Graded [Wellston Village] The Crafting Guild's Foundation

[Elvario]

This RP follows the character Sophia as she attempts to earn money through selling her artisan crafts, which she plans to use on buying her own workshop to eventually grow into a full-fledged crafting guild. It is located in the small town of Wellston, about half a day away from Ryken. She's aided by Kalina, who's working on her skills of blending in with crowds and hiding her monstrous nature/tendencies.

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Sopia Silent Angel

A deep sigh escaped Kalina's lips. She knew she'd offered to help Sophia by her own accord, but she had underestimated how much effort would go into it. She'd only barely rested after all the events with Dahak and was still trying to 'calm down' some of the more concerning tendencies she developed. More often than not, she found herself staring at necks and shoulders and wondering what someone would taste like. She always managed to disregard those thoughts quickly enough, but their presence alone was a reason of concern. It also made keeping her monstrous nature considerably more challenging. One thing was sure; going to the capital in this state would be a death sentence. Luckily enough, she didn't have to go there.

After they'd made their journey back, they eventually found a place that might work for their plans. Wellston, a small town about half a day away from Ryken. From what they had gathered, the place used to be little more than a place were people pulled up water for their cattle. The latter earned it its name; Wellston. However, during a time of drought, the well suddenly became important enough for people to start building more permanent residences near it. As rivers and lakes started to dry up, the royals even build a smaller castle to guard this precious water-source. The moment the drought ended, so did the importance of Wellston. The castle was abandoned and fell in disrepair, now being little more than ruins on the horizon. Many houses were also abandoned, until the remainder was only inhabited by a few farmers and ranchers that serve the capital. It made it the ideal place for them.

Overall, it was clear that guards didn't come here often, as it was simply too insignificant. A few farmers apparently had a militia, but they weren't exactly organised. All in all, Kalina felt relatively safe here. The price of buildings here was cheap, as there wasn't much reason for people to live here. There was, however, one thing that was a bit of an issue. A rather immediate issue.

“I don't think this place has an inn...” Kalina concluded, as she and Sophia finished their short walk through all of it. She clicked her tongue. “I guess we could ask the farmers here if they've got a room to spare? Maybe even a barn, if they haven't...” Kalina wasn't looking forwards to the latter option, but there might be little else.

Of course, there was also the bigger picture. “Altogether, this place does seem promising, don't you think?” She nodded to herself. “Oh, I've also managed to come up with a plan! If you sell your crafts at the capital itself, I can sell them in the surrounding villages. I'm not a good saleswoman, but I bet if you manage to craft some quality hoes, shovels, scythes and whatnot, the tools would pretty much sell themselves. Most of the people in small villages like these won't have the luxury to go to Ryken for new equipment, but I bet they wouldn't pass up on the chance of buying it if it's being sold right in their village. Well, I hope so, at least. It's worth a shot, at least, right?”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith



Sophia's eyes examined the surrounding village, which was almost a ghost town at this point. Some might think that was a bad thing, but to her, it was wonderful. This place could easily be built more from the ground up as a center of trade if there was nothing before to try and pressure away from that. But more importantly, there were basically no guards in the town, so her wonderful friend didn't have to worry about someone doing a random check.

Her eyes flitted over to the girl, a smile passing over her lips. She scooted closer, leaning her head on the vampire's shoulder. "I wouldn't mind sharing a place like that with you~ Though, I think there's a bigger thing that we should talk about for why this is such an amazing place." She lifted her head off the shoulder, bounding forward turning, pointing one of her claws at Kalina. "Remember what I told you? About the guilds and how they suck, and not in the fun way? Well..." She turned, throwing her arms wide in the direction of the castle that stood next to the city. "That, right there, is the answer. That's going to be where the guild hall will be. It doesn't look the best right now, but I promise you, it's perfect~" She spun around once more, bounding back to Kalina.

"And, as for the place to stay, anywhere with privacy is fine~" She leaned in and said, in a low enough tone that only the Vampire could hear her, "Don't think I didn't see where you were staring at with the villagers~ I'm sure I'll taste better~ Who knows, you might get a discount on your next wonderful purchase from a certain master crafter if you do~" She gave the vampire a wink before she turned back, examining the castle in the distance, her eyes shining bright. This is what she needed. She could take her mind off of the experience she had before, and she could spend time with the most wonderful person in her life. It was truly perfect~​

 

[Elvario]

Kalina Chivernu
​

Mentions: Sopia Silent Angel

It was a tad bit uncomfortable to have Sophia lean into her. Not because she disliked it, but because she didn't want to risk drooling in broad daylight. She should really work no keeping herself together, but after all the events with Dahak, she felt like she'd been all over the place mentally and physically. Kalina, however, was silenced for another reason. “The... castle... ruins?” She clicked her tongue. “It would make for an amazing location, but that would take a whole lot of work to restore and we'd need to buy it from the local mayor or something, as I doubt it's in private hands.”

