Saga of Astral Mysteries (LOTMxASOIAF)

After searching for more than one entire hour, he finally managed the thing that he had searched for and found a shop that was clearly dwarven in origin. It was also the biggest shop around here, and it was directly carved into the stone itself, as parts of the Cartharys were in the nearby mountains themselves.

The shop itself was built into a stone chamber with rugged, blackened walls that have witnessed centuries of heat and craft. Massive stone pillars carved with intricate dwarven runes and motifs of hammers, anvils, and fire hold up the arched ceiling.

The atmosphere hummed with the sound of hammers clanging against metal, a rhythm that echoed through the halls. At the center of the room stands a large, glowing forge, its flames flickering in shades of deep orange and red, casting long shadows across the stone floor.

The forge was surrounded by anvils; each one etched with runes of power that glimmer faintly in the heat. A massive bellows, operated by mechanical gears, wheezes as it pumps air into the flames, fueling the intense fire.

Above the forge, suspended from thick iron chains, hangs a chandelier made of molten iron, radiating a warm, golden light. Shelves and tables scattered around the shop are filled with tools—tongs, hammers, chisels, and files, all meticulously crafted.

Some are ancient, their handles worn smooth from centuries of use, while others gleam with the shine of newly forged steel.

On the walls, there were several rows of the finished weapons, ranging from the gleaming axes, war hammers to the swords, as their blades glowing faintly with enchantments. The shop also displayed shields adorned with intricate patterns of gold and silver; armor sets that look impenetrable, and gauntlets that glimmer with hidden magic.

In one corner, a smelting area houses enormous vats of molten metal, where ores are refined and purified. The smell of burning coal and molten iron filled the air, blending with the deep, earthy scent of the mountain.

When Valkorion entered the store, one of the first things that he noticed was that the entire shop, aside from giving the "true" fantasy-like feeling, was filled with countless materials that he had never seen before in person.

He could see there several ingots of the Dragon Scales, some ingots of the Valyrian Steel; Orichalcum was shining with its green color, and Adamitine was glinting as Valkorion looked at a chunk of the legendary metal with no small amount of greed in his eyes.

Valkorion then looked around and noticed that there were several dwarves present in the place; every one of them was tending to their metals and things they were creating, totally obvious to him who just entered the place.

This wasn't the first time he had seen a draft because their species was rather common in the Valyrian Freehold. There were many dwarven smiths and merchants seeking fortune within the Valyrian Freehold, and their services were highly sought after, especially by the rich and powerful within the Freehold.

The metal-shaping abilities of the dwarven Forge Masters were the best in the entire known world, and nobody could produce better weapons than the dwarves. Maybe aside from the Elves as their weapons and armors were like pieces of art, but the Elves were too arrogant to lower themselves to create something for humans or other species.

"So what yer wanting her lad?"

Valkorion turned around as he saw the Dwarven Forge Master, who was clearly in charge of this shop.

The Dwarven Forge Master himself was a stout, powerful dwarf with a long, braided beard and hair, both of them of ginger color. He had a scarred face, most probably from the previous combat engagements, though Valkorion could sense the sharp aura of warrior around the Dwarven Forge Master.

Not really surprising, as the dwarves were known to be warriors of renown and they were expert combatants, especially when it came to the army fighting, then the battle formation of the Dwarven Underground Kingdoms had no equal.

Even the Valyrian Freehold and Golden Empire of Yi Ti were observing how the dwarves were fighting in the battle formation against the horrors of the underground and implemented the battle formation into their own forces.

The dwarf's arms were muscular from years of forging, and his eyes glint with the pride of his craft. His apron is made of thick leather, singed in places, and his hands are calloused, but steady. At his side, always, was a hammer engraved with runes, and judging by the appearance of the hammer, it should be the legacy of his forging lineage.

"Searching for an armor or combat outfit, budget is up to three or four thousand Gold Dragon Coins. Preferably something light that can withstand the whims of weather and provide decent protection; as you can see, I am an adventurer and need something that would be for those purposes as my current armor couldn't even be called such."

When Valkorion stated his request, the Dwarven Forge Master laughed a bit, as he then led him to another part of the shop, where some armor pieces were exposed on the figurines.

"This is probably the best thing for ya lad."

The Dwarven Forge Master then pointed at something that pretty much looked like an outer of Hunter from the Bloodborne to Valkorion, though it was more armored. 

"The outfit consists of the basic suit that is made from a mixture of Acromantula Silk and Dragonhide, making it have very good defensive capability and certain resistance against Spell and Beyonder Abilities. Also, the suit and trousers are made from three layers, two of which are a mixture of the Acromantula Silk and Dragonhide, and in between them, there is a very thin layer of the Mithril to increase defensive capabilities. The leather trenchcoat, gloves and other part of the combat uniform are made from the Dragonhide only. The boots, leg guards, armguards, shoulder guards, and chest plate are made from the Magisteel and Valyrian Steel mix in a ratio of 70:30."

Judging from the things that were in this outfit, Valkorion could see that it would be above his budget a bit, but at the same time, it was probably one of the best ones among the light armors and combat outfits that he could buy in the Cartharys, and he certainly didn't want to wear heavy armor.

He certainly liked the flexibility during the combat.

And it even looked stylish as hell.

Like straight cut out from the Victorian Era...

"And the price?"

He asked while he was internally rather nervous about the price.

"10,000 Gold Dragons Coins, but I can go lower to around 5,000 Gold Dragon Coins if you sign a contract with me to become the exclusive contractor for all ores and metals that you find in the Mountains."

Ten Thousand Gold Dragon Coins was a rather staggering amount of money for the current him and even for the future him. Especially considering the fact that things like Dragonhide were not particularly pricy within the Freehold, as there were plenty of them.

In the end, Valyrian Freehold had one of the highest concentrations of Dragons and dragonoids in the entire Faerûn.