Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

5. The Test IV

First Optional Test Complete
+20XP

With the test complete, and the deal made, Adam felt a wave of relaxation flow over him. ‘What a roller coaster of emotion. I meet Jurot, think he’s died before me again, and then I get a place to live and eat so I don’t have to worry about my living…’ He almost shook his head, but was afraid he’d be caught by someone and they’d think he was weird.

Paul led Adam back to Emma at the reception. He nodded at her, handing her the piece of paper he had been writing on. She scanned it quickly, writing something on her own piece of paper, before burning Paul’s notes. 

“You can take him to speak with Master Thundersmith,” Paul said.

Emma gave Paul a look, which passed along a message. She understood the dynamics between elves and dwarves, and wasn’t sure if Adam would be alright. 

Paul took the message and nodded his head. “I’ll check on our Iyrman, see if he’s alright.”

“I see that you did well on your tests,” Emma said, smiling politely at Adam. 

“I think I did fine. I embarrassed myself quite a bit, but I think I earned something back at the end.” Adam sighed. Even now, he was still annoyed at himself for failing to pick up those rocks, and for tossing away his sword. ‘AAAAAH!’ He tried to drown out the embarrassment with internal screaming.

“Are you alright?” Emma asked, seeing the way his face had scrunched up, as though he had bitten into a raw lemon. 

“I’m fine.” Adam cleared his throat. “So, to Master Thundersmith then?”

“You’ve worked quite hard today, are you sure you don’t need a rest?” Emma asked. Though she was suspicious of Adam, she still was worried about his health, considering he had been accepted into the guild.

“I’ll be alright. I’m tougher than I look.” Adam flexed slightly, but his chain mail covered his entire body, so it appeared to Emma that he needed to deliver a load. 

Emma escorted him out of the Adventurer’s Guild, leading him through the loud road towards a building not far away from the guild. It was mostly by itself, whereas other buildings were either bunched up right beside each other, or had a couple of metres of space, this building had enough space that another building could be propped up right beside it, and someone would have enough space to lounge around between them. 

It was made of stone, as one would expect, but it was far smoother than any other building he had seen in the town so far. If someone had told Adam that the building had been transported from Earth, he wouldn’t have questioned it. He could hear the sound of someone striking steel, which reverberated through Adam. It was warm, soothing.

“Master Thundersmith?” Emma called out. “I have someone I’d like to introduce to you.” Emma and Adam remained outside, the woman not daring to step into a dwarf’s forge without being welcomed to.

Ting. 

Ting.

Ting.

Silence followed. The heavy patter of foot falls approached the thick red oak door, before it opened up to reveal a short, stout fellow. He was as wider than the average man, but far shorter. His beard fell down to his gut, braided at the sides. He had tan skin, and black hair, which was curled down towards his back, being kept tame by a metal ring at the back of his skull. His grey eyes glared at Adam for a moment. He wore dark overalls, and carried in his hand his hammer. It was silver, with bits of green metal woven through it.

“An elf? Ya bring to me forge, a leaf ear?” The dwarf’s voice was full of venom, ready to kill. His hand gripped his hammer tighter, ready to bash bone instead of steel.

Adam raised his brows in surprise. Thundersmith hadn’t been so obviously hostile to him in his last life. “Only half of me was forged by the seed of elves,” he said in dwarven.

Thundersmith stared at Adam, hand still gripping his hammer tightly. Emma also turned to look at Adam, her receptionist face slipping into utter confusion.

“?”

‘?’

Neither of them had ever been in such a situation before. It was as though an alien had come down and had started to speak about how spears were great weapons to arm the masses with due to how simple and easy they were to use quickly, whereas learning the art of a sword was a little more difficult, and far more expensive for the common man.

Yes, it was technically correct, but he was missing the general point that it was a shock that there was an alien which had come down to speak casually with people.

Thundersmith blinked once. He blinked again. He shook his head, his beard swaying slightly, before he stared up at Adam. “What in tha salt mother’s tits did ah just hear?” He looked to Emma.

