The Forge

[Karnatheon]

Laonin walked through the Alleycity. Since becoming both literally homeless and one of the Homeless, he had been looking for a suitable place to claim for his own. He had come across many people in this strange place, from the DA to TUBA to any other number of other Homeless. He tried to mind his own business for the most part, as getting involved only seemed to end in death and despair. He hadn't been here long but for the time that he had, he had heard rumors of a great war which had happened in the past that threatened this entire place. A war which it still seemed to be recovering from.

He passed ruined buildings, people huddled in corners, and others who rushed from place to place, either needing to be somewhere or needing to be away from somewhere else. There were of course many powerful people in this city. They went about their business, doing important things in important places with important people. Running around waving magic circles in the air, or shining bright with some inner light, or getting into fights with other people. Of course when fights between powerful people happened, those around without power seemed to suffer even more. Most of the people in this place seemed more concerned with trying to spike unsuspecting travelers with sweet delights, or trying to stop the people doing that, or creating strife between guilds.

That isn't to say there weren't people out there trying to serve the greater good. There was at least one hospital set up that he had seen, but the care that had been given to most residents of the Alleycity was lacking in his opinion. Buildings had been left in rubble, people without homes. Countless dead caused by power hungry people with no care for the common folk. As far as Laonin could tell there was no central government to this city, and that meant there was no one keeping chaos in check, or rebuilding what had been lost here.

He walked up to a ruined building he had been studying for several weeks. It seemed as though during the 7 day war it had been destroyed by flying rubble from an explosion in the distance. He had explored as much of it as he could get to, and had asked the few remaining denizens of this area for as much detail as they could remember. He pulled out his toolkit and set to work once again, carving into soulstone. He would restore this building, and hopefully with it at his disposal he could continue to restore the ruined parts of this city to their former glory. He took the soulstamp he had been working on for weeks, now finally finished, and pressed it to the cornerstone. The seal sunk into the stone, and he could almost feel the building trying to determine if his work was good enough for it to allow the change to happen. Suddenly the ruined building before him was replaced with a sturdy, well kept forge.

"Well, that took long enough," Laonin muttered, "I should have just tried telling the darned thing the explosion missed it in the first place. Of course it still wanted to be in working order!"

Wiping his hand on his pants, Laonin walked through the now intact doorway, surveying what he saw before him. The building seemed well built of course, one of the reasons he had chosen it in the first place. Something that had been created well was all the more likely to want to return to the vision its maker had had for it in the first place. He walked over to the anvil, and was pleased to see that the rust which had previously been coating its surface was now gone. It seemed it had considered itself a part of this place, and when the roof had repaired itself, came to the conclusion that the rains wouldn't have been able to reach it. It was a decently sized room, with lots of hooks and shelves on the walls for tools and equipment. Most of those were missing, either destroyed or looted by people trying to scrounge for valuables. That suited him just fine, he preferred to use his own tools anyway. Now to get himself situated.

-----

A sharp ringing sound echoed out the front door, almost like the beating of a heart, a sign that this place had come back to life, and once again its blood was pumping. Laonin stood over the anvil, beating a hunk of metal with his hammer, forcing the impurities out of it. He did this for the time it took for the metal to start cooling and then shoved it back in the forge to heat up again, piling more charcoal on it. While it heated he perused the room, taking in the changes he had made to it the last few weeks. He had moved all of his belongings in, meager as they were, and the place had an almost homey feel to it. He had of course been concerned that the building would relapse into rubble, but after the first night passed without incident came to the conclusion that he had been correct in his assessment that the building wanted to return to its intended purpose. He had since been refitting his tools, as they had been through some tough wear and tear since his last chance to repair them. He had also been making good use of one of his soulcasters, converting some nearby rubble into iron with which to forge. Some would argue he could have simply soulcast it into steel directly, and cut out the purifying process, but he never really trusted a fabrial to do what he could do on his own. He trusted his own hands.

