Medalie nearly bowled me over when we returned to her shop that evening.
"Ren, you're back! How did it go?"
I looked down to the large chunk of rock and steel held between my arms like a new-born baby. Cali and Adel had to carry the other two. I slammed it down on the table and breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it was lighter than any other rock of that size, it still hurt my arms to carry it for over an hour. Cali and Adel unloaded their own nodes on the ground behind the counter.
She immediately set about investigating her newly acquired resource with twinkling eyes, "I could bloody kiss you Ren! Real, genuine Stormsteel, stolen right from a giant's pouch! I've never had the chance to work with this before!"
"I thought you said you knew how?"
"I do. I'm an experienced blacksmith, I have the skills, and I've seen how it works first-hand, but getting the stuff is another bloody question. Nobody's going up North and risking their neck for an alloy that can be replaced with something cheaper and more available. Get me?"
I nodded, "I get you."
"But with this giant outbreak we're sufferin' under – I've finally got the chance to use it. This could level me up! Stormsteel armour is great training material."
Adel poked his beak into our discussion by taking a seat at the table, "Forgive me for inquiring, but are you not from the Fass family?" She nearly leapt through the ceiling in shock, she hadn't even noticed him until now.
"Bwah! An inquisitor!"
I tried to stop her from running away, "Don't worry, he's a weirdo."
"That I am."
Medalie gave him a sharp look, "So what if I am?"
Adel tried to disarm the situation, "Nothing. I've heard of the quality of your family's work from many a warrior. To meet one of your myself is something of a privilege."
"He really is weird," she grunted, "Do you know what your compatriots treat us Stallin like? I like to spread fairy tales as much as the next one, but your lads go believing in them like they're gospel."
"I won't make any excuses. I find the idea odious myself. It's clear from even a casual inspection that the Stallin are not cursed via magical means. It's merely an excuse for some to unleash the monster that lies inside."
"Yeah, not in a bloody hurry to go changin' things though, are you?"
Adel's lips thinned into a slight line, "…I'm not going to argue on this matter. The only evidence I could provide to the contrary are the results, and as of yet there are none." I didn't know if he was being diplomatic or arrogant, but it was enough to make Medalie drop the issue for the time being.
I handed Medalie the gold bar, "Chest, helmet, whatever else you can make out of it. I keep myself light, so I'd prefer something with good visibility and manoeuvrability."
"Anything for the lady?"
"Cali?"
"No. I have no need of new armour at the moment."
Medalie smiled, "Alright then. It'll take me a few days to make what you want. Gotta' smelt this stuff down into alloy, hammer it into shape, make sure it's comfortable." She pulled out a tape measure from her apron and quickly wrapped it around my head while I was distracted. She then did the same thing with my chest.
"Uh."
"If you don't want it to be bulky, I need proper measurements."
"Right."
Adel decided that it was his moment to clear out. He stood from the table and gave me a nod, "This was an entertaining distraction from my usual business. You should be able to handle whatever else comes your way here for now. Don't be a stranger, Ren."
There was little I could do to stop him from going, not that I wanted him to stay any longer than he had to. He simply walked away and merged into the passing crowd like he was never there. I still couldn't get a good read on the guy. What did he really want from me?
Medalie scribbled down my three sizes onto her notepad, "All good to go. Come back in… two, three days. I'll hopefully have 'em finished for you."
"We'll have to find ways to occupy ourselves."
Medalie hefted the chunk of rock into her arms and waddled over to her burning forge, "If you're looking for a job, hang around a tavern and look though. Somebody'll collar you eventually."
Taking a rest to eat and drink sounded like a fantastic idea. Cali followed me away from the outdoor forge and to the nearest tavern, where several mercenaries were doing the same thing. It was a cosy little place with burning candles and oil paintings on the walls. We sat at the table and waved over the waitress, making an order for cider and food. I didn't feel like getting drunk with Cali for company. She didn't talk much unless I asked her to.
"So, what do you think? Is coming along with me as exciting as you wanted it to be?"
"Yes. You have a near supernatural ability to attract the strange and unusual. I never thought that an inquisitor would break ranks just to assist you. Nor did I ever see myself felling a flock of giants on the Rumbling Coast."
"I don't like that, by the way – something weird is going on around here."
"Weren't you looking for trouble? Trouble means a chance to feed Stigma after all."
"There's a fine line between 'trouble' and 'life-threatening madness.'"
"You make it sound fun."
Our order arrived and I settled in, enjoying the hot food. It was a luxury I didn't get to enjoy that often on the road. As I ate, I tried to listen in on the conversations escaping into the air around me. Most of it was meaningless fluff about how many giants they'd killed and the money they'd claimed. Nobody seemed concerned about the rapid change in their environment.
But someone had other ideas, "The Duke's trying to get the Amendment to investigate where they're coming from." I swivelled in my seat, spotting a young man speaking with a senior officer.
He didn't seem thrilled to hear it, "The Amendment? As if they'd come down from their ivory towers just for this. Leave it to the warriors to clean up this mess is what I say."
The Amendment was a group of wandering scholars that held a high level on influence in many places around the world. Kings and Dukes would pay them to diagnose a variety of problems, big and small. If they suspected that the magic winds had turned and were causing chaos in the ecosystem, they would be the people to seek for solid answers.
When I turned back, Cali's face had shifted. She was always pensive – but having spent months with no company but her, I'd learned to read those subtle changes. She was upset. "What's up? Don't like the Amendment?"
"Not particularly."
She did not elaborate.
---
Medalie's advice did not bear fruit. Even though we left our weapons in plain view, after three hours of hanging around the place not a single soul elected to approach and ask for our assistance. There was likely a surplus of sellswords in the area, all hoping to cash in on the large number of giants roaming the countryside. Though to be honest, some of the urgency to keep moving, earning and killing had left me. I knew that I had over half-a-year to go now. If I could keep the ball rolling, I saw myself with several years' worth of time to cushion myself.
A few relaxing days in the city didn't seem like such a bad deal to me. Fighting the giants had tired me out and given me my fill of excitement for a day or two. I wanted to kick back, relax, and go pick up my shiny new armour when Medalie was finished forging it.
The moment that this thought crossed my brain, my fate was sealed.
A stranger barrelled into the store, locked onto me, and stormed over with intent. I was ready for him to lean in and punch my teeth out, but instead he fell down to his knees, "I need your help, please!"
Who didn't these days…