The sight of the pile that is Kone, Dimnys and the furry summons has Bertha laughing loud enough to wake Cain up the next morning.
"Come on down sleepy heads. Ragnar is in a hurry to get to the smithy and your breakfast is getting cold." He can hear her laugh, so he pulls himself to his feet and equips a casual outfit for the day.
Maybe Kone will want to go shopping, because Cain is looking for a good excuse to try out the street food here in Graska. It's just not the same going alone, and Vala will eat basically anything without complaints. He's not sure how refined the tastes of the Nemu twins are though.
Since all the other residents are physical laborers, breakfast here is a heavy affair, plenty of energy for the day. Cain and Kone decline a packed lunch, saying they'll find a place to eat in the city, but both Ragnar and Dimnys ask for double. Swinging a smithy hammer all day takes a lot of energy, and they don't want to waste time resting when they could be smithing. There's new things to make.
"Must be a Dwarf thing." Kone whispers to Cain, making him chuckle.
"Whole race of workaholics I tell you." He agrees with a smile, loud enough for the others to hear, raising their mugs in a toast to hard work.
"What's up first? Head down to the market and see what we find, then work up to the smithy area for lunch and see how Dimnys is doing?" Kone suggests and they head off down the hill.
"Not working today?" The dungeon zone guard asks as the six of them walk by.
"Resupply day, and we've got to see the sights of Graska. Any suggestions?" Cain asks.
"Well, since you've got the ladies with you, there's the candy makers by the big green tent down there. And then head over to the next street and you'll find day rent artisan booths headed into the mountain. Never know what you'll see, as they only rent for one day when they've got something new to sell. At the end of the street is the carnival and water park. If you've got swim suits you might like that. Volcanic hot springs, great for the skin." The Dwarf lists off an itinerary, pointing in the directions they'll need to go.
"That sounds like a good way to spend the morning. Thanks for that." Cain waves to the guard and off they go.
Getting to the candy maker was easy, but after that the crowds really started to pick up. Not only that, but Nemu gets regularly intercepted by friendly shop keepers and Tradesmen who rented day stalls along the street. There's just something about her that screams 'be my friend' to the Dark Dwarves. No way are they getting to the carnival by lunch. In fact even if they just walked the distance it would be a stretch. Distances inside the mountain are deceiving.
They end up at a Diner along the way for lunch, hunger getting the better of them. The waitress suggests they hire a carriage to get to the smithy, they're quick and they don't get stopped by admirers, like the ones currently looking in the window, and the ones that kept coming up to flirt with the girls while they shopped. Much to their annoyance.
"I tell you, it's hard to be beautiful." Nemu giggles, waving down a carriage drawn by a large white Dwarven Goat. The driver points out at least a dozen more attractions that they really should see before leaving town, stops they never would have noticed if it hadn't been pointed out, but makes excellent time to the smithy district.
Thanking him and paying for the trip, they get off a block from the smithy Dimnys is supposed to be at, due to a large crowd gathered out front watching. The smithy is open to the street, letting the hot air escape instead of being trapped by walls, but it also serves as a great way for curious Dwarves to watch each other work.
"Look at that hammering. I've not seen a finer rhythm in years."
"I wonder if she's interested in statue carvers? I've got a Grandson just her age."
It seems Dimnys is popular among the crowd, and Cain soon sees why. She's working in cargo pants and a leather apron over her tank top, sweating in the heat of the forge with heavily muscled arms on full display. The Dwarven equivalent of a pinup girl.
Ragnar waves them forward when he notices them and holds up an axe, still warm from the forge, made of shining metal in a light blue color. The detail is incredible, and Cain realizes that the design is actually magical runes worked into the head of the axe and down the handle.
"Now that's some fine work. I take it that's the new alloy you were so excited to try?" he asks the burly Smith.
"Aye, this is the one. A true thing of beauty. Stronger than Steel, lighter than Mythril. But the girl is working on one more change she thinks might be better. Something incredibly strong, but it's a bit strange, once it cools, no amount of heating or hammering will get it to change shape, so it's got to be done in one single go, keeping it glowing and soft from the forge once it's mixed."
Sounds like Adamantium to Cain, based on his extensive past life knowledge of super heroes. If these Dwarves can make that, there's no telling how nearly invincible their army could become.
"How did you come up with something like that anyhow?" Vala asks, watching Dimnys work.
"Pure accident. We were smelting some of the new failed alloys into a scrap ingot and ended up with this. So we made some more and kept it hot enough to try to make a Hammer Pick out of it. One piece with a hollow handle to put the weight at the end like it should be. Better than an axe to test the durability of the new metal." An old Dwarf explains. He must be the owner of this smithy.
"What are the chances I can steal your Smith as my apprentice? I know how Guild contracts can be." The old man asks.
"She's got no quota or restrictions from the Guild, only the base tax that gets transferred to us when she makes a sale, so it's up to her. She seems to like it here though, so she might pick a part time schedule and keep adventuring to build up her level." Cain shrugs, not sure what Dimnys might decide.
"Can your Guild sell outside the city?" The Smith asks with a wink and Cain smiles.
"We're based in Sunnybrook in the East Side of the Valley. They've got a very good weapon and armor market, for Elves that is. I think we might be able to sell a piece or two." The old Dwarf bursts into laughter and claps Cain on the back.
"I like you boy. You'd have made a right proper Dwarf."
A third Dwarf, one in a business suit comes up as they're talking and hands Vala a business card. "I am Grout. A Real Estate Agent. I heard your friend say you're all from out East, and I've got a proposition for you. If your Guild Master would like to buy a secondary Guild House here in Graska I can get you a great deal on it, and I'll even install a transfer circle free of charge."
"What's a transfer circle? Does it bring in transfers?" Vala asks confused.
"Oh no, it's Earth Magic that works with the system to allow Guild Members to rapid travel between Guild Houses. A Dark Dwarven Specialty you'll not find anywhere else on the continent. Not even outside the valley." He says proudly.
"Second Guild House you say? We will come see what you've got later today. I'm Cain, the Guild Master of the Darklight Host." The two shake hands.
"Your transfer circles intrigue me, moving members between cities as they level up is one of the greatest challenges of a Guild here in the valley."
They agree to meet after dinner, and everyone goes back to watching Dimnys, who is now etching runes into the Hammer Pick in preparation for the quench that will finalize the design in this new metal.
