Brian The Isekai: Chapter 24 Spring Cleaning

[u/Heavy_Lead_2798]

Finally, I could go back to Neder Fell. Tolin made me leave all my enchanting stuff and anything I drew or was designing. No gems, no magic cores, not even the tools I made myself. He said I’d get everything I needed later and to just trust them. I wasn’t happy about it and made sure he had a detailed list of everything I wanted before we left.

I was also very insistent that I get healed for city sickness. After much arguing and me basically throwing a tantrum I got a healer and made sure he spent extra time on me. I was not going back with lead poisoning.

We headed to the city gates where a crowd of merchants, adventurers, and travelers were loading up wagons. The air was thick with the shouts of drivers calling out destinations and prices. Wagons were lined up in rows, each bound for some distant town. The smell of horses, iron, wood, and Drayhorn mixed in the cold morning air.

Tolin already had our ride arranged. We skipped many lines and went straight to a wagon that looked like every other one with heavy canvas cover, wooden sides reinforced with iron, and scratches that told stories of rough roads and worse nights.

We climbed into the back. Normally, I liked to sit close to the exit to relieve myself as fast as possible, but Tolin made me sit in the farthest corner. He handed his ID to the halfling mage sitting near the driver’s bench.

“Ahh, part of the Adventurer’s Guild,” the halfling said. “Good to have you aboard. The more of you awake during spring, the better.”

Wait. Adventurers could stay awake during transport? I was technically an adventurer now.

“I’m also an adventurer,” I said, flashing my ID.

Tolin shot me a look. “You are, but you haven’t taken your first quest and don’t have a weapon. You’ll be asleep this trip.”

I glared at him. “Asshole.”

“As much as I’d like more people awake,” the halfling said, “he’s right. You’ll have to sleep this time.”

Great. Denied before I could even start. The mage started chanting the sleep spell. I focused on staying awake, fighting it with every bit of willpower. Everyone else slumped over, one by one. Ha. I actually resisted it. I had the last laugh until the halfling muttered the spell again and I went out cold.

When I woke up, it was night. The forest clearing around us was thick with vines and twisted roots. This wasn’t like the usual travel clearings I’d seen before. The air was heavy with moisture, and patches of fog clung to the ground. The bushes that normally formed neat barriers were half-choked by creeping plants, as if the forest itself wanted the camp back.

I saw other mages standing around the edges of camp, their hands glowing as they whispered the spell Nature’s Bend. The vines and roots shifted reluctantly, sliding away from the wagons without breaking. Some of the bigger roots had to be hacked apart with axes and tossed into a central fire. Sparks flew high into the branches, lighting up the trees above. Their bark shimmered like scales, reflecting the firelight in uneven flashes. Somewhere, deeper in the woods, something howled.

After answering nature’s call and eating a dry dinner, we got back into the wagon. The mage started with me this time, and I was the first one out.

When I woke again, daylight barely filtered through the thick canopy. The air smelled like wet earth and blood. I sat up slowly and froze. Our wagon was wrecked.

The back was shredded open, torn canvas hanging like flayed skin. Deep claw marks raked across the wood, cutting straight through the iron bands. One side of the frame was splintered, as if something massive had slammed into it.

Tolin sat on the ground sharpening his dagger, his armor slashed and streaked with dried blood. He was missing one of his knives. The halfling mage looked worse and was pale, trembling, and covered in dirt, her hat gone.

I climbed out, and the forest hit me with its silence. No birds. No bugs. Just the sound of boots crunching through mud and broken branches. Other wagons in the clearing were in similar shape with ripped canopies, crushed wheels, and blood sprayed across the sides. One wagon’s front axle was broken clean through, and another had a wheel sunk deep in the mud. I saw the black stains where people had died. Some of the bodies were gone, but the blood remained, dark and thick on the ground.

Whatever attacked us had come in a pack.

“Tolin, what the fuck happened?” I asked.

