The building looked sad. That was the only word Finn could think of to describe it. The windows were shuttered, cobwebs stretched across the doorway, and the whole structure had an air of abandonment that spoke of months of neglect. A layer of dust covered everything, and some of the roof tiles looked loose.
"Home sweet home," Aria said quietly, her earlier cheerfulness fading as she stared at the building. "I have not been here in almost four months. Ever since I decided to try my hand at adventuring and gathering materials myself."
Finn noticed the sadness in her voice but did not comment on it. Instead, he looked at the building with his miner's eye for structural integrity. "The foundation looks solid. Everything else is just cosmetic damage and neglect. Nothing that cannot be fixed."
Aria smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks. Let me get the door open."
She pulled out a key and worked at the lock, which resisted her efforts until she put her shoulder into it. The door finally swung open with a loud creak, and stale air rushed out to meet them. Finn coughed and waved his hand in front of his face.
They stepped inside, and Finn's eyes adjusted to the dim interior. The main floor was a workshop, just as he had expected. A large forge sat against one wall, cold and dark.
An anvil dominated the center of the room, surrounded by workbenches covered in dusty tools. Racks of weapons and armor lined the walls, most of them completed pieces that had never been sold.
But what caught Finn's attention immediately was the figure standing motionless in the corner. It was roughly humanoid in shape, about seven feet tall and constructed entirely from metal plates and gears.
The craftsmanship was impressive, each piece fitting together with mechanical precision. The golem's eyes were dark, lifeless crystals set into a featureless face. One hand was shaped like a hammer, the other like a shield. Dust covered its surface, but underneath, Finn could see intricate rune work etched into the metal.
"Is that a golem?" Finn asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.
"That's a Guardian," Aria said, walking over to the motionless construct. "My father built him years ago to protect the workshop."
'He runs on mana crystals and responds to specific command words that only family members know." She placed a hand on the golem's chest plate. "He has been inactive since I left. I took the power crystal with me for safekeeping."
Finn circled the golem, fascinated by the construction. His system was already identifying the materials used in its creation. Steel framework, copper wiring for the mana conduits, enchanted joints that would allow for smooth movement, and a complex runic array that served as its control matrix.
"This is incredible work," Finn said. "The enchantments alone must have taken months to perfect."
"Two years, actually. My father was obsessive about making sure Guardian would function perfectly." Aria pulled out a glowing blue crystal from her pouch. "I should reactivate him before we go any further."
"This place is full of valuable equipment, and having a guard active will make me feel better about leaving it alone when we go back to your cave."
She opened a panel in the golem's chest and inserted the crystal. There was a humming sound, and the runes began to glow with soft blue light. The golem's eyes lit up, and its head moved slowly from side to side as if scanning the room.
"Guardian, recognize Aria Vorka as master," Aria said clearly.
The golem's head turned to face her, and a deep mechanical voice emerged from somewhere in its chest. "Master recognized. Workshop protection protocol active. Status: No immediate threats detected."
"Recognize Finn Grayson as authorized guest. He has full access to the workshop."
Guardian's eyes shifted to Finn, and he felt like he was being scanned by some kind of magical x-ray. After a moment, the golem nodded. "Guest Finn Grayson recognized. Access granted."
"Okay, now I feel better," Aria said, closing the chest panel. "Guardian will keep watch while we are here and make sure nobody tries to break in while we are gone."
She led Finn on a tour of the main floor, pointing out the various tools and equipment. The forge was a masterwork itself, built with fire-resistant bricks and enchanted to reach temperatures hot enough to work even mythril.
The anvil was pure steel, worn smooth from years of use. Workbenches held tools for every aspect of blacksmithing, from delicate engraving instruments to heavy hammers.
"Most of this is standard equipment," Aria explained. "But there are a few specialty tools my father collected over the years."
"This one here is a precision hammer enchanted for working with small components. And this is a temperature control crystal that can regulate the forge heat to exact specifications."
