RP:S1, E10 To Mend a Short-sword

From HollowWiki

Summary: Nikola helps Larz with a new weapon set.

Nikola’s Shop

Largakh traveled far from either of his homes today to see a well advertised blacksmith about his shortsword. Maybe she would have a better suggestion on a weapon for someone of his unusual set of skills and he would get a new weapon all together! He followed the directions which were given to him by some local villagers after they looked up at him with some really weird looks on their face. Upon opening the door to the blacksmith a bell rang above his head to indicate his presence which was a lanky looking, green and bluish skinned half orc. Tuscan yellow eyes glance around the place before moving further within and his harsh orc timbre greets the space with a, “hello?” His short sword was in two pieces and he carried them wrapped in a cloth. It was warm in here so he set the broken sword down and slipped off his soft leather jacket to hang it on a hook nearby. He smoothed his short sleeve grey cotton shirt down and takes a seat in order to wait for assistance.


There is no one there, just sets upon sets of armor resting on their respective armor stands, weapons and shields, leaning on racks for display, some are even placed under a glass cover, one can only imagine how expensive that one would be. The roaring furnace was kept burning on the back rear of the store where the workshop is. Sacks of materials litter the back section with piles of metal ingots sitting on a corner, right beside numerous smithing tools. The room is quite warm, perfect against the cold mountain air outside. A chimney is available above the forge to rid of all the smoke and finally a heavy forged door at the rear of the shop. Atleast a minute pass till finally the metal door creaked open. Oddly enough, the room beyond the store leads to a kitchen, clean and homey, unlike the mess before the door. A woman of small stature soon appear with a cup of tea on hand. "Oh..." before moving closer to him and placing the cup before him. "That is supposed to be mine but I can just make more later. How can I help you?"


Largakh isn’t one to impose so he did the polite ‘no thank you’ gesture with a, “that’s quite alright.” His voice a sharp contrast to his being just like the deep blue spots of some form for vitiligo - yes, vitiligo means loss of pigment so those spots should be stark white, but this is a magical place with many different takes on real life things! His way of speaking was that of someone with moderate intelligence which is rare for an orc- so obviously he’s half (maybe that’s why he’s got some magical skin condition). “Hi, I am Larz Xerthurg, I have seen some of your adverts. I was wondering if you could help me with this,” he stands up and brings the cloth over to a nearby counter and opens it to reveal a beautiful elven short sword… This may raise more questions than answers about this new client as it’s known that orcs and elves are enemies. The few calluses on his hand tell a story of an archer and not much of a bladesman, but someone so tall could easily use something else if Nikola has a suggestion for it, “if it is salvageable, but I trust your opinion of a new type of weapon if you think that’s in order.” Intelligent tuscan eyes settle on Nikola’s face as his jaw seems to shift a bit before tensing in his effort to hide his under bite.


Ofcourse Nikola would never say no to graces and slid the cup back to her side of the table. Looking onto the man then the piece shown before her, "An Elven blade..." looking back at him before saying. "If you are just an orc halfling, you'll be bullied for keeping this... so why risk that?" Looking at him one more time. "An orc that has proven his worth, or... an elven half blood." She is a dragon after all, knowledge comes with age and experience. Picking the piece that has a handle, "Elven blades are made to withstand any rust or dullness. It would remain sleek and sharp till the end of time. Its light.. maybe too light for an orc. It would break if you put in too much raw force behind it. I can restore this, but a stronger weapon is in order. If you want, I can melt this down, use its metal as an exterior shell to your new weapon so it would maintain the elven properties, changing the core to a far more durable weapon for your use. But I don't think you are a swordsman at all." Pointing at his hand. "What do you want?"


