— Clang! Clang! Clang! —
The small forge was filled with the sound of hammering, the front door solidly closed, Old Man Iron diligently teaching.
"You need to twist your hammer more. Harder! Strike it like you mean it!"
"Yes, Teacher!" The elder brother replied with guts.
Jack had managed to reach an understanding with the being, bringing him back. There was only one word to describe him: silly.
His mantra was that he'd do anything to learn how to smith, even putting his life on the line. In his case, he meant it literally. Every other second, an accident would happen.
"…Elder brother, you're on fire again." Jack casually remarked, used to it by now.
— Splash! —
Jack was currently on bucket duty.
In a regular forge, water was used for the tempering process to make the metal more resistant. Here it served another purpose: to temper the blacksmith's resolve!
That is how Jack's smithing study began. He remained on bucket duty, leaving him ample time to observe and learn.
He was akin to a sponge taking it all in.
From the way to prepare the ores, smelt them, then take the molten metal and spread it in a cast before hammering away.
"Watch carefully. This is how you do it!"
"…"
If there was one issue, it was that his plant friend was just built different. He had vines that coiled together to form arms.
This allowed him to wield many hammers! There was absolutely no way that a human could reproduce such a style!
Soon, it was Jack's turn to try hammering.
"So…what should I do?"
"Just do the same."
"…"
"Hehe, it seems like you have something to say?" The master asked as he saw how peeved Jack looked.
But, without complaining, he tried his best to do something decent. He actually got the first steps right, bared a few minor mistakes, but the hammering soon became an issue.
— Clang! Clang! —
"Nope, you're doing it wrong."
— Clang! Clang! Clang! —
"Still wrong. You can't just copy. You have to find your own path. You're the one that said it! Even if we're still working on the basics, you can't simply mindlessly hammer."
"Teacher, how about you show me an example of how you do it?" Jack requested, hopeful, and the old man agreeing.
— Clang! Clang! Clang! —
"Did you see?" Once he was done, he asked with a teasing smile.
Jack could only shake his head in disappointment. There was something strange about the old man's technique. When seen from afar, it looked utterly simple, but it wasn't.
Nope, no matter how much he tried to analyze it, he kept failing. It was as if each of his movements were one with the fire.
That's when he finally understood the old man's words. Forging in Infinite was both extremely simple and complex.
1. Sense the fire
2. Let the fire guide you
3. ?
4. Profit
It was possible to simply hammer repetitively and obtain usable items, but it would pale compared to anything an actual blacksmith could accomplish.
It was akin to comparing a professional chef to a bachelor with a microwave: both would prepare a meal successfully, but the quality would be worlds apart.
"Don't worry, we all have our difficulties. If it was easy to succeed, it wouldn't be so worthwhile." Elder brother comforted him….while on fire.
"Woo!" (You can do it!)
Even now, Moon Moon was still by his side. As for the Fairy and the demon, they had long disappeared to take care of their own task, one that involved the "Totally a Tea Business".
As he glanced at his companion's eyes full of trust, Jack couldn't help but smile. The night was already about to fall, and everyone was going home, but he stayed.
"Still want to train? Fine, but don't push yourself too much, and make sure not to burn the forge down! In any case, no one ever learned the trade in one day." The old man grumbled as he left.
"Fighting, brother!" The elemental would have stayed, but he had to recover from his daily injuries.
In the dark of the night, a cacophony resounded in the forge. Luckily, the place had a soundproof formation that protected the rest of the City.
After lots of pondering, Jack had finally come to one realization. He needed to find his own way, but he should take inspiration from his surroundings!
Elder brother's many arms —> He just needed help
The master's profound technique —> Who said one couldn't forge with demonic fire!
That's how one intense training session started. Over the course of a night, the sound of bone-rattling, howls of surprise, and incessant clanging resounded.
The more Jack experimented, and the more excited Moon Moon became. This looked so much fun!
The following day the two blacksmiths came back…
"What the hell happened here?!" The master shouted as soon as he put a step in his forge.
Every surface of the forge was unbelievably disgustingly gross. There were bone shards everywhere, ashes, and…even blood?!
"Brother, you should have at least cleaned up…" The elder disciple commented, totally ignoring the main issue there.
That's when Jack appeared. As the old man saw him, he almost had a heart attack! He looked like a goddamn devil!
1. Bloodshot eyes
2. Devilish grin
3. Wounds all over
4. A crazed look on his face
"What the hell did you do?! Are you alright?!"
"Hehe, never been better. Here, look!" Jack eagerly grabbed ores and many hammers, ready to start the process.
"Wait, let's clean you up first!"
"No time!! I have to forge now and show you. Only then will you be able to give me pointers!!!" He seemed like a total lunatic at that moment.
"T-that, alright…." The old man was already getting ready for the worst.
As Jack started, he couldn't help but gasp in shock. What kind of evil deity had possessed his disciple?! Should he try to exorcise him?!
He was already getting ready to make a move when he choked. Was this still forging?!
No one had ever learned the trade in a day, right? It seemed his disciple had created a new one entirely!
