A Bladesman's Blade

[Arekk]

AURUM​

The Je'daii Forge​

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INTERACTING WITH: N/A​

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"Greetings, Master Emberfall. I have come here to seek your assistance regarding one of the trials."

As soon as one entered the Je'daii Forge, you were immediately welcomed by the heat coming from the furnaces and the symphonic clings of the hammers being smashed against the steel at the anvils where the swords were being made.

"Well yes indeed, Ar'ekk. Please have a seat, tell me how can I help you?"

The man did as instructed and sat down in one of the small wooden chairs placed at one side of the woman, who was busy tinkering with some sort of metal alloy of some sorts which of course escaped the Knight's understanding. His task was pretty simple and straightforward, so his point was conveyed fast and concise.

"To complete the Vur Tepe trial, I must forge a Force-imbued weapon of some sorts. I assume a regular sword could do it to achieve this goal. However, my experience and understanding of metallurgy is slim to none which is why I require your assistance."

Emberfall nodded as she slipped an endearing grin, she must have heard this same thing a thousand of times throughout the years she had been spending here at the forge. The task would be like any other.

"The forge is a sacred place to work at, my dear boy. You'll be taught the lessons and will apply them right away here. Creating a sword is a privilege many do not have, so you'll take care of your blade with your life."

Once the initial explanation was out of the way, the woman stood up and went inside a small room to look for the materials needed to commence the construction of the sword. Once she came back with what Ar'ekk assumed were the necessary materials to make the weapon and these were handed over to him, the lesson continued.

"Take this to young Kaleth over there, he'll teach you the rest. He's young but very good at the forge, you should not worry."

The man nodded and gave Emberfall an appreciative nod before speaking,

"Thank you very much, Master Emberfall. Hopefully I'll have good news for you soon."

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[Arekk]

AURUM​

The Je'daii Forge​

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INTERACTING WITH: N/A​

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"You're Ar'ekk, right? I'm Kaleth."

Kaleth was a scrawny but very bright young man for his age, certainly capable of handling himself in the forge without any difficulties. Striking the Knight in a friendly conversation right away made things easier for the two of them, considering that the completion of a trial where your knowledge is certainly null would make anyone nervous.

"Good to meet you, Kaleth. That's me. Master Emberfall told me to speak with you."

Allowing the satchel on his back to slip down to the ground, he lowered toward it and rummaged around, finally pulling out the materials given by the woman which were wrapped in layers of protective cloth. Then he moved the satchel towards Kaleth who could take a better look and hopefully start the lesson right away.

"Yes, I heard you two speaking. We've got everything we need to start, thankfully Emberfall had all the things you needed. Let me show you around, get you acquainted with the place before actually doing anything."

The kid motioned Ar'ekk to tag along, moving throughout the work area and pointing at each key element scattered throughout the room.

"At one side is, obviously, the furnace and the anvils. You'll use these the most, together with the hammer. Your crystal will be used at the end of the whole ordeal, so don't worry about it just yet..."

The explanation probably lasted around a good solid twenty minutes, going through the basics of metallurgy, how to use the forge and the several tools available. Ar'ekk understood most of it but at the end, Kaleth would be present to overview the work done and correct any mistakes done.

"Let's start with the real stuff. Grab a lump of durasteel, a fiery reddish rose from the box over there and bring it over here. Make sure to get rid of your coat beforehand or you'll suffer from the heat."

Nodding along, Ar'ekk did as instructed and took off the layers of clothes covering his upper body to be left only in light gearments. The heat was palpable from this far away so he imagined how awful it would get as time progressed. Moving over to a wooden box laying by the tool set at one side of the anvils, he grabbed the rose from within.

"What's this for?"

A cheeky smile covered Kaleth's face as the question rose,

"You will see."

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[Arekk]

AURUM​

The Je'daii Forge​

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INTERACTING WITH: N/A​

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"You'll put the rose inside the furnace with the durasteel, that's why."

Ar'ekk simply continued to nod along as if he understood what he was doing, coiling his fingers on the necessary safety equipment and tools to finally start messing with the hot furnace. Kaleth stood nearby, judging and observing the Journeyer's every movement with extreme detail.

