Abel made his way through the busy streets of the city. He stopped a few times to peruse through the various goods on sale in different stands and shops. Shirts, trousers, snacks, and many more, but he refrained from buying anything. He needed to make sure he had enough money to pay for the armor he was going to pick up from Arnold's place.
Soon enough, he had reached the large establishment. The tall, dark walls beckoned him in. Stepping in, he immediately ran into Sara, Arnold's daughter at the door. She beamed up at him the moment she saw him, stepping closer and letting her perfume waft into his nostrils.
"Oh, Abel! How are you?" Her perky voice called out as her short maid dress fluttered with her quick movements that caught even Abel off guard.
"I'm okay, Sara. What about you? How has business been in the past week?" Abel calmed himself, pushing the fact that she was basically breathing down his neck to the back of his mind.
"Oh, well, everything's been okay. I've been doing good as well." She replied, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.
"That's great!"
"Oh, are you here for the armor you commissioned last week? It's been done for ages, but dad hasn't been able to get it to you." She beamed again, her slight embarrassment nowhere to be found. She then turned to lead him into the establishment, but not before signaling to someone else, probably her coworker, to take over her post at the door.
The two of them moved through the building and down the same halls as last time before they arrived at the back room where Arnold worked. Through the thick walls and door, Abel could hear the sound of metal being smashed continuously.
"Sounds like he's busy..." Abel muttered.
"Ah, don't worry about that. I'll get him out." Sara turned to smile at him before slamming her fist on the metal door. "Dad! Get out here!" Her voice echoed against the walls in a shrill shriek.
"Dammit, woman! Let me work!" Arnold's annoyed grunt came from the other side of the door, followed by the sound of loud thuds of footfalls. The door groaned on its hinges as it was pushed open, bringing Arnold into view. The dwarf was kitted in a full metal suit that left no inch of his skin exposed. The moment he opened the door, a blast of heat slammed against Abel and Sara, but Sara seemed resistant to it, brushing it off as though it was nothing.
Arnold pushed the mask covering his face up his head before fixing Sara with a glare.
"What have I said about interrupting my sessions, young lady?" The old dwarf's voice was rough as though he had gone days without speaking to anyone.
"But you're always in a session! And besides, it's Abel! He's come to pick up the armor him and uncle Audu asked for last week." Sara brushed off the glare from Arnold as though it was nothing at all. That made Abel kick up his regard for her a few notches because he felt as though even he would waver under such an intense glare.
The old man scoffed before his eyes flicked over to Abel. A wide smile spread over his face the moment his eyes landed on the younger man.
"Abel, my boy!" His raised his short, stocky arms to slap Abel's back. "It's been a while. Why haven't you come to pick up your armor set yet?"
Abel rubbed his neck nervously as he opened his mouth to reply, "I was stuck in the tower for the past week. Decided it was time to get a peek at the Second Floor."
"Ah, all you Tower Runners and your endless fascination with the mysteries of the Towers. I remember back in the days when it used to be me, Audu, and the rest of our party. We cleared out all the Floors faster than the monsters could respawn. Ah, those were the days." Arnold gained a distant look in his eyes as he spoke.
"Enough with all that farce, old man! Abel's waiting on his equipment." Sara snapped the old man out of his thoughts.
A scowl formed on Arnold's face as he turned from Abel to his grand daughter. "Ungrateful little girl! If you leave the borders of Seneris and ask around for my name, you'll hear of all the great things I've accomplished during my time as a Tower Runner!" He waved his hands in the air, "But that's besides the point. For now, young Abel is in need of his armor!"
Arnold took a firm hold of Abel's elbow before dragging him into the forge room that was exclusive to the old Dwarf.
The sight that appeared before Abel's eyes astounded him!
Large pipes ran along the walls, starting from a level that was just above to his waist, before raising up above his head as he walked through the poorly lit hallway that led into the main forge room. The moment he stepped into the forge room, his breath left him.
A massive, massive forge room that surely couldn't fit into Arnold's Armory surrounded him on all sides. Red, hot molten metal ran through specialized veins that transported the material to where it was needed. Loud hammering echoed all around them, but Abel had no idea where it came from.
When they rounded a corner of metal pipes, Abel finally found where the metallic ringing came from.
Rows and rows of metallic giants stood with giant black hammers in their metallic grasps, slamming down on pieces of ingot. There were at least fifty of them in Abel's sight, if not more, not to mention those ones that he couldn't see yet. The metallic giants continued slamming down, completely disregarding the passage of the three humans.
"Where the hell are we?" He couldn't help but ask as he let his eyes roam around.
"Welcome to Arnold's Armory, young Abel."