Gundr's forge was clad in smoke, the scent of burning coal and molten metal mixing. As Kalen approached, a hammer continuously hitting iron resonated inside.
He pushed the door, stepping inside. Heat wrapped around him instantly. He saw Gundr, her muscles bulging with veins as she swung down the hammer.
"You're late."
Kalen blinked. "I never said I was coming at a specific time."
She snorted, setting the hammer down before wiping her hands on a soot-streaked rag. "Didn't need to. Newcomers always need a weapon in the Hollows." She jerked her head toward a workbench.
There it lay.
Lucian.
The blade's dark metal gleamed in the light from the forge, showing the incredible craftmanship of Gundr. It was such a far cry from the original, probably even before it had even been rotting in the labyrinth.
'Did Gundr have the past life of the Legendary Blacksmith or something?'
"I reforged part of the blade," Gundr said, folding her arms. "The edge was chipped, I don't know if it was you or the previous owner, but they used the sword like a bludgeon."
'The Titan was a bit of a tricky opponent.'
Clearing his throat and averting his gaze, Kalen picked up Lucian, running his thumb across the blade, "How much do I owe you?"
Gundr scoffed, "Well, I certainly didn't do all this for free."
Kalen sighed, already digging into his pouch. "How much?"
She smirked, holding out a calloused hand. "Two Marks."
Kalen paused.
'Two Marks? For this masterpiece? Something's up.'
Kalen placed the Marks into her hand, with a gaze of suspicion. "So, what's the catch? Surely you didn't gift me this blade for such a low price."
Gundr leaned against the anvil, her smile widening. "The catch is that if that sword gets rough up again, come to my place. I have a feeling you will be a long-time customer."
Kalen shrugged, accepting Gundr's proposal. "All right, deal."
He strapped Lucian to his side, nodding once. "I'll be back."
Gundr smiled, before picking up the hammer and swinging it down again. "Sure, just don't come back too quickly."
With Lucian repaired, he needed to get ready for Lannis's Solace. He couldn't simply just go in without preparations. If reading web novels taught him anything, these types of places could trap you for god knows how long. Food, water, armor— it all needed to be accounted for.
Lucky for him, Gundr didn't charge that much. Kalen needed a better source of income. Sure, Dorothy's tavern was good, but he only earned five Marks per week. He even had to ask for an advance payment just to afford this trip.
'Dorothy is such a nice boss.'
Walking into the marketplace, he observed the stalls. From what Kalen had observed, in the Hollows, stalls could be determined by their worth by seeing the materials presented on the front.
Exhaling, Kalen entered the first shop he could see. He needed to compare firsthand.
Walking into the store, he could see a hunched old man sitting behind the counter, lazily puffing on a grey pipe. His dull eyes sharpened the moment Kalen entered the store, turning to calculate.
"Welcome, Customer!" He rubbed his hands together as he tried to assess the worth he was going to get out of him.
It was subtle, but you could see his eyes flicker with disappointment as he finalized his judgment.
Kalen wasn't worth much in his eyes.
Fine. That made two of them.
Reverting to his old self, the old man let out a puff of smoke, his lips curling into a half-smile as he tipped the end of the pipe. "Boy, are you going to buy something or not?"
Kalen ignored him, stepping further into the shop. The place was cramped, with shelves packed with all sorts of supplies. Things like worn leather packs, rusted flakes, chipped daggers, and a bundle of dried rations in cloth. A truly third-rate establishment.
The old man leaned forward, leaning back on his chair. "If you're looking for weapons, I ain't your type of guy. But if you need supplies going into that forest, you've come to the right place.
Kalen reached for a pack of dried rations, unwrapping the cloth to inspect the state of it. "How much for these?"
"Three Marks."
He paused. "Three Marks? That's robbery."
Kalen knew that just a pack of rations was not three Marks. Although he hadn't been here long, he knew three Marks was a lot.
The old man smirked, "It's only robbery if you're poor."
He shot him a look. He didn't even seem to feel guilty about these garbage prices.
Even The Silver Lantern had a place to sleep and eat for only two Marks.
With a sigh, Kalen placed the rations back before turning to the other shelf filled with waterskins. Picking one up, he turned it over in his hands—it was cheap but sturdy. "How much for this then?"
"Two marks."
He hesitated. If he had bought this, he would be left with twelve Marks. He didn't know how much the armor would be so he couldn't risk it on rations.
"You're joking. This is worth at least one."
The old man let out a dry laugh, "Kid, haggling only works when you have the leverage. Two Marks."
Kalen stared at him. Neither of them made a sound.
"...Fine," he said before looking at the two coins departing from his hands. The owner caught them smoothly, placing them into his pocket, as if he had done this many times before.
'Bastard.'
"Pleasure doing business," he said, exhaling a stream of smoke.
Kalen gritted his teeth and turned away, holding onto the water skin. It was more than he wanted to spend, but at least he had a water pouch.
Now I needed food. Not from this place, of course.
Exiting the shop, he scanned the marketplace. Stalls lined the street, merchants calling out deals and waving passersby over. Some stalls were clean and presentable, while some looked like they hadn't been cleaned out in years.
At the corner, Kalen spotted a small stall at the edge of the marketplace, run by a wiry man with sunken cheeks. His wares weren't that presentable, but he recognized that smell.
Jerky.
It was stale, low quality, but edible. Just what he needed.
He approached, arms crossed. "How much?"
The man eyed him. "One mark per bundle."
It was a good deal, too good in fact.
Narrowing his eyes he asked, "What's wrong with it?"
He sighed, rubbing his temples, "Just been sitting a while. The people around here prefer fresh meat. I'm just trying to get this off my hands."
Kalen grabbed the bundle and smelt it. It has a strong smell, salty but not spoiled.
"I'll take two," he said, handing the coins over.
The merchant nodded, wrapping them in cloth before passing them over. "Good. This will make them last."
Kalen tucked the jerky into his pack, and the waterskin still in his hand. Kalen now had food and water.
Now for the armor.
He had ten marks left.
Considering how much he had left, he needed to be smart about it.