My new job at the Forge.

[Forger (DELETED 3847)]

Since Duncan had made his way into town he had been going to all the different metalworking factories around town trying to get a job. He drugged his body out of bed every morning for the last two weeks hitting each one of their different factories well dressed in the morning and a nice shirt and a pair of suit pants. Even with all of his experience all of them turned him down most of them just didn't have enough money to hire another person or just didn't feel like hiring him. He had been doing that stage old grind looking for a job while staying in one of the the old crappy hotels in the less fortunate side of town.

He began to regret his decision of taking the pencil spinning around and throwing it at the wall letting it hit in a random place and moving to where ever that was. It seemed his blind move into Canada was just as good as his normal crappy life but this time he ended up in a brand-new that was cold as hell that made his balls almost fall off and run back to Georgia just for some heat

After selling his house and pretty much most of the things that he owned he knew that if he didn't get a job here within the next two months or so living in this hotel was going to to kill his wallet. He went down to one of the warehouses and got a bit of a break as one of the guys said that he should try this place on the other side of the town called the Forge.

The next morning he got up clean him self off and dolled of himself up like he had all the days before. He caught a cab across town and when he mentioned the name of the place was quite odd to him how quickly the cab driver knew exactly where she was talking about and swiftly drove down the streets of HardRock city in the treacherous snow and weather conditions. Mind you this was one of the cab ride that you would imagine getting into in New York City from watching all of the movies with one of those crazy cabdrivers that has all these knickknacks up at the front and talks to you the whole way about his life as a cab driver and his dreams. All you want to do is safely get to your destination hoping two Odin you don't die and he will shut up.

The cab driver abruptly stops out front of the building. Duncan gets out pays the man and still isn't quite sure if he's been being ripped off from cab drivers as he hadn't got a complete consensus to how this weird Canadian money works. As the cold wind blows he shivers as his purpose comes back to him as he is standing in front of the building it takes a second for him to regain his composure. He makes his way up the sidewalk towards the building opens the door and makes his way inside. He shivers off the cold dusting some of the snow off of his jacket as he makes his way up to the counter.

[Forger (DELETED 3847)]

As his eyes adjusted from the dim light from outside to the well lit room of the nice little lobby. His nose was hit suddenly with that sweet smell from the forge. It was one of those smells that he never was really able to describe but it sent waves of pleasure to his brain as if it bit more than just a weapon or an implement of destruction , there was something serene peaceful true about that scent. The way the metal smelled as it was heated and cooled the sparks and amber's that were given off. the smell that the oil gives it off when you place the scalding hot metal side, how the station feel your nose brushed against your skin as you cool down whatever you are working on. All those memories come flooding back just as the sweet smell hit his nostrils which he was probably only one that would describe it that way.


Duncan was the type of guy that rarely smiled, he often smirked and laughed hard with loud boastful laugh but a true smile on his face was it something you barely ever saw. He stood there for a moment reveling in the smell as he closed his eyes and took a big wiff. Which quickly brought a smile to his face and as he stood there with a dominant prowled confident posture with his eyes closed in a chowder smile upon his face .

A blacksmith walked out of the back and had one of those faces you expected to see at a place like this. It was a bit rough he had a bit of shoot on his face his eyes pierced through the dirt and looked straight into you. He had long dark brown hair that he had tied up in the back. His face was rather weathered then aged. There was something quite gentle yet ferocious about his brown eyes. He had a bit of a straggly soft beard a cigar hung out of the side of his mouth as the trail of smoke danced off in the atmosphere. He had on a pair of overalls and short sleeve shirt that had lots of small little spark holes in it. He was a pretty decent sized bed with a pretty strong frame his skin was a bit dark and leathery from the work and constant dry heat and oils .

The blacksmith stared down Duncan for a moment before he spoke "So you here to pick up something for you here to make in order?" The man said quite questionably looking at Duncan expecting a quick response as if he was a big man had lots of things to do.

"To be honest her I'm not actually here for either, I've been trying to find work in the steel mills but haven't found any luck and somebody pointed me in your direction. They said with my skills as a blacksmith I probably would be a lot more happier here and you guys would probably be able to put me to work". Duncan voice had become quite powerful and more confident at this point.He seemed to be very sure of him self and his skills as a blacksmith.

"So you're a blacksmith aye , sir your those people that watch those videos online built yourself one of those crappy little home forges and think you're a master blacksmith? Since you weren't able to get a job down there you but you would come in process with your great skill or just hire you on the spot?"

"No honestly I've been a blacksmith since I've been 10 years old, I actually studied under a black Smith for six years spending most of my summers at his house in a professional blacksmith shop. I can give you his number and contact information if you would like. I fell in love with it as a small child.I've always worked in the metal industry and have my own forge back at home until I decided to move up in the middle of nowhere because of a crazy redheaded soulless succubus." He reached into his pocket when he pulled out a simple pocket knife.

