[SP-03] Elven Steel <<Earning a Living>>

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Deciding that it was about time to learn a craft, Ourian sets out for the third floor. He was stuck between three professions: Tailoring, Forging, and Alchemy. Tailoring would satisfy his artistic side, however tailoring wouldn't benefit him at all at the moment. Alchemy had always caught his interest. The thought of creating magical potions that heal wounds and enchant equipment was especially helpful, however it was a very precise art and he didn't have the patience for it. Forging was the closest thing to welding as anything, which is what his father did for a living. He always enjoyed watching his father weld in the shop back when he was just a kid. The only thing was that forging was hard and tasking work. It required a lot of stamina. 

 

Eventually, he decided to go ahead and become a Blacksmith. Though he didn't have the stamina, he had the heart and determination. From what he has learned, the elven NPCs were known for their forging skills and decided that if anyone would be able to teach him, the elves could. 

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

"Teleport! Delilah Village!" Ourian commanded the teleporter as he stepped onto the teleport point. Once again, he felt like he was being picked apart on a subatomic level as he was transferred from one teleport point to the other. Once the teleport procedure was complete, Ourian felt the usual sensation of feeling light headed and nausea. Shaking it off, Ourian began his search for a blacksmith. 

 

As he walked through town, he couldn't help but notice that the NPCs were giving him a rather menacing stare. IT was as if they didn't want him around. After about ten minutes, he finds a forge called "Sylvan Warcraft" and walks inside to see a variety of weapons and armor lining the walls. As he approached the counter, the elf that ran the shop slowly turns around.

 

"Welcome to Sylvan Warcraft! How may I help you to-" The elf began, but stopped short when he turned to face Ourian. "You! Get out! NOW! OUT!!! I will do no business with you!" The elf said, pushing him out of the shop. 

 

"The hell was that all about?!" Ourian thought aloud, walking away while still receiving menacing glares. the next three shops yielded the same results. For some reason, they wanted nothing to do with him at all. As he sat on a bench to take a quick break, he was surrounded by the NPC guards, each of them pointing their lances at him. Slowly, he rose to his feet and reached for his sword. He knew that fighting them wouldn't be wise, however he would if he must.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

As he began to draw his sword from its sheath, he heard a voice from behind the guards.

 

"STOP! He's with me! He's with me!" The guards all turned their heads towards the voice and made a path. Walking towards Ourian was an elven woman wearing a pair of thick leather gloves and matching apron along with a pair of overalls and a heavy long-sleeved jacket. At her waist was a hammer. 

 

"Madam, this man is wanted for-" The head guard started, but was immediately cut off by the woman.

 

"He didn't know, damn it! Now let us through!" She said, grabbing Ourian by the arm and leading him away from the guards. A couple minutes later, Ourian recognized her clothing to be similar to his father's welding gear. Shortly after, they walked into a shop called "Elven Steel" where she had him sit down while she got him some herbal tea. 

 

"Thank you."

 

"No problem... damn this town and their superstitions..." She said, a look of anger on her face.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

"What exactly did I do?" Ourian asked, the confusion clear in his expression. The NPC turned to him and pointed over his shoulder. 

 

"Those..." She simply stated. Instantly he realized that she was talking about the wings. "They are the wings of a fairy. Here it is considered an ill omen to slay a fairy. As long as you wear those, the other NPCs will continue to act this way towards you."

 

"How come you don't?" He asked her, finding it odd that all the other NPCs would be programmed to show anger towards his wings and this one NPC wouldn't.

 

"Because I am not an ordinary NPC. I am one of the ANPCs, or Abnormals as you players have come to call us. Although we are NPCs, we have free will and are unbound by the restrictions placed on other NPCs." She explained, sitting down across the table from him. "My name is Lafeal, by the way. Blacksmith and owner of Elven Steel."

 

"My name is Ourian. I'm in search of-"

 

"-a blacksmith who will teach you how to forge. I heard from the others." Lafeal finished, smirking. "I will teach you, however I would appreciate it if you would remove the wings for the duration of your time here." She requested. Ourian wasted no time in unequipping the wings, which vanished from his back as he did so. He didn't want to be harassed by the other NPCs again. 

 

"Thank you. Now then, how should I begin?" Ourian asked, awaiting the blacksmith's instructions.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Lafeal leaned onto the table with her arms crossed and her head resting on her arms, her eyes trained on him the whole time. After about five minutes of this, she finally spoke up.

 

"Okay then... First I want you to find three pieces of crafting material. I'll accompany you so you know what to look for." She told him, getting up and walking behind the shop counter to grab something. She returns to the table with a pick axe, a small hammer, and a pair of thick leather gloves. "They're yours to keep." She told him, buckling an elegant green longsword to her back. "Well, let's get going!"

 

"You're going to fight too?"

 

"Well yeah! I may be an NPC, but I'm still an Abnormal. The monsters will come after me too. Besides, you might want me around because this will more than likely be an all day task." Lafeal replied, leading him out of the shop, changing the sign on the door to "Closed" before shutting it and locking it. 

