I.C. Wiener [S/R]

[Elkeid]

[attr="class","solcap"]

'Bone equipment…?' The woman was seated out on her porch, a letter in her hands. A cool breeze, warning of winter, drifted through the dark trees to tease the strands of her long, brown hair. Elkeid shivered slightly, and moved to adjust the scarf wrapped around her shoulders. Winter was just around the corner, and she lacked a fireplace for her cozy little home. It was something that had only recently appeared in the small list of Artisan crafting recipes, so of course she felt compelled to build one. Just… not right at this moment. It was very rare for her to receive requests, and aside from Sorrel, who had demanded she make him soda, none of them were for research.

Dear Elkeid,

I was in the market for a shield made of a giant tortoise’s shell, but could not find a blacksmith capable of crafting one. It is because they do not dabble with bone. Someone suggested I ask an Artisan, though. I don't know if you guys can actually craft with bones, but you use stuff like clay and stone, right? And people have used bones as armor or weapons before, so…

Please let me know if it is im/possible. If it is, I would like to request a black tortoise buckler. There should be a steel handle on the inner side. I would like a reforge befitting of a shield, too. I apologize in advance if I am asking for too much! This is really important to me, so I am more than willing to meet any demands you have, as long as they are reasonable.

- A "cool" customer

At her feet was a large, black tortoise shell, freshly acquired from a creature she had found resting near Lunar Lake. The poor animal had not stood a chance against the Monk. It had dropped some meat as well, though there was not much she could do with that on her own. Maybe she could sell it to an NPC… She neatly folded and stuffed the letter into her pocket. Right. As it was just a shield, it should be quick and easy to make. As for the steel handle… that was something a blacksmith would need to make, so she would have to circumvent that detail. Hardened clay or stone might work. First things first -- she needed to clean the bits of meat and dirt from the shell.

She dragged the shell over to the side of the house, where a small well resided. Bucket after bucket of cool, refreshing water was dumped onto both sides of the shell, particularly where there had once been flesh. Once she successfully cleaned as much as she could, Elkeid sat down to carve the gory remains out with her carving knife. She also worked to make the interior as smooth as possible, making note of any small imperfections. The artist in her wanted to ensure that everything was as perfect as possible.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 494
♫: A Promise
✏: Researching bone equipment.
@: Elkeid

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Elkeid]

[attr="class","solcap"]

The shell was left to drip dry, after thoroughly being cleaned. In the meantime, Elkeid would focus on the handle for the shield. She decided to go with a mixture of stone and clay, to create a very sturdy handle. A steel handle might have been preferred to some, though she did not fancy having to hold onto it. If it were her using the shield, Elkeid would prefer something… easier on the hands. Steel could also get uncomfortably warm or cold too, on top of being harder and metallic. Elkeid was keen on the idea of a cool and smooth grip, as well as something that did not respond so readily to the weather. The only issue was that her method of making the handle might also make it more susceptible to breakage. A steel handle was made from one piece, but she intended to mix and match two different materials to form one.

The grip would be of stone, of course. The connectors were to be smaller pieces of clay, hardened and glued to the shell and stone. Actually, with the knowledge she had gained from wood working, she could incorporate little rods into the clay. Drill some holes into the shell, and use the rods as screws to further secure the grip? That might actually work -- little wooden screws, with hardened clay as the cementing mixture. It would not be as sturdy a shield as a blacksmith was capable of making, but her level would negate the flaw of bone equipment.

Elkeid went to work right away. She started first on the clay, which would need some time to sit and form a thick, glue like consistency. That was the easy part, as it was literally just her adding a hunk of clay into a bowl of water, and mixing the two together until they were well blended. The difficult part was carving down a few small pieces of wood into the shapes of screws. It required a lot of attention to detail. She messed up on one step, and had it not been for Pygmalion's Grace, a technique that erased imperfections and changes by going back a minute, would have been forced to start all over again. It was truly a lifesaver.

She gingerly set the two slender screws to the side. With those done for now, she could move on to something simpler: carving the stone handle.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 403
♫: A Promise
✏: ---
@: Elkeid

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Elkeid]

[attr="class","solcap"]

The stone she chose was black, and virtually close to the same shade as the tortoise shell. From a distance, one might even mistake it for actual steel. A trained eye would not be fooled, however. The stone was too smooth. Elkeid caved through it easily, going with a shape she had in mind. It was to have a slight curve along the inside, with subtle grooves for the fingers. Ideally, this would make it easier to grip, but Elkeid had rarely handled shields before. She knew not what was appropriate for this sort of thing. Her mind was usually focused more on the aesthetics, which she assumed would not be detrimental to the finished product. This was a world with game like mechanics, after all. How many women had she seen prancing about in skimpy armor, yet still remaining as well armored as someone fully covered?

