Forged Destiny [Book 3: Ch. 7]

"You must have seen your father work the forge. Do you know which material would make the best weapon?"

Materials, huh? I was relieved for the excuse she'd inadvertently given me, and I looked over the assorted metals, most in bar form. "I know a few things," I said. My hand hovered over them for a moment, but quickly moved to a silvery bar off to the left. "This is Vacuan Silver," I said. "It's probably the most expensive here, but it's definitely the best in terms of quality. After that, there's a few different types of stee-"

"Silver?" Blake asked, eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware that was any use in weapons…"

"Oh, it's not actual silver. It's a variant of steel mixed with a few other ferrous compounds, most of which give it a sheen like silver. It's stronger than steel, but can be brittle if used in large quantities. Suits of armour aren't very good if made from them, but weapons – particularly small ones – can have a keen cutting edge. It's also used in arrows for its ability to pierce through armour." I paused, realising I'd fallen into a lecturing mode, and on things I really shouldn't have known. "A-At least, that's what my Dad always told me."

Blake blinked twice. Her eyes drifted from me to the bar. "I see… You must have really listened well. I'm honestly impressed. It would be the best for a dagger, then?"

"It would be, yeah. But it would also be a bit expensive. It's four thousand for a single bar whenever some comes through Ansel, and that's even before the merchants add their own cut into I-"

—Forged Destiny [Book 3: Ch. 7]