The twisted bar was molded onto the iron bar and reintroduced to the furnace. He took it out, the combined metal glowing hot orange. It was clear that they were still two distinct pieces. Aldous knew simply the color that it was not hot enough to melt. Combining the pieces was Aldous's job. It was dull at first, Aldous pounding what would be the length of the blade into a thin piece with abstract whorl patterns and a bright luster in spite of the dark color of the steel itself. The tang, of course, had already been shaped, used to introduce the steel to more head as he pounded in the final details. Before he or Tao knew it, the blade looked close to a finished product.

The accents of the blade suggested it was to be a dual-edged blade with a broad body. The length of the tang suggested it was to accommodate a single person's hand, Aldous measuring it of course to his own. The core of the blade was pounded flat, where the pattern welding was most apparent. "Not as intricate as I'd have liked, but it will have to do considering the time. At Tao's monologue, Aldous paid little attention of course. He had more important things than to listen to a member of the common rabble bantering about this and that.

"Ah. Planning. That's an awful lot of hindsight for someone of your... stature." Tao remarked. He couldn't help but agree, however, to Tao's following words. Surprisingly soon for him, Aldous flashed a smile, trying to hold himself back, before finally laughing. "In spite of your crude language, your words hold truth. I like that. Finesse and making love. Yes." he laughed. "Could I ask you one more favor? I want you to help me create paint, just to give the sheathe a bit of color."

Aldous wanted to ask sooner rather than later, of course. with that, he picked up the larger pieces of peach wood and examined them. "I guess this will have to do," he examined the wood, "I've unfortunately got no magic to work with."

[hr]

1. Banged the metal into a proper, if dull blade
2. Asked Tao for paint