Graded [Frontier] The One Where Steve Met Gamatsu

[Discusstu]

This RP takes place within the Isekai Hell universe, and occurs after the events of Holy Draconis and There is No End, but before Strike at Ryke. As mentioned in the title, this RP is about the meet up between Steve Stevenson and Gamatsu at a smithy where the former makes a purchase from the latter.

Cast/Mentions: Novama | _Yang | Discusstu

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After receiving his rewards from his mission with the Light Baronry, Steve was set to return to the capital. However, after days of hard work, he had no plans of travelling on foot. Learning of the existence of portals, Steve decided to spend a bit of Ryke in exchange for some convenience. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, instead of ending up in Ryken, Steve was sent to a small village located a bit father to the east of the capital. To make matters worse, the sun was about to set and Steve discovered the lack of a nearby tavern or an inn where he could stay the night. Fate wasn't all that cruel though. His efforts going door to door led him to Barbossa, the local blacksmith. Despite his grisly appearance and scar-filled physique, the short elderly man showed Steve nothing but kindness and hospitality.​

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"Yer da second one t'ask me today. But sorry to disappoint ye there, boy. I got no rooms to spare fer lodgin'." Immediately noticing Steve's disappointment and fatigued appearance, Barbossa could not help but take pity on the young adventurer and chose to offer him an alternative. "Well, if yer okay with me smithy, ye can spend the night there."​

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"A smithy would be perfect." Steve's eye lit up as he smiled, nodding in agreement with what Barbossa had offered. It was no room, but it was better than nothing. As he entered his quarters for the night, Steve was welcomed by the sound of hammering and was surprised to find that someone else was already there.​

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"This must have been the person Barbossa mentioned earlier." He thought to himself before entering. "Good day, stranger. The name's Steve Stevenson. I'll be spending the night here as well." Although he tried to be friendly, Steve still looked quite curious at what he had just walked into. It wasn't everyday he saw an abnormally tall blacksmith who worked while wearing an entire suit of armor.​

 

[_Yang]

Busy with his smithing and whatnot, Gamatsu didn't notice Steve up until he started talking.

"Woah!" Taken aback and obviously startled, Gamatsu jerked in place as he turned to the adventurer. "Didn't notice you there, small bro. You can just call me Gama." Mid sentence, Gamatsu turned back to his work, and continued to hammer away. "I'mma be done in a bit. Hope ya don't mind the noise."

Nothing really used to having someone in the same room while he worked, Gamatsu tried to break the ice, hoping to avoid some awkward silence. "Sooo, what's a dude like you doing in a small village like this? This place is just filled with quiet boomers. Not the funnest place to be at."

 

[Discusstu]

"Uh, pleasure to meet you then." Unable to shake off the strange feeling he was getting from Gamatsu, Steve could only manage to give a slight wave before heading to a bench. Sitting near enough to the blacksmith, Steve could not resist using his appraisal skill.

Out of all the information that flooded into his head, the one word that caught his attention was [Living Armor] and [Monster]. Steve's forehead furrowed as he tightened his fist. After the mission he had just finished, the thought of monsters just made him feel unpleasant. But it made him wonder, what was a monster, who was clearly skilled, doing in a peaceful village.

"Did the locals know of this? But if they did, why would they allow it? Were there friendly monsters?" As numerous questions filled Steve's mind, he eventually started to wonder if his worrying had become too apparent. If Gamatsu noticed his apprehension, it could give him enough reason to show his true colors. Hoping to mask his uneasiness while Gamatsu's back was turned, Steve tried to sound as casual as he could.

"I-I ju-just ended up here by a-accident." Steve clenched his teeth in frustration. He couldn't control his stuttering. If he was forced to face the living armor, he had nothing to use against him. "H-how about y-you?" He hoped that he wouldn't reach that point.

 

[_Yang]

It took a while before Steve responded and when he did, the words that came out of his mouth were kinda broken up. Gamatsu didn't wanna point it out, since it could've been something he was embarrassed about, so he just ignored it. You know, as if it wasn't even there. What stutter?

"Accident?" If Gamatsu had eyebrows to raise, he would. "Whaddya mean? How'd that happen?" Though busy with breaking apart his staff, his curiosity was definitely piqued. Hopefully, Steve would notice that he was genuinely interested. It had been an entire day of him being alone. Gamatsu was dying to talk to someone. Even if that someone was some awkward stuttering kid.

"Why I'm here? Hmm. I guess I just needed a break. Still got a long way to go. Gotta look into what's in these parts before heading back to the ruins."

With his staff kinda dismantled into pieces, Gamatsu moved to a nearby table. Reaching for his pouch, he emptied it out, revealing all the tools it contained, then proceeded to do some tinkering.

 

[Discusstu]

Talking slow and deep breaths, Steve managed to calm his nerves. "It was a mishap and a portal ended up sending me here." He sighed heavily, obviously not over what had just happened.

Wanting to simply move on, Steve continued their back and forth with another question. "I'm sorry, but you mentioned ruins? What do you mean by that?" Though in a better state of mind, Steve still remained cautious. Hearing the word ruins stimulated his imagination.

"Was Gamatsu a soldier from an ancient civilization? Or a wandering knight from a fallen kingdom? Or maybe an adventurer who was cursed to to live as a walking suit of armor?" He continued to ponder up until Gamatsu started to work on something.

Given his large frame, Steve couldn't get a good glimpse of what he was busying himself with. "And if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing?"

Although not familiar with any form of craftsmanship, Steve wondered if what Gamatsu was doing was purely blacksmithing work. It seemed a bit different.

