Antarok

Welcome to the Antarok Forum Roleplaying Game!

If you would like to play, please register an account and notify us through Discord. Please check out our wiki for additional resources. https://wiki.antarok.net/ You can find our Discord below: https://discord.gg/JQJ7QfkDVV Understand that we are currently in a playtest through the end of 2024, meaning you are welcome to play and earn experience, but there might be sweeping changes before the full site launch in 2025.

Solo Memory Fetching an Owl

This is a thread by one person, graded at 150 words to 1 XP.

Makt

The Soother
Approved Character
Messages
111
Race
Human
Character Sheet


Fall 20, 122

Makt had purchased a blade earlier in the season, but he hadn't realized that he had forgotten to buy a sheath! He hadn't even known this was a requirement until he got apprehended by a guard that was wondering why in the world he was walking around with a dagger in his hand.

On another occasion, Makt was walking home when someone noticed him staring at his dagger, "Aye you might want to stop waving that thing around!" It was for these reasons that Makt found himself walking down a road, desperately trying to remember which shop he had purchased his dagger from.

He eventually found his way back in the right shop and immediately recognized the smith. "I'm here for a scabbard," Makt told the blacksmith, "how much will the cost be?" The blacksmith didn't seem to be in a good mood and didn't even believe that Makt had purchased his dagger from this shop. It was only after a lot of persistence that Makt finally convinced the blacksmith to part with one of his lower level sheathes. "Be reasonable," Makt demanded, "don't tell me you can't recognize your own handiwork! I could identify any piece of jewelry I've ever made!"

These words seemed to have an effect on the stubborn smith. "Now, this isn't usually how my sales work, but I can let it slide, this time. Just make sure there's no trouble. You look so out of place holding that blade that I might as well believe that you didn't know better than to ask me for a sheathe. Don't go spreading the rumor that you got something out of me for free though, or we're going to have a problem." Makt stood there, not paying any attention. He was too busy trying to put the dagger in the sheath

The blacksmith sighed, put a hand on Makt's back and started to push the boy out of the shop. At the door he would give Makt a forceful push that sent him stumbling out of the shop. "Note taken," Makt thought, "Those stone cold shopkeepers don't take too kindly to being bothered. I'm glad that the sheath was free though!" Feeling a bit worse for wear after that encounter, the jewelry crafter would head on to his next destination. Since he was out and about with some money, he figured he might as well spend some of it!

He needed to get come better clothes, now that he had the money. It didn't take long to find a reputable looking clothing shop that took custom measurements. This time, he didn't need much help in determining what to buy or what materials. He knew that people that could afford it wore silk. He had never seen a better dressed man than one wearing silk tunic embroidered with golden thread. However, he didn't have nearly enough money to afford such clothing. He decided he would just settle for today. He conveyed his thoughts to the shopkeeper, "I would like a set of cotton shirt and pants. And I want both white."

"Sorry," the shopkeeper replied, "I'm leaving in a couple minutes to run an errand. Perhaps you could come back another day." Makt looked back at the shopkeeper and wondered if he could somehow convince them to at least take his measurements. He didn't mind picking up the clothing another day but he didn't want to have to come back again unnecessarily. "Why don't you take my measurements before leaving," Makt asked, "It's urgent that I get these clothes made in time." The shopkeeper merely shook her head and insisted that he had to get going.

"What if I told you I was an important person," Makt was trying to feign significance so that maybe the shopkeeper would take him seriously. The shopkeeper merely chortled at Makt's clothes and rolled his eyes. Makt grumbled and thought to himself that it would have worked if he wasn't wearing the worst outfit that he owned.

"Well, maybe I'm not important, but I can do your errand for you if it means you'll stay and take my measurements." The shopkeeper paused as he lifted a ring of keys off of his countertop and said, "well I suppose that would work. Come with me and I'll measure you, but the garments will still not be ready until tomorrow. Oh, don't forget to leave payment on the counter. I don't want to take the chance of you not being able to pay for the work!"

Makt had his measurements and money taken before heading out to complete the errand he had committed to. He was tasked with picking up an owl from a pet shop. This was an odd thing to do in the middle of the day which made Makt wonder just how long this could possibly take. It was relatively easy to find by asking for directions.

It was situated on the edge of the marketplace and reeked of animals. Makt headed inside and saw that the entire place looked like a war zone. Animals were running all over the place. He had to jump out of the way to avoid getting run into by a charging goat. "This is crazy! Who can get anything done under these conditions?" he would think as he fought his way towards the counter.

When he caught his breath, Makt stared at the people at the counter. From the bottom up of the desk, several stacks of paper flooded the area. One could hardly go an inch around the sides without toppling one of the heaping towers of paper. In-between the chaos, a single bed of black hair remained on the surface. His somewhat pale skin countering the dark wood, leaving him unfortunately visible.