Thankfully there was still a supply of charcoal in the back room, as it had been blocked off previously from looters by the rubble. He didn't quite have the skill with a soulcaster to create coal. Plus he had heard that excessive use of soulcasters could have ill effect on the nerves, so he tried to avoid it as much as he could. Which meant he would need to find a way to keep his metal supplies stocked. Something for a different day, he concluded, as he retrieved the now glowing metal from the forge and continued to hammer it into steel.

After several hours of hard labor, Laonin cleaned and hung his tools on the wall, and put the forge to rest, to be reawakened tomorrow. He then ate some dinner in the sparse living quarters on the second floor, and set out, toolbox in hand. He had found his next renovation project, a tall building which seemed to have been crushed by something large, given the enormous footprint left nearby. While most of the building was destroyed, the first floor was relatively intact, and housed several families of people who had nowhere else to go. He spent the remainder of his day inspecting the building for damage, taking note of anything and everything that could affect structural integrity once it was repaired. Thankfully there seemed to be some records of what this building had looked like before its destruction, which made his task a whole lot easier. As he was working a rugged looking woman approached him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at Laonin making measurements and writing down notes on a sketch pad.

"I'm trying to determine how easy this mess will be to clean up. This building used to be able to house a dozen families comfortably, near as I can tell. Now there's a handful lying about in the dirt, and with the holes in the walls it can't be much warmer in here that out there anyway." Laonin replied.

The woman looked surprised for a moment. "You mean you're going to rebuild this. Where will we stay when you tear it down? Do you know how few buildings there are with even this much room? Why not build somewhere else that won't disrupt those few living here, and let us be." she said turning away.

"I don't intend to tear it down, I'm simply going to fix it where it stands. And seeing as how there doesn't seem to be anyone barging in with deeds of ownership, you'll be first in line to claim housing once it's done."

The woman stopped and turned back toward Laonin, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "Really? You're really going to fix it? Why would you do that?" she said, a hint of suspicion in her voice. Despite the hope she felt, her life had been hard enough to know no one would do something like this without a reason.

"In my opinion, this place has seen enough power hungry men to last an eternity. I figured someone needed to step up and fix the damage they've caused. I know one man can't fix everything. But even if I only help one person, then that's good enough for me. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to continue with my work." he said, turning back to the wall.

The woman looked at him for another moment, the flicker in her eyes warming to an ember in her chest. She turned and went to talk with a group huddled nearby. Some didn't react but the rest watched this dwarf of a man continue to work. Not knowing what to do, they continued doing what they had been, surviving.

After doing a preliminary assessment of the building, Laonin headed home. Strange, he thought, only a short time here and I already think of it as home. Have I really been so desperate for some stability? Arriving back at the forge he let himself in, and locked the door. He climbed the stairs to his small bedroom, and after changing, lay down in bed. He let out a deep sigh. Tonight he would sleep well. He finally had a goal, and the means to see it through. Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

--------

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Well everyone. This is The Forge. For now it serves as Laonin's base of operations in his endeavor to restore Alleycity, and bring some reprieve to it's residents. First off, if some of the things I wrote seem overly harsh or judgmental of any groups or individuals, this is entirely the viewpoint of my character, not representative of me. Second, if I made any incorrect assumptions about the state the city is possibly in, I apologize. While repairing damaged buildings is something he has set out to accomplish on his own, it doesn't mean he wouldn't accept assistance from well meaning individuals. He also has the skills and the means to craft equipment. From what I've seen there are other groups and individuals sporting much more advanced technology than he will, but the option is still there even though I doubt it will come up often. If you feel like coming to say hi, or "hear rumors" of the odd man fixing buildings around the city and want to join/stop him, feel free to show up for that too. Even if everyone ignores this and I just keep talking to myself I'm cool with that as well because I decided I like this character and am fine with monologue-ing to myself. Anyway I think that's long enough for a first post so here goes. Enjoy. 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Karnatheon

[+Sorana]

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Just a short side note: we tend to put out of character comments in quote boxes, to be able to discern them easily from in character comments.

I like the location, but both of my characters are occupied right now...

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Sorana

[Karnatheon]

3 hours ago, Sorana said:

Just a short side note: we tend to put out of character comments in quote boxes, to be able to discern them easily from in character comments.

