Chapter 46

“That’ll do for now.” Echo set the blade he was working on off to the side, setting it alongside a collection of dark black iron, all of which appeared to be works in progress. There was a wooden sign hanging above the area. It simple read, It’s probably hot, with an arrow pointing down at the objects. “Didn’t want to stop mid shaping, you know,” Echo looked at Ryker as he spoke, “but now that the basic form is done, I can get back to it later for the final forging touches, working out hammer marks, and the such, before I finish her off.”

He held a hand out to me. “Allow me to officially introduce myself Climber, name’s Echo Stream, Master Blacksmith and head of this here shop.”

I took his hand. It felt like I was grabbing hold of rough stone, the flesh covered in callouses. I’d worked with weapons for the last eight years, and yet my hands were nowhere near as rough or leatherlike as his.

“Ash Slate,” I said as I shook his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Any friend of the Obsidian Shield is a friend of mine,” Echo said with a smile. “Now, what would you like me to craft for you?”

I looked at Ryker, and he nodded. With that, I mentally pulled up my inventory and summoned the recipe to my hand. The parchment appeared, and I handed it to Echo.

“Claw and Fang eh?” He said, after skimming the page. “First day in the Tower, and you’ve already come across the Den Mother eh?”

“I, uh, we.” I looked about. A few of the other blacksmiths had paused in their work to listen. And from the crowd of Climbers around the forge, more than few let out a variety of whistles, cheers, and laughs.

“Bet she did a number on you three too huh. First death after the Reaping?”

“Yes,” I looked at the ground as I spoke. I’d managed to forget those moments, focusing instead on the highlights of our time in the Tower today. But in the dimly lit forge, and with Echo’s words, the flashes of the dark cave came back to me. The pain, the terror, the death.

“No need to be ashamed.” Echo patted me on the arm in a comforting manner. A few of the Climber’s offered words of encouragement as well. “You’re not the first, nor will you be the last group to find themselves on the wrong end of a Mini-Boss. And the fact you got the recipe means you at least had the good fortune to loot her chests before getting yourselves killed.”

He handed the recipe back to me. “You got the materials too?”

I nodded. Just like Ryker had suggested, I’d cut down one of the aspen trees before we left. We’d already traded that in with a carpenter to get the aspen logs, and Ryker had gifted me the iron bars. The fangs and claws, I’d acquired on my own.

“Well then, let’s get the trade started, and I’ll begin work on these two right away.” His eyes shifted to Lyn and Nyle, even as he initiated a trade with me. I put the supplies, and recipe, in the window, as well as the rest of the Silver Ryker had gifted me earlier. We’d discussed it prior, and he said it would cover the production cost, and serve as a tip for the blacksmith. Though, compared to the insane amount I could imagine his armor had cost, considering Echo’s earlier comments about it paying for the whole year, a few silvers seemed inconsequential.

“You two didn’t happen to get any recipes as well, did you?” Echo asked as he completed the trade. He walked to the back of the forge as the iron bars appeared in his hand and grabbed two massive buckets of stone. He placed two of the bars into each bucket.

“I got a cloak and boots.” Lyn said happily.

“And I got a silver coin.” Nyle said dryly.

“Shame,” Echo said as he carried the buckets to another corner of the forge. There was a massive pyramid-like stack, with a steel grate on the base of it. He opened the door, and immense heat belched outwards. He put the ten claws into one of the buckets, and the ten fangs in the other. Then, pushed both of the buckets inside of the pyramid, before closing the grate once more. “I wouldn’t have minded forging the two of you weapons as well.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Lyn’s an archer,” Ryker said as Echo walked back. “And Nyle’s going down the mage’s path.”

“Ah, a softy huh?” He grinned at Nyle. “Nothing wrong with magic, mind you. Plenty of Climber’s make a good showing of that path. Just not many I ever see.” He chuckled and looked at Lyn. “An archer, on the other hand. If you ever need special arrowheads made, I can handle that. Same with any daggers or such you may want further down the road. And my wife happens to be quite skilled at making bows. She made Flint’s in fact.”

