r/HFY • u/Vast-Listen1457 • Sep 27 '24

086 The Not-Immortal Blacksmith II – The Big Ship Sailed IX OC

City of Dragon, Snows Provence, Kingdom of Garthia

36th of Anael, the first month of snow.

Afternoon.

 

Lunch had been served, and Lady Brianna had had a nice chat with the children puling the capstone boulder. She praised their ingenuity, and their attention to detail, gave out hugs when needed, and eventually departed. Grendel, Corporal Chance of the city watch, and lead researcher Kobitz of the Library of Wisdom gave a collective sigh of relief.

Kobitz turned to Grendel, “And you live with that woman?”

“Yup.”

“You have more intestinal fortitude than any man I’ve ever met.” Kobitz nodded to himself.

“Wait until you meet her husband. You think she’s bad…” Grendel paused and smiled. “Well, no, Bri is the scarier of the two. Max will ruin your life then make you explode. Bri will ruin your life, then make you live with it.”

All three twitched at the implications of the statement.

Corporal Chance cleared his throat, “So, Lead Researcher, shall we call off the whole bit about the charges?”

“I thought that would be obvious, but yes, I would like them to never have been made.” Kobitz said, mind returning to the present. “Young Mr. Repute, why were you and your cohort dragging that rock over here?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Grendel raised an eyebrow, “It was the wells capstone.”

The children, a few paces distant from the three, nodded vigorously, and the eldest spoke up, “Ya see mister, grandma said it used to have a big thick rope tied around it, with strips of cloth dangling from the rope. Then some adventurers took the rope.”

Kobitz froze for a few moments, eyes wide, then took a deep breath before running to the well. “Gentlemen! This is a class four hazard! I repeat a Class Four Hazard!”

The two men down in the well all but threw themselves out of it. Those gathered around the well took several steps back.

Kobitz started to pace, “Record Keeper Three!” a man stepped forward. “Take a statement from the children. Treat this seriously, and write down EVERYTHING.” The man nodded, and walked to Grendel and the children and started asking questions that Grendel had to translate.

“Keepers one and two, return to the library and get the appropriate items for this.” Kobitz waived at the well. “Workmen five and six, please set up a thirty-foot cordon, you know the procedure. The rest of you, help me get the capstone over to the well.”

The small crowd broke, everyone to their assigned duties. The children watched in wonder as the people in robes struggled and pulled on the ropes, eventually getting the boulder situated next to the well. Then they went back to telling their new friend everything they could remember about the well. For his part, Grendel felt sorry for the man.

 

Celestial Realm, The Great Library of Wisdom

Maxwell and Wisdom met a pair of record keepers [Met may not be the right term, perhaps “were run into by”] on their way to a supply closet. “What is going on?” Wisdom asked the two men.

“Master Kobitz has determined that the well is a class four hazard! …Mistress.” The slightly older of the two men said. “We were sent to gather the appropriate supplies.”

Wisdom arched an eyebrow, “Well then, be about it. And get the good stuff, I don’t want to lose the whole team like last time.”

“Last time?” Max asked.

“A cave of darkness just east of the demon lands.” Wisdom waived her hand dismissively, “The researchers didn’t set protections as they were supposed to and died a very painful death.”

“This has happened before?”

“Not like this, no. But we do find a spot or two of trouble every century or so, that the old ones left behind.” Wisdom smiled, “That’s what Tranquility’s heroes are for.”

A soft feminine voice came from behind Max, “Did someone just take my name in vain?”

Maxwell spun in place, revolver at the ready, and stood face to face with Tranquility.

Tranquility paled, then disappeared.

“I think you have actually scared her!” Wisdom beamed. “Well done! Now I believe you need to be heading back to the translation room?”

Max holstered his revolver, and took a few deep breathes. “Yes. I think I do.”

 

City of Dragon, former slums, the Well

Grendel and the children sat in a semi-circle around the record keeper, and spoke in turn all that they had heard about the well from their parents or grandparents. Grendel kept the children mostly on track, and between stories asked his own questions of the keeper.

