I won't fight, but they can... (Solo)

[Bob Barton]

3rd day of Winter 511 AV

Bob has traveled all over the Sylira region before true, but never with people that he could truly call travelling companions. Normally, the people who he was with were either paid for their troubles of offering him some semblance of protection if it was not Bob himself who offered some form of services as payment. The thought came to him while he was on the ship to Zeltiva with the rest of them when he told Jinsen that "it is liberating to have someone watch my back. You're good of course Jinsen. I am sure if I call out you will come running straight at me correct?" just like the others as he hopes but the difference was that Jinsen, the animal with its heightened senses would be more reliable in detecting Bob's need for help compared to his more humanish companions. "If only there was some way for them to know that I am in trouble when they are close by..." he thought to himself that time but he was not able to think much further about it when he saw his "reliable" animal companion walking away. "Hold up Jinsen!" he shouted going after it. In the small ship, what else could it actually do but keep its master company?

On that very same night Bob was getting ready for bed when Jinsen started to nudge his leg. One of the ways it told its master that it wanted to play. Bob did not want to since he was already tired but the dog was insistent. With a sigh he gave in "only for a while." He considered that it will only take that long for the dog to finally give up trying to play with its favorite snowglobe in that cramped place. When Bob rummaged through his bag pulling out that shimmering object, another of his belongings somehow came out with it. A rather beautiful engraved boar tusk he only kept with him as a memento about one of his friends back in Syliras. As impressive as it was, it was practically useless to him like the skull paperweight he liberated from the slaver Delgarde though a dead man should no longer have any claim on it. Bob tried to use it as a drinking horn once but found that cleaning it up was too troublesome a chore for him so if it was not for Xalet then the tusk would have probably been sold away for some gambling funds a long time ago.

As Bob was rolling the snowglobe on the floor for Jinsen to retrieve it according to his absentminded commands to "fetch-get-bring back" he was reminded about what he was thinking about earlier that afternoon. His dog's loyalty which was developed from a long period of time playing this "game" got him into thinking how easy it was to get a quick response from a few words that has been ingrained into it. Again he told Jinsen to "fetch" the snowglobe that he rolled around different spots. This time it went towards his bag which he hoped will cushion the snowglobe and hold it in place as opposed how it would just bounce off each time he sent it towards the wall. That should prove a nice way to test how far Jinsen would go to follow the commands that were given to it when there were some unexpected surprises which he intended to watch but the one who turned out surprised was Bob himself. The snowglobe pushed on the bag and pulled the opening down so slightly but enough to expose the tusk that Bob put over there yet again.

It hit him like the bag of rocks falling on the boar the tusk came from. Bob had seen before the buskers in Syliras using horns of their own to try and attract a crowd to them and he remembered hearing something about the Zeltivan navy using the horns to signal one another when there is a fog out in the sea or something like that. Bob never really paid any attention to his classes especially those boring history lessons so his knowledge on that might be missing here and there. "Alright Jinsen, the game is over so you can go to bed" he announced after he got back the snowglobe but the dog wanted more and gave that look while it stared at its toy. "No. Go-to-bed!" he told Jinsen one last time and pointed to the spot that it has been using for the nights very sternly. "Jinsennnn!" Bob said impatiently while tapping his foot to remind the dog that he did not want to be tested. It should know well enough the last time it tried this on him. Once Jinsen relented, Bob headed over to his bag to keep the snowglobe and look over the tusk. "Hmmmm..." this could actually work.

[Bob Barton]

Getting to work on his idea however would have to wait until Bob reached Zeltiva. The first day he had to use completely on going for some shopping for the rest of the trip, and then some. The second day however he was free to do whatever he wanted. For the idea he had he needed to visit a place that he spent a lot of time in though not entirely his choice while he was a child. But the choice to visit his old alma mater today was entirely his own so that he might use its resources once more. Bob looked through the books to find out about those horns. He started from the history section just to get a rough idea about it, since it was from his lessons that he knew about how they were used. After going through various different books about ships and the navy Bob was defeated and told himself that "I should have paid more attention in class..." A foghorn, especially those old ones would not be any use for him because it was just to big for him to carry around but at least there was something else he could look for, the horn that he saw the buskers use. At least he will not find himself wrong about that.