As much as she liked Sophia's enthusiasm, she was very unsure of whether this plan was realistic or way too overambitious. “Then again...” she suddenly realised. “This town is a dump, but if you had a famous enough crafter's guild here, you'd get a fair bit more traffic and could revive it... although that'd probably also bring in the guards, but the promise of it might be a convincing argument...” She wasn't entirely convinced by her own reasoning. “Well, I guess it's worth a shot, we should go get a closer look. Perhaps there's some parts still intact.”

The second part of Sophia's suggestion brought some blood to Kalina's cheeks. “That's... I... It's... eh...” She realised it was hopeless to deliver a good reply to it, so she eventually gave up. “Let's just go check out the castle!” She attempted to switch the topic, for now, at least.

The castle itself, were Sophia to follow, was more of a mixture between 'castle' and 'watch-tower' now that they were close. Whilst its surface was too broad to be a simple watch-tower, it lacked the design and structure of a real castle. That said, it would probably function pretty well as a guild house for the very same reason. The only downside was that part of it, particularly the entire back half, has crumbled. Nearly all the wood-work (ladders, floors, balconies) was rotten beyond comprehension and likely to be very dangerous to walk across.

“It's... something? Kalina said, although pretty questioningly. “Anyhow, if we really want to do this, we should think about earning enough to buy this. Even if it's a dump, selling a castle probably won't be done easily or cheap.” Kalina perhaps just tried to distract herself from some more vampiric urges by talking business. “Oh, I haven't shown you yet, have I? I've been working on something while we were travelling back. Wait here.” She said with a smile, before quickly going past a few corners with her backpack.

Only a bit later, an almost entirely different person returned.

Elizabeth Mason
​

“Hello ma'am! I've heard you might be willing to take on a new apprentice.”

Whilst the combination of alternate identity, disguise and deception made for a pretty convincing 'new' person, Sophia would probably be able to see through it, as the overall build remained the same (most clearly still being very tall) and Kalina's voice was different, but still in there. She'd have to practise a bit more to convince those in the know, but for those that had never seen her, they'd probably have no clue as to who or what she was.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

The spider girl grinned at the lady's lack of a response, skipping after her to the castle. Once they got there, Sophia looked around with no small bit of interest. Not that it wasn't a dump right now, but more importantly, it had potential. And she was excited for it as she thought about her own hand crafted tapestries going up in a main hall, a place for her to work, maybe a forge behind her office to work off steam when not spending time with members of the guild.

She glanced over to the vampire, grinning at her. "I'm sure I can do that! I've been selling quite a bit recently, I'll have you know. I can probably get discounted prices from selling my wares, same for the builders! I'm sure that it'll be fine~" Still imagining the guild hall, she glanced over to the Vampire again, almost absent mindedly responding, "Oh? Alright then," before going back to imagining.

Once she looked back, she raised her eyebrows at the lady in front of her. Noting that nobody was around and anywhere near the castle, she walked over, her hips swaying as she said, "Well hello cutie~" She threw her arms around the other lady's shoulders, saying, her voice low once more, "I don't suppose you've seen the most beautiful, gorgeous, and adorable vampire you've ever seen anywhere around here~? She's the one I love more than anything, and she wandered off. I'm almost certain she's your height and build too. Someone like you wouldn't happen to know where she might be, would you~?" She grinned before tilting her head. "And it's a shame, I was all ready to let her have a snack as well~ After all, nobody's around to see~" She tilted her head, baring her neck right in front of the Vampire, her face completely innocent with barely a hint of good hearted teasing behind them.​

 

[Elvario]

Elizabeth Mason
​

Mentions: Sopia Silent Angel

Sophia's response was not exactly what Kalina expected, although she blamed herself for not doing so. If Sophia was an agent sent in to lure vampires, she'd have been dead multiple times over by now by falling for the obvious traps. This time again, Kalina wanted to try playing along and even got the first words in; “A vampire? That sounds terrifying!” but her 'joke' was soon falling flat upon being shown access to some high quality blood fresh from the source.

