The forge was occupied, much to Ryan’s disappointment. For a while he watched as Carmen heated a crucible in the blistering fire until the metal, which he could identify as copper, melted. The teen then quickly grabbed some tongs and started pouring the molten copper into a massive mould standing off to the side. Once the crucible was empty she turned around.
“You need to use the forge? I’m done for now but need to cast some more bullets once this batch is completely cooled off.”
“I don’t need to use the forge, but I thought I’d hammer out a couple of blades for the guild to use. I noticed that not everyone is carrying a blade and thought I could contribute a bit” Ryan replied.
“Hmmm, you probably missed it, but we have plenty of blades forged. They just need to be finished. So if you want to help, find Stephen at the garages. They’re busy setting up the new workshop there and he could use some help with his runework. I remember that he actually mentioned that your help in imbuing his runework would be valuable. It’s probably a much better use of your time.”
“I was also hoping to increase my skills a bit and tinker with my crossbow design. But you’re probably right. Helping the group out like you suggested would probably be a better use of my time.” Ryan answered as he turned around and left the workshop.
As he headed downhill through the yard in direction of the garages Ryan mused on the fact that in the 3 months that the guild had been at the fortress he hadn’t been to the garages once. Additionally, it seemed that he had missed quite a number of things during the last couple of weeks. Not surprising in retrospect, as his entire focus had been on the training regime and then on completing his mutation. Still a bit weird to think that he had missed the setting up of an entire new forge he thought as he spotted the newly constructed smithy outside of the garages. The area was roofed, but, except for the side adjoining the garages, open to the elements. Looking past the garage, Ryan squinted and frowned in confusion, something with the picture that presented itself of the downhill slope bothered him. It took him a bit, but then he realised that the entire slope was free of the otherwise densely growing bush in the valley. “Shit, when did that happen?” he asked himself. The guild had cleared the entire area around the fortress of bush, clearing sightlines and improving their defensive position.
Ryan stepped through the massive gate leading from the smithy into the 8 car garage, moving quietly past Anna and Leah who were animatedly discussing a heap of leather and steel on one of the tables. From overhearing words such as gambeson, padding, hardboiled and chafing he gathered that they were in the process of crafting armour, most likely destined for Miguel.
Stephen was just inside the gate, sitting at a crafting station, focused on carefully engraving the barrel of a rifle. Ryan didn’t want to interrupt what looked like a delicate procedure and resolved to wait a bit. He assumed that the process probably wouldn’t take too long. Boy, he couldn’t have been more wrong, he thought as he fidgeted impatiently. Half an hour later and Stephen was still intently focusing on the engravings, which to Ryan’s eyes, had barely progressed along the barrel. Sweat was pouring down Stephen’s forehead, running down his face, dripping everywhere except on the barrel. As he contemplated if interrupting the runesmith would be a good idea Stephen sat up, sighing in relief. “Ryan, thanks for being patient and not interrupting. The engraving takes a lot out of me.”
“How so?” Ryan queried.
“It’s a combination of applying carefully controlled energy through the chisel and intensely concentrating. The problem with the barrels is that we cannot afford to make a mistake. After all, we can’t reliably forge one within tolerance.” Stephen answered.
“So, why are you engraving them?”
“In short, for a longer lifespan. Hardening and strengthening the steel, applying a micrometre thin shield of energy on the inside of the barrel to reduce wear, better heat dispensation. The engraving is quite complicated and about at the limit of what I can do. Here, this still needs energy imbued. Go ahead.” Stephen handed Ryan the barrel.
Ryan focused on his Skill, trying to imbue the barrel. The energy seemed to slip of the material, failing to take hold. Focusing on what his senses told him he found the barrel to responding to the energy as if it was an aquaphobic object covered in water, the energy just slipped right of. Save for a tiny snag at the receiver. He focused on the snag, pushing Energy at it. For a heartbeat, nothing happened, before the snag grabbed onto his Energy and started drinking in copious amounts of it. Ryan felt the drain, a supremely uncomfortable pull throughout his entire being. Intuitively, he began to understand that he could cut off the drain with a thought. Comparing the drain to the drain experienced when he had an active portal Ryan was surprised to feel that the drain was about twice that of a portal. It remained uncomfortable and he asked Stephen whether that was normal and whether the rate of drain was always this extensive.
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“Yes, the process is uncomfortable. It’s because I’ve managed to have the runework be imbued by anyone with a decent Energy level. The problem is, its percentage based relative to the Energy pool and from what I understand, sufficient Energy drain is uncomfortable. Additionally, the Runework requires a certain amount of Energy to activate, so, dependent on your Energy pool, the process could take hours. You, on the other hand, should be done in a minute or two.”
“That’s a relief to hear.” Ryan quipped. “So I’m not going to be uncomfortable for much longer.”
