WHERE IS IT?! I KNOW YOU TOOK IT!"

"Woah man, calm down! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"DON'T YOU TRY AND BULLSHIT ME!"


So much drama. When Linedwell watched a small-time thief pick the pocket of the man that was now so passionately belligerent, he hadn't expected that the male would react in such a way. Though it was true most people never really reacted in positive ways when a possession of theirs had been stolen, he hadn't expected a reaction like this out of someone that Linedwell initially thought of as "meek". It was obvious that this had been a prime example of "judging a book by its cover". In spite of this unexpected reaction, Linedwell found this entire fiasco quite entertaining. It probably wouldn't have been this entertaining had Linedwell been the target of this male's outburst, but since the man had his sights set on an innocent bystander as being the perpetrator of the theft Linedwell had been able to sit back and relax while watching the events unfold, all while knowing the true perpetrator of the crime was silently making her way out of the door.  

Even though Linedwell would never admit it, he loved the drama that a majority of his actions always seemed to cause - or at least in this case, the drama that withholding of an action was able to cause. There was something almost addictive about seeing how much your actions could affect the world around you, and how easily one could influence the emotions and reactions of another. The atmosphere within the tavern that was once filled with nothing but peace, love, and good vibes had now been replaced with a tension so thick that it could be cut with a chainsaw. The fighting between the belligerent male and the innocent bystander even seemed to infect others, causing them to do the same. People were now frustrated and arguing about inconsequential matters. Anger seemed to always be the easiest emotion to infect others with, and despite how entertaining this all was, Linedwell knew he needed to make an exit before he ended up a victim of his own doing.

After making sure that his own possessions were still in pocket, Linedwell prepared to stand up from his seat - but he was soon interrupted by the appearance of a familiar face. The woman he'd seen only moments earlier pick-pocketing the still angry male had decided to take a seat at Linedwell's table. Linedwell wasn't exactly sure what this woman wanted, but he began to assume maybe she saw him as a potential mark as well. If that were the case, he'd have to dead whatever ambition she felt right here and now. Yet, before he could say a word or even reveal his position as a marine she quickly began to speak - almost as if she could sense his apprehension.

"I know you saw what I did. Why didn't you say anything?"

There appeared to be some genuine curiosity behind her words, and not one that felt that there was some malevolent intent in the reason in which Linedwell hadn't spoke on her guilt to the others. Honestly, it was a good question - one that caused Linedwell to think a bit more, past the obvious answer that he simply liked the entertainment the drama it all caused. Even though this was a personal trait he held, it didn't explain why he, as a marine, would allow a crime to happen in his vicinity. Of course this woman didn't know about his career, but it was something that Linedwell obviously had to consider. He knew he'd only joined the Marines with the intent of learning everything he could from the organization, but it seemed as though eventually some of the traits of being a Marine would have rubbed off on him. Tonight made it apparent that this hadn't been the case.

Being so lost in thought, Linedwell had forgotten to even answer the woman - instead taking another swig of alcohol from his glass. Realizing what was happening, the woman cleared her throat, alerting Linedwell of her presence once again.

"...I don't usually concern myself with business that isn't mine..."

"I see."

"Is that all you needed to know?"

Linedwell was beginning to lose interest in the conversation, as other questions were now filling his mind, but it seemed there was more than this woman wanted to converse about.

"I'm not really convinced about your motivations, but I can't leave a favor like this unrewarded. I don't usually steal from commonfolk, but given a situation my crew and I ran into on our way to this island, I didn't have a choice....oh, I almost forgot."

After saying this, the woman reached her hand out in Linedwell's direction.

"My name's Nicolette, what's yours?"

Linedwell's eyes glanced over to her hand before moving back up to her face. This woman was a bit too friendly to merely be a thief - but this was made obvious by the fact this woman mentioned a crew. He wasn't exactly sure what this crew she mentioned was about or who the members of it were, but she wasn't some ordinary thief.

With his curiosity being piqued, Linedwell extended his hand as well and shook hers before introducing himself to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Linedwell...now, is there something you still had to say."

"Oh, yes. What I was saying before about repaying a favor. I work for a...certain organization. The crew I'm currently with ran into some trouble, so we can't exactly afford to help you out with anything, but there's another group currently on the way to help us out. I'm sure they'd be able to compensate you for your assistance...you might even be able to join us if yo-"

"No, I wouldn't like that. Compensation would be good enough for me though."

"...I see.

The woman sounded almost dumbfounded, but quickly recovered.

"Well, even if you don't want to join, maybe there's some sort of business we could together."

"Why do you assume I'd want anything to do with you or your crew?"

The woman soon smiled after Linedwell's question.

"It's obvious that you aren't from around here. I think anyone can tell that. And...you have a look about you that gives me the impression that you're searching for something. Maybe it's money, or maybe it's something more - but I know that the Marines won't help you find whatever it is you're looking for."

