"How to carve the stones? Well, you place one or two fueling runes on them, then throw the stones to an energy knot for a few days. Once it's done, you properly polish it into shape and then carve the additional runes. The idea is pretty simple, its the carving part that turns it from the easiest job in the world into actually a proper and dedicated profession."
Not even bothering to stop her hammering, the petite girl answered the question. From the look on her face, I could tell how surprised she was with this kind of question.
"Tell me, would it be possible for you to do this first step for me? While I know how silly that request might be, it would be of great help not only for me but also for everyone else here."
Spreading my arms wide, I made sure Huskarl would understand that by here, I meant the entire village. Instead of just getting her to help me by using Ayda's authority, I would rather show how her actions could benefit both her and the community that she clearly had to feel a part of. After all, why else would this girl join the village that not only would, but already was under the attack of what seemed like a major powerhouse of this world?
"Well, as I said, the first step is simple. There are many types of fueling rune that you can use. The true hardship lies in picking the correct type that could fit the stone without hampering its further development. After all, once you carve something into it, you will never be able to turn it back."
Shaking her small arms, the girl didn't seem over-enthusiastic about the idea… But she still put her hammer down, ignoring the fact that the iron mould still would use some hammering. Thinking about this, I could hardly see anyone not carrying a weapon in the village. Maybe rather than actually working, Huskarl was simply trying to get her mind off something else?
While I pondered over the girl's motives, she already moved to the insides of her workshop. With a bit of Ayda's encouragement, I followed the girl inside, only to see several more workers busying with the trade.
This time, my fantasy geek soul throbbed nicely, seeing the muscular men operating huge forge. The heat constantly spreading from the main point of every smithy, they only wore some loose pants, almost instantly making me doubt my manhood from how their sweat glistered on their ripped muscles.
"Okay. I assume you have the basic book of enchanting?"
Turning her head around, Huskarl asked as if it was something obvious. While I didn't have one of my own, just one puppy stare directed at Ayda was enough to fix that problem.
"Right here."
Raising the book that my girl just passed to me with an adorable giggle accompanying the move, I pretended to ignore how Huskarl rolled her eyes at this subtle show of affection.
"The entire first half of it are fueling runes. If you just want to see how it's done, you can just give me any random example."
Interested in the matter only because of her commitment to seeing its fruition, Huskarl rummaged through one of the nearby chests before picking up a beautiful, red stone. Even though it wasn't cut to shape, it still held true to its natural beauty as the gem of the earth.
Following the girl's request, I opened the book on a random page. With about six pictures of some strange runes marked on it, I went with the one in the middle of the left row. There wasn't any particular reason for that choice, outside of how it looked slightly similar to the Nordic, Viking runes one could see in various games or shows.
"Nazeterian? Well, it will take a while but I can carve it. Just watch and learn."
There was clearly something going on about the rune that I picked, but I had absolutely no idea what. Seeing how the girl quickly pulled out what looked like a set of the incredibly fine blade and thin, metal spike. Placing the gem on the table, Huskarl grasped this knife-like utensil before casting a quick glance at the picture in the book.
With the serrated blade of her tiny knife holding the stone in place, the tip of the girl's pike suddenly lit up with a bright light at its very top. Then, the girl pushed the tool down.
There were no sparks or the sound of two hard elements grinding against each other. Just a tiny puff of smoke whenever the pike in the girl's hand erased another line of the crystalic matter. But as easy as this task seemed to be from the outside, the heavy drops of sweat that appeared on the girl's head within just a few minutes proved that it was not.
"Phew! That took a toll on me!"
Just as I started respecting what the girl was doing as a seriously strenuous and precise craft, she suddenly pulled her pike violently to the side, nearly cutting the stone in half.
"Wait, it's done already?"
Staring down at the massacred stone, I could feel my heart aching. Even though I never had any particular fondness for jewellery, seeing such a beautiful gem get mauled like that still sent shivers down my spine.
"Done? It's nowhere near being done… But the first step is over. Now you just need to put it in an energy clog, then once it starts shining with its own light, you can cut it in two halves along the loading rune to get two smaller stones."
Pointing her now extinguished tool at the huge ravine she made in the stone, Huskarl smiled gently seeing how interested in the topic I was. But there was a reason for that. If my guess was correct…
"Tell me one more thing if you could, what is this tool that you are using? Could I maybe get one for myself?"
In one instant, the face of the girl soured. For some reason, it seemed that asking this question was akin to stepping on a landmine.
"You know what? I… I…"
The initial fury that appeared in the girl's eyes suddenly dampened and disappeared. Turning my sight to the side, I could see how just a single, cold stare from Ayda achieved such a miracle.
"Yeah. I can get you one. Just… Bring it back once you are done playing around. Trust me, you will get bored fairly quickly. This is not something you will be able to learn in a short amount of time."