Meeting the UnDead(Rayage)

[Antar]

A homunculus... an alchemic creature? Noth barely knew that the term Alchemy applied to a different area of magic. One he personally had not come across in any tome or scroll about. It seemed his attempt to watch and discover more about this ... mage. He was hesitant to even think of the term nuit. It would remind him that an undead was walking around with him. While it was true he had no particular malice towards the undead, nuits were just as different from each other as anyone else.

There were good ones, good being a subjective term who you might actually do business with, and bad ones. As in the type that would as soon as look at you and eviscerate your still living corpse long enough to see what made you tick. That was only if they weren't considering about finding another body in a hurry.

Dealing with them in any regard was a slippery slope for you never knew when their outlook towards you might change. This sole fact made dealing with any nuit, for any length of time precarious at best. How could one possibly understand the viewpoint of an undead that might have outlived you for hundreds of years? And worse: one that might view you as little more then a pack animal.

But his mind consistently went back to the word Rayage had uttered. 'Alchemy.' He whispered, loud enough for Rayage to hear,"I see... so this H1-A is a product of alchemy. I wonder how that's done."

He cut his own words off as they entered the store, his eyes searching the racks of weapons and armor and falling upon some of the most simple kit he'd been wanting to get: A grappling hook. The listed price was only one gm so he took it to the counter and paid it without a fuss before returning to see Rayage perusing the armored robes. When asked his opinion he turned towards the item and made his assessment. The armored plates inside looked like a few had been replaced, but not with low quality iron, but not with anything extravagant either. "Not worth more then fifty-five gold, Rayage and pretty much good as new. Though if you want to go lighter, I'd ask the clerk to see if the isur smith here had anything in stock with cold iron plates, or isurian steel. Either would greatly increase in price though, but might be capable of letting it be easier for you to walk around in.

Noth lapsed into silence for a moment, "He's been known to have a few cold iron items around. I wouldn't get one for more then one hundred and sixty five gold though. The extra protection and lighter weight might be worth it, though its up to you. Cold Iron is supposed to be good for cooling quickly after exposed to heat. Not that of course... any thug might not try to set you on fire with a torch for fun." He smiled ruefully as he wondered if the smith would make such a thing, normally cold iron wasn't in armor. But he blithely continued. Well... this is sunberth after all."

He paused a moment as an errant thought came to him, "You know... the isur tends to have a good supply of metals for this place. Kinda makes you wonder if he's got a motherlode somewhere or even braved a few of the old mines. Rumors have it you might find a lot of weird things down there, including machines from the pre-valterrian age. Rumors say they were forged of metals no one knows how to make again. Or used magic to power them. Old wives tales though, at least I hope. No one really goes in them much though, and I only know three of them around here. The stone mines are now the ones the blood pits are in, the clay mines just a cut into a hillside, and the oldest mines are to the north beyond that. Not too many venture in there though. But doesn't that sound sorta fun to explore?" He finished hastily, "So long as they're not haunted of course..."

[Rayage]

Though Ray had heard Ants words before they entered the store he didn’t answer. A lot of people wonder how that is done, and it is his precious research that would stay with him. He would not so easily give up his Alchemical Secrets or Formulas. They were the only thing he had left, the only thing he could cling to. Alchemy was his life, the reason he is so driven to do things even the great Rupert Pycon could not accomplish. Granted, that is a lofty goal, but advancement goes nowhere without taking risks and daring to reach beyond. He would take Alchemy in a whole new direction and revolutionize his race and the entire existence of the nuit.

H1-A was indeed a product of Alchemy. It was his pride and joy, it is what he had been working towards for centuries, and he finally got it, his first step to creating a real Homunculus. The real deal, of what Ray would consider a homunculus, would get a name meaningful of such an extravagant creation. He will create life anew, and then take it beyond. Though, first he had obligations to Sahova to fulfill… He had to give them their army and start the revolution and the rise of Sahova.

