Out for Supplies

"Suxen... Suxen... SUXEN!" Leo shouted out in the back room, causing some of the other workers to look around for the girl. Suxen jumped as she stuck her head into the back room from the front of the store. "What do you need Uncle?" Suxen asked, walking into the room curiously. "Since you haven't left yet, I was hoping you could head down to the Crafter's Guild and pick up the special fuses I commisioned. I was going to pick them up myself, but I got distracted with this design and I'm at a volatile step and can't really stop at the moment." Suxen nodded, "of course Uncle, I'll be back before you know it."

After a false start, involving Suxen nearly running off before Leo reminded her to take the payment stub showing that he had already paid for them, Suxen was off down the street heading deeper into the Goron Slums where the guild office was where she could pick the fuses up. It was such a nice day, and Suxen really took the time to admire the city, since she had a feeling if she left the city she wouldn't see it for a while.

Tremors of impact shot up Mutes arm with every hammer blow. He was pounding a rapidly cooling iron rod flat. One... two... three more loud blows, and he shoved the metal back into the crackling furnace behind him. Sparks flew as the iron scraped large white-hot chunks of charcoal. Mute turned and wiped soot from his forehead with the back of his hand. He watched the metal heat up for nearly two minutes, until it was once again glowing red. With a surprisingly quick movement, he pulled the metal from the furnace and placed it on the anvil. He began smashing it once again.

For nearly forty-five minutes he repeated this process. Mute lifted the nearly finished, and still glowing product up in front of his face, then tossed it into the shallow trough of water to his left. A loud hiss and a wreath of steam filled the room for a moment as the hot metal hit the cool water. He was working on a rough sword for some Zora traveler. The job was commissioned earlier that day, and had to be finished by the next morning. Mute knew he would not be paid much for his work, but rupees were not his priority. Walking to a supply chest, Mute looked inside. Damn. He had forgotten to resupply his inventory again, and was out of materials to craft the swords wooden grip. Mute knew he would have to buy more anyways, so he left the smithy, closing the wooden door behind him. There was nothing worth stealing in his smithy, so he didn't bother locking the door. Mutes destination was a shop that supplied rough material to crafters in the slums. The shop was located next to the Crafters Guild, and was about 15 minutes from Mutes smithy. The streets were nearly empty, so it would be a fast walk.

The walk was uneventful, and eventually Suxen found herself at the Crafter's Guild. Walking through the front doors, she went up to the desk they had near the entrance and placed the payment stub down so the man at the desk could inspect it. Once he had verified it, he called for an assistant to go get her order. He came back with a package covered in brown paper that had a tag on it for Leo Fireleaf and the number off the stub written underneath the name. Thanking them, Suxen took the package and walked out of the store and was back down the street.

What the young woman didn't notice was that about six less then respectable-looking Hylian men had seen her leaving with the package and decided to follow her and see how much of a profit she and her possessions might be worth.

Mute saw no one as he walked through the slums. It was a quiet, peaceful day. Mute liked it. As he turned a corner he noticed an oblivious young Hylian girl walking away from the Guild building. Behind her walked six shady Hylian men. One of the men drew a knife and nodded to the others, who followed suit. Mute increased his pace, still unnoticed by the men. The Hylian at the front moved forward and lifted his arm to lunge at the girl.

Mute broke into a run and pulled his arm back for a punch. His huge fist collided with the mans chest moments before the dagger could connect with the girls exposed back. Mute felt one of the mans ribs snap under his fist but didn't stop. The man dropped his dagger and a look of extreme surprise was quickly replaced by a grimace of pain. Mute was already past him as he hit the ground, his robes singed.

The second man reacted quickly and turned his blade on Mute. The Goron deflected the lunge with a sweep of his forearm, and knocked the man down with a punch only capable by a fully matured Goron. The man was knocked clean off his feet, and landed in a clump on the ground. Mute swung at another man, but his target managed to avoid by rolling to the side. Suddenly someone landed on his back, and pain blossomed in his shoulder. He reached back and grabbed the hylian by his hair, ripping him off his back. The hylian had stabbed his dagger deep into the Gorons shoulder, and cheaply made blade snapped. Mute ignored the pain as his eyes glossed over. His focus tightened and he felt nothing. The man on the ground scrambled to pick up a fallen dagger as Mute took a swing at him. The dagger slashed his arm, but Mute did not feel the pain. What he did feel was the mans neck snap as he was struck across the face.

