Not everyone was so lucky to get a css they loved, but Shara had. Her dad had been a [Bcksmith], and so had his dad, and his dad's dad too—basically as far back as anyone could remember. It had been a given she'd follow in their footsteps. And sure, it could be grueling work—backbreaking sometimes—and the fe could be insufferably hot in the summer, but it was fulfilling. The thrill of creating. In making somethiaking raw materials and shaping them into a purposeful creation. Something that might even save a person's life.

  Shara specialized in ons and armor. Delving equipment. There was no shame in more mundane sorts of bcksmithing, in horseshoes, nails, and farming implements; that had been her father's main source of ine. Most bcksmiths. But Shara's path was defihe more lucrative—and the rarer. She sidered herself blessed to have unlocked skills that had brought her here. To a fe in the heart of Aradon's crafting district, apprenticed under a much more demanding, but also more skilled, master.

  Like most people, she had imagined what it would be like to receive a different css, something that would lead her into the dungeon. But holy, beyoertaining the idea in daydreams, Shara didn't want anything to do with delving. With violen any capacity, holy. A g her might suggest otherwise: her stature, build, and her arms like tree trunks, ied from her father as much as they were earned on the anvil. People told her she had a serious demeanor too: that she was always frowning and intimidating people just by existing. She thought that was their imagination, but maybe there was some truth to it.

  Regardless, despite her size and stature, the only time a on belonged in her hands was when she was beating them into shape. Not only would she try almost anything before things came to violence, but she was dht awful at fighting, too. Even simple ons—even a hammer, which she used every day—took a surprising amount of skill to utilize in a deadly way. Her embarrassing, secretive attempts at wielding her owions had proven that.

  As much as Shara's new work in Aradon fasated her, in Master Lee's fe and the infinite variety of orders, the new tele ied her just as much. Delvers. The bae of society. All people were that, in some way or another, but delvers especially. At first, Shara had been awkward around them, intimidated by their status, especially the Teudents—who would, as a general rule, each grow to be pilrs of their respective houses and unities. Or find an early grave. That was the associated risk.

  Thankfully, she'd gottehe hero-awe rather fast. Especially after ooo many prings turheir nose up at her while putting in a ission. She generally liked the first-timer delvers who didn't belong to Te, or even students of the non-saned academies. Obviously, she didn't make nearly as muission on each piece, but beyond being easier to work with, the armor and ons she created did more to keep them safe. They needed solid gear far more thaeudents did, and so, it felt like her hard work went to better use.

  Not everyone from the Academy was insufferable, though. Point in case: a familiar face walking up to Shara's fe. She paused as the fsh of red hair caught her eye, bcksmith's hammer hesitating at the apex of its arc. She gnced in the woman's dire to firm that it was, ihat Teudent from st week. Or had it been two weeks ago? Time blurred under Master Lee's instru. Shara's life had gotten eously busy since her awakening. Not that she was pining; being here portunity she could only have dreamed of.

  What was her name? Natalia? Or Natalie? The sed one sounded right.

  Shara nodded iing, aowledging that she'd seeheuro her work. Hammer met metal with a loud g. She could hardly drop everything as soon as she approached; she had to finish up.

  A short time ter, Shara found a stopping point. She peeled off her gloves and walked over to see what the woman wanted. With luck, another ission. She doubted she was here just to chat, friendly as she'd been st time. Teudents had just as eously busy lives as Shara herself—probably even more so.

  "Good to see you again," Shara said in a friendly greeting. "How's the armor holding up? Doing you well?"

  "Oh," Natalie said. "Yeah. Uh. Actually found somethier, now, so most of it's on the Exge, but … great while it sted." She shrugged awkwardly.

  Shara stared briefly at the woman, but not because she was offended. Obviously, if Natalie found an upgrade, then she should s her armor out. Rather, Shara was shocked that she had found o hadn't been more than two weeks.

  Though maybe she shouldn't be surprised. Teudents were something else. Normal delvers might tackle the dungeon once or twice a month, and even that was terribly dangerous. Shara k was standard for Teudents to go several times a week, if not daily. And they would go much faster, and deeper, and also in smaller squads: the traditional five-stack, where less-experienced folk oftentimes went in teams of eight to ten, or even more, to take safety in numbers.

  Therefore, a piece of gear would st a normal delver months or years. But here Natalie was, having reworked most of her armor in just a week or two. Shara's head briefly hurt at just how lucrative that must be. She made great money as a craftsman-type css with a specialty in delving equipment, but ission fees couldn't hold up when pared to finding plete pieces of armor to sell on the Exge. Instant, huge profit, every single piece, with no material costs.

  Shara ughed, making it clear she wasn't bothered by how little time her painstakingly-created armor had sted. "Well, I'm gd you liked it while you had it." Someone else would cim the gear off the market, eventually. She briefly wondered in whose hands it would end up. If it would save anyone's life. "Here for something else, then?" That Natalie had e back was an ho endorsement: returning ers, much less a Teudent, meant she appreciated Shara's craftsmanship. Or, more accurately, her craftsmanship for the price. Shara was under no delusion she was the best [Bcksmith] in Aradon. But her was she the cheapest, so there was something to say about her talent in the fe.

  "Yeah," Natalie said. "It's actually, uh, something a bit nonstandard. And from scratch, again. I've got ore for you."

  "A on?" Shara guessed.

  "No."

  "Armor?"

  "Well—sort of. we talk?" She shifted awkwardly from one foot to ahen looked around. "Not out oreet? Somewhere private?"

  Shara blinked. Her fe—or, rather, Master Lee's training fe—was indeed exposed to the busy Aradon streets. It was how she attracted ers.

  "Sure," Shara said carefully. "Over this way."

  A ission that needed secrecy? Why? Shara's i was instantly piqued.