Zargan stood outside the entrance to his shop as he turned to see that the griffon had followed him even after he had denied her the apprenticeship a few times now. This girl was very persistent in her pursuit of becoming a blacksmith apparently. The dwarf sighed before crossing his arms while looking up at her as he leaned against the entryway “Why do ya wanna become a blacksmith so bad, lass? Can’t ya get your father to teach ya?” he asked as it was a genuine question.

However, she responded without missing a beat “Well…due to an accident, he can't swing his hammer like he used to…he really messed up his shoulder that his hammering arm is connected to. And as you know, you can be a blacksmith if you can’t lift a hammer. And I have heard many good things about you, Master Zargan. I have a rather close friend here who is part of the guard who you made a battleaxe for. Her name is Crimson Fury. Big and muscular mare, though a rather adorable face that throws folks off.”.

Zargan simply nodded in response, seems that a warrior worth her salt had told this griffon about his work. “Tell me, Laelah. Is this for just your father’s sake? Or is blacksmithing something ya want to do for yourself as well? Dependin’ upon your answer, I may be sendin’ ya away. As smithin’ is something that must be done because ya want to do it. So be honest with me. I will be able to tell if ya are lyin’....” he said as he crossed his arms awaiting her response.

The griffon responded quickly once again “Yes, part of it is for my father’s sake. But I have always wanted to be a blacksmith ever since I watched my father toil away in his shop since I was little. He was a griffon who took pride in his work and made weapons, armor…whatever the customer wanted him to make so long as it was metalwork. And I have admired that about him since forever. So, please...I am begging you, Master Zargan. Please teach me how to be a proper blacksmith…please!” she said as she lowered her head when she bowed in front of him.

Zargan could tell right away she was showing her heart to him, not a single lie in what she had said to him whatsoever. Not only that, but the story itself pulled at his heartstrings enough for him to at least assess her and what she was capable of “Very well, but ya have to promise me that ya will do exactly what I say and when I say it. I can’t give ya the ability to become a dwarven level blacksmith, but I can certainly get ya damn near as good. Are ya ready for this?” he’d say as he motioned her to follow him inside as he opened the door.

Laelah let out a gasp of happiness as she bounced on her claws before nodding rapidly “Yes, master! Anything you say!” she said as she quickly followed behind him, the door shutting and locking once they were both inside. The walk down was quiet, but once the griffon laid eyes on his shop, her golden yellow eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she gasped when looking upon his wall of creations. From the armor to the weapons, the girl was astounded at what she was looking upon.

“These…these are all yours, Master? These are some top quality weapons and armor…! I know I made the right call in tracking you down! I can’t wait for you to teach me!” she said with enthusiasm. Zargan grabbed a pair of lightly used leather gloves before turning to her “Don’t get too excited yet, lass. I am about to ask ya to do somethin’ that might send ya runnin’ out of here.” he said as he motioned her to stand in the middle of the room before simply saying “Strip.” he said as he crossed his arms and waited. “Down to ya undies,” he said with a straight face.

The response he got from her was definitely not one he expected. She quickly moved to where he had pointed and began removing her clothes like it was something she didn’t care about “Oh, is that all? Sure thing, Master!” she said as she now stood there in nothing but a black bra and underwear. Zargan blinked a few times at her eagerness to strip but resumed what he was about to do nonetheless.

The dwarf circled around the griffon who wasn’t really ashamed of showing off what she had, which worked for the dwarf as he assessed exactly what she’d need to work on. He’d run his hands up and down her back, shoulders, hips, and thighs before reaching up to her arms. He was doing this with a completely serious look on his face, and the way he was touching and grabbing at her, she could tell it wasn’t for a sexual reason. From what he could see and feel, this griffon was no stranger to hard labor as not only did she have the muscle, but she had the burns and rough hands of a blacksmith in the making.

Satisfied with what he had seen, he took off his gloves and walked over to his forge “Alright, lass. Ya can get dressed. Grab one of the aprons hangin’ on the hooks over here and let's see how well ya swing a hammer. You got the body for it, yes. But I need to see your form to know where ya are at.” he said as he walked over to the anvil and picked up one of his spare hammers. There was no way he was going to let someone inexperienced use his beloved dwarven smithing hammer, not that they’d be able to lift it in the first place.

