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Thread: ARM-or, get it?

  1. #1
    Althanian

    EXP: 31,031, Level: 7
    Level completed: 51%, EXP required for next Level: 3,969
    Level completed: 51%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,969



    GP
    649

    Name
    Robert Bertrand
    Location
    Corone

    ARM-or, get it?

    John swished the liquor around in the bottle. It was enough to relax him, but not much more than that, as long as he spread out his drinking across the next couple of hours. A wind blew across the small field of apple trees, no more than a dozen, and knocked one to the ground with a soft thunk. He was tempted to go out and get it, but the apple he had was satisfying enough to keep him in his oversized chair. He wondered to himself what he was doing, sitting out here not three hours past noon, eating an apple and drinking his whiskey. He set the bottle down and thought, easily commanding a liquid metal to slide to his thumb as he cut a chunk off of the apple, popping it into his mouth.

    The forge was cold, and had been for three days now. The last thing he’d made had been a few buckets of nails.

    Ooh, exciting work that is, eh John Cromwell? Still pretending you belong in this tedium?

    The half-giant sighed. This was enough. Tedium was soothing sometimes, wasn’t it? Tedium and routine distracted him.

    Mostly.

    He growled, tossing the apple into his tiny field of trees, ducking under his doorway into the house. What did it matter what he thought? They were gone, and they would still be gone whether he was distracted or not. Jamie’s words rang in his head again.

    "I’m not just a distraction, am I? I don’t want to be that to you, John."

    He looked through the kitchen doorway to the pantry. There were more bottles there, he knew.

  2. #2
    Member

    EXP: 9,940, Level: 4
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    Level completed: 19%,
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    Hayate_Amatsukami's Avatar

    GP
    992

    Name
    Hayate Amatsukami
    Age
    22
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Salvar
    Frighteningly enough Hayate matched up the swollen hillside with enough anxiety and excitement to kill the average bloke, but nothing could stop him now. What was he going to say to the Half-giant? Hey, how ya doing?...

    He swallowed as the Cromwell farm came into view sitting atop an orchard surrounded by heavily tolled earth. The lone Amatsukami had been warned by nearly everyone to steer clear of grumpy smith nowadays. But what was Hayate to do, let another opportunity pass him up? He refused and with what little he had to his name set off to meet this Cromwell.

    What are you so worried about? a voice spoke to Hayate breaking his stoic concentration.

    You know first impressions aren't my strong suit, plus he may be the only guy in all of Corone that can craft a prosthetic of this quality. I'm here to try and get my life back.

    As the young swordsman strolled to the front door of the farm house he notice a large burly man leaning in the entryway lost in thought. This must have been John, he practically dwarfed Hayate in size making him look alot smaller than he would like. He had a problem with people and even himself thinking little of him based on his height. This along with his fractured sense of purpose would hopefully be behind him shortly.

    “Umm, excuse me.” Hayate said clearing his throat. He lifted off his black hood revealing his scarred face and long black hair pulled up tightly in a ponytail. He did come visibly armed but not with any intention of something foolish, just to show he wasn’t a push over. “Are you John Cromwell? I’m looking for a man who can help me rebuild myself.”

    Suddenly a rogue gust of wind swept across the hillside causing Hayate’s silk cloak to flap wildy revealing his left arm. Or what was left of it really. While fleeing from the oppressive state of Akashima he had lost his arm at the shoulder from his bout with the Shogun Hiruzen. But that was a tale for another day.
    "Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to lose all that!" -Sasuke Uchiha

  3. #3
    Althanian

    EXP: 31,031, Level: 7
    Level completed: 51%, EXP required for next Level: 3,969
    Level completed: 51%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,969



    GP
    649

    Name
    Robert Bertrand
    Location
    Corone
    John, overcoming the mild surprise at the appearance of this young man, eyed him up and down. He had to have approached from more or less behind the house for John to have missed seeing him walk across part of the field. Scarred though his face was, it was still that of a boy, and it didn’t help that he came asking for John’s help. Still though, there was an air about him, perhaps it was the calmness that most did not quite achieve at their first meeting with the smith. It didn’t matter either way, though, long as he had coin.

    “Aye, you need work done?”