“You're merciless, you know.” Kalina sighed, as whilst her alternate appearance held up, her voice switched back to her usual one. There were countless complications with what Sophia was doing, from making Kalina feel more monstrous to making her fear she'd get caught one day to making her fear she'd grow addicted, but all those worries combined couldn't weigh up against her natural instincts. “Play with fire and eventually you'll get burned...” she mumbled, as she subconsciously bared her fangs, for what little good they were. “This would be your last chance to change your mind.” Kalina knew the words were going to fall on deaf ears, but the ability to say them was important to her, as it meant she hadn't fully given in to her urges.

Unless Sophia would show herself to be the real monster by actually changing her mind and pulling away, Kalina would eventually sink her teeth into Sophia's shoulder. Whilst she had no clue why the girl wanted this, as just the effort it took her to get through the skin with her surprisingly dull fangs made Kalina realise this couldn't possibly feel pleasant, she was a little too intoxicated to have such thoughts prevent her from going through with it. Thankfully, she'd been able to get blood on a more steady basis, so the urge to drain the girl for all she was worth was manageable. It was definitely there though, as dieting wasn't Kalina's strong suit, but she managed to halt herself surprisingly early on. The latter gave her back a sense of control.

Just before putting back on the accent she'd chosen for her persona, she gave a deep satisfied sigh. With that out of the way, she could finally finish what she started. “Oh my, it seems like you've been bitten by a big scary vampire, mistress Smith.” She smiled, as she was starting to get more comfortable with the fake identity. “Why don't we recall the story of how we first met and how I got to work for you?” Kalina figured it'd be best to get the story straight while they had the chance. “How I got rejected by all the artisans in the city for being too clumsy, until you decided to show some mercy and offered to teach me the basics of fletching.”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She giggled at the words spoken, the vampire's voice no longer holding the same innocent tone as it had held before. "I know I am, but I think it's one of my many wonderful traits~ After all, I can't have a dangerous Vampire going hungry with so many meals around~ And, by the way, I thought you knew I was a blacksmith. If I feared spending time around fire, I would have fled my forge years ago~"

Her eyes followed the vampire as she leaned down, biting into the fae's neck. She took in a quick breath as the dull teeth forced their way through her skin, but instead of disliking it, she felt like she enjoyed the closeness to the vampire, and another side of her was truly enjoying it. Slowly she leaned her head on the vampire's shoulder, letting out a low, happy hum as she leaned into the bite, her arms still wrapped around Kalina, or Elizabeth, in this case. She smiled as the vampire pulled away, saying, "Oh? You didn't even take as much as last time~ I guess I don't have to let you know when you're taking too much anymore, though I was fine with you going on for a short bit longer~" She gave the vampire one last squeeze before stealing a quick peck on the girl's cheek.

She stepped back, withdrawing her arms. "Oh yes, I was bitten by a horrifyingly beautiful and wonderful Vampire~ Wouldn't mind getting bit more in the future as we work more together, cutie~" She winked at the other lady before nodding along with the story. "Oh yes, it has been a wonderful time with you around me, even if I need to replace certain things~ I swear, aren't you supposed to be the one with apposable thumbs~?" She grinned, but then became quizzical. "I must admit, even if you've been a wonderful apprentice, your name is slipping my mind right now. I don't suppose I could get it~?"​

 

[Elvario]

Elizabeth Mason
​

Mentions: Sopia Silent Angel

“It's because someone made sure I wasn't starving.” Kalina said, upon hearing the question as to why she didn't drink as much. Even good things should be taken in moderation, after all. That said, there were moments where Kalina wondered if this type of willing, no, not just willing, this type of eager victim was going to be the end of her. Try as she might, she couldn't figure out why Sophia enjoyed this so much, but the latter was quickly overshadowed when Sophia joined in on the 'act' they were working on.

“I'd have to advise against hooking up with vampires miss Smith, I heard they're quite the [monsters].” Kalina said, getting back into her role “It's just that my thumbs tend to oppose me more than that they are being opposable, I can't help it either, I swear!” She even managed to act shocked when Sophia didn't recall her name. “How could you! It's none other than Elizabeth Mason, of course!”

With a cover identity in place, Kalina felt a fair bit more at ease. However, there was still a job to be done. “So, what do you think about my suggestion? I can go around selling your wares in the towns surrounding the capital, whilst you can sell at the capital itself. As much as I like my new identity, I'm afraid I shouldn't push my limits with it.”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia tilted her head, her smile going from impish to warm as she said, "Well, I'm glad that I helped you like that~" She snapped her finger when the name came up, saying, "Elizabeth~ Yes, what a wonderful name for a wonderful assistant~" She glanced around once more as she looked around the castle thoughtfully. "I don't think the land itself will cost us too much, but the builders will be the main problem. But I think the duel pronged sales plan will be our best bet."​

 

[Elvario]

Elizabeth Mason
​

Mentions: Sopia Silent Angel

Kalina clicked her tongue. “It's still a castle, even if it's run-down. It has a strategic location if this place were ever to become relevant again and letting go of such properties might even be an issue of local pride... Oh, perhaps I should snoop around a little? I might be able to dig up information on this place, figure out who owns it and whatever. The more we know, the better our negotiating position, right?” She said, nodding to herself. “Anyhow, shall we meet back here in three days?”