“Alpha, are ya around, my dear?” he called out to the very first golem he had created. The fem construct came out from one of the back rooms as she noticed not just Zargan, but the griffon as well “I am here, Master~. How can I be of service?” she asked as she swayed her tail as she peeks from out of the room. “Ah, there ya are, sweetheart. Could ya please get me some iron ingots from the metal storage? Thank ya.” he said as he turned his attention back to Laelah.

“Alright, lass. From what I can see, this isn’t ya first time around a forge. But, if ya plan on learnin’ from me, pretend like ya don’t know a damn thing about smithin’. You are startin’ from scratch. That understood?” he asked as he pointed the handle end toward the griffon, waiting for her to take it in hand. Laelah didn’t understand his words at first, but she couldn’t question his methods as she had seen exactly what his craftsmanship was all about just a few moments ago. She simply nodded before responding with “Yes, Master. I am ready!”.

Over the next few hours, the griffon failed at making a basic dagger blade over and over as Zargan watched carefully without saying a word with his arms folded over his chest and a stern look in his eyes. One thing she’d learn quickly is that the dwarf didn’t sugarcoat his lessons. If she messed up, he would grab the piece of metal she was working on and toss it into the smelter to be broken down again for later use without a single word before slamming another ingot onto the anvil before stepping back and letting her take another go at it. He could easily tell her what she was doing wrong, but each time he stopped her, she was slowly figuring out her mistakes.

It got to the point where it was late in the evening. Zargan looked down at the rough, but decent dagger blade she had worked hard to make. After she had placed it into the cooling bucket, Zargan reached in with the tongs and pulled it out, looking over the work she had done “It's not perfect, but ya are on the right track. Just remember the movements ya improved on with each mistake ya made with the swing of your hammer this evening. Remember, ya gotta put your whole body into each swing, not just ya arm.” he said as he took the hammer from her and placed it next to the other spares.

While she hadn’t expected any kind of praise from him, that one little bit of it was enough to bring her spirits up. She nodded before letting out a long yawn and stretching her arms over her head and her wings as far out as she could. “Ya got a place to stay, lass?” he asked as he shut down the forge for the evening, a couple of the fem constructs tidying up the store as it gets ready to close down fully for the evening.

“Tes, Master. I am staying at my friend’s place. Her parents have been kind enough to put me up for my duration here. But, I can’t wait for my next lesson from you, Master. When do I come back?” she asked as she took off the smithing apron and hung it where she got it from earlier. “Same time we started today. Don’t be late. Ya here?” he responded before walking her up the stairs and out the front door. “I will be here even earlier than that, promise!” she said before grabbing both his hands “Thank you so much for taking time away from yourself to teach me, Master. You won’t target it, I promise!” she said before running off into the night.

Over the next six weeks, Laelah learned under Zargan’s tutelage while taking all of his lessons to heart. As he continued to work with her, he couldn’t help but admire her enthusiasm and desire to use her hands to create things. He noticed that she particularly preferred making armor more than anything else even though he was teaching her to be a well rounded smith that could do both armor and weapons. Once she had presented him with the last piece of a nearly full set of mythril armor she had been working on, he reached up and patted her on the head with one of his large meaty hands, offering the young woman a smile for the first time throughout the whole time she was learning from him “Alright, lass. I have taught ya as far as I can take ya. As I said, dwarven craftin’ is a whole other level. But with what ya have learned with me, Ya are pretty damn close.”.

The griffon returned the smile as she felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She couldn’t help but kneel down in front of Zargan and wrap her arms around him as best she could into a tight and warm hug. Before she found him, she wasn’t sure of her and her family’s future, but now, she had a fighting chance to survive, and be a daughter that her father could be proud of “Thank you soooo much, Master…really. You didn’t have to share this knowledge with me at all. And yet you took your own time away from yourself to teach this griffon without asking anything in return. I owe more than words can explain. Not just for my sake, but for my future family too. As I plan on passing this knowledge down to my own children as well. So again, thank you..a thousand times thank you..” she said as she chirped happily.

