The next day, I woke up before Eldrek. The anticipation for the next stage in the forging process had me wide awake even before the sun peeked over the horizon. After a light breakfast filled with protein and minerals—thanks to Varnak’s crops—I couldn’t help but think aloud, “At least I won’t starve with that grumpy old man’s hard work around.”
Eldrek let out a soft laugh as he gathered his tools, and together, we headed to the workshop.
Once there, Eldrek suggested we start by trying a method to fuse the mineral into the blade, and then test it out. I would be in charge of putting the result to the test. I nodded, curious, and asked him what our first method would be.
“We’ll embed the mineral directly into the blade,” Eldrek explained. “We’ll carve a groove along the edge, and once the mineral is malleable, we’ll press it in to secure it. The idea is for it to act as a channel for your mana.”
“Won’t that be too complex?” I asked, frowning.
“Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee it’ll work. We’ll have to try, but we only have enough mineral for three attempts. So, we better get it right.”
With those words, we got to work. We spent the whole day in the workshop, focused and eager. We didn’t even stop to eat. The other giants finished their workday, but we kept going as if time didn’t exist.
Night fell, and finally, we were done. Looking at the sword, I had to admit it looked perfect at first glance. Anyone who saw it would think it was crafted by expert hands, not by two guys improvising techniques.
Eldrek, who was usually calm and patient, looked anxious this time. I noticed it when, still sweating and with trembling hands, he suggested we test the sword that very night.
“I’d force you to try it now, but I understand if you’d rather wait until morning,” he said, resting the sword on his legs as we sat outside the workshop.
I didn’t think twice. “No, I want to see the results now, too.”
“Good,” Eldrek said, standing up. “The next step is to infuse your mana into the sword.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?” I asked.
“I’ll act as a channel. With my skill, I’ll help you direct your mana to infuse it into the mineral. You just need to hold the sword while I place one hand on your shoulder and the other on the sword. Let your mana flow slowly until I tell you to stop.”
I slapped my cheeks to clear my mind. “Let’s do it.”
We got ready. Eldrek instructed me to start focusing my mana little by little, ensuring a steady flow. We didn’t need to overdo it; we just needed the mana to integrate into the sword stably. I nodded, and after a few seconds of silence, I began.
The process didn’t take long. Soon, the sword emitted a faint blue glow, subtly lighting up the night. I watched as that light danced around the blade, amazed at the beauty of the result. Eldrek smiled and said, “It’s done.”
“Really?” I asked, still in disbelief. I noticed he was slightly out of breath as he said it.
At that moment, we heard heavy footsteps approaching. We turned our heads and saw Gronn, walking over with a grin. “Wow! I’ve been watching from afar, and I must say, that was something unique to witness. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Grinning from ear to ear, I replied, excited, “I think the sword turned out perfect. It’s strange, but I feel like I can make cleaner cuts with it.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Eldrek said.
“We could test it out away from the village, so we don’t disturb anyone,” Gronn suggested, seizing the opportunity to ask if he could come along. “I know I wasn’t part of the process, but I’m curious to see if it’ll work.”
“Of course,” Eldrek replied. “Let’s go right away.”
We headed toward a rocky area, far from the village. Eldrek suggested I start by testing the sword against the rocks, doing basic cuts at first, then using mana. “Let the magic flow through it,” he said.
I got ready. First, I made a few cuts without magic. To my surprise, the sword sliced through the rock like it was butter. We looked at each other without saying a word but with astonished expressions.
Then, I decided to use magic. As I did, the blue glow on the sword mingled with black sparks, creating a mesmerizing effect. I made a precise cut on another rock, splitting it in half, but this time the magic seemed to stay embedded in the stone as if it was starting to consume it slowly. We approached the rock, fascinated by the effect.
“What in the world just happened?” Gronn said, thrilled. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in my whole life!”
“Eldrek! Do you realize the process worked perfectly?” I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.
Eldrek, however, remained thoughtful, arms crossed and a hand on his chin. Gronn noticed his expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy with the result?”
“It’s too soon to call it a success. Darius, this time I want you to try making a cut with a lot of magic, to see if the sword is stable.”
