[Book II Chapter 12] HOPE: Forging Mithril

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Carrying a metal basket, Hope closed the vault-like door behind her and stepped inside. Bright interconnected glyphs covered the round room, forming a giant spell circle. As she strode over the pulsing lines, a crackle of energy snapped at her leg, but was deflected.

It’s uncomfortable. Over her normal attire, Hope wore a smelting suit consisting of a thick inner layer of paramid, an ‘alchemic polymer’, with a thin covering of orichalcum. The legs and torso were barely long enough while the gloves and boots were too lose. Only the smelting helmet fit perfectly, encasing her head in a hood with a transparent resin plate. Damn dwarven proportions. Enchantments in the built-in backpack kept the air breathable within the airtight seal.

Hope breathed deeply. “Fourth time is the charm.” She muttered softly, not sure if she was being optimistic or pessimistic.

In the center stood a pot-shaped cauldron. The interior was smooth with heat retaining runes etched along the top. Hope opened the hatch to the furnace below and threw in six mithril bullets. White flames roared, radiating heat. Her prized ammunition was the only material she owned which could withstand the heat. This costs too much already. No way I am wasting money on fuel.

Hope felt the temperature rise, even in her protective suit. She reached in her basket and dropped a finger sized iron bar inside the cauldron, watching it slowly turn red. Once it was melted, she added a fragment of slyzard bone. The two would combine to produce carbon steel.

It’s now or never. Hope threw her last four bullets into the furnace and channeled her full power into the molten metal. Every material had a maximum amount of magic it could contain. Hope was exceeding that limit, forcing power in faster than it could leak out. She needed to focus as much as possible in a tiny area, and it had to be aligned right. This was the delicate final stage which could go explosively wrong.

Hope’s heart sped up, and sweat ran down her face. Objects didn’t like to be overcharged and would sometimes ‘spark’, releasing all their energy at once. The blast from her second attempt had knocked her unconscious. It didn’t help that she wasn’t accustomed to enchanting without physical contact. Touching makes everything so much easier there’s never a reason not to.

Hope grew nervous as ambient magic filled the room. Suddenly, her concentration was broken by a blinding flash. For a moment, she panicked at the prospect of another violent failure, but then her visor automatically darkened in response to the light. Within the glowing outline of the liquid steel was a single speck shining like the sun. It worked…

The magical array pulsed to life, its energies sustaining the transmutation. Hope quickly reached into the basket and grabbed a handful of amber colored crystal, feeding them into the cauldron one by one. When most of the steel was gone, she stopped and backed away. Mithril’s melting point was twice that of steel, and the cauldron’s enchantments weren’t enough to contain the spiking temperature. Without the suit, Hope would’ve already been baked alive. I see why he calls this place an oven.

Hope waited until the activity in the array had died down and released a frozen mist from her palm. Half the glyphs had gone dark, their energies spent. She approach and doused the cauldron, only stopping once she saw frost form. Peering inside, she reached out with her spiritual senses and willed the newly formed metal to move.

She hadn’t dared mess with her perfectly shaped bullets, so this was her first time manipulating mithril. Levitating was easy enough, but changing the shape was tough. Much more resistant than steel.

There was a clank as the door opened, and a rough voice called out, “You alive?”

“Alive and triumphant.” Hope answered. Gathering her belongings, she marched out and tossed her newly produced mithril to the grey-haired dwarf outside. She then rushed over to shed her sweat-drenched protective gear.

This smelting chamber belonged to Torrance Rockswell, one of Corthia’s saints. After retiring from adventuring, he’d become the resident smith and enchanter. His earth affinity was well suited for transmuting unearthly metals and hardening enchantments. Everyone she’d met swore by his ‘unbreakable’ pickaxes.

Hope had initially been put off by the grumpy old dwarf, as he reminded her of Orthos Braslin. However, after several days her attitude had shifted. Turns out you can’t simply rely on basic mannerism to judge character. Maybe it was the dungeon’s constant looming threat, the harsh life of a miner, or simply dwarven culture, but ‘gruff’ was a common trait in here.

“Not bad for your first success.” Torrance admitted grudgingly, handing back the mithril.

Hope collapsed on an old sofa. They were in the basement workshop, Torrance’s personal workspace. He practically lived here, shunning the outdoors. All manner mining implements and weapons hung on the walls, and rows of barrels littered the place. The clanging of metal echoed in the distance.

“Tiring isn’t?” Torrance smirked.

Hope nodded. Overcharging was indeed draining, and the exhaustion was affecting her body too. Strange how that works. A ‘logical consequence’ enforced by the Ether, fatigue from channeling was felt physically. Same way losing one’s soul causes the death.

Hope examine the mithril closely. Unlike her silver mithril, it had a beige tinge. Enough for three more bullets.

Hope fashioned a beige bracelet for her left wrist. “So much work for so little…”

“I usually take a barrel of earth crystals and make twenty times as much.” Torrance shrugged. “Although I wouldn’t recommend it until you’ve master overcharging, unless you plan on killing yourself.”

For now I’ll stick to this much. She would try again tomorrow. “So you really don’t know how to transmute anything else?” She asked again.

“I only dabble in alchemy.” Torrance apologized. “Mithril is more than enough for Carthia’s needs. Anyone who wishes for rarer alloys visits Ravelin’s forge.”

Right, Edgar Firson. The dwarven immortal and master alchemist, resided in the forges above the Endless Mines. This was why Torrance had been surprised when Hope had entered his shop.

The science of alchemy was deep. Unearthly metals were influenced by the material, magics, and methods used in their creation. There were as much variety of mithril as there was of steel. And metallurgy is only a fraction of it. For every substance on Enera, a superior version existed. Nearly anything was possible. Even raw emotions could be given physical form, as demonstrated by Remnant’s Fortress of Regret.

