He woke up early in the soot filled Forge of his new home pulling himself up from his desk covered with half finished designs and pages filled with notes of maths and theories that would most likely never see the light of day again, he slumbered over to a well of water washing his face watching the black dirt from the days work run off his face and hands, after his daily grooming he selected the items he was going to sell before taking leave for the Middle level of the city.

Regi put his feet up on the wooden stall reading his notebook with a grin plastered across his face, he had come to sell the items he did not see fit for the use of The Hand, sure he could just give it away to the city guard but like any normal man he saw money as a way to achieve items of favour or even just live life a little easier. The young blacksmith looked out into the market place to see Beggers and Conmen set up for the days locking onto their first targets and Loyal businessmen open their stalls to allow wares such as ingredients and ores see the light of day, even bakers opened their doors hoping that the smell of their food will trap customers inside, sure he could have sold his wares on the higher floor of the city where all the richer customers were but allowing himself down here he could barter the price selling it for a lot more and even seen the ongoings of the poorer district.

The smell was the thing that him first, sweaty bodies filled the square as the day got later obviously coming from their jobs or waking up late these people browsed his wares allowing Regi to barter and even earn a lot more than selling price for his weapons, he even laid out a beautifully crafted dagger golden hilted and engraved with serpents with a curving steel blade, the sun glittered off the shocking knife as Regi tried to sell it with no prevail before seeing a customer approaching he spoke allowing his thick cockney accent to show "Can I help you with anything?" he grinned shutting his notebook sliding onto the stall and almost trying to neaten his shirt.

"Back again, I suppose. Now let's see what I'll need this time…" Liselotte had stepped off the deck of an airship hours before and was browsing the streets for any items for sale on her list. Karith wasn't her usual stop for shopping, but she needed to purchase some new equipment and the place was well-known for alchemy. Naturally when it came to apparatuses and tempered glass beakers, they'd be cheaper here then anywhere else. Iria didn't have many places that sold alembics or distillation flasks. Passing by the stalls of ores, she inspected some alchemical samples she hadn't seen before. "Ah a snowbelle, don't see many of those for sale. Crystallized hellfire, cursed trinkets… Sadly nothing I need at the moment."

Walking along the stalls she noticed someone selling enchanted weapons and other expensive metalwork. Nobody was buying, as the prices were high but that could also imply the low demand of such items. She had no interest in weaponry herself, but she could always add another name to the list of vendors. Looking over the stock, she suggested to the stall owner. "Have you considered selling them in an open auction? I hear Baltil and Iria are good places to sell weapons and enchanted items. The former is famous for its smithing, while the latter possesses a large consumer base of practitioners of magic." 

He taps his chin deep in thought at her suggestion, taking in account her posh accent he concluded saying "Ah, but think about Transport costs and other issues that consist of using their services" he took his feet off the counter and grinned "Even if I sold them for more, I would have to pay the Auction house a cut of the money plus transport of large amounts of items by airship would sky rocket the price on the other end, this way even if I only sell one a day I keep my pockets consistently full" he stood dusting down his apron, "It's common economics that any business man or women should know" his grin widened as he chuckled.

He looked at the young lady with her blonde hair twisted most likely from an expensive hair dresser, Regi didn't enjoy being able to spot a person with money out from the crowd but it came with the Job able to spot someone who could buy a lot of your wares is a dream for some of these other stalls to even be speaking to one, the young blacksmith smiled gently at her "Got anything special your looking for, little missus?" his Cockney accent spilling into his voice "If so I can always help yeh find your way?".

"You have a point there. Though advertising will help increase your exposure nonetheless." When the blacksmith asked if there was anything she was interested in, she gave him a coy grin. "Well that depends really. You wouldn't have any pure metal shavings or mineral powder lying around in vials would you? Also metal tongs or iron sand would be nice." Blacksmiths were bound to have some scraps lying around, if they didn't dispose of them already. Even if the bits of ores weren't as pure, she could refine it in small batches herself. What she really wanted though, were a pair of lacriamium-plated tongs. Highly resistant to almost anything, just one could last her a lifetime. However that metal was especially hard to come by, so she could settle for the standard steel or mithril if need be.

"It seems the other items I'm looking for aren't in your stock I'm afraid. Instruments for alchemy need to be exceptionally precise and exact to the letter." She mused, surveying the weapons he had on display. If his skill was good enough, perhaps she could commission him to make some crucibles and stands for holding her ceramic and glassware. Those were the simpler of the list. It was a pity he wasn't a potter, as she needed more items made from heat-resistant ceramic than metal.  

"Advertising, Hmm Perhaps" he rubbed his chin with his free hand before listening to her list of shopping, "I believe I have some at the forge on the upper levels would you like to come and buy some?" he rose his eyebrow, "The tongs I'm guessing would not be ones for cooking" he chuckled, "I have some Orculium Tongs I can sell yeh?" he stood walking around the stall collecting the leftover weapons, and sheathing the Golden Dagger with a fluid motion, he stared around the marketplace allowing a high-pitched whistle to emit from between his lips.

The loud call came from the sky as a shadow appeared swooping down landing heavily in front of them, a Gryphon black feather sprouting down half of its body glistening in the noon sun, eyes sharp and Amber stared at the girl as its cheetah like hind legs folded allowing it to sit upright, Regi wandered over stroking its mane of feathers allowing a bird-like purr to emit from its sharp beak, the young blacksmith slid onto its back offering a hand to the Noble girl before hoisting her up so she sat in front of him, "I hope you don't mind the style of Transportation, But Cricket here is much faster than airships" with a running head start the beast took off with shouts of annoyance from citizens as dust flew from the wings strength, wind whipping at them as they reached the sky looking down upon the whole city. "Hold on tight" he shouted against the wind with a wild grin on his face as Cricket folded his wings diving towards a large house with a courtyard filled with training soldiers.

