“I swear Vim; if they don’t let up I’ll bury them my self!” Nebl complained loudly.

“You have every right to deny their requests, Nebl,” I said as I followed my friend towards the forge.

It sounded noisy. All of the furnaces were going strong, and the hammering of metal was making an unorganized musical piece that almost made my head hurt. It was better than actual music at least.

“Feh! Deny them. I do that and they’ll just get worse! Instead of sending letters, they’ll come themselves and grovel, then I’ll thump them and you’ll get all upset with me and…” Nebl continued to complain in a way that told me he truly had no intention of denying the Societies requests… and likely didn’t actually mind either.

Nebl just liked to play hard to get. Too many years in the forge had made him a man with far too thick of skin and pride. I’d have thought with so many children and grand-children he’d soften a bit… but…

“And this Yangli. I don’t like him, Vim. Not one bit. Lilly at least had the decency to only ask once. He won’t stop asking! In fact the last time he had even demanded I make him a weapon. Demanded, Vim!” Nebl informed me as he stepped between the two large barn doors and into the forge.

I frowned and nodded. “Yes. He’s… becoming a problem. I know,” I said as I glanced around the building.

The large forge had one single main furnace… and that furnace fed and heated several others. But there were smaller kilns and furnaces along the walls, where one could work and forge. Most of those were occupied right now. Nebl’s family was hard at work, making all the stuff the society desperately needed.

They weren’t the only ones either.

“Oi! Kam!” Nebl shouted at one of the black clothed workers. The young man jumped at being addressed, and actually raised up off the ground as the bellow’s rope lifted him off the ground. He quickly dropped to the ground and hurried over; abandoning the bellow he had just been working.

“Who gave your permission to stop working! Get back there!” Nebl barked at the young man, who skidded to a stop. He almost tripped thanks to the layer of soot and sand on the ground, and then spun around and hurried back to his position.

No one else even glanced at us as Nebl and I approached the young man who was now desperately trying to act as normal as possible as he grabbed the bellow’s rope once more. It still wasn’t ready to be pulled again, so he was now awkwardly just… standing there.

“I swear boy, you need to abandon your soldier attitude. This aint war; it’s more delicate than that!” Nebl went to chastising the boy, being a typical foreman. I had not noticed why Nebl had singled out this lad and not one of the many others, or his own family, but it had likely been something small and not that big a deal. The boy had likely just tugged too hard on the rope or something.

Glancing around, I smiled at one of Nebl’s daughters. She grinned back at me for a moment, since her current task was inside her furnace heating up. She had a large black hammer in her hand, gleaming as if made from obsidian.

She was one of maybe a dozen of Nebl’s family here. The other couple dozen people, all dressed in the same black clothes, were a mixture of non-humans and humans. All members of our society, sent here to help Nebl and his family and increase production.

I only knew a few of them personally. Most were children of those I knew. Sent here not just because Nebl had needed help… but also for a more serious reason.

It was safe here. The wars wouldn’t reach here.

Or at least… they shouldn’t.

Not if I could help it at least.

“Vim!”

I turned and smiled at my friend who stepped up to me and huffed. “Ignoring me as to ogle my daughters?” he threatened me.

“And if I was?” I asked.

A few of the nearby workers paused, and I ignored their wide eyes as Nebl’s held my own with a glare. “Well… I suppose I couldn’t blame you. They are beautiful, after all,” he eventually admitted.

Chuckling, I nodded at my friend. They were. Even if nearly all of them were taken already.

“This way. What I want to show you is over here,” Nebl then said, tossing aside the topic of his daughters as easily as he would a misshapen horseshoe.

I followed him deeper into the forge, and into the back of the smithy. We had to step aside as one of the men pushed a large wheelbarrow of ores through the hallway. Nebl and I were just a tad too big to easily slip past in this hallway.

“Should have made this hallway larger,” I said as Nebl and I hugged the wall as the man hurried. He took a deep breath as to push the wheelbarrow harder, using all his strength to do so. He didn’t want to inconvenience us.

