Meteor Manufactory, Market District, Meteo Town

The street is bustling. Newborn and Merrowans shuttling along casually or carrying heavy loads - lumber, stacks of rough stone brick etcetera - and more than a few of the less busy Newborn are stood around the front of Meteor Manufactory, staring at Henna while she hammers out a billet of metal alloy flat, forming a plate.

She's definitely improving, little by little. It's hard to really pick out where, but my experience tells me she's better than the last time I saw her.

"Hey hey, teach," Jade skips ahead, but keeps a bit of distance between her and the hot metal, "Today is the day, yeah?"

Henna glances up from her work, then resumes hammering, "What did I say about interrupting me while I work?"

"Come on," Olrica taps Jade's shoulder and shepherds her towards the door, "Let's just wait inside for a minute."

I don't follow, choosing to join the gawkers in observing Henna's technique. After a few seconds though, she stops, letting the hammer rest on the anvil. Looking up, ambivalent, it's clear that I'm making her feel self-conscious, so I make my apologies and head inside.

The store is filled from wall to wall with displays, from Beginner's Bronze, to Miner's Nightmare equipment and the knock-off Empire of Stone standard-issue designs. It's a bit cramped and disorganised, truthfully, but with the way Henna has been working non-stop since things settled down, the amount of stock she's created on her own with lacklustre facilities is ridiculous by Earth standards.

Inspecting each in turn, I note that her prodigious speed is at the expense of overall Quality, averaging a System-Certified value somewhere between 45-60% for each piece, hardly even qualifying for a successful craft on the lower end. Mass-production tends to lead to that outcome, but it is a bit extreme even for that.

Well, in any case, I don't think it really makes too much of a difference to our targeted clientele of Newborn who don't know or care about the details in the short term. Our product's usage isn't anywhere near a point where min-maxing gear means anything next to personal skill, and a person's equipment only really needs to do the minimum at a reasonable price - initially and repair-wise.

As an artisan of 30-ish years, admitting that hurts my pride a little, though 'artistry' always played second-fiddle to 'practicality. Not only that, but I know Henna can do better, and forcing herself to keep this insane output is going to form bad habits, never mind the personal toll on mind and body.

"Looks like you've gotten the same conclusion I did," Olrica leans over, "I did tell you she was going overboard, and it's getting worse by the day."

"Aren't we all like, superhuman or whatever? I don't think it's that bad for someone as magically ultra-buff as Henna, and like, she's enjoying it from what I've seen," Jade plays with a small bronze knife over by the counter, studying the construction, "Though, yeah, I don't think she's been taking as many breaks as she maybe oughtta, it's not like it's super terrible for someone to get lost in a project for a while."

Hearing them out I make my own conclusion, "You're both right. It's not a terrible thing for her to dedicate herself fully, but she's pushing  too hard too quickly."

"So, talk to her about it - not like Henna's gonna listen to anyone else telling her except the guy who told her to in the first place," Olrica insists, swaying back, arms wide, "God knows I've tried, despite myself."

I'd say what she really needs, same as everyone else, is a good mentor figure to coach her. On both sides.

Who, is the obvious question to ask.

Thinking back, most of my own development after leaving her tutelage was a mix of half-assed self-discovery and watching vidcrees posting tutorials. Just as with swordsmanship, I can definitely teach her the fundamentals and a few tricks I've picked up, but I'm far from good enough a smith to give her the education she deserves.

I could stand to benefit from the same training as well, admittedly.

It all really loops back around to a lack of skilled personnel in Truthseekers. We need administrators, artisans, gatherers, Scholars, combatants. trainers...every area is lacking.

Our funds are lacking...

Our facilities are lacking...

"That's a familiar face," Olrica laughs quietly at my anxieties.

"Yup. It's an expression that says 'I have an unfinished thesis due tomorrow and my professor just handed out the next assignment'," Jade snickers, "Pretty common on campus lately."

"That's super specific," Olrica smirks, winking at me in response to my glare, "Oh! Howdy, Henna."

The bell over the door tinkles, an unfinished sword preceding Henna, still steaming from the quench, "Mm. I can hear you from out there, y'know. I ain't deaf."

"Then I won't bother repeating," I school my facial expression, calming the twinge of lingering irritation.

"F'r the record, I'm not bein' all hasty for nothin'," she starts trying to justify her behaviour, "I've got a lot of material - too much frankly - and accordin' to you I don't need to be too picky about the results so long as we get products stockpiled. So, I've been experimenting as I go with my technique an' ideas. Can't rely on memories of m' Da and Uncle, since they're too faded to help anymore. Reckon I've made some strides."

