Alric approached Stromni’s shop. He would be needed back at the warehouse shortly, so he needed to make this quick, a thought that was unhelpful as it described his entire winter. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, brushing snow from his shoulders again. Stromni was sitting by the grinder, working a fruit press screw, clearly meant for Moreen. It was the sort of screw that looked like it would outlive both of them. Alric waved, which he would not normally do. Stromni frowned and put the screw down.
“Good to see you. You seem impatient today. What is it?” he asked as he moved to the counter with a frown.
“Always good to see you. Wait, aren’t you meant to have a guest?” Alric asked.
Stromni nodded and pointed to the ceiling. “Takin a nap. Too much lager, I’m thinkin,” he said with a grin, but he gave Alric a meaningful look that suggested this explanation was sufficient and further delay was not.
“I… can you come with me for a bit? I need to ask for some things, and also… it’s complicated. Are you free?” Alric asked, trying to avoid discussing it here.
Stromni's frown returned, deeper this time. “Alright, lad. Wait for me outside. I’ll get my things and lock up,” he said, already moving off, because when a dwarf decided something was worth leaving his forge for, arguing with him was pointless and painful.
Alric did as he was told. It wasn’t long before a short cloaked figure appeared from the alley beside the forge and locked the door. Stromni looked up at Alric expectantly. He leaned closer, already committed to whatever strange thing he was about to see.
Alric led the way to the warehouse. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy as they walked. He opened the door and gestured for Stromni to come inside.
“Alright. So I want to first talk about a few things I want,” he explained, heading toward the boiler. “You’ll see in a minute. This does take three of us.”
He positioned Stromni where he could see clearly. Despite Mara’s protests about labor, it still took three people to tilt the boiler safely. Alric lifted the chain they were using, and Hal came to join him.
They pulled on the chain and tilted the boiler while Mara controlled it, her expression making it clear that this was still a terrible idea even if it was a familiar one. Once it was halfway over, Hal and Alric moved to the wheel and forced it the rest of the way, wrestling it constantly. Once it was empty, they shifted it back. Hal began cleaning it with the air of a man who had done this too often to find it remarkable, while Alric stepped aside with Stromni. “So, what I want is a plate or something at the bottom that we can attach a chain to,” Alric said, pointing at how they were doing it now. “And then some kind of block in the rafters so the angle’s higher. Not in this building, though.”
Stromni nodded along, following.
“Then I want something that’ll stop this thing tilting further than flat. Like a bar or something.”
“Aye. All makes sense. Ya want a spill not to get outta hand,” Stromni said, nodding, as if spills were like pets that merely needed firm guidance.
“I also want two wheels, one on each side, so it can be controlled a bit better,” Alric said. Stromni nodded to that as well.
“We can do all that, lad. Doesn’t explain the urgency, though,” he said with a frown like he'd been cheated.
“That’ll come in a minute. Hold on,” Alric said, heading to his room. He returned a moment later. “Let me just get this thing going again, then I can show you.”
He lifted the water barrel into his item box and headed to the well. They had it reset shortly after. Once the water barrel was filtering and the magic stones were charged, Alric drew the dwarf back out with him again.
“I’m taking you to my new building. I… I want to show it to you, and something else,” Alric said.
Stromni followed, but kept glancing at Alric’s profile as they walked, as if checking for visible signs of whatever headache this was about to be.
As they made their way along the quiet winter roads, a thought occurred to Alric, which was unfortunate timing but could no longer be ignored. He turned slightly toward Stromni without breaking stride.
“Oh. On a different note. Why is it that when I employ a new staff member, they find a partner in just a few days? Any ideas?” Alric asked offhand, as though this were a small logistical curiosity rather than something that had been bothering him for weeks.
Stromni considered it for a long moment, the sort of consideration usually given to questions with obvious answers.
“Lad, if ya hired an attractive dwarven lass, she’d be working for the man making the best beer I know. I’d be hitched in a heartbeat,” he said, entirely satisfied with this explanation.
Alric grimaced. It didn’t say much for his chances, or perhaps it said too much.
It wasn’t long before they were approaching the large building. Stromni let out a low whistle while Alric fussed with the keys and gestured him inside, because keys had a way of sensing importance and responding badly to it.
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Cold air sat heavy within, the space smelling faintly of damp earth and river stone. Their breath fogged as they stepped inside, and the sound of it seemed to linger, as if the building were listening.
The building really was large, Alric thought, which was a thought he would later come to regret.
“This is big, lad. You’ll fill it in a season, though,” Stromni said, glancing around, impressed in the way only someone used to small, dense spaces could be.
“You’re probably right. First thing, though. Over here,” Alric said. “I want two boilers here. I’m planning to have the roof changed so it lifts. I’m also letting you know now I want a second boiler, and I’m hoping you know a stone mason, because I want them built in.”
“Aye. I’ll handle that, otherwise the boiler’ll never fit. I know a mason who’s built a few forges round the city,” Stromni said, still eyeing Alric, as if comparing him to previous clients and finding the comparison unhelpful.
“You’re not going to protest?” Alric asked.
“Nah, lad. You always do something strange, but it makes sense in the end. But ya didn’t bring me here for this. Lad, spit it out,” Stromni said, because dwarves had little patience for suspense and none at all for dramatics.
Alric sighed. He moved over to a clear patch of packed earth, extended his hand, and summoned the hero’s sword.
The enormous sword sprung into existence and buried itself point down into the earth. It did this silently as though showing contempt for dramatics.
