*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

The distant sound of metal meeting metal could distinctly be heard through the hustle and bustle in the Castle City of New Saint Ada's. Traversing the city streets were members of nearly every intelligent, or semi-intelligent, race. Men, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Beastkin, and more… all could be found in this popular hub of cultural exchange. I guess that's why New Saint Ada's is considered the Ruby City, one of the Five Jewels of The Tharal Kingdom. Near the worn down ground, confidently walking between immense footfalls and dangerously large objects an Inchling made his way through the crowded walkway.

Inchlings were a somewhat rare race of… minute stature. Smaller than even pixies, and without the ability of flight, they normally avoided populated areas out of a fear of being crushed unawares or mistaken for common pests. Fear, however, did not plague Mathias "Dagger-Thorn." Inchling Adventurer's Guild members could all be counted on, and held within, one hand and we're considered incredibly brave, or comically foolish. Mathias had risen through the Guild's ranks through tenacity, determination, risk taking, and a fairly "neutral" and "self-centered" moral compass. A bit of a rogue, Mathias was always creative in how he handled contracts, with his natural size he had to be. Though clients did sometimes complain of "missing items'' or "crass" behavior…

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

The sound of metal on metal grew closer, a sign that Mathias was nearing his destination. Though he'd never been to The Ruby City before, he'd been to many similar settlements, his experience lending him an air of familiarity to the otherwise alien streets. Knowing his journey would be sending him this way, he sent word ahead through a courier service including an order for custom equipment, as well as a list of various needed repairs, to the Master Blacksmith Duna.

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

The smell of the forge was unmistakable. Mathias maneuvered through the crowd as the large smithy finally came into view. He approached the oversized window and stared up at the, to him, mountainous wall that was the service counter.

"Alright, here we go."

After digging around in his bag of holding for a moment, he pulled out a small grappling kit. With "hup," the claw end sailed through the air, latching onto the counter's edge. With some effort, the Inchling climbed up the vertical ascent. Taking a moment to catch his breath and rewind his grappling hook's rope, Mathias gazed into the forge pit.

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

Striking what looked like a soon-to-be sword, which laid on an anvil, with a large hammer was an impressively large being.

"A half giant…"

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

Manning the forge was a being even more rare than an Inchling, a Half-Giant, a female half-giant at that. Half-Giants were exceedingly rare due to their…well, the method in which they were made. While not unheard of, obviously, Giants mating with other races wasn’t exactly a common event, viable pregnancies even less so. Half-Giants were naturally strong, some standing as tall as fifteen heads, and very much resembled their full sized counterparts in appearance. Most had gray hair, with their skin and eye color depending on the type of giant they were spawned from. The muscles flexing on her back and shoulders each time she struck the anvil were visible even through her thick tan tunic. The sight distracted Mathias. He stared as the colossal woman pounded away on the metal in front of her much longer than he intended to.

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

Eventually, snapping out of his stupor and the near hypnotizing sounds of the forging process, he shook his head and made his way to the large silver bell nearby, affixed next to it was a hand painted sign reading “Please Ring for service.” Scrambling up the smooth metal surface, Mathias climbed onto the bell's plunger and leapt into the air a few times.

*DING…DING DING… DING…*

Each time he landed the bell let off a high pitched “ding,” signaling that he was in need of service. Mathias held his hands to his pointed ears, the noise being a bit much for him at this range

*CLANG…*

The rhythmic clangs at the sound of the service bell. The backsmith set her tools down on the workbench nearby and stood up straight. Her long arms stretched upwards, her palms laying flat on the already raised ceiling. Removing her protective metal face mask and loosening the strings that held her large breasts prisoner, she reached for a nearby cantine and quickly emptied it into her mouth, a good portion of it spilling down her front and providing a welcomed stream of coolness. Her skin was so warm that the water began to lightly steam off of her as she finally turned around to face the service counter. Mathias was stunned at the sight, she was beautiful. Clear, carmine red skin, long, gray hair loosely braided into a ponytail, light brown eyes, noticeably defined muscles, all hidden behind her large leather gloves, apron and thick protective clothing. Not to mention her absolutely enormous-

“Huh. No one here?”

Mathias’s train of thought was interrupted as the Half-Giant spoke, she must not have seen his small form on the counter which wasn't necessarily a surprise. She took a few steps forward, startling the Inchling as she placed her large hands and leaned over the counter to look for whoever rang the bell. Normally calm and collected, Mathias blushed and fell backwards as the blacksmith’s moon-like breasts cast a shadow over the counter, and over him.

*SPLASH*

A large bead of sweat mixed with water dripped off of her long neck and crashed next to Mathias. He looked up just in time to dodge a few more, soaking the ground below him. Acting quickly and using the appropriate hand signs, he cast one of the first spells that most Inchlings are taught, Amplify Voice, to alert the colossal smith to his location.

“Hey! Watch it!”

Surprised, her eyebrows raised as she finally looked down at the countertop to see something small moving around.