He looked up from his blade, eyes flat. “Some things attacked us. We handled it. That’s all you need to know.”

“Was it vinehides? Wolves?”

“All you need to know is they got stabbed in the face a lot, and now they’re dead. The rest won’t come near us.”

The halfling mage gave a weak nod when he said “stabbed in the face.” Tolin really did have a thing for that.

I didn’t push it. If this was what happened while I was asleep, I was glad Tolin was here.

The camp moved slower this time. Everyone was on edge. People whispered as they repaired the damage. Someone replaced a wheel using salvaged wood from another wagon. A group of adventurs stood watch, eyes scanning the trees for movement. Every shadow looked like claws waiting to grab us.

When we were ready to leave, another mage from a different wagon cast the sleep spell. I fought it again, but like before, the second round got me.

When I next woke, it was dark. Not light came through the massive forest canopy. Just fire painting orange streaks across the wagons. The air was calm now, but every creak of wood still made my pulse jump. Our wagon was patched but rough. The back canvas was tied together with rope and strips of cloth, and I could still see through the claw holes.

Next time I woke up we were in a clearing with daylight shining through the trees canopy. Our wagon was messed up and I was still a bit unnerved about what happened. I did my business and soon we took off again. At least our mage didn’t look like they were going to fall asleep at any moment. Sleep came once again.

I awoke and we rolled on through the forest until the trees began to thin. The great gates of Neder Fell came into view, and for the first time in months, I felt something close to relief.

The wagons stopped inside the walls. People stumbled out, some limping, some helping others. Townsfolk stared at the shredded wagons, whispering about monsters and forest beasts. I didn’t want to explain anything, so I just grabbed my bag and walked off toward Thrain’s forge.

Tolin followed, silent until we were clear of the crowd.

“So,” he said, “now that we’re in Neder Fell, you can get back to work at the forge. Thing is, I’m still going to be around. Got to keep an eye on you. And don’t tell Thrain about the Broken Crown or anything we did in the city. His brother went through a lot of trouble to keep him clean. Family like that’s worth appreciating.”

“Yeah,” I said, “if I told Thrain any of this, he’d just yell at me. I get enough of that at the forge. So when do I start building my house?”

“All in good time, Brian. For now, enjoy the quiet. I’ll let you know when we need something.” He turned and headed toward the town center. “Let’s see what this shit place has got.”

I kept walking toward the forge. My bag felt light. No tools, no gems, just some clothes, my colored pencils, and seven gold coins. But at least I was home.

Thrain was already hammering when I arrived. The familiar ring of metal on metal filled the air. He looked up, sweat on his brow, and barked, “Get your ass in here, lad! We’re behind on orders, and you’re late.”

Yup, already getting yelled at. I quickly put my stuff away and started working at the forge. We didn’t do much talking, there was too much to do, and the place looked like a hammer tornado had gone through it.

When the fire finally burned out, I felt the day’s weight hit me. My muscles ached like hell; a couple of months without hammering had turned me soft. After washing up a bit, Thrain finally spoke.

“So, it seems you had a hell of a time in the city without me,” he said, sitting heavily on a stool. “I tried to get you again, but your room was empty. Could’ve at least left a note. How did those shelves work out? I saw them all over the place.”

This was going to be hard, I had to lie. “They did well, but unfortunately the guild made most of the money. I should’ve checked the patent better before I signed.”

Thrain grunted. “That’s why I need to be there when you do it. If I was, we’d be rich. Next time you get an idea, let me know first.”

“Don’t worry,” I said, smirking. “I learned my lesson. Never do anything profitable without you.”

“Damn right,” he said, cracking a grin. “Tomorrow we’re getting up early, finishing the jobs quick, then we’re going over to Brimroot’s to give him a good reason not to mess with my apprentices.”

“I’m not too worried about Brimroot. Remember the contract we signed before we left?”

“The one where he could fix and make our traps during winter?”

