So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak

-Sun Tzu

Mengus rose with the first light of dawn, the soft glow pushed through the small window of his modest room above the tavern. With a stretch and a wide yawn, he shook off his sleepiness and prepared himself for the day ahead.

Going down the creaking wooden stairs, he got into the bustling streets of Marunath. The air was filled with a nice scent of fresh morning bread. The sounds of the city waking up - the clatter of wagon wheels on cobblestone, and the chatter of merchants.

Making his way through the crowded maze of people, Mengus soon arrived at the smithy, its sturdy wooden door welcoming him inside. As he stepped over to the other side, he was greeted by the warm glow of the forge, the heat melting his skin off in an embrace like an old friend.

The old smith, Joriq was already hard at work, his hands moving with fast and precise ease as he prepared the fire and the tools for today's work. With a nod of greeting, he waved his hand to Mengus to come join him, to help him prepare. Mengus has been working in the smithy for a week now, what he learned is not to speak early in the morning because the old man is grumpy.

The morning passed in silence, except for the rhythmic clang of a hammer on an anvil no one spoke a word. Under the watchful eye of the old smith, Mengus began to learn the basics of the blacksmith's craft - how to shape metal with precision, how to temper and quench it to achieve the desired hardness, and how to forge it into any shape he wants.

But then, people would start coming, asking for their tools or swords to be fixed, or to be made. Then, Mengus had a new quest from the old man.

Navigating the crowded market, Mengus got used to the market square, where vendors had set up their stalls in anticipation of the day ahead. Mengus moved slowly from one stand to another, gathering the materials he had on the list for work at the smithy. His first stop was at the stall of a local metal merchant, where he picked some raw materials. He ran his fingers over the gleaming surfaces of the ingots and bars.

Next, Mengus made his way to the leatherworker's stall, where he bought a bundle of leather hides to use for crafting handles and sheaths. With his cart filled with supplies, Mengus would make his way back through the market square, and go back to the smithy. And then after getting out all the supplies he bought he would take his cart again and go back to the market square, getting anything else needed for the work to be done.

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With everything finished, Mengus had the smithy for himself to practice.

First, Mengus picked up a piece of steel from the pile of ingots, its smooth surface shimmering in the flickering light of the forge. He placed the metal into the heart of the fire, allowing it to heat until it glowed red-hot, the flames embracing it around its edges.

As the steel reached the optimal temperature, Mengus withdrew it from the fire. With a steady hand, he positioned the glowing metal on the anvil, the clang of hammer on steel vibrated through the workshop as he began to shape the blade.

Mengus carefully molded the steel with each strike of the hammer, shaping it into the elegant form of a dagger. He worked slowly, trying not to make a mistake, his hands without much experience felt nervous.

Once the basic form of the dagger had been forged, Mengus turned his attention to the finer details. He refined the edges and added some designs to the blade, that was his favorite part. With a lot of measurements, he carved patterns into the steel.

As the hours passed and the sun climbed higher in the sky, Mengus remained focused on his work, as he poured his heart and soul into the creation of the dagger. And when at last the final stroke of the hammer fell, he stepped back to admire his handiwork - a small but nicely crafted blade.

With a lot of pride within him, Mengus carefully quenched the blade in a bath of cool water, the steam rising in a hiss of satisfaction as the metal cooled and hardened. And as he held the finished dagger in his hands, he knew that he had accomplished something truly remarkable.

"In God's tarnation, what the hell is this?" Joriq looked disappointed.

"A dagger?" Mengus answered.

"That? A dagger? You just wasted my materials for that? You have a lot to learn..." Joriq turned his back on Mengus.

Mengus started putting the tools he used back where he found them when Joriq again broke the silence that ruled in the smithy when the hammer was on break.

"What do you think you're doing?" Joriq asked.

"Putting the tools back."

"You're not done yet. You have to practice more, here..." he handed him some materials. "Those are of bad quality, practice with them more."

Mengus stayed in the smithy until very late practicing his new skill, trying to level up Smithing.

"It is no wonder it looks bad then, when I see the stats of Smithing next to my other stats I feel depressed."

His gaze fixed on the status bar, it read:

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Smithing: 5

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"This will be a tough skill to master..." The slam of the hammer dispersed his thoughts.

image [https://i.imgur.com/E4BOWRG.jpeg]image