I like the location, but both of my characters are occupied right now...

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Thanks for the tip!

 

[I think I am here.]

Alask walked to the upright Forgery, one of the only standing buildings among many ruined ones. 16 years rebuilding, he thought. And the Alleyverse still hasn’t recovered.

Alask had been born after the Seven Day War. He grew up among ruins and dust, born at just the right time to feel the impact of the war but not live through it.

Times were tough after that. Alask was pretty sure his father died in the war, his mother was still alive though, along with his brother all the way across the Alleyverse, living in poverty. He wished he could help them, but...

The spikes in his chest still throbbed, even today. He’d never gotten over the feeling they granted, the sense of having something inside of you. Maybe if the guild who Spiked him had thought about that they wouldn’t have captured him against his will do so, but then again, he doubted it.

Approaching the Forge, Alask knocked on the door. “Hello?” He called out. Rumours of the Man who Fixed spread quickly, if quietly, but Alask was a Master of knowing the current stories of the street.

He knocked again. “Anyone here?”

[Karnatheon]

A low, rumbling sound was emanating from the stairway to the second floor. It would pause for a moment, then resume. The sound echoed through the building, but all else was silent. An imaginative listener would assume there was a bear or a dragon slumbering within the forge, but it was simply Laonin snoring loudly. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, but it was not loud enough to breach the slumber of the exhausted man on the second floor. The snoring continued until a second, louder knock made its way to his ears as he awoke instantly. Laonin sat up and thought he heard someone calling from below. 

"Just a moment!" he shouted. He hurriedly stood up and stretched. He looked himself over quickly to ensure he was mostly presentable, then put on his slippers and walked downstairs to where the noise had been coming from. As he crossed the room he saw his distorted reflection on the surface of a newly polished sheet of metal. I really ought to sort out my wardrobe, he thought. This robe is an entirely too bright a shade of green, and these red fuzzy slippers have the face of some furry animated character on them. Well, you make do with what you have I suppose. He approached the door and, after unlocking it, opened it to see a young man standing there. He looked to have a similar complexion to Laonin, though perhaps not due to working over a forge every day. 

"Can I help you?" Laonin asked, looking his unexpected guest over more thoroughly.

@I think I am here.

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I checked the description you posted of your character to kind of get an idea of what he would look like, but didn't want to make too many assumptions, so I just went with the fact that he's tan.

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Karnatheon

[I think I am here.]

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Cool.

A short man opened the door. His skin was leathery, and he sported a bushy beard that looked like it was taken care of well. Alask himself didn’t think he would be able to take care of a beard if he got one. He already had too many other things to worry about.

The man (The Man who Fixed, as his current name on the street was) asked if he could help Alask.

“Oh, no thanks.” Alask said. “I was just here because, you know, there’s word of you fixing buildings and stuff and I’m here wondering: ‘how is this guy doing in days what the guilds couldn’t do in months?’” Shadows. Alask needed to remember not to show his distaste for the guilds so often.

He found his dislike, even hate, was justified, though. The guilds had been the ones creating the war that messed everything up. They’d been the cause of Alask’s family’s poverty, they’d been the ones to kidnap Alask and experiment on them. If anything, they deserved his dislike.

Alask took a deep breath, and resumed what he was saying. “Anyway, your soulstamps are sort of like an autograph on buildings, and seeing someone like you, one person, trying to help people is sort of inspiring.

”I haven’t got any Investiture, but if you ever need any assistance in your cause, I’d be happy to help.”

@Karnatheon

[Karnatheon]

Laonin listened carefully to what his visitor had to say. He must have something else on his mind, Laonin thought. The way he was speaking made it seem as though he was nervous, or preoccupied. He spoke of what Laonin was doing with a note of something in his voice, respect maybe? Awe? Or was he simply curious?

There was definitely more to this boy than what appeared on the surface. He seemed unkempt, like he had been having a rough go of it for a while. But he didn't seem like someone you would typically see on the streets. He had enough life left in him to make the effort to come here, and not just for himself. Laonin had had people showing up at his doorstep looking for handouts, and he had assisted in what ways he could, but this was not the case here.

