Jerry and Tu'Xanz headed out shortly after. The trek to and from Tu'Xanz secret supply sight was completely uneventful. When they arrived at the site for as far as you could see in any direction there were large craters on the ground. Most of the craters were full of a black metal orb about the size of a bowling ball. They collect six of these orbs that they placed in a travel pack that Tu'Xanz brought with him. With all six orbs together it was too much Tu'Xanz to pick up so Jerry carried it back for him. The entire trip there and back took them a little over fourteen hours. Tu'Xanz brought Jerry into his forge and placed all six orb in the kiln. He explained that it would take all night to get hot enough to start working with. Then to Jerry's amazement he started a motorized bellows.
The next day Jerry and Mel'Imba went with Tu'Xanz into the forge. Tu'Xanz was used to working in there by himself or sometimes with Mel'Imba's help. Mel'Imba was there to start Jerry's training on controlling his abilities. "Since Tu'Xanz is going to construct your armor and weapon I want you to help him. I normally do this for him to imbue whatever attributes he's looking for in what he's crafting. But before you can do that I must teach you how to use your powers more acutely. I already know you know how to access your powers, but I want you to just let your perception expand but don't access your powers. Just feel the world around me and tell me what you feel." Jerry closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Due to his connection to his animal friends he was able to appreciate so much more with that one breath. The heat of the forge behind him was the strongest smell because of his close proximity. As he let his sense of smell drift outward he was able to smell his animal friends, who he knew were lounging behind the house. Next he could smell the horses in the coral, and the other animals living in the barn. His sense of hearing allowed him to hear Yen'Shamillia singing to herself in the house. As he let it expand he could hear the chorus of the different woodland creatures going about their day. He quickly had to reign it in because the sound of so much going on at once threatened to overwhelm him. He let his mind expand out and was very surprised when he felt the energy coming off of Mel'Imba. It rivaled the intensity of the forge which was already oppressive. He could sense two more energy sources that he knew to be Vrkane and Bengala. He felt his mind being pulled toward the house where he felt multiple energy sources. Most were very small, but one held the potential to be very vast. Jerry looked over at Mel'Imba and asked, "I can feel your energy, my friends energy, and Yen'Shamillia's vast potential. But there are smaller forms of energy I can feel in your house also, what are those?"
Mel'Imba smiled and nodded her head, "Those are the things I hoped you would be able to sense, those are Tu'Xanz armor and weapons. They each serve a different function, but also carry different characteristics to help fulfill their need. For example have you ever wondered why no never see Tu'Xanz go and retrieve his arrows, but his quiver is always full?"
Jerry thought about it for a second. He had never really paid attention to that before but now that she brought it up it was a good point. He had never seen him retrieve any arrow he fired. And as he thought further on it he noticed how Tu'Xanz barely aimed before firing either. "I didn't think about that before but now that you mention it I realize I haven't seen him retrieve any. I also noticed he barely aims before shooting his arrows."
"That is because his arrows have the essence of a homing pigeon in them. They work in concert with his armor. As soon as his mind identifies a target the arrow in his hand already know where to go, he just has to shoot it, it will find its target on its own. That's why is was so impossible that you avoided his attack. They also know to return to his quiver when it has struck his target, so they appear back in when he takes his armor off, or as the need arises."
"So you have an unlimited supple of arrows as long as they don't get broken?" Jerry asked Tu'Xanz
"That is correct. And since my arrows are completely made up of this meteor ore they are indestructible." Tu'Xanz said beaming with pride about his work, but his face became very serious, "That is why we are constantly attacked. I traveled here from my lands far to the south to make a living as a blacksmith. My family's smithing techniques have been passed down for generations. When Mel'Imba and I first settled here shortly after we were married I had hoped to gain a contract making weapons and armor for the king. He could easily see the high quality to my work and granted me lucrative contract for fifty full suits of armor and one hundred shields and swords. I completely the work ahead of schedule and that king was so grateful he gave me a ten percent bonus after naming me court blacksmith. I purchased these lands here to build our home and raise our family, Mel'Imba was pregnant by then. I had heard rumors for years about the haunted lands to the west and decided one day to hike there and see them for myself. I took the armor I had originally created for myself using steel as the main metal in it. It was able to hold Mel'Imba's magic, but it drain out very quickly. The longest we could make it last was two days. As I approached the wasteland we visited I saw the endless destruction and was overcome with grief. I fell to my knees and hung my head in same knowing that my ancestors had a part in ruining the land so completely. As my knees touched the ground my right leg touched one of the orbs, like the ones we collected. The magic in my armor instantly transferred into that orb. I was astonished, I didn't know what had happened. I picked up the orb and brought it home to show Mel'Imba."
