Of course, just having a sword wasn't enough.
Over the next month, Wormi worked diligently every day, positioned by the Dragonforge vent, constantly breathing fire to aid in the forging process.
The efficiency remained one Dragonflame Steel ingot per day.
Although it wasn't fast, fortunately, Garrett wasn't exactly pressed for time these days.
When enough Dragonflame Steel had been smelted to forge a full set of equipment, both Wormi and the Dragonforge could finally rest.
After feasting on a substantial meal, Wormi curled back up in its nest, snoring away in contentment.
If nothing else, at least during this period its fire-breathing ability had been thoroughly developed, its control over heat and intensity had become far more precise.
Inside the forge, Garrett retrieved the Dragonflame Steel.
One by one, the components were forged.
Helmet, breastplate, greaves, boots...
The full set of Dragonflame Steel armor provided 34 points of protection, compared to the 20 points of his current netherite armor.
The improvement was considerable.
Beyond defense value, in terms of toughness too, Dragonflame Steel utterly surpassed netherite.
With the armor complete, Garrett eagerly removed the netherite armor he had worn for over twenty years and donned the Dragonflame Steel set.
Compared with netherite armor, Dragonflame Steel looked far more refined, like the Dragonflame Steel sword, it had a dark gray base, traced with faintly glowing crimson patterns.
To his satisfaction, the armor's design leaned toward simplicity, without excessive ornamentation.
Extreme physical defense, incredible resilience, and durability, this was Dragonflame Steel armor.
Its only drawback compared to netherite was that it provided no knockback resistance.
After finishing the armor and the greatsword, he pulled out other materials dropped by Smaug and forged a Dragonbone Bow.
To be honest, the practicality of such a bow wasn't ideal, it required dragonbone arrows as ammunition, and the Infinity enchantment didn't work with them.
But with Dragonbone Bow plus Dragonbone Arrows plus Power V enchantment, the damage output reached 48 points, two fully drawn shots could take down a troll.
However, as mentioned before, it could only fire its matching dragonbone arrows.
Dragonbone was limited, enemies were many; in a real battle, the supply might be depleted in a single engagement.
Still, possessing powerful weapons and not using them was the same as not having them at all.
So he crafted two bundles of dragonbone arrows, stored them in his inventory, and together with the bow, they would serve as deadly weapons against elite foes or even commanders.
---
That day, when the sun rose and Garrett stepped out of the forge, the townsfolk were astonished to see their lord clad in new armor.
At first glance, it looked somber and ancient, with an overall dark gray-black hue. But upon closer inspection, the "blackness" revealed itself to be unsettling crimson patterns etched across the surface.
Though none had witnessed its creation firsthand, nor felt its strength, everyone agreed unanimously:
"Our lord has grown stronger."
And indeed, he had.
Inside the training grounds, Garrett drew the Dragonbone Bow, nocked an arrow, pulled the string to its limit, and aimed at the target.
Boom!
In an instant, a deafening blast erupted; the armor stand used as a target shattered, and even the armor mounted on it was pierced clean through.
The power was comparable to that of a heavy crossbow...
He roughly calculated.
If the target had been himself, wearing netherite armor, even with a runic shield to block, he might not survive more than three hits, perhaps not even two.
Even clad now in the full Dragonflame Steel set, against a Dragonbone Bow with Power V arrows, it was still just a matter of withstanding one or two more shots.
At this point, he had grown so formidable that he surprised even himself.
As he considered this, he quietly retrieved the arrow he had just fired.
"What happened here?"
A voice came from the entrance. Garrett turned.
"Halbarad, you're here too."
"Of course I'm here. What surprises me is that you are as well, I hadn't expected that."
Halbarad spoke as he walked up to Garrett, giving him a thorough examination.
"Your equipment has changed. This gear... it gives me quite the unusual feeling. And also..."
He glanced at the pile of shattered debris on the ground.
"Was that your doing?"
Garrett nodded.
Halbarad's interest was instantly piqued. He pressed on, "What spell did you use? Fireball? Doesn't quite look like it... Judging from the marks, I'd say lightning. A very penetrating one at that..."
This wanderer, just as he had twenty years ago, remained convinced that Garrett commanded some mysterious magic.
"None of the above," Garrett denied flatly.
"It was these arrows."
He produced a few Dragonbone Arrows and explained, "Arrows crafted from dragonbone. Hard, sharp, and imbued with some magical force. Just as you guessed, their penetrating power is immense."
"Here, I'll share some with you."
