Back out on the streets, Ava has been directing me in a general zig zag direction. Traffic on the streets has picked up as the morning rises. I can see a couple of blocks over, looks like I’m passing a market square, I can smell the bread and pastries baking. Another half mile or so, and the foot traffic thins a bit. I’m starting to smell more of a mixture of smoke and leather. I see the leather shops first; the wares displayed in open front store faces. Mostly saddles and bridles for horses or carriages. Some obvious armor pieces, but to me, most of them look more like heavy-duty protective clothing than any kind of armor.

These storefronts are spaced a little more apart and there are more than enough people already shopping. After a few, we come upon one that at first glance looked almost abandoned.

Whispering Wind “Hold here, wait for your sponsors to leave.”

Watching more closely, I see the Bishop and Paladin talking to each other inside a shop. The shop has an open front, like the others. I move out of their line of sight and off to the side as I watch them leave.

Whispering Wind “He’s still there. You tell him this and watch yourself if he starts getting angry. ‘By Dragons born and Troll's blood, you are deceived.’ Then show him that empty ring.”

I wait another minute before heading towards the store. Others have come looking through the merchandise now. One, a fighter type, with light leathers, selects a long sword out of a barrel full of them. He drops some coins into a box on the counter, then leaves. Passing him as I walk up to the edge of the storefront, it’s a weapons shop. More like a bulk weapons shop. Swords in barrels. Daggers in a crate on a stand. Spears and halberds? against the wall.

As my eyes adjust, I see him just standing in the back of the store, by the back wall. Creepy the way he is just looking at me. I recognize this dwarf, he was in the jail with Jens Grandpa and the center dwarf at Ava’s. “Officer,” I say with a short nod.

“You cleaned up.” Not taking his eyes off me.

“They do that for a coin,” I reply.

“What do you want? I apologized.” Does he blink?

“I was directed here.” Now I’m talking like that.

“Your god got something to say to me. Already has the Bishop spooked.” I think he might be smiling.

I pull off the ring and toss it to him. Examining it, he says. “Are you asking for me to Kill you? Get Out!” Throwing the ring back at me.

“Ava says By Dragons born and Troll's blood, you are deceived.” I’m ready to run or dodge, as I watch him for any hostile movement.

Sizing me up, I can see his focus narrow on me. “What does that Weed Witch know of anything?” His hand is out for the ring back.

Handing it back to him, I step back as he gives me a slight shoulder check. Pushing me out of the way, so he can examine the ring in direct sunlight. He’s muttering something to himself as he is turning the ring in his fingers.

As he is holding the ring up, I can see a light blue reflection in his eyes that looks something like the circles of power when using the bow. Where the bow and blade had the circles away and in front of the weapons, this reflection is inside of his eyes. Continuing to talk to himself, I’m fairly sure he is not chanting or casting. He seems to be getting more upset until he catches the sunlight reflected on a particular part of the ring, directly into his eye. Staring for a few moments I see his eye start to tear up and he begins to smile. “Kill them I will.” I think he’s happy about it. “Steal my work and inscribe it into bone… Unforgivable… Find you I will…” He is talking to no one but maybe the ring.

Ava is standing near. I’m not sure for how long or when, but she has an intensely focused look with her grin like she’s going to start a fight and enjoy it. “I would have sworn it was your work, then, and now. Except for no dwarf with any pride would do such a thing.”

“Aye…” He agrees without taking his eyes off the ring. “Ready it is to receive. Blood would make the enchantment strong. Strength rune I see. Some other runes, I am not sure what they were thinking or trying to do.” Looking up at Ava. “Why would you not show this to me yourself. Why use the human?”

“The ring is his. It is for him to tell you about it.” She replies.

“Kind of manipulated me into that position didn’t you, Ava.” I stare her down. “You could have asked me first.”

Fake ass smile she’s giving me. Like she didn’t know what she did. Turning back to the dwarf, there are customers again browsing through the store, I wait and intermittently give him a short recap of the ring, strength, ties to the sword on my hip.

“This was EMPOWERED?” The Officer says as he stares at the ring again in the light. “Not Possible!” He exclaims as he turns and heads into the back of his shop.

Passing through a door and going into a workshop, there are a few dwarves and a couple of other races I don’t recognize. The protective clothing that they are wearing is enough to obscure my understanding of what race they might be. “Watch the front.” He commands to no one special.