“Hmm?”

Crouching down she leaned forward and put her face close to the counter to try and see the miniscule creature better. Her large eyes consumed Mathias’s view as they focused on him.

“An Inchling…how cute…”

Mathias blushed, but tried to ignore the compliment from the red-skinned goddess dominating his field of vision. He waved his arms as the Half-Giant blacksmith leaned down and noticed his existence.

“Ho there! Is your…father?...Is the head blacksmith around? I seek the smith known as Duna!”

The Half-Giant grunted softly and raised an eyebrow as Mathias spoke, rolling her giant eyes at the small man.

“HMPH! There’s no other smith at this forge. I am Duna.”

The Inchling grit his teeth at his blunder, not the best start to any transaction.

“AH. My mistake, fair smith, I simply…I doubt there are many women who are Master Blacksmiths…”

Before Mathias can fit his foot further into his mouth, Duna leans closer and puts him out of his misery.

“And I doubt there are many Inchling Adventurers. You must be the one who sent the order by courier, Mathias.”

Duna stood up and walked towards the rear of her forge, leaving Mathias to stool in his stunning, lack of charisma so far. He rubbed his face with his palm, frustrated. He wasn’t usually such a blubbering fool, he was really off his game today. He’d have to pull out all the stops if things were to go the way he wanted…

*thud*

A small bag filled with various pieces of specialized climbing and survival equipment landed on the table next to him, Duna had returned with his order. Crouching down once more, she returned to her previous position to continue her transaction.

“As requested, various metal tools redesigned for Inchling use. Truly delicate work fashioning items for a little thing like you.~"

Mathias's pride was hurt by the comment, she definitely did that on purpose. Rummaging through the various tools in the bag he marveled at their quality, but something was missing.

"Truly this is remarkable work, Duna, but I do believe I requested-"

"The daggers?"

Cutting Mathias off, Duna lowered her leather glove-clad hand to the counter. Laying on her finger tip were two, Inchling sized daggers. They shone brilliantly in the sunlight and resembled works of art more than they did weapons. Mathias, practically salivating at the sight of the blades, began to reach for them until the hand that held them suddenly ascended into the air.

"Ah ah little adventurer, your courier only brought the minimum payment. These beauties aren't going anywhere until I see some gold…"

This presented a problem for our small adventurer. For you see, Mathias "Dagger-Thorn," the highest ranking Inchling member of the Adventurer's Guild, was flat broke. Having lost his gold two towns over on a poor gamble, he walked into this situation knowing full well he'd likely have to get creative in order to receive his commissioned equipment.

"Weeeeell, Duna, my letter also mentioned that I am in need of repairs! Sooo I was hoping, since I am bringing so much work all at once, that I could pay a lower, let's say 'bulk,' rate. What do you say?"

Duna smirked at the bold suggestion that her mastercraft work would be up for any kind of discount for a first time customer like Mathias. However… There was something about the tiny negotiator that she liked. Letting out an amused chuckle, she spoke,

"A discount? For what are potentially the highest quality Inchling weapons in all of the Tharal Kingdoms? Hehehe, you are indeed brave, little one… How about this, present what equipment needs seeing too and we shall see what 'bulk' price I could offer you."

Duna lowered her other hand, laying it outstretched for Mathias to place his equipment. Mathias followed her lead and began to pull various items out of his bag of holding, placing them onto the rough surface of the Half-Giant’s warm glove, even removing a few pieces of armor that he was currently wearing. Eventually, once all items were accounted for, Duna raised the small pile of equipment to her face and chuckled silently at the sight of what, to her, appeared to be small flecks of steel and mythril.

"I'll need a moment to examine these."

As Duna moved deeper into her forge once again, Mathias began to prepare himself. Taking a few deep breaths and focusing, he gathered what mana he could for his signature trick. Without a single gold to his name, he decided this was the optimal move.

"Ya know, Duna, I've just thought of something! Would you come here for a moment?"

Without saying anything, Duna approached Mathias, coming down to his level once more. As she did Mathias, after a few more hand signs, cast his most powerful spell, an immensely strong charm incantation. In an instant the mountainous blacksmith's brown eyes suddenly turned pink with a slight glow as the spell took hold. Emboldened by the spell's success, Mathias began to work his magic.

"Duna, my fair Duna…Surely you can see how giving me a deal would be the right thing to do! Imagine, your work being used by the premier Inchling Adventurer's Guild member, all seeing my success due to the work of Master Smith Duna… Really, with the work that I'll be bringing in, you should just, *ahem*, fill my order for free…"

Duna's head nodded slightly, causing Mathias to smile. It had appeared that his spell had worked flawlessly…That is of course until the glow in Duna's eyes began to pulse. Like a flame being blown out in the wind, the pink glow flickered from the Half-Giant's eyes before vanishing all together, returning to their natural brown shade. Said eyes went from a blank, confused gaze quickly to an intense, annoyed stare as they locked onto Mathias.

