"It's too damn hot today..." the Swordsmith complained. He always hated working in such a crowded place, but it was only here that he could sell his wares.
He had to squint his eyes as the flap of his tent was pulled back, allowing the sunlight to break through his dark working quarters. As his eyes adjusted, he saw as a Catgirl, and a human boy made their way in. "Hello. Can I help either of you?"
"Yes, sir." The Catgirl said. "My name's Natsuki and this is Ranma."
"Hey." Ranma greeted as he waved a hand.
"You see, sir, my friend Batanen referred you to us." Natsuki explained.
The Swordsmith noddded his head. "Ah, so you're friends of Batanen's, eh? What brings you here?"
"This does, sir." Natsuki said as she held out a small bundle. The Swordsmith took hold of it and unwrapped it, revealling a hilt, and a bit of blade. "Hmm... Nice cut... By the sive of the handle, the thickness of the blade, and the sharpness of the edge here, it appears to have been a long sword at one point. To bad it seems to have been broken."
"Wow. You can tall all that just by looking at it, gramps?" Ranma asked.
The Swordsmith nodded his head. "Yes... And don't call me gramps!"
Ranma held up his hands defensively. "All right, all right, sorry old timer. No need to blow a gasket..."
A stress-mark appeared on the side of the Swordsmith's head. "Kid's these days. I don't understand this younger generation at all..." The Swordsmith thought in anger. He looked at the blade, and his eyes widen in surprise, and awe. "Wait a minute... This blade! It's made of Orihalcon!"
"Wow! Really?" Natsuki asked in awe.
Ranma scratched the back of his head. "Orihalcon? What the heck is that?"
The Swordsmith looked at Ranma. "You don't know what Orihalcon is? Ack! You durned kid!" The Swordsmith yelled.
Ranma shook his head. "Nope."
The Swordsmith face-faulted. Gaining composure, he spoke, "Listen, and listen well. There are three holy metals which can effect the monster races. Silver, Mythril, and Orihalcon. Silver is the easiest to find, but it is also the weakest, and only has real effect against Lycanthropes. Mythril is very powerful for channel energy. But there is no compare to the holy essence of the Orihalcon metal."
Ranma nodded his head. "I see... So, you're saying this blade is the most powerful metal for fighting monsters?" Ranma asked.
"Exactly." The Swordsmith said. He looked over at Natsuki and smiled. "If you are willing to sell it, I will give you a fair price."
"Oh no, no!" Natsuki said, shaking her head. "I don't want to sell it. I was hoping you could grind down the broken blade into a tanto."
"Ah, I see." The Swordsmith said in understanding. "If you want, I can do that, and make a sheath for the blade as well."
"You can really do that?" Natsuki said eyes wide with hope.
"Yes! However..." The Swordsmith pulled out an abacus and started fiddling with it. "It will cost you this much."
Natsuki's eyes widened at the figure. "THAT MUCH!?"
"Seems like he's trying to rip you of, Natsuki." Ranma said warningly.
The Swordsmith shook his head. "I assure you, I'm not. Orihalcon is a difficult metal to work with. And I AM giving you a discount since you are friends with Batanen."
Ranma blinked. "Damn, I'd hate to see the price if we weren't friends."
(Posted Mon, 23 Jun 2003 20:57)
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