Meance to society

[Damian]

Last time was too close, I need something better…something not expected.

Damian made a bee-line for the weapons shop in Underwood. He shifted his duster as he pushed open the heavy oak doors. He walked passed all the various implements of pain and death, and halted at the counter waiting for the shop owner to make it over to him. As he waited Damian pulled off his right bracer placing it on the wooden counter, he rubs his arm to get rid of the weird sensation of goose bumps over his arm.

[AdventWings]

Just as one customer left his store, another quickly entered. It would be a very busy day for this blacksmith.

"Welcome to the Akashiman, sir. How may I help you?"

Jirou appeared from the forge, his body covered with small specks of soot glued tight to his sweat-streaked arms. Moving his muscular form to the counter, he wiped his ash-smeared hands on his work apron and stood waiting for the customer to make his request.

[Damian]

Damian stared at the large blacksmith with the forge's embers still burning in his eyes. "I was wondering if it was possible to install a spring loaded steel spike on the underside of my bracer?"

Demonstrating with his hands on the bracer, showing exactly what he wants. “The spike would run the entire length of the bracer, minus what is needed for the spring trap. It will swing out in a full half circle, resting in the grip of my hand. And if at all possible, make it look just like the rest of the bracer so it will stay hidden.” Damian rested the bracer back on the counter looking at the blacksmith as he analyses the schematics.

[AdventWings]

Almost immediately as the words "install" reached his ears, the blacksmith could not help but scratch his head in disdain.

I'm a blacksmith, not a gadgeteer...

Still... A customer was a customer.

"Alright, sir. You wanted... a spring-loaded steel spike..." Jirou tried to mentally analyze the system, "to make it swing into your hand?"

The blacksmith tried converting the words into an image in his head, but something felt missing...

"Alright, sir." The blacksmith sighed, pulling a chair out and sat down on the sturdy oak furniture. "What is it you'll be needing it to do?"

It was going to be a long day.

[Damian]

Damian grimaced. He explained again, all the while demonstrating with his hands how he wanted the contraption to work.

"...and from a push of a button, here," Damian points to a spot near the elbow end of the bracer. "So when that button is pushed, the latch will open up and the spike swings outward to my hand. And to close the spike just push it back into the safety of the latch."

The blacksmith stared at the bracer for a while scratching his chin and giving a slighty perplexed look.

Sigh.

"Well like I said, the spike will be placed on the underside of the bracer. The spike its self is steel and it runs the entire length of..."

The blacksmith holds up his palm signaling for Damian to shut up. Still staring at the bracer, he put his fire beaten hands on the counter and raises himself up. Damian's two-toned eyes stared at the blacksmith eager to hear his reply.

[AdventWings]

Something clicked and ground in the back of Jirou's simple mind, but much of what the young warrior tried to convey was lost in the mere implementation of the Spike.

So... swings out and... into hand...?

"Alright, sir. One thing that is confusing me is exactly what it would be used for. But I think I figured it out."

He stretched back and picked the bracer up, examining it more closely. Figuring out how the spike was going to be used was now becoming a bit more clear - it was supposed to be held in the user's hand like a stake or a knife. Figuring just exactly how it would be incorporated into the original design, that was a feat in itself.

The bracer was not exactly a thick piece of armor - Jirou concluded that it was probably at most half an inch of wrought iron. Fairly thick and bulky, but nowhere thick enough to include a durable stake that could flip out and act as a weapon. He might not be able to "install" the stake in there, but if he were to make another one...

"Alright, I think I've worked it out." He sighed in relief, the gears in his head starting back up again. "Here's what I think I can do for you."

Putting the iron bracer down on the table, the soot-covered blacksmith rolled out a sizable strip of bark and grabbed a well-worn quill from an ink well by the wall. Scribbling the design onto the faded brown surface, he began to outline the schematics that would hopefully meet the requirements his customer needed.

"Right. A bracer with a spring-loaded stake..." He muttered, scratching a tubular form onto his canvas, "That'll swing the stake into your hand when you press a lever... or a button, whichever works..." He spoke up again and drew a small knob by the elbow end of the tube. "...and then you could use the spike, or stake, for attacking."

Spinning the piece of parchment around, he put away the quill and looked up at the white-hair man whose eyes seemed to gleam eagerly for understanding.