 

As they walked out of the village, Ourian noticed right away that the other NPCs seemed to have a much brighter disposition towards him not that the wings were unequipped. Outside of the village, Lafeal lead him east and away from the prairies. 

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

After about a half an hour, they reached a cave. Before entering, Lafeal pulled out a torch and lit it, illuminating the darkness of the cave as they walked further in. About five minutes in, she stopped and pointed at the wall.

 

"You see that shiny streak in the wall right there?" She asked him, still pointing at the wall. Ourian walked up to the wall and examined it, noticing the streak she was talking about. It actually stuck out like a sore thumb as it reached across about three feet of the wall.

 

"Yeah. I take it that's the ore I need?"

 

"Yep! Now take that pick axe of yours and chip away. But be careful! The wall can collapse on you if you aren't careful!" She warned, stepping back to allow him room to work. 

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Lifting his pickaxe, Ourian swung at the wall, chipping at the rock covering the ore he needed. Slowly but surely, the ore that was covered by the rock was shining through beautifully. Now all he needed to do was chip a chunk off.

 

 

[iD: 4947]

[bD: 6]

[CD: 4]

[LD: 11] (+1 = 12) Gathering attempt failed

[MD: 7]

 

"Wait! Not so hard!" Lafeal shouted, however it was too late as Ourian struck the ore with the pickaxe with a good measure of strength. AS the pickaxe struck the ore, a bunch of little pieces broke off and hit the ground. Shaking her head, she walked up to him and hit him in the back of the head.

 

"OW! The hell?!"

 

"Dumbass! Are you TRYING to get us killed?!" She scolded as Ourian rubbed his head. "You were lucky the wall didn't cave in!"

 

"What's the problem?! I got the ore, didn't I?"

 

"No you didn't! Those pieces are WAY too small!"

 

"Couldn't we just melt it down?"

 

"No because if we use multiple pieces, the chances for impurities rise. It has to be a solid piece. It makes sure that no air gets trapped in the molten metal." She informed him, moving his hand and checking his head. "Sorry for hitting you... now there's still enough to get a decent chunk out of there. Let's try again, only this time, hit around the ore. The bigger the piece, the better. We'll worry about the extra rock and dirt later when we clean it up."

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Ourian picked up his pickaxe again and, taking Lafeal's advice to heart, chipped the rock around the ore a little more gently to ensure no pieces of the ore broke off. Once a good chunk of the ore was exposed, Ourian made a second attempt at gathering the ore.

 

[iD: 4948]

[bD: 6] 

[CD: 4] 

[LD: 13] (+1 = 14) Gathering attempt successful! 

[MD: 7]

 

Slowly and carefully, he chipped at the edge of the ore, determined to have a little rock and dirt on the ore as possible. After about an hour of precise and careful mining, Ourian pulled out a a sizeable chunk of the ore out of the wall. He then handed it to Lafeal to examine it. She grabbed a small magnifying glass out of her pocket and examined the ore. The suspense was killing him.

 

"Did I do alright this time?"

 

"Not bad... Not bad at all... Although I recommend you aim the pickaxe a little more at an angle as you get to the back of it to minimize the extra rock. It'll take some getting used to, but you got the basic technique down." She told him, handing the ore back to him.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

As they walked out of the cave, Ourian couldn't help but admire the ore he mined. How it shined in the torch light, the weight, but mostly the simple fact that this lump of unformed metal would be able to shape into an object that can save someone's life. Suddenly, he bumped into Lafeal, who stopped dead in her tracks. Looking up, he sees what made her stop: A golem. It was smaller than an average golem, which meant that it was still young, however even a young golem can be dangerous. 

 

"Well... This can be one way to get another material... Golems can drop pure ore." She informed, unsheathing her sword. "Are you ready, Ourian?" 

 

Putting the ore and pickaxe in his inventory, Ourian unsheathes his own longsword and readies himself to attack. "Always!"

 

Before he could make a move, Lafeal rushed past him.

 

[iD: 4950]

[bD: 2] (+1 = 3) Failure

[CD: 10] 

[LD: 5] 

[MD: 7] Success (2 damage)

 

As Lafeal rushed the golem, it stomped ahead of itself, causing some rocks to jump from the ground and causing her to stop attacking. Taking advantage of her distraction, the golem ran at her and punched her in the stomach.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 15/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 17/17 [LD +1]

Golem: [/////////] 9/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4951]

[bD: 7] Success (2 Damage)

[CD: 5] 

[LD: 3] (+1 = 4)

[MD: 10] Epic Critical (4 Damage)

 

As the golem advanced to deliver another attack on Lafeal, Ourian rushed to her side and slashed the golem's arm, causing it to growl in pain. enraged, the golem punches the wall, causing the wall to collapse. Trying to protect Lafeal, Ourian shoves her out of the way and gets bombarded by a shower of decent sized boulders.

 

"Ourian! Are you okay?!" Lafeal shouted in concern. Pushing a rock off of his leg, Ourian gives her the thumbs up.