"You have, somewhat," I agree with her reluctantly, "But the margins are too wide. 45%, Henna? Really?"

To her credit, she has enough perspicacity to shrink back in embarrassment, "E-eh...I mean...um..."

"45%?" Jade questions, at a loss.

I pick up an offending shortsword from a brace of them dumped sloppily atop a display table, "45% Quality. This right here is, in effect, a dull metal stick. Not a sword you can sell a man and feel guiltless about it after, no matter how cheap the price. 50%, I'll grant you, but not a whit less."

Applying only a modicum of force with my fingers, the blade snaps off at a fault line, revealing burnt metal inside. If I were to do it again to the remaining two pieces, I'll wager there'd be more. Shite heat control.

Henna winces, "Didn't hafta do that, Silver, I know what's worth selling and what's scrap."

"I wouldn't mind you experimenting if it wasn't with Meteor Manufactory's money," I drop it back on the pile with a clank, "Or, to be clear, not without talking to me about it, and with material that's meant to make a saleable product. I get that it feels like we've a surplus, but that's because I'm trying to stay ahead of the market - looking at all the subpar product here, you've effectively wasted close to 5 Stone Gold in material, Henna-"

"Hey, back it off man," Jade scowls, slapping the knife she's holding back down, "You ain't talking to a kid who took one cookie too many from the jar."

"Yeah, you're being an asshole right now, Silver," Olrica also leaps to Henna's defence unnecessarily.

The smith's lips form a line, speaking out for herself before I can tell them to stay out of it, "No, it's fine you two. He ain't wrong an' I don't need you covering for my mistake. Still, I ain't gonna regret trying new things, Silver, not like I got any other choice if I wanna grow any as a craftswoman."

I already recognise that, "It might look that way, but it's still a fact you've gotten carried away and wasted Guild funds. Whether you really deserve it or need it because of that, part of me coming out here today was to do some metalwork and throw some pointers your way - Jade's too since you're here, conveniently."

Henna looks at me sceptically, "Ain't you worse'n I am?"

"Technically, yes," I agree with a sly smile, "But it might surprise you to learn that my actual proficiency is 5-Star Advanced Armoursmith. Or it was, before circumstances outside my control forced me to start anew."

After Basic, there's Journeyman. Advanced is the next step after that, and I was always just short of Expert relying on my own efforts.

Scepticism turns to abject confusion, "You-"

"He's probably telling the truth," Jade offers some surprise words of support for my case, "...Or thinks he is anyhow."

Only to backpedal it out of habit, I see.

"...Don't take you for a liar, just hard to swallow," Henna clarifies, muttering quietly, "Seems you've more than fightin' to teach me, Silver. Which, mentionin' that now, ya still haven't made good on - not proper anyway. Been out for morning runs and doin' all these weird poses like you told me to, but that's not what I were promised."

"I know, but it's also a fact that your lower body is vastly underdeveloped compared to your arms," I explain, moving to the door, "Don't forget how fast you've run yourself out of breath just moving about in a fight and what-have-you. Learning proper breath control and strengthening your legs is necessary for your foundation. You're a strong one, I'll grant you, but it's lop-sided - all upper-body brute force and no nuance or flexibility."

Granted, flexibility isn't exactly a high priority for many others, but Henna is...stiff, monotonous, and blunt by habit in her movements without a purpose behind it to justify a style that direct. Or, to put it another way, it's the difference between a pre-programmed robot with rusty joints swinging a hammer, and a master of fighting who, after experiencing & studying the nuances of different styles, decides to return to the basics and embrace simplicity.

Philosophically I'm closer to the latter example after Lady Jannis' brief stint of tutelage, though still far from proficient enough to understand if there's any merit in that mindset other than for the real experts to be fob off talk show hosts asking nosy questions with quasi-spiritualist bullshit - Jannis herself is on record as not finding much value in such 'fragrant drivel', teaching by example rather than words - while Henna is still stuck at the other end working against the aforementioned ingrained habits and inexperience.

"Not like I've not been giving you any pointers on knife-handling either," Olrica adds, "And from what I've seen Silver's got the right idea - you've not got much going for you in the way of a foundation for fighting. The way I see it, your learning speed is goin' way ahead of your body's ability to keep up."

"That's nice and all, but can we skip to the part where I can make a dagger?" Jade complains, "Y'all are just statin' the obvious like it's some profound life lesson when Henna's already checked out of the conversation."

Henna grimaces, "I was listening..."

"Suuure you were...that's why your face froze over halfway through them nagging," Jade chuckles darkly through a small smirk, "Come on, girl, stand up for yourself a li'l, huh? Silver promised something, and he's not doing anything about it, so don't just stand back and let him blather it away."