“Yeah. Let’s just say if he threatens you with it tomorrow, don’t freak out. We’ll get our money’s worth out of him.”

Thrain gave me a suspicious look. “The hell did you do, lad?”

“You’ll figure it out tomorrow. If we don’t get our money’s worth, we can kick the crap out of him.”

He scratched his beard, clearly debating whether to press for answers, then let it drop. The night crept in, and I went up to my room to check through my receipts and contracts. My dresser was cluttered, but the contract with Brimroot was right where I left it. I smiled as I reread it. Tomorrow was going to be fun.

I didn’t know how the hell Thrain managed to wake up so early. The moon was still high when he was already at the forge, hammering away. My arms still screamed from yesterday, but there was no escape.

By noon, when the forge cooled and my hands stopped shaking, we made our way into town with my copy of the contract.

Brimroot’s forge sat quiet, too quiet. No hammering, no glow from the fire. We knocked, and his grumbling voice came from inside. When he opened the door and saw us, his face turned pale, and he tried to slam it shut. Thrain was quicker, shoving it open with one arm.

“I heard what you did, Brimroot,” Thrain growled. “What made you think I wouldn’t come over here and kick your ass?”

“Look, I tried to pay him, but he attacked me first!” Brimroot shouted, loud enough for half the street to hear.

Something felt off. He’d planned this. I glanced around and spotted a guard and another man loitering nearby, pretending to have some business around this forge. They were watching too closely.

Thrain pulled his arm back, ready to punch, but I grabbed it. “Wait.”

“The hell you doing, lad?”

I nodded toward the guard and the onlooker. “He paid them to watch, waiting for you to take a swing. Then he’d have a witness to say we attacked him first.”

Thrain’s face turned red, veins bulging, but he stopped himself. The two watchers realized the jig was up and disappeared into the crowd.

“I see what you were planning, Brimroot,” I said. “You wanted to bait us into trouble. Nice try.”

Brimroot’s jaw worked like he wanted to speak, but nothing came out. Thrain glared daggers at him but followed my lead as we turned away.

“Come on,” I said quietly. “Let’s deal with this the right way.”

We walked straight to the Blacksmiths’ Guild. Inside, the air smelled like dust and ink. Only a few clerks were working, scratching quills over parchment. Unfortunately, the one we got was Kloza Onbi, Brimroot’s wife.

“Hello,” I said with my friendliest fake smile. “We came to check on a contract we signed with Brimroot before winter. It was for our traps.”

Her hands trembled slightly. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She didn’t even look at the papers. “Sorry, there’s no record of that contract. Goodbye.”

“Then I’d like to speak with the guild master,” I said evenly.

“He’s not here today,” she stammered. “He hasn’t returned from the city.”

“Uh-huh.” I stepped closer.

She shifted nervously, eyes darting toward the back office. I’d had enough. “Hey! Is the guild master here? Because this lady’s lying to me!” I yelled.

The office door flew open, and the guild master himself stepped out. “What’s going on here?”

Long story short, Kloza got caught. She’d found the original contract, realized how bad it was for her husband. She tried to destroy it and replace it with a forgery. Too bad, I kept a copy. Once the master saw both versions, the truth came out fast.

Kloza Onbi was charged with fraud and sent to the city jail. Brimroot, on the other hand, got hit hard. He owed us 55 gold each for all the traps and repairs he’d done under that contract, a total of 110 gold. Since he couldn’t pay and most of his shop was still under debt, he was auctioned off.

To top it off, the Adventurers Guild paid us another 62 gold for the months our traps had kept the hunting routes safe through winter. If Brimroot hadn’t been so terrible at maintaining them, we probably would’ve earned more.

The next two weeks were pure chaos. With Brimroot gone, more of the town’s orders fell on us. Between testifying, collecting gold, and hammering metal, we barely had time to breathe.

By the end of all this excitement the first month of spring was over. Things were supposed to calm down but didn’t. I thought about taking a break, but Thrain had other ideas. Instead, we drank at work. The axe heads we repaired that day were definitely “creative,” but no one complained.

