Arad sat on the chair, talking with Jack as Mira hammered the steel into shape. The two of them had no skill in the craft and couldn’t help with anything besides heavy lifting.
Mira finished shaping the steel and then took to the oil bath to cool it. After doing so, she approached Arad, “Care to help me with something?”
Arad stood and followed her, “What is it?”
Mira walked to the smith’s tools and pulled a large saw. “This is a special saw made to cut steel, but it takes a lot of time and effort.”
Arad stared at the saw and lifted it, “Show me where to cut,”
Mira smiled, “I knew I could count on you. “I need to cut this piece in half, so saw here,” She gave him the newly formed piece of steel, and he fastened it to the anvil.
Arad laid the saw on the piece of steel and started sawing it. Quickly, the speed of his arm increased to an incredible level.
DING! The saw snapped after just a second, and Arad stared at it confused. The blade has bent and twisted.
“How the hell did you do that?” The blacksmith rushed in, sad at the loss of his expensive tool.
OUCH! The smith cried as he touched the saw, finding it burning hot. The friction heated it to a point where it couldn’t stand the force of Arad’s rough movements.
The smith sighed and poured some water on his hand. He then handed Mira a bucket of oil. “Slowly drizzle this on the saw as he cuts. It could keep it cool enough,” He then stared at Arad. “You’re one monstrous lad, aren’t you?”
The smith walked back to his work and waved his hand to Mira, “Keep your husband in check. He’s a force of nature. You’re paying for the next tool you break.”
Mira stared at Arad, “We might need a new set of tools for you.”
Arad giggled, scratching his head, “I’m a bit too strong,”
The smith stared at them from the back, “I bet he won’t damage dwarven tools, but sadly those are too expensive to buy.” He waved his hands, “Dwarves hate parting with their tools, so they put stupid prices on them to deter buyers. Who will buy a steel saw for ninety-nine platinum coins?”
Arad stared back at the smith, “Is there another way to get them?”
The smith stared at him as he started working, “Make a favor to a dwarven clan. If they considered you an axe kin, they will forge you a set of tools.”
“Where is the closest dwarven clan?” Arad asked, but the smith shook his head, “I don’t know. Father came from another continent, so I don’t know anything about if one is close.”
Jack looked at the castle walls, “Behind the black sea of death,” He sighed, “We can’t simply sail the seas,”
“Pirates and monsters are a big problem. Getting lost is another issue.” The smith replied as he started sharpening Arad’s sword.
Arad finished cutting the steel piece in two, and Mira took it to add some details. He watched her work with a smile. Unlike Aella or Eris, she didn’t have any power or magic, just a human woman with a bunch of skill in craftsmanship.
After some hours of continuous work, Mira finally sighed, finishing the hammerhead. “I never had this much fun since the steel bow,” She approached Arad and showed it to him, “Now I need a handle and some powder to fill it with. My nail goes in this small hole, so it fires at impact.”
As Mira explained it to Arad and Jack, the smith took a few seconds to digest something Mira said. A steel bow??
“Lady, did you say a steel bow?” The smith approached them. He had seen Mira work and knew she had skills. She might have done it.
Mira stared at him, “Ah! Yeah,” She scratched her head, “I did make a steel bow, and it worked better than I expected.” She giggled.
“Can I see it?” The smith gasped.
Mira stared at Arad, and as he nodded she looked at the smith with a grin, “Yes, but I won’t give you the schematic for free,”
“Of course, I won’t ask for it without a price,” The smith crossed his arms, “State your price.” 𝘰𝑣𝘭.𝗇𝓔t
Mira lifted her hand and opened all of her fingers, “Fifty percent profit from all the sales, and you have to sign a contract that you won’t disclose the schematic to anyone else.”
The smith scratched his head, “Fifty percent is a bit much. Don’t you think? What about crafting costs?”
“I said from profit, didn’t I?” She pointed at the smith, “After you deduct all costs and taxes, we split the profit in half.”
The smith smiled, “I’m in,” He giggled.
As Arad smiled, Aella approached the smithy led by a small bird. He waved his hands to her, and she smiled. “Did you call me?”
“Yeah, can you show your bow to the smith?”
A bit confused, but Aella pulled her steel bow and an arrow. She pulled the string and fired a shot, causing a small shockwave.
The smith gasped with a happy smile, “It’s like a giant crossbow, but this one can be pulled by hand. I bet it requires a lot of strength,”
Mira smiled, “The specific angles and materials, also the hardening method of the steel and quality of the string. They all work together to make it easier to draw than if you just made a normal steel bow.”
“It’s a promising new weapon. We should find a powerful mage to create our contract as soon as possible.” The smith said with an excited voice, he can’t wait to start making them.
Arad smiled, sitting on a chair and resting his chin on his hand, “No need to find a mage,” He giggled, “[I’m right here,]^ His voice shook, changing tone as he glared at the smith with glowing pink eyes, tattoos slowly covering his body with a dreadful aura.
Arad opened his hand, and a white paper emerged and dropped on the table. He lifted his hand and extended his claw, poking his own finger to draw blood.
On the paper, he wrote the content and then looked at Mira, “A blood contract, I need some of yours and him as well,”
With a smile, Mira extended her hand and Arad poked her thumb with his claw. He then used the blood to write her section, which was mostly that she’s the one to get half the profit and all.
The smith approached Arad with a smile, “Didn’t think you could write contracts lad, or are you a warlock with a patron?”
Arad smiled, “[You’re right, I’m his patron. Since I can make contracts with people, writing this one is as simple as it gets.]^
The smith extended his hand to Arad to draw blood.
Arad then finished writing the contract and lifted it up, “[Let it be written in blood and sighed with fire. This contract shall stand as long as the two parties are alive.]”
The smith smiled, “Yes! I can now start making a new weapon, finally something exciting.”
“[If you failed to pay, Mira would be noticed and may choose whether to punish you or not. So keep that in mind. On the other hand, she must give you the true schematic and help you address any problems with their function. May this be a prosperous business for the both of you.]”
The contract was then split into three papers. One landed in the smith’s hands, one in Mira’s hands, and one swallowed by Arad.