38th of Spring, 517
13th Bell
"And this," the Isurian weapon smith was explaining, as he turned the bracer crossbow in his hand, "is the catch. You brace it with your wrist and pull the sting back with two fingers, like so."
Madeira watched with fascination as his thick, hoary fingers worked the small mechanism with a delicate grace she could not have fathomed from such a man. He picked up a black five inch bolt and fitted it neatly in the barrel.
"Other than that it's much the same as a regular two-handed crossbow. You wont get the same distance, but the accuracy is better and it packs a comparable punch."
"Well, distance would have been nice. But you tend to need both hands and the ability to run with what I'm hunting. My old crossbow was a touch too unwieldy."
"What are you hunting?"
"Dead people."
"Huh."
The bustle of the Bizarre pushed in close around the haven of the smith shop. It was one of the very few stalls without any added flair. The walls and racks were all naked wood, the floor was half sawdust, half metal fillings, and there was a pedal whetstone in the back. Even the Smith himself was two hundred pounds of burly muscle packed into a no-nonsense frown and a five foot frame. Yet what the store and owner lacked in colour was more than made up with workmanship. There were axes and bows, daggers and swords, and they were all works of deadly art.
The Isur asked if she would like to try it on, and Madeira enthusiastically agreed. The soft black leather wrapped around her forearm from just above her wrist to just below her elbow, and was stitched with silver thread in beautiful patterns. The bow welded on top was a confection of ebony and steel that glittered with a cruel sort of beauty. The whole contraption was lighter than she was expecting. She lifted and twisted her arm to test it's mobility and made a satisfied sound. It would even fit inconspicuously under her cloaks or inside a loose sleeve.
"I'll take it. How much?"
"Eighty five gold. The bolts will be another gold."
Madeira was expecting as much, but she rolled her eyes as if he had offended her.
"That's insane. I'll give you seventy gold and my gratitude."
"Eighty six for the lot. My prices are fair and my work is good."
"Seventy five, but you're pushing it."
"Eighty six."
The Isur was standing with his arms crossed and his gaze bored under the hard ridge of his brow. He looked about as unmovable as the mountain he came from. She wouldn't be able to negotiate with him, she decided. But some persuasive wheedling might do the trick.
"Look, this is a magnificent weapon and just what I need to keep me safe. To keep this city safe. It's my job to make sure the dead don’t hurt the living and this will really help me do my job. So please..."
The Isur raised one thick eyebrow on his otherwise stone face.
"Ninety gold.”
Her words failing her, Madeira opened her arms in a wide gesture that was both an expression of her exasperation and possibly an invitation for Ionu to strike the man down. A couple people walking by ducked nervously as they noticed the loaded weapon still attached to her wrist.
13th Bell
"And this," the Isurian weapon smith was explaining, as he turned the bracer crossbow in his hand, "is the catch. You brace it with your wrist and pull the sting back with two fingers, like so."
Madeira watched with fascination as his thick, hoary fingers worked the small mechanism with a delicate grace she could not have fathomed from such a man. He picked up a black five inch bolt and fitted it neatly in the barrel.
"Other than that it's much the same as a regular two-handed crossbow. You wont get the same distance, but the accuracy is better and it packs a comparable punch."
"Well, distance would have been nice. But you tend to need both hands and the ability to run with what I'm hunting. My old crossbow was a touch too unwieldy."
"What are you hunting?"
"Dead people."
"Huh."
The bustle of the Bizarre pushed in close around the haven of the smith shop. It was one of the very few stalls without any added flair. The walls and racks were all naked wood, the floor was half sawdust, half metal fillings, and there was a pedal whetstone in the back. Even the Smith himself was two hundred pounds of burly muscle packed into a no-nonsense frown and a five foot frame. Yet what the store and owner lacked in colour was more than made up with workmanship. There were axes and bows, daggers and swords, and they were all works of deadly art.
The Isur asked if she would like to try it on, and Madeira enthusiastically agreed. The soft black leather wrapped around her forearm from just above her wrist to just below her elbow, and was stitched with silver thread in beautiful patterns. The bow welded on top was a confection of ebony and steel that glittered with a cruel sort of beauty. The whole contraption was lighter than she was expecting. She lifted and twisted her arm to test it's mobility and made a satisfied sound. It would even fit inconspicuously under her cloaks or inside a loose sleeve.
"I'll take it. How much?"
"Eighty five gold. The bolts will be another gold."
Madeira was expecting as much, but she rolled her eyes as if he had offended her.
"That's insane. I'll give you seventy gold and my gratitude."
"Eighty six for the lot. My prices are fair and my work is good."
"Seventy five, but you're pushing it."
"Eighty six."
The Isur was standing with his arms crossed and his gaze bored under the hard ridge of his brow. He looked about as unmovable as the mountain he came from. She wouldn't be able to negotiate with him, she decided. But some persuasive wheedling might do the trick.
"Look, this is a magnificent weapon and just what I need to keep me safe. To keep this city safe. It's my job to make sure the dead don’t hurt the living and this will really help me do my job. So please..."
The Isur raised one thick eyebrow on his otherwise stone face.
"Ninety gold.”
Her words failing her, Madeira opened her arms in a wide gesture that was both an expression of her exasperation and possibly an invitation for Ionu to strike the man down. A couple people walking by ducked nervously as they noticed the loaded weapon still attached to her wrist.