*Date: 33,480 Third Quarter — Kingdom of Satar, Capital City Parthanon*
Demir stopped Marco's protest and chose to believe Marven was planning something. After all, he had grown up in a nurtured, rich environment and had no idea how to run a business. He immediately smiled and started mending the ordered plates and weapons. He turned some down that required woodwork or leatherwork, but he completed the rest without complaining. Some customers left tips, but not enough to amount to much.
Every customer leaving received ideas from Marven on how to improve their chances of getting better quality weapons. Most seemed to nod just to agree so their free repair wouldn't be put in jeopardy. Demir now saw her intricate web of creating possible customers among the crowd. They didn't have any capital or renown, so she had started word of mouth with repairs. It would increase the chance of selling their crafts when Demir created them.
Velori was happily holding her earnings from the nails and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the weapons Demir had produced while the repairs were ongoing. "These actually look good."
Demir stretched his sore arms. "Yeah, right."
Marco adjusted his glasses. "One even broke during cooling, but he managed to produce two."
Velori picked up one of the blades, testing its balance. "Well, I'll be damned. A player who keeps their word. Each of these is worth at least five silver."
Demir set the sword down. "Now I need to make them worth more. Does the workshop have any sharp chisels?"
Velori's eyebrows rose. "Don't tell me you can add runes as well?"
"I can. Not with a high chance, but I can..." He smiled. "Sometimes."
"I sold the last sharp one a month ago when..." She trailed off, her face falling.
"Okay, no need to fret on it. We can sell these and buy new ingots and a chisel, right, Marco?"
Marco agreed.
Marven came back with several other customers for repair jobs. "Now that they know you're not a crook, we can charge them for repairs. Two coppers for swords and chest pieces. Others, one copper."
Marco frowned. "It's still dirt cheap. Used to be, even with a button press, an NPC charged a silver."
Marven shrugged. "Well, circumstances changed."
One of the plated men walked up to the swords cooling at the back. He was broad-shouldered with a weathered face, the kind of man who had seen combat. "Did you craft these? They look spotless. Much better than mine. How much?"
Demir turned to face him. "Yes, sir, I just finished them. I can safely say they're C grade with a couple of stat bonuses."
The customer examined the blade closely. "Yeah, it's not as neat as B grade, but how are you sure it's C grade?"
Marco stepped forward. "Well, we have our ways. I was a game tester for Realmforge. I can determine these things more or less."
"Then I'll take it. I need something like this to win the tournament. How much?"
Demir considered. "Five silver for one. But if you have money, I suggest waiting a couple of days. I'll make power rune sockets. Those will be two gold."
The customer's eyes lit up. "I can give two gold. But are you sure you can do it?"
Demir grinned. "I can."
"Then I'll wait." The man extended his hand. "I'm Ouz, by the way. Ouz Carlos. I'm running a small bakery, which I hate, but what can I do? Leave and go home?" He chuckled at his own joke.
Marco shook his hand. "I mean, you should be grateful if you have a steady job."
Ouz waved dismissively. "We didn't enter the game for steady jobs, though. This sub-fifty tournament is an opportunity to get a good prize and maybe a good job offer under Rex."
Demir's interest sharpened. "Where do you train? I think I need to polish my dueling in order to win."
Ouz looked Demir up and down. "Oh. You're going to enter too?"
"Yeah. We're here until the tournament's over, so why not?"
Marven smirked. "Maybe longer, if our eccentric homeowner kicks us out."
Marco chuckled at that.
The other customers started complaining about the wait, so Demir took the address of the bakery for a visit, then returned to his repair duties. Marven tried to sell the swords to the people waiting for repairs but couldn't manage it.
She left to sell at the market, and on the way out, Demir reminded her to buy a sharp chisel.
---
After his customers ran out, Demir had a spare silver and two coppers. And he had no intention of giving the rent early. Velori was enjoying the nail money anyway. Demir bought two roasted lamb legs over Marco's protests, but he didn't listen. He had ignored Asena too much and wanted to visit his companion again.
He left through the city gates and looked for Asena. When he found her at the edge of the forest, she was with a woman and a man, and she was growling at them.
Demir called out a hello to alert them of his approach. Asena's growling softened immediately. "What is going on here?"
The woman, tall with dark braided hair and sharp eyes, spoke first. "We found a beast boss in our woods. It shouldn't happen here. This was a rookie zone."
"She's not wild. She's kind of my companion." Demir walked up to Asena and handed out one of the lamb legs. Both of them started to eat together, watching the duo.
The man, shorter with a friendly face and spectacles, spoke up. "Oh man, I said it was impossible. She belongs to someone."
The woman crossed her arms. "If she's yours, why'd you leave her here and not bring her with you? She was alone here for more than two days. We were watching."
Demir swallowed his bite. "I... She has a free spirit, and I'm working all day in a small workshop. She can't fit in there."
The woman's unconvinced face didn't change, but Demir didn't care what others thought of his unusual semi-tamed friendship with Asena.
"I'm Demir, by the way, and she is Asena. We came from the Iron Confederacy to attend the tournament, but apparently it was postponed."
The man bowed slightly. "I'm Yumi, and she is Tatmana. We run a tamed animal and beast shop named Tartarus inside the city. When we heard a beast boss was near here, we became excited. Our experts are on hunts all over the world to find valuable pets."
Tatmana stepped closer, examining Asena. "What is your beastmaster level? How did you tame her? By the looks of it, you don't seem like a high leveler."
Demir stroked Asena's fur. "It's complicated, but our partnership is solid. I can say that much."
Yumi nodded thoughtfully. "Leaving her here is dangerous. When tournament time approaches, high levelers from around the world will come. They might want to test their abilities on a solo beast."
Demir's stomach tightened. "But I can't bring her into the city."
"Well, we also provide services to beast owners. For a small price, we can keep her in our garden and take her out to open fields."
Demir looked at the duo. He wasn't completely sold on the idea, but leaving Asena here was worse. If push came to shove, Asena could probably take care of them anyway. "How much?"
"Two silver a week plus her eating expenses."
Demir winced. "Two silver is okay, but her eating could bankrupt me. She can eat a whole boar every day."
Yumi smiled. "How about this, then? Twelve silver flat, and don't worry about the food. You can always visit."
Demir looked at the giant wolf. "What do you say? You want to enter the city?"
Asena, as if understanding the implication, gave a deep, long howl that echoed through the trees.