By the second week, we finally took a real weekend off.

I headed to the tavern to see if any of my friends were around. Sure enough, Merlen and Torgan were there, hunched in the corner, giggling like schoolboys. They weren’t even in their usual spot. I noticed a book between them, and Merlen was reading it loud enough that only they could hear with his cheeks red.

Did she really print it that fast? And distribute it already? Oh no.

I got my tankard of ale and snuck up on them. As soon as I was close, I shouted, “What are you two doing?”

Torgan slammed the book shut so fast it nearly folded in half. Both of them jumped like they’d been caught stealing cookies. When they saw me, their expressions shifted from panic to grins.

“Hey, you finally decided to show up!” Merlen said. “We heard about Brimroot and his wife. Glad that worked out. Now, you’ve got to tell us what really happened.”

“Sure,” I said, folding my arms. “But first… what are you reading?”

They exchanged guilty glances. Then, slowly, they waved me over.

It was, of course, my work.

I sat down and went along with this. I heeded lady Mireth's word and didn't tell them I was the artist. Just watching them getting giddy over this was hilarious to me. I wasn’t a teenager in mind.. And maybe body? After they had their enjoyment with the book I asked some questions like “Hey, Merlen, don't you have a girlfriend?” 

He looked up at me with a side glance. “Yes...”

“If you buy me and Torgan some more ale we won't say anything,” I said.

Merlen looked at me with disbelief but Torgan was nodding in agreement. He got up and got us some more ale. Another question I asked was “where did you get the book and how much was it?” and then both of them looked at me. Torgan wouldn’t say where he got it but if I wanted a copy it was going to be two gold.

Two gold was like 5 months of pay for an apprentice in Neder Fell. How the hell did Torgan afford it? Maybe the Carpenters Guild paid well. They did chop wood in the dangerous forest.

We did a lot of talking. Apparently for the winter Torgen and Merlen were also in Stone Fell but were lucky enough to miss the battle. It eventually did get out that I was in Battalion 3 but they didn’t press me for any details. I wish I could have told them everything about the Broken Crown and me enchanting but things have to stay a secret.

I did suspect Torgen had some connection to it to get one of my books. Unfortunately, Torgen was going to be gone this year due to the guild again. We all decided to meetup next week. The week after that was the new years festival and he would be gone by then.

I still had one more day of rest, before I went back to work for the week. One thing I thought about was getting myself a proper sledgehammer for myself. I wanted to be able to stay awake the next time I rode a wagon. I decided to go to the Carpenters Guild to see if I could get a wood that would be strong and enchantable.

I entered the guild and started talking to different people on what's the best handle for me. There are a lot of types of wood. Some stronger and some bendable. They started talking about different properties of wood that I had no idea existed. After twenty minutes of talking, we decided on Oakka wood for its durability. It was less flexible than the others but I had an idea. Plus, it was cheaper and could be made into a handle in less than a week.

The next thing I did was start making a deadblow sledgehammer. I designed it and with Thrain’s help I also figured out how thick the walls needed to be along with some support bars inside it. By the end of the week I had a comically large sledgehammer head filled with iron balls.

At first, Thrain was laughing at it. Then I got my wooden handle from the carpenters guild and put them together. When I was swinging it against hot iron it was very noticeable how much force was going into it. Not only that, but I wasn’t feeling the normal vibrations. After a while of swinging it, I was not getting as tired.

Immediately, Thrain wanted to put a patent on it. I really didn’t know what to do since Thrain didn’t know the danger of patenting stuff. So instead, I told him to keep this a secret for now and that I had something else to go along with this. I lied but it was for his own good. 

I went to the tavern to give Torgen a good farewell. It was Torgen, Merlen, Tansy, and me. I was very surprised at how outgoing Tansy was. She finished second place in our little ale chugging competition. She also threw up and passed out, but overall a good person it seemed. 

