Ardin in the Woods

[Ardin Gallagher]

Walking through the forest, Ardin sees a glint from a rock. Investigating, he notices the discolouration in the rock signifying of an ore of sorts but despite his attempts cannot manage to extract any usable part. Hearing a twig snap behind him, he turns to see a pair of white horns through the trees.

"Ah, hello Mavla, just the person I wanted to see here. I've found some ore in this rock, but I can't seem to get it out. Perhaps you could help?"

[Malva]

"Oh, hey." She waves and makes her way across the rugged terrain.

Finally, she makes it to Ardin and the rock. "Now what've we got here..."

She steps up to the boulder and looks up, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun.

"Some kind of sulfide..." She glances over to Ardin "A sulfide is a mineral containing sulfur. Usually sulfur and a metal like iron, copper, or lead."

"I'd need to get closer though..." She says, peering back up at the rock that's just out of arm's reach.

[Ardin Gallagher]

"Oh, of course"

Ardin steps to the side, allowing Malva access to the rock as he watches what she does.

[Malva]

"Uh-um..." Malva is slightly confused by Ardin's reaction.

Not to be flustered for too long, she turns and gazes out over the forest before zeroing in on a log a few meters away.

She points at it. "Can you help me carry that over here so I can stand on it and reach a little further?"

[Ardin Gallagher]

"Oh, okay."

Ardin goes over to the log and drags it back towards the rock, dropping it at the base of the rock.

[Malva]

"Thank you."
Malva steps up on the log and takes a closer look at the ore.

"Sphalerite: we can harvest this for tin, iron, and sulfur. And look, there's pyrite here too. The red color indicates that it's blood pyrite, which is incredibly useful alchemically."

[Ardin Gallagher]

"Interesting, and how to we extract the Sphalerite for each of it's ingredients? They seem interwoven to me."

[Malva]

She stops and thinks for a second...

"I don't know, that's more of a smith's job isn't it?" She chuckles. "Probably something using densities and melting points..."

"Anyhow, let's just get the sphalerite and pyrite out for now. The pyrite is simple because it cleaves easily; just hit it at the right angle and..." She grabs a nearby rock and smacks the pyrite. "... it breaks into little cubes like this." She shows them to Ardin and then tucks them into a pouch in her bag.

[Ardin Gallagher]

"Seems simple enough."

Ardin takes the rock and hits the pyrite, causing some cubes to break off after a few attempts.

"Ah, there we go."

[Malva]

"Nice."

"The sphalerite will be a little more tricky; there's no easy way about it. I don't suppose you've brought your rock hammer with you?"

[Ardin Gallagher]

Ardin digs around his bag and hauls out his mining tools, passing the hammer to Malva.

"Here you are."

[Malva]

Malva nods, impressed. She takes the hammer.

"The skill here is to find the way to break it that will get the most ore and the least of the host rock."

She turns to inspect the rock and mumbles "And also not injure yourself..."

She gives the rock a good smack with the hammer and off comes a chunk of sphalerite.

"Here, there's a little left, you try."

[Ardin Gallagher]

Ardin begins hitting the rock, a little too hard at first as bits of rock fracture, but calms his hand and gets the remaining bit of sphalerite out.

[Malva]

"Good job."

(Singing off on Geology whatever-it-was for Ardin)

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