Unlike my previous trek to the Hunter’s Guild, I drew countless stares once again this time - a giant wolf corpse slung over one’s shoulder would do that. It was surprisingly light as well, though I might have been comparing it to the ridiculous weight of the cart.

~The third bounty can wait, I need to ask Willis about crafting materials.~

I walked inside the Hunter’s Guild building once more, passing lines of people carrying boxes of basic gear - some of them I recognized from when I had first registered, having been told they didn’t have enough money.

~Wait…

She didn’t make any of them undress…

SARAHHHHHH~

My face turned red, but I managed to suppress any other reaction as I passed them by. Willis finished up with another player and turned to me, his jaw dropping at the sight of the wolf on my shoulder.

“You already impressed me once today, Pack Leader, but you’ve gone and done it again. Just finish up that third quest I gave you and you’ll be up for a well-deserved promotion.”

10 stacks of 10 silver each appeared on the counter, and a status message popped up.

[Bounty Complete. 200 XP Granted. Current Level: 2 (XP: 500/600). Relationship with Hunter’s Guild Increased.]

As I quickly collected the stacks of coins, I went through my remaining agenda for the night, wanting to secure substantial progress in the game before school started.

“Willis, do you know of a good place or person to learn armor and weapon-crafting from?”

“Sure do, kid. You got a map?”

I pulled out my city map, laying it out on the counter. He dipped a quill in a nearby inkwell, and circled a specific spot on the map.

“Craftsmans’ Guild. Costly, but anyone can learn if you have the coin. Personally, I’d recommend just buying, since materials for learning end up really expensive, but if you have the coin and you’re keen to try, be my guest.”

Willis shrugged, returning the quill to the side of the table.

“Thanks, Willis.”

I rolled up the map, making a mental note of the Craftsmans’ Guild location before returning it to its case and running out the door.

**********************************************************

The street of the Craftsmans’ Guild was eerily quiet by comparison to the rest of the city. NPCs strolled down the road, but they were far quieter than the bustle of players elsewhere. I caught a player as he walked out of the main guild building, a sprawling complex of various structures, forges, et cetera.

“Hey, man, do you know why there are so few people here.”

He had a dejected look on his face, but his eyes widened like so many others’ when he saw the wolf that still draped over my shoulder.

“Their teaching fee is ridiculous, no one can afford it. Word’s already spread, so no one is bothering to come over here.”

“How much?” I questioned him, since I didn’t want to waste my time if I couldn’t afford it.

“50 silver for skill books and teaching combined in each subject, so if you wanted to learn both armor and weapons it’s a whole gold piece! Who has that kind of money!?”

~Eh? Am I really that far ahead?~

I nodded to him.

“Thanks for the info.”

Striding past him, I proceeded up the stone steps leading into the Craftsmans’ Guild.

“Wait! Do you really have a gold piece!?”

I ignored him, passing through the double doors without a word.

“Welcome to the Craftsmans’ Guild! What can we do for you today?”

A stout dwarf stood just inside the doorway, looking up at me.

~A dwarf? Is it an exclusively NPC race, or…~

“I’m looking to get training in both armor and weapon-crafting.”

He sighed, rolling his eyes.

“1 gold, no lower.”

“100 silver will do, right?”

He squinted at me, as if he was looking at something hovering above my head, and his eyes widened. A smile broke his formerly disinterested visage, and he bowed to me.

“Finally, someone who can actually pay for what they want to buy. Right this way, esteemed customer.”

Following behind the well-dressed dwarf, I was led deeper into the massive building, passing countless forges, workshops, and all manner of other areas along the way. The regular beat of hammers against metal radiated through the corridors, shaking the walls within a certain distance of the impacts.

“Here we are. Forge Master Kane will be in charge of your training, as he signed up for his mandatory day of tutoring today.”

The dwarf leaned closer to me, speaking up and into my ear.

“I’ll be frank with you: if you can get along with him, you’ll be the luckiest craftswoman alive, but if you can’t you’ll have wasted a gold coin, there’s nothing around it.”

Despite his ominous words, the dwarf shrugged, turning away.

“Well, if you want to take that chance head right on in, the way back is straightforward enough if not. Good luck to you.”

With a final wave, he disappeared, heading back to the entrance hall.

~Well… I’m here anyway, I might as well try.~

With a firm push on the heavy wooden door that the dwarf led me to, it swung open, revealing a dimly lit interior. The warm glow of forge flames resonated throughout the space, piercing through the darkness but only providing the bare minimum amount of light necessary to do so. The dull clash of hammer blows against an anvil came from the same area as the glow of the forge, and if I squinted I could just make out the figure responsible.

“Hey, you in the doorway! You coming in or not?”

The man shouted, still hammering away at the anvil. Startled into action, I jumped into the room and swung the door shut behind me, the dull thump of its collision with the doorframe following soon after.

The man set down his hammer atop the anvil, turning to me. A tall man no less than six foot four, he towered over me, an intimidation factor that compounded with his long, unkempt black hair and scarred, hardened face. His arm muscles rippled with power, built to handle a forge hammer like it was a toy. I just stared for a moment, more than a little intimidated.

“You done?” He looked me right in the eyes, and I jumped, as if I had been caught doing something I shouldn’t have been.

“I’m very sorry for disturbing you, Forge Master Kane, I was sent here for lessons in crafting weapons and armor.”

He scowled at me reflexively, but then paused for a moment, looking at the same space above my head that the dwarf had before. Relaxing his expression, he shrugged.

“Well, I can’t say I’m not impressed with your status among the newcomers at the Hunter’s Guild, and you could certainly use new weapons and armor. That wolf will be a good source of materials,” he gestured to the wolf that had somehow been draped over my shoulder all this time.

“Hand over a hundred silver and we’ll get started.”