    And in the few seconds it took for him to look at the boy’s stump of an arm, he started distracting himself in a different way. He grunted, walking into his living room. A large, open affair with no ceiling other than his roof, it held a small nook with a large chair, and a table which seemed a little high, along with normal chairs. He walked around the spartan room, pulling a chair out from its place under the table, and proffered it to the boy.

    “Stand here, don’t feel like bending over to look at you.”

    Despite channeling the spirit of ‘focused John’, as he named it to himself, this was still boring. A trade, smithing of all kinds, had been a simple hobby when he was a member of nobility, but now it filled his life, when drink and Jamie weren’t filling it. They filled it in different ways, but all to the same result. His hand tightened on the chair, but he eased up on it, taking one deep breath. This was what it was. This moment, this boy’s arm, the steel that he needed to help him, that was all he needed to think of right now.

    “Is your bone healthy? How did you lose it?”

  4. #4
    Member

    EXP: 9,940, Level: 4
    Level completed: 19%, EXP required for next Level: 4,060
    Level completed: 19%,
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    Hayate_Amatsukami's Avatar

    GP
    992

    Name
    Hayate Amatsukami
    Age
    22
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Salvar
    “As healthy as I could keep it. Luckily for me I was found in a matter of hours after it happened. If it weren't for the Mrs. Lolitch and her medication I would have been a goner.”

    John seemed like an honest man, but distracted. He noticed it when he first walked up. There was an air of sadness looming over the giant, taking its toll on him. They shared that in common.

    “There hasn't been a lot of time lately, I've been running around like a loyal dog of the military.”

    Hayate stepped into the giant’s den and began admiring his massive furniture. John pulled out a chair for him to use as a stool and asked him to stand. Hayate obliged and unlatched the belt holding his Nodachi and set it aside along with his cloak. His arm was completely covered in bandages from his shoulder down to his nub around his bicep area.

    He wore his wound with shame, it was a reflection of his past. It was his penance, his sin. Part of the price he paid for his freedom, a constant reminder of who all he had sacrificed. All in the name of the man who inspired Hayate to begin his journey.

    “I don't have much feeling in it, so if that's what you were asking then no. I doubt I'll be able to keep it.” He said gripping his shoulder and looking down to the floor. His tangled black mop casting a shadow over his face. “But I don't care what it takes. John if you can help me I need a replacement, I have unfinished business I need to take care of. And before I can do that I’m caught up in another man’s war.”

    Hayate froze, he had already said to much.
    "Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to lose all that!" -Sasuke Uchiha

  5. #5
    Althanian

    EXP: 31,031, Level: 7
    Level completed: 51%, EXP required for next Level: 3,969
    Level completed: 51%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,969



    GP
    649

    Name
    Robert Bertrand
    Location
    Corone
    John gave the boy’s stump a cursory look as he explained the injury. Explained it with little more than a sentence or two, though. Not like he owed the giant blacksmith an explanation anyways. For having lost an arm, he seemed robust and healthy. Mrs Lolich must be good at her craft, John knew men who had died after losing limbs simply due to infection. John gave a cursory look at his bandages and walked to his closet, fishing around among diagrams of sigils, blacksmithing plans, and one very large tome, which held a box on top of it. He left the book, taking the box. He returned to the boy, noticing the wound again, and gave a more investigative look to his bandages.

    “That isn’t healed properly yet, is it? Listen, boy, if I’m to make this thing for you, you need to be able to move well with this when I fit it. Now, if you’ve got no feeling, that’s that, but if this doesn’t fit perfectly, then it will fail, and in the moment of highest stress.”

    He was eye level with his customer, even with the chair under him. He locked eyes with the boy and nodded. He lost an arm, John imagined that he knew the risks, but he made sure to say it anyway. He nodded curtly, and opened the box. Inside, there were several small items for measurement, along with a few smaller boxes which held engraving tools. He took a small tape, and started by measuring the boy’s good arm.

    John was about to tell the boy that he’d be able to keep what was left of his arm, but stopped short as he spoke.

    “-in another man’s war.”

    John’s eyes narrowed a bit and he shifted his grip on the boy’s arm. His giant hand easily wrapped all the way around his bicep, and he looked his customer in the eye.

    “Whose war, boy?”

  6. #6
    Member

    EXP: 9,940, Level: 4
    Level completed: 19%, EXP required for next Level: 4,060
    Level completed: 19%,
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    Hayate_Amatsukami's Avatar

    GP
    992

    Name
    Hayate Amatsukami
    Age
    22
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Salvar
    Hayate bit his lip.

