"I need to 'find' a metal on Harrogath," Rumlow said, handing vibranium to Talic.
"Interesting stuff. Show it to Bul-Kathos; I don't know metals," Talic said, squeezing it before tossing it back. "Want materials? Try this." He pulled a cloth-wrapped Misty Crystal from his pack. "One of Bul-Kathos's go-to forging materials. I won't give it to you—find it in a trial if you're lucky."
Talic glanced at the crystal, then Rumlow, enthusiasm fading. Only Bul-Kathos, the last living smith, could forge it now. "Ask him to craft it."
"Who says?" Anda Kurgas's voice boomed. A master smith who forged Oathkeeper, he scoffed. "Lasuk could forge a Misty Crystal easily!" Lasuk, Arreat's fallen smith, died with his forge against demons.
"Lasuk's a fine choice," Talic agreed, used to ancestors appearing. Anda's presence unnerved Rumlow.
"You're the fool Mokot saved?" Anda sneered, not out of hatred but curiosity about what impressed Talic and Mokot.
"That's me," Rumlow said, unfazed. Harrogath had rekindled his sense of justice, letting him face his past sins. "The ancestors think I can right those wrongs."
Anda snorted. "Proof of Shame—a weird legend." He vanished. The weapon, strongest when restraining rage, clashed with barbarian ethos. Suppressing fury, their power's source, was as detestable as wizard tricks.
"He's always like that," Talic said, waving it off. "Ready for my trial? Your buddies will take a while to climb."
He didn't underestimate Hawkeye's team, but not every brave warrior could scale Harrogath. They'd wander for days, giving Rumlow time to train.
Nearby, Luke and Matthew hadn't noticed the newcomers, but Madoc had. Though he and Talic guarded Arreat for centuries, they clashed. Madoc didn't mind Proof of Shame but disliked Talic's habit of offering redemption to all. His recruits died heroically, yet Madoc scorned those with tainted pasts.
"Luke! Break's over!" Madoc kicked open the courtyard gate, brandishing a cudgel. Luke and Matthew were used to his dramatic entrances—barbarian doors were flimsy planks.
"Coming!" Luke dodged, but a thud rang off his Star Helm. It showed him armor's value, unlike his old reckless, tough-skinned ways.
"See you tonight, Luke," Matthew said, heading for Raekor to hasten his trials and confront the Hand.
Bul-Kathos finished his car, using engine blueprints from Coulson. His masterful craft, infused with Breaths of Death and Sakara's Pauldrons' Indestructible power, was complete. Now, he'd test the thrill of driving.
The massive pickup sat outside, adorned with barbarian flair: a Resonating Skull hood ornament and a huge roof-mounted battering ram. No mere transport, it screamed power. Arcane dust solved suspension issues, and ruby-powdered universal material mimicked rubber tires, also Indestructible. Glass? Too tedious for Bul-Kathos—better left to Shen the Greedy.
"Looks great," Coulson said, arriving to avoid traffic department hassles. Comparing it to his own car, he kept praise brief.
"Wanna ride?" Bul-Kathos offered, ignoring Jill's eager eyes. Confident the truck could crush tanks, he still didn't trust a kid in a vehicle he'd never driven.
"No thanks. Harrogath have a driving school?" Coulson declined.
"You really gonna drive this on the road?" Coulson asked, exasperated by barbarian stubbornness. He'd tried dissuading Bul-Kathos from car-making, earning only scorn.
"It's for Harrogath. What's the issue?" Bul-Kathos said, puzzled. The car was a toy to kill time, not a Crusader's summoned steed.
"I'll handle the paperwork. Please read the traffic rules," Coulson conceded.
Since Fury sent Rumlow and Hawkeye to Harrogath, Coulson visited daily, tasked with monitoring Bul-Kathos and probing their rapid travel between locations—a secret as vital as the unbreakable crystal vial's material.
(Chapter End)