Ashes of the Fallen

Historians roughly say that the Vikings had one sword maker, around the 900-1000 AD period that had perfected the work. Producing high-quality steel swords on par with weapons seen five hundred years in the future. With a manufacturing process lost to the ages, and not seen again until almost the 1700s, he or she, or them, were considered the very best the world over at the time.

A steel sword strong enough to withstand the rough nature of a battle without shattering or warping, keeping the user alive while his opponents' weapons broke mid-fight. Life or death could be decided not by skill but by quality of equipment.

I knew very little of how an ancient crucible worked, but I had an idea.

The process wasn't that difficult if generalized… of course in practice, that was an entirely different thing. I lacked the skills, to work metal.

I was no blacksmith.

They were, though.

No one in this game had true manufactured steel yet.

Not a single NPC or Player.

What was available, was accidental steel.

I was hedging my bets here, putting my faith into these two NPCs that they could figure it out if I gave them the right direction. They had the skills or would develop them overtime with due diligence, all I needed to do, was support them.

Building a bustling town or city with a strong agriculture and production industry was a goal, but there was no telling if I could actually corner any market share. There were bound to be hundreds if not thousands of other players thinking the same way.

My situation was slightly better due to my location.

Out here in the desolate wastelands, where my competition wasn't nearly as fierce and my resources were seemingly endless, I was sitting pretty. Yet even so, I needed a fallback plan, something that could be a homerun if pulled off.

Letting Enok experiment with the crucible while Ansgar toiled away with the more basic forge works, allowed me some flexibility going forward. If Enok failed, Ansgar would be well on his way to becoming an excellent smith. If Enok was successful though, Ansgar could be brought up to speed and the possibility of controlling all of the steel in-game would make me incredibly rich for a time.

Sure, all things come to an end, and the riches would only be temporary, as the cash flow would eventually slow and cease as others caught on, but for a time, I could make a fortune. The principle was the same as the masks by the dungeon town, capitalizing on a booming market before others are aware or able, and pulling out before any loss is incurred.

"Keep at it Enok, you'll get the hang of it," I said after some time, intending to bolster the young man's self-esteem rather than disparage and discourage. "Though, when do you believe you can start producing weapons, Ansgar?"

"Ahh I don't know, maybe after a few more days of practice here."

"Instead of a sword, do you think you can make an axe now?" I asked calmly.

Ansgar started to scratch his beard as he looked over the shop, trying to gather his thoughts. Eventually, he started nodding to himself as if he were starting to piece things together, then he finally replied, "I believe I can start crafting axes within a day."

"The warriors are all carrying worn-out, brittle axes that should be replaced as quickly as possible," I stated clearly but kindly, not wanting to pressure him too much. "I believe there's enough iron in those three-hundred plus scrap swords to make at least forty quality axes, preferably of the two-handed variety."

"Would you have me focus on the axe production as well?" interjected Enok with an innocent look on his face, befitting his young age.

"I'll leave that up to you two," I answered with conviction.

Another twenty minutes passed as we talked shop and the two showed me what they had been working on, to which I intently listened and watched, mostly out of interest and a desire to learn. What they were making were the basic of the basics, but everyone had to start somewhere.

By the time I finished my visit and walked back outside, the sharp pangs and clangs of metal hammering on metal could be heard resounding off the log cabins and other wood buildings nearby. It was a noisy business, but it was a necessary one.

My next stop was the leather worker, then the shipbuilder, the tavern, the lodge, the weaver, and then a short visit with the warriors, too.

It would be a long day indeed.

Chapter 55: A Quick Hunt

(Friday, August 6th Game Day / Sunday, March 14th Real Day)

A small creek, maybe three feet wide and no more than a foot deep had led the way. The soft sounds of water trickling and running off the short falls were calming, but did little to appease my worsening mood. It felt, like I had been tricked into a goose chase.

Katherine paced at my side while Selene stayed slightly ahead, with the source of the creek being our intended destination.

Supposedly, there was a dungeon there.