Largakh gave a closed lip grin to her observations, it’s odd how such a slight difference can soften such a severe angular face. He isn’t judged as harshly in this city and he has no idea when he’d ever see this blacksmith again once she finished this piece so he feels he can be right out with it. “It was handed down to me,” he listened to her tell him things he already knew about the blade with interest in his gaze, “that’s right.” She’s pointing out his blue spotted right hand with the proof she needs, “astute. I do practice archery often, but as a guard in Gualon when I am on patrol I need something more wieldable and on the go,” his hand made a fist as if he was holding a hilt to a weapon and he gives it a lazy perry. He leans his elbows on the counter nearer to the broken weapon, “I like the idea of melting it down and repurposing it to a more suitable weapon.” Then she is asking him what he wants and he glances around at the various armory and weapons, it was all a little much for him so he asks, “what kind of weapon do you see a scrawny tall guy like me with?” Scrawny isn’t really the word to describe him, sure his built more compact, but there definitely is muscle and power there.


Taking a sip from her tea as she looked at the weapon then back to him. "A pair of combat axes comes to mind, easy to use and throwable with orcish strength. Just don't throw both of them and you are out of weapons.. A broadsword would do too but you need proper training for that. I could add Ghroundium particles upon the elven metal itself, reinforcing the blade to prevent breaking should you strike with it with too much force.. there isn't much material here." Looking down at the broken blade. "And besides, you'll technically lose your heirloom. What I can do is, do the throwing axes and use what's left for a dagger, repurposing the hilt of this sword."


Largarkh watched the woman speak about metal like he does about archery and the slight grin had remained on his face, “sounds involved.” A pause as her last suggestion feels like he right one, “I like that plan.” He shoved both of his hands in his pockets, “is there anything else you need from me? How much gold will this be, and how many days should I be back to pick this work order up…” he feels he may have read her name on those adverts, but just wanted to clarify, “and I never caught your name. You are?” His hand reached out to shake her own if that was agreeable to her. If she took it she would find a firm shake, not cocky or overly assertive, but she could tell there is force and strength in this lanky seeming orc.


Nikola reached for something underneath the desk and placed it before the man. It was a oblongated bag filled with what appears to be sand... or more accurately, metal shavings. "I am a warsmith. It means I produce weapons on the battlefield itself. Creating weapons of finest quality at a moment's notice." Looking at the broken sword again, "My prices maybe outrageous but my products are next to none. Even the current King of Larket agrees. I can provide you this weapon in haste, mere hours if you are willing to wait but the cost would be great. Weapons of this quality typically require time and precision. Masters of this craft would take weeks, months even to perfect and match any of my creation." She reaches for her cup and takes a sip once more. "Two days. five thousand gold. Payment on completion. I may even improve this weapon if you have anything to add in it, like a cursed object or an elemental relic." She pushes the bag more onto the man, "Hold onto this so I can get a mold of what your grip would be." should the man does so, she'll magnetize the bag to get the shape she needed. She'll use it as a mold for the weapon's new hilt. Nikola then reached out for his hand, its top portion is covered in scales, like a lizard while the interior part was human like, soft and smooth. The man could try squeezing onto her all he wants but she doubt her durable scales and bones would bulge against him. "Nikola." she simply added.


Largakh whistles, impressed, but not offended by her price. It is why he came all this way after all, “I wouldn't rush you, nothing good is ever rushed.” He is a patient man, of which only really shows when he's in Sage getting mocked or gossiped about as if he weren't even there. He glanced down at her hand when they shook and a brow quirked, that's new and different - sort of like him. He shakes his head with a small shrug, “nothing special to add. I’m not one for enchanted arms. Just plain ol’ Larz,” he did as instructed, his fingers long and nimble, yet strong and he releases the bag. “I'll be in town for the two days if you need anything, even if it's some silly errand. Do you need anything else before I go?” He lifts his soft leather jacket from where he had hung it up when he entered. It was at this time another customer walked in behind him and looked up at the half orc, “hey there…. You found it. Good for you,” they talk to him like some sort of simpleton and Larz nods once to them. They just think he's a simpleton because sometimes he acts like one so people don't ask questions.


