7 Helping out

'I guess I'm really just baggage. At least till I get a weapon or learn magic.'

Leo remarked after Sam told him he should help his father:

"I will do my best to help him, but how can I help?"

"Do as he says, at most you will do miscellaneous tasks or run some errands"

Henry walked in the meantime to the board, selected a paper and came back to the table.

"I have a guard job here. It's about escorting a merchant to the next village. At most a week, and the pay is good to."

"Count me in." Leah said.

"Good, let Jessie check the details, we can go right away.

Leo, can you tell Pops I go on a request?"

Henry walked over to the other counter, gave the woman standing there the paper and showed her a card.

"Can do. How long should I stay by your father?"

"Let's make it a week, and when we come back, you are free. Just listen to him and you won't make any mistakes."

With Henry coming back, they went to a part of the guild in a back room. There they retrieved prepared backpacks and swords..

'So they store their belongings here. So when they get a quest, just grab your things and good to go.'

Impressed, Leo followed them out of the guild. They walked along the road, past the buildings and shops.

By the merchant who made the request, Leo bad farewell, and made his way towards Thomas's house.

On the way he walked past a child, who was swinging a wooden sword around. It looked unpractical, but even so he was impressed.

'The kids here have a weapon in the hand as soon they can hold it. I need to get my hands on a weapon as soon as possible. Not only for my safety, but also to make some money. Although dangerous and, well, dirty, it is lucrative."

He continued, and soon heard the hammering of wood onto steel. Leo went around the house, to the covered part with the smithy.

"Ah lad, see you are alone. Where is Sam?"

"He went on a mission to escort someone." Leo told.

Thomas sighed.

"Not even saying something. That brat is ambitious. He helps me out quite a bit with adventuring, you know. My old bones cannot do the work like before."

"I bet you are proud of him" Leo said, fully aware that this will lighten up the mood of that old man.

"Bet I am. He and Bron are my heart and soul." He smiled.

"So, he already told me you are going to do some work. Then let's go. First-"

From that point on, Leo did as told. Sometimes, he washed the tableware with sand, other times he helped Thomas in the smithy. Be it holding a hilt in place or sand down uneven parts.

He walked some errands, too. Sometimes, when he delivered some ware, he got tipped, and soon he had 10 copper.

Leo asked Thomas if someone around here would sell cheap clothes, and he referred to the tailor near the market place by the guild.

He bought simple pants and a plain shirt there.

Though they had holes or big stains on them, it was his property, and he could give back Sam's clothes.

Leo asked Thomas at some point if he can practice forging with scrap metal.

He gladly agreed, and even teached him some things, like the way to bend metal when it's hot, or how to connect a piece of metal to wood.

'I need a weapon, but also want defense. I think a shield would be a good starting point, as it can even function as a weapon.'

Leo thought on day five. Thus, he gathered some plank wood from a pile near the shed. He cut them in shape of a oval shield, big enough to cover him from the shoulder to his navel.

The bottom part was pointed, so he could bash with it when needed.

Connecting parts with a special glue and fastening a handle on the back, the shield was almost ready.

at last he added a metal coat on the upper edge, increasing its stability.

"Done, at least it's something." He exclaimed, brushing off some sweat of his forehead.

"Not bad, considering you never made something like that." Thomas said.

Leo showed him his shield, wanting to hear his opinion if this will hold against enemies.

"Will this protect me?" He asked.

"Depends, certainly not against a Dragon," Thomas joked, seemingly enjoying his little remark," but against Goblins, weak undead and lower species it is sufficient. What about a weapon?"

"I never thought about a fitting weapon for me. Can you help me decide?"

"No, that is something you have to do. After all, a weapon is the lifeline of a soldier. If I do the choice, and you die, I have to reason with me and my conscious, maybe."

Leo understood. That night in the shed, he considered his range of options.

"Swords need swordsmanship skills, which I don't have. A spear is good, but useless in close combat.

I have no idea if magic is an option, so no wand. Daggers have no reach, and as a dwarf I bet I'm not so swift. But a hammer, something like a warpick may be a good choice. Just smash with one side, and piece with the other. Plus it is even effective against things with armor, not like a sword.

Then I have a weapon of choice, I guess."

Leo concluded, sinking into his dreamland.

The next day after breakfast, he told Thomas his decision.

"A warpick, huh. Not a bad choice, even if I disagree with the point of a sword unable to go against armor. If you have a high quality sword, or even an enchanted one, you can cut or damage it."

"I totally forgot about the magic." Leo said. His thinking process has to include the aspect of the special energy around him.

"How, it is everywhere. Even with memory loss, to forget something so essential. Like forgetting to breath."

"If so, how come I never saw you using it? Never in the forge or elsewhere."

