Forge Work and Contemplations(OPEN)

With a grunt, the man pulled the door shut behind him, before lifting a solid 10 inch length of steel from a neat stack next to the door. Moving through the darkened smithy, he lifted the grate covering the opening of the forge and slid the piece of steel into the red hot coals until only one end was still showing. With a satisfied nod, he turned and moved over to his wall of tools, and began lifting down the ones he needed.

Gavin lowered two long-handled hammers, a set of long-handled flat-tongs, and a sharp-topped hardy onto the small table next to his anvil. He turned his head to look at the forge. Seeing the length of steel had turned a dark red, he nodded, before moving to work the bellows. He watched the piece of steel as he did, waiting until it had turned a yellow just short of white. He grabbed the tongs, and removed the length of steel from the forge. Turning to the anvil, he laid the metal on it, and picked up the heaver of the two hammers, weighing ten pounds. Holding it at the end of its long handle, to avoid adding to the scars already on his arm, he began to round the edges of the steel bar, humming softly to himself as he did.

Soon, though, he moved his hammer towards the middle of the length of steel, hammering it into a broad blade. He hammered until the metal was almost as thick as the original at the butt, but 15 inches in length. Every now and then, as he worked the hammer on the piece of metal, he lowered the hammer to the table to slide the steel back into the forge, working the bellows to keep it at the same pale yellow color.

Eventually, he laid down the 10 pound hammer, and lifted the second one, 5 pounds in weight. Using the lighter hammer, he thinned one end of the metal, and then, using the anvil horn and the hammer, bent that end in a curve down beside the blade. Lowering the hammer to the table, he lifted his work-piece up for a moment to make sure he could fit a handle on the bent end once he was done.

With a satisfied nod, he set the sharp-topped hardy in the anvil's hardy-hole, laid the work-piece over it, and, with a sharp smack with the 5 pound hammer, cut the pale yellow end of the metal from the cold end. As soon as the cold end of the metal clanged against the anvil, he turned towards the three barrels next to his anvil, and tossed the unfinished chamfer knife into the barrel of salt water. The barrel let out a loud hiss, and Gavin started to replace the two hammers and hardy on their racks.

Standing right next to the door while he hung his tools back up, Gavin blinked at the scratching he heard. For a minute, he was sure it was coming from somewhere inside the forge. And then he heard the bark. A dog? What the hell?

Still holding the 10-pound hammer, he used his free hand to open the door and look out. And almost dropped the hammer on his foot, when he saw the odd dog with silvery gray fur and piercing yellow eyes, the size of a German Shepard. He stared for a moment, and then moved to shut the door, as his grip tightened on the head of the hammer.

"Nice doggie... Good doggie... Hopefully, Animal Control will come out this far, at this time of day."

Still staring at the dog, Gavin pushed the door shut, and let the latch fall into place. Turning away from the door, he stopped, frowning. While the doorframe leading from the forge into the house was outlined, he hadn't actually gotten around to finishing the door itself. So, to get to his phone, without breaking his house and forge, he would have to go outside, and deal with this dog. With a heavy sigh, he hung the hammer in its proper spot, grabbed another 10-inch length of steel from the carefully stacked pile next to the door, and opened the door.

As he did, he opened himself to the steel in his hand. Stepping out of the forge, he was a figure of solid steel, in thick leather pants, a shirt of brown cotton, with steel-toed boots, and a thick leather apron. Not exactly the outfit he would have chosen for dealing with a wild dog, but it wasn't going to matter much, since they were probably going to end up ruined anyways. Staring at the dog, he lifted his empty hand, palm out.

"Good doggie... Back away from the door..."

Gavin didn't have much experience with animals, but he knew enough to keep his voice calm when faced with dogs. And to avoid threatening moves. So he left the door open this time, though he made sure there wasn't room for the dog to get past him and into the forge. He didn't need it burning down because of a panicked animal. Or the animal hurting itself on the sharp or heavy tools, or the forge itself.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" he asked, staring at the dog for a long while. Which was when he realised his mistake. This wasn't a dog. This was a wolf. And, at that moment, Gavin was very glad he had taken the precaution of turning himself into solid steel.