“If you are interest in knowing more, why not ask Clay Donnaster?” Torrance offered. Astra had organized for the immortal to train her once she was done here.

“Is he talented?” Hope asked awkwardly.

“He’s the youngest master alchemist, probably in the top twenty on Enera.” Torrance answered flatly.

Hope slouched deeper. I really do try, I promise. She’d assumed Clay’s skills were average as he’d only taken up alchemy as a saint. However, it’d been a long time since then. Guess he forged that black mithril himself…

“I didn’t feel any shockwaves.” Came a voice from the stairwell. Eren walked down. “Is that a good sign?”

“I made mithril.” Hope raised her left hand.

“Then I’ll treat you to lunch to celebrate!” Eren announced, raising a bag undoubtedly containing her favorite sandwiches. “Come on.” She quickly dragged Hope to her feet and out of the room.

“Once you’ve finished,” Torrance called after them. “clean up after yourself and get back to work. You owe me another fifty sealers.”

The background banging soon became ear piercing. Torrance had been growing this smithy for hundreds of years, and today his small labor force meet all the needs of Corthia’s mining operations. Currently four were working on the ground floor, including Anny, Torrance’s great granddaughter. From the gossip she’d heard, she and Jake, a fellow apprentice, had been battling over who would succeed the aging forgemaster before settling the issue by getting married. Now the concern was what would happen when the two left to start a family.

Watching Anny swing the massive hammer, Hope felt awkward. As someone who could effortlessly twist a metal into any shape, she’d long regarded the entire smithing profession as pointless. Only now was she understanding it still served a purpose. By weaving enchantments while molding the metal, an extra layer of hardening could be applied which barely took any room. It’s basically its own school of magecraft. More complex techniques, such as pattern welding, produced even more pronounced benefits. It’s vexing that anything I shape will not be as strong as one from the forge. Should I take up the craft too? Hope continued mulling while following outside.

The forge was the largest building on the far side of Corthia, above the strip mines. It was a mismatch of a structure, with many additions to accommodate the growing business. The disjointed roof was Eren’s new favorite eating place, and Hope had to admit the view was great.

The town spread out from the lake to the cavern wall. She saw a few fisherman testing their luck and adventurer’s wandering about. However, the hub of activity was the minecart station. Whether day or night, Corthia was always active. The mines never sleep. Hope had almost become accustomed to the omnipresent sound of clanging metal and screeching minecarts.

Hope cast a sidelong glance at her companion obliviously munching loudly. She and Eren were staying at largest inn, next to adventurer’s guild outpost. After a horrible first night, Eren had offered her a pair of noise canceling earplugs with a wide smile. Part of Hope wanted to get even, but ultimately she didn’t dare.

Taking a bite, Hope focused on the city. Corthia was very different from the Isle or even Ravelin. There was a seriousness to the place. Everyone had a purpose, or they weren’t here. There are no children. After multiple deaths, they were forbidden. Although the plateau was relatively safe, there were serpents in the underwater cave system connected to the lake that excelled at stalking vulnerable prey. And it’s impossible to exterminate them, as they’ll always respawn.

“So how does it feel?” Eren eyed her bracelet.

“Relief at avoiding another embarrassment.” Hope joked. “Honestly, I’m happy, but it’s only beige mithril. I can’t let it go to my head.” The Endless Mines were earth aligned, and channeling the element was easier here. Other types wouldn’t be as easy.

Hope tried pouring a little magic into bracelet. It was as expected. Beige mithril could absorb more earth enchantments but less of everything else. Still better than steel.

“Will you be transmuting more today?”

“No, I think not.” Hope sighed. “I have no desire to test my skills when not fully rested. Overcharging is rough.”

Since arriving, Hope had into a routine of channeling and reading. Torrance had agreed to help in exchange for a steady supply of enchanted items for the shop. The most popular of which were sealers, one time spells which could block off a cave passage. So she’d spent her time making these and building her arsenal of saint level magics. Once drained, she’d explore and find somewhere relatively quiet to read.

That’s how she’d discovered the town’s surprising large subterranean quarters. Most miners resided there, within the safety of the stone. For those without fighting ability, a dungeon is a dangerous place. The area also functioned as a bunker in the event of an attack.

“What about you?” Hope asked “What are your plans?”

“I’ll patrol the vicinity of mine 79, then do some prospecting.” Eren answered. Same as always then.

Eren had explained how things worked in the Bottomless Mines. First prospectors explored and identified valuable deposits. Adventurer parties would then clear the area and seal it off from the rest of the dungeon. A minecart track would be set up, and mining would start. During this activity, more adventurers would be hired to scout the surroundings to deal with any threats which might burrow in. Eren was heading out on one of these missions.

“Patrolling is fine,” Hope said. “But isn’t prospecting alone dangerous?”

“That’s the point though.” Eren answered mid bite. “Immortality is earned through such risks.” Eren swallowed and looked her in the eye. “Which is why you should join me.”

“Can’t.” Hope swiftly responded. “I still have much preparing to do.”

Hope had yet to leave the safety of Corthia. I don’t have nearly enough spells or bullets. Plus I want to plan out magics to counter likely threats.

A major tremor hit them. Hope watched it sweep across the town, causing buildings to tremble. “Feel that?” Eren asked. Hope nodded.

Except for the areas with minecart tracks, the Endless Mines were constantly evolving. Large portions would collapse and be replaced with unexplored caverns. Tremors were the warnings of where this would occur.

“In couple of weeks, a large section down there will refresh itself.” Eren pointed towards the strip mines. “Once that happens, I will be dragging you with me on a little adventure, like it or not.”

… I’ll have to speed up my preparations.