Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Fri Mar 11, 2022 8:35 pm

Katsuraagi is seen sauntering over towards a blacksmith tent, the heat from all the furnaces and metalwork began to hit Katsuragi like a bottle of 90proof, top shelf at that. He swipes the the bullets of sweat along his forehead with his right forearm, wondering if he should have dressed a bit more heat friendly than before. But, when it came to fashion Katsuragi couldn’t help but take pride in himself; he loved getting attention. Who didn’t? Well..., wanted people for that matter. He was all good in that department, for now. If he wasnt, he doubt he would have made it pass the gates of this village. A village soo keen to gathering every bit and piece of information about anyone.

Katsuragi's attire consisted of a thin black polyester jacket, which underneath he wore a solid sleeveless navy blue shirt. His belt, designer's choice, had a MK emblem as a buckle. The pants he wore were a fresh pair of black stretch jeans. His boots on his feet also being solid black of a leather material with an emblem labeled "EU", it's made of metal stitched to the tongue of the boots. His hair, still vivid, was a solid dark purple. His hair would have went in contrast with his pale skin, however, his arms torso and hands bore a mural of mostly assorted prison tattoos; all black ink in color. He himself stood at a height of 6'2 feet with a thin frame. His tools and such were all assorted evenly along his attire, given no hint to their whereabouts yet allowed him easy access with a little bit of technique.

He enters the tent, gazing up all the metals being worked on. Folded, beatin down, and even twisted Katsuragi stood confused. Dispite using them, he had no clue as to how they were made. All this shit was new to him. Bit not enough to peak his interest into discovering how the process worked. Nope. Katsuragi would never be caught dead behind the anvil. The sooner he got out of here, the better.

“Ayo!”, he yelled. His mayor village ways still got the better of him. “Anyone wanna help me? I got some plans that need work!”, he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a single scroll, made by yours truly.

Sat Mar 12, 2022 2:29 am

Hayato was asked back by his old boss Matorabi many a time before. He had refused him each time. After graduating from the academy, Hayato had sworn off the work of a humble smith. Hayato thought if he was going to be a Shinobi he had to embrace the lifestyle. He would do shinobi work for a living. The pay was certainly better than what he made at the smithy. So, why was he back?

The old man Matorabi got smart and put a mission in for blacksmithing assistance at the exact same pay he’d gotten before. Hayato had ignored the mission for a while, choosing other menial tasks until the only one left was this request. His weak boyish heart couldn’t let the old man struggle any longer. He took the mission and was greeted with a smirk as he entered the establishment to take up his hammer once again. It was like the old man knew he’d be back.

Despite all his protest, Hayato didn’t mind the work or old man Matorabi. In Fact he’d recently gotten a hold of some pretty decent metal himself. Perhaps a bit of practice would be good for him?

The day started as it always did at Matorabi’s humble smithy. Hayato heated the furnaces and carried in the supplies from “the warehouse”, an old shed in reality, out back closer to the workshop, so he and the smiths wouldn’t have to run in and out while doing some of the more delicate works. Once he had made sure everything was as it should be, he started doing small orders. Hayato had grown accustomed to the process of fulfilling tickets and request from a small board and choosing something from the best sellers list once they’d worked their way through all the requests. He was pounding a few fencing stacks flat when he heard the barking of a customer. A customer and not someone from around here… He could tell by the way they spoke. The voice sounded a little familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Hayato stood up to his full 5 foot 7 inches and wiped the sweat from his brow. His chest was covered by a smokey and dusty black apron, and nothing else. At his waist, you could see a navy kimono draped down over the matching hakama. It was rather warm inside a smithy as one might guess. Hayato had shed his bulky armored top like a cicada’s shell. He moved away from his anvil and towards the taller man when it hit him.

Oh, you’re..Bai- Hayato cut himself off remembering that the man didn’t like his last name for some reason. K-katsuragi…kun… The name came out a bit slow even for Hayato’s standards, but he moved on from it quickly.

Looks like you’ve been alright in the village… Hope you enjoyed the tea! Hayato smiled a small toothless grin remembering how excited the man was to try the tea at Taika’s. If only Hayato could have a bit of tea right now. Alas he had work to do. You’ve got something that needs smithing? Let me take a look. I’m a part timer now, but I used to be the second best smith here. Hayato didn’t say this with a braggadocios tone. It was more a matter of fact. I’m sure the old man would make me do it anyway… Hayato looked sideways as he recalled all the times Matorabi stuck him with tasks that were meant for the old man. The more intricate or specialized work, especially the labor intensive stuff seemed to always fall to him. Hayato wouldn’t complain though.

