“Are you alright?” James asked.
“Do I look like I’m alright?” The injured boy replied, putting on a tough front but clearly on the verge of tears. He looked like he was going to say more, opening his mouth, but then he paused and closed his mouth again, pursing his lips. He looked...
2025-02-10 19:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostIt was just after breakfast when this all happened, so after the tools were handed out James and the rest of the slaves entered the mines for a full day of work. James was pacing himself, as normal, so as not to outpace everyone else, when he looked over and noticed the new boy was swinging the p...
2025-02-08 02:24:56 +0000 UTC View PostAfter lunch, James rejoined the other slave boys to work in the mines, but before they got back to work Coin had them line up and handed each of them a shovel to go with the pick-axe they had been given in the morning. At some point handles had been affixed to the shovel heads. Coin glared at Jam...
2025-02-05 20:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostBy the next morning his new hammers had finished cooling. After clearing out rubble with the rest of the boys, mainly from the tunnel expansion he had been working on yesterday, he prepared his forge and got to work on producing all the pick-axes that were due, eleven more in all. Eventually he s...
2025-02-04 05:34:55 +0000 UTC View PostWith that, dinner proceeded as usual after handing in their tools. Brian sat as far as he could away from James, but James didn’t exactly want to be close to Brian either. After dinner, James returned to the smelter, working through more of the backlog. By the end of the night, his ingots from ...
2025-01-31 19:22:23 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the usual lunch of thin soup and stale bread, James joined the rest of the slaves in the mine. He was worried about the boy he’d punched earlier, but that boy kept his head down and avoiding James’ gaze, swiftly if unsteadily made his way deeper into the mine, working to expand the tunn...
2025-01-31 19:17:29 +0000 UTC View PostWith a dull crack, the poor boy fell like a sack of potatoes. He lay there unmoving on the recently cleared dirt floor of the tunnel. The grey-eyed boy swiftly crouched down, confirmed he was still breathing, then stood up and spoke to the rest of the slaves, now all gawking at the spectacle.
... 2025-01-31 19:13:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe Merchant whistled. “Phew, Smith. You gotta lotta work piled up, doncha? Heheheh.”
The other slaver, the one who wielded a spear and usually just watched the slaves and the surrounding forest silently, remained typically silent. His eyes roved over the pile of iron ore, th...
2025-01-31 19:06:43 +0000 UTC View Post“Hey.” the other boy said softly. “How do you think this ends, for us?”
James’ eyes widened. Would they just all die, eventually? Despite their best efforts? Even if they behaved?
“It’s been months since we got any new slaves, and last time we only got you, all by your l...
2025-01-31 19:01:56 +0000 UTC View Post“Smith.” he whispered. James sat up hurriedly from his pile of old leaves. There were, of course, no blankets in the lean-to. The slaves would periodically gather fresh leaves for themselves from the forest near the camp, under the watchful eye of the hunter overseer. All the slaves were deep...
2025-01-31 18:52:49 +0000 UTC View PostThe next day James woke with the other slaves and headed into the mine. He was stopped by the grey-eyed boy. “You’re not supposed to mine for five days.” he said.
“I need iron to make a forge. They told me to mine it myself.” James replied. The other boy frowned.
“That’s...
2025-01-31 18:47:32 +0000 UTC View PostThe next morning, the slaves woke up as normal, James included. However, as James headed towards the smelter, he felt a hand grip his shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going.” the older boy with the grey eyes challenged him.
“I was told to make a new smelter.” James replied. 2025-01-31 18:38:14 +0000 UTC View Post
After this painful and traumatic experience, James lost his courage. For the next few months James settled in to life as a slave. At first he was put to work in a mine dug into the side of the mountain with the other slaves. At the crack of dawn they’d awaken in the lean-to on the side of the m...
2025-01-31 18:29:18 +0000 UTC View PostA month later, James was brought to a camp on the side of a mountain deep into no-man’s-land between two kingdoms. He was wearing the filthy, tattered remains of the clothes he’d been wearing when he was captured by a bandit. The first time he tried to run away, the bandit had beaten him blac...
2025-01-31 18:19:03 +0000 UTC View PostBasic Fire Enchantment: Heated Blade memorized.
James twitched. What was that? He looked at the top sheet of paper and saw that it indeed was the basic fire enchantment for weapons. He flipped the paper over-
Basic Fire Enchantment: Fire ...
2025-01-31 18:16:22 +0000 UTC View PostThey didn’t take it well.
James’ mother was inconsolable. She wailed louder than James had ever heard in his entire life before she ran out of the kitchen and back to his parents’ bedroom. James flinched at the sound of the door slamming.
James’ father wa...
2025-01-31 18:13:38 +0000 UTC View PostClass System unlocked. 0/2 Classes chosen. Please select a Class.
James’ eyes flew open. He sat up in bed and looked out the window. It was that moment where the stars of the night started to fade as dawn approached. The day of his birthday.
“D-did the enchantment work?”
“Yes, it did, but…”
“But what? What did you mean by ‘ten percent’?”
“Ehh, it’s technical, but it’s the trouble with Enchanting. The sword’s Enchanted, sure, and it’s about average compared to other Enchanted swords, but t...
2025-01-31 18:11:26 +0000 UTC View PostMeridox led James around the left wing of the manor, revealing several smaller buildings. Then they entered one that wasn’t the largest, but also wasn’t the smallest. Inside was a single large room with work tables lining the walls, broad windows to let in as much light as possible, and there...
2025-01-31 18:09:39 +0000 UTC View PostJames, having heard the wisdom of his parents, ate his dinner with his younger sister and his parents.
“Oh, that’s right.” His father said. “You’ve been invited to the Lord’s manor to see if you have aptitude for any Classes he needs for the barony. I’ll take you there the day...
2025-01-31 18:07:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe smith laughed. “What, did ye think ye were keeping it a secret? Ye’ve been down here days and days lad, most young’ns get fed up with the heat and noise in under an hour, of course ye want to be a smith.”
“Do you think I can? Become a smith?”
“’Course ye can, why w...
2025-01-31 18:04:36 +0000 UTC View PostEditor’s Note:
Andrew of Longthorn, better known as Andrew the Chronicler, had a brother who made the mistake of not taking a combat class. The brother, whose name has been lost to time, is known to have left behind three children and a widow, whom Andrew the Chronicler provided for until...
2025-01-30 05:41:55 +0000 UTC View PostWelcome! This is the place to read ahead for the serialized novel "The Legend of the Meta-Defying Smith who Saved the Kingdom", and possibly in the future other titles as well! Thank you so much for stopping by!
The story is also hosted on Royal Road: