Master Of None

Chapter 1976 1976. Shocked Forging

"So, while we walk, why don't you tell me your name?" Gil was careful to walk slower while Onyx slithered by their side. He figured since they had found someone to help them and that had a very interesting usage for their mana and body when forging, that he should make sure he knew them well before they ended up famous. 

"Allison!" She had a bright and cheery attitude now that she could somewhat forge. It was only somewhat because she was still understanding the feeling she had when she had successfully forged. 

"Well, Allison, I am taking you to where my family is. They had to forge some things with another friend of ours. Well, he is basically family now since he has also lived in our mansion. That is if he ever left his forge." Gil laughed a bit which made Allison very confused. But she was more than glad to have the attention of two heroes who had already helped her before. 

"Allison, is walking too slow? Won't you be tired by the time we get there? That would not be nearly as exciting." Onyx's interruption made Allison nod a little. Gil smiled before anything happened. He could tell what Onyx was doing. 

All the time in the cathedral with Midnight as his partner in babysitting had made Onyx very good with children. It had also been why many people were willing to open their hearts and minds to monsters. 

An abyssal serpent who was considered nothing in the grand scheme of things had somehow managed so much. Protected and fought for them. Why would they allow themselves to believe this to be a monster rather than a race equal to them? Now Onyx was a bonafide hero too. It just made a ton of sense that he would be trusted with all his past actions. Let alone when he had first been trusted by those they knew him and Midnight as part of the heroic party. 

"Watch me carefully. I am not really this small." Onyx started to show off as he grew larger to the point of being able to rival a carriage on the road. Even he had not realized the depth of his growth since he kept his body hidden in shadows at all times that he would not scare anyone nor would he cause issues. 

But since he was able to, he could take up the roadway a little more than others. This being one instance where he wanted to show off a little and stretch. "And here we go." Gil wrapped an arm around Allison and hopped in to the air.  A soft breeze let them down carefully on Onyx's back. "Special transportation on the literal back of a hero. How about that?" 

Gil and Onyx reveled in the giggles of Allison while they raced through the streets and stopped right in front of the wandering blacksmith's forge. While the trip had been less scary than what Allison had imagined when she saw the shadows stretching and Onyx's real size, she was very happy to have traveled the way they did. She never would have imagined that to be possible. Yet, she was in Genesis, a place she realized was full of the impossible. 

"And the door is even cracked open." Gil sighed as he pushed it open. It was clear that whoever had walked outside for air last had left it open. He was ready to yell at someone about their lack of security but that wasn't the main reason for being here. 

However, when they saw that the wandering blacksmith was polishing a mana gem that ahd just been pressed, they were a little surprised. The mana gem was significantly larger than most. It was also being fed mana by Walker who was attempting to draw spatial mana using the eternal codex.

"Oh, we missed a lot." Gil saw that Alice and Su were clearly absorbed in polishing some parts of armor that they had been handed. They were so focused that they only gave a smile to Gil and Omnyx when they arrived. 

Walker, on the other hand, had noticed the odd trio. Odd because Gil had been very busy lately to meet up with him. Onyx had been caught up with the young serpents. So much so that Walker was sure that any free time Onyx used would be to rest for some time. 

Then there was a girl that he had never seen. One that had an odd arrangement of features that Walker realized were more than just one race which brought surprise to him. 

"Well, seeing as all of you are busy, I guess I shouldn't bring the layered ring that some of the young apprentices from the crafting guild helped me make. Actually, multiple made each layer and piece of it. I wanted it engraved with runes that helped gather mana for Alma by our friendly wandering blacksmith. But I guess I will have to wait another time." Gil shook his head sadly. 

"It's a shame brother Gil. Now Allison can't meet the best blacksmith there is and show off her unique forging method. I thought he might want an apprentice." Onyx seemed to throw out the last important detail that made the wandering blacksmith nearly drop the mana gem he was working with. 

The wandering blacksmith had many people that wanted to be taught by him. But he refused every apprentice. Yet, the party had never brought someone to him. Let alone someone so young. Even Rodney, who had been right there to copy and learn from him, was a few years older than the young girl here. 

"Wait, you actually brought someone to be an apprentice? Shouldn't you be asking him first?" Walker was surprised that both Onyx and Gil were in on this, but he was more surprised to see that the wandering blacksmith was equally surprised as the girl was when he looked at her and she him. 

Naturally, Allison knew who the wandering blacksmith was. Yet, she had never met or seen him. Now, she was in the same forge as him. HIS forge! A place that could be called holy and filled with power and amazing everything to any blacksmith. She couldn't even comprehend that there were multiple forge furnaces with different colored flames. 

"She has a lot of mana and some control over it. She has a lot of strength too. We helped her figure out the trick to holding them both back and use them in unison. I would call her forging style-"

"It's called soul forging. It uses my mana and my body together. With me whole soul." Allison spoke up with a nervous tone. Her head lowered since she was worried that she was saying something wrong. 

"Very good. The essence of forging should be with the soul. Watch me and tell me what you see." the wandering blacksmith spoke softly. Like he was afraid to scare the child in front of him off. It was a very different change from his normally quiet and composed actions. This even made Su and Alice stop in their actions. 

The wandering blacksmith grabbed his hammer and used some tongs to pull out a small sliver of iron. He had it to use as embellishments just in case he wanted. But when he slammed his hammer down, his mana burst out with more flourish than usual. As a result, the sliver of metal was flattened, but it also curled even though he had not done so with any tool. His mana had caused it. 

"And?" the wandering blacksmith waited a moment. 

"Your mana moved differently at the same time as your hammer did!" Allison had seen it clearly. She looked like she was shaking from literal excitement. 

"Then you can stay and watch for today. If you can forge a spring using your forging technique within the next three days, you can be my apprentice." The wandering blacksmith didn't hesitate to return to work while the rest of them were shocked. 

Making springs was delicate work. A very hard challenge for a child let alone a newer blacksmith. But even more so, he had the added challenge of just using mana to make it happen while the hammer flattened it. That would mean that Allison would grow at a very fast pace. 

"Can I practice here?" 

"You can only do it here. Three days. Sleep here or leave here. It's your choice." the wandering blacksmith did not speak or look after this. He just returned to his experiments while the rest of the party looked stunned. 

"So I guess he likes her enough to give her a chance." Gil just stood stunned as Allison moved toward the smallest hammer and felt it balanced in her hand. No one else had words for the odd situation they were in right this moment. 

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