Chapter 4: Smoke and blood

- I don't know

- It is me, Thobour. You were my tutor for blacksmithing, remember?

The blacksmith smiles and I am being awkward now.

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- Ar' ya sure about this?

- I am

He reshapes a chunk of metal ore. He cuts it with the sand within and shapes it into a sheet. Next, he uses the fire magic to forge it and beats its impurity with his hammers. Then he shapes it into a barrel, which is the mouth of the beast. Straight and long. It is as long as an arm of a human.He closes one end, he dunks it into water and carves out a square hole with his chisel. Next part of my thunderstick is the body and the "releaser". The body is made of special wood known as "ironwood". Red and hard. He shapes the body to fit the holding of a dwarf. The "releaser" is the hardest part. It has two main components: the striker and the collar. The collar is where the beast is held and the striker is to release a spark to anger the beast to spit the iron tooth. He doesn't show me because it takes a lot of time to make those. The next morning, I come back to the smithy, he gives me the thunderstick, it was carved with rune to protect the anger that might damage the beast's body. He also gives me some iron teeth and some "food" for it, which is black powder.

I ask if I need to pay the price. Galthoral says no need, as he says it was an old debt of our previous life. I guess there are things not to ask.

I am curious about how powerful my new weapon is.

What to do? What to do?

As I walk outside aimlessly in the desert. That is kinda boring.

Hm?

Something is strange afar there. A giant creature?

Something is twisted and evil. Perhaps…

Eldritch.

There, a moving star? The rumored creature that causes troubles for sandfolks and massacres to sand elves.

I wonder if this and some wind magic can kill that creature from this afar distance

BANG!

That is it… Never ever try this again. Not only that way can kill this creature but also it ripped the creature in half. Maybe wind magic is overkill.

I go to the carcass to get something valuable. Strange, the thing seems to quickly rot away. I can only see the exoskeleton and a bunch of bones. Perhaps, I should return these bones to desert elves to have a proper burial. But exoskeleton huh? I wonder if I should carry some. Meh, time to make an body with the size of a mule and carry these in a makeshift bag made of sand.

I go to an elvish village in this desert. When I show them bones, they are not in shock but they burst to tears. Some of the bones, they don't feel familiar and they pray for those better afterlives. They agree upon giving me a gift. Not again…

Why would you give me this staff?

I know it is made from a tree of Life's branch. The last time I got this was when I was celebrating a war with my comrades and they teased me with a tree of Life's branch. Drakes do not like to have a staff as a weapon but rather a pole or spear. At least this time, it is well made by the elder and blessed. Besides, elves only give these kinds of staff for either a high mage or well respected hero.

I come back to that blacksmith Galthoral. I show him that exoskeleton. He is quite interested and he thinks that I should represent this to Dewion.

The second time I have to meet this lazy old fart.

- So what seems to get you here, Jehidas - as that old fart sits on throne in a very bad posture

- I think I have killed an eldritch this morning.

- The moving star?

- Yes

- Well, it was troublesome for us. Now, many travelers of sand folks don't have to worry about being swallowed into that disgusting stomach as many have said.

- The carcass rotted quickly. It left me only an exoskeleton.

- It is normal. I had killed about a couple hundred of eldritch before. Their corpses rot quite fast and leave only skeletons.

- What should I do with this thing?

- Burn it

- Eh?

- And then put it into soil or near a plant. It helps grow a lot faster than normal fertilizer. I have tried this before. I often gave it to sand elves to grow their own food. Many of their elders approve this. But outsiders might not know this so they tend not to put effort into hunting eldritch as the value of these things are worthless. I had spent time researching how to utilize this thing.

- What had you tested?

- Sometimes, there are things best to be unknown.

- Now I have another adjective to add in your title. Weird lazy old fart.

- Whatever. Just give it to those elves would ya? I am kinda tired

- Such a driver

I go to the sand elves village again just to give the exoskeleton and they feel uncomfortable if they give me something.

- Hey, Mr. sand folk. You might like one of my weapons.

- Interesting

He shows me to his place.

- I am Tilab, a blacksmith.

- What is this sword?

- That sword is one of my failures.

- It looks fine to me

- Really? Bend it

- Oh, it snapped

- That is because I used way too much coal for it.

- How about some wood mix into melting iron?

- Ah please do not do that here. Branch from Tree of Life is impossible to be melted or burnt by normal means.

- Then how do I get rid of this?

- If you try to throw it, it will come back to you by any means.

- What will you give me?

- This

A dagger huh? It looks jagged and sharp. It fits its scabbard.

- Thank for the dagger

- I hope it suits you well.

Next location, to Loreahor.