NOVEL NEXT 39. The Gift
Omen: 5, 10
Adam woke up bright and early, as most Iyrmen did. He was sitting down and eating with the other Iyrmen in the common room.
“You won’t continue the tale today?” Adam asked Dargon, squinting his eyes at the man accusatorily.
“You should concentrate on making your axe,” Dargon replied, smiling back innocently.
Adam frowned, returning back to his bread and fish, as well as the platter of fruit. There were also a large number of vegetables, coloured almost like a rainbow, which the Iyrmen would eat towards the beginning and end of the meal.
Once they were done, Jurot led Adam out, towards a small warehouse. “The Elder has said you must first make an axe for the village.”
“Makes sense.” Adam shrugged his shoulders, understanding that the Iyr would ask him to make an axe for them first.
“You may use any of the materials in the middle row, not the bottom or top,” Jurot said as they stepped into one of the warehouses, which was a fairly small building. This one was full of ores and various ingots, with shelves at three levels. The ores at the bottom seemed to hold some gems within them, and the top ores were sparkling slightly with different colours.
‘Whoa.’ Adam looked at the metals which were available to him. They seemed to be fairly typical, nothing out of the ordinary, save for a couple of small rocks which had the slightest hint of purple. “What’s the best ore to use from the middle?”
Jurot glanced around, squinting his eyes. He was more of a wood person than a metal person. “This?” He revealed a dark chunk of rock.
“What’s it good for?” Adam asked.
“Making a decent weapon,” Jurot said, earnestly. After all, this was the basis of most Iyrmen’s weapons, so it should be good.
“Then I’ll use that to make the first axe. Is there an ore here which will create a nice pattern on the axe for the second axe?” Adam looked at the purple rocks.
Jurot threw him a look. “Do you wish to prioritise aesthetics? It is a weapon first and foremost.”
“Are you underestimating my skill?” Adam threw a look back at him, his brow raised.
“No,” Jurot replied. “You can mix in some of the blue ore.” Jurot revealed a small block of blue. “It will make the axe slightly heavier, but it is easy to work with.”
“What is this purple stuff?” Adam lifted up the purple rock, which was only the side of his pinky, and felt as heavy as cardboard.
“It is puthral,” Jurot said. “It’s a very good metal, but very hard to work with.”
“Can I use it?” Adam asked, tossing it in his hand.
“You can,” Jurot said, unsure of whether Adam would be able to work it.
Adam smiled. “Good. It’ll make a nice axe.”
Jurot nodded his head approvingly. ‘When it comes to smithing, he’s no coward.’
With that, Adam made his way to the forge to begin making the axe. He noted all the eyes he was getting, considering he wasn’t completely armoured any longer, and so everyone could see his leaf shaped ears.
Smithing (Intelligence)
D20 + 4 = 11 (6)
Omen: 5, 10 -> 5
10 + 4 = 14
Adam sketched out a quick design on the ground, but found it difficult. The Wills of Fate stopped by to see how stupid he was, tugging Jurot towards him. Jurot blinked, looking at Adam, who was poorly drawing in the ground.
“Here,” Jurot said, having brought some paper and a small stick of charcoal at the tip of a wooden stylus.
“Thanks,” Adam said, quickly sketching a simple design for an axe. “I’ll need to make a handle too, but I’m no good at wood stuff…” He tapped his chin. He looked to Jurot. “Hey, Jurot?”
“Yes?”
“Will you make the handle for the axe, please?” Adam asked, politely.
“Shouldn’t you make it yourself?”
“Me? I’m no good at that sort of thing. It’s something for the Iyr, isn’t it? Do you want it to be terrible?”
Jurot remained silent for a moment. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
Smithing (Strength)
D20 + 5 = 12 (7)
With that, Adam went to work on forging the axe head, melting the ore, before folding the metal in on itself to spread the impurities throughout the entire axe head, reducing its chance of being utter garbage and shattering on first impact. He worked steadily, and though it wasn’t his best work, not that he had much practise considering it was only his second time, it eventually formed as a general shape of an axe head. It was a little awkward to create the axe eye, but that would be Jurot’s problem.
