Crafting on request: Banquet [Crafting/Solo]

[Valerie]

A particular dark haired female Swashbuckler had waltzed up to a stone house by the riverside. A bright smile lit up her face as she excitedly rushed into her forge, ready to craft. While she was in Londinium, she noticed a quest made to all Adventurers, requesting certain items for a certain grand dinner that would be happening in Avon. Though the girl had not heard of the party, but she was still eager to help out for the only reason that she would get some practice out of the crafting as well as helping someone else.

The Swashbuckler stopped in the doorway of the forge, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of the workshop before walking in and closing the heavy metal door behind her. As she walked towards the hearth, Valerie reached up and pulled a thick leather apron from a hook and slipped it on before grabbing a pair of protective gloves and pulled them on as well. With all her protective gear on, the Blacksmith began to work.

Valerie wandered over to a barrel of silver coloured metals with the label, Stainless Steel, engraved on a metal plate that was stuck onto the wooden barrel. The girl stuck her hand into the container and pulled out three pieces of metals. She held the close to her face, examining it with her eyes before nodding in approval and placed it on the table beside her. Metals are good, now we need to heat things up. The Swashbuckler thought to herself, and then chuckled lightly at herself and shook her head. She plunged her hand into a barrel again, a different barrel this time. One that was label coal, and then she pulled out four pieces of black rock. Wandering over to the hearth, the girl tossed the coals into the furnace and pumped the billows of the forge three times. The girl lean back against the work station behind her and watched the coals begin to heat up and glow brightly, becoming pretty coloured embers.

When she deemed it was hot enough, or rather the thickness of the air did, the Blacksmith grabbed the three metals and tossed them into the center of the hearth, on top of the glowing embers. Valerie coughed slightly and backed away from the hearth. Her dark violet eyes flitted upwards to check the time, and then she began to head towards the door that leads to the kitchen. The Dancer pulled her protective gear off, and dropped them on the closest table before yanking the heavy metal door open and darting into the cool kitchen. No one has cooked in the house since Valerie had moved in and everything was still very neat and tidy with the exception of a few glass cups that she had filled with water. The almost sweaty girl grabbed a cup and quickly filled it with cool tap water, and then downed it all at once without stopping. It was a big mistake trying to run all the way from the center of Londinium all the way to her house which was required the Adventurer to take the long and twisty path through the Greatwood Forest, or simply head straight into the forest and plow through everything to get to her house... Well, Valerie was never the most patient of people and had decided to plow through the woods jumping over every obstacle at top speed and darting around trees that were in her way, but she never strayed from her path. She was already quite tired from the trip, though she probably shouldn’t be considering her current level 50 body. Either way, the girl didn’t take the heat of the forge very well after the exhausting trip. Her mind had begun to play tricks on her and the heat from the forge seemed like it had begun to suffocate her.

With the cool water in her system, Valerie’s pulse began to slow and her breathing calmed, her lungs relaxed once again. Sighing softly, the girl placed the empty cup into the sink and headed back into the forge. As she entered, the girl pulled on her gear once again and went to check up on the metals in the hearth. All three metals had begun to glow brightly and the Blacksmith nodded in approval before turning around and scanning the forge. She had to find the appropriate tools to create the cutlery. She needed to make a fork, a knife and a spoon. Out of the three utensils, the one that would be easiest for Valerie to make was the knife, as she had already crafted bladed weapons before. The spoon would probably require a ton of chiseling and the fork… She didn’t know. Perhaps it needed more chiseling, but she would experiment until she gets what she wanted to make.

I might as well start with the knife then. The girl concluded and reached to the tools that hung on the stone wall and grabbed the tongs in her right hand and picked up both the hammer and hot chisel in the other. Turning around, the girl placed the chisel on the table beside her before walking to the furnace and picking up a single piece of metal. Valerie placed the heated metal on the anvil and begun to hit it with the hammer, the sound of a consistent thumping of metal hitting metal filled the forge. Turning the metal, the girl stretched it out, elongating it and made it thinner, creating the rough shape of a knife.

