Alix's steps carry him deeper into the city until the sound of hammering steel draws his attention. Ahead, a wide, open-front weapon shop glows orange from the forges inside. Racks of blades, axes, and polearms line the walls—some crude but powerful, others refined, almost regal.
He walks in. The air is thick with heat and metal, every breath tinged with iron. A towering blacksmith—a four-armed ogre with soot-streaked skin—grunts a greeting but doesn't pry as Alix begins to look around.
On a display table, he pauses before a sword forged from crimson steel, faint runes running along the edge. Mana-reactive alloy, he notes silently, brushing a gloved finger near it. Good, but too brittle for my use.
While he studies the weapons, voices drift from the side of the shop—two beastkin talking near the counter, their tones hushed but uneasy.
"Hey," the first monster murmurs, a wolf-headed warrior with a jagged scar over his eye. "You heard the news from Silent Grove?"
