Chapter 64: The Forge
64 Chapter 64: The Forge
The sun rose on the horizon, streaming through the window of our room, feeling its warmth directly on my face, I furrowed my brow, trying to shield myself from the sun with my hand. I slowly open my eyes, my body feeling very relaxed right now, just like my mind, sleeping deeply feels really good, I think this is my favorite part.
Getting up slowly, I sit on my bed stretching my limbs, shaking off the laziness. After a few minutes, I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and splash water on my face. Coming out of the bathroom, I find Elsa already awake, standing in front of the bathroom door.
"Good morning, Elsa, how did you wake up?" I ask.
"I'm still a little sleepy and tired from yesterday, but I can manage," she says, shrugging and heading straight into the bathroom.
I spend a few hours where we have breakfast and rest a bit. Looking out the window, I inform Elsa, "We need to go shopping."
"Shopping?" she asks with interest in her voice.
"Yes, now that you're a swordswoman, you need presentable armor and a sword that fits your hand and body," I respond to Elsa.
Elsa, a bit pensive, nods her head. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Now that Elsa wields a sword, she needs the corresponding gear. The perfect place to buy these things is the city's blacksmith. The prices are more than fair, and with the money I have right now, I won't have any problems.
Leaving the inn with Elsa, we head towards the part of the city where armors and all kinds of weapons are sold. This place is the most frequented by adventurers. This part is called "The Forge." It's a place where everywhere you look, you can find a blacksmith shop. Most of them are dwarves, although there are some elves or humans, they are not very popular compared to the dwarves, as they are considered masters in this art of making swords and armor.
Identifying the specific place is not so difficult, literally at the entrance, there are metal posts on both sides and a large sign at the top with the name "The Forge." Passing through the entrance feels like you're in another world. The houses are all made of reinforced metal, the floor is also made of dull dark metal. Everything looks very futuristic but with a very rudimentary touch. On the metal streets, you can see many adventurers with bright eyes looking towards the windows where some armors are on display. There are all kinds of armor, one has spikes all over, there's even one that looks extremely heavy and some light ones. Looking at the prices, I quickly look away, my eyes almost pop out. The cheapest one costs 500 gold. Swallowing my embarrassment, I remember that I only have 96 gold...
With a somber expression on my face, I recall that right now we are, so to speak, in the most popular and therefore richest area of all. Obviously, weapons and armor are more expensive. Encouraging myself a little, I convince myself that there will be cheaper prices later on.
****
We arrive at an area where you can find almost twice as many adventurers walking around. This place is a bit more rusty than the previous part. Obviously, the social class is lower here. Just by looking at the ranks of the hunters, they range from gold to platinum.
Looking at the prices, they're still a bit high, and I thought I had a lot of money on me... Letting out a small sigh, we start walking towards the last area.
"I guess we're poor right now," Elsa says, pursing her lips.
"To be honest, I thought we had a lot of money. For our next hunt, we have to save some orbs to sell..." I respond incredulously.
I guess I totally underestimated the market and the value of money. In my world, it was one of the precious gems of the world that had an incredible monetary value, and anyone lucky enough to have a large one in their possession could become a millionaire overnight.
Looking at the gold coins emitting a faint glow in my hand, I mentally take note of the value of gold in this world.
Kya!!
Coming out of my thoughts, I realize that I bumped into a little girl. I react quickly and crouch down to check if she's okay. She's a girl of about 8 years old, her hair is brown with little blue eyes, her clothes are in terrible condition, she's malnourished and in bad shape.
"Are you okay?" I ask softly.
The girl lifts her head with teary eyes, her face is also dirty. I see fear in her eyes, her body trembling a bit, I don't understand why she's acting like that.
Looking at Elsa, she quickly understands my message.
Elsa puts a sweet smile on her face and crouches down, she extends her hand gently and begins to stroke the girl's head. Her body stops trembling, and her breathing returns to somewhat normal.
"Are you okay?" Elsa asks with her extremely gentle voice.
The girl's eyes can't hold back the tears anymore. Gradually, more and more tears come out of her eyes.
"Waaaaaa!" "Waaaaaaa"
I don't know how to proceed right now. I'm not prepared for this kind of situation. My mind goes blank. I've never taken care of a child before, and I have no idea how to do it. I have no experience in these kinds of cases. I'm petrified in my position not knowing what to do.
On the other hand, Elsa quickly hugs the little girl tightly. She doesn't mind that she smells a little bad and is dirty. Patting her back, a few minutes pass, and she finally falls asleep.
"What should we do now? I don't have the heart to leave a sleeping child in the middle of the street," I ask confused.
"How about we have her with us until she wakes up?" Elsa responds.
"Okay, sounds good."
****
A few minutes passed until the girl's stomach started growling. Waking up abruptly, she lifts her head and her eyes scan the surroundings until they meet ours. She's in Elsa's lap right now. The girl stands up quickly and gets into a defensive position, hesitating.
His eyes still have that fear and longing. Remembering her stomach growled, I guess she must be hungry. How hungry must she be to wake up so quickly? His hands continue to shake as do her legs. She is really weak. When your limbs shake too much, it means that you are entering a stage in which your body needs so much energy and food, your stomach is absorbing all the strength you have left and leaving you extremely tired and weakened, being in such a state can lead you to have hallucinations and nausea.
I slowly move to Elsa's side. Giving her a quick glance, I head towards a food stall. I buy a large amount of food for a child and return quickly. I approach her slowly. There are decent meatballs on a plate, and in my right hand, a glass of water.
"Do you want food?" I approach slowly, her dull eyes shine slightly, her expression falters a little but hunger wins.
The girl nods her head slowly.
"Okay, this is all yours, but you need to listen to me first, okay. I know you're very hungry, but remember you need to eat slowly, don't rush. Take small bites, believe me, I say it for your own good," I say as carefully as possible.
When a person is extremely hungry, their body is so desperate for some nutrients that when some food enters your stomach, it can trigger a violent reaction, killing you on the spot...
I approach her slowly and extend the plate to her. Her small trembling hands grab it tightly. In her eyes, I can see how much she needs food. She quickly grabs a meatball and brings it to her mouth.
"Remember to chew slowly and swallow slowly," I say with a serious face.
The girl steps back a few steps in fear, but she starts chewing slowly, nodding with satisfaction, I hand her the glass of water.
I don't move from my position, I stare at her intently. I don't want her to start eating fast, first, her stomach needs to get used to it.
The girl continues to eat slowly, obeying my instructions. Maybe it was the fear that seized her, fearing that I would take away her food. I sigh, sometimes fear is very effective in controlling a person, but she's just a child...
Squatting down, I look her in the eyes. "You know, we don't want to hurt you, we're just trying to help you, so you shouldn't be afraid, okay?"
She hesitates for a moment, lowers her head, and looks at the full plate of food. Her feet start moving towards my position.
Elsa, by my side, approaches her and starts stroking her head again.
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