Ever since Orland’s birth, Jake had promised himself not to overdo it when it came to his usual work. As a miner, blacksmith, and explorer, danger tended to be drawn to him, whether he liked it or not.
But since he wanted to be there for his wife and son during such a vital time, he cut back on his work hours, and started giving his more dangerous responsibilities to his other co-workers.
Jake didn’t want to feel completely useless, however, so he decided to go on a little job for the Mining Company. He would just go into the mines, find what materials he could, and get out. Easy. Simple. Something he’s done plenty of times.
Of course, fate has a funny way of subverting expectations. Instead of the uneventful time he (mostly) expected, Jake ends up getting attacked by a silver wolf lurking in the caves. Even though he managed to dispatch it with relative ease, the monster had put up one hell of a fight before going down.
The aftermath of that battle left the half-elf with a bloody gash in his shoulder, and a noticeable limp as he stumbles out of the caves. He only manages to make it a few more steps before losing his strength entirely and collapsing to his knees. Shit. Meg wouldn’t be happy about this…
Not many knew, but Bob had once been an apprentice blacksmith to his grandfather. He still practiced the art, though more to keep the skill sharp than to make any sort of profit off it. It did help when a horse needed re-shoeing or tools needed repairs. Mining was also a great workout.
What he didn’t expect to see on this fine day was a half bloody man collapsing outside the mine. Without a second thought, Bob abandoned all thoughts of heading into the mines for the day and hurried over.
“Hey!” He crouched by the man’s side, taking little notice of anything except how badly he was wounded. “You need a doctor! Here, let me—” And he was already reaching to scoop him into his arms. The guy obviously couldn’t walk. “I’ll get you there in a jiffy!”