"These arrows can't be used properly with ordinary bows, best to fire them from a crossbow. A Dragonbone Arrow shot from a crossbow is like a thunder-crack exploding right before you. I trust you'll make good use of them."
"Oh?" Halbarad accepted the handful of arrows Garrett handed over, examining them with considerable curiosity.
"Arrows made from a dragon's bones... how extravagant. I'd wager these are incredibly rare, use one, and there's one less in the world."
Garrett replied, "But they're worth it."
Halbarad glanced at the shattered armor stand, then at the pierced armor lying on the ground, and nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, worth it."
He carefully stored away the arrows and said, "I'm glad to see you've made another breakthrough. Do you have some time now?"
"I do. Why?"
"Nothing urgent for me, but when I passed by the stronghold earlier, I noticed a Dwarf waiting at the gate."
"He seemed to have some urgent business with you. Would you like to see him now?"
"A Dwarf?" Garrett felt somewhat puzzled.
Moments later.
In front of the stronghold, Garrett saw the Dwarf Halbarad had mentioned.
"Balin, it's you?"
"Oh, Garrett, I'm glad you're here."
The moment he heard Garrett's voice, Balin turned around to greet him.
"What's happened?" Garrett asked.
"It's Erebor, lately... oh my, your armor, what material is this?"
Balin had barely started his explanation before he distracted himself.
His eyes widened as he stared at Garrett's armor. "May I touch it?"
Garrett sighed helplessly.
He spread his arms. "Go ahead."
Balin immediately cast aside all restraint.
"Oh, by my beard... Durin above..."
Exclamations spilled from his mouth one after another.
"Light, tough... tougher even than mithril! Unbelievable. If this material were made into a weapon, it would surely be a blade that never rusts, never dulls, with unmatched performance."
"I'm guessing you already have such a weapon, don't you?"
As he spoke, Balin's hand stroked Garrett's breastplate, his voice dropping to a knowing tone.
"Hmm?"
Before Garrett could reply, Balin suddenly noticed the constant warmth radiating from the Dragonflame Steel chestplate beneath his hand.
"It isn't a hot season right now... does its surface always stay this warm?"
"Yes," Garrett nodded.
"Then you must have an inner lining to keep yourself from being burned. And that lining must be made of something unusual as well, am I right?"
"More or less."
"Hah, I knew it."
Seeing all his guesses confirmed, the old Dwarf wore a proud expression.
Then, unable to contain himself, he pressed on eagerly: "Now show me your weapon!"
Garrett, resigned, pulled out his Dragonflame Steel greatsword.
With a sharp ring, he planted it into the ground.
The floor trembled with the impact, and even Balin's beard quivered from the shock.
"Oh, what a mighty weapon! It's taller than I am."
Even the tallest Dwarves, like Thorin, stood no more than 4.5 feet tall. To them, this sword truly was larger than an entire person, a colossal weapon in every sense.
"Let's see just how heavy it is..."
Balin tilted his head back, grasped the hilt with both hands, and heaved with all his strength.
"Hee-yah!"
With considerable effort, the old dwarf managed to lift the greatsword.
"Phew, now that was heavy."
"But what a fine blade. A magnificent blade indeed."
Admiration glimmered in the Dwarf's eyes.
"I can smell it."
He said, "I smell it upon the blade, the scent Thorin and all dwarves can never forget."
"The dragon. Dragon's blood."
Garrett didn't hide it. He admitted openly: "Yes. It was forged from metal tempered with dragon's blood and dragonfire. I call it 'Dragonflame Steel.'"
"A good name."
"To forge with dragon's blood... this technique deserves to be studied."
Satisfied in his curiosity, Balin handed the greatsword back to Garrett, even remembering to thank him.
While Balin marveled, Garrett couldn't help but marvel too.
This veteran dwarf smith had discerned the nature of Dragonflame Steel at a single glance, perhaps even glimpsing the essence of the forging process itself.
Truly, that was a dwarf for you.
A race created by Aulë the Smith, born with an extraordinary gift for the forge.
"By the way, Balin, what was it you were so eager to tell me just now?"
"Oh, right!"
Garrett's reminder snapped Balin back to the matter at hand.
"That's exactly why I came. It's about Erebor, an anomaly, not something temporary. In fact, it has plagued us for many years. We've tried countless approaches, but none have worked."
"Thorin, desperate for a solution, sent me here to Wayfort in hopes I might encounter you."
"And as it turns out, I've been rather fortunate."