Graded [Wellston Village] The Crafting Guild's Foundation

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia smiled apologetically to him. "I might take that if I had ever joined the merchant's guild, but it's too stuffy for me. Money probably works best, especially since it's for a little pet project of mine~" She didn't even look disappointed with the man's gripe with the newcomer. The entrance was... well, to put it bluntly, robotic. Considering the newcomer was a construct, that point made sense, but it didn't exactly leave a good taste in some people's mouths. "And I understand completely, sir. I'll see you in a few days!" She gave him a wave before walking over to the door and flipping the sign on it to being closed. With that, she turned and walked to her desk, starting to look through her notes of what she had to do the next few days. Taking a day off to make sure she completed the necessary jobs might be a good idea. Tomorrow would be fine without that sign saying open, after all.

After a few minutes, she looked up at the other artisan. "You know, I understand you're a construct, so being social might not come to you as easily as others, but I might suggest learning how to converse and be courteous with others. And as someone who is learning a craft, I would highly suggest learning how to act around customers. Interrupting a sale isn't exactly polite." She looked back down at the list, before sighing. "And I'm fine with you trying your hand at making things. With your skill you should be fine, for the most part, but only do it when I am not working with the tools you need. I am running a business, after all. And don't use mithril. I'll be needing what I have for the dress and the gauntlet, and it's expensive. If I see you using it, I'll melt down what you make, even if it does pain me to destroy others creations. But I don't go back on deals I've made unless the person I'm making it with is a criminal."​

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario ​

He watched as the man soundly rebuked his desire. The consent of the man hadn't even factored into his request. It seems that was something he needed. This was quite disappointing. He supposed he'd have to settle with seeing the final product, though that felt wrong to him. When the man finished his business he gave an offer of dealing with him if the woman needed it. He tilted his head, he merely expressed interest in her craft was that an infringement of some kind? He tried to imagine the mans thought process. Based on what he said he saw him as a stranger unable to be trusted and perceived his knowledge of the construction behind his prosthesis an unnecessary risk, something which could be exploited against him. When he though of it in that way it made sense to him mortals looked after their own interests first before those of others, it is simply how they are. He fingered the shotgun within his cloak finding its presence centered him.

The craftswoman spoke to him; he turned his head focusing upon her words. A construct? Suddenly he realized he was in fact a machine, he had known this but hadn't truly perceived it till now. His hands of metal, and synthetic skin being clear indicators. "Yes I am, a machine..." He was, he knew this, so why did it feel not quite right? "You and that man were conducting an exchange of services and goods for monetary and personal gain, a transaction. It appears I have infringed upon that process with my request leading to unnecessary stress. My apologies, I am not yet used to mortal conventions." Moving on to the objects of his desire he turned to regard the various tools and work stations eyeing the forge particularly. "I wish to learn. I surmise an Artisan such as yourself is beyond my current functionality to replicate. So I shall innovate beyond my capabilities, should I make something of use to you I will give it freely as recompense. Are these conditions satisfactory for my use of your workshop?"

 

[Elvario]

Neberius Tibbercoller

​

Spoiler: Neberius

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Ingenium EMIYAman

Somewhere in the midst of their conversation, a man had entered the room, ignoring the 'closed' sign entirely. After all, nothing was truly 'closed' for someone like Neberius Tibbercoller. Although this was the first time he met face to face with Sophia, he was very well known among artisans. He was a middleman who'd made a living (and a fortune) out of accepting orders from nobles, royals or military and passing them onto various artisans. Somehow, he was able to efficiently scout out exactly the type of people he needed to get the job done.

Working for him could be very, very profitable. However, it was well known that one would have to be very careful as to whom would end up pocketing all that profit. Whilst not necessarily evil or dishonest, he was known as a trickster who made a game out of striking up a maximum profit. Some had even refused to work for him altogether, however, if one wanted to make a stable profit, avoiding someone like him might not be a smart idea. After all, he had many, many useful contacts for artisans with ambitions.

“Miss Sophia Smith, I presume. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Neberius Tibbercoller and I'm here on behalf of the city guard. They're looking to order new equipment for one of their elite squads. We're looking at a dozen full sets of heavy armour, shields, short-swords, short-bows and daggers, all of a quality no less than worthy of elite guards (around C grade) “and all meant to be ready within three weeks. If this of interest to you, I can hand you the contract immediately and before you know it, you'll have your craftsmanship on display on some of the most prestigious guards in the entirety of our wonderful capital. What do you say, miss Smith?” The man said, extending a hand for her to 'shake' or 'claw' or whatever she'd do. He completely ignored the other person in the room, for what it was worth.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She shook her head at the construct. "Kid, don't work as unpaid labor. Don't even offer, because if I were a worse person I might have taken you up on that. What you make is yours to keep or sell, as long as you don't use any of my special materials." She heard the door open and glanced at the android once more, making sure he wouldn't interrupt the new conversation like the previous one, before turning to the strangely dressed man.