Zargan hesitantly wrapped his own arms around the young lady before gently patting her back “Ya are welcome, las. To be honest, I wasn’t gonna take you on as long as I did. But seein’ ya work so hard and not givim' up when the lessons got tougher…well it made me want to keep on teachin’ ya. Ya showed me that ya not only wanted to learn blacksmithin’ as a job to make money but because you enjoyed doin’ it. I have seen how ya move your body, how you smile while hammerin’ away, and the focus in your eyes. I..I am proud to call ya one of my students, Laulah. Just make one promise to me. Do not share my knowledge with those who simply seek profit. As I said, blacksmithin’ is a profession of passion and desire, not just a tool for makin’ money.”.

Laelah nodded a few times before reaching forward and taking one of the dwarf’s hands into her before squeezing firmly “You have my word, Master. Not even on pain of death will I give up your teachings to those who don’t deserve it.” she said before giving him the most sincere expression she had given him. The dwarf nodded before placing a hand atop her head and gently rubbing it “Atta girl. Now then, for these gauntlets, ya are makin’ for the final pieces of your armor set, I wish to make them a little bit more special as a partin’ gift for ya. Is there anything ya wish ya could have a leg up on? Speed, dexterity? That kind of stuff.” he asked as he waited for her answer.

Already knowing what she wanted she hoped side to side on her talons “Oh oh oh, strength, please! I want the same kind of strength that my Master showed me with his hands. The very hands that taught and guided me…” she said before turning around and getting to work on her gauntlets. Zargan couldn’t help but feel all warm inside at this. Never had someone seen him in such a light before, it made him feel rather nice for once. Like someone actually appreciated him.

Once the gauntlets had been completed, Zargan took each piece of the plated gauntlets and proceeded to carve a couple of runes into each side. With his magic flowing into the pieces at the same time. Laelah watched in great fascination as she had never seen her master do this before. Once that part of it was done, he reached over and took her hand before placing it on both gauntlets before channeling his own magic through her body. “What…what is this Master..?” she said as the magic flowing through her made her body feel all warm and tingly.

“This is what I have come to call ‘ soul bindin’ ‘, lass. After I get done with the enhancements, I shove a little bit more magic through ya into the items so that way it can only be used by ya. It feels like ya are carryin’ a ton of ingots if ya are the one bound to it. A little safety measure, ya know?” he said as he released her hand after the process was completed. “Now, only ya and I can lift these. I need to be able to lift them just in case ya need some maintenance done to them. But, so long as ya keep it clean and never let it rust, it’ll keep ya safe. Understood?”.

Laelah picked up the gauntlets and let out a slight gasp as she felt the magic flowing throw them like a low hum of electricity. It was a power that she had never known efore and she was in awe at his craftsmanship “Thank you again, Master…for everything. I promise I won’t ever let you down or let your god name be tarnished. You have given my family another chance. I will forever be in your debt.” she said before hugging him once more.

Later that day, Zargan was toiling away in his shop when there was a knock at his shop door. He blinked a few times before heading up the stairs as the knocks sounded more frantic now than before. He opens it up to see the large guardsmare who was the friend of Laelah who looked like she had been running a marathon to get her. He noticed the look of worry on her face as she gasped for air “Mr…Z-Zargan..!” she said between huffs. “It’s Laelah..>! She has been taken into..custody because..the…castle smithies said..she stole some armor..from them!” she said as she leaned against the doorway for support.

Zargan’s eyes widened for a moment before narrowing sharply as he slowly balled his fists, he let out a low growl of anger as his eyes began to glow and his own magic began to radiate heavily around his body “So then…they couldn’t get to me…so they decided to pull her into this…I will fuckin’ break their arms and legs for this…” he said he immediately went to seek out the gauntlets before anything. After all, where they might have dropped, might hold a clue as to what really happened. Either way, involving his student in their little squabble was something the dwarf wasn’t going to tolerate, no way in hell….

Author's Note

Hmmm, seems like the dwarf isn't all about being calculating and greedy after all. Seems that he has a soft spot for his beloved student.

May the darkness grant you peace.