TEN

“What does spark?” Asked Biggie after he and Rufus had made it to the smelting tents. Rufus had decided to use Biggie’s strength to help him move some ore to his blacksmith stall. Biggie was more than willing to oblige, as he usually went around trying to pontificate for money; but he usually ended up stating the obvious, so no one would pay him anything.

“Maybe I will tell you later, Biggie.” Rufus didn’t feel that he should let any secrets be known in public. If someone else had included the exact same idea in their projection, good on them, but he wasn’t about to give it away. Rufus could imbue his creations with thoughts. His thoughts would be converted into the sparks and transferred to his creation via the tool he was using.

He selected some raw steel, pure gold, and a bit of silver. As he was looking over some of the iron he over heard the owner and a hooded man arguing. “No, I don’t sell that kind of material. If you want soltanium you have to speak with Merlin. As far as I know he is the only person who…”

“Not so loud. Not so loud!” The hooded man looked over at Rufus and was trying to calm the owner by patting the air in front of him with a down-turned palm. The man’s voice sounded like a polar ball python sliding over Rufus’s back. “I need better material than this paltry refuse.” The hooded man’s hands didn’t necessarily flamboyantly gesticulate, but Rufus felt that they were overly exuberant for what he was saying. The man caressed each sample in front of him as if they were potential mates, but he never stopped on any one piece.

“Well we do have some sunshard and icerock in the back tent. Would you like to see those? I collected the sunshard this morning, but the icerock is a bit old and might crumble.” The owner shuffled into the tent behind the tables and came out with two boxes. He moved a sample case off the table in front of him and placed the boxes down.

“Let me see your money, first. The sunshard took me several hours to create and its properties are highly valued.”

“Money is of no consequence. Let me see the metal!” The hooded man was definitely loosing his cool. The more he spoke and demanded the more eyes were drawn to him.

“Well, now money may not matter to you, but it sure do matter to me. Please, if ya don’t mind, indulge a simple servant with this request.”

The hooded man reached into his black robe and extended a pale white hand holding his leather money pouch. Long thin fingers with fingernails sharpened to points—as if they were claws—undid the binding leather thong. The leather bag opened enough that the owner was able to see the amount of coins.

“How much do you have there?” The old man chuckled, licking his lips.

“Open the boxes or I will myself.”

“No problem. No problem.” The owner started working a combination of symbols on the side of the box. “Don’t want no thieves ‘round here. Make me own locks. No one can break ‘em.” he said, chuckling over his own self-ascribed ingenuity.

“I don’t care about your locks, old man. The metal! The metal!” The hooded man shrieked.

Rufus was growing more and more perturbed by this snake man. He was considering whether or not he should intervene when the old owner finally opened one of the boxes. The owner’s fingers started to flip the lid of the box letting a crack open—light burst from the slight crack and disappeared as he closed it. He stopped and said “Now I don’t know how sensitive yur eyes are, but the sunshard is real bright. Taken directly from the sun’s core, ya’know. You sure you want me to open it?” The only response the old man got from the pale-handed stranger was the wringing of his hands in anticipation and so the old man shrugged, slipped on a pair of arc-welding goggles and then flipped the lid open.

The light that emanated from the box was so bright that Rufus had to turn his head. Noonday sunlight flared from the box in front of the two men. The store owner pulled out a set of tongs from under his display table and reached into the box.

“Now there are more properties to this metal than I have been able to figure out, but when the right blacksmith finishes with it, the final product could be worth thousands of decoins if not more.” The store owner stated as he turned the tongs over to show the brilliance of the stone.

Rufus couldn’t help himself “What are the properties that you do know about?”

The store owner coughed and said, “Well, obviously, bright light, so creatures of the night won’t like it much. Vampires, some werewolves and the like.” He paused and held the tongs out so that the hooded figure could get a better look. “If tempered correctly, I seen the stone give off sparks and flame. If it ain’t done right, the stone can cause a whole lotta wreckage. I think it became a centerpiece in Merlin’s castle somewheres.

