‘Hello, the… the door was open!’ Lan called a moment before he heard footsteps that actually shook the ground coming from down the stairs in the back of the shop. ‘If…’ stomp. ‘if you aren’t open, I…’ stomp. ‘I can come back later!’ Stomp, stomp, stomp. Just as the idea of running away was about to win out. A large brown hand shot through the doorway leading into the dark back of the shop, followed by the rest of the hulking mass of Bronze shaped into a top-heavy man with small round eyes that shone with light and a jaw like a steel trap. Steam filled the room as the other hand of the iron golem grabbed the other side of the door frame and pushed itself through.

‘Gods, what the hell is it!’ A high-pitched voice rang from the golem. Lan had never seen a golem before, even though the ancient race, the first to be made by the gods, was nothing out of the ordinary in some parts of the world. He had to say he was a little disappointed. Not by the golem itself… but by the voice, which had not been what Lan had expected. Though it had the metallic ringing mentioned in the stories, all accounts had said their voices were like Rolling Thunder. ‘Well?’ the golem called.

‘Uh.’ Lan managed as his mind worked to regain itself.

‘Ugh, don’t tell me that the voicebox is broken again.’ it said before light shot from the chest of the golem as it opened, and a small woman with gold skin jumped out. Lan blinked. Although a little disappointed not to see a Golem, a tinker and what he could only describe as a living armour was a good enough consolation. Tinkers were masters of metallurgy. They were said to be closest to the gods in some tellings of their ability to breathe life into metal. Even then, Lan had never heard a story about one making a Golem. The closest to it was Thrain’s chariot pulled by iron horses. She was also much taller than he assumed from the tellings. The Tinker was about two heads shorter than Lan, which wasn’t that short as he was taller than average, her build was slender, but she seemed to have some defined muscle that least where her sweat-soaked sleeveless top didn’t cover. As she stepped forward, she removed the odd covering around her eyes and used them to keep her brown hair out of her silver eyes.

‘I… you’re a Tinker.’ Lan said before he could stop himself and knew he had messed up when she frowned.

‘Yeah, what of it?’ she snapped standoffishly.

‘Nothing! I just have never seen one of your kind before. I have only ever heard of your kind in stories…’ Lan explained with a little shrug, which seemed to work as she looked at him a little softly.

‘Oh, fine then. But I should let you know that I am only half Tinker. My mother is a tinker.’

‘And her father is Human.’ A new male voice said from behind Lan. Turning, Lan was greeted by the chest of a Giant of a man, as tall to Lan as he was to the half-tinker girl and seemingly made in the same forge as the bronze living armour. One of his tanned arms was significantly larger than Lan’s leg, and the two Platinum bands around his wrists made it clear that he was a blacksmith. Lan noted absently that the smith Class Item was the same kind as his father’s. ‘I thought I told you to keep that thing downstairs.’ The man signed.

‘Well, you have a customer. What was I supposed to do?’ she shrugged.

‘You could start by not acting like the ridiculous thing is a part of you. But I will be satisfied with you, not breaking anything on your way down.’ with another shrug and a quick look at him, the girl disappeared back into the bronze golem before it, in turn, vanished down the stairs.

‘Sorry about that, but I don’t get much in the way of customers just walking in, so I guess I am as much to blame for the scare as she is.’

‘Oh! No. if anything, I should be apologising for just wandering in.’ Lan said before realising how ridiculous apologising for walking into an open shop was. ‘And if I am being honest, that Golem was amazing.’

‘Really, most people go running just at the sound of that thing walk… anyway. What can I do you for.’ the man said before he focused on Lan and frowned. ‘sorry, I don’t think I will be able to help you.’ the man turned away.

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‘Wait! Just… just hear me out.’

‘If you are trying to buy a weapon for someone else, then I would caution against it. Even if you know the person, it’s best if they can test the weapon themselves.’

‘Even if it wasn’t for someone else. I have money, so I don’t see why you wouldn’t sell to me. You can tell that I couldn’t even hurt anyone if I wanted to.’ Lan said, and the man shook his head.

‘I know, but what I don’t know is why a Level one would want a weapon, nor how you are even still a Level one at your age alone is enough to tell me that I can’t sell anything to you.

