"No, no, no, no, NO!" The gruff voice of a scarred old man, that still possessed the vigour and strength of a man thirty years his junior, wrung through the smithy. "Is this supposed to be a sword or a metal bar? Did you even notice how unbalanced this damned, useless thing is? Or do you want me to kill you myself, before the military inspector has a chance to tomorrow?!"

"I-I'm sorry master..." The young man standing in front of him tried to ask for his forgiveness, but the old man was beyond the reach of words.

"Sorry? You're sorry?! You bastard! What does 'sorry' do me when I have such a useless apprentice like you?" The boy didn't reply to his master's harsh words, but just lowered his head, allowing the old man to vent his rage and rebuke as he wished.

The old man eventually stopped spitting his bile, and said with some more restraint "You've used so much good steel thinking it would make the blade more sturdy, but all you've achieved is making it heavier and bulkier, compromising it's agility and cutting ability for nothing. You also hammered it completely wrong. Look at this thing, you'd be lucky to not hurt your wrist swinging this damn club!" He the threw the wannabe sword back into his newest student's hands, before loudly ordering "Go and start over. And this time make sure you make it right, you useless bastard."

"Yes, master!" The novice boy quickly bowed to his master, before he ran back to his work station to reforge his work.

The old man nodded at the young one's dedication, appreciating his steadfast and diligent character, thinking to himself that he'd found himself a good seed, when he then noticed that his other four pupils were focusing on them instead of their duties.

"You bastards!" He hollered, as his fearsome face that was marred by a long, clearly old gash, that reached across his entire forehead, burned as red as the furnace's flame behind him. "Where do you think you're looking, huh? You all have two minutes to show me your creations, or I swear by the Forge God's sacred name, I will shove a burning branding iron up all your..." The old man's furious threats were suddenly stopped, when another light, jovial voice sounded out from behind him.

"Alright, how about you spare the young ones your voice for once Haddar. You're terrorizing the poor children." The voice belonged to a finely dressed older man, with a well groomed moustache and a slightly portly, but firm physique.

The old man named Haddad, didn't even need to turn to recognize the man who'd just entered his shop, as he replied "Tajed, you crafty old dog. You finally remembered to come visit me after all these months." He finished with a crooked smirk and a happy chuckle, as he enveloped him in a powerful hug, that nearly lifted the smaller man off his feet.

"Get off me you sweat soaked bear. You'll ruin my best clothes." Though he spoke such words, he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as well, while his own arms returned his old friend's embrace.

"Ruin your clothes? Hah! I'd be doing you a favour, getting rid of these stupid looking robes!" Haddar replied, an infuriatingly mocking grin plastered across his lips.

"Don't talk if you know nothing, you clueless oaf. These are among the finest wares in all of the empire!" Tajed snapped back, pretending to pretentiously flaunt his garments.

"Don't bother repeating the nonsense that swindler told you. Only you're dumb enough to fall for it." Haddar jabbed at him with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Or maybe I'm the only one here with functioning eyes, to realize the true value of these fineries." He shot back.

"Keep telling yourself that, you senile old bastard!" The aged swordsmith replied.

The two then continued their juvenile merrymaking, even briefly grappling with one another, like quarrelling children, before they burst out laughing as Tajed suddenly clapped his friend's shoulder, saying "Join me for a drink tonight. My treat."

"I would if I could, but the military inspector is coming tomorrow, and I still have a few more blades to finish before then." Haddar shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh!" He voiced in sudden realization. "So that's why you've captured more victims, I mean, recruited more apprentices!"

"You bastard." Haddar helplessly said, shaking his head as he lightly pushed him away, causing the two to laugh out loud again.

"You must be pretty swamped if you're even refusing to make me bleed my money." He teasingly said, before he then asked in genuine concern "How far behind schedule are you?"

"Not by as much as you think. I just need three more to finish the ordered fifty." He shrugged.

"Fifty! And that's just from your smithy?!" Tajed exclaimed, before he pretended to say with a deeply pondering look "The emperor seems to want to make you smiths rich men no matter what. Maybe I should join your students here and start learning the craft of smithing as well; then I will be able to swim in Darr in just a few days."

"A dandy man like you? Hmph! The hammer would most likely end up swinging you, instead of you swinging it." Haddar mocked, before he replied with a knowing light in his eyes "And don't think you can try to pull the wool over my eyes, you greedy gouger. You think I don't know that ever since the civil war nearly three years ago, how you merchants have profited from all the new trade policies the emperor's enacted." He then snorted "If you want to accuse someone the emperor wants to enrich it should be nonother than you piggish crooks."

