Grimdon eyed Oren suspiciously. "Do it really require three master smiths?"
"Indeed, it does. Try to open it yourself." Replied Oren.
Grimdon shook his head as he strolled to the door, prepared to put Oren to the test. He first tried to physically open the door, then added a bit of his aura to trace the lines around the door and convince the door he belonged inside. Failing that, he took several steps back and attempted to rush the door with his shoulder in an attempt to break it open. "With a yelp of pain, he held his shoulder. "Okay, so there might be a trick to it...."
Oren grinned at the injured smith. "Until three master smiths touch it at the same time, it will not open, can't be broken, nor bypassed by using one's aura. The entire forge is warded to prevent entry."
Von looked up at Master Oren. "I bet you the two weapons that I will be able to open it."
Oren snorted. "The weapons are already yours. Are you sure you wish to lose them?"
Von held a neutral expression not wanting to give anything away. "Okay, Master Oren, if I win, can I make a weapon or other gift for my mom and King Garret?"
"Von, that ward was made by a group of smiths over two thousand years ago. If you can open it, you may make them gifts, but, you have to let me know how you did it. If you fail to open it, I will charge you one day's labor in imbuing four items since you hold the secret of getting the most out of everything you make."
With an excited grin, Von stuck out his hand. "Okay, let's shake on it!"
The two shook hands. Immediately afterwards, Vorolen and Grimdon declared simultaneously, "Agreed and witnessed."
Von walked to the door and placed his hand on it again. He felts the weaves of essence through the ward and discovered it was indeed tight. However, since Master Oren had told him the secret to what keeps it locked, he had a plan. He thought back to his lessons with Master Poralis in the lecture room and how through time echoes, he was able to witness many lessons without being there. He thought this would be a good answer on how to unlock the door.
Using his temporal sight, he looked through time for when each of the smiths nearby had touched the door. He found not only had each of the three smiths touched it, but many others over the centuries since this particular door had been added previously touched the door. With a little manipulation of time in order to overlay the echoes of each of the three's touch, he was able to convince the door there were three smiths present instead of just him. The door swung open silently before him.
Oren gaped at the boy. In over two thousand years, no one had been able to break through this ward, now, after one attempt, a small boy walked up to it and convinced it to open. "Um, Von, how did you do it?"
"Since each of the master smiths here have touched the door in the past, I took the temporal echoes of them touching it and overlaid it onto the present time allowing it to open. However, I also discovered while looking at the door's past, there were times when the door was open during which I could have passed through, so I discovered I could have entered if I wanted to since the ward wasn't in place then, but it wouldn't have fulfilled the requirement of opening the door." Von smiled at his creative manipulation of temporal essences which allowed him to bypass the active ward.
Oren looked on in shock as he absorbed what Von said. Grimdon, on the other hand, grinned and shook his head. Laughing, he declared. "I guess if smithing doesn't work out, you have a bright future ahead of you as a thief, huh?"
Vorolen seemed deep in thought as well since she often used a specific ward on her own forge and shop and realized with the right essence manipulation, a thief could bypass anything she could put up.
Recovering slowly, Oren regained his voice. "So, if I hadn't told you the secret to opening the ward, you wouldn't have been able to do it?" Maybe it was just the fact Von knew what was needed to open it that made it seem so easy, even if he did take almost ten minutes.
Von pondered the elf's question for several second before replying. "If you had used it before, I could have watched to see what opened it and done it the same way. Luckily, you told me what I needed, so I just needed to see if my idea would work. I was pretty sure it would, but I wanted to make sure."
Von's words didn't make the smiths feel better, but being it was only Von, who seemed trustworthy enough, it probably didn't matter. They might need to determine another form of warding in the future though. "Can you think of a method to make it more secure?"
The boy nodded. "I can, but when I looked at the echoes of the ward, I saw you had decided on a new one in just a few days. It should work. I will add them temporal lock to the ward before I leave Sungrove."
