Ding!
Blacksmithing is an art.
Ding!
You are the creator.
Ding!
And the world is iron and steel.
Hiss...
Oh, and the water. Don't forget about the water.
The Malloys were a sort of typical family, here in Hylop. In every generation in every age, you need a guy who will melt down metal and forge it anew, with hammer and tongs. In their family, being that guy was essentially a father-to-son tradition dating back around a few centuries. It was something to be proud of. People need their tools and their weapons, not to mention the shoe-ing of horses. And while it seemed like having a mother who was a horse trainer would monopolize the business a little, she only caught them and broke them in. It was down to buyers to determine if they wanted Malloy shoes. There were still options, after all.
Now in his fifteenth year, Michelo had been given more responsibility. Many was the time he was simply taking care of things in the background - polishing, organizing, and delivering things - but lately he'd been allowed to work with the metal himself, so he wasn't just able to study and practice with weapons - especially blades - but he could make them! The whole thing facinated him, and he was always careful, taking in the proper instructions from his father so he could even take over for him if it became necessary. Good health was hard to come by in poor weather, after all. And while it'd been a beautiful autumn, cold and rain would steal that away oh-so-quickly.
Of course, that was hours ago. He'd managed to finish the work he'd been told to do, just so he could hurry up and watch it get started. The Midnight Festival was tonight... He'd been a number of times. His parents had always been a little worried, because - as blacksmithing and horses were a part of their lives - there was no way they could NOT have horseshoes aeound. If something were to happen to him, he might be cut off from blacksmithing forever. They were also worried that one of the other children would turn really dangerous and hurt him...
No, it didn't matter. The fair-haired boy shook his head to himself. It was always worth it. It was a game he knew well the rules to, and like any sort of job he'd been given, he'd joyfully carry it out, while having some fun on the side. The last time, it'd been a phoenix. And the time before that? A seven-headed hydra. Can you imagine him with seven heads? It was really confusing! Of course, then he began to sing...and it was glorious. He was at the edge of the green, still watching and waiting with anticipation, when a friend popped in out of the crowd. Michelo smiled his usual friendly smile.
"Yeah, I remember seeing you from high up. It didn't look that fun, with them all over you. I didn't have any special plans on who to go with. So yeah, we can team up on this."
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It was something that he heard of that happened here, in this town, every year. They called it the Midnight Haevest, and it involved a kind of fae being that appeared to transform every child that met with him into a monster, for a time. That was the rumor he'd heard, at least. He'd also heard that - among all the creatures that one could transform into - goblins were on the list.
Well, that was certainly relevent to his interests.
He was watching from outside of town for the signs. The first, of course, would be the gathering of children at a particular area. He knew not where, but he would see from further out, no doubt. His telescope - stolen from a trader vessel - would give him an eyeful, for sure. And who was holding that telescope? Why, a goblin! In preparation for this event, he was in one of his many little burrows throughout the continent. Why so many?
Because he was Gary Blight, that robbing hood of goblinkind.
He was in this burrow, and he was not alone. Gary Blight was sometimes a single act, but often a double-act. Behind him, and further into the burrow, was Concord, a giant spider. Once he had spotted all those children on the move, he smiled - showing some vicious teeth - and turned to his faithful spider-mount.
"Now, pay attention, girl. Tonight is the ritual that will change all those children, and I'll have to be out on my own."
"Yurker?"
"Because I'm going to pretend to be a goblin-turned-child myself, and try to get the ones who are also goblins to remain so."
"Hrrrg..."
"I know it's boring, but it's all in a good cause, and I can always rob the town, while I'm there. Now, remember that I may need a hasty exit if things go wrong. You'll be ready?"
"Rackle!"
"Atta girl..."
Yeah, little point about Concord: It was a she-spider, a Hunter Spider Queen he'd raised from a hatchling. She was big and she could get mean. Faithful ride, indeed...