Nikola simply smiles, nodded and covered the weapon again, "I shall take this then, If I start tonight, you may expect this weapon on the third day, about mid day. Feel free to visit my shop again by then. Should something happen and you are unable to pay for this, I shall keep it in storage for atleast a week then finally try to sell it off after that." she reached for the bag and made sure she had the right measurements before saying. "Till next time then. Mister Xerthurg." waving him goodbye as he leaves and she welcome the next customer.




Two days.. That might be too much time. To be honest, this work can be done within hours, she just gave herself some free time to ensure there won't be any other customers or projects for her to work on. She is after all sought after by many.. though her prices are a bit extravagant, that might lower the chances of her getting any clients. Still, getting few is always better than getting too many for her to focus on.

Throwing axes and a dagger out of a broken elven blade. She first took a piece of parchment and drew up the weapon. Its core would be Ghroundium, the strongest metal this realm can offer, the weight could determine the range of the weapon, it has to be light enough to properly weild in melee combat but not too light so the blade would find its mark once thrown. First off would be the length of its handle must be long enough to give the weapon reach but not too long as when the weapon have too much neck, it can easily get countered. This is why she prefers making swords instead of battle axes or scythes. The head of the axe must also have a cage of Ghroundium to ensure its durability. The head, neck and handle would be a single piece of metal as axes losing its head isn't really comedic as people thought especially at time of combat. The neck and head would be covered in mithril with a mix of ghroundium dust. Mithril is light and durable, making it perfect for the throwing axe especially that they don't have enough elven steel. The elven steel would be melted down, mixed with ghroundium dust to amplify its durability before molding it onto the sharp end of the weapon. It would be added while the Mithril head is cooling, adding cross joint of metal that goes through the weapon diagonally from all direction, effectively locking the two metal in place, mixing them before completely cooling it down, leaving an odd swirling design on the axe head where the two metals have joined. The handle would then be grinded into shape to match the man's grip. All these prepared within hours as Nikola is a blue dragon who can easily command lightning. Surging her powers onto the metals and forcefully melting it down before placing them into their respective molds. Even the Ghroundium would stand no chance against her touch... given the right time ofcourse as these metals are still one of the toughest out there, holding onto the steel for atleast half an hour, continously heating it with plasma till it finally breaks down. The materials left was then turned into a dagger with a ghroundium core, its handle was refitted to match his grip as well. Ghroundium dust would then be magnetically commanded to create a small cyclone of dust, allowing the blacksmith to grind the weapon into sharpness, sleekness and shape. A simple leather holster is added to the mix, finally completing the set. On the hilts of these weapon leaves Nikola's mark before covering the handles with fine leather for better grip.



Largakh spent his days on the town and people either stayed far away from the orc or treated him like some idiot. Once and a while he’d drop off various treats with tea (in some form of an on the go cup) on the doorstep or on the counter when no one was there. He was fine with the citizens having little to nothing to do with him, the less people bothered him the better and on the third day of visiting this area he made the trip to the blacksmith after leaving the bank. Once more, waiting to make sure there were no patrons within before pushing the store door open with leather coin pouch in hand. He slipped his jacket off just like before and hung it up, “hello? Nikola?” His harsh sylvan accented tone made her name sound like a cuss word almost. He walked over to the store counter and set his six thousand gold down while he waits, resting his elbows on it as well.


Nikola already had the weapon in display for the man to see. It was under a glass case, the leather holster was set so that the man would draw both weapons from his back, a simple strap for the dagger and its new sheath with the same handguard from the sword. The handles were contoured to fit the man's grip, with the golden pummel where her insignia is marked upon. The shade of metal was a mixture of mithril and elven metals, with its shades mixed into the steel, giving it a beautiful color scheme. Soon enough, Nikola appears by the large set door, drying her hands with her apron and said, "Yes?" tilting her head before idly pointing at the case. As if wanting the man to inspect her work first.


