{Spore Count: Alter Spores-2,337,338,463,}
{Bone Spores-34,856,990,203}
That is a giant jump in numbers! It is a good thing that I can compress myself, otherwise, I would be able to flatten this building. And this is only one-tenth of half my original size. Plus, with all of the spores growing in this town, I could gain so many I could kill everything in sight with the number of spores I had at my disposal.
After changing, Argas came over to me, picked me up, and started carrying me down the stairs. Flipping over a sign I could not read, which probably said close open, we went back into his forge.
"Alright, the first thing that I would like to test is if I can replicate the improved versions of the weapons I made. That is a good starting point, I think." Argas said to himself. Well, I guess he was talking to me, but I guess that is what happens when you are alone for years, as I guessed by his behavior. Picking up one of the broadswords he showed me yesterday, I knew that I should mimic it. Delaying for a few seconds to make Argas doubt, I did it a few seconds later, creating the same thing, except I compressed the edge of the blade to make it extra sharp.
It would seem that Argas was trying to make a sword of the same dynamic and sharpness as the modifications I made. Of course, there is a much easier way, but I still want to see what he comes up with. He picked up a blue-tinted hammer and brought out some thick gloves, which had an interesting circle on the top of them, just like the magic circles I have previously seen. What he did next was what surprised me the most.
He picked up a white-hot bar of some kind of metal from directly inside the furnace. Those gloves must have been a shield for his arms to be able to withstand that kind of heat. Putting it on the anvil, he raised his hammer and slammed it down on the metal faster than the speed of sound. This must be why he is the best weapons smith in this town. He could compress the metal to such a degree that it is much less breakable than any other blade.
That is not to say that they cannot break, as by his story. This made me realize that the Hounds were not the threat that he was talking about as I previously thought. It could be a troop of those Great Apes. their strength could be the only thing to break such a sword with ease. As I admired his grit, the tiny bell on the door in the front of the shop moved. Stopping mid-swing, Argas put the hammer down, took off his gloves, and put on his apron, which he was wearing when Gallen and I went into his store.
"It's about time for her to ruin my day. I wish she would just give up." Agras mumbled under his breath. Curious, I slowly rolled on the ground after Argas left the smithy, spreading my Sense to the front of the store, Imprinting on the new person. The person in question was a dog version of Beastkin, And she was a beauty.
Covered head to toe in fancy silks and jewelry, the fit of her dress hugged her curves, making me think what a woman of her supposed stature and status would be done in anywhere near the market, much less a weapons shop. Very invested in this situation now, I went closer to the doorway of the smithy, I focused my ears to hear their conversation.
"Why do you keep bothering me? I told you I am not interested in any more relationships. Can you please leave me alone!" Argas shouted.
"Don't be like that, sweetheart. My love for you cannot be measured, so I will never give up our inevitable marriage!" The mysterious beauty said. If this was an anime, then her eyes would have been hearts. The amount of passion and honesty in her voice and performance makes it certain that she is madly in love with the old weapons shop owner, even though it is massively one-sided.
"I told you repeatedly, I will never agree to any relationship proposals you throw at me, much less a marriage one! Will you finally buy something from my shop? For all the times you have interrupted me, it would only be fair if you buy something." Argas negotiated. I thought it was very brash of him to ask such a lady to buy something she has no use for, but this one-sided relationship could be in the favor of Argas, for she might be more susceptible to bartering than anyone.
"How about doing a trade. A 'sword for a sword ." She said while smiling coyly. I knew what she was implying, and I guess Argas did as well, by the amount of blood that rushed to his face, eyes wide. Coughing and regaining his composure, he looked directly into her eyes.
"10 products for something so shameless and dirty." Surprised that Argas had even considered agreeing to something like this, I wonder if the woman would take him up on it. Then again, he has lost his wife and child, so the man's need for relationships must have been terrible, and having intercourse with someone as pretty as she might have clouded his better judgment.
"How about 4, honey?"
"8 weapons"
"5"
"7"
"Agreed," Said the woman, after a couple of back and forth bartering. This was a pretty good deal for Argas, and the woman might have underestimated this man, as she was probably used to everyone lusting after her. This relationship was an interesting challenge for her, and maybe she has resigned herself to breaking Argas to marry her. This changed my view of her, but that is only speculation. Not to mention her acting skills are on point.
Now smiling, the woman started dragging Argas by the arm up the stairs, with Argas reluctantly dragging his feet as well. Hearing the door softly close upstairs, it wasn't long until I felt a slight creaking from the upstairs bedroom, which was directly above the smithy. After waiting a couple more minutes, there were loud, feminine moans coming from upstairs as well. The banging only got louder and seemed to last 15 HT minutes, which was 300 minutes, or five hours of torture for me.