The boy mentioned the trail he left behind when he Forged a building. Something I hadn't thought to take care for. If one of the more sinister residents of this place don't like what I'm doing, that may give them an easy way to find me. I may need to be more cautious in how I do things.

"Well, I don't know that what I've been doing has had such a large impact thus far. Though it warms my heart to know that you find my actions inspiring. The way I look at it, problems won't solve themselves. You can't just set an ingot in the furnace and expect it to take care of itself. It needs hands to guide it. That's the problem with this city. There's no guiding force behind it. The guilds you speak of each have their own leadership, and I'm sure some have taken an initiative to help others, but the majority look out for themselves and seek to further their own aims. Those that don't directly seek to sow chaos, don't seem intent on trying to restore order either." Laonin paused, realizing he had just started rambling off and not really answered anything the boy had said to him.

"As far as Investiture goes, I really try not too put too much stock in it. Obviously I've been using Soulstamps to renew buildings, as that is the quickest way to do it, but nothing can beat a good pair of hands with a will to use them. Most of the problems in this place were caused by massive amounts of Investiture, in the hands of those who would abuse it. I'd take one man with his heart in the right place over a dozen fickle Allomancers or Shardbearers any day. As to how you could assist me, I have a few ideas about that, if you would care to step inside? I just woke up you see, and could use a nice warm drink about now."

With that Laonin steps back and gestures to let his guest in, assuming his invitation is accepted.

@I think I am here.

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I realize Alask is not a young boy, that's just the way I'm choosing to refer to him from Laonin's perspective.

 

[I think I am here.]

Alask had always been observant. Observance was what helped him when he was living with his family in one of the poorest districts, observance was what had assisted him when he needed it, observance was what allowed him to survive, even with the curse spiked into him.

As Alask entered behind the Man who Fixed, he observed him, his demeanour. He seemed a man who’d seen much, a man who valued good, hard work over flashes and sparkles of Investiture.

Alask could see it in his hands. Leathery, hard. They’d seen work. By the look of this place and the man’s analogy earlier, this man was a forger.

And not just physically, it seemed. The man also had the Investiture of Forgery, though for someone who had the ability to do things so easily through stamps, he still seemed to value practicality over theatrics. Alask valued that, even if he was a voracious watcher of movies.

Walking around, Alask remembered where he was. A forge. Would there be fire here? Of course there’s fire, you rustwit, a voice inside of him said. It’s a forge!

Despite that fact, Alask continued. Fire would be fine. As long as it wasn’t made, or ‘kindled’ as the Rules said, Alask was completely in control. Still, he worried. He tried not to let his nervousness bleed through his face, but he’d never been the best at hiding his emotions.

“So,” He said, taking a seat on a nearby empty stool. As far as he could see, the building was empty apart from the man. Which meant lots of empty stools to sit on. “Can I first say thanks for inviting me here, and second, what ideas did you have on how I could help?”

Alask would have offered to make the man’s drink, maybe as a repayment for waking him up in the middle of his sleep - which, Alask admitted, he felt a bit guilty for - but he didn’t know how and really wasn’t in the mood for accidentally poisoning the man who invited him in their home through his deplorable cooking. So he waited for the man’s ideas on how Alask could help him.

Help. The man hadn’t minded Alask’s lack of Investiture, a fact that made Alask appreciate the man’s geniuneness all the more. He’d heard the guilds only accepted those of high Investiture levels. Of course, it wasn’t like Alask would join them anyway.

“My name’s Alask,” he said suddenly. He didn’t know why. “Just so you know.”

@Karnatheon

[The Grumpy Elantrian]

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Hi guys, this will be my first involvement in the alleyverse and I thought a new thread would be suitable. It seems homesome and welcoming here, so I guess I'll jump right in.

Ishek wandered through the streets of the now deatitute excuse for a city. He hadn't been here long, as a worldhopper he had found his way to Alleycity after leaving Scadrial, but he had heard of the cities former glory. 

