Chapter 135: Chapter 135

135 Helms Smitty

Ronnie and Klaus were in the shop talking with the owner when Skye had opened the door. They were close enough to it that all three heard what the man was yelling. Klaus grabbed a random sword and an axe, turned to Ronnie, and said; “Grab something,” in a menacing tone.

Ronnie grabbed the first handle he saw, but didn’t realize it was attached to a giant mace. The deep, smooth nubs on the enormous ball would’ve looked extremely intimidating; if anyone else would’ve been carrying it.. It was so bulky and heavy, he could barely lift it.

Klaus and Ronnie stood with the two guards behind them. They weren’t magic users, but they were very well trained, and had combat experience. Klaus was restraining himself already, and Ronnie was forcing himself to come out of the shop. The five men stared at the others as they hesitated. The heckler’s companions looked like they wanted to leave, but he’d started up again.

“Come on, me boyos! Don’t turn into women on me now!”

“Ack! That’s it; Ima done,” Skye snipped as she readied her magic to create a giant cage around them.

She never got the chance; the owner of the blacksmith shop came out with a gun that made the princess’ jaw drop. With a quick, hard motion of his arm; the blacksmith pumped a double barrel shotgun as he strode past Skye’s group, to stand in front of Klaus.

Pointing the barrels at the now fearful men, the owner declared; “I may only have two shots, but they’re more than enough for you jackasses! I’ll kill you all, and sleep like a wee baby after: Don’t Test Me.”

Before the heckler had a chance to rally his friends again, they were gone. The owner of That particular shop was known for being a nut bag. He made some of the best weapons in Alcon, and was a favored blacksmith among the military. He gave them discounts on maintenance and specialty weapons, and they kept him out of the dungeons.

Many nobles had attempted to obtain weapons from him, but he’d refused most. Earning himself a small target on his back. The guards used to harass him, but the old man was smart. He made similar deals with them in exchange for his protection. Which basically meant whenever he got caught up in some trouble, they’d tell him to take off instead of locking him away.

.....

Holding the knife up, the heckler shouted; “You better watch yourself, old man,” then took off into the side street.

Turning around, the blacksmith examined the small group behind him. The two guards were familiar to him, but most definitely not the women they had in tow. One was a fetching older woman, the other an obvious noblewoman, and... a fairy.

After staring at Maevis for an uncomfortable length of time, the man spoke with joviality; “Well, guess the rumors were right for a change! Haha! You’re like a wee floating doll!”

“Ah, rude! I’m not a toy, I’m a person!” Maevis snapped with indignation in her voice.

“Pardon me, lady fairy, but this isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence,” the blacksmith paused to catch his breath; “I apologize: my name is Sven Helmschmied, but most call me Sven or Helms. And this, is my shop and home..”

Sven motioned with his arm to the sign that hung above the door. It read Helms Smitty on a brownish-gold sign shaped like ancient armor. It was beautifully carved, and looked very old. The armor was familiar to Skye; like something she’d seen in one of her tomes, but the thought was lost as he questioned their visit.

Stepping forward, Skye answered; “Hello Mr. Helms; me name is Skye Moonstone, and I was hoping you could help me.”

“I take it that what you want isn’t for yourself?” Sven asked with condescension.

Ignoring his tone, Skye replied; “No, it be for me husband. I made him most of a set of armor, but I couldn’t finish the shoulder guards before the trials. Also, the material isn’t exactly common-”

Sven huffed obnoxiously to cut Skye off; “Look here lady; I don’t cater to the fancy. I make armor for soldiers and warriors.. I don’t have the time or patience to make something that’s just going to collect dust until passed on to the next useless lump in the family line.”

Peggy’d had enough of the man’s rudeness to her bairn; “Now you listen here, ye pompous little dwarf! How Dare ye speak to the princess in such a way?! Have ye no respect for good, decent people?! Or are ye just an arse with a face?! If we weren’t in public, I’d run ye through with one of Yer own Swords!”

As Peggy berated the blacksmith, Maevis noticed an odd smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. If she didn’t know any better; the old Fae would’ve sworn he was enjoying Peggy tearing into him. It was a little strange to her, but she supposed that if a man did fall for Peggy, it’d probably be best if he liked being yelled at.

Once finished with her ranting, Peggy turned to Skye and said; “We’ll just go somewhere else. I doubt this sad excuse of a man is good enough to make armor for a Pillar, anyways!”

Sven perked up; “Pillar? Which one? I’ve done work for Commander Zas before-”

“By the Gods, yer out the loop! Prince Tidas was promoted to Commander yesterday,” Peggy curtly nodded in Skye direction; “And THAT be his Wife!”

