The queue only had one person before her so she only had to wait till later in the evening.

She spent quite some time in the library and once she returned to the workshop it was close to closing time. Still she wanted to take the test and Camedyr having no problem with it proceeded to gave it to her.

Camedyr and Aleyn were in his office and she was about to finish the exam.

"Faiiled ~" Camedyr said with a slight singing tone.

"What!? Why? Where?" Aleyn cried out.

"You don't heat adamantite in the deep end of the forge, that ruins its durability once it solidifies, Adamantium on the other hand you want to heat as high as you can at the end of the forge because otherwise it will not give in. Also this right here isn't dranium its hardened dranium, you can see the difference when you put it against light as there's a slight blue hue when you look at it closer.

Aleyn had her hands on her face as she thought things through.

"I failed.."

"Cheer up, it's not the end of the world. You can re-try after Kyrtaar has had a go at it tomorrow." Camedyr patted her shoulder.

"It's time to close the shop now, go and get some sleep and try and dream of metal."

Camedyr left his office to shoo the workers out.

Aleyn couldn't believe she had failed, she had great confidence in her memory and learning but had it really been too much for her? Would Camedyr go out of his way to fail her for some reason? If he did it would be very uncharacteristic of him. She looked at the table which still had the ore on it and the parcel for the library cards. She stared at the ore for a few minutes and left.

When Camedyr came back Aleyn had already left long ago. He took some time to clean up the ore from the table while trying to figure out which ones he should use for tomorrows exam. While cleaning up he picked up the parchel and the stack of cards fell on the table scattering them all over it.

"Sigh, dammit."

He picked up the scattered stack and started counting through them.

"Twenty one, twenty two, twenty... wait."

Two cards were missing. He took a look around the floor even though he was sure that the stack had fallen on the table, yet two cards were missing. He went through all of the cards and as he had gone through them he knew exactly which ones were missing.

"Did that girl really?" He sighed.

The next day Camedyr eagerly waited to hear from Aleyn, but she didn't come in the morning. In the evening he gave Kyrtaar his exam and he failed again, but Camedyr couldn't give him the cards as they were missing. As time went by he was starting to wonder if Aleyn had done something stupid like stolen the books, they were worth a lot as very few other men had done such extensive research as he had.

He was doing some paper work in his office later in the evening and a knock came on the door.

"Come in."

And to Camedyrs surprise the one he had been waiting for entered the room, but after a quick look at her she didn't seem okay.

Aleyn walked slowly and her body wavered from left to right slightly, under her eyes she had the most distinct dark rings he had ever seen and her face looked pale. She threw the two missing cards on the table.

"I want to take the exam again."

"You sure?" He asked since she didn't seem to be alright.

"Yes, I'm sure." she said with a slight spiteful tone.

He looked at her sorry state. She looked like she hadn't slept since they last saw each other. She should have really gone to sleep or at least eaten before she came here. He was thinking of forcing her to retire for the day but it didn't look like she would go willingly.

Camedyr reached behind himself and picked a bag out of the nearby chest and stated looking for specific ore. The bag looked to be filled with many ore and bars, it took some time for him to even find one ore which he placed on the table. But at that point it looked like Aleyn had had enough and she snatched the bag from his hands.

"Thats mithril, you heat it normally like steel and iron. You forge it in the same matter as both as well but due to its higher heat resistance you have to reheat it multiple times more."

She picked up another piece at random and took a quick look at it then placed it on the table.

"Hardened adamantite, you heat it in a steady temperature and forge it by hitting the edges first while working towards the middle of the bar. Once its in a flat state you can forge it however you wish to."

She kept picking up things out of the bag and explaining properties and processes to Camedyr who sat there quietly while listening. Even after the first ten ores she kept taking them out and explaining. The bag had 30 odd something ore and bars in it and once she had placed them all on the table and the bag was empty she shook the bag upside down in the air once or twice before collapsing completely on the table in front of her.

Camedyr kept looking at her for a while. She had explained all of the ore in an adequate manner, she definitely passed but what had she done since yesterday? Did she really take the cards and read the whole night until now? In the end it didn't really matter, she was alright and the cards were returned.

Not wanting to let her lay on his desk Camedyr made a makeshift bed out of some empty bags on the floor and lifted her off the desk.

"Come on miss stubborn. Lets have a good rest at least." He said as placed her on the bags.

Camedyr left the office where Aleyn was resting even with all the hammering and yelling in the workshop. Camedyr went to have a quick look at everyone in the forge area and then head out to get something.

Aleyn slept like a rock and after few hours she started to hear the hammering in the workshop which gradually woke her up. She had a massive head ache and her body felt frail, after a bit of sobering up she realized she was laying on the floor in Camedyrs office which was empty. She looked around for a bit to confirm and then noticed something peculiar. There was a bowl sitting on Camedyrs table and a slight aroma in the air. With her empty stomach rumbling she approached the bowl and confirmed what she expected it to be. Fish stew, it was the fish stew she had bought a few days ago at Broken horn. At that point her self restraint was pretty low so she sat down and started eating the stew without care if it was actually for her.

