Zane, Darius, and Garrick stood in front of the forge. The air was thick. Not just from the heat, but from the doom of being promised “light work” and knowing you’ve been lied to.

“Remind me why I’m here again?” Zane grumbled, sweat dripping. “What if we break something? Or worse, what if the whole place explodes?”

Garrick wiped his anvil and chuckled. “Relax, Zane. It’s just metal, fire, and hard work. You’ll be fine. Probably.”

“Probably?” Zane shot back. “Comforting, Garrick. Really comforting.”

Darius stared into the forge. “Upgrading to bronze is important. The village needs it.”

Zane threw his hands up. “Great. Just the whole village depending on us. No pressure!”

Garrick clapped Zane on the shoulder. “With all the ore you brought, we’re ready to start. First, we melt it down. Then, we upgrade the forge. And if nothing blows up, we make those new tools for Lyra and Mira.”

Lyra. Zane’s brain short-circuited just hearing her name. She could get anyone to do anything. Make peace with dragons? No problem. Evade taxes? Easy. She could probably convince a rock to open a bank account.

Finn burst into the doorway. “Can I help, Father?”

Garrick put the hammer down, his face softening. “Finn, aren’t you supposed to be helping your mother?”

“You promised I could learn the forge!” Finn insisted, eyes wide and hopeful.

Garrick looked at Darius, who nodded. Then at Zane, who sighed like he had been asked to do cardio.

“Alright, Finn,” Garrick said. “But listen. No touching hot things. No whining if you get burned. And definitely no running to your mother if something blows up.”

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Finn lit up like the forge itself. “Yes, Father! I’ll be the best helper ever!” He rushed forward, grabbing gloves that were way too big for him.

Zane groaned. “Great. A mini blacksmith. Just what we needed. A kid-sized fire hazard.”

Garrick smirked. “More hands means less work for you, Zane.”

“Or more work for me when I have to babysit,” Zane said.

“First lesson, Finn,” Garrick said, holding up some tongs. “Respect the tools and the fire. They can be your best friends or your worst enemies.”

Finn copied his dad’s stance with his own small tongs. “I’ll be careful, Father.”

Garrick fired up the forge. Flames roared. Instant sauna.

Zane stumbled back, waving his arms. “Hot! Too hot! Did someone make this a volcano?”

“How long until we can work the bronze?” Darius asked.

“Soon,” Garrick replied. “Once it’s melted, we’ll pour it into the molds. We should have tools by midday.”

Finn’s eyes were wide as he watched the metal bubble. “It looks like liquid gold!”

Garrick smiled at his son. “Treasure doesn’t mean much if we can’t shape it into something useful.” He ruffled Finn’s hair, and the boy beamed.

“So what now?” Zane asked. “Do we just sit here while I melt, or is there more grunt work?”

Garrick’s lips twitched. “Why don’t you organize the molds? They’re in the back, near the quenching barrels.”

“Organizing molds? Great, all the exciting jobs.” Zane walked off, grumbling. “Why did I sign up for this? Oh right, the village falls apart without me. Classic Zane. Saving everyone. One boring task at a time.

Back at the forge, Garrick handed Finn a small ladle. “Want to try?”

“Me? Really?” Finn asked, grabbing the ladle.

“Carefully,” Garrick said, guiding Finn’s hand as they poured.

The metal sizzled, and Finn beamed. “I did it!”

Darius gave an approving nod. “He shows promise.”

The forge flared to life. Roaring fire. Clanging hammers. Hissing metal.

Garrick moved like a conductor. Smooth. Steady.

Even Zane got caught up in it. He handed over tools, held metal steady, and even swung the hammer a few times. Maybe he wasn’t so bad at this metalworking thing after all.

By midday, the first batch of bronze tools lay on the table, shining.

Garrick wiped his brow and grinned. “These will do just fine.”

Darius inspected the tools. “Now for the real task. We need to upgrade the forge itself. The foundation has to be stronger if we want to keep up with the demands.”

“Can I help, Father? Please?” Finn bounced on his toes.

Garrick smiled. “It’s tough work, Finn. Are you sure you’re ready?”

Finn puffed out his chest. “I’m ready!”

Zane flopped against the wall. “Of course he is. Let’s just get this over with so I can collapse somewhere soft.”