Tajed burst out laughing again "True, true. The emperor has been very good to us."

Haddar then scoffed at him, before he asked "When do you plan to leave this time?"

"As soon as I manage to sell all my wares and restock them, so maybe in a week or two." He answered.

"That fast! You used to stay in the capitol a month at least." Haddar commented, with widened eyes.

"What can I say, old friend." He shrugged. "The empire's commerce is booming, and untold riches are calling my name, so how can I not answer. I can barely keep up nowadays." He finished with a tired smile and weary head shake.

"Oh, poor you. It must be such a bother to count all your Darr, and to miserably carry your bulging purse around all day, isn't it?" Haddar teased him in a mocking tone.

"Jealousy is unbecoming of you old friend." Tajed struck back with a righteous air about him, one that shattered instantly as they shared another hearty laugh.

"But Tajed... I'm happy you're doing so well, but are you keeping up with your taxes you old miser?" Haddar worriedly asked with a grave tone, fearing his friend becoming blinded by greed like many before him, and committing a crime whose penalty was worth more than any amount of gold could ever equal.

"Of course!" Tajed yelled out, as if he was terrified of the mere insinuation of his words, as he continued "I'm not sure if you're aware, but I like my head's current position very much."

"That's good to know." The scarred smith happily nodded, relief washing over him.

"By the way, I heard your second son is going to join the army, is this true?" Tajed then asked.

"Where did you hear about that?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I ran into your wife in the market on my way, and you know how she is." Tajed cheekily explained.

"So she told you everything, did she?" Haddar rhetorically asked, already knowing that his wife always treated this friend of his like family, and she had most certainly told him of the source of her newest difficulties to him.

"She did." And Tajed did not deny it, as he said with a small smile.

"I swear, sometimes I can't tell who's worse, that son of mine, who's more hard headed than me, or his mother, who tattles on her husband to his friend." He sighed, as he messaged the space between his eyes.

Tajed laughed at his friend's words, saying "That's because she knows I'm the only who can talk some sense into you." Before he then seriously asked "But I'm curious, old friend. Why refuse your son's wishes so much that you end up fighting with him? It's a respectable career for a young lad, and well paying too. Besides isn't your first son going to inherit the smithy anyway? So why would you stand in his chosen path, when you previously used to harp on and on about standing by him no matter what he decided on, after he told you he didn't like smithing when he was young?"

Haddad sighed, before explaining "Yes that's true. All you said is true, but... the military isn't safe." His hand almost instinctually reached for the gruesome scar running across his face.

"My friend." Tajed stepped forward, putting a sympathizing hand on his shoulder, before saying "I know what you fear, but the empire has been at peace for nearly three years now. And all the wars our emperor has fought in so far were all defensive, with the enemy striking us first. You should take some comfort in that at least."

But Haddar simply shook his head at his friend's words, saying in a whisper now "You've heard the rumours too haven't you."

His words caused the veteran merchant to frown, as his friend continued "You are a man of the world Tajed. You must have heard even more than I did. The gossip of a hidden southern war, one our emperor started, the one that started the economic boom ae are currently in."

"My friend. Those are just rumours." Tajed tried to argue, but Haddar again shook his head.

"You are a well known merchant. Have you still not learned that every rumour at least has a drop of truth to it."

"Not all rumours my friend." Tajed replied.

"Then answer me this. Why has our emperor increased the size of our army so much in the last few years?" Haddar then asked, and Tajed found himself tongue tied.

"See old friend, even you can't deny it." He said with hollow smirk. "War is coming and that stubborn son of mine doesn't know what he's getting into."

"If even if all of that is true, and I say even." Tajed stressed. "Our emperor has lead us to only victories ever since he took the throne, and every battle he's personally led were great victories that were mostly won by his personal army. So unless your son can enter that most elite of forces, I'd wager he'd be fine." He finished with a reassured smile, one that infected the old smith's lips too, as they remembered all the glory their nation has been bathed in.

"Besides you can rest assured that there won't be any wars this year at least, because it's time for the Banquet of Concordia." The old merchant reminded his friend, who was momentarily taken aback by the news that had completely slipped his mind.

And seeing that expression on his face, Tajed smiled and said "So even if what you say is true and the emperor wants to start a war, he won't be able to this year."