"You presume correctly~ And I must say, your reputation precedes you, Mr. Tibbercoller." She listened to the explanation and nodded, showing interest. "I think I would enjoy that. However, I would enjoy reading the contract first. After all, I would rather not sign it and then discover that I signed away my time to work for exposure~" She gave him a small smile, showing no malice, but merely interest and wariness. "I'm sure you understand~"​

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario
​

He listened to the woman, finding that she was quite charitable. After that first encounter he assumed most mortals would require some sort of compensation to be requested of but no sooner than he had considered this notion it was challenged. He found this somewhat confusing, but satisfying? Soon after a man walked in dressed extravagantly though he had no conception of this. His eyes passed over the man taking in any relevant info before losing interest. He had nothing to do with the longing in his core. The feeling he now realized was the desire to create. The woman eyed him as the man came in he tilted his head in response then found a correlation between this transaction and the last one. So he left moving to a work bench in the back he had detected.

He stood at the work station gauging the various tools and materials, but felt uncertain. He looked at his metallic hands. What was the purpose behind them? He was a machine something artificial, a creation. Yet he knew he could not hope to replicate the process behind his creation, whatever that was. He barely could tell the material he was constructed from. He looked back to the table, and made to grab a sheet of metal. Turning it over in his hand he gazed at it trying to fabricate something in his mind. Then suddenly a design came to him a simple and primitive one but it had jumped to the forefront of his mind. It would have to do. He began to move taking tools as he need bending and shaping metal, searching for screws, gears and various bits and bolts. He found his thoughts emptied and all that existed was him and his craft, he was not sure how much time passed but by the end he was holding a box like metallic structure. He returned to cognizance almost startled by the sudden return of his will. He scrutinized the box in his hand unsure what it was. He looked at the various mechanism he had installed. Before he realized it. "An Auto-Loader, lever action. For... a crossbow." A feeling welled inside him as he gazed at his creation. Pride? Fulfillment? No it was something more akin to obligation. This was his impetus. Once she was done with her transaction he would show it to the woman, she was the superior Artisan. He desired her input. He looked to the shop around him. What was he supposed to do? He found a purpose in creation but from where should he go, should he just stay here and make more things? He found he didn't think the notion a bad one, but it felt like he should do more with both his creations and himself.

 

[Elvario]

Neberius Tibbercoller

​

Spoiler: Neberius

Tibbercoller kept up a flawless smile as Sophia indicated her desire to read through the contract first. If he'd had any bad intend with focusing on the 'exposure', he was masquerading it flawlessly. “But of course, of course!” He went on to procure a stack of documents from his bag, all relatively well-made parchments. “Alright, these are the regular contracts, the subcontracts, clauses for plausible damages, liability, insurance, division of rights and labour and any future constraint arrangements.”

As the man was talking, he laid down the documents in front of Sophia. However, one thing was immediately clear. Without a shred of business or law knowledge, she wasn't going to make enough sense of these to ensure that she'd get the better end of the deal. The only thing she was able to confirm, in part thanks to her isekai background in having sold things online, was that some of these looked pretty stacked in Tibbercoller's favour, but whether that was normal here or whether that was an exception wasn't something known to her. After all, most folk in the adventurer's guild didn't even bother to make a contract or formal transaction, as the parchment itself would be too much of an investment for some. She'd probably need to be creative in figuring out how to deal with this.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

The artisan looked down at it, hearing quite a few confusing words. However, they sounded just close enough to words that she had heard from her previous world that she knew one thing. This was a bunch of mumbo jumbo to confuse her, and she knew at least some of the things didn't exist, let alone exist in a fantasy setting. She leaned forward, her eyes lidding, not even looking down at the high stack of papers. "You know, I might not be the most business savvy, and you probably figured that out before coming here. I enjoy basing prices off familiarity and enjoyment of the person I'm talking to, like Ben, I'd probably give him half of the stuff he wants for free if I didn't feel like he needed to learn the price of things, and I still give them to him at a lower price. Or for my love, I think the only reason I take money from her at this point is I'm worried that she'd feel too indebted to me if I didn't. I ain't exactly what one might call a shrewd businesswoman. But I'm not totally oblivious to the meaning of words."

She thought some more before saying, "Quite a bit of what you said either doesn't matter or doesn't exist. It should be a rather simple contract, but adding things like future constraint agreements and divisions of rights and labor, which don't exist, and subcontracts, which seems to be a spinoff of subcontractor, which is what you're hiring me as but isn't really a word either, just makes me shy away from business."

