"Dang… Dang… Dang!"
Harnio watched the blacksmith closely how they hammered the metal in their hands. "That is interesting. Different hammer weights, different materials, and even different reactions being added to the metal as it is heated."
He scratched his head. "How do they stand the heat? They don't have any batteries on them at all."
He looked down at his hands. "I wonder if I can learn these techniques. I wonder if I can add my battery knowledge to these weapons? What would the results be? Hmm..."
He walked along the traders' street admiring the abilities of the blacksmiths when he stopped and stood with his mouth hanging open. "That blacksmith is etching decorations into the bow itself. I need to watch and learn this. It's essential that I learn this skill."
He slowly walked to a corner and stood watching. "I mustn't distract him."
"Finally finished the decorations. I'm sure they're going to really like the bow now."
"Ahhhh, ttthat'samazzinngg." Harnio covered his mouth in shock. He watched as the blacksmith looked up at him.
"Student. What do you need? I don't have any battery powered items here. Just standard equipment for the guards and travelers."
"Sssorrryy sir. I ddon'twannntannyooobjects. I just wwannt too watchhh. I'll bee quiet." Harnio scratched his hands and looked around the smith. He looked at the ground and sighed. "I just wwanntt to llearrnn."
He glanced at the blacksmith. "Student, you're not the normal students who come looking for battery objects. But still… You're welcome to watch if it helps."
Harnio smiled. "Cann I see what you're doooing?"
"Sure kid. You can see. Don't get too close or you could burn yourself. I don't know why you want to see, there is nothing special here. Just using metal to add decoration to a bow." He watched the blacksmith wipe the sweat from his brow and looked at the ground.
He looked at the bow and stared at the thin wire that the blacksmith was using to make the decorations on the bow. "Soorry. I haveee a qquesstionn." He pointed at the metal wire. "Whhaattiss that?"
He looked at the ground and took a deep breath. "If it is a metal with a low melting point, wouldn't it melt in the archer's hands?"
"Hahahaha. Good question kid. This metal is of my own design and is very special. It's properties actually change after it has been melted once. It becomes as strong as a steel blade and won't break or melt easily."
Harnio looked around the smith. "Can I sseeitt being formed?"
He heard the blacksmith moving around. "Sorry kid. This is my trade secret. All the blacksmiths around here want to learn how to make this type of metal. This metal here, is what makes people come from all over just for me and my skills."
Harnio looked at his feet and smiled. "Blacksmith… I wish to propose an exxperimmment with you. I wish to try annnd add battery essenncee to your metal, but I think the essence hass to bee added when the metal is formed."
He took several steps back from the blacksmith as they stared at him in surprise. "Are you trying to say that if this experiment of yours succeeds then this bow could shoot arrows of fire or ice? Harnio nodded at the floor.
"Kid why don't you look at people when you talk with them?"
Harnio frowned. "I'm not good with people…"
He glanced around the smithy. "Also. Can you teach me to be a blacksmith?"He watched the blacksmith sit in their chair with surprise. "You're a strange kid indeed. So, what's in it for me?"
"All the fame and excitement that comes from if our experiment works." Harnio scratched his arms and controlled his breathing. "I don't want people looking for me. They can look for you instead. I don't need money, just your training is enough…"
He looked around the blacksmith avoiding his gaze as they cleaned their face. "Your body is not very physically strong. Training as a blacksmith will probably cause your body to fall apart." Harnio scratched his arms and shoulders. "I want to learn. It'll help my studies a lot."
He watched the blacksmith approach him and raise their open hand to him. He pushed himself back against the wall. "Sorrrry. I doonn'tt like people tttouchingmee." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the blacksmith to step away from him.
"Kid. If you train here, then people will see you. Where are you wanting to learn?"
Harnio looked at his feet. "You have large shoes… I'm surprised you don't wear water batteries to keep yourself cool when you're working with flames."
He watched the blacksmith sit down. "Okay. You have a deal. I'll teach you how to be a blacksmith, but you must be willing to practice and build your body physical strength, but you need to answer my question."
Harnio nodded. "Inside the tower grounds is a small smith. We can do the experiment there. See you at the evening bell."
"Kid... I didn't ask my question yet... Strange one indeed."
He turned and walked out the smith smiling. "I'm going to enjoy doing these experiments. Hopefully it'll work and not blow up in my face."
Harnio smiled. "Now, I have until evening to figure out everything, before the experiment. I need to see which batterys I can get for the experiment." He walked back towards his classroom and sat at the back of the class. "Must calculate this exactly. This is more important than class."
He sat staring at his handwriting. "How to protect the energy from the high temperatures, without an explosion but also without losing any energy?" He tapped his head. "Think… Come on think, it can't be that hard…"
He looked up at the class staring at what the professor had been writing on the board listening to the professor.
"… is an art. The battery cases themselves are amazing. They are intricately designed covered in patterns. However, there are some professors that argue these patterns are not a design, but a language itself." Harnio's eyes opened wide. "A language…" He looked at his handwriting listening to the professor further.
"Hohoho. That is just what they say, however the evidence they present is just small decorations repeat several times on the casings. They also argue that it's the language of the Creator, and that if we knew the language, then anything we say in the Creator's language will happen."