Hayato pointed to a small wooden table where Katsuragi could lay the scroll out for him to see.

[WC:636]

Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:15 pm

His eyes wondered as he stood alone waiting, wondering when someone would come. He exhales heavily, the heat only intensifying his discomfort. Fortunately, his wait wouldnt last that long. A familiar face greeted, Katsuragi.

“Oh shit...It’s you! Dawg you everywhere man! And ease man, just Katsuragi”, he said while fiddling with the scroll in his hand. He knew he wasnt going to sit well with the fact that this village just recorded all his information. He should have just lied, or come up with false papers to avoid all this. But, in his current position, Katsuragi was bore nothing of aid. With no connections, assets, or any other prospects he couldnt really beat the system stupid like he wanted. Perhaps in the future, things might be different.

Giving a pause to the mentioning of tea, his lips pursed, he rejogged his memory. “Oh naw kid, I didnt swing by there yet. But don’t worry bout that, when I go get some I’ll let you know. Now is the time fix up my strap...”, Katsuragi would say! He even felt confident in the kid despite the gate event. If you talk a big game, you best be ready for to back it up. And judging by the way the kid looked, he didnt seem like the lazy type. Covered in shit, respectful as fuck. If business was good, he might end up being his go-to-guy. He follows the kid after the short visual exchange.

Now, slamming the scroll on the wooden table, he unvails his masterpiece. What was displayed on the coffee colored scroll was a crude drawing of a sword that looked like a claymore. The blade being celtic blue, the guard silver along with the rst of the hilt. The hilt however was indeed wrapped in black wrapping for easy gripping. At the bottom of the hilt, a place holder for a gem. All this perfectly forged within the mind of Katsuragi. He clearly hasnt done this before, but, that’s why he was here. He tries to explain what he wanted to the best of his ability, tipping the scale between reality and fantasy.

“Oh! I want all dat...”, he said tracing his finger along the stand alone list of materials hastely written on the edge of the scroll. “In here”, he taps the drawing of the sword.

List of Materials:

Sun Mar 13, 2022 2:07 pm

Hayato was somewhat disappointed his suggestion wasn’t followed but he quickly perked up when the wan said he’d visit Taiko’s soon. He listened to the man’s explanation of the weapon he wanted and the things he wanted it to do. Some of it was perfectly comprehensible and some sounded a bit far fetched. The man made enough sense to Hayato and Katsuragi was clearly excited by his idea. The materials list was a bit all over the place, some of it not being very useful for a weapon at all. Hayato thought back to when Matorabi made him memorize the list of materials used in the craft. He had a bit of experience with the more common ones but Matoraabi had worked with it all and made sure to show him when a unique request came in. The ice steel was very rare; he'd only seen it once before. Even though he only saw it, he was confident he knew how to work with it. That was where the blue color of the blade would come from. The meteoric Iron was also very rare he’d actually never seen it, but Matorabi had told him about the ax he’d forged with the material. How it never broke and was light in the hands. It was a strange and wondrous material. Perhaps he could mix it with the ice steel? He have to ask. As for the other materials, carbon fiber and leather, He’d seen them used but carbon fiber didn’t do well being sharpened of edged when it became as then as was needed for a bladed edge it would simple deteriorate as it made impact with other harder metal making it no better than a club. And there were more appropriate materials for such an implement. The Leather could be worked with, but he had more suitable cloth for wrapping the hilt than rough and ridged leather. This was always the hard part of working with other people on their designs. Reality often disrupts fantasy.

Katsuragi… This is a very cool Idea. I’d love to forge it for you, and I think I’m up for the task… but I have to tell you a few things I can’t do and things I think I could improve if you’re willing to listen. He would say before he pointed to the scribbled material list.

Firstly the Carbon fiber is out. It won’t make for a good blade, too brittle. Hayato stated this plainly before moving on. Next, technically we could use the leather for the hilt, but it would be easier with a more pliable wrapping material. We have some and it won’t cost you extra so if you could sign off on that change it would be greatly appreciated. It would make the job less time consuming for us, and not have any decrease in quality. Hayato tried to convince the customer that it was the smarter choice before continuing to his final point.