She slowly stood, motioning to the papers. "And besides. You should leave doing this for if you're giving me a job from a noble or someone similar. I already give discounts for adventurers, and I tend to extend the same to the guard, as both of them have decided to make it their job to help others. I feel like it's probably a situation where if you can lowball me, you get to pocket extra money, but you don't need to go through this for someone like the guard. I can do the job for them at a discounted price, just give me a more simple contract than this. Leave the big and confusing contracts for when you're bringing something from a noble or an asshole. Then it'll be worth it because I tend to take those types for all they're worth, which isn't something that your employers would enjoy."​

 

[Elvario]

Neberius Tibbercoller

​

Spoiler: Neberius

Mentions: Silent Angel

Tibbercoller frowned at Sophia's words. When he started speaking next, he actually sounded a bit insulted. “Madam, with all due respect, all this does serve a purpose.” He went on to show the documents one by one as he spoke of them. “The contract is a legal proof of our overall agreement. What goods, for what price. The subcontract is in there to signify this is part of a larger whole, which is me outsourcing a lot of work on behalf of the guards. Clauses for possible damages are what prevent me from going broke if an artisan decides to cheapen out on their materials and delivers bad quality, so that I'm not the one at fault for a failure of their making. Liability is in there in case an artisan doesn't deliver at all, so that their breach of contract doesn't mean I broke mine. Insurances are in there to make sure that unforeseen circumstances don't affect our overall agreement, such theft or robbery being compensated. Division of rights and labour are in there to signify my position as the outsourcer, yours as the artisan and the guards as the final customer. Future constraint arrangements are needed to ensure that you cannot legally provide information about what type of arms the guards possess to third parties. They are regular necessities for all jobs to provide gear for guards of a certain calibre, as we do nit wish to risk revealing potential weakness in their gear and armour to those whom would seek exploit them.”

Finally taking a deep breath after that long story, he managed to put up his smile once more. “Does that explanation satisfy you, madam Smith? I do not wish to overburden you, but I take my contracts extremely seriously. If I slack out on the simple stuff, people will assume I might do the same on the more serious stuff. Whereas if I am very strict and clear with even the smallest deals, it reflects on how serious I will be with the big ones. It's my brand, if you wish. Your way of trading is fine, perhaps, on a small scale dealing with some adventures, but if you aspire to take on bigger jobs for bigger markets, you cannot avoid these types of dealings.” He then put his hand down on the table, with a serious look or not. “Now, as much as I love to consider you a new person to work with and as much as your words of discounting for guards appeal to me, I will not set aside my principles for a single person. I can give you some time to hire an external to look over the contracts, if you desire, but I will not make a deal without having the paperwork in order.”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She raised an eyebrow at that, now getting the explanation well enough, but still wondering why things were added that weren't in her own country. She eventually came to the conclusion that this man just made them up himself. With a small shrug to herself, she fixed her gaze on the man, bringing it up from the documents on her desk. "I think it is satisfactory. And I'm sorry I was rude, but I came from a rather business minded place, and even if I was only a subcontractor myself, half of the things you said were just slightly off things that we had. I guess I should have known new things come with new places." She tapped the paperwork a few times, before sighing. "I'm fine with doing this at a lower price, if that's what this ends up getting me, so I'm not going to hire someone to go through it. The fault is mine for not learning more about this type of stuff yet. I guess all I can ask for is that it isn't completely predatory, which I don't think it is judging by the fact that you even gave me the option of having time to hire someone. So, I'll take the job, and any losses I'll chock up to lack of experience on my part." She pulled out a quill and ink, signing the document where needed before pushing it back to the man.​

 

[Elvario]

Neberius Tibbercoller

​

Spoiler: Neberius

Mentions: Silent Angel | Ingenium EMIYAman

Neberius seemed almost a little surprised when Sophia gave in all that easily, after his explanations. In fact, the lack of further arguing seemed to throw him off a little bit. He clicked his tongue. “You really are bad at this.” He eventually let slip. Whether it was her natural charisma, her willingness to work at a low profit, or something else like a pretty high dice roll, Neberius seemed to have changed his approach a little. “Consider this an investment in our future working relationship, but these two...” he picked out the liability and insurances contracts “... should always be read, so that it ensures mutual responsibility. I'm legally allowed to put it all on you, but let's just say you've convinced me to strive for a more long-term positive working relationship.” He pulled out two different contracts, which had spots for two signatures, including that of his own. The profits were probably still skewered in Neberius' favour, overall, but the man wasn't saintly enough to also adjust those, not after Sophia's own admission. “Well then, I'll be looking forwards to a long-term positive work relationship.” He said, as he signed the two earlier contracts that'd make him share the burden of liability and insurances. Having done so, he tipped his hat, nodded and headed off.

As it was getting later into the evening, it was about time to close up shop when a surprise visitor entered the room. He was a very short man, known by most as 'professor Duckleburg' although nobody could confirm whether he was a real professor or not. He worked for the Adventurer's Guild as an advisor, but most people knew he spent a lot more time on doing random experiments and whatnot...

