Master Of None

There were golems being repaired right outside of the blacksmith building. Many of the dwarves working looked as if they were altering the golems for underwater or to carry materials faster. The sound of constant hammering from inside and the billow of smoke from the newly made smokestacks proved that the dwarves had done more than just come to the city themselves. They had brought plenty of materials and fuel for the fires. 

Walker had dragged Alice all the way there and walked right in to the building while some dwarves looked at him with a quizzical look. They weren’t sure why anyone would be dragging a girl in to the forges but they didn’t have the time to worry about it. ”Rodney?” Of all the people to be there, Rodney was at the counter. 

”Ha! It’s me. You know I couldn’t resist getting here on the next merchant carriage here. How else would I get to work with the best of the best? Do you know who’s in this building? Master dwarf blacksmiths! You even have the wandering blacksmith around too. If I want to be better than great I have to be here!” The argument was solid but Walker was still amazed that Rodney had just up and moved at the drop of a hat. 

”Well, It’s nice to see you here. I didn’t expect you to be here.” 

”Of course I am. I don’t have any reason to stay where I was and I can keep growing here. My family has spread out here and there too and my parents are retired. So I’m here.” Rodney looked proud that he had been in the perfect situation to move at the perfect time. ”So, what can I do for you? I memorized the layout of the building this morning.” The same loud confidence that Rodney had was refreshing. This may be a new city but it had a lot of the things that made home, home. Friendly faces were one that the entire party would rely on. 

”I was looking for the wandering blacksmith. I need to ask him for light armor for Alice. She wants to come on the quest.” Walker was firm and did not let go of Alice’s hand the entire time. She was watching him carefully since she was sure he was angry. But in truth, Walker was worried. He knew he had to do everything in his power to make sure she would be prepared. The journey to the harbors would be dangerous as it was. 

”He’s been at the top of the building fiddling with this and that. He kicked everyone out and has it locked down. I have no idea why. I heard he has his own shop now. I don’t even know how he could have one since no one is allowed to purchase one yet.” Rodney had gotten to the city and immediately heard that the shops were not available for purchase for another three weeks since they were set aside for those appointed by the rulers of kingdoms. This meant that those who were there early needed to wait and make themselves useful by building the city for some money. 

Pulling Alice along, Walker went right for the stairs. He had barely looked at the large space with many tables for people to wait for appraisers or meetings. The counter with the ability to sell and buy materials along with applying for affiliation with the building wasn’t even an afterthought to Walker. He would need to completely revisit the building to learn more about it. If he had stayed behind for just a few moments longer he would Rodney would have started to gossip about the possibility of master blacksmiths and crafters coming together to make the building more than just a building and instead, a guild. 

Stairs were a flurry as the pair passed the forges, meeting rooms, and even large presentation halls. There were all perfectly made and being set up by multiple blacksmiths. There were even carpentry workshops and ceramic kilns. Anything crafting and forging seemed to be represented in the building that would soon bring in until numbers of customers. 

When the stairs ended, Walker found himself looking at a larger door that was sealed with a few runes as he had seen before. ”It’s Walker!” The three loud bangs that followed were enough to cause a clatter in the room. Someone was rushing to open the door and after a few more sounds of falling things, the wandering blacksmith revealed himself. 

The room opened up to him showing off the chaos inside. This room was obviously meant to be a private forge and office. But it had been made a mess of while the wandering blacksmith set up tool racks, carved runes in to the new furnace and even walls, and the materials he had were placed inside. ”You have your very own forge and shop combination and you are here making this?” Walker had no idea why he would do this. 

”Not for me, for the future guild master of the crafting guild.” This was a heavy phrase to drop. Walker had not heard Rodney gossiping about all of this so he was shocked. 

”This will be a guild too!? Well…I thought it should for a while but still. It’s a lot. So much is changing but this makes sense. The forges could be a lot better about prices and the flow of materials since the dwarves are coming and the prices will fluctuate between kingdoms. It saves people from a monopoly and helps blacksmiths with quests that require certain materials…” Walker started to get in to his own head until the wandering blacksmith looked at Alice wondering why Walker had dragged her all the way there. 

”I need your help. Alice wants to come on a quest to defeat a mother kraken. She needs light armor that ideally can protect and help gather light elemental mana.” Walker could only ask the wandering blacksmith for such help. 

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