Nothing will be the same after he completes his goal, nothing will ever be the same. Still admiring the armored robe he nodded brooding over Ant’s words. ”Yes,” he agreed with him, ”Something lighter would be preferable.” he said lifting up the armored cloak with both hands, his decaying muscles barely having the strength to lift it, and then he set it down, but it was more of a release; the plates clunking and making a loud clanking noise. If people didn’t know he was a nuit they could assume he was just physically weak.

Turning towards the clerk he shrugged off the rest of what Antar said trying to figure out the other persons slant, their angle. What could he do to ensure a good price? Glancing back to Ant he gave a brief smile, ”Pre-Valterrian machinery?” he asked. Such a rumor was worth investigating at any cost. If he could just recover a piece of his past, a shared past with the rest of pre-valterrian people, then he would be just that much more accomplished. The guy he met by chance was really intriguing to the nuit. It would, at this point, be a shame to take his body. They guy had a lot of useful information. ”Where would these mines be located again?” he asked just to make sure that he heard Ant correctly, ”Haunted… Ha, ghosts should be afraid of me.” he told them, but in reality he didn’t know much about the spirits that lingered in Mizahar. Perhaps it was his arrogance of what they could do that gave Ray such confidence. ”Most of the time Old Wives Tales have some meaning behind them. Could be worth exploring.” he said taking careful mental note of where Ant told him the mines were again.

With that done he again prepared himself for the worst possible outcome, ”I wish to request the presence of the head smith here.” he told the clerk. He had no patience when dealing with people who were of apprentice rank. So, he got straight to the point. He gave no leeway for error and only an idiot would mess up his simple ‘request’.

[Cachet]

The clerk laughed at Rayage’s request as he then shook his head and sent to get the head smith. The clerk knew that this would likely be a bad request on the man’s behalf…but he would oblige him anyway. In the back an argument of types erupted between the clerk and who they could only assume was the main smith here. The argument got heated then died down completely. After a few minutes a very stalky well-built Isur emerged from the back. He wore a blacksmiths leather apron. His massive left arm was a deep emerald green marking him as one of the Coglias clan for any that would know. He seemed to be perturbed that someone would require his presence up front. He narrowed his eyes then spoke to the man the clerk indicated had called for his presence.

“And what you are needing? Can’t you see I have much work to do?” The man sounded obviously perturbed for one reason or another. Almost like he didn’t have time for their pettiness.

He wiped some sweat off his brow and crossed his arms waiting for a reply eagerly. Just who did these people think they were? Coming in here and asking for his audience? He waited watching to see what this man had to say for himself. Who was this man? Why couldn’t he just deal with one of his lower ranked smiths? It all drove him somewhat mad. He didn’t have time to travel up here for every customer that thought they were worthy of his presence. If he did that he would never get anything done. He didn’t particularly like dealing with customers either, of any sort. He would rather be in the back smithing all day. Making all kinds of elaborate armor and weapons…they never went to anyone but he liked making them just to prove he could.

“I’m waiting…” He said as he was growing more and more perturbed by the second.

[Antar]

As Rayage was speaking, and before he went up to the clerk to demand a smith's presence, Noth told him something simple. "If you are that interested, then perhaps I can show you the way to the mines after we are done here? I suggest you make sure you are completely prepared though."

When the smith came out looking irritable Noth took over smoothly to smooth things over. Negotiating in this shop wasn't his best thing he was good at, but he took to it with a vigor, and a passion. But more importantly:
with manners. "I apologize for my... foreign friend's abruptness and manner in calling you. He heard you were the best smith in Sunberth and wished to place a special request for an item. He was looking at your armored robes, and finds their make quite well. However he would like to ask you if there is a way you might have make him the same thing, just with lighter and more durable plates... perhaps Isurian steel? He seems willing to negotiate a price as well and seeks personal experience of your expertise in this small regard to gauge whether ... future more inimical purchases can be made. Perhaps special barding, armor, or reinforced armored cages tailored for ... one of a kind animals."