It hadn't taken long however, to learn of the conflict that still persisted in the city, particularly the guilds. I suppose I should steer clear of them for now, they don't seem the welcoming type. He continued on, taking in the desolation around him, and saw evidence of life everywhere. If you can call it life. 

He was out here because, frankly, he had nowhere else to go. At least he had heard there was a good samaritan out here helping rebuild the city out of the purity and graciousness of his heart. Or something like that. Perhaps he would welcome a bitter traveller. It was worth a try at least.

He followed the directions given to him, tapping his coppermind to hear them as clear as when he first recieved them from that withered waste of a woman living on the streeys. He eventually found his way there, a small building that seemed to fit the description of the residence of The Man who Fixed. The forge didn't seem to be blazing, but a gentle light from the window told of the life inside. 

Approaching the door, Ishek wrapped his knuckles firmly against the aged wood of the door. Old wood? Wasn't this place meant to be newly repaired? He knocked again, waiting expectantly. 

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I'm not sure if everything I said fits Alleyverse lore, as I said I am new to this, so I'm willing to change or correct things as needed. 

@Karnatheon

@I think I am here.

Edited November 13, 2018 by The Grumpy Elantrian
Forgot to @ you guys.

[Karnatheon]

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Welcome, The Grumpy Elantrian. Happy to have you join in! As far as Alleyverse goes, it's free form roleplay so its all pretty loose and open to interpretation. Just make sure you either post your character in the Alleyverse Character thread or pm @Archer about it, that way we'll know who we're interacting with. I apologize if you already did and I just didn't notice it. At work right now but I should have time for an in character response later on.

@The Grumpy Elantrian

[xinoehp512]

Nekorb stumbled from an alley, collapsing in the street. He let out a long, painful groan.

[I think I am here.]

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Hey everyone! Just a thing to keep in mind, while there are certainly places in the Alleyverse that are still in ruins, it’s not like the whole city is a rubble pile. With 16 years rebuilding, you can assume lots of the developed neighbourhoods have been rebuilt and advanced however much they can, what with being in a crater and all. There would be large places that have been destroyed and have remained that way (maybe the poorer sections that haven’t gotten enough attention) but it’s not like the whole city has remained a complete ruin for almost 2 decades.

Alask turned sharply at a knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” he said to the Man who Fixed and bounded to the old wooden door. Opening it, he saw a man waiting outside.

“Hey, h-”

He glanced at another man in front of the Forge, collapsed on the floor. Immediately leaving the door, Alask jumped to his side. He had no medical experience, but maybe someone else did.

“Hey!” He called out to the Man who Fixed and the other man who’d been waiting. “Do any of you have anything that could help this man?”

@Karnatheon

@The Grumpy Elantrian

@xinoehp512

[Karnatheon]

The boy walked past Laonin as he held the door open, he then closed it as he lead his guest inside. He seemed to be inspecting the room and his host as they walked. Good instincts on him, thought Laonin. He knows to monitor his surroundings. Laonin led him to an open area with numerous stools and some tables, primarily used for detail work on items once they were forged. Decorative etching and such things that didn't require heat. The boy took a seat as Laonin walked over to a nearby cupboard and pulled out a useful little device he had come to enjoy the ease of.

It was a tea kettle with a heatrial built inside of it, which made for a quick cup of tea when one was in a rush. He filled it with water and activated the fabrial inside it, waiting for the kettle to whistle. He turned back to look at the boy and noticed a flash of nervousness pass over his face briefly, though he managed to contain it quickly. There is definitely more at play than I know. Maybe I can get him to open up a bit over some hot food? The boy introduced himself and Laonin suddenly realized he hadn't made proper introductions.

"Pleasure to meet you my boy." he said, reaching out for a firm handshake. "My name is Laonin, and welcome to my home. I apologize for the shape it's in. I've been too preoccupied to get it all arranged properly. As for how you can assist me, you seem to be a sharp lad, a trait I assume you picked up on the streets. I'm not from the area you see, only entered the Alleys not a few months ago, and I've only gotten familiar with a few of the areas around here. I don't know much of what's going on in the rest of the city."

