A/N: This is getting from bad, to worse. I need to burn this.
Acceptance
It surprised Ashe at how little time it took for them to leave the dark town of Rookridge and into Bowerstone. Bowerstone has always been a town with a good reputation, or at least on the surface. She knew of a few places and people who were more than willing to do anything for gold, or their own dark goals. Still, it was a town way better than Rookridge. Rookridge was a relatively new town was built around the tavern that existed there since who-knows when.
And the ruins of that near-by church was usually infested with either horrible creatures, or bandits. Either way, that place wasn't really a good place to wonder into. And just think, after Rookridge was Oakfield, the easy-going farming community and light worshippers. She had been to Oakfield once, and while it was relaxing, she didn't think of it much. Still, it could not compare to Bowerstone. Robin and Ashe made their way through the busy streets of Old Town, and headed into the market place.
It was high noon and the market was pratically flooded with people. Shouts of sales and bargains, with children running about through the thick group of adults. Ashe didn't like crowds, and this certainly wasn't one crowd she wanted to be in. Still, Robin seemed to glide through the crowd as though she was the only in the entire market place. They finally managed to get a breather when they reached the clock tower.
"I have something to do before we head any further."
Robin admitted, her eyes twinkling with a strange anticipation under her hood. Ashe did not want to know what that 'something' was, but what was she going to do? As though sensing her question, Robin quickly turned to Ashe with a smile.
"Why don't you look around town? I'm sure there are a few things you would like to buy or see. You haven't been in Bowerstone in a long time, have you? You would be surprised at how much can change in a short while. We'll meet back here when i call for you."
Before Ashe could complain, Robin walked off into the crowd, summarily disappearing from Ashe's sight. What Robin said was true. She hasn't been here for over a decade. She only came through here when she headed to Rookridge, and even that time she didn't stop to stare much. Her uncle was the one who brought her to Rookridge. He was a bounty hunter and went back to visit his sister, who was her mother, only to find the entire village burnt to the ground, and the sole survivor, Ashe alone.
Her uncle had raised her till she was old enough to hold a sword, before he was killed in a hunt for a red balverine. Whatever she had gained, she would have lost. But now she had a chance to avenge her family. Jack of Blades. The name itself made her blood turn cold. It sounded simple, and yet why did it invoke such a strong feeling of dread within her?
No point in thinking about it, so Ashe headed to the one place she felt at home. The blacksmith. The Bowerstone blacksmith was pounding away at a sword when he looked up to see Ashe walk into his store. Her dressing would say she could handle a sword and a gun well, but her looks made him think she was a model. She was a looker, and the blacksmith found himself looking at her for quite some time that she found it uncomfortable.
"... I can see your wares?"
She asked, making the blacksmith fumble a little, and nodded, putting down his tools and walking over to the side where a large array of weapons lay.
"What'cha looking for?"
He asked. He looked at his customer, his eyes looking from her head to her feet, and back. She wore a hat that were common amongst highway men that sat on her dark black hair tied into a tail, and nearly covered her soft emerald eyes. A common short sleeved shirt that revealed her cleavage, and a little more skin that what normal woman would choose to wear. Her thick baggy pants had signs of dirt and wear, and her boots were covered with mud.
She had a common short sleeved coat over the top, and it covered her body well to her ankles. Her gloves were in poor shape, looking like a pauper's glove, but the blacksmith could sense that it had seen more action than the rest of her clothings. An adventurer perhaps. The girl, or young woman, as the blacksmith thought, looked through the weapons, before picking up a long sword. But this wasn't any normal long sword. It was longer than usual, and its length was equal to a long katana.
The blacksmith remembered that blade well. He was distracted and accidently made the mold too long. It was a waste to throw the mold away without using it, so he made a long blade with it, but found that it was hard to use. It wasn't as light as a katana, so its weight made it more like a short claymore than anything. Yet this girl seemed to have an interest in it.
"I can... sell that to you for a discount."
The blacksmith threw in a little hint with his tone on what his 'discount' would mean, but he was actually a good businessman, or so he strives to be. It was just his biological instincts kicking in. Still, Ashe did not even seem to register that, as her eyes was glued onto the blade.
"How much?"
The blacksmith was somewhat disappointed by her completely oblivious state, and did some calculations. Considering that it had been sitting in his collection for a long time, he suppose he needed to get rid of it quickly. Still, its blade's finish was on par with a master grade, and its guard and hilt were specially designed and intricate. The guard was especially the expensive part. On either side had additional parts that made the sword's guard look fierce and like a trident. Two large fangs, if he could describe it best. Still, he needed to get rid of it.
".... Two thousand."
"Hmm... that's a bargain... i'll take it. Now, what about your guns?"
Ashe pulled out her pistol, where a large hole in its handle made the blacksmith cringe. He hated to see weapons endure such a treatment. He walked over to another part of his forge, and opened up three different large closests, revealling a large collection of guns. Pistols, rifles, blunderbusses, and even crossbows, much to Ashe's surprise.
