Plotting behind the scenes was the Assassin's Guild as they made their attempt to once again recruit the blacksmith. Having caught the attention of the master himself, will the approach be the same as before and will the blacksmith be able to escape this time around?
Oblivious to the plans being put in place for Jin, here he was trying desperately to keep a leash on his new apprentice. It was never established that Raphael would learn under the blacksmith, however, as things turned out with the town folks it inevitably led to that.
Lost in thought as to why he brought this unto himself, Jin wondered if this facade should become their truth so as to deceive those that may have any questions. No! "deceiving" is not appropriate for this situation, more like letting the people think that is the case.
Thinking deeply about their circumstance, the blacksmith had almost forgotten about who's to blame for this outcome. It then dawned on him to call out to Raphael who was resting inside.
From the other side of the room, we here a door opening making a shrieking sound as it grazed the surface of its structure. Coming out of the room was Raphael, the expression on his face gave off vibes of someone who seemded tired.
[ After all, he did run quite a bit from being chased through the town the previous day]
Drawing nearer to the blacksmith, he shook his head well enough to wake himself up before finally reaching him.
As he stood by the blacksmith did he hear a question "do you want to learn how to make swords". The blacksmith asked while prepping his tools to forge some weapons.
The room kept silent for quite sometime before finally, Raphael gave an answer to his question saying "alright". He did not assume that as a question being asked, but as a command he ought not refuse.
[Suddenly having a flashback about the promise he made to do anything, if the blacksmith had provided him with shelter]
More importantly, there was no reason to refuse an offer from one you're seeking refuge from.
The apprenticeship title became official, and from then on out, Raphael started to take lessons on weapon forgery.
{Time skip: 2 days}
In an abandoned castle close to the capital city, "Jackeil" the head of the Assassin Guild was preparing to head out on a journey. With a defined goal and clear objectives, the purpose of his journey was to recruit the blacksmith of the well known "Blades Of Steel".
["Blades Of Steel" currently occupying the front space of Jin's shop as it's identity.]
The members of the guild had already arranged to send off their head, and as he made his way out of the castle was he guided towards the carriage that had been waiting for him. With the destination set, the carriage then departed and headed to the town "Mumbai".
However, traveling with a bounty on one's head would complicate travels. Hence the guild master would always pop up a disguise to mask himself. Different missions required different disguises, for this mission, the guild master disguised himself as a merchant who went by the name "Adam".
A false identity created to deceive the pubic. Adam! A merchant who was traveling, seeking out business opportunities within the masses.
On the other side of things, the blacksmith had left town to meet an acquaintance to gather rare materials. This development happened two days ago when bandits had robbed the carriage that was to provide the blacksmith's merchandise.
The stolen goods consisted of ores and adamantine steel. These goods were especially hard to obtain, leaving the blacksmith no choice but to personally assess the situation.
For years now, the blacksmith had been working on developing a special kind of sword which needed those particular materials. The purpose of all his travels was to make this special sword.
Having been of the road for almost a week, the blacksmith's path deviated as he stumbled upon a carriage being attacked by bandits. The bandits numbered within the range of five to ten.
Seeing as his merchandise met the same fate, in a hip of rage, he took a dash towards the direction of the carriage. Unsheathed his sword from it's scabbard, while using the back did he swing at one of the bandits sending him flying.
Crashing against a tree, we hear bones cracking and along came a loud scream of extreme pain from the bandit.
There was a brief moment of silence that struck the rest of the bandits, seeing as their comrade was sent bulldozing through the trees. Without second thought, the blacksmith moved closer to within the frey of the action to deal damage.
His swordsmanship was elegant, moving swiftly and accurately cutting down his opponents. He moved briliantly as if he was quite knowledgeable in the use of a sword.
In the blink of an eye, all eight bandits were down and unconscious on the ground. Soon after the skirmish was over, the door to the carriage opened as a man stepped out from it.
The man in question was none other than Adam. Are you alright? The blacksmith asked in concern for the merchant. I appreciate the help, thank you! Answered the merchant acting helpless in that situation.
You performed quite well in subduing those bandits, the merchant said in awe of the blacksmith's swordplay. The name is Adam, the merchant introduced himself as he went in for a handshake with the blacksmith. Jin! The blacksmith replied with his name as well.
The blacksmith looked puzzled wondering why a merchant traveling with merchandise had no guard escort. Seeing the look on his face, Adam decided to explain to him his circumstance. Saying he was headed to Mumbai town, to deliver important merchandise to "Blades Of Steel" smithing shop.
The merchant then proceeded to explain how their first delivery was ambushed, and after retrieving the stolen goods went on to redo the delivery.
Surprised by the merchants remarks, Jin reintroduced himself again as the blacksmith and the owner of "Blades Of Steel".