Last BladeBinder

Part Four: Dang It Dan

Part Four: Dang It Dan

"It is time for you to get up and learn things, young student of mine" are the words that wake me up from a very deep sleep.

I groan and open my eyes, and I feel the pain in my head. It's pretty bad but I know I made a promise and that was to get up and train. I get up and I notice on the small table in front of the couch I have been sleeping on is a small dish of a reddish brown meat in a broth with potatoes and I instantly down them without question.

Simon silently waits and I notice I have been in the same clothes for two days.

"Mr. Simon, sir that was the best meal I've ever had for breakfast in my life." I say towards the man I have just met yesterday.

"Oh my wife cooks those little dishes all the time. It's part of her culture, if you could not tell she's very Celtic indeed." He replies with a smile.

I drink the water that is beside the empty bowl and I start to feel better but different, like stronger. That was really good food.

"Okay I think I'm ready for our training Mr. Simon, sir." I tell the blacksmith.

"Call me Simon, or do not call me anything at all." He says with a tone that made it clear he meant it.

He walks to the door and puts his hand on it

"Follow me. We have years' worth of things to teach you in only a couple days."

I begin to rethink my decision to be so willing to be trained by this man of ancient ways. But I get up and follow him.

Outside, as we walk out the door I notice several things. The lawn is perfect, and it is so simple of a yard it looks, almost, normal. But there is one thing that is unlike any other yard that I've ever seen. The trees are metal. Beautiful, shining trees that are solid metal.

"I bought those trees from a man I met in Sweden." He says, noticing my gawking at the trees.

"Oh, that's....awesome" I reply not sure what to say.

We walk along the pathway of gravel weaving through the trees and when we reach the end of the pathway everything changes. It is as if we walked through a barrier. I look back and the metal trees are gone. A part of me refuses to believe that there were metal trees to begin with.

"Mr. - I mean Simon, shoulder I have gotten a change of clothes from somewhere?" I ask thinking about the fact I wore the clothes I am in for two days straight.

"Ah. Nothing to worry I have just the thing in my shop. Here, you do the honors of unlocking the shop" He says gesturing to a wide open field we have walked up to.

"What do you mean?" I ask dumbfounded.

"This is the first test. Open up my shop or we do not train today. I am not explaining anything else until you do as I say. "

Starting to get frustrated, I gesture to the open field "What, I'm exposed to say APPEAR!!! And poof a huge shop is exposed to appear?" And right after I said appear there was a shimmer and out of the thin air the blacksmith shop manifests.

"Damn it!" I say surprised and instantly regret it from the look Simon gives me.

"Boy, you do not have to use profanity. I always say 'dang it Dan' when I feel like cursing. You will be courteous to say the same while training under me. Are we clear?" He says sternly.

"Yes, Sir Mr. Simon sir." I quickly say.

"I thought I said none of that sir business. I have a name and we are respectful of each other. Use it." Without another word he steps into the blacksmith shop I got knocked out at yesterday.