 

[_Yang]

"Portals, huh? Sounds rough." Gamatsu remembered his own experience when it came to portals. It wasn't much though. He just saw one pop up when he met Zeke not to long ago. Taking a hint from Steve's demeanor, Gamatsu didn't dwell on the thought too much; it would've just made thing more awkward and that was a no-no in Gamatsu's book.

"Ah, the ruins? Yeah, I just came from one south from here. Went in looking for a dragon, but ended up just facing off against a bunch of creepy cult weirdos. It was fun though, not gonna lie." He chuckled, remembering the whole ordeal like it was a fond memory. It didn't help him look less strange, and the echoing quality his voice had wasn't really helping his case. He didn't notice this though.

"These?" He picked up the pieces of what was previously his bow-staff and turned to Steve. "Well, ya see, despite my looks, I'm kinda like an expert craftsman." He wasn't totally lying. "An idea just popped into my head and gotta check whether its legit or not." Turning back, Gamatsu went back to working. "It isn't much now, but give me a few minutes. I'mma show you something special. Pretty sure ya haven't seen a magical arm-mounted crossbow before?"

 

[Discusstu]

Every time Gamatsu spoke, Steve couldn't help but find himself get more intrigued. As their conversation went on, Steve slowly became more comfortable, as if he had forgotten that he was talking to a monster. As much as he wanted to ask more about the cult he had mentioned, Steve found his work far more interesting.

Whatever look of unease he had before was now replaced by one of confused curiosity. "...Yes? This is the first time I've heard of it." He was not sure of what to question first. Which was most strange? The magical, arm-mounted, or crossbow part? By themselves, they didn't seem out of the ordinary, but when combined, it surely was. Well, at least for Steve it was. To be fair, aside from his time with the baronry, Steve had not ventured that far into the world yet.

Choosing to move closer, Steve wanted to get a better view of what Gamatsu was doing. His lack of knowledge on the whole process made him hesitate to ask regarding the steps Gamatsu was going to take in constructing such a weapon. Accepting the fact that he would not be able to understand it even if Gamatsu did explain it to him, Steve decided to continue their conversation, riding the casualness that had developed between the two of them.

As Gamatsu continued to work, the two shared their stories of their own adventures. Gamatsu brought up his brief encounter with a dragon, how he was almost burned alive by some cultists, and about the pirate and living skeleton he met along the way. In exchange, Steve retold his time with the Light Baronry and the mission they had taken on. Relieving his encounter with the toad mage wasn't something Steve enjoyed, but this allowed him to at least identify and learn from his mistakes and shortcomings.

Time passed, his waterskin of ale went empty, and the dark night had settled. Gamatsu had finally fished his work and showed Steve what it was capable off. Still unsure of how it functioned, Steve just attributed it to magic, and indeed, it was certainly magical.

"Call me impressed! Nice work there, Gama!" Overwhelmed by awe, Steve laughed out loud. Recalling everything he had just experienced, Steve realized that there were so many things he could have appreciated but didn't. He was hindered by his overthinking and worry. His short time with Gamatsu, with a little help from some alcohol, made him feel a bit more relaxed. He wondered if he could live life more casually this time around. Steve already had a long life filled with seriousness before; maybe it was time for a change.

Turning to Gamatsu, Steve felt inebriated and well acquainted enough to ask him for a favor. "Gama, I can't deny your skills as a craftsman, but what else can you do?" A hiccup interrupted him briefly. "Maybe you can come up with something for me?" Though his face was flushed and eyes droopy, Steve smiled and hoped for a favorable response from Gamatsu.

 

[_Yang]

How Steve was now, from what he was earlier, was as different as night and day, and Gamatsu was all for it. Having a chill and laidback conversation was the way to go. A little ice breaking went a long way and now here he was, shooting at planks of wood while a drunken kid cheered him on from the sides. Gamatsu started from the bottom, now he's here.

As he was preparing to take a few more shots, Gamatsu was caught off guard by Steve's sudden request. "When'd you get this cheeky?" Gamatsu was amused, and if he had some lips and a mouth, he would've been smirking right now. "Sure can do, little bro. But its gonna cost ya!"

 

[Discusstu]

Steve couldn't help but grin after hearing Gamatsu accepting his request. He had some Ryke to leftover and was more than willing to spend on some decent equipment.

"A handaxe. Hic~" Given his success against the plant demons, this much was obvious. Steve pulled out his sack of coins and tossed it to Gamatsu. His eyes continued to droop as he hunched forward. "And something...Hic~" Steve raised his hand, trying to clench his fist as his body started to sway and rock.

Before he could finish his sentence, Steve passed out and fell backwards.

 

[_Yang]

"What a light weight." Gamatsu laughed before pocketing the sack of coins he got from Steve.

"Alright, an axe is easy enough. But what was he doing with his hand?" Unable to figure it out, Gamatsu tried mimicking Steve and stared at his own hand while going in and out of a closed fist. "I guess he wanted something to punch with? Yeah, that must be it."

While Steve was fast asleep, Gamatsu continued to work throughout the evening, hammering the night away. Without anyone to talk to, he was left with no choice but to keep himself entertained. But given the time of day, he had to keep his voice down.

"Yummy, yummy, yummy I've got love in my tummy, and I feel like lovin' you~♪♪♪"

Gamatsu eventually finished his work at around noon the next day. He left what he promised (and a bit more) to Steve, who was still knocked out, and paid Barbossa what he owed him for using his smithy. Gamatsu didn't bother waking Steve up and went on his way.

 

[Discusstu]

The End
Marketplace Trade

 

[Novama]

Isekai Hell RP Grade​

You guys traded stuff. Have a point.

Steve - 1 points

Gamatsu - 1 points

Discusstu _Yang