The Thief's New Clothes

Ziah Bires, the white-haired and only blacksmith of Blue River Village, stood up, hammer in hand and rage still filling his eyes. The 'precious' bent sword had been thrown away to a corner, to which Raphael had reacted by yelping and ducking as fast as humanly possible, as he had thought it would act as a boomerang in its current shape.

"What are you doing, you dense little boy?" The blacksmith asked, as he looked at the poorly-dressed youngster in front of him. "What is that, a gecko impression? At least use the walls instead of dirtying my floors!"

Ziah was very short, barely 1 meter and 55 centimeters tall, which coupled with the close-cut beard made him look like a very tall dwarf. He was dressed in a white linen shirt, which had no sleeves, a simple pair of sandals and short pants that ended at the knee. His feet looked frail, akin to those of a lazy chicken, but his arms bulged with toned muscles that made even Raphael ashamed of himself.

'Is this game ever going to be realistic? There's no way an 80-year-old grandpa can have a biceps that's bigger than my thigh!' he complained to no one in particular, as the old man offered him a hand. Raphael accepted it and felt a searing pain in his shoulder as he was hoisted up.

'Please tell me he didn't manage to dislocate my shoulder. Even with the number pain levels, it'll still hurt to get that fixed…'

"Sorry about yellin' at you, not the best of days I've had," the old blacksmith apologized, his left fist tapping his right shoulder as he did a shallow bow. This was how most locals would bow when they have done something against their beliefs or offended someone. The tradition went back thousands of years and could be traced to the appearance of the First True God. His name had long been lost, but part of the traditions and ceremonies that he had introduced had lived on. One of those traditions was the use of this simple apology bow.

Raphael mimicked the old man's actions, as he said, "Don't worry, I'm partially to blame too. I should have been more careful with my timing."

"Fair enough, lad, don't fret it. I'm Ziah Bires, pleasure to meet you," he said, extending a hand. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Raphael gladly accepted and shook it as gently as he could, afraid that if he used a tighter grip he might experience one of grandpa's two vices, otherwise known as a blacksmith's hand.

"Yes, Mr. Bires. My name is Jiver Lefevre and I am a Traveler. Mayor Dawn has been kind enough to offer me the chance to study under your wing, all expenses paid by Her Majesty, of course." The Thief coughed, as he handed the letter.

Bires took the letter and went to one of the nearby windows, trying to shine some light upon the scribbles. After a few seconds, he gave up and fished a monocle out of one of the numerous pockets of his short pants. Carefully reading through the short document, the old man's face was still, as a sigh escaped his throat. He turned back around and disappeared into a nearby room, leaving Raphael a bit stunned.

Popping back out after a few minutes, the blacksmith laid down a few objects on one of the work tables and motioned for Raphael's presence.

"Since you're obviously strapped for money, you'll be happy to know that I'm a charitable sort. These will be your best friends from now on, and although you'll have to replace them sooner or later, I want you to cherish them like you'd cherish the first night of your honeymoon!" he said, with a lewd undertone. Raphael flinched, but kept a smile on his face, as he glanced at the items.

‖ Old Hammer (Common) ‖

▸ When used by an experienced craftsman, even this old hammer can create wonders. ◂

+1% to Crafting Speed

2-5 Damage

Durability: 15/15

‖ Apprentice's Blouse (Common) ‖

▸ Made from rough and durable linen, this blouse will keep you dry and heat-free. ◂

+ 2 Heat Resistance

+3 Defense

Durability: 9/9

‖ Apprentice's Pants (Common) ‖

▸ Sewed together from the remainings of numerous other pieces of clothes. They are 10 percent leather, 20 percent cotton, 15 percent wool, 5 percent goat hair, 50 percent pockets and 100 percent guaranteed to itch. ◂

+2 Defense

Durability: 7/7

‖ Apprentice's Gloves (Common) ‖

▸ Made of tough, yet elastic leather, these gloves were once worn by the famed Chilo Derniere, a famous blacksmith from the Azure Kingdom who mysteriously disappeared. ◂

+3 Heat Resistance

+4 Defense

Durability: 11/11

‖ Worn Boots (Common) ‖

▸ These boots, that were once amongst the best that could be bought with hard-earned coins, have seen better days. Warning: Item has reached maximum number of repairs. ◂

+2 Defense

Durability: 7/7

Bires threw the clothes into Raphael's arms, before pushing him into a side room. A few moments later, the Thief came out, looking like an entirely new person. His vagrant clothes looked even worse, if that was at all possible, when compared to his new outfit. The only minus to the whole thing was the fact that he was now the most conspicuous thief in the whole Azure Kingdom.

"Ah, now there's an improvement!" said the old blacksmith, as he savoured Raphael's new look. "Now, back to important matters. Your wages will be paid out weekly, and you can use the workshop when you please. If you wish, anything you make can either be sold privately or to the militia, but the workshop will get a small commission for each item you make, until you qualify to be a Blacksmith yourself. Supplies and materials, as well as the wages, will be handled by the Mayor's Office, as Mrs. Dawn mentioned in her note. Don't squander your wages, as commissions will not bring you much, even after you're able to make something good enough to sell - there's a beast in the nearby forest, so no mining is currently being done."

"How so? Are there not enough militia?" Raphael asked.

"Typically there would be, but there are less at the moment. We've had to send some of our militia to help out neighboring villages. Unless you and your kin decide to help us out, it will probably stay the same." Ziah ended with a snort.

"I think I might have fixed that specific problem for Blue River, Master Bires." Raphael said, as he handed the Killer Boar's Tusk to the blacksmith.

Confusedly, Ziah accepted the tusk, and put on his monocle to examine it. Suddenly, his hands started shaking and tears began to dribble down his cheeks and onto the stone floor. The venerable man seemed as if he was about to topple down, so Raphael quickly ushered him to sit down on the nearest chair.

"Are you alright?" Raphael asked worriedly.

"Am I alright? Am I alright‽" Ziah Bires answered, his sobs turning into a chuckle and then into a fit of laughter. "Why I've never been better! Blessed be the Gods that you descend from, Traveler! You've avenged my son, with the blood of that horrid demon of a boar. Do you know what this means?"

"No, what does it mean?" Raphael asked, going along with the NPC's ramblings.

"So many, many good things, my dear apprentice…"