“Ter, Porten told me to let you know I’m heading down to the city. I need to stop by the knights’ barracks and the adventurers’ guild.”

  “Do you think we’ll be long?” I don’t want to get back too late since I have to temper the punch.

  “I hope to be back by lunch, but we need to leave as soon as possible.”

  “Alright,” I reply after thinking for a second. “See you at the gate.”

  The work I did yesterday to light the furnace quickly will go to waste, but I really need to go down to the city. I ask them to prepare some food I can take to the workshop and gather the money and the nails that turned out best from my room. I had them ready so I could show them to the blacksmith.

  When I meet up with my brother, I’m practically out of breath from running the whole way.

  “Already tired and you just woke up?” my brother asks with a smile.

  “I’ve started running in the mornings,” I reply, shaking my head.

  “Let’s go.”

  We climb into the cart. I can’t think of any way to ask him about what I overheard yesterday without revealing that I was eavesdropping.

  “How was the expedition? Rob mentioned it wasn’t complicated, but he didn’t go into much detail.”

  “We took down over 100 monsters. The materials sell quite well since it’s not a very popular dungeon, but…”

  He trails off mid-sentence.

  “Is it normal for that many monsters to come out of a dungeon?”

  “Maybe if it’s left unattended, but it’s the first time it’s happened in one of ours. But don’t worry about that,” he says, ruffling my hair. “Let your older brothers handle everything.”

  “When is Lisa coming back? Father and she are leaving for the capital the day after tomorrow, right?”

  “Yes.” I can’t help noticing my brother’s expression darken as he says it. “She should arrive this afternoon. She went to visit a friend before her presentation.”

  “See you later at the guild, Ter,” Fred says as the vehicle comes to a stop.

  “See you later.”

  I’d really like to go with him to the meeting with the knights, but I know it’s useless to try to convince him.

  I get off in front of the smithy. The bell rings as the door opens, announcing my arrival. There are already a few customers in the shop today, and Aneth is behind the counter with an impatient look. The other day I hadn’t noticed, but today I recognize the muffled rhythmic sound of hammering.

  “Good morning.”

  “Boy! You seem in a better mood than the last time I saw you.”

  I smile awkwardly.

  “Since I managed to start forging, I’ve been feeling a bit better.”

  “And how’s your family? I heard about the expedition.”

  “Everyone’s fine, though a little worried. I was wondering if I could buy iron and other metals the same way as coal.”

  “Give me a minute,” she replies when she sees one of the customers approaching to pay.

  I take the opportunity to examine several different tools they have on display. They don’t have added effects or anything special, but they expand my repertoire of recipes. I even notice that all of them use more materials than just iron.

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  “Would there be any chance you could give me some commissions if you have too much work?” I ask after finalizing the purchase of iron worth 2 reales. It hurts, but with this I’ll have enough material to practice without fear. “I’ve already made quite a few nails, and yesterday I even made my first steel tool.”

  I show her the nails I brought, and she looks at them with a furrowed brow.

  “We always have more orders than we can take,” she says after a meaningful pause, “but I can’t pass any work to you until I check the quality. Our reputation is on the line with every order we receive.”

  “I don’t mind what kind of commissions they are. I know I’m not at the level of a real blacksmith yet, but I practice every day. I don’t care about making a lot of money, but it would be nice to have enough to keep buying material.”

  “This year we don’t have any apprentices.” She studies one of the nails in her hand carefully, and I see doubt in her eyes.

  “Just a small order, so I can prove I’m capable.”

  “For now, I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We always need more nails, but we barely have time to make them. These are more or less at the level an apprentice would make. If you produce 500 of this quality by the time we deliver the coal and iron, I’ll buy them at 1 crown per 50 nails.”

  That would be 10 crowns, or 1 real. It would at least allow me to keep buying the material I need. I hope to earn a bit more in the future, or I’ll really be screwed.

  “That would be great,” I reply, visibly excited.

  “If I see that you deliver, we’ll talk about other commissions. And if you make nails of better quality than these, I could raise the price a bit. Now get going, there are customers waiting.”

  She dismisses me with a smile, contradicting her seemingly brusque words.

  “Goodbye, Aneth.”

  The adventurers’ guild is quite close. Vin, the coachman, came back to pick up Fred, so I walk. At this hour the city is in full activity. This is the artisans’ street. The only other smithy in the city is across the way, and there are many other craftsmen.

  I stop in front of a pottery shop. I only have one real left, but there’s something I’ve been considering ever since I realized the quality of the steel.

  “Good morning,” I say as I walk in.

  “Good morning, young man. How can I help you?”

  “I was wondering if you could make something for me.”

  “What would it be?”

  “I need a crucible, about this size,” I reply, gesturing with my hands.

  “It’s for an alchemist, I assume,” he responds, puzzled.

  “No, I’m a blacksmith.”

  “And what do you need it for?” he says, frowning. “You know what? Never mind. Does it need to withstand heat?”

  “Yes. I’d also like it to have a spout so I can pour the liquid, but one that can be sealed with heat.”

  “I don’t know what you’ll need that for, but I could make it for one real. If you order several, I could make them a bit cheaper.”

  My hand trembles as I hand the money to the potter. If this goes wrong, I’ll be throwing away a lot of money. At least I still have 2 more reales left.

  “Come. Let’s talk about the details.”

  A while later, I leave the shop satisfied.

  The adventurers’ guild is emptier than I expected. I wanted to see what kind of gear they were carrying, but it looks like today won’t be the day. Maybe they’re working. On the other hand, that means I can approach the reception desk without any problem.

  “Good morning,” I greet the blonde receptionist behind the counter.

  “What a charming young man we have here today. Have you come to sign up, kid?”

  The girl leans over the counter, and combined with the revealing uniform she’s wearing, it makes me look away, blushing.

  “I wanted to know if I could get information about the monsters and the materials they drop in the nearby dungeons.”

  “Of course! Upstairs there’s a small free library where you should find the information. It’s small, but no one usually uses it, so you won’t have any trouble. Just don’t take any books with you.”

  “Thank you very much,” I say as I leave.

  The library is indeed so small it could easily be considered a bookshelf. At least there’s a table to sit and read with good lighting.

  I find the book I needed and read it while I wait for my brother. I really only need one more material to create steel superior to that of any other blacksmith in the area.

  There are three dungeons nearby. The aquatic one, the northern one, and the one by the town of Vallesombrío. The first has aquatic monsters, and it’s difficult to fight them because of the terrain. The second is a frozen mountain range with very dangerous enemies and constant blizzards; that’s where the fang used in Fred’s sword came from.

  And finally, the one in Vallesombrío. It’s populated by giant insects.

  Quite a few adventurers visit it for the spiders’ chitin, but they barely go past the entrance. It’s a versatile and highly valued material. It’s our family’s largest source of income.

  What I’m looking for today, however, is something else. I really don’t know if I’ll find it, but of the three dungeons, it’s the one most likely to have it. Slowly, I flip through the pages, discouraged. Poisonous bugs, flying ones, giant ones, armored ones… There are all kinds except what I’m looking for.

  Until I finally find it. A worm as tall as a human. There’s barely any information about it, but it says the most important thing.

  It spits acid capable of melting steel and corroding bone. Extremely dangerous when in groups.

  The hair on my arms stands on end. Just thinking about standing in front of such a creature makes me nervous.

  “It’s exactly what I need. If it can corrode steel, it should also be able to remove impurities. Now then, how the hell am I going to get it?”