She had never heard any sort of obscenities ever escape from the dwarf’s mouth, so she was even more shocked. ‘Master Thundersith cursed, and I just heard a half elf speak dwarven.’ Emma looked to Adam. “You… know dwarven?”

“Well, yeah.” Adam shrugged his shoulders casually, staring at the two of them.

They continued to stare at him, mouths agape. If they had bet their fortunes on whether Adam could speak dwarven, they would have been on the street begging for copper coins. 

“What?” Emma asked, not yet recovered from the mental blow. “You can speak dwarven?” She had to ask again in order to confirm.

“Yeah. Why?” Adam looked between the pair of them. “Is something wrong?”

“Ah heard him right, did ah?” Thundersmith looked to Emma, wondering if his young ears had failed him. He was only two hundred years young, not yet able to enter the ancient tombs of his people. 

“I think you did, Master Thundersmith,” Emma replied back, barely able to keep her manners.

“An elf?”

“Yes.”

“Speaking dwarven?”

“That appears to be the case.”

Thundersmith dropped his hammer into the belt loop where it usually went, and waddled back towards his smithy. Emma followed after him, not yet invited, but she needed to sit down too.

Adam remained outside for a moment, watching their disappearing forms. ‘Am I meant to follow them? They didn’t invite me, but…’ Adam took a cautious step forward, followed by another, before he finally entered the dark, but warm smithy of the dwarven smith.

It was hot from the fire of the forge, and was neatly organised. There were the typical tools you’d have expected of a smithy, but also a small table in the corner, and a few boxes near it where Thundersmith was currently rummaging around. Adam noted all the weapons which surrounded them, seeing how finely crafted they were. Each had something different about them, with their blade holding a pattern, or a part had an intricate design, and some even had the faint tracing of a rune, only visible by the flickering fire. 

Thundersmith opened up a small glass bottle of alcohol he had corked. He poured only a splash for himself, and did the same for Emma. He tapped the cup onto the table in front of him and downed the alcohol, feeling it burn his throat. 

Emma, not daring to refuse the alcohol of a dwarf, did the same. However, almost immediately, she began to gasp for air. It felt as though her throat was on fire, though Thundersmith quickly brought her a wineskin for her to sooth her throat. Tears were falling down her face, but she wasn’t bothered about appearances at the moment.

“Two hundred years ah’ve lived,” Thundersmith said. “Ah’ve never heard of an elf, half or otherwise, speak tha good tongue of tha salt mother and earth father. Never, in all ma life.”

‘Uh oh. What did I do?’ Adam remained standing there, unsure of whether he should run away. In his last life, he had a positive relationship with Thundersmith, but he had been seconds away from smashing his skull, and after a few words of dwarven, the man seemed like he was seconds away from being arrested, not by the police, but by cardiac.

“Who taught ya tha tongue of tha salt mother and earth father?” Thundersmith stared at Adam with a suspicious look. 

“I, uh, I was taught by a dwarf?” Adam replied, trying to figure out how he could explain it. ‘The simplest solution is probably the best. Right?’

“Ah’ve never heard of any dwarf who woulda done such a thing.” Thundersmith narrowed his eyes suspiciously towards Adam. 

“You’ve never heard any elf speak the good tongue of the salt mother or earth father either.”

Emma was still taking mental damage from the fact that an elf blooded man was speaking dwarven. There were few things she knew about elves, tales which had been taught to her by the kingdom. However, there was something before all all those events, something she knew about elves from centuries ago. Elves and dwarves despised one another, a deep grudge. It was worse than the grudge between elves and orcs, who had their own reasons to hate one another. It had gotten so bad that there was a line drawn where the elves and dwarves could go in the kingdom. Red Oak was a place where no elf dared to tread.

“Aye, that’s right.” Thundersmith nodded. He chewed on this thoughts for a moment. How could he have learnt dwarven? Was there something evil afoot?

“What’s the big deal?” Adam asked, seeing how tense everything had become again. 