"Oh my…someone's been a naughty little thing…"

Duna's tone was one of annoyance mixed with amusement, she slammed a hand on the counter, knocking the conniving Inchling onto his rear.

"I-I don't- I don't understand, this spell is supposed to be fool proof!"

Duna simply smirked and tugged at a necklace that Mathias had failed to notice her wearing until now. Slipping from within her deep cleavage, she eventually pulled out a small pink jewel. She leaned forward, her massive chest overtaking the intimidated Inchling's horizon, allowing the jewel to dangle right in front of him. Mathias stared at the polished pink stone, it was just about the same size as he was and was shiny enough for him to catch his reflection in it. More than that, it reeked of magic, emanating a faint glow. He reached out to touch the stone, unsure of how to proceed, it was damp and warm from the sweat that had surrounded it a few moments earlier.

"You like it? A friend of mine from the tower gave it to me. Said it would help me 'keep things fair and honest' with my customers…"

A warding charm, an extremely powerful one at that. Mathias wondered how he could have missed this possibility. He was in deep shit now. His eyes began to dart around for an escape route while he tried to stall for time.

"D-Duna… I-I-I'm sure we can-"

Another slam on the counter from her large hand rattled Mathias's body and shut him up. Before he had the chance to say more, two walls of rough leather pinned his sides as Duna lifted him into the air between two fingers and stood up, tucking her charm back to its previous location. She retreated deeper into her forge, just out of sight of the window. Roughly dropping Mathias on a workbench filled with impossibly large hammers and calipers, she began to fiddle with something just out of his reach.

"S-so what!? You- you're going to what? Get rid of me? I'm a respected member of the Adventurer's Guild, someone will-"

A large hammer flew through the air and collided with the workbench, causing a horrible crash and reminding Mathias that he was at a severe disadvantage, especially without any of his equipment.

"All done…~"

The Half-Giant's body spun around causing Mathias to flinch as close his eyes, expecting some specialized Inchling smashing tool…but nothing ever came. He hesitantly opened his eyes and saw…the daggers he ordered? But they now had a chain hanging from their hilts, and they were dangling from an enormous red ear.

"I think your commissions make better jewelry than weapons personally.~"

Duna let out a giggle as the Inchling in front of her saw the most beautiful weapons he'd ever seen be used as nothing more than earrings.

"My blades…"

Duna pinched Mathias between her finger and thumb and stood up, bringing him to her face once more.

"Oh Mathias, they were never your blades. After all, you never paid for them. And until you do, they'll be my gorgeous new earrings. They're so nice, and I think I deserve nice things, don't you 'Dagger-thorn'?"

Mathias only squirmed in her grip as the immense woman taunted him. Duna, meanwhile, was able to examine the Inchling Rogue much better now that he was within her grasp. She blushed slightly as she saw his features in more detail. He had a much more fit physique than she expected…and his sandy blonde hair paired quite well with his green eyes… and those tiny, pointed ears were so cute… The, now flustered, Half-Giant found herself unconsciously biting her lower lip, then her eyes widened with a devious idea…

"W-why are you looking at me like that?"

Duna smiled and dangled Mathias a bit above her.

"Well, I was just thinking, it wouldn't be just to turn you into the guards. The city dungeon is no place for a tiny thing like you. But I can't just let you go after you tried to swindle me out of what you owe…"

With her other hand she tugged her apron and shirt away from her chest.

"Sooo, I suppose we'll have to find another way for you to pay your debt later…"

Mathias realized all too late what the gorgeous Duna was implying.

"Whaaaa? Wait wait wait!"

Mathias soon found himself falling through the air towards Duna's well-endowed chest. The heat noticeably increased as he collided with the soft, damp skin. Looking up his eyes widened as he saw a gigantic, gloved finger descending towards him like a comet from the heavens.

"Hold on wa-"

The Inchling was shoved deep in-between the colossal red breasts, vanishing completely from sight as the smooth skin consumed his world. Duna tightened her shirt and apron, ensuring that the Inchling would be held firmly as she returned to her work. 

"Hang in there, my little Dagger-Thorn.~"

Duna placed all of Mathias's items into a small pocket on her apron and retrieved her mask before returning to her work at the forge.

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

Meanwhile, Mathias squirmed and struggled against the walls of flesh as they compressed and squeezed down on him. His environment was incredibly hot, and he quickly became soaked in Duna's sweat. Luckily he wasn't lost to darkness, as he found himself nestled against the same pink charm from before, its glow illuminating his cleavage prison. He took a few deep breaths, the stuffy air filling his lungs, as he tried to calm down while contemplating his predicament and trying to think of a way out. 

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

The rhythmic pounding of metal and the beating of the Duna's heartbeat were soothing in a way, hypnotizing almost. "My little Dagger-Thorn…" those words echoed in the Inchling's mind as he began to imagine what fate awaited him…

*CLANG. CLANG. CLANG…*

If Duna's hopes, and Mathias's assumptions, were both accurate…then metal wouldn't be the only thing being pounded tonight…