Linedwell's eyes widened as she spoke. He knew for a fact he'd never met this woman before, and he also knew he hadn't told her of his affiliation...in fact, he made sure not to mention anything about this to her. How did she know?

The look he held seemed to be obvious, and the woman decided to explain just how she knew what she knew.

"You're not the only one that's been watching others, Linedwell. My crew and I know a few things...it wouldn't exactly make sense to take up residence in a location and not attempt to learn about the other inhabitants, would it?"

What she was saying made sense, but it still made Linedwell uneasy knowing that someone else knew more about him than he was willing to allow. He decided though that it was safer to see exactly what type of business proposal that she wanted to offer now rather than simply leaving her alone with such information.

"So, what was this business proposal that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well...both my crew and organization are at odds with another group at the moment. We're in dire need of weapons, and I just so happen to have information that you're a blacksmith."

"I see. So you were planning to talk to me this entire time about this?"

"No. You're a Marine. I had no reason to talk to you about this, but given the way you didn't rat me out back there it was obvious you were different. Whatever your goal is, I'm sure the extra money that we can provide for your services would help, correct?"

This woman, whoever she really was, she had a point. Even though Linedwell's goal in joining the Marines had been to soak up as much experience as he could from them, he'd begun to regret his decision. So far they had him doing more work to help people around the South Blue than he'd actually had time to help himself, and with only one day left of shore leave on Karate Island before they sailed out once more, he'd begun to question if he should go his own way. Going AWOL would obviously put a bounty on his head, but with his goal of revenge on the Claret family, things like that were trivial.

"Sure, the money would help...but I don't exactly have a place to craft any of these weapons or equipment that you need. Maybe you guys would be better off buying from someone el-"

"There's a place nearby that's been abandoned for years, supposedly. Like you've seen, on this island nobody uses weapons. Thus, a weapon making business wasn't exactly lucrative and they went out of business. The forge and everything else is still intact though. If you're interested in helping us out, I can show you where it is. We'll pay for each piece of equipment you create."

So far, the situation didn't exactly seem to have anything shady about it outside of who he'd be working for...but if Linedwell was truly going to consider leaving the Navy in such a way, he'd need the money they could possibly provide in order to make that happen. If he didn't do this, then he'd have to wait for a while longer - and he wasn't sure how much longer he could afford to wait.

"Okay, show me."

With those words, the two stood up from the table and proceeded to make their way out of the door. Linedwell found himself surprised as he looked around the town, wondering why it looked completely different than it had earlier. It then occurred to him that he'd walked inside of that tavern in the middle of the day, and the scene was now completely dark. He hadn't realized he'd been in the tavern for long, and give that it was now completely dark - save for a few street lamps, he would have been completely and utterly lost if it weren't for Nicolette guiding him.

Soon enough, they finally reached the "forge" she'd been speaking on. The shop appeared to have seen better days. There were multiple holes in the roof, broken windows, and on the inside it didn't appear to look much better...but a forge was a forge. The equipment needed to craft any of the weapons that they might have needed was all here, and Linedwell wouldn't need to spend any beli attempting to get raw materials in order to work.

"Well, now that you're here I guess you can start working if you'd like...we'll be back in contact with you soon. If you happen to have anything you'd like to sell by then, we'll be sure to pick it up."

With that said, Nicolette was out of the door before disappearing into the night and Linedwell was already preparing the forge. Though it was late, he needed to begin working as soon as possible. With tomorrow being his last day of shore leave he needed to make sure he'd have the funds necessary to purchase a ship and make his escape from this island. Hopefully he'd be able to make his way back here at some point and and continue his training under Mr. Miyagi.

While he thought about all of this, the forge happened to be heating up. Things were almost all in place to begin work. With his mind now clear and an idea of what he'd do after this work was completed, he began to start his work. Making use of some of the steel that has been left in the workshop, Linedwell began to place a sheet of parchment over the piece of metal and began to draw off the shape in which he'd need to make the weapon, giving him an idea of where he'd cut the metal in order to form the shape he needed. With a clamp holding down the metal, Linedwell was able to make use of a hacksaw also left behind in the shop to begin cutting out the point.

Once the point of the blade had been cut out, Linedwell began to focus on the tang of the blade. Given that he didn't want sharp edges where the tang was located, he made the cuts a bit rounded, which would actually add to the strength of the blade. If the edges were sharp, then the sword would likely be prone to cracking - and that wouldn't exactly help anyone who happened to be wielding the blade. With the corners rounded, Linedwell continued to cut out the tang of the blade with the hacksaw.