“Tha big deal? Ah’r people have had an ancient blood grudge since time ago, back when yer people came for mine.”

“My people?”

“Aye, ya leaf ears.”

“Well, as I’ve said, I’m only a half a leaf ear. Even if you hate one half of me, the other half of me you should be okay with.” Adam hadn’t expected to experience such a hatred for his race so quickly. ‘Damn, what the hell happened back then?’

Thundersmith ground his teeth and continued to chew on his thoughts. “This blood grudge doesn’t just go away just because ya said so.”

“Well, I can assure you that my family had nothing with whatever happened back then.” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t tell you how I know that, but it’s the truth.”

Thundersmith had never heard of any elf who would deny the bad blood between them. ‘By the salt mother’s tits, what am I hearing?’ He could feel his rage boil over again. “Do ya have no pride, boy?”

“Pride?” Adam raised his brow. “Pride for what?”

“Yer blood! Yer family! Yer people!”

Adam squinted his eyes, unsure of how he should respond. “I’m proud of being me, sure? I’m proud about being a decent enough guy. In terms of my family, what family? It’s just me. My people? Which people? The elves I’ve never met? Right now, no one in this world shares the same blood as me. I’m all alone.” Adam stared into Thundersmith’s eyes.

Thundersmith stared up at Adam, shock setting into him again. Seeing the boy’s eyes, he could see that what Adam was saying was true. Those eyes were filled with an empty loneliness, a sadness he hadn’t expected. “Yer people are all dead?”

Adam looked down, wondering how he should respond. “They were torn away from me due to the machinations of higher forces. It’s only me here in this world.” He smiled. “I’m sure I’ll have my own family one day, if I live long enough, but I seem to attract death.” He looked up. “I should probably have a word with Sozain.”

The dwarf’s ears twitched. “You mean Lord Sozain?” 

Even Emma was staring at Adam, having mostly calmed down from the strong dwarven alcohol. “Lord Sozain,” she repeated.

Adam raised his brow. “What?” 

“Ya should show respect to tha gods,” Thundersmith said, nodding his head. 

“If you don’t, you’ll earn their ire,” Emma added, emphasising Thundersmith’s words. ‘First you speak elven, and then you disrespect the gods. Just what the hell are you doing?’

Adam stared at them for a long moment. His lips quivered, his ears began to tear up. Then he tossed his head back, unable to contain his laughter. “Bwahaha!” He continued to roar with laughter, shaking his head. “I’ll earn their ire?” He continued to laugh. 

‘This kid is crazy!’ Emma stared at him, unable to think about anything else. ‘Does he want to die?’

“Well, I suppose they don’t know about the debts they owe me. Playing with my fate as they pleased.” Adam shook his head. “I’ll meet them one day to speak face to face, and we’ll see if they want me to call them Lord and such.” Adam continued to chuckle.

Thundersmith stared at the half elf. Whatever he knew about elves and their kin were quickly tossed away. This half elf before him was completely different. He spoke dwarven. He didn’t care about their grudge. He didn’t place respect onto the gods. ‘He’s fucking crazy! A damn psychopath!’

“So,” Adam said, finally able to speak once he was done chuckling, “aren’t I meant to be smithing?”

“…”

“…”

‘Did he really just segue from blasphemy to smithing so casually?’ The pair thought.

Emma blinked at him, wondering what she had done to deal with a troublesome one like him. ‘Is this divine punishment?’

Thundersmith threw a glance towards Emma, looking at her face to judge it. She caught his look and slowly nodded her head. “It seems ah’ll have to.”

“I hope Master Thundersmith takes into consideration that Adam, though he may be a half elf, is a member of our guild.”

“Business is business, as long as ya pay tha gold, ya don’t have ta worry about a thing.” Thundersmith stood up, placing his hands against his back to help stretch it. “Ya speak dwarven and know how ta smith? That dwarf, he teach ya how to smith as well?”

“Yeah.”

Thundersmith almost fell onto his back, and Emma almost choked on air upon hearing his answer. Did Adam truly exist in their world? Was this all a fever dream?

