“We’re in a dungeon!” I protested as Garnet continued to walk.
“What about it? She asked.
“You can’t continue to live here!”
“Why not?” She asked, seemingly curious.
“Wh-why not?” I shook my head, completely floored that she’d even ask that question. “Because it isn’t real?”
“Do you think it isn’t real? Then is the treasure it produces not real? Are the people here not real? Hey, are you real?” She looked at a portly male walking by.
“Huh? What are you saying? Crazy Dwarf.” The male snorted and then quickened his step.
“Garnet, this place is filled with miasma. Over time, it will start to affect you, change who you are. This dungeon will turn you into part of itself.” I tried a different approach to convince her.
“It doesn’t bother me so much…”
She turned, entering an open hut. The feel of heat emanating from it immediately told me that this place was a forge. A man in a thick apron and the sounds of hammering only confirmed it. I stopped at the entrance, watching as Garnet casually tossed on her apron.
“You’re back again, little miss?” The Blacksmith said. “You work almost as hard as I do, I feel bad I’m not paying you.”
“You’re letting me use your items and supplies?” Garnet responded, “That’s enough for me.”
“Garnet…” I protested.
“Out there, I was a slave, or I was ignored. In here, there is a war and need for Blacksmiths. Old man Smith here has orders backed up for months. I can keep working in peace without the risk of being arrested or enslaved. A slave mark is meaningless when your Master exists in another world.” Garnet shrugged.
“Is this guy bothering you?” The Blacksmith asked, making sure to glare at me and show the girth of his arms, which were almost wider than my waist.
“It’s okay, he’s an old friend,” Garnet responded. “You are a friend, right?”
That question seemed to have more meaning than that. It seemed to imply that a true friend wouldn’t press her or make her leave.
“I’ll be trying to defeat this dungeon. If I complete the terms, I’m not sure what happens when this place is destroyed. Normally, you’d just be expelled, but since this place is in a bubble not connected with our world, you may end up… somewhere else.”
I was going to say that she might end up dead, but I didn’t know what happened if you fell between worlds. Despite having once traveled across dimensions, I knew nothing about them.
“If that happens, it happens.” Garnet shrugged. “Besides, I have a once in a lifetime opportunity. In two weeks, there will be a shipment of Silvthril.”
I blinked. “What’s Silvthril?”
“it’s a magical metal like Mithril, but this one is imbued with divine strength. If Orichalcum is a metal created by dungeons, having properties of darkness and miasma, then Silvthril is the exact opposite.”
“He’s a Magic Blacksmith?” I asked in surprise.
“He is! Isn’t that lucky?” Garnet grinned. “When Master shoved me in here, I had no clue where I’d end up. However, I was found by the blacksmith here, and he’s been helping me learn magic blacksmithing. I’m already a level four Magic Blacksmith. It took a few years, but I figured it out!
“I thought you were twenty-two years old! Wait, you’ve been in here a few years?”
I felt stupid as soon as I said that. One day equaled one month, and she was in here before I was. No wonder she didn’t want to leave this place. She had already been here for around 30 months, or over two years. Me telling her this place would be gone in two months probably didn’t seem real.
“Why, Deek, I am twenty-two!” She responded, grinning as she picked up the hammer. Just because time moves differently in here doesn’t mean you age faster. Interestingly, it would have taken me years to be a Magic Blacksmith, but now I’ve achieved it in less than a month. Imagine how far I can go if I stay here? So, I hope you understand why I need to stay?”
“Yeah, it’s funny how things work out.”
I ended the conversation with her and walked away, but I had a frown on my face. The Demon Lord didn’t do anything on accident. What if Garnet was dropped in this world exactly to become a Magic Blacksmith? Just what was that guy planning?