia said, frustratedly gesturing to the blade, "is still worth about 800 gold."

"Wow, I didn't know you guys were rich," Lilly remarked, her eyes widening at the value.

"Well, we can afford to spend a lot on metal as long as we use it to make something. We're basically increasing its value," Mia explained, her tone matter-of-fact.

"Oh, that makes sense. But that sword doesn’t look very valuable at the moment," Lilly teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

Mia sighed, "I know. I challenged Dad about not buying mithril because he said it was too hard to forge. I said something like 'for you maybe', and he bought some just to prove a point. Now here I am, stuck with it."

"But you’re not stubborn, right? So you’ll just admit you were wrong, and everything will be fine, right?" Lilly said, knowing very well that wasn’t going to happen.

Mia scowled at her. "If the forge was hot enough, and the hammer was hard enough, I would have done it no problem!"

"I'm sure," Lilly replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Silence you, I'm doing this for your sake, you know," Mia shot back.

"What? How?" Lilly asked, puzzled.

"Mithril is excellent at holding mana. It can handle more powerful enchantments than most materials. I was thinking it'd be perfect for your enchanting," Mia explained, her tone softening.

Lilly shook her head, smiling. "What is with people thinking I’m some amazing enchantress? I’ve only done one enchantment! It will be ages before I need some fancy metal to work with."

Mia laughed, her voice echoing in the forge. "I'm sure you'll get there before you know it, Lilly. And then maybe you could make me a hammer that doesn’t break from doing its job!" She gestured frustratedly towards her hammer, its condition deteriorating from the repeated strikes on the tough mithril.

Lilly, surprised, asked, "... You're strong enough to bend the hammer? Mia, what do you usually eat?"

"It's just about training, I'm hammering every day, you know," Mia replied, shrugging off the feat as routine.

Lilly remembered something Eldrin had mentioned during one of their lessons. "Is it like how warriors use mana to gain strength?"

"What? No, I'm not doing anything special, just hammering," Mia said, a bit confused.

"Well, Eldrin told me warriors use mana to strengthen their bodies instinctively and that they train that unconsciously whenever they use it. Isn't that a lot like what you do?" Lilly probed, curious about the similarity.

"Uh, I guess. But doesn't everyone do that then?" Mia questioned, considering the idea.

"I'm not sure. I know muscles get bigger with use, but I don't know if that's the same thing. Could I try... No, actually, forget it," Lilly hesitated, her voice trailing off.

"What?" Mia pressed, straightening up, her interest clearly piqued.

"Nothing." Lilly avoided Mia's gaze, looking anywhere but at her.

Mia stepped closer, a playful yet determined glint in her eyes. "I'm going to keep asking."

"It's weird," Lilly mumbled.

"You're weird, I'm used to it." Mia chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Lilly sighed, finally meeting Mia's eyes. "Fine then. I was thinking I could try touching you and putting my mana inside you while you forged.”

Mia raised an eyebrow, a smirk appearing on her face. "... You've done weirder things."

"But... I would be able to feel... your entire body," Lilly said, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"...Oh," Mia said, her teasing demeanor faltering as realization dawned on her.

"Yeah."

"... Like my emotions as well?" Mia asked, her tone now more serious, reflecting the intimacy of what Lilly proposed.

"No, just exactly what you look like I think, even on the inside. Let's not, I haven’t tried it on anything living before. Just plants," Lilly quickly added, clearly uncomfortable with the implications.

"If plants are fine, I don't see why I wouldn't be," Mia argued, her curiosity overriding her initial hesitation.

"Plucked plants," Lilly clarified.

"C'mon Lilly, I really want to know if I'm using mana now. Maybe I'm almost like a warrior after all?" Mia's voice carried a mix of excitement and curiosity.

"It would be weird though."

"We're both girls, Lilly, and it's not like we've never bathed together," Mia pointed out, trying to ease Lilly’s hesitance.

Lilly was curious too, she had to admit. “Fine, it’s up to you.”

"Great, should I undress first?" Mia said, clearly amused by Lilly's discomfort.

"Please don't. I only need to touch your hand or something," Lilly responded quickly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Okay, here." Mia extended her hand for Lilly to take.

Lilly took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Tell me right away if you feel something's off or you want me to stop, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it," Mia replied, eager to see what would happen.

Lilly concentrated on the spell she used to see fine details, attempting to push her mana into Mia's hand. However, she felt a resistance, an invisible barrier preventing her mana from entering.

"Huh, I can't get in. Could you try... letting me in somehow?" Lilly asked, puzzled.

"How do I do that?" Mia inquired, equally baffled.

"I don't know, just try thinking ‘welcome in’ or something," Lilly suggested.

Mia closed her eyes, focusing on allowing Lilly access. Suddenly, Lilly's mana flowed into Mia, and Lilly was overwhelmed with a flood of sensations. She could sense everything about Mia – her emotions, her thoughts, even something deep and intrinsic that felt like her very core.

"Aaah, not that far in!" Lilly exclaimed, startled by the intensity of the connection. She jerked her hand back, breaking the contact.

"What happened? Lilly?" Mia asked, concerned.

"Uh, I could feel everything. Your feelings and senses, and I think I even felt your soul or something... I'm sorry," Lilly said, still trying to process the experience.