"Is this what you're looking for, sir?"

Hopefully it was.

[Damian]

Damian took the parchment off the table and eyed the crude design of his bracer with the spike attached to the underside. He took several seconds examing the way the latch will be attached to the bracer and holds in the spike.

Sigh. Who am I kidding I don't know a damn thing about this. Damian gave a few puzzled looks and muttered to himself; acting like he knew what he was doing.

Damian placed the parchment on the table and looked up to the large man covered in soot. "Everything looks perfect, its excatly what I was looking for."

[AdventWings]

Jirou could tell the customer was not entirely happy with the drawing - either it was not what he was looking for, or it was nowhere near what he intended.

But how could he dishonor a customer's order? The kid said it was the way he wanted, so the way it was, he would get.

"Alright, sir. I should have it done in about two to three days. Also, it would cost you 55 Coronian gold pieces. If the price is fine with you, I'll give you an order slip and you can pick it up in three days from today."

The blacksmith pulled out a small piece of paper and scribbled some letters onto the sheet, detailing the date the customer was to return for the bracer. The item and spike would be made at the smithy, the spring-trap and mechanisms, however, he would need outside help.

Maybe it's time I reconnect with that tinkerer kid back in Yanbo... He thought, placing the quill pen back in its ink well and handing the order slip to his customer.

[Damian]

The blacksmith wrote his chickenscratch on an orderform and handed it to Damian. "I shall return in three days time then." As the white haired adventurer exited the shop through the heay oak doors he crumpled up the orderform and shoved it in his leather duster. He yet again rubs his forearm where his bracer once sat. Damian massages his temples as he thought. Sigh. Fine I will get what I can take.

Damian accepted a short job that consisted of catching an individual who has tried several times to break into people's homes and rob them of their wealth. Damian caught the man on the first night he accepted the job, often wondering how stupid the people he robbed from are. Two days have passed, lets see if the soot for brains has my weapon ready.

Damian walked with a bounce in his step, even the experience has been the most pleasent, he couldn't wait to have his new toy. Turning the corner Damian spotted the familiar oak doors. Damian heaved against the doors and strode into the shop. As he approached the counter he withdrew the crumpled orderform and slapped it on the counter.

[AdventWings]

A face such as that of Damian was not one Jirou could forget easily. It was second nature, as a seller of goods and a maker of swords, to remember who ordered what and how they look like. Damian was not someone easily forgotten - white-hair, lanky but muscular form and generally musky-smelling. Not that the usual customers were not like him, but most of his features were rather striking.

"Here you go, sir." The blacksmith brought out the steel bracer from a hidden shelf under the counter along with the old iron bracer the customer had left behind to be used as a template.

"The spike's embedded into the bracer and you can access it with that button right there." Jirou wrapped his fingers around the side of the piece of armor, tapping the inconspicuous lever against the counter top. With a light twang followed by the sound of steel flashing against steel, the stake flipped out like a convenient little switchblade and pointed straight out towards the opposite end of its sheath.

"I hope this is alright for you, sir." He casually commented, folding the spike back into its groove. "And that would be fifty-five gold pieces, sir."

[Damian]

A smirk found its way across Damian's face as he watched the spike flip out from under the armor. He took the bracer from Jirou and effortlessly placed the spike back into the latch. The whole mechanism was very smooth, everything slid into place precisely without any room for play. He put the bracer back onto his right arm, it felt natural like how it has always been.

"A very fine job sir," Damian said with a hint of sincerity in his eyes. Before he came in he already had his 55 gold pieces counted, with a few extra just in case. He withdrew the pieces out of his pocket and placed them on the counter. With a slight head nod to the blacksmith, the white wolf stepped out off the shop satisfied with his new toy.

[AdventWings]

"Nice doing business with you, sir."

Jirou smiled quietly, placing the pieces of gold coins into his safe box. He would need to go buy some more material for more orders, knowing that there would be plenty to make not long from now. The wind had changed and there was nothing he could do except to fight through it.

((Transaction Complete.

Damian loses 55 GP.

Damian receives the following:

- Steel Bracer with hidden Spring-Activated Spike

Damian receives 100 EXP for good IC interactions.))