Redhorn, the village of dragon slayers, was holding a big festival after a successful four-month-long hunt. The slayers were honored with the first cut using a giant silver saw.
"If I had caught it first, I'd have kept it as a pet," Mia said, wishing she could have seen it alive.
"You better not say that in front of them," Kin replied.
The group walked between countless caravans offering various sweets and cooked meats. All this energy even before the main event, where the dragon's meat would be cooked and shared. The meat was prepared by talented chefs, already simmering on quiet fires.
In an unvisited corner, a small forging shop had opened. A broad man sat behind the counter, a wide angry frown covering his face. Behind him, rows of weapons were displayed.
Swords, hammers, maces—you name it. Every piece looked like a work of art, decorated with rare materials, catching every eye. But despite their beauty, they were deadly. The problem was… it was pricey, and he didn't seem the type to haggle.
Kin approached, resting his hands on the counter. "I see you haven't sold a thing since last time," he said.
The man's frown flipped as he turned around and called, "Pepe, the midget is back."
His daughter kicked the back door like the tiny future slayer she was and tried to climb her father's leg but failed. He pulled her dress's collar and placed her on the counter.
"Hello, Kin," she said, waving.
"Hello, Petra," Kin replied.
Ormaan said, "You are exaggerating, my prices are not that high."
Kin glanced at Petra with a slight smile, then at the group like a jury.
"How much was that mace here, Petra?" Kin asked.
"Two years," she answered.
"And how much does it cost?" Kin continued.
"Five hundred…" she started.
"That's not that ba—" Mia commented, but…
"Gold," Petra finished.
"Holy heavens!" Mia exclaimed.
Ormaan looked at the group, finally noticing them. "Friends?" he asked Kin.
"Hired guards," Kin answered.
Ormaan chuckled and stepped away from the counter. "Wait, I should see this myself," he said, glancing closely at them.
He asked Mia, "Where's your bow, Thin One? Lost it? How unfortunate."
"Maybe you should check your lost hairbrush; there's a sheep under your chin," she replied without hesitation.
He picked at his beard, glanced at it, and laughed. "Good choice on that one, Kin," he said.
Mia moved beside Kin, examining the displayed items.
Ormaan looked at Kaia, and she read his thoughts: What's she wearing? Is she a priest? Oh, I can't handle it if she starts lecturing me about being nice. Well, I'll just say my hand slipped if she does.
Kaia hid behind Lex. Nothing scared her more than an unpredictable person.
Next was Lex. He stared at Ormaan with a sharp gaze, standing like a mountain—but Ormaan didn't care. He carefully pulled Lex's axe, examining it. Lex waited to see what he had in mind.
"Six hundred gold," Ormaan offered.
"Not for sale," Lex refused.
"Oh, cut it. I'm sorry, I scared your crush. Everything must have a price," Ormaan insisted.
"Apology accepted, but it's not for sale," Lex replied.
"One thousand, final offer."
"No."
Ormaan handed back the axe and sighed. "Your loss," he said.
He turned to see Mia interested in heavy war arrows made of metal, testing their sharpness and weight. Petra told her they cost a hundred gold, but Mia wasn't bothered.
"How long before they break?" she asked.
Ormaan stood straight, arms crossed, head raised confidently. "If it breaks, bends, or dulls, bring it back and your money is doubled."
He heard a gold bag shake. Opening his eyes, he saw it flying toward him. Luckily, he caught it before it hit his face. Inside, there were at least three hundred gold coins.
"Good, almost no one uses gold outside the kingdoms. It was weighing me down," Mia said, loading three much heavier arrows into her quiver.
Kin watched the interaction, seemingly amused, but his expression shifted; eyes turned sideways. He looked at Ormaan and gestured. They're coming already? Ormaan seemed frustrated yet nervous.
Ormaan nodded, and Kin hid behind the counter. Ormaan emptied the bag, counting coins quietly while hushing the group.
Armor-clad footsteps approached, there rhythmic steps put Mia on alert. She leaned on the counter, pretending to wait for Ormaan to finish counting while casually playing with her new arrows.
The united knights passed by, noticing them. They approached Ormaan, who didn't acknowledge them. Petra looked away, avoiding their gaze.
"I think you're the goldsmith," the knight said.
"Never heard of him," Ormaan replied.
"My friend always praises your work; it makes it easier that you trade in gold. Let's see this one," the knight said, pointing at a sword. Ormaan handed it over.
The knight removed his helmet and pressed the sword's edge against it. With a slight push, it cut through like slicing vegetables.
"Well, well, that's better than I expected," the knight said. "How much do I owe you?"
"thousand," Ormaan answered, and didn't even blink.
"Hefty price," the knight replied. "No wonder he never let anyone touch his sword."
He placed four gold bars on the counter and left. Ormaan pulled them inside. The knights' footsteps faded, eventually silent. Kin stood.
"Oh, look how rich and cool I am," Mia said sarcastically.
Kin shook his head, smiling slightly, Ormaan and Petra chuckled.
"I mean, they are impressive, right?" Lex asked.
"Indeed," Kaia answered.
After some conversation between Kin and Ormaan, he allowed them to stay in his house for the night. He opened an old room, previously a forge. Kin stepped inside, inspecting it. He looked at the windows, cracks in the walls, rusty old weapons, and dark corners where light barely reached.
As the others entered, the creaking wood underfoot alerted Kaia of how Kin moves like a shadow. A thing he have in common with demons.
After midnight, the group slept deeply, except for Kaia. She couldn't find a comfortable spot on the floor and didn't want to move, fearing she'd wake everyone.
The door opened. Petra entered, hanging from a metal pole that Ormaan held on the other side. She held a rope. The pole was long enough to reach Kin, sleeping in a pitch-dark corner, almost invisible.
Petra slid the rope around Kin with her tiny hands, wrapping him firmly. She raised her thumb, and Ormaan pulled the pole out and slowly closed the door.
Kin started moving, but his moves were was erratic, Like a wild animal trying to escape the rope, but to no avail. He releases a quite frustrated groan and went back to sleep.
---
"I thought we were supposed to find the midget, not buy weapons."
"Oh no, we're just here to confirm."
"Confirm what?"
"That he was here."
"Well, he wasn't."
"Wrong."
"What do you mean, wrong? We searched the whole village!"
"Near the goldsmith. Did you see them?"
"Who?"
"A girl with a quiver but no bow, a man with an axe forged by the old smiths, and a mage with wide eyes."
"What about them?"
"They are with him."
"How do you know?"
"Don't ask me. That's what they told me. I know nothing more."
"Those idiot dreamers, giving useless cryptic fractions instead of speaking clearly. Do they think it looks cool?"
"Maybe something else."
"Like what? Intentionally wasting our time?"
"Partially, but I think he has something to do with him."
"Then we should—"
"No."
" …"
"It's just something I think, no evidence. If we provoke them now, we might lose an important source of information."
"Ugh, fine."