Soft snoring audible all through the room due to him. A small name plate in bronze in between the hulking towers read "Wake if sleeping". Makt complied and shook the woman awake and tried to explained to the shop keep that he was to pick up an owl for the tailor.

"How do I know you're not just looking to steal an owl from me," the shopkeeper asked sleepily, "This is quite an expensive bird and you don't look the type to be running errands. What are you up to?" Oh how Makt hated being treated like a child, he was almost an adult!

Makt's face turned white and he quickly replied, "I swear I'm not trying to commit a crime! The shopkeeper wouldn't take my measurements for my silk tunic and pants if I didn't come fetch his owl from you." The shopkeep did what every other shopkeeper had did that day and judged the jewel crafter for being dressed poorly.

"Yea," she stated, "you really look the type to be wearing silk clothes. I'm sorry but your trickery isn't going to work on me." Makt realized that he should probably pay close attention to what he was saying when trying to persuade someone. He was usually one to speak whatever came to his mind and this was definitely working against him.

Having explained his case and having not been believed in the slightest all Makt could do was stare at the shopkeeper and think. He hadn't even thought to get the shopkeeper's name. Makt tried is best to describe exactly where the store was and gave a physical description of the shopkeeper. The woman looked at the errand runner skeptically then said, "well if you were trying to deceive me I suppose you would have done a better job at it. Go ahead and take Snowy to her owner."

With great difficulty the young man grabbed "Snowy's" cage and carried it carefully out of the shop. The darned owl flapped its wings crazily for the entire walk back to the shop. It made quite a ruckus as well with sounds Makt had never heard an owl make before. After having to fight his way back and forth through the inside of the animal shop, Makt felt like walking back to the store was a breeze in comparison.

He was happy to be over and done with the errand as he tiredly handed the owl over to the shopkeeper. "You going to be alright, you look worn out," the shopkeeper would ask with a hint of guilt. "Trust me, it'll be fine. I dragged myself all the way back here without falling over. I think I can handle a leisurely walk home."

Makt's arms were absolutely exhausted by this point. He was so tired that he didn't have time to properly test out his new knife. The most he could muster on his way back home was pulling it in and out of his new sheath to get the feel of it. He wasn't quite sure whether he wanted to use his left or right hand or even if he wanted to hold it with both hands. He would have to be sure to find someone to train him so that he could be prepare for the worst.

The next day Makt went to work dressed in all white. The jewel crafter had picked up his clothing earlier that morning and hurried on to the Jewelry shop. He had spent a moderate chunk of change for this outfit and he wanted to make sure he looked fashionably presentable from now until the end of time. That was, in his opinion, one of the best ways to stand out to women.

Karo didn't even recognize the young man as he stepped through the doors. The elderly man had assumed Makt had just been another customer and didn't look up until Makt spoke up. Karo exclaimed, "you startled me! What are you doing coming to work like that?"

Makt merely grinned and said, "this is the style I will wear from now on. Now people won't think I'm poor whenever I'm trying to sell or buy something. It was difficult to even purchase these clothes! You'd think that those people didn't even want my money!"

Karo chuckled and responded, "well you can hardly blame them lad. If someone came in dressed in tatters I wouldn't think they were here to browse my exclusive wares. Now then, I suppose it's time to get busy. You've had some exposure, but I think it's time you really got into gem cutting. You've been skimming over a great deal of details but mastering those details is the only way to become a master jewelry crafter. I will be monitoring you over the coming weeks so make sure to pay attention!"

Makt nodded and made his way into the workshop. Having already felt the joy of cutting his first gem with a faceting tool, he was ready for so much more. Before Karo had even taken a seat, the boy had grabbed a topaz and had started fiddling with the tool. Karo merely sat back and watched as the boy tried to replicate what he had seen several days ago. Before long, Makt had mounted the gem and he had started spinning the lap.

Karo didn't speak up because there was nothing for him to say, yet. The tool was not incredibly difficult to set up and Makt had remembered the correct angles for Topaz. To the young man, he hadn't even noticed Karo had come into the room with him. His heart and mind were focused entirely on the tool which made a clicking sound with every rotation of the lap. The boy applied constant pressure to the gem as he counted each click.

Every two dozen clicks he would lift a piece in order to examine the surface he was faceting. His muscle memory had already improved from the other day and he was slowly getting better at apply consistent pressure. Even with an unaided eye the boy could see that the facets he was producing were more even and less round than his first attempt. It was as if the picture in his mind was coming to life as he continued onto the last of the main facets. However as soon as he lowered the gem, it detached from the thing that held it and flew across the room!

