Fantasy Anything Goes

[OmegaFang232]

He stepped out of the post office and immediately set to his tasks. First, the blacksmith. A quick sniff of the air confirmed that less than eighty feet from where they stood, the forge was running full throttle. He turned to Victoria with a businessman's glint in his eye and smirked. "Well, there are a few rules you'd have to follow. The first of those is trade. Follow me, and I'll show you." He said as he led the way around the corner. If he truly was going to engage this notion, it was better to test her now than to learn the hard way. As they drew closer, he could see a small crowd gathered around a table, warmed by the glow of the forge as they gazed and bartered over the weapons. This was one of the finer smiths he'd seen in life, and it was time to pay his respects to the fellow keeper of the cold steel. Shinu quietly nudged her hand and asked her to stick close to him. Places like this were prime targets for pickpockets, and he afforded no luxury to any would-be thieves, no matter how nice the town seemed.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria nods and bites her lip. She had never been to this place before. Never had a reason to. She was getting slightly anxious, but didn't let it show on her face. She stood close to Jack and kept a sharp eye on the people around her.

 

[OmegaFang232]

Quickly making his way to the front of the crowd, the young wolf whispered to the man selling weapons on the other side of the table, and was granted passage along with Victoria. Once they were both beyond the table and the reach of the crowd, he carefully set the bag down and greeted the forge master, a behemoth of a man covered in soot and sweat from the day's work. The forgemaster kept a short goatee, trimmed in the pattern of a Nordic viking, and his head was shaved to the scalp. With a smile and a gesture, the master opened a door beside the roaring forge and welcomed them inside for drinks and privacy. "I come bearing gifts, my brother." Shinu said as he entered the building. One of the forge master's pupils had already prepared a table for them and was pouring tea, which left a good feeling in the wolf's gut. The man was a hard worker, but he was no ruffian. "Victoria, I'd like you to meet forge master Johan Henric Hammerfell."

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria looks at the man and smiles kindly. "Victoria Evrheart. It's nice to meet you."

 

[OmegaFang232]

The mountain of a man greeted her with a bow of his head, speaking with a hint of a Nordic accent to his words. "A pleasure to meet you, madame. I hear your furry companion has a few shiny trinkets for me. What would you make of them, eh? Are they really worth my last penny?" He inquired lightheartedly as he and Shinu shared a brief laugh. "I can assure you, sir. These weapons will sell quickly, and feed you and your crew for many months, if not years." Shinu replied as he opened the bag and looked to Victoria. "Now the real fun begins." He said as he produced a wicked looking handgun. "My first item is this. A .600 Nitro Express pistol. Big enough to take down anything that moves, smooth enough to keep you on your feet, loud enough to frighten God himself."<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_03/main-qimg-bc088f4417acc3da7e963db6469004e3.jpg.54825a9996512f6d9057d01454fdd204.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="109878" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_03/main-qimg-bc088f4417acc3da7e963db6469004e3.jpg.54825a9996512f6d9057d01454fdd204.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

(DAMN THAT IS A BIG BULLET)

 

[OmegaFang232]

(She's a mammoth to handle too. The .600 is known for breaking shoulders and knocking over anyone who tries to fire it lol.)

 

[MissZoeHatter]

(So I would manage to break my leg firing it.)


Victoria looks at the gun, then back and Jack and the man. She stayed quiet, not knowing what to say or do. Was she supposed to be like those girls in American game shows that show off what people get?

 

[OmegaFang232]

The forge master tenderly picked up the pistol and began to inspect it, scrutinizing every detail and commenting as he went. "Hand crafted, that's nice. Titanium. Good. She's only been fired a few times". After a few moments, Johan paused and looked to Victoria. "Tell me, young lady. What wouldbyou say is a fair price for this one? Money, food, whatever you could think of. What should I give our silver-tounged friend for this piece?" He inquired, watching her every move with attentive and curious eyes. Shinu lit his first of many cigarettes and waited for her answer as well.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria looks at the floor nervously. "I-I don't know," she says honestly. "I'm not familiar with firearms..." And that was that. She honestly didn't have a clue what they were talking about or how much the gun would've been worth. If they were trading paintbrushes, she could have gone on for hours about the quality or the hair the bristles were made from. But these weren't paintbrushes. These were weapons.

