by D. W.
After what he believed to be a couple of hours Thad grew tired of reading. He tried to keep himself busy by planning a new enchantment but nothing useful came to mind. “What should I do?” Thad asked his staff. He didn’t know what answer he expected as his staff was more prone to mocking him than giving advice.
His staff sent a picture of him practicing his sword work passed through his mind. Thad nearly laughed. It had been too long since he last went through his forms. Sitting his staff against the wall Thad moved out into the larger open cavern.
His right arm was still a little stiff when he began to stretch and hurt slightly when he lifted it above his head. The bruises from the battle were fading but far too slowly for his liking. Remembering the battle Thad switched the sword to his left hand and tried the same form just in reverse.
The whole process felt weird to him. He had trained with both hands back in the Slave Academy but even then it had only been when he was forced to. Now the sword felt heavy and ungainly in his hands. He had learned firsthand what could happen in a battle and knew he needed more practice but it was much like learning all over again. Thad tried not to let frustration get to him as he bumbled about missing steps and even on occasion dropping his sword but it wasn’t easy.
By the time Crusher and Avalanche returned from their outing Thad was sweating profusely. Crusher watched him work intently while Avalanche thought he was playing and bounced around nipping and barking at his sword as it dipped and sliced through the air.
Afraid to nick Avalanche with the sword Thad sheathed it and headed back to his bed roll. After a few steps he unconsciously called his staff to his hand. As it popped into his hand he began to wonder if he had called it or if it had decided to come to him on its own. It was hard to tell for certain and where his staff was concerned he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. At first it had been a wonder to him when he had learned it had a consciousness of its own, as more time passed though it became clear that it wasn’t always a blessing.
Thad noticed that Crusher was pulling a multitude of items from his pack. The most curious of which was a block of wood that was as black as night. Thad hadn’t seen the block before or heard of any tree with wood of such a color. His curiosity getting the better of him Thad closed his eyes and examined the wood with his magical sight. The wood looked odd even to his magical sight. It glowed lightly with two different elemental auras nature and darkness. It wasn’t a strong flow just a slight pulse.
Among the other items were; a small hammer, a chisel, and a small metal club made of the same white metal that Crusher’s axe was made from. Crusher meticulously inspected each item before setting them aside. When everything seemed to be in order Crusher turned to Thad and pointed at one of the ultra-light metal ingots then at Thad’s left eye. After a few repeats of the same motion Thad started to understand.
Pulling the other bright red gem from his pack Thad handed it over to Crusher’s waiting hand. The dwarf looked over the gem for a few moments then held it up and then pointed at his chest. It wasn’t hard for Thad to get the idea Crusher wanted the gem for his own. It was a priceless item for enchantments but part of him wanted to know what the dwarf was going to do with it. Shrugging his shoulders Thad smiled and nodded his head.
Once the gem was put away Crusher signaled for Thad to follow him. Crusher didn’t take him far just to the other end of the cavern and pointed at the wall. Thad wasn’t sure what the dwarf was getting at so he shrugged his shoulders. Then pulling the stick of coal that Thad had given him he drew a half circle on the wall then made a motion with his hands like he was digging it out.
Hoping he was right about what Crusher wanted Thad focused him mind and started making a cut about four foot deep into the rock face. After the initial cut was done he continued to cut in a checkered pattern across the rest of the rock. When he was finished he motioned for Crusher to move with him to the other end of the cavern. Once they were a safe distance away Thad started to build a massive ball of magical energy at the very back of what he had cut. When Thad thought it was large enough he released his hold on it.
As soon as Thad let loose of the magical energy, a loud humppruh echoed through the cavern as rock exploded forward with great force. The force of the explosion was much larger than Thad had anticipated and even though he knew it was coming, it still made his knees weak. Crusher laughed at his apparent fright at his own magic.
Once the raining rock settled down Thad and Crusher moved over to check out his handy work. The back of the hole had a large indention where he had released the pent up magical energy. Crusher still had to dig out some of the left over rock but Thad’s explosion had done a lot of the work. Once the half circle was cleaned out Crusher made another mark on the bottom on the half circle. Thad repeated the same tactic he had used on the first section this time making the magical ball of energy smaller to reduce the excess damage.
Though he hadn’t really used much magical energy Thad felt exhausted. It was already late in the day and after a full workout topped with using magic in its raw state he was ready for a good night’s rest but Crusher had other plans.
Before Thad could lie down Crusher handed him three large chunks of the white metal that he had seen Crusher pull from his pack earlier. Thad wasn’t sure what Crusher wanted him to do with the ore so he pointed at it then held his hands out questioning.
Crusher rubbed his chin for a few minutes before using the coal to draw on the stone floor. Thad waited patiently for Crusher to finish with his drawing. When Crusher sat back Thad looked down to see a rough drawing of a blacksmith hammer. A couple of thoughts ran though Thad’s mind when he saw what Crusher had drawn.
