Rud looked up from his plate of roasted hazelnuts, blinking away his tiredness in an attempt to understand the gibbering dwarf. Taz had woken up in a mood, and was currently jumping up and down in the longhouse, hands thrusting into the air and beard thick with spittle. Whatever he had been working on was exciting enough to break the normally peaceful breakfast hours and powerful enough to render his ability to speak words that anyone could understand long gone.

"Start at the start," the druid said, blinking a few times before taking a sip of his tea. The energizing power of that hot leaf water brought some clarity to his mind.

"A big old hammer!" Taz shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "With that giant gem set in the surface, and a nice hammering face, and… and…"

"Take a breath," Rud said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you talking about that weird gem we found?"

"Of course!" Taz shouted, spitting just about everywhere. "I just need your fancy crafting magic to make it all super strong."

"Absolutely, buddy," Rud said, forcing a smile onto his face. Taz was being a bit extra today, which often happened when he was overly excited about things. "Just let me know where you need me. I've got some reports to make and all that stuff. You know how it goes."

"Of course! Just be ready," Taz said, rubbing his hands together. "I don't know when I'll need you, but when I do, it'll need to be quick."

"Got it," Rud said with some pointed finger guns. "I'm ready to go, boss."

After that, Taz's mood was less insane. He ate breakfast like a normal dwarf and headed off to the smithy as soon as he was done. Rud could only shake his head and rush to make his morning reports, which were… concerning. Elm had indeed made some progress toward removing the spells from the dungeons. Things had been so intense yesterday, that he hadn't even had a chance to test his newest upgrade for his Farseeing skill.

Rud focused on the horizon, narrowing his gaze as he allowed the Intense Gaze upgrade to suck mana from his soul. Layers of the landscape peeled away, resulting in a dizzying feeling falling into his stomach. It was hard to control, but he eventually got used to it. That's when he saw the familiar dots just about everywhere. Seeing so many dungeons with his own eyes was something else.

"That really isn't good, is it?"

"No, it isn't," Ban said, her voice seeming to flood into the entire observatory. "But you're doing a great job working it out."

Rud wasn't so sure about that, but he took her word for it now. With his new upgrade, he peered far into the distance to detect magical energies that were days away. He also got a better understanding of the flavor of currently oncoming powers, allowing him to make accurate weather predictions. Aside from the dungeons, the most interesting thing he observed was the ocean. Far to the southwest, he observed the energy of the sea. And he spotted the cursed object he had imprisoned there.

The druid breathed a sigh of relief.

When he had learned about those sea monsters, he had feared the worst. The idea that it could've been a problem he caused had formed a knot in his stomach. But his cursed object was leaking exactly no energy into the sea. Whatever drove those critters crazy wasn't his fault. While that was a momentary relief, it didn't stop him from worrying. Knowing it was his fault meant he could fix the problem. Knowing it wasn't his fault was worse, since he didn't know what the cause was.

Rud still did his duty, creating the report for Barlgore and sealing the envelope. Both Maria and Jim were chattering on the radio the whole time, and the druid offered his opinion when appropriate.

"Yeah, it'll be ready soon," Rud said. "We've got some bigger problems we're working through."

"We understand, Rud… But could you send us some cheese?" Maria asked, her voice bleeding with hope. "And maybe some tea?"

"Yeah, send some tea," Jim said.

Rud rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. I'll carve time out of my busy schedule dealing with a few hundred dungeons and sea monsters to send you guys some cheese and tea."

"Perfect," Maria said. "You're the best."

Rud rolled his shoulders after getting to his feet. Dean was waiting at the base of the observatory, an eager look on his face.

"I would like to take the letter over today," Dean said. "Care to join me?"

Rud smiled. "Got a taste for the mortal world?"

"The locals give me pets," Dean explained. "Sometimes they throw me beef bones, filled to the brim with marrow. They also enjoy watching as I crunch those same bones. It is a spectacle."

Rud handed over the letter, and watched as the wolf dashed off.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

That's when Taz's voice flooded his mind.

"Come quickly!"

Rud didn't even respond. He sprinted to the nearest bush, appreciating the speed his attributes gave him. After diving through the bush, he rolled right after the Thicket Travel effect ended, striking a pose outside the smithy. Taz was madly working on a piece, striking a piece of metal over the anvil and sweating enough that it had soaked his beard.

"Enchant the gem!" Taz shouted.

Rud darted over, looking around like a madman until he found the gem resting on a workbench. "Should've done this first!" he shouted. While he wanted to object to the action, he didn't. Instead, he brought Imbue Crafted Item to the forefront of his mind and held his hands out. Only as the spell fulminated did he realize why he could cast the spell on the gem. Taz had shaped the gem, making it count as a crafted item. But before he even had the time to inspect the item, the dwarf had snatched it up and was cramming it into the side of the hammer's head.

