"You going to be alright on your own?" I ask Einervaene as I rise up so I can go and take care of matters more concerning to me right now. I would like to stay at her side, but, right now, I have the only real opportunity I've had in a long time to properly look at my gear.
"I'll be fine, Brewbrt, I have Oorika with me near nonstop!" she tries to be jovial about as I ruffle her hair, earning more ire from the housekeeper. Smiling as I spot Einervaene's, I move away and wave back at her as she's made the point to wave at me. It disappears as I reach the door and I stare back at the deep-going line of cut-up body. Bit of everything, really, eyeball matter, bone, skin, tiny bit of flesh from the nose and something less physical but known by all.
Closing the door behind me, I glance down to my feet as I flex my toes across the stone. Pulling at the baggy not-trousers around my legs, the air goes up my legs and I get moving. I come to a stop by the first set of stairs leading to one of the many gardens within the Bosphama home and frown. The sky lights up with divine proof and some birds slip in from outside the keep's domain.
A fight breaks out between them and what are likely the birds that live in the gardens. Putting a finger against a thumb, I squeeze tight and a sudden breeze catches a bird on the glide down. Frightened, they fly off back to where they came from while the resident animals hide deeper in their homes. A member of staff rushes in with a tool of some kind, confused as to why their work is no longer present.
"Duds." Joastelan greets as he comes to a stop next to me, his relatively light armour not picking up much in my ears when he moves.
"Toast." I greet back as I turn towards him, fiddling with the clothes I had been given on the first evening here.
"The men at the forge wanted you to know that they have set the place up for your work." Toast explains and I nod as we start to walk in the direction of it. I've tried to make sure I properly understand the layout of this keep, but, my mind just isn't what it used to be. No ancient ruins recalled at the drop of a hat, now, I can't even keep one corner in recollection.
I look his way, catching a curl at the end of his lips, "Spit it out and get that smirk off your face."
"So... How's the side?" Toast asks before I find myself baffled at first, a deeper meaning known but not so quickly clear.
"The armour's holding up so don't even."
"I do believe I've warned you often in the past about how badly that ancient, green bronze is going to hold up." the moron laughs as his ornamental mixture of painted iron and practically knitted-together plate is shown off. I backhand my knuckle against his gut, caving in the musculature and finding his belly.
"Oh, don't give me that look. We're going somewhere to hammer it out anyway." I scoff, giving him his smirk back via one of my own.
"Do you know how long it takes to repair artisinal pieces!?" he complains one notch below full-on screaming.
"Less time than it will take me to realign punctures and fill them out. Never mind that the armour uses pre-Liquid Mountains technology. I swear... Going to be spending enough time as is recalling ancient words and concepts." I tell him as I cup my chin and I recall where I left my encyclopedia about all the ancient technology I have in my possession. The uppermost pocket on the left side, under my stash of travel sweets, yeah.
"I know you have your passion for those that came before but, why haven't you moved onto something modern? This isn't your youth you three-century-old coot." Toast idiotically goes on and I scoff before any words come close to my mind.
"Don't like it." I answer laconically so I don't have to go into depth regarding concerns with both the Valkinvar and the Seven-Peaks Union. At least with my ancient stuff, I can keep up the easy recognisability I have been able to establish with those who do patrol near my town. Though, that's become less and less needed since the borders started abruptly shifting closer to Thurn's Forge. Can't imagine that leads to good prospects for the ancient bridal-warrior order.
It is true, however, I do not like modern equipment and over nothing contrarian, it is quite simple why: it lacks ingenuity. A lot of modern gear, especially in the five lands that never had to deal with a turned-off source of magic wholly embrace what they are. There's nothing inherently wrong there, but, it limits what the mind can create when there is this reverence for what they can do. Ibenoroccons quench in the densest arcane stream they can, and Eusorochii artisans fuse swords together shard by shard and cut ships straight from the islands.
It's all focused on the magic they have and that is becoming increasingly a thing in Jherikra mountain-states. Some still look towards our ancestors, but most do not, the Wind-Mountain awakening quickly caught the imagination of our land and the fear of others. It's all about how this chest piece can prevent lung-crushing spells or how this conical faceguard can focus your voice like a cannon. Nothing like the ancients did where they compensated for all they lacked by working it into the very runes of the armour, the art is power!
Shame there are no experts on the subject, though, I can't help but feel a lot of the old magic is trickling away over the years...
"This way, Duds." Toast comments as his hand latches onto my shoulder, nearly pulling me off my feet.
"L-Let me catch up!" I growl as I hop back onto both feet before I can properly walk alongside him again.
"Better not be like that down the stairs or you'll put your back out."
"More likely to break them." I huff as I test how obnoxious I can be with my recovering internal-magic and how it affects my weight.
"Speaking of things not broken, about your foot..."
"Wear socks you damn sparkies." I remark as I continue to feel the smooth sensation of polished wood under my heels.
"The foot of your armour, the one you know I am on about." Toast clarifies as he finds a moment to stop. Going slightly ahead, I turn back towards him as he seems to struggle to find the words he wants.
"It's annoying is what it is, if you want my opinion on it if you are considering doing the same to your own armour." I presume to answer to see if I can get even the slightest smile from him. What I get, however, is the look of reverence, something I know is much easier to find within a temple or beside a shrine.
"How did you come across such perfect ore? On your approach, I was considering sending out some men because what I and others were able to sense got the hairs standing." Toast asks as he rubs the back of his neck, his mind guiding his eyes in the right direction.
"Anvil-Peak." I answer quickly and his jaw opens up.