With half a day of travel back and forth, that'd give Sophia two days at the capital to sell some items and/or gather them so that Kalina could sell them in the smaller towns later on. It'd also give Kalina three days to spent in this town to introduce people to her new identity and figure out what she could find about the place. “Ah, before you go though...” Kalina said, taking out an empty vial. “Could you fill it up before you go? Just in case I'll need it.” She still needed a more stable supply, as the events with Dahak had made her run dry.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia gave the lady a smile as she took the vial. "For you, I'd do anything~"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sophiafinished preparing her forge in the adventurer's guild, though at this point it had somewhat taken on a life of its own, with shows of her tailoring, smithing, fletching, and artificer ability everywhere. She had many of the basic gear that many adventurer's or even other craftsmen might need, with the offer to create more and better gear still hanging in the air. After all, if a thief decided to steal from her, if she wasn't in the store, she wouldn't want someone like that to get away with one of her better pieces of equipment. And as for her masterpiece of craftsmanship, her personal crossbow...

She placed a claw on it, glancing down at the prototype. She probably wouldn't make anything like it for others, outside of maybe Kalina. It was her pride and joy, but something like it, that could fire off the powerful shots she created, was not something she would want just any adventurer to be able to waltz in and buy. But the vampire was special to her. She would probably make her anything she wanted if she asked. But she shook her head, dispelling the thought as she drew her mind back to business, looking up as the bell on the door, which she had made herself and made a fun jingling sound when activated, sounded out, advising her that a customer had arrived.​

 

[Elvario]

Sophia's day had started 'as per usual', with some adventurers coming in to pick up some gear, to give their own gear a final check-up before heading out on a mission, or to spend yesterday's earnings on an upgrade. However, the monotony was broken when, a bit later in the morning, the door was opened by a maid, after which a rather notable person walked in.

Noblewoman

​

Spoiler: Noblewoman

This woman was clearly not an adventurer in the slightest. She even glossed over the weapons and armours with a hint of contempt. However, once her eyes fell upon Sophia, a glint of something mischievous showed. “So you're the one then?” She said, as she looked over Sophia as if trying to measure her capabilities by her looks alone. “I've got a busy day ahead, so I'll be straightforward.” She said, not even bothering with introductions.

“I need a dress that is unique in its kind. Something that not a single other noble has ever worn before and that nobody else will wear anytime soon. I don't care how you make it or how much it costs. All I need is for it to be unique. Something extraordinaire yet subtle, daring yet modest and revolutionary yet wearable. All the normal dressmakers failed me, but I've heard some rumours about you having a different enough background to have a shot at proceeding. What do you say? Is it something you can do, or did I waste my time coming here?”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

The spider lady eyed the noblewoman before trying to use her appraisal skill. Sadly it seemed that the other lady was a bit too high ranking for it to do anything. She thought for just a moment over whether she should provide service or not, wishing she had the title orb that the guards had, before deciding that, as she was a noble, Sophia could only just hope that her records were clean. And after all, it's not like she was supplying weapons or armor.

A grin lit up her face as she found out that apparently word had gotten around about her. The craftswoman's claws clasped together as she listened to the other lady's acknowledgement and request. "For such a beauty as yourself, I can't help but take this challenge~ After all, someone as stunning as you deserves only the best~" Once she finished stating that, she started to think over the challenge she had been given. The word subtle did not go too well with the other requirements that the lady set out. Her eyes scanned her shelves, not looking for inspiration, but more structuring her thoughts on how she could do it. Extraordinary and revolutionary were easy. She could use focuses as magical stones and impart enchantments into them to make the dress shine or have other effects occur when the lady wished, as it would be no more difficult putting small focus stones into the dress than it would be normal gems. Her thoughts moved on to subtlety, and she decided that would be the patterns. Subtle patterns in the gown that wouldn't draw the eye, but if noticed would show beauty below the surface. Maybe gold wiring? And revolutionary but wearable. What type of dresses would that work for?

