Wazsh shook his head.
“You can treat this as a game but remember if you lose your life here there is no restart.”
“Anyway, if you get out of town, please get me a rabbit or two at a discount price. I am tired of rat meat. It doesn’t have to be a rabbit. Anything with meat will do,” Wazsh implored.
“I will, if this psychotic dream doesn’t end before then,” Duncan replied.
Wazsh started laughing, “You still believe this is a dream. If you called it a nightmare it would be closer. I am sorry my boy, but this is your new reality and you better get on with the program.”
He quickly put away the cleaned rat carcasses and led the way outside.
“Want a beer?” he asked once they were at the counter.
“Sure.”
He got a bottle from under the counter and a beer mug. It was nice and cold and Duncan enjoyed it until he saw Wazsh’s outstretched hand.
“5 bronze coins please.”
“You are an -BLEEP-hole. -BLEEP-. Arrggh,” Duncan said before he spilled some of his beer.
“I know,” Wazsh replied and laughed.
He paid the man his due and finished the beer.
“I am going to go now and meet the natives bleephole,” he told Wazsh as he left for the door.
“Ohhh. You are learning,” Wazsh replied.
Once he got outside Duncan realized he really had nowhere to go. After some turning left and right, he decided to pay another visit to the dwarf. He quickly walked the distance to the smithy that was about 200 meters away from the bar. He was almost at the end of the village and he could see the wall some 100 meters away.
It was not very tall. About 3 meters made from logs as far as he could tell. The main street led to the entrance which was closed and he could see movement in the shack by it.
He once again entered the smithy and was once again greeted by the angry dwarf.
“What do you want?” the dwarf asked.
“Hello. I just wanted to see what you make here,” Duncan replied.
“Weapons and armor. Wanna buy some? If not, leave me to work,” the dwarf replied.
“Is that any way to talk to a prospective customer?” Duncan was getting irritated.
“Listen, lad. I have a big order to fulfill and then maybe I get to eat something better than a rat and get some beer. You wasting my time is going to mess up my schedule and I will be late with the order. So, either buy or scram,” the dwarf adamantly replied.
“Can I watch you work? I want to learn blacksmithing,” Duncan replied.
He didn’t really want to learn blacksmithing but he didn’t have anything else to do.
“Ahhh. Do whatever the hell you want. Just don’t disrupt my work. Do not cross this line,” the dwarf said and drew a line on the sandy floor and went back to work.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
After a while of pounding on the sword, he put it in a trough of special liquid and then brought it to a sharpening mill to sharpen it. He had several of them. He went from coarse grain to a fine one in a couple of minutes then polished the sword with some grease and what looked like fine sand. He put it on the rack still missing a pommel and started on a new one.
At that time Duncan switched on observe. Time slowed down. Every movement of the dwarf was meticulously observed and recorded by the AI governing Duncan’s brain. Every time the bellows needed to be pumped. The raw iron was pounded into submission to extract the impurities. Every hammer swung on the raw iron to purify it further. Every reheating all through the sharpening and polishing of the finished product.
[ You have Observed Blacksmithing ]
Learn
[YES] - [NO]
[ You have Learned Blacksmithing Level 1. ]
Strength +0.1
Dexterity +0.1
Perception +0.1
“Oh, great bonuses to three stats,” Duncan happily muttered to himself.
“Quiet,” the dwarf yelled.
“Do you think I could try making one of these swords?” Duncan asked.
The dwarf looked at him as if he asked him if he could sleep with his mother.
“Are you drunk or on drugs? Suicidal?” he asked Duncan.
“No. I just observed you and I think I can do the blade part now,” Duncan replied.
“Are you kidding me? What level blacksmith are you?” the dwarf asked.
“Level one,” the dwarf was just about to go ballistic before he heard, “but I just learned this skill now.”
“It can’t be,” he muttered.
“Show me,” he ordered Duncan.
Duncan picked up the hammer and the raw ore. He focused on it and a menu appeared that said make. After confirming only one other option presented itself which was a short sword blade. He mentally clicked it and once he came to himself, he held a short sword blade in his hand.
The dwarf was standing in the place where Duncan was before slack-jawed.
“Let me check that,” the dwarf said as he came to himself.
As the dwarf was checking Duncan’s work Duncan closed another skill level notification.
[ You have Learned Blacksmithing Level 2. ]
Strength +0.2
Dexterity +0.2
Perception +0.2
“It's passable for a novice. Lucky for you this is just iron and you can just reforge it. Try again!” the dwarf replied now with significantly less anger.
Duncan didn’t really know what to do but he put the sword in the forge and started pumping on the bellows. As he concentrated on the sword there were now two options. Make and reforge. He happily chose to reforge and came back to his senses what seemed like a minute later.
“Show me!” the dwarf demanded. Duncan passed him the blade and awaited his judgment.
The dwarf kept nodding as he balanced the sword in his hands and inspected the sharpness.
“Much better. Try again,” he passed it back to Duncan.
“What have I gotten myself into,” Duncan muttered as he again reforged it and, in the middle, must have gotten another skill level up.
[ You have Learned Blacksmithing Level 3. ]
Strength +0.3
Dexterity +0.3
Perception +0.3
“Give it here!” the dwarf just about had to pull the blade from Duncan’s hands.
“Ohh. This is passable. You learn incredibly fast. If you can make the blades, I can finish the pommels in time. I will pay you 5 bronze per blade. I need 34 more and if you try to say no I will bash your head in with a hammer,” the dwarf stood by the only exit and he was as wide as it. Duncan was considering his chances of making a getaway and he didn’t like them at all.
“OK. I will do it, but in the future, if I want to watch you make things you have to let me,” Duncan demanded.
The dwarf put his right hand into his beard and pulled it down thinking while stroking his long beard repeatedly.
“Ahhh what the hell? Maybe I can brag someday I had you as an apprentice. It’s a deal. Name is Bolgar Brownbeard,” he replied with the first smile on his face Duncan saw so far.
“My name is Russel, Duncan Russel,” he replied.
The dwarf looked at him funny.
“Any relation to James Bond?”, Bolgar asked.
“No. How do you know James Bond?” Duncan asked in amazement.
“There was a guy here around 100 years ago who used the same manner to introduce himself. Last name, first name, last name. I thought you two might be related. A dwarf never forgets a debt or a debtor, you better remember that. Now get to work. Time is money!” Bolgar explained before hurrying Duncan along.