And for that he looked, unfortunately randomly around on topics of Syliras instruments just because he saw the horn itself there. Instead what he found was about "trombones...too big...violins, not a horn...unless I am going into a war definitely not drums..." and so many others until he was about to give up. Syliras was only good for those petching knights, not great talents on the streets and Bob decided to try his luck on them since it could not get any worst. "Yes I know that the knights need to be good with weapons and horses" he commented as he flipped through the books since he did not need to be reminded about what he already knew from squires. They were not exactly knights but they were close enough. Then Bob looked through the books more about all the weapons that they used. Bows, swords and lances but nothing would ever beat the sneaky capacity of the cane sword. Moving on Bob got to the part about the tools that knights used and "Ah ha! I found it!" Among everything that they used, the knights also had something called a war horn. "Sounds a lot better than a foghorn" for sure.

What he wanted to do with it matched with its uses too. Bob found that the horns were used for signals. "Not codes that I would memorize..." but a lot of times when the horns were sounded were for attacking, or retreating. The idea was really appealing to him that when people heard the horn being blown they would right away react to it if they knew what it meant and even if they did not, it will be good enough to surprise them for a while. Now that it was decided, Bob shut the book because "I am going to need to learn how to make it." After putting the book away, Bob hunted down for the crafts section of the university and took out a book with the title "making your own tools, knights unauthorized copy." Yes, that one would suit him just fine. Bob took it to the desk and started to flip around the pages finding a lot of other interesting things that he could make if he was interested like standards...whistles? "I could use that too..." for Jinsen especially just like a lot of other dogs that were in Killroys. Maybe...just maybe if Bob was able to combine them together, he can forego learning the calls completely?

Taking out a sheet of paper, Bob started to copy over the schematics to make one of these horns along with the instructions on one side. On the other, he copied the schematics and instructions for making a whistle. If that was not enough, he also found something about making flutes and since there was still space with the whistle and both items were so similar Bob copied them together as well. "Now all I need to do is get to making it..." he told himself when he left the treasury of knowledge he helped himself to. There was only one man that he knew could help him with this in Zeltiva and Bob ever the dutiful nephew went over to pay his Uncle Marny a visit. To tell him that everything has been going well and that he wanted to use some of his tools. And why should Uncle Marny allow Bob to use them? Simple. Bob did not outright tell his uncle his intentions instead making it appear like he was there for a visit when he pleaded that "I hope you do not want to just cut ties when your dear nephew is coming to make amends? I am here at your doorstep and you would not even allow me in..." he said with a look full of sorrow trying to guilt his uncle.

Inside they had a very nice conversation about how their time apart treated them right until Bob was given a trap question of what he has been doing and how was his gambling. His answer was "you know...it is just a hobby. If I made it the sole thing of my life I would end up like that man" who he meant was his father he knew his uncle hated. As for what he has been doing, "a lot of things...I worked with some animals in Sunberth taking care of them when they were ill or sick" which was only half of the truth that was given in hopes that Uncle Marny would interpret it was Bob following through his medical footsteps. "Right now I am on my way to Alvadas. I was specially recruited for...something..." which he would try to keep a secret so that the mystery will make him seem like a very important person. Bob worked out a few more not-lies to occupy his uncle's thoughts until he revealed that "I am still trying to work with some machines too since people are just so fickle." Another not-lie since Bob has made a lot of cheating devices in the past to help him. "Right now, I am working on this."

The strange arrangements on the paper would not make sense to his uncle until Bob explained that "I am going to make one of these warhorns, which would work like a flute and a whistle if I can do it right. For other people" to come and help him when he blows on it but as long as his uncle thinks that he is being commissioned that he should not mind too much. Maybe he would help Bob's dilemma too that "I am still trying to figure out a way to combine them all. I am thinking that I should redraw the whistle and flute together first then work that on the horn? What do you think?" His uncle was only a doctor and only nodded since the idea only sounded good enough which "sounds good to me. So do you think that I can borrow some of your tools for a day?" Yes, Bob was just too hardworking a person using one of his few days in Zeltiva to work instead of spending time with his beloved uncle but it would work out a lot better for the both of them this way especially if they talked more it is more likely that Bob's not-lies will be caught.

[Bob Barton]

With a place to work that felt just like home, Bob began to combine the diagrams just like he discussed with Uncle Marny starting off with a long stretch that represented the base of the whistle-flute. "It looks like I am going to need to make a lot of holes...but they just look so different..." and according to the notes that he copied the sound comes from the air pressure that escapes from the holes. "You know what? Lets just start with the one first" which he meant was the whistle notch near the mouthpiece "and now for the others..." Bob decided that around three different sounds were enough so he only added two more holes and the resulting schematic looked really weird. His uncle seeing his difficulty told him that if it was not something that he was used to he should just try something simpler and Bob reluctantly agreed asking "what do you think I should do then?" Use only one thing and learn what is lacking for compensate? That would defeat the whole purpose of trying to combine things.