“Now, let’s see, it’s real durable. Cuts through almost anything.” He pointed his finger at what Rufus was holding. “Looks real interesting, too. Flares from yella to red sometimes. Dunno.” He paused. “Also, it’s the hottest metal yu’ll ever work…”

“It isn’t what I am looking for!” The hooded man angrily stated.

“Ok. Ok. Slow down, my fine friend. I think this is what you want.” The old man dipped the tongs back into the sunshard’s container, put the tongs down and opened the other box he brought out. Instantly a chill crept through the air. Their breath started to form crystals in front of them.

“Now this metal was real difficult to create. I hadta go ta the farthest reaches of the Labrynth’s Ice Caves to find it. It causes an instant chill in the air as ya can feel. And if ya touch it too long, your skin will freeze. See what it did to the inside of the box.” He took the blue metal out of the box with the tongs and handed the box to the hooded man. His white hands caressed the wooden box as if it were made out of pure soltanium.  Tipping it so that the ice crystal-covered interior was visible, he could see where the metal had—over time—burned an indentation into the hardwood interior.

“I’ll take it. How much?”

The two men negotiated over the amount and finally agreed to a price.

The hooded figure took the box and its contents and, to Rufus’s surprise and confusion, the hooded man’s robe started to drip to the ground like colored raindrops. Slowly at first, and then in one quick moment, the man liquefied and sunk into the ground. All that was left of the man was a slightly wet residue where he had disappeared. Eventually that disappeared also.

“Heh, they do that. Ya ne’er know what these kids’ll come up with.” The storeowner had turned his attention back to Rufus and Biggie. “Now, friend, could I interest ya in some of my other specialties? Maybe, some rubamond: as beautiful as a ruby, but as sharp as a diamond.”

“No, I don’t think I’m interested in that. I would like to know more about that sunshard. You said that it is as hot as the sun, why doesn’t it burn through the box?”

“Good question. Had the box and tongs made by Merlin. Cost me a bundle, but it was worth it.”

Rufus was hesitant to purchase the metal as he didn’t have anything to carry it in. “If I buy the sunshard can I borrow the box and tongs from you?”

“Hmmm. Well these are very expensive items. Here I’ll let ya borrow them for the next two sessions, but after that I’ll have to charge ya. Agreed?”

“Agreed. How much for the shard?”

They had soon negotiated and struck a deal on the sushard, and on the gold, silver and steel that Rufus had selected.

Biggie and Rufus hauled their inventory back to stall 15. The other blacksmith market was still full of the sound of metal objects being struck together. Soon Rufus joined in. Biggie decided that he was going to take a swim in the Arena’s ocean and would meet up with Rufus later for a bit to eat.

Rufus didn’t even register Biggie’s departure. He had turned to his forge, stoking its fire until it became usable. He started with a small piece of steel and worked it with his hammer. His new self knew exactly what needed to be done in order to imbue a thought into the metal, but his old self—the real Rufus—was confused and wanted to explore this ability. So the two halves of his new personality agreed on some tests. He decided to start with a thought that would be simple to maintain. Strength. That was a good quality for a weapon to have. So he thought it and forced the thought through his arm and into the hammer he was holding. The blue-black sparks spread from his hand onto his hammer. A short moment later they dissipated, as Rufus wasn’t able to sustain the thought for long.

He eventually got into a rhythm with creating his thoughts, making the sparks and hitting the metal with his hammer. It became easier as he folded the steel and worked it into the shape of a dagger blade. He grabbed a scrap of iron from his inventory and jammed the dagger’s blade into the iron. The blade didn’t bite in to the iron because it wasn’t sharp, but it’s tip didn’t dent. Encouraging.

After a while, Rufus decided that he wanted to figure out how he was going to work with the sunshard. He inspected the box and tongs and tried to figure out what their secret was. The box felt and looked just like any other piece of wood, a bit smoother, perhaps, but the same nonetheless.

He opened the box and took the dagger blade he had constructed and pushed its tip up against the shard. Even with the metal blade having been imbued with “Strength,” its tip melted as if it were an icicle up against a hot flame.