Harnio jumped up. "That's it! I know what I need to do…"
He looked around in the classroom and stood with his face heating up. "Ssssorry. I musttt go. Ttthankk you professor. Ssssorry." He picked up his book and ran out of the classroom.
He smiled as he walked. "Why didn't I realize that before? I saw the patterns repeated themselves several times, but I am curious about why Sinis didn't mention in any of his books about the language…"
He looked up surprised. "I'm in the library?" He walked up to the library directory. He went through the list. "Languages… Where are you?" He smiled. "There you are."
He walked to the bookshelf and started looking for the book. "Found you. What do we have inside?" He sat against the bookshelf and started to read.
"He's here! The weirdo I've found him."
Harnio looked at the feet around him and looked down at his book.
"See he doesn't even want to look at us at all." He heard laughter around him.
"Hey Harnio. That book more important than your classmates?" He felt hands on the book grabbing it from him. He shook his head as other hands grabbed him and forced him up.
"Lllettmeeegooo." Harnio whispered looking down at his feet.
"Hahahaha. He is strange. Look at us?"
Harnio shook his head.
��Ahhhhhhh." He placed his hands over his stomach as he felt a sharp blow to his stomach. His head spun as several punches hit him in the face. He fell to the ground in a heap as they let him go.
"Ahh… Ahhh… Ahhh." He felt their kicks and heard their laugher.
"Hahaha. Weirdo. Every time you come to the library, we'll be waiting to leave our marks on you. As well as to do this in front of you."
Harnio opened one tear filled eye and watched as the book he was reading was set a light from a fire battery. "Weirdo… Watch with your own eyes as we destroy what is precious to you."
Harnio jumped onto the book and put it out with his body with laughter in his ears.
"Come on let's go. See you tomorrow weirdo."
He took deep breaths as he heard them walk away. He looked down at the book and sighed. "Sorry. I'm sorry." Tears fell from his eyes.
He pulled himself up and opened the burnt book. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them…�� He looked outside and saw the setting sun and started limping out of the library carrying the burnt book in his arms.
He limped down the stairs and outside the tower. He took a deep breath and stared at the doors behind him. "I need to become stronger to protect those that can't protect themselves." He slowly made his way towards the smith and sat on the anvil waiting for the blacksmith.
"Ding… Ding… Ding…" Harnio looked up at the tower. "The evening bells. It's almost time. How am I going to do this experiment now?" He felt tears form behind his swollen eyes.
"Cough… Kid. I'm here."
He turned and looked at the feet of the blacksmith. He then stared at the wheelbarrow he was pushing. "Kid what hass happened to you?" Harnio shook his head. "Is nothing. I just failed to look after something special. He stood up and put the burnt book on the anvil. "This book had the answers that I needed for this experiment."
He scratched his arms and looked around the smith as he saw the blacksmith walk closer to him. "Kid. To be a blacksmith is to do a lot of trials and in those trials failures... Only then can you succeed."
Harnio looked up at the blacksmith and looked around him. "A blacksmith's hands carry lots of failures, that's why we need to be strong. We need to carry that burden. If you want to still learn, this is your first lesson."
Harnio nodded and wiped the tears from his face. "I'll try let me set up while you start." He opened the burnt book and his notes from his robe pocket. "Where will you mix the metals once they are melted?" He watched as the blacksmith pointed to the crucible. "In there. I'll fill a bucket with sand and put that in so when it's mixing it won't spill." Harnio nodded.
"Do you have something that I can use to write on the metal?" He saw the blacksmith scratch their head and walk to his wheelbarrow. "I have a file and punch. That should help you do what you need to do." He watched the blacksmith place them on the anvil. He picked them up and started to draw on the crucible while placing wind batterys on the anvil.
"Please give me some time to do this…"
"I hope this works… He placed the crucible in the sand and surrounded it with wind batteries at each corner. He took a deep breath and gently placed the essence stone in the empty crucible. "I'm… done…"
"It looks like a spider's web to me kid. Are you sure this will work?" Harnio sat on the ground hugging the burnt book and shook his head. "I don't know… but we can… try…"
He watched from the corner of his eye as the blacksmith started working on the fire of the furnace.
He stared at the fire of the furnace as it became hotter. "It's hot…"
"It's hot so the metals I use will reach their melting point. If it's not hot enough then the metal for the wire won't be formed."
Harnio nodded. "That makes sense." He watched the blacksmith add powders to the metal as it melted into a bright liquid. "Okay kid I'm done all that's needed is to add it to your spiderweb there."
Harnio stood up. "It's better if I do it. Please give it to me and get a safe distance away just in case."
"Kid, a master never leaves their apprentice alone. Especially if it's dangerous."
"Okay. Then let's try." Harnio smiled a little and looked at the melted metal and watched as it was added to the crucible in the sand. They took steps back as the contents and the batterys started glowing. Harnio smiled. "This is what happened in my previous experiment."
He had to close his eyes due to the strong light coming from the crucible and the batterys.
"BOOM!"
He felt his body being pushed back by a wall of hot air and landed roughly on the dirt.
"Cough… Cough… Did it… work…?"