The weather was getting colder, there was even snow on the ground. It wasn't cold enough that Richard felt he needed some sort of fur coat, but he did want to stay by the heat coming from his forge. It hadn't even been two weeks since he accepted the request from Issac, but he was almost finished with the sword.

Issac himself has not been back since, but he did want the sword finished in four months, which was more than enough.

There was plenty to do just working on the sword, and Richard kept himself busy. He still has not had a chance to study a verlpax up close, however, Issac did say he would do it soon. Richard learned that from the man himself as he sent a letter to him.

This would be his first close-up of a fantasy creature, and Richard wanted to know how it compared to horses. Because going by carriage via horse was slow, yet, it could be done. And has been done many times in the past. What Richard wanted was a speed equal to that or faster, and although the verlpax was large he'd seen it run and the beast was quick. He just had to hope it had a good temperament and was easy to handle.

Animals were not his strong suit, although he did have a dog back when he was younger. That was before he began his crafting journey.

Richard always put his all into his products, but this one he had now was a bit lacking compared to the steel sword he made prior. He's just been so focused on his own goal, that he somewhat neglected the work on the sword. Therefore, he planned on scrapping what was already done. Luckily he had plenty of time to deliver the blade, and spare steel to forge another one.

He could deliver something subpar, but if it wasn't good enough he did not want his name associated with it. He'd much rather be known for his quality than the quantity of his products. That way he could charge more once demand built up, and Richard wanted his damascus weapons to be rare.

"I'm here!" Gregor bellowed as he appeared.

There were snowflakes on the top of his red hair, but it didn't seem to bother the burly dwarf. Behind him was a small cart full of wooden logs. The wood was black, not what Richard was expecting. The wood he usually saw was brown, or a shade of it.

"Is that special?" He asked.

Gregor turned to look at the wood that Richard was pointing at. He shook his head, Darkwood was nothing unique. It was cheap and sturdy, used in most buildings.

When Richard asked him if there was any strong, durable wood that could be used, Gregor knew exactly what to go after. Although Evergreen did not produce this, they had plenty of it. It was one of the only materials that was still sold for a low price here, so he was able to get plenty of it.

"No, not really. What do you need it for? The carriage?" Gregor couldn't help but ask.

Richard nodded his head. He informed Gregor of his idea of creating a transportation method using a carriage, but the dwarf did not seem that interested in it. If it did not have anything to do with forging weapons, Gregor just listened but was never truly interested. He'd entertain the idea and even talk about it, but that's as far as it went.

"Yeah, I'd still have to cut it into planks but that shouldn't be too difficult. How has your progress been on creating steel?" Richard asked as he picked up one of the logs of Darkwood. It was heavy and he was glad it was a manageable size or else he'd never have been able to pick it up. His knees felt like they would buckle if he held it up any longer.

This wood would work for what he had in mind. The base would still be a sheet of metal, and the wood would be used to create the box. A steel frame would help hold it all together.

Hearing Richard switch the topic to something he enjoyed, Gregor's face beamed. "Good, good. Very good in fact. Eight out of ten times it doesn't turn out how I want it, but small steps." Gregor laughed. When he first began he could not figure out how to properly use the charcoal but now he understood. Firestone did not have the same properties as charcoal so there was no way to create steel from iron. Gregor wondered if it could create something else, however. If that was the case he wanted to know what.

"To be expected, with time you'll be churning out more steel with little effort." Richard paused in speaking for a bit before he glanced at Gregor. "To be honest, I was thinking of capitalizing on that. Since steel is not being produced and it is more sturdy than any other material besides that obsidian you all are so happy about, it is an untapped market. You know?"

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This was something Gregor realized on his own, but getting it out would be difficult. Because they'd have to transfer the metal out of Evergreen and reach other towns in order to increase its popularity, as well as create a demand for it. The price would also have to be pretty high, but no one would buy it if they did not understand its value.

These were things that Gregor had to figure out if he even wanted to go down that route. However, he was fine with how things were currently. As long as he could create his masterpiece, he would be content. Money was what he was after.

