"Mother is going to kill you!" a loud and irritated voice called from the other floor and I immediately started lighting up the torches on the walls. If I was going to clean this up before the owner got back I would prefer if I was able to see what I was doing.
In the end it turned out that only the first two rows of weapons had fallen to the floor so it only took me a couple of minutes to get them back in place. I was also able to find the spear I came down here for in the first place in the middle of the huddle. I almost got a heart attack and silently prayed to whatever gods that were listening that it would not be damaged, and lucky me, it was not.
When everything was back in place against the stone wall, and after I had noted that nothing was damaged, I extinguished the torches and started climbing up the rocky stairs that probably could be more even than they were. Which would have been much safer considering that I had a really sharp spear thrown over my shoulder. The spear in question had been made for a rich jerk's son that had finally decided to leave this dark hole of a city and join the big dragon war. If you ever heard me say that I was not jealous, it was a big lie. I really wished that I had enough money to buy some real armor and strong weapons so I could go up to the surface, but the gods had not been that kind to me. Sure I could still join the army and use whatever cheaper weapons they could find, but doing that would have the same result as jumping down one of the darkholes. Instant death.
As I stepped out of the stairway the smell of smoke and burnt metal instantly hit me in the face with a stronger force than down in the cellar, but since I had worked here for the bigger part of my life, I was used to it by now. It was not as difficult to breathe anymore as it had been in the beginning. Sure we were all used to the smell of metal and living in smoke, but it was even worse in a forge.
"Finally! I thought you had died down there". Slate sighed and walked up to me with a tired look on his face. He was way taller than me and I was a hundred percent sure that his family were descendants from giants. They all had broad chests, arms probably bigger than my head, long legs and sharp outlines in their faces. I had to tilt my head to meet my friend's ice-blue eyes that were staring down at my own green ones. His messy brown hair was black from the grime that the fire spit out as if it was the owner's cocking. Mine however, was naturally black.
"Well I can see why you would think that, but no, I'm alive". At that he rolled his eyes but decided to not comment on whatever he thought had happened in the storage. "Also here's the goddamn spear that almost gave me a heart attack" I shoved the weapon at his chest and he immediately went back to work. The spear did not really need anymore work, but it was custom to always do a check up of the weapon before the delivery.
I went over to the counter on the other side of the room. It was really just a big flat stone with a plank on it to make it more even when you had to write down orders, but it served its purpose so I did not see why we would need anything more fancy. We were just happy that we had gotten our hands on some wood. Though I had to stop the owner from using it for the ovens. If I was going to write all day then it better be on a flat surface that did not ruin the parchment. Also I really liked the feel of wood under my hands. It was not as cold and solid as metal or stone.
"Cinna can you take this to the Ofir mansion?". I hardly had any time to react before the spear were thrown in my direction. Luckily I was used to Slate throwing weapons around him so I caught it before it hit my head.
"Seriously you have to stop that. You'll kill someone one day!" He only chuckled and went up to the counter to check on the next order.
"It seems like more and more people decide to join the army," he noted as he read the abnormally long list. I even had to use 10 parchments this week, which was more than double the amount I usually needed.
"I wonder why. It's not like we live in a dark, cold shithole or anything...".
"You're being too harsh. It's not that bad".
"It wouldn't be if we actually were able to go up once in a while".
"You know why we can't do that..." At that I sighed and started walking to the door, another piece of wood that I had saved from the ovens. My old and tattered leather bag was thrown on the stone ground in the corner, and I picked it up with my free hand.
"I know I know. Dragons, war, death. I've heard it already you don't have to lecture me again". I heard a deep sigh before I closed the door behind me and started walking towards the Ofir mansion.
The Kingdom of Shaynite, or as it was called in the old language, The Kingdom of Metal was nothing more than a bunch of tunnels, some broader than others, and doors sometimes accompanied by small windows. Tubes ran all over the rocky ceilings leading smoke out and fresh air in. It was dark, cold, smelled like smoke and fire and overall not so welcoming, but it was not as bad as I usually made it out to be. I had met a lot of nice people in these tunnels, and they took care of my mother and I when our family left us on the street to perish. We also had a lot of beautiful caves where the different metals hiding in the walls would shine in the light from our torches. I was pretty sure that you could not find things like that on the surface, but what did I know? I had never been up there before.
