The slime saw them and jumped over, making soft chirping sounds that sounded almost friendly. It went around Greg's feet, leaving a small trail of moisture but not attacking or trying to dissolve anything.

Felix said, "It's cute! Can we keep it, Sensei!?"

Greg said, "We're not keeping a slime, Felix," but he couldn't help but smile as the creature bounced around him happily. "It does seem friendly, though."

Bork walked over to look at the skeleton more closely and said, "It probably belonged to this blacksmith who died years ago, judging by the skeleton."

"If they have enough food and water, slimes can live for hundreds of years. This slime might have been the blacksmith's friend or possibly a pet."

When the blacksmith was mentioned, the slime bounced up and down and made sad chirping sounds that made Greg's heart ache. It pushed against his leg, and Greg reached down to touch it. The slime's body was cool and surprisingly hard, like touching a balloon full of water.

Bork said, "I think it knows you're a blacksmith. Look, it's not acting the same way with me or Felix."

"You're also a blacksmith yourself, Bork..."

"Maybe I'm not worthy..."

Greg knelt down, and the slime jumped right onto his lap, where it stayed, clearly happy. Greg could see the hammer inside more clearly now that the body was see-through.

It was a beautiful piece of art. The head had intricate runes carved into it, and the handle looked like it was made of some kind of dark wood that he didn't know what it was.

Greg said, "The hammer is stuck inside it. It's difficult to tell if it's stuck or if the slime is holding it on purpose."

Felix said, "Maybe the blacksmith put it there to keep it safe before he died."

"Probably... Then let's just leave it right where it belongs."

...

They spent the next hour looking around the workshop and checking out everything. The slime followed Greg around like a loyal pet.

They found journals written in a language that Bork could partially read. The journals talked about years of work and experiments. It appears that the blacksmith was a skilled craftsman who had gone into this cave to work on a project he called "The Perfect Hammer."

Bork said, "He was obsessed," as he flipped through one of the journals. "He spent decades down here trying to create the best tool. But it looks like he never finished it before he died."

Felix looked at the skeleton with pity and said, "That's awful. He died alone, still trying to finish what he had started in life."

The slime made a sad chirping sound and hit Greg's leg again, as if it agreed with Felix's opinion.

Greg said, "We should get the journals back. And maybe write down what this place is like for the Blacksmith's Guild. The story is a big deal in history."

"What about the slime?" Felix wanted to know.

Greg looked down at the creature, which was now looking up at him with what he could only call hopeful eyes, even though slimes didn't really have eyes.

Greg said, "I guess we're bringing the slime, if it wants to come with us."

The slime bounced up and down, making happy chirping sounds that made it clear it really wanted to come along. "Hey, look! The little guy really wants to come with us. Aren't you a good boy?!"

Greg said, "Marina is going to kill me when we bring home a slime."

"Oh, trust me! She'll love it!" Felix said. "How can you not love something so cute?"

"It's just a slime with a hammer inside."

"A cute slime! There's a difference, Sensei!"

Bork was looking more closely at the forge. "Boss, you need to look at this. There's something in the forge room."

Greg walked over with the slime still on his shoulder, and it looked happy to be there. Greg had never seen a crystal like the one that was partially buried in old ash inside the forge. It was about the size of his fist and had a light inside it that changed colors.

"Is that a core for a forge?" Greg asked.

"I think so," Bork said. "But I've never seen one like this before. Most forge cores are just magical stones that make heat, but this one looks like it could be something else."

"Should we take it?" Felix asked.

Greg carefully reached in and took the crystal out. As soon as he touched it, he felt a rush of information enter his mind.

The blacksmith had learned techniques, methods, and information over many years of work. It wasn't finished because the blacksmith died before he could finish encoding everything, but it was a lot.

[ITEM ACQUIRED: A PIECE OF THE MASTER'S KNOWLEDGE]

[SKILL GAIN: HIGHLY ADVANCED FORGING TECHNIQUES]

[SKILL GAIN: MAKING MATERIALS WORK TOGETHER]

[SKILL GAIN: SOUL CRAFTING (INCOMPLETE)]

"Whoa," Greg said, almost dropping the crystal as the information sank in. "This is amazing! He left his knowledge in the crystal and gave it to whoever found it."

Bork said with respect, "That's a master blacksmith tradition."

"Passing on your knowledge to the next generation. He knew he was going to die and wanted to make sure his work didn't go to waste."

The slime chirped happily and bounced even more on Greg's shoulder, as if it was happy that its old master's legacy would live on.

They spent another hour carefully packing up the forge core crystal, the journals, and anything else that seemed important. They left the skeleton where it was, but Bork said a prayer for the dead dwarf, and Felix lit one of their good lanterns as a memorial.

Greg took one last look at the workshop before they left. He said, "Thank you," quietly, not sure if he was talking to the dead blacksmith, the slime, or the cave itself. "We'll honor your work."

The slime chirped and settled more comfortably on his shoulder. The hammer inside it glowed faintly, as if to say, "Thanks."

Greg told the others, "Come on. Let's go back."

"We have enough ore to last us a year, a new friend, and the skills of a master blacksmith. I'd say this trip was a success."

"Even with the ghouls in the cave?" Felix asked.

"Especially with the cave ghouls," Greg said. "They're better for the story."

Greg thought about the blacksmith who had died alone in the dark while still trying to improve his craft as they made their way back through the cave system. It was a sobering reminder that being obsessed with something can be dangerous, even if it's something good.

But it also gave me hope. The blacksmith had spent his whole life trying to make something perfect.

He never finished, but he left behind knowledge and a friend who would remember him. Greg thought that was a kind of immortality.

He achieved this not through violence or conquest, but by creating and teaching. Greg smiled even though he was exhausted because the slime bounced happily on his shoulder.

It might not have been the strangest thing he had ever done to bring home a gelatinous slime with a hammer inside it. He believed that Marina would disagree with his decision.

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