Entering the Forge 2

By the time they got to the city Gunnar had long been subjugated from his wiggling and squirming by his mother's "Fist of Justice" leaving a small lump on the top of his head. Cassie had given Giles and stuck her tongue out at Gunnar as if to mock him, only to receive her own mother's knock on the head.

The first leg of their journey complete Gunnar and his group unloaded from the carriage to stretch their legs and prepare for the next leg of the journey.

A full day and a half trip overland would take them to the warp gate that would send them to the public front of The Forge where the children would begin their trials.

The kids of the family were all given a few silvers and allowed to roam the small bazaar that had foods, weapons and materials, all in a contest to see who could find the best snack for the rest of their carriage.

Gunnar and Cassie upon receiving their silvers both ran to the same booth that sold grilled spiced tiger eel. While these eels were plentiful and every restaurant had a version of this dish. Both Cassie's and Gunnar's families both loved the grilled spicy eel from Old man Barker's stand.

"Mr. Barker! We came for our usual order!" Cassie bounced up and down in front of the stand and grinned at the grey haired old man who stood faced away from them and was casually flipping piece of meat on the small fire that was built.

The man, who looked like a stony mountain face to Gunnar, slowly turned around and glanced at the two children standing at his stall.

"And what great sin have I committed to bring you terrors down on my head this day?" The man's complexion was stone grey and his height was even shorter than even 12 year old Gunnar's 4 feet 9 inches. Standing a solid and sturdy 4 feet 1 inch, Barker Ironbellows was an oddity of a dwarf, Always cooking at the bazaar rather than working at the forge or mining in a shaft. But his race's mastery of flame was very evident in his exquisitely cooked eel.

"We came to prepare for the trip to The Forge Mr. Barker!"Cassie's eyes sparkled with mischeif. " How long has it been since your were at The Forge? Or was it even around back when you were a kid."

The normally dour dwarf cracked a small smirk. "Jokes on you kid, I was at the school just last week." He suddenly scowled "And as far as my age, I am still a young dwarf by any standard you knothead! I am only 61!"

Shock formed on the faces of Gunnars sibling as they walked up behind Gunnar and Cassie at the stall. "You are only 61 Mr. Ironbellows? Then why do you look as aged as you do? Dwarves average age is 400 isn't it?

The three older siblings all shot questions rapid fire at the deep stone dwarf. The shock of the contrast between the age of the dwarf and his appearance throwing the 21, 18 and 15 year old siblings of Gunnar were all in advanced class and had taken classes on the different worlds and their races as part of the basic level education that all Forgeworlders received.

"That is a question that will be answered at the school brats. I'll be coming in as a teacher for the next few years." Ironbellows stood to his full height stretching his back. "All questions will be answered there."

The young/old dwarf began to pull all the eel skewers from the grill and pack away his spices. "I'll being catching a ride with your families all the way to the Gates of the Forge." He glanced at Hart. "I heard that you will be in my Hunters class Little Hart. Going for your third Mark right?"

Hart quickly nodded. "I am hoping to finish before the end of the year."

"That will depend on how hard you decide to work Young Mr. Baldur." The dwarf began gathering his cooked skewers and handing them out to the kids and then turned back to Hart. "Now young Hart I need a hand carrying my luggage to those carriages if you would." 

Hart nodded then followed the dwarf to the house behind the stall and after a few minutes walked out with a bag over one shoulder and each holding one end of a trunk. After the two got to the bottom of the stairs they set the trunk down and motioned to the younger two kids to take the bags before Ironbellows turned to the door and locked it.

"Alright you lot, lets get to those carriages and then you go choose more snacks with your silver."

 The group traipsed down the lane and the across the plaza of the bazaar before coming to the carriages and loading the luggage and returning to the street for over the road snacks. After the ragtag crew of children once again gathered to the caravan with their assorted snacks they all loaded into their respective carriages and departed the city.

"I don't believe I will ever get used to this planet's ban of advanced tech in transit and transport, it never did seem to make sense to me." Ironbellows shook his head. "Only having designated ports for spacefaring and limited use of even planetary warp gates seems almost archaic."

Risa Everforge Nodded in agreement. "It is archaic, but it is the price we pay for our Kelton planet being home to The Forge for all three Forgeworlds. Everyone sends their children here for training and education so they all want the most precautions taken as possible. The planetary representatives in the Forgeworlds congress all agreed that these are the least amount of precautions we can take. In addition, for the children of other plantets, they get to experience what life was like without the ease of travel and what travel is like on the sacred worlds even now."

"I guess that makes sense, in the grand scheme of things anyway." Ironbellows turned and looked at Gunnar and Cassie. "You two have made your preparations for the training and survival camp yes?"

Gunnar nodded his head and then looked towards Cassie. "I finalized my items last night and this morning but I don't think that I have talked with you about what I'm taking or what you are taking. Have you decided yet?"

As the two children began discussing what they were taking and the different ways they could use their items they also began to make plans for the camp and for what they wanted to do after. This session of planning and scheming was looked at with amusement by the adults and older children in the carriage. Maybe it was a reminder of their own early days in The Forge.

Either way they all began to talk and plan with the children, giving advice and send the two to bed with heads spinning at the end of the day, continuing the next day and the next until they arrived in The City of The Forge.