As the knife began to take shape, the girl switched the hammer for the hot chisel and began to smoothen out the metal, creating a smooth, round hold of the knife with long straight strokes. Then she moved onto the blade, the sharp edge of the utensil that would be cutting through different foods. With the chisel, the girl smoothened out the blade, removing all the small indents the hitting of the hammer had made on it. Along one side of the blade, the girl began to narrow the edge, thinning out the metal one that one side to create a sharp edge. Soon, it began edge became almost as thin as paper and expanded as it approached the other blunt end.

That’s about right… but not quite… The girl’s eyes noticed that something was slightly off about the knife; something was missing for the familiar dinner utensil. Valerie paused for a moment before lifting the unfinished knife and placing it carefully back into the hearth to heat the cooling metal. She would have to take some time to remember how a typical dinner knife looked like. The Adventurer closed her eyes and sank into her thoughts, trying to bring up memories of family dinners that had fine stainless steel cutlery. She bit her lip as she tried harder; it was not often that the girl had to remember her past, not after living in Elder Tale for a while. The girl had gotten accustomed to life in the Unfounded Kingdom, as that was how she was, quick to adapt. However, that didn’t mean that she didn’t miss reality, she had family, old friends, and other people she missed dearly that weren’t in the same world she was currently in.

Ah, yes… there were nicks along the edge of the blade, kinda like a toe pick… The girl realized and her eyes snapped open, happy that she had remembered, but then her face hit her hand at her last thought. Silly me, it’s not even remotely similar to a toe pick. The girl mental scolded herself for thinking of such a silly thing. Well… It’s sharp and not smooth… close enough. The voice in her head reasoned, and then Valerie simply shook her head and pushed it away. With her tongs, the girl plucked the unfinished knife and placed it back onto the anvil. Studying the craft carefully, the girl bit her lip and picked up her chisel and held the knife so that the sharp side of the blade face upwards. With the chisel, the girl carefully, created small, shallow indents and curves into the sharp side of the blade, noting to press the chisel in from the side instead of from the top so that the recently created sharp edge would not dull.

When she was finished, the girl walked over to a large metal basin that was empty, ready to be filled with cool water. Valerie pushed a rubber plug into place before turning the tap above the basin, letting icy cold water run into the basin, filling it up. As it was a bit more than half full, the girl shut off the tap and left the basin, only to return with the knife with her that was held with a pair of tongs. Taking a deep breath, the girl plunged the hot metal into the water and a hissing sound filled the work shop. When the metal lost its glow, the girl lifted it out of the water and placed it carefully onto an empty space on the work table. Placing down the tongs, the girl removed her protective gloves, the girl picked up two polishing cloths, one in each hand. With the cloth, Valerie began to clean off the remaining dirt and polished the utensil till it shone brightly.

When the knife clean and gleaming, the girl smiled in delight, happy that the craft had turned out quite well. Looking at it carefully, she began to imagine the other two utensils that would be crafted. Perhaps the theme of this set would have a smooth circular handle! The next one I make could have an octagonal handle, and the one after could be a hexagonal handle. The girl’s mind spun in excitement. The knife looked amazing; a very traditional and simply looking knife that was so shiny, it looked like silver. Maybe I can make actual silverware later! With and intricate design on the handle! The girl began to bounce up and down in excitement. She couldn’t wait to finish crafting this set of cutlery and moving onto her other ideas.

Valerie lay down a thick fluffy cloth onto the work table and lay the newly crafted knife on it. Smiling, the girl turned around and refocused her attention onto her next task; the spoon. She slipped on her protective gloves and grabbed her tongs, and then picked up another piece of hot metal from the furnace. Placing it down onto the anvil, the girl grabbed the hammer and began her work. Applying the same and consistent about of pressure, the Blacksmith created a steady beat from the hammer hitting and reforming the metal. Turning the metal in front of her, the girl’s beat didn’t stop and with each hit, the metal stretched, but left a chuck of metal at one end, that would become the dip of the spoon. At the neck of the utensil, the girl hammered it thinner than the rest and tampered it out, so that the craft currently looked like an exclamation mark. Giggling lightly, the girl switched the hammer for the chisel and began her task of reforming the metal.

