Jim followed Paxx down the high street, the pair in deep conversation as they weaved through the crowds of people. The street was alive with an air of determination and adventure. Teams of people shopped and displayed feats of elemental magic in the streets as Kurura’s flew overhead. Jim passed a small band of buskers playing a melodic and longing tune, not too far from a Hanz Zimmer esc movie theme track.
The high street itself was cobbled, its buildings a perfect mix of chaotic architecture. Some were small dank huts of wood and cloth, others brick and tiled. One in particular caught his eye, a large round colosseum esc open air shop, the banging and clanging of metal could be heard screaming in shouts from its direction.
“There it is! Wiggenfire’s Smithery.” Paxx said as he pointed towards the building.
“Great, cheers for the directions, it’s bloody chaos round here.” Jim said.
“The team helps the team.” Paxx said with a nod and smile at Jim.
“We need to meet the others in about half an hour, so chop chop! Ohh I almost forgot, I picked you up some potions too, a couple of healing, mana and stamina.” Paxx said as he patted Jim on the butt.
Jim jilted his hips uncomfortably. “Oh, erm, thank you. Means I don’t have to rush this. See you at the boat!”
With a wave of his hand a broom popped into Paxx’s hand, it glistened with a shiny red glimmer and he jumped on to the handle. With a kick of his foot Paxx took to the air.
“Ta ta my darling!” Paxx shouted waving a royal wave to Jim as he sped off into the air.
Jim readjusted his mind, it was time to find something useful. He had the knowledge of great technologies in his head and this world seemed to lack any real firepower, the firepower that would hopefully give him an advantage.
By no means did Jim want to reintroduce the world to the atom bomb, no world needs that hell unleashed if he could help it. But a couple of high power explosives to send in the direction of some monsters wouldn’t hurt.
He stepped into the open doorway of the building, the smell of metals overpowered his senses along with a lingering heat in the air.
A desk at the front of the building hosted a woman, around the same height as Jim’s 5ft Mul height. She was dressed in white overalls, with thick dark dreadlocked hair and dark olive skin. The desk she leant against was metallic and long with a few small items on top. Behind her weapons reflected the sunlight brightly, filling the entrance with shimmering lights.
Jim stepped towards the desk, and rang a small bronze bell.
“Welcome to Wiggenfire’s, experts in forgery, metallurgy and weaponry, I’m Mora apprentice smith, how can I help you today?” She said enthusiastically in a thick bouncing Irish accent.
“Top of the Mora’ to ya!” Jim said with a smile.
“HA! I’ve not heard that one before.” She said with a snorted giggle.
“Really?” Jim asked.
Her face turned square and unmoving.
“I’ve heard it a thousand bloody times, what do you need?” She said, her body language turning cold.
“Oh sorry, that’s embarrassing.” Jim’s cheeks filled with rosy embarrassment.
“Yes, yes it is.” She said with a brazen blink of her eyes. “Now what can I help with?”
“Oh, right, erm I’m after some components. Something that can hold a high pressure, maybe around 50,000 joules. I’ll need something that can withstand that pressure and allow for a wick and have a tube/barrel to direct the force.” Jim said, as he scoured through a small stack of scroll paper covered in equations and scribbles.
“I’ll need this list of smaller components too if that’s possible.” He ripped out a list from the book and handed it over to her.
Mora untucked a pair of round framed glasses from her pocket, and examined the list. She gave Jim an inquisitive peer above the rim of her glasses.
“Hmmm, are you a smith!?” She asked enthusiastically.
“Not officially. A keen enthusiast you could say.” Jim replied.
“This design is… different! If you're intending to use this as a ranged weapon, why not just use an imbued bow or crossbow?” She questioned him intensely.
“Erm, I don’t know how to make magical things, so this is my solution. If you don’t have these parts, I’ll happily take some smaller metal components.” He shuffled through his notes again.
“Like these?” He handed over another torn piece of scroll.
Mora snatched the paper from his hand and examined it.
“Hmmm, those smaller ones I can sort you out with, I’ll just need to quickly modify some scrap dimensional containers. The bigger version I’m hesitant that you’ll end up blowing yourself up with the pressures you’re calculating. You’ll need to show me some evidence of expertise before I can provide you with them.”
Mora turned and started to pull some baseball sized metallic containers from a draw underneath the weapons racks.
“I'll add those changes now, give me 10 minutes? Oh and 45 copper.”
“That’s great, thanks! Have you got any info on smithing expertise?” Jim asked as his scroll turned to dust and was pulled into his watch for storage.
“Sure, on the board over there. Just to warn yah, it’s tough to get in.” Mora said.
As she did, she touched the rim of her glasses and in a fluttering of lights they grew into thick dark lens goggles. With a click of her fingers a jet blue flame rocketed from her forefinger and she began to weld and cut small baseball sized metal containers.
Jim inspected the board, it was covered in “Sale” items, from second hand weapons to armour and storage utilities. Covered by several posters was a short sign up sheet for the Blacksmith expertise class.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blacksmith Expertise: Novice sign up
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Use: Expertise
Description:Undergoing this course will gain you an expertise in Blacksmithing at the novice rank. This expertise allows for 6 skills to become available to you from the Blacksmith school of knowledge.
Pre requisites:To meet the requirements for admission you must display your enthusiasm for the hammer and forge. You must make an item of your own design. Items to be judged by Sir Hazledown Wiggenfire as a part of the entrance exam.
Entrance exam:There will be an exam on the pre given skill books.
