The clang of metal on metal rang out through the air of a moderately crowded street. Again and again the sound of metal slamming into itself pierced through the ears of those nearby, drawing attention to a moderately sized building. A forge roared inside, smoke billowing out as two large men put themselves to work. The smoke would have threatened to engulf the whole building had the room they worked in not been exceptionally well ventilated. Instead, it just gave of the perception that the workers themselves were clad in smoke.
Of the two men, one pounded his hammer against the lifeless metal that lay across an anvil. Sweat poured down his bare chest before finally soaking into the top of his trousers. Ting ting-ting ting. Ting ting-ting ting. A musical rhythm rang through the smithy while the man hammered life into the bare metal.
After a short while, he lifted it with his tongs. His face was serious as he inspected the still glowing metal, searching for any sign of imperfection. His gaze lasted only a moment before he gave it a curt nod and quenched it. Duran finally let out a sigh, setting down the newly forged blade and stretching out his shoulders, tight from the hours of hard labor.
Bellowing in laughter, the giant of a man that was Duran's employer slammed his meaty paws across his assistant's back.
"Duran you old coot, don't act like only this much tired you out! Just last month you were in here all day and didn't even need to catch your breath."
His roaring laughter crashed through the air like a tidal wave, nearly louder than even the cacophony they had been making with their work earlier. Duran chuckled back before shrugging the hamsized fist off his shoulder. The blacksmith was a good man, and Duran was always glad to help around the shop when he was in town. It paid well too. In fact, after he finished his work for the day, his employer paid him his dues, and even a little extra to get a nice drink.
Pulling his shirt over his muscled body, Duran stepped out onto the street, breathing fresh air for the first time in hours. He strolled the streets for a short while, his relatively large form influencing the other pedestrians to make way for him. Deciding it was time to get more work done however, Duran made his way to the adventurer's guild only to find that the two jobs he was most interested in were already taken. Well, he supposed that he could catch up on his reading.
He took a brief moment to find a tree that provided good shade and bed down.
Calliope was locked in a small room with a variety of material laid out before her. It had been days since she left, and she hadn't eaten a bite in that time, but she couldn't stop. She was so close to making a breakthrough. So close to figuring out how those damned material worked with one another. She started to giggle. It was quiet at first, almost not even audible. But over time, it increased in volume. Louder and louder. Eventually, it became a loud cackle. She was so close!
It was then, that anyone outside of her building would have heard a rather subdued "BOOM".
Stumbling, Calliope emerged from her den of research, covered in ash.
"Well now, I wonder why it did that? All I did was drip some water onto it. Hmmm, that is some interesting information to take note of."While she was mumbling seemingly incoherently to anyone that could have been nearby, the tall woman's stomach growled. Well, less growled and more roared at her. It was going to be a long day now that she was awakened from her mania. Still, she couldn't go out looking like she had just been set on fire. As such, she quickly bathed herself before donning her new
wizard robe and hat.
She stepped out of her home, taking in a breath of fresh air before stepping down the street to search up something to eat. Maybe she would even find someone that could hold up an interesting conversation. It had been quite a while since Calliope had interacted with another sentient being, so maybe it would give her an epiphany.
It was a new day filled with new ideas. Surely nothing would go poorly on such a beautiful day! Right?
