Erec woke up a full day after he had gone to sleep. Whenever one used mana to keep themselves awake there was always a backlog of sleep that had to be paid. The worst part was that he was still tired. He had a month and three weeks to get to Stormbreaker and pay back his debt. That was not a lot of time considering that this Agace Martel was most likely a noble. That meant that whatever was happening in the capital was far more complicated than he originally thought.

He could not set out south this late in the day. Besides he had to prepare provisions. This village likely would not have the means to better outfit him. He would have to travel as he was until he reached a large enough settlement to the south. Cardell was the closest city. It lay in a valley that came down from the escarpment. It also was the terminus point of the only road that ran from Wishborne south.

Erec flipped open the chest to check on his supply of mana. He was running low. He had been spending mana at an outrageous pace, especially since he had mostly used it on tattoos. It was a fundamental rule of magic that using mana to tattoo living creatures was far more wasteful than etching it into objects. Objects that had been etched remained etched. Their enchantments would last forever. Tattoos on the other hand lost their effect over time as they were used. The prevailing theory was that etchings replenished themselves from trace mana in the atmosphere but for some reason tattoos could not do the same.

The mana that he had left would be better used to enchant equipment. At the very least he needed a sword.

Erec left the hut and was surprised to find the entire village outside. As soon as they saw him, they all knelt.

Chandler was at their head, and he spoke for all of them, “please my lord. We beg for your assistance. We do not know how to live in this harsh land and ask that you teach us. Also do not be angered but your servant told us of your mission. We also ask that if you do find the lady Martel you bring her here to administer her fief. We cannot leave and we need a ruler.”

Erec began a rebuff, “Norbert is not my servant…” he trailed off then. Looking at the villagers Erec winced at their sorry state. They were all dirty and starved. There was no industry in this village no productive cultivation of the resources at their disposal. Erec took a second to observe the cavern and the shore. With some work he could see a productive city carved into the cliffs and filling the cavern. Sheltered from storms but close enough for ships to go out for a steady supply of mana. In its current state the bay was not suitable for a harbour, but with some magically assisted construction projects it could be made into the only safe port for hundreds of miles. The only safe port on the western shore of Nevares. With a harbour this close mining could be done in the World's End mountains to the north and the ore and gems shipped south.

In his mind’s eye Erec saw what could be done if a competent lord ruled over this land and the waste made him angry. That anyone would leave their people to starve when Wishborne could so easily be a self-sustaining and profitable city.

Erec signed, “all of you stand up. I am not your lord or indeed anybody else’s lord. I will teach you how to feed yourselves though. Only because it can be easily done. I have to leave for the south soon, however. I will at most stay here two days. As for Agace Martel I will remind her of her responsibilities when I see her.”

The crowd burst into cheers, “Erec Foundling!”

Erec was surprised. He did not have a surname our at least not one that he knew. He supposed Foundling was as good a name as any.

“First,” began Erec, “bring me as many ruffle mushrooms as you can find, if you do not know that name, they are the large mushrooms with green spots. They are poisonous when eaten untreated as you have no doubt found out in your time here. Also a few buckets of salt water and some kelp from the shore.”

The villagers moved with a flurry of intense activity. While they were doing that, Erec motioned for Norbert and Chandler to join him.

Erec said with a tone of command that he did not realise had entered his voice, “Norbert before I move forward, I need to know your plans. Are you staying here, or do you and your men have families back south to fetch?”

Norbert thought for a moment and then spoke, “Nobody who was on the Cerf-volant had much of a family waiting for them in Stormbreaker. As for our plans I reckon that we will go wherever you want us to my lord.”

Erec gave him an annoyed look but did not correct him this time out of laziness, “well if you plan to stick around here then you and your men can take the boat out in shifts to collect fish. You will not have to go past the rocks that guard the mouth of the bay my etchings will ensure that the fish come to you.”

“Very good my lord,” said Norbert with a clumsy salute.

Erec shook his head and turned to Chandler, “I suppose it would be too much to hope that there are some blacksmithing tools and a forge in the village?”

Chandler smiled, “actually no my lord, there are tools here. We brought them north with us when we were moved here. Unfortunately, our only blacksmith died before he could take on an apprentice. We have not been able to use them in years. We have no forge though.”

Erec shouldered the chest that contained the mana crystals he had left, “take me to them then.”

Chandler led Erec to a storage hut. The hut was filled with a set of rusting blacksmithing tools. There was even an anvil. In one corner there were some iron and fine Tulannese steel bars. Erec was surprised to find metal of such quality here.

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Without a further word Erec began to work. First, he moved all the tools outside and began to clean them. Erec did not give any orders but soon enough Chandler and some other villagers began helping him.

After he cleaned the tools, he started to make an impromptu furnace out of mud. He could have improved the furnace with etching, but he did not intend for the furnace to be in use for long.

Erec looked up and saw while he had been working, the villagers had returned with the mushrooms, kelp, and saltwater. He took a bucket of seawater and placed the kelp and mushrooms into the bucket. Next, he took a small piece of iron and dropped it into the bucket. Immediately the water began to boil, and steam rose off of the bucket. After a few minutes all the moisture had boiled away, and the bucket was left with dry mushrooms. The kelp and iron piece where nowhere to be seen. He took some of the mushrooms and ground them into a powder.