Like with the knife, the girl pressed the chisel into the handle of the spoon and made long strokes onto the hot metal, creating a smooth surface along the handle. Turning the utensil, Valerie had soon created a smooth round handle that tampered off near the neck of the spoon, where the large chunk of metal was still untouched by the Blacksmith. When the handle was done, the girl stared intently at the round end of the spoon, not confident on how to go about crafting. With the chisel, the girl began to dig into the ball of metal that had collected at the end of spoon as if it was a bowl. The metal began to stretch out over the front of end of the spoon as if it was an extra-long shovel. Valerie’s face contorted into a frown. She grumbled to herself and switched her chisel back to the hammer and begun to hit the round end of the metal back into the shape of a ball. Unhappily, the girl picked up the slightly messed up utensil into the hearth, letting the metal heat up as it was begin to cool.

Valerie sighed and stared into the furnace before walking over to pump the billows twice to keep the fire alive. Looking beyond the flames, the Blacksmith pondered on how she could possible make a spoon. A full round end would simply be too much metal, but then how much would she need to make the spoon? The girl continued to stare into the fire as her mind spun, trying to find ways to make the metal into the dip of a spoon. Half would probably still be too much. A quarter seems to be too little, as the dip of the spoon should not be so thin. And what was in between was one third of it. However, that would be a pain to cut it into perfect thirds. With that being said, it was easier to cut and trim the metal instead of trying to add metal to her craft.

So the girl picked up the glowing metal with her tongs and picked up her hot chisel and slowly began to shave off half of the end of the spoon, trying to do it as precisely as possible. When most of the half was gone, Valerie began to dig into the half-ish sphere on the end of the tool. Slowly, the girl pressed the chisel into the metal and began to turn it slowly to shape the unformed, or what Valerie would call “deformed”, end of the tool. After a while of fiddling with the chisel and the end piece, the dip of the spoon began to take shape. Carefully holding the handle of the utensil, Valerie began to smoothen out the edges and round out the interior and exterior of the dip. Going from the handle to the cup of the spoon, the Blacksmith began to smoothen out the edges and make the utensil appear like one whole piece, not separated at the bridge between the handle and dip.



Words: 2381
(OOC: Stainless steel cutlery)

[Valerie]

As her work slowed down, the girl turned the craft around to observe it at all angles, and then smiled in approval. It had a smooth, round handle with a dip sprouting from the narrowing handle. Valerie carefully picked up the craft and trotted over to the water basin and dunked it into the cold water, causing the semi-glowing metal to lose its brightness and revert back to its normal colour at room temperature. Gently, the girl lifted the dripping steel craft out of the water and twirled around to place it onto the think fluffy cloth beside the knife and placed down her tongs to take up a polishing cloth and rubbed the wet utensil until it was both dry and clean. Almost there. Just one more to go! Valerie encouraged herself, her face lighting up a bit, seeing the semi-completeness of the set of stainless steel cutlery.

Picking up her tongs once again, the girl waltzed back to the hearth and used her tongs to pluck out the remaining piece of metal from the hot furnace. As her tongs clamped onto the metal, it sank into the hot steel a bit and the blacksmith panicked slightly. Warily, the girl lifted the metal out of the hearth and onto the anvil. When the metal was resting on the anvil, the girl sighed in relief. You shouldn’t have left it there, it could have melted into liquid and you don’t have a mold for cutlery. Valerie scolded herself, her lips pulled into a small frown as she robotically, picked up the hammer and lightly tapped the soft metal. Since the metal was so soft, even the slightest touch would change the metal.