After finding my way through the crisscrossing tunnels I finally ended up in front of the Ofir gate. It was placed in a opening to a bigger cave and was completely made of dark metal. Golden patterns ran over the grey surface and created the outline of a dragon in the middle, where a piece of a blue ophir was placed shaped as an eye. The Ofir family was one of the few dragon families, which meant that they owned what most people really wanted, a dragon. So it was not weird that the oldest son now was about to leave for war, since dragons were mainly used as weapons and were the biggest key to victory in a fight with another kingdom.
"You there, what's your business?" The harsh voice shoved my thoughts away and I looked up to meet the gaze of the armored woman in front of me. She was average size, which meant that I only had to tilt my head a little bit to catch her stony glare.
"Weapon delivery," I said simply. She eyed the spear that leaned on my shoulder and it seemed like she understood.
"For the young master?" She asked which received a nod from me. "Alright, I'll call on someone then". At that she turned her back to me and walked up to the giant gate.
"Open up!" She yelled at the metal and soon enough a loud clatter could be heard as the gate slowly opened. It did not open all the way though, only enough for a older man to stick out his head. The two seemed to discuss something before the gate opened some more to let the other one out. The man in question was short, which meant that he was as tall as me, had a long braided, dark beard and clothes that probably costed more than all the food I had consumed last year. They were blue and had some golden details on the chest, shoulders and probably the back. But I did not care how expensive they were, I still thought they looked ridiculous.
"Finally, the young master has been waiting for you!" He said as he walked up to me. It was probably my fault that he had been kept waiting but I did not want to mention that to the man in front of me, so I only forced a polite smile.
"I'm sorry, I've never been in this part of Shaynite before" I lied. It seemed like he believed me but did not look much happier about my late delivery.
"Then maybe you should get someone who actually knows where to go." He grumbled and I started to feel impatient. Could this man stop complaining already so I could get back to the forge?
"Should you really keep the young master waiting longer than necessary?" At that he only glared at me, but at least the complaining stopped.
When I handed him the spear he snatched it from my grip as if he thought it would run away. The urge to roll my eyes was really strong, but I was able to resist it and just focused on keeping my polite smile intact. The last thing I needed today were some angry rich snobs wanting to kick my ass.
A loud roar could suddenly be heard through the gate and I instinctively flinched away from the sound.
"Was that-" I did not get to finish my sentence before the woman cut me off.
"He sounds angry." She noted and I decided that it was better to just leave. Ignore the first thing I said, a angry dragon was the last thing I needed today.
*
It did not take me long before I once again opened the door to the forge. I was instantly met with the thick smell of sweat and fire as I stepped in and let my bag slip to the ground. It was nice to be back, away from the rich snobs and their dragons.
As usual I reclaimed my place behind the counter and leaned lazily on my elbows. My eyes followed the lines on the wooden door as they always did.
As usual I reclaimed my place behind the counter and leaned lazily on my elbows. My eyes followed the lines on the wooden door as they always did.
"It must be pretty small,"I said thoughtfully. Slate, who had been hammering away on a sword the last hour, wiped the sweat off of his face with a dirty cloth and looked questioning at me.
"What did you say?"
"The dragon. They keep it in the mansion. It must be pretty small."
"Well not all dragons are giants you know." He rolled his eyes and threw the sword back into the fire.
"Of course, I know that. I just thought that since they act so stuck up all the time they would have a big and really strong one, you know?"
"A dragon's strength is not determined by its size. Have you never heard about the lightning dragons? Or the air ones?" I shivered at the thought of meeting one of those. Especially the lightning ones. I had heard that they were frightening fast and could summon deadly storms. Well I had never actually seen a storm before but I did not like the thought of leaving my fate to nature like that.
"Yeah but metal dragons are stronger if they're bigger right?"
"Well...it also depends on the rider..."
"Can't one of you just admit defeat already?" None of us had neither seen nor heard the woman when she had entered the shop, and both of us immediately straightened our backs. She was big, even bigger than Slate, but not by much. Her brown short hair was as messy as her son's, her leather clothes were tattered from all the days in the forge and her big blue eyes were shining with amusement as she watched us.
"So I assume that the Ofirs have gotten their spear?" I nodded but she only raised an eyebrow. "I can't hear you boy..."
