"Sorry about the smell. I was trying to make an apple pie but got caught up with fixing this dagger handle I forgot it was in the oven," a gentle male voice came from the workbench on the right side of the shop.

Todor turned to regard the speaker trying to ignore unpleasant smell cloying at his nose. It was an Anadori gentleman wearing a leather apron and sandy hair neatly gathered into a ponytail. No, he is half-breed, like Mab, he realized after a second. Anadori were perfect in such an unnatural to human eyes. This guy looked normal level of handsome if you ignored his pointy ears.

"Mab. Is something wrong with your daggers? And who are your friends?" half-breed blacksmith asked putting down the piece he was working on.

"Daggers are perfect, as always uncle Carl," Mab assured him."I came for my friend to get a weapon. He got an unpleasant surprise yesterday and doesn't feel safe anymore."

"Well come closer so I can see you," half-elf said motioning them. Todor and Irry came meekly.

"Hello, my name is Todor Corpus," Todor said unsure how to respond.

"Irry. Just Irry. I am not here," Irry added with a wave of her hand.

"I am Carl Cavanagh. I don't know what little Mab told you but I don't make weapons for just anyone," Carl said scanning both of them with a pair of dark blue eyes.

"Oh, I don't need a weapon," Irry said with a dismissive palm gesture. Carl fixed his gaze on her and after a few seconds nodded.

"Yes, I think I saw you going to Micks few times," Carl concluded. "What about you?" he asked switching his attention to Todor.

"I need a vampire slaying blade," Todor responded with a lopsided grin.

Carl glanced at Irry for a second, his gaze lingering on her neck for just a bit. Then he was back to scrutinizing Todor again. And he probably came to the wrong conclusion there, Todor thought.

"So I see. What kind of blade do you think suits you?" Carl asked stroking his chin.

"While I was practicing HEMA I was very good with rondel daggers. And with swords, I think I was most comfortable with type XIV if we go with Oakeshott typology," Todor answered honestly.

Carl was taken aback with that answer. He squinted at Todor, curiosity plain on his face.

"Are those Anadori or Morg names for blades?" he asked.

"Neither. They are ... " Todor started to answer but someone else finished instead of him.

"Human," a new voice proclaimed.

Everyone turned to a newcomer who came from somewhere deeper in the shop.

"Kurt, you are home," Carl said smiling, "Everyone this is my husband, Kurt Cavanagh."

"Uncle Kurt," Mab yelled and ran to hug the man.

"Hey, there pipsqueak. I see you brought friends," Kurt said looking at Todor and Irry.

"That can wait," Carl said forcefully, "What do you mean it's human? Young man, if you want some of that technological weapons you must go to Nick's. He does a good job if you ignore that he has no tradition in his work," he proclaimed turning to Todor.

"You don't understand, uncle Carl," Mab said before Todor could respond, "He lived in the world of humans where no magic existed."

"Oh, you don't look three hundred years old," Carl said renewing his gaze at Todor, "And I thought humans didn't use blades in Mundane Era."

"We don't ... didn't, but that was not always the case. Cold weapons were phased out slowly over the centuries until they were just a relic of the past. I studied historical martial arts as a hobby for a while so I know few things," he shrugged.

"I told you humans had their own tradition of swordsmanship," Kurt said lightly punching Carl on the shoulder.

"We do. Many different kinds. I practiced the one from the continent of Europe," Todor started to explain but Carl waved him to stop then motioned him to come closer. Todor complied, not sure what would be right action here. Carl put his fingertips on Todor's forehead and closed his eyes.

"He has the gift of Anadori magic," Mab whispered to him.

"Shhh," Carl silenced the boy with a hiss.

They stood in silence for a while before Carl exclaimed in surprise.

"I never have seen such strange kotoh," Carl said. "Your kotoh spoke and showed me a vision of a weapon. Does a word schiavona mean anything to you?"

"What is kotoh?" Todor asked.

"It's Anadori, it means warriors will or warriors spirit," Mab explained.

"And my warrior's spirit said schiavona? Really?" Todor asked surprised. "I guess my kotoh is more elegant than I thought."

"How does that schiavona looks like?" Irry asked.

"It had this handguard that they called 'cat's-head pommel' ... " Todor started.

"You don't have to describe it, I saw it in my mind as your kotoh spoke to me. I will start my work right away," Carl said disappearing deeper into the workshop.

"But I am interested. Can you at least tell me something about that ... how did you call it? Schiavona?" Kurt asked then he smiled, "I am sorry, but I was looking for someone who knew anything about human warrior cultures. I know you haven't been in those ancient times but you clearly have some knowledge about it."

"I better know something about it. I am a historian. Or at least I was," Todor said returning the smile, "Well, schiavona was a popular sword in Venice in 16th and 17th century."

Empty eyes welcomed that fact.

"Right, you don't know what that is. Well, around three to four centuries before the Knitting. Hmm, I guess as much time as I spent lost," he said thought appearing in his mind which bothered him. If you look how much humanity advanced during that time, why did this world stayed pretty much the same technologically from what I remember? A think I need to investigate this further when I can. He glanced at Kurt who clearly expected for him to continue with his story about schiavona.