Hearing his kettle begin to whistle, Laonin turned and deactivated it. He grabbed a couple of mugs out from the same cupboard, as well as a small cloth pounch. He opened the top of the kettle and dropped the bag into the water, to let it steep. "I've renovated a couple buildings in this area, because I have seen them for myself. But I don't know where else to look. I would love to help everyone you see, but I can only do so much on my own. I was hoping to begin spreading my activities further throughout the city, in some of the poorer areas. I was thinking maybe you could help me find places to focus my efforts, to try to be able to help as many as I can. I don't know if that sounds like something you would be interested in or not. I could also always use help around here in the forge. I've been doing my best to help furnish necessities to those buildings I do finish. Pots, pans, utensils, your everyday objects. I could always use another set of hands, assuming you were willing to learn and work hard?"

Suddenly someone knocked at the door. Laonin moved to get the door when Alask instead jumped off his stool and opened it, greeting the newest stranger to visit him. Laonin then heard a shout from outside as Alask ran out the door. A feeling of dread began to encroach on Laonin's heart. What's happened now? Is someone hurt?  He bustled to the door and barely had time to acknowledge the presence of the Scadrian standing there, when he saw a man collapsed on the ground, with Alask kneeling over him.

"What's going on? Where did he come from?" Laonin exclaimed, looking up and down the street for any other sign of activity. He hurriedly knelt down on the ground and looked the man over. Unfortunately he had no medical experience, so he wouldn't know what to do even if he could figure out what was wrong. He quickly stood to his feet and rushed back inside yelling at Alask and the Scadrian, "I don't know what's wrong with him. I have something that can hopefully help with the pain he's in, but I can't fix whatever is wrong." Pointing at the Scadrian on his doorstep, he said, "Well don't just stand there man, go help the poor fellow. We might need to bring him to the hospital for care if neither of you have experience with this sort of thing." With that he rushed upstairs to his room and grabbed a bottle, and checking its contents, ran back outside as fast as he could. 

"Here, give him this, see if it helps at all." he said, hoping the liquid would bring the man some ease from his pain, so he could at least tell them what was wrong. That way they could try and do something to help him.

@I think I am here. @The Grumpy Elantrian @xinoehp512

[The Grumpy Elantrian]

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Thanks for the welcome and tips. I have already told archer about my character and he's got it on the list under my old alias 'Mistborn Radiant' (original I know). As for the whole city not being in ruins, we can easily pass those statements off as if he is simply regarding the slums.

The man who answered the door rushed past Ishek, shocked by the sight of the collapsed man. An older man from inside the forge, presumably the Man who Fixed, scurried out and knelt by the injured man. After yelling at him and the other man standing neaby in a worried fluster, he rushed back inside to fetch something. That man needs a drink. Ishek approached the groaning man and checked his vitals. I should have stored more medical guides in my copperminds, I've know idea what's going on here. Ishek propped the man on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own saliva and, once the older man rushed back out with a vial, administered the drug to the man. 

Rocking back onto his knees, Ishek regarded the other two men and decided the bearded man who got the vial to be the Man who Fixed. He had an air to him. A homely, caring aura. He nodded his head to the man. "You're the infamous Man who Fixed I presume? I'm Ishek."

Surely he can spot a feruchemist when he sees one. The jewelery should make that obvious. 

"I've been looking for you."

[xinoehp512]

Nekorb let them pour the liquid down his the throat. It eased some of his pain, but not enough. He tried sitting up, but failed. What was going on? How did he get here? He couldn't remember.

[Karnatheon]

Laonin let out a sigh of relief. The substance in that vial had cost him a pretty penny. He wasn't entirely sure of its contents, the alchemist who sold it to him had only specified that it didn't contain any Hemalurgic spikes(A fact that Laonin had been insistent on). Only said that it would allow him to withstand any ailment, even fatal ones, with ease. It didn't fix what was wrong, simply held it at bay, and kept away the pain best it could in the process. It should help the man clear his head, and survive whatever was wrong long enough to receive treatment. 