"Just let me know if I'm messing things up, alright?"

Before making the blade, Kaleth assessed Ar'ekk's height and weight, gauging his body mass and centre of balance, and taking some measurements. Jotting down a few notes, the blacksmith assembled the tools for him in preparation for forging.

Placing a lump of durasteel and the fiery reddish orange rose into the forge alongside a length of steel, Ar'ekk pumped the bellows to increase the temperature of the roiling furnace. Kaleth reached from his right to make a commentary, everything else seemed to be in order.

"Wait a couple of minutes before taking things out."

Doing as told by his mentor, Ar'ekk stood still with the materials still inside the burning furnace until a couple of minutes had passed. He then drawed the heated materials from the forge, kicking his legs in motion to bring them over to one of the anvils nearby. Being careful as ever to not burn himself in the process, the Knight sat by one of the chairs and placed the hot steaming durasteel on the anvil.

"You know what comes next. Just make sure to do precise strikes, powerful ones. Don't be afraid."

The metals were folded together upon an anvil with heavy strikes of his hammer. Cling, cling, cling. Sweat dripped down from Ar'ekks's brow as he repeated the folding process, turning and shaping the blade with the assistance of the expert craftsman Kaleth.

The blade continued to be in its bare bones but things were looking alright for a beginner like himself.

Kaleth made sure to have a vat of icy water nearby for Ar'ekk to dissolve the handful of ashes inside. A hiss of steam rose into the air as he plunged the hot steel into the vat. When it cooled, he drawed the blade from the water and carefully dried the steel with a piece of old cloth.

Selecting a few materials from the workbench, Kaleth assisted Ar'ekk in finishing the handle of the sword and affixing it with a pommel to balance the weapon. He made sure the Journeyer grinded the blade of the sword against a wheel to impart a razor-sharp edge with extreme precision.

Ar'ekk proceeded to polish the steel with a fine cloth, inspecting the blade for any imperfections. Finding none, he turned and reverently presented the sword to Kaleth with both hands.

"I show you Stardust, Light of War."

Forged from a flame-touched alloy of the finest durasteel, this blade exhibits an accentuate sharp point. The hilt consists of a wide slim guard with downturned ends and a pommel that is either of wheel type or octagonal in shape, affording perfect balance to this masterfully crafted weapon.

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[Arekk]

AURUM​

The Je'daii Forge​

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INTERACTING WITH: N/A​

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"With the hardest part out of the way and properly done, which is why I congratulate you for it, we now proceed to the next part. I've got the crystal here, take it."

He reached out to grab the crystal held in Kaleth's open palm, inspecting the object briefly before setting it down on the anvil next to his newly built sword. The next part would require his utmost concentration, attuning a crystal to the Force was a task where you couldn't stop focusing on the task at hand or you'd shatter either the blade, the crystal or everything all together.

"I have done this before, it shouldn't be too difficult. Make the crystal become one with the blade."

All the voices and sounds throughout the forge seemed to sorround the Knight's ears as his eyes closed to enter a deep meditative stance, both on the crystal and the blade. His mind was wiped from any thoughts, completely blank.

"Be careful... no shattering."

Ar'ekk had the mental image of the blade merging together with the crystal, like if they were joining in unison to become one at last. The process of this meditation and immense focus was both physically and mentally taxing for the man, sweat dripping down his face as the seconds moved on. The air felt cold while in this state of mind.

"You're doing good, Ar'ekk. Keep going."

Gathering some more air and the blood pumping from his heart with vibrance, the Journeyer found an extra energy to finish the task at hand with ease. He persisted with perseverance and without this he wouldn't have been able to get near the completion of the Great Journey.

A hand settled on his shoulder, the voice resonating closer to his ear prior to his meditative state.

"Well done."

The Journeyer opened his eyes slowly and dragged his gaze towards the blade then Kaleth, nodding. An ear-to-ear smile covered his face, knowing that he was finished and the trial was completed. He could feel a vibration and the blade glowed brightly, like it was emanating some sort of unique energy: the Force.

After gathering his thoughts, packing everything up and saying his goodbyes to both Kaleth and Master Emberfall, Ar'ekk made his way back home with Stardust slinged on his back.

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