AN: [ATTENTION] Chapter One and the Prologue have been merged into one document and the original Chapter One page has been deleted. This is an actual new chapter, numbers just line up now.
Thanks to Mysterioustgexpert and guisniperman for the reviews.
Yep Mysteriostgexpert, smithing skills are important, and the ability to forge high quality weapons using materials will be something useful for giving Ruby a varied arsenal once she gets into adventuring, without it coming off as forced or out of nowhere.
As for your review, guisniperman, Yup, Yuglar and Aria are father and daughter. You also get to see Yuglar's wife and Aria's mother, Lark, in a quest from B3 Falconreach's pet shop. Spoilers, she's dead. As for your comment about Sepulcher and his daughter Gravelynn, the tyke is adopted, Sepulcher's been doing his whole pointy villain thing for a while, though he hasn't made any major moves yet.
Chapter Eight
Falconreach's local smithy was experiencing a normal afternoon. Business was slow, but steady. The brunette blacksmith, Yuglar, tended to the customers as they came in looking for both weaponry and basic metal tools. Clangs could be heard emanating from the back of the shop, telltale signs that the smithy's forge was in use.
A twelve year old Ruby Rose was at work in the back, hammering away at a piece of red hot iron. Over the past few years, she had been taught a lot about basic metallurgy by Yuglar. He had started by teaching her about basic forge and material maintenance, followed by the basics of fueling a forge's fire, as well as the retaining of its heat throughout the process. At the time, Ruby was only allowed to help Yuglar while he was smithing himself, mostly by fetching materials and keeping the forge as hot as necessary.
About half a year into her lessons, Yuglar finally taught her how to craft something. It was only small, iron nails, as well as other basic construction materials, but Ruby was happy to finally start shaping metal. At first her work was sloppy, nails would come out crooked, or uneven, hooks wouldn't be round, and hinges would only be functional half the time. Not only that, but she was slow, and her work resulted in a lot of wasted metal.
As time went on, Ruby improved her work on the small crafts. She'd be able to craft more nails from a single ingot, each of them relatively straight. Hooks were rounded, and smooth. Even her hinges, despite still not being perfect, would always move, though not always smoothly.
A year into her lessons, Ruby was taught how to make larger tools. Shovels, pitchforks, hoes and other assorted work and farming tools were added to her repertoire of known crafts. Her very first rounds of these tools went smoother than her first time ever smithing items. Despite how rough they were, the handles were mostly straight, the prongs of the pitchfork were sturdy, and the shovels and hoes were sharp enough to pierce the earth.
As she worked on the basic smithing crafts, gaining finesse as she did. Yuglar appraised any items she produced. Anything that was below average in craftsmanship would later be melted down to reclaim as much of the material as possible so that it could be reused. The tools of sellable quality were put into the stock, and a split of the profits earned from those items went to Ruby.
Once two years had passed in her training, Yuglar final taught an excited Ruby how to make her first weapon, a basic iron dagger. Despite the simplicity of the craft, Ruby was overjoyed at the prospect of forging her very first weapon. The process was slow as Ruby carefully crafted her first dagger. Due to the slow speed of the process, a lot of the ingot's metal was wasted. The dagger was simplistic in nature, featuring a straight blade attached to a simple hilt and guard. Naturally, this basic, passable weapon was Ruby's favorite thing ever.
After daggers were swords, after that she learned to make spears, after those were axes, then maces, then warhammers, and then scythes. Ruby was euphoric as she learned how to make more weapons. The first of any weapon that she made found its way to a display rack, which Ruby proudly put against an open wall in her room back at the inn.
And now, three years into her training, Yuglar was preparing to teach her how to work with steel. Refining iron into steel was something Yuglar had already taught her, but this was the first time he was going to teach her how to work with it.
Ruby left the smithy, waving goodbye to Yuglar, as she ran over to the inn so that she could get ready for her nightly kitchen work. However, as she entered the inn, she saw something that made her pause. Maryann was handing a young blonde woman a keyring while thanking her profusely. Confused, Ruby approached the innkeeper and the mysterious stranger while they were still conversing. As she approached, Ruby took notice of a few other things, like the large bag Maryann was holding, as well as the stranger's lack of any bags or pockets to carry things in.
"Hey, Maryann, what's going on?" Ruby looked at her landlady with concern as she saw the worried look on Maryann's face. The innkeeper wrung her hands worriedly as she saw the redhead approach. What worried Ruby even more was that the stranger eyed her oddly, as if she wasn't expecting her to be there.
"Oh, Ruby," Maryann said as she saw her approach, "Sorry but I'll be out of town for a while. My mother is sick so I need to go take care of her." Maryann gestured towards the blonde stranger, who was now smiling, not a single trace of her earlier expression visible, "This is my friend Sabrina, she'll be running the inn while I'm gone." She then turned to Sabrina and gestured to Ruby, "This is Ruby Rose, she's my dishwasher and a permanent resident of the inn."