Mia took a moment to recover. "Don't be, it's no problem. I don’t have much to hide from you, Lilly."

"Well, I feel weird. That was way too intimate. I didn’t even get to check your mana, sorry," Lilly confessed, still shaken.

"What? No, try again! I think I can control it better this time. Nothing worse can happen, right?" Mia encouraged her, her curiosity outweighing her initial shock.

"I guess... Okay, give me your hand then," Lilly said, preparing to attempt the connection once more. "Try letting me in slowly this time," Lilly instructed, bracing herself for the unusual experience.

Mia closed her eyes, focusing. "Are you ready, Lilly?"

"Yup, go ahead."

This time, Lilly felt her mana enter Mia at a more controlled pace, halting before delving too deep into her core. She could feel every part of Mia's body – the flow of her blood, the tension in her muscles, the solidity of her bones, and the texture of her skin. It was still an intensely intimate experience, but far more manageable than their first attempt.

"Okay, it's going as I hoped this time. Now I can sense your body perfectly," Lilly confirmed, slightly red in her cheeks.

"Do you see any mana?" Mia asked, eager to know the results.

"Not yet. I see some pathways that could be for mana, but they're empty. Can you try using your hammer?" Lilly suggested.

"Sure, do I go full force?" Mia picked up her hammer, ready to test the theory.

"You probably only need a bit of force. Try gradually increasing it, and I'll tell you if I notice anything."

Mia began hammering a piece of wood on the anvil. Almost immediately, Lilly sensed mana flowing from Mia's heart to her right arm and shoulder.

"I see it! You're really using mana to strengthen your body," Lilly exclaimed, fascinated by the discovery.

"Wow, really!? Cool! Is it a lot?" Mia asked, stopping to look at Lilly.

"I guess? It's less than what I put into you, but it's definitely there. It's focusing straight into your muscles, enhancing their contractions. It's amazing how it happens instinctively," Lilly observed, intrigued by this natural process.

"Well, I guess it makes sense. I've seen warriors lift weights way beyond normal human capability. It's got to be more than just muscle power. Can you check my dad to compare?" Mia asked, curious about the extent of her own abilities.

Lilly shook her head firmly. "I'm never doing this on anyone else again, Mia. We're close friends, but even doing it to you feels way too invasive."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't think it through.” This time it was her turn to get pink cheeks.

Lilly, seeing Mia's understanding, let out a small sigh of relief. “Can you try going full force just once?” she then asked, her curiosity piqued by the display of Mia's strength and the flow of mana.

“Sure, here I go!” Mia replied with a determined look.

As Mia swung the hammer with all her might, a massive surge of mana burst from her heart, rushing through her body with incredible force. The mana concentrated heavily in her right hand and shoulder, powering her strike. Before Lilly could even react, the piece of wood on the anvil shattered into splinters, and the hammer broke clean in two. Splinters flew everywhere, but fortunately, none were fast enough to cause any real harm.

“Hells, Mia, you’re dangerous! That was a ton of mana flowing through you,” Lilly exclaimed, both impressed and slightly alarmed.

Mia, looking at the broken hammer and the remains of the wood, said, “Ooh, I kinda feel it, like there’s a bit less of something in me now. I didn’t expect that much force honestly. You owe me a new hammer by the way.”

“Nice try, that one was close to breaking anyway,” Lilly countered, eyeing the remnants of the hammer.

“No, that was this one,” Mia corrected her, picking up the earlier used hammer, which was still somewhat intact. “The one I just broke was new.”

Lilly looked at the broken hammer, a mix of awe and caution in her eyes. “... Remind me to not mess with you in the future, please. But if you need a better hammer, I think I could enchant one to be a lot more sturdy. If you give me one to work with.”

“Oh, that would be amazing, Lilly! Hang on, I want to make one myself for that,” Mia said, her enthusiasm reignited by the prospect of a new project.

“Speaking of making things, the reason I came was actually to ask if you could make a carving tool for me, for enchanting,” Lilly mentioned, shifting the topic to her original purpose.

“Oh, sure. What should it be like?” Mia asked, already mentally sifting through designs and materials.

“Something like a pen, I think. Just a metal piece with a pointy end. And since I need the tool for carving, can you carve this rune on it when you’re done?” Lilly pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, displaying a rune that signified ‘sharp’.

Mia studied the rune. “That seems doable. Does it have to be precisely like this?”

“Not really, just something similar should work fine,” Lilly reassured her.

“Then no problem! I can have it ready by tomorrow, along with the hammer if you want?” Mia offered, her enthusiasm evident.

“Sounds great! I’ll come by again then, Mia,” Lilly said, pleased with the arrangement.

“Could I come over instead? I kind of want to see you at work,” Mia said, with an excited look in her eyes.

“Sure, I’d be happy to have you over. See you then!”

As Lilly left the forge, she could hear the familiar sound of Mia gearing up to start on the new projects. Walking away, Lilly’s mind wandered back to the moment she had felt Mia's inner self through their mana connection. She had no intention of prying into Mia’s personal thoughts or feelings out of respect for her friend, but she clearly remembered the bond of friendship and shared ambitions she felt towards herself at that moment. And maybe a tiny spark of something else as well. But Lilly decided to pretend she never saw anything.

‘We all have our secrets.’