Adam blinked at them, wondering what had happened between the two groups. He tried to form a connection between the hatred of elves and dwarves to parallels with Earth. It didn’t take long for him to make a list of three obvious examples.

“So…” Adam waited for instructions.

“Just… just pick a rod and smith a dagger.” Thundersmith waves his hand to dismiss Adam. “Don’t go telling anyone that my good smithy allowed a half elf inside, especially that ah allowed him to use ma forge.” He threw a look to Emma.

“Confidentiality is our speciality, Master Thundersmith. You of all people should know that.” Emma nodded her head. “I will be leaving Adam in your care.” Though she wanted to stay, just in case something happened, she had to trust Master Thundersmith, who had been in Red Oak for longer than she had been alive, and she assumed he wouldn’t go and commit murder right near the guild, especially not to one of its members.

Smithing Check (Intelligence)
D20 + 4 = 10 (6)

Adam stripped out of his armour first, since it would be difficult to smith in it, and grabbed a rod from a pile, feeling its weight first. He tossed it up, and felt the way it landed into his hand. 

‘What the hell is he doing?’ Thundersmith wasn’t sure he had ever seen anyone toss a rod to check what it was like. Lift it up? Sure. Check its weight? Obviously. Throw it up and feel how it landed on your palm? Never.

Adam then started the grindstone, and once it was up to speed he checked the sparks which flew out once he placed the rod’s edge against it. He was checking to see what kind of alloy he was working with, and figured it was good enough to make a dagger which wouldn’t bend, though it would be slightly brittle. 

Thundersmith understood his intentions once he saw Adam check the sparks. ‘So, you actually know how to check the composition of ah’r rods?’ Even if he didn’t want to admit it, it was true that Adam had some skill. Not a lot of skill, just some skill.

Smithing Check (Strength)
D20 + 5 = 14 (9)

Smithing Check (Constitution)
D20 + 4 = 21 (17)

Smithing Check (Dexterity)
D20 + 2 = 12 (10)

Adam brought the rod to the fire, heating it up until it was the appropriate colour, before pounding it into shape with a hammer. He could already feel the burn of the effort within his forearm, the slightly numbness of his hand, but he tried his best to control his strength. Hitting it too lightly would make this take too long, and hitting it too hard could apply irreversible damage. 

Thundersmith watched as Adam struck the dagger, forming it’s shape over a long while. He didn’t need anything too spectacular, just something with could be used to show that he had some smithing ability. 

Adam’s arms were aching by the time he was done with shaping the dagger. He continued to pound the dagger until it was flat, though the blade itself was quite thick towards the base. 

Adam had formed a handle by twisting the other end of the rod, and he looked at Thundersmith. “A bit of leather would do a lot of good,” he said, not enjoying the feeling of the dagger handle. He eventually sharpened the blade against the grindstone, and offered it to the smith, who took it.

Thundersmith eyed the dagger up for a moment, before stabbing a wooden block nearby. It was a fairly simple design, and it was of average quality, though the finishing was quite nice. 

“It’s nah dwarven make, but it’ll do.”

“That’s still too much praise for the likes of me. I’m afraid I won’t be able to bear such great words.” Adam chuckled, bowing his head slightly.

Thundersmith was still shocked, unable to contain his surprise. A half elf, showing him respect? ‘My heart isn’t strong enough to handle this.’ He held out the dagger. “Take it, lad.” 

Adam accepted it, before the dwarf grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something on it quickly. He handed it to Adam and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. He needed to drink himself to sleep, unable to bear with what had happened in the last couple of hours. 

Thundersmith slammed the door shut behind Adam, who had his armour within his arms. 

“…”

‘I wonder what he was working on.’ He realised he didn’t see whatever the dwarf had been working on, and there was no evidence he had been working on anything, except for the fact he had heard the smith pounding something with his hammer. ‘Ah well, guess I’ll ask next time.’

Second Optional Test Complete
+20XP

What's wrong with being an elf?

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