"Oricalcum…that will do. I'll take care to use that for items that aren't heated." The man then whistled loudly, and a shadow fell on the ground as a gryphon descended from the sky. Backing up to give it more room to land, she was impressed. A raven-feathered one, not the common color. When the blacksmith offered to help her onto its back, she obliged and they were off. It was really something, taking to the air on a mount than an airship. Still, she preferred the latter if she needed to go anywhere for business. Soaring upward, she surveyed the levels of Karith as they neared their destination. As an open place for a landing came into view, she gripped the mythical beast a bit tighter as they made their descent. Touching down for a landing, she carefully stepped off and smoothed out her dress.

"That was quite a ride! Not how I expected to come up here, mind you. So, where is this exactly?" She asked him. For this place to be situated here, it must be owned by someone with great importance or financial backing. She herself had never come to the upper levels, as it was difficult enough to traverse the lower ones.  

He tapped his chin processing her sentence before speaking, "I haven't actually spoken to the Owner much, but it's used as a base of operations for The Hand, a group of warriors who fight whatever evil threatens the lands!" his grin showing great pride in his speech before continuing "And I'm the trusty blacksmith who creates and repairs all machines and tools" he finished with a flick of a finger before walking through the courtyard greeting soldiers with a smile asking how their weapons or armour was faring before turning back round to the Noble girl, "This is the courtyard which connects to the Barracks and the Forge, any person of The Hand can train here against dummies, Teachers or duels. There's also the rare chance to see Mount racing which is done in the sky above" his accent seemed invisible as he taught her the locations and activities taking his time to add every part of detail before watching Cricket take off to go join the other mounts in the sky.

As he opened the door to a large round building heat poured out as he entered the forge, floor stacked with books about advanced blacksmithing and sciences that no normal commoner should know and papers covering almost all the surfaces with different designs on deciphering codes of ancient language and diagrams of machines with many moving parts and runes, "Names Regi, by the way" he said scanning the cupboards the pieces he told the girl he could receive, "Make your self at home, the tongs shouldn't take that long to make" he almost muttered as his finger danced across an ingot of lacriamium going through the ingredients he would need.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Regi. You can call me Liselotte." Giving a curtsy, she then moved onto the more interesting subject of this group he was talking about. "So is 'The Hand' a sort of mercenary guild or armed militia of sorts? This would be very fitting for a guild, seeing the facilities and resources they have here." She'd never heard of the group, though there were new factions and sub-factions forming and disbanding every day. Guilds were plenty back in Canelux, though there were many who chose to work independently. Most guilds were of merchants or artisans, and the occasional adventurer's guild. Clerics and mages had their own sects and cells, but alchemists weren't as common to where they could form large organizations.

Entering the workshop she saw many things that she would love to ask about. The machinery and translation of ancient texts were curious, but the most eye-catching were the runes. Leaning over to get a closer look, she spoke aloud to Regi. "It seems you've been hard at work with the books, not just metal. What are these diagrams of, if you don't mind me asking?" She was thankful she was no accompanied by her professor, who without a doubt would have pilfered the papers to copy them down or pepper the blacksmith with a flood of questions. Then they would be here all day and nothing would get done.  

He turned his head slightly to glance, "The boss doesn't like it being called a Mercenary Guild since we don't accept payments for our duties, we get paid by the city in donations, so yeah a Militia for really big threats" he went to a blank scroll and started writing out instructions for himself to follow before she asked him her next question, he wandered over looking at the runes, "I heard in some ancient languages they can be used with mana to create powerful spells even if you don't have much skill in magic" he put some goggles on her head pulsing with many different types of rune drawings across the metal deeply engraved into the brass, when she looked through it, tendrils of different coloured light seemed to flow out of the runes and dissipate into the air, he grinned "I made them to allow myself to tinker with the very fabric of the rune allowing much more combinations and enhancements to the language used" he finished by pointing over to a rune being used to levitate a gem stone.

After his very brief explanation was done he walked back over dropping his own goggles that sat on his head and dropping a powder onto the anvil making it incredibly bright and hot in the forge before gathering the metal and hammering it with great precision almost like he was playing an instrument, the process only took an hour until he pulled out from the oil a pair of very brittle tongs, he looked at them before heating them up with much less of the powder and adding them to water causing a massive amount of steam to billow around the workshop. taking his goggles off he looked over to Liselotte, "This should last you much longer than any normal pair of tongs you can buy for a few silver but it does come at a price I'm afraid".

"Modified rune-crafting to enchant items through the use of stored magical energy…from the looks of it. I'm quite familiar with these, as I know someone who utilizes them on a regular basis. Mostly to hold stores of power or spells to be used in emergencies, but the same purpose. That person would probably know more than I on the subject of arcane inscription and runic symbols, if you're interested." The alchemist didn't push the idea further, as she knew whom she was speaking of had a way of eliciting mixed reactions. She had a very polarizing personality–people either liked her or didn't.

Watching the man work, she took note of how the runes were incorporated with that strange powder. The combinations of symbols likely meant different things like letters in words. She was surprised the process was so quick. Even for a simple pot the process of heating, hammering, and shaping took at least a few hours for the most experienced blacksmith. "Done already? You're just full of surprises, aren't you? Yes, I'm willing to pay in full. How much will that be?" The half-elf gave a coquettish smile as she admired the metalwork. Sturdy, and easy to handle. This would be perfect for removing slightly cooled items to move them to another place. "And about that powder you used there, I admit I find its properties quite miraculous. Where did you procure it?"