Blacksmith's Son

Conrad's eyes slowly open a pitch-black room.

'Damn, I must have passed out.'

'This body is so weak. I can't even stay awake for a few hours.'

Conrad's face contorts into a look of disgust at the thought of his weakness.

His eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, revealing the room in a new state. Conrad lay in a crib that was not present earlier.

'Hmm, this is new.'

Conrad begins running his fingers along with the crib's wooden frame.

'Wow, this is some high-level craftsmanship. This would cost a pretty penny in the modern world. Did that brute make this?'

A mental image of Conrad's father appears.

Conrad looks at the room more, noticing things he was too occupied to see before.

Small knickknacks rest upon shelves centered on the far wall. There are intricate metal contraptions next to what looks like a set of metal toy soldiers. His crib is placed next to his parents' bed. Two large candle stands lay upon nightstands on either side of the bed. Then Conrad sees something astonishing. Above the bed, a massive great axe is hung on tacks. The axe bears scratches along its head and notches in its wood frame over two meters long. Upon looking closer, odd stains stretch along its hilt. Bloodstains and lots of them.

A look of astonishment crosses Conrad's face after looking at the axe.

'Jesus Christ. That brute must be cleaving people in half with that thing. Remind me never to mess with him.'

'Ding!'

'Quest Completed'

'1 New Quest has been added.'

'Oh, I forgot about that mission from earlier!'

'Status. Quests.'

New Quest: "Learn the Common Tongue"

Achieve 50% Proficiency with the Language: Common

'Only 50 percent? Maybe the system wants me to be able to speak common? I'm going to guess that the other half is being able to read and write.'

Conrad's thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sounds of moaning.

Looking over at his parents' bed.

'Shit! There is way too much motion going on over there!'

'Goddamn, this world is already giving me mental scars. YOU JUST HAD A KID. CALM DOWN!'

Conrad shuts his eyes tight and covers his ears, hoping to drown out the lustful scene.

An hour or so later, Conrad drifts into a deep sleep.

....

Sunlight shines through the bedroom's windows, gleaming against Conrad's skin, beckoning him awake.

Groggily opening his eyes.

'Goddamn, these people are already too much. How's a kid supposed to sleep with all that racket!'

Scarred by the events of last night, Conrad shifts his focus to the reality of his situation.

'Alright, it's time to focus on learning the language.'

'I'll take the academic approach and begin memorizing their common phrases. Then isolate the verbs and articles they use to formulate them. That should speed up my progress greatly.'

'Let's begin!'

Conrad's world begins changing for the better for the first time in a long time.

...

Conrad's first year of life flashes by in the blink of an eye...

Throughout the past year, Conrad's life has changed dramatically.

Every morning as the sun rises to shine through his parents' bedroom window, and Conrad's day starts. It turns out that Conrad's father uses all those muscles to be a craftsman. Specifically, a blacksmith, and he is pretty renowned in his craft as far as Conrad can tell. An estimation based on the number of visitors the house receives daily, seeking his father. Mother's task is taking care of the house and using her free time to do sewing work for extra money. Conrad's day consists of staying close to his mother, watching her work while she coos basic words and phrases to him.

Especially the word "mama."

At one point, the repeated word made Conrad remark.

'Damn, she really wants that to be my first word. Must be the jealous type.'

However, in every regard, his mother was the total opposite. Always giving her all to support her husband and even using her sewing to bless others who need clothing free of charge.

Besides his parents.

Conrad was able to explore the rest of the house over time. Residing in the center of town, where most artisans live. Conrad's home is a two-story shop. The first floor opens up to a large shopping area with various pieces of armor, weapons, and loads of tools. This is because most ordinary folks aren't the fighting type and usually purchase the bare minimum tools to complete their livelihood. However, it always seems to snow in this area, so many purchase woodworking or mining tools. A door leads behind the shop front of the first floor, directly to a staircase leading upwards.

The second floor of Conrad's home is the living area, complete with four rooms. The largest is the master bedroom, where his entire family resides. The second largest room is a guest room, which will most likely be Conrad's room as he grows up. It has the bare essentials of a bedroom with a desk in tow. The third room is the dining area with a kitchen and table for food. The last room on the floor is a workspace for both parents. This room is complete with two desks, a carpet, and a few sitting chairs. Each room has a wood-burning stove to keep the place warm during the long snow seasons. However, this room has a fireplace.

Over time Conrad was also able to learn the names of both his father and mother.

His mother is called Lilith.

While his father is Siegfried.

Fitting considering his father's name means protector, and I don't know what that man couldn't protect.

Conrad is currently residing with his father on the first floor. He can feel that he is close to a breakthrough with the language.

Siegfried is speaking with a local artisan about the food prices going up with the harsh winter they've had.

"It's been a tough time lately. I understand if you can't pay in full now. Just place a down payment of 50 coppers now, and then give me the other half when you're ready to pick up the knife." Siegfried says generously.

"Thank you so much! I knew you would understand. You're always a man we can count on." The craftsman replies.

'Ding!'

'Mission Complete.'

'Common has reached 50%. You can now speak Common tongue.'

"YAH!" Conrad yelps loudly from his tiny body.

Siegfried and the Craftsman jump from the sound and look at the child with surprise.

"Lucian?"

'Shit! I got too excited.'

Conrad looks up at his father, faking a confused expression.

'Gosh. I hope my son doesn't turn out to be some kind of weirdo.'

"Alright, it should be done in about three days. Come back then." Siegfried says to the craftsman.

"Thank you again. Siegfried, I'll see you then." He replies

'Ding!'

'You have two rewards remaining in the Quest Screen.'

'That was a hard quest. I hope I got something good!'