Window Shopping

[Il Amator]

I walked into the sparsely decorated blacksmith's shop and headed straight for the counter. "My good man," I greeted him. "How much would it cost to improve the craftsmanship of my rapier and dagger from excellent to masterwork?" I unsheathed the blades and placed them on the counter in front of me so that he could see them clearly. "Also, how much would it cost to upgrade the material of both? I'm sure such work would be no trouble for a skilled smith such as yourself, but naturally we all have our expenses to cover."

[AdventWings]

Jirou looked up from a brown-hue katar he was cleaning and eyed the twin blades on the counter. He looked back up at the customer with a slight frown of curiosity before putting down the handcrafted weapon and the oily rag behind the counter.

"So, looking to improve your blades, am I correct?" The Akashiman blacksmith lifted the rapier up first, testing its weight and flexibility with his thumb. He could tell it was finely crafted and very durable, powerful and delicate at the same time. It was going to be a pain to make this elegant weapon even more beautiful than it was right now.

Then, he carefully lifted the campanion knife and studied its balance, testing the blade against his finger and finding it still as sharp as ever. The chiseled and sanded steel dagger was a fine companion to the rapier and glistened in the late morning sunlight. It, too, would cost a great deal to improve both quality and strength.

Needless to say, it was going to cost an arm and a leg.

"I suppose the if you're only looking to improve on the craftsmanship, I can't help you much there. However, there's a jeweller a couple stores down the road who might be able to help you with that. It's the store called the Aquamarine tended by two feline merchants. It's fairly new, so you shouldn've have much problem finding the shop."

Jirou was a blacksmith, after all. If the man was looking to change the blades to a stronger metal, he might be able to do it. Quality-wise, that would remain to be seen.

[Il Amator]

The blacksmith told me of another shop that might be able to upgrade the quality of the blades. However, I wanted another tidbit of the man's advice. "If you were to forge a rapier and dagger, what metal would you recommend for them? I'm looking for speed, precision, and agility; not power. How much would such a metal cost for my blades?"

[AdventWings]

Now, this was a request the blacksmith was more used to receiving - and one he could certainly deliver when given enough time.

"Well, if we're talking about forging the entire rapier and main gauche out of the same metal and with similar designs, that I can make. For precision and agility, I suggest forging them from Mythril. Light, strong and magically conducive, that's the best metal you want."

It was true that Mythril was the best among the best metals for crafting weapons. And as such, Jirou thought as he continued on with his quote...

"...And, mainly because it's in such high demands, it'll cost you six hundred Coronian Crowns and more. And that's just for the rapier, mind you. The companion knife would be about a hundred or so Crowns. About the same price if you pay it in gold coins, I accept that currency as well."

The blacksmith wondered to himself as he waited for the customer's reply, trying to remember the last time he tried his hands forging Mythril blades.

Come to think of it... How long has it been since I made that last Mythril dagger, anyways?

[Il Amator]

Mythril. That'd put a hurt on my wallet... I'd have to head out on a few more adventures before I could afford that. "Well," I said to the blacksmith, "Unfortunately I don't have nearly enough gold for either of those upgrades." I saw the man's face fall a bit. "But, since you've been so helpful, would you be able to craft a ring for me?"

I wasn't sure if such a request would be out of the man's range of ability, but it couldn't hurt to ask. "Nothing fancy, just a steel band an eighth of an inch wide." I hoped he could make it; I felt bad coming in here and not buying anything...

[AdventWings]

Boy, and I thought I had strange requests before...

Jirou looked a bit befuzzled by the man's request, but it would look pretty bad if he can't comply to a simple job.

Oh, sure. It's only a steel band. How hard could it be?

"Sure thing, sir." The Akashiman Southerner nodded, scribbling the order form onto a piece of paper and handing it to the customer. "I should have it ready three days from today. Please come by and pick up your order, then. As for the pricing, would twenty Crowns be a reasonable price?"

Jirou almost forgot to ask the customer if he was willing to pay - and how much.

[Il Amator]

"Would twenty Crowns be a reasonable price?" the blacksmith asked me after agreeing to do the work. I rolled the figure around in my head... it seemed reasonable.

"I will return in three days time, sir," I told him as I counted out the gold and placed it on the counter. "I'm sure your handiwork will be marvelous."

~~Three Days Later~~

Can I do that?

I scanned the bazaar for the blacksmith's shop, quickly spotting it tucked away between two much more flamboyant stores. Opening the door, I saw few people inside and made my way to the counter.

"Smithy?" I called into the back, hoping he was in. "It is I, Brammas. I have come for my ring!" After that, all I could do was wait for the man. I leaned on the counter and surveyed the other customers in the store. How long had they been waiting?

[AdventWings]

((OOC Note: You certainly can. :p))

"Just one moment, sir."

Jirou shuffled out from the forge, his sweating arms still covered with soot from working in front of the fire all morning. The blacksmith went about wiping his hands on his work apron, which was now riddled with greyish smears of coal, soot and other left-over ash flying about in the room.

Reaching into a compartment behind the counter, he brought out a roll of black cloth and opened it to reveal the steel band within. While it did not look like an item created by the master jeweller, it certainly was not tastelessly plain in appearance either. Sporting a fine weaving of carefully chiseled lines, the shadows casted by these tiny valleys gave the impression of the mighty winds of the Akashiman southern plains.

"Is this to your preference, sir?" The blacksmith asked Brammas, turning only momentarily to address the other customers to wait patiently and browse the wares within the smithy.

[Il Amator]

I smiled when I saw the ring that the blacksmith had made for me. "Thank you sir; it's perfect." I pick it up and slid it on my finger where it fit snugly over my glove. Flexing my hand, I couldn't feel the ring rubbing anywhere it shouldn't be. It was excellent work.

"I appreciate the added designs as well. I'll be back once I have enough money for mythril blades, but for now; I believe my business here is done. Good day!" With a polite nod to the skilled craftsman, I turned and made my way through the other customers and out the door back into the bazaar. Now where could I find 550 gold...

[AdventWings]

"Thank you for your purchase, sir."

Jirou bowed as the customer left before moving on to mind the other people inside the smithy.

Boy, that ring sure was harder than it looked. The Akashiman blacksmith thought to himself as he presented a saber to one of the merchants looking to stock up in swords.

If it hadn't been for Kisha, I'd be clueless.

((Transaction Complete!

Il Amator loses 20 GP and receives an above-average Steel Ring etched with weaving designs. He also receives 75 EXP for good IC Interactions.

Please stop by the Akashiman again in the future!))