All Rud could do was watch as the craftsman worked. Taz pounded madly on the metal, transferring it from the anvil to the fire, then some kind of water. Maybe it was enchanted water. The druid couldn't tell. All he could do was act as a spectator over the hours, observing the way Taz shaped the hammer, tempered it—or whatever that blacksmithing thing was called when they dunked hot metal—and other stuff like scraping it with a wire brush.

"I'll need you to shape a handle," Taz said, breathing heavily as he leaned against the wall. He looked up with a hooded gaze. "A good piece of wood. Something magical, I think."

Rud looked around. The heat from the forge was almost unbearable. Taz had stacked enough Fairy Peat inside to burn down most mortal buildings. But this was a smithy enchanted with the power of the Sacred Tree. It would take more than a bit of fire to bring it down. If anything, the ash-stained walls were stronger. In Rud's senses they felt more resistant to the fires of the forge. But his thoughts were dragged kicking and screaming away from that topic.

"Take this," Ban said, her voice flooding into both of their minds. The sound of her voice echoed for only a moment before something thumped outside of the building.

Rud poked his head out, blinking a few times as he looked at a stick resting upon the ground. To anyone else, it would appear like any discarded branch that could be found anywhere in the Grove. But the druid could feel the magical potential within. This wasn't just a regular branch. It was a piece of the Sacred Tree herself.

"Woah," Rud breathed, approaching the branch and lifting it. This didn't feel like any old discarded branch Ban would cast off. The druid could feel how special it was. "You really put that much energy in this? I don't know if I can form it."

"You can. Trust yourself."

Rud returned to the smithy, holding the branch before him. It was a hallowed artifact, pulsing with enough power to sting his druidic senses. "Yeah, I got something," the druid said, licking his lips.

"Perfect," Taz said without even looking up. He was already getting back to work. "Did you pick a sturdy one?"

"That's right," Rud said, laughing. "Pretty sturdy!"

"Good. It'll need to take the heat, so be prepared for that," Taz said. "Gotta set the handle on while this is hot."

"Why?"

"Dunno."

Rud shrugged, using his Lacquer spell on the stick. Just like Ban said, he did it without an issue. If anything, it was easier to cast the spell on a piece of her than it was for less connected bits of trees. Perhaps that's because a bit of himself was in the Grove. No matter how he looked at it, his connection with the Grove was deep, and his love for the Sacred Tree vast.

"Ready?" Taz asked.

Rud used his Shape Plant spell to make the branch more narrow. It could now fit through the hole Taz had created for the handle. Whatever steps a blacksmith normally took to make sure a handle fit was not needed. The druid would simply expand it to fit the hole perfectly, drawing some material out to wrap around the top.

"Ready."

Pulling the hammer's head from the flames once again, Taz placed it on the anvil. Rud didn't hesitate and the piece of Ban moved like liquid. It shot through the opening, wrapping around the top. The wood sizzled, smoke rising into the air as the druid put everything he had into melding the two objects together. He didn't just want to slap a piece of wood onto the metal. He wanted it to blend.

Despite the undeniable properties of wood when facing yellow-hot metal, the piece of Ban passed into the metal. Either through magical absorption, drilling, or some other method Rud simply didn't understand, the two pieces became one. Taz sensed something about the crafted item and snatched it by the handle, dunking it in a wooden barrel of oil. Tendrils of smoke rose from the top, curling in the air as both men stood, motionless.

"Did it work?" Rud asked. Craning his neck to get a better look.

Taz grabbed the hammer by the small bit of handle still poking through the top, removing it from the dark oil. The liquid dripped off, falling and leaving behind a clean surface. He revealed the head of a hammer curled in the grasp of Ban's branch. Small branches poked up near the top, bright green leaves creating a faux-canopy.

One thing Rud couldn't deny was the absolute power and authority of the hammer. For a moment, he thought it might be artifact-quality, like his staff. But when comparing the two, it came up just short. Yet to be crafted by mortal hands… Especially the hands of a mortal barely at Rank 1, the druid couldn't deny how impressed he was.

"Good gravy," Rud said, leaning so close his nose pressed against the hammer for a moment. "You did this with a subclass?"

"And a lot of help from my friend," Taz said, holding the hammer aloft and grinning like an idiot. "You know, the giant magical tree."

So this was what a proper crafter could do when imbued with the power of the Grove. It seemed almost rude to inspect the item without the permission of the owner.

"Can I…" Rud trailed off as he reached out to the hammer. He had been so enchanted by the process, he had missed the strange design of the thing. One side was a hammer, sure. But the other was a pick.

"I'd be ashamed if you didn't!"

[Hammerpick of Ban'tanthein]

Rank 1 Growth Blacksmith's Hammer

Bound to: Taznoz Coalbranch

Description:

Forged from Spirit Iron and a Spirit Knightsgem, this hammer is perfectly balanced specifically for Taznoz Coalbranch. It unites the naturalistic ideals of Gladesbale Grove with the proud traditions of the Coalbranch clan.

Effect:

Doubles the force of strikes when used in Blacksmithing and Mining actions while within Gladesbale Grove.

Increases the effect of all Prospector skills while within Gladesbale Grove.

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