Largakh’s attention did get caught by the items in the display case and had been staring at the masterful work of them. When she showed herself and spoke up his attention snaps to her, “this is them?” He asked with surprise in his voice. This time when he grins it shows some of his teeth, they were white, but imperfect and the grin still was a bit crooked. Unique, like him. He pushed the pouch filled with 6,000 gold towards her, that seems steep for just a city guard. “That's all of it, plus a thousand,” like a tip. “These look fantastic, I may never want to bloody them.” A short chuckle at that and he would wait for her to take the items out of her display case and hand them to him. “Is there a nearby range I can try these out at?” Maybe she had a practice dummy posted up somewhere.


Nikola waves her hand and the case opened up, the hinges are after all metals, making it easy for her to manipulate them. This would allow the man to actually touch his new weapons as she said, "Actually, you can't. These weapons has a thin sheet of elven steel onto of it, should blood or gore find themselves on them, a simple swing would cause them to slide off. The blade are of similar material, Its abit heavier but nonetheless balanced from hilt to tip. The dagger is far more durable so it won't break should you try to stab an armored target." Explaining this and that to the man, like how the mithril lower the weight and all that jazz before finally saying. "Well.. not really but there are trees in my backyard.”


Largakh didn't think much of her hinge manipulation, there are plenty magical beings in this world. His grin grew and it was hard to hide his pleasure in her work that his lower jaw tusks can be seen to the point it's obvious he shaves them down. Gently picking the axes up as if they are glass and they aren't heavy in his opinion. Once lead out to Nikola’s backyard he centers himself before a tree, and distanced himself as far back as possible, “The handles are perfect,” now that he's outside he watches the sunlight catch in the metals of his new weapon. Something clicked with him - he's ever felt strong enough for those large orc weapons and even though he loves archery he feels he's never truly succeeded in finding the right bow to withstand his grip. These felt right and Nikola gave this to him, a feeling of belonging for once. After twirling them between his fingers giving one a toss in the air for fun, he pulls back, steps into his target and releases the axe with fantastic force. Once could almost hear it slicing through the air before sinking dead center into the tree, burying the blade. A toss of the next one and it lands right beside it’s twin. Both arms up in the air with a, “yes!” Without thinking, he bent at the knees and lifted Nikola up in a tight bear hug, she might smell the forest and warm campfires on him, “thank you.” Then he realized what he was doing and abruptly set her down. “I'm sorry… It's a long story, but you've helped me more than just with my weapon, miss Nikola.” Before she gets a chance to hit him, which he totally deserves, he trots over to his weapons and pulls his axes free to change the subject, “what should I call these?”


Nikola had to lead the man outside, turn right and right again. Right next to her shop was a stone pathway leading to the back where her house is. Its a modern looking abode with the front half having large glass windows and ceiling. One can see a fireplace, a small library and a scope pointed to the skies above, through the glass ceiling. This maybe why there is a kitchen behind the workshop. The house looks new but the shack connected to it, the workshop looks ragged with age. Eventually going past that, Nikola's small vegetable garden and the forest where the trees are. She pointed at the to allow the man to do target practice. "The neck is long enough to give it a decent reach but not too much to become a problem. The head has a wide enough edge for melee combat, the core of the weapon is Ghroundium, giving it weigh, perfect for an orc. Giving a kick at each strike and throw. Mithril is added on the head to make it aerodynamic and the blade is Elven steel mixed with Ghroundium dust to prevent chipping should you strike too hard." Watching the man enjoy his new weapons only for him to pick her up. Taking her by surprise that she wasn't able to react. "Uhm... right. Well... Jholaendri and Savrengavh. Jholaendri is Elven for Blood and the other is Orcish for Strength. My Orcish vocabulary isn't that great. Honor would've been a better term. The dagger is simply... Remnant."


Largakh gave his axes a spin before slipping them into the holders all in one swift motion. The dagger goes in the leather holder and straps around his thigh. When she mentions her orcish isn't that great he nods once, “mine either.” He walks over to the blacksmith again and holds out his hand, “thank you, Nikola.” If she shakes it he would put his other hand over the back of her own in their handshaking, “I really appreciate it.” With that, if she had nothing else to add, he made his way back to the streets to walk back to his hole-in-the-wall apartment.