Mute stood straight, blood running down his chest and looked at the remaining two men. They both turned tail and ran. The commotion had surprisingly not drawn any attention, so Mute sat down and shook his head. His eyes cleared and pain set in. He had suffered much worse wounds in the past, but that did not dull the reality of these. He looked around at the four bodies on the ground. Two were still, but two of the men were moving in pain. Not worth the effort. They live.

He stood up and looked around for the hylian girl, hoping she was alright.

It wasn't until a man went crashing past her that Suxen was made aware of the situation she was in. Turning about, she witnessed a Goron fighting off a group of Hylian men with knives. Once the fight was over, Suxen looked in shock as the Goron sat down, blood running from wounds he suffered from the daggers. "Oh Goddess, are you ok? Why, what? Your bleeding! We have to get you looked at," Suxen said quickly, trying not to panic. Grabbing the large Goron by the hand, Suxen attempted to lead the Goron back towards her uncle's shop. When it came to Gorons and Trouble, Leo's Shop was the best place she could think of going, the safest place she could think of in Castle Town.

Mute gently gripped the girl's hand, and allowed himself to be led where ever she was going. The pain in his shoulder and arm were beginning to increase to the point of bothering him. The knives seemed to have missed anything vital, but a deep cut hurts no matter what it hits. He flexed his shoulders and winced as white hot pain shot through his entire body, lasting only a fraction of a second of leaving behind a familiar memory. The scar on his throat tingled momentarily then faded back into the past.

Since the Goron didn't seem to mind being led around by her, Suxen found it took barely any time to lead the injured Goron to the Bomb Shop. Once inside, she instantly started to call for her 'uncle' to come. "Uncle Leo! I need your help, like, right now!" With that, she pulled the stool out from behind the counter and set it down so the Goron could sit and rest. "Wait right here."

Rushing into the back room, she tossed the package of fuses down on the table where her uncle had his supplies spread out. "What is with all the yelling Suxen? What's wrong?" Suxen grabbed him by the wrist and attempted to pull him to the front room, failing horrible compared to Leo's strength. "I was attacked by some thugs on the way back. Ok, so I wasn't attacked per say, cause this Goron came in and stopped them all. He's bleeding though, cause he got stabbed, and I don't know how bad it is but..." Suxen trailed off as Leo moved past her and into the front of the store where the Goron was.

"Al, can you bring me the bandages and salves, and then go find a Healer please," Leo said calmly into the back room. One of the Gorons, Al it was assumed, calm into the room with a box and gave it to Leo before leaving the shop.

"Can you tell me your name?" He asked as he set the box down on the counter and pulled out some salve. "This is going to sting a little, but it will help with the pain after a while."

Mute followed the girl into the shop and sat on the stool she set out for him. He looked around, taking in the sights. Mute had never before entered this shop, as bomb makers sold nothing he needed or wanted. Listening to the exchanges Mute sat still, attempting to ignore the now numb wound in his shoulder.

When the man asked his name, Mute lifted his chin, exposing his throat. The scar tissue stretched slightly, and Mute pointed to it. This was sometimes enough to convey his lack of speech capability. Hopefully this man was quick enough to understand. Mute rarely had patience for charades.

Leo nodded as the Goron pointed at his throught. "So your mute eh? Get that from battle or from mudane work?" he asked curiously as he rubbed the salve into the wounds, then grabbed the some of the bandages to start wrapping. "Right, can't answer. My apologizes." As he continued to tend to the wounds, wrapping them tightly. "This is just a temporary thing, to numb pain and slow bleeding until the Healer gets here."

"Umm, Uncle, what did you mean by 'mute'?" Suxen asked curiously as her uncle continued to bind the second wound. Leo glanced over to Suxen before continuing on with his work. "When someone is 'mute' it means they will not or can not talk. He's been wounded in the neck, and old scar, but it must of rendered him unable to speak." Finishing up the bandaging, he placed the remaining bandages back in the box.

"Also, sir, I must thank you for protecting this one from those thugs," Leo said as he patted Suxen on the shoulder. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to her, she has really grown on me over the years. Suxen, wait here with the man while I go back and finish up my work. When Al gets here with the Healer, and use the Rupees under the counter to pay the Healer, just mark down the ammount so the ledgers are properly kept."

