Chương 1473: [1382] - Y06.282 - A Man of Trouble II

The workshop was stonewalled, the scent of hot metal and wood smoke lingered in the air. The anvil stood proudly, at the ready and eager to serve, right beside the golden brick furnace, engraved with prayers all along its weathered edge. Tools hung lightly across the walls, illuminated by the gems embedded within the stone walls. A woman tended to the furnace, holding out her hand over the heat, feeling it prickle against her skin until the temperature was agreeable.

She was red of skin, like blood, her horns elegantly curved around her head, peeking through the simple scarf which caught her sweat and covered her lower face.

"Adam, please be polite," Dunes whispered.

"I know, I will," Adam promised, almost hurt by Dunes' words, but he understood that was how it was, until he proved himself to be less of a fool. The woman turned to face them, noting the five figures, bowing her head to each of them, beginning with the two Mo's, then the older Aswadian warriors, until finally greeting those who were red of skin and horned.

"Welcome," Asel called, holding out a hand towards the opposite wall, where weapons lay still, though none were covered in dust. The blades lay upon hooks, each within their scabbards. The woman had been ready to smith a dagger that day, but since customers approached, she would need to tend to them. It was a slow kind of day that day, for the woman typically received guests who made themselves known in advance, but that only meant she could charge this group a greater sum, or so she thought.

Laygak unstrapped his blade, placing it upon the counter. He browsed the weapons on display, spotting the fact a very high percentage of her blades were forged from firesteel, meaning they had indeed come to the right place.

"Don't be frugal," Adam said, patting Taygak upon her back gently, the young woman also unstrapping her own blade to place it upon the counter.

"If aunt hears about how little I spoiled you, she'll beat me up."

"Mother cannot beat you up," Taygak said, recalling the time they had fought all those years ago.

"I might not lose, but she'll definitely beat me up," Adam replied, causing Taygak to let out a small sigh, the kind that held a complicated emotion, but her cheeks flushed lightly with pride.

"I am Asel," the woman said, stepping towards Laygak, noting how the others were eyeing up the wall, though the older Aswadian stood at the ready near the entrance. He must have been someone who…

"I am Laygak," Laygak replied, noting the woman had spotted Uli's sword, meaning she understood who he was.

"Laygak? Do you know of Flame Brand?" the woman asked, her attention suddenly completely on the young Iyrman before her.

"She is my grandaunt," Laygak admitted.

"My grandfather's sister." Asel inhaled sharply for a moment, and though the others could not see most of her face, Laygak could see the smile within her eyes.

"I am blessed this day!"

"She's my…" Adam began, causing the woman to glance at him for a moment, but she returned back to Laygak as the half elf froze, feeling Dunes' gaze against the back of his head.

'Thank you,' Dunes thought.

"Since you are a Gak, are you looking for a sword?"

"We are looking for many weapons," Laygak admitted.

"I should buy at least one sword while I am here, but we are currently more interested in procuring spears and daggers."

"Daggers and spears are three hundred silver each, nephew," Asel said.

"For you, I will provide an additional dagger as a gift."

"We will pay for them," Laygak said, holding up a hand as though to stop her thoughts, since their pouched were too heavy to walk around with.

"How much is a firesteel sword?"

"One thousand silver."

"A firesteel sword for one thousand silver is a fair price." Normally such a blade would sell for at least one hundred fifty gold, so a thousand and five hundred silver, often times more, though from what Laygak noted, the daggers and spears were an even greater deal. Meanwhile, Adam thought about how much gold they had spent thus far.

'Whoa! I didn't realise I could buy firesteel stuff for so cheap!' Adam thought.

'Does that mean firesteel comes from the nearby mines? I didn't see many within the Order, though?' Adam had dared to complete the calculations recently, having not even considered the magical weapons, but they had easily broken thirty thousand gold, and though they had made a deal with the Amira, they were still down by many thousands. At first he hadn't realised he had spent so much, but as he thought about the cost for travelling with so many people, and buying so many gifts… Reading on Amazon or a pirate site?

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"For the firesteel weapons, do you have just the ten daggers and ten spears?" Adam asked while Laygak paid for the sword.

"I may have some more in my inventory," Asel replied, checking the gem at her little counter.

"I'd like to…" Adam motioned a hand along each of the daggers and spears, letting out a soft sigh.

"Since I can't pick just one or two, I'll take them all."

'Hmm?' Adam peeked towards Dunes, who covered his forehead with a hand, half begging the half elf with his eyes.

'Come on, that was kind of gangster.'

'Adam…'

"Ah, right, I came here specifically to ask about the Last Song of Fire."

"If you procure the daggers and spears we may speak of it," Asel replied.

"Taygak, if you would?" Taygak reached into her robe and took out the gem worth a thousand gold, Asel staring at it, and then the young woman who was not tattooed, but was certainly an Iyrman. She accepted the gem and checked it at her desk, hiding the manner in which she checked the gem, and a pair of raised brows revealed the gem to be true. The girl was surely an Iyrman, certainly, definitely so.

