Emily, the Seamstress, who has turned thirty-five this month, sits in the back of her shop depressed. She was once a premier sewer for the noblemen. Until the day she met a horrible monster called Claire Higgin, the teenage daughter of the Higgins Clan. One of the Thirteen nobles that rule the city council. The child did not want to go to a party that a rival nobleman was holding that the family was trying to arrange a meeting of the minds, so to speak. In reality, it was an arranged marriage between two noble families. The daughter of Higgins was to marry Roger James of the James noble clan. Whereas the Higgins control half of the docks and a small part of Dainty town, better known as Smuggle town by those in the slums. The James Clan owns twenty ships and rumor to own several pirate ships that move between the Black coast and the city.
The little monster did not want to marry into the James family. She had her sights aimed at the Salmen family that own several shops and three large mines, one of which is a silver mine fifty miles from the city. The Salmen has several caravans that cross the plains to the orc city of Krachi for rich fur for the below-average weapons that will one day kill someone in the slums.
That fateful day she just got done with another noble family dress to the annual Ball on the Harvest moon that the city's Nobles produce for the greater and lesser nobles. Having a gold eagle in her purse made her so much joy that it was worth working a month to make the dress. She thought that after the fitting on this next noble would make her whole year. The bitch somehow saw the gold in my purse and decided to use it to keep her from having to go to the party.
After being accused of stealing and her hands' crushed by a mace of the head of the family. It didn't stop there. They burn her home and beat her husband, a leather armorsmith. They took everything from their business and burned it to the ground. None of the healers in the city would heal a family of thieves. The beating of her husband was so bad that he became an invalid that she and their daughter that was born six months later, took care of themselves. The fact they hid a little silver was enough to find a place to rent in the slums. She spent the next thirteen years sewing with crooked, broken hands to make enough money to live in the slums and put a little food on the table.
After a few years, they found out that she never stole the money when their noble daughter brags about getting her seamstress frame for stealing to keep her from a party. The only good thing was that the girl ended up marrying the James clan. The boy that the girl wanted to marry died from an orc arrow during one of their caravan trips to Krachi.
The woman moves her long hair behind her ears with her broken hands staring at them, only to frown more from her depressed mood. Although the girl bragged about the deed, nothing was done. No priest or healing potion was given to them to solve their problems. One potion alone is worth a thousand gold eagles. Something that she can't achieve for a lifetime of poor sewing. Hearing something brought her out of her musing.
"Mama? Are you good? A beggar at the door says he wishes to buy some clothes from you and wants custom-made clothing. If hot for the fact of him holding up silver and gold to me, I would not let him in for you to see.
Staggering to her feet, her legs are numb from sitting so long thinking about the past. "Let me go see beggar! If it wastes my time, I will spank you." Glaring at her daughter as she passes into the other room. Her daughter knows she doesn't mean it. Overthinking about the past always made her angry.
"I hear you want clothes. There is a second-hand store near the gate!" she said as she steps into the room, looking at the beggar unwrapping a dirty cloth from around his face. Show a handsome boy a little bit older than her daughter. But everything screams out thief to her. The fact he did not worry about revealing his face scares her.
Setting a large bag of coins on the table, "My name is Jack. I require your skills on making me several lower lord clothing and a special clothing call a tux that I saw once."
"You must know I have no cloth to make the clothing or this tux that you brag about." Staring at the large bag. She stops talking when he pulls out of nowhere ten bolts of cloth of different colors and two-bolt of silk cloth.
Her eyes go wide, then her eyes land on his hand with a ring on it, thinking that he had a rare space ring. Then looking at the cloth. She felt the texture and started to smile before she stopped smiling because of her hands.
"Whatever is left is yours. I need the everyday clothes of a nobleman, a banquet suit. I want a tux." Pulling out a drawing he has done of a tux. His years of art classes and Art History helped him in his work to draw from memory. The Classes he took taught him how to understand the different plays and operas that he learned in performance art. He soon learns accents and acting for his ability to con people to believe he is aristocratic. He used his art to win the heart of rich women that he stole from. In the process, he learns that clothing makes the man.
Frowning, she looks up at the young man's eyes that stop her in her tracks. The eyes look old, staring at her. She sees eyes like those in the elves that have seen years passing them by. Hearing a clinking noise on the table, looking down at a bag of coins that shifted.
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"I know your hands are ruined. I have a proposal for you and your husband." He sits two big bottles of red potions that he has acquired off some adventurers going into the Dead dungeon a few blocks away at the cemetery. "If you and your husband work for me for five years, you can have these two potions for ten percent of your profits in the next five years, and I will build a place of your own to live in and work."
Her heart beats madly in front of her are high-quality potions worth several hundred gold eagles. Drinking one would fix her hands, and the other will cure her husband's illness of the brain! Her hand hesitated over the potions.