Gavin didn't move as the wolf pressed its chin against his palm. Well, outwardly. Inside, his mind was racing. What was a wolf doing here, this close to Chicago? On its own? He was about to pull his hand back, when he felt the wolf lick his palm. It happened at the same time as a tingle ran up his arm, and to the back of his head. At that, he did jerk his hand back. And took a step back, as a voice spoke inside his head. The wolf? Am I ever going to have a normal day again? he questioned himself, as he stared at the animal.

"Your master? A poach--?! No, I'm a blacksmith!" he responded, a firm look replacing the confusion on his face. That wasn't the only reaction he had, as his hand clenched tightly against the steel rod gripped in his hand. A later look would see finger imprints left on the rod, matching Gavins hands.

"What, exactly, do you need me to do?" he asked, kneeling slowly so he was face-to-face with the wolf. He was determined to ignore the growl that had sounded from the wolf, just as he was determined to ignore the fact that he was talking to a wolf. When one had powers like his, one should expect to deal with the unusual.

Blinking, he held his free hand out again. "If you want to build trust, names should be exchanged. My name is Gavin. And yours?"

As he held his hand out, he let the steel peel back from that arm, so the wolf could sniff his actual skin, instead of the metal that had replaced it.

"Princess Mirsh-- Never mind that. Let me grab something from the forge, and we can go," he replied.

He turned, and moved into the room, dropping the crumpled steel rod into a pile of broken and damaged metal. He took the time to damp the forge, making sure to close the cover as he did. He didn't want to return home to a pile of ash and cinders. Moving by pure memory, he removed the apron he was wearing, hung it on one of the pegs, and moved towards the far wall, which held a supply of finished items. Reaching one hand up, he grabbed one of the items off the wall pegs, and moved back towards the door.

Reaching the door, he tightened his grip on the long steel handle, watching the wolf for a moment. He almost closed the door on the wolf again, when he saw that the wolf was not only glowing, but growing.

"You know, life was good before I could turn myself into different materials," he remarked, mostly to himself. "Didn't have to worry about banks exploding around me. Strange magic wolves didn't show up at my door at 11 at night. Chicago didn't have Princesses. Life was good," he continued, as he hefted the fully steel warhammer in his hand.

He tilted his head, listening to the wolf. Riding on the wolves back, and not as steel?

"What if I was made of a lighter material?" he asked, as he activated his power again, turning himself into cotton.

"It's light enough that I shouldn't trouble you too much," he continued, as he approached the wolf. He mounted, just behind Ryzo's forelegs and, as gently as he could, gripped the fur there.

"Whenever you're ready," he remarked, which, if he was being honest, was a mistake, as the wolf took off. Gavin leaned close to the wolfs body, holding the hammer close as well. The ride was nearly 3 miles, with the wolf silent the whole way, before Ryzo came to a stop. A house, made of cast-off materials, vehicles and other pieces of houses? Frowning, Gavin slid off the animals back and knelt beside him.

"Is this the place?" he asked, as he turned back into flesh and blood.

Gavin grunted softly as he gripped the steel haft of the hammer in his hand. He tilted his head, and then turned to look at the wolf.

"No. I figure if I go in hard, and surprise him, he'll freak out and focus on me. Be ready to come in after, though," he replied, as he allowed the steel to rush across his body. He grinned at the wolf for a moment, and reached out to chuck the animal on the chin. "Try not to bite me when you do come in. You'll break your teeth," he continued, before moving forwards to the door. He lifted the the hammer to chest height, lifted his leg up, and kicked the door as hard as he could. The door crashed inwards, and Gavin followed it in.

His entrance was met with the flash of light and muffled explosion he expected, as the man inside lifted a shotgun and pulled the trigger. The blacksmith moved forwards, ignoring the bullets as they crashed against him. A second shot followed, and the kidnapper dropped the shotgun to the ground. He pulled a pistol from his waistline, and pulled the trigger on it several times. Gavin swung the hammer forward at the second shot from the pistol, and smacked it into the gun. The fat man dropped the gun, crying out as he did. He turned, to move further back into the house, and Gavin followed him.

