The Crafter's Dungeon: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 1) Jonathan Brooks (sites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

He knew he still had a lot to learn, though, especially with other materials and weapon types.  When Kelerim was the village Blacksmith, he had experimented with making knives, but as they weren’t in demand, he never had enough practice to make a good one.  Sandra fixed his lack of knowledge and education, however, and he was soon churning out one decent one after another.  They weren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but with a few fixes to their finishing and balance that she pointed out, he was able to make them much better.

Copper was a medium he had used occasionally when he was out of iron, but it was typically only used for everyday items like cooking pots.  Working with it was easier than iron – he thought at first – but it presented its own challenges with strength and form.  He ended up remaking more than a few weapons because he couldn’t use the same techniques to produce a copper knife as an iron knife and ended up ruining them.

And don’t even get him started on the difficulties of bronze and steel.

Regardless of the initial steep learning curve, he was starting to get into a good rhythm; he figured that with the month’s learning and practice he had already experienced, he was probably already the best Blacksmith in Orcrim.  And now Sandra wanted to send him out of the dungeon.

* You’ll be fine, Kel.  If what you told me of the approximate distance to your old village is true, my Area of Influence should reach all the way there.  I’m sending six of my Ironclad Apes with you, so you should be more than safe. *

Not only was she sending six of the dangerous looking metal monkeys, but they were also going to be bringing a few of what had to be Masterwork-quality steel swords that Sandra had made.  He was in awe of them, actually; he hoped that he would be able to make one even remotely as beautiful as they looked one day, but he knew that day was probably a long day off.  And what did she want for what he considered to be near-priceless works of art?

Small quantities of freshly cut wood, various other metals, salt, cotton or flax seeds, and clay.  There was more she wanted, but she kept the list short so that he could minimize his time inside the village.

“And what do you think will happen when I walk into the village of Grongbak with six scary-looking Iron Apes at my back.  If I get lucky and end up not scaring off the village folk, the few guards that are always around will still attack immediately.  And killing Orcs is the opposite of what I’m guessing you’d like to achieve here,” he responded, regurgitating the same thing he had said numerous times.

She was silent for a while and withdrew from his attention, which he had quickly learned was an indication she was thinking about something.

* I hear your concerns, and I have to agree they are valid.  However, if you don’t go, I’ll never be able to fully help as much as I would like.  We’ve got to start somewhere if we’re ever to get you back and established in your own smithy.  Hopefully, this will be a nice gesture of good-faith trading that will make them rethink about the order to kill you.

* And if you’re so concerned with my Apes being inside the village, I can try to keep them relatively hidden in the outskirts so that they won’t be seen with you.  There’s more danger to you that way, so it would be up to you to decide if that’s the way you want to work this. *

Kelerim thought about what she said and had to admit that she had a point.  However, the one thing he was starting to rethink himself was ever going back to being just a Blacksmith in Orcrim, even if he was the best they ever had.  He knew the Orcish people well enough that even if he could craft the same Masterwork Steel swords that Sandra could make, they would still look at him as something…inadequate.  He never felt that way inside the dungeon working with Sandra, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to that day in and day out, even if it ended up helping the entire race.

Sure, it was selfish, but he also knew what he wanted.  And he wanted to stay in the dungeon and learn from Sandra.

Perhaps they could make all the weapons and armor there and then deliver it to the Orcish people from the dungeon’s location.  Kelerim liked that idea much more, but he had been hesitant to broach the subject just in case Sandra disagreed and kicked him out.  He knew that she had mentioned providing some initial assistance in the form of large quantities of crafted items that she had made, but she was pushing for him to go back as a Master Blacksmith and take over the crafting duties inside Orcrim itself.  As that was beginning to be the last thing on his mind, he knew it would be better if he just stayed inside the dungeon and helped craft there; to further that idea in his head, though, someone would have to initiate contact in the first place, and he was the only one really capable of doing it.

With the thought that he was going to have to make that first step eventually, he told the Dungeon Core, “Fine.  Let’s do it.”  And less than a day later, all the preparations were complete, and he was topside again – in the middle of the hot wasteland.

*         *         *

The sun was beating down on the back of Kelerim and