Adam and Evelyn set off in the morning for Malero's workshop. It wasn't that difficult to find the workshop. The workshop appeared rather reclusive and hardly fitting of a skilled artisan. A crudely made sign at the door saying: 'Malero's Workshop' proved that it was the place, though.
Adam and Evelyn entered in through a door that was labeled for customers. Just inside, there was a young man sitting at a desk, organizing papers that were most likely orders for the workshop. When the man heard them entered, he looked up from his desk and said: “Welcome to Malero's Workshop! I'm his steward; Marcus. Are you here to place an order?”
Adam nodded: “Yes, I need a very particular flute.”
Marcus turned around and pulled out a piece of paper from a folder after a quick moment of searching. Adam approached the desk and noticed the paper was prepared to input all the information needed for a standard flute. There were spaces for material types, hole placement, dimensions, all of the most obvious custom choices were lined up neatly to create a very professional looking order form.
Marcus prepared a quill and perched it on the paper while asking: “What name should I associate with this order?”
“Adam.”
“What material would you like the flute to be made out of?”
Adam gave a defeated smile: “I'm not certain. I need the material to be strong enough to channel a large amount of spirit essence as a focus.”
Marcus's quill twitched. He blinked a few times before saying: “That's different. Let me make sure I heard right; you need the flute to be a focus?”
Adam nodded: “That is correct.”
Marcus scratched his head: “uh... you have me stumped here. I can't even give you a recommendation on this. Wood that would work as a focus for a staff might not have the right qualities for a working flute... Sigh Follow me, but don't interrupt Malero!”
Marcus led Adam and Evelyn through a door close to his desk. The door led to the main area of the workshop where Malero did his work. The main area had shelves everywhere filled with tools and materials of every kind! In the center, an old man with white hair was stooped over a wooden figurine carving away. Even though he looked very old and worked slowly, one could somehow tell that he still had a sense of vigor about him!
Malero was currently holding a tool against the wooden figurine. It almost looked like he wasn't moving. Over time, though, one could see that he was moving! It was just that it was imperceptibly slow! Adam and Evelyn waited for ten minutes before Malero had finally carved off the smallest sliver from the figurine. He put down the tool in his hand and then went to grab another tool right away! Marcus quickly said: “Malero, sir.”
A surprisingly stern voice came from Malero: “Just a moment!”
He took the tool he had just grabbed and started to somehow effect the small carve he had just made. Adam curiously watched Malero. At the moment, there were no signs of spirit essence being used in the creation of the figurine. Adam was no artisan, but he figured that Malero would have to work spirit essence into one of his works all through out its creation process to achieve a high standard. Only such a creation would be worthy of a skilled artisan. However, it seemed as though Malero was only creating a simple wooden figurine without any type of spiritual enhancement.
Adam closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated his elemental sight on the figurine. What Adam saw surprised him! Malero actually was imbuing the figurine with spirit essence, but it was just a small trickle! This trickle wasn't weak or faint, though, like you would expect from someone using a smaller amount of spirit essence. Instead, it was just as dense as any line of a strong spirit formation! All of the carvings in the figurine were imbued with such spirit essence! It wasn't a spiritual enhancement made from stuffing the object full of spirit essence. Instead, Malero was creating an internal structure of spirit essence that created a formation through the work of art! The formation didn't seem to have any function other than matching the shape of the figurine. Still, Adam was impressed.
After another few minutes, Malero put down the tool in his hand and went straight to grabbing another one! Marcus once again tried to quickly say: “Malero, sir, there are cust-”
“I said just a moment, boy!”
Marcus quickly held his tongue as Malero once again went to work. He turned to Adam and Evelyn and said: “I'm sorry, he always gets like this! Sometimes, it's even hard to get him to eat his meals!”
Adam gave an accommodating smile and said: “It's fine. We can wait a bit.”
At that moment, Malero turned around and said: “What's with all the noise, boy!?- Oh, guests! Boy, why didn't you say so earlier!?”
Marcus gave an exasperated sigh. Instead of telling Malero that he had tried to tell him about Adam and Evelyn earlier, he simply introduced them: “This is Adam, the one who wishes to make an order. He wants a flute that can be used as a focus! I couldn't recommend anything, so I brought him to directly speak with you.”
Malero showed some interest in this: “That's a little different. The closest I have gotten to making a flute into a focus was when I made one out of whale bone on a whim.”
Adam nodded: “Yes, I already tried that one. It lasted for a few seconds before the flute exploded.”
