Page 31 of Savage Devotion
The blade cuts through leather and stuffing with minimal resistance, leaving a clean slice that shows both sharpness and control. The edge holds true despite contact with embedded sand particles that would dull lesser metals.
Perfect. Better than perfect.
Our collaboration produced something we couldn’t have achieved alone.
I offer the weapon to Kaelgor for his assessment. He accepts it with the careful respect that quality metalwork deserves, testing weight distribution and balance with practiced movements.
His opinion matters. Professional to professional.
Maybe more than professional.
"Exceptional work," he concludes.
"Our work."
Important distinction. Shared achievement rather than individual accomplishment.
The cooperation that Heldrik would consider weakness.
But feels like strength.
Kaelgor moves closer, I smell the mixture of sweat, leather, and forge smoke that clings to his skin. Close enough to see the way volcanic firelight reflects in his rust-red eyes.
Proximity. Heat. Attraction that has nothing to do with professional appreciation.
Dangerous. Complicated. Inevitable.
"You challenge me," he says quietly.
"Good."
Challenge keeps people sharp. Pushes boundaries. Forces growth.
Also creates friction that can spark into something hotter than forge fire.
He raises the blade between us, its edge catching light that makes the metal seem to burn with inner flame. The weapon we created together through trust and cooperation and the gradual erosion of carefully maintained barriers.
Symbol and reality.
Proof that enemies can become allies given proper motivation.
Or something more than allies.
I draw my own blade, an older weapon forged through traditional Vaelmark techniques. Good steel, properly tempered, but lacking the collaboration that made our shared creation exceptional.
Comparison inevitable.
Like everything else tonight.
Our blades meet with a ring of metal on metal that echoes through the forge chamber. Not combat, testing. Exploration of possibilities that extend beyond weaponcraft into territory we haven’t mapped completely.
Trust made manifest. Partnership explored through controlled conflict.
The kind of sparring that reveals character as much as technique.
Steel slides against steel as we move through practice forms, we don’t seek dominance but both of us probing for weaknesses and strengths. His style emphasizes fluidity over force, while mine relies on precision strikes designed to exploit specific vulnerabilities.
Different approaches. Complementary rather than contradictory.