Bron cut in, helping out his father:

"Why should he? Most things go well without magic, and the chanting is time consuming.

Also, if you use to much magic, you get weak. If so and Pops is working, there may be incidents."

"Magic is more what for adventurers, soldiers, priests and a unit to charge magic gems." Thomas ended. He stood up from the table and went out to the smithy.

"Wash the tableware and then come out and help me Leo. Bron, Mrs. Mandy asked if you could help her in the shop today. If you can help her out, that would be great."

"Sure Pops. Don't overwork yourself."

Leo then washed the dishes, walked out to Thomas, and together they began to work on a project.

More than usual, Thomas imbued Leos work into the process, letting him do some difficult parts.

He overcame these trials, and Thomas couldn't help but wonder:

"You really are a Dwarf. As I heard, many excellent craftsmen are Dwarfs, and they have a natural ability to master work like this."

"Is that a racial trait?" Leo wondered.

"Maybe, or you just have a knack for it."

They continued, and Leo could now make out what they were producing. The hot piece of Iron was hammered into shape by the strong hands of Thomas, each strike leaving a big dent in the metal. Soon, the clump shaped like the head of a warpick was roughly done. With some precise strikes, he evened out the edges. The handle was prepared by Leo, who used after being told a good quality wood, which can function well under pressure.

Thomas attached the head to the body with glowing hot needles. These sizzled when they penetrated the wood, but after cooling hold the top part securely to the bottom.

"Here, my gift for you. As a thanks for your help in the last week. And for keeping me company."

Leo new to refuse this offer would be wrong, and received the weapon from Thomas with shaking hands.

After all, this was his first real weapon, something he created with the help of the nice man before him.

"Thank you very much. But why? After all, I helped you mostly to settle my dept to Sam, even if I enjoyed the time in the smithy." He said, feeling bad for receiving this beautiful piece of metal.

"You know, my sons don't really like smiting, and Bron is helping me mostly out of goodwill.

But you had some passion inside you, even brighten up my old bones to create something like that again." He smiled lightly, ruffling through Leo's brown hair.

"Just take it, you helped me more than you know." He said.

Together, they worked till dawn on various project, and he even let Leo complete a full order by himself, showing him how much he trusts Leo.

Suddenly, a voice travelled along the backyard.

"I'm back Pops, did anything happen while I was away?.

Sam came back, walked up to Thomas and gave him a loving hug.

"Nothing noteworthy, did everything went well on your mission?"

"All okay, only one attack from a pack of wolves, as we had to guard a cargo of ingredients. Smelled good, but we couldn't eat anything." Sam joked.

After talking to Thomas about the week with Leo and if he did well, he said to him:

"So I think of your dept as cleared. It is late already, and we should sleep soon. But think what you wanna do from now on. As no one here is your guardian or relative, you can go where you want.

By the way, we asked around in the village, but there no one knows you either. You little mystery.

"I guess I have to think. I'm not sure what to do next. After all my knowledge is very limited."

Leo fidgeted, knowing he has to bid farewell soon to this nice household,, which kept him warm and fed over the last week.

But he also doesn't want to be a bother anymore. To stand on his own feet is his ambition.

Although forging is interesting, it is hard work, and Leo wants to see the world. To live as an adventurer.

'I think I'm going to be an adventurer, too.'

Leo concluded, but keeping up the facade of not having a idea.

He went to the shed, his place for the last week, and slept like a stone after the exhausting day.

The next day Leo woke up early, walking over to the house in a routine manner.

He was greeted by Sam preparing breakfast, some fruits, bread and cheese.

"Hi Leo, can you wake up Bron?"

Leo nodded, and after waking him up, he sat down at the table, and the four began eating.

"So Leo, What is your plan?"

Leo sucked in some air, ready to tell his decision.

"I want to be an Adventurer. I want to meet a lot of people, gather experience and find my origins."

"I thought so," Thomas said, biting into his bread and chugging down some water, "Then Sam can accompany you to the guild. You need an ID card to work as a adventurer."

"A ID card?" Leo asked.

"When you first register by the guild, you get a card with your personal information on it.

Name, age, picture, magic affinity and place of origin. It is a object that is produced with a magical solution, and can be updated through the guild."

"Does it cost money? I have next to nothing on me."

"I lend you the amount, pay me back when you can. But don't forget it."

"I won't, thank you."

Leo stood up, and hugged Thomas. After the week, he grew attached to this gentle giant.

"We will meet soon, after all, you will get your next weapon here"

Thomas said smiling, patting Leo on his back and enjoyed the moment, as he liked the boy, too.

Sam got up, grabbed his jacket and asked Leo:

"You ready? Your new life is about to officially begin."