Mel'Imba picked up the story there and continued, "When he brought me the orb I was surprised to sense energy already in it. Then I recognized my own energy in it and was completely confused. Tu'Xanz told me everything that happened and what he found. I practiced with it seeing how much energy it could store and for how long. This ore seemed to have no limits, to this day I haven't been able to overload it with power, it just keep absorbing and storing it. So I developed a rune to make it continuously absorb aether at a steady rate. At the same time Tu'Xanz was practicing on smelting and crafting with it. It took much higher temperatures, but he finally developed a technique that worked. We spent a lot of time together excited about the potential for this new metal. Because of its magical properties we named it Arcanium. When we finally settled on what we wanted to do with it I plied my magic into while Tu'Xanz worked the metal to his needs. When he was finished everything just melted together onto a little glowing ball that can fit in your hand. I was devastated, I was sure we had gotten everything right. I could tell that Tu'Xanz was just as disappointed, we didn't know where we had gone wrong. Tu'Xanz picked the ball up intending to throw it in his scrap metal pile, but as soon as it touched his hand the ball began to expand and form around him. In a matter of seconds he was wearing a full armor from head to toe. His quiver even appeared on his hip. We went outside to see what it looked like in full light. It glistened and gleamed in the noonday sun."
Mel'Imba nodded to Tu'Xanz to finish the story, "The armor was better than anything I could have hoped for. It felt as if I wasn't wearing a thing. My movement was quick and precise, and as we hoped the armor responded to my thoughts. It took me a little while to figure how to take it off since the way it worked wasn't a part of our original plan. But all I had to do was concentrate on wanting it off and it would form back into a ball in my hand. Over time as new ideas came to me we adjusted and adapted my armor as we saw fit. One day I was wearing my armor practicing with it in the yard when one of the king's knights and some of his men came by looking to have a sword made. He appreciated what he saw of my armor and demanded I make one for him. I couldn't do that and not give away Mel'Imba's secret. I also remembered the devastation that I had seen to the west and I knew kingdoms would fight for armor and weapons like this. So I told him I would make him a sword, but I refused to make him an armor. He was outraged and said he would just take the armor off my dead body. As he had his men attack me I noticed they seemed to move in slow motion compared to me. I easily defeated them, but the knight took their attacks as an opportunity to sneak up behind me and try to stab me in the back. When his dagger broke on my armor I turned around and in my fury I broke his arm just grabbing it. He and his men left swearing his vengeance and we have been attacked regularly since."
Jerry was amazed at what he was being told. The potential for the armor they were making him was incredible, but even more so was the trust and honor they was giving him. He felt he didn't deserve it. "After hearing your tale I don't feel I deserve what you are offering me. I know I helped out during their attack on you, but you have helped me out so much already. Just giving me this ring is more than enough help. I am afraid I must decline your offer of the armor too. I will find some other way to clothe myself."
Husband and wife looked at each other and shared a smile, "That is exactly why we offer this to you. We have felt a connection to you from the first time we met and doing this for you feels right to us." Tu'Xanz said. "Also we give this freely as a gift. Your abilities makes this world just as much a danger to you as it is to me. If you swear to the promise all sorcerers have then I would gladly bless you with my help anyway that I can." Mel'Imba said.
Jerry didn't know what to say so he just smiled and nodded his head. Jerry could feel Vrkane and Bengala approaching the forge, but something wasn't right about them. They felt different to him, but he could figure out what it was. There came a knock at the door to the forge. When Tu'Xanz opened it he jumped back in surprise. Standing in the doorway was a man and woman or what looked like a man and woman. Just as Jerry realized it was Vrkane and Bengala they asked, "Can we have armor made too?