"Don't make this harder on yourself," he stated, as he lowered the hammer. "You've kidnapped four women, and you're going to let them go. Or things are going to turn ugly for you," he continued.

The fat man turned and pulled a pile of boxes down in his way, which caused Gavin to snort softly. The blacksmith kicked the boxes out of his way, and reached forwards with his free hand. He grabbed the man, and pulled him forward, at the same time, jerking his head down, to meet the kidnappers. There was a thunk, and then the man went limp. Gavin lowered him to the ground, pulled his arms around in front of him, and, pulling a length of steel bar from his belt, he bent it around the mans wrists, as a make-shift handcuff.

That done, Gavin stood, and turned his head to the door. "Alright, Ryzo. He's down. Come on in," he called.

Gavin lowered himself to the ground in a squat next to one of the now-freed captives, and offered her a hand. When she took it, he helped her to her feet, and led her outside. Once there, he motioned to the stairs on the porch.

"Wait here. I'm going to bring the others out, and then I'll take you to a safe place, where we can call the police and get you all back to your homes," he stated, before heading back inside to lead the others out. Each time, he led them to the porch stairs, and asked them to wait. The three ladies nodded in agreement each time, and Gavin moved back inside. The last time was to collect Mirishann and the fat man, so they could be moved to his home as well, to await the police

He knelt next to Mirishann and offered his hand. "You hurt your leg? Allow me to assist you, Princess?" he offered, smiling gently. The steel face, and smile that it wore shimmered gently in the light of the moon shining through the doorway. The blacksmith gently wrapped an arm under hers, and lifted her to her feet.

"My name is Gavin Clough," he stated, as he helped her out the door. "I live nearby, and I guess I was the first person Ryzo found on his search for help," he continued, turning his head to grin down at the Elf. "Lucky for you all, eh? Not so much for him," he finished, turning his head a bit more to glare at the unconcious man lying in the middle of the room.

Shaking his head, he helped Mirishann outside, and lowered her to the porch floor gently. "Give me a moment. I'm going to collect your previous host, and bring him with us. Don't want him waking up and trying to escape before the police get here, right?"

Turning away, he moved back towards the front door, hand tightening slightly on his hammer. A frown filled his face, replacing the one calm and friendly visage with what could only be described as rage.

Gavin whirled back to Miri, his hammer coming up as she cried out.

"What is it?" he asked, his eyes glancing every which way as he did. Finally, they focused on Miri, and he reached out his free hand to help her stand again. When he saw the handprint on her arm, he stopped, and pulled his hand back, letting his eyes focus on the mark. He loosened his grip on his hammer, and set it in the doorway. As he did, the steel worked its way off his body, turning back to flesh and blood.

"What happened? Where'd that handprint come from?" he asked, concern showing on his face. "Did you burn yourself?"

He leaned close, to take a look, and saw the size of the hand print.

"Ah....Is that my hand?" he asked, his face turning pale. "How on Earth did that happen?"

He blinked, as he heard Miri ask for her bow, her teeth gritted. He titled his head, and then turned it to look at Ryzo. The wolf was empty-pawed, so to speak, with no bow in site. The blacksmith turned back to Miri, and knelt infront of her. "Your bow? It's special, somehow?"

Gavin pulled his hand back from her, and tilted his head, as he turned to look at Ryzo. He gave himself a shake at the words that seeped into his head, and then focused on the Princess again.

"Right. Elf Princess with a talking wolf and magic bow. Right," he muttered to himself, as he blinked, forcing himself to remember that this was the world he lived in now. He took a steadying breath, and tilted his head back for a moment, before lowering it, to stare at Miri again. "That was steel. And, thank you. I always try to maintain the purity of the metals I work with. And, of course. No more turning into steel around you," he replied, before offering her a hand, flesh and blood. "The police will be along to my place, after I call them. Let's get you and the ladies, and this pile of human-garbage there, where we can wait for them. Then, I'll bring them back here. They'll have a better chance of finding your bow."

Gavin lowered his hammer to the ground, and then offered both hands to Miri, to help her to her feet. "Let's get you all moving. I'll carry him, and we can get a move on. Shouldn't take but a couple hours to get to my place."