As he passed I glanced at the silver ore. Or at least, what was mostly silver. I could see the gleam of other metals within it too… I wonder what they needed silver for. As far as I was aware Nebl no longer made coins for Merit’s kingdom, so…

“We should have. Can’t do it now, too much time would be wasted,” Nebl said with a grunt as he and I returned to walking after the man finally got the wheelbarrow past us.

Following Nebl into the backroom, I paused to study the two women nearby. They were both staring down into a large crate. One marked by the northern kingdom. Our enemy.

Had we captured one of their shipments…? Or were we just re-using whatever we could get our hands on?

“This here,” Nebl’s voice drew my attention from the crate. I stepped away and over to him, to look at…

I groaned at the monarch’s heart. Sitting openly for all to see upon a table.

“Oh…? You know what it is!” Nebl happily crossed his arms in excitement as I reached out for it.

“I do… where’d you get it, Nebl?” I asked as I picked up the fist sized orb.

It was a bright yellow. I didn’t recognize its color, but something about its hum was familiar to me. It had a slight uptick every few seconds… kind of like…

Rubbing my thumb along the orb, I stared into the glass-like item… at the swirling colors and flashes of white light within.

Lightning.

“Uh… just in case… don’t hold it too long. It shocks you if you’re not careful,” Nebl warned.

“I’m sure it does. So… where’d you get it?” I asked as I turned to look at my friend.

He shifted, his arms tightening a little as he stood up straighter and raised his chin… as if ready to argue with me. “My son-in-law brought it back. Bought it at an auction over at Valstor.”

Auction…?

I calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.

So it was just mere happenstance.

“What…? Why’d you just look like a great burden just left your shoulders…?” Nebl asked, more interested in me than the thing I held.

I turned a little, and stared at the two women who were focused on us. They startled, made some tiny mumbles to each other and hurried off. They rounded the stacks of crates and boxes and went into the other section of this area. To where the large crates of ores were.

“If it’s something secret we should leave, not make them leave. They got work to do,” Nebl said, speaking with the same tone of voice he had earlier with that boy working the bellow.

“Right…” I nodded as I slid the heart into the satchel on my side. Nebl’s eyes didn’t miss it, and his eyebrows met as he furrowed them at me.

“Stealing from me, are you?” he asked.

“In this case. Yes,” I said.

“What is it…? Is it dangerous?” he asked.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Very. What’d you do with it?” I asked. Knowing Nebl he had been messing with it for who knows how long once he realized its unique properties.

“A better question would be what didn’t I do to it…?” Nebl said quietly as he scratched at his beard.

Of course.

“Can I speak of it here or should we actually go find some privacy?” Nebl asked as he glanced past me. I didn’t need to turn around to hear what he meant. A squeaky wheelbarrow was heading our way.

“Let’s step outside,” I agreed.

He nodded, and excitedly turned to head for the nearest exit. He walked with a quick step… likely hurrying faster than he had for anything in a long time. He was excited to hear about what to him, was likely a strange orb full of wonder.

No wonder he had been so excited to see me. He was my friend, of course, but lately Nebl had been grouchy. My visits had been short, thanks to my duties, and they were always full of his sniveling and complaining. Either about the Society, its members, or the wars. Stuff that although I should have control over, I instead had little to none.

My fault really. I could probably take over if I wanted to… but…

Well…

As we left the smithy, passing the two women I had scared off earlier, I gave them a kind smile as an apology. The two didn’t seem too relieved over it, which only made me feel even worse.

Exactly.

I was already seen as some weird dangerous man. If I took over, truly took over… even if just the war… well…

Who knows how it’d go.

It didn’t take long for Nebl and I to find some solitude. Although there were more people here than ever before, most of them were busy. Working hard. Either working in the forge, the smithy, or the farms and houses. Here you either worked metal, or did what you needed to support those who did. Nothing else.