Grimdon was already tired of talking about the ward and stated, "Well boy, you've kept us in suspense long enough. Are we gonna see what that sword of yours can do today, or are we going to stand around discussing breaking and entering?"
Oren drew his hand out ushering them into the forge. "Since the door is open, we might as well get started. After you."
Grimdon pulled out a stool from under the workbench. Sitting on it, he sat straight waiting to see if Von could determine the strengths of the sword. Vorolen did the same while Oren stepped to one side where he had a good view of the weapon and the boy. All three master smiths were curious about how Von would determine the abilities of the sword after it resisted their attempts so easily.
What little information each received was so different, they were certain the sword was holding back and intentionally trying to confuse them. It was the core of a crafty swamp dragon after all.
Once the three were settled, Oren nodded to Von and waited for him to begin. The three master smiths' complete attention was directed at the boy and the sword. No one said a word while they watched. The young man had already surprised them once today. It was possible for it to happen a second time.
Von took a deep breath, feeling the weight of expectation resting upon him as he approached Marshfang. With each step, he focused his mind, clearing away any distractions and honing his senses to the task at hand. As he reached the workbench, he paused for a moment, studying the beautiful and intricate design of the green sword before him.
With a steady hand, he reached out to touch the blade, feeling the cool metal beneath his fingertips. Closing his eyes, he allowed his aura to extend outward, seeking to connect with the essence of Marshfang and unlock its hidden powers. He could sense the latent energy coursing through the blade, a potent force waiting to be unleashed.
Focusing his concentration, Von began to channel his aura into Marshfang, probing its depths in search of its true nature. As he did so, he felt a surge of power emanating from the sword, a primal energy pulsing with raw intensity. It was as if he was back in the bog. He could smell the decay of the swamp around him, he could feel the dampness on his skin.
The sensations were overwhelming, transporting Von back to the heart of the swamp where the weyr queen was first encountered by the hunting party. Despite the vivid memories flooding his mind, he remained focused, allowing himself to become one with the sword and the energy it contained.
With each passing moment, Von's aura was swept deeper into the essence of Marshfang in an attempt to unravel its secrets one by one. He could feel the core of the original dragon and its affinity for the bog, it's knowledge of its surroundings and the location of all the plant life surrounding the town. He could sense the dragon's cunning using its ability to hide, using it to wait in ambush to attack creatures who dared intrude on its territory.
Despite its home in the heart of the bog, he felt a distinct fiery essence emanating from the core of the weapon as though the core's original owner was capable of breathing fire at its enemies. Von also felt the incredible strength as the ruler of the weyr pushing into his body and knew once he bonded with his sword he would feel much stronger for his efforts.
As he continued to commune with the weapon, Von's senses sharpened, allowing him to notice the bits of moisture in the air and pulled them toward him in as a mist around him. With the forge currently banked, the moisture gathered slowly before lingered to create a light fog. Given enough time, he felt he could use the essences of the sword to hide within the fog whether from predators or prey.
At the same time as he was controlling the moisture in the air, he determined he not only felt something different. At first, he was uncertain what it was. It was almost as if a profound sense of strength had burst forth from his body. He wasn't just feeling stronger and faster, as he had with the dagger, but instead, he felt as though a newfound vitality was infusing his body. This new strength, or whatever it was, made him feel as if he had the energy to walk all the way home without stopping.
The sword was lighter than before, and as he took a few practice swings, it seemed to take no effort at all. With the old wood practice swords, just ten minutes would leave him panting, but now he felt as though he could do this for an hour, no, hours.
Looking at his body, his skin looked different, not scaley, but leatherier, and not as soft as it had been before. More like the skin of his parents, but without the scars. Amidst his examination, he discovered the scrapes and scratches he received the day before were already healed. 'Did the healer do this yesterday, or the sword today?' he wondered.
He looked to the smiths and saw Maggie had joined them, all watching as he embarrassingly wielded the sword swinging at imaginary beasts throughout the forge. All three of them had their heads tilted to one side with their eyes narrowed. 'I wonder what they're thinking,' thought Von.