Fog Bound

Chapter 9

That same day, Laius and Verri set out for the mountain path and made the long journey home along with Bounty who was devastated to leave her old friend behind. She just couldn’t understand why they were leaving Rove behind again but despite her fuss, the two attempted to assure her that she would see him again. 

    It wasn’t until late in the evening that they returned home from their rather eventful vacation and immediately picked up Valus from Phillin and Claira who insisted that he was quite the angel for the duration of his stay. He was already dead asleep when they came to get him and he stayed that way until they made it back home where he was placed in his cradle. 

    It was a restful night although the two nights they spent in a real bed made them yearn for a real bed once again. 

    The next day, it was straight down to business. Laius and Verri took Valus with them to visit William to ask about possibly transporting dire wolves to Steel Belt to trade them for Rove. Although he was hesitant to send his wolves to a place so far away, he finally agreed to send a litter of three young pups to Steel Belt under the condition that he frequently visits and helps the town train them. They felt that these terms were acceptable and he allowed them to take the three pups to the village where the children were immediately head over heels for the pups. This also gave Verri and Khan an opportunity to discuss their plan of action to prepare for the construction of the forge in Fogs Brook as they drew up a basic plan of the town based on Verri’s description. 

    Once they agreed on a location within the village, Khan calculated the needed supplies and told them that he would be visiting within a few days with his men.

    Laius used this free time to finally upgrade their house, building a proper bed frame and purchasing a mattress, a change that they would certainly get used to quickly.

    Just as he said, Khan along with Ford and ten other men made their way into Fogs Brook. At first, their reactions were… underwhelmed at the dingy, little town. Khan now knew why the place needed as much help as it could get. 

    The construction was a tedious process but the foundation of the forge was laid right next to the guild where it belonged so that Verri could practice her smithing in a more professional environment. A couple weeks had gone by for construction as the Steel Belt men stayed at the inn and continued their work day in, day out. 

    There was a knocking at the guild door morning to which Laius and Verri answered. “Do you want to come see it!?” Khan shouted excitedly like a child with his fists balled up towards his chest.

    Verri answered the door with Valus at her hip, immediately she soaked up Khan’s excitement as well as Valus who babbled and screamed to mimic him. “I would love to see it!”

    Walking outside and around the guild, the forge stood in all its glory. It was obvious that this was a newer building beside the guild, but it still fit in. Opening the door to the forge Verri was very surprised to see all sorts of equipment and even her own anvil already placed inside.

    Though the forge was a lot smaller than the ones in Steel Belt, it was large enough to accommodate Verri and even two other blacksmiths in case Fogs Brook became larger in the future. This gave them some growing room. They had even provided her with plenty of iron and steel to get her started before Steel Belt and Fogs Brook began their trades.

    “It’s wonderful! I’m lost for words!” She was completely overwhelmed, finally she had a proper forge to practice her blacksmithing and create new things for the village. In an act of gratitude she hugged Khan and thanked the men who worked on it one by one.

    The men were all sweating and either sat on small workstation stools or on the floor to rest but they were proud of their work nonetheless. “It was nothing! I was glad to help out a fellow blacksmith.” Khan gave her a sweaty hug back.