Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Sparks and Steel Soon enough, Rhian made his choice. The dwarf grinned ear to ear, his short, thick arms folding with smug satisfaction. "Heh. Knew you had some brain left under those scales." He turned to the taller man and jabbed a finger toward his chest. "Suck on that, pretty-boy. Maybe next time try selling blades, not bedtime stories." The taller man scoffed but didn’t argue. He gave Rhian a polite shrug and muttered, "Good luck with the troll," before turning and walking off. "Run along, you chinless fop!" the dwarf bellowed, waving him off like shooing a stray dog. "Come on," he grunted to Rhian and Nia, already turning and stomping toward his forge. "Let’s make a real weapon. Not some overpriced wall decoration." Rhian followed, Nia walking beside him, smirking. "You sure about this?" she asked under her breath. Rhian nodded. "He might be a bit much, but I trust someone that mad to make something great." Nia snorted. "Yeah, or blow us all up." "Can’t wait," Rhian replied. They stepped onto the platform and entered what looked from the outside like a regular house, wooden walls, a metal roof, and a simple chimney. But the moment they crossed the threshold, the heat hit Rhian like a wall. The air was hot, dry, and heavy with the scent of scorched metal. He was already starting to sweat. The first room was wide with a long, burn-marked counter stretched across the middle. Tools and weapons hung neatly on the walls behind it, swords, gauntlets, and armor pieces, some polished and others clearly in-progress. "We got everything here," the dwarf said, stomping ahead. "Armor, weapons, enhancements, hell, if it can kill or protect, I’ve either made it or beat someone who did." He stepped behind the counter and leaned forward, his thick fingers tapping the surface with pride. "My family’s got blueprints older than this city. Real stuff, passed down before the world went to shit. And me?" He smirked. "I’ve forged plenty of my own." He looked at Rhian and Nia both, eyes gleaming under his bushy brows. "So. What are you two looking for? Something light? Heavy? Or do you just want to look dangerous?" Rhian crossed his arms, thinking carefully. "Two blades," he began. "But not separate. I want them to work individually, normal short swords, but also be able to lock together at the hilts and form a double-ended weapon." The dwarf blinked. Then his face twisted into something between a sneer and disbelief. "You’ve got a wild imagination, I’ll give you that." He leaned over the counter, jabbing a thick finger toward Rhian. "But that’s a shit weapon." Nia snorted. The dwarf didn’t stop. "You want balance with that? You want speed? And connection locks? Boy, you just described the biggest pain in the ass any forgemaster could hate. You want two blades or a polearm, not both." Rhian raised an eyebrow. "I want both." The dwarf stared at him. Then let out a long, gravelly sigh. "Of course you do." He turned, muttering under his breath, "Damn kids, no respect for proper steel, gotta go and make Transformers outta everything..." The dwarf stopped fiddling with a sketchpad and looked back up, rubbing his chin. "How about twenty thousand merit points?" Rhian froze. "Twenty what?" The number slammed into his brain like a punch. He had expected something pricey, but that was nearly four times what he had. He turned to Nia, subtly nodding. The look said do your thing. Nia stepped forward confidently, arms crossed. "Twenty thousand’s kind of low, isn’t it?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 Rhian blinked. The dwarf leaned in. "Low?" "I mean," she continued, "you said it’s complicated. Rare blueprint, dual function, all that stuff. Sounds like it should be... I don’t know, twenty-five?" Rhian’s mouth opened, no sound coming out. He turned his head so fast it nearly cracked. The dwarf’s eyes lit up. "Finally! Someone who gets it!" Nia looked pleased with herself. "See? Told you I’m good at this." Rhian stared at her like she had just kicked his only bag of gold off a cliff. "You just... negotiated up?" She blinked. "What? I thought I was hyping it so he’d be impressed." The dwarf grinned wide. "Lady, you should come around more often." Rhian looked between them, mentally preparing to live broke for the next three semesters. Rhian shut his mouth and took a deep breath, holding up a hand to Nia before she could say another word. "Okay. Thank you, Nia," he said slowly, his voice calm but clearly strained. "I’ll handle this." She blinked at him. "I was just—" "I know what you were doing," he muttered through a tight smile. Then he turned to the dwarf. "Listen, twenty thousand is... a lot. I’m not saying it’s not worth it, but I’m still a student. There’s no way I can pull that kind of number any time soon." The dwarf leaned on the counter, arms folded, unimpressed. "So?" "So," Rhian continued, trying to stay diplomatic, "how about something simpler for now? We keep the base design, twin blades, connection system, but maybe without the reinforcement runes or adaptive metal layering. That should cut down cost, right?" The dwarf scoffed. "So what, you want a cake without eggs, flour, or sugar? You’ll be left with disappointment and regret." Rhian narrowed his eyes. "I’m saying a temporary version. Basic metals, fixed form, nothing fancy. Just something I can get used to before I gather enough points for the real deal." The dwarf scratched his beard, glaring at him like he’d just asked to pay in bottle caps. "Fifteen thousand." Rhian frowned. "That’s not a simplification. That’s just a smaller insult." The dwarf shrugged. "I’m giving you a discount because I like your face." Rhian sighed. "Come on, man. You said you liked the idea. Don’t punish me for being broke." The dwarf squinted, sizing him up. "Ten thousand. Final offer. And you clean my workshop for two weeks." Rhian looked at Nia, who smiled like she’d done her part. He shook his head. "Deal."