Marie touted on before she left that she was keen on exploring the city. I looked forward to hearing about it, but I had a grueling day ahead of me. I suppose she’s always been the explorer type, given the hunting. I was alone with my thoughts and the silence.

  Whatever was left of it, anyway.

  The inn my new boss pointed us toward was rather cheap. Most inns in the city run about 1 gilde, but this one ran 7 selvats a night. However, it was home to some rowdy folk, and I’ve heard more “exercise” in here than anywhere in my life.

  Marie and I shared the room. Our beds lay against opposite walls, and she was a heavy sleeper. I wasn’t so lucky on that front, unfortunately.

  A washbasin lay empty in front of a mirror, and inside I found a man with red orbs for eyes.

  I removed my shirt, inspecting my shoulders and hands once again. They ached less than they did yesterday, but the bruises still sat quietly, demanding they not be disturbed.

  I would conjure up some water to wash my face, but whether I was capable was another story. I hovered my hand above the center of the bowl, drafting up how exactly I could ask my sentient magic to do me this kind favor.

  Without warning, the scrawl trickled down my arm, ready to hear my command. There was no way this was the beast, as I felt no heat where the blue lines appeared.

  My lips parted, “May I have some water?”

  A bubble formed directly below my palm, raining drop after drop into the basin. I formed a cup from my hands, dipping them into the water, before promptly splashing it against my brow. It felt like stretching after a long workout.

  After retracing my steps from last night, and asking a few locals when that failed, I finally arrived at the forge. I took a step inside, and heat blasted from the corner.

  “Good mornin', my new forge-hand! Glad to see you could make it.”

  “Likewise, Bannis. Shall we get to work?”

  He held his wide hand out, sticking his thumb up toward the roof.

  “First things first. Need you to haul me some coal from out back. Let’s get the best forge in Argos up and running.”

  I took a step back outside, grabbing a rather large bag of coal in one hand. The rocks clacked against each other as I shuffled them inside. Bannis turned to face me, pointing behind him to the forge.

  “Good, you make short work of that bag, there. Next, onto feedin’ the forge-beast.”

  I stared blankly at the forge as he walked off. Should I just... throw some coal in there? Is that what the heat of a forge is called?

  I tossed a piece in, and shortly after a flame danced over to the slot, before hissing at me.

  It was fire, that was no doubt certain, but... it looked like a rat.

  “Easy there, I just want to feed you...”

  Its thin amber eyes gazed up at me as it perched on its hind legs. I held my hand out, deeming a greeting necessary after my rude introduction.

  It pounced harmlessly atop it, before traveling across my arm. The entire time my eyes sat wide, bewildered that the living, flaming rat did no more than emit some heat against my shirt. Shouldn't I be in pain?

  I grabbed myself another piece of coal, before gently offering it to the creature.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  It gladly accepted the tribute, before returning to the forge, which now lit up with a vibrant intensity.

  Bannis chimed in from behind me, “What’s with that look? Have you never seen a spirit before?”

  “I have read about them before, but never have I witnessed one.”

  Bannis’ low tone echoed throughout the room.

  “Give the Kastvassen whatever sum they demand, and a lesser spirit is yours to command here. They specialize in dominating spirits, and they make quite a hefty profit making them to order.”

  He shrugged, slamming his fist against an open palm on his other side.

  “First order of the day, one of the guards needs the tip of his halberd reinforced. Broke the damn thing against a wall.”

  We got to work. Every hit of the hammer echoed through the metal, the anvil, the tongs, and my entire body. The strength this craftsman had was impressive, and he could move metal like he was born with said hammer.

  The rhythmic song of progress bounced around the room.

  “You need a break yet? I’ve never seen a green hand like you handle the heat so well.”

  “I am fine. I will let you know if I find myself needing.” I respond, partially drowned out by the cacophony of ringing steel.

  “You’re somethin’ else, you know that? First you catch my cart, then this? On top of that, the mop you’ve got on your head speaks something else. All around anomaly.”

  As soon as we reforged the long tip onto the halberd head, another order came in for sharpening a blade. Metal makes an unruly sound against the grindstone, but in the end it came out sharp as a razor.

  Soot from the forge, and sweat from the heat, caked my body in a disgusting grey blanket. Another order came in for a cleaver.

  Bannis hammered out the rough rectangular shape, with a small point sticking out from one corner.

  “Leonn, take that metal and dip it into that bucket there. We call it quenching. Make sure to move it around a bit so the treatment is even.”

  With clear instruction I dunked the hot metal into the bucket. Steam hissed and bubbled in the water, but eventually quieted down. The result was a spectacular piece of work. It still needed polishing before it would have the shine it needed, but it did not warp, and that is cause for celebration.

  The evening drew near, and orders stopped rolling in.

  “Well, I suppose that’s all for the day. Y’did great, kid.”

  He handed me a drawstring pouch. “50 selvats for your hard work, get that lady of yours something to remember.”

  Exactly 5 gildes, but a little more spender-friendly. I thanked Bannis for a good day of work, before retracing my steps once again toward the inn.

  The door closed behind me with an unsatisfying groan. Marie looked me up and down, trying to figure out exactly which fire I’d been in.

  “You look like a coal sack learned how to walk, Leonn.”

  “And you look like you enjoyed yourself.” I muttered, too tired to bite back.

  Marie fell back on her straw bed. “It was fun. There was an entire column of merchants just selling spices, it was so pungent I swear my nose almost started bleeding.”

  I nodded, removing my shirt once again. There was a clear distinct set of lines marking where my shirt ended and soot began on my skin. I hovered my hand over the wash basin once again, asking politely for some water to wash myself.

  Marie continued. “The merchants here throw coin around like it's water. Anyone who doesn’t have money to spare gets tossed aside for the wealthier ones.”

  A brief pause ensued, likely as she recalled more. “The most peculiar part, there were Kastvassen emblems literally everywhere. Soldiers, mercenaries, the ominous bar-goers that lurk in the corner. This place looks polished, but its rotting. Nobody can smell it over the-...”

  The sentence hung dead in the air as her eyes flickered over to the corner.

  “How long have you been able to do that?”

  I turned to the washbasin, once again filled near to the brim.

  “This morning. I asked it to give me some water, and it did. It’s odd, and I still don’t get it, but I can reason with it for now.”

  A stream of water slithered across both of my arms, as well as my face, leaving no trace of soot behind. This will be quite helpful in the coming days, or perhaps even weeks.

  “Oh, also...” Marie recounted another anecdote.

  “Word on the street is that Vuudweyen sparked a minor conflict on the Federation’s borders, out near Fuulen. Something about a mass of soldiers, and being seen as a sort of provocation.”

  I sighed “That sounds like them, alright. They probably bolstered their guard to look for us, and ended up following the north-east lead all the way to the border. That could look awfully like an invasion for sure.”

  I hung my shirt to dry on the mirror as a young couple began exercising in the room aside ours.

  “I think that Bannis pointed us to this inn on purpose. I say we find somewhere a little more... expensive.”

  Marie nodded in agreement. “Even I woke a couple of times. How do these people find so much energy?”

  The image of the forge rat echoed through my mind. Theory states spirits don’t have emotions, but it seemed alive to me. Happy, even, when I gave it some food.

  “Marie, did you see any spirits out there?”

  “Yeah, they have earth spirits to work cranes down on the docks. Housewives have water spirits to help them do laundry. They seem reluctant to work, like they’re being forced.”

  Bannis seemed to bark orders at the rat like it was a tool with ears. Maybe I’m missing something...