Professor Duckleburg

​

Spoiler: Professor Duckleburg

“Oh, lads and lasses, it is a glorious day! Such a glorious day indeed! Today is the most glorious day of all! It's revolutionary, it's bewildering, it's ground-breaking, it's earth-shattering, it's universe expanding, it's glorious! It's amazing! Oh, you should see it lass! You should see it!” Without asking, the gnome professor rushed towards Sophia's table and started putting down some very detailed sketched of some type of machinery. The latter would instantly draw Ingenium's attention.

“Look at it! It's finished! It's finally finished! Isn't it beautiful and wonderful and amazing? Oh, I love it!” He said, staring at his sketches whilst a single tear streamed down his cheek. “I finally figured it out lass, I finally figured it out! It's the mithril, the enchanting... then we can actually make it work! Look, it's right there!” He pointed at a part of the machinery that, for what it was worth, did have 'mithril' written next to it. However... it was tough to make sense of these without the right knowledge. Sophia, in all her glorious craftsmanship, would have issues realising what exactly this even was, until she'd pay attention to the global design and realise this was either a really weirdly shaped microscope or a relatively small telescope. For a tinkerer like Ingenium, however, the design made a bit more sense; it was a telescope utilising magic to observe the universe. However, there were a few odd choices in its size and shape, but that might have something to do with the intended magic enchantments...

All things considered, this was the type of thing that might actually need the three of them to work together to make sense of it, as the gnome should probably give some more explanation at some point. For now, however, he seemed too focussed on enjoying his design. “Oh, I can't wait, I can't wait for this to be a real thing, can you make it? It'll be so amazing! So glorious!”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She nodded. "Yes, I am rather bad at it. I'm a crafter who mainly does supply and demand. I'm not exactly knowledgeable about most things on the business side." She picked up what she was told to and read through them, not finding anything that out of order, before offering them back to him, giving him a small wave before looking at her door as the next man came in almost instantly. She looked past him to make sure that her sign was facing the right way, but apparently it didn't actually matter which way it faced. She grimaced, but looked at the papers she was given anyways.

She looked over the paperwork, noting down all the parts. "I can make you all of these parts rather easily in addition to enchanting them, but I can't really put them together for you. For the most part, that type of thing would be an engineer or tinkerer's job. Though, if you think you can put the parts together, I can definitely supply you with everything you need for it, enchantments and all."​

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario
​

He looked over the workshop and the various materials therein. The place was soothing to be in, feeling like a natural place for him to be in. As he worked on another of his creations, a rather simple but useful collapsible cane. This creation was less for pleasure and more an actual tool for him. He found himself growing fatigued soon after arriving in the workshop. Despite his artificial body, he was rather weak. This cane could alleviate some of the stress he put onto his body. But it was a rather inefficient solution, he would need some sort of greater support or a stronger body, but such a thing was well beyond his means for the moment.

He put it to use testing it in his work space, it was negligible and he wasn't yet so feeble he had to lean upon it or limp but it was sufficient. A rather loud excitable voice reached his ears from the front of the shop. There must be another customer. He had troubled her before with her previous customer but it should be no further issue if were more mindful, right? Walking out into the front by the side of the counter he noticed a rather short bespectacled man. His gray hair and beard a clear identifier of his life experience. The elder man and craftswoman were speaking but the man obviously dominated the conversation with passionate words. He felt unsure if he could engage with someone so animated, especially as he had already committed one faux pas and did not wish to be bothered with any more. But, certain words stood out to him. He idly looked over what seemed to be blue prints, and was instantly enthralled. As if possessed he immediately came up to the two of them looking at the diagrams and sketches closely. Interjecting between them willing to weather any backlash for his sudden addition. "Excuse me. This is a telescope for observing celestial bodies is it not? Similar to those used within observatories, a reflector type." His crimson orbs stared intently before widening slightly as if realizing something. "Sublime, this telescope is incredibly small compared to others used for the same purpose. But it seems to retain the efficiency of larger variations if not exceed them entirely. " The expression within his eyes shifted to one of perplexity as he tried to understand what he was looking at. "But some of these I am unfamiliar with and cannot understand. I am aware of what it does, but not how." He spoke to the elder man directly now pointing to the arcane procedures relating to magic and enchanting. "My mind cannot make sense of this, I am unaware of any natural laws which would allow these to happen. Its not magnetism, nor a reactions between elements that I can discern. Exotic matter?" He was a being created from the mystical aspects of this world, but he had no knowledge as to magic or even its existence. His understanding was rooted in the mundane.

 

[Elvario]

Professor Duckleburg

​

Spoiler: Professor Duckleburg

The professor seemed a bit disappointed upon hearing that Sophia could only make the parts. However, that turned into excitement when Ingenium chimed in. “Ho-ho-ho! You're a clever boy indeed! Yes, so great to see a like-minded individual! Yes, indeed, it is what you say it is! By using [range] magic enchantments and using [light affinity] one can make it so it catches up to the faintest glimmers of light crossing a very long range and by adding the natural properties of telescoped to it, you can get away with using a much smaller designs for the same purpose! Now, if it's combined with these mechanisms here, it should even be possible to adjust the level of magic, but also the level at which the lenses work and the input level of light...” He continued to ramble on and on as he highlighted different aspects of the telescope. Slowly and steadily, everything would start falling into place.