"Crossbows?"
"Some people still enjoy the sound and feeling of the weight and it is more for sport than anything else."
"... what about bows?"
"Well... when hunting, the crossbow is better for power and it is faster to reload when you have the repeater attached."
Ashe didn't really like crossbows anyway, but why not ask. She looked through the pistols, and saw a master grade flintwork pistol. She had always liked flintwork pistols, as they were more on the pretty side. The repeater series were powerful, but it was hard for her to use them. The clockwork series had nice rifles, but the pistols were just impractical. She picked out the master grade flintwork pistol, and a master grade clockwork rifle. It's been awhile since she shot a rifle after losing her last one against a troll.
"Those are master pieces."
Ashe didn't need the blacksmith to tell her that. The deep dark colour of the pieces, and their intricate designs were more than enough to tell her this was going to leave her wallet a large hole.
"How much?"
"Pistol goes for five thousand. Rifle for ten."
"So, seventeen thousand in total...."
Ashe reached into her pouch and pulled out her gold. However, she found herself short of three thousand gold for the rifle. She looked at the blacksmith, who did not look like he was going to give a discount for that rifle. Well, it was already cheap compared to some other places. So, while being a little disappointed, Ashe walked out with a new sword and a new pistol. She held a slight grudge against Robin for leaving a hole in her pistol. That was when she noticed some of the people in the town square staring at her.
She looked down at her own dressing, and figured that she really did stand out. For one, she really looked like an adventurer, and secondly, her clothes were beyond the description of filthy. Maybe it was time to get a change of clothes, but she liked wearing these. They were comfortable, and were easy to move about in. Still, it wouldn't hurt to get some change of clothes. With that thought in mind, she headed towards the clothing shop. The moment she stepped into the tailor's shop, all eyes fell onto her.
Yup, she stood out alright. Ashe stood at the doorway, feeling unsure about her previous decision to step into this shop. And her fears became worse when finally the tailor waltzed up to her. The tailor was about her height, and dressed with a fashion sense and dignity of an upper-class, though she was clearly middle-class. Some jobs certainly do have perks.
"Tsk tsk, such an awful outfit! We must get you out of those clothes immediately!"
Ashe didn't like the tone of the tailor, and before she could utter a word about the tailor's rude welcome, the tailor called out for her assistants, who appeared from nowhere, grabbed Ashe by her arms, and pulled her into the back of the shop. For all men who were earshot, they would have thought a woman was being sexually assaulted, though the tailor had a strong enough reputation for everyone to know it was simple another 'victim'.
"You are beautiful! Why do you dress in such a horrid manner? Sue, the tape! Mary, the needle! Betty, the scissors!"
"Wha- hey! Don't touch there! No- Get your hands away from my- EEK!"
"My what a cute squeal."
"Pay attention, Mary! Hand me that.... Not that, that! Honestly, must i do everything around here? Thank you, Betty. Sue! Get me that 'coat' from the storage!"
"Hey! I said don't-"
"But you have such nice skin... Ms. Danielle, do you think we should get the stylist here?"
"What?! I would never work with that woman again after that incident!.... but you're right.... this girl is beautiful and would be such a waste to let her go around like some munchkin... Right, Mary, go call for Julia."
"I didn't ask for-"
"Oh be quiet, will you? You're giving me a headache."
"Me?! I'm giving you a headache?! You were the one who suddenly dragged me in this dressing room and stripped me naked! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"ME?! Something wrong with ME?! My dear girl, on the contrary, there is something severely wrong with YOU!! You have the looks of a model, of a princess, of a Goddess! And yet you.... you.... you choose to wear THOSE offensive THINGS!!!"
"Don't call my clothes THINGS!!! They are special! They came from my uncle!"
"And your uncle is a failure at fashion. Ah, Mary. And ... Julia.... well, old grudges can wait. Can you do something about this girl?"
"Pushy as always Danielle. Let me see.... hmm... You know Danielle, i think you're right. This one is really rare.... Let me see what sort of clothing are you putting on her.... ah! I see, alright, i think i would cut... this way, what do you think, Danielle?"
"Ooo, lovely! Positively stunning! I knew there was no other person to call for this job."
"No no, it was your design that helped paved a way for my inspiration to work!"
"Oh, you flatter me. Now, let us work to make this girl the ultimate woman!"
"Yes!"
"NO!!!"
After an hour, Ashe was 'released' from the tailors, with an extremely expensive skirt, corset, felt gloves, a smooth expensive coat, shoes and a hat. She had make-up that made her lips fuller and red, her eyes were now clearer due to the deep colours around her eyes. Her hair was combed, though rather roughly, and given a trim to make it neater. The length was still long, though it was now dyed in a deep red colour. Luckily for Ashe, she managed to grab her old clothes before the tailor decided to burn them, though that still left Ashe in a rather uncomfortable dress.