Once Leo went back to the other room, Suxen turned to face the mute Goron who had saved her. "Thanks for everything, I'm sorry you got hurt."

Mute winced slightly and smiled as the man dressed his wound. When the bandage was in place he stood and stretched. The wound pulled a little, but felt okay. He nodded and smiled, then bowed deeply to the Goron who had helped him.

When the girl address him, he gently patted her shoulder and shook his head smiling. Looking the girl in the eyes, he pointed to himself and mouthed the words "Mute. Call me Mute." He doubted she would understand, but everything is worth one try.

Suxen watched the man move his lips, but the large mouth of the Goron made it harder for her to tell what he was trying to communicate. "I can't tell what your trying to say mr... can I just call you 'Mute'? Not that I'm trying to be offensive, but it makes sense, like a nickname I guess." Suxen would of continued on, but the door opened and Al along with a Hylian man in robes came in.

"Please sit down so I can tend to these wounds," the Healer told Mute as he directed to the seat and pulled out some simple supplies so he could begin his work. Prayer to his patron goddess, his hands started to glow with a soft blue light as he applied his hands over the wounds to begin the process, chanting under his breath.

While the Healer worked away, Suxen went behind the counter to grab the box of rupees and the ledger that the store kept its sales on. Once the Healer finished, Suxen paid the man what he needed then left, and Suxen wrote down the price and turned to Mute.

"Whenever you feel up to it, we'll head back to where you live... I assume you know the way?"

Mute laughed at the girl and nodded as he sat down. Once the healers work was done he rose and stretched again. His shoulder felt as good as new. Well, as good as it had before at least. He looked at the girl and smiled again, before gesturing for her to follow. He exited the shop and looked around for a moment. The Slums had very few visitors today, although the weather was good. Mute turn and waved the girl forward again before setting off. He didn't head home; Mute still needed those supplies. He walked back the way they had come. He walked quickly, and always kept the girl within eyesight. His silence would have at one time made Mute feel awkward, but that awkwardness was just a fond memory of the past now.

Once at the small materials shop Mute opened the door and entered. The man at the counter greeted him with a wide smile and a hearty wave.

"Mute, my friend! Welcum back! What can I get fer ya t'day?" Mute smiled back at the excitable Hylian. He had only been in the shop a few times before, but this man had always called him "friend." Mute supposed it was just to entice a few extra rupees out of him, but enjoyed the nicety. Mute pointed to a barrel of the rough wooden shafts that he used to craft handles. The shafts were each about five feet long. Mute held up his hand and counted off 5 fingers. The Hylian nodded and smiled again, before pulling out the shafts and tying them into a bundle with brown twine. "That'll be 15 rupees, friend." Mute nodded and pulled out 3 of the blue gems from his pouch, before handing them to the shop keep. He picked up the bundle with one hand and exited the shop. Now it was time to head home.

The 15 minute walk home was uneventful. When Mute got to his door, he turned and smiled at the Hylian girl, before giving her a stern look. If she got herself killed after all this, he would not be very happy.


-15 rupees

The walk through the slums was mostly silent, which is expected when one of the travellers is a mute. Suxen mostly focused on the direct they walked, so she could find her way back to the shop, and made sure to stay close to the Goron.

Suxen was interested when she saw the Goron had led to a supply shop instead of his home. Suxen looked around the shop and was startled to hear the shopkeep speak. He refered to the Goron as Mute, which was interesting considering Suxen had just used that nickname earlier. Maybe it was his real name, she wasn't sure, but since the Goron seemed to respond to it, she guessed it was his proper name.

Once Mute had purchased his supplies, for what she didn't know, they left the shop and started off in a new direction, one she assumed would lead to his home now. "So," she said, not completely directing it to him but enough so he could hear her muse outloud. "Your name is Mute after all, can I guess names or what." Suxen laughed as they continued to walk in silence after that.

Arriving at his home, Suxen was interested by the fact the sign clearly said "Blacksmith". So this man, Mute, was a Blacksmith by trade. Understandable, Suxen had met her fair share of Gorons, and had a knack for dealing with jobs that involve intense heat and physical prowess. Bowing her head to the Goron, she once again thanked him for saving her life today and told him to take it easy and to have a nice day.

With Mute safely home, not that he probably needed an escort, Suxen turned around and waved goodbye as she made her way back to the Bomb Shop.

