Narrator: Meanwhile, Selene was still in Dav's room.
She was tidying the bed and cleaning everywhere, even though no one had asked her to.
She opened the wardrobe to put away the clothes from the previous evening.
She took the shirt in her hands and, curious, brought it close to her nose to smell it.
Then she pressed her face directly against it, inhaling even more deeply.
Immediately after, embarrassed by that instinctive gesture, she quickly folded it and slipped it into the wardrobe.
Meanwhile, Dav had headed to the library to look for Valeria.
He entered and looked around, but didn't see her anywhere.
He decided then to return to his room, waiting for lunchtime.
"What should I do now?.."
he thought to himself.
It was then that he remembered the books obtained from the royal library of Arthur's family.
He decided to read one of them.
He rushed to his room, opening the door with enthusiasm.
Well...
The scene before him was unexpected: Selene was still getting dressed, wearing only her underwear.
One leg resting on the bed as she put on her stockings.
Their eyes met, both amused and embarrassed.
Dav slowly closed the door and turned back.
"WAIT! YOU CAN COME IN! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!!"
Selene shouted to hide her embarrassment and prevent him from thinking badly.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Dav reopened the door and approached the bed.
"Where did I put that damn book?.."
he said, while searching through his things.
Selene, a bit flushed, sat on the edge of the bed, watching him while playing with her fingers.
"What are you looking for?.."
she asked softly.
Dav, half lying on the floor, was searching under the bed with his face to the ground.
"I'm looking for a damn book I left here recently…
Ah, here it is! I wonder which one it is..."
Selene, still in her underwear, approached curiously, without Dav showing any sign of interest in looking at her.
"The book on runic forging… I'll spend the next two hours trying to understand it."
He lay on the bed with his back against the wall, opening the book.
Selene, eager to spend a bit more time with him, also lay down, resting her head on his shoulder.
She wasn't really reading: she remained there in silence, listening to his voice and enjoying the closeness.
"1. The Principles of Forging"
Forging is the art of infusing materials with power through heat, ritual hammering, and magical or spiritual catalysts.
There are three main schools:
Physical Forging: steel, weapons, armour
Magical Forging: enchantments, runes, seals
Spiritual Forging: soul, will, bond with the object
Dav: (thinking) The last one... it reminds me a lot of Solomon's, with that bond between the soul and the object.
I want to know more about weapons.
"Physical Forging"
1. Material Preparation
Metal selection: based on the desired characteristics of the object.
Cutting: reducing the metal to a workable size.
2. Heating
Temperature: bringing the metal to the right malleability.
Uniformity: avoiding deformations with even heat.
3. Forging
Hammering: shaping the metal.
Techniques:
Drawing out
Bending
Upsetting
Punching
4. Cooling
Controlled: to avoid stress.
Quenching: immersion in water or oil to increase hardness.
5. Finishing
Filing and polishing: to remove imperfections.
Treatments: oils or protective agents for the surface.
Selene watched Dav, serious and focused on the book.
She didn't understand much, but she smiled at him anyway.
She got up, leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, and went to get dressed to go down to the dining hall.
Dav remained there, immersed in reading, as time passed quickly.
Dav: Well, first of all, I need the metal, that's obvious...
But I also need a furnace, with a nice high temperature or something that can provide a lot of heat without causing damage...
(Happy) Mh.. I want to try!
I'll do it tomorrow.
I'll tell Eldrin too, maybe he knows more than I do.
Narrator: He continued reading a bit more, increasingly intrigued.
After finishing reading, he got up, closed the book, and headed to the dining hall, with his stomach growling and mouth watering.
"I wonder what Iris will prepare for me today, I'm so hungry.."
END OF CHAPTER - 134