The day of my agreement with Rand finally arrived. I didn't go to smithy, but rather rested in my bed for the entire morning. Before the noon, someone entered my house, and to no surprise, it was the young hunter. "Why are you sitting here?", he asked me annoyed. "I believe you should be aware that my agreement with Rand came to an end. This day marks one year, I kept my word", I replied calmly.
The guy stood there for a while, then told me to follow him to see Rand. I obliged, since this was my intention from the start. We headed to Rand's house, where the old woman opened the door, and invited us inside. His house was not only large, but quite luxurious. Besides the nicely crafted furniture, his walls were full of trophies and paintings.
The hunter took me upstairs, where Rand's office was located. *Knock*, *Knock*, "Come in", Rand's voice came from behind the door. "Ah, it's you. Terens, leave us alone for a while", Rand told the hunter. Once we were alone, he asked a bizarre question, "What can I help you with?". "I'm sure you are aware why I'm here. There's no need to sugar coat it. One year, that was our agreement. I fulfilled the agreement, what else is there to say?", I replied calmly.
"Hmm, let's say you did. What about the woman you killed?". I expected that question, but my answer was ready. "What woman?", "The one who lived with you? Did you lose your memory?", he asked a bit annoyed. "How do you know it was me? She died from the wounds your people caused. I had nothing to do with this", I replied bluntly. They obviously knew it was me, but I never admitted to it in front of Rand.
Rand didn't like my answer, his tone became more commanding, "I can make you stay here if I want. We can always break your arm or leg". "Oh, I'm sure you can. Then who's going to make all that purified steel for you? I'm no idiot, this is quite a lucrative endeavour for you. With Grond's abilities, he can make three, maybe four of them a day? You are potentially losing on another four, what is that, another four or five gold per day? Not a small amount", I replied.
"You think this will save you?", "Then break my leg, or arm. I've already lost everything, and have nothing to lose. You have so much more to lose than me. Will you go down that path?", I replied with my own question. Rand took a while to collect his thoughts before replying, "Does that mean you want to stay here willingly? Since you mentioned how lucrative that business is for me?".
"I don't mind working in the smithy, under certain conditions of course", "What would those conditions be?", he asked. "For one, my status will be that of a villager here. If someone were to throw a punch at me, I'll throw a punch at them. In other words, same rules for me as for everyone. Simple, right? Additionally, this is a job, and you will pay me for it. Now, I'm not demanding high pay, since you will provide food and housing. Therefore what you can offer can be negotiated, after taking these things under consideration", I proposed.
"How many ingots will you create per day?", he asked. "I can realistically make four of them", I said with confidence. "... I can agree to that. You will become part of this village, and work as a blacksmith. I can pay you... two silvers a day, after deducing the food and housing costs. How does that sound?", Rand proposed. Two silvers was a really low price, especially considering how much they made on one ingot. "Give me four silvers a day. One silver per ingot, you are still making huge profits on me anyway. The house and food doesn't cost you that much, let's be real. I think that's fair", I replied.
"Alright, four silvers per day, provided you create four ingots. I will pay your wages each week, and you can eat at the tavern whenever you wish. So long four ingots are done, we don't have problems", he agreed, but I shook my head. "We will sign a contract. That way, neither of us will be cheated, right?". Rand didn't seem to like the idea. "Why, are you planning on not paying me?", "Fine, we will sign a contract, but it will be for five years. Happy with that?", "Sure, I don't mind", I replied. After all, once my skills were good enough, Rand or his slip of paper couldn't stop me anyway. I could even sign a lifetime contract.
He drafted the contract right in front of me, and everything was defined clearly. I signed with my name, and grabbed a copy. "Great, I'll start the work from tomorrow. If anything, you know where to find me", I said before leaving his office. The reason why Rand accepted my deal, was simple. I was willing to stay and work by my own accord. They knew my abilities, and earned sizable profits on me. Paying a few silvers for a piece of mind, and a worker who'd obediently produce stuff for them was a small price to pay. They wouldn't need to observe, or worry about me.
'Rand isn't an idiot. If he were to beat me up, he'd only lose my ability to produce a few more ingots a day. Since my deal was so advantageous to them, he'd be an idiot to refuse', I thought on my way downstairs. "You done?", the young hunter called Terens asked. "Yep, if you want the details, go speak with Rand. I'm off", I replied before leaving the house.
Technically, I was a part of their village, with a job as a blacksmith. Though Rand wouldn't trust me for a while, he'd drop the suspicions after nothing happened, and the work was carried out. Moreover, Senty wasn't around anymore. She moved to the Grasshill Village, and lived with her soon to be husband. Any other annoyance would be dealt with easily, since retaliation was on the table unlike before.
That evening, me and Nick had a meal together to celebrate my new position. To keep up the pretence, I couldn't help with patients anymore. My job was the blacksmith, not a doctor. "With you being the blacksmith, it would be weird if you were to work at my house. I can't really do anything about it, but we can always practice outside of working hours. Anyway, how much will he pay you?", Nick asked. "I'll get one silver coin per ingot. With four ingots a day, that's four silvers", I said.
"Hahaha... Well, money isn't everything. Though for your information, you can make about fifty silvers per one purified steel ingot. Not anyone can refine steel, boy. Maybe you have talent for smithing. This is worth exploring in the future", Nick said. "I don't know... I'm not good at making anything but ingots. That requires strength, so anyone can do it", I replied, not convinced.
"Stupid. Anyone can make an ingot with enough strength, true. Not anyone can make an ingot that is of good quality. I saw them myself, and they are better quality than Grond's. Just because you weren't a blacksmith before, doesn't mean you can't be talented. With a good teacher, you'd probably pick up the techniques really quickly. Hmmm... While you're in the smithy, ask Grond to show you how to repair tools. Yes, this will take some of your time away, but you might want to pursuit this in the future. Basic knowledge isn't a bad idea", Nick advised.
"Okay, I'm not really convinced, but if you think this will be beneficial... I might as well learn more. Though, I'm not certain Grond will simply teach me stuff. What will he get in return?", I asked. "You will be an official blacksmith. People need new tools, tell him you'll share the burden with the tools. You'll create or repair some, and he'll create or repair some. That's better than doing all the work. Moreover, ingots are most important for Rand, not the tools. Yet, do you think people will be chaffed if no tools or repairs are provided? He will agree, don't you worry", Nick replied.
"Sure, I'll talk to him. Anyway, what are we doing today? You mentioned medicine making a while ago, are we doing that now?", "Hehe, are you that eager? Sure, we can do that today. We'll search for herbs, but this will be a test for you as well. We don't want you to forget anything from those books, do we? You'll lead, and the first herb we are looking for is... Vital Grass", Nick announced, but it was up to me to choose the way and find that herb.