“This,” instructed Erec, “is ruffle powder. It can be used like flour to make a flat bread. Unlike regular bread it will not go stale so quickly and it is sweet without needing to add sugar.”

One of the villagers couldn’t help but ask in disbelief, “but ruffle mushrooms are poisonous, aren’t they? How could this bread be safe to eat?”

Erec explained with patience, “the iron, kelp and salt in the water react with the mushrooms to remove the poison. Fetch me some drinking water and I’ll show you it is safe to eat.”

While the water was being fetched Erec took a piece of steel and began to etch it with red mana. When he was done, he placed it into the furnace. The steel began to heat up until it radiated heat as a forge fire would. These steel bars were known as forge stones and not many knew how to make them. Only the red mages guild knew how to the craft, and they kept the secret close.

Erec then began to heat up an iron bar. The whole village watched as he skilfully worked the iron into a flat bread pan. He then quenched the pan in salt water.

Everybody was entranced by him. It was not that they had not seen metal worked before but rather that they had never seen anyone work metal as naturally as Erec did.

Whilst the pan was cooling Erec began to use the ruffle powder and water to make a dough. It would be better if he had some herbs and salt, but he did not have the time to find them. The dough did not rise as he had no yeast, but ruffle bread was better flat anyway. He placed the worked dough into the now cooled pan and set it next to the furnace so that the excess heat would bake the bread. After a few minutes the bread was done. It smelled amazing. Erec broke off a piece of the warm loaf and ate it.

Nothing happened to him and after a while he spoke, “easy and delicious. I assume that you have all watched the process. I will make you some more pans too bake in and a few more furnace stones. Along with the fish that Norbert brings you that should be enough to keep you fed. I will also give you a list of herbs that can be found out on the plains.”

There was a pause and then the crowd cheered again, “Erec Foundling.”

Chandler felt tears in his eyes. With this they could feed themselves. He had been right to bet on Erec and it just drove home that he needed to find a way to make Erec stay to rule over them.

The crowd dispersed to find more mushrooms and kelp. Erec made ten more pans for them and using all the red crystals he had left he made two more furnace stones. The stones could be left in salt water to prevent them from giving off heat until needed.

With the needs of the villagers taken care of Erec began making a sword. It was a stroke of luck that he found such good steel here.

He began by melting the steel down and adding a few fish scales into the metal. The fish was known as a silverstreak and its scales had trace amounts of mana in them. They were used to strengthen steel and when silverstreak steel was worked properly it made the best weapons.

Over the course of hours Erec created a sword that was both art and weapon. It had wave patterns in the blade that shone under the light of the forge. The blade was straight and the length of a hand and a half sword. The cross guard was simple yet beautiful. Erec fashioned it to resemble two of the Krakens tentacles that he had narrowly escaped out in the Everstorm. Norbert had caught a dolphin like creature out in the bay that day. Erec used its skin to make leather and then used that leather to wrap around the grip of the sword. On the pommel Erec carved the image of a Kraken to match the cross guard.

He had spent all day and night on the sword and as the sun rose the next morning Erec began to etch mana into the blade. He used most of the mana he had left. A combination of grey, silver, and black mana. The sword would never need to be sharpened. It would cut through most armour easily and with extra impact. The black mana would make every cut potentially deadly by preventing the blood from clotting on any wound Erec made with the blade.

Finally, Erec etched blue mana into the pommel after mixing it with his own blood. Anyone who was not him would find it impossible to hold the sword.

Erec marvelled at the beauty of the sword, “you need a name,” he muttered to himself.

Looking around the now busy but once destitute village Erec proclaimed, “I name you hope’s edge.” He could not be certain, but he thought the sword seemed to approve of the name.

The rest of that day Erec busied himself directing the villagers and making himself leather armour with the rest of the dolphin hide. He also taught the villagers how to use the dolphin skin and fish scales to make clothing and impressive fish skin boots. After that he called Chandler aside and handed him some plans, he had scratched on a scrap piece of leather.

Erec said, “I suggest that after you are prosperous enough to have a surplus you sell some of this leather down South in Cardell. Before that though I suggest you make this wall at the entrance from the plains to the cavern. As soon as you have something to steal then some bandits from down south might think you an easy target. This wall will allow you to defend yourself from the land if anyone tries to attack you. You will also want to make a few spears and bows. I will send up some wood to use as soon as I reach Cardell.”

Chandler looked at the detailed sketches and instructions Erec had given him and bowed, “it will be done my lord.”

Erec rolled his eyes, “these are suggestions not orders. I will leave tomorrow morning for the south. I suspect that I will be gone before the dawn. I will do my best to bring Agace Martel back with me. A noble really should be with their people.”

Chandler held himself back from asking Erec to just stay himself. Erec looked like a noble now. His leather armour was the finest that Chandler had ever seen. It was amazing how much Erec had managed to make in such a short amount of time. He had made his sword and armour so easily and skilfully it seemed almost inhuman.

As Erec retired to sleep before his long journey, Chandler reaffirmed that he would do whatever it took to make Erec his king.