Malero was astonished: “What!? You weren't doing something stupid like using fire essence even though your focus was made of water essence, were you!?”
Adam shook his head: “No, I was using water essence. Only, it resonated with the flute and that resonance was too much and destroyed the flute! In addition... I still need to push more spirit essence than that through the focus! I also need the flute to be able to channel fire essence, earth essence, wind essence, life essence, and death essence!”
Malero gave Adam a look like he was stupid: “Okay, now I know you're pulling my leg! A focus that channels all types of spirit essence? Nobody could use such a tool!”
Evelyn had been relegated to the background and ignored for too long. The introduction skipped over her and she couldn't stand hearing Adam called a liar. Before Adam could say anything, she started speaking: “Adam's not lying! I can v-”
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“Quiet girl!” Malero rebutted. Evelyn's words stuck in her throat as she was taken aback. Malero continued: “For all I know, you're the one who got your boyfriend here to come up with all this nonsense as a prank!”
Adam gave a frown. He didn't like Malero yelling at Evelyn, but he could understand his doubts. Adam simply put his hands outstretched in front of himself and ZAP! A stream of electric bolts started arcing between his hands! Malero slightly jumped in his seat before taking a serious look at Adam. “Forgive me, you must be that odd dragon I've been hearing about around town. I thought you were just a myth spawned by the war for morale! I mean, just think of it; a single person controlling all six types of spirit essence effortlessly to make lightning? That's simply ridiculous!”
Adam shook his head with a confounded look: “I'm not sure what rumors have been spreading about me, but I wouldn't quite call my control effortless... Still, it is true that I can control all six types of spirit essence!”
Malero started drumming his fingers at a fast pace on his table while looking hard at Adam, deep in thought. His eyes then started darting around the room, stopping here and there. He then started mumbling to himself: “Could it be?... Should I?... Do I dare?...”
Malero suddenly stood up and walked around the workshop. Every now and then, he would stop and pick up an inauspicious box here and there until he had collected five of them. Carrying them carefully, he laid them down on his workstation. Then, he opened their lids one by one.
Adam and Evelyn gasped when they realized what was held within! Inside each of the boxes was a glowing crystal that radiated multicolored light. Each crystal was of a different color. There was a clear sapphire blue, a blazing ruby red, a gentle citrine, a radiant opal, and a beautiful emerald. Each of these were actually a piece of a dragon's crystallized soul! Each one came from a different dragon specializing in a different type of spirit essence! Malero looked at them longingly: “These are my dear old friends. Each of them died of old age long ago. Only my love of crafting has carried me through to today... they each gave me a part of their soul so that I might craft them into fabulous pieces of art! I have never found anything worth using them for, but the requirements for your flute... it can only be made with them!”
Adam was speechless! His mouth moved, trying to form words, but nothing came out. These fragments were undoubtedly precious to Malero. Adam didn't wish to take such mementos away on a gamble that only seemed like it would work. Still, he needed to use them to test if his theory would actually work!
Evelyn suddenly thought of something different: “Adam, don't you also need to control death essence? There isn't a piece here that matches death essence.”
Brought out of his conflicting thoughts, Adam nodded: “That is true.”
Malero waved this concern off: “Each of my friends died of old age. While it isn't a terrible lot, each of their souls held an amount of death essence in them. Combined all together... it should be fine!”
Adam hesitated after this, still a bit conflicted on using Malero's old friends for material. Malero saw Adam's concerned look and gave him a sour look: “Don't you worry about me making them into your flute! Rather, I would prefer this over anything else! Instead of lying on a shelf only to be looked at as a piece of art, each time you play the flute it would be like you are bringing them back into the world! I will make this flute, and you will accept it! Then maybe... could you play it a bit before you leave?”
Adam could only nod his head in response. Malero then said: “Good, now all of you out! I need to concentrate!”
Malero quickly pushed them out, including Marcus. After Malero slammed the door shut behind them, a latch could be heard locking the door to keep diversions away. They heard Malero shout from the other side: “Come, my friends. It's finally time for another journey together!”
Adam, Evelyn, and Marcus were silent for a long while before Marcus said: “Why don't you leave me the location of where you are staying. When Malero is finished, I will send for you.”
It took a few weeks for Malero to complete the flute. During that time, Adam really didn't have anything to do which did not sit well with him. He couldn't make any improvements on his control over spirit essence and he felt like he was just idling around while the fate of the world was in the balance!
