Several weeks had passed and it seemed that the trails were tapering off. However, I decided to go to the library of scrolls and started studying the scrolls. In the library every book was duplicated for the amount of pilgrims that were in the Monastery and they would build a library for each pilgrim, this was to ensure complete isolation.
"Comforter, how many libraries in the Monastery are there?" I asked on my time of respite.
"Immeasurable Rune." He said looking at me as if the number was of no real consequence.
I was not sure what to really study as I was not sure what the next trial would be, however, I liked the words of the shepherd of old, his words seemed to help, and comfort is what I needed for these trials.
In my studying during a storm of extreme violence, Comforter had asked me to follow him to a room. We walked down a narrow corridor, the corridor was very lit, and had names of those who accomplished astonishing things in the name of The Author of Life.
We came to an oval room that had many levels and there was a race of creatures I had never seen before.
"These are the Battican, they are heavenly smiths for a very specific purpose." Comforter explained. They were a very unique race and never saw anything like them in all of my travels.
"You would have not have they only live here and this is their only purpose to create armour for warriors. Rune, you are a warrior, the next test will be your ability to fight off darkness from others, and you cannot move forward until you are rightly equipped." Comforter said, ushering the Battican to take my measurements.
As my measurements were taken, I observed massive amounts of gold slabs coming in from the side, and much to my surprise the gold was carried in my giants of Ironside.
The giant smiled at me. It was strange to see a female hovering over me by several buildings high. Her smile could not have been more genuine. An oddity she carried one entire slab alone.
I had also never seen giants wear garments fit for summer. I had always seen them wearing furs and massive hoods. It was true that giants for most of Nod did not find the giant-folk the most beautiful, but those that served the Author of Life, would all agree that their hearts were the most beautiful in all of Nod combined.
Ballians had short bodies and massive hands that easily worked the lathes with ease and with quick precision. They had these tools that cut the gold like paper. I had never seen tools like this and had no idea where the gold came from in such purity.
They liquefied the gold and put it into moulds that were my exact measurements. The fire they had made kept me from getting too cold as they had a separate room where they were crafting my armour.
I was wondering if the armour would be too heavy for me to handle. I saw Halligan Wood coming in. Halligan Wood was the strongest wood that came from the isle of Camaia. Nothing could bend it. The Giants of Ironside would have contests to see if they could break Halligan poles, not one of them.
Caspian would tell me stories of their games and the tenderness they showed him, he was always amazed at the strength of the wood. Some houses that lived on ocean fronts were made of it, and Caspian had to reinforce the boats when he shipped it. Father would buy copious amounts from Caspian to carry our silks from one location to another without fear. Halligan wood can float but the heaviness when it is stacked had been known to sink ships. Caspian was the first sea farer that mastered a way to ship it all around Nod keeping ships afloat and not having men be buried in their coffins much too soon.
After several hours their crafting of my supplies came out in blue boxes and they stacked in each and presented it to me. The first piece I unboxed was a helmet. Balliman explained that it silenced anything a worker of Darkness would ever say to me. It fit beautifully. There were diamonds on the neck that fastened into the breastplate. The breastplate locked underneath the helmet and the only way to remove the helmet was to press into the diamonds to release the locking cogs that were inside the gold. The breastplate had the ancient language of old inscribed on the sides wrought with an engraving tool made with cautious precision.
"The inscription says, Your heart is guarded against all evil to those that believe in the steadfastness of His love." Comforter said, as his hands made sure that the breastplate came far enough down. There was reinforced diamonds all down the sides to ensure spears could penetrate vital organs. There was an extra plate encrusted with diamonds that had the insignia of my Father's house with the Tree of Life behind it.
"When you pass the trials, you will be buried in this armour and should you die far from home those that are followers of The Author of Life, will know where your body will return." Comforter said with a sorrow that echoed off His words.
The next blue box that one of Ballian gave me were boots. The inside of the boots had spikes on the side very low to the ankle; the spikes were made of Manadix sap. It was the deadliest sap in all of Nod, but it is used to keep deadly snakes out of gardens and around hamlets. Harmless to humans but deadly to all creatures that serve Darkness.
The boots were lined with fur from Ella Island from the furling bird. The furling bird never gets hot or cold; the fur changes temperature to ensure the bird never overheats. Only the Monastery knew where they were kept and how to care for them. Their fur is only used for armour. My mother told me stories of the furlings because she and her family have lived in The Glen since the founding of the Monastery.
My boots were quiet; they were made of shale glass first and then inlaid in gold. Shale glass made no sound at all, we are not sure how it was created, it was one of Nod's mysterious resources some say The Realm created it to combat the worlds of Darkness. However, it was one of those things that confounded me how glass could have no sound. When I walked around my footsteps were silent.
The next box held something that took my breath away. A sword that had wings extending from the hilt and as I touched the hitl the wings interlocked against my hand. Diamonds were placed inside the handle and the blade was perfectly balanced. "The blade is unbreakable and I will not be able to tell you how it is made, only the Ballian know how to make them. We cannot tell anyone how they are made because the servants of Darkness would mimic it. The Ballion-folk live inside the protection of the Monastery but I can assure you this blade will never dull or break, you have my word." Comforter explained as I tried it out. It was the most beautiful sword I have ever seen.
The next box was a shield, on the outside it had every provincial seal in Nod. It was the same height as me, and inside the shield there were scrolls of scripture that unfolded on command while I was in battle. The shield was so large I could camp underneath it for shelter in moments were quiet but I was far from refuge. The shield refracted light and could blind the enemy if manipulated properly.
I stood in the mirror and did not recognize myself. I was completely transformed. "Go and practice using your armour in the training field. You must master all the weapons prior to your next trial." Comforter directed and I followed instructions.
I was assigned a weapons instructor and for the next twelve weeks that was all I learned was how to use my weapons effectively. Some nights exhaustion would murder my body. I would sleep without hesitation and most nights I would even be too fatigued for dinner.