When that was finished, he then began to use a file to smooth down the sides, given he'd just cut the metal and left it in a rough state. With the point, blade, and tang cut out, the shape of the sword was now pretty much established. With that finally finished, Linedwell made his way to the forge that was now completely heated. He then placed the blade into the forge, allowing the metal to heat up so that it would now be workable. The goal now would be to establish the bevel on the blade, both left and right, and round them down so that the blade comes to an actual edge to the blade instead of just a flat piece of metal.

Once the metal was fully heated up, Linedwell pulled it out of the forge and placed it atop the anvil. With the future sword now resting on the anvil, Linedwell began to make use of the hammer, hammering the sides of the metal slowly into an edge. This process would be slow and cumbersome, but the utmost attention was needed. An even number of hammer blows would be needed on the front and the back of the blade, and on each side - this would compress the sides into an edge. Linedwell made sure to start at the butt of the blade before finishing at the point of the blade. The reason for this being that the point in more sensitive because it's thinner, making it prone to breaking if overworked.

When the edge of the blade was finally completed, Linedwell began to focus on cleaning the blade up. With the sandpaper around the shop, Linedwell began to rub down the blade, getting as much of the char off of the blade as possible. This process is one that takes quite a while, and patience is key, as multiple grits must be used in order to bring the blade to a polish.

Once that process made up of a few hours was completed, he began to make his way back to the forge once more. For this process, he'd need the heat up the entire length of the sword by making use of the bellows to evenly distribute the heat. The point of this process is to harden the sword, bringing the sword to a temperature of about 1800 degrees. When the sword finally reached this temperature - which would be denoted by the cherry red color of the blade, it would be quenched in oil. Doing this would finally harden the sword. While the sword heats up, Linedwell made sure to tend the fire well, making sure that the heat is evenly distributed while also making sure that the point of the sword isn't heated too much, which would cause it to break.

When the process was complete, Linedwell made use of clamps in order to pick up the hot blade before placing it into a solution of oils. Flames began to leap up as Linedwell did this, but luckily his hands were protected by smiting gloves that had also been left behind. When the quenching was finally complete, Linedwell once again went back to the polishing of the blade in the same exact way he'd done in the hours before. The process this time around doesn't take nearly as long as it did before, but the polishing must now be done because the next process involves the tempering of the blade, which will give the blade some flexibility so that it doesn't shatter when in use.

Now back at the forge, Linedwell placed rods above the fire that would keep the blade elevated about six to eight inches above the fire this time and not directly in it. This would help to increase the flexibility of the blade. During this process it's absolutely needed to keep an eye on the blade, making sure to flip the blade if the coloring of it begins to change too drastically. If the color ends up being bluish, then that means the metal is becoming far too soft. When this process is finished and the flexibility has been increased the blade must once again be quenched in oil in order to lock in the temper.

With the temper locked in, it was now time to polish the blade once again. Right about now, the sword is actually beginning to look like a sword. With this being noticeable to Linedwell, he starts to feel a bit better about the time he has sank into this blade, but its plainly obvious that a weapon of this caliber is amongst one of the best works he has ever made, and whatever price he can get for this should help out immensely. Though, not wanting to count his chickens before they hatch, Linedwell soon gets back to work.

With the polishing of the blade finally finished, Linedwell now begins to work on the assembly of the handle. Deciding to keep the design of this blade with functionality in mind, Linedwell decided to create a guard and pommel made out of the same steel as the sword itself, and the handle itself out of hardwood. Linedwell begins his process of creating the handle by cutting out a seven inch piece of steel with the hacksaw once again. He then uses a small nail to hammer a series of holes into the bar, fitting it out to the tang of the blade. Once the holes reach all the way through both sides, he now needs to make the series of holes a slot now. Linedwell then reaches over to the jewelers saw he has in the workshop and begins to saw through the holes. The process is cumbersome, but eventually once the process is complete he began to make use of his file in order to shape the stock more into that of a guard. When the filing is complete, Linedwell made use of his sand paper once more in order to smooth out the filing.

With that finally complete, the next step was to work on the hardwood handle. Making use of a regular saw, Linedwell began to cut down the wood to the size he'd need to fit the handle of the blade. Once cut, Linedwell also marks out the center of the hardwood in which the tang of the blade would need to fit through. Using the same method as he did before with the guard, he begins to push holes through the wood and then later creates a slot for the tang to fit through.

Soon enough, the working of the handle is finish and they guard and handle now fit onto the tang of the blade - but this didn't exactly mean he was done. He still needed to sand the hardwood handle down now and make it into something that would actually be comfortable for the user of the blade to hold - since, as of right now the handle was only a block of wood that had yet to be shaped.