‘There is nothing wrong with me if that is what you are implying.’ Lan said, finding more fire in his words than he had expected.

‘I meant no disrespect, but I still can’t sell you anything.’ the man shrugged.

‘Please. I… I just need something to start as an Adventurer with.’ Lan said he had tried to hide the fact from the other Smiths, which hadn’t helped at all.

‘If you are going to get yourself killed, it won’t be with one of my weapons.’ The man said, although his words held more sympathy than anger.

‘I don’t plan on dying!’ Lan shouted, the words coming on their own. ‘Believe me, I know just how stupid this is. But I don’t have a choice. I lost my apprenticeship, and no one will take on someone my age. If I don’t do something, I’ll end up a burden on those I care about for the rest of my life. You are a smith. Would you take me on even if I begged?’ the man looked on stoically but didn’t answer. ‘this is the only way I can take back my life…’ Lan looked into his eyes, daring him to look away. ‘I know it’s dangerous, but I don’t plan on dying.’ A moment passed, and Lan started to feel like he must have sounded crazy. When the man spoke.

‘You said you lost your apprenticeship?’ Lan told the man about what had happened over the last few days. And even though it had been embarrassing at first, and he found himself leaving out most of the parts to do with Eliza, the more he spoke, the easier the words came. When he reached the end, Lan was almost a little disappointed he had run out of things to say. At some point, the girl came back up and where, as her father showed no emotions. Her’s, was a red hot fury, stomping around and muttering to herself. Honestly, it made him feel better, so much so that the idea of leaving without a weapon again didn’t sting so much. That was until the man moved over to a rack of spears and pulled one free.

‘You don’t have any combat skills, and with your hand injured, you aren’t going to be able to do much anyway.’ Lan had wrapped his cut hand with a handkerchief that had bled through. Really Lan would need to see a healer; it was only then he realised what the smith was doing.

‘You mean…’

‘You said that you don’t plan on dying, right. I am going to hold you to that, and it will be a little easier with this.’ He said as the girl looked on with a mix of surprise and horror. ‘And there is no other way that I can think of to help.’ he walked over to the counter and placed the spear on it. For a moment, Lan just stood there before his body started to move on its own, worried that the man would change his mind. Reaching for his coin, Lan dropped it onto the floor, as his hand shook from the pain and adrenaline.

‘Aren’t you going to ask how much it is?’ the girl said as the man looked at Lan as if he was reconsidering his decision.

‘Oh, right.’ he said quickly

‘That will be a gold dragon.’ Lan blinked. That was more than he had expected, not as much as the others had offered to sell for, but still a lot. He looked over to the rack just to make sure. And found that the smith was greatly undercharging him. ‘You do have enough, right.’

‘Yeah!’ Lan said, reaching for the money his mother had given him. It was the first time he had looked at the amount. Three gold. His father’s craftmanship had always been great. Lan placed one of the large gold coins on the counter, which the man picked up with more confidence than Lan did with the spear. Although that was more to do with trying to stop his hands from shaking.

‘You are going to need some armour. Not only because it is a smart idea, but you will stand out less with it.’ the man said, nodding to the girl. Who, after a moment, nodded back and rushed down the stairs and returned with a leather breastplate and helmet.

‘Oh, I don’t.’ Lan tried.

‘Don’t worry, you can pay for this when you get back.’ he said, stopping Lan.

‘It’s not the best armour, but it will stop a blow or two, and it’s the best you can get at your level.’ The girl said, lifting the unbuckled armour up and wrapping it around Lan before dashing behind him and bucking the straps. Before Lan could say anything, she handed him the helmet and ran behind the counter again.

‘Uh, are you sure?’ Lan asked, looking at the helmet.

‘No point in making you take it off now.’ the man shrugged. ‘hold onto it. Now, I would head off. If you leave now, you might be able to join and find a team that will take you before most of the morning crowd leaves.

‘R-right.’ Lan nodded and headed for the door, maternity taken by the energy of the moment, before stopping and turning to the two. ‘Lan, my name is Landrin, but people just call me Lan.’ Lan said, and the man smiled for the first time.

‘I guess you are planning on coming back. the name’s Cawl.’

‘And I am Cali.’ The girl smiled.

‘Cawl and Cali… Thank you.’ Lan said and stepped out into the city.