Author’s Note: Hey there, had to change a few things in 16 since they were quite “atrocious” as some good people pointed out :D .Anyways, for those who read 16 already and are too lazy to reread, changed dwarven magic contraptions to Artifacts, also there was a mention about creating equipment for Rob – well, he doesn’t do it. The reason is there, so if you want to know why, reread the last 2 paragraphs. This one is not yet proofread, will update it later on, as well as post 18. Anyways, point out any mistakes, and enjoy!

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Tovrik’s POV:

It has been 3 months, since I took my newest apprentice. And I have nothing more to teach him. The fact terrifies me. I perfected my craft for almost eighty years, while him? Not even half a year?

…I didn’t know whether to be proud or mad. I had 6 apprentices, him being the sixth. All previous ones were still in the process of learning, having their own smithies and doing their best. This, this monster just needed to be shown once what to do and how, and he did exactly what I did. The same movements, same strength of blows.

But that wasn’t the worst part. At the end of this time, he was actually getting better than me. When I thought a piece of equipment was perfect, he wasn’t satisfied and continued refining it. The differences weren’t big from my own work, but they were better. This, along with the fact that it took him just 3 months to overtake me, made me seriously doubt my whole life’s work.

I always loved my job. I was creator, and it was almost like creating life. Each small improvement made me proud, and when I reached rank of Master in smithing, I gathered the courage and proposed to my love. My whole life revolved around my smithy. I thought myself the greatest, the forge masters others could only strive to be. Rob’s insane progress proved me wrong, and it felt like a kick to the stomach.

Now was the time. I would create a masterpiece, a godlike thing, to carry my legacy, and quit smithing altogether. Since I heard about the dragon’s corpse, I had a design floating in my head. A sword, double edged, two-handed claymore. A little over 4 feet long, with a simple design. But the looks were nothing. If I managed to create what I had in mind, this blade would almost indestructible, with sharpness never seen before.

Rob’s POV:

I was nearing end of my apprenticeship, and I knew it. Since last week, I wasn’t learning anything new. Quite frankly, the whole process couldn’t be called learning. I just copied what Tovrik did, and it worked. Memorizing all his actions and repeating them, I even started to make small changes, which, I thought, could better things we were making. And to my surprise, they did!

It always felt like something bothered me about a piece I was working on. And I just knew what to do, where to strike and how strong, to make the feeling go away, and create something better. At some point I stopped moving like Tovrik at all, I started creating my own works from the scratch, just following these feelings I had. Hit here, again, again, then here, here to smoothen, there again… Each metal had its own properties, own way of molding. But I felt them all, as if they were talking to me.

Finally, the day came. The lord of dwarves organized a party in his mansion, to celebrate birth of a new forge master. I was against the idea, but agreed, on the condition that it would be held in a circle of friends. I had no inclination to attend some kind of grand ball in my honor, just because I stopped being an apprentice.

Durin kept his word, and we held celebration with least amount of people possible. Romulus, Brom, Durin, as well as Tovrik. Durin’s family lived in other dvergverd, and visited him couple of times a year, so we could drink all we wanted with nothing to interfere. We drunk, we sung, we reminisced. I was really fortunate to have met all these fellows.

The next day, when all of us woke up and organized ourselves, we met in living room one last time to talk. Today, I would be living Rasgar Hold through the Portal, travelling to another dvergverd, and from there going towards my first destination – the Depository of knowledge. I was resolved to leave most of my fortune in Durin’s care, since had no way to transport such a fortune by myself. That is, until we met in the living room today.

My friends and master, gathered before me, and came up to me one at a time, saying their goodbyes. Durin was first, and he gave me Inventory Bracelet. It was one of the few magical devices capable of holding things in it, like in a storage. I protested when hearing description of its abilities.

“Wait, Durin, I can’t accept it! I heard how rare these things are, you probably had this in your family for generations!”

“Rob, to be honest, compared to dragon carcass, this is nothing. The beast’s corpse is literally priceless, and it still bugs me that I couldn’t give you more.”

Upon hearing that, I quickly accepted the bracelet. I obligated to protest, but these weren’t my true feelings on the matter. I really needed and wanted this artifact. Hell, if what I heard was true, the size of the Inventory was that of a small castle! Capable of holding inanimate objects, accessible easily with just a thought. Something out of the game.

Romulus simply wished me luck on my journey, and inviting me to his house the next time I had a chance. We came to know each other well enough, to know that we wouldn’t forget about the other in the time of need. And that was enough for both of us.

Next up was Brom. He was an ambassador to the giants, and as such his job was finished in Rasgar Hold. He would too leave Rasgar Hold, this time travelling through the mountains up north, which was faster way to his clan, compared to Portal to distant dvergverd. We wished each other luck, and hoped that we would meet someday during our journeys.

Last was my master, Tovrik. He was carrying a long package, longer than he was tall, wrapped in cloth to disguise its shape. He came to me wordlessly, and revealed what was inside.

A sword without sheath, long and slender. Grip was covered in black leather, which only accentuated silver-white gleam of blade. One could see its sharpness, upon slightest touch, the cloth which was covering it was cleanly cut. It had no decoration, but the simplicity of its design made it look beautiful anyway. Literally deadly beauty. When it was revealed, every one of us just stared at it speechless. Brief moment later, Tovrik grunted, disrupting our thoughts, and spoke with voice shaking with emotion.

“This is my last and, by far, finest work lad. It’s my legacy, and as such, I give it to my best apprentice. It won’t break. It won’t dull. It won’t fail you, of that you can be blood damn sure! The only thing I regret, is that I can’t name it. This is your privilege, as its owner. Take it!”

I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know this man before me for that long. We had a relationship of a teacher and a student, but never in my wildest dreams would I consider myself worthy of his gift. Nonetheless, that was the reality. I almost dropped it when I took it from Tovrik’s hands. It was quite heavy, it was surprising since I never felt such a heavy weight since I came to this world. The sword was a bit too long for me, but I could easily fix that with shapeshifting.

I simply thanked Tovrik, but that was enough to convey the message. After all, no words could describe the gratitude I felt. I named the sword Dragon's Edge, since it was made from dragon, for another dragon-similar-thing(me). Now, I was truly ready to begin my journey.