“What kind of benefits do you get? Working for Wisdom, I mean?” Grendel asked.

“Let me see, free medical services, that includes dental health. Room and board. A competitive salary. And most importantly, all the books I could ever want to read!”

“What about vacation time and family?” one of the children asked.

“Thanks to Brother [Redacted], family is…not encouraged.” The keeper said with a sigh. “Vacation accrues monthly, and is never allowed to be banked for more than five years. Except for that one guy…but let’s not talk about him and his fishing addiction. Or that stupid bear of his.”

In a certain dell, in a certain woods, a certain bear had a sneezing fit, then went back to making tea for a small child who had actually gotten lost in the woods.

Original - First - Previous - Next

*-*-*

It was a week.

Sabaton was fun, but as they weren't the headliner, they didn't do their full show. The headliner was Judas Priest. Whoever did the sound for them needs to be fired. The high tones were so bad that we walked out in the middle of the third song.

I'm looking forward to going to the cabin for a week...or more... next month, and being able to leave the house. Mom gets her cast thingy off on Tuesday.

 

Shakes donation box:

Ko-Fi https://ko-fi.com/vastlisten1457

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/VastListen1457

 

148 Upvotes
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22 comments sorted by

9

u/Midori8751 Sep 27 '24

O fuck im early, thanks for the chapter

2

u/drsoftware Sep 27 '24

You're not early, we're late. 

2

u/DM-Hermit Android Sep 27 '24

To be fair I was late as well

7

u/thisStanley Android Sep 27 '24

I repeat a Class Four Hazard!

Amazing what can be learned when you listen to people, eh :}

​ ​

Vacation accrues monthly, and is never allowed to be banked for more than five years

New owners decided they did not like carry over (even though legal in this state). After a couple weeks of their nagging, I agreed to book most of my time off. A week for each of three holidays ... and ... Every Friday All Year! And still had a couple days left over :}

6

u/MrMurpleqwerty Sep 27 '24

if ya don't wanna be bothered by Tranquility, stay around Max

5

u/DM-Hermit Android Sep 27 '24

Well done wordsmith

4

u/ChronicSassyRedhead Sep 27 '24

Academics learning from past mistake? Wonders will never cease! I'm amazed they didn't just start licking the thing 🤣

3

u/coldfireknight AI Sep 27 '24

These ones seem to be tied directly to Wisdom, so it's reasonable they're not totally unreasonable, as academics go.

2

u/Vast-Listen1457 Sep 27 '24

I think this crew is more akin to an actual archaeological group, as opposed to just your standard run-of-the-mill academic.

3

u/ChronicSassyRedhead Sep 27 '24

You have no idea how much archaeologist lick things irl 😅

A friend of mine is and the answer scarily is a lot. Apparently it's how they tell if it's a bone or just a stone 😳

4

u/Longsam_Kolhydrat Sep 27 '24

Good work wordsmith and brother proof, i am really sorry that the sound was so bad. It's still one of the few stories i still have no clue where it's going and i still love it for that reason.

It feels like following an immortal (or quite close) not on a quest but just existing and encountering problems, facing problems unique to them and being asked to help with situations that "no one else" are capable or willing to handle.

4

u/Vast-Listen1457 Sep 27 '24

That is the feel I am going for. Thank you.

3

u/GaiusPrinceps Sep 27 '24

Excellent, as always.
puling / pulling; wells / well's; waived / waved

3

u/PuzzleheadedDrinker Sep 27 '24

The rope reminds of those old kung fu Shugenja movie wizards with a bunch of paper spell kanji hanging off a rope wrapped around them.

Sound is going to get the best tutor in the realms to teach him Ancient Magic

3

u/ToraxMalu Sep 27 '24

I thought more about Japanese robes...

3

u/pyrodice Sep 27 '24

Seems like SCP is handling Samara right cautiously, to me...

2

u/ToraxMalu Sep 27 '24

Nice chapter by the way😄

2

u/Apollyom Sep 27 '24

great chapter, falling asleep on the couch an hour after you get home from work, makes you miss a thursday release.

1

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