'I would hope those gems are real, the Amira gave them to us,' Adam thought, all the while congratulating himself for not speaking the words out loud with Uli nearby.

"I would like to see it." The woman paused a moment, before she stepped away behind the counter, and through the door, before returning but moments later with a long box wrapped within a scarf, tied a third and two thirds of the way through. She undid the string with far too much ease, and she unlatched the box, revealing the blade within.

It was a longer blade, slender, slightly curved, and emblazoned near the base of the blade was the imprint of a blazing sun, the gentle light flickering off the orange blade making it seem as though it were alive. The handle was forged of silver, smooth, with a gentle curve, a pommel that was a round ball of gold, the blade designed for slashing rather than thrusting.

"It looks beautiful," Adam said.

"How much?"

"Five thousand silver."

"Is it a Masterwork?" Adam asked, tilting his head, certain it was without even reaching for it.

"Yes."

"I will buy it for five thousand silver, if you are willing to part with it." Asel remained quiet for a long moment.

"This sword, I cannot sell it to those who do not appreciate it."

"I appreciate it, though I won't be the one to wield it. I use an axe, and if I use a sword, my daughter will bully me." The half elf let out the kind of sigh that said more to the smith than anything else.

"I wish to buy it for my grandmother." The woman blinked.

'Hmm?'

"Your grandmother doesn't use a sword?" Laygak joked, grinning wide.

"Taygak, your brother is bullying me," Adam grumbled quietly.

"Cousin Adam is behaving well, we should not bully him," Taygak said in the fiery devilkin tongue.

"You are right," Laygak admitted, smiling warmly. Adam blinked. The woman remained silent, unsure of their little comedy routine. Her eyes snapped between the Gaks, who seemed quite comfortable with this half elf, and her eyes fell back onto the young man.

"What is your grandmother's name?"

"You know her by her epithet, Flame Brand," Adam said, holding the woman's gaze. Asel frowned, narrowing her eyes, closing the lid of the box, hiding it from sight.

"You may leave."

"Aila, if you do not believe me, you may ask the Iyrmen," Adam replied, shrugging his shoulders simply.

"It is true," Taygak said.

"Grandaunt calls him grandson, and he calls grandaunt grandmother," Laygak said.

"Within the Iyr, we do not refute these words."

"You said your grandfather was her brother?"

"His name is Tangak," Laygak said, smiling politely.

"He perished against Forgryn." Asel remained silent for a long while, since she had heard of that too. It was many years ago, almost twenty years ago, the news that Iyrmen had joined together to kill Forgryn for a sin he had committed. She had heard it was because the dragon dared to harm…

"Is it true that the dragon had slain a child of the Iyr."

"He killed our uncle and aunt, and killed their child too," Laygak confirmed. This was all too coincidental, the woman thought. However, who would lie about being Iyrmen, nor lie about their connection to Flame Brand, who the woman adored greatly?

"I am surprised you are not saying more," Dunes admitted.

"You would say more unbelievable things to cause greater confusion."

"I'm growing up," Adam replied simply.

"How did you come to know of them, Mo?" Asel asked.

"Mo Adam and I, we met many years ago, and he assisted me in finding my friend," Dunes replied simply. Asel's eyes then darted to Uli, who was certainly a Black Lion, meaning the group who had entered to procure her wares were not simple in the slightest.

"You are quite rich, is it because you are able to use that axe?" Asel asked.

"Something like that. I gained a lot of money betting on myself and my companions when we entered the tournaments. I was forced not to take first in one, and then was forced to share first place in the second, but what can I do against such oppressive forces who would not allow a leaf ear like me to climb high in Aldland?"

'Ah,' Asel thought, recalling the issue with his heritage in Aldland.

"Do you know Vasera and the… Laughing Hyena? Flaming Hyena?"

"You may know him as Flaming Hyena, but I would call him Laughing Hyena," Asel confirmed.

"In my first tournament, I had to fight them both, but even they weren't allowed to defeat the King's Sword's daughter, or her cousin," Adam grumbled.

"You defeated…"

"Considering his name, he was actually a good guy. Vasera probably caused him a lot of trouble and he seemed troubled all the time, and he…" Adam turned to face Dunes. He let out a guilty sigh. Dunes just smiled.

"I hope you're willing to sell me this blade."

"If I am not?"

"Then it was simply Fate and I'll find another blade to gift my grandmother. I just thought it was Fate for her to receive this one." Asel considered the young man's words, and he seemed disappointed, though didn't seem to be taking any overt actions. Could she offend someone like that?

"Ten thousand silver, and I will hand this blade over to you."

"Ten thousand…" Adam began, almost disappointed.

"Oh? Silver? Of course!" Asel was surprised he accepted, but since she was meant to overcharge him for everything for not giving notice…

"I will part with it for five thousand silver," Asel finally said after thinking on it for a moment.

"However, Laygak, would you be willing to pass a letter to Flame Brand?"

"I am willing," Laygak confirmed.

"A letter and a firesteel dagger," Asel said, since she wasn't sure the woman would wield such a blade when she no doubt possessed a greater blade, but a firesteel dagger as a secondary weapon was a fine weapon indeed.