Another two hours pass by. Sounds of grinding and detailed hammering continue to emanate from the smithy.

Trent woke up hours earlier and is now chatting with two of the apprentices.

One of the apprentices passes you, pushing a cart of flat white stones.

“What are those for,” you ask.

He merely smiles and proceeds to a clearing surrounded by a few ornate torch stands.

He leaves the cart of stones near one of the stands and then he proceeds to light the torches.

The smithy’s door opens and Torm emerges holding a large hammer with a spiked end.

Trent stops his conversation with the apprentices and approaches Torm.

“Prepare the boy,” Torm says to Trent, “take what you need.”

He passes the old hunter and hands you the hammer. He gives you a grim look and then he proceeds towards the lighted clearing.

“Come, boy,” Trent says, a hint of fear and excitement in his voice. “Let’s get you suited.”

An apprentice guides you to a structure near the smithy — this one housing different types of weapons and armor.

Trent hands you a leather cuirass similar to the one he lent you. He then helps you don a metal breastplate after you finish putting on the cuirass.

He scans the room, finally grabbing a round shield and handing it to you.

“This seems to be the place you get your equipment,” you say, seeing the similarity of make and material.

“This is where every sane adventurer gets their equipment,” he replies.

You leave the building armed and armored — not knowing the reason why.

“Get a feel for the hammer and the armor,” suggests Trent. “You’ll need it for later.”

You simply nod at the old veteran and start going through the motions of attack and defense.

The hammer weighs a little more than 22 pounds. The heavy hammerhead makes it top-heavy, but you have no problems wielding the weapon. In fact, you find the weapon quite suitable.

You go through different motions, testing your armor’s flexibility as well as getting a feel of the weight. You run, roll, and jump — with no problems whatsoever.

After 10 minutes, Trent calls for a halt.

“It seems Torm is finished,” he says. “Time to complete your weapon.”

You have a vague idea of what’s coming next as you follow Trent to the lighted clearing.

Torm stands outside a circle of white stone.

Various runes seemed to have been written on the stones and shavings of iron and wood surround the circle of marked stones.

“Your weapon is tied to a demon,” says Torm. “The weapon either controls the demon or the demon controls the weapon — and hence the wielder.”

“I will bring the demon here and you must face it,” he says grimly. “That is the price of that hammer.”

“Demons,” you spat. “The last one we killed dissipated into nothingness.”

“This time will be different,” says the smith. “The demon will be here in its true form — with all of its strength and power.”

“Every strike of that hammer will sap a portion of its strength — but you must survive the encounter.”

“Are you ready?” Trent says as he hands you a metal helm.

“Let’s get this over with,” you say as you put on the helm and ready your hammer and shield.

“Enter the circle,” says Torm.

Trent nods and gives you a reassuring grasp on the shoulder.

You step inside the circle and… nothing.

You look back at Trent in confusion and he makes a gesture telling you to wait.

Torm starts chanting in a strange language you find unfamiliar — even alien.

You sense the familiar feeling of a portal opening — but the power and corruption you felt when the summoner opened the portal in the mountains could not compare to this one.

Soon the outline of a demon begins to take shape — the same one from the mountain.

It seems taller — bigger — and it feels more real.

The flames on its body are raging, not like the weak fires from before. It holds the same bone sword in its hand — but this time, flames and wisps of shadow envelop the weapon.

“At least its flames,” you think to yourself.

You charge at the demon, aiming to get a hit before it can ready itself.

You swing your hammer at the demon — catching it unaware and smashing its chest.

Karthag!

You hear the sound of bone breaking and the demon staggers back a few steps. You also feel a surge of energy entering the hammer.

“You!” it says, finally getting its bearings and realizing who you were.

The demon grabs its sword in both hands and attempts an overhead strike, its sword blazing with an unholy fury.

You roll unto the ground, narrowly avoiding the flaming sword as it crashes a few inches away from you. The earth breaks and small gouts of flaming dirt fly from the sword’s impact.

Torchlight catches your eye and you take a moment to adjust to the flickering brightness.

As you stand, you spin your hammer with a flourish — both to familiarize yourself with the weight and balance of the hammer as well as to gauge the demon’s reaction to the weapon.

You see a glint of fear in the demon’s eyes, but it is slowly overwhelmed with a burning fury.

“The demon is predictable — strong on offense, weak in defense,” you think, “that would be its end.”

You charge at the demon, swinging your hammer upwards aiming to hit its left ribs once more.

The demon steps back, shaken by the previous hammer strike. It smashes its sword down in an attempt to cut or even sever your arm.

You lunge — with a speed the demon could not match.

You raise your shield to catch the falling sword and use the momentum of your hammer to strike at one of the demon’s arms.

Karakh!

Along with the sound of breaking bones, you feel a familiar surge of energy entering the hammer.

The strike once again staggers the demon, but this time it is prepared.

It blasts you with a wave of fire from its uninjured hand forcing you to raise your shield and slowly retreat.

