Chapter 14 Chapter Eleven: The Fang of Aegis

Bruenor's hands were beaded with sweat as he inserted the key into the heavy, dusty wooden door.He is going to use his life's skills and experience on this last test, starting from this moment.Like all dwarves skilled in the blacksmith, he had looked forward to this moment with excitement and apprehension from the beginning of his long training. He pushed the door open hard, and there was a small room inside.The wooden door chirped and groaned in protest; it hadn't been opened in years.This comforted Bruenor, however, for he feared that someone had already been inside and seen his most precious treasure.He glanced around the seldom-used passage to make sure no one was following him, and then he entered the room and stretched his torch forward to burn off the many hanging cobwebs.

The only thing in the room was a wooden box edged with iron, fastened with two heavy chains, and locked with a large lock.Cobwebs hung from each corner of the box, and a thick layer of dust covered the top.It's another good sign for Bruno.He looked down the hall again, and closed the wooden door as quietly as he could. He knelt before the box and put the torch on the ground beside him.Some of the cobwebs were eaten by tongues of flame, and orange flames spewed out for a moment, and then went out.Bruenor took a small piece of wood from his fanny pack, and took a silver key from the necklace around his neck.He held the block firmly in his hand, then, keeping his other hand as low as possible from the lock as much as possible, gently inserted the key into the lock.

Now comes the most delicate step.Bruno turned the key slowly, listening carefully.When he heard the click of the needle in the lock, he lifted his spirits, drew his hand back quickly, let the lock drop of its own accord, and released the lever that was pressed between the lock and the box.The little arrow hit the block, and Bruenor breathed a sigh of relief.Although the mechanism was set up by himself nearly a century ago, he knew that the tundra manslayer's poison allowed it to kill people easily after so long. Overwhelmed by his admiration for the moment, Bruno immediately pulled the chain off and blew the dust off the lid.He grabbed the lid and tried to snap it off, but suddenly he slowed down again, finding himself composure and reminding himself that every movement counts.

Anyone who stumbles upon this chest and escapes death traps will be delighted at the treasures within.Inside were silver goblets, a bag of gold, and a jeweled short sword standing upright surrounded by personal items of lesser value.Those items were dented helmets, old boots, and other things that weren't attractive to thieves. But all of this is just a foil.Without thinking about it, Bruno took out these things and threw them on the ground. The bottom of the heavy box appeared to be as high as the floor, and it was impossible to see what else might be found inside.But Bruno cunningly dug a slot under the floor, and fitted the case so perfectly that even the most observant thief would have sworn it was on the floor.The dwarf poked his finger into a camouflaged hole in the bottom of the box, and hooked his stubby fingers over the opening.The board had been sitting there for many years, and it took Bruno a lot of effort to pick it up. At first the board didn't move, but suddenly it was pulled up as a whole, causing Bruno to fall back a few steps. He immediately walked back to the box, looking carefully at his most cherished piece of wood from the edge of the box. those treasures.

It was a piece of pure Mithril: a special metal often mentioned in the fantasy world, which looks like silver in appearance.Usually the weapons or armor cast by Mithril are treasures sought by adventurers. , a small leather pouch, a gold box, and a silver scroll tube topped with diamonds, lay there just as Bruno had placed them all those years ago. Bruno's hands trembled, and when he took out the precious things in the box, he had to stop and wipe the sweat off his hands several times, put what could fit in the bag, and put the mithril block in the bag. onto the blanket he had spread out.Then he quickly put back the fake bottom of the box, put back the fake wooden block on the small hole, and put back the treasure used to deceive others.He put the chains around the box and locked it, and put everything back in place, except that he couldn't see any reason to put the mechanism back on.

   Bruenor built an open-air blacksmith's workshop in his hideout at the foot of Cairn's Cone.This is a less traveled part of the Dwarfvale, with the Bremen Pass leading to the vast tundra surrounding the mountains to the west at the northern end and the Icewind Pass to the east.Bruenor was surprised to find that the stone here was strong and pure, deeply infused with the power of the earth, suitable for his blacksmith's workshop. As usual, Bruno walked to this holy place with deliberate and respectful steps.He now carried his ancestral treasure, and his heart drifted back to Mithril Hall centuries ago, the ancient home of their race, and he also remembered what his father had said to him when he got his first hammer.

"If you have the pinnacle of blacksmithing," his father said, "and you are lucky enough to live long enough to feel the power of the earth, then you will find a special day. A blessing (some say a curse) upon the body, once in a lifetime, and once only, the best blacksmiths of our race will make a weapon better than anything they have ever made. You shall Watch for that day to come, child, for you will put a great part of yourself into that work. You will never make a work as perfect as this one in your life, and you will know it, so you will will lose a craftsman's desire to swing a hammer. After that day, you will find your life is a blank, but if you really use your blood to be capable, you will make a legendary weapons that live on long after your bones are gone."

Bruno's father was killed in the darkness that invaded Mithril Hall, so he didn't live to his day, but if he did live to this day, Bruno would have used what Bruno was carrying now.Yet Bruenor felt no shame in keeping them for himself, for he believed he could make a weapon that would make his father's soul proud. Bruno's day has come.    Earlier in the week, Bruno had a vision of a double-headed hammer striking a block of mithril.The dwarf immediately understood the meaning of the omen, and knew that he must act now to prepare for the coming night of magic.The moon in the sky is now big and bright.It will be a full full moon on the night of the summer solstice.It was the gray time zone where the seasons alternated, and the air was filled with magical factors.The full moon adds to the magic of the night, and Bruno believes he can access powerful spells by chanting magical incantations.