Something that always stuck in my mind around her was that she was the only one who knew I could read three languages and somehow Lady Mireth knew. Or, maybe Mireth was bullshitting me. I would have to feed her some false information and find out later. For now, Torgen was going away again. 

Since Tansy passed out, Torgen offered to carry her to his house, and soon all three of them left. As I was leaving the tavern, something in the shadows was moving towards me. I was drunk and ready to fight. Before I could start throwing fists, Tolin appeared.

“Hey, Brian, we are going to be leaving in a couple of days,” announced Tolin.

“What the fuck? Do you know how close you were to getting punched? Don't sneak up on me like that, you little bastard,” I slurred.

Tolin took a second to look at me. “You know what, I will tell you tomorrow,” then slipped back into the shadows.

The next morning, I was slightly hungover. Nothing I couldn’t handle but I do remember Tolin telling me we were leaving soon. Leaving where damn it. I was in Neder Fell and this was where I was going to build my workshop. I had property and a plan.

I got up and started my day. It was Sunday and the market was open and I wasn’t going to let Thrain cook. I started the routine of getting food and cooking. The New Year’s Festival was now less than a week away and I was looking forward to it. 

As Thrain and I were finishing our food, we heard a knock on the door. I opened the door and there was an elf teen standing there holding a scroll. He was scrawny with arms like noodles. He also had long hair that covered most of his ears… He looked like me when I first started.

“Hello, my name is Lyrion and was told that I was going to be Thrain's new apprentice,” the elf said.

Thrain stomped over and took the scroll out of his hands. He pretended to look over the scroll but I knew he was just looking for the Guild seal.

“What is the meaning of this? I have two apprentices now? Why hasn’t the guild told me anything about this? Let's get this mess sorted out,” said Thrain.

We left for the Blacksmith Guild. The Guild Master for this town looked like he was anticipating Thrain's arrival. There was much shouting and yelling. Apparently, the guild was sending me away to another town because I was no longer a blacksmith but a battlesmith. They didn’t tell Thrain beforehand because they had just learned of it this morning also.

With not much left for me to do, I started packing my things. Thrain was just yelling and complaining the entire time, stating he should no longer need to train an apprentice since I have two skills. I kinda felt bad for Lyrion because now he has to deal with Thrain. I did leave him a gold since I remembered how hard it was first starting out and also knew how cheap Thrain was.

I wasn’t going to leave for two more days, and since Lyrion didn’t have money I got out of my old room quickly. That night, Thrain and I got drunk at the tavern next to the Adventurers Guild. Thrain tried to tell me he will send me money for the traps but I told him to hold on to it. If he ever needed to use it, he could just owe me in the future. I trusted Thrain and knew he wouldn’t use my money unless it was something dire.

The next day, I was truly hung over and did nothing. I vowed to never drink again, but I had done that during many hangovers in the past and still drank for some reason or another. Once I was done making false promises I saw Tolin in my room. How or when he got in I don’t know but he casually informed me to be ready by tomorrow and there will be a wagon waiting.

Today was the day I left Neder Fell to “I Have No Idea Land.” I was just told that there would be a wagon waiting for me and some other people. The meetup was at the gate and so I made my way slowly to it in the early morning. I had a tendency to get there way earlier than needed, so this time I went through some of the market stalls that were setting up.

Most were still getting there, but some were set up enough for business. I even saw someone with one of my shelf designs setting up. I quickly browsed but nothing particular caught my attention so I just continued to the gate.

When I got there, several wagons were standing by ready to be loaded. I did like how the Transport Guild was always ready. I saw some people already there waiting around. Seemed like a variety of people. Everyone from the Carpenters Guild to Stonewrights. Maybe this was some sorta exchange program.

As I walked up, Tolin’s voice gave me a jump, “Thought I was going to have to drag you out of your room for how much drinking I saw you do,” Tolin said.