Duncan softly tossed the man the pocketknife. The case of the pocketknife was quite plain it was a nice little wood casing that had a brass finisher for the edges as well as a nice little brass track for the knife to set in. The whole pocketknife was probably 4 to 5 inches.

The blacksmith quickly inspected the handle looking at it looking it over with that hard-core judgment face of a man checking someone else's work not really giving away any interest that he likes it or otherwise. He flipped the blade the blade open and stared at it quite intently. He slowly move the blade back and forth looking at it shine and how the metal look in the light. He took him he softly caressed it across the top of his finger as he did so barely even touching his skin watch as it drew blood. He brought his thumb up to his mouth for a second and sucked on it, then with a quick harsh movement he took the knife and slammed it into the wooden countertop. The blade sunk in quite nicely he pulled on the blade one direction for did distance and then he pulled on the blade the other direction. The knife itself didn't been at all and seem to take the abuse quite well.

The blacksmith pulled the knife back out of the counter reached into his back pocket and pulled out a clean rag softly wiped off the blade closed it and tossed it back to Duncan.

" Compared all the other guys that walk in here you seem to know your ****, that night was definitely well made her look like he took a lot of time and care into it and so nice piece of work most people would notice the time that you took into that knife."

"Thank you it's been something that has been a passion of mine since I've been a child it is hard to find a place that you can make really any great money at it I made a decent money selling my stuff online, stuffed some collectors down there and doing custom pieces for people. And mostly people that are into that Larping thing Sca oror whatever it's called."

" Well we have one of the employees just disappear out of thin air a few weeks back and we've been a little bit hounded. Why don't you come back tomorrow I will see if you know how to make more than a pocket knife?"

" I very much appreciate that I'll see you tomorrow afternoon around three o'clock ok." as he reached out and gave a firm handshake to the blacksmith licking him dead and I with a firm nod.

The blacksmith makes his way into the back and quickly disappears. There was a beautiful smile on Duncan face as his blue eyes lit up. he pulls out his cell phone scroll around as he looks for a bar or somewhere to celebrate the day.

[Forger (DELETED 3847)]

After a night of soulless redhead drinking at the bar and buying rounds for the for most of the patrons at the bar that night. Waking up the next morning at 12 o'clock it is crappy hotel room with his head pounding knowing that he was alive. Duncan rolled over and checked his phone to make sure that he had overslept mean that he had set an alarm and it still had not yet. Stumbling to the the kitchen with his eyes pretty much still shut and opening the fridge raider pulling out his classic hangover cure. Which was setting in his the greater waiting on him.

This vile concoction was first parts beer, combination of a little bit of all the whiskey that he knows he's probably going to drink, a little bit of tequila several more small drops of different vodkas and to top it all off orange juice. He was in one of those small little glasses that was what you would generally serve your friends whiskey if they came over. He leaned up telling his nose and just bounded as quick as fast as possible. Setting the glass on the counter shoving refrigerator and stumbling his way back into his bedroom.

Grabbing a pair of pants and boxers and stumbling into the shower. Giving himself one of those beautiful hot showers that when you walk out your skin is absolutely red steam coming off annual brain is absolutely a wake. Clean softener buzzes if the background is classic stubble cleaned up the spots around his ears.quickly washes his face with breezing cold water from the socket to make sure that he was awake and ready to take on the world. Making his way back to his room and drawing on an outfit to make it through the day. You can wear any of his fancy stuff just stuff that could get amber holes in them so he was not worried about them getting destroyed.

Duncan stumbled back into the kitchen this time a lot more alert than he was before make himself a quick egg and sausage breakfast throws it all on a sandwich smothers it in miracle whip and calls that breakfast. About the time his alarm clock goes off an inning quick haste pulls it out of his jeans pockets and proceeds to fight with you before able to turn off the alarm. Then it even begins to flip through his contacts now that he's been here this long as seem to have a relationship with one of the local taxi drivers the didn't scare him quite as much as the rest and quickly dialed him up. Doesn't take long before he answers and says he'll be on his way.

The taxicab shows up right on time as he quickly makes his way out the hotel door locking it behind him before getting into the cab, as the cab drives away on the snowfield slushy streets of hard rock for his destination.it doesn't take long for the taxi ride he leans up and pay the man and get down to the very cold weather of art rock city once again. He begins to make his way up towards the door looking at the sign on the building and hanging on the door before he makes his way inside.

