Ultimate Level 1

It was hard to believe one could feel great after sleeping in a tree. When the birds started chirping as the sun rose, Max stretched and glanced down at the low light of the fire beneath him.

He had moved all four goblin corpses far enough away last night that he didn’t smell them. Even the ears he now had in his pack didn’t stink just yet. He touched his bare arms and chuckled, having cut off the sleeves to wrap the ears in before putting them inside his pack. Unhooking it from the tree, he dropped it to the ground, grabbed his spear, and prepared for this next stage of his life.

Walking along the stream's edge, Max saw the town coming up. Windsor Wheel had this name because of the number of water wheels that crushed the grain and made flour. The stream fed the giant system of water wheels, which ran dozens of grinding stones in town.

If he remembered right, there was a small adventurers' house here where he could turn in the ears and try to create a new persona. It wouldn’t be as big as one of the larger towns, but that would probably work out better. Fewer questions would be asked here of a new adventurer starting out.

He had already seen one [Scout] earlier this morning. The man had waved and kept on moving along the forest, tracking whatever he was after. Goblins and other creatures were always a problem out here, as he had learned firsthand. There had to be a portal nearby, setting them free into the world. He remembered some of the lessons about how the magic worked and where the creatures came from, but he would need a refresher before setting out on an adventurers' quest or two.

Small stone walls began to run between the stream and the woods, providing some protection against random goblin packs. The sounds of the town waking up in the morning drifted across the fields of growing grain. His stomach rumbled as he took a bite of cheese and knew it was inedible after today. He wanted some bread and something hot. And some clean clothes as well.

“You look like something a goblin used to clean their back-side with,” the guard standing near the gate to the small wall that surrounded the outer limits of the town declared. “You going to be able to make it in without help?”

Standing beside the older male guard, the female guard laughed at how spot-on that description must be.

Max nodded and gave a sheepish grin.

“I might have run into a few goblins while making a mistake by exploring the woods by myself,” he replied, motioning to his outfit, which was in a sorry state of existence. “Thankfully, I survived and managed to take out four of them.”

Both of the guard's eyes widened at Max’s statement, bobbing their heads in appreciation.

“It appears you are skilled, at least with a stick,” the older guard chuckled as he motioned to the makeshift spear. “Should I ask what happened?”

Laughing and trying to sell a story he knew was a lie, Max gave a grin.

“I will say when one decides to crap in the woods, it gives goblins a good chance of attack.”

“And the wooden spear?”

He could see the way the older man was reading him, trying to judge everything he said.

“I broke mine while fighting. Knew it was better to have something I’m skilled with than trying to get back here barehanded.”

They both nodded and said nothing more as Max moved past them. He strode down the path and toward the bridge that would take him into the main section of town.

Letting out a small sigh of relief after getting a good distance from the guards, Max had to ignore the looks he was receiving from a few people traveling along the path. He just smiled and waved at the kids who stared, slack-jawed at him.

After about a half mile, the dirt road had become cobblestone, a good hundred yards before the area where the next set of guards kept watch. He glanced over at the fields inside the walled-off area, knowing he had a few more miles before reaching the bridge. That these farms were inside the walls when others were not must mean someone was rich. The wall provided protection against the constant raiding that took place from monsters and animals.

As the bridge came into view, his stomach groaned as the smell of freshly cooked food assaulted his nose. Buildings had sprung up around the road, and shops were already selling food and other items someone might need.

For the last five minutes, he had forced himself to walk by and resist the temptation to purchase something. He still had a little of the dried meat in his sack, and he needed to make sure he could afford a better weapon and some clothes before spending his money on the baked goods that called his name.

The guard in the shack at the bridge eyed him but said nothing, barely even giving him a nod of acknowledgment. He had already passed a group of three adventurers dressed in leather and cloaks, headed out of town. The three of them had moved to the other side of the road, snickering under their breaths.

He gave a smile, ignoring the slight, and admired their leather armor and actual weapons. An archer, a warrior, and one he guessed was a healer. Perhaps soon enough, he could find a group that would let him do quests with them.

Crossing over the stone bridge and seeing the wheels on both sides of the stream spinning from the water, Max spotted what he was looking for. Near the bridge was a blacksmith shop, the sound of metal getting hammered rang out and fire flashed occasionally into view.

