Chapter 158 - A Bloody Night

"What if I triple the payment?" Ursha asked, looking straight into the receptionist's eyes. 

"I'm really sorry, young sir. We can't accept any orders right now. All our smiths are busy, " The gorgeous receptionist gave an apologetic look. 

"It only requires a little mending. See,  it is just a little dent. " Ursha flashed his sword. The black astra was giving off a sinister aura. It must have tasted the dark blood of demons. 

The receptionist of the smithy, who had seen all kinds of treasure, didn't even spare a glance at the weapon. She continued to jot down something in her rusty log. 

"Sorry, sir. We can't help you. Please try to understand. Our smiths have to finish their orders on time. They can't be disturbed."the gorgeous lady said without looking up. 

Ursha sighed. He looked  at his most cherished sword. Mridali was not just an astra to him. It was his companion, his natal astra. Without it his fighting prowess would take a nosedive. 

"What about our new master smith? " a voice cut in. Ursha looked at the newcomer. It was an apprentice of his age. 

"Durjaya! Don't drag me into your conflict. " The smile disappeared from the pretty face of the receptionist as she saw the youngman. 

"What conflict? I just want you  to not tarnish our smithy's name, by rejecting our guest's order." Durjaya said, putting on a serious face. 

"Don't talk nonsense. No smith is free right now, how can I accept more orders? Will you  finish them?"  the lady glared at Durjaya. Her hatred for the young apprentice was as apparent as day to Ursha. 

"I'm talking about our new master smith.  I'm sure he can mend an one -star sword. " Durjaya said. 

"He is busy too. He still has five astras to finish." 

"It means you haven't checked his log." Durjaya said with an evil smile. 

"I checked it yesterday. His due date….." replied the lady as she turned over the pages. Her words froze in her throat. 

"How is it possible?" her jaw fell to the floor.  "I checked it last night. Five astras were due to him." 

"Don't judge his great personality with your puny common sense. Forging five astras in a day is nothing to him.  " Durjaya sneered. "Now accept this guest's order. " 

The lady gave him an annoyed glance. 

"I'm sorry. I still can't accept the order without his permission. He has completed his monthly assignments. Now it is upto him if he wants to take more orders or not.  "  said the receptionist. 

Hearing their conversion a hope arose in Ursha's heart.Perhaps his Mridali could be mended. 

"Please talk to him. I can't win my next duel tomorrow if my sword doesn't get mended.  " Ursha pleaded, giving his most pitiful look to the receptionist. 

However, it didn't work. The lady shook her head and told she would ask this new master smith when he would come to summit his day log as per smithy codes. So she must wait till morning. Nothing could be done.  Ursha put away his sword with a dejected face. 

"Don't worry , friend. I will help you out." Durjaya said. 

Ursha couldn't understand why the apprentice was so hell bent on helping him. However, he saw nothing wrong taking the youngman's help.  So he thanked Durjaya, who led him straight to the forge where the master smith, who had finished five astras in a day, worked. 

According to the apprentice, he could request the smith directly. 

Unlike other forges, this forge had no name. Ursha gave a last look to Durjaya's disappearing back, and placed his hand on the yantra.The  cold sensation of spirit seeped into his hand, and with a loud clang gate open, revealing a messy hall before him. 

Ursha waited for someone to come out. However, when even after a long time no one came out to answer the door, He decided to step in. 

The black metal shut behind him.

All of sudden, he felt as if the walls, which were covered with diagrams, yantras, were watching him. 

"Who are you?" a gruff voice echoed in the quiet chamber. Ursha  looked around for the speaker, but no one came in his sight, except scattered scrolls and parchments. 

"I'm Ursha. I want to meet the master smith." He still replied. 

"Does he know you?" the voice asked after a momentary  pause. 

"No." Ursha replied. He discovered the voice was coming from the wall, it was as if the forge was talking to him. 

