Fantasy World Online II: Second Chance

Day 49-54: Balt

"To temper a blade is to heat and cool it over and over again until it is as hard as possible. But be careful, you have to heat it to a very special point. Look, here, see how the blade in starting to turn from yellow to orange? Just like a sun set? That when you pull it out."

After this little demonstration Balt had been given several barrel of broken swords of all type and conception and started reproducing the process his mentor showed him.

It was much harder that he thought.
Each metal or alloy took a different amount of time in the forge to reach the "sun-set" stage and it lasted only for a few seconds. His mind kept stranding off to other things too.
In the end he had to heat one blade at a time. Which took time. Obviously.

He heated and cooled each blade at least thrice and only stopped when he had the feeling the blade was as hard as it could get. Sometimes it required to temper it more than ten times.

He spent the next five days on this task, surviving on the food and water his master graciously provided him. He would work from sun rise to long after the sun set. Moreover all the windows were closed as he could see the blade color better in the dark.

When he went to his master the fifth day to inform him he was done, the sun light had blinded him and he had quickly retreated into the workshop.

"Done boy?"
"Yes master."
"Show me"

Balt brought the man to the swords had showed him his work.

"Hum... good, very good. You have now learned how to make tempered alloys and metal."

And with this Balt had the rest of the day off. But instead of going for a walk or resting Balt decided that he needed to know more about smithing.
So he went to the only place he knew for sure he would find knowledge: the Academy.

There he was asked by the front desk what he wanted, when he told the clerk he was searching books about smithing he was directed towards the public library. Once again Balt set off.
The library was a large wooden building filled with book shelves, reading tables and scribing tables.
After receiving help finding the books he wanted Balt settled on a chair and started reading.

"Ores and Metals" described the different quality and properties of each ore known to the Pholiens.

"Red Blade" told the tale of an unfortunate smith that died because he failed to produce a precise blade and starved himself to death in the process.
This book was more of a cautionary tale than anything else.

"Metallurgy for beginners" described the smelting process and pointed out the boiling point for each ore at precise temperatures.

"Of Edge and Curve" was by far the most interesting of the books he read. It described a cooling process using clay and ash that would slightly curve the blade one plunged in the water barrel.
Since this technique was meant for thin blades Balt decided to consider it exclusive to knifes.

When the library closed Balt was only half way through the books and decided to come back another time. Balt logged off at his bunk in the forge.