Samuel stood before the blacksmith, arms crossed, his piercing gaze fixed on the massive man. He had heard about the enchanted runes.
"Runes?, what kinds of runes?" he thought towards Helydia, who immediately took on the task of translating the question.
The blacksmith gently placed the rusty blade on the workbench and straightened up before responding, his voice echoing in the forge. Helydia took a moment to formulate his response in the spirit of Samuel. "He says he only has two types of runes in stock at the moment, the first is a sharpening rune, which allows the blade to stay sharp longer, the second is a rune of protection, which makes your weapon more resistant to shocks."
Samuel thought for a moment. In his previous battles, he had already seen weapons break under the weight of repeated blows or during prolonged confrontations. Given the dangers he anticipated, a more durable blade seemed to be the logical choice.
"I choose the rune of protection," he declared mentally, with Helydia taking on the task of conveying his decision to the blacksmith.
The blacksmith nodded with a satisfied expression. He approached a drawer of his workbench and took out a small stone engraved with strange symbols. "I will engrave the rune on your sword," he said, his words quickly translated by Helydia. Then he added, after a calculating pause: "For your sword, it will be 70 silver coins and For your friend's bow 30 silver coins., that makes a total of 100 silver coins."
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Helydia translated the words, and Samuel nodded in agreement. He took a worn leather pouch out of his pocket, carefully counted the coins, and handed them to the blacksmith. The man nodded as he received the money and signaled for them to come back the next morning to collect their weapons.
When the trio finally left the forge, the daylight welcomed them once again. The sun was now higher in the sky, and a light breeze refreshed the air heavy with the smell of burnt metal.
Helydia lets out a heavy sigh while walking next to Samuel. She glanced at Kai, then cast an amused look at Samuel before thinking with exasperation: "With my dress, Kai's tunic—because yes, he wasn't going to stay wrapped in a towel around his private parts as his only clothing—his bow and your sword, we are completely broke."
Samuel, capturing Helydia's thoughts, smiled faintly without saying a word. For him, it mattered little. As long as they were equipped for the battles to come, money held no value.
Kai, walking behind them, nervously adjusted his tunic, Even if he hadn't said a word, he felt grateful to have been promised a weapon suited to his skills. He looked at Samuel with admiration, respecting his calmness and determination.
The group continued their way through the village streets, their thoughts occupied by the trials ahead. They should return to the forge the next morning to pick up Samuel's new sword and Kai's bow.