    He was shaking at this point. John’s fist suddenly tighten around his arm made the young Akashiman quiver like a helpless child. He hadn't felt tension like this since that day and without his sword in his palm he couldn't even hope to shake the giant off him.

    “You haven't seen it yet?” He spoke finally straining to stand up straight, resisting John. “I'm a dog.”

    The swordsman reached up with his good arm to where his bandages begin on his shoulder. After a moment he found the edge and peeled it down a bit to reveal a tattoo. It was the mark of The Brotherhood of Castigars, an order lead by Shinsou Osiris, one that had been taking a lot of territory recently in Corone. Even if John was living an isolated life it wouldn't be a stretch to think he was oblivious about Hayate's faction.

    “I thought by now it would be common knowledge that we marched on Tylmerande and negotiated possession of the port. We freed hundreds already and plan to march all the way to Radasanth. So far we have manage to keep things as peaceful as possible.”

    Hayate then pulled his banagades tight again and reluctantly turned to face his blade leaning against the wall in the corner. Yamato, the spirit that dwelled within the blade, had been calling to him pleading for Hayate to leave the giant's house. But how could he? And besides it shouldn't matter who he was, business should be business all the same.

    “I'm sure it would have been in my best interest to keep that a secret but regardless I'm here not as a soldier. I'm here as a man who needs to become whole again. There is a certain man I've got to kill and I need to get stronger in order to do it.”

    Hayate pulled a piece of parchment out of the folds of his robes and handed it to the giant. Within were his own crudely drawn blueprints for what he was imagining his replacement arm to be. It was an elaborate device with a number of gadgets thrown in to make it a mighty piece of machinery. He incorporated a lot of his own tool and weapons into its design.

    “Please John I have most of the equipment already. I'm bound by honor to avenge my clan’s murder, and to achieve my goal I'm willing to do whatever it takes.”

    (Ruin’s Grasp: A titanium prosthetic left arm made by John Cromwell specifically to fit Hayate Amatsukami. It is completely customized with an array of modifications making it a deadly tool in his arsenal. At the elbow a Titanium Wakizashi is mounted that aids in combat. On the outside of the forearm is an iron quality retractable grappling hook with thirty feet worth of chain coiled within his arm. Lastly on the inside of the wrist hides a chamber from which he may reflexively fire a reloadable supply of five shuriken at his enemy as quickly as if thrown by a well trained shinobi. Any shuriken Hayate owns can be loaded into the chamber.)
    "Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to lose all that!" -Sasuke Uchiha

  7. #7
    Althanian

    EXP: 31,031, Level: 7
    Level completed: 51%, EXP required for next Level: 3,969
    Level completed: 51%,
    EXP required for next Level: 3,969



    GP
    649

    Name
    Robert Bertrand
    Location
    Corone
    John kept his gaze locked with the boy’s as he spelled everything out to him.

    An army? Corone has issues to be sure, but a takeover of the country?

    John kept listening, loosening his grip on Hayate’s arm as he gave up his information. He looked down at the boy’s mark not quite recognizing its origin. Thoughts raced through his mind. Who was leading this takeover? Would he need to leave the country? What would a new regime bring, if it succeeded at all? Anything that would legitimately threaten the reigning government would have to be violent, but there were a lot of violent people who held grudges against the upper crust of Corone. He opened his mouth to demand more information of Hayate, but the boy continued speaking. This, John knew all too well.

    Revenge, boiling blood and shaking hands. He tightened his grip on the boy’s good arm, and it wasn’t until he held Hayate almost in midair that he realized that he wasn’t thinking of the boy’s revenge any more, he contemplated his own. He hoped he didn’t scare him. John loosed the aspiring ninja, and turned away to grab his oversized chair to bring it next to the table. He looked down to see a shimmering coat of metal that now covered him up to mid-forearm, the sinuous strands of titanium-strength alloy retreating at a mental command.

    “I will do this for you, boy,” he said, looking at the diagrams. They weren’t bad. Missing notations all over the place, but those could be added later, and the elbow wouldn’t be suited to heavy use, but it could be done. He continued.

    “But, I want your oath on two things. One,” he entoned, holding up a massive finger “you tell me everything you know of this war and who leads it, unless you are bound by another oath. Two, that you come back to me after you are done with this revenge.”