Hearing the Scadrian speak to him, Laonin was slightly taken aback. Had word of him really spread so quickly? Word of mouth always seemed to complicate things.

"Infamous huh? I wouldn't know about that. I suppose it depends on what circles you frequent. As for my name, while the Man who Fixed sounds meaningful, my name is Laonin. I am a simple smith, attempting to Forge that which has been broken. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ishek. This is Alask." Laonin said, pointing toward his other visitor.

"Why have you been looking for me?" He said, then looked down at the man on the ground, who seemed to be trying to sit upright. He knelt down again and looked the man in the eyes. "And you my friend, what is it that ails you? Who are you, and how can we help? Do you require medical attention?"

Edited November 13, 2018 by Karnatheon

[The Grumpy Elantrian]

Ishek's face remained expressionless. "Perhaps we should take him to a doctor, I have no expreience with this."

Ishek carefully cradled the man in his arms and lifted him with ease, his loose robes becoming a bit tighter with his sudden bulk. "Where cam we find one?" He asked, glancing to Alask to include him in the request. 

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I'm not directing the actions of others too much by picking him up like that am I? I saw that to be the way Ishek would react and it seemed to fit, but I can change it if Nekorb wanted to remain on the ground for whatever reason. 

@Karnatheon

@I think I am here.

@xinoehp512

[I think I am here.]

Alask eased knowing the man who’d fallen was alright. Hearing The Man who Fixed, Laonin, as he said his name was, introduce him to the other visitor (Ishek, from what (Alask could make out), Alask waved. “Hello,” He said, glancing back at the man who’d fallen over. “Not exactly the best circumstances to meet under, but still, pleasure to meet you.”

Ishek asked Alask if where they could find a hospital. Immediately Alask thought of the one he’d seen, the one some members of his crew had heisted from.

Theivery. It had been what Alask had resorted to in the Alleyverse, the only thing that would allow him a steady stream of income to send to his parents. They believed he had a job, but when the guilds wouldn’t accept you and no job wouldn’t awaken the immortal demon in your soul, there was really only one path to go.

“North, about 800 Threnodite meters,” he said, then hesitated. “That’s about 960 Scadrian meters, if that helps. After that, two lefts, one right, and you’re at the Hospital. Try not to get stuck in the Alleys. Rumour has it they never end.”

Gesturing for the two to follow him, Alask ran for the Hospital.

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I’ll make a post at the Hospital saying we’re there.

 

[Karnatheon]

After their hasty introductions had been made and they decided on a course of action, Laonin hurriedly followed Alask, keeping an eye on Ishek to make sure he kept up. 

They hurried through the Alleycity, Laonin keeping a wary eye out for any sort of trouble. Thankfully most of the people they came across stayed out of their way, perhaps the size of their Feruchemist friend playing a part in that. 

Finally Laonin could see the hospital ahead. Hopefully they had arrived in time to save this man's life. Almost as an afterthought, Laonin relaized he was still in his pyjamas, he hoped he didn't look too ridiculous.

Quote

Sounds good.

 

[Karnatheon]

Laonin slowly trudged home from the hospital. It had been a long day. Even though he felt like he had just woken up, he felt exhausted. He never ate breakfast, or lunch, or anything. Oh no! I forgot all about my tea. Hopefully I remembered to turn off the kettle before we rushed out of here. I'd rather have cold tea than whatever would happen if I left it running for a full day. Finally the Forge came into view around some rubble.

Walking up to the door, Laonin unlocked it and walked inside. He ushered whoever had accompanied him back from the hospital inside, then shut the door. He walked over to his kettle, and as he had hoped, it was off. The tea was quite cold. Well no sense in letting it go to waste. Might as well just heat it up. Reactivating the heatrial within it, he pulled out two more cups, in case his guests also wanted some tea.