This is not going to work very well… Unless I cool the metal and reheat it, but that will take too much time. Time I don’t want to spend waiting for it to heat up again. The girl concluded to herself as she stopped her tapping and leaned back slightly, trying to analyse the current situation. Moving her gaze to the hammer in her hand and turned around, and tapped the tool lightly as her face pulled into a slight frown. Sighing, the girl’s head dropped low and her eyes drifted to the side and settled on the chisel on the table beside her. Maybe this would work… Valerie placed the hammer down and picked up the hot chisel. Carefully, the girl used the chisel to reshape the metal into the rough shape of a fork, the handle long and a shovel-like piece at the end. She held the tool like a paint brush and slowly shaped the handle into a cylinder-like shape that became smaller before expanding at other end. It had worked just as the blacksmith wanted it to and had saved her time from hammering and reshaping the metal with a hammer.

Now, with the tool bearing the outline of the utensil, Valerie began to work on the prongs of the fork. Carefully aligning the chisel with the craft, the girl made shallow indents to mark where she would cut into the metal. Making sure that each indent would result into an equal sized prong, the girl took her time as she slowly measured and marked the metal. When she was satisfied with the markings, the girl used the chisel to make a clean cut along each indent. Once each cut was made, the girl clumped the remaining small pieces of metal together into one medium sized piece, and then tossed it into the basin beside the hearth. A small splash and hiss was heard as it fell into the water and sank to the bottom. I’ll have to reshape it later. The girl noted to herself as she carefully picked up the utensil and whirled around so that she was facing the basin of cold water. Valerie plunged the craft into the water and the glowing metal began to dim as it cooled.

When the craft no longer glowed, the girl lifted it out of the water and placed it onto the towel beside the two other finished utensils. Placing the chisel and tongs down, the girl removed her gloves and then picked up two polishing cloths and carefully cleaned the fork, removing all the remaining dirt and polished it until it shone like the spoon and knife. Placing the cloth down, the girl collected the set of stainless steel cutlery in her hand and opened up her menu, tapped around before each utensil disappeared into the girl’s inventory.

Seeing the newly crafted item in her inventory, the girl smiled and began to clean up her workshop. Valerie folded the thick towel and the other two polishing cloths, and then placed them on top of each other. I’ll clean and wash them later. The girl thought to herself, making a mental note before sidestepping to clean up her tools. Gathering the chisel, the hammer, and the tongs, the girl twirled around to hang up her tools, putting them back where they belonged. Looking around her forge, the girl noted how everything was as clean as it ever could be, considering the messy person she was. The girl trotted over to the water basin and plucked out the chuck of metal she had previously dropped in, and then unplugged the basin, emptying the water from the container. Valerie dried the metal on her apron, and then tossed it into the open barrel of metals, and her body twitched slightly as a soft clank sounded as the metal hit the others. The girl was going to let the hearth burn, she was planning to do some other crafting the day after, maybe even make a set of specialized cutlery. It was a silly thing to do, as it would be unsafe to leave a fire burning, but the girl didn’t care much as her sore muscles from working ached as they screamed for sleep. Sighing softly, the girl picked up the cloths and exited the forge, and entering her house.

Passing through the kitchen and living room, the girl headed up the stairs and plopped the cloths down in her small bathroom before entering her bedroom. Flopping onto her bed, Valerie rolled on her bed as she slipped the apron off and tossed it into a corner of the room. She would take care of it later, at the moment, the girl was too tired to think of anything else, but sleep.



Words: 1076
(OOC: Stainless Steel cutlery)

[Valerie]

Waking up, Valerie flopped around on her small bed, groaning to herself. After a good half an hour of half a sleep attempts to get up, the girl had slipped off the bed and landed on the dirty, old floor. Coughing, the girl tiredly pushed herself up and sat back on her bum. Stretching her arms above her head, the girl yawned loudly before flopping onto the side of her bed. Reluctantly, the girl pushed herself back onto the bed, onto to sink face first into the bed with only her upper body on the bed. Slowly, the girl slid off the bed and fell down onto to ground. Sitting in a collapsed heap for half a minute, the girl’s violet eyes finally began to open as she tiredly blinked as she took in her surroundings.


