After the smith asks me why I want to be in this place I stand still not sure how should I respond, it is true that speeding up the process of a more expensive sword would be better, but a more expensive sword would only be made in a bigger town, a more crowded town, right now I just play the gratitude card.

“Money abounds in this world, it is something that is always moving and growing, going from one hand to another, kindness in the other side is something you hardly come across, this is why I want to increase your production, because I want to repay your kindness good sir, and I want to pay with work, not money”

Nice, I'm a pretty good poet, I hope this is the last time I have to lie about me, I would hate if this becomes something I keep doing, in any case the smith look confused with this, his eyebrows pucker while he scratch his head, I guess he didn´t believed that much what I said, he still accepts my reasoning and understands that I want to be here.

“Being like this I guess we have a deal, although I must say you are a pretty clever man even for a merchant, when I saw you I saw a guy that came to sharpen knives for food and water, I didn´t thought you would easily play with a stubborn man like myself” - I wouldn't say “play”, I just don't have a place to stay and offered myself as an employee, if I'm guilty of something is getting a job even though he wasn't looking for pupils, guess is time to break the ice.

“Alright, since we're going to be working together, for a while at least, I guess I should introduce myself, I know it´s a little late to do since we met an hour ago, in any case my name is Robert, a pleasure” - I extend my hand but I don´t get a good answer, the smith looks a little sad after my introduction, maybe a name is something you shouldn't give to anybody, I hope I didn't troubled him, I need to change the subject, but this is so sudden, I don't know what else I can talk about.

“The people of this town does not have a name, you better remember that to avoid bad impressions, people don´t last much around here so we don´t bother remembering the name of someone who will die anyway, the people that manages to somehow survive are called by their jobs, so if you want to call me something you can call me Smith”

That's an obscure reality right here, I will keep it at mind to future references, I guess it should be better to ask if someone has a name than asking what it is, this “no name” thing can become troublesome later, but I guess Smith is a good name if he's the only smith.

“An apology, I will be more careful in the future, getting back to the topic, even when I say 6 swords per day as you can see I´m a total novice, so right now I will help you make those two words to fulfill my daily fee, more than that I hope you could help me with something before we can make those 6 swords I mentioned”

He assents with his head and goes back to the small wood house, to take some metal out, that makes me wonder how much metal he has in there, he takes one of the pieces of metal and puts the other one aside, then grabbing it with some pincers puts the metal in the oven, that makes me wonder, the man says he makes two swords every day at max, that's 40 Gil, even if he has side jobs like sharpening tools, paying for his food and materials must be complicated.

“Listen carefully, while I hammer this I want you to hold it, when I'm finished hammering you put it again in the oven until it becomes a little red, then I will hammer it a little more, we will do that for the blade and the handle, after I put the wood I want you to take some pelt and tie it up,then you use that rock to file the corners, sharpen using the pelt and then give it to me”

Too many instructions of my first task, doesn't sound very complicated so I hope I can make this right, I guess for any doubts I have Smith to answer, after all I doubt he will let me ruin his sword just to teach me a lesson.

After hammering for a few minutes I notice that Smith takes a step behind, that must be the signal, still holding the piece of metal with the pincers I put it again in the oven, it´s starting to see a little more flat, after that I wait for Smith´s signal to take it out, I try to mentally take notes on how much it was in the oven, must´ve been around 8 minutes, the pincers feel a little hot, I would like it to have a leather grip or something I take it quickly to the anvil and Smith starts hammering it again.

He's still focusing in flatten the metal, I can see the corners slowly being shaped in this thing, although the tip is completely rectangular right now, this is a pretty interesting process but it looks like it's going to take a while, he takes a step back, time to put it in the oven.

“We need to make the handle, put the end you were grabbing in the oven” - Looks like i was heating the wrong side, I drop the metal in the oven and use the pincer to move it to where it needs to be heated, now I just wait for Smit´s signal, I see him ascent and take the metal back, I think this time it was 10 minutes, after this he starts to hit the handle part to give it shape, this one starts to flatten like the blade but in the third hit thing change.

“Rotate, a quarter” - that was unexpected, I slowly turn the thing and without losing a moment he keeps hitting the metal, this hits are a lot stronger, it,s a little hard to not move - “Again” - I turn the metal again as he keeps hitting it, this time I can grasp how much I have to turn it but still, he doesn't wait for anybody

“Again” - I turn the metal again, rather than small hits like the blade he gives strong hits to the handle to make it thin and then flattens it, I see him take a step back and put the metal in the oven, he doesn't have to tell me, I focus the heat in the handle, we are not done with it yet he keeps hammering the handle , then I go back to the blade, then the blade again, and again, and again,then it tells me to heat the handle a little while he grabs a nail, I pray this is the last step, .after I'm done he uses the nail to make two holes in the metal while being very careful.

“Now use the rock to file the corners, after you're finished wrap some in the handle, that´s the thin part, also use some to sharpen the blade” - I'm not sure how should I use the rock, I guess I was too submerged in the knives when he did that, I just rub it in the stone like I was cutting wood to make a statue, when i do this I occasionally see some sparks fly, I don´t see Smith being bothered in the way I´m doing it so I keep doing it for a while until I see a stop signal, I´m tired again, I take a piece of pelt and try to tie it up but I get stopped.

“Wait, I need to put the handgrip, see this piece of wood? It´s one half, I already cut it down, you put both pieces on each side and then secure it with some nails...there, now tie it” - I tie the handgrip with the wolf pelt and use another one to sharpen it, after a few minutes I give the sword to Smith, he looks at it for a moment and puts it next to the one he made, it´s a relief to see that, I guess my first sword was a success even though the complicated part was made by Smith.

“Still, I feel the thing pretty rustic” - Did I say that out loud? oh no, I made the things awkward again - “it's not rustic, it´s garbage, and that garbage will put bread in your mouth, it´s a shame I have to make this things but I do need to eat” - Smith looks sad again, I understand that he keeps the work and materials to a minimum so he can survive, but with time, I will change that.