Skill book provided: Blacksmithing through the ages, volume 6. Author: Sir Hazledown Wiggenfire.
Entrance day:2 Months, 3 days, 13 hours.
Cost: 1 Silver
Would you like to enrol for this expertise course?
Yes / No?
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Ohhh yes!” Jim said, as he accepted the prompt.
Ding!
Three notifications appeared in his hololens view.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expertise quest accepted
Blacksmith Expertise: Novice sign up
Item received: Blacksmithing through the ages, volume 6. Author: Sir Hazledown Wiggenfire.
Attend entrance day with a custom item you’ve made.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quest updated: A quick study, knowledge is power after all.
You’ve shown enthusiasm and ability for understanding the formation of magical items.
Seek out a mentor in Verastor who can help you understand magical formation and manipulation to advance your knowledge.
Rewards: Mentorship with Escanor the Forgemage.
Update:
You’ve taken your first steps to finding knowledge. Continue your journey Hero!
+100 Experience
Item received: Smithing Tools & Tool box - Growth
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item received: Smithing Tools & Tool box - Growth
Rarity: Legendary
Use: This item contains 5 smithing tools of Novice rarity. Use these items to create or modify physical materials into crafted items.
Growth item: This item and all tools contained within it are Growth items. These items will grow at the same rank level as the expertise: Blacksmithing. Maximum rank of Mythic!
Current rank: None
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim closed the notifications from his view, a huge smile growing across his face as a book conjured into the air in front of him, dropping into hands. At the same time a large golden tool box dropped to his feet, slamming into his toe.
In a wince of pain Jim grabbed the book tightly as his toe throbbed. The book was ridiculously heavy, its solid metal covering making Jim tense his whole body to lift it. He heaved the book into right hand, clasping it against his body to counter the weight and quickly touched his watch to the book's cover.
Ding!
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to imbue Augment: Holones with data from:
Blacksmithing through the ages, volume 6. Author: Sir Hazledown Wiggenfire.
Yes / No?
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the book absorbed into his watch Jim pressed the Yes selection in his view.
A sharp pain shot through his head as the knowledge was uploaded to the Hololens.
“Ouch!” Jim said as he rubbed his temples.
After a moment or two the pain vanished and Jim regained his composure. The pain in his toe still remained and stung down to the bone. He tapped his watch to the Tool box, it swirled into a golden cloud of dust and gathered into his watch. The pain throbbed in his foot and a distraction he opened his Hololens view, seeing a new tab.
Within the tab, one lonely option was showing “ Blacksmithing through the ages, volume 6”.
Jim pressed the book, and a window opened at Page 1. The image of a dwarf in a firm stance, surrounded by bejewelled weapons and armour adorned the page. Underneath the image the words “Sir Hazledown Wiggenfire. Legendary Weaponsmith to Kings and Queens of Kaldoria.” shivered in a gold lettering.
“I have a VR Kindle, amazing!” He said as scrolled through the interface.
Jim continued to read through the book as he hobbled back over to the desk.
After several minutes the sound of welding and hammering stopped and Mora walked over from a small blacksmithing station.
“All done.” Mora said as her glasses shifted back into her circled reading glasses.
She placed 10 baseball sized metal circles onto the desk, each with a welded spout and metal clips attached to the sides. Jim hobbled over to the desk,
“These are great! Can I ask a quick question?” Jim asked, smiling as he inspected the items.
Mora nodded as she wiped away black stains from her hands.
“The fire finger thing you did, is that a Blacksmith ability?” Jim said as he began to absorb the items into his watch.
“Sure is, if you’re lucky you might get it in your selection if you get in.” She clicked her fingers and a blue jet engine like flash ignited at her fingertips.
“Oooooh that’s awesome, I can’t tell you how many times I could have used that! This one time, my snag-chord broke whilst mid walk, imagine it landed somewhere in China eventually. If it made it through the atmosphere!” Jim laughed to himself.
“What’s China? And what’s an atmosphere, some kind of magical orb?” Mora asked, confused by Jim’s ramble.
“No it’s not a sphere, well it is.. But it isn’t. It’s around the planet?” Jim tried to hurriedly explain.
“Around the planet?” Mora questioned.
“Yup! Used to have a big hole in it too but I imagine that’s a different situation now actually.” Jim said as he inspected the final item, paying little attention to his words.
“You are very odd aren't you.” Mora said as she hung on his words.
“I’ve been told that quite a lot recently.” Jim said, giving her a smile.
He placed a pile of copper pieces on the desk.
“I’ll see you in a few months Mora! Thanks for the gear.” He said.
“What’s your name by the way, odd stranger?” Mora said as Jim turned to leave the store.
“Jim!” He shouted as the sounds of hammering filled the air.
Mora took a small notepad from inside of her pocket, taking a note. She had no doubt she wouldn’t forget the little odd man, but this world was full of oddities and he was one to add to the list.
Jim made his way out of the shop in a slow hobble, his toe still throbbing from the tool box’s conjuration and subsequent drop onto his foot.
He made his way slowly down the street, the music and spirit of adventure filling his heart as he passed the band.
“Meat sticks! Get your meat sticks!” A loud voice bellowed as Jim walked in front of a market stall.
He approached the stall, the smell of fresh rotisserie meat filling his senses.
“Oooooh that smells so good, five please!” Jim asked.
The large squid-like being raised five large sticks of meat with five individual arms towards Jim.
“5 copper please.” The squid-man said in a bubbling voice.
“Cheers mate!”
Jim took the hot sticks of meat, and hobbled his way towards the dock.