Chapter 353: The Armory and the Forge

The entire place was constantly moving. Workers carried materials in and out, their arms full. Blacksmiths hammered heated metal into shape, their bodies slick with sweat. The heat was intense, the air thick with smoke and the smell of burning metal.

The workers greeted Darion as soon as they saw him.

Darion stopped to watch one of the blacksmiths working. The smith was a broad-shouldered man with a thick beard and arms like tree trunks. He pulled a glowing piece of metal from the furnace, the heat radiating from it in waves.

Sparks exploded when his hammer struck it, the metal flattening and shaping under the blow. CLANG! The smith repeatedly shaped the metal before returning it to the heat, his movements practiced and efficient.

Sweat ran down his face, dripping onto the stone floor. He didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on the metal, his focus absolute. He knew exactly when the metal needed more heat, exactly where to strike, exactly how much force to apply.

Darion noticed the blacksmiths weren’t amateurs. Their movements were practiced and efficient. They knew their craft. They had spent years mastering it.

He realized Dross didn’t simply gather warriors. He invested heavily in the infrastructure necessary to equip them.

The warrior took Darion through the weapon storage areas. Darion examined several swords, running his fingers carefully along one blade. The metal was smooth and well-finished, the edge sharp and clean.

The balance was excellent, the weight perfectly distributed. He examined spears, their shafts straight and sturdy, their tips sharp and deadly. He examined shields, their surfaces reinforced, their straps secure. He picked up a piece of armor and was surprised by its quality. The metal was thick, the joints articulated, the craftsmanship excellent.

The warrior explained that Vrethka’s blacksmiths were among the best in the region. Some had spent decades mastering their craft, their skills honed through years of practice. Dross specifically sought out talented smiths and kept them under Vrethka’s control. He paid them well, provided them with materials, and gave them the resources they needed to work. But he also demanded results.

Darion realized that the quality of the equipment explained why Vrethka’s warriors were so well-equipped when they attacked him. Their swords were sharp, their armor was strong, their shields were sturdy. They had been armed with the best weapons Vrethka could produce.

"How did Dross maintain such a high level of production?" Darion asked.

The warrior’s expression changed. He hesitated before speaking, his voice low. "Dross was extremely demanding. The blacksmiths were expected to work whenever the military needed equipment. During preparations for war, some were forced to work day and night. Weapons had to be produced in huge quantities. Damaged armor had to be repaired immediately. Horses needed equipment. New warriors constantly needed weapons."

He paused, his eyes fixed on the blacksmiths. "Dross didn’t care much about how exhausted the smiths became as long as the armory kept producing."

Darion looked toward the blacksmiths again. He saw the sweat on their faces, the weariness in their eyes, the calluses on their hands. He saw the way they moved, mechanical and precise, their bodies pushed to the limit. He realized that much of Vrethka’s military strength came at the expense of the people producing it.

The warrior took him deeper into the armory. Darion discovered that Vrethka still had enormous reserves of equipment despite the recent battle. Racks contained spare swords, their blades gleaming.

Spears were stacked in bundles, their tips pointing upward. Shields were stored in rows, their surfaces polished. Armor was piled and organized according to size and type, the metal plates stacked neatly. There were damaged weapons waiting to be repaired, their blades chipped, their handles broken.

Darion realized that even after losing hundreds of warriors, Vrethka hadn’t exhausted its military supplies. The reserves were deep, built up over years of production. He thought about the advantage of having enough equipment ready before soldiers even needed it. If he gained more warriors later, he wouldn’t necessarily have to start from nothing.

He asked what happened when the existing weapons ran out. The warrior led him toward another section. Darion found large piles of raw iron and other materials waiting to be processed. Some were stored inside covered structures, protected from the elements. Others were stacked beneath protective shelters, their surfaces dark with age. There was enough raw material to keep the forges operating for a long time.

Darion realized Vrethka wasn’t merely storing finished weapons. It had the resources to continue producing them. That caught his attention more than the finished weapons themselves. Finished weapons eventually ran out. A steady supply of raw material meant the armory could keep replacing them.

Darion immediately thought about the blacksmith back in Percvale. He remembered the smaller-scale operation there: the single forge, the limited tools, the modest output. Percvale had skilled workers, but it didn’t have anything remotely comparable to Vrethka’s industrial-scale forge system.

He started thinking about what could happen if the two operations were connected. Vrethka had raw materials, experienced blacksmiths, large furnaces, existing weapon designs, and huge production capacity. Percvale had its own smith and developing infrastructure.

Instead of having each territory operate independently, Darion could eventually have them complement each other. Vrethka could become an important military-production center. Percvale could develop its own production while benefiting from Vrethka’s resources.

He realized that conquering territory wasn’t just about increasing the amount of land he controlled. Each territory could specialize in something.

Darion looked across the armory again. He realized that Vrethka’s military strength wasn’t only the warriors he fought. It was everything behind those warriors. The livestock fed them. The treasury financed them. The blacksmiths armed them. The raw materials kept the weapons coming. The entire settlement had been structured around maintaining an army.

He started wondering how much stronger his own territories could become if he combined all of these systems rather than letting each territory develop separately.

Darion picked up one of the high-quality Vrethkan swords and examined the blade under the forge’s orange light. The metal was flawless, the edge razor-sharp, the balance perfect. He looked toward the massive piles of raw iron.

’If Vrethka can produce weapons like this...’

His thoughts immediately returned to Percvale.

’...then I wonder what my blacksmith could do with resources like these.’