"Yes ma'am, the spear has been delivered earlier this morning" I said and made sure that I did not mumble the words.
"Was there any problems?" There was something in her tone that made me believe she was on about something, but I did not know what so I decided that it only was my imagination.
"No problems ma'am" I lied with a smile. Thankfully Slate did not comment on it, but it seemed like the gods had once again decided to abandon me. Or maybe they were playing tricks with me and laughing at my failures. Either way the owner now raised her eyebrow again.
"Is that so? Then would you care to explain why a Ofir boy stood outside my door just a minute ago, going on about how his master was pissed about the late delivery?" I could feel how my body instantly tensed up and my smile got wiped off my face. Of course did the Ofir snobs just have to send a messenger to the owner. I even was polite when I was there, so did they really have to be so pissed about it?
"I um...Had a problem down in the cellar and didn't get going as early as I thought I would".
"What was the problem?" I had really hoped that she would not ask about that part, but like I said, the gods hated me.
"Well I...two stalls fell over and I had to clean it up. But it only took a couple of minutes I swear!" There was no point in lying anymore. All I could do was pray that she would not get too angry with me.
"Did anything get hurt?" She now looked very concerned as she held my anxious gaze.
"No ma'am. The weapons are fine".
"Well that's good, but that's not what I asked." My anxiousness got replaced by a confused look, but only for a moment because I suddenly remembered that we had had conversations like this multiple times before. Will I ever learn?
"Nothing got hurt. I wasn't standing in front of it when it fell, don't worry". She smiled at that and it made me relax a bit. She was not angry, just worried.
"Glad to hear it boy. I'm so relieved that you're not working in the mines," she chuckled as she messed up my hair even more with her hand. Behind me I could hear Slate snort at her comment.
"Yeah he would have been at the bottom of a darkhole by now". I shot a glare over my shoulder but it did not have any effect on the giant. He only chuckled just like his mother, and it was at times like this that I realized how similar they were. Even their laugh sounded pretty much the same.
I was able to shake the hand off of my head and the two giants eventually got back to work.
"Uhm, miss Gina. I'm sorry about the delivery..." I knew that she was not angry at me but I still felt bad. It was not me who had been blamed by the Ofir family, it was her.
She only smiled at me, and in the light from the fire beside her I could get a clear look of her. The many scars that covered her arms and the one on her round cheek really stood out when she was near a light source. Usually we could not see things like that because of the darkness we lived in. Scars were a faint thing and we would easily miss them if we did not know where to look. I knew that Slate had similar scars on his body, but he was not standing close to a fire at the moment so I could barely see them where he stood at a rock table in the corner. I looked down at my own hands and followed the vague lines with my eyes. They ran all over the back and then went on climbing up my arms. I think they ended somewhere around my shoulders, but I was not sure as I could not see that far up my own body. I sighed and reclaimed the position I had had earlier. An elbow on the wood before me and my head resting in my hand as my eyes were fixated on the door. Soon the forge was once again filled with the sound of hammering and the steaming sound when the hot metal met cold water.
"What did you say?"
"The dragon. They keep it in the mansion. It must be pretty small."
"Well not all dragons are giants you know." He rolled his eyes and threw the sword back into the fire.
"Of course, I know that. I just thought that since they act so stuck up all the time they would have a big and really strong one, you know?"
"A dragon's strength is not determined by its size. Have you never heard about the lightning dragons? Or the air ones?" I shivered at the thought of meeting one of those. Especially the lightning ones. I had heard that they were frightening fast and could summon deadly storms. Well I had never actually seen a storm before but I did not like the thought of leaving my fate to nature like that.
"Yeah but metal dragons are stronger if they're bigger right?"
"Well...it also depends on the rider..."
"Can't one of you just admit defeat already?" None of us had neither seen nor heard the woman when she had entered the shop, and both of us immediately straightened our backs. She was big, even bigger than Slate, but not by much. Her brown short hair was as messy as her son's, her leather clothes were tattered from all the days in the forge and her big blue eyes were shining with amusement as she watched us.
"So I assume that the Ofirs have gotten their spear?" I nodded but she only raised an eyebrow. "I can't hear you boy..."
