Sulk started a shuffling run after Klip, but I leapt over and snatched him up with one hand. I turned him to face me, and he dangled with his feet six inches off the ground.

  “What the hell is going on?” I demanded. His legs swung back and forth as he kicked to be set free.

  “They cleared the collapse! I need to be there now! That prick can’t be the one to claim it!” he snarled as he began clawing at my wrist.

  “Wilson,” I called, then I jumped onto the wolf’s back as he moved over, slinging Sulk over my lap like a blanket. His arms and legs flailed wildly on either side until Wilson set off, and then Sulk did his best impersonation of a limpet as he clamped down. We slowed briefly as I passed Klip and snatched him up with one hand, depositing him on top of Sulk and eliciting another angry cry from the older smith.

  “No! I have to be there first! Throw this old bastard off!” Klip squirmed and tried to dislodge Sulk from Wilson’s shoulders.

  I slapped them both on the head, perhaps a little harder than I should have because they each went still. By the time Wilson slowed down at the entrance to the Pass, they’d both woken up and were once again bitterly arguing about who should be the "one". I still hadn’t confirmed what the hell they were fighting about.

  I dumped them off to one side and slid after them quickly enough to catch them both by their collars and hold them off the ground, one in either hand like naughty puppies being moved by their mother.

  “What the fuck are you fighting over? If I have to, I'll literally bash your heads together!” I snapped in my best dad voice. I needed to practice it, and this seemed like a good opportunity.

  “I need to get there first! Lord! I was your first smith! You’ve brought in all these bloody Ur-viles to replace us! This is my chance to prove myself to Velkit!” Klip snarled as he tried to get free of my grip.

  “I’m going to put you both down now. If either of you runs off, I’m going to break one of that person's legs. I’ll heal it afterward, but it will sting for a few days. Do you understand?” They both nodded reluctantly, and I lowered them until their feet were on the ground. “What the hell has got you both so excited?” I demanded.

  “Behind the collapse!” Klip barked.

  “A God Forge!” Sulk finished the other man's sentence for him.

  “What the hell is a God Forge?” I asked.

  “Not A. The. The fucking god forge you bloody war lover!” snapped Sulk. I glowered and he glanced down at his feet for a moment before defiant eyes rose to meet my gaze.

  “What is The God Forge?” I clarified.

  “It’s Velkit’s holiest site! A forge capable of shaping any metal, granting almost divine skill to the smith who wins it!” Klip said quickly. “It has to be me!”

  “Like hell it does, you welp! I’m the master here!” snarled Sulk. Wilson growled over my shoulder. I could see the shadow of his tail thrashing on the ground behind the smiths, and they both clamped their mouths shut.

  “Why shouldn’t I let one of the Huskars try?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

  “They can’t get there! It would take years to mine down to it so those big bastards could get near!” said Sulk.

  “Let's go look at it together, shall we?” I kept my voice level through sheer force of will. They eyed each other, but another growl from Wilson caused them to nod. I was fairly confident I could use Shape Earth to cut a path down for the big bastards if I had to, but for now, I was happy to let the human smiths take a shot at whatever this was.

  “You go hunting, puppy. I’ll call on you later,” I said over my shoulder to Wilson, all the while not taking my eyes off the smiths who seemed ready to bolt ahead at the slightest chance.

  We made our way into the cliffs through one of the narrow passages that looked just like any other. Torches lined the walls as we went deeper into the darkness. The sense of the weight of rock hanging over my head steadily grew as we wound our way down into the flickering darkness.

  The site of the collapse was a mess. Most of the rubble had been cleared, and crude timber supports had been put up as they worked at the wreckage. This section of the mine was eerily quiet compared to the bustle of the tunnels we passed through to get here. A flickering light shone through the top of the collapse where some brave miner had breached into the space beyond.

  Both smiths were hopping from one foot to another and arguing about the best way to remove the detritus.

  “So you don’t even have access to whatever it is, and you were both trying to kill each other to get here first?” I grumbled as I walked forward and cast Shape Earth. The fallen stone melted away to form rows of columns on either side of the tunnel as I padded forward with my bare feet slapping on the floor.

  As I mentally pushed aside the rock and built supports, I finally saw the God Forge. Red-gold light filled the cavern past the blockage. It flickered in time to the dancing fire in the forge. I couldn't see any differences from any other forge. Bellows and anvils, a rack of tools neatly to one side. Aside from the fact it was buried underground, there wasn’t anything remarkable about it.

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  That opinion changed as I slammed to a stop. My face was pressed against an invisible barrier. I bounced off, caught the two smiths as they tried to rush past me, and shoved them back. I tried again. I’d caught sight of a Source. A pearl of power glowed in the centre of the forge, surrounded by the flames.

  I tried to advance again and was rebuffed once more. The feeling of a hammer striking an anvil spread around me, and the tunnel shook. The stone supports I’d made held, but I was now feeling much more inclined to caution.

  “It won’t let me in to claim the Source,” I muttered.

  “Of course it bloody won’t!” snapped Sulk.

  “You aren’t a follower of Velkit! This is his place!” added Klip.

  “I could access Poseidon’s Source easily enough. Well, it wasn’t easy, but I got to it. You’ve got to touch the Source to claim it,” I replied thoughtfully. I ran a hand through my hair, the mullet tangling in my fingers.

  “It takes a smith to claim the God Forge, Mond. It’s been lost for Velkit. How long has it been? It has been thousands of years, maybe? But everyone who reaches master rank knows the myths. It has to be one of us!” Sulk said softly.

  “One of us,” echoed Klip, the awe in his voice matching his opponent.