Smithing (Dexterity)
D20 + 4 = 17 (13)
Once Adam was done with the axe head, he allowed Jurot to take the measurements for the eye, before going off to carve the handle. Adam took the axe head and began to sharpen the edge so it could cut the hair off of skin by simply gliding it across, before polishing it.
“What do you think?” he asked, once the handle was firmly entrenched within the handle, he held it up to see. The metal was dark, and the wood Jurot had chosen was equally as dark.
Jurot nodded his head. “It is fine.” He admired the handle, which he had made. ‘Nice.’
Adam rubbed the side of his neck. “I’ll guess I’ll make the second axe tomorrow.” He wasn’t sure how long he would have so hoped that his Omen would be decent tomorrow.
Omen: 5, 17
“Nice,” Adam said when he awoke.
He quickly ate breakfast with the Iyrmen, before getting up to go and smith. He grabbed some of the puthral ore, and the darker ore, before heading to the forge. “Hey, Jurot, would you make me a nice handle for the axe?”
“This is not an axe for the Iyr.”
“Actually…” Adam smiled. “Well, it’s a gift to an Iyrman.”
“For who?” Jurot asked, raising his brows. He hadn’t expected that Adam would make something for an Iyrman.
“Someone you’re going to be very close with.” Adam chuckled.
Jurot recalled those he was close with. ‘Jaygak? Kitool?’ He wondered if Adam met someone that he was trying to court. ‘No, they don’t use axes.’
“I can’t say for now. If we had more time, I would have enchanted the weapon too.” Adam frowned. ‘Still, it’ll be a nice axe.’
“You can enchant?” Jurot asked, squinting at Adam.
“I can. I wanted to enchant it since it’s for a baby.”
“You’re bringing a gift for a baby?” Jurot asked, raising his brows even further in surprise. “A first gift?”
“Yeah.”
Jurot wanted to ask for who, but it seemed Adam didn’t want to answer that. “If it’s for a first gift, you can ask a Head for permission.”
“A Head?”
“A Family Head,” Jurot said, nodding his head. “They have permission to use one of the Enchanting Shrines. If you can persuade them for the right to use it, you can do so.”
“Who is the Rot Family Head?”
“Mother and Father,” Jurot said.
Adam coughed. “What?” Did that make Jurot some kind of noble? Suddenly, Adam wondered if the pair of them could get along. ‘Well, he doesn’t seem to be too bad. If he starts talking about nonsense…’ Adam squinted his eyes.
“Oh, right,” Jurot said, seeing the way Adam was looking at him. “In the Iyr, both people hold the same power. I understand that in Aldland, they do it differently. The spouse of the Lord holds a much lesser rank than their own.” He had assumed Adam was shocked to hear that both parents held an equal rank.
“Right,” Adam replied, glad that he had taken it that way. “Anyway, you say your mother is the Head?” Adam rubbed his chin. “Then I’ll have to speak with her.”
Jurot squinted his eyes. “How do you know that my father is gone?” Jurot asked, tilting his head. “You always speak as though you knew he was on a mission.”
“Ah, well…” Adam rubbed the back of his head nervously. “No reason. Anyway, how long has your father been gone?”
“He left some time before I left the Iyr,” Jurot said, going into thought. “Around eight months ago, at the start of Noonval.”
“Alright.” Adam nodded his head. “Then I’ll try and earn your mother’s favour. We should hunt a boar for her.”
“It will require more than a boar.”
“I’m sure I’m charming enough to convince her without the boar, but we should bring her a boar anyway.” Adam smirked.
Jurot squinted his eyes. ‘Is he going to seduce my mother?’ He let out a soft scoff. ‘He’s not as strong as father.’ Jurot placed a hand on the half elf’s shoulder and smirked. “Try your best, Adam.”
Adam stared at his smirk. ‘I sense as though he’s thinking something stupid.’ “Thanks.”
Smithing (Intelligence)
D20 + 4 = 10 (6)
Omen: 5, 17 -> 5
17 + 4 = 21
With that, he went to work on designing an axe. He sketched it out using the paper and stylus from the day before.
