Ashes of the Fallen

My name was no longer red and Barik had yet to message, but this was as good of a use of my time as one could figure. The potential to make large sums of profit, whether it be built on small increments done a thousand times or in a few transactions with massive return, was worth it to me.

Another fifteen minutes passed before the man had finished hammering out the rough form of a cheap sword. It wasn't anywhere near completion but it reached a step where he could finally take a break. How long he had been working on that slab was unknown to me, though forty-five minutes had passed in the blink of an eye.

"Your supply of iron seems limited," I said clearly, as soon as he relaxed.

He turned to face me as he sat down in a chair, finally looking around his workshop to find it rather empty. Most of the other players came and went, not bothering to stick around for any real length of time. The majority dealt with the clerk at the front of the store anyhow, with no explicit need to come into the backroom workshop

"In a way, but I have enough to fulfill orders," he replied casually.

"Ah, I see. Well, the bloomery you're using is quite large, would you be willing to melt down a few broken swords for me?" I asked seriously. "I'll pay whatever is reasonable, a usable bar of wrought iron is all I require."

"Familiar with the trade?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A little, but only familiarity," I replied. "No practical experience."

"Heh, as long as you realize your own limitations, I have no qualms with you," he said rather strangely as he pulled his gloves off and laid them on a table. "Do you have the swords with you? I'll tell you if it's worth it."

"Yes, where shall I lay them out?" I asked, as I opened my bag and eyed the thirty some swords that were in there. "I've got quite a few to choose from."

The man pointed to an empty table off to the side and I quickly obliged, laying out all of the swords that I had brought with me. He carefully eyed them all over and then turned to face me. His face didn't seem displeased, but he did seem curious.

"A few swords huh," he said with a grin.

"To start, or possibly more if you're willing," I replied with a smile. "What do you think we can do with them, if we can do anything at all? And is it worth it?"

"From their condition, I could probably turn three of them into one usable sword, but the labor would be about ten copper per. If you're looking to have one sword made, I'll take three of these broken ones and thirty copper. If you just want a bar of wrought iron, I'll want five copper per for the hassle."

I swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in my throat while thinking everything over, the pricing was reasonable but I wasn't sure if I could actually turn a real profit.

The vendor swords as we players liked to call them, were worth ten copper each at the trade post, broken down into a processed material such as wrought iron would cost me essentially fifteen copper once I included the price of the sword itself. I wasn't sure what a bar of wrought iron went for, but three swords plus this blacksmith's labor at thirty copper made out for a sixty copper value.

Yeah, I wasn't sure what kind of quality to expect, and couldn't really make my mind up with so little information. I enjoyed the gambling and taking of risks, but I liked educated guesses and limited risk. Blind faith didn't suit me well.

"What kind of quality sword should I be expecting, at thirty copper?"

"Here," he answered quickly, tossing me a finished sword that was hanging off a weapon rack. "If you want something fancier, it'll take more material, and a bit more money… and some extra time. That's standard quality there for around here."

Inspecting the sword, it was slightly better than the sixty copper swords we were looting in the dungeons, though to really get an estimate on the value I would need to take it to the trade post. Of course, he also sold these swords, so I realized my answer wasn't too far away.

"How much would you sell this for, if I was interested right now?" I asked casually.

"You want to know how much the raw materials are worth, in other words."

"That works too, but I am curious how much the sword is as well," I replied. "I like to collect information, just a bad habit of mine."

The man in front of me didn't seem to care either way, as he paused for a moment before answering. I was being a bit rude in a way, but I was a potential paying customer and he didn't seem to mind.

"I'll sell that sword for ninety-copper straight out, though with your broken swords, there is a risk that it won't come out as perfectly," he answered carefully while taking the sword back from me. "You can expect something within a seventy to ninety copper range, and if things work out maybe something even nicer."

Ah, the potential for a high quality iron work… or maybe even steel.

That would certainly be worth it.

"But if it doesn't work out, I could expect to lose slightly, I imagine."