He poked Rayage sllightly in the back before letting H1-A drape itself back over the Nuit's shoulder and let the odd creature look at the Isurian smith and blink a few times. Whether the smith had ever seen such a creature was unknown to him, but he played this card to hope the smith would at least be fascinated as such by the little critter to understand just what he was saying. A slight nudge to Rayage's shoulder was the last thing he did before saying,"My friend here I'm sure can explain the details of his needs better. I'm sure he'd be happy to do so politely, yet to the point so we don't waste further of your time. Isn't that right Rayvack? Don't let your old pal Anthony down. "

Antar intentionally did not use Rayage's name here, and he hoped the nuit would pick up on the need for a bit of subterfuge. But whatever the case, the ball, and the smith, was in Rayage's court now...

[Rayage]

Ray didn’t look too amused either as the clerk went back to get the head smithy. ”That would be acceptable.” he told Ant liking the idea of being showed these mysterious mines. Nothing was quite as good as a mystery, and sure, there had to be a reason why people didn’t venture there, but if it was because of ghosts the nuit would laugh. What could a ghost do to him? He really did not know the answer to that but he was sure they were nothing to be scared of. If anything they should be considered annoying and dragged to Dira the moment they are captured.

When the smith finally did show himself, and after hearing quite the commotion in the back room, Ray was not at all impressed with the performance that the short smith was putting on. If there was anything that put Ray off more was his attitude. The person could wait all he wanted when the nuit found his words he would say them. Simple as that. Ray would demand his respect and he was just about to open his mouth and go on and on about how the undead were so superior to the living and how they will, one day, rule the world, but something interrupted him. That was Ant, he was talking for him.

Slightly annoyed by the apology that Ant gave in his defense it gave the nuit time to think of another tactic, another plan that would work. He knew that he didn’t have much magic left in him, much Djed at all, but he could push it a little. Besides if you never push yourself you never grow, right? One will just stay the same. Ray didn’t care how angry or annoyed the smithy seemed. It was not his problem. He needed good armor and was willing to pay for it.

Putting on a rather good smile for being fake the mage clasped his hands together and looked at the smith, ”Yes, I find myself in the need of a certain special kind of armor. I have heard of your astounding reputation” the mage using the subtle power of hypnosis smiled and put in a seed of an emotion within the smith, one of pride. This feeling meant to swelter and bloat the mans ego. Everyone liked a nice rub of egos. ”and I would not go to anyone else to ensure my armor is of the best quality and topmost craftsmanship.” he nodded, trying to bloat the persons ego to get him out of his sour mood. If that would work or not, well, was totally trial and error, ”I would not trust any lesser smith with my life.” he told him because that is what armor was supposed to do, protect him and patiently save his life.

Feeling that he had done enough he would get to the business now, ”I am in need of your finest Isurian steel plates. I would like you to craft me an armored robe. Surely we can negotiate a price?” he finished. He wasn’t too sure on how he did, but he hoped that he had nudged the smith in the right direction. Sometimes being polite, little as some people deserve it, would go a long way, and in this case he hoped that he had won the smith over.

[Cachet]

He nodded at Antar and replied. “Well you heard right, none of these other types know what they are doing. They either use inferior materials or poor methods costing people like you and your friend your lives in battle.” He listened intently then nodded. Obviously the man was interested in a custom job. And an interesting one in that, a challenge something he did indeed enjoy in a way.

He nodded and then spoke again. ”I wouldn’t trust my life to anyone else either. Let me tell you what I have a few armored robes without plates. I will have my clerk bring out the robes for you, You pick which one you want and I’ll slip the Isurian plates in for ya shouldn’t take long at all. As far as price it isn’t negotiable on this job. And I assure you it will be worth every coin. Since you may bring future business with you I will charge ya two hundred gold flat, no more no less. Maybe ya will bring back your little friend there for a special something sometime. Now do we have a deal?”