"...It's fine," the smith shakes her head, "Like ya said, I'd rather just get back to forgin' and if Silver's of a mind to do some proper metalwork and tellin' true 'bout his skill, I'll be glad to take it as ample compensation for it all."

"If you say so," Jade shrugs, throwing a disapproving glance my way before strutting out of the shop, Henna following behind her.

Olrica exhales a harsh sigh, mumbling to herself, "God, why do I feel like acting like this 'round Henna?"

"Second-hand guilt, perhaps," I reply quietly, "Used to be close to her, didn't you? Think I vaguely remember seeing you hanging around here back then."

"...Might be," Olrica kneads her hands into her face, rubbing harshly, "Fuck."

"How eloquent," I remark with a touch of venom, "Since I'm already giving out unwarranted advice, rejecting those memories and feelings isn't going to make you feel any better."

"Silver."

"Mm?"

"Fuck off."

"Language."

---

 

Divested of my armour, I consider whether or not it's worthwhile to try repairing it myself before belatedly realising that I don't have the Talents necessary to do so. Particularly for my heavily damaged flamberge, for which I don't even have the Schematic. Repairing things without one requires a much higher attainment than the standard difficulty and an appropriate Talent, after all, so unless a Schematic drops from WLR and finds it's way into Meteor Manufactory's possession, it was always going to be a disposable tool.

"Thinking about it, Henna, has anyone come by looking to sell any new Schematics or the like from the dungeons?"

"Afraid not," she denies it, refuelling the dinky old furnace, "Been buying up a buncha those beast crystals and terrorstone, but less and less of it's been coming in, for some reason."

"That'll be the drop table rebalance at work," Olrica declares, leaning against the doorframe, "Think I saw a few Schematics being advertised yesterday, that got bought up by one of those new guilds for real cash."

"The power of moolah," Jade grunts, "Fuckin' whale ass motherfuckers."

"..Beg pardon?" Henna asks, confused by the colourful language.

"Ehh...tell you later. Need anything from inside?"

"I ordered some new tools in, but they're not out here, so could you go check?" I request, noticing Henna twitch guiltily, "Henna, why are you still using these old ones?"

"'cos they're comfortable," she answers dishonestly, "Been using 'em for years now."

"Henna."

The smith ignores me, pumping the bellows with calculated deliberation. Jade shares a look with Olrica and both head inside the shop to dig them out.

When they return, they're sharing a load of a torso-sized crate with a prominent Maker's Mark burnt into the wood on each face, denoting the contents as a verifiable product of the Currilious Forgeworks Consortium. They aren't one of the high-end companies, rather something closer to a military surplus retailer, selling off old equipment, designs and so on that the Empire of Stone isn't really using anymore, or else doesn't place great importance on.

They obviously aren't allowed to use any of the army's iconography, but when it comes to middle-of-the-road manufacture, they're the most reliable option in my experience. Enough that their product finds its way into the carts of Merchants hired by up-and-coming mercenary outfits abroad semi-regularly, in spite of the heavy scrutiny and high tariffs the Empire places on exported armaments.

To paraphrase their marketing, they are the definition of 'Iron Tier'.

Taking it off her hands and prying open the nailed-down lid, it's already clear that Henna hasn't even checked the contents. If I'm understanding her correctly, she probably doesn't think she's worthy of better tools than the old, barely functional crap she's been using for the past decade, or out of sentimentality for her father's belongings. Either way, I have no such compunctions.

 

Feeling the heft of the hammer, and jostling it within my grip to test the balance, I nod with satisfaction. It's a good hammer. Balanced well, no obvious flaws in construction. It, along with it's fellows, will serve any ordinary smith well for a good few years before they'll need tossing into the forge to scrap.

Though ostensibly part of a set, there are no bonuses attached, and each of them cost around 10 Stone Gold for a total of 5 sets at 47 Stone Gold, 34 Stone Silvers and 59 Stone Coppers, thanks to a deal with the Merchant we ordered them from.

"Hm, what should I make first?" I mumble half to myself, half to the wind while I get out everything I need, "Start with a Beginner's Bronze Dagger, I suppose. Jade, Henna, please pay close attention."

I start with a Bronze Ingot. It's about two pounds in weight, which is a lot more material than I realistically require, but traditional smithing wisdom is that it's better to start with too much then cut it down as you go than to start with exactly what you think you need and find it isn't enough in the end.

I put it into the coals and start working the bellows. There isn't any special trick to it necessary, just heating the material to temp quickly according to the characteristics of the metal being used. Of course, you don't want to overdo it or blow out the flames. Bronze is definitely sturdier than some give it credit for, but it will literally fall apart at high heat levels if you're unlucky.

