Chapter 45: Chapter 40 – A dwarven smithy, and a purchase of knives

"Test not a dwarf by drink or forge, lest it be humiliation ye seeketh." - Old Dwarvish saying.

 

When Cal went out that morning after a large, delicious breakfast at her inn comprised of a dish of chopped potatoes compacted into small patties and pan-fried until crisp outside, scrambled eggs, smoked meats, and some fresh curd cheese, chased with a lighter, fruitier mead instead of ale, the first thing she looked for was a smithy.

 

That dwarves boasted of some of the best metalworkers in existence was of common knowledge, even when sometimes humans and goblins attempted to refute that fact. Cal had no real need for new items, but if anything piqued her fancy? She would not be thrifty with her money, which she had plenty of anyway.

 

A few questions asked to the locals quickly pointed her to a large building, one clearly centuries of age, with a well-worn sign of a smithy still proudly displayed atop the entrance. She entered the building and was greeted by a nearly physical curtain of heat, as well as the sight of over two dozen dwarves busy at work next to their forges and anvils.

 

One of the younger dwarves who had a sack of coal on his shoulder quickly deposited his load by an older dwarf, and after a brief discussion, went and washed his face and hands with some water from a nearby trough, before he approached Cal and greeted her with a warm smile on his face.

 

"How can we be of service, ma'am?" When the dwarf spoke Cal realized that she misidentified the young dwarf's gender, as her voice reached a relatively normal pitch impossible for dwarf males to reach.

 

"I would be interested in your collection of daggers and knives." Cal said in response.

 

The young female dwarf led her to a section of the wall that seemed to be dominated by a large wooden cabinet, and opened it with a flourish to reveal the entire section - as well as the backsides of the cabinet's doors - to hold a massive assortment of knives and daggers of all shapes and sizes for her to peruse.

 

An hour flew by in moments as Cal browsed and tried the balance of many of the knives, but one in particular piqued her curiosity. The knife in question was quite large, easily half a meter long from one end to the other, and had a defined recurved blade with a smooth spine that tapered towards its cutting edge. The weapon was balanced forward-heavy so as to provide more weight to vicious chops and heavy strikes.

 

When Cal asked if she was allowed to try the knife out on a target, one of the older dwarven smiths simply gestured and made two younger dwarves carry out a well-abused wooden log as tall as a human set on a broad base for her to use. She nodded her thanks and tried a couple test strikes carefully, but was quite surprised to feel the blade's solid construction and the way it channeled her force into its blows. A few more serious strikes further confirmed her expectations, as deep cuts appeared on the log wherever the blade landed. She also tested it when thrown and was pleased with how easy it was to land it blade-first, and by how deeply it struck.

 

The blade was made of good steel, but she was still a bit wary to test it with full force. After all, her machetes were also made of good steel, and she carried a dozen of those because she tended to break them on a regular basis. The heavy use back in the cavern full of cultists back in Ezram had broken two of her machetes and badly damaged the blade of another two.

 

"Hey, mind if I test this all the way? I might break it." Cal asked the nearest old dwarven smith.

 

"Hah! If ye can break it, lassie, I'll sport ye a discount on whatever you order off me shop!" Replied the dwarf with a laugh, clearly confident in the shop's workmanship.

 

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"Deal! Ain't gonna hold back then!"

 

Cal gave another chop with the blade, this time with her strength and speed empowered by her magic as much as she could, and the nearby dwarves boggled as her arm seemed to dissolve into a blur. A sharp crack followed, and to their amazement they saw the log had split in half vertically from the impact. However, when Cal withdrew the blade from the split log, only half of it came away, as it broke right at the apex of the curve and the other half lodged deeply in the log.

 

"Quite impressive to be honest." Cal admitted. "It didn't break until after the rebound force hit it."

 

"That's already made with some of our best steel, lassie." The old dwarf said after a brief conference with one of the other dwarves. "I'm afraid we can't make 'em much sturdier unless yer willing to shell out for some adamant steel."

 

"You have adamant steel? That'd be perfect!" Cal said in delight. "Can I order a set of four of these blades in high-purity adamant steel?"

 

High-purity adamant steel referred to adamant steel made with one part adamant to ten parts other metals, and was much more durable - and expensive - than regular adamant steel which was made with a ratio closer to fifty to one.

 

"Four of them? That's a pretty exorbitant order, lassie." Said the old dwarf half in disbelief. "Best price I can give ye for a blade made with high-purity adamant steel would be one-hundred twenty five gold each, enchantment included. Make it four hundred for four with the discount. It'd be cheaper and lighter if you want 'em with fullers."

 

"Deal, and no fullers, have them made solid. Enchants for durability and keeping the edge sharp. How long will it take? And what's the cost to get sheaths made for them as well?" Cal said as she relaxedly counted four platinum coins out of her pendant and laid them on a nearby table.

 

"For that kinda order I'd toss you some wyrm leather scabbards for free!" Said the old dwarf. "It'd take about a week, give or take a day or two. Harmon Kugelblick's the name, pleasure doing business with ye, lass!"

 

Harmon turned out to be the current generation owner of the smithy, and offered her a tour as they worked their craft. To watch solid ores of metal heated until it melted into a fluid was something Cal had never seen before, as most blacksmiths she knew of worked only with heated metals, not molten metals. Harmon and one of his sons were metal-affinity mages however, and they showed her how they could craft fine works out of molten metal without a compromise in the durability of the results.

 

It was already noontime by the time the tour finished, and the smiths insisted that she stay for lunch, which she obliged. Served for lunch was a gigantic fatty ham hock harvested from a domesticated land wyrm raised for meat, on a bed of sour, pickled cabbages, as well as a stack of roasted potatoes, lightly salted. The meat itself fell apart in her mouth without the need to chew, and its greasy and fatty flavor was cut nicely by the strong refreshing sourness of the cabbage, while the potatoes served to balance the meal.

 

Harmon also explained that the land wryms produce fine, sturdy leather, which were what he planned to make scabbards for her knives of, which she approved. Cal did not leave the smithy until after the meal was done and several barrels of ale had been drained between her and the dwarven smiths.

 

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