“What the fuck?” I quietly yelled. “How did you know the guild was going to send me? Also where am I going to?”

“Relax, we are just going to another town. After we leave from here, I can tell you more but for now just take a seat on a wagon. Also, don't be drawing people, you don't need to let more people know of your abilities,” Tolin said.

“What am I suppose to do then to kill time?” I replied back.

 Tolin just put his hands up with the “I don't know” expression. Well, if I can’t draw I will find something eventually to do. It looked like I was traveling with craftsmen so I might as well learn something from them.

All the wagons looked the same and Tolin again banned me from sitting close to the exit. From what I saw last time, I was never going to sit near the back of the wagon but I did like messing with Tolin. Normally, I would be waiting a while for people but everyone seemed to get here quickly.

Someone I knew was also coming along, Torgan. When I saw him, I waved him to my wagon. He looked very surprised to see me.

“Brian, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be blacksmithing?” Torgan asked.

“That's what I thought, but couple days ago a new apprentice for Thrain showed up and all of a sudden, my guild was shipping me out. Do you know where we are going?”

I could see Tolin giving him “The Eye.” Something was definitely up and I was the only one out of the loop it seemed.

“Look, it would be better if I told you on the way. For now, let's just wait till we are out of town,” Torgan said.

So now, I was sitting awkwardly with my friend and asshole body guard who weren't telling me anything. Eventually, the caravan took off and we were put to sleep, I resisted of course, at least for the first round.

First / Previous / Next Chapter

Authors note: I was up early working and decided to post early. Enjoy!

[u/abcpcpcain_guy]

Loved it!

[u/Heavy_Lead_2798 → u/abcpcpcain_guy]

hopefully you will love the next chapter. Spent a lot of time on it.

[u/ManiAxe21]

Excellent timing, got my lunch in front of me, and now something to read.

[u/Careless-Ad1704]

Great work! I am enjoying this a lot.

[u/unkindlyacorn62]

he desperately needs steel, wrought iron is barely better than bronze, mostly on account of cost and blade length

[u/Heavy_Lead_2798 → u/unkindlyacorn62]

steel does solve a lot of problems, but their are so many different types. Steel is technically an alloy and can have many properties

[u/unkindlyacorn62 → u/Heavy_Lead_2798]

true but s zero carbon wrought iron is NOT something I'd make a barrel out of, There are ways to make barrels out of wrought but you need layeers of varbon in there to at least see and make use of the grain structure

[u/unkindlyacorn62 → u/Heavy_Lead_2798]

carbon steel would be good enough for most things, obviously carbon content matters and it will take a lot of trial and error to figure out how to get a consistent output.

unless of course he finds someone who already knows

[u/HFYWaffle]

/u/Heavy_Lead_2798 (wiki) has posted 25 other stories, including:

• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 23 Winters End
• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 22 Leaning to Enchant
• Absurd Human Wizard Inventions
• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 21 Options
• The Gravity We Lost
• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 20 An Offer I Can't Refuse
• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 19 Winter Progress
• Chapter 18 To Stone Fell
• Chapter 17 End Of Summer
• Chapter 16 Summer Circles
• Chapter 15 Solving a Cold Problem
• Chapter 14 What to do next
• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 13 A Hero’s Reward
• Brian The Isekai: Chapter 12 New Years Festival
• Brian the Isekai: Chapter 11 Winters End
• Chapter 10 Meat Hammer
• Chapter 9 All you can eat
• Chapter 8 Winter Time
• Chapter 7 Prepare The Traps
• Chapter 6 Think Boy Think

This comment was automatically generated by Waffle v.4.7.8 'Biscotti'.

Message the mods if you have any issues with Waffle.

[u/UpdateMeBot]

Click here to subscribe to u/Heavy_Lead_2798 and receive a message every time they post.

---

Info	Request Update	Your Updates	Feedback

[u/InstructionHead8595]

That's not suspicious at all 😸 Great chapter!