We left the main smithy area and stopped at their lumber yard. Hundreds of large fallen trees, waiting to be processed into materials or fuel, were stacked into large piles. Nebl sat on one that was half readied. It had been stripped of bark and cleaned but not shaped or cut yet.

I remained standing as I glanced around to make sure no one was around.

“So…? What is it?” Nebl asked, unwilling to wait.

“Before that… Yangli is coming. I actually expected him to be here already,” I said.

Nebl startled and frowned at me. “Okay…?” he asked. He was upset to hear Yangli was coming, but it was obvious he was more upset that I’d not gone straight to explaining the orb to him.

“He’s supposedly found the location of the group who had slaughtered Gribs and the rest,” I said, deciding to get this out of the way first. After all, once Yangli arrived… I’d immediately be leaving. I had no time to waste.

Nebl calmed down a tad, but only for a moment. He immediately glared at me. “And he’s not gone to kill them himself…? Is he finally maturing, or is this group that dangerous?” Nebl asked, willing to forgo the orb now.

“The latter. Gribs not too long ago beat the snot out of Yangli,” I said.

Nebl scoffed. “Typical. I swear Vim, what’s the point of being a man if you’re such a coward?” he asked, badmouthing Yangli.

Well… it really wasn’t disrespect, in my opinion. Nebl was right after all.

Yangli, for as boisterous as he was… was proving himself to be a coward indeed. This was not the first time he’s seemingly found reason and belief in the chain of command all of a sudden, without warning. And it just so happens to be for the same reason as last time.

The people involved were potentially too much for him. And he knew it.

“You know it too, Vim. He fights, I give him that. He’s strong too. I’ll not deny. But he sure does only seem to chase after the weak,” Nebl said.

I nodded. “It’s the only reason I don’t need to worry about Lilly. He knows she’d kill him if he tried,” I said.

My friend shifted on the log, and his massive arms were crossed. “Wait… you mean…?”

I nodded again. “He wants her. In typical predator fashion, too,” I said.

Nebl sighed and shook his head. “Why do you allow that, Vim?”

“Until he actually does something I can’t do anything. And so far… bar being a nuisance and a pain in my ass, he’s not done anything worth more than a sigh,” I said.

“Calling that boy a pain in the ass is a kindness. He’s a stain. After hearing that about Lilly, I have half a mind to banish him from my home,” Nebl said stiffly.

“Feel free to do so,” I said. In fact, I’d recommend it.

Nebl groaned. “If it’s not one thing it’s another… When’s this all going to end Vim? I’ve received word from Meriah another batch of kids are coming. Should I start building more homes, Vim? Am I to be a sanctuary?” Nebl asked.

“I didn’t know about that. Didn’t another group just arrive…?” I asked.

“Yes, and usually I’d snivel but…” Nebl shifted again, and a strange smile appeared on his face.

About to ask what he was grinning about, I turned to watch the little girl approach.

“Vimmy!” young Pram ran towards us, kicking up dust as she did.

Nebl sighed. “Great, now I’ll never get to hear about that orb.”

“It’s the heart of a monarch.”

Nebl fell backward off the log.

Pram skidded to a stop next to me, instead of jumping into a hug like usual, as we both turned to stare at her father… who had just fallen in shock.

“Dad!” Pram worriedly hurried over to the log, and Nebl laughed loudly as he remained on his back. His legs and feet were dangling over the log he had just fallen off. He looked ridiculous.

I’d never seen my friend act so childish. I couldn’t help but grin as I stepped closer, to stare down at him alongside Pram.

“I’ll be a horse’s uncle!” Nebl shouted as he guffawed.

“We’re monkeys, dad!” Pram shouted happily, enjoying her father’s strange burst of joy.

“I’ll explain more later,” I told my friend who was calming down. Then I turned to the young woman, who was definitely a little taller than the last time I saw her. Her hair was longer too. “How’ve you been Pram?” I asked her.