He had got there about 30 min. early to the time that the blacksmith told him to show up to his seat in the lobby waiting for the blacksmith to show up knowing that he knew that he would be here this early and he wanted to see what test there were going to put through it is the way of this particular world to show that you have the patience time and respect to be a blacksmith. He knows the going to fight with him for the next few days just because they can just to see if he has what it takes to work there it's been like that every place that he's ever worked and he pretty much expected. It's just part of how those guys operate it shows you're one of the guys you know when to keep your mouth shut and when not to.

[Forger (DELETED 3847)]

About 10 min. till it was time for him to start the blacksmith comes out and smirked and give him a soft nod and jesters for Duncan follow him to the back of the shop. He quickly got up from his chair and made his way to the back of the shop the smell of metal and heat from the forge's quickly hit him in the face. He closed his eyes for a moment and deeply breathing in the scents that feel the air the smell of charcoa, gas, coal and that special scent that metal gives off when it is worked on. The blacksmith began to show him around the shop they had several different types of forge's set up. There were two forges that were made for two man that could use either charcoal or coal and themselves were beautiful master work if one would take the time to check out the beautiful design and pressed work that went into them. There was a beautifully well-crafted gas forge that had its own unique interesting design so that there was minimal waste so that they could get the maximum out of the gas. There were several little small forges where one could work around them to do small detail changing to a sword/gun or bending metal to add to its design . Along the walls and most of the stations were tools placed on the wall, if you could not find the tools you were looking for you probably had no clue what you are doing and definitely not in the right place.

Duncan could tell that they spent a good time making sure that they put everything back where it goes so people can always find what they were looking for . There was a row full of nothing but small hammers, a little section for specialty hammers. There was a section for clamps, punches, and pretty much every type of tool had its own little small section with a perfect place for everything to go. There also were small set cabinets at the edges of the wall and you could tell that there was a label on each one of the drawers telling you what was in it so that one could quickly find what you were looking for and put it back when you were done. There was one set of devoted to nothing but sand paper. Near each one of the forges there was a well-crafted blacksmith station that had your favorite three types of anvils your huge massive big boy, the middle sized one that you needed for smaller projects and then you really small one that you just needed for specific small and detailed things. There was room for you to work on each one of the station and if you took the time to look it was able to notice it was able to rotate in place so that you could change the anvil that you wanted was facing the forge. Not far from each one of the forge's and work station was a power hammer , the forge size determine the size of the power hammer. Each one of the forges had the equivalent amount of stations per the amount of output that particular forge was able to do per blacksmith that was meant to serve.

Duncan knew right away that he would be not touching any of those forges beside adding coal, charcoal or changing the gas and cleaning one for at least a month or maybe more it all depended on what they thought of his work ethic and what knowledge he showed by what he knew , by how often that he added coal/charcoal or what set the temp at for the gas to the forge. Which tool that he handed them , if he made sure that their water was clean, and how early or if he change their oil at all. They do for the next month or so. He would do nothing but mostly a helper ,handing them stuff make sure stuff went back where it went cleaning up and doing all the little things that make it a lot easier for them to do their job. And if he did it right one would eventually decide to take him out to lunch for a beer or dinner after work and that would be a sign that you can start working so that they would give him a project not long after.

It's just the way blacksmith were they wanted to make sure that you do what you were doing that you paid attention to all of the small fine detail not if you could just grab something because that's what it started with but it was the love of the shop the metal smell it was knowing what you were doing how you did it and made sure that you respected the space of the blacksmith around you. If you're going to be a block especially in a shop like this one doesn't just make your old classic weapons he could tell by the way the stuff was set up as well as all the other metal machining equipment that was in the room on the other side. If you wanted to make something this was placed.

After the blacksmith gave him a soft who were mostly by walking around shop and letting him figure out what stuff is on the button didn't know he did need to be there. Then he walked in the room next door which was pretty much a full out classic metal shop it had pretty much everything that you needed. Specialty drills drill bits clamps, special bending machines and devices, a punch machine for chain mail, scale mail, several different specialty machine that you don't see very often.

[Forger (DELETED 3847)]

The blacksmith didn't say anything to him once he showed him the shop he gave him a soft nod and proceeded to go back to doing whatever it is that he had planned on doing that day. They left Duncan to figure out what it is that he should be doing for the rest of the day on his own.

Duncan had expected this and quickly began to learn the layout of the place. He started by sweeping around all of the machinery cleaning up any bits of metal putting things in its appropriate places and making sure that everything was tidied up and he didn't change anything he knew you put the room back in the strange place he found it.He knew there was a reason that was left there and you didn't change anything that was completely taboo.

For the rest of the day he really didn't do anything exciting all he did was make the charcoal for the forge, clean up around the shop make sure that he paid attention to the blacksmith and tried what they need and most of time before they went looking for it and handed it to then. The hardest part about that was trying to figure out each Smith and their style of smithing. Just because one blacksmith used a tool for this doesn't mean that every blacksmith does it always had to deal with their own unique style once they had gotten past the basics and begin to become more of a Master Smith they all had their own ways of doing things picking out certain tools of the for certain reasons, they all did not always use then same tool to do the same thing.