“Uh…” The girl groaned as she slowly rose to her feet. “What time is it?” Valerie asked herself out loud as she glanced up at the corner of her vision. It was a few minutes past nine. About time for the girl to head back to work. Dragging her feet, the girl shuffled over to pick up the discarded apron and draped it over her arm as she headed down stairs.


It was a little unusual to no have to have a morning routine ever since living in Elder Tale, as Adventurers had a self-cleaning system. But quickly, the girl adapted and had easily cut that part out of her life. Once she was in the kitchen area, the girl poured herself a cup of water and hopped up onto her counter as she had no chairs in her kitchen. Placing the cup beside her, the girl opened up her menu and tapped around until an apple appeared in her hand. Robotically, the girl closed all the screens and began to munch on the fruit until it was gone. Quickly, the girl downed the rest of her water and then placed it in the sink, and then left the kitchen.


Pushing the heavy metal door, the girl entered her workshop. It was much cooler than the day before. Most likely because it was now morning and the night had cooled the house. It was still warmer than the rest of her house as she noticed the dim orange embers in the hearth, still glowing from the night before. Slipping her apron on and stuffing a pair of gloves in her pocket, the girl began her work. Trotting over to the barrel, Valerie plucked out a couple small pieces of metals and carried them over to the table in the middle. Dropping them off, the girl began to make a mental note about each one. This one will be the butter knife. That one the steak knife. This one for salad. That for soup. This for a teaspoon. That for a dessert fork… That about it I think… The girl concluded, listing out six different eating utensils.


Valerie walked over to the hearth and grabbed a poker beside the fire and probed the fire twice. It was clearly dying and was not going to survive much longer by itself. Placing the tool back down, the picked up 5 coals and tossed them into the furnace and wiped her hands on her apron before pumping the billows three times. After giving the fire more fuel to burn, the girl quickly darted over to the group of metals and discarded the left over metals back into the barrel, leaving the ones she wanted to use on the table. The girl will need to time manage or else it will be difficult trying to craft all the items one by one.


Taking two metals, the girl tossed them into the hearth and hopped onto her work table. It was an unwise thing to do, as it was quite dirty, but it didn’t matter, crafting was not a clean task. Carefully, the girl waddled over to her tools and picked out a hammer, a pair of tongs, and two hot chisels. One large and one small. Placing them on the table, the Swashbuckler slipped on her gloves and took up the hammer and tongs.



Words: 695
(OOC: Specialized Cutlery)

[Valerie]

Trotting over to the hearth, the girl plucked out the smaller metal and placed it on her anvil and started her work. Hitting the glowing metal with in rhythmic beat, she turned and twisted the metal as she worked so that it would elongate into a tool shaped length. This was going to be the butter knife, a knife with not blade, or rather, one with a dull blade. Swapping the hammer of the larger chisel, the rhythmic hits changed to long smooth strokes down the metal. After two heavy strokes, the blade was made. Turning the utensil on its side, the girl began to shape the blade’s dull edge, making it into a spade like shape with two long edges and two shorter edges. Then Valerie began to alternate, switching the utensil between its side and back. And the blade was finished.


Happy with the outcome, the girl switched the large chisel for a smaller one. Slowly, she began to carve into the handle of the utensil. Her hand twisted as she turned the utensil with her tongs. Rapidly, she lifted and pressed into the metal, creating different valleys in the handle. When the handle was no longer a plain metal, the girl stopped and lifted the metal carefully off the anvil.


