Lulu, Jen, and I sat behind a table and spoke with each resident for what only ended up taking a minute or two with each of them. Each resident who could work received an occupation which I verified was updated in my town leader menu.

Some were quicker than others, but everyone was on board in the end. I didn't even have to threaten anyone else with the annoying messaging system. One of the last residents was the occupation I was most excited about.

He was at least a foot shorter than me and almost twice as wide. He wasn't overweight though, it was all muscle. He walked over and sat at the table.

"My name is Smith Black. I'm a blacksmith. Are we done?" The man spoke gruffly as if he didn't want to be there. I raised an eyebrow at his name.

I looked at my menu and his name was 'Smith Black' sure enough.

"Okay," I said. "We definitely need a town blacksmith to get Bettyford back on track."

"I can't do anything without materials and the previous leader and his thugs cleaned my shop out. I haven't any ore, ingots, or metal of any kind to work with." The man was noticeably agitated as he spoke about being robbed blind. "Luckily all my tools and equipment were either too heavy or too old looking to be of value to them. Doesn't do us much good with the current predicament though."

"If I supply the ore and materials will you be the town's blacksmith again? I could really use some tools for crafting items." I was trying to contain my excitement about my big reveal.

"Absolutely, I will. I come from a long line of smiths. If you provide the materials I'll make you and this town whatever it needs." He put his fist over his heart as he spoke the words.

I popped a small pile of ore, ingots, and junk metal onto the table and smiled broadly. "I just so happen to have a dimensional space filled with these types of materials and they are all yours. Also, did you mean you come from a long line of men named 'Smith' or a long line of blacksmiths?" The look on the man's face was priceless. He was smiling and almost to the point of tears. This was a man that hadn't been able to do what he loved for far too long.

"Both," he said reaching out to shake my hand. "I'll make you anything you'd like for the rest of your life if you supply the materials."

I took his hand. His grip was incredible. "We've got ourselves a deal."

I told him I would follow him to his shop as soon as the last couple of residents were taken care of. He stood nearby waiting for the last interview to end.

"I'll be back in a while," I said to Jen and Barry.

"I've got a better idea," said Jen. "I was thinking that maybe Barry and I needed some better equipment before we leave. Do you think he could whip up a few items fairly quickly for us?"

"That's not a bad idea and he has been chomping at the bit to work some metal. I bet Smith would be up for it," I said waving him over. He practically ran over to us out of excitement.

"Smith, how quickly could you get these two outfitted for our trip West?" I asked the man.

"I'm probably the best blacksmith you'll ever meet. If you have a good amount of that junk metal armor I can turn it into some higher quality protection in a jiffy. They'll need good weapons as well. I could get this all hammered out in addition to some crafting tools for you in just a few days." He stood there looking proud of himself. If he was as good as he said he was, I would be a very happy camper.

"That sounds good to me. Let's get you to your shop," I said with a clap of my hands. The extra few days would be well worth the protection and added attack capabilities.

We followed him over to his shop which was on the East side of town. It was right up against the Eastern wall which gave him quick access to the forest and nearby mountain.

"Where do you want this stuff?" I asked him looking around the shop that was mostly open air. He pointed to an area by the North wall that was completely bare.

I walked over and dropped a huge pile of junk armor, a pile of junk daggers with a few junk shortswords thrown in, neat stacks of different types of ingots, and a huge pile of ore.

The three of them stood there with mouths agape. No one spoke for a good long while as they just took in the massive amount of materials I had dumped. Smith looked like he was going to cry again.

"Well, that's a weight off," I joked. No one laughed, but I had easily just shed a few thousand pounds. "Smith where would you like the rest of the ore?"

"The what?" He asked glancing at the massive pile and back over to me confused.

"That is probably only about a tenth of the ore I am currently carrying. I cleaned out two mines and a treasure room's worth after all." I stood there looking proud of myself.

Smith came over and hugged me. "I'll have work here for the rest of my life." He took me just outside the wall and showed me where to dump the rest of the ore I was carrying. It was comical how much I had on me. The pile was huge. Smith gave me a healthy pat on the back.

"What kind of crafting tools did you need?" He asked as he started to stoke the furnace and work the billows. He worked more quickly than I thought was humanly possible. It was impressive to see.

"Just the basics for now things like a small hammer, chisel, saw, and pliers. Whatever we can have ready before Barry, Jen, and I leave. I'd like to be able to craft my own arrows at least," I said trying to think of things that could be useful.

"That doesn't sound like a problem, but did you say we because you're planning on helping me, or do you have an assistant lined up for me?" He continued working as we spoke. His efficiency was amazing. How long could he keep up this pace?