Even so, it does take a minute or two to get there. Using a pair of metal tongs, I pick it up, "Hot metal, stay clear."

...and bring quickly over to the anvil, taking up a cross-pein hammer resting against the wood-stump stand for the anvil. Setting my feet, I raise the hammer and bring it down, not with force, but according to the tool's mass. If I were to use my full power, I'd probably crush a hole through the ingot, which isn't the aim.

I draw the blade out to length, approximately 8 inches, with a lump of rectangular metal still pincered in the tongs' grip that accounts for a bit more. Before I do anything with that though, I return it to the fire briefly to maintain the high temperature - banging on cold metal will cause problems obviously - and bring up a shunt from the pile of tools on the worktable.

Crushing out the remaining metal into a long, pudgy rod with an integral cross-guard, I set the shunt at an appropriate juncture and hammer the wedge into the metal until it's simple enough to just wiggle the two pieces free from one another.

Hammering the dagger into shape is next, and repeats the process of reheating, hammering, and reheating over a quarter-hour period until I have the beginnings of a tapered, utterly bog-standard double-edged blade.

It's ugly to look at, thanks to the bronze it's made of, but that will be fixed in the grind. A smith can do basically anything they want to the metal prior to the quench so long as they don't introduce flaws.

Speaking of, I let the metal cool a bit so I can inspect the structural integrity of the blade so far. If I made a mistake with the heating, surface cracking can be seen, but no obvious flaws are visible from any angle - completely flat, no cracks, shunts, crumbling, etcetera. The length is just a little over what's required, and it's still pretty thick to facilitate the grinding.

Allowing it to cool further - swinging it to and fro in the tongs to speed it up - I answer a question or two while I wait for it to dissipate entirely, and start pedalling up the grinding wheel. Sparks fly off the metal intermittently as I hold it against the rough stone, spinning away at high speed.

Compared to automatic machines, it's not quite as convenient. But I don't have facilities like that, and I don't need them.

"How's your shirt not catching fire..?" Olrica wonders.

"The metal isn't really that hot, and it's so small it loses it immediately," Jade answers for her, watching closely. Truthfully, it has been singed a bit in places, but I'm used to it.

Grinding takes a lot longer than forging. The shape is refined on a coarse stone wheel, then the bevel and edge on a softer stone wheel assisted by a straight file for problem spots. The tang is smoothed out in the same procedure, leaving a small bulbous chunk at the bottom I round out.

No problems occur throughout, and the burnished metal looks quite handsome with how it catches the light.

Satisfied, I return the dagger to the heat one last time for the heat-treat that will harden the blade, all going well, it won't warp or crack. Which would be embarrassing, but fixable in the former case.

Finally, after near to three quarters of an hour's work - markedly fast by the standards of smiths back in Reality - I lower the glowing orange blade lengthways into a vat of oil (some cheap alchemical formula bought from the Pioneers' Alliance). It hisses, of course, as it cools rapidly and the metal's internal structure crystalises, but I don't feel any 'pings' that constitute a break, and pulling it out there's not an obvious warp either.

Having said that, it can still bend and twist after the fact, so I sandwich it between two planks of wood in a vice and heat up the threvert resin glue. The Schematic calls for a string wrapped handle, so that will be the final step in the actual construction of the blade.

Retrieved from the vice and wrapped with sticky fingers, I wipe the blade with a bit of oil and a rough cloth to polish it.

Congratulations, you have created a Beginner's Bronze Dagger!

The item has an estimated Quality rating of 99%!

Awarding 300 Experience.

"Ta-dah..." I place it gently on the anvil, wondering where I lost the last percent, "A Beginner's Bronze Dagger, close to perfect and made in no time at all."

"Impressive work," Henna compliments, "Better'n anything I ever made."

"Quite possibly, but you'll catch up and overtake me eventually," I assure her with no false modesty, "Not to mention this is an extremely easy piece to make for anybody, and my specialty's armour anyway."

From Journeyman onwards, the whole process gets much more complicated. Everything up to the end of Basic is just the fundamentals of metalworking.

"I wanna go next," Jade struts forward confidently, "Scootcher ass, Silver."

"Sure."

---

 

About two hours later...

"Only 64%? Fuck! I'm making another!" Jade rages against her failure to live up to an impossible, self-imposed standard, drawing funny looks from passers-by and one or two spectators. 

Well, it wasn't bad for a first attempt. First knife I ever made snapped off at the tip and only managed 41% Quality.

So it is that the rest of the day is spent advising Jade and Henna at the forge.