Frost 32nd, Year 74, Age of Steel
Alyssum watched the forge curiously but cautiously as Rúnar lit up the behemoth and started to prepare for the day. It was Alyssum's first proper lesson regarding smithing, so they were taking it slow. Well, slowly by Rúnar's standards but Alyssum was already starting to feel like she was in overload from this alone. She didn't know how anything worked and she was trying much too hard to drink in all her surroundings and commit them to memory. Trying way too hard to become a master smith in the span of a single lesson. There was an innate desire to be "The Best" immediately without really understanding and fully processing what "The Best" even was. It wasn't the kind of innate desire that came from a Purpose, not with how Rúnar described it. Instead it was an anxious kind of feeling like she was trying to prove something, though she wasn't entirely sure what yet.
"Slow down," Rúnar said with a small laugh, quickly realizing that the young girl was about to go into shell shock. That or she was going to give herself a concussion from snapping her gaze back and forth, this way and that way. "Like I said, there's plenty of time to learn," he said as the forge began to glow its regular color.
It was still way too freezing to be outside, even if it wasn't actively storming like it had been for the last couple of days, but the glow of the furnace helped. Rúnar turned towards the distance with a grunt. "Cold weather like this can be a difficulty to work with. If you aren't careful it'll ruin your flames, and your work might not come out the best quality in the world. Unfortunately, the season won't be ending any time soon so it's a risk you just have to take and learn how to combat. Something you'll figure out with enough experience. You'll be able to recognize the proper temperature your forge is supposed to be at just by standing in front of it one day. There are some things that become intrinsic once you get a taste for them. Till then, you just gotta learn to be careful not to ruin any of your hard work by keeping the flames too low or too high."
Alyssum nodded mutely, watching Rúnar retrieve a number of tools and a bar of what seemed to be iron. "We're not going to do any proper lesson today. Instead, I'm going to be taking the time to get your properly acquainted with the forge, the tools, and the tasks we smiths usually have to undertake. Before we get to some proper smithing, we'll probably also want to look into getting you some earplugs. Something to mute the roar of the banging so it doesn't ruin your hearing," Rúnar said as he brushed his calloused fingers against the tips of Alyssum's ears. The delicate things twitched at the slightest brush and he frowned. "It's bad enough for a wolf, but your kind seem to be even more sensitive at the trade off of your voices, huh?" He said.
Alyssum didn't know what he meant. She knew that her voice was a lot quieter than other people's, but it just seemed to her that other people were constantly yelling. She'd never thought that maybe her hearing was just more delicate. "When you turn 18, we'll have your ceremony and you'll be able to start transforming. That way you can get rid of those ears for a little bit if you need to and it'll be less of a hassle to make something. Though you might just prefer the earplugs. A lot of our kind do. Would rather find a work around and suffer with the noise than wear what some consider to be a mask."
"Ceremony?" She cocked her head to the side and Rúnar groaned under his breath.
"That's another box on the checklist of things Isra forgot to teach you. Honestly she should have brought you here sooner, no Azunath damned clue how to take care of a Rath!" Rúnar muttered, only stopping when he saw Alyssum visibly flinch at the mention of her old guardian's name. It had been a couple days but the wounds were fresh enough he should have been more careful with him complaints against her. He sighed and patted Alyssum between the ears as gently as he could manage. "She didn't leave you, pup. This is temporary. She'll come back. You just need someone who can teach you the things that Isra can't. The fact you don't know about a Rath's coming of age ceremony says enough about the manners in which she failed you. She knew that she was, so that's why we're going to learn about the forge and how to properly read and write and all about history and other important skills for a younger lady before she comes back, okay?"
Alyssum nodded hesitantly, though she wasn't as completely assured of the fact Isra would return for her as Rúnar seemed to be. Rúnar knew for a fact Isra would come back for her, though, he just didn't know if she'd try to take Alyssum with her when she left again. Permanently. Of course, she'd promised that Alyssum would be a Crow after she left, but Isra loved breaking promises. At least, to anyone besides someone she considered family. Rúnar wasn't family. Alyssum, however, seemed to be, and Rúnar had no doubt Isra intended to keep it that way.
Ha. Alyssum wasn't leaving the Clan's territory let alone his house until she was at least 18 and had a vague understanding of how the world worked or so help Rúnar, he'd fight Isra over it.
"How much am I going to have to learn before Isra comes back?" Alyssum asked, her eyes wide and slightly watery now, gazing up at Rúnar with something uniquely between hope and complete despair.
She wasn't going to like the answer. "Well, first thing's first. Since Isra has been teaching you a lot of the practical skills you'll need growing up like hunting, stealth, archery, and whatever else she came up with, I'll be teaching you the skills that you need in order to actually live in cities and towns as more than a wild hermit that wandered in. Things like getting along with others, language, etiquette, as well as whatever craft skills we can manage like smithing, tailoring, carpentry. As much as we can manage is probably the best answer I can give you for now."
"That'll take years though," Alyssum said, ears sagging as her gaze trailed down.
"Aye pup, it will. Still, it'll only be a fraction of time compared to others. If 50 years were to pass in a blink then a human's life would be half spent, but you'd only be cresting about a sixth of your time on this world if you keep smart and take care of yourself. The only thing you can do to make the time move faster is to learn," Rúnar said, handing over a hammer to Alyssum for her to get used to.
