"Ha! You here again, boy?! I hope you've come to pay what you owe me!"
That rasping, familiar voice made Willow look to his right. Then he saw Norian Silverchest, the old blacksmith who stood just over five feet tall.
Norian's gray hair was messy, as was his stubble. He wore a stained leather apron and had calloused, bruised hands that gave him a rough appearance. He stood behind his bench of weapons and armor, most of which he had made himself.
Willow let go of Aria's hand subtly and gave Norian a nervous smile, scratching the back of her head as he approached the blacksmith's stall.
"Good to see you too, Norian. How's business?"
Norian looked Willow up and down with his face contorted into a disgusted expression. "Ha! My business is fine, thanks for asking. But from what I see, you've brought company this time." He leaned a little on the counter. "An elf? It's been years since I last saw one. Who is she? A new customer? Or are you trying to use her charm to distract me while you run away from the debt?"
Willow was a little surprised that Norian wasn't harsh with Aria. After all, he thought that dwarves hated elves.
Aria was just as surprised as Willow, so she stepped forward and introduced herself.
"I'm Aria Valenwood. Willow's companion for the moment. And you're the blacksmith he was talking about?"
Norian raised an eyebrow and, for a moment, looked genuinely impressed. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the bench, measuring Aria with a look that made it clear he wasn't easily intimidated, even by an elf.
"Ah, so he's talking about me, is he? It's good to know he remembers what he owes me. But tell me, Willow, are you finally here to pay me back, or is it just idle chatter again?"
Willow reached into the leather pouch he had tied to his belt, looking for the bronze coins he had been guarding so carefully.
"Don't worry, I've come to pay what I owe."
Willow took out a small handful of bronze coins and placed them on the blacksmith's bench. The metallic sound of the coins hitting the counter caught Norian's attention, and he immediately uncrossed his arms and picked them up. He counted them carefully and was even surprised that everything was right.
"Ha!" Norian laughed, looking at Willow. "I knew it, boy! I knew I could trust you! But that only covers the debt. What's the real reason for your visit?"
Norian was clever. It was time to face the other problem.
Willow looked at Aria, who stood silently beside him, and opened his right palm facing upwards. With a pale glow, he materialized the broken spear. The two halves appeared out of nowhere, as if they had been summoned from another plane. The broken handle of sturdy wood fell with a soft thud onto the counter, while the blade, still dirty and deformed, reflected the sunlight.
Norian, who until then had seemed completely at ease, widened his eyes when he saw the state of the weapon he had sold to Willow less than twenty-four hours ago. He picked up the blade carefully, examining it closely. He ran his finger along the edge of the blade, where Willow had tried to pry it loose with a stone.
"What happened here?"
"It was a tricky fight... I ran into some monsters in the forest. I thought I could deal with several of them without any problems and I actually did, but, well... I had a few problems."
Norian sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Giant insects, eh?" He leaned closer to the blade and pointed with his wrinkled finger at the battered tip. "And what's that? It looks like you tried to fix it yourself. Used what? A rock?"
Willow giggled nervously, looking away from Aria, who arched an eyebrow with a slight smile at the corner of her lips, as if she were amused by the situation. He avoided giving a direct answer, just shook his head slightly.
"I was in the middle of nowhere. I had to try something..."
Norian snorted, clearly dissatisfied. He examined the broken handle once more before placing the two halves of the spear on the counter with meticulous care.
"That spear was good quality, kid. I'm surprised you let it get that far."
"How much will you charge me to fix it?"
Norian looked him up and down once more, calculating in silence, before replying: "A hundred Drakis."
"A hundred?! That's absurd! I paid a hundred for the whole spear! How can you charge the same price just to repair it?"
Norian wasn't shaken by Willow's reaction. He shrugged, leaning back on the bench and pointing at the spear again. "Do you want an explanation? The handle is broken, the blade is deformed, and your pathetic attempt to fix it has made things worse. To get it back to good condition, I'm going to have to practically redo the whole weapon. And believe me, kid, it's going to be a lot of work."
Willow knew she didn't have many options. Norian was probably the most understandable and cheapest blacksmith in the region.
"However, now that you have a bit more money in your pocket, why don't you take a look at the other weapons I have? Maybe something new will interest you."
Willow sighed and turned his head to the side, taking a quick look at the weapons and armor on display on the shelves around the stall. There were shining swords, spears, shields that seemed impenetrable, and even a few pieces of armor that glowed with a slight touch of magic. However, the prices engraved on wooden plaques under each item were absurdly high for Willow, who swallowed and looked at Norian.
"It's all very expensive."
"Good quality has its price." Norian said, without a hint of irony. "But believe me, it's worth it."
Willow took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I'm fine. I'll pay the hundred Drakis. Just get me that spear."
Norian smiled triumphantly and held out his hand. "Always a pleasure doing business with you, kid. Now, I'm going to need a few hours to sort this out. Come and see me later this afternoon."
Willow took one last breath, pulling a few more coins out of his purse and handing them to Norian. "I hope it's worth it."
"Don't worry. When I'm finished, this spear will be better than new."
Willow turned to Aria. "Well, I guess that solves part of our problems."
Aria laughed softly and followed him as they walked away from Norian's tent. "You know, Willow, I almost felt sorry for you back there. Almost."
He laughed, even though his pocket felt lighter. "Well, that's part of the job, I guess. But at least we're making progress."
"So, now we're going to the Adventurers' Guild, right?" Aria asked.
"Yes, let's go there. I need to officially sign up, make some contacts, and maybe pick up some work to make up for this financial loss."
Aria smiled. As she walked alongside Willow, the elf's pointed ears moved subtly as she took in the sounds of the city. Many of these sounds were people whispering about the two of them, as they surprisingly matched.
Aria had a dazzling, ignoble appearance that exuded the same kind of beauty as the Queen of Aethoria. And next to her, any man looked dozens of times uglier than normal, but Willow wasn't ugly. In fact, he was far from it. In a world where most men have bad skin, dehydrated hair and yellow smiles, Willow, a man who was a Grade 7 in the modern world, easily was a Grade 9.
"Is this it?" Aria asked, when they finally arrived in front of an imposing stone building with a large coat of arms carved above the double wooden door.
The Adventurer's Guild crest displayed a symbol of crossed swords on a shield, framed by dew leaves. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
"Yes, let's go in."
The pair entered the Guild, where the atmosphere changed dramatically. The noise of the city was drowned out by the thick stone walls, replaced by the sound of voices in serious conversation and, occasionally, loud laughter echoing in the main hall. The Guild was a large space, lit by magical torches floating in the air. Large wooden tables occupied the center of the hall, where adventurers discussed quests, strategies, and contracts. The walls of the second-floor mezzanine were covered with bookshelves containing scrolls and maps. Next to the main door, a large notice board displayed the available quests.
On the other side of the hall, there was a reception desk, where several Guild employees greeted adventurers who came looking for work or delivered reports on completed missions. Behind the counter, a stout man with a thick mustache and a stern expression was organizing papers with methodical efficiency.
'Eh? Isn't that a hot attendant on my turn?' Willow thought.
Nevertheless, Willow and Aria approached the counter, where the clerk looked them up and down, as if assessing them. "Can I help you?"
Willow took a step forward, showing that it was he who should be attended to. "I'd like to sign up as an adventurer."
The attendant raised an eyebrow, then pulled a thick parchment from under the counter, unrolling it in front of Willow. "Are you literate?"
"Yes, why?"
"Fill in this form with your details." He opened the parchment, which unrolled itself into a sheet almost a meter long. "Once you've filled it in, we'll go into the room to do a test to check your level of strength so we can fit you into the best rank."