Looking over to the water basin, Valerie realized the container was empty, the girl placed the craft back down on the anvil and walked over to the basin. Removing her gloves, the girl turned the tap and cold water gushed into to basin. Impatiently, the Swashbuckler tapped her foot rapidly as she waited. When it was less than a quarter full, she shut off the tap and left to bring the craft back to the basin. Carefully, the girl submerged the craft into the water and a soft hiss filled the workshop. After a few seconds, the utensil no longer glowed, so Valerie lifted the cooled metal out of the water and carried it over to the table, placing it carefully down. Putting her tongs down, the girl looked around for a soft cloth to place her delicate craft on and a polishing cloth to clean the utensil. Remembering that the clothes were still upstairs in her bathroom, sitting there unwashed, and then Valerie sighed and left the forge, hurrying the winding staircase to her bathroom.


There was no time to wash the clothes, but they were no too dirty, so the girl picked up the stack of clothes and hurried back to her forge. She wanted to finish crafted by the end of the day, and she still had five more items to craft. When she entered her workshop, the Blacksmith placed the clothes down on the table and pulled the thick, fluffy cloth from the pile and opened it, laying it down on the table. With two smaller polishing clothes, Valerie picked up the craft and cleaned it carefully before setting it down on the thick cloth. Putting the polishing clothes down, the girl slipped on her gloves and went to work on her next utensil.



Words: 511
(OOC: Specialized Cutlery)

[Valerie]

Picking up her tongs, Valerie trotted over to her hearth and plucked out the remaining piece of hot metal and placed it on her anvil. She couldn’t start her work just yet if she wanted to craft efficiently. Going back to the table, she picked up two more pieces of metals and tossed them into the hearth to be heated. Hopefully they wouldn’t be melted by the time Valerie finishes with the second utensil. Turning around, the blacksmith picked up her hammer and began to work on her next craft, a steak knife. It would need a heavy handle and a jagged blade. The girl turned the metal as she hit and began to thin the blade part of the knife. Putting it on its side and holding it still, the girl angled her hits and elongated the blade. Holding it upright, the girl made sure that one side of the blade was dull while the other side would be thin and sharp.


When the knife bore a brief outline of a heavy steak knife, Valerie switched the hammer for a chisel and slides the tool onto the craft, making the edge even sharper. Turning the craft, the blacksmith viewed the knife from all directions. It was about right, but it was plain and didn’t have the rough, sharp edge of a normal steak knife. Switching to a smaller chisel, the girl held the knife so that the blade faced upwards and began to press indents into the blade so that it would have a zigzag like pattern along the blade. Then the girl was satisfied with the blade, but the handle was still very plain. Putting the craft on its side, the girl began to carve into the handle, twisting her wrist and changing the pressure as she turned the craft. When the handle was no longer empty and was filled with various valleys, Valerie nodded to herself and picked up the craft and trotted over to the basin of water. Gently, the blacksmith submerged the hot metal in the water and the glow of the metal dimmed until it was no more. Lifting it out of the water, the girl carried it over to the clothes and transferred it to the polishing clothes, and then rubbed it gently, cleaning off any dirt that was still there. After a few seconds and a glance at the time, the girl placed the craft down on the soft cloth and hurried to start her third craft.



Words: 415
(OOC: Specialized Cutlery)

[Valerie]

Heading to the hearth, the girl peered into the fire, trying to see if the metal was hot enough for her to work with. Satisfied with what she saw, Valerie grabbed her hammer and tongs, and then pulled out one of the metals from the furnace. Placing it down on her anvil, the girl began hitting the metal in a steady beat. Valerie had never really liked metronomes. They were annoying and never allowed the freedom to let music flow on its own. But in crafting, the haunting, steady rhythm of the hits barely caused the girl any discomfort. Instead, it was rather comforting to let the steady beat guide itself along instead of Valerie working every time she made a hit. For the salad for she was making, she would need to make a long shovel like paddle at the end of the utensil, and then cut out three sections so that there would be four prongs.


When the metal began to look like a mini shovel, Valerie began to flatten the shovel’s end so that it is a blunt and even end. Making sure that the shovel doesn’t tamper at the end, the girl looked it over carefully. Then the blacksmith switched her hammer for a small chisel and slowly traced out the cut she will make, drawing on the shovel then path she would take to create the four prongs. Slowly, Valerie pressed into the utensil and ran along the outline, cutting out three small, thin pieces of metal. Taking the left over metals, the girl used the hammer to clump them together into a larger chuck. It would be easier to use the left over pieces another time. Maybe she could use it to make another accessory or something.