Bob was adamant and told his uncle "if that is how it is, I'll forget about the flute and work with the whistle and the horn" thus allowing him to neglect making so many holes. Bob tossed his schematics aside and drew the shape of the horn as a base this time and near the mouthpiece, another whistle notch. "The air is going to have to exit one way or another" he told his uncle and if Bob could control where, then he would get his two different sounds. He could figure that out next time because now "I am done. If you will allow me to borrow your tools for a while uncle?" he asked as he took out the horn he was going to work with. It was special in the way it was obtained and the way it was carved with and his uncle upon seeing it might probably think that his nephew is not such a deadbeat after all. Looking at his notes again, Bob got to work with making the horn. Most of the initial parts were already done when he got it fortunately so all he needed to add to it to get the sound was a mouthpiece. But that gave him problems deciding because "the less of the horn, the less sound it will make." Should he go with carving the mouthpiece in or making a completely new one? Something that he did not want to ask his uncle since the man already would know too much by now.

In the end he decided to go with carving the mouthpiece into the horn since he reasoned that if it had to be too loud then it would mean that his companions would be too far and too late to help him. This was where his uncle's surgery tools were used. Bob took up the bone file that his uncle thought him to use before when he was trying to get his nephew into the business and just like that time Bob could feel the pressure of his uncle's eyes on him. To see just how well Bob could operate. Trying to ignore that by telling himself that for as long as he was working on the tusk Uncle Marny was not around, Bob moved the filel towards the end that he would blow into until he heard his uncle cough. "Y-..." he wanted to ask until he remembered his uncle telling him once that during an operation he was not supposed to allow himself to get distracted, Bob tried to block his uncle off. Imaging the layout of the area, from the desk to the shelves and the very table he was working on, the spot that Bob knew his uncle was in his mind blotted out in a blank white. Taking a deep breath he started scraping on the interior of the end of the tusk in a cup shape since he wanted the horn to be as loud as possible. Especially with the sacrifice he had to already make with its length. Such a waste...

Maybe if another opportunity presented itself he would make a separate mouthpiece instead which he could switch in and out when he wanted. But since he already embarked on this he had to see it through. Bob took the drill which was used in some of the very strange surgeries that he never wanted to do, sticking it right into the middle of the cup to make the cavity inside bigger. Big enough to let the air go through unhindered. This tusk has been left alone for so long there was no telling what age has done with it and Bob wanted to make sure that even if he had no intended use for it the first time he got it, it was going to work well as a tool for signaling when he needed it, If something was stuck in it somehow and the sound did not get through then, what would happen to him? Such a scary thought that he did not want to think about.

And Uncle Marny gave a rough cough once more breaking off Bob's concentration when the whiteout began building on itself to reveal the man. "I don't do this when you are working do I?" he asked his uncle which remained silent for a while until he commented about Bob not working seriously. Sighing, Bob got to trying to ignore his uncle again trying to blot him out of the picture. At least since he was done with the mouthpiece he only needed to make the holes. Putting away the file he moved his hand over the instruments and realized that he did not know which one would do the job for him. "Uncle...do you know which one I need to use to make an incision?" he asked and maybe Bob did too good a job in trying to block out the distraction that was his uncle because he did not hear anything for a while. Only when he turned around to look at his uncle he was told to use the bone chisel. "You should have told me that earlier" Bob told Uncle Marny and took it up making an incision into the mouthpiece where the air could travel through and then the incision on the top near the mouthpiece that he drew on the diagram for the notch.

Gently tapping on the tusk's surface so that it would not break accidentally, Bob finally pierced through after some time and with the two holes took up the bone file again to smoothen the surface and add the slanted bit to the notch away from the mouthpiece. "How does it look?" he asked his uncle as he took it to his mouth and prepared to blow it if he was not stopped by Uncle Marny because he had patients resting in the building. "Fine, I will go and test it out some other time but right now since we still have some time before the day is done why don't we do something? It's been a while since I had your terrible cooking. Remember when that girl Aello used to say that?" Uncle Marny's food may have tasted horrible but Bob always knew that it was good for him. The man was a doctor and not a chef. Health was more of his priority than the taste and "with all the traveling I need to do I am sure you can make something to keep me energized."