If the dwarf wanted to be fully ready, he had a lot of work to do.His work begins with building a small forge.This was the easier part, and he proceeded mechanically, trying to focus on the task at hand instead of being distracted by how to make the weapon. Now came the moment he had been waiting for.He took the heavy mithril block out of his bag, feeling its purity and strength.He had taken some similar mithril nuggets before, and he worried for a while.He stared at the silvery metal. The metal stayed square for a while.Then as the image of the Wonder Hammer loomed before the dwarf's eyes, its edges began to round.Bruno's heartbeat started to quicken and his breathing became short of breath.

The vision he saw became reality. He lit the fire, and set to work at once, and he did not rest all night until the light of dawn dispelled the magic that had come upon him.He came home that day only to get the adamantine he had kept for the hilt of his weapon.Then he went back to sleep by the fire, and then paced nervously until night. As soon as the light of day faded, Bruno hungrily returned to work.The metal was easily hammered into the shape he wanted with great skill, and he knew the hammer's head would take shape before the morning light interrupted him.Yet he still had to work for hours, and at this moment he felt the surge of pride in him.He knows he can keep up with his demanding schedule.He would put the hilt on the next night, and under the full moon on the night of the summer solstice, the preparations for enchanting the weapon would be ready.

   The owl pounced quietly on the little rabbit on the ground, guided by the same keen intuition as any other creature.This is a routine kill in nature, and the unfortunate prey is unaware of the predator's approach.But the owl was suddenly and strangely disturbed, the predator's concentration disrupted at the last moment.The big bird rarely misses, but this time it flew back to its nest by the cone of Cairn without food. In the distant tundra, a lone wolf sits motionless like a statue.It waited patiently, though anxiously, as the great silver disk of the full summer moon rose over the edge of the horizon.It waited until the full moon appeared in the night sky, and then began howling in the ancient way of the pack of wolves.And this cry was answered over and over again by other wild wolves and nocturnal animals in the distance, shouting to the power of the heavens together.The night of the summer solstice had begun, and magic surged through the air, exciting all living beings except rational animals unaffected by instinct. Bruno clearly felt this magic in his emotional state.But he focused on the work at the pinnacle of his life and entered a state of extreme concentration.His hand did not shake as he opened the golden lid of the locket. The mighty hammer was clamped on the anvil before the dwarf.It was Bruno's best work, already very powerful and beautiful, but waiting for subtle mystical words and incantations to turn it into a weapon of special power for the Scarf. Bruenor respectfully took the small silver hammer and chisel out of the box, and walked over to the hammer.He didn't hesitate, because he knew he didn't have much time for this complicated work, so he put the chisel on the mithril block and hammered it down firmly with a small silver hammer.Flawless metal delivered a crisp tone that sent shivers down the dwarf's spine in admiration.He knew in his heart that everything was going perfectly, and he couldn't help but tremble again when he thought about what the work would bring tonight. He didn't notice the dark eyes that watched over him intently on the nearby ridge. Bruno didn't need to carve according to the instructions, these symbols had already been engraved on his heart and soul.Majestically he carved Moradin Soulforge's hammer and anvil on one side of the warhammer's head, and on the other the crossaxe of the dwarven Warlord Crangidon.Finally he took out the silver scroll tube and gently opened the diamond cap.When he saw that the parchment inside was still there after all these decades, he was relieved.He wiped off the oily sweat on his hands, took out the scroll and slowly unrolled it, and spread it on the anvil.At first, the scroll looked blank, but when the light of the full moon shone on it, the mysterious symbols with power slowly appeared on it. These words were handed down by the ancestors of Bruno's family. Although he had never read them, the mysterious straight lines and curves on them gave Bruno a sense of intimacy.With a confident hand he lowered the chisel between the symbols, and began to carve the cryptic writing into the hammer.He felt the magic pass from the scroll through him to the weapon.He was surprised to find that whenever he carved a character on the mithril, the same character on the parchment disappeared with it.When he was so engrossed in his work, time had no meaning to him, but when he finished carving the characters, he noticed that the moon had passed its culmination and was beginning to diminish. A great test of the dwarf's expertise was to set the gem on the talisman of Dumathoin the Keeper of Secrets.The lines of this divine talisman lined up with those mysterious characters, concealing the secret source of power. Bruno knew it was almost done.He unhooked the heavy mallet from its clip and produced the pouch.He had to take a deep breath to calm himself, as this was the final and most decisive test of his technique.He untied the top tie of the bag, marveling at the soft glow of diamond dust in the bright moonlight. On the ridge behind him, Drizzt Do'Urden tensed at the thought of what was about to happen, but he was careful not to disturb his friend's concentration. Bruenor steadied himself again, slapping the bag in the air, sending diamond dust high into the night sky.He tossed the bag aside, grabbed the hammer with both hands, and held it above his head.When he uttered the spell of power, the dwarf felt his strength sucked away, but he would not know how well he was doing until he finished the whole job.The success of his incantations was determined by the perfection of his carving, for he had carved the mystic words into the weapon, and the power of the words flowed automatically into his heart.This force then attracts diamond dust to the weapon, and its power can then be seen by observing how much diamond dust it captures. A darkness fell on the dwarf.His head turned away, he didn't know what force kept him from falling.But the spell had worn him out, and he couldn't take it anymore.He didn't even realize that the incantations kept coming out of his mouth, sucking more and more of his strength.Then he fell, though he was completely unconscious before his head hit the ground. Drizzt turned and fell toward the ridge, and he, too, collapsed at the sight.He wondered if his friend would survive tonight's ordeal, but he was happy for Bruno.For he had witnessed the climax of the dwarf's life, even though Bruenor himself had not seen it, when the hammer's mithril head shone with magical life, attracting a rain of diamond dust. Not a speck of glowing diamond dust escaped Bruenor's call.