Beam POV: Day 69
Current Wealth: 25 gold 24 silver 14 copper
Solitaire had more magic lessons, so he’d headed off and left me with only a hastily scribbled “shopping list” on a piece of parchment. The sheer luxury of having readily accessible writing tools again, after so long, was almost enough to make me overlook how god-awful his handwriting was.
Seriously, it was almost supernatural how bad it was. Like reading something a 5 year-old had scraped out. A 5 year-old who was busy being tasered as he wrote it. Maybe people only had so much brains, and geniuses like him just put them all in a handful of places rather than spreading them out more easily.
Thankfully I could still just about make it all out, and the volume, at least, was extensive enough.
He’d separated it into two main sections, the first was elements, the second was various materials that those elements were found in. I assumed all would be easy enough to get in Elswick, Solitaire tended to avoid making the sort of mistake it’d be to accidentally suggest I somehow find petrol or something- but either way it was hard to imagine that I’d actually need to worry about such things.
Probably, my friend was vastly overestimating how quickly I’d pick up blacksmithing. I’d done some back home, of course, it hadn’t just been a passing fancy on my part that I mentioned it. But it’d never been more than a hobby for me. I knew the simple techniques of the trade, and I’d take a while longer than most to get blisters, but if I tried to make money from my meagre skills, I’d starve to death.
The blacksmith was right where he’d been when we first entered, hunched over his anvil, face down and eyes tight with concentration. I knew better than to interrupt a look that compressed, so I just waited patiently while he tortured the hot metal in his hand. He was nice and quick about it, this time, and it occurred to me that he probably found himself hurried by the knowledge that he was keeping the people that had dumped 100 gold on armour and given him a design from the future waiting.
“Morning.” He grunted, eying me, and I smiled.
“Morning.” I replied. My glance flickered to his forge, already hot despite only having been ignited a few minutes ago. Amazing how quick things could get started. “I’m here for a few repairs.”
He snorted, at that, actual amusement, unhidden and unabashed. The blacksmith’s look wasn’t derisive, though. “I’ll bet.”
I frowned, uncertain suddenly. “I’m sorry?”
“No, I’m sorry.” The man answered quickly. “I assumed you knew, news of your group’s attack on that fort has already made it across Elswick. I’m not surprised you took a few lumps in it, what needs fixing?”
I held up Solitaire’s helmet. “My brother’s piece, one of the fittings was damaged, and a bit of the metal got buckled as well.”
He took it between his hands, eying it studiously, humming to himself. “Could’ve been worse.” He noted. “Orcs are bloody strong things, their muscles are double the power of our own, maybe more. Judging by the angle, I’d say it was probably the armour that kept this from being a death blow.”
I was glad Solitaire wasn’t actually here, because he’d definitely have been an asshole about hearing someone note that their armour stopped an attack. I had more tact, just nodding and going along with it. Hiding my eagerness to sidestep the beginnings of our conversation.
“So can you fix it?”
The man glanced at me sidelong, baffled.
“Of course I can, it’s just a broken fitting, I can have it done by the evening if you’re really in need of it. Won’t cost you more than 5 silver, either.”
That was a relief, I’d not liked the thought of possibly waiting with a big, vulnerable opening for Solitaire’s head. It was hard enough keeping him alive already, that man collected ass kickings like Pokemon cards.
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“We can pay that.” I replied, quickly, “But…Would you mind if I watched you work on it? Or…Helped?”
His expression shifted quickly, eyes hardening.
“I’d rather just get the full price.”
“No.” I answered. “No, no, I’m not asking for a discount, I’m asking to…I suppose, apprentice under you?”
Fuck, I was awkward with things like this, and I just knew the guy could tell. He weighed me in that way people often did when they were trying to figure out whether they were talking to an idiot, or being one. He seemed to be zeroing in on the former conclusion, and fast.
“Do you have any experience?” The smith asked me, after a few moments. The question was a pleasant surprise.
“Some.” I told him about my past steps into the career, and he looked pleasantly surprised.
“It's not usual to find a man with so much time spent in a trade he doesn’t practise.” The smith observed. “You and your brothers, you…Nobles? Something like that?”
I’d probably have made the same guess, in his position, and I racked my brains trying to think of which way would be best to handle it. Xangô and Solitaire had both seemed settled that nobility would be a good way of gaining the kind of influence we wanted, but Redaclans weren’t lax about plebs just lying about their station of birth like that. It could be more than just risky if we tried to. It could be dangerous.
Better to play it safe, at least for now. Maybe one day we’d have nice, big steam-powered tanks with giant rotary cannons sticking out in every direction, and I could be rest assured in my level 100 self protecting us all. Maybe. That sure as shit wasn’t today, though, and you had to take certain precautions when you were on the lowest rung. I decided to just avoid the question.
“Oh, that depends on which land’s rules you decide to play by. Anyway, what do you say? Up for a new apprentice, or at least assistant?”
The smith eyed me, thought about it, then shrugged.
“Let’s give you an hour and see how much or little you slow me down.”
I grinned. That was good enough for me.
Ardin, as I soon learned the blacksmith was called, was, in fact, a shit teacher. Or maybe I was just a shit student. Either way, it was difficult to follow his instructions. Largely because every other one was just a monosyllabic grunt. I watched for a lot of the process, stepping in only when he decided an extra pair of hands would speed him up. Though rusty, I felt a lot of the old skills resurfacing for me, muscle memory reigniting and sending fingers to twitch away.
My greatest use, apparently, was in actually beating the metal. Ardin appreciated my strength more than a little, and compared to the difficulty of cleaving through solid armour, working the heat-softened materials was ridiculously easy. My nostrils were filled with the fumes of screaming metallurgy, my skin prickling with the irritation of ambient heat, and my eyes watered as hot air blasted my face everytime we squeezed down the bellows. But I persevered, and the metal started shaping itself bit by bit.
He kept me there for much more than the hour, which I realised was probably evidence that I’d at least earned his approval. By the time the work was all done, a few more had passed, and Solitaire’s helmet looked good as new. I grinned, feeling a flood of satisfaction as I eyed it.
The metal was smooth and flawless, glinting the way good steel did in this world, without any blemishes or seams that betrayed the fact of it ever having been reworked at all. I could see Ardin was pleased, too.
“How did I do?” I asked him, eagerly. The man shrugged.
“You’re a good apprentice.” He noted. “Not sure about taking you on, though.”
An idea came to me. A really, really clever one. The sort that Solitaire and Xangô would have, share and then move on without ever even taking the time to dwell on the impressiveness of.
“What if you work for me and my brothers?” I suggested. “You’re a good smith- a brilliant smith- and we could use brilliance, there’s all sorts you could test your skills on with us.”
He didn’t look convinced, and I felt the pressure of a conversation slipping out of my grip.
“Think about the things you’ve made already, we could show you more. You…Have you heard about Xangô’s new weapon?”
“The black powder?”
“No, the thing that spits fire and punches through plate.”
Ardin’s scepticism was thick enough that a bullet would’ve bounced off it, but I could see I’d gotten him thinking, at least.
“Show me what you’re talking about.” He grunted, and I paused, then sighed. “I can’t, yet, but I’ll be gathering some materials for my brother soon, if you want you can help us mix them into the final product.”
His face was like an iron mask, and Ardin just nodded. “Tell me when, then, and I’ll be there to see it.”
I nodded back. “Will do, now if you’ll excuse me, I have some shopping to do…” I took my leave quickly, helmet carried with me, and moved out into the streets. Starting the long process of pondering just where the fuck I’d be finding a sample of molybdenum. And, indeed, what the shit molybdenum even was.