Lyn perked up at that. I’d seen her admiring the Sharpshooter’s bow as he’d walked away from us. I had too, honestly, but then again, I was a bit more obsessed with gear in general than she was, so that hadn’t been out of place for me.

“Are you going to be focusing on daggers Ash?” Echo returned his attention to me as he summoned the aspen logs, before he tossed them to a random individual who was standing idly by a wooden table. “Claw and Fang,” Echo barked at the man as the individual, really more a boy than a man, caught the logs. He nodded and sat at the table, pulling out a collection of tools, before he began working at the white wood with deft movements.

“I’m not sure yet,” I replied, torn between watching the boy quick at work on the wood, and Echo. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

“Take your time,” Echo said with a smile. “No need to rush into a style you don’t like. The Tower’s a place of danger and heartache. Last thing you need to do is saddle yourself with weapons and a fighting style you hate. I can only imagine how miserable that would make you.” He looked at Ryker. “Though Ryker here never once wavered from his path. Feels like it was just yesterday he was in here requesting me to make him his first big ol shield. And from there, well, he’s one of my best customers.”

“You make the best gear,” Ryker said fondly, “no reason I wouldn’t keep coming back to you. Alex highly recommended your services back then.”

“I bet she did,” Echo said with a chuckle, “shame she never puts some of my finest work to use anymore,” he trailed off as his eyes grew distant. “Once in a lifetime masterwork relic, and its gathering dust in her inventory.” He mumbled bitterly under his breath. “Such a shame.”

“Masterwork…” Before I could say another word Echo fixed his gaze on me and held a finger up to his mouth, silencing me.

“Forget you heard that,” he said with a sad smile, “not something that needs mentioning here and now. Keep climbing, and maybe someday I’ll tell you.” He looked back at the pyramid. “Besides, I figure with the good old crucible cranking out with heat equal to dragons breath, the iron has probably already reached its melting point, and there’s no doubt the carbon and essence from the claws and fang have took.”

He walked lazily back over to it, grabbing what looked like a massive, man sized pair of tongs with both hands as he did. One of the other smiths rushed over to open the door, while a third lifted a part of the stone floor that apparently covered a hollowed-out section of stone. They all spoke with their eyes to each other and executed their tasks with practiced ease.

Echo grabbed the first stone pot from the crucible, as he’d called it, and lifted it. Glowing yellow liquid bubbled and pooled. As he carefully slid it over, he poured the liquid into the hollowed-out stone. It sloshed about as it poured, before it filled the full indent. It was the shape of a rectangle, I realized. He repeated the process with the other bucket, creating two perfect rectangles of iron. Once both had been poured, the first smith closed the door to the crucible, while the other grabbed the tongs from Echo. He glanced at Ryker, and then me, a smile on his face.

“Got the billets formed now,” he said with a grin, “iron’s easy, you know. Once we get into proper steel, I’ve got more to worry about. For these here daggers though, and thanks to the beauty that is working with Tower provided materials, I’ll have Claw and Fang forged up without any impurities or imperfections for you in a few hours.” He looked around, as he waited for the two ingots to cool.

“You’re welcome to wait, if you want,” he looked from the three members of my team to Ryker, “or you can come back later.”

I opened my mouth, about to say I’d stay. I wanted nothing more than to watch my new daggers be crafted. Watching him work on the sword earlier had been fascinating. Seeing my own weapons crafted before me, was something I definitely wanted to do.

Ryker, seemed to have a different opinion though.

“We’ll be back later,” he said, grabbing my shoulder as he spoke. “Ash here would likely drool over your anvil while he watched, and I don’t need him interrupting your work. Besides, Nyle’s got a lesson with Eb, and Flint’s planning to teach these three what they need to know to take on the Den Mother.”

He started tugging me away as he spoke. Laughter followed us from the other Climbers, who had all cheered up quite a bit ever since Ryker had offered to pay for their current projects.

“Four hours after Dusk,” Echo called after us. “Should be ready by then. Just before I close up the shop, in fact.”

“We’ll be here.” Ryker said without looking back, his hand not dragging me waving in the air. “Thanks again Echo.”

“Any time, Ryker,” Echo called back. “Any time.”