The stranger, now named Sabrina, smiled at Ruby and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you Ruby, I'm Sabrina. As Maryann said, I'll be taking care of the inn while she's gone." Despite the friendly airs she put up, something about the woman set Ruby on edge, everything about her seemed off, artificial, fake.
Ruby cautiously shook the offered hand, trying to hide her suspicions of the woman, and introduced herself. "Err, hello, I'm Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you." Ruby was quite certain that she didn't hide her caution about the woman well as the end of her introduction rose up in a questioning lilt.
Maryann broke up any tension that may have been forming between the two by giving Ruby a quick hug, "I'll be going now, I need to make sure my mother is okay after all." She looked at Ruby and said, "Be sure to keep up your duties around here alright," at Ruby's affirming nod, Maryann returned one of her own and said, "thanks, I'll be back as soon as I can."
With that, Maryann went out the door with a wave, running up the hill towards the Guardian Tower with the hope of hitching a ride on a town griffon to her hometown.
Now alone, Ruby and Sabrina glanced at each other, neither exceptionally pleased to see the other, and neither willing to reveal that fact. After half a minute of silence, Ruby finally broke and said, "Well, I'd better go get cleaned up for dish duty."
Nodding at the twelve year old's statement, Sabrina added on a "And I should begin preparing dinner."
The two parted ways, heading towards the rooms that held the amenities required for their current tasks,
The next day, Ruby went through her normal routine, getting cleaned up, dressed, and getting to work. Once she was finished with her morning activities, Ruby headed out into Falconreach and made a beeline for the smithy.
"Hey Ruby," Yuglar said as she entered the smithy, "You ready for more lessons today?" He frowned when Ruby shook her head.
"Sorry Yuglar, but I need to do something else today."
Yuglar looked at the redhead curiously before asking, "What could be major enough for you to change your plans for the day? Yesterday you were quite excited about getting into steel working."
"Maryann is out of town and she asked a woman named Sabrina to watch the inn for her." Ruby's voice had audible distrust in it as she mentioned Sabrina, and Yuglar took note of it.
Yuglar looked down, his face scrunched up thoughtfully, "That's odd. I've know Maryann for several years, and I've never heard of this 'Sabrina' before."
Ruby's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she said, "Yeah, neither have I."
Ruby spent the first day of Sabrina's stay plotting the best method to gather information without being noticed. Naturally, her first instinct was to go through the woman's room while she worked.
Ruby soon found herself sneaking around the back of the inn, and climbing up a tree. She crept across a tree branch, before leaping to her room's window. Climbing through the window, Ruby slid onto the floor, carefully opened the door, and snuck into the hallway.
She looked around, checking for patrons or Sabrina, before creeping towards the room Sabrina was staying in while Maryann was away. That was when Ruby ran into a barrier she hadn't thought of before putting her plan into action, Sabrina's door was locked, and Sabrina was the only one who currently had the master keyring.
Feeling disappointed in herself, Ruby slunk back out of the inn the way she had come in, and began to explore town, hoping to find something that could help her get into the room. As she wandered through town, a couple of shadowy figures caught Ruby's eye.
Two young men sat in the shadows between the mayor's office and the barbershop. They were dressed in rough leather armor and dark hoods. Their faces were hidden by masks, and their hands were concealed within dark gloves. A single bag was lying empty and forgotten beside them.
As Ruby approached, she could pick out bits and pieces of their muffled conversation. "... no money, no tools…"
"... how are we… nothing else for it…"
"... just give up… doomed."
"Hey!" Ruby called to the two young men, causing them to jump in shock and turn towards the newcomer. They eyed her as warily as she eyed them as she approached. When Ruby finally got close enough she asked, "What are you two up to?"
The two tensed and glared at the twelve year old who had encroached upon their conversation, "What's it you brat?" the one on the left asked grouchily.
Ruby put her hands on her hips and looked at them suspiciously, "I'm gonna be hero, so if you're up to no good I'll beat you up and turn you over to the Guardians."
The man on the left looked to be about to make a snarky comment in response when his companion cut him off with a sigh, "We may as well tell her, Dirk."
The now named Dirk swung around to glare at the man on the right, "What!? You gave in to her threat that easily Rat!?"
The man on the right, or 'Rat' as he was apparently named, shrugged and said, "What else can we really do? We've got no money, no supplies other than a few lockpicks, we don't even have a map anymore after we got caught in that rain a few days ago." He let out a defeated sigh before continuing, "Face it Dirk, our adventure is done, our dreams are over."
"Damn it Rat! Pull yourself together," Dirk placed his hands on Rat's shoulders and looked straight into his eyes, "Remember all the time we've spent planning this? All those nights spent researching the best places to earn our wealth? All that time spent gathering our supplies? We can't just back down now, not after everything we did to come this far in the first place!"
Rat was frozen by his companion's passionate stare, soaking in his words. Once Dirk's powerful speech was complete, Rat felt a tear well up in his eye, he looked down, discreetly wiping it away, before returning Dirk's gaze with a serious look in his eyes, "You're right. I'm sorry for being so weak Dirk." Rat passionately thrust his fist into the air, "We've got this in the bag! All we need is some supplies, and then those riches will be ours!"