 

[OmegaFang232]

Johan gave a warm smile and gently patted her shoulder. "There there, it's alright. I'm sure your friend here will be willing to teach you, isn't that right?" The forge master said in a gentle manner. Shinu nodded in agreement, and decided to make quick work of his business here, so as not to put Victoria in the hot seat again. "Tell you what, Johan. Give me three bricks, a weeks worth of meat, and one favor; and we'll call it a draw. Do we have an accord?". In a matter of moments, the deal was struck, and the items traded. Before they departed, Shinu whispered to the forge master about free books, and the old man nodded in agreement before playfully pinching one of Shinu's ears. "Alright boy, away with you, before you "favor" me out of house and home." The forge master teased as he waved farewell. Shinu loaded his payment into his survival bag and patted her shoulder. "Ready when you are." He said with a hint of concern. He'd hoped not to embarass her, and worried that he'd done so anyway.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria nods to Jack and looks at the blacksmith. "It was nice meeting you," she says gently and turns to leave.

 

[OmegaFang232]

"And you also. Good luck to you both." The forge master replied as they departed. Shinu didn't quite know what to say or do, and so he abided his nature and kept quiet as they walked out to the street. After a few moments, he tilted his head back and sniffed the air, looking for any hint of pine or paint of some kind, anything that would guide him to a hardware store. But nothing stuck out to him, and so, he resorted to plan B. He crossed the street and proceeded to the cafe, hoping to find someone who could give him directions.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria follows Jack quietly, feeling dumb. He probably thought she was an idiot now. She puts her hands in her pockets and looks at her feet as she walks.

 

[OmegaFang232]

As they drew closer to the cafe, a strange thought leaped into the forefront of his mind, and he'd indulged it before he'd even fully thought it through. In a single motion, he looped his arm around hers, walking as if he were escorting her to a fancy gala event of some kind. Heaven help him if he could explain why, but something about this girl was drawing out the social side of him, and it befuddled the poor wolf more and more with every step. But never the less, what was done, was done. Perhaps it would cheer her up, if nothing else.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria gives him a strange look. "What are you doing?" She asks with a smile on her face.

 

[OmegaFang232]

He never broke pace as he spoke, and did the best he could not to smile, though a faint grin spread across his lips anyway. "Proving that you're wrong. You're just shy, that's all." He said as he held the door to the cafe open and waited for her to enter. Either he needed a stiff drink, or he was unconciously having a mental breakdown. He was getting attatched to this place, to this girl, and he never got attatched. And yet, here he was.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

She playfully sticks her tongue out at him. "I'm not shy," Victoria mutters and walks into the cafe. "I'm just...antisocial. Yeah. Antisocial."

 

[OmegaFang232]

He chuckled as he entered behind her. "If you're antisocial, I'm a Navy SEAL. You're just shy. It's ok." He said as he took a seat at the bar and waited to be served. Regardless of the time, he was having a drink if it cost him his soul. He needed to settle his nerves and shut his brain up for a minute.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

"You might be a Navy SEAL," Victoria says and takes a seat next to him. "I don't really know much about you. I know your name and that's about it."

 

[OmegaFang232]

He dropped a few coins onto the counter and ordered a double shot of whiskey, downing the drink as soon as it arrived. "Well, ask and you shall recieve. But only if you share." He said with a playful tone in his voice. He had no shame in who he was as a person, although some of it he'd have to word carefully. Not everyome was so tolerant of his kind, and most prefered he not discuss his more animalistic ways, and he was just fine with that. But a little quid pro quo never killed anyone.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

"Why did you come here?" Victoria asks, beginning her string of questions.

 

[OmegaFang232]

He chuckled at her question and pondered how best to explain his decision. "My brother sent me a letter. He said this place would interest me." He said after a few moments. "He said this was a place full of the mysteries of life. He certainly wasn't wrong." As he spoke, a small grin spread across his lips. Little brother had indeed been correct about this place. It was certainly full of mysteries and adventures. The more the wolf contemplated it, the more he came to realize that, slowly but surely, he was growing fond of the little town.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

"Who is your brother?" Victoria asks. "Maybe I've met him before."

 

[OmegaFang232]

The surprise of her question nearly caused him to spit out the second shot of whiskey he'd requested. Thankfully, he merely coughed and swallowed hard, and spoke with a bit of a sting in his throat. "My brother?" He inquired as he laughed between fits of coughing. After a moment, he wiped a tear from his eye and cleared his throat. "Trust me, if you'd met Tsatsu, you'd be in a million pieces. Take my word for it. That boy is Hell on two legs." He chuckled a bit longer and wiped his eyes again, clearing his vision as the burn in his throat subsided. Whiskey was meant to be swallowed whole, not tossed back and forth between teeth and gullet like that. She hadn't upset him, he was merely back to being amazed that the psychotic sibling of his hadn't turned this place into a crater. According to his last letter, Tsatsu implied that he'd only stayed for an hour or two and left after a few drinks. "No, no, if you'd met Tsatsu; you'd know it."