With the block of wood clamped down above the tang - just to allow Linedwell the ability to have an idea of how it would look on the blade, he begins to sand down the handle. Once the handle was sanded in a way that looked suitable for the blade, Linedwell then began to polish the handle by using tung oil. He polished the handle with this oil culminating in about six coats. When the polishing was over, Linedwell then began to heat up the tang of the blade. The process now would be to burn the handle onto it - forcing the handle on the tang, which gives it the best fit that it can achieve.

He then begins to work on the pommel of the blade, putting holes in the pommel in the same way that he'd done with the guard and the hardwood handle. When all of that is finished, Linedwell begins to assemble the sword and pin it all together with steel pins. With this done, it also meant that the assembly of the sword was completed. The only thing left to do now were cosmetics, but those could be done later. Even though hours had been spent on the assmbly of one sword, he still had even more he needed to create. The time it would take to create the others would probably take less time than this one, given the fact this sword was of a caliber far exceeding any sword he'd ever created, but now wasn't the time to sit around and admire his handiwork. The morning was fast approaching and he had a lot to do.

Using the same processes as before, Linedwell began to make multiple swords, even taking advantage of the time he'd had in the forge to reforge his O-Ren Ishii katana into a higher caliber of steel. Though the strength of this blade wasn't as strong as the previous blade he'd created first, he know knew how to reforge his blade once again should he ever need to. With this knowledge, he'd be able to hopefully refine this technique in the future, allowing him to grow stronger as time would go on.

He still had much more work to do, but the thought that he had the potential to accomplish something he'd only just felt was possible so soon was quite inspiring. He wasn't exactly sure when Nicolette's crew would arrive for their equipment, but he wanted to make sure that as many pieces were created and ready for them as possible. Once he collected the money he'd set out as quickly as he could before any Marines came looking for him to inform him that it was time to head out. If things took too long and he was forced between fighting his way out of his Navy obligation or simply obliging and putting off his ambitions for a bit longer, he wasn't exactly sure what he'd do. The safest bet at the moment was to simply get out of dodge as quickly as possible and alleviate the entire situation.

With enough time going by, Linedwell continued his work on the weapons and equipment, doing his best to finish what he'd started.


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Hours had now passed, and Linedwell was now able to see the sun peering through the holes that spotted the roof. Luckily, he'd been able to get through the entire night without anyone coming out to investigate why this abandoned forge was giving off smoke or attempting to see who was working the forge. He'd only been able to create a few pieces of equipment in the hours he'd been working - but for one blacksmith with only a few hours notice this wasn't a bad amount at all. He wasn't exactly concerned with how many he'd actually been ale to create though, but rather their quality. He'd put everything he could into making sure these items were as perfect as they possibly could be. The reason for this was that he wanted to make sure he could hook whoever these buyers were into buying more of his work in the future. He needed to make the best first impression that he could, given that once he fled the employ of the Navy he'd likely be strapped for cash. With a connect like this, he'd be able to at least re-up whenever he needed to.

Linedwell hoped that the first sword he'd created would catch their eye. Even though Linedwell hadn't been making use of his skills as a Blacksmith for long, and it had only been something he'd picked up while in the employ of the Navy, he had yet to create a weapon, or item for that matter, of such high quality. He wondered if it was a result of the high amount of pressure he'd placed on himself because of the goals he'd been wanting to reach. Maybe this added pressure had been enough to allow him to surpass the limits he had placed on himself. He'd never been as proud of a creation as he was today - and hopefully these buyers would recognize the quality of his products as well.

Soon enough he heard a knock at the front door. Given how shoddy the door was it wasn't surprised when it fell down under the weight of the soft knock. With the door falling down, it allowed Linedwell to immediately recognize Nicolette behind the door, but this time she was followed by a large group of people. Before Linedwell could say anything, a man smaller than Nicolette walk in and promptly extended his hand in Linedwell's direction.

"Nicolette's told me a lot about you. We're here to purchase the equipment you have for us."

Once again, before Linedwell could even shake the male's hand or even reply to his comments, the male made his way over to the weapons that Linedwell had just bagged up. Without even looking at the quality or quantity of the equipment, the man began to speak once again.

"We'll give you 825,000 Beli for all of it. Agreed?"

And once more, before Linedwell could even agree to the terms - of which he was surprised at the high amount, and would have readily agreed - the man had already motioned for one of his crew members to hand Linedwell the money. It was obvious this man had other people to meet and other places to be. His rushed manner was all too apparent.

"Hopefully we'll be doing business again with you soon, Mr. Linedwell."

With that, the man motioned in a manner that seemed to show that it was time to leave. The male and the other members of his crew left as quickly as they'd arrived. With an exasperated sigh, Linedwell decided it was about time for him to leave as well. Packing up some of the equipment he'd been able to make use of in the forge, he figured it'd be a waste to simply leave it in this place for all of it to gather dust. With everything packed up and ready to go, Linedwell went ahead and made his exit.

-Exit-

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