The vibrant girl spun on a heel to grin up at me, more than happy to forget all about her father who was still lying on his back. “I got news!” she declared.

“Oh…!” I nodded and put on a serious face, ready to hear it.

Pram stepped forward, wrapped her arms around me in a hug and giggled happily. “I found a husband!” she declared.

I frowned, my first thought being that she was… far too young for such a thing… but as she hugged me, and I patted her head in return… I realized she wasn’t.

She was taller. Her head only a little below my neck.

Little Pram was no longer a child.

“Congratulations, Pram. Did you find them under a rock? Or inside one?” I asked, teasing her a little.

She giggled as she squeezed me, and then leaned back. “You know I hate smithing!” she grinned up at me as she said.

“That’s impossible,” I said with a straight face.

Pram sighed at me. “I swear! No! His name’s Drandle. I’ll go find him and introduce him to you! He’s a monkey too, but a tiny one, I guess,” she said.

“You’re tiny too, so it’s okay,” I said.

“I am not! Look at me, almost as tall as dad!” Pram stepped back and spun a little, to show herself off.

Nebl grunted as he pulled himself up onto the log again. He returned to sitting, crossed his arms and sat up straight… suddenly full of grace and dignity. He was acting as if he hadn’t just fallen over and laughed his ass off. “Nonsense. You’re still a little girl,” Nebl said stiffly.

“You just told me this morning you’re looking forward to more grandchildren!” Pram stopped spinning around and shouted at him.

“This and that are two different things…!” Nebl defended himself with a huff.

Were they…? I’d say they were pretty similar.

Pram turned to point at me. “Wait right here! Don’t disappear, I’m going to go get him!” she shouted at me… and then ran off.

Watching her go, I smiled softly.

“Now that makes me happy. I remember holding her in my arms,” I said as I thought about her birth. It had been a complicated one. She had almost not survived. She had been getting strangled by her umbilical cord, and…

Well…

It was likely why she was still so tiny. Even though she was…

“How old is she?” I asked, since I couldn’t remember. I remembered holding her as a baby, but couldn’t remember just how long ago that had been.

“Hm? She just lived past her fortieth year. She’s old enough to marry and have children, I just like being firm with them,” Nebl said, misunderstanding me.

I smiled and nodded at my friend. “She seems very happy. I’m glad to see it.”

“Yes. I don’t like the boy much myself… he too don’t like working the forge. Prefers to work the land. But it’s fine. I got other children for the fires and metals, I can spare a few for the rest of the world,” Nebl said with a nod.

Right. He did. Almost a dozen…

Glancing back at Pram, I couldn’t help but feel warm at the sight of her. I could only see her at the moment, of course, yet I still saw and thought of the many dozens of others here like her. Those sent here to keep safe… under the guise of needing help.

After all Nebl and his family didn’t need help. Not really. Nothing the humans couldn’t provide, at least.

But I understood it. I knew full well why so many were sending their young here.

There were only a few locations considered safe anymore. Only a few not at risk or surrounded by the wars.

Here. The Crypt. Telmik.

Maybe a few other small locations, at best… And not everyone could go everywhere… plus… not everyone could hide or mingle with those at each location. I’d never tell anyone, but if I had someone I wanted to keep safe… and happy at the same time, this was where I’d send them. Not only was it lively here, the people were good. Nebl and his family were wonderful.

The thought that I had no one to keep safe made me sad, because it wasn’t true. I had sixteen thousand people to cherish. I shouldn’t think like that.

Although I kind of wanted to talk more about Nebl and his family… since it was a rare moment of genuine happiness in my current life, full of strife and war…

I knew I needed to get to the matter of what I now carried in my bag. Before Pram returned, or Yangli showed up.

Turning to Nebl, I nodded and hurriedly gave him a very… rough explanation of what the yellow orb was…

And why he should make sure to never let anyone know about it.

After all it was more dangerous than the very wars threatening our society.

In more ways than one.