The afternoon was unusually quiet as Kalem stood outside the forge, arms crossed, watching a group of workers unload heavy crates from a reinforced wagon. The emblem of The Bank was stamped onto the wooden surfaces, their edges reinforced with steel bands.
Jhaeros, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded, whistled. "They finally sent it, huh?"
Kalem nodded, stepping forward as the workers carefully lowered the last crate onto the ground. He had expected a decent amount of material, but this was beyond what he imagined—five full crates of cold-forged adamant steel, the so-called "cheap" reward he had requested.
The foreman, a burly man with a thick mustache, approached with a clipboard. "Sign here," he grunted, handing Kalem a ledger.
Kalem glanced through the document, confirming the details before pressing his signet into the wax seal. "Everything accounted for?"
"All here," the foreman confirmed, tucking the ledger away. "Gotta say, lad, not many people get bulk shipments from The Bank without strings attached. You must've impressed someone."
Kalem didn't respond, instead gesturing for Jhaeros and Garrick to help him carry the crates inside. The foreman took that as his cue to leave, giving them a nod before walking off with his men.
Once inside, Kalem pried open the first crate with a crowbar, revealing neatly stacked ingots of dark, matte steel. Even under the dim forge light, they had an unusual sheen—not quite reflective, but possessing an almost liquid-like smoothness.
He picked up an ingot, testing its weight. Cold-forged adamant steel. A rare alloy with high mana conductivity, making it incredibly efficient for enchanted gear. Normally, such a material would be expensive, but due to its lack of traditional demand, The Bank had likely considered it a minor reward.
Jhaeros tapped a finger against the metal. "Feels dense. Strong, but not too heavy."
Garrick smirked. "You gonna start forging magic swords now?"
Kalem set the ingot on the workbench, rolling his shoulders. "No. But this changes a lot."
The problem with most enchanted gear was stability. Materials that could properly conduct mana were either brittle, unstable, or prohibitively expensive. But this alloy? It had all the right properties—durability, lightness, and most importantly, efficiency in channeling magic without leaking energy.
He had ideas. Many of them.
Without wasting time, Kalem set to work. He heated a small section of an ingot, testing how it responded to different temperatures. Unlike other metals, cold-forged adamant didn't require extreme heat—it softened just enough to be shaped, but retained its structural integrity even under pressure.
Lyra arrived a little while later, stepping into the forge with Nara. "So, what's all the fuss about?"
Kalem tossed her an ingot. She barely caught it, staggering slightly under its unexpected density.
She frowned, examining it. "This is… high mana-conductive steel. Where did you—?"
"The Bank," Jhaeros answered before Kalem could.
Lyra shot Kalem a sharp look. "You mean the 'cheap reward' you asked for?"
Nara burst out laughing. "Oh, this is perfect. You basically got a treasure trove because they thought it was worthless!"
Kalem ignored them, focusing on shaping the metal. The first thing he wanted to test was flexibility. He forged a thin plate, cooling it with controlled bursts of mana before flexing it between his hands. It bent slightly but didn't snap—exactly as he hoped.
Lyra, still holding the ingot, sighed. "I hate that this actually worked out in your favor."
Kalem smirked slightly. "It usually does."
Over the next few hours, he ran multiple tests, analyzing how the alloy responded to enchantments. The results were impressive—it absorbed magic without destabilizing, which meant he could create gear that actively enhanced a user's abilities without exhausting their mana supply too quickly.
By nightfall, Kalem had already drawn up blueprints.
Jhaeros examined them with interest. "Planning something new?"
Kalem nodded. "This alloy solves a lot of problems. I can make armor that enhances reflexes, weapons that hold enchantments without losing their charge, maybe even a reinforced gauntlet that amplifies strength."
Garrick grinned. "Looks like you're about to make some very powerful enemies in the crafting world."
Lyra folded her arms. "Or very powerful allies."
Kalem simply stared at the metal, his mind already moving several steps ahead.
Whatever came next, this alloy would be at the center of it.