Even though I found it hard to believe something could go wrong, I nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it.” Eldrek and Gronn stepped back, giving me space to focus.
This time, I poured more mana, filling the sword with chaotic magic. The blade turned completely black, glowing with dark, fluid sparks that seemed to vibrate. The sword started to tremble, but I thought it was normal given the magic’s intensity. I fixed my gaze on a larger rock, and with a shout, I leaped toward it, ready to strike.
Before I could touch the rock, the sword shook violently and exploded into a thousand pieces, throwing me to the ground. I felt the impact, and soon pain spread through my entire body. Eldrek and Gronn ran toward me. I saw my hands, bloody, wounded, and burned, with fragments of the sword lodged in my torso. Luckily, they weren’t deep, but the damage was done.
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“Darius, are you okay?!” they shouted, helping me to my feet.
The pain was sharp, but more than that, what really hurt was the failure. “I thought the sword was perfect… I don’t know what went wrong.”
Eldrek took out the herbs we had gathered from the forest spirit and began removing the fragments from my torso. “Apply the paste to the wounds. It’ll speed up the healing.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as I spread the paste. Gronn, in a sympathetic tone, added, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. For a moment, I thought we’d nailed it.”
Eldrek sighed. “It’s a shame, yes, but I still think it could work if we modify the embedding process. The issue is the mineral’s stability when it’s overloaded with magic.”
As I kept applying the paste, I tried to smile. “Hopefully, we won’t need more of this… or we’ll have to go back to the spirit,” I joked.
Eldrek managed a grin. Gronn, surprised, asked, “The herbs were from a forest spirit? You’ve got to tell me about that!”
On our way back to the village, Eldrek and I started telling Gronn about that peculiar encounter with the forest spirit.
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Despite the previous night’s failure, neither Eldrek nor I let it defeat us. We knew this wouldn’t be easy, and the ambition to achieve something like this was immense. So, at first light, we were back in the workshop. My wounds felt better; they still hurt a bit, but they wouldn’t stop me. As we gathered our tools, I approached Eldrek and asked:
“Do you have a clear plan for this time?”
Eldrek nodded. “We’re going to try a new technique. This time, we’ll melt the mineral with the steel during the forging process, creating an alloy. I’ll use my skill to stabilize the mixture, but it’ll be more exhausting for me.”
Before I could respond, Gronn appeared, greeting us with his usual energy. “I hope you have better luck today!” he said with a smile. We both thanked him, and he added, “When it’s ready, I’d like to be there for the test again.”
“That’ll cost you a few coins,” I replied, half-joking.
Gronn laughed and slapped me on the shoulder, nearly knocking me over. I wobbled for a moment, and he just smiled, as if unaware of his strength. Then, he said goodbye and walked off, leaving Eldrek and me ready to start.
We got to work, knowing this attempt would require even more effort. Throughout the day, Eldrek’s excessive use of his skill began to take its toll.
Every so often, we had to stop to rest; he’d breathe deeply, trying to catch his breath, but he didn’t give up. We kept going, adjusting every little detail, making sure the alloy would be perfect this time.
Night fell, and once again, the workshop was lit only by the faint oil lanterns hanging on the walls. It was already dawn when we finally finished.
Eldrek was completely drained, sweat dripping down his forehead as we stepped out of the workshop with the sword in hand. At first glance, it looked perfect, just like the last one. But this time, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I was the one who asked Eldrek if he wanted to test it immediately.
He was munching on a fruit, trying to recover his energy. He took a deep breath and replied, “Sure.”
From afar, I saw Gronn outside his house, watching us intently. It was clear he’d been keeping an eye on us the whole time, and when he saw me step out with the sword, he walked over. I laughed and commented to Eldrek, “Looks like Gronn’s as excited as we are to see the result.”
Eldrek nodded with a slight smile. “He’s the only one in the village who’s truly been a friend. We grew up together and have shared a lot.”
“I see,” I replied, understanding a bit more about their bond.
Gronn arrived, eager, and asked, “So? Ready to give it a go?”
Eldrek laughed, exhausted but cheerful. “You make it sound easy, but yes, let’s see how it goes this time.”
