Chapter 321: ad’s Mother
The next morning, Pops took his new apprentice down the road to Baron Keith’s Manor, and followed the sound of ringing hamrs to the small forge set along the edge of a field, easily accessible to farrs needing to bring equipnt for repairs.
"Your mother is a smith, right?" Pops asked, as he realized that he had just gone to the forge because he was looking for a Dwarf.
ad laughed at his confusion. "Actually, no. She’s a Techno Witch, and I think she’s staying with the Baron. We were there the first night, and then I went looking for work."
Pops altered their course, headed for the big house, while his young apprentice laughed.
Techno Witches were rare among the Dwarves, an innate specialty that was much more common among humans. It wasn’t sothing that you could be recruited for, you had to be born with the talent, unlike a Techno Wizard, who could be anyone with magical aptitude.
A maid t them at the door, and sighed in relief when she saw that ad was with Pops.
"Forge Master, thank you for bringing her back. The staff was terrified that she had gotten injured exploring the area." The maid greeted them.
"Actually, I have taken this one in as my apprentice, and I am here to see her mother." Pops explained.
"Oh! That is excellent news, I am sure that she will be thrilled."
The words were all positive, but the look in the maid’s eyes said that there was sothing off about this whole situation.
The maid led them into the basent, where a large workshop had been set up, and a middle-aged Dwarven woman was trying to fit together pieces to a storage cube that had been damaged beyond easy repair.
"Oh, I have company. Did you bring whiskey? Just a bit more and I’ll have this ready." she declared.
Pops poured her tankard full, and the woman turned to face him, eyes partially glazed with drink and the odd magic of techno witches.
"Another Dwarf? Well t, Sir. How might I help you."
Pops imdiately realized why the maids had reacted as they did. They had been panicked since last night, unable to find ad. But her mother hadn’t noticed she had left.
"I hired ad as my apprentice, and I would like you to sign off on the work contract as her guardian." Pops explained.
"Of course. Good girl, not being a burden. Is she here sowhere? I don’t recall a forge on the property."
ad sighed and rolled her eyes. "I am right behind you, mother."
"Good, good. Bring
so whiskey. I need to get this finished."
"Your mug is already full, mother. Forge Master Pops filled it for you." ad replied slowly.
"Right, right. It’s been a long night. What did you need again? Work contract, that was it. Of course, I will sign off. It’s high ti that you found a proper trade. I just wish I had moved here earlier, and we wouldn’t have had to put up with that old man as long."
Pops gave ad a questioning look, and the girl mouthed the word ’previous boss’.
Then he placed the work contract and a pen on the worktable, which brought ad’s mother to a slow stop.
The magic faded from her eyes, and she seed to return to the present, which took a few seconds as she reviewed everything that was going on around her.
"Right, work contract." She muttered, then hugged ad.
"Good work, daughter. I knew that you would find your own way forward. Now, let’s look this over and make sure that he’s not trying to scam you."
Pops smiled indulgently as the Techno Witch transitioned from scatterbrained magician back into doting mother. It was a jarring contrast, but ad was clearly used to it already.
Every Techno Witch that Pops had ever t was the sa way, though so didn’t appear to have any redeeming qualities when they weren’t muddled by the magic.
Line by line, the woman went over the contract, then paused when she got to the qualifications section for Pops.
"You were the master of the Cygnia Royal Forge and gave it up to co here and work under a junior Princess and her husband?" She asked.
Pops nodded. "A junior Princess, and her husband, Duke Dominic Wavemates, direct kin to the forr Earl Wavemates."
That made the woman smile. "Well now, isn’t that interesting? I didn’t think that there were any of those ones left. Have you t him?"
Pops nodded. "He was my Apprentice before ad. He’s beco a Journeyman and a Duke now, so it was ti to take another apprentice. The forge is busy, and we’re making magitech tools for the factory on top of all our other work."
"Oh, that is good. Hear that ad, you have a chance to learn more than the skills of a common farrier or town smithy."
ad giggled. "Our first projects were cutting gears for a steam hamr, and making good iron pans."
She held up the cast iron pan with its inner surfaces hamred smooth and seasoned with bacon grease.
"Now that’s proper apprentice work. I wholeheartedly approve. There is nothing wrong with this work contract, and it says he will find you sowhere to live. Did I give you everything that you needed before we got here?"
ad nodded. "You did, mother. The Master Smith has a house behind the forge, and I will be staying there most of the ti. There is also an apprentice room inside the forge, and one reserved in the Duke’s Manor for days when we’re visiting overnight."
Her mother took a long swill from the tankard, and smiled. "So, the forr Apprentice still has proper consideration for his master? That’s a good sign. Unfilial Apprentices are bad luck."
Pops snorted in amusent. "Tell
about it. I took in a human apprentice a decade ago, and the mont he got himself a more prestigious position, he was gone without a word. Then he never stopped being a pain in my backside."
George was a disappointnt through and through.
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