Lastly, I think the jewel holding portion is a cool addition, but I’d need to know the size and shape of the jewel inquisition to make it fit. If you have it on hand I can take the measurements. Hayato exhaled. He was getting better at talking to people and being in work mode helped, but it was still tiring for him to talk to people.

I think I could have this done in about two days time. It will take a while to melt and set the ice steel, or so I’m told. The other issue will be making sure to fit the handle. I assure you no one can do it faster, and that our price is the best in town. Hayato gave his assessment with a bit of selling the shop. There weren’t many other blacksmiths in town yet and of course he did think this was the best one. He looked to Katsuragi for an answer.

[WC:652]
[TWC:1288]

Sun Mar 13, 2022 5:04 pm

After giving a small amount of time towards watching Hayato scan the scroll, Katsuragi started to pace around the area. He grew too nervous to what he might hear. The last thing he wanted to hear was refusal to work due to some random village code nonsense. He signs, once again enduring the heat. He even pinched his navy blue shirt and started to pulling it outwards, rapidly, to cool off. However, despite his negative outlook, he was given the green light and the smith gave Katsuragi his input on the matter at hand.

“Shiiiit, thanks man. I had just drew up the scroll today, but the idea tho... that shit’s been in the makin for a while now”, the idea of him making a personalize sword was from random talks in pelican island prison. Being locked up for so long only encourged the game of “what if”. What village would you go to once you got out? Which red light district would you visit once you got out? What cute guard would you write too once you got out. What would your sword look like if you could have one made just for you. A silly game, but it passed the time. Some people only had small time bids, while others had all the time in the world.

“Ight, shoot...”, he said as he waited for the smith to speak.

All and all, it could be done. Once again, Katsuragi’s lack of knowledge on blacksmithing showed as Hayato pointed out somethings. Katsuragi’s face turned cold, but turned into a very light smirk. The smith really didnt seem to try and finesse Katsuragi, pitching the top and products in shop, going for the premium detail packages, or even suggesting the all famous undercoat. Perhaps it was due to the kid actually liking his job, or maybe how small and slow vibe the village was. Nevertheless, it was too soon to think all that, the job wasnt done.

He walks over towards the wooden table once more, leaning over it with both hands now pressed against it in a way to balance himself.

“Imma be honest homie..., I dont care. If you can turn that piece of paper into a dream come true, Imma pay ya”, he said with a frank giggle. Drops of sweat trickled down his forehead. Dimensions, gem type, counter balance, all of it... were the blacksmith’s problems now.

He got off the table, now heading towards the exit. Katusragi had just about had it with the heat. “Ayo ima be back in a few days homie, handle that would ya. Also no pressure either, so just do what you do. PEACE!!!! Im out!”
___

Exit, WC:1221 AP:24 Using wordcount to finish Training
Using the left over 388 words towards This

Giving Hayato:
Claymore x 1
Omnistone(Ice Steel) x 1
Meteoric Ore x 1

Sun Mar 13, 2022 9:50 pm

Katsuragi took his measured criticism well. He didn’t complain or ask any questions before handing over the materials to create the sword. The order will be waiting for you here when you come back then… Hayato didn’t expect the man too leave so suddenly. He hadn’t given him a receipt or anything. Oh well. Hayato thought to himself. I’ll just make sure to let everyone know what he looks like and label the finish product with his name so he’ll be able to get it regardless of my presence… Hayato found himself thinking of the finished product already. He was pretty confident with the old man’s guidance he’d be able to create the weapon that Katsuragi envisioned.

Once the man had wandered off he set to work. First he wanted to grab a large mold made of the most heat resistant of metals. He settled on a pure tungsten mold. The shop was missing the mold for a two handed staring blade of that length. Hayato quickly grabbed a large chunk of tungsten and a chisel. He spent the next few hours hammering away looking over to the drawing for inspiration and shaping purposes. Hayato’s brow furrowed as sweat rolled down his face. Blacksmithing was not easy. He was always sensitive to the heat, but what was worse was the work. Swinging a heavy hammer was much different from the sword he often swung. The weight was all wrong, but he was getting more used to the feeling again.