Ashe immediately pulled the coat closer to her body, feeling rather under-dressed at the moment, though most of the passer-bys did not seem to agree, and were giving her long looks. Ashe, however, was thinking that the dress made her look silly, and nothing could be further from the truth. Ashe kept her eyes down as she made her way through the market square, till she suddenly saw herself looking at a pair of black boots.
Looking up, she came face to face with a certain young woman. About her age perhaps. With hair as black night tied into a tail under a highway man cap, she had a low cut shirt that showed much of her chest's 'valley', though she had no sleeves on the tunic. With extremely short shorts and a sash tied around her hip, her boots went up to mid thigh, and she had a sleeveless coat that hung on her shoulders rather loosely.
Intricate tattoos lined down her arms all the way down to her fingerless gloves. Something about her dressing, was that everything was black. Oh, Ashe did not fail to notice this woman had an eye patch as well over her left eye. She had two cutlasses by her side and two flintwork pistols as well. The woman narrowed her eyes at Ashe, who felt like instead of this woman standing out, especially the eye-patch part, she stood out more.
"Ashe? What are you doing wearing those?"
A voice asked. Robin suddenly appeared out of thin air, walking up next to the woman and eyeing Ashe.
"The... the tailor forced these on me. I need to change, my feet are killing me."
Ashe explained to the cloaked girl, who after staring at Ashe's fashion for the moment, nodded her head.
"Sure... we'll wait."
"Thanks.... wait, 'we'?"
Ashe did not fail to catch that word. Robin raised an eyebrow, then realized her mistake.
"Oh, i'm sorry. This right here is Sonia, or Blade. She's joining us as well."
Robin introduced the woman in black to Ashe, though Sonia, or Blade, was still staring at Ashe. For some reason, Ashe thought she had heard that name before, but after thinking for awhile, she decided to drop it. However she was more preoccupied with something else. Ashe, feeling the pressure of Sonia's stares, decided it was a good time to get out of the frilly dress.
After some time in one of the tavern's rooms, Ashe was back to her old clothes. She also took the make-up off, though her hair colour was another issue. Well, it didn't bother Ashe too much, so she just left it. Meeting up with the other two back at the clock tower, Ashe now had a large bag under her arm. And she clearly wasn't happy about it.
"You know, that dress really suited you."
Robin commented, and Ashe shot the girl a glare.
"Well, i hope the two of you are prepared."
Ashe and Sonia did not say a word, and infact, Ashe had not heard a single word from Sonia. The three travelled to Bower lake, and Ashe stared in wonder at the sight before her. She did travel through Bower lake to get to Rookridge when she was small, but she was riding in a carridge and didn't see much. Now she could see all. The very breeze in this region sent a calming sensation throughout her body, and the fresh air was simply invigorating.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Bower Lake has not been touched or tainted by the hands of man's technology. Well, not much anyway. Come."
Robin led the two down the lake, and towards a towering hill. Or it was simply a spiral monuement. The three went up a narrow path that spiraled up to the top of the the hill and reached what appeared to a stone ritual site. Four circular slabs were on the ground, one being surrounded by the other three. The one in the middle was slightly different from the others and had a strange glow about it.
"Come, do not be afraid."
Robin extended her hand to Ashe after stepping on the glowing stone piece. Ashe was hesitant at first, but accepted the hand. Sonia stepped on without a word being said, nor any said to her. Robin's blue lines appeared on her skin once more, and a blinding flash blinded Ashe as a cooling sensation washed over her. She covered her eyes to block out the light, but soon found that the light had disappeared. Ashe opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times.
No longer did they stand on top of that stone hill, but they now stood in a grand cavern hall. With walls painted and decorated with pictures, and the ceiling emitting a faint, yet warm glow down to the centre of the hall, where a large table was placed. A few people walked about the cavern, and when they noticed Robin's arrival, they all bowed to her.
"Hail, Seeker. Welcome home."
One of the men approached Robin and went down on one knee before her.
"I'm back. I'm sure things have been in order in my absence."
"Certainly.... are those two..."
The man looked at Ashe and Sonia, and Sonia's hands inched to her sword. Robin eyed Sonia's movements and turned back to man.
"Yes. They are. But we have travelled long and so would require rest before anything can happen."
"As you wish, Seeker."
The man bowed and left, shouting for two more men to help him with something. Robin turned to the two women and smiled.
"Forgive Marcus. He is rather.... cautious about new comers. But besides that, i welcome the two of you to the Hero's guild. Once lost to the pages of history, rebuilt by the Hero of Bowerstone and kept a secret to all Albion. We work in the shadows and ensure the balance of our World. Here, you shall live, you shall eat, you shall sleep, you shall train. Within these walls, you will take one step forward towards your destiny. That one step shall make you who were meant to be. Take your rightful place, and join us Heroes, and from now on, know this, you shall never stand alone."