During that time, Adam asked around about Heinrich who had yet to be seen since Adam and Evelyn had returned. Samantha answered him: “Heinrich was still recovering from a broken arm, but he didn't want to idle around. So, went as a courier to send a message somewhere in the spirit plane of earth. I'm not sure exactly how far he had to take his message...”
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Marcus came by. Adam excitedly greeted him: “Has Malero finished the flute?”
Marcus nodded: “Thankfully, it's done! Malero wouldn't come out at all during the whole time he was making it! Towards the end, I also heard explosions coming from the workshop! Hurry, come and take the thing!”
Marcus's last couple of words were a little strange, but Adam quickly came to a conclusion. Marcus cared for Malero and it was entirely possible that Malero hardly ate, if at all, during this time. And it was all the flute's fault!
Adam and Evelyn quickly left with Marcus to retrieve the flute. In the office area, Marcus yelled through the still locked workshop door: “Marcus, sir, Adam has arrived!”
Evelyn started mentally grumbling about being ignored again as an exhausted voice came from the door: “Good, good.”
The latch was slowly released and the door crept open. Malero looked truly exhausted, having lost the vigor that could previously be seen in him. He beckoned Adam forward: “Come, take a look.”
Adam was led to the workbench, where a closed box sat on top. Around the workshop, things were in a disordered mess. Malero put his hand on top of the box, as if to open it. Before he did so, he said: “On account of the sudden strikes of lightning your flute caused in the process of its creation, I am calling it the Thunder Flute! After all, a flute creates sound, not light, so we can't call it the lightning flute.”
Malero opened the lid of the box and gentle purple light spilled out! The flute had standard hole assortments and had an odd color about it. Adam had no idea how Malero had put the dragon souls together, but they formed a purple colored material with a white undertone. Every now and then, other colors would swim across the flute as though winds roaming freely across the land! There were vibrant whites, deep reds and blues, wispy greens and browns, and the darkest black you had ever seen!
Malero carefully lifted the flute up and passed it to Adam. “Will you play it a bit for me?” he asked.
Adam nodded: “Of course, do you mind if I start with a bit of practice.”
Malero shook his head as he sat his weary bones in a chair: “Go ahead.”
Adam started taking a deep breath. This flute was not intended to played normally and he would not do so. Adam was gathering a breath full of controlled spirit essence to blow through the flute. With the release of his breath, a gentle tone drifted out from the flute. It reverberated in the air and all the wind essence around was instantly enthralled! The purple flute also became flushed with wispy green light! Adam paid no mind to any of that, though. He wanted to show his appreciation to Malero by playing a good song first.
Adam stopped his breath after a short moment and let the tone drift out. Adam didn't stop there, though. He took another breath, one full of water essence! A new tone came out, even though Adam hadn't changed his hole positions at all! In and out, Adam breathed over and over trying the different types of spirit essence to find their effects and the music they played. For every combination of hole positions in each of the three octaves, there were six separate distinct tones made by spirit essence! While they all played close to the same musical note, each tone brought out very different characteristics that made them seem totally unique!
Adam flowed from one note to the next. Sometimes only playing with one type of spirit essence, other times with two or more! The mixing of spirit essence also added an entirely different depth to the tone!
Finally, Adam finished his long warm up process. He stopped to take a small breather and to think of a proper way to order all those tones into a song. To Adam's surprise, though, his momentary break was greeted by clapping! Malero gave him a big smile as a small amount of his vigor seemed to return: “Thank you for such marvelous music!”
Even Marcus and Evelyn were clapping along! Adam became too embarrassed to say that that was only the warm up. He had yet to actually perform! Malero then said: “Take the Thunder Flute with you Adam. You are the only one who can bring its full potential to bear. Don't let it sit on a shelf and collect dust!”
Adam profusely thanked Malero before leaving, his mind full of thoughts on what to do next. As Adam and Evelyn exited the workshop, they were actually greeted by a small crowd! The tones Adam had produced from the flute had penetrated through the walls of the workshop and many people nearby had heard it! The tones were beautiful and enchanting. Somebody quickly asked them: “What made that music we heard just now? It seemed to even effect the spirit essence around here!”
Adam wasn't sure what to make of all of this: “Uh, Malero made me a flute and what you heard was me playing the flute a bit...”
“Can you play some more!?” somebody quickly asked.
“Not now, perhaps later though.”
Adam and Evelyn quickly excused themselves and escaped from the crowd. Who knew Adam's music would cause such a scene?