Chapter 38: The Art of Clay
Through the door, came one of the strongest people I have ever encountered in all of my time on RuneScape.
He wore a long, billowing spotted cape, which looked like it had been made from the fur of the strongest animals. He wore two huge boots of lightness, and his resplendent, shiny white suit clearly showed all of his bulging muscles. He wore a huge amulet with a glowing gem inside. He was holding a small, sharp dagger, dipped in poison, and I could see my face in his perfect white teeth.
"Hello," he grinned. "I am Haldir6. I am the new Glory Trooper. I've heard of the great misfortune. Well, anyway, I am glad to meet you, Mainiac9-". He stopped in mid-sentence, as if shocked by the name. He shook my hand firmly, and patted me on the back. I smiled back at him politely.
I looked at the clock and gasped. It was almost ten minutes past the time I was supposed to be meeting Clayguy7! I apologised to Aubury and Haldir6, and rushed off to Varrock square.
As I left Aubury's shop, I remembered about my travel partners-Osrie1, Capablanca, Amy11, Mark, and Slinky! I wonder where they were right now….probably saying goodbyes, getting ready, stockpiling for the journey we were going to set off for tomorrow.
I arrived, panting, at the Varrock fountain. As usual, the tall, burnished stone fountain stood proudly, spurting crystal-clear water, standing as a monument to Varrock. By it, Clayguy7 stood there, tapping his foot impatiently, with a bucket of raw clay and another two empty buckets by his feet.
"Finally!" he shouted his face taut with rage. "You're late, kid! Shape up, or your head goes in the fountain!" I stuttered an apology, shaking in my shoes. "Well, at least you're wearing working clothes," Clayguy7 said.
"Well, to start off, fill one bucket with water," he barked. I did so, flinching every now and then. "Now, put a bit of clay in the water." I picked up a lump of solid clay, and dunked it in the water. I picked up the clay. It felt strangely soft in my hand. I put it in the other bucket.
I repeated the process under Clayguy7's watchful eye. When the bucket was filled with soft clay, Clayguy7 gestured for me to follow him.
We went through West Varrock, holding buckets of clay. We continued, until we reached a wooden bridge.
It was very small, rotting and rickety. A ferocious river ran underneath. The bridge looked on the verge of collapsing, and didn't feel like it could support out weight.
"Well, this bridge is the robust entrance to Barbarian Village," Clayguy7 said flamboyantly. He skipped across, the bridge creaking noisily. I gulped nervously, and tiptoed across.
After I finally reached the other end, I was in Barbarian Village. Around me, filthy wooden huts stood, held together by mud. People wearing special Barbarian, shiny-brown armour, furs, with huge axes, marched around, doing their every-day chores. A mine filled with solid rocks stood there, with a trapdoor among them. Clayguy7 gestured for me to follow him. Nonplussed, I followed him into a nearby hut. He closed the door behind us.
Inside, it was hot and cramped. A huge clay oven stood in the corner, while pottery devices were nearby. Shelves of clay art were near. There was a Barbarian nearby, using the clay oven to harden a clay pot, who nodded at us. I smiled politely back at him.
"Now, kid, do what I do," Clayguy7 said. He grabbed a lump of clay from the bucket, and put it in the pottery device. It began to turn. The powerful mechanism began to make a clay shape, with help from Clayguy7's hands.
"You see, kid, this machine can't operate by itself. I need to use my hands to carve what I want, as well as making use of that mould up there. The machine just turns and helps make the shape in the pot/bowl/model. The clay would collapse if I wasn't a high enough level," he said. He showed me his cape. It was a crafting skill cape! I gasped with amazement and appreciation. He winked at me, and grinned. "I'm glad you like it," he said, smiling.
When he finished carving, a decorated clay pot was the finishing result. He stepped back, put a lump of damp clay in my hands, and gestured for me to try and carve.
"What's your Crafting level?" he asked me. I checked my book, which told me I was only level 3. I showed him, and he guffawed.
"If you want to learn how to carve from clay, you need practice!" he said. I gulped, went forward, and put the wet clay on the mechanism.
It began to spin around slowly. I took a pot mould from the shelves, and put it on top of the spinning clay. I fashioned it into the shape I desired. I swirled different patterns into it, getting wet, sticky, muddy clay all over my hands. Just as I was about to take it out the mould, I heard shouts and screams outside. The clay collapsed in my hand, and, ignoring it, I ran outside to see what was going on.
A huge, jewel-encrusted horse-ridden cart was passing through Barbarian Village. Several sturdy, strong guards marched along with it. Inside the cart was King David. He was grinning, his shiny white teeth showing, waving at the crowd of cheering Barbarians and miners.
"Greetings, people! I am on my way to the great city of Lumbridge to donate some of my soldiers to help fight against the growing goblin problem. I will then journey through Seer's Village to Ardougne, where my official votes will be taken in. If successful, I will earn more power and I will be that much closer to make my dream come true!" David announced. There was an explosion of tumultuous applause from the crowd that had gathered. King David nodded at the person driving the carriage, and it continued on its journey.
As the carriage rumbled away noisily, sending gravel and dirt everywhere, a man in a long, billowing black robe watched silently from the distance. I paid him no attention, though.
I returned to the clay house, and swore loudly as I saw my collapsed remains. Clayguy7 guffawed heartily as he saw me grunt with impatience, and try to remodel my clay pot.
After at least ten long, gruelling minutes of remodelling, I had a normal, flour-carrying pot. The only problem was, it was damp, sticky, and on the verge of collapsing. I picked it up gingerly and carried it slowly to the clay oven. I placed it inside carefully, and turned a knob on the panel below to stitch on the flame. I watched the pot slowly harden, and the finishing result was a perfect clay pot!
I picked it up, turned the oven off, and showed it excitedly to Clayguy7. He examined it, and nodded curtly.
"That seems OK to me," he said. "Continue working, and you will be rewarded well."
I spent the rest of the day working as hard as possible. I went to the mines, mined bucketfuls of clay, wet them, and made them into pots. I also told the travelling gang that we would be leaving a bit later, and that they should meet me this evening in Barbarian Village.
Sooner or later, I learnt how to decorate them, and I raised to a high enough level to make bowls too. When evening began to come, Clayguy7 called me off my work. He was grinning widely.
"Kid," he said. "You've been working hard. You will be rewarded. My first reward to you is all the experience you received. Secondly, I haven't been sitting on my behind doing nothing all day. I've been doing a spot of cooking." He pulled a meat sandwich from his bag. "Lunch is on me, kid." I thanked him rapidly, and began chewing vigorously on my delicious sandwich.
"Your third reward," he continued, "is this." He pulled a pot from a nearby shelf. "While you were at the mines, I made that sandwich, but I also made this just for you."
The pot was brilliant. Masterfully crafted, dedication, experience and hard work oozed from every corner of it. It had a pattern of pickaxes, swords and helmets, all entwined, on it. The solid clay felt strong in my hands. As I gawped, amazed, at this piece of art, Clayguy7 grinned.
"All yours," he smiled. "I'm guessing you like it, so I'll give you my final reward-my respect and my debt. You've done a full day of work for me-I am in your debt now. If you ever need something clay, a helping hand, whatever, just see me here. This, as well as my workplace, is my home." He shook my hand, and waved at me as I went out the door.
I saw the travelling pack-Osrie1, Amy11, Capablanca, Slinky, Mark, and even Haldir6 had come to greet me. Smiling, I walked forward, but I bumped into a very tall, very muscular Barbarian on the way out. He stared at me, scowling.