Suddenly, her eyes widened as the answer stared her right in the face, causing her to grin. "A ball gown!" She didn't even realize she had said it out loud as she started to get everything ready. Ball gowns didn't get popular in her world for the most part until the 1800s and 1900s, and most likely hadn't even been thought up yet here, unless other travelers came over. It marked off what the lady wanted. Ball gowns were beautiful and quite wonderful, but allowed for deeper, less striking coloring. Daring was the rather form fitting style, but didn't show too much skin to be considered scandalous. And as for revolutionary but wearable, a ball gown was definitely wearable, and quite revolutionary, if she understood the lady correctly.​

 

[Elvario]

Noblewoman

​

Spoiler: Noblewoman

The woman didn't seem all that amused by Sophia's flattery. “You can leave the honeyed words to more gullible customers, before you'll make me change my mind.” She was clearly someone that preferred being direct and straight to business. “Also, I don't know what you were staring at me for, but if you want my measurements, my maid has already taken them before we left.” She nodded to the maid, who handed Sophia a small piece of parchment with very detailed measurements.

The woman's brow furrowed a bit. “Ball... gown?” She repeated the words with a bit of scepticism. “I'm not quite sure what that is, but if it fits the demands, I'll take it, as even though it sounds rather plebeian, names can be deceiving.” She nodded. “When can this ball gown be finished?”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise at the biting back, but decided not to press it, nor tell the woman she was being genuine with her remarks. One of her claws reached out, taking the note. If the name sounded plebian, at least that meant that the style hadn't come about yet, so that part of the request, the uniqueness, was safe. She looked down at the paper, noting the sizes, before looking back up at the lady. "I can have it done for you by the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, if you would like me to hurry it a bit. I have a... unique skill when it comes to this type of thing. For most people it would take much longer~" She decided to leave off more compliments, assuming the lady wouldn't appreciate them. Though, she decided that a snob like her didn't deserve the compliments. Oh well, she would just have to give her compliments to Kalina next time she saw the vampire~​

 

[Elvario]

Noblewoman

​

Spoiler: Noblewoman

Although she looked a bit sceptical, the woman nodded. “Very well, I'll have someone come pick it up by then.” She said, giving a nod. With that, she already turned around to leave the building, followed by the maid. She had barely even left the building before the next customer came running in.

Ben

​

Spoiler: Ben

Ben was a fairly simple kid. Stupid, perhaps. The kid's heart was in the right place though and few kids worked as hard on becoming a full-fledged adventurer as he did. “Miss Smith! I did it! I brought down the Gremlin!” He was talking about one of the mid-tier quests that was put on on the adventuring board not too long ago, on the assumption Sophia knew exactly what he was talking about. Considering the guy had been slaying rats in basements for ages, this was a pretty big advance. “It earned me more silvers than all my past jobs combined! I can finally get all those upgrades I wanted!”

He said, as put his sword on the table, undid his breastplate, gauntlets, braces... He pretty much stripped down to his basic clothes and put everything on Sophia's workbench. “Can you give them the upgrade? I can finally pay now! You'll do it, right!?!” He clearly couldn't contain his eagerness.

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

Sophia watched the noble leave, letting a frown touch the corners of her lips. She could have probably had it done by the next day, but she would rather add the extra day to make the lady wait a bit longer. And it also might be better for her own image, she thought wryly. She didn't want to seem like she was rushing the job. Just that she was efficient. She started writing up what the dress would entail on a scrap piece of paper when a more friendly face came in.

She looked up and beamed at the newcomer. "Ben! Congratulations! I'm proud of you~" Her displeased mood was banished by the newcomer as she leaned on the counter, her eyes twinkling. "And I would never refuse such a promising adventurer some new upgrades! Just let me know what you want me to do and I'll get right to it for you~" One of her claws reached out, ruffling his hair before she turned, preparing her workspace for what was to come.​

 

[Elvario]

Ben

​

Spoiler: Ben

Ben beamed at the compliment. Sophia would realise the flaw of her questioning the over-enthusiast youngster that question very soon. “Oh, could you make my sword twice as large? Do you think I could still swing it then? Oh, what if my armour was mithril? I heard that's really strong? Oh, can you enchant my sword to spit fire? Oh, oh, what about making it so my greaves jump really high! Or maybe I should learn archery? You do cross-bowing, right? Do you think adventures need to be able to fight at both close and long range? Or maybe I should invest in a helmet? I wouldn't like to get hit in the head. Do you think a helmet is essential? Oh, I heard from a friend they added spikes to their gauntlets in case someone disarmed them, then they could punch with spiked fists, do you think that would work with mine as well?”

It was pretty clear the youngster had many, many more ideas than his ability and earnings would allow him to obtain. Whilst he had earned enough for some decent gear, mithril was definitely out of the question and some of his requests would probably hinder him more than help him...

