Josy the Blacksmith

One thing to know about Desvey town is that it is popular with its production on Iron and copper, so the first thing I can already see was the scene of a few miners who just came out of their shift. They were very muddy looking and pretty rugged from all the ores they had mined from the mine. And with that said, they were making their way to a certain pub in town.

An pub called the Iron Bear.

"...a pub huh, maybe I can visit that place if I have the time later." but before I should do any socializing, I had to first prioritize the things that I need for my home.

One of those things was a bundle of materials used to make a house. A hammer, a saw, a thousands nails…any equipment I need just good enough that it wont fail me on the process of making a home.

The only problem is that I don't have the money to buy those things…yet. I can only ever try to just window shop for the things that I need.

Seeing as how this place is full with Iron, I can probably find a place that actually sells the equipment. A blacksmith has probably all the items I need.

"...Now, where can I find the blacksmith? Maybe the folks know something." I said.

Looking around, a saw a lady that was pushing on a cart filled with groceries. Without hesitation, I made my way to her and tried to ask for directions to this blacksmith.

"Umm, hello…good day madam." I tried to make a good impression on her, and lucky she looked my way and smiled.

"Oh my, a new face in town. Are you a visitor? Where are you from dear?" she asked in her soft and kind voice.

"...Oh, I just came here from that wall over there." I said truthfully as I pointed to the Great Eden Wall.

"...Eh?"

"Ah, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bother you." from her reaction, she was quite surprised to know on what I just said…and I was too stupid to quickly notice that I just said that I came from the other side of the great eden wall.

"...Oh my, are you the person responsible for the opening of the gate of the wall?" but luckily, she wasn't as scared as I thought she would. Instead, she was more curious than anything.

"...I-I am." I said nervously…

"My, quite a strong man aren't you…so what do I have the pleasure of talking to a strong man like yourself?" she asked.

"I'm actually looking for a blacksmith. I was wondering if this town had one that sells or commissions a work for making equipment."

"Hmm, if your looking for a blacksmith, Mr. Josy's house is just right somewhere on the top of a hill near the mines."

"I see. Thank you very much."

"Your welcome, just follow the road that leads to the mines and you'll see a big house with smoke coming out of its chimney, that's Mr. Josy's house." said the old lady.

After that, I didn't waste any time and went my way to the blacksmith's house.

As I made it to the mines, I was amazed to see such a big cave in front of me. And not only that, but the number of workers here were no joke.

"..." looking around for a hill or a house, I was able to see that smoke was coming out of somewhere from inside the forest. So to make sure that that place was the Blacksmith's house, I had to ask the miners.

"Um, excuse me…can you help me with something." calling out ot the nearest person near me, a boy who was just about my age came and approached me.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" he asked as he carried a pickaxe on his shoulders.

"Where can I find Mr. Josy's house?"

"You looking for Josy? Will, I suggest that you bring yourself a fine ale if you want to talk to him."

"A fine ale?"

"Ale is the only thing to do well for his temper. He's working on a sword right now under the commission of a certain noble…the order is very ridiculous if you ask me."

"I don't understand? I'm just asking where he lives."

"Hmm, if that's all there is to this, then just follow that smoke over there in the forest. That's his place." said the boy as he pointed to the direction of the smoke. After that, he went back to work, leaving me on my own.

Looks like my assumption was right on the money, he does live in the forest. But it bothers me that I have to have some alcohol with me just so I can talk to this guy.

"...I guess I'll try to see for myself if he actually lives there." although I don't doubt the boy's words, I have to check out his place.

Walking to this forest that leads on a hill, I was quite surprised to see a rail track making its way to the hill as will. It was nicely made as it was similar to the rail tracks back on my world.

As I followed the rails to the forest, it lead me to the house that was making the smoke on its chimney. And by the end of that rail track, a few carts of ores were there fully stocked.

It made me assume that this man probably made the tracks by himself to make it easier for him to have ores transferred to his place.

Looking around the house, I was able to find a bunch of unpiled firewood by the door, a ruined stable for horses and a few scrap metals here and there on the ground.

It was pretty messy, seeing as how unorganized this place was.

I knocked on the door to see if someone was home.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Three knocks was all it took, before the door busted open and a man came running out of the house like a madman.

"...What the-"

*BOOM!*

Before I knew it, an explosion came following him out the door.

And with that, his house was suddenly overflowing with fire from the inside.

"Ah, my house!!" the old man panicked and so did I.

He did not wait for any help at all, as he quickly came to pick a bucket from the floor and ran to pick water from his stocked up barrel filled with rainwater.

'...' I was only ever standing in place, overwhelmed by what just happened. But I quickly snapped myself out of this blank state and tried to help.

I tried looking for anything to use as a bucket…but nothing was found.

"Shit! I gotta do something quick!"

And then it hit me…

The elemental crystal that I had with me.

One that produces drinkable water. If I put in mana straight at it, it will produce water at a great rate.

So without stopping for anything, I pulled out the bag that had the crystals on them and pulled out the blue elemental crystal.

Without holding back, I poured my mana on the crystal and soon it came producing a surprising amount of water. I pointed the crystal to the door and tried to put out as much of the fire as I could…but the fire was still going and my mana slowly chipping away. Knowing that I had a limited amount of stored mana in me, I had to use the water carefully.

So instead, I had to cover a certain part of the flowing water on the crystal and made it produce water as if it was a shower out on the burning house. It had a big-area effect, and soon it was starting to simmer down on the fire.

Making my way inside, I tried to put out as much as I could, but the smoke was very hard to handle as it made it quiet hard for me to breath in its smog. But luckily, the old man came inside with a drenched cloth fit enough to cover my nose. It made it easy to breath and I was able to push forward with putting out the fire.