After the first design, which was far too pointy and fancy, he rubbed his forehead. ‘Wow, that looks awful.’ He quickly tore that part of the paper and held it between his hand.
Spell
Flame Bolt
‘I won’t allow anyone to see how embarrassing this was.’ Adam turned his head to see Jurot staring at him, raising his brow.
Adam cleared his throat. “The handle will need to have a slight curve to it,” he said, quickly sketching out a basic axe, one used by the Franks, before sketching out the outline of the handle too. “Whatever other designs you want to add, you can go ahead. In fact, you should add your family’s design onto it somewhere, so people will forever remember that the handle was made by the son of Surot.”
Jurot’s lips twitched into a smile and he nodded. Adam was weird, so he didn’t have to think too much on the matter. ‘I’ll make a great handle.’
Smithing (Strength)
D20 + 5 = 20 (15)
Adam then started to smelt the ores together, mixing the purple puthral with the dark ore. Once they had formed together well, he folded the metal on itself several times. This time, he’d focus on doubling the number of time he had folded it in comparison to the previous day, which was already causing his arms to throb angrily, but it would be worth it. He focused completely on his task, though stray thoughts would sometimes slip into his mind.
‘Please don’t be shit,’ he thought, pounding away at the axe head.
By evening it had come along well, and Jurot’s handle was beautiful too. It was made of a purple wood, and had been etched at the bottom with the design of his family, and the top of it had some faint designs which carried all the way to the bottom, though he was careful not to mess with the grip of the axe.
As Adam slot the handle into the axe, they both glanced at one another. The axe head slid all the way down to the halfway point.
Jurot stared at the handle, which he had painstakingly carved. ‘I carved too much off the top.’
“It’s a very nice carving,” Adam said. “Why don’t I use it for the next axe I make?” He tried to reassure Jurot, who stared at the handle as though he had been betrayed by it.
“It can remain a club,” Jurot said, storming off, embarrassed that he was the one to fail this time. He returned with the same wood, and began to carve at it carefully, focused on not ruining it this time.
Smithing (Dexterity)
D20 + 4 = 18 (14)
Since the axe head was fine, Adam began to sharpen and polish it. As he did so, it revealed the pattern, wavy purple lines which only shone when the light was caught.
“Have you finally finished?” Argon asked, walking over to him. He noted Jurot in the back, focused on his carving.
“We just need the handle and it’ll be done,” Adam said, revealing the axe head.
Argon blinked as he stared at it. “May I hold it?”
Adam handed it over for Argon to hold. It was lighter than it appeared, owing to the fact that he had used puthral ore, one of the most beloved ores of the Iyr.
“Why did you choose puthral?” Argon asked.
“It looked pretty,” Adam replied, earnestly.
“Where did you learn to work it?”
“Right here,” Adam pointed to the forge.
Argon nodded his head slowly. ‘I don’t think I can be surprised any more.’ “Jurot said you were going to enchant it.” He had met Jurot at the warehouse, having seen the Iyrman’s dejection evident all over his face and body.
“Yeah, I need to ask Sonarot when I meet her.”
“Is that why you came? To ask her to use the Enchanting Shrine?”
“Partly?” Adam replied. “Oh, well, no. I didn’t know she could give me permission to enchant it. I came to tell her something, and I thought, since we had the time, I might as well make her a gift. It just so happens that she would allow me to make a better gift.”
“You’re gifting this to Sonarot?” Argon asked, raising his brow. “An enchanted axe?”
“Well, I’m gifting it to the, you know,” Adam glanced around, checking for Jurot, “baby,” he whispered, seeing that Jurot was deep in focus on his handle.
Argon narrowed his eyes, handing the axe head back. “Is that why you had Jurot make the handle? To give as a first gift?”
“Yeah, but don’t tell him. I don’t think he knows about the you know what.”
“He definitely doesn’t know about the you know what.”
“We’ll keep it a surprise for him too.” Adam winked.
Argon nodded and left. ‘This entire time… was he telling the truth? Is he really here just to talk with Sonarot?’ Argon understood how Tazwyn felt this entire time.
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Just a chill chapter today.