( Amanda's POV, The Old Granny's Smithy )
Amanda wiped the sweat from her brow as she stood before the roaring forge, its intense heat wrapping around her like a super warm blanket.
Her hands moved with practiced precision, hammer striking anvil in a rhythmic dance that sent sparks flying into the dimly lit workshop.
She seemed to be pounding a mass of molten metal, some alloy or iron since the room smelled distinctly like iron and coal while she worked.
In the corner of the room, a frail figure sat hunched over, coughing weakly into a handkerchief.
The old granny, Amanda's mentor and a former master forger, watched with tired but sharp eyes as she assessed Amanda's movements.
Her skin was pale and wrinkled, each breath a laborious effort, yet her gaze never wavered from her protégé.
'I can do this…. This time I won't make a single mistake. I'm going to craft my first [ Epic ] rated armor today, ' Amanda thought, as she increased the pressure of her hammer strikes very slightly to ensure that no micro-bubbles ruined the integrity of her armor.
While she did this, Amanda's thoughts drifted back to the beginning of her journey when she first tried to form a breastplate under the guidance of her master.
Ten months ago, she had barely known how to hold a hammer, her strikes clumsy and uneven. Her first attempts at forging had been disastrous—metal too brittle, joints too weak. But with each mistake came a lesson, and under the stern guidance of her master, Amanda had grown. She had learned the delicate balance of heat and force and the subtle art of shaping metal to her will.
Now, as she worked on a piece of high-grade armor, Amanda could feel the difference. Her movements were fluid and each strike she made looked purposeful.
No longer was she clueless about where to strike and with how much force, as she had managed to learn the language of forging where she could see the mistake in her products before they became irreversible, as she learnt how to correct them while the metal was still hot and malleable, so that the final product turned out flawless.
*Ching*
*Ching*
*Ching*
Overtime as the metal she was molding cooled down, the image of a gleaming breastplate, shining under the firelight emerged, with its surface looking smooth and unmarred.
*FSHHHHHHHHH*
A hissing sound could be heard as she quenched the hot metal in a barrel of water, the steam rising in a ghostly cloud as it evaporated from the metals lingering heat.
"Oh, not bad…" Amanda said, as she pulled the completely cool breastplate out of the water and examined her work with a critical eye.
"You've come a long way, girl. Your hands remember what your mind cannot." Her old master said in a weak and raspy voice, as Amanda felt happy to get her praise.
"Thank you, Master. I couldn't have done it without your guidance." Amanda said, smiling as she brought the piece of metal closer to her master for her to inspect.
Looking at the metal sheet, the old woman chuckled, a sound that soon turned into a fit of coughing, as while the sheet of metal Amanda crafted was good, to a master forger like her, the flaws in it were still evidently visible.
"Don't thank me yet. The armor's not done by just making the breastplate… complete the project first" The granny said, as she instructed Amanda to focus on completing the Armor first.
Nodding, Amanda returned to her work as she set the breastplate aside to cool and began working on the backplate and the joints with unwavering focus.
The hours passed, the forge's fire never dimming, until finally, all the parts of the armor were complete and only the final assembly process was left.
Amanda held the finished items in her hands, turning each piece over to inspect her work as to her amateur eyes, it seemed to be perfect and undoubtedly her best creation yet.
Combining the individual parts to form the final product, Amanda gave the final assembly process the utmost care as she did not wish to ruin the product at the final step.
[ System Notification - Congratulations player 'VainKitty' for forging a [ Epic ] ranked Armor.
You have gained +3 levels.
You have gained +10 Dexterity. ]
"AN EPIC RATED ARMOR! I FINALLY DID IT-" Amanda screamed in joy as she borderline broke down in tears at finally achieving this benchmark.
It took her 10 painfully long months of working 12 hours in the forge daily to achieve this level of mastery in her work and it had not been an easy journey at all.
As she inspected the finished piece, although it still lacked the final coat of paint, it still looked like a beautiful set of armor that could easily sell for upwards of 5,000 gold coins.
If she could top it off and make it a set, then the set could be worth as much as 25,000 gold coins, meaning that she could easily earn close to 50,000 gold coins every week if she consistently produced goods of this quality.
As she inspected her work with joy, the metal armor gleamed with a polished sheen and the joints holding the front and back plate together moved smoothly to give the wearer an airy wearing experience that would not restrict their movement.
Looking at the final product, Amanda's old master struggled to her feet, shuffling over to where Amanda stood.
She reached out with a trembling hand to touch the armor, her eyes shining with pride.
"You've done well, Amanda. Truly well. You're a blacksmith now, and a fine one at that." She said, as Amanda felt happy that the old granny remembered her name today, which was getting increasingly rare these days as her condition worsened due to old age.
"Here, I want you to have this…" The old granny said as she passed an imprint seal to Amanda.
—-----
[ Master Bella's Seal ] ( Legendary ) - The token of the GrandMaster Blacksmith Bella.
Stamping any finished product with this seal will immediately improve the finished product's quality by 10% and will fetch a market price of 50% over the normal.
—----
As Amanda read the description of the item, she felt goosebumps run down her spine as this was the first time she had ever seen a ( Legendary ) grade item in the game.
"Master? You're not just a master forger but a Grandmaster?" Amanda asked, as she felt stunned to read the items description which labeled her master as a Grandmaster.
"Grandmaster? Hahaha, I haven't been called that in over 40 years…" The granny said, nodding her head as her eyes seemed to regain some of its luster at being referred to by her correct title.
"Keep this token, young girl, it's my last gift for you…with how well you're forging you are more than worthy to start stamping your products with my seal…..
Be proud for it, because this seal is not something an average blacksmith can receive" Granny Bella said, as a tear slid down Amanda's eyes when she heard her words.
"Last gift? Are you kicking me out master?" Amanda asked, as she did not focus on the fact that she had received such an extraordinary gift from her master and instead focused on the word 'last'.
"Indeed, I've taught you all I could and you have become a professional forger today by crafting a perfect piece of armor.
The road from here to becoming a master forger is long and one of self discovery.
I can't teach you how to become a master forger, it's something that you must figure out for yourself by truly immersing yourself into the art of forging.
I believe you have the talent to become a master forger in less than three years if you keep forging diligently, however, unfortunately, you won't be spending those three years with me.
Pack your things girl and prepare to move out tomorrow morning, for this is the end of your apprenticeship with me" Granny Bella said, as she made her intentions clear regarding keeping Amanda around anymore.
"But Granny…. What about your health? Who will cook and clean for you with me not around?" Amanda protested as she did not wish to leave old Bella alone, especially with her condition being so bad as of late.
"I have called for a nanny to take care of me, she should arrive tomorrow afternoon which is why you must be gone by morning" Bella said, as she did not give Amanda any reason to linger around.
For a while, the master-disciple duo bickered amongst each other with Amanda being reluctant to go, however, Granny Bella did not budge at all and in the end Amanda was forced to relent.
********
Next morning, Amanda had hoped that Granny Bella would forget about their conversation yesterday due to her Alzheimer's, however, surprisingly she seemed to be sharp as ever as she forced Amanda out.
Although gutted, Amanda set out on her way and promised to be back and meet her regularly, however, little did she know that it was the last time that she saw Bella.
Bella knew that she was at the end of her natural life and had been only holding on for the sake of grooming Amanda.
Yesterday, as Amanda finally became a professional level forger, Bella finally decided that she could die with a peace of mind and almost as soon as she forced Amanda out, she met her natural end.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Amanda wasn't around to observe her demise.