When he was done, he looked up at Sophia and Ingenium. “Now then, shall we start building it right now?” He was clearly very excited to create a prototype of this invention. Despite the complexity of the parts, their relatively small sizes (compared to a standard telescope in an observatory at least) meant that perhaps it could be finished if one was to work through-out the night, but whether not the others were up for it was a different question...

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia took another glance over the schematics, noting the parts she would have to make, before pursing her lips. It wasn't so much the idea of doing it. She could have her part done a bit of the ways into the night. The main issue would be setting this person ahead of her other clients. Her eyes moved from the gnome to the construct, before letting out a light sigh. "I'll do what I can, but only up to the creation of the parts. I'm sure..."

She paused midsentence, not sure if she ever got the constructs name. "I'm sure this fellow will be willing to help you further after my part is done, but I cannot put off my other clients that I've already made promises to past the point of the parts. I'm sure you understand?" She looked at him, her face pleasant. She hoped he did, because if he tried to force her, she most likely would lose him as a customer.​

 

[Elvario]

Professor Duckleburg

​

Spoiler: Professor Duckleburg

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Ingenium EMIYAman

The professor looked thoroughly disappointed when it looked like they couldn't immediately start working on his project. However, after a bit thinking he gave in. “Well, I guess I'd prefer having it done well over having it done in a hurry. I spent months drafting this design, so I guess I'll survive a bit more waiting...” He resigned to his fate. “You can tell the Guild Receptionist to sent word to me once we can get to work on it and I'll be there in a jiffy.”

…

As busy as the day had been, the next few days went by with relative ease. Some adventurers like Ben would come by to get their gear in order or to buy something new, but none of the jobs really stood out. For what it was worth for Ingenium, Professor Duckleburg had left his schematics with Sophia, which allowed for him to thoroughly study them and (with time and patience) he'd even be able to finish the final product by piecing together the parts made by Sophia like it was IKEA furniture, without having to await for the Professor to return. Neberius came by to check on the progress, although he was quick to leave again, as he had other business with the guild. However, eventually, one very special order was about to be finished.

Sir James Wellington II

​

Spoiler: Sir James Wellington II

“Ah, milady Smith.” The man stepped back in during the early morning. It was barely a minute past Sophia opening her store, so it was clear he'd been very eager to get his 'hand' back. “I'll admit that the last time I felt this level of anticipation was just before the battle that took my hand to begin with. Did you manage to finish it?”

Just like the telescope, this was likely to be an item of high interest to Ingenium. It was directly on the border of your standard blacksmithing and enchanting and some tinkering. Especially the manners in which the fingers would be set to move were complex enough for him to recognise the similarities with his own trade.

…

Elizabeth Mason
​

Elsewhere, Kalina yawned. She'd gone through a lot of information and had managed to come up with a plan that'd probably help them a lot. She was wondering how Sophia was doing, as she gazed at the last few sips of blood left in the vial... She clicked her tongue. She'd have to resort to cow's blood again, if she couldn't control herself more. She quickly checked her stomach. At the very least she didn't seem to be putting on weight. She wondered if growing fat off of blood was a thing to begin with? She'd never felt 'full' to begin with, just 'satisfied'. Perhaps feeling like you could always drink more was part of her cursed nature now? She wasn't sure. Either way, she was getting bored. Bored enough to have already explored most of this village twice over. She'd been sneaking through most places just for the sake of training her stealth, after which she decided to start testing out her upgraded gear in a rabbit hunt.

The latter had gotten her stuck with a dozen dead rabbits. Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind, as she went to check up on a few things... fix a few things...

Chandra Jarmil
​

Before long, a new person stood in the room. Looking at herself in a broken mirror she'd found in the ruins of the castle. “Eh... h-hi... I'm Chandra... Nice to meet you.” She said to herself. It'd need some practise. However, with this identity, she had a good way to sell whatever she hunted. “Oh... I caught these, while I was hunting.. I mean... to train for the Adventurer's Guild...” She nodded to herself. It wasn't perfect, but she'd get there.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia turned to look at the man who entered, and her face lit up as she saw who it was. "Oh, Sir Wellington! I have it all ready for you!" She moved quickly to the back of the shop, and came out with an impressive case. She laid it on the counter, reaching around to open it and show the man the contents. Inside was an intricate and beautifully crafted gauntlet. Made completely out of mithril, it was covered in runes to assure the gauntlet worked properly. On the end was a soft area that wouldn't chafe as the man's arm moved with the gauntlet.