“Lad, is that? Wha?” Stromni said, approaching it with the careful curiosity of a man who had once picked up something that exploded.
He used both hands to lift it as Alric backed away. Stromni managed to get it up and even took a stance, which lasted just long enough to be optimistic.
The dwarf burst out laughing as he began swinging the sword around. He didn’t last long, and Alric’s arms were getting tired just watching. Stromni set the sword down so its weight rested on the blade. It stood taller than he did, which seemed unfair.
“Lad. If ever I saw one, this is your weapon,” Stromni said with a huge grin.
Alric raised an eyebrow.
“It’s brilliant and wildly impractical. I couldn’t make a weapon that fits you better,” Stromni said, breaking into small dwarven giggles, which were surprisingly loud.
Alric scowled toward the door.
“Where’d ya get this thing?” Stromni said, trying to lift it again, failing, and laughing harder.
“We don’t talk about history, remember,” Alric said with a mock pout.
Stromni seemed to accept that, but he kept chortling as he laid the weapon on its side. It looked even more bizarre that way, like a story that had been dropped halfway through.
“Tell me something, master blacksmith who knows what weapons I should be using. Is there a metal that does not allow mana through it? No matter what?” Alric asked.
“Adamantite,” Stromni said without hesitation, still inspecting the blade, because if you were going to discuss impossible metals, you might as well do it next to an impossible sword.
“And one that does let mana through easily?” Alric asked.
“Mithril,” Stromni said, glancing at Alric, waiting for him to reach the point before old age set in.
“Can you mix them together? Like fold them over and over?” Alric asked.
Stromni frowned deeply. “Lad, explain the whole thing to me. I want to understand what you want, and what it has to do with that,” he said, pointing at the sword, which seemed to loom a little in response.
Alric sighed, then produced a shard of the shattered heating stone and passed it over. Stromni studied it intently, the way only someone who trusted stone more than people ever could.
“So right now I’m chained to the warehouse. Only I can charge the stones for the boils. It’s causing all kinds of issues. The sword, though,” Alric gestured to it, “can take a lot of mana. When I put the heating crystal against it, it got overloaded and shattered.”
Stromni took renewed interest in the stone.
“Aye. Ya overcharged it. Can see that from the cracks. What’s that got ta do with…?” he asked, tilting his head.
“I need something that can slow the mana down. So if someone pushes a heating crystal against it, it’ll charge the crystal without breaking it,” Alric concluded.
Stromni was quiet for a long moment, which was never a good sign or a bad one, but always an important one.
“Aye. I understand now, lad. I’ll only do this if ya make me a promise. We never talk about this to anyone else,” Stromni said.
Alric tilted his head. He had never wanted to tell anyone about the sword, but he hadn’t expected Stromni to say it aloud, which somehow made it heavier.
“Alright. When it comes ta real warriors, the hot shots, they go one of two ways,” Stromni continued. “Ya have no mana at all, ya get armour made from adamantite and a weapon of it. It’s hard, doesn’t conduct mana, doesn’t drain ya.”
He raised his other hand. “Now mithril’s the opposite. If ya have a lot of mana, ya get weapon and armour made of it. Mithril holds mana real well, but ya tire fast.”
“If ya put them together, ya get a metal that’s not soft or hard, and mana trips over itself. For anyone but you, this makes no sense. If anyone ever hears of it, they’ll call it Stromni’s folly. So we let no one hear.”
He extended a hand.
Glad to keep a secret like this with Stromni, Alric reached out and shook it, feeling the odd relief of having a problem that was now officially shared.
“So I’d like a case or something that I can keep the sword in. Forever, if we must. Then spaces on that case where staff, wearing thick gloves, can put the crystal in, charge it, and take it out. It also needs something I can use to charge the sword inside without touching it. Oh, and the sword gets really bright when charged, so it needs to be completely encased,” Alric said.
“Lad, can I ask ya to charge this thing? I just want to see it,” Stromni said, still amused, because curiosity was a professional hazard.
Alric sighed. He moved over to the sword, grabbed the pommel, and heaved it upright. Stromni didn’t laugh, but Alric could see a sparkle in his eyes warning him not to push it, if he didn't want to be laughed at.
He grunted as the sword grew brighter. He had to look away. Stromni raised a hand to block the light. Once it was filled, Alric set it down.
“Happy?” Alric asked loudly, then lowered his voice. Charging it made no sound, but it felt like it should have, like a silence that weighed something.
Stromni approached the weapon, struggling to look at it. “Lad, this is the most powerful weapon I’ve ever seen. Ya sure ya want it to charge stones?” he asked.
Alric nodded.
He put the sword back into his item box. Mana flooded back into him, and he drew a deep breath, grateful in a way that annoyed him.
“Ya have the strangest ideas, lad. I’ll never get tired of the work ya send my way,” Stromni said, chuckling at the spot where the sword had been. Alric scattered dirt over it, as if tidying up after an argument.
“How long will you need?” Alric asked.
“Winter, lad. For both. The pot and the case. We’ll need ta meet a few times here to get it right,” Stromni said, still grinning.
“Alright. I’ll leave the case to you. Just tell me what it’ll cost,” Alric said.
“Aye. I’ll check my stocks and see what the metals are trading for. Smiths’ Guild’ll have some. Ya won’t need much. I’ll let ya know,” Stromni said, extending his hand.
Alric shook it. A part of him was relieved he wasn’t carrying the secret of the stupid sword alone anymore, even if that secret had just become heavier.
Who's your favorite staff member? Poll won't affect the story (I have a lot of backlog) so let's see.
