[Flashback] A Lethal Trial

[Teros Staff Vizerian]

(14th of Fall, 476AV)

Vizerian Clan Citadel

Loud clanging of metal on metal echoed from the back room that held the blacksmiths forge equipment. The only light in the building came from the lone back room, the amber glow of the forge the source, and the young boy in back the cause for the noise. Agus Ironhand Pitrius, the owner of the shop, was out running errands this day and trusted the boy enough to be left alone to his work. Another loud bang echoed from the back room as the hammer struck the heated metal as Teros bended the metal over the edge of the anvil. His teacher had assigned him to make a horse shoe today, and he was doing his best not to mess up his chance at responsibility. There were plenty of complexities to deal with when blacksmithing and he had to worry about overheating the iron, as well as not hammering it even enough.

A powerful swing downwards elicited a shower of sparks from the hot metal as the hammer slammed down against it, bending it slowly downwards. He wore nothing but a pair of black cotton pants, and even so the sparks that found their way to his exposed skin bothered him not a bit. A thin sheen of sweat covered his body, his upper torso glowing with the light, his young but already well muscled frame rippling with every swing of the hammer. The blunt end of the tool struck the metal again, the metal nearly pointing downwards now as the heated metal gave way. With a few shortened swings against the top of the metal shaped the top of it into the start of a smooth curve, the other half of it still a straight cylinder of round iron. Tightening the muscles in his left arm and shifting the hot metal a little bit with the tongs, he snapped the hammer down again, bringing the metal to go straight out, and the rough horse shoe shape was beginning to form.

Without complaint he lifted the piece of metal that had cooled too much for him to complete the other side, and slowly he placed it into the forge, pulling it out when it had heated appropriately and then set it on top of the large flat end of the anvil. Holding the piece of iron by the already shaped side, he repeated the work he had done on the other side, hammering away at the hot metal with fervor, offering praises to Izurdin as worked on the metal, and gradually the other side started to shape how he wanted it to. A gleam came to his eyes as was usual when he was doing something he enjoyed, and the passion for the work made the job easy.

With another smack into the metal, it was finally in the U shape he needed, and with a couple of shortened swings, he smoothed out the curve to be a little bit smoother before picking the metal up again with the tongs to reheat it in the forge. Soon the metal was glowing again with the golden glow of heated metal, the fringes of red outlining the metal, and sending forth a shower of sparks as he dropped the piece of metal on top of the anvil. Holding it in place with the tongs, and with the curved metal laying flat as it could he slammed the hammer hard down upon the metal, starting with one end first, and hammering until the metal had assumed a roughly flat rectangular shape. Slowly he worked his way along the metal, paying special care to the sides as he produced wave after wave of sparks with each hammer strike. The hammer ringing against the metal was music to his ears, a symphony sweeter than anything a instrument could possibly produce, and the voice of his god.

Finally the last hammer blow shaped the metal into the desired shape, and he smiled letting his arms fall to his sides to admire his work. It wasn't nearly the perfect horse shoe, but it was a product of his own hands, and it was sufficient for its purpose, especially after he endowed it with the power his god blessed all Isur with, Izentor. He waited patiently for the metal to cool, and as he did he carefully put up the hammer and tongs where his teacher kept his tools, and then returned to the cool metal. Gently he placed his left hand on the horse shoe, the still slightly hot metal but it he felt no pain, only a sense of warmth from the metal, and slowly he spread his fingers along the metal to better increase the amount of surface he was touching.

Then with a thought he invoked his gnosis mark, the amber glow around him now replaced with a brighter light, a mixture of reds, greens and blues, and his arm couldn't be seen because the light emitting from it was so bright. Immediately he felt a strain on his strength, but he fought with the strain with every ounce of will power he had. He kept in his mind that he was doing this to make the item more durable than any other, and give Agus something no less than the best he could, and so he coped with the taxing process that was now starting to drain his will power as well. Gritting his teeth he struggled through it, his fingers wrapping tight around the U shaped metal, and he gripped it tight as he used the power his god blessed him with to bless the item. His silent prayers to Izurdin were now becoming whispers as he sent praises up to his god, and request for guidance through the imparting. Even then his hushed whispers soon became loud chants, as he shouted praise after praise to Izurdin, and gripped the metal tightly; the chants climaxing right as the imparted was finished and the light began to softly fade from his arm.

Teros dropped down to the ground, his muscles quivering from exhaustion, and he could scarcely form a thought as his mind felt sluggish. Deep down inside of him, he felt a slight tingle when he looked up at the horse shoe and he knew that he would always know that he made that, and with that, his eyes drifted close and he fell into an exhausted sleep.