In the orange light of the furnace Ingeit pounded a red-hot piece of metal into shape. Satisfied with its shape, the dwarf lifted the glowing metal with his metal left hand and quenched it in a barrel of murky white fluid. Lifting the completed work once the steam faded, Ingeit examined it.

The smith found no flaw in the cook pan, but still he grimaced. Such simplistic work was below him, but was required to keep food on the table for him and his family. Sighing, he placed the pot in a nearby pile and placed a new hunk of metal into the forge. Just as he prepared to begin his work, the sound of the door chime caught his attention.

"Hoh, a customer at this time of night?" Humans, unlike dwarves, were diurnal by nature. As a result, the vast majority of his sales happened during the day, handled by his assistants. Still, for Ingeit every sale was vital. Immigrating to Geltheas with his family and setting up this shop after his apprenticeship ended had used up nearly all of his savings.

Quickly pulling the piece of metal out of the furnace with his metal arm, the dwarf straightened out his beard and adjusted his clothes as best he could, then made his way to the front counter. "Hello, I'm here. Just a moment."

What the blacksmith saw when he rounded the corner into the store lowered his spirits somewhat. The potential customer appeared to be a very young human wearing some absurd costume. A black robe and mask covering all of the child's features made it clear that he was trying to look mysterious. Young delvers with something to prove were the absolute worst customers to deal with. They frequently acted entitled and felt themselves above civilians and craftsmen. Fortunately, this likely wouldn't be a waste of the dwarves time; the mask appeared to be runecraft, so the kid at least had some money.

"I'm the owner of this shop, the name's Ingeit. Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

The child's head swiveled around wildly. It almost seemed as though he didn't have a spine, the way his head whipped around wildly to every corner of the store. Ingeit had seen plenty of children overwhelmed by the various weapons and armor he had on display in the past, but this was different. Rather than examining the merchandise, it more resembled the way scouts had acted the few times Ingeit had gone on hunting expeditions.

Without replying, the strange child approached the low counter. Upon reaching the table, it slid a folded paper out of its robe and set it on the countertop.

"I wish to have this design crafted. Why do you not have your arm healed?" A strangely monotone voice of a young human boy appeared in the blacksmith's mind. The cadence reminded Ingeit of ego artifacts its teacher had crafted which were capable of mental communication. Perhaps this child was unable or unwilling to talk, and had acquired such an artifact to speak in its stead? Putting aside those thoughts for now, Ingeit returned his focus to the customer's questions.

"Ha, most folks 'round here don't have the guts to ask about that sorta things. Humans are so easily offended." Ingeit lifted his heavy metal left arm to be more easily inspected. The arm was made of two rods of blue-tinted metal held together by an orb of glowing purple light where an elbow, wrist, and shoulder would normally be. The hand was a disk of the same metal with five small cones of metal floating around it. "It's not a cursed wound or anything like that. I had my old arm removed because this is better. It doesn't burn, it doesn't shake, and I can make perfectly precise movements with it." To demonstrate, Ingeit moved the fingers rapidly through several complex formations, bringing the points together perfectly, making a circle with point to base, and other shapes.

All the while, he smiled wide. This arm was his pride. His masterwork which allowed him to graduate from apprentice to have the honor of owning his own store. With some reluctance, he finally stopped showing off and picked up the customer's order, opening it to inspect the design.

What he saw inside was hard to understand. It was a very accurate drawing of something that could exist. And even better, it had exact measurements and proportions listed out. This was already more than he usually got for a custom request from a delver. What made it difficult was the complete lack of any design conventions he had ever seen. The measurements were placed seemingly randomly, and were connected to the parts of the design with a reference table. The number values were also complex, requiring mathematic equations instead of actual numbers for many of the values. Perhaps most strangely of all, despite the high level of detail on the design, there was no material specified.

"What kind of metal do you want this made out of?" Not taking his eyes off the bewildering design sheet, Ingeit directed the question towards the young human.

The child responded by placing a small Association coin bag on the counter. "I am not knowledgeable on the comparative advantages of all available metals. Use the most suitable metal that this much money can afford."

Ingeit raised his eyebrows and set the paper aside to check the pouch. With a glance, he could see many gold coins. A rather large sum for a mundane object. It was surprising for a human to so directly trust a craftsman in this way. Among dwarves, trusting the honor of a merchant to give you something worth your gold was common sense, but not so with humans.

Raising his opinion of the young boy a notch, the dwarf asked a few more questions as he carefully counted the coins. "What do you plan to use this for?"

"The purpose of this object is to defend me from attacks, particularly slicing attacks."

Ingeit nodded his head. This could certainly be used that way, although it would be difficult. "Why not just use a shield? What weapon skills do you know?"

"A shield would be too large and cumbersome. I have skills with unarmed combat, hidden weapons, and string manipulation."

Stopping his counting, Ingeit quickly moved back to the design document. "String manipulation you say? Hmmm, yes I can see it. This could certainly be useful. Do you mind if I modify some aspects of the design? I believe I can improve articulation and durability by redesigning the connections."

"I was informed you are an expert at crafting items out of metal, so I accept your judgment in all aspects of design."

This was exactly the kind of challenge that led Ingeit to leave his homeland. While some masters are content to spend their whole lives crafting the same heavy plate armor, hammers, and shields that dwarves love, what Ingeit loved was innovation. New concepts, strange ideas, unique quirks on old weapon designs. That's why a shop in a city of humans, known for their creativity, was ideal. And even better, a town with a dungeon to attract those insane delver types.

Ingeit slammed the plans down on the table and extended his calloused, meaty right hand towards the human. "You got yourself a deal. I'll begin work on it immediately."

The child stared at the hand for a moment, seemingly not knowing what to do. A moment later, the dwarf heard that strange mechanical voice again.

"Can you have it done before the festival starts?"

"Ha!" Ingeit placed his metal hand on his stomach as he let out a deep, booming laugh. "You doubt my speed? I'll have it done by this time tomorrow. Now, are you going to shake my hand or what?"

A black-cloaked hand reached up and gripped Ingeit's index finger, then shook it randomly for a few seconds.

So, the kid really didn't know what shaking hands is. Ingeit let out another round of roaring laughter.