4.5

Time: Evening.

Location: Entering the village.

I commandeered a trio of oxen carts from the abandoned bandit camp, strapping an iron rod into the yoke I provide the pull to move us on the road. Zooming along at a steady pace I brought my convoy into town, the haul of loot, goods and rescued prisoners is quite staggering. Most of it is perishables and stolen grain. Naturally I pass this directly to the head man to sort out, the captives included as potential new villagers.

Ah, it is nice to pass the buck again. I hate responsibility.

The old man shoots me a dirty look, so I throw him a bone… a wagon filled with precious treasures. Statuary and larger objects that I can't cart around the countryside. Weapons and armour to melt down for tools or sell as is. Some gold trinkets, large bowls and other ostentatious junk. A heap of loose coinage from various places.

That is most of what I returned with, the rest is securely in my baggage. The finest jewellery and gems and a selection of all the coins, including a second bundle of locally produced coins for personal use during travel. Also found, a strange orange pulsating, cube of translucent crystal. Fairly sure it isn't something like that crystal of love that works like a Lantern Ring, since it doesn't do as I deeply needed. Nor is it kryptonite, very different texture. A bit of a mystery, really. Best to keep it as far away from Savage as possible.

Tired, I retire back to my room to sleep.

The following day I have set aside for my Master, the Smith. Hmm. I should really demand his name, he just never replies when I ask politely. Secrets… he's hiding something.

Our final session in the forge is… different.

My master takes out a dozen different rocks, ores I realise. Piling them in the centre of the room, next to the anvil. He hands me a skin of some beer, with something unusual in it.

"Scrapings of the ores." He explains. "Drink it down, then sit in the circle and wait."

Circle? I notice a line of chalk dust poured in a regular circle around the room. Okay, this is weird. I guess a magic ritual? I'm kinda guessing who it might summon… Hephaestus, Vulcan? Some kind of blacksmith secret ritual?

"I just drink and wait?" I ask. "How will I know when what is supposed to happen, happens?"

"You'll know. It'll be obvious, lad." He reassured.

Not really bloody enough to be a demon or cruel enough for a curse, so I'm not too worried. I take a swig and wince at the awful taste. Dozens of metals, some probably toxic are mixed in it after all. The Smith sighs and urges to drain the flask entirely.

I've gone this far and I trust him. Bottoms up.

Urk. Dreadful.

Now I guess I meditate?

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hm… huh? The temperature changed. It's cold, after all that time in a forge.

I open my eyes and find I am somewhere else. Spirit journey or teleport? I'd say the former, since this place is gorgeous, sculpted rock and pure mineral veins in all directions.

I stumble around for what seems like hours, exploring a cavern that emits a faint glow. Until finally I found myself in the presence of something.

"We are the Melt. You are a visitor, sent to us to learn. We have taught only a few, since humanity learned to use tools." A rumbling echo announced. "We seldom meet such as you, but our Champion has requested this."

"How does this work?" I asked curious. This was like The Green and Red, right? Magic…

"Intent is all that is required, simply request this knowledge and it shall be yours." The voice answered.

"Before I begin, what do you know of time travel?" I asked.

"That it is irrelevant to this contract." The voice responded. "It merely exists as a possibility, for the Melt it makes no difference."

I sighed. "Very well. Thank you for your candour. Please begin."

The sensation was rapturous and bordered on mind breaking. Seeing life from the view of the Earth itself. That humanity is little more than a brief flicker of an eye to the consciousness of the rock. When it ends I feel disappointed. For a brief moment that was life from the view point of a god-like being.

"Who are you?" I asked, weakly of my Master.

He smiled softly. "My name is Sindri. Once long ago, with my brother Brokkr we forged the mighty hammer Mjolnir for the god Thor. I am no longer your master, I name your apprenticeship over. Go out into the world and spread your creations. For the glory of the Melt."

I nodded wearily. Too tired to question it. Back to bed, to sleep it off.

I wake to find the Head Man sitting, tapping the wall beside me with a cane. Trying to wake me.

Yawning, I find it isn't even dawn.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I wish to help you. Surely by now you suspect my identity, yes?" He raised a hand and covered an eye.

"Odin? I knew those birds were suspicious… crows and ravens look the same to me, I guess." I shrug. "So what brings someone like you out here?"

"That is an interesting question. You see, I am here because this is such a strange conundrum the god which discovered your stray form requested my aid. We have ties after all. Belobog was most concerned, since you were of his people." He explained.

"Who?" I asked… didn't that name mean 'white god'? Oh. "Argento, the man who saved me on the roadside?"

"Yes. We could see the stress and the worries of this situation rolling off you like a wave. Your arrival was quite a headache, boy." Odin chided. "Even now we do not understand how it happened. Nor do you. Quite a mystery. Sadly even gods do not know the future merely the past and present like you. So I cannot tell you the cause, because it has yet to happen. The Norns do not know."

"I think it was Zeus." I offer.

"That blowhard? No, he talks a good game but he's too busy philandering to bother with anything less important than those titan relatives of his he keeps chained up in Tartarus." The Wise War god of the Norse explained. "He does not even possess the power to alter time, only his father Kronus had this power in the Greek pantheon and it revolved around entropy and decay."

"Oh." I racked my brain. "Uh…perhaps I could meet other time travellers."

"Good idea, but they rarely stay long...scared of how they will affect the future. For those of us here, it is the present so this can seem… harsh to the people abandoned, but fate is a fickle thing that takes pleasure in making those that force her hand to suffer." Odin explained. "However if one were to change time in a distinctly abnormal way, it would naturally self correct."

"So I could have gotten away with killing Vandal Savage?" I asked depressed.

"The Immortal Savage does like to involve himself in grand plots, he would be missed." Odin replied. "But if for example you went somewhere recorded in history and started to change written events with obviously strange things… well that might catch the eye of someone who wants time stable."

"But who?! This time period is known as the Dark Ages for good reason, very little written records remain." I pointed out.

Odin laughed. "The Norns did give me a clue for you. Europe is not the whole world."

"Uh… Asia? Japan, maybe China? They have records from further back." I offered, slightly off balance.

"Correct! In fact there is one man with a very great fate, he is named Xuanzang. He recently finished his training as a Buddhist priest." He smirked. "I drink with Buddha every now and then, he likes to praise his followers."

"Isn't Buddha a Buddha, not a god?" I asked curiously. "How did you even meet?"

Odin pointed to the wall. "Look, a Fire Giant!"

He ran away. As I watched. Shamelessly laughing as he did.

"You read my mind about memes didn't you?!" I yelled angrily at his retreating form.

"I read everything!" He shouted back.