13 The First Lesson

It is too damn early, I shouldn't have gone to sleep so late. But, this is the time Gildor wanted: The Crack of Dawn. I hope this first lesson is worth it, cause I'm pretty sure it'll just be about the basics. I mean, I didn't technically learn the basics so either way I've gained some useful knowledge. It'll probably be about the materials that I'll come across, which would be a good thing to know. Metallurgy is a very important science to have expertise in when you're a smith. And Dwarves are masters of the art of making alloys.

I need to wash and brush my hair first. I don't want to have bed hair when working with tools. A bit of Water Magic, enhanced with Aura, and my hair is clean. Now to brush it, I think I'll go with combing it back so it's not in my face. My hair has gotten long enough to reach past my shoulders, after all.

I guess I should take of my pyjamas for this too. I need to keep up some standard of appearance and I think I know the outfit perfect for the job. It's an ensemble made up of commoner clothes: linen shirt, cloth pants and a pair of cotton underwear underneath. While they aren't luxurious they do not cover up my increasingly handsome face so I still look like a Prince Charming. I'm not exaggerating, even now at 5 years old I'm turning heads. It's one of the reasons I try to hide my face whenever I sneak out. I made a mask and everything just to keep it a secret because I'm not looking for a woman yet, not until I'm at least 15. That's when Dragons fully mature, and it's when I also would grow to my maximum height of 7'2, since I added a few inches during creation.

Enough about future women, it's time to go learn some smithing. I think I look appropriate enough for metalworking, though I may need an apron. This wasn't as tedious when I didn't need clothes but I'm in a corporeal body now so I can't run around naked. Unless I wanted to get the title 'Mad Prince' or 'Pervert Prince'. While I'm sure some might want those names, I don't. Finally here at the Smith again, I hope I'm not wasting my time.

"You're here lad, I suppose it was too much to wish that you'd stayed in bed. I really can't be wasting my limited time teaching a brat."

"You don't have to worry Gildor, I've been extending your time through my own means. You still have another decade of life."

"What do you mean boy, I'm 398 years old, I've already gotten the record of Oldest Dwarf. I can't have but maybe a year left."

"I've been supplying you and the other Dwarves my own life-force. You guys will be the oldest known Dwarves. Now let's get going."

"Your own life-force? You've been slashing away at your own vitality for a bunch of Dwarves? Boy, you can't just take years off your life just to save a couple of old men from fate."

"Please, I'm half-Dragon, I'm immortal. I don't have to abide by the same rules as others. Death means nothing to me. If Fate or Destiny decrees it, then I shall be the one to destroy such an order!" My voice exploded through the Palace, even the near-deaf could have heard me. I hate words like fate and destiny, they're just excuses for the cowards that refuse to take matters into their own hands, the ones who will only take what is given to them and won't reach out and struggle for more. I hate it, because it just sounds like the whimper of a man who refuses to get up after he's fallen.

I shouldn't be the one to say this, after all, I've been handed everything ever since I came here. But I know somewhere in my soul that my words are true. Am I wrong in wanting to use whatever future hardships come as fuel for improvement? Maybe I'm thinking about this too hard, I just want to move on.

"Gildor, let's go inside, I don't want to argue philosophy in the middle of the Palace halls."

"Aye, after you lad." His voice had less energy than usual, he's probably still stunned by my outburst.

I did come off aggressively, I guess I was a bit too overbearing. I should apologize later, I don't want to come off as the ungrateful type. I don't normally get this heated over something so trivial, I just felt so angry at their acceptance of death. Going inside, none of the other Dwarves are working, so Gildor must have reserved the smithy for an easier time teaching me.

"Alright laddie, I'll be teaching ya about the various metals you'll be handling. We'll start off at the basics. Iron, copper, tin, bronze, brass, and steel. These are the metals that most blacksmiths start working with, as they aren't as finicky as the more rare and stronger materials. Steel makes up about 99% of all common weaponry, while brass and copper are more for decorative purposes. Iron's not hard enough to be as good blade as steel and bronze is only really good for armor since it flexes easily."

"And the more exotic metals?"

"Well, there's a few, Namely mythril, adamantite, andetite, and cryladite. But we won't talk about andetite and cryladite since they are very fragile, and don't make good weapons or armor. Not to mention they are so rare, maybe only a pound of each has been found even to this day. Anyways, mythril is good for light armors and piercing weapons. It's much lighter than steel while being just a tad more resistant. Adamantite is, as you know, the heaviest metal and nearly indestructible. Its main use is in weaponry and heavy armor. A single adamantite short sword is able to split an entire steel suit of armor in two without any damage to its edge. But you need to train in order to be able to swing its weight around with no issue. That's why only accomplished warriors use adamantite weapons."

"Is there anything else?"

"Well, and you didn't hear from me, us Dwarves created an alloy of mythril and adamantite, which we call mythrandite. It isn't solely mythril and adamantite, it has also got a tiny bit of cryladite. The fragile metal actually acts like a fusing agent, forcing mythril and adamantite into a usable metal. Normally if you just mix the two, they act like oil and water and eventually separate. Mythrandite is a capable material, with the same heft as steel, and 100 times the durability. Beautiful what persistent experimenting got us. A perfect metal to arm soldiers with, strong yet not heavy like adamantite."

"Yes, experimentation is a wonderful thing. Now what about the actual forging?"

"Ah, yes well, grab that worthless adamantite hammer and let's get to work."

"Before we start, I'd like to say sorry, I got a little heated."

"That's fine laddie, we all lose our heads sometimes. At least you had the heart to apologize. Now first thing you do when forging is..."

And so Gildor's final disciple began learning his forging techniques.