"It's... It's real?" he doubts and it comes as no surprise given how we tried to find it before as part of Eratheen's last want for an adventure. Even though it was our last outing as what remained of our group, I struggle to remember why we stopped proper. Eratheen needing to go back home always seemed like an excuse to me, I do not know why.
"It is, Einervaene found it by sheer circumstance as she was journeying with a friend."
"How do you find something like that so casually!?"
"Joastelan, our main lead, the main lead of everyone when it comes to finding the mountain is the city of Thurn's Forge. The Redstone Canyon is a fairly obvious hint."
"Come on, you know historians call these bluffs out all the time. It's dramatic flair to make a city sound special!" Toast goes and I tut disappointedly, hiding my smile.
"And that's why I got to see Anvil-Peak and not you. Outside of my thunder-gold-soaked foot, I can even show you something else." I explain, my smile widening as the professional soldier starts to nod like a child. Or, maybe I should wait until Eratheen is back to provide this as to not potentially spoil the prize? No, I would like to see it again, Einervaen sort of forgot about the gift I got her back at Anvil-Peak...
Maybe, I do not know for sure. I remember so clearly how she held it the morning after I made it but as the days went by after she came back with that power. My eyes dart to the nearest corner of the hall and Joastelan steps forward with narrow eyes. Mine meet his and a hand starts to gently tap my arm.
"Come on then..." Toast demands mutteringly so.
"I want the others out of the room once we are in there, however." I make a point in saying as while I trust Toast, ironic as it might be for those who know him. I do not trust anyone else in this keep apart from Einervaene and the missing Lady of it.
"We've long since purged the grounds of anyone under the influence of the Senate or Lord Burspharosa."
"This isn't about Lord Who Cares and politicians, this is about ensuring the safety of an irreplaceable gift." I explain, thinking back to the visions I received in that pool of water and what Thunder otherwise claimed. That man had strange knowledge and power, whatever it is he was, Einervaene managed to find her way home with a way to help Eratheen. There's also the matter of whose name he uttered upon closer interrogation.
Thurnmourer.
God of Creation, of Thunder, of the Furious Storm and the strength it circles the skies with. Defender of Mortals and Saviour of the World, He Who Walked Amongst Us to Guard Us. A god that may not cover everything, but one who finds himself honoured in all cities and temples. Though a shrine might be for someone as forgotten as Nosungril or even the Dead God of the Stars...
All must be made, all are created, the child that once cried thrice for another is the root of everything.
"Alright, you lot, out for the moment. Our Honoured Guest needs space." Joastelan orders the people within the keep's forge and they quickly do so with little fuss. Any work they might have been doing long since accounted for. The heavy, reinforced door slams shut by its very nature than by intention and I turn to one of my old adventuring partners.
Moving my head towards my bag, I make a point of undoing the magic seals keeping my hoard safe. Pulling out what found itself at the top of the bag due to its frequent use, I hand them over and he sets them up elsewhere. The stuff I need to keep safe comes next and I arrange them personally as I will need to consider my options with how my magic's been so far. Finally, I pull out the lock box that has otherwise been used as a support for my back, keeping it flat and straight.
"Getting this in here would've been much easier if you unpacked it." Toast complains bemusedly as I take the lockbox keep out of its small, hidden bag pocket. With an energised click, the ancient safe comes to life and I quickly disarm the next layer of defences with rehearsed dexterous precision.
"On my armour, you see thunder-gold, in this jar, the storm itself." I explain as I bring it out before putting it down on the table. I keep his hands away and emphasise the age-old advice of eyes, not hands.
"I feel like I've gone on a pilgrimage to the Emperor's Temple..." Joastelan goes as he otherwise tries to get as close a look as he can whilst I hold him back.
"As you can see," I say, rotating the jar so that the inscribed name is clear, "this belongs to your future master."
"Strange as it is to say, Brewbrt, I'd rather she have something a little more showy. Give Lord Burspharosa and everyone else really what matters!" Joastelan jokes and laughs and I nod slowly as I put the jar back into the lockbox. Putting it back where it belongs, I get to looking over my damaged plate, sorted out by those Toast sent out.
"Your forge staff are aware I basically need this entire area for as long as I am able to be here?" I ask, just to make sure.
"Yes, it took some convincing when it came to the Housekeeper, but, she relented. The forge staff will be briefly heading out to nearby villages and doing what they can from their blacksmiths and any small factories they might have." he explains as I put the thunder-gold armour into my grip. Looking on the inside and resisting the urge to give it a curious sniff, I look at how the steel has been affected. It might as well be gone, as if it was replaced.
"Strange stuff, this ore is." I remark as I can't help but pass up the idea it is spreading even though it's been cooled to a chilling touch for some time now.
"Don't think you realise how lucky you are to have something like that on your armour. That stuff is rare, even in the richest mines for it." Toast explains and I can't help but laugh, if any of those miners saw the utter body of it bubbling away at Anvil-Peak's base. Pretty sure I even heard the odd rumour that the big-heads all the way up at Suhurlodst couldn't figure out how to handle that stuff. So raw with the power of a god that they had to lie about being able to do it.
"I was about to challenge that claim with how I was treated by those who attacked us back in the Terraces... But, giving it much needed and welcomely quick to arrive thought. Yeah, yeah I am very lucky to have had it happen to me." I say to Joastelan as I think about how the assassins acted around me. Clearly, I wasn't the target but many lost their focus and thought I was. They were after gold and this here foot kept them on me for the most part.
And that good luck charm with Einervaene's name on it... I am quite liking the idea of it playing a part in putting her in that farmer's home.