After a while he wad finally done. A long flat mold with a distal taper. Hayato simply needed something close to the shape of a blade. Mako, I’ll need to pump up the furnace temperature a fair bit. Would you mind helping me with that ? Hayato wasn’t the only one in the shop. He was on a first name basis with the few others who worked here. With, The help of Mako, He shovel more and more coals into the furnace. Once it was filled to the brim, he directed Mako to man the blower while he prepared a few things. He observed the two ingots he had received. They seemed to be in good shape. Hayato was pleased he wouldn’t have to go through the process of refining the metal from the stone though he could if he had to. All that was needed was to put the ingots together in the mold after he had heated them enough.

Hayato used tongs to hold them in the flames at a safe distance. He was careful not to drop the metal before he placed the metal against the mold. With heavy strikes of his hammer he forced the ingots into a longer shape fitting the mold. Slowly and surely each ingot ended up in a shape that could be inserted into the mold. Once they could be placed inside the were. Hayato would melt them down in order to combine the properties of both materials into a single blade. With the help of mako he inserted the treated tungsten mold filling with both metals into the white hot furnace. They covered over the mold and fed the flames. Matorabi watched on as Hayato directed the other smiths to help him in slowly lowering the temperature of the flame so the metal would become less liquid. This process was repeated and the metal mixed until the blue color was shown throughout the mold. They lowered the temperature for the last time before dunking the whole thing in water. Thanks for the help guys… I’ll take it from here.

Next he had to pound a few things into place. Hayato would take up the hammer once more. He would find this part of the process much easier to simply pound the wider end into a more condensed and solid square. This end would go into the hilt. The next part would be continuously heating the blade to pound both edges flatter. The clanging of metal on metal guided Hayato as he went into a form of smithing meditation. He felt closer to the metal and worked it with precision. He barely noticed when Matorabi put his hand on his shoulder and told him he was closing up for the day.

Oh, right, sorry I’ll clean up and lock everything you can go home… Hayato offered as he looked back at his work. It was done the blade was flat enough to be sharpened. The blue sheen of the blade as he held it up was something inspiring.

Hayato placed the work in a bin with other half finished works and started moving everything over to the shed to be locked away…

The next day Hayato came back to the shop to finish the sword. Today was about fitting and sharpening. He found a suitable hilt piece made by Mako a few weeks ago. It was a personal project that was going nowhere but it’s round nature and screw on end cap made sense for what Hayato was going for. He had also found a false diamond at the local mineral shop to fit into the handle. He measured the gem and set to work on a small claw-like piece to hold it

The piece took a bit of doing. It was one of the first times he worked on something so small. He ended up melting nails down and using tiny tongs to the metal around the diamond four times. This was when he had to go to Matorabi. With his help he was able to remove the excess metal to make the gem attachment look finished he then fused it with the screw on bottom. All that was left was to put it together. A few pins later and it was all done. a dull blue sword. Hayato sat at the grindstone working both edges until they were nice and sharp. Hayato walked out away from the others to give it a swing. The balance turned out good phew… He felt he’d done the design justice, maybe even a bit better than justice.

With the work all done, Hayato wrote Katsuragi’s name on the new weapon along with the name frost crown. He then let Mako and Matorabi know about the man’s appearance. Now he was free to work on much less exciting and interesting projects. Hayato’s thoughts went to what his newest creation would be used for. What kind of person is Katsuragi anyway? The thought quickly faded with each swing of his hammer.

[WC]

[TWC]

[EXIT]

Claiming:
2000 towards the creation of FrostCrown with the materials received from Katsuragi
Giving weapon to Katsuragi

361 towards Snake's Mouth 579/1000 previous thread here

Tue Mar 15, 2022 5:19 pm

Hello, Gentlemen. I'll be looking over your claims this evening.

Katsuragi - Your claims seem to be in order other than the WC claim. I see where you are claiming 1,211, but the word counter actually recognizes that you have 1,221 WC to use. Feel free to allocate that additional 10 WC if you'd like

Hayato - Your claims also seem to be mostly in order, but I am noticing a discrepancy with the WC claim for you as well. You're claiming 2,373 WC, but the word counter recognizes that you only have 2,361 WC to use.

As long as I'm not overlooking anything, let me know when the above changes have been made and I should be good to approve these claims for the both of you

Tue Mar 15, 2022 6:06 pm

Gotcha lol, fixed

Tue Mar 15, 2022 6:52 pm

Exit claims approved for Katsaragi! Please don't forget to add them to your stat page

Tue Mar 15, 2022 11:33 pm

fixed

Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith

Re: Katsuragi and the Blacksmith