She seemed a bit downtrodden in the face of Rúnar's words, but she took the hammer none the less and flinched slightly at it's weight. "Hmm, we'll need to work on your strength," he muttered under his breath while Alyssum struggled against the downward pull of gravity. With enough effort she managed to keep the hammer aloft, but she'd need to get stronger. A better diet would probably help. Wasn't like Isra's lifestyle led to a varied and healthy diet.
"So the first thing you need to know about forges is how the run. There are two main points to the forge, to melt down the metal to be poured into molds and then to heat up the metal so that it's workable and you can make it into tools or weapons or whatever else you want. In order to do that the forge needs to be hot enough though," Rúnar motioned to a bag that wasn't too terribly far away, stained black slightly and lumpy as could be. "Our forge usually runs on coal, occasionally charcoal. You can technically run a forge on anything flammable, but you need to keep in mind that certain fuel sources aren't going to run as hot as others and the most important aspect is picking a fuel source that doesn't just get hot enough but also lets you control the heat. Again, my favorite is coal. Only ever really use charcoal in a pinch. Magic can be helpful because it lets you craft items that burn better or apply more control, but for now the only magic you're allowed to learn or use are World Magic. So for now, we're just going to focus on traditional practices." Rúnar explained as Alyssum peered at the forge with as much dedication as she could muster, trying to image the forge in use. What holes would be used for what, where the fuel would go, trying to understand it as best she could.
Her ears perked up and she jumped back with a high pitched yelp when something inside the furnace popped.
"That happens sometimes!" Rúnar said with a deep belly laugh as Alyssum growled as loud as she physically could, glaring at the forge. Rúnar the traitor just kept laughing until he got bored of it and moved on with the lecture.
"Now, most village or towns only have one blacksmith. Excluding blacksmiths that specifically work with magical items, most places aren't going to have more than one. Two or three if they're especially big cities, but often you'll never find more than that. This is exactly what makes the blacksmiths so very important. Everything that's made with metal, it was usually the job of the blacksmith to make it. Now, trades have diversified a lot in the last couple hundred years that yours truly has been alive. So not everything is on the shoulders of the blacksmith anymore. But a lot of it still is. The same man making the words is usually making the horseshoes and the hinges. That's why, as a blacksmith, you'll end up being important." Rúnar stoked the bellows as the forge hit a gentle rolling color between red and orange.
Alyssum frowned at that, tilting her head to the side slightly. "I don't want to stay in one place though," she said. She wasn't entirely sure why she said it, but something about the idea of staying in one spot her whole life felt... off. The idea of being bound to a single place. Sure she'd want to come back eventually, but she didn't want to stay forever. Not with Rúnar, not with Isra, and not in the same country her entire life. Rúnar seemed to think about this for a moment, nodding slowly and chewing on the inside of his cheek.
"Right. You wouldn't. That makes sense. But dear pup, smithing is a good trade to learn none the less. In the towns you'll visit if you have experience you'll be able to sell yourself as temporary help to get a roof over your head and food in your belly. Not to mention, even if you don't want to stay the whole time... This is your home now, Alyssum. This house, this forge, it's as much yours as it is mine, unless one day you have to sell it. Even then, one day you'll want to buy another because a a home isn't somewhere you spend your entire life but it's something you always return to. If you want to travel, you'll need a way to make money. What better way then selling your own wares and coming back once you run out?"
Rúnar did his best to pitch the idea and Alyssum seemed to take it in stride, pausing for a moment to chew on his words before nodding her head quietly and continuing to give him her full attention.
"As I was about to say, versatility is key. Especially if you're going to be doing something like that when you get older. Knowing how to make a lot of different items quickly and well is a great help. A blacksmith, even a traveling blacksmith of which I've known a few, needed to know a lot," Rúnar paused for a moment as he took the hammer from Alyssum, easily hefting it into the air and swinging it a couple times just for show. She perked up immediately, expression becoming impressed, as Rúnar smirked.
"If you know how to make everything then you can always find a niche. And if you end up settling anywhere even if it's only for a season, taking up the position of blacksmith still means the same person making the swords is the same person making the horseshoes and hinges, it just happens to be you. Now Alyssum, remember three things. Method, metal, and procedure. If you remember each of the methods used in forging, then it's easier to remember the procedure. The procedure is another word for the steps. You have to be able to remember all the steps in order to get the recipe right. Finally, remember metal. Not everything you make is going to require the same metal. Different tools will require steel, while some might be better if you use iron. Making a tool out of the wrong kind of metal will render that tool unable to be used. You can make a decorative sword out of gold, but a real sword made out of gold is going to be ruined in a week unless you've got some kind of magic on it. You got that?"
Alyssum nodded. "Use the right metals," she repeated quietly, though the only thing Rúnar could really notice was the movement of her mouth.
"Good. Continuing on..."
Rúnar continued to speak as a gentle and quiet snow fell. The cold which usually bothered Alyssum to no end didn't seem as awful when her full attention was directed at trying to memorize each and every detail that passed from her mentor's lips.