The hardest part was trying to see why they use the tool the way they did and then give them the right one they were looking for he was not always Johnny on the spot. Most of the time he gave them the one they needed but it was very interesting to see them give him a soft nod and try the tool or toss it if you gave them the wrong one. and they would insist on getting their own tools with rest of the day if you gave them more than to wrong one's. he did pretty good that day and to Smiths were the only ones that manage to refuse to take a tool from him out of the five that were working.

Being that they were all whole bunch of roughnecks they begin to play small pranks on him during the day just innocent normal fun ones at first. Some of them would have fun asking him for tools that weren't even in the shop seeing if he knew what they were or if he would go and try to find something that was impossible. They were quite surprised by him knowing what tools that they would most likely have and ones that were most likely fake names that they were just making up. None of the blacksmith really said anything to him then otherwise fetch me this fetch me that the entire day

When lunch time came he ate all by himself, at the table in the break room he quickly cleaned up his stuff and went back to to cleaning and getting the place ready for them before any of them finished their lunch. How hard that he worked and as long as he wasn't a kiss *** the guy that showed initiative and knew what it takes to be a very blacksmith by his knowledge of what it took to be a helper was what was going to win them over not what he could do. You have to earn your stripes and he knew that he was going to take a while to do so.


Most of the blacksmith packed up at the end of the shift, so that leaving their station a lot more messy than they normally would not really cleaning up after them selves. Duncan stayed behind a little that cleaning up everything as the blacksmith that had introduced himself to the group set there smoking a cigar and watched. When he was all done the blacksmith smiled and nodded as they made their way toward the door and he locked up.

The blacksmith said to him with a soft smile" I'll see you around tomorrow same time". They need quickly disappeared into the night making his way to his car and driving off into the darkness.

It didn't take too much longer until his favorite cabdriver grow up he got in the cab and made his way back toward his hotel room it had been a long day all he wanted was a quick drink some dinner and the call it a night.

[Forger (DELETED 3847)]

Duncans shift at the forge when exactly the same every day for almost 2 months.he had not even touch a weapon or worked on making one had been nothing more but a glorified shop helper in the sense. But Duncan knew this is how this works this is the way blacksmith were and this is how their world work if you didn't show that you wanted it and you had the knowledge then they were just going to see if you're going to quit if you had the real want to to learn you're going to wait until it was time to learn and show the knowledge that he already had.

It was a Friday night after work he still had made a single penny and had worked there for two months. As all of the guys were finishing up for the day one of this miss that was a lot more quiet than the rest made his way over to Duncan with a soft smile on his face." Hey kiddo, I'm Roger your come out with me and get a beer tonight since our shift is over we get out of this horribly hot place and go back to the freezing cold place outside. Go down and get some good food at one of the local bars and a beer to a beer to quench your thirst?"

Duncan had a soft smile on his face quickly nodded" let me finish up the last bit of my work and I'll head up with you to get a bite to eat. He finished up cleaning up the shop putting everything back before placing the room back in its appropriate place and making his way back towards the front where Roger was waiting on him. The normal blacksmith that stayed after had already left Roger nodded and waved to him and locked the door behind as they both stepped out into the freezing cold weather of hard rock city.

Roger was which you would almost envision in your head when someone said that man looks like a dwarf from Lord of the rings. He had long black hair that went down probably a good bit below his shoulders a really long beard that he had braided with long thick braids. He had piercing brown eyes underneath his face it was more of a rounded then a oval-shaped. He was a good size and probably wave somewhere between 220 maybe 230 and he was probably about 5'7. a bit of a chunky man but one can tell that if he was in a fight he would probably pound your face in it didn't seem like the type of guy that you wanted to mess with an up barroom brawl.he was pretty much dressed like a mountain man that had gotten a fight with a biker and stole a few of his close items to prove that he kicked his butt. It was this weird combination of biker and mountain man that gave him a bit of flair and you had a good idea of his personality just from the way he dressed.

Not saying a word Roger made his way over to his car gave Duncan a firm look as if saying why don't you get in the car. Duncan quickly got the hint got in about that time Roger pulled out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell and one could hear the tires squeal and the car almost moan as it slid into the street and darted along. Duncan had even got a chance to put his seatbelt on when they were hardly made several blocks.

Doug and I just managed to get his seatbelt on when Roger pulled into the parking lot and he had to go ahead and do the seatbelt. Roger quickly got out of the car slam the door shut and headed on his mission to the tavern to get some food and something to drink.