In the abandoned forge, filled with the scent of rust and smoke from the newly fired furnace, screams pierced the air from the Drechuis Village's market.
"Raptors! Raptors are attacking the village!"
Villagers fled in panic. Smith and Shylock exchanged glances as the young adventurer, heir of the old blacksmith, who blocked the doorway, his sword pointed at them.
"This forge is mine!" the young man shouted.
"If you want to use it, pay me a share!"
Shylock spun around, seeing the threatening stance. He raised his hands.
"Easy, we can talk!"
His friendly tone was interrupted by a high-pitched roar from outside, followed by the scrape of claws against the ground. Smith grabbed the battle axe from the workbench, its purple-glinting blade reflecting a hidden power.
"No time to talk!" Smith yelled.
"If you want to prove this forge is yours, deal with those raptors first!"
He tossed the axe to the young man. The adventurer caught it tight, but he felt its unusually balanced weight when he gripped the handle.
"What… is this?" he asked, staring at the axe, eyes wide with astonishment.
"Top-tier loot from the treasure we dug up" Shylock said with a sly face.
"Want the forge back? Prove your worth with it!"
Three raptors rushed out of the village square toward the forge. The sight made Smith's blood run cold: three raptors in human-height, birdlike reptiles covered in peacock-colored feathers, chased screaming NPC villagers. Their razor-sharp claws shredded market barrels into splinters, the stench of blood mingling with scattered debris.
"Shit we're in trouble!"
"Smith, your gun ready?"
"Not yet!" Smith shook his head.
"The barrel's incomplete. Firing now could blow up in our faces!"
"I've got this!" the adventurer declared, stepping forward, the axe glowing faintly purple.
"If I take these raptors down, the forge is mine, and you owe me!"
"Deal!" Shylock shouted.
"But if you die, don't blame us!"
The adventurer charged the first raptor, swinging the axe with fatal force. The blade sliced through the creature's thick scales like tofu.
SCREEEEECH!
The raptor's piercing scream echoed as it collapsed, blood pooling on the ground. Smith and Shylock stared, surprised.
"That axe… it's incredible," Smith muttered.
"The metal must be mixed with some kind of magic ore!"
The second raptor pierce, its claws swiping at the adventurer's head. In a split second, he sensed the killer aura and spun, dodging by a hair. His axe struck the raptor's neck, the purple glow flashing as if reacting to the fight. Hidden villagers began cheering.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Meanwhile, Smith tried to open the old storage door, but it was heavily locked.
"Damn it," he cursed.
With no time to hide, he grabbed a smithing hammer and smashed the wooden door until it gave way.
"Wow!" Smith gasped, stunned by the sight inside.
Inside the forge's armory, no cobwebs and dust, as if cleaned yesterday, unlike the dusty, abandoned forge. It held weapons, armor, and parts of siege engine components.
At the same time, the adventurer battled the third raptor, larger and fiercer than the others. It lunged, the claws grazing his arm, drawing blood.
"Argh!" The adventurer gritted his teeth, swinging the axe repeatedly to keep the beast away from his position. The raptor receded from his reach.
Its wild eyes scanned left and right, locking onto a lone figure standing rigid ten meters away.
"Oh, crap!" Shylock swore,
Praying that he wouldn't die. His body screamed to flee, but his legs wouldn't move. The raptor charged, aiming for the man hiding behind the workbench.
Thwack!
An arrow flew, piercing the raptor's flesh. It penetrated the scales but didn't make the beast flinch.
"You okay, Corner?" Smith, holding a bow, rushed to check on his cousin, slapping his shoulder to call his consciousness.
"Ah… Urr… Damn it, thanks, man, but that raptor's coming for us now!"
Shylock stammered.
The beast stared at Smith, its sharp eyes like a hawk ready to tear into prey.
"We will die, but it's no big deal, right?" Smith said, almost hopeless.
"No way!" Shylock snapped.
"We journey in the game, for 1/10, the way is so long. Smith. I've got a great perk, I haven't even improved it yet. I'll never find it again if I restart. I'm not dying for nothing!" His voice was grave, even as the raptor closed in.
"Die, you filth!" Shylock growled,
His calm stance clashed with his usual character. No fear in his eyes, he glanced at the beast like a staring contest. His right hand grabbed the gun, his left hand scooping a cap.
"Shylock, you'll get us all killed! You don't even know what you're holding!"
Smith frowned, staring at his cousin in disbelief. The gun's barrel had metal shavings stuck inside from unfinished rifling. Instead of grabbing a paper cartridge, Shylock held four caps—suicide in Smith's eyes.
Shylock look at at the weapon, when he realized that. His earlier confidence vanished, his face pale, sweat dripping from a fear. His hands shivered as the raptor closed in—time was up!
Crack… POP!
A small explosion, like a firecracker, made the raptor stumble back three or four steps. Smoke poured from its mouth, the beast frozen in shock.
"Nice one, Shylock! You stunned it!" Smith cheered.
Shylock opened his eyes, noticing his left hand was empty. In his panic, he'd thrown the caps into the raptor's mouth, causing the firecracker-like blast.
The adventurer, now recovered, stood confused by the scene.
"Now! Finish it!"
Shylock shouted, urging the young man to seize the moment and slay the beast.
"Ah!"
The adventurer nodded, swinging the axe into the raptor's mouth. The purple glow flashed again, the blade sinking deep. The raptor collapsed, motionless. Smith and Shylock sighed in relief as hidden villagers emerged, clapping and cheering.
.
.
The village square was littered with raptor corpses. The young adventurer stared at the axe with reverence. "Where… did this come from?"
Smith approached. "Treasure from the forbidden forest. We risked our lives for it."
Shylock grinned slyly. "And if you want the forge back, we can talk. I just saved your life, you know."
The adventurer frowned. "Fine… you saved me. I'll let you use the forge, but remember, this place is mine."
Smith and Shylock exchanged glances. Smith nodded. "Deal."
"What's your name, adventurer?" Smith asked, realizing he didn't know the young man.
"Len—Len Pandria. And you?"
"I'm Smith, and this is…"
"I know him already. Shylock, the middleman trader," Len cut in.
While Len moved to repair his sword, he noticed a strange iron device with a rotating cylinder.
"Are you making a crossbow? It's weirder than any I've seen," Len remarked, eyeing the trigger mechanism. It resembled a crossbow without the bow, but with a six-chambered cylinder.
"A new weapon, deadlier than a crossbow. Kills in an instant," Shylock said, grinning mischievously.
"It's not finished yet," Smith added.
Before they could continue, the sound of footsteps echoed from the village road. Three patrol soldiers and one Knight from Kiebrav, clad in chainmail, armed with crossbows and swords, approached. Their leader stepped forward. "We heard reports of flashes and loud booms in Drechuis, with no storm—"
"Holy gods, what happened here? Did Raptors just attack the village?" The leader froze, unable to exclaim at the sight of the beast carcasses and the stench of blood.