For the next few days everyone from the group focused on their solo activities:
Calen practiced forging from dawn till dusk under the watchful eye of Thomas and Greg, and although his progress was slow, it was also steady.
Isara split her time between studying her book and searching the fortress for any signs of the mighty magic circle hiding somewhere within.
It came as quite a surprise that Nickolas knew nothing about the unfinished enchantment, and he also informed them that there were a few rooms in the castle which weren’t on the plans – either built after the fortress was built or purposely hidden.
Elira decided to compile all information which might be useful during their journey with the help of the knowledge reservoir, using the periods when the device was materialising the books to deepen her connection with nature; in short she spent most days locked in the ’library’.
Predictably, Cassian used his this free time to cultivate aura and learn how to use the miniscule amount he already had in battle. His progress was even slower than Calen’s, but to be fair people usually needed decades of training to make proper use of aura whereas one could become a decent blacksmith after only a few years of practice.
The group quickly fell into their new schedule, not paying any mind to the fact they’d have to continue their journey soon.
It was the evening of the fourth day and Thomas was inspecting the first real weapon Calen made.
In the rough palm of the giant was a small dagger – not the most glamorous armament, void of any embellishments or even a proper handle, but its blade was straight and sharp.
"You really are talented, I’ve never seen someone progress so quickly."
"Really? But I’ve only managed to make a single mediocre dagger in four days, not to mention I kinda cheated..."
"Using your abilities to the fullest isn’t cheating – plus you’ve shown us that you can do the same without using it."
Calen was expecting Thomas and Greg to admonish him when he initially explained how True Sight worked but to his surprise the pair actually encouraged him to often switch between using it and not.
The method helped him understand the process much better as he began to connect visual changes with the structural ones.
"Tom is right, your level is more akin to someone who practiced for many months, not half a week." Greg nodded.
"If nothing else you could probably secure a position as a helper in an established forge with your current abilities – if the whole saving the world thing doesn’t work out you could always become an artisan." Thomas joked and handed him the dagger. "Take it."
"I don’t really use daggers."
"Then think of it as a memento – the first creation of someone who meant to only destroy."
Calen smiled a little as he took the blade.
"Let us show you how to finish it then – weapon making isn’t just forging after all."
Two hours later Calen was standing with a finished dagger in hand; it had a simple cross guard, leather-wrapped handle and a small silver pommel.
"What will you name it?" Greg questioned
"It’s just a regular dagger, surely it doesn’t need a name."
"Names are a source of power – no weapon is truly complete without one."
He looked at the weapon and fell silent – he really couldn’t think of a name for such a small blade.
"Then would you mind if I chose one?"
The devil extended his hand.
He handed over the blade and watched in fascination as Greg made a tip of his index finger light up with a mysterious energy.
The devil started scribbling something on the surface, using the strange power to etch symbols directly into the metal – maybe Calen could learn that trick as well in the future.
"Here." Greg finished and handed the dagger back.
Calen accepted the weapon and looked at the new addition to the blade – there were two simple runes on the smooth silver surface.
The first one wasn’t often used in spellcasting, but it was rather popular on various pseudo-magical decorations and baubles.
Conversely, the other one was one of the most common runes used in magic – break.
"Fatebreaker." Calen mumbled.
"May its name be true."
"How do you even know runes? It’s not like you used them in forging for the Serakhiin."
"There was a similar system of symbols back in my home world, and since I didn’t have much entertainment while being mute for two centuries I opted to learn your version of magic – I was the only person to use the library before your friend started."
"Does it mean you can cast magic?"
"Hardly." Greg chuckled. "But I’m very good at enchanting things – or at least I was back home and I’m fairly confident I could translate those skills with my new knowledge."
Thomas looked at him with interest.
"Do you think you’d be able to create new enchantments?"
"Perhaps, but I’d have to give it a try first – why?"
"I’ve been stuck with two dozen blueprints for the past few decades. I can mix, match and alter a little but ultimately there are only so many combinations I can make without a fundamental understanding of magic."
"Why don’t you try to learn magic then? You have all the necessary learning materials in the castle thanks to the knowledge reservoir."
"You’re saying that as of I had time to spend several years learning something so complicated on my own – I’m the only blacksmith here, it’s not like I can take a break this long."
"I can enchant things." Calen pointed out. "Since you’re showing me how to forge things I can show you how to properly enchant things."
The two blacksmiths stared at him in silence.
"What, did I forgot to mention that my Master ran a magic shop as a cover? Enchanting is pretty much my job."
"It seems thing just went from apprenticeship to knowledge exchange."