  “Will it let you in?” I asked. I backed away slightly and moved to one side just as the pair bolted past me, each one trying to shove the other backward as they scurried forward.

  They passed the barrier that had stopped me, and Velkit’s aura rang out again. The whole tunnel system shook, and I flinched, glancing around at the ceiling above me that had only recently collapsed. Some dust shook itself free, but the roof held.

  “Lord! We’ve got… a challenge!” called Sulk.

  “And - shit-!” Klip added helpfully. He turned an anguished gaze to the tunnel behind me and tried to leave the barrier. It flashed, and the sensation of hammer meeting anvil rang out again.

  “Only one of us will be worthy,” Sulk said. “That, or neither of us will be. The loser gets the fumes. The winner…”

  “Becomes a True Smith. Velkit, forgive me for being unworthy!” Klip called to the rocks over his head.

  “Lad, you’re not so bad,” Sulk said softly. “This is a worthy match. Let’s both do our best to impress the Mad God!”

  “You’re only saying that because you think you’ll bloody win! I agree: you'd better do your best! We start now!” Klip answered in a harsh voice. Sulk nodded slowly, and they both moved towards the forge.

  “How do you know who wins?” I called out.

  “Velkit will judge the work,” said Sulk over his shoulder. “Tell Kayla what I’m about? She’ll worry if I don’t go home for my dinner.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” The gods playing games with mortals was definitely up at the top of my “shit that pisses me off” list and I’d be happy to mess with Velkit’s plans if I could.

  “No, lord,” Klip’s voice was bitter and resigned. “We cannot leave, and no one else can enter until this is resolved. We’re both bound to you, so whichever of us wins, you’ll be the true victor.”

  “If I’d known, I’d have stopped you from entering!” I snapped, then softened my voice as Klip nodded sadly. “Whichever of you wins, I’ll take care of anything that needs looking after. No one will suffer because of this game!” They’d both stopped listening, moving like automatons as they began selecting ingots of ore and tools from the supplies left within the cave.

  I backed away and turned to leave. I grabbed the first miner I saw and told them to set up a watch. I wanted to know as soon as the competition was resolved, however it worked out. This reminder of the gods' capricious attitude for mortals solidified my hatred for them. Aresk was not exempt, they were all assholes.

  I stomped out into the daylight, getting nods and fist-raised salutes from the humans while the giants placed their palms over their hearts. I sent a mental command to Wilson and felt him return once more to rush to my side. I stomped through the smelters and workers, glad to leave the acrid air behind as I passed through the walls I’d built.

  Wilson was waiting for me, and I leapt onto his shoulders, and we charged east to Riverwheel. I needed to make sure the Huskars were accepted there. With Sulk and Klip caught in a trap for god knows how long, and only one of them destined to be of any use afterward, I needed to ensure we wouldn’t lose production. The push south was beginning in a couple of days, and we’d need everything here in good order.

  The wolf could run. We covered the distance in less than an hour, and as I slipped off his shoulders, a guard ran out to greet me.

  “Lord, you’re needed!” he gasped. It was starting to feel like one of those days…

  “What’s the problem?” I snapped.

  “The Ur-viles are changing everything! They’re disassembling the machines! The smiths will go crazy when they get back!”

  “That won’t be for a while, I suspect. Good job, soldier. I’ll go find out what’s happening and knock some heads together if I don’t like it.”

  Fortunately, I did like it. Gartal had disconnected the shafts from the two western wheels and was busily instructing the humans on a new gearing arrangement to combine the output and then split it eight ways instead of six.

  “They’re close enough that we can combine the drive force! We won’t lose any power, you bloody gnome!” he snapped at a superior journeyman. The man swallowed audibly as I walked up behind him.

  “It’s not your system! The lord gave us the designs, and they’ve worked perfectly! Who the hell are you to gain say the…” he stuttered to a stop. “He’s behind me, isn’t he?” the man asked without turning.

  “I am. Gartal, you’re sure this will work?” I asked as the man scurried off to the side, his face pale.

  “Yes, Legate. It’s a simple interface we use at the First Hearth for many things. It takes some setting up, but once it’s in place, it distributes the force more efficiently,” Gartal replied amicably. “Your smiths are well?”

  “They found Velkits Source. I couldn’t approach, and now they’re competing to take control of it,” I grumbled.

  “They’re both bonded to you?” he asked with a sad smile.

  “Yeah.”

  “The most worthy will triumph, Legate. They’re only mortals-”

  “I’m only a fucking mortal, Gratal. If that’s your attitude towards humans, you and I might have a falling out,” I growled, and from beyond the wooden walls, a howl echoed into the sky.

  “Apologies, Legate,” Gratal hung his head. “I can assure you we won’t lose any production due to the changes,” he said, changing the subject.

  “We’ll need every arrow and javelin. When will you start production of the fourth wheel?” I asked, letting it go.

  “Within a week. Your people have been ingenious in a lot of ways. They’re implementing half-understood concepts at a very high level. The systematisation is a bit lacking, but with a little oversight, I think we can really make this place hum!” Gratal said happily. He led me around the site, explaining the proposed changes to me while annoyed-looking human journeymen trailed behind us.

  “Will it affect supplies for the war?” I repeated slowly, enunciating each word. The Huskar blinked and looked down at me.

  “Legate, there will be a temporary drop of fifteen to twenty-five percent of material output, but as the new system is put into action, it will result in a minimum thirty percent increase over the original level in productivity over the long term. Are you willing to accept a short-term setback in exchange for long-term growth?” I reminded myself that every army, every empire, needed bean counters.

  “Yes, I am. Do it.”

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