It was obvious he wanted Thad to make the head of a blacksmith hammer with the metal available. There was more than enough available for that each one of the pieces of metal were half the size of his head. What worried Thad is that given everything he had seen today the Crusher planned to do some blacksmithing before they left. Thad didn’t know how long it would take but every day he spent in this cavern was one day more it would be until he could once again feel the sun on his face.
From what Thad had seen he didn’t think it would be worth arguing with the dwarf. So resigning himself to a few more days in the cavern Thad started on the project for Crusher. The metal was strong and resisted his urge to make it move to his will. By the time he had the project finished sweat poured from every part of his body. Crusher seemed slightly worried when he collapsed on the ground when he was finished but he gave the dwarf a reassuring smile before his eyes rolled back and he was enveloped in darkness.
CHAPTER X
When Thad woke he found Avalanche lying quietly beside him though there was no sign of Crusher. When he sat up Avalanche nudged him gently and whined softly as she often did when she was worried. Thad had begun to understand her little nuances during their time together.
Patting Avalanche’s head reassuringly Thad got to his feet. Resigning himself to another day of sitting idly Thad decided to explore the tunnels surrounding the small cavern. He knew it wasn’t the ideal solution to the unexpected delay but it would at least allow him to stretch his legs. There were eight tunnels leading from the tunnel not counting the one that led back toward the underground river. For a moment he considered making metal walls to seal them off so he wouldn’t have to be crammed in his small room with the dwarf at night, but set the idea aside for something to work on later if he had the energy.
Normally Thad would pick the largest of the tunnels believing it had the largest chance of continuing on but since he wasn’t interesting in traveling too far Thad thought that a smaller tunnel might fit his purposes for the day.
The tunnel he finally chose wasn’t the smallest but was still narrow enough that he could place his hands on both walls. At first he tried to walk as quietly as possible but with Avalanche following rowdily behind him he decided it was a pointless endeavor. There was an upside to having Avalanche along, it allowed Thad to use
his nightsight without worry.
While he walked Thad alternately closed one eye then the other trying to note the difference and similarities between nightsight and normal vision. Thad believed he was beginning to understand the meaning of some of the more subtle changes in heat around him. In many ways nightsight was much more detailed than his normal vision.
After making a sharp turn Thad noticed five moving humanoid figures in the distance. They were about the same size as Crusher but they were much thinner and their limbs were much longer. Taking a chance Thad switched his eye back into normal light spectrum and crept closer. When he was as close as he dared to approach Thad lit up the area with a ball of light that hung down the chamber above where the creatures had been.
As soon as the area lit up the creatures began looking around for its source. Thad didn’t know how they could tell there had been a change. When his eye was in its nightsight state he could only tell heat differences. The light put off no heat so there was no change in the surrounding area. Even without there being a change in heat all the creatures he had met in the subterranean could tell when he lit up the room and it seemed to cause most of them a fair amount of pain.
Besides their large eyes that looked way too big for their thin faces and ash gray skin the creatures could have passed as human children. Three of the creatures stood upright looking around while the other two hunched down on all fours sniffing the ground. They wore clothing that looked like it had been made with a fair amount of skill. Thad was so focused on the creatures he didn’t even notice that they had started moving in his direction slowly.
Thad was shaken from his trance when Avalanche began snarling next to him. Noticing his predicament Thad started to slowly back away from his hiding spot and back down the way he had come. After a few moments it became clear that there was no way that he was going to be able to move far enough away before they noticed him.
Knowing that it was only a matter of time Thad reached into one of his packs side pockets and pulled out one of his magical slugs. He hadn’t had a real chance to try them yet and the narrow passage seemed the perfect place for a test run. Not wanting to leave anything to the last minute Thad also freed his sword from its scabbard.
As the creatures rounded the corner Avalanche began to growl more intensely getting the creatures to look directly in their direction. Noticing Thad the creatures opened their maws impossibly wide and let out an ear shattering screech. Before advancing each creature pulled weapons from hidden spots in their clothing.
Thad was surprised at the appearance of weapons especially since they seemed to be made of metal instead of simple stone like the goblins used. They weren’t simple weapons either but looked as if they had been forged by an expert blacksmith. Given their clothing and weapons it was obvious they were from a sentient race. That left Thad with the slim hope that they were friendly. His hopes were soon dashed when a nasty barbed arrow whistled by striking the top portion of his shield and bounced off harmlessly.
With their intentions clear Thad let loose his first slug releasing its enchantment the second it was released from his hand. It shot forward but missed the creature by a hairs breath, not wasting any time Thad let loose his second slug this time catching one of the beasts in the chest blasting a large hole out its back and catching the creature behind it in the leg breaking it and sending the thing to the ground with a loud scream.
The three remaining creatures picked up their speed and raced toward him. Avalanche not content with waiting safely behind Thad, jumped at the nearest creature taking it full in the chest and bearing it to the ground. She made quick work of the poor thing ripping its throat out with her sharp rock teeth. As soon as the creature quit its struggling Avalanche jumped on the next one ripping at it fiercely.
Thad, shaking away his astonishment of the fierceness of Avalanche looked around for the last creature. He found it running back the way it came dragging the one he had injured with his slug behind him. Thad tried to hit it with one of his slugs but it flew wide striking the far wall harmlessly.
