“You want armour for the boy, Sir Knight?” Grukk asked as he fidgeted with a spade he’d been working on as William and Fredric entered his forge.

  Will nodded. “Something that will keep the boy alive, but won’t slow him down too much. Leather, I guess.” He knew a little about the different types of armour, but he’d leave it up to an expert.

  The half-orc took a discerning look at Fredric. “I have a few leather armour sets in the back that should fit him, Sir Knight.” Will nodded, and the big blacksmith headed towards the back.

  “What other weapons have you trained with?” William asked his squire.

  “Just the sword, my lord… and a few months with a spear, but I prefer the sword.” Fredric gripped the pommel of his cheap-looking sword.

  William nodded. “We should see if Master Grukk has a better sword. And maybe a dagger for each of us as well.” He carried a dagger at his side for backup, but it had been removed, like most of his in-game belongings. Other weapons wouldn’t be a bad idea as well. His spatial storage normally carried multiple sets of armour and weapons for different raiding scenarios.

  As Fredric tried on the leather armour Grukk had returned with, Will couldn’t help but notice the half-orc eyeing the sword strapped to his back. As the minutes passed and the boy tried on the second set of armour, he unsheathed his sword and handed it to the smith.

  At first, the huge half-orc pulled his hands back like he’d be burned if he touched the blade, but then his curiosity won out. William couldn’t help but chuckle as the smith examined the weapon, as if he’d just opened his favourite present on Christmas morning.

  “This is exceptional workmanship, Sir Knight.” Master Grukk ran a discerning eye down the intricate rune enchantments. The smith stopped for a moment. “May I show the blade to my… erm, colleague, Sir Knight?” He gave a half-bow.

  William didn’t see any harm. “Sure.” He looked around for the ‘colleague’, but there was no one else in the forge. Fredric was now trying on the final set of armour and was smiling.

  “Nobby!” Grukk roared, making the forge shake. “Come and see this. Quick.”

  Will almost jumped out of his skin at the booming shout.

  “Ow,” Fredric complained as he rubbed his backside. He’d fallen on his butt as he was putting a leg into a pair of leather trousers.

  “What is it now?” Replied a nasally voice from the back. “I’m busy, you big oaf.” A few moments later, a three-foot-high gnome wearing goggles and a leather apron exited from the backroom.

  “Come see this.” Grukk pointed to the golden sword on the workbench.

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  The moment Nobby the gnome spotted the sword, his demeanour switched to excited. Rushing past Will like he wasn’t even there, he jumped onto a stool and then onto the workbench. He ran his fingers along the runes. “This… this is a work of beauty.” He smiled. “Look at the rune work, Grukk.”

  The blacksmith grunted and leaned in. “See the self-repair rune here?” Nobby ran his finger across a section of runes. “And how it links into the durability rune?”

  William listened with interest. Self-repair and durability runes. Echoed in his mind. He’d not seen the former but was aware of the latter; he’d added some to all his weapons and armour.

  Nobby looked to Grukk. “Yes. Yes. Such innovation. Where did you find it? I have to meet the runesmith who did this work.” He looked around and noticed William and Fredric, who were both watching the gnome in disbelief. He looked back to Grukk for answers.

  “This is the… Sir Knight.” Grukk bowed towards Will. “The weapon is his.”

  Showing no concern for his safety at breaking etiquette when addressing a ‘knight’, Nobby, moved to the edge of the workbench and looked Will in the eyes. “You have to tell me the name of the runesmith. I have to meet them.” The middle-aged gnome’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  He’s so funny, William thought while stifling a chuckle. Patting the small gnome on the shoulder, he said, “I’m afraid I don’t know who enchanted the weapon.” He smirked while pointing to the ceiling. “When I fell from the heavens, it just magically appeared with me. You know how it is with us fallen gods?”

  Nobby frowned and looked to the half-orc. “Grukk? Is he a simpleton, or was he dropped on his head at birth?”

  Grukk’s eyes widened in horror. “I’m sorry, Sir Knight.” He bowed so low he almost smacked his head on the bench. “He-he’s a… Master Runesmith, and means no harm.”

  William broke into uncontrolled laughter. “Simpleton.” He patted the gnome on the shoulder again. “Ah… you’re funny.” He’d always enjoyed the comedic gnomes in the game. For reasons only the game developers understood, all the gnomes had funny personalities.

  The big half-orc lifted from his bow. “You’re not mad, Sir Knight?”

  Will shook his head. “Of course not, I have great respect for the work of runesmiths.” He smiled. And if I play my cards right, maybe I can unlock one of my professions. He added. “What about the runes on my armour?”

  Nobby looked over William’s armour. “Already examined and repaired them. High-quality passive durability runes, but nothing innovative about them.” He turned back to the sword.

  The cheek. I’m… or was a top-level runesmith before this damn update. William had spent many hours inscribing the runes on his armour, and they were the best available. He looked towards Fredric, who had chosen an outfit. I’m such an idiot. Maybe I am a simpleton. With a smile, he pulled out the talisman and dangled it in front of the gnome runesmith. “What do you make of this, Master Nobby?”

  Nobby snatched the bone talisman and examined it. “Hmm. It’s a low-quality mind control rune. Inefficient work; it’s an eyesore and should be destroyed.” Ignoring the others, he dropped the talisman on the bench and went back to examining the sword. “This is such a work of beauty; I will need to study the design for a few weeks… then perhaps I can replicate it in my own work,” he mumbled. He adjusted his goggles. “Oh, my… this is…” He trailed off into his own world of runes.

  William chuckled again. This was what he expected from a gnome; the familiar encounter put a smile on his face. “How much for the armour, Master Grukk?”

  After another quarter of an hour of haggling and checking out weapons, Fredric owned a full set of leather armour designed for a fast-footed fighter on a budget. He also sported a new sword and dagger. Will also purchased several weapons, a shield, and a backup dagger for himself.

  Chapter 016 [Game Notification: Stat Unlocked]