The next morning, Alleria had more caltrops brought over. All the Dwarf and human blacksmiths under Proudmoore had worked overtime to make them out of iron nails. They used the same method as the Elves: clay molds with four nails pointing in different directions.
But they poured molten iron into the molds. This was a rush job, with quantity taking priority over craftsmanship. The only requirement was that however carelessly they were tossed onto the ground, one point would always stick straight up. There were not that many; each person received only thirty. Apparently, every Ranger had been issued thirty.
After distributing the caltrops, the Elves broke apart the clay molds they had made for their iron needles the day before and collected the needles. Yu Lin Bloodhawk took one to examine. The adhesive made from the solution and clay in the shallow depression had set into a hard cone inside the mold.
Yu Lin Bloodhawk tried bending it hard, but it did not break. He applied more force, and it still held. Finally, he gave it a sharp bend with all his strength.
With a sharp crack!, the little lump of hardened adhesive shattered into countless fragments, and the iron nail bent as well.
"Sir... you... I went to so much trouble to make that. Why did you break it?" the soldier asked.
"Ah! I just wanted to see how sturdy it was..." Yu Lin Bloodhawk said sheepishly. "What's this made of? It's pretty tough..."
...The soldier was utterly speechless.
Before long, Rhea came over and handed Yu Lin Bloodhawk a hundred iron needles with a smile. "Here you go, sir."
"There are some for me too?" Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked in surprise.
"I knew you wouldn't have made any, so I made a hundred for you!" Rhea said