Leaning closer, the girl’s eyes narrowed as she began to work on the points of the utensil, making sure they were dull, not sharp. It would be quite a catastrophe if the ends of the fork were sharp like needles. Valerie shuttered at the thought. Angling the chisel, she pressed into the metal, creating small square ends on the prongs of the utensil. Leaning from side to side, the blacksmith shrugged her shoulders and began to work on the handle. With the small chisel, the girl pressed into the metal and varied her pressure as she carved into the handle, trying to replicate the curved design she had made on the previous utensils. As the smooth handle of the fork disappeared, a wave-like design replaced it. Smiling, the girl placed the small chisel down on the table, and then picked up the almost finished utensil, whirling around and took a step toward the water basin. Slowly, Valerie lowered the hot metal into the water, letting the liquid cool the metal, causing the glow to dim. Then she lifted it out of the water, carefully carrying to the work table, setting it down on the cloth as she switched the tongs for two polishing cloths.

Quickly, the girl wiped the utensil clean of the dirt and glanced up at the time. She had to be quick, only a few hours before the deadline. But she should be able to make it in time. Only three more to go. The girl grimaced slightly as she placed down the cloths and went ahead to start her next craft.



Words: 558

[Valerie]

Picking up her tongs, the girl darted over to the hearth and lifted the remaining metal from the furnace, placing it down on the anvil. She had to hurry and heat up two more metals while she worked. Valerie tossed her tongs lightly on the table as she reached over to grab the two remaining metals and tossed them into the fire. Leaning from side to side to check if they were in the center of the hearth, the girl’s lips pulled into a slight frown, but she couldn’t worry about it too much and quickly went back to work.


Grabbing the tongs and hammer, the blacksmith began to hit the metal rapidly, trying to quickly mold the metal into a long tool like shape. Angling the hammer, she tried to stretch the metal into a long handle. Breathing deeply, the girl increased the tempo of her hits, making them match the speed of her racing heart. Stressing slightly, the girl continued working as she began to sink deeper into her work. Looking at the metal in front of her quickly, the girl shrugged to herself and switched the hammer for a chisel and began to work on creating a shovel end on the tool. After a few strokes, Valerie frowned and then pressed harder into the metal. For a dessert fork, one would need a long edge to cut cake or whatever dessert there is. The Swashbuckler’s violet eyes narrowed as she concentrated on her work, pressing on it carefully, controlling the pressure she puts into the tool as she lengthened the end of the fork. The girl’s forehead creased as she switched the large chisel for a smaller one and began to cut straight into the shovel, cutting out three thin strands of metal, and then quickly clumped them together with her hammer, meshing it with the pieces from the other fork.


Her gaze moved from the end of the fork to the uneven handle. The girl switched back to the larger chisel and with a couple long strokes, she evened out the handle of the tool. Without wasting a beat, the girl switched back to the small chisel and began to carve into the handle, her eyes settled on one of the finished cutlery as she replicated the design onto the handle of the dessert fork. The blacksmith’s eyes darkened as she glared at the tool. It was good enough, but if she had enough time, the girl would have made it even better, being the perfectionist she was.


Sighing softly, the girl placed down the chisel and lifted the fork off the anvil and placed it into the water. It barely even hissed, probably because the water was quite warm after cooling the three other utensils she had previously crafted. Holding the craft in the water, Valerie waited until the glowing metal dimmed before lifting it out and carried it over to the cloth. She didn’t even bother drying it as she hurried over to the hearth to start the next craft.