"That's the spirit! Now, onward to our victory!"
Two's passionate yelling was interrupted by a confused Ruby, "Umm, so what exactly are you two up to?"
The men stopped before turning to each and whispering conspiratorially to one another. Ruby felt herself begin to sweat nervously as the two turned to her and said, "Since you've already heard too much…" Before she could react, two pairs of arms grabbed her and dragged her into the shadows.
Ruby struggled in the grips of the young men, trying to pull herself free, until she was unexpectedly released and fell onto the ground in front of them. She glared up at them, about to shout angrily at them, but they began to talk before she could.
"We," Dirk began before dramatically, "are Rat and Dirk, treasure hunters extraordinaire!" He struck a dramatic pose as he said this.
"And we," Rat continued for him, striking his own dramatic pose, "are the men who shall gain riches to rival those of King Alteon himself!"
"Adventures, travels, journeys! Wherever treasure can be found, we'll go there and claim it for ourselves!" Dirk shouted, his tone full of passion and determination.
"No matter the defenses," Rat followed up, his tone equally passionate, "We shall crack them and take the treasures, the money, and prizes for ourselves!"
The two paused dramatically, before swiftly striking a joint, dramatic pose, arms stuck straight out and crossing each other in the shape of an 'X.' They were crouched down, one leg bent in front of them, the other stretched out behind them, their legs crossing diagonally. Much like their arms. "We are Rat and Dirk! And we shall gain the riches necessary to buy this whole world!"
The two eyed Ruby expectantly, obviously hoping that she would be as starstruck as possible at their declaration. They were not disappointed. "Whoa, that's so cool." Ruby looked dazed as she said that, causing the men to puff up proudly at their ability to impress twelve year olds.
Their energy was short lived as Ruby shook her head and asked a question, a confused expression on her face, "But wait, how do you plan on doing that? Didn't you two say you had no money earlier?"
Rat and Dirk deflated at her question, "Yeah, we blew it all on supplies, but we lost it all when a group of bandits jumped us last night."
Dirk rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Yeah, we were planning on picking some up in town, but we don't have enough to get anything. Now the only we have are lockpicks."
"Lockpicks?" Ruby's face was twisted in confusion as she questioned the term she hadn't really heard before.
"You never hear of lockpicks, kid," Rat asked. At Ruby's shaking head, he proceeded to pull out two small pieces of metal, one long piece of metal with a flat grip, and one long, bent piece of metal. "These are lockpicks, they can be used to open weak or uncomplicated locks without a key. You just insert them and try to turn all of the tumblers that the key is designed to move when turned."
Ruby was struck by the realization that she had just stumbled upon the answer to her predicament with Sabrina's room. She grinned a bit as she reached into her belt and pulled out her coin pouch, Rat and Dirk watching in confusion.
Ruby pulled out some coins, not able to contain her grin, "I'll give you guys the money you need to buy supplies in exchange for some lockpicks and lessons on how to use them."
Rat and Dirk turned to each other, and seemed to come to a silent agreement. They nodded to one another and turned to the redhead, "You've got a deal, kid." Ruby and the men shook hands, solidifying their agreement.
They spent the rest of the day showing Ruby the ins and outs of lockpicking. As dinner rolled around, and Ruby needed to return to the inn to work, the three parted ways amicably. Ruby placed the lockpicks into a small pouch on her belt, trying to hide her smirk as she entered the inn. Tomorrow, she would continue her investigation of Sabrina.
The next day after cleaning the breakfast dishes, Ruby snuck onto the second floor in the same manner as she had the previous day, climbing up the tree and into her room. She crept down the hall, carefully watching out for Sabrina or patrons, and reached the door.
She withdrew her newly procured lockpicks, and carefully inserted them into the lock. She poked, prodded, jabbed, nicked, tapped, and turned the picks in the lock, trying to get it to turn. Eventually, as she jiggled the lockpick against an inner mechanism, she heard a soft click. Slowly, she turned the lock, allowing the door to swing open. Ruby crept into the room, being as cautious as possible. When she fully entered the room, she saw something that she was wholly unprepared for. Nothing.
Ruby looked around in confusion. Nothing. Under the bed. Nothing. The wardrobe. Nothing. The chest at the foot of the bed. Nothing. Ruby looked around the whole room, and yet she couldn't find a trace of anything. It looked as if the room wasn't in use, despite Ruby being completely certain that this was the room Sabrina had exited just that morning before starting up work.
Ruby left the room, locking the door behind her. She thoroughly weirded out by the lack of anything in the room. The bed was completely neat, as if it hadn't been slept in, and there weren't any clothes in the room.
The whole thing rubbed Ruby the wrong way, especially when combined with the circumstances around Sabrina's sudden and unannounced appearance, and the odd, artificial way she acted. Ruby climbed out her window, down the tree, and back into town, deep in thought about her continued investigations of Sabrina.
She failed to notice the brown eyes that watched her from a first floor window within the inn, or the thoughtful frown that accompanied it.
"That girl might be a problem later," Sabrina said as she watched the redhead wander off.