Not long after, the fire was put out and I was barely hanging by with the mana I had with me. Right now, from where I was standing, I could see that in the second floor, not a lot was damaged.

"...Hmm, I guess its all over now. I should get down."

Having not waste any time, I made my way down to meet with the old man.

I found him just standing and watching at a certain sword that was impaled at the floor.

"Umm…hello." I tried to call out to him, and surely enough, he looked my way with a very annoyed expression.

"Ah, you. Thank you very much for helping out this old man…my house could have been in ashes if you hadn't been here to help me." he was sincere with his words as his expression changed

"Its no problem at all." I tried to be humble and luckily, he smiled and made his way out of the house, and I followed him out.

"I've never seen your face in town before, are you a traveller?" he asked.

"...Yeah, I'm just looking around the town. So what happened? Why did your house caught on fire?" I asked.

"...It was just some problem with the sword that I was making." he said as his face turned sour.

"What kind of sword causes a big fire out of nowhere?" I asked hysterically.

"The kind of sword that was asked by some rich and idiotic noble." said the old man as he sat on a chair that was out in the open.

"Hmm, I still don't get it." I said as I was still clueless as to how it was possible for a sword to cause such ruckus.

"...I was asked to make a sword that can mend with the fires." he said in old and low tone of voice. He tried to answer my question directly.

"Eh? Is that even possible?" I asked as I was quite surprised by the idea of its creation.

"It's possible alright, its just that…it was too much for an old man like me." he said as he stared at the door of his house. His eyes, showed the reflection of the sword…his failure. Knowing so, he gripped on his shorts as the burden of his failure came into realization.

"What went wrong with your work?" I asked as I could see him slowly losing his show of spirit in his work.

It reminded me of a time when I was still learning on the ways of surviving in the world, on how to be a man capable of grabbing anything by my ambition. At one point, I failed at a job…and there and that moment, I felt the burden of having to fail…it was heavy…it was hard to get over. And for a time, I did not have the heart to pick up the spirit to do something again…until it clicked on me…I got mad…I got really mad to a point that I wanted to go at it again…it made me realize that I was a very greedy man.

This greed of mine, this realization that I was a man who encompassed the sin of greed, I came to grow better for each opportunity that came…and when I lost, my greed would help me climb over the depressing feeling of failure.

As a thief, you never really lose anything as long as it is still there….that greed of yours.

So as I look to the old man, I can see that he is experienced. I can see that he must have went through something similar…he must have failed…he must have lost something…yet still, here he was, standing with the name of being a blacksmith.

Although, he had a sour face, his spark to not give up on his work did not extinguish.

"I guess I'll try again." he said as he sighed at the lost of progress on his work.

"..." I smiled, knowing that he still stood there despite such a massive failure.

Not long after, a couple of people came rushing to this place with buckets of water on their hands. It seems as though they must have noticed the flames coming from the old man's house. And their faces, a show of concern was seen. It made me realize that this town was a nice town…seeing as how they came to help the man.

"Josy, what the hell happened!?" asked a man who was just as old as the blacksmith…I can guess that they were probably friends.

"Nothing major happened. See, the fire's already been put out thanks to the boy here." he said as he taps on my back, showing that I was the one who saved the house.

"Huh?, aren't you the boy who came in this town along with Lord Toral?" apparently, someone recognized me back when I entered the town with the Marquess.

"...I am." I said, as I looked to the dozen people who came to try to help.

"Hmm, but I saw you coming back from the Great Eden Wall. I wasn't able to see you go with Mr. Toral when he went to check out the Gates…Does this mean that you came from the Great Eden wall yourself?"

"Y-yeah, to make it clear, I was the one who opened the gates." I said as I was being honest to them. Lying or not telling them would only cause a ruckus from the people. Beign direct was the right choice.

"OHHh!" they were amazed and shocked to see that such a small boy like me was able to open such a big gate.

"B-but how?" asked the boy who I meet earlier in the mines. It looks like he also came here to assist in putting out the fire.

"...It's complicated." I said as I didn't want to answer a complex explanation to them about mana and such. It would be a hassle.

"Hmm, the only thing I could ever think of you doing something so incredible is that you must be a Mage? Am I right?" assumed the old man who was friends with the blacksmith. From his age, he must have been a wise old man.

"And how did you even put out a fire when all you have as a water source is that barrel over there." asked the boy as he pointed to the barrel that was only filled halfway though with rainwater.

"Well, I did see him put out the fire using a crystal on his hand. It must have been an Elemental Crystal that creates water if anything." said the Old Blacksmith.

"If he can create water out of that crystal, it can only mean that he is blessed with mana!" said the old man who was friends with the blacksmith.

"Y-yeah, I am." I said as I was a bit surprised by their piled questions and assumptions.

"Hmm, then are you a noble? Are you someone who is related to the Lord? You must be a noble if you are blessed with mana!" asked the boy.

"N-no, I'm not a noble." I said, and in return they were just surprised by this.

"Hmm, I see. Well anyway, Thank you for helping out the old man…If you need anything, just come to the town hall at the center of the town. As the town chief, I'll be happy to listen to your request." said the Old man who introduced himself to be the town chief.

"Thank you."

"Okay everyone, you can go back now, the issue has been resolved." said the Town Chief as he made the rest of the people go back. Some stayed since they wanted to see the damage of the house, the rest went on with their days.

The boy who was working in the mines however, stayed and was looking at me, filled with curious eyes.

"Hmm, so you were a mage then?" asked the boy.

"..A mage?"

AN:

Did you guys like the chapter?

Is it too short?

Or if you guys have any other thoughts, just comment. I want to know the people who came to read my 2nd book.