“Not exactly.” Stephen clearly hedged. “If you’re willing, could you activate the runework on the new equipment. Specifically the forge and smelter. I must admit, I have gone slightly overboard and you’re the only one with an Energy Pool large enough to activate it in one sitting. And before you ask, it’s significantly harder, or near impossible, to restart the process if it hasn’t been completed in one go. And no, we haven’t figured out why.”
What followed were a very unpleasant few hours of imbuing equipment, interspersed with active bouts of cultivation to quicker restore his Energy. Alexis had popped in sometime in between the smelter and the forge, saw that Ryan was busy, and just asked him whether he wanted to mutate after diner. When Ryan enthusiastically said yes, she turned right back around and left again.
Some time after that Miguel joined him, pestered by Stephen to assist after he had found Ryan to discuss Ryan’s experience of getting his core to spin up. Ryan had greeted the teen with an exasperated: “Really, you just sorta visualised it? It took me hours to get my core to spin up. But you were right, it increased the flow rate. My interface recorded a 9 point increase to my Energy regen.”
Miguel’s shocked: ‘Wait, what. But why? How?” had Ryan flummoxed for a bit before he retorted with a “Wait, you’re Energy Regen didn’t increase?”
“No, it didn’t. I can just feel the flowrate increasing when I meditate and spin my core.” Miguel answered.
“Wait, you have to restart the process every time?” Ryan picked up on the difference immediately.
“Yes. You don’t?” an intrigued Miguel queried.
Smug as he could possibly be Ryan answered: “No, young disciple. I have reached a permanent state of spinnyness.” Before he could break down in laughter he quickly added. “That probably explains the change on the Interface.”
Once Ryan had calmed down a bit Miguel asked him to recount his experience which Ryan gladly did in detail. Once he was done Miguel was chomping at the bit to try himself, settling down to meditate before Ryan interrupted him.
“Wait, it took hours. Not to come off all knowing or such, I suggest you head back up to the fortress, get some food and water in you, move to your cot and ask your girlfriend or sister to keep an eye on you while you spin up your core. Oh, and if you manage it. Let me know and also, write a sticky for the group explaining the process. If it works its valuable knowledge and progress for everyone who has unlocked cultivation.”
“Which is most of us by now. And I agree.” Miguel answered and left to follow Ryan’s suggestion. Smirking, Ryan was glad that he had managed to pawn of the responsibility of drafting a sticky to Miguel but then grimaced as he remembered his promise to Stephen to imbue the anvil and hammer which, according to Stephen, were not beyond his capability but would take anyone beside Ryan the majority of the day to imbue. Sighing, he commenced the process, daydreaming about invisibly moving around the compound once his mutation was finalised.
By the time he left the smithy it was dark, dinner long since past. It had been weird sitting in the dark smithy, all alone and feeding the massive hammer with his Energy. With his senses dialled up to the max he had no fear of the night, but still, the experience had been spooky. Fortunately he wouldn’t miss his own repast as Alexis had graciously informed him, wait, he’d read her message again just for chuckles. “Ryan, Stephen has informed me of your noble sacrifice for the betterment of the Guild. In my gracious magnanimity I have elected to hold to our earlier arrangement. I have also taken it upon myself to reserve and keep your dinner ready for you and supervise her most gracious self, Fury, while you toil on our behalf. Kindly take a bath before you rejoin us.”
Once again, the message teased a chuckle from Ryan. He had no idea how, but he did suspect that Fury had a hand in it. He couldn’t think of any alternative as to why Alexis would adopt this particular tone.
Intent on fulfilling Alexis’ request, Ryan stalked in direction of the pool. Fury, somehow aware that he had complete what to her had been a supremely boring activity, just sent him a grumpy “Finally.” accompanied by a feeling of supreme boredom, before, with a yawn and the emotion of settling into a comfortable bed, she indicated that she would be out cold before he rejoined them at the fortress.
Ryan willed her to feel his appreciation that she had stayed awake for him but only got a deadened echo back. Her consciousness wasn’t guarded, but the lioness was clearly asleep. Thinking of his cot, Ryan became aware that imbuing the equipment had taken a lot out of him, more than he thought that sitting around and draining his Energy could account for. He only took the time to take of his boots before he jumped into the pool, once again substituting a quick dip of his clothes for a proper wash. The water was bracingly fresh, and with his flagging spirits raised Ryan stalked, dripping a sopping trail, towards the house. In the process, he managed to shrug out of his vest and shirt, wringing them out and hanging them up to dry on the fence along the herb garden.
His pants would need to stay wet until he reached the spare set next to his cot. Alexis would just have to consent to graciously turn around so he could get changed, he thought to himself. Reality, when he reached his cot, was different. Alexis was out cold, snoring slightly with Kira draped over he feet and Fury snuggled next to her on the narrow cot. Carefully, ever so carefully, Ryan grabbed his blanket and covered the trio, managing to not wake either of the three.
Before he headed off to Alexis cot he wished that he could take a photo, the three looked so cute together. “Blackmail material, pure blackmail material.” he reassured himself as he changed into his dry pants and collapsed on Alexis’ cot.