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She paused for a second, listening to all of his thoughts. She decided to answer them, as she wanted to make sure he didn't spread out into things he didn't need to, nor spend his money in ways that would be worthless for him. First, she said, "If you're using a sword, bigger doesn't mean better. A sword oftentimes needs more skill and less brute strength than other melee weapons. If I doubled your sword's size, you would have to use two hands, and when you swing it, you would leave yourself open to counterattacks with no shield to defend you."

She paused in her preparation and walked around the store, continuing as she looked over the gear on display. "Armor is good, but it's not a good thing to add too much unneeded modifications to your gear. A helmet is very helpful for armor, probably an essential if you're a front line fighter, but the enchantments? Making it mithril? I hope you're not going to spring from Gremlins to things that need those just yet. And I would highly suggest against the spiked gauntlets. It's just unnecessary and unless you're focusing on both boxing and swordsmanship, which I would suggest not doing, you don't need it."

She stopped in front of some swords on display, her voice still teaching, making sure that he learned for the future as she explained. "And as for going ranged, I would suggest against it until you're truly strong with your sword. I know I have a bunch of different skills, but I don't start learning new things until I'm good at what I'm currently learning. It splits your focus, and makes you unable to excel in one thing if you're splitting your attention. Trying to master two things at once means you're half as good in both, not learning twice as much."

She pulled off a very plain looking sword. Nothing special about the blade, no engravings, nor the hilt, as it was plain and leather wrapped. "Do you see this? It isn't the type of sword that people in the ballads sing of, is it? It isn't golden, or has special markings or jewels in the hilt. But out of all of the swords on that wall, this one is the best, hands down. You don't need something to be flashy or showy or have special powers to be a truly good weapon. Especially for melee, a lot of what you can do with a weapon depends on you, not on what you're holding." She reached back up, placing the weapon on the shelf once more. She walked back to her counter, placing her claws on it once more. "Now, sugar, how bout I just give your sword and armor a quick upgrade so you'll be better equipped for the new quests you want to take on? You can always buy more later, but for now, you also don't have the funds to get flashy. Practical is best."​

 

[Elvario]

Ben

​

Spoiler: Ben

The boy nodded along with Sophia's thorough lecture. That said, it wasn't clear if he was actually understanding her or just taking it at face value due to her authority. He, did, however, seem to understand the last part. “That'd be great ma'am! I've been trying to keep my blade sharp myself, but I keep messing it up and I'm pretty sure there's multiple dents in my armour from where that Gremlin tried to bite me. Their teeth are surprisingly tough! Did you know they can pierce leather like it's nothing? It makes me really glad I invested in some heavier stuff with my grandfather's money last time, that really saved me!” He suddenly recalled something. “Oh! My mother said she'd throw party once I finished the quest! I should go home... I'll be back tomorrow and try to save you a slice! Bye miss Smith!” With that, he rushed off, leaving all his gear (including some of the things that didn't even need upgrading) with her...

For an hour or two, Sophia would be able to work in peace and silence. However, she eventually saw the next customer arrive.

Sir James Wellington II

​

Spoiler: Sir James Wellington II

Sir James Wellington II. He wasn't technically part of the Adventurer's Guild, but he'd been working with them often enough to be considered a bit of legend with them. The man had made his entire career out of troll hunting, going after the man-eating beats where-ever he could find them. It seemed like his latest endeavours, however, had left him in a rather unfortunate position, as he was missing a hand and a bit of his upper arm. “Good afternoon, madam.” He said, as he entered with a nod towards Sophia.

He looked around the room, before letting out a deep sigh. “As you may see, I've found myself in a bit of a predicament. My hand got bitten off by the cursed fangs of Dragnar the Vile and I haven't found a single healer capable of restoring it. As such, I decided to see if I could entrust this matter to an artisan instead. From what I've gathered, you're a rather inventive one, so I've decided to stake my chances on your abilities as a craftswoman. Do you, in your honest opinion, have a manner to turn this useless stump into something useful once more?”

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

The spider girl smiled as Ben left, giving him a wave and a "See ya tomorrow, sugar~" Her eyes turned down to the gear he had offered her, and she quickly got to work.. It didn't take her too long, and soon she was placing the finished products to the side as she heard the bell ringing once more. She turned to look at the newcomer, her eyes falling on the stump where his hand used to be.

