One More Mug: Forge and Glacier

“So… a mere forge can melt a glacier? Or am I going crazy?”

An archer asked the blacksmith as they drank after going on a quest together. Still covered in snow but melts slowly as they draw near the tavern counter.

“Hahaha! I don’t think it's possible, like you know how big a glacier is? It take years for something like that to melt a hole through it, and I know, I tested it”

The jolly blacksmith answered as he ordered two mugs for them to drink.

As the mugs slid down the counter, the archer caught both and handed the other to the blacksmith and looked at him.

“Is it the time you met the ice witch?”

“Nope, well kinda, but not fully” he sips and places the mug down as he lean back on the stool.

“You see, before I met her, if you can recall, I tend to go up the mountains for our upgrades”

He dinks the archer’s shoulder guard with his hammer.

“Yeah I am familiar with that”

“I sometimes need to sleep up the mountain. I don’t camp there, but I know places where I can sleep well, and a camp fire? Barely melts anything up there.” He sips as the archer follows up as he places his own mug down beside his gear.

“I mean yeah, it is a mountain of snow… but is that where you met her?”

“Well one day I did, we crossed paths actually.”

“So by coincidence?” he picks up his mug to drink again.

“Yeah, but multiple times too”

The archer almost choked on his drink.

“You do know, it’s rare to meet a witch at least once, unless they want to be seen”

He looked around making sure no one was listening.

“Especially someone like her”

“What do you mean? She seems like a nice lady to talk to” He replied confused as the archer stared at him in disbelief.

“You really don’t get it… Witches only follow if someone is sacrificing or making a pact to help them, and well you did bring her to our party… Did you fix her gear or anything? Or like did you sell one of the parties out?”

“Uh no?... I just asked her if she wants to join us because she looks strong”

The archer facepalmed “You oaf, witches are strong, especially ones with elements!!”

“I-I…”

The archer sigh as the blacksmith stutters.

“Take it easy, I am not angry or mad… just really shocked that you managed to bring someone like her to our party, I mean what's next, you slept together? HA!” he jokes and slaps his knee but the blacksmith just stares at him.”

“NO YOU DIDN'T!!” he screamed at him in shock that the tavern fell silent and stared at him

“Sorry! Sorry everyone!” The archer apologises as he bows as he takes his seat and the tavern resume their routine with each other.

“Ok, again, no you did not sleep with her… do you have any idea how many knights, kings, and other powerful people try to be with a witch?” he questions with pure confusion on how such like his best friend that he saw days before tripped face first on cow waste.

“Well, it was by accident. You see we just really meet by coincidence as we collect almost the same materials for our things, her witchcraft and my forge, but one day, while we were on our way back, the blizzard was strong, and my lamp can’t last long at that wind” The blacksmith retold his experience and the archer followed up.

“But you know she can like control those right?”

“I didn’t know she was a witch at that time, back then I thought it was just an interest of her, and never saw her use any magic”

“Ah… then you really thought she was just a regular woman up in the freezing cold, spending her days in solitude to gather stuff as her hobby… yeah nothing out of the blue” he sips as he averts his eyes in disbelief.

The blacksmith punched his shoulder “I might not be bright, but I know sarcasm.”

“Ow! Ok ok! Sorry!... just get back on the story on how you did it with her”

“Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. Ok so there we are, and she isn’t using her powers that I didn’t know she had, so one thing in mind is to find cover and spend the night in a cave together.”

He looks at the frosted window seeing the peaks where they were.

“Over there, a cave… and a strong gust of wind that it cuts the blades of grass… So with us inside, I tried to cover it, but with nothing much, the best I told her is for her to catch some sleep, and I’ll sleep behind her to try and block the freezing weather.”

While the archer resting his head on his palm that is resting on the counter, asked

“Was she warm?”

“Warm? I hope so… I gave her my coat”

“Weak”

“Hey, she might get a cold, ok?”

“I am talking about you”

He laughed at the blacksmith and was punched on the other soldier, causing him to tumble off the seat.

He stood up annoyed and didn’t laugh as he stared at him.

“Fine fine, continue”

“Thank you…Now as the night passes by, I woke up early, and saw there's a block of ice, it seems the blizzard has weakened enough that we can get through. I was about to smash it and make a loud noise, but realized, she's sleeping, so, I took one of the fire wood i had and melted a small portion of it to exit”

“As I look at the exit and try to wake her up, the remaining ice block split open clean, and she steps out in freezing cold, but looks like she is still warm!”

“Let me guess that's where it connects she's the ice witch?”

“Exactly! And I asked her ‘wait, you can control the blizzard, why didn’t you stop it yesterday?’ and you know what she told me?”

“Let me guess, she said you were amusing to make a fool out of yourself?”

He flinched as the blacksmith raised his hand, but he was reaching for another mug to drink.

“No actually, she told me ‘You never asked’... can you believe that?”

“Knowing you, yeah, you always act first, serves your right hahaha”

He patted the archer in the back while he was drinking causing him to choke on his drink

“Yeah I can’t hit you cause you do have a point, but yeah, technically we did sleep… What were you talking about tho?”

The archer wipes his mouth clean

“Ah just don’t think about that, thats what I mean”

The blacksmith gathered his stuff and left three coins by the counter as he signaled the tavernkeeper.

“Uh sure, and I’ll cover this afternoon’s drink”

The archer tailed the blacksmith behind as he gathered his gear to, heading to the exit

“Wow, got extra there?”

“Eh kinda, I am gonna do a quick job in the side”

As they exit the tavern, huge pile of snow hit the blacksmith from the top, just specifically on top of him

“Blacksmith, over here, oh hello Archer”

The archer looked at shock, and connected it quickly, as he greets her.

“Hello there witch, seems like you two are gonna do some questing?”

“Frost trolls”

“Yeah, they kinda swamped her area so we're gonna dispose of it and I heard one of them is carrying a rare rune I can use in my forge! I\ll see you around when I am done!”

The witch nodded goodbye, and the blacksmith waved as well as the two went off leaving the archer in the middle of the snow covered road.

By the distance, with his keen sight, he saw the witch walking close and side by side with his best friend.

“I guess a forge is warm enough for an entrance”

Then nature hits him with a pile of snow from the roof of the tavern.