Dreams of Crimson

Chapter 2 - Page 5

        They walked into a smithery. The heat of the furnace hit them as they entered. A clanging of the anvil was heard as they turned the corner, and saw a rugged, strong looking man wiping the sweat off his brow. 

"Ah, Hello! Sorry, was just finishing up a sword for a client." He holds up an unfinished, yet sturdy looking blade. He put down the blade and got up.  "So, how can I help you?" Tara looked at the man, "If you could help us find a weapon for this boy, we would greatly appreciate it." Red nodded. 

"The boy, eh? Isn't he a bit young to be walking around with a weapon?" The man said skeptically. Tara showed him his bloody shirt, and reassured him. "Trust me, he's seen quite the battle before we came here." The man's eyes widen as he looks at his bloodied shirt. "My my. What trouble did he get into?" The man looks back at Tara, and then to Red looking at his young face. Red answered instead of Tara, "I fought a pack of wolf creatures along with a red slime." The man saw the look in Red's eyes, an innocent shine was missing from these eyes. "I see... Are you well boy? Battle can do horrible things, even to a man's mind. Red nodded, as he said, "Yes, sir. I'm well." There was no emotion in Red's face as he said this. 

"Alright, I'll sell you a fine weapon, to ensure the boy doesn't get killed out there in battle." The man said, as he crouched down to Red's eye level. "What kind of weapon would you like?" Red's eyes grew a bit of joy, as he answered, "I'd like an axe. But not just any axe." The man was surprised by Red's answer. "Oh? What kind of axe would you like?" Red smirked, as he asked, "Show me what you got." The man got up, as he leaded them to an adequate wall of axes. "Anything strike your fancy?" The man said.

Red's looked at the axes in awe. It was like he was in a candy store. Red looked around and finally saw one he liked. It was a fine axe, with brass pieces, and a wood handle. Red pointed at it. The man said, "Ah, fine eye. That one was a request from a client, but he didn't have the funds to purchase it. A shame, really. It was a very detailed, and great build." The man picked up the axe from the wall, and showed it to Red. "Not too heavy, nor too light, this axe was forged for a small stature, a perfect fit for a young boy like yourself." Red looked at the axe, as he saw the small engravings of a wolf with an "X" on it's forehead. Red asked, "How good is the steel?" 

"Ah, some of the finest here in the city. If you wish to know the specific type, it's quench-hardened Dwarven steel." Red nodded, as he said, "Yeah, I think I'll take this one. How much is it?"  The man simply looked at Tara and put his hand out. That'll be 10,000 silver. He smiled as Red quickly gave Tara the bag of gold. She looked to see if they had enough in the form of silver. She grabbed 100 gold coins and put them in another sack. She handed them to the man, as he counted it. "Ah, a perfect amount. Thank you for your business." He gave Tara the axe, and they waved goodbye to the man, heading back into the city.