By the reaction of the clerk behind the counter the two would be able to tell they were indeed getting a deal. Maybe it was the aspect of doing something interesting that caused him to lower the price. But whatever the case it was indeed shown that this man was not going to budge. The clerk looked stunned, the man never made deals! But maybe he was making an exception for one reason or another. Maybe he wanted something to do and the possibility or repeat business as well. If and when the two agreed the Clerk would go and fetch the robes for the man. He had three to choose from. Each one a little different than the other. But one stood out and caught his eye. (make up a style for yourself as long as it isn't overly ornate or elaborate I will approve it)

[Rayage]

The mage nodded and gave the man a polite smile. Things always seemed to work out in the end, did they not? ”Two hundred gold it is.” He stated, ”You have yourself a deal.” he confirmed the arrangements. Patting H1-A’s little head, ”Ill be sure to bring in more of my little friends in for future work.” He had bigger plans than just buying something for H1-A, he was going make something much bigger and then get custom armor for it. He, after all, needed a reliable body guard, why not create one he can control with hypnosis? It would work and he waited for the clerks to bring out the robes.

The robes themselves did not look anything special. There was a blue one, a plain blue one, hood everything. Another one was black, and the final one was red. The color red reminding him of the red master robes that Qiao parades himself around in. He smiled; laughing to himself, thinking what would happen if he got the red robe and made it look like a masters one. A chance that could prove fun. His hand reached for the red robe and he turned to Antar, ”Have any better ideas?” he asked as if hoping for some sort of opinion hoping that the man he asked was astute enough to tell that none of the robes really impressed him much. His cloak he had right now probably had finer threads in it. He had not spent miza on clothing, less armor, in a while. Besides red was a fine color, if he had any opinion.

[Antar]

Noth grinned a moment at the price, Rayage was definitely getting a good deal, and he silently stepped back a moment to wander his eyes over the rest of the store front a moment, looking at a few of the robes on the tables, his eyes being drawn to the shadowsilk ones like he was wearing.

The moment Rayage asked about the three garments Noth shrugged, "They all seem like Busker's robes. If it was me I'd get something functional you could wear over another set of armor or by itself."

With that thought, he pointed towards the table where the black shadowsilk ones were laid out and motioned to the clerk to see a few that were Rayage's size and then asked to see one and two sizes bigger and then asked the clerk for the shoes for Rayage 's size as well.

After checking through the stacks, Noth spoke,"These robes are shadowsilk robes, I got mine for 35 gold last time I was here as a fair price, it would be well worth the effort to choose one and ask our fine smith to use that as the base. The silks they are made from have small panels sewn into them already to help dampen the sound. If it was plated as an armored robe was, it would be quite the unique tapestry for the smith's work, even if you should just pay the extra price up front, without any further ado."

Sifting through the pile he found one that seemed to catch his eye. It was all black on the outside, but the inside was a deep crimson red. He'd seen a few of these robes in this particular color combination before, but they always seemed to be a little pricier, normally around 40 gold for the inner Trim, a straight line across the bottom hem.It wasn't as bad a thing as one thought having red as an accent of a robe so long as it was a deep enough color to blend into the shadows. The inside was a deep burgundy, and noth knew the red would attract the eye of an opponent to draw off an attack in that direction, and if it was completely on the bottom hem of the longest seam, if it was plated right, the wearer would have enough loose fabric to be able to 'flutter' or 'ward' with the robe hem, in the same manner a matador waved a red flag towards a bull to draw off an attack. The red strip was a small differentiation from the norm, but well worth the extra forty gold if the smith accepted it as a base.

Holding the garment up to Rayage's shoulders, Noth's calculating eye of a craftsmen assessed it's length, and shoulder breadth, judging the distances to see if it would be a good fit for the man, and just the right size to either wear over normal clothing or an armor. Turning towards the smith he nodded as if making a decision, "Sir, the craftsmanship of this other item of yours simply screams to be made into one of your finer works if it is possible. It would be a challenge to be sure to allign the plates to keep its ability to muffle sound, but I'm quite confident a smith of your caliber is up to the task. Since the other robes shown to him do not bely the inherent double usefulness of this one, I'd suggest this one to him and you both for the price of 240 gold if that would be an acceptable compromise to all parties."