"Jesus, that looks painful." She grimaced at the scarred flesh, but listened to the explanation. She gave a few nods, thinking to herself. This was more of a job for some of her more recent learned trades, though the baseline would definitely be blacksmithing. She gave a wry smile as she thought that the man would probably come out looking like a cyborg, but that might add to his aura of badassery. "I think I can actually just give you a replacement hand. One that might be a bit more difficult to bite off." She took out her soft measuring tape, walking over to him and checking the measurements for his arm. She nodded, marking down the measurements, before walking back to the counter, starting to scribble out more of the details of what it would entail.

"If you want the new hand to be made out of anything special, like mithril, or have any special enchantments on it, let me know now. That way I can get them fixed in without any issues for the functionality of the hand." She looked up at the man, pausing, as she realized she had gotten somewhat carried away and hadn't really let him get a word in. "Does my plan seem alright with you? And I don't suppose you have a budget for this? I'm not gonna rip you off, but the gauntlet is going to have to be high quality for this to work, as the way it will have to function with the magic I put into it is going to be intricate."​

 

[Elvario]

Sir James Wellington II

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Spoiler: Sir James Wellington II

The man scoffed at the remark of pain. “You should've seen Dragnar. Too bad trolls like that regenerate whilst making others impossible to even heal.” His interest was clearly piqued at the suggestion of an entire replacement. “That sounds a lot more promising than I dared to hope for.”

He was pretty quick to reply to Sophia's suggestion o adding something. “Fire. I learned my biggest mistake in fighting Dragnar was that I didn't have enough power to out-damage his natural regeneration. I was considering hiring a mage to back me up, but if there's any way to make my punch cast or cause fire, that'll be great.”

The man laughed a bit at the question of a budget. “If worst comes to worst, I'll sell a few trophies from earlier hunts, but money shouldn't be an issue. I value the ability to hunt down more of these man-eating monstrosities more than mere keepsakes.”

There was, however, something else that was on his mind. “How soon can it be done? I'm not sure if Dragnar will stay in the same place for long, but I'd like to have my rematch with him soon. He's too dangerous to be left alive.”

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario
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A light materialized in the air hanging there with seemingly no origin point. Then it grew into a ball, a shining gold sphere. It was bright and radiant for but a moment before suddenly dimming and flickering in and out of existence. When it seemed to be about to fade into nonexistence it gave one last pulse of gold light. The pulse allowed a form to surround the sphere, until it began to resemble a humanoid slowly but surely dimming as the body was created around it until its light vanished into it and a man was left standing its place. As soon as he fully manifested he fell to the ground beneath him. He lay there for a time before his metal hands twitched. They weakly gripped the dirt the were atop letting it fill and slip between its fingers. Then the figure pushed himself up from the ground shakily, his head going up before falling back down into the dirt. The man tried once more raising himself to his knees. The crimson orbs which made up his eyes, which we in actuality highly advanced cameras, curiously looked at his surroundings. Grass, dirt and trees dotted the landscape with mountains looming in the distance. He blinked at these things finding them uninteresting. Then he felt a pull in his core. He followed it finding his gaze drawn to a village in the distance. He felt the pull once more, something was drawing him there. He raised himself to his feet stumbling as he did so. As he did he felt something clenched tightly in his grip he looked down to notice a shotgun in his hand. He brought it up looking at it, noting the craftmanship of the weapon. There was not a lot in his mind but gazing upon the gun brought to mind all sorts of things. He could tell the weapons, dimensions, the round it chambered, caliber and the parts which assembled it. He felt like he was... more, while holding this weapon so he kept it close at hand. Then he made his journey to the village

By the time the man reached the village the pull had grown greatly. He walked amongst the buildings and homes casting his eyes every which way a profound interest in them. He saw the structure and work of the various parts which held their structures and items together. He found himself feeling more at ease surrounded by the works of man compared to the disarray of nature. The few people he walked past looked to him in confusion and wariness though he paid it little mind. The captivating tug within his core brought him before a building. He stood before the door and noted the words emblazoned above it. He found he knew the meaning of the words and what they meant, "Adventurers Guild" it is a place where mortals congregate. Working together to perform tasks and job undertaken by "Adventurers". He blinked, mortals? They are mortals so then, what was he? His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and a young rushing out in good spirits almost running into him. His eyes followed him briefly then turned back to the guild. Bringing his hand up to the door.

When he stepped inside the tug grew to its greatest height practically causing him to move without thinking. Finding himself before an older man and a young women behind a counter whos appendages were inhuman resembling that of an insect. This was where he was being drawn too. His eyes noted the tools, and various items on display. Finding himself drawn to the craftsmanship of each, but feeling an impulse to do more with them. As if he felt unfinished. Though unsure how they could be improved, he couldn't shake that something was missing both from his surroundings and himself. He turned to the man and women who seemed to be in the midst of a conversation. Knowledge emerged from his mind telling him they were conducting business. As he listened he found himself growing more and more interested a gauntlet which would take the place of a hand. The word "Prosthesis" came to him. Though he was unsure of what an "enchantment" or "mithril" was the idea of such a creation profoundly fascinated him. The allure of the work pulling him in he walked up to the counter to the side of the man, staring at the women intently. His expression impassive yet his eyes were lit with intrigue. "May I watch, you make it?"