"I didn't have an assistant lined up, but I could try and find someone in Wolfhill. I don't mind helping you for the next few days. I am fairly quick, strong, and crafty," I said to the much quicker, stronger, and craftier man. "Even just staying out of your way and being your gopher should help speed things along."

"Gopher?" It was the first time his pace had paused briefly since he started working.

"Yeah, as in 'go for' this and 'go for' that."

He let out a belly laugh and quickened his pace again. "Sounds good. Measure those two and we'll get to work. The tool is over there." He pointed and continued at his fevered pace.

I found the tool for taking measurements and something to write with. I wrote everything on a piece of parchment I found nearby.

"I need some measurements for armor. Also, what kind of weapons are you good with?" I asked Jen and Barry. They nodded acceptance of the measuring request. I started with Barry.

"I prefer something up close, but not a sword. Maybe an axe or club of some sort." Barry stuck his arms out so I could measure them. I tried my best to keep it from being awkward, but it is tough to measure someone's body without some awkwardness.

I moved over to Jen. I probably made it weirder than it needed to be, but that was just me in general around women. It didn't help that I was thinking about Paige the whole time since they had similar builds. I stood up in front of her and we were face to face. She smiled shyly and I gave a little smile back trying to hold myself together.

It tore me up inside every time I was reminded that I made a choice that left Paige alone. It sucked that my 'til death do us part' came so quickly. The more I thought about it the more the guilt and regret built. I cleared my throat.

"Weapons?" I asked her.

"I think a ranged weapon of some sort would be better for me and maybe a short and light sword just in case." There was no way that she didn't notice something was wrong, but I had a feeling that she wanted to talk in private about it.

"Sounds good," I said shooing them out of the workshop. "I'm going to stay and help. I'll be back later. That is if we were all planning on staying in the same place as last night."

"Works for me," said Jen as Barry nodded to answer as well.

By the time Smith and I had finished for the day, it was dark and I was worn out. I handed him one of the mattresses as a thank you for all his hard work.

"Here is a little bonus for you," I said as I made the handoff. "It is a Dwarven Mattress of Refreshment." He accepted the mattress wide-eyed.

"Where did you get this?" His demeanor had changed to intense seriousness.

"I cleared out a cave of sorts far to the South and the mattresses were inside. It was completely abandoned besides some giant spiders," I said to the intense man.

"I don't tell people this, but after working with you all day I feel I can trust you. My father was a dwarf from the Northern Mountains. My mother fell in love with him after a chance meeting and short courtship. He left his tribe and became the blacksmith of a peaceful town so that they could raise a family. They both perished during a plague about twenty years ago, but not before teaching me the art of smithing and about my people." Smith had gone from intense to solemn while talking about his parents.

"Were they the Northblood Tribe by any chance?" I asked him putting a hand on his shoulder.

His eyes shot over to meet mine. "Where did you hear that name?"

"It was in the description of this item," I said pulling the Ring of the Northblood out and presenting it to him.

He slowly grabbed the ring and poured over it until he had seen every detail. He tried to hand it back to me, but as it didn't do anything for me and seemed to mean a lot to him I refused.

"It sounds like it belongs to your people. You keep it."

Smith fell to his knees holding the ring. His eyes welled up with tears as he spoke.

"My father told me stories of magical rings that were only given to master blacksmiths as the highest honor the tribe elders could bestow. He said that only a master smith could wear one of the rings. When they wore the ring while forging and placed its seal on a completed piece, magic would be imbued into the object. He had only seen one such ring in his lifetime."

"Well, try it on," I said stupidly. He glanced up at me and then back at the ring.

He equipped the ring and I could've sworn that he glowed for a split second.

"I feel it. I feel the power from the blood of my people," he said excitedly.

"Full disclosure, I found that ring on a skeleton in the same cave as the spiders. I also found these." I pulled out everything I had found on the bodies. His eyes went wide with every item.

On the table were two great axes, a throwing axe, two heavy crossbows, forty bolts, and the two sets of heavy plate armor. I started to take off the chainmail, but he put his arm out to stop me.

"You keep that. You have given me something far more valuable. In fact, I can never pay you back for what you have done for me. I will make you and your party the best quality gear I possibly can. We have formed an alliance this day and one that is not easily broken, brother." He held his arm and motioned for me to do the same.

When I stuck out my arm, he grabbed my forearm and I grabbed his following his lead. We held it for a moment and then released our grasp. It did feel special and I figured it had something to do with his heritage.

"I am so excited for tomorrow. I'll see you here bright and early. Don't worry, that mattress is a miracle worker," I said. Then I turned to go back to the town hall for some shut-eye. That was one of the coolest experiences of my short life and I was thrilled with the results.

I fell asleep wondering what kind of magic the Northblood ring would imbue.