With the increase of their team came a lot of information to share. One of the new members was Torin, a blacksmith's apprentice who'd maintained most of the survivors' tools since they'd arrived in the labyrinth.
He'd joined this journey as part of his training. One of his teacher's core lessons was that an apprentice must go out into the world and test what they'd learned. But it had been some time since he'd done proper smithing work. At most, he'd only performed maintenance and minor repairs on equipment.
They'd run out of proper tools to maintain weapons weeks ago. But when he saw the armor that Benny, Gustav, Meredith, and Ripler wore, something stirred in him. It was crude work, obviously made by someone with only basic knowledge of such things.
But it was still working. Still an attempt. Still a craft.
Something that had been sleeping inside him ignited. A passion he'd lost since this unfortunate journey began. His craftsman's instincts screamed at him to dismantle this crude armor and show them how to properly do it.
That was why he'd agreed to join this group without much hesitation. Not for hope of escape. Not for revenge. But because he saw something he could fix.
"How crude!" Torin said to Benny and his group, examining the patchwork armor more closely.
Benny wasn't offended at all. He knew this was a stopgap measure, something he'd thrown together with whatever he thought would work. He hadn't known they still had someone with technical and practical knowledge in blacksmithing.
"Well, I did my best," Benny said to the blacksmith. "I admit it was pretty crude. But I did what I had to do to survive with the things around me."
Torin scoffed at the excuse, but he knew it was true. Considering their current circumstances, this was the best an amateur could do. But that was the key word. Amateur. Now that he was here, things would be different. He was a perfectionist who took no excuses, even if the work was done by someone with no training.
Still, he gave credit where credit was due.
"I'm not discrediting your efforts. Not at all. I'm even praising them. Even with our circumstances, you made it work. Impressive. You've sparked my creative mind once more."
The armor was a patchwork for their previous sets, which had fallen into disrepair from lack of proper materials and maintenance. But why hadn't Torin thought of using his environment as a substitute? His mind must have dulled so much from being stuck here in the labyrinth. It had that effect on people, grinding away at who they used to be.
But seeing Benny's crude work had reminded him of something important. You work with what you have. That was the first lesson of smithing, before you ever touched a hammer.
"Well then, introductions first, I suppose." Torin straightened, remembering how to treat other people with respect. It had been a while since he'd felt like a craftsman rather than just another survivor. "I am called Torin Everan, blacksmith apprentice of Master Gordon Mace of the Gordon Blacksmithy. I am on a journey right now to make use of what I have learned from my master. And yours?"
Benny answered respectfully. "I am Benny McTown. This is my first raid. I was previously a city guard."
"Aha, so you are the one they called Benny." Torin nodded, a slight smile crossing his face. "Well then, from now on we shall make proper armor. And weapons."
Benny felt a tingle of excitement. Proper equipment meant he could survive even longer. It meant that even if he was ambushed, he'd have a greater chance of living through it. The crude armor had saved his life more than once, but actual crafted protection? That changed everything.
Benny smiled. "So what do you need, Mister Torin?"
"Give me raw materials you find in the labyrinth, and I shall craft you and the rest what you need." Torin paused, running calculations in his head. "The scorpion carapaces you've been collecting would work as a base. I'll need tools, though. A hammer at minimum. Fire. An anvil or something that can serve as one. Metal scraps if you can find them."
"We can get those," Benny said. "Might take some time, but we can get them."
"Good. Then we have work to do."
With that, they'd secured someone who was probably the most important person for their current situation. A craftsman who could turn the labyrinth's dangers into their defense.
They separated to go about their own tasks. Gustav and the others would gather materials and scout for threats. Torin would set up a makeshift forge. Benny would coordinate between them, as he'd been doing since this started.
For now, the monsters hadn't invaded through the dimensional crack. The rats were a civilization just as sophisticated as their own, which meant they'd be strategic about their response. But it wouldn't be long. Everyone knew that. They had to be prepared, and they had to be thorough.
Gladly, they now had someone who could help their cause in ways none of them could.
The blacksmith had returned to his craft. And in a place like this, that might be worth more than any sword.