"Hold on, I'll show you how to put it on." She walked around the counter, picking up the gauntlet and fixing it to his arm, using a harness to keep it in a fixed position. As soon as it was snug, the gauntlet sprang to life, moving just like the man's normal hand did, with the same quick reactions that he could expect. "Now, you don't have to be careful about breaking it, but if it ever dents or the like, you can bring it in and I'll do the fixes for free. Also, I put a powerful fire enchantment on there, but there should be more than enough room for a good amount of other enchants. If you ever want more on the gauntlet, just let me know. Considering how much you had to pay for it, I'll give you a good discount on those."

She stood back once it was fully fitted and he was getting used to it, crossing two of her arms across her chest as the other two clasped together behind her back. "I hope you like it. To be honest, I think so far, that's the greatest single item I've created, so I hope you do enjoy~ Also, keep the case. While you're at home, it might be better to sleep with the arm off, for safety reasons. Don't want to burn your house down in your sleep."​

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario
​

The construct listened intently to the elderly gnome. The cameras that formed his eyes contracting and expanding as he took in new information. Magic. He knew of it, but his archives listed the concept as pseudo science at best and outright nonexistent at worst. Yet here he was bearing witness to something he could not explain, and being told it was Magic. He didn't believe it, not as it was presented. Whatever these mortals considered Magic must be some other part of the natural world, you could not simply will something and allow it to happen. There must be an underlying science to it, that was all. Lost in his mind as he gazed at the schematics and pondered their arcane aspects the craftswoman had spoken to the man. By the time he was aware of his surroundings the man had already left. His face was impassive but he was somewhat let down, he had wanted to converse with the professor more.

From then on his time within the shop passed by quickly. He did what he could to help out when asked, and the woman was kind enough to allow him to stay. But as he did not need sleep he spent most of his time within the workshop piecing together the schematics the professor had left. He fabricated the parts he could understand but would hit a snag whenever the more magical aspects came in. They were inter spaced within the design sheet, meaning that you couldn't just do them at the end and going on without them risked damage or the device not even working. So he had to pick and choose carefully what portions he could make. Luckily it was a fairly simple assembly so he could make large portions of the telescope individually then piece it together later. He'd have to ask the Artisan if she could work the "enchantments" as the man called them. From the blueprint alone he was not much closer to understanding how this "Magic" worked. It was designed with the idea that the user knew how it worked its not like it came with a manual on the fundamentals of the process. Today though he stood in the workshop as he had for the past few days stopping very sparingly for side projects. He paused in his current machining as something came to mind. "I am unaware as to the Master Artisans name..." it hadn't occurred to him till now as he was still gaining a handle on conversation and his identity. But she had called many a customer by name when they met, yet only now did he realize she too must have a name. Was he being rude for not asking? A slight frown fell upon his face, so then he'd just have to ask. He did not wish to slight anyone mortals were fragile after all. He stood upright from his workbench moving to the front of the shop, finding the woman in conversation with man who had requested the prosthetic. His passive face appeared just a bit more dour. He had wanted to see it during creation and he seems to have missed it while focused on the telescope. Unfortunate.

He walked into the front the man observing his new arm and listening to the craftswoman's advice on its use. He approached the two keeping a polite distance. "Good day Sir." He then turned to shop owner. "To you as well Master Artisan." He bowed to them both. His eyes fell upon the arm. Its design a far cry from what he had imagined. Covered in a gleaming metal, and littered with what he knew to be runes. Seeing it now, was rather disappointing. This wasn't what he had dreamed of. The advanced technology that paved the future for the common man the blend of machine and flesh. His despondency showed, yet was undercut by resolution. "If it is no trouble Master Artisan I would speak with you briefly, when you have the time." With that he left them to their business.

 

[Elvario]

Sir James Wellington II

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Spoiler: Sir James Wellington II

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel

The man was positively impressed by the device. He stared in surprise as, after a few tries, he started to manage to move the metal as if it were actual fingers. “This is a remarkable piece indeed... It's a bit odd to move something I can't feel, but other than that, it's just like an actual hand.” He was too fixated on testing the replacement hand to even focus on the business deals Sophia was offering. “Can we go outside to test out that fire enchantment? I'd rather not set the Guild ablaze.”

It took him a few tries to get the fire going, but once he did, a clear flame danced around the replacement hand. He did, however, nearly burn his own stump after the first few tries. “Perhaps I should exclusively use it whilst punching forwards... Anyhow, this is truly remarkable craftsmanship. Thank you very much, lady Smith. With this, I'll be able wrap up my unfinished business with Dragnar the Vile. I wonder where the bastard's been hiding these days...” He then took a bow, as he made sure to pick up the case as well, before giving her a greeting. “Once again, I thank you. Just having access to a hand again is already well worth the money, yet being able to burn down the one that took the original will probably be utmost satisfying.”