Turning towards Rayage his eyes said that if the smith agreed, he should capitalize upon this post haste. Shadowsilk on its own was a deceptively fine weave, and it was silk after all. If it was acceptable, then worse came to worse if Rayage really wanted to make a series of patterns upon it with died shadowilk then he could pay a tailor to alter it for him later. Maybe even to make it a custom fit, even if this size seemed best for him now, not a perfect match to his body, but certainly a marked improvement over anything the Sahovan mage had going for him now.

[Cachet]

The smith watched especially as Antar stepped back and examined another piece of his. He carried only the finest. That was what he prided himself on. This man’s friend had found one of his finer robes, he wondered just what this man was looking for. Another robe? But he already had one.

“If you find any of those robes you want another forty gold would cover expenses for materials. If you don’t want any of the ones up here.” The smith said as Antar then held up a finer robe.

The smith walked over and took the robe examining it thoroughly. He turned it over really looking at everything forming what he would do slowly in his head. Eventually he nodded and spoke again.

“Yeah you be right there, it wouldn’t be too difficult, two hundred and forty gold will cover this. Pay the steward and I will go into the back and get working on all this…if this is what you want to do.” He said as he looked over at the man that would be doing the actual purchasing. Seems the two just decided to go out and shop today.

If they agreed the smith would head back and start pounding out and forming the plates that would be used in the robes. He would also have his finest leatherworker work the pouches and put some new ones in that he would need to armor the robe. It didn’t take as long as expected and before long the smith would walk back out holding the new armored robe in his hands.

“There you are, possibly the finest armored robe I have ever done.”

[Rayage]

The nuit looked at the robe that Ant picked out and grinned. The man really knew how to pick out the best. The grin that the man gave Ant was one of approval, and it has been quite some time since he has even bought himself new robes. The condition of his old ones, which were too old for even the nuit to remember, were questionable. It was apparent that they old and needed replacing, and it was funny how only now did they even consider getting replaced. Really, they could have gone a long time ago and it was some sort of miracle that they lasted this long. Still, it was a quality robe back in the day, and it lasted him quite some time, but now the replacing is finally being done.

He was glad though, sometimes change was necessary for advancement and this was undoubtedly an upgrade. A two hundred and forty gold miza upgrade, but money is such a petty price to pay when it comes to insuring ones life. At least that is how the nuit saw it. So, agreeing and liking the idea of Ants he watched the smith go over and take the robe and start examining it. He wondered what a master smith was thinking as he held the material, but Ray was sure that he could do it. It being keeping the silks noise reducing properties as well as armor it. Doubt about that was nonexistent. The man just seemed to know what he was doing.

Going over to the clerk he pulled out his bag of gold and carefully counted the two hundred and forty pieces out before handing them over to the shop. Yes, it would be well worth it. Waiting, and soon enough the robe was finished. Or soon according to the nuit. Time lost all meaning to him and so waiting was not a big issue, especially when the reward was immediate like this one. When the smith came out holding the finished product he grinned, ”Thank you, good sir.” he told him taking his new robe. It was slightly heavy, but the style, the look, it was perfect, ”Expect me to come back in the near future.” The weight of the cloak was desirable and he knew that it would last him quite some time and it was a quality product.

The nuit turned to Ant and quickly put on the cloak over his old one. As he did so H1-A quickly leaped off his shoulder and ran towards Antar scaling his body until he reached the mans shoulder but went further to swiftly climb atop his head only to rest there comfortably. The robes fell over his old tattered ones perfectly covering them in the new black and red. Ray could imagine what he now looked like and he liked his new self-image. ”As you said,” he began starting to walk out of the building. His work was done here so he wanted to move on, ”There are ancient mines that hold valuable secrets for those who go deep enough?” he guessed putting two and two together.