"It was favorite weapon of bodyguards who guarded Doge of Venice. And ... " he sighed, "You clearly have no reference to understand what I am saying. Sometimes when we have more time I will come and give you history lessons. Alright?"

Kurt smiled widely.

"It's a deal. I hope you are a man of your word."

"When can we come to pick this ... schiavona?" Mab asked Kurt who spread his hands.

"You know how he is, little Mab. It can be days, weeks, even a month," Kurt said, "I'll call you when he is finished."

Just when he said that Carl came back with a box.

"Your kotoh showed me how those rondel daggers are supposed to look like as well. They are almost identical to Morg kort'haw ritual daggers," Carl said putting a box on the counter and opening it, "What do you think?"

There lay long and slim blade with a tapering needlepoint, measuring around thirty centimeters in length. The dagger had octagonal handguard and spherical pummel. The handle was made out of some kind of bone or strange bone white wood. Todor picked up the weapon and tried out few trusts.

"Nice. A bit on the heavy side but you are right. It is basically a rondel dagger. How much for it?"

Carl waved his hand.

"You will pay when I finish this sword of yours. If you don't Mab will since he brought you here," Mab laughed at that, "Now go away. I have work to do," then he turned and disappeared again.

Kurt waved them to wait and he disappeared too. Then he returned with a belt on which hang a sheath.

"You will need this," he said giving the belt to Todor.

"Thank you," Todor said with a slight bow.

"Don't mention it, you will repay me with stories from Old World," Kurt said happily.

The trio was on a street again. Todor took some time to get his belt on and sheathing new dagger in place. He felt silly.

"If my old friends could see me now, they would make so much fun of me," he said with a smile.

"Why?" Irry asked, her eyebrows rising.

"Weapons like this are not carried in the street. They are something that nerdy collectors have," he answered with a shrug.

"But times change," Mab said, "I bet your friends were not worried they will be kidnapped by vampires who want to make new baby vampires out of you?"

Todor laughed while Irry made a face that was obviously showing effort not to laugh.

"Alright, now we go see Mick," Irry said before anyone else could suggest anything else.

Once they made the short walk across the street they were welcomed by a locked door and a hastily written note. I'll come back around 14:00. It said in red ink and very messy handwriting.

"Awesome, we have to wait ... half an hour," Todor said glancing at his phone.

Irry shrugged and Mab rolled his eyes. They took a sit at a small board nailed below the window of the shop and watched traffic pass by.

"I always wondered, how did humanity survive eighty thousand years without magic?" Irry finally asked.

"Why is that so strange? Didn't those Ledenah Soozah people survived a few centuries trapped in a pocket of spacetime with a tribe of vampires?" Todor made counterquestion.

"Yes, but they had technology from a start. Those humans during sundering probably had only stone weapons and a world full of predators. Am I right?" Irry was insistent.

Todor sighed and shook his head.

"You underestimate our kind. We were a scourge upon that world. Out scholars later names us persistence hunters. Our ancestors hunted huge animals simply by following it at a walking or jogging pace, without stopping, ever, until they are too exhausted to defend themselves. They will run away for their life but we just show up again and again and again. We were smart enough to figure out where they went by the tracks they left. And then when they thought they have lost us and lay down for the night, who shows up? Damn humans, walking slowly like the demons from hell. And they would run again. But we keep following them, always on their tail, until they are too weak to fight back or run away, so we just stroll up and kill them with our stone spears," Todor explained slowly. Even now he didn't know if he was proud of his species or disgusted by it. Both, he concluded.

"My mom once said she married a human because of their natural endurance. But I don't think that was the type of endurance she meant," Mab said with a smirk. Todor chuckled while Irry set her head back and howled with explosive laughter.

"And we spread across the entire globe. From Africa to every corner of the world. Only species that could keep up with us were wolves and we tamed them. They became our best friends and companions. Hunting with us in rush for survival and dominance over nature. We destroyed entire species out of existence. Sometimes by neglect, sometimes by design. We became masters of our own destiny, took ourselves out from the food chain and just when we were at the peak we got knocked down a peg with this Knitting of the Worlds," Todor finished bitterly.

"From the way you are saying, you think we are superior to magic wielding races," Mab said doubtfully.

"Superior? No. But we strived for perfection because we realized we were not perfect. We improved and changed over time. While Morgs and Anadori think too highly of themselves. They are in some sort of feudal stasis for stars knows how long. And I am afraid that status quo worship is infecting humans as well," Todor said sadly.

"Why do you think that?" Mab asked.

"Because I look how much humans advanced in three centuries back in the Old World. For stars sake, we got from biplane to rockets and landing on the moon in less than a century. Why did technology almost regressed in three hundred years I was gone?"

"I don't know. Maybe because of the chaos that the Three Banner War wrecked upon the new world?" Irry suggested.

Todor nodded.

"Could be, could be. But I think there is more to it than meets the eye," Todor proclaimed assuredly.

The door to the shop clicked and opened.

"You guys waiting for me?" an orange haired middle aged man asked peeking at them.