*Ding* I struck an old piece of armour, filled with dents from a battle long forgotten. It's been a few days now since I picked up the art of smithing, assisting Durvak and repaying my debt to him.
It wasn't easy, I have to say and the dwarven smith was anything but lenient, even the slightest mistake I made he noticed and was quick to point it out, I made a lot of them. But he never once yelled at me or grew frustrated, quite the opposite.
"Hold the hammer further down the handle, that way you don't have to use too much force. Let your tools do the work, you guide them." He knew his art well, like it was an extension of himself. He knew how to fix every possible imperfection we had faced and I respected him for it.
Hitting the surface of the metal, watching it take shape under my strikes, sometimes I missed my mark and made more harm than good but it was all part of the process. I never grew impatient, this was just the beginning of a passion that had started to bloom inside of me.
"What do you think?" Holding the piece up with the tongs, Durvak examined it. His lips formed into a grin and I too smiled as wide as I could. I finally done it!
"Now! Don't get ahead of yourself here laddy, it is nowhere near perfect. Its structure is weak from heating it too long and you missed some spots with the file." He went on to point out what I did wrong.
The heat was too much, weakening the integrity of the arm brace. Using excessive pressure while filing had also left some marks on the piece, visible even after the polishing. I listened carefully, as he spoke I thought of how I could fix my mistakes, this was part of learning. This is how growth works.
"But...it would pass a low tier armor." I considered this the first compliment that had come out of him. My first piece was complete.
"Can I keep it?" I asked, this was my first true step into this new world. I wanted to keep it as a reminder.
Durvak gave me a glance and didn't say a word, just waved his arm and got back to work. He was a tough cookie, he appeared harsh and gruff on the outside but in reality he was kind and thoughtful.
Most of the time we talked about smithing, techniques, the different types of metals, heating temperatures, when I had the chance I tried to ask more of this world. Specifically I wanted to learn more about him and how this place came to be.
"Durugath...the hall of my people, it was…" He didn't want to talk about it, there was grief and sadness hidden behind his stony expression. One could guess what had transpired here.
Putting the piece near my sleeping spot, a bed of hay, I went back to work. My goal was to restore as many pieces as I could, learn and become better. Maybe by doing this I could earn his trust, maybe then he would be willing to talk to me about his past.
"Enough day dreaming laddy! We have a shipment next week, so do your best." His said as he hammered away on the anvil.
"A shipment to where?" My ears perked up.
"Altharion, a port-city west of here. A trade partner of mine has ordered a butch of curved blades, you will accompany me." I grew exited.
My life was a mystery to me, I had no memories and knew nothing of this world. Debating of what I should do and discussing it with Durvak, I came to the conclusion that there was a chance traveling and seeing different places might bring back some of the missing fragments. And what better way to do this than being part of a traveling merchant party.
"Okay...you can count on me!" This a chance he gave me, to prove that taking me in was worth it. I wouldn't let him down. So I went back to work.
I picked up smithing fast, there was a connection with this art, I couldn't explain it but holding a hammer felt familiar. Being a quick learner, I even surprised the old dwarf sometimes. Of course the basics were easy, but the more advanced things became, the more I struggled.
"No...do it again. The shape is uneven, the balance will be off." Most of the pieces of armor in the pile where already done. Starting from the smaller ones, arm braces, pauldrons, shin guards and working my way up.
From this category I had only left the larger equipment, mostly breastplates. Not for a particular reason, it was the order I have decided. Then there were the swords and axes, with those I had the real problem.
You see with armor, even if its a little out of shape, which was still a problem that I was working on fixing, it was passable. But with weapons you had no such margin for error, because it would lead to imbalance and loss of integrity. For a blade this would prove catastrophic, that was what Durvak told me.
"These are weak points...see how the light reflects on them, now watch. *Ding!*" With a strike of his hammer, the blade shattered in pieces. Imagine this happening in the middle of battle, the life of the wielder depended on it.
Being a smith wasn't just about making armor and swords. It was putting yourself in the shoes of those who would use your products, would you risk your life using such a blade.
Taking the sword again in my hands, I inspected it carefully. It shone, a silver glow, it had a wide hilt and a long, straight blade. It was heavy, forged from steel it would make a fine companion in battle, good for defending and attacking, requiring a substantial amount of strength and the hands of a skilled warrior.
My eyes picked up the discoloration, a small dent on the surface, along with micro-fractures near the edge. I had to correct the structural weakness and reforge that part of the blade, as well as grinding the edge to sharpen it.
The forge in the hall never seemed to go out, it burned day and night, keeping the cold at bay. Approaching it, I pressed on the bellow and air blew on the already hot coals giving them life.
There was no need to reheat all the blade, just the part with the dent. So I submerged it up to that point and let it heat up, it didn't take long for it to turn a cherry red color, the right temperature to work on metal.
The dwarf didn't have any clothes that fit me, so I was just left with my pants and shoes. Sparks bounced on my skin as I struck down on the blade, a layer of sweat was all that protected me.
"Easy now…" Along the grain and light taps, I said in my mind. Durvak had explained to me that very piece of equipment had a pattern in its structure, you had find and follow that pattern with your strikes in order to mend the damage or else you would cause even more.
*Ding!* It didn't need much, just a few well placed strikes from a master smith to fix it. I was no master, so I kept hitting it, *Ding!* and again *Ding!*. I liked that sound. I was fixated on it and how it reverberated in my ears.
Hearing a dull sound was never good, it meant the metal was cold and it resisted the shaping. When the piece gave out a buzz or hiss then it meant the heat was too high and its integrity was failing. Finally a clear ring, *Ding!*, it meant all the condition were just right.
"You are going to drill a hole in it laddy!" The dwarf's made me stop and take a better look at the sword.
It had cooled down by now, its surface was clear and with no dents. I have finally done it, my first blade repaired.
"The discoloration is gone, you just need to grind it and you have a pairing low-tier sword to go with your arm brace. Haha!" I knew he was happy for me, he just couldn't find the right words to say, so he joked with me.
I grabbed the blade from his hands and went ahead to finish the restoration. I paddled on the grindstone and sharpened its edge, before finally applying some oil to prevent future rust.
Grabbing the handle of the sword, it was worn and grainy but it held under the practice swings I gave. The sword cut trough the air with a high pitched sound and that made me happy, at that point I had no idea about sword-fighting, still I loved the feeling.
"Nice! Hah!" I kept on swinging at my imaginary opponent. The wolves came to mind, their fast and ferocious attacks, their intent to kill, sweat was running down my forehead even thinking about it.
That was when I decided that I should learn how to defend myself, after all I wouldn't always have a dwarf bodyguard at my side. This world had hidden dangers at every corner and I had to be prepared for them.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" I approached the old smith.
"Sure laddy." Durvak replied with a wave of his head.
I took a moment to think, was it really okay to ask more of him. He had given me a place to stay and food to eat, he saved me from certain death and all I could give back was my mediocre smithing. I owed him a lot.
"Spit it out already!" The dwarf grew impatient, he disliked when I hesitated like this.
"Can you teach me how to fight?" I asked.
Having been here just over a week, just starting over from scratch and discovering this new land, I was glad to have someone like him by my side. Maybe it was fate or luck.
"Thought you'd never ask!" With a smile he replied and threw a wooden sword at me. He seemed to have guessed what I wanted, since he had the equipment ready.
"Wait a minute! *Bang!*" I barely had time to react, the sword I had just grabbed flew out of my hand and I was face to face with the tip of his blade.
"You have a lot to learn! Apprentice…" And so the training began. Both as a smith and as a warrior.