 

[Silent Angel]

Sophia Smith

She nodded, making additional notes before tapping the pencil she was using on her chin. "Alright, it'll have to be mithril, but that'll also give it a bit more longevity. I'll make it so it goes a small bit more up your arm to protect you from the flames. But a fire based enchantment won't be hard at all. It's one of the more simple enchantments, but the power that fire will have will be... well, it'll easily do the job of a mage's flame~"

She started doing calculations in her head for the price of it. It was definitely expensive. Just the mithril would be quite the price tag, but the man was a part of the adventurer's guild, so there would be a rather nice discount for that. Still, it would be the most expensive piece of gear she had made. She tossed the dress out of the ring for that price tag, as it wasn't exactly a piece of gear. She finished writing down the total cost it would be for him, using it as a receipt, copying down the same on another paper. She handed him the receipt and said, "That should be what it comes out to. As for when I can get it to you, It'll probably be done by midday in three days. I have an experimental outfit a noble asked for that I promised would be done the day after tomorrow, and pissing off a noblewoman like her might be... annoying for me. But once that's done, you can bet your britches that your replacement will have my full attention."

Her attention was suddenly pulled to the newcomer, her eyebrows raising. "Good afternoon." His outfit definitely was... strange for this area, but her own wasn't exactly normal either. She quickly used [Appraise] and noted the titles that revealed, making sure that he didn't have any titles she disagreed with. Noting that he didn't, she looked from him to Sir James. "I wouldn't mind if my customer wouldn't, but fair warning, something this intricate won't be done in an hour. Do you want to watch the whole time, or just an hour or so?"​

 

[EMIYAman]

Ingenium
Interactions: Silent Angel Elvario ​

He barely needed any time to consider the woman's question as to him the answer was obvious; how could he witness the creation if he didn't watch the entire process? No, he felt he should be there from beginning to end he felt his core was telling him that. "I would like to observe till the end. Comprehension is the Key to all Things." He appeared muddled for a moment as if not quite understanding his own words. Then moved on just as quickly, looking to her with a clear passion in his eyes. "This is a profound creation with the ability to serve all mortals, from those who have lost, to those who wish to transcend their flesh."

The words emerged from him like the way a priest may deliver the words of his faith. Twitching slightly he put a hand to his head his expression unchanged but uncertainty palpable upon him. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Can I... make something?" He seemed to be asking both the woman, and himself.

 

[Elvario]

Sir James Wellington II

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Spoiler: Sir James Wellington II

Mentions: Sophia Silent Angel | Ingenium EMIYAman

James merely nodded along with Sophia's explanation. It was all sensible enough. Even so, he was a bit shocked by the price. After a deep sigh, he reached a conclusion. “It looks like I'll have to leave Dragnar waiting and start again in three days. At the very least I should be able to collected the necessary funds by then, as I'm assuming you don't accept troll heads as payment?” As famous and valuable as his troll-head trophies were, being stuck with the burden of finding someone to buy them was not an attractive offer.

For the next part, Sir James Wellington had seen a fair few odd things during his life. The weirdo that entered the place and asked to watch Sophia was definitely one of them. His good hand even went ever so slightly closer towards his sword. “Listen, kid, I don't know who or what you are, but I'd rather not have people know too much about the workings of what will essential become a new body-part of mine. No offence, but I neither know nor trust you well enough.” He then looked at Sophia. “Well then, I'll leave my hand in your hands. If this kid here ever starts to become an issue, you can sent word to me and I'll deal with it personally.” He gave her a goodbye nod and left the room afterwards.

The latter gave Sophia and Ingenium some time to talk in private.

Elizabeth Mason
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Meanwhile, back in the village, Kalina hadn't been sitting by idly either. She had managed to find out that one of the elders in this town owned a 'library' with some relevant documents, namely tax records and history books. Although it was little more than a single room with some bookshelves, there was some really useful information on there. Her disguise as Sophia's apprentice was holding up pretty well thus far as well. She was mumbling to herself as she made some notes. “So the castle was never in the hands of nobility to begin with... hmmm...” She wasn't sure how to use some of this, but she felt like there was definitely some stuff they'd be able to use in there.