Logic did not always prevail.

She took a moment to marvel at her creation, before picking up her small drilling tools. Drilling through stone was not as easy as drilling through wood, but she managed. She neatly smoothed down the holes as well, and went about adding the wooden screws into the drilled sides. After a few adjustments, the woman began to feel the familiar sensation of contentment. She extracted the screws, and lightly layered them with the muddy glue. They were slower to go into the holes this way, but would also be harder to dislodge. She carefully laced the outer ring of the screws as well, to cement them even further into the holes, and set the completed handle down. Now all that there was left to do was to drill in two more holes for the shell, and insert the handle. Easy peesy.

The shell was thankfully softer on the inside, making it easier to drill in the holes. She rested the light buckler on her lap, and took a moment to etch a small shooting star on the inside. This was inscribed near where the handle would go, so that it would not be immediately obvious, and maybe even partially obscured. Elkeid usually made a point of marking her identity somewhere on her crafts, though she did not always remember or even care.

The final fix was made; the handle was inserted and reglued, though only someone who knew what they were looking for would know how it was applied. Elkeid painstakingly painted around the edges of the handle with black paint. The shield was more or less complete now, though she still had to go through the reforge process. She would essentially be going back and making more adjustments, as well as polishing the shield to make it look brand new. And give it the reforge effect, she supposed.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 461
♫: A Promise
✏: ---
@: Elkeid

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Elkeid]

[attr="class","solcap"]

Reforging was a pain in the rear end, but if it was anything like wooden equipment, it would be faster. The process for tailors and blacksmiths held more intricacy, from what she had observed. It was most likely due to the differences and reliability of metals and fabric than wood or bone, the latter of which she was working with now. Bones and wood… these were largely primitive materials. How could they compare to that of metal, or did it not matter in a world where video game logic prevailed? More importantly, who other than her client would request such equipment? Cosplay enthusiasts who enjoyed the culture of cavemen?

She tested the handle by hoisting the buckler into the air, and waving it around a few times… and thought her heart would stop when the handle seemed to give way. Oops. Looks like the glue was not fully dry yet. Elkeid took a few deep breaths as she returned the shell to her crafting room, and reapplied glue to the handle. The rooms up here were generally warmer than the bottom floor, which she kept cool for Sorrel. Despite having a room of his own, the boy preferred to play downstairs, in the comfort of the living room.

Elkeid gingerly spun the shield around, and leaned it against one of the walls that lacked a window. That spot was warmer, and thus guaranteed to dry the glue faster. She picked up a few objects: a rag and polishing oil. Her foot hooked around the legs of her stool, which she dragged along with her over to the buckler. This would be the final step.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 274
♫: The End of the World
✏: Reforging
@: Elkeid

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]

[Elkeid]

[attr="class","solcap"]

She squirted a stream of oil onto the turtle shell. Slowly, it trickled down to the center, all the while being derailed by the patterns grooved into its own carapace. Elkeid helped it along, by sweeping her rag down against it. The result was a large smear down its back. With another stroke, the smear was derailed. It went up one side that was unmolested by the oil. Stroke by stroke, Elkeid quickly had the entire outside shiny and slick with the polishing oil. She shined and buffed until the shell was unnaturally clean and polished, looking fresh off the assembly line.

Her hands seized the shell by its side. Now, reforging… Elkeid was unsure of how the actual technique worked, but for her, it was… special? Was that the word she wanted? Uh, no. It was just how she went about things. It was difficult to explain, even to herself. Like with the combat crystal ball she made for Capsule, she had focused on the mental image of her mana and other magical abilities filtering into the object, at the same time willing the ball to levitate. If there was an easier to way to achieve that same effect, she would love to know it.

Enchanting a turtle shell was easy enough. What did turtle shells do best? Protect, of course. It helped to think of Sorrel, small and still lower leveled than her. She was holding the buckler up to ward off the offending claw of a crab man… Her eyes shot open in alarm. Crab man… Brachyura. Something about the Celestial Arms bothered her. The Messier Order… The Messier Objects… She could probably figure something out, if she could be bothered to participate in the event.

Nevertheless, the desired effect was there. Now she just had to write a proper description and ship it off, which was the easy part of the entire process. Afterwards, she would look into making or acquiring a telescope.

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

[newclass=.babar]background-color:#050505; border: 2px solid #050505; border-radius: 5px; overflow: hidden; width: 175px; height:6px;[/newclass]

[attr="class","babar"]

∝: 327
♫: The Astronomer
✏: Blah blah it is done
@: Elkeid

[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar]height:5px;width:10px;background-color:#2c2c2c;[/newclass]
[newclass=.solcap ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb]background-color:#211f20;border-left:1px solid #211f20;border-top:1px solid #211f20;border-bottom:1px solid #211f20;[/newclass]