Words: 506

[Valerie]

Lifting another piece of metal out of the hearth, Valerie quickly placed it on her anvil as she grabbed her hammer and set off to work right away. Her next utensil was a tea spoon a small spoon for stirring a hot drink. The metal was not very big and wasn’t difficult to work with. The difficulty with making a spoon was trying to get the dip of the spoon to be the right size and that is would have an even edge. Angling her hits, the girl kept a steady tempo and quickly stretched the metal to the length of her hand before switching the hammer for a chisel.


Staring at the metal for a moment, the girl switched the chisel for a hammer, forgetting that she had to do one more thing before using the chisel. Using the hammer, the girl created a round-ish ball at the end of the utensil. She would have to cut off some of the metal before creating the dip of the spoon. When it was about the size of small bouncy ball, the girl switched the hammer for a chisel and began to edge away the top of the ball, leaving only a bit more than one third of the orb left on the end of the spoon. Carelessly, the girl pushed the leftovers into her pile of scraps. Switching the chisel for a smaller one, the girl began to dig into the remaining piece of metal. Carefully angling the chisel, Valerie made sure that the dip was long and almost like a tear drop but also careful that the end was not sharp. That would be a very dangerous spoon if the dip was shaped like a tear drop as it would be very sharp. Anyhow, the girl grit her teeth as she continued to work, occasionally glancing up at the time, making sure she had enough for her last craft. If she didn’t make the last one, all the other were made for nothing.


When the dip of the spoon was finished, the girl began to work on the handle of the utensil. This time, the handle was smooth and not as bumpy as her previous craft. Sighing softly in relief, the girl began to reproduce the design on the new utensil. Not having to smoothen out the handle would save the girl precious minutes she needed to save for her last craft. When the handle was finished and complete, the girl placed the chisel down and carried the hot craft over to the water basin. Looking into the water, the girl cursed herself for forgetting to replace the water. Holding the craft carefully with the tongs in one hand, the girl turned on the tap and filled the basin with more cold water. When it was half full, the girl turned the tap off and dipped the craft into the water and allowed the glowing metal to dim before lifting it out. Hurrying over to the table, the girl placed the spoon down on the cloth and picked up her hammer as she darted toward the furnace.


One left.



Words: 520

[Valerie]

Picking the last metal from the furnace, the girl placed it down on the anvil. The moment it touched the heavy blacksmith tool, Valerie began to hit the metal, resuming the fast tempo she had created before, speeding up as she grew rather impatient. She only had one more to finish, and she was getting rather sick of making cutlery. Making weapons were much more fun. You could make blades of all sorts. Long or short. Wide or thin. However, with cutlery, it brought out the perfectionist in Valerie, which was rarely seen. Growling softly to herself, the girl continued hitting the metal, taking out the bit of anger that had built up inside of her during crafting.


For the soup spoon, she would need a long handle and a circular dip in the spoon. It was simple enough but she had to hurry, time was running out. The girl quickly formed the ball at the end of the tool and switched to the large chisel. She could smoothen out the handle later. Cutting out two thirds of the ball, the girl moved onto the handle and smoothened it out quickly. Switching to the small chisel, the blacksmith began to dig into the remaining metal, creating a dip in the spoon. Careful not to create any dents in the dip, the girl hurried and moved onto the handle of the tool. Looking at one of the finished utensils, the girl copied the design down onto the soup spoon. When the handle was finished, the girl tossed the chisel aside and darted over to the basin, bringing the craft with her. Plunging the metal into the water, a hiss filled the workshop as the metal lost its glow. The girl held it there for a few moments before lifting it out and rushing over to the table. Placing the craft down on the towel, Valerie placed the tongs down and took a polishing cloth in each hand and began to clean each utensil carefully, polishing them until they shone brightly.


Sighing, the Swashbuckler was finally finished, all she had to do was bring them to the Lander, so the girl placed the polishing cloths down on the table, folding them into a neat square before reaching to grab the cutlery. Collecting the cutlery altogether, the crafts disappeared into the girl’s inventory. Then Valerie folded the soft cloth and placed the folded polishing clothes on top. Briefly glancing at the hearth, the girl shrugged to herself, leaving it as it is and darted out the door.



Words: 424