Mute entered the familiar smithy and looked around. Everything was as it should be. He walked over to where he had left the nearly completed sword and looked it over. The blade had cooled perfectly and was ready for the hilt. Setting the blade on the anvil, Mute walked over to his supply chest and deposited the wood, keeping one out for this project. He walked over to the rack of tools and picked off his favorite wood saw. He had made it himself in the first week of working here. Mute was no carpenter, but he could make handles for any tool or weapon he could craft. Ask him to make a shelf or a chest though, and he would be useless.

Using the saw Mute cut off an appropriate length of wood for the sword hilt. He set about shaping it and smoothing it down. He used a square stone to work the rough bits off the wooden handle, then, using a hand drill, bored four holes through the top of the hilt, lining up with four holes punched in the base of the blade. He then fit the hilt and blade together, and placed four iron nails with large flat heads into the furnace. When these were glowing red, he removed them and inserted them into the holes. The last step was to pound the bottom of the nail flat with a hammer, tightly securing the hilt to the blade. Mute took a strip of leather and wound it tightly around the hilt, securing the top and bottom with small nails. The final touch was the short iron hand guard. He slid this over the blade, careful to avoid the edges, and set it to rest at the top of the handle. Mute took a small block of soft metal placed it in a heavy stone bucket. This he placed in the furnace until the metal melted. He poured the rapidly cooling substance into the slight gap between the guard and blade, securing it in place. This fit would hold against all but the strongest of crushing blows. The sword was now ready to be sharpened, and Mute still had plenty of day light left. It took him near and hour to grind the edges of the blade to an appropriate sharpness. Mute placed the newly finished sword on the weapon rack, then went upstairs for a good nights sleep. Today had been a long day. He would sleep well.

Once Suxen got back to the shop, she found out her day was far from finished. "Suxen, can you come back here please." Suxen went back to the work area of the shop, where her uncle stood in one of the back areas with things spread out. "Suxen, I had wanted to show this to you earlier, while I was still making it, but you brought back that Goron and things got complicated."

Picking up a bomb sitting on the table, Leo showed it to Suxen. "This is a little invention of mine. Instead of having the fuse on the outside and needing to light it and worrying about water putting out or rendering the fuse useless, this Bomb has all the required parts inside. Where the fuse would be, is just a dial of sorts. Turn the dial all the way to the left sparks some flint against some steel, lighting a spark right inside those special fuses, which allows it to light and burn into the center to explode like a regular bomb." Leo exhaled, catching his breath after the long explaination.

"I wanted to personally show you how, so we're going to make a batch up. While we do, remember this is for a customer I have coming in, he was the one who funded the rupees for me to make these." Suxen nodded, ready to get to work, she pulled her goggles up over her eyes and pulled out her tools.

~~~

"Good work Suxen, very well done," Leo complimented as he looked over her set of bombs. "Thank you Uncle," Suxen yawned, "but I'm ready for bed." Leo nodded, and handed Suxen ten rupees. "Huh? What's this for?" she asked, trying to give them back, but he refused. "Your pay for all your hard work. I know it isn't a lot, but I did pay for your Goron friend's healer." Suxen hugged her uncle, thanking him before going back out and returning to her old home. The house still hadn't been sold yet, well, not offically at least. The people buying it was weren't here yet to buy it, so Suxen had volunteered to wait for them with the payment while still sleeping in it.

~~~

It was early the next morning, and the sun shone brightly as it crested the eastern horizon. The street was just starting to get busy, and a young man with his cloak up over his head. The night before had been quite eventful for him...

"So you want to borrow this money from me, out of the kindness of my heart, so you can open a Tavern?" the finely dressed fat man asked in a teeth-grinding voice. This nobleman was the key to Rile getting his money, so he really needed to mind his tongue. "Yes, Lord Alreck, I ask for this chance to open a Tavern, I merely need the funds. I would gladly and timely pay back every rupee you would lend me." Rile told the man calmly, while still kneeling before him. These noblemen are always so full of themselves, wanting everyone to bow to them like they are worth something. The noble mused over the option, taking stock of the young man before him. "Listen here, I will gladly lend you the money you need," Alreck said simply, "but in return though, I have a few jobs that I'd want you to do. Things that are hard to find an able-bodied person to perform. If you agree to do these things for me, then I will gladly sign for you a deed that will allow you to take out the required rupees from the local Bank..."