Thad waited for a few moments until he was sure that the creatures weren’t going to return before he put away the slug he held clutched in his hand. After taking a few deep breathes to calm his nerves Thad recalled his slugs using his ring. It worked perfectly bringing the slugs back minus the blood and gore.
With his slugs back in their pouch Thad began to search the bodies of the dead creatures. Up close they looked even more human though their large eyes were slightly off putting. Inside their pouches Thad found an assortment of items including a weird gold coin with odd writing on it. Thad took the gold coin as well as one of the creature’s swords. It was a bit smaller than he was comfortable with but it was better than to continuing using the ancient sword strapped to his waist.
After making sure the creatures had nothing else of use Thad headed back to the cavern he shared with Crusher. It couldn’t have been called a run but Thad moved with a purpose back toward the cavern. If the creatures were as intelligent as Thad believed there was a good chance on them returning and in greater numbers. Putting up defensive walls was no longer something he might consider doing, now it was a necessity.
When he got back to the cavern Thad found Crusher dumping a bag of the white metal on a large pile he had already accumulated in one of the corners of the room. Thad went up to him and using his illusions explained what had happened. Crusher pointed the weapon he had gotten from the creature with a large frown on his face. When Thad nodded the Dwarf rubbed his hand over his bald scalp shaking his head.
Thad could tell the dwarf was worried but tried to allay his fears by explaining his plan to block off all the entrances to the cavern using the ultra-light metal. Crusher shook his head and pointed at the white metal then flexed his arm. Thad understood the dwarf’s point the white metal was much stronger than anything he had ever seen, not even forged steel could hold up but changing it took a massive amount of energy. Thad tried to explain the size of a gem he would have to have to make its possible just getting the dwarf to shrug.
As if not paying attention to anything he was saying Crusher drew a picture of an anvil in the ground then pointed at the pile of white metal stacked carelessly in the corner of the cavern. Thad pointed at the metal, then the picture, then himself to make sure he understood what the dwarf was asking. Crusher shook his hand giving Thad a hearty pat on the back nearly sending him crashing to the floor with his strength.
Thad not wanting to argue started on the task. Crusher had lived in the tunnels for all his life for all he knew so he should be more than aware of what they should be doing. While he worked Crusher grabbed his bag and collected Avalanche to join him then headed off down one of the larger tunnels leading from the cavern.
The work was hard as the metal resisted with every step. He was fresh today having only used a small portion of his own energy during the battle earlier. He had tried to form the metal into a massive block and cut away the excess but the metal was much stronger than he had anticipated. As hard as the metal was to mold it was even harder to cut so he had been forced to struggle and get it to bend to his will.
By the time Crusher returned he had the basic shape of the anvil finished with only minor details to work out. Placing his bag down next to Thad, Crusher inspected his work. He made a few marks on the white steel where it needed to be altered. Thad complied and began working on the changes and within the hour, the anvil was finished.
Tired and drained Thad slumped down to the ground sweat pouring from his body as if he had chopped a stack of wood in the heat of the summer. Crusher handed him a full water skin which he drained greedily. The water was much fresher than from his canteen and didn’t have the slight metallic aftertaste he had gotten used to. He wished he had the skill to make one but unlike metal animal skin refused to bend to his will.
Crusher sat the bag in his lap then went over to the hole in the wall and began placing some odd looking red rocks inside the bottom. As soo
n as he was finished with his task Crusher went to his pack and pulled out a yellow powder and sprinkled it liberally over the stones Thad using a flint stone and dagger ignited the powder with a bright flash. For a long time Crusher minded the fire until it was roaring illuminating over half the cavern.
The bag Crusher had given him was filled with gems of all sizes more than a few of them the size of his fist and of good quality. They would work perfect for the magical doors but even with this large of a supply he knew he would have to link more than one together or they would be severely limited on how many times they could leave their sanctuary.
Thad wasn’t in any shape to begin working again yet, so he busied himself with watching Crusher. Crusher first sat a large bowl made of dark stone into the fire and filled to the brim with the ultra-light metal. Once that was done he sat down with the hammer head Thad had made and the block of dark wood.
Thad watched as Crusher pulled a hidden dagger from under his tunic and began to carve the wood. The wood wasn’t that thick and he had it whittled down into a broad handle that he fit into the head of the hammer. Pulling two white nails from his pack Crusher tapped them into the wood using the head of his axe. Once the nails were well started he slammed the hammer a few times into the ground forcing the nails deep into the wood.
Crusher checked the metal over and over waiting patiently for it to melt. Thad had seen other blacksmiths doing the same though their forges were usually much bigger. While he waited Crusher pulled out his smaller hammer and five chisels ranging from the size of one of Thad’s fingers to the size of his hand. Pulling blocks of the same black rock that the bowl was made of Crusher began to chisel out the inside. Thad couldn’t see what he was making but the rhythmic sound of the chisel against the stone was lolling and he soon found his eyes too heavy to keep open.