“Excuse me, sir!” Max shouted as he stood off to the side, watching a man at least a good foot and a half taller than him hammer metal into shape. His arms looked like they could just bend the metal from the size of them. The smoke blackened those massive limbs, and sparks exploded each time he struck the metal with his hammer.

“He can’t hear you,” a voice came from the side.

Turning, Max saw a younger woman a few inches taller than him approach.

Is everyone who works here a giant?

She wore the same blacksmith apron and the arms she had looked like she could snap him in half. Black smudges across her face did little to hide her good looks. He stood there dumbfounded as she got closer to him and clapped her hands to get his attention.

“You need help, or just here to admire the goods?”

“Sorry, I was uh… overwhelmed by all this. It has been a rough few days.”

She nodded as she looked him up and down, a small smile appearing.

“Here to commission some work or?”

Smiling, Max pulled his bag off his shoulder and set it on the ground as he loosened up the strings on top. He then pulled out the dagger and sword he had taken from the goblins.

“I was wondering if I could sell these here for something. I know they aren't the greatest material, but I figured they must be worth something."

She smirked as she moved closer and took the two pieces of metal he held.

"You obviously don't have any idea how to haggle. Something tells me you are still new to all this," she stated as she flipped each of them over, inspecting the blades. After a moment, she banged them together and grimaced from the sound they made and the way the dagger chipped. "I will be honest; neither of these is worth much, but you already knew that. The metal would need to be completely melted down before it can be turned into something useful. Any idea how much you want for them?"

Max shifted a little on his foot as he listened to her talk. His eyebrows were dancing as he grimaced at the news of just how bad the metal really was.

"What's the best you can offer? Or do you have any spears you could trade to replace my broken one and this hand-made one?”

She glanced at his spear and chuckled as she nodded.

"I could see how that might be important to replace sooner than later. Let me see what we have and if I can make that trade."

She took the two pieces and moved deeper into the forging area where a variety of other smiths were all working across the eight forges set up. Max found himself staring at them as they worked. These men and women were working much harder than he and the other trainees back home. They were actual [Blacksmiths], sweating profusely from the labor they loved.

A younger person was in each area, working a lever that would allow air into the coals, being pumped by the wheel in the stream. It was amazing to think something could somehow move air to all of these forges. One of those would have made it much easier to manage than when he had to take turns working the massive bellows during his training.

Lost watching them work, Max didn’t notice when the woman returned. She tapped him on his shoulder, causing him to jump. Spinning around, he saw her smiling and carrying a spear in her left hand.

“I spoke with the master here, and he told me I could give you this if you wanted it for the metal you brought in.”

She leaned forward and pretended to whisper to him.

“He said to tell you if you get any more of those, bring them back to him, and he will give you the best deal. His actual words were, ‘Any adventurer who can break a spear on goblins and fashion one like yours deserves to be kept alive.’ I think he is impressed with your wit,” she stated with a giant grin.

“Thank you!” Max exclaimed as he traded his wooden spear for the one she handed over.

He admired the new one as he ran it through his hands. His mind and skill told him it was many times better than that piece of wood he had crafted or those flimsy sticks the goblins had used. The weight of it was perfect as a small piece of metal on the end balanced the weight of the head of the spear. The metal tip was only a hand length long, with a simple dual-bladed piece that was attached to the top of the wood.

“This feels really good,” Max said as he ran his hands along the shaft. “The thickness of the shaft, the balance, it's well made.”

The girl's smile grew, and she gave a slight bow.

“You made this?” Max asked, knowing his face must have turned a little red from how his face felt warm.

“That one, I actually spent more time than I should have after receiving some feedback on my other attempts. I’m Sherry, by the way.”

“Seth,” he lied, having already chosen the name he would go by here. “A pleasure to meet you.”

They shook hands, and Max turned his attention back to the spear, taking a few steps back and giving a few quick thrusts with it.

“How long are you going to be in town?”

Turning his attention back to Sherry, Max gave a shrug.

“I’m not sure. I need to check in with the adventurers guild and turn in a few things. I need to find a place to spend the night and eat. Otherwise, maybe a few weeks?”

She nodded and then turned her head towards a man who dwarfed every other [Blacksmith] in the forge area after her name rang out over the din of hammers.

“I need to run,” she stated as she started to move away. “Good luck with the spear. Let me know how it does, and bring me any more metal you find from the goblins!”

Max nodded and smiled as he hefted the spear in both hands again, admiring the quality of it.

He waved at her before turning around and making his way farther into town.

One task done and a lot more to go.