"Then please leave. He is in a crucial experiment right now. Please come tomorrow.  " The door clanged open again. 

"Please, it is very important. I can't fight in the next duel if my astra doesn't get fixed. " Ursha pleaded. 

"Who is it, Viswa?" a young voice came from inside. 

"Just a minor nonsense, master. I'm driving him away." the voice replied in a worshiping tone. Ursha couldn't help but be surprised.  Who did this young voice belong to? For some reason it sounded familiar to him, however he couldn't recall where he heard it. 

"Leave, boy. Or I will  throw you out. "  the voice  threatened Ursha. 

'What the hell? It is how you treat your customer.' Ursha thought in his mind. He glanced at the gate leading to a deeper part of the forge, probably to the furnace, as he bit his lips. 

All of a sudden he rushed towards. 

"Hey! Where the hell are you going?"  The gruff voice shouted. Ursha felt  the floor beneath him turn to jelly.  He  flew off, and soon  he was in the main forge. 

A young man  with his back towards him was sitting before a black pitcher. A frightening face made of flames was hovering over it. A shiver ran down Ursha's spine as his eyes fell on the pot. 

Glowing syllables of a spell were floating around the young man with curly black hair. There was another man sitting like a statue a  few feet away from the boy.  The man's hair was grizzled like Lemora's. He must be the master of the forge. Ursha flew down. Surprisingly he saw no dragon and helper beasts like bears in the forge. 

The commotion  must have startled the old man, as his eyes snapped open.  The old man glared at him. 

With rage his lips quivered, 

"How you dare to burge in, lad? Don't you know entering into a forge without the smith's permission is a crime. An offense equal to  theft."  The old man thundered, a bone crushing pressure bore down on Ursha. The sursenian face turned pale. 

What kind of power it was! Strangely, the whole building  was responding to the old man's wrath. 

In his thirteen years of life, Ursha had never heard of this bizarre power. No one but house anima could command a building, and thus could cause such a phenomenon.  However, the old before him was not a house spirit. He was a really human being just like him. The aura around him couldn't be faked. 

" Please sir. I really need your help. " Ursha circulated the spirit, to prevent his knees from buckling down. The sweat drops appeared on his broad forehead. 

"This didn't give you the right to burge into my forge. I doubt your motives. Tell me who has sent you here." 

Ursha felt the air around him freezing.  The pressure on him intensified.  The sursenian gasped for breath as he weaved a shield. However, it didn't relieve his agony. The shield shattered like a mirror. 

"Apprentice Durjaya ..told me to come here.. "  Ursha blurted out. Horror filled his brave heart as he realized the element around him was not responding to him anymore. 

"Sure enough! You really have no good intention, " The old man said as his eyes changed their color. "You've come here to disturb my master."

Ursha was not a fool. He soon realized  why the apprentice was so eager to help him out.  Durjaya had set him up. What did the old man mean  by 'my master'? Wasn't he the master smith of the forge? 

Baffled, Ursha glanced towards the boy who was chanting some strange spell.  The black pitcher had now turned golden, and was shining brightly. The frightening face of flames had vanished. 

Was this young man the master smith?  Suddenly a rumor that he had heard in Minaak flashed in his mind. 

And his eyes widened as realization dawned on him. 

Just then Ursha felt something tightening around him.  Frightened, he tried to wriggle out, but his struggle hastened the process. 

"I'll make sure that little punk never dares to mess around with my master again. How does he dare to send his puppet here?"  The old man growled as he looked worriedly towards the young man. 

"Please sir,  You have mistaken me for someone else. I don't have any bad intentions. Believe me I only wanted to request the master to repair my astra." 

Ursha realized he was no match for the old man. If he continued resisting he might lend himself in serious trouble. 

He should have brought the old man with him. 

"I don't care. You dare to burge in my forge. You will pay for it.."

"What is going on, Viswa?" All of a sudden the young man cut in as he  got up.