Hana led Jinyoung down a path that twisted at odd angles and went up and down uneven steps. Soon, the sounds of haggling shopkeepers faded, replaced by the pounding of hammers and the roar of open flames fed by bellows. The structures were older here, bricks blackened permanently by soot with the telltale signs of fire damage everywhere Jinyoung’s eyes looked.

“Over here.” Hana nodded towards a warehouse that had seen better days. The shutters were permanently raised and the walls were damaged beyond repair. It looked like the structure wasn’t built to stand, it just was.

As they walked in, Hana held her finger to her lips.

While we’re here, let me do the talking. The forgemaster knows me.

Jinyoung simply nodded in response.

“Who’s there?” A voice called out. “I don’t much like visitors.”

The warehouse was chaotic to say the least. Tools were arranged carefully on the walls, but the floor was littered with half-finished weapons and armors set aside in piles. The workstations showed signs of promise, polished blades and jewels, but whatever genius lived in these walls was colored with madness.

“It’s me, Forgemaster Magwi. I’ve brought something you might be interested in,” Hana responded.

The flames of an open oven cast moving shadows, but eventually Jinyoung’s eyes adjusted and he picked out a hunched figure amidst the dross. The Forgemaster wasn’t more than 5 feet tall and, like the rest of the forge itself, she was covered in soot.

She stepped closer to the duo and removed her welder’s goggles revealing two circles of skin not layered in soot and two beady eyes. The woman could’ve been fifty or 500, it was hard to tell.

“So you brought your brother. The legendary onion knight,” the old woman said as she scrutinized Jinyoung. “I’m not impressed, girl. In fact, I’m bored.

Hana nudged her brother. “Show her.”

Carefully, Jinyoung removed the dragon scale from his satchel. The expression on the forgemaster’s face changed immediately. One second, she was looking at the two siblings as if they were sand fleas to be flicked out of her workspace and the next she was in complete awe of what she was seeing.

She spoke, but it came out as a whisper. “Let me see that, child.”

Jinyoung hesitated, but Hana nodded her approval. The forgemaster took it gingerly and turned it in her hands.

“You’ve not taken it into battle yet, have you?” It was more of an accusation than a question.

“No, you’re the first person we’ve shown it to,” Jinyoung replied.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The old woman returned it to his hands. “Good. You’ll need to have it on you when you go into battle, but for God’s sake, keep it hidden. You don’t want word getting out that you’ve got one of these.”

Jinyoung blinked and then nodded. “But, what exactly do we have here?”

“That there, child,” the woman answered, “is a forge item. Same as steel, crystal, obsidian or fire stones. Blacksmiths, artisans and forgemasters can use it to create weapons, armors or even jewelry imbued with special stats, abilities or attributes.”

Jinyoung looked back at the scale in his hands and turned it over in the light before [scanning] it.

The Dragon's Hidden Scale

Category: Forge item

Attributes: ???

Description:

Must be carried in battle to level up.

He scrutinized the information before speaking. “The attributes are unknown. What does that mean?”

“That’s why you need to carry it into battle. To unlock its attributes,” the forgemaster narrowed her eyes at the onion knight. “Can you see the item’s description and attributes?”

Jinyoung’s mouth hung open for a second before he shut it. He looked at Hana and even without the clan chat, he knew what she was going to say.

Didn’t I tell you to let me do the talking?

“That’s enough of that,” the woman cawed before turning to face Hana. “Looks like you brought me two things to pique my interest.”

The forgemaster turned away and rummaged through a pile of weapons. She tossed small arms to the side and made an awful mess before turning around holding a knife.

“Here,” she said, holding the knife out to Jinyoung. “Tell me about this knife.”

Just do as she says, Jinyoung.

While he wasn’t certain it was the right thing to do, there weren’t many other options left to him. He felt the pulse of mana and focused on the knife.

Greedy Cutter

Category: Weapon

Attributes: +1 LUCK

“It’s called the ‘Greedy Cutter.’ It increases the wielder’s luck stat.”

The woman paused. Hana and Jinyoung waited for her to react, but it was almost as if the woman was too stunned to speak. Then, just as Hana was about to speak, she turned back to her pile of weapons and retrieved another weapon. Then another, and another. And each time, Jinyoung used his [scan+] skill to identify the name and attributes.

“Fine, how about this?” This time, the forgemaster retrieved what looked to be a vambrace from a box hidden amongst the chaos strewn about the forge. It was leather with steel plates for protection along the outer edges. Upon closer inspection, Jinyoung could make out intricate designs along the leather straps.

“Well, boy? Do your thing.”

Jinyoung grimaced, clearly unhappy to be trotted out like a monkey to scan the forgemaster’s inventory.

“Fine, but this is the last one.”

Protective Mark of the Bear

Category: Shield

Attributes: ARMORED, SHIELDED, BEAR

Affinity: Shield Knight (+2), Paladin (+1), Knight (+1)

Jinyoung’s eyes narrowed and his forehead creased.

What the hell is that?