Son of Edelia: A Rising Dawn

Chapter 49

Adam followed closely as Bridgette led the duo through the twisting halls of the mage facility, directing them to a sizeable workshop-like classroom. The room was filled with anticipation as if the entire class was settled on a knife's edge despite the lack of students. The industrious room was filled with various instruments. Lining the walls were racks of woodworking tools, stone mason's equipment, and even a sizeable forge dwarfing the one Adam worked with back at his estate. Through the ash and dust covering the walls, Adam noticed countless protection spells inscribed into the stone walls, the spells layered over each other in overlapping fields, giving greater strength to the walls themselves.

As if noticing Adam's curious gaze, Bridgette turned to him. "Artificers deal with volatile equipment, and then they go and inscribe spells onto the materials. Needless to say we make sure their work rooms are protected." She explained, nodding at the spell glyphs.

"So, Master, what is the test for this?" Adam asked, stepping toward the forge, his hand dancing fondly across the furnace.

"Well what sort of skills do you have? From the look of you I'd guess lumberjack?" Bridgette teased, poking at Adam's arms.

Averting his gaze quickly, Adam shook his head dismissively. "No apprentice blacksmith. Actually, I suppose just blacksmith now." Adam realized his mind flashing back to his last night in the forge, his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword.

"To be frank, Adam, blacksmiths aren't helpful for artificing. As far as we know, no Arcanum beasts have by-products capable of being smelted." Bridgette replied dejectedly.

That's right; I remember her saying that only things from the Arcanum can withstand mana. Adam realized his heart dropping. "I suppose I have a rudimentary grasp on wood working." Adam suggested, scratching his head.

"Good enough for me!" Bridgette beamed, whirling around and producing a large tree branch from a box. "This is the limb of a treant."

A treant? What kind of monster is made out of wood? Adam thought gingerly, grabbing the giant branch.

"Treants are typically peaceful creatures. We collect their dead branches and can use them in various projects ranging from large-scale construction to personal items like wands," Alice recited, marveling at the strange wood.

The tree branch itself was nondescript, resembling a branch no different from an oak tree. Adam blinked hard, focusing his senses on the mana around him; the branch shone with pure mana, the limb overflowing with blinding platinum-white light. Adam rested his hand on the branch, feeling the cold, pure mana rush up to his palm, immediately sending a shiver down his spine.

"Master, this thing is amazing!" Adam shouted, his heart thundering and his mind racing as he examined the branch, his hands trembling in anticipation.

"Hm you certainly have the eyes of an artificer if you were able to tell so quickly." Bridgette replied smiling slightly. "Well have at it!" She ordered.

Adam closed his eyes, feeling the refreshing touch of the mana, like ice against his feverish skin; his hand danced around the table, grabbing files and knives and hacking away at the tree limb as if in a trance. Settling the blade, Adam quickly went to work, shaving away the armor-like bark that enclosed the dark wood beneath. As he plucked away the thick bark, he paused; beneath the bark, not visible to the naked eye, were veins of mana traveling through the tree limb like a beating heart. Adam traced the lines, feeling a ripple pass through his body like a rock dropped into a still lake. His blade traced its way around the veins, making sure to leave every strand intact; sweat began to form on his brow as he narrowed his eyes in concentration, his chest fluttering in excitement as he worked.