    John grabbed a pencil, and began to make notes based on the measurements that he made earlier. He would not tell the boy not to go, could not tell him so. His own actions spoke to that. John did, however, know that it ruined him. He wandered Salvar for years, fought for money, fought because it was what he knew.

    John wished that he had had the knowledge back then.

    “Make these oaths, and I will make your arm.”

  8. #8
    Member

    EXP: 9,940, Level: 4
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    Hayate_Amatsukami's Avatar

    GP
    992

    Name
    Hayate Amatsukami
    Age
    22
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Salvar
    What did he say that set him off?

    The half-giant lifted Hayate off his feet with such rage behind his eyes and gritted teeth that it sent shivers down the Akashiman’s spine. A metal coating began to take hold of his arm and Hayate thought this was going to be his end. But as quickly as things started to get out of control they settled and John let the ninja go.

    What did Hayate just see? John quelled the long tendrils of metal as if caging a beast back within him. Little did the half-giant know Hayate knows what it looks like to suppress your emotions, he's had a lot of practice himself.They had more in common than he would have thought.

    After a moment John spoke up and started to look at the schematics Hayate gave him. And for the first time in a long time things were starting to look up for the last of the Amatsukami. His fear turned into jubilation as he watched John sit down at his desk and begin to assemble his material. The amount of blacksmiths Hayate had gone to that just insulted him for even asking them to attempt such a thing was ridiculous. And the fact that he found the one man skilled enough to make him whole again erased any malcontent on his part towards John.

    But everything came with a catch, two oaths…

    Hayate thought it over for a moment. Carefully thinking about what each request would mean for the boy. The first was to reveal his knowledge of the upcoming war which was admittedly a simple decision. The Brotherhood was a known organization around Corone and beyond and they had already publicly announced there intentions.

    “I Amatsukami Hayate, last of my bloodline and Bastard son of Akashima, swear to you these things.” he started as he stepped down off his stool and over to his belongings. With his good hand he fished through his pile and grabbed his dagger that he was about to hand to John to be used. Gently he brought the tip of the dagger up to his left shoulder and made a slight nick, enough to cause a small stream of blood.

    “I am a soldier of The Brotherhood of Castigars, we are lead by a man by the name Storm Veritas.” he said as he tossed the dagger onto the table by John.

    “ I’ve largely stayed out of the politics of it all, but he believes that in his hands all of Corone could be better place. If they weren’t the only thing keeping me safe and outside the reaches of the Assembly and Hiruzen I would just sooner stay out of the whole thing.” It was the truth after all. Things were begging to get long winded but Hayate was far from done. John deserved nothing less for accepting his job.

    “They plan to march on Radasanth, and between us, they will do whatever it takes.” he finished.

    John didn’t look to happy about that part.

    “And as for returning, after all the fighting is done I swear to you John, you’ll see me again.”

    Fin
    "Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to lose all that!" -Sasuke Uchiha

  9. #9
    Legend

    EXP: 127,650, Level: 15
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    Philomel's Avatar

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    Name
    Philomel van der Aart (+ Veridian)
    Age
    30 (+10)
    Race
    Faun (+ Fox/Earth Spirit)
    Gender
    Female (+ Male)
    Location
    Corone

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    Hayate:
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    Maximum converted into gp for Hayate.

    Spoil request: 2 pieces of titanium for Hayate.
    Costs covered by his GP and remaining GP from Philomel as discussed.
    *admin at your service*

    Matriarch of the Gilded Lily and of its brothels, associated establishments and the army.

    Characters:
    The family triplet: Philomel, Vaeron and Celandine.
    The god and kenku triplet: Stare, Avin and Vixen.
    The Primordials: Professor Charles and Moros.

  10. #10
    Legend

    EXP: 127,650, Level: 15
    Level completed: 55%, EXP required for next Level: 7,350
    Level completed: 55%,
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    Philomel's Avatar

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    Name
    Philomel van der Aart (+ Veridian)
    Age
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    Race
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    Female (+ Male)
    Location
    Corone

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    Matriarch of the Gilded Lily and of its brothels, associated establishments and the army.

    Characters:
    The family triplet: Philomel, Vaeron and Celandine.
    The god and kenku triplet: Stare, Avin and Vixen.
    The Primordials: Professor Charles and Moros.

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