While in the midle of eating she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The door opened and Camedyr stepped in.

"Awake at last huh. Feeling better? You looked pretty shit earlier."

"Yes, thank you." It didn't take much to realize that Camedyr had placed her on the bag bed and brought her some soup.

Camedyr sat down on his chair and looked at the girl eating her soup.

"You do realize what you did was pretty stupid right?" He asked.

"I didn't take failing the exam too well..."

Camedyr looked at her sorry expression.

"No kidding. Do I now have to keep an eye on you if you fail anything in the future?"

Aleyn had a complex expression while she seemed to be thinking something. In the end she only sighed.

"You're right, it was stupid. Blacksmiths are meant to have patience and I after failing went and did all of this."

"There's no harm in being stubborn as a blacksmith, but I can't think of a worse way to treat yourself than reading in a dusty cellar over a night to the point where you collapse." Camedyr frowned.

"You're right boss. I'm sorry." Aleyn shrunk down.

"Now that you're a rank two you really need to watch it. I'm not gonna tolerate you trying to kill yourself in my workshop."

She nodded in understanding and then realized what he had just said.

"Wait, you're letting me pass?"

"Well of course. You explained everything correctly and identified the pieces perfectly. No real reason not to pass you." He explained.

"Thank you boss. I can promise this will not happen again in my life time."

Camedyr gave a slight smile

"We can talk more tomorrow. I want you to go and have a proper meal not just soup and after that you're going to bed."

"With pleasure." She agreed while finishing her bowl.

The next day she was up early and immediately left for the workshop. When she arrived Camedyr was already giving instructions around. Camedyr took his time to give orders around in the high ranker side. Kyrtaar was amongst them, he had been there even earlier than Aleyn and took his third try at the exam and finally passed.

Kyrtaar was working with a small blade and something that looked a diamond the size of a fingertip.

"Ah girl you're here early, good good." Camedyr walked up to her.

"Morning boss. Whats Kyrtaar doing?"

"Rank two stuff." he said with a straight face.

"Well I'm a rank two. What is he doing?" she asked with a slight annoyed tone.

Camedyr rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Kyrtaar over there is focusing on that crystal and trying to transfer his magical energy in to it just enough for it to lose a little bit of its structure so he can stick it in to that blade without much complications. If he puts too much in to it, it will most likely explode and cause a small feedback."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Aleyn nodded.

"You don't have a clue do you?" Camedyr asked.

"Nope!" she said in an honest manner

"That's why you didn't need to know. You got a long way to go before you get to where Kyrtaar is at." Camedyr claimed.

"A long way? How's Kyrtaar doing it today already then? Didn't he pass just today?"

"Kyrtaar over there has the privilege of knowing magic already. As far as I know you can't even operate your badge." Camedyr snorted.

She couldn't deny that statement. Any time someone had used her badge she had tried to make it work without any results.

"Well not everyone learns to use magic without outside assistance so that right there is what we need to fix. Your task for today is to visit little Nancy."

"Who?" She had no clue.

"Little Nancy is a friend of mine, that girl has been working in the magic industry for decades. You got your map with you?"

Camedyr showed a north side of the city.

"Nancy's shop is around the north west side of the city, her shop has a billboard with a wand on it. It's not that big so it might take some time to find. I occasionally send students who can't use magic to her so shes pretty reliable, give her this."

Camedyr handed a letter to Aleyn and she took off. The only thing she needed to have was the letter so she left her backpack at the workshop.

On the way to little Nancy she was in her thoughts.

"A litle shop with a billboard that has a wand on it at the north west side of the city. Shouldn't be that hard to find... wait."

She stood in front of the little house with a bill board that had a wand on it. The first day when she had arrived to Dvalfgar she had taken a tour around the city and stumbled in to this shop.

"Was that little Nancy back then? But she was a little girl surely... though the name little Nancy..."

She stepped inside to the familiar store with walls covered in bookshelves that were filled to the brim with books. Walking to the back of the store she noticed the little ram girl sitting on a stool reading a book without a title. She didn't notice her approach until Aleyn was right in front of her.

The little ram girl jumped off her stool and stared at Aleyn from below.

"Ooh its customer! You think you buy expensive book this time?" She asked with her slightly broken speech.

"Erm no I'm afraid. I'm looking for little Nancy. Are you little Nancy?" Aleyn asked.

The ram girl looked at her with her gleaming eyes and tilted her head.

"I little Gilly no Nancy, Granny Nancy upstairs." She pointed at the stairs at the corner of the room.

"Granny Nancy?" She thought to herself.

"Erm, can I talk to her? She asked with an unsure tone.