"I've thought about that, but there would have to be more workers in order to make it viable. Not only that, we'd need a steady supply of iron which we don't have currently. Then there is the price, which would have to begin on the low side just to get it out there, and slowly increase it. If my current project doesn't pan out, then I'm considering doing that. However, there would still need to be a way to transport the material from place to place." Richard explained.

If he could complete a carriage, he could begin doing a lot more. Making the carriages was only a small step in his plan, if he wanted to create something that had not even been thought of yet, he'd have to have a way to move material from place to place in a fast manner. Not only did it have to be fast, he needed whatever method he found to be able to transport a large quantity.

Therefore, it was in his best interest to create a carriage first.

Rubbing his beard, Gregor couldn't help but agree.

"A lot of money would be needed. I can teach Andy what you taught me about steel, but it wouldn't be enough. Not to mention if word gets out then we'd have competition." Gregor said as he thought about hiring some other people from the association.

Richard nodded.

"It's a thought, and as I said if this doesn't work then I can always do that. Right now, I have to recreate that sword for Issac, and configure the carriage to match that of the verlpax." Richard said.

"Bah, that man is only out for his own gain." Gregor fanned his hand.

He knew of Issac, but never met the man. There was no need to meet him, he already knew that the man was just like the other humans. Greedy and only interested in money.

Although now that he thought about it, Richard did seem similar to him in that regard. Except, Richard was a blacksmith with great talent. That bit of information about Richard put him higher on Gregor's likability list. And there weren't too many people on it.

"Aren't we all?" Richard asked but quickly shook his head.

"We could go on all day about this, but I've already made steel plates and I have the model of the hinge I was telling you about. Can you work on six more of them?" Richard asked.

Gregor nodded. "Yeah sure, no problem."

It was better to work with someone than work alone. Richard knew that, but he also had to be careful with who he worked with. If their skills were not that great, he did not want them to help him out. Gregor in this regard was lacking in the same skills are Richard, but the red-haired dwarf was adaptable. He quickly picked up on techniques Richard used and was able to create the pieces needed for the carriage.

It took them a while since they were working on both the carriage and the sword, but progress was being made. There were the trembles that shook the ground, but things were rather peaceful in Evergreen.

It wasn't until the twenith of Frostend that things became a bit more hectic. Richard was out when he saw the tavern was closed. This was unusual as from as far as he could tell it was always open. He wondered if she went out of business, but from what he saw the people here liked to drink a lot.

Then Richard heard a roar, and the ground beneath him shook. It felt like an earthquake. He held the building next to him for support and saw the few other people on the streets doing the same. A few fell down, but oddly enough no one was panicking. Richard felt like they should because he was a bit worried.

He had no idea what was going on.

As the quakes let up Richard saw a few people rush past him. They were heading south, and all of them were men.

Seconds later Richard could hear the sound of drums beating. They were reverberating off the walls throughout the city.

"What's going on?" Richard asked one of the men that was around him.

The man pointed south. "The monster tide, it's here."

"What? Is there somewhere to go?" Richard asked.

"Hide in your home if you're scared, but you're a man. All men are to report for battle during the tide." The man stated as if he was the one who made the rules.

Richard groaned, he didn't sign up for this. Nor was he planning on fighting any wars ever again. Not unless he absolutely had to.

Instead of following the rules, Richard turned and headed back to Gregor's workshop. He was interested in how these monsters looked, but not that interested to go out and fight them. The citizens have been doing this for who knows how long and they've survived, so Richard felt like they did not need him to survive once more.

On his way there he saw windows being shut and doors being slammed closed. People were taking this seriously it seemed.

"You're back?" Gregor asked as soon as he saw Richard.

Andy, his apprentice was loading up arrows and some iron swords. The craftmanship on the swords was not the best, but in a situation where you had to pick up a weapon, this was better than nothing.

Richard nodded. "Yeah, can you tell me what's going on? Someone said this was the monster tide."

Gregor nodded. "Don't worry about it, we blacksmiths don't have to fight, but we have to supply those that are."

"Is it that serious? The monster tide?"

"It is. Those darn beasts won't calm down until the majority of them die. Meaning they'll be fighting for at least a month or longer. Be thankful your skills are good, or else you'd be sent outside the walls to fight. I wouldn't be surprised if someone under Lord Kirk goes to your workshop to find you."