Finally he theorized that, if he imbued his tools with the ability to withstand the heat of the sun, then he should be able to use those tools to work the sunshard.

He started making himself a new hammer with some of the steel he had purchased. The sparks that emanated from his arm were red and gold, as opposed to the black and blue he now associated with “Strength.” As he shaped the metal, he realized that each time he would pull it from the forge’s fire, only the portion of the metal he hadn’t imbued would be hot. He realized that he wasn’t working the steel properly. Of course the metal I imbue with protection from the heat of the Sun won’t get hot by a forge’s fire. He thought to himself. He was having difficulty getting the already imbued metal to fuse to the unaltered metal.

Rufus was contemplating this dilemma when Imogen’s sing-song voice woke him from his trance. “Rufus, I would like you to meet someone.”

Rufus looked up from his anvil. He had been staring at the messy remains of the would-be hammer. He saw Imogen, but didn’t see anyone else beside her.

“I’m sorry?” He questioned. Still wrapped up in the conundrum of his work he didn’t see the tiny human sitting on Imogen’s shoulder. The figure’s wings went into motion—faster than a hummingbird’s—lifting her off Imogen’s shoulder and into Rufus’s line of site.

“Hello, Rufus.” The fairy’s diminutive voice was high pitched and sounded like tiny bells. “Come and play with us.” She pleaded.

“Yes, Rufus. I was over in the forest with the fairies, and Lillyfrond here was interested in meeting you. Would you like to come with us for a stroll?” Imogen invited.

Rufus’s first inclination was to say no and that he wanted to work on his sunshard project, but he was unable to take his eyes off of Imogen. The snow-filtered sunlight caught her hair perfectly to display the natural auburn highlights. Rufus knew somewhere inside himself that this woman was going to be his ruin. He laid his hammer down, took his leather apron off and walked out of the stall. He almost forgot about the sunshard. He quickly turned back, closed and locked the box, shoved it into a burlap knapsack, and slung it over his shoulder.

“Now, Rufus. Have you been working since I left you?” Imogen teasingly scolded. “You need to explore the Arena and its grounds before you become a workaholic. You’ll miss out on many beautiful things. Like me, for instance.” She smiled at him as they fell into step. He didn’t offer his arm, but she took it nonetheless.

“Let’s see. Where do you think we should take him first, Lillyfrond?” Imogen asked the fairy hovering to the left of her head. “I was thinking, that the apartments might be good, show him his room, maybe? Or we could take him down to the ocean. I hear that the sunset is so beautiful down there, so maybe we will wait until this evening.”

“The Labrynth.” The little fairy’s features were completely serious. “The lad would best be fit in the maze.”

“Haha! That would have been a delicious joke to play on him.” Imogen loosened her grip on Rufus momentarily as she thought of what she had been told about the Labrynth. “Didn’t you tell me that the Labrynth is always dark and gloomy? First impressions, right Lillyfrond? We can’t have him thinking this place ugly, now can we? No. I say let’s go to the ocean.”

“That will be good” Rufus offered his opinion for the fist time. “I was supposed to meet Biggie for lunch. He had said that he was headed down to the ocean.”

“Well, that would be beautiful, then. What a merry party we will be!”

They walked past a couple blacksmith stalls and cut through an ally to get to the main market thoroughfare. To his left, he could see the bank and the crystalline castle, and to his right he could see the wide staircase that led up to the Arena bleachers. The three of them were about to step out of the ally when the air started to beat the ground around them in a strong rhythmic pattern.

A black dragon the size of a house settled in front of the trio. Its serpentine neck and head curved back and stared directly at Rufus with a solid red eye. As the creature’s wings folded behind its back, a man slid from a saddle on the dragon’s back.

“Rufus, you decided to join us!” The man was a foot taller than Rufus. He had a shield and sword strapped to his back and was in full plate armor, including a helmet with a slotted visor. The helmet’s visor was in the downward position, blocking his face. The armor he was wearing had gold, jewel, and pearl inlays that cut intricate patterns across the white background.

“I don’t believe I know you.” Rufus quested.