As for the dress, it wasn't the noblewoman herself that came to pick it up, but a butler. However, a day later, Sophia got a letter written in the most pristine handwriting. It included a word of thanks, as the noblewoman had been the talk of the evening with such an outstanding dress. More importantly, however, it included a request for a dozen more dresses, in different colours and with different materials. It wasn't a rush order and the payment was far above market value, but it did have one caveat. The noblewoman wanted Sophia to be her exclusive tailor for the coming three months, offering her the extravagant pay in return for her promise not to tailor these types of dresses for others. After the three month period, when other tailors would likely start being able to replicate the dresses, Sophia would be free to sell them to whomever she wished as well.

As time passed by, Neberius came to pick up the weapons for the elite guards. After looking them over, he quickly concluded they were satisfactory and that Sophia could look forwards to future contracts. That said, her margins were far lower than she'd normally get on these weapons, so even though she wasn't exactly ripped-off, she'd probably want to invest in her business knowledge or hire someone to do so for her, before she'd take another contract like this.

Professor Duckleburg

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Spoiler: Professor Duckleburg

Mentions: Ingenium EMIYAman

Professor Duckleburg was the last customer to visit, before Sophia would head back to the ruins she intended to buy and 'fix up'. He was heavily surprised to see it in al already finished state. “Oh, how marvellous! Truly remarkable! Outstanding!” He said, as he checked the telescope left and right, then used some sort of magic, in combination with simply adjust a few parts mechanically, to fine-tune a few things. “Truly, amazing work! I knew it was a great idea for the schematics, but to see it like this, for real, isn't that amazing boy?” He looked at Ingenium when he said it. “You seem like the clever sort! Have you ever considered working for our innovations institute? We're doing a lot of research like this! Now that we can start observing the starts, I'm thinking of designing something to capture them; a way to display their positions and rotations... I wonder if we could make it to scale, but he scale of the universe is truly dazzling, so we'd need a very large surface... or perhaps we'd be able to use illusion magic... oh, but that would...” The professors started to ramble, slowly becoming incomprehensible as he got lost in his own little world while two assistance of his picked up the telescope and handed over the payment.

With these last jobs done, it would be time for Sophia to return to the ruins.

Edith Ryker
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Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Ingenium EMIYAman

When Sophia arrived back at the ruins, however, there was neither a Kalina Chivernu nor an Elizabeth Mason waiting for her. Instead, she there was a suspiciously tall redhead sitting in the leas 'ruined' part of the ruins, going through what seemed to be a collection of notes about various things. She was focused upon those enough to not even notice Sophia (and Ingenium, were he to tag along) approach her.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia walked to the entrance of the ruins before turning to Ingenium. "I apologize, sir, but this must be where we part ways for the time being. I am using this as a domicile for the time being, as I actually was working hard these past few weeks to buy and revive this place, but my love is inside, and not only would it be embarrassing if you walked in on her half dressed, but I think, because of how long I was away, I would like some private time with her."

She turned and entered the ruins, her eyes looking about before being faced with a tall redhead. "Oh! Hello~" She narrowed her eyes for a moment before walking up, one of her claws reaching out and lifting the girl's chin up from what she was going through. "Could a lovely lady like you bring out my wonderful assistant~? Or maybe my love~?" She grinned, happy to see the lady once more, even if it had been hard to tell because of the disguise.​

 

[Elvario]

Edith Ryker
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Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel

Truth be told, Kalina drooled a bit at the sound of Sophia's voice. Not exactly the best reaction. A little too gross and for too pavlovian. She quickly regained composure. She knew she couldn't fool Sophia, but she did wish to get in some practise. “I'm sorry ma'am, I wouldn't know who you're talking about. I'm merely here to meet an aspiring artisan, as I'm burdened with the very important task of aiding her in buying the humble ruins that'll be turned into her future crafting guild.”

Smith

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Spoiler: Smith

Mentions: Ingenium EMIYAman

Ingenium, having been sent off, wouldn't have to be bored or aimless for long. Not too far from the ruins, his attention would be drawn by a Smith. They could be heard before being seen, as they were practically yelling. “For the last time Old Man, this thing is rusted beyond fixing! You're asking the impossible!” Upon approaching them, Ingenium would also see the older man they were talking to.

Old Man

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Spoiler: Old Man

“I'm sure you can think of something child, you always do.” He seemed awfully jolly, for being yelled at. It wasn't instantly clear what they were talking about, but the closest thing near them was an old looking well.

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario
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The construct now stood outside the shop. Its proprietor having sequestered off leaving him alone. When he had approached the Artisan woman he had been soundly denied. He had never even learned what she called herself. Then he was swept up in conversation with the Gnome Professor who had returned for his finished telescope. Though he had merely listened to the mortal and give clarification of his construction process. His processors were able to keep up with the Professors pace, however his conversational abilities were hard pressed to follow. Though his mention of this "Innovation Institute" had fascinated him. He particularly hung on the word Innovation. It felt like a good thing to him, like something he could clearly feel he desired. With just that word he felt a bit more whole. Maybe he would take the mortal up on his offer and look into this institute. But for now he was rather at a loss.

