Kael let the words sink in while he repositioned the bellows.
He didn't like being lectured, but the dwarf wasn't wrong. Kael's whole "I can make anything" phase had only worked because he had a cheat code in his hand. Cheats get you killed when they disappear.
Kael nodded to Andre and proceeded to the next step.
"Shovel the old ash out, then get some fresh coal. There's a sack round the corner, if it ain't rotted through yet."
Kael followed the gesture and found the sack. It wasn't hay, it was coarse burlap, stiff from age, dust caked into the fibers. He lifted it and felt the weight shift like stones inside. Coal. Real coal.
He dragged it closer, crouched, and started clearing the forge. The old ash was thick, greasy in places, like something had burned wrong. He scooped it into a bucket along with dead coals, the mix staining the metal with a fine black film.