"Yes ma'am, the spear has been delivered earlier this morning" I said and made sure that I did not mumble the words.
"Was there any problems?" There was something in her tone that made me believe she was on about something, but I did not know what so I decided that it only was my imagination.
"No problems ma'am" I lied with a smile. Thankfully Slate did not comment on it, but it seemed like the gods had once again decided to abandon me. Or maybe they were playing tricks with me and laughing at my failures. Either way the owner now raised her eyebrow again.
"Is that so? Then would you care to explain why a Ofir boy stood outside my door just a minute ago, going on about how his master was pissed about the late delivery?" I could feel how my body instantly tensed up and my smile got wiped off my face. Of course did the Ofir snobs just have to send a messenger to the owner. I even was polite when I was there, so did they really have to be so pissed about it?
"I um...Had a problem down in the cellar and didn't get going as early as I thought I would".
"What was the problem?" I had really hoped that she would not ask about that part, but like I said, the gods hated me.
"Well I...two stalls fell over and I had to clean it up. But it only took a couple of minutes I swear!" There was no point in lying anymore. All I could do was pray that she would not get too angry with me.
"Did anything get hurt?" She now looked very concerned as she held my anxious gaze.
"No ma'am. The weapons are fine".
"Well that's good, but that's not what I asked." My anxiousness got replaced by a confused look, but only for a moment because I suddenly remembered that we had had conversations like this multiple times before. Will I ever learn?
"Nothing got hurt. I wasn't standing in front of it when it fell, don't worry". She smiled at that and it made me relax a bit. She was not angry, just worried.
"Glad to hear it boy. I'm so relieved that you're not working in the mines," she chuckled as she messed up my hair even more with her hand. Behind me I could hear Slate snort at her comment.
"Yeah he would have been at the bottom of a darkhole by now". I shot a glare over my shoulder but it did not have any effect on the giant. He only chuckled just like his mother, and it was at times like this that I realized how similar they were. Even their laugh sounded pretty much the same.
I was able to shake the hand off of my head and the two giants eventually got back to work.
"Uhm, miss Gina. I'm sorry about the delivery..." I knew that she was not angry at me but I still felt bad. It was not me who had been blamed by the Ofir family, it was her.
She only smiled at me, and in the light from the fire beside her I could get a clear look of her. The many scars that covered her arms and the one on her round cheek really stood out when she was near a light source. Usually we could not see things like that because of the darkness we lived in. Scars were a faint thing and we would easily miss them if we did not know where to look. I knew that Slate had similar scars on his body, but he was not standing close to a fire at the moment so I could barely see them where he stood at a rock table in the corner. I looked down at my own hands and followed the vague lines with my eyes. They ran all over the back and then went on climbing up my arms. I think they ended somewhere around my shoulders, but I was not sure as I could not see that far up my own body. I sighed and reclaimed the position I had had earlier. An elbow on the wood before me and my head resting in my hand as my eyes were fixated on the door. Soon the forge was once again filled with the sound of hammering and the steaming sound when the hot metal met cold water.
______________________________________________________________________________
Well that was the first chapter from Malacinn's point of view. I hope it wasn't too bad... I promise stuff will actually happen later.
Also: I will use some words from a shitty made up language, but not too often since the people in the story doesn't use it as much anymore. It will mostly be used for short phrases or sayings, and sometimes as warnings. Some characters will use it more than others but I promise that it won't be too confusing...I hope... An example in this chapter would be "Shaynite" which literally means "Kingdom of Metal". So "Shay" means "Kingdom" and "Nite" means "Metal"...the more you know...
Anywaaaay, leave a comment if you feel like it or rate the chapter. It would be nice if you did!
Have a nice day!
//Boris (σﾟ∀ﾟ)σ
Also: I will use some words from a shitty made up language, but not too often since the people in the story doesn't use it as much anymore. It will mostly be used for short phrases or sayings, and sometimes as warnings. Some characters will use it more than others but I promise that it won't be too confusing...I hope... An example in this chapter would be "Shaynite" which literally means "Kingdom of Metal". So "Shay" means "Kingdom" and "Nite" means "Metal"...the more you know...
Anywaaaay, leave a comment if you feel like it or rate the chapter. It would be nice if you did!
Have a nice day!
//Boris (σﾟ∀ﾟ)σ
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