"Mama! It is only five years! Please make Papa well!" her daughter drape herself behind her mother's back, looking at the potions with pleading eyes.
She nods, the young man places a contract on the table. She learns to read when she works with the nobles spending hours and her family hard earn money. The same family turned their back to her even though she was later found innocent in the rumor mills. She stops staring at her hands and stares at the man.
"One more condition." her eyes narrow.
Jack saw the narrowing of her eyes and the hatred in them. "Speak so that I will know."
"I want you to ruin the Higgin family. I want them to be poor and shame. Most of all, I want Claire Higgins to be shunned by her peers and all of her wealth gone, and in return, I will work for you for life if you demand it of me. I can not say what my husband will do because I can not speak for him."
"Mama, I am willing to give my life too to get you both back!" the girl cries out.
"No child," you have a life to live.
Jack stares at the young girl.
Elsy
Level one
Seamstress (3), leather armor (1)
Legendary skill, enchantment (Lock)
He looks at the girl and smiles inside. "Placing a gold coin on the table and looking into her eager eyes. "I will hire you for ten years, will you work for me. I have leather that needs to be made into armor if you wish to work for me. I do not need a contract but expect you to be loyal to me. I will pay you well to do this."
The mother looks stunned as she stares at the gold on the table and then her child. She knows the man before she is not much older than her child, that is of marriage age, and the gold he places on the table can go a long way for a dowry for the girl. Looking at the expectant look on her daughter's face. She nods to her.
The girl squeals and hugs her mother. And turn to the handsome boy in front of her, she nods. "Yes! I will work for you!"
Turning the contract around and pressing it to the table, new words began to inscribe on the contract, stating he would destroy the Higgin family over the next five years. Turn the contract around, and the woman read over the contract with wide eyes. Pricking her thumb with a sewing pin, she presses it on the paper and leaves her thumbprint in the agreement. The contract glow and two lights fell upon Jack's forehead and Emily's forehead.
Emily picks up one of the potions with shaky hands and drinks it all down without stopping and placing the glass on the table. She can feel the potion warmth throughout her body, and then her hands become hot as she watches them glow. It felt like thousands of pins and needles all over her hand. The pain is almost as much as the day she broke them as her hand broke again and heals back into place as if nothing happened. The woman's forehead is covered in sweat as she holds back a scream. Her daughter wipes with a nearby cloth, and the mother stares at her now healed hands.
Emily
Level 1
Seamstress (12)
Cloth armor (5)
Exemplary, Runesmith (lock)
Scribe (2)
Health Healing (9/10)
In the last few days, he has been listening upon the street. He found out that the seamstress was once a famous seamstress within a city before being accused of stealing and had her hand and her husband's mobility taken from them by a brat of a noble. A few years later, people found out the noble girl brag about lying to her family. No one in that family apologized or healed the woman and her husband. Noblemen don't correct their wrongs because they are never wrong. Seeing her stats a few days ago and that she can do rune smithy if he could hire her and train her ability, maybe he will get a runesmith cheap.
Shortly after Emily stopped crying, she grabbed the other bottle and ran into the back. Shortly after, a man's voice can be heard screaming and then moaning as his skull bone breaks and heals.
"Where are we? Emily dear?" A weak male voice could be heard over the woman sobbing and laughter.
An hour later, a thin, haggard man came out of the room and stares at Jack. "I have you to thank for me and my family's health. He kneels down on thin knees. "I swear by my heart and soul to aid you and give you my life if you so ask and serve you as wish. My family owes you a life debt."
Jack stood before the man. Looking down at him and smile inside. "You have only signed a contract as your wife did, and I will treat you and your family well. I have a use for an armorsmith in leather. Most of my men will need good armor in the future. I will supply leather and metal you need and pay you money to keep my men equipped with armor.
"I will help you. To me, you are our savior. If you wish to become or pretend to become a noble, I..." looking at his wife that wiping her eyes. "Do we have my papers and pattern?"
"The iron box you kept hidden in the old shop?" She said as he nodded. "It still under the floor they built a loom shop above it. They didn't find it as far as I know."
Gregory
Level 2 Elementalist Earth
Exemplary leather Armorsmith (19)
Spell weaver: Leather (4)
Leatherworking (20)
Metalsmith (3)
Seeing that the man before him is a spellcaster and a metalsmith, he guessed he could infuse spells into the armor he makes.
"Who owns the loom shop now?" Jack ask.
Emily hiss, "Higgin clan!"
Quest Destroy the Higgins Clan
Destroy or ruin the Higgin Clan. The Higgin Clan is ranked at 64 in the top 100 clans.
Reward: 1000 Dungeon Points and Experience to the next level.
Failure: you will lose 50 loyalty points from Emily and Gregory.
Other Rewards unknown?