Beast Slayer Online: Initialization
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 38
Lannor stroked his chin and nodded.
He had little experience with high-end smithies like this, but the process alone sounded sound enough.
The dwarf before him had stressed the words “chief apprentice,” and seemed quite proud of the title.
That, at the very least, suggested that this Master Tul Butcher truly knew his craft.
So Lannor simply lifted his set of school armor and set it down on the counter.
With a heavy clang, the entire wooden counter shuddered twice.
Fergus folded his arms and nodded with confidence.
“Oh, you’re looking for repairs. That sort of work I can handle myself. No need to trouble the master...”
But before he could finish, the blonde woman behind him cut him off.
“Don’t boast, Fergus. Open your eyes and look properly. This is Witcher armor.”
There was a note of delight in her voice, the sort reserved for rare curiosities, and it made Lannor glance at her again.
It had been a long time since anyone had recognized this as a Witcher’s school armor.
“An expert, then.”
The young man’s cat eyes moved between the two of them.
Both wore aprons, but there was a difference. Fergus wore the leather apron typical of a smith, meant to deflect sparks and heat.
The human woman named Yennefer wore only a cloth apron, the sort more suited to sweeping floors than forging steel.
The aprons alone marked their stations, apprentice and menial.
And yet...
“A menial scolding an apprentice over technical matters. Interesting...”
Among craftsmen, the hierarchy was decided by skill alone.
A human woman, a mere helper, more skilled than a dwarf apprentice?
That was almost too strange to believe.
Under Lannor’s subtle gaze, the “helper” moved with practiced ease, laying out each piece of the armor neatly across the counter.
“The puncture in the abdomen ... a halberd, was it? That went deep. And look at these links, I’d wager these rings aren’t made of ordinary steel.”
Like someone handling a priceless treasure, Yennefer leaned so close her face nearly brushed the armor.
Lannor folded his arms and let her inspect it, offering a small piece of information.
“Witcher armor is mixed with monster tissue. It behaves differently from ordinary steel.”
“No wonder. Blending monster material into steel, that’s a craft only a master can manage. You’ve come to the right place.”
Yennefer lifted her head and gave Lannor an embarrassed smile.
Then she turned to Fergus.
“Go fetch the master. This is beyond us.”
The dwarf shot her an annoyed look, but when she pointed at the overturned card table on the floor, he lowered his head and went upstairs.
Before long, Fergus came back down, followed by a bald male dwarf.
He was built like a block of iron, squat and immensely solid.
His beard was thick, dense, and neatly kept, though streaked with white.
He was far older than Fergus, easily over one hundred and thirty years.
The moment he came down, he went straight to the counter. Seeing the armor pieces arranged in order, he nodded with satisfaction.
“Well done, Fergus. I taught you to sort and handle armor parts properly, and you remembered. Good. Smarter than those dwarves in the Mahakam mines who only know how to swing a pick.”
While Fergus offered repeated flattery about his teaching, the old dwarf turned his attention to Lannor.
“Fine armor. Poorly maintained, though. Two hundred and twenty Orens. I’ll repair it, fit it to you, and throw in a full maintenance. What do you say.”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.