Skye smiled and waved nervously, which threw Sven off. She didn’t seem like the typical noble, and had a touch of common to her tongue. Her last name was incredibly familiar to him as well; prompting him to ask her father’s name. Even after hearing it, it still didn’t sound quite right to him. After thinking on it a few moments, Skye lit up like a lightbulb.

“Oh! Ye might know him as Moonie-”

“Moonie! The king’s friend; that Moonie?!” Sven’s eyes bulged from his head as he inquired.

“Aye, that be me father.. Do ye know him?”

Sven grinned broadly as he answered the princess; “AYE! A right, good man, he is! The night I met him, he saved me shop.. Let’s just say I wrongfully owed a bit of money to some less than reputable men, and they came to torch my shop.”

“That makes no sense.. If they wanted money from ye, why would they burn down yer source of income?!” Ronnie dropped the mace on the ground; sick of the struggle to drag it over.

Sven smirked cockily; “Because I flat-out told them Hell would freeze over before they ever got a single coin from me.”

“Oh, for the love of the Gods?! And ye dragged the lord into Yer mess?! Shame on you!” Peggy blustered.

This time, Sven had the sense to look abashed at Peggy’s chiding. He explained how Lucas had wanted a sword made for the king’s birthday. Sven could be generally found in one of two places: his shop, or a tavern named Dragon’s Scale. The owner was originally from Dragonhorn, and named his tavern in honor of his hometown.

Lord Moonstone had introduced himself once; after that, he’d insisted that Sven call him Moonie. It was the reason the name hadn’t registered at first. They would have a drink together any time Lucas came to the capital. It was more of an acquaintance than an actual friendship, but the two got along well while drinking. Plus the added bonus of Moonie always picking up the tab.

After they drank and chatted about Lucas’ order, Sven took him back to his shop and home to write down his specifications. They’d gotten back in time to see the men kicking in his door. Lord Moonstone always had a sword on him, and brandished it without hesitation. Two of the men attempted to fight him, but unless they were a magic user, Lucas could defend himself easily. He was a member of the King’s Guard, after all.

Lucas may have paid their tabs whenever they ate and drank together, but he’d more than gotten his worth from Sven. Any time he needed weapons, shields, or armor; he ordered from Sven for a fraction of the cost of anywhere else. He used them mostly as gifts for business relations. The quality was very high, and anyone who had received a piece as a gift always asked for the name of the smith to get more.

While the majority of his patrons were military, Sven became popular among the nobles due to Lucas. The king favored the sword his dear friend had gotten him, and even ordered a matching shield. After that, it boarderlined being a curse. Nobles came from all over wanting their own weapons and armor.

Most didn’t even need to wear armor; they just wanted to own some for the novelty of it. Sven’s family had been making weapons and armor since ancient times. Kings and emperors had come to his family for countless generations. He didn’t want to be famous, Sven just wanted his armor put to good use.

It was the main reason he’d refused to make anything for most of the nobles. That, and the fact that most acted just adult-sized, entitled children. He’d even refused generals; knowing that they’d never set foot on a real battlefield. Commander Zas had been an exception due to his inability to stay off the field. Sven knew of Tidas, and didn’t mind the idea of making him armor, but what Skye said next put him on edge a bit.

“You said you wanted me to make shoulder guards?”

The princess flashed a charming smile at Sven; “Not exactly... I want you to Help me make the armor. I don’t think it can be made with conventional means. The material is.. complicated. I can’t even tell ye about it unless ye swear to help me first.”

He studied Skye for a quiet moment before asking; “Can I at least ask to see an example of your work first?”

“Here, me bairn,” Peggy handed Skye one of Tidas’ arm guards; “I thought this might come in handy.”

Shock flashed across the princess’ face; “And why did ye not tell me ye had this?! It would’ve been helpful at the other shops!”

“They decided that.. They couldn’t get past yer wantin to help make it. I know the look: to most men, havin tits implies ignorance to them. Even though they’re the ignorant ones..”

Sven busted out in laughter; “Oy, you be a feisty one! I like the feisty ones..”

Peggy shot the blacksmith a hard stare; “Too feisty for the likes of you! I have standards.”

As Skye took the guard and handed it to Sven, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The weight was comparatively nonexistent, and the durability was unlike anything he’d ever seen. When he asked in a hushed tone what it was made of, Skye pulled out a small piece of leather from her cloak, and handed it to the blacksmith. He stared at in confusion before asking what it was.

Skye leaned forward slightly, and whispered; “That is the raw version of the armor; dragon’s hide..”