"Quite the day, eh? All sorts of excitement, all out of the blue too. I'll get started on making something quick to eat here, while this heats up. When the kettle begins to whistle, just deactivate the fabrial inside it, then the tea will be ready. I'm going to make some eggs and toast in the kitchen real quick, and I'll be back with some for everyone. Feel free to pour yourself a cup once it's all nice and hot. Then we can talk over food." Laonin said this, as he walked out of the room. "Make yourselves comfortable!" he shouted as he began grabbing the necessary supplies for dinner.

@I think I am here.

@xinoehp512

@The Grumpy Elantrian

[xinoehp512]

Nekorb noticed something in the street outside the building where he had made his entrance. He walked over and picked it up.

It was a small box with a hinged lid and a combination lock. Nekorb peered closer at it, noticing with surprise that it had letters instead of numbers. He stuck the box in his pocket and walked into the forge with the others.

@Karnatheon

@I think I am here.

@The Grumpy Elantrian

[I think I am here.]

As Laonin went to prepare for dinner, Alask took the liberty of rearranging a number of stools around a workable, turning it into a makeshift table. As he took a stool from the side and brushed dust off of it, he reflected on the day that had been. A normal day. One of his first. Of course, he'd had to take a man to the hospital for treating a serious illness that couldn't be identified, but compared to when he'd been heisting, or worse, looking for odd jobs he could take up, this was ordinary.

Awesome.

Taking a break, Alask rested his hand on another table, and immediately pulled back. "Rust!" He whispered quietly, though internally he was screaming. Across the inside of his left palm was a charcoal black stripe, the flesh just recovering from the sizzling burn. Struggling to keep down the pain, Alask looked down to the table he'd been leaning. A bar of silver looked back up at him, a black handprint imprinted into its centre.

Of course. Silver. Alask needed to be more careful now, especially since he was in a forge, where all types of metals probably lay. Covering his burn mark and heavily cursing under his breath, Alask took a seat. "So," he said, trying to think of something to distract him from the pain. "How's everyone feeling?"

@Karnatheon

@xinoehp512

@The Grumpy Elantrian

[xinoehp512]

Nekorb walked over at sat down at the table. He took out the box he'd found on the street and started playing with the combination.

@I think I am here.

@Karnatheon

@The Grumpy Elantrian

[Karnatheon]

Just finishing up scrambling the eggs and toasting the toast, Laonin piled it all onto a platter, stuck a couple plates under his other arm, and walked back into the room. He set the platter down in the center of the table and set a plate next to each seat. He went back into the other room, and grabbed a few forks, some jam, and a knife. He went back, set those on the table, then poured everyone tea, as the kettle had begun to whistle. He set the cups down, then sat down himself. 

"Dig in. I'm sure you're all starving, I know I am." as he said this he grabbed a few slices of toast and piled eggs onto his plate. He coated his toast with some jam, then left the knife in the jar for anyone else who wanted it. He started eating enthusiastically, enjoying the feeling of hot food in his belly. The tea was a bit strong, as it had steeped in the pot all day, but it was still refreshing. After finishing his food, he leaned back, hand resting on his stomach. "Well, that sure hit the spot. Now, as our introductions this morning were all rather rushed, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Laonin, I am the operator of this forge. Along with being a blacksmith, I have access to the Investiture of Forgery. I know Alask here was looking to help me out with my endeavor to repair broken parts of this city. (Assuming Ishek is here as well) And Ishek, you said you were willing to assist through the use of your Feruchemy. I don't know that we ever got your name, stranger. Glad we were able to help you out back there. Thankfully the doctor was able to fix you up." Laonin stretched, then after standing up, walked into the other room.

A few moments later he came back with a pipe in his mouth, and he sat back down, relaxing. "So, tomorrow we can work on fixing up the building next door. That way you'll all have a place nearby to stay. Any ideas or questions for me?"

@I think I am here.

@xinoehp512

@The Grumpy Elantrian

[xinoehp512]

Nekorb nodded. "That sounds good to me. I'm Nekorb, by the way." He fiddled with one of the dials on his box. "I don't have any special skills- I think- but I'll help any way I can."

@I think I am here.

@Karnatheon

@The Grumpy Elantrian

Edited November 21, 2018 by xinoehp512