 

"Yeah, I'm okay." He replied, pushing the rest of the rocks off of him and preparing for round two.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 15/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 14/17 [LD +1]

Golem: [/////////] 7/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD 4952]

BD 2 (+1) Failure

CD 11

LD 3

MD 10 Epic Critical (4 Damage)

 

Taking the initiative, Lafeal rushes the golem, however the golem evades her slash by ducking and punches her in the stomach, sending her flying into the far wall. Slowly getting up, She readies herself for another attack, but her legs buckle from shock and she falls to her knees.

 

"Lafeal!" Ourian shouts, rushing to her side and putting her arm around him so he could help her to her feet. Once she was steady, she thanked him and took her arm back and picked up her sword. 

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 11/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 14/17 [LD +1]

Golem: [/////////] 7/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4953]

BD: 4

CD: 3

LD: 14 (+1)

MD: 1

 

Rushing at the golem, Ourian leaps into the air and slashes down as he descends, however the golem deflects the slash with a flick of its arm and attempts to punch Ourian, who landed just in time to duck down and avoid the attack. Pushing himself away from the golem, he positioned himself just out of the golem's reach.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 11/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 14/17 [LD +1]

Golem: [/////////] 7/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4954]

BD: 3 (+1) Failure

CD: 4

LD: 20

MD: 9 Critical (3 Damage)

 

As Ourian stared the golem down, he heard a rush of footsteps behind him. Suddenly, he felf someone brush his arm as they darted past him. REalizing that it was Lafeal, he reached out to grab her and stop her, but he was too late as she aimed a kick at its head, which was caught by the golem. Without wasting any time, it threw her once into the wall once again. 

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 14/17 [LD +1]

Golem: [/////////] 7/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

ID: 4955

BD 6 Success (2 Damage)

CD 8

LD 4 (+1)

MD 6 Success (2 Damage -1)

 

As he watched Lafeal hit the wall once again, his anger got the better of him and he rushed in to deal as much hurt as he could. As he got into its attack range, the golem wasted no time in pinning him into the wall with a punch. Recovering from the hit, Ourian takes his sword and stabs at the golem's arm, causing it to let him go. Glaring, the golem decided to keep its distance

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 13/17 

Golem: [/////////] 5/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[4956]

BD 3 Failure

CD 3

LD 14

MD 3 Failure

 

As Ourian stared the golem down, he risked a glance over to where Lafeal was. When he looked, however, she was gone. Turning his attention back to the golem, he noticed that Lafeal was behind it, ready to strike. Unfortunately, as she was about to attack, the golem moved to the side and turned around to aim a counter attack, which Lafeal dodged effortlessly. 

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 13/17 

Golem: [/////////] 5/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4957]

BD 1 Epic Failure

CD 7

LD 4 

MD 7 Success (1 Damage)

 

Distracted by Lafeal's sneak attack, Purian didn't see that the golem's counter attack continued and hit him in the jaw. Getting back up, he prepared for the next attack, focusing solely on the golem.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 12/17 

Golem: [/////////] 5/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4958]

BD 4 (+5) Failure

CD 3

LD 20

MD 2 Failure

 

As the golem finished its counter attack, LAfeal took the opportunity to aim another kick at the golem's head, however it ducked at the last second and swung its arm low in an attempt to trip her up. Thinking quickly, she hopped over the attack and allowed the golem to spin past her.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 12/17 

Golem: [/////////] 5/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4959]

BD 2 Failure

CD 2

LD 11 (+1)

MD 7 Success

 

"I'm getting sick of this damn thing!" Ouran exclaimed, attempting to punch the golem in the jaw. Although it made contact, Ourian did nothing more than hurt his hand on its rock solid jaw. Staggering back, the golem grabbed him up and tossed him into the far wall. For some reason that seemed to be his favorite tossing spot...

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 11/17 

Golem: [/////////] 5/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4960]

BD 5 (+1) Success (1 Damage)

CD 8

LD 19

MD 5 Failure

 

As soon as the golem tossed Ourian away, Lafeal jumped into the air and stabbed the golem in the back. Angered by the attack, the golem rushed backwards in an attempt to crush Lafeal between itself and the wall. Just in time, Lafeal pulls her sword out and jumps over the golem.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 11/17 

Golem: [/////////] 4/9 [Dmg +1]

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

[iD: 4961]

BD 7 Success (2 Damage)

CD 2

LD 12 (+1)

MD 6 Success

 

As the golem tried to catch Lafeal, Ourian threw a rock at the golem, hitting it in the head and disorienting it for a second. That one second, however, was all he needed. Wasting no time, he rushed in and slid under the golem's legs, slashing at its left leg as he passed through. As he stood up, however, he felt something hit him in the back and sent him flying a couple feet. Obviously, the golem retaliated.

---

Lafeal: [/////////////////] 8/17 [bD +1]

Ourian: [/////////////////] 10/17 

Golem: [/////////] 2/9 [Dmg +1]