They heard a crashing sound as the gem ricocheted across the room and smashed into a slab of metal. Makt would never see it, but Karo had a smirk on his face. The old man had been waiting for this exact inevitable moment. As Makt dove after the gem to save it from rolling out of view, Karo got to his feet and spoke, "I never did explain much about laps did I? There are many kinds and not all of them are meant for cutting. Some of those that aren't that good at cutting are very good at gripping as you just witnessed. Press too hard on one of those and your gem will tear off quite violently from the holder!"

Makt breathed a sigh of relief as he finally closed his fingers around the now filthy topaz. This thing was going to need some cleaning. He listened to Karo continue, "so next time make sure you check which lap you are using!" The old man brought over a small box to the cleaning station where Makt had started washing and inspecting the topaz. Karo laid out a very rough looking lap and started to explain.

Makt looked at the inventory and saw that there were three different laps that were available to use. There were the coarse, pre-polish, and polish laps. The coarse lap looked like it was used to take off large portions of the gem quickly. Makt wondered much time he wasted so far with shaving that gem down to size. He figured that he didn't need or want to sit here all day just getting that thing down to an acceptable size. Makt was thankful that he had gained this knowledge so he wouldn't have to suffer and strain himself. Karo then pressed the lap into Makt's arms and motioned for him to get back to work.

Makt hung his head in shame. He had been so excited to begin work that he hadn't considered that he hadn't noticed that he had spent at least twice as long removing excess gemstone than he had last time. The young jewel crafter took the coarse lap and placed it securely into the faceting tool. He ran a finger across the surface and felt the rough surface. He was sure that if he put pressure on the lap he could make himself bleed. "Yep, this thing sure will shave this gem down to size a lot faster." And so, Makt started up the tool once more.

Whereas Makt had spent ages cutting off excess before, now he could take bulky parts of the gemstone off extremely quickly. He had to be extremely careful as he rotated the gem and prepared it for its next set of facets. The young man sneezed one time and the lap made a grinding sound that pierced his ears with pain. Looking at the gem he was working on in horror Makt saw that he had nearly ruined all of his work so far! After that little fiasco the boy felt sweat dripping down his face since he was focusing so hard on not fucking up any more than he had done already.

Makt looked to Karo expectantly and asked, "what's the next lap I should be using?" His boss responded with the question, "are you even ready to move onto the next step? The main facets are straightforward but I am doubtful that you know the girdle facets from memory. Or were you going to guestimate those and ruin one of my precious gems?" Makt was certain that he could picture the reference drawing in his head but as for remembering the exact angles, that was another story. "Get on out of here - you've got a lot more practicing to do tomorrow."

The somewhat dejected Makt would thank his boss for overseeing his progress for the day then head home. Or at least that's what Makt would have done if he didn't hear a loud thumping sound. Makt walked back into the main area of the store and saw an eerily large figure approaching the jewelry store. It had to be at least six and a half feet tall, whatever it was.

The thumping was just the figure's feet tapping the ground as it walked. "This must be the jewelry shop that I've heard so much about," he stated to itself, walking deeper into the shop. It searched around as it did, looking for something and completely ignoring the staff of the store.

At some points the large man would examine the flooring and design as if he truly cared about the craftsmanship of the store itself. Makt would approach the man and say, "what can I do for you today, sir? Do you need assistance?" The loud tapping stopped, the man turning its head to the man. "Yes. That is needed." Its concealed face scanning Makt as he spoke. "I need a ring, a powerful ring." It stated, it's voice monotone with every word.

Makt gave a half hearted smile then said, "we don't sell enchanted wears here. Perhaps I could interest you in a regular old gold ring? We could part with it for the right price." Makt knew he was putting the price a lot higher than its face value, but he wanted this guy to buy something or get out. "Hmm, I suppose I do need gifts."

The man stepped into the light, making plainly visible his incredibly large number of disfiguring scars. He was probably part of some kind of warband. Makt was intimidated to no end, but he pressed on. He did his best to drawn in calmness and reassure himself that there were coworkers that could back him up if things got messy.

"Perhaps we could come to a deal then," Makt would offer with a sweet voice, trying to ignore the fact that the customer didn't look like he had much to give. "This price is honestly the lowest we can go," he would add as an afterthought. The large man grunted but took out a pouch and handed it to Makt after swiping the ring from the man's hands. The pouch contained enough. Not quite sure how to react, Makt would bow his head in appreciation and watch as the man left. Makt had to shake himself to make sure he hadn't imagined the whole thing and looked to his coworkers who were likewise confused. "Well, I guess it's off to bed then!"
 
Last edited:
꧁══════════•༺༉ { Canonized } ༉༻•══════════꧂​

Rewards
Requested rewards granted.

Comments

The lengths he goes to look professional, haha.

꧁══════════•༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​
 

Active Play Areas

About Us

Antarok is a living forum roleplaying game with experience-based progression where time flows in the game as it does in the real world.
Back
Top