“Lillyfrond, aren’t you going to introduce us? Fairies can be so flighty.” The white knight chuckled; his slight Brooklyn accent was emphasized by his mirth. Lillyfrond floated exactly where she was, as if to indicate that she was anything but flighty. Rufus looked at her and noticed that her diminutive and otherwise perfect pixie-like features were scrunched up by a scowl.

“Lillyfrond, now don’t be that way. Our last match was fair and square. Just ask anyone.” The knight pointed at the little creature with a finger. Lillyfrond harrumphed and put her fists on her hips, indicating her disagreement. Dismissing the little fairy without further comment, the white knight turned to Rufus. “Rufus, why don’t you and I go for a quick turn around the Arena? The dragon wouldn’t mind, I’m sure. You’ve probably never ridden one before. Have you?”

Although he hadn’t ever ridden one, it had only been a few days before that he had been a dragon himself. Rufus slowly shook his head. “No, I’ve not been on a dragon before, maybe some other time. Imogen, Lilllyfrond, and I were on our way to the ocean.”

“No problem. I was about to go that way myself. I’ll walk with you.” He paused momentarily to look at his ride. The massive beast nodded its head and then launched its bulk into the air with his four legs. At the apex of its jump the expanse of its wings—like two yacht sails— snapped open and created a torrent of wind. Everyone on that portion of the street had to lean into the gust to keep from falling over, except for the white knight.

After the dragon had flown away, the white knight pushed his visor back. Rufus still didn’t recognize the man. He could see, however, that this man had the same perfectly sculpted, beautifully even features that Rufus had seen from all of the other men and women in the Arena. Except for three thin scars on his left cheek.

The knight put an arm around Rufus’s shoulder, essentially blocking his companions from hearing what he would say. “Now, Rufus, the Arena has many things to offer: money, beautiful women,” he looked over his shoulder, between Rufus and himself, at Imogen when saying this and then continued,  “abilities beyond your imagination, weapons, tools, luxury, so much that I can’t list it all in a month of Sundays. But I can tell you this: we can have it all…All the time. I’m working on some side issues, but I will let you know more when the time is right. Let’s not let the childish pranks between two adolescences get between the greatness that we can achieve.” With his free hand the knight closed his visor.

At that moment Rufus’s mind figured out who this person was. Rufus shoved the man, but instead of the knight being pushed away from Rufus, the opposite occurred and Rufus was thrown to the ground.

“Well, well, well. Just realizing who I was? I thought your acumen would be better than that. Ah well, so much for that.” The knight chuckled again and held out his hand to help Rufus up.

Rufus ignored it, brushed himself off, stood up and started walking again.

“Rufus, my friend. No hard feelings, now. You pushed me, not me you. My suit repels aggressive behavior, automatically. So I didn’t mean for you to be pushed to the ground like that.” Bobby had stopped where Rufus had fallen and was calling after him. He caught up to the trio and said, “Rufus! Rufus, I don’t want you to be my enemy here too. I came to ask for some help with a project I have going on. You’ll make a load of money, and I’ll set you up with the right people so you can pursue your own endeavors.”

The group came to a halt, and the knight sighed. “Look, Rufus. Come by the Great Hall next Saturday for dinner, and we will talk it over. If not for dinner, at least come by and see what I am working on. I think you’ll like it. I’m beggin’ ya here, Rufus. We’re gonna have roast pheasant.” He waited a moment and then asked, “Will you come?”

Rufus didn’t have any hard feelings against this man, just the person projecting him. Money appealed to him, and he wasn’t having much luck with the sunshard. Maybe Bobby would be able to help him find someone that would have better luck. “I’ll think about it.”

“A man of few words. I like it. Great! I’ll see you at my place. You are always welcome, too, if you would like, Imogen.” The knight took her hand, raised his visor and bowed slightly so that he could kiss it. He let go of Imogen’s hand and slowly stood back up.

“The touch of the gods is beyond this mortal’s ability to withstand.” With that cryptic remark, he nodded to Rufus, gave Imogen one more lingering gaze, and then turned on his heal and marched towards the Hive.