"Of course, that seems more then fair," Rile said eagerly, not lifting himself from his kneeling position. "But, if you wish to prove yourself worthy of the deed and not some scam artist, I have a job for you now." Rile looked up at the man, wondering what he spoke of. "I have some others who have been less then kind in repaying me. To gain your deed, I need you to go to the 'Light's Hope' gambling den, once inside I need you to either get the money he owes me or bring me his head, whichever way works." Rile kept his face stoic as he responded with a simple, "yes Lord Alreck."

Because of that meeting, Rile was now on his way to track down the 'Light's Hope' gambling den. Before going though, Rile decided it might be best to invest in a weapon, which had led him to the Goron Slums. He knew well enough that the Gorons were some of the best blacksmiths in the land. As well as that fact, it would also be harder to track him down if he bought it from the slums. "Plus it's probably cheaper," he muttered to himself as he walked up to the Blacksmithy he was looking for. This place would definetly have what he wanted.

Walking to the store, he glanced around and soon found a sword worth buying. It looked brand new, freshly made, and exactly what Rile wanted. Finding the Goron in charge, he quickly pointed at the blade asking, "how much?" He'd pay for the sword, the price would be reasonable enough, considering he lacked a weapon otherwise.

Walking out of the store with his new sword in hand under his cloak, he passed by a cute enough young woman walking into the store, a bag in her hand. Walking into the store, Suxen quickly found Mute and gave him a big hug, handing him a bag. "I brought you breakfast, some rocks and such, I know how Gorons love rocks." She grinned widely.

Mute awoke before the sun, as was his norm. He went down stairs and opened the shop door, hoping to air the room out before he began work that day. Mute took inventory and then proceeded to clean up the shop a little. He swept the floors and was in the process of dusting the tool racks when a young Hylian man walked in. The man quickly browsed the shelves , and settled on the sword Mute had completed the night before. He asked the price, and Mute counted off ten fingers. The transaction was made and the man left.

Before he knew it the girl whose name he believed was Suxen was hugging him and offering him breakfast. Mute patted her gently on the back and smiled. He liked this girl. She was friendly and wasn't put off by his silence like so many were. Mute accepted her gift then gestured around the shop, inviting her to look around.Having just done inventory he was not worried about her stealing anything. Well, getting away with it at least. Mute sat in the center of the floor and took a bit out of one of the rocks Suxen had brought. It was a very ordinary rock, but not the worst he had eaten. Mute enjoyed them.

As he was sitting there, the door suddenly opened and a grumpy looking Hylian entered.

"Mute! What are you doing? I don't pay you to eat! I have half a mind to fire you right now..." This was a normal greeting from his employer. Mute knew his job was secure; he made this grumpy loudmouth too much money to be fired so easily. He set aside his rocks and stood up to his full height, then looked down at the man and smiled. The Hylian stopped talking and took a step backwards towards the door. He gulped audibly, then pulled a small bag from his pocket. "Your weeks pay. Here. Now, get back to work!" After shouting the last bit, the Hylian man scampered off. Mute opened the bag; six blue rupees glistened inside. These gems were all he had to show for a weeks hard work, but at least he a had a good place to stay and plenty of food. Mute sat back down and continued eating.

"So, what do you have planned today?" Suxen asked curiously as she watched Mute eat the rocks. "I was just wondering, because my uncle has a client who requested a heavy duty kind of bomb, and it pays well, but my uncle is quite busy recently and the commission is also for delivery. I was wondering if you would be interested in helping out?" Suxen continued to watch the Goron, knowing he couldn't speak but watching how he would react so she might know his answer.

Mute continued to eat the rocks, thinking. He finished the one in his hand with two big bites, then turned to look at the hylian girl. He swallowed then smiled and nodded. Tilting his head to one side, he looked at her questioningly. I hope she can read expressions...

Suxen grinned as Mute smiled, moving closer to the door. "My uncle needs a larger and stronger casing for this bomb which he can't possibly craft himself with his workload. If you can craft the shell, I can work on organizing all the ingredients so me and my uncle can get it working quickly. Once we do, all we have to do is deliver it to Nabooru.

Suxen inhaled a large quantity of oxygen to replace what she lost rattling the explaination out, then opened the door to leave. "Ready to go?"

Mute stood up, and grunted. It was one of the few vocal sounds he could make, and he had learned to use it in many ways to communicate. This time, though, the grunt was merely an old Goron standing up. He walked over to the door, following the girl out of it. I trust she knows what she is doing.