“Where in the name of anything that’s holy is my damn charcoal” fumed Victor as he began to stoke the fires of the smelter. He was starting to understand why Old Erik had always been such a miserably unpleasant person during his own apprenticeship. “Micheal!” he yelled for his own apprentice who hurried over. “Where is the rest of the damned coal? We should have plenty more to get us through the coming month, but its gone!” The young njord failed to meet his teacher’s eye as he replied, “I…uh.. may have left it at the basilica when I dropped off the feastware during forum.” “Go get it, “ Victor responded. “We have far too much to accomplish right now.”
The young man scurried off on his task. Victor could hardly blame the young man for misplacing things currently. The loss of his coin pouch still irritated him to no end. How could he have been so fucking stupid to simply leave it at the table. What could have possibly possessed him to simply walk away from his own money in a tavern full of strangers. His own anger was palpable. It was one of a few terrible instances of a busy forum.
As the fires of the smelter grew and readied themselves for their evenings task he absentmindedly rubbed his aching sternum. Somewhere in the confusion of night after the feast he had been shot. The pain still hasn’t subsided. What bothered him the most was that he couldn’t even remember being shot. His friends had told him that he had been trying to kill Ragnar. It *had* been awhile since he had last gotten blackout drunk in a fight. What had stuck in his mind was the absolute psychotic way the hollowsong men had fought. They had been such terrifyingly capable fighters, and he was not looking forward to facing them again.
The last forum hadnt been all bad though. Sure, he had lost some money, and spent even more, but being named master of ceremonies for the all-thing was an honor for sure. Being named co chair for master of coin even more so. The co- part of the arrangement was worrisome, but not an impossible task.
The fires were finally ready. “Yup, not a terrible time after all” Victor said to himself. He looked at the three rocks, flecked with gold, shining in the light. “In you go,” he said to rocks as he placed the crucible into the fires. When his friends said the grey company was bringing in more miners, Victor had known things were going to get so much easier. Being handed more gold then he had ever seen in his life the final morning of forum had made a stressful event a resounding success.
Perhaps he could actually become one of these dragon merchants outstretched on piles of gold that the church always rallied against. The thought was both amusing and highly entertaining.