Gilly took long hops and climbed up the stairs while yelling.

"Granny, customer want talk."

Aleyn could hear some muffled talk through the floor but nothing more. In a few moments Gilly hopped down the stairs and came to her again.

"Granny want know what customer want."

"Erm, I was sent by my teacher here and he said to talk to little Nancy. Oh and he gave me this letter." She explained and handed the letter to the little girl.

Gilly took the letter and hopped back up the stairs and there was another set of muffled conversation. She waited patiently until the little ram hopped down the stairs again.

"Granny ask you come upstairs."

"Oh, okay. Thank you." Aleyn answered.

"No problem customer." the little girl raised her high voice in a cheerful tone.

Aleyn walked up the wooden stairs and at the top took a look around. There were a few rooms but one door at the back of the corridor was open so she went there. Stepping inside the room she took a look around and noticed it was pretty empty, there were a few cabinets and some odd items but the rooms main attraction was a big cushioned chair in the middle of it which was turned away from her as she entered.

"Come in, it's been a while since Camedyr sent anyone."

A clear voice echoed from in front of Aleyn. She took steps inside unsure of anything other than that the voice came from behind the chair.

Having gotten in front of the chair she could now see the source of the voice. Granny Nancy was not a fitting name is what she first thought.

The person sitting in that chair was another beast man with rams characteristics. She looked very much like Gilly on the first floor but she was a lot taller and she looked more mature in the proper places.

Oddly enough her horns were small, usually the older a ram got the bigger their horns got. She wore a thick purple veil over herself that covered her from neck to toe and some odd looking jewelry.

Like having read Aleyns mind she spoke.

"Yes, our people have very strong inheritance. Most generations strongly resemble each other."

Aleyn was slightly shocked but when you thought about it more, it was probably a common occurrence for her.

"Please, sit down." Nancy asked.

There was a stool right in front of Nancys chair. It didn't look like something they usually kept there so Gilly probably had moved it there before leaving.

"So a little girl like you has reached the point where they need to know magic to advance forward. Tell me, how is Camedyr doing these days, its been a while since we've talked."

Aleyn talked about her days in the workshop. From the first time she met him to yesterday when he had scolded her.

"Oh, that man never changes even after all. Well, enough about the past. You want to learn how to use magic and theres only one thing to do." Nancy stated.

She straightened her posture in the chair and gestured towards Aleyn.

"Pull yourself closer girl."

Aleyn pulled her stool in front of Nancy.

"What we're going to do is. I'm going to transfer my magical energy to you, a common practice amongst magicians. To them it replenishes ones depleted energy, but to a person with no magical power it causes a chain reaction in your body. Awakening your own power."

She took hold of Aleyns hands which startled her slightly.

"Don't be afraid. At first it will feel like your body is being intruded on, but once the reaction starts it will feel like you've discovered a long lost limb that was always attached to you." She explained.

"Once it starts you should naturally know how to control it to a certain extend and after that point you're ready to advance to different elements of magic or in your case enchanting since you're a blacksmith." She continued.

"Are you ready?"

Aleyn nodded.

"Then let us begin."

At first it felt like nothing was going on, but in a moment the air around them started to feel thicker and there was a slight breeze coming from Nancy. It seemed odd to Aleyn, wasn't she suppose to feel like her body was intruded upon? And that's when she felt it. It was as if insects were crawling through Nancys hands in to her hands. It felt extremely uncomfortable for a few seconds as it engulfed her whole body. Nancy released Aleyns hands and observed her in silence, was something wrong?

No, it was just delayed. Aleyns spine jerked in a fast motion and her whole body convulsed in a steady pulse few times, if the bugs under her felt extremely uncomfortable this felt like someone was forcibly bending her.

The pulses ended and she felt extremely fatigued. Nancy was about to open her mouth, but then something that even she wasn't expecting happened.

Aleyn convulsed again and emitted a small wave which had enough power to push around furniture. Nancy already felt it coming and raise both of her hands out to her sides. The pulse was negated by her own. She narrowed her eyes on Aleyn.

"What are you doing Aleyn?" Nancy questioned her with a raised voice.

"I'm not doing anything!" She said in a distressed manner.

To Aleyn it felt like she had lost all control over her own self. She could try and move her limbs, but ultimately the force coming out of her had the reigns as she dropped on her knees.

A constant stream of energy flowed out and Nancy felt it, she knew what was going on. Aleyn was deflating like a balloon and once that balloon was empty she would go in to a state which could danger her life.

Nancy quickly moved her right hand towards Aleyn and exerted her will on her at which point Aleyn could only feel her consciousness slip away as she fell on the ground.

Nancy flipped her on her back with her power over her and noticed something distressing. The flow had disappeared, but even now she was still deflating her power while unconscious. It wasn't at a dangerous level like before as it was replaced by her own regenerated power. Nancy shook her head and stood up from her chair.