We repeated the mana infusion process with the sword, but this time I noticed Eldrek was even more drained than before. Once we finished, he wobbled and nearly fell, but Gronn quickly steadied him.
“Don’t push yourself so hard, friend,” Gronn said.
“He’s right,” I added. “Maybe we’re overdoing it when no one’s actually rushing us.”
Eldrek regained his composure and, though he still looked a bit dizzy, he nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Let’s see how this test goes, and then we can talk about proceeding more cautiously.”
“Alright,” I replied, feeling a mix of anxiety and hope.
The three of us headed to the same spot where we’d done the test the night before, hoping things would be different this time. When we arrived, Eldrek dropped onto a rock, still winded, and simply told me to proceed like before.
I prepared myself, this time with more caution. First, I tested the blade, cutting a rock with no trouble. Everything seemed fine, but as I started channeling my mana into the sword, I noticed something odd. The blade’s glow flickered, fluctuating in a way I hadn’t seen before.
As I made cuts on the rocks, Eldrek and Gronn noticed the same issue. The sword sliced through the stones effectively, but only sometimes did they retain my magic.
Gronn leaned toward Eldrek and commented, “The sword isn’t stable; it doesn’t seem to hold Darius’s magic. That’ll waste mana unnecessarily.”
Eldrek nodded thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on the sword as he tried to figure out a solution. I decided to give it one last shot, this time using more magic. Before doing it, I jokingly yelled, “Get the healing herb ready, Eldrek!”
Gronn burst out laughing. “I like this dwarf,” he said as I focused on filling the sword with mana. I struck another rock, but nothing unusual happened. It was a clean cut, but the sword dimmed afterward, as if it had lost all its energy. I took a deep breath and walked over to where Eldrek and Gronn stood, trying to hide my frustration.
“I think this sword is a bust,” I said, exhausted. “It worked sometimes, but…”
“It’s an instability issue,” Eldrek interrupted, sighing. “We need to fix it.”
He fell silent, staring at the ground and rubbing his forehead as if searching for another way to make it work. Gronn, trying to lift our spirits, commented, “At least it didn’t explode this time.”
“And for that, I’m grateful,” I replied, forcing a smile.
Eldrek stood up slowly, dusting off his hands. “We’ll have to think of another way, but for now, I’m out of clear ideas.”
We started heading back to the village, each of us lost in our thoughts. Near the houses, Gronn suddenly made a gesture, as if an idea had struck him. He stopped and looked at Eldrek and me with a thoughtful expression.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, curious.
Gronn turned to Eldrek and said, “What if, instead of merging the mineral with the steel or embedding it directly, we do something different? We could create internal cavities inside the sword, almost like small hidden compartments, and place crystallized fragments of the mineral inside. This way, instead of overloading the mineral in one area, we could let the mana flow through these independent crystals, like small channels. It’d be more efficient to absorb and release energy without risking overload.”
Eldrek listened in silence, hand on his chin, visualizing the process. Gronn, eager, asked when he finished, “What do you think of the idea?”
After a pause, Eldrek nodded slowly. “I think it could work.”
“Wow, I thought you were just a brute without a brain,” I joked.
Gronn laughed and, as always, gave me a slap on the shoulder that threw me off balance. His laughter was so loud that a giant from inside his house yelled angrily for us to keep it down. Gronn, realizing his own carelessness, quickly covered his mouth.
Eldrek chuckled subtly and then said, “It’s time to rest. We’ll try Gronn’s idea, but first, let’s take a day off. The strain from the past few days has taken a toll on me.”
I was surprised to hear that from Eldrek, someone who never seemed to stop. “Alright, it sounds wise to take a day off,” I replied, relieved at the chance to recharge.
Gronn said goodbye, adding, “If it works, I expect a commission when you sell them, Eldrek.”
Eldrek smiled, wrapping up the day. But not without saying, “I think you should be part of the process this time, Gronn. After all, it was your idea.”
Gronn, taken aback and speechless, finally said, “I don’t know, my friend, all this started with you, and I don’t want to take that from you…”
“Think about it. We can talk it over later.”