He looked down to his metallic hand. Clutching a coin purse in it. The old mortal had paid him for his part in the telescopes construction. He eyed the coins unsure of what he would do with them. Well, he could buy more tools and materials. Yes that sounded more than satisfactory. Though where would he would go after... He walked through the town briefly before a rather loud exchange between mortals caught his attention. He watched them briefly, and was about to continue on his way undisturbed. But at the words "rusted" and "fixing" he turned back around. He came upon the two his face impassive and his eyes boring into them intently. Trying to remember the mortal proclivity for politeness he addressed them. "Excuse me, but are you two having a problem with a mechanism of some kind?"

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

The spider girl's eyes narrowed as she said, "You slipped up a bit~ Use don't, not wouldn't. Wouldn't is future tense, as if you wouldn't know who they were in the future, and it sounds awkward, like you're saying that, either in the future or that as a character, you would not be able to know who I was asking about. Saying you don't know means that you currently have no clue." She stood on her tippy toes and gave the girl's nose a light tap with a claw before saying, "And do I not even get a welcome home~?"

She gave the girl a wink before giving the new persona a bit of a closer look. "By the way, I like the new look. I think I much prefer the perfection of Kalina and the adorableness of Elizabeth, but this one definitely does seem like a completely different person. Especially the height."​

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
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Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel

Kalina shook off the facade almost akin to a dog shaking off water, stretching herself a bit afterward. “Welcome back!” She added the late welcome. “I as trying to see if I could keep a speech in slightly different accents, for what it's worth.” She was pretty sure there were multiple that mixed up past, present and future tenses like that. The height comment was a bit painful. “Height is the one thing I can't seem to change yet, but I guess that identity does make it look a bit more natural.” That was enough about her identities. “So, how did the sales go?”

Smith

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Spoiler: Smith

Mentions: Ingenium EMIYAman

“Problem?!? Problem's an understatement! Just look at this rusted piece of junk! Only a fool thinks there's something left fixing there. We're going to need a new pulley system altogether.” As the smith pointed at the well, it was clear what they were talking about. For a simple well, the mechanism was surprisingly advanced. Multiple gears, chains and ropes were intricately woven together to ensure that large and heavy buckets of water could be pulled up with minimal force. It was also clear that this system had been made ages ago, when this village was at its prime and that it had been neglected since. (OOC; this takes place in a village about half a day away from the capital, where the Crafting Guild is set to be build). A lot of the gears had been rusted enough to look on the verge of breaking or to have become unmovable.

Old Man

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Spoiler: Old Man

“Now, now, don't be so negative. I'm sure you'll fix it all right back up like you've always done. This here system served me father as well as my father's father and I'm sure it'll still be here to serve my son and my son's son.” The man interjected. “You won't have to concern yourself over this, kind stranger. It's just a minor disagreement.” He tried to wave off Ingenium, however, the smith was clearly not on the same page.

“It's not, and you know it. Hey kid, if you're gonna stand here anyhow, help me talk some sense in this old fool.”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She beamed at the vampire. "Sales went wonderfully. I think I was able to get enough money for this place and for renovations!" She gave a small bow. "Please, hold your applause~" She then focused once again on Kalina, the girl standing up straight once more before moving across the room, her claws taking the undead's hands and holding them tight. "But, I would rather know how you are. I hope you weren't cooped up all this time in here... And how long did the blood last? If you need it I can give some more. I know how much you don't like animal blood."​

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
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Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel

It was tough not to smile at the lusty Faëan smith's bragging. “That's great~” She had to focus a bit when her hands got pincer-grabbed and the girl got closer. Working on self-control was as much of a struggle as always. “Oh, I've been doing okay. I've been going through the town's library... well, it's more of a single bookshelf in the mayor's house, but there were some useful things there. This castle was never official owned by nobility, instead it was always an army asset. I think that'll help us if they start using the argument that it's a cultural heritage and therefore can't be sold at low value. I've also been hunting rabbits, there's a surprisingly amount of them in the area. Some of them even have these weird horns atop their heads. Oh, and I've been practising my disguises. I figured posing as the previous one might one day be useful if you need the backing of a wealthy merchant.”

Having gone through her progress and adventures, however, the answer to the final question remained. The truth? She'd gone through it way quicker than she should and she'd been 'dieting' for these past few days. That was not something she was going to say aloud, however, as she still wanted to show some semblance of self-control. “It lasted well enough. Besides, if I get used to large amounts of great tasting blood I'll be spoiled for whenever I've got to rely on animal blood again. I'd rather try not to get too depended.” It was a good thing she'd practised the reply a bit beforehand.