Finn picked up various tools, examining them with interest. His crafting skill was high enough to recognize quality work when he saw it, and everything in this workshop was top tier. No wonder Aria had been reluctant to abandon it.
"There is more downstairs," Aria said, walking to a heavy wooden door at the back of the workshop. "The basement is where my father did his experimental work."
"It is also where he stored his ore collection and did initial processing of raw materials."
She opened the door to reveal stone stairs leading down into darkness. Finn followed her down, and the temperature dropped noticeably as they descended.
At the bottom, Aria lit a wall-mounted crystal, and the basement illuminated. Finn stopped on the last step, his eyes widening in surprise.
The basement was enormous, easily twice the size of the workshop above. One section was set up as a secondary forge, smaller than the one upstairs but still functional.
Storage racks held various ores and ingots, though most were common materials. What really caught Finn's attention was the far wall.
It was exposed rock face, raw stone that extended back into darkness. Someone had started mining into it, creating a tunnel that went back at least twenty meters before stopping.
"My father discovered this when he first bought the building," Aria explained, walking over to the tunnel entrance. "The workshop is built on top of an old mining site."
"The previous owner had started digging but gave up when they hit a particularly hard rock layer. My father kept the tunnel but never did anything with it. He was a blacksmith, not a miner."
Finn walked into the tunnel, his heart rate picking up with excitement. His resource detection skill activated automatically, and suddenly his vision was filled with glowing markers.
The rock walls were rich with mineral deposits. Iron, copper, even some silver veins running through the deeper sections. Nothing extraordinarily rare, but solid, workable materials.
"This is perfect," Finn said, running his hand along the stone wall. "Aria, do you realize what you have here?"
"This is a private mining site right in the middle of town. You could extract materials without ever having to venture into dangerous caves."
"I never really thought about it," Aria admitted. "I was always more interested in smithing than mining. But you are right."
"If we had a proper miner working this tunnel, we could have a steady supply of materials without the risk of dealing with monsters."
Finn was already calculating possibilities in his mind. The tunnel could be expanded, reinforced, and turned into a proper mine.
He could work here during the day while maintaining his primary base in the Crimson Depths. The town location would give them access to markets and supplies while the cave base provided security and access to rarer materials.
"How far does the property extend underground?" Finn asked.
"Legally? We own everything directly beneath the building down to about fifty meters. Beyond that, it becomes communal territory and would require special permits." Aria watched him examine the walls with growing understanding. "You want to mine here, don't you?"
"If you are okay with it, yes. This could be incredibly useful. A safe place to work when we need to stay in town, access to basic materials, and we would not have to haul everything from the deep caves." Finn turned to face her.
"This changes everything, Aria. With your workshop and this tunnel, we could establish a real crafting operation."
Aria walked over to stand beside him, looking into the dark tunnel with new appreciation. "My father would have loved to see this place actually being used for something. He always said it was a waste to have good stone just sitting there."
She turned to Finn with a smile. "Alright, partner. Let us make this work. We will fix up the workshop, expand this tunnel, and turn this place into the best crafting operation Millhaven has ever seen."
Finn grinned, already planning tunnel layouts and support structures in his mind. The Crimson Depths would remain their primary base, but this workshop could become something special too. A bridge between his isolated mining life and the wider world.
"We should start by clearing out the dust and checking the structural integrity of everything," Finn said practically. "Then we can make a list of what needs repair and what supplies we need to bring from the cave."
"Always the organized one," Aria teased. "Come on, let us get started."
"The sooner we get this place operational, the sooner we can start making things that will blow everyone's mind."
They headed back upstairs, already discussing plans and possibilities. Guardian watched them pass with glowing eyes, a silent sentinel ready to protect the workshop that was about to become much more than a forgotten forge.
Finn looked around the dusty, neglected space and saw potential everywhere. This was going to be interesting.