You see the demon’s injured arm contorting as the broken bones seemingly reform and reattach themselves, giving the demon full use of its arm once again.

“Uraaagh!” the demon roars as it attacks with a thrust of his sword.

You parry it with your shield, bashing the bone sword to the side and immediately stepping back to avoid the anticipated grab.

“Predictable.”

You smash your hammer at the extended arm — missing by inches as your hammer strikes the ground with a resounding thud.

The demon strikes from the side, seeking to batter you with its greater weight and momentum — its sword bursting with heat and flame that would go through any shield.

“Baited.”

You meet the sword strike with your shield. A flash of black robs the sword of its momentum and even the flames die out for a split second.

In that split second, you smash the demon’s extended knee with your hammer, tearing it clean off the leg. The hammer arcs from the swing and you guide it for a second strike — hitting the demon in the left shoulder.

You then bash the already unbalanced demon with the edge of your shield, forcing it to the ground.

The demon is shaken but not completely out of the fight. It extends an arm, seemingly to summon fire.

You raise your hammer and smash the demon’s other leg.

Karhas!

Bone breaks but the leg stays attached to the demon. This is one of the times a cutting weapon proves superior to a blunt one.

A roar of flame flashes towards you.

You avoid it with a forward roll, relying on your shield for cover but you still feel a bit of heat.

“You…” the demon struggles, most of its life force and energy already absorbed by your hammer. “This will not end well for you...”

“Nothing ends,” you say as you drop your shield and strike the demon with a two-handed strike to the head.

Krloksh!

The demon dissipates as its form is seemingly sucked into the hammer.

“Nothing ends for me,” you say silently.

The words seem both familiar and fitting, with a slight pang of regret.

You see your hammer emitting a soft red glow and feel the rage of the demon coursing through the weapon.

“Tsk.” You silence it with a thought. Not sheer force of will but a single thought.

The marked stones start to crumble and Trent comes over to check on you.

“That wasn’t even a fight,” Trent says. “But are you alright?” he asks just to be sure.

“The hammer is suitable,” you say “The fight went fast because of it.”

Trent looks at the hammer and then at Torm.

“Did it fail?” he asks.

“No,” you interrupt. “The demon is there,” you say as you let the hammer glow with the demon’s rage for a time.

“It has been done before,” Torm explains. “Strong-willed warriors can sometimes suppress a demon’s hold on a weapon.”

“It’s inefficient and quite irritating to have it raging all the time,” you add.

The smith nods approvingly.

“Trent’s sword is enchanted with sharpness and lethality,” Torm explains. “Your hammer is enchanted to add concussive force. With the demon’s energy, it should add a third to the power of your strike.”

You nod in understanding.

“The demon’s energy would add to the hammer’s momentum making it more unwieldy, which is why I suggested an axe or a sword,” he explains further. “A hit would add additional concussive force to the target — but there would be a corresponding rebound.”

“Make sure you’re aware of this, lest your hammer fly off from your hands.”

“I understand,” you say.

“Care to try it out?” says Trent, a gleam in his eyes.

“Not the trees,” Torm says, “the quarry.”

“Quarry it is,” says Trent as he picks up one of the torches from the stands. “Let’s go,” he says as he heads down a trail.

You swing the hammer a few times while walking — measuring the difference between a normal strike and one with the hammer’s magic activated.

The hammer seems heavier with the magic activated because of the extra momentum — making it more difficult, but not impossible, to wield.

You reach the quarry in a few minutes. Several huge pieces of rough stone are strewn about this large abandoned pit.

Under the light of Trent’s torch, you strike a few of the stones — smashing them to pieces as you note the changes in momentum as well as the additional concussive force upon impact and the accompanying rebound.

“It still feels inefficient,” you think to yourself.

You deactivate the hammer’s magic with a thought. You aim at a large piece of rock and strike with your hammer — only activating the demon’s power a split-second before impact.

“Kaghaan!”

The force of the blow almost doubles — the additional concussive force is released with an explosion, shattering the rock into pieces.

The ensuing rebound almost rips the hammer off your hand — only stopping when a black flash envelops the hammer.

“A mighty strike,” cries Trent.

“And a dangerous one,” follows Torm. “The rebound from that strike can rob you of your weapon — even injure you.”

“It’s best to use it sparingly,” he adds.

“Thank you for the weapon,” you say to Torm. “Although its forging and enchantment was a bit… unusual.”

You note that this smith is dangerous — far more dangerous than the summoner. While he may be in control of his craft at the moment, it could get dangerous a few years or decades into the future.

“I’ll still need the 200 gold,” he reminds you. “And another 10 for your use of the forge.”

“The kid made three daggers,” Trent says. “Maybe you can see if the boy can be a smith?”

“We’ll see…” answers Torm.

The three of you start making your way back to the smithy.

You are intrigued by Trent’s question and you wonder if you have what it takes to be a smith.