I see what looks to be crafters working with finished pieces of metal. As we continue further back, farther than I thought it might be, I can hear forge work. Passing through another, but a much heavier door, the heat hits me in the face and the noise of the hammers rings my ears. Taking a quick right, we continue to follow as a few hammers stop to watch us pass.

This next door is enchanted and locked. Passing through into this next large room, it is clean and then quiet as soon as the door closes. These crafters are older. Maybe I’m seeing something I shouldn’t be. It’s not taking much of a leap of faith to see what looks like the inscribing of runes on finished pieces of leather boots, some metal bracers, a dagger. Like an overgrown marker or pen with a bright silver shaft and possibly a ruby on one, another looks crystal green, one maybe a clear diamond. They all seem to pause and watch as we pass by.

Coming to another door, more of a vault than a door. I have a little more time to look around as it takes him a few minutes to unlock and open this one.

Shutting the door behind us as we enter, “Sit” he points to a couple of bar stool-looking chairs without backrests. This looks more like a large private combination office/laboratory, with items in different places and tables with different projects. I notice there are blocks in the walls and ceiling that glow as they are all now getting brighter. He is at one of the tables against the wall looking through a large clear sphere, using it as a magnifying glass, examining the ring.

“Sword,” he asks while holding out his hand, still looking at the ring with the other. I give it to him handle first.

Every few minutes or so, he stops and looks like he is pondering something. I’m not sure he remembers we are here or not anymore. “What is his name again?” I whisper over to Ava, but she just shakes her head and brushes me off without an answer.

Maybe 20-30 minutes pass, and he kind of sits up and stares off into space. A few minutes of this then looks over to me “Come” he says.

Looking at the sword under the glass orb again “Grasp the handle”, then “Let it go”. “Grasp the handle”, “Let it go”. “YES…” “Grasp the Handle…” “Let it go.” He sits up with a satisfied smile, holding the ring up again for the last look, before giving it back.

“Master of my craft I thought. The Crafter some called me.” Looking over at us, he continues. “Complacent I am. Master of repetition is what I have done.” His eyes slowly falling to look at the floor. “Innovation. Creativity. Who would have thought such a thing possible? Or even plausible?” Ava and I are silent as we share moments of his self-reflection and thoughts that only he ponders.

A few minutes pass and Ava breaks the silence. “Who said you stagnated? ‘Bof Bol’, this is not adversity, but opportunity.” Bof Bol lifts his eyes to Ava, but not his head. “Let this be like fertilizer to inspire growth.” He lifts his head to look her straight on. “What Dwarf mines unrefined gold who does not see the purity that it will become when refined?”

“All Right, Out. I have work I need to finish before the day's end.” Bof Bol is up and escorting, shooing us almost, out the way we came. His mood has brightened, although I think I would not have noticed the difference if I wasn’t there when it happened. “Thank you.” He says to Ava with a smile as she passes before me, holding the door to the outer shop for us.

I had paused, to let Ava pass, I wanted one last word with Bof Bol before we left. “Three days the rift is going to open again somewhere near where it did, on the archery field. They come for the children. I’m going to do something. I just don’t know what yet.” He gives me a look, then closes the door in my face.

Ava is waiting for me near the end of the storefront, by the street. As I come up to her she quietly warns me. “I would not repeat his name lightly unless you are looking for a fight with an angry Dwarf. Few know it. Fewer would speak it. Sorry for any offense that I may have caused for directing you here.” You know she’s trying to work that smile. It kind of works. “I have to be getting back and you now know your class, classes. I’ll send word if I find any information on either. Do you require transportation or directions back to Community Farms? I’ll send Marxist to take you back.”

Watching her leave, this whole ordeal with her directing me here today just seemed odd. Why would she not want anyone to see her, then pop out and have a normal conversation with me? I smile as I take note of her figure, reminding myself not to go visiting any Elven villages. Ava did give me some general directions that would get me back to Community Farms. But it’s farther than I would want to hike, so I accepted the ride.

While waiting for Marxist, I window shopped the different vendors and storefronts. What I saw was more modern, than not. As I looked, it just became more apparent that it was the technology that was lacking. Nothing electrical. Basic technology. Like trying to live off the grid. But not poor or backward. Wandering fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, Marxist finds me. I jump on and ride shotgun as he brings me home.