Forged Legacy

Harvey awoke to the rumble of snoring as morning’s first light broke through the window. Stretching his arms wide, he recoiled when his hand brushed against matted fur. His heart skipped a beat until he realized it was just Buttercup’s butt, which had somehow ended up pointing right at his head during the night. He’d argued against letting the deer sleep inside, but eventually relented when Hannah reminded them he could literally tell her whenever he needed to go use the bathroom.

It was a unique advantage most pets didn’t have, but it also meant Hannah could tell him to send any midnight farts Harvey’s direction. Still, it was nice having his friends close.

They’d had a productive afternoon yesterday, and he’d been able to claw his way to his eighth profession level while blasting through another batch of nails, hinges, and hammers for the building crew. Leveling up making those simple building materials was getting harder, and he’d need to start working on more useful items soon if he wanted his contribution to Veils End to be anything more than providing creature comforts for the Veilstriders. Repairing houses was great, but they’d need weapons and armor if they wanted those homes to be anything more than a pit stop on their way down to hell.

He’d put his two free points into Strength, deciding it needed the boost if he wanted to make the most of his new weapon. After some preliminary testing, he couldn’t be happier with how his new hammer paired with the Flamestrike skill. So far, he’d only tried it against rocks and trees since no one was brave enough to spar after seeing gouts of flame erupt like a rocket blast, but the splintered craters in the forest behind his shop spoke volumes.

He’d have to take another trip into the mines today and test it out on a real foe, but he didn’t want to leave before seeing what profession Elena got. Maybe he’d try making a few knives too, not for killing, but as a utility tool. He couldn’t count how many times he’d wished he had a knife handy, but all they had were unwieldy swords or tiny chisels. Making a few would help him practice hammering an edge while he worked up to the swords and spears they’d use against the undead.

A week ago, the infantry weapons John sold seemed impossibly extravagant. Now, as the merit bounties for killing higher-level monsters climbed, he realized that most people would have decent gear by the time the Undead arrived. The only way his blacksmithing efforts would be anything more than a personal power-up was if he made weapons from the essence-infused ore that outclassed the shop’s. He had no idea what kind of benefits a weapon like that would have, but there had to be some, considering how vital essence was to the System.

“Sorry, guys. It’s about to get hot in here.” Harvey announced, piling coal into the firepot and tossing in a match.

“I swear, Harvey, you make me hate you every single morning. Eventually, I won’t be able to like you again by the time I fall asleep.” Hannah groaned, her voice muffled by the cloak she used as a pillow.

“You’ll get over it.” He laughed, opening the back door to retrieve a batch of normal and essence-infused ore. He could prep his materials while he waited for Elena to head over. He was tempted to knock on Gary’s door and drag her to the Loom, citing his generosity in buying the guide as an excuse for rushing her, but he restrained himself. He didn’t want to be the kid who couldn’t wait for their friend to open the birthday present they’d bought them.

Her profession excited him for two reasons. One, she’d be able to start leveling again without him having to drag her out hunting. She’d probably hit a plateau at some point without leveling her class, but maybe the extra stats from her profession levels would give her the confidence to give hunting another shot. If not, she’d at least have some strength to protect herself when the Undead showed up.

Two, inscriptions seemed like a complementary path to his own. If it were anything like what he expected, she’d provide a boost to the effectiveness of his creations. He’d make a sword, and she’d improve it with some fire enchantments or something. He’d bet money that her inscriptions would perform better on essence-infused materials, so he should at least make a pair of knives so she could compare the two.

He’d cleaned off the shoddy mud patches he’d used to seal the forge and replaced them with clay the night before, and was satisfied to watch the temperature in the firepot rise faster while leaking less heat than before. He saved some to bake into molds of ingots and rods, unsure if the material was suitable for his needs, but willing to test it out. By the time Elena finally knocked on his door, he’d melted and poured all his material for the day.

“Hello? Good morning!” She called out, pushing the door open. “Oh, sorry, Buttercup.”

The buck was napping in the entryway, but didn’t seem bothered once he saw who’d bumped him.

“You’re fine. It’s too cramped in here for a big, strong boy like him anyway. Come on, Buttercup, let’s go for a walk.” Hannah cooed.

Harvey knew that Buttercup couldn’t actually understand her. They communicated telepathically, so her constant doting was for their benefit. With a snort, the buck rose to his feet and carefully maneuvered his antlers through the doorway and into the cold morning light.

“Morning! Enjoy your night?” Harvey asked with a smile.

“It was definitely… interesting.” Hannah sighed.

“Interesting… as in a really interesting book that you definitely finished already?” Harvey sang, starting slow before rushing to the end.

“Yeah, I read it. I was headed to the Loom when I realized you’d hate me if I didn’t let you come watch.” She laughed.

“I wouldn’t hate you, per se, but you definitely made the right choice! I can’t wait to see what inscriptions are all about. I have so many theories.” Harvey chirped.

Julian joined them, and they walked toward the church. To his surprise, there was a line of people waiting for a turn at The Loom. With the wall finally finished the day before, people had time again for hunting and profession work. That meant new skills were being created constantly, and the dusty old church was in service once more. People watched reverently as Veilstriders took turns transforming mundane experiences into magical skills, and a roar of applause erupted with every tattoo etched onto a Veilstrider's body.

He almost needed to cover his ears, afraid his vitality wouldn’t save him from going deaf, but he cheered all the same. He wanted the Undead to hear them celebrating. To know that Veils End wasn’t going to lie down and die. The Veilstriders were fighting back.

When it was finally Elena’s turn, she hesitated. He could see her hands gently shaking, and her mix of brown and black hair bobbed as she turned between him and the Loom.

“I know you were disappointed with my skill. Hopefully, it’s different this time.” She whispered.

“Who told you that?” Harvey asked.

“Nobody... but I could tell. I may not say it loud enough, but I know how much you’ve invested in me. I still don’t understand why. I’m no good in a war… I’m not a killer, and I never will be. What is it you want?” She asked, the words catching in her throat.

“You won’t believe me, but all I want is for you to be safe. Part of that is helping you raise your stats, so I tried to get you a profession you’d fall in love with. That way,” Harvey paused, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, “you can still get stronger, but with a smile on your face.”

Elena paused, her eyes watering as she strained to maintain his gaze. He didn’t understand where all this emotion was coming from, but he wasn’t going to embarrass her for getting it out. For once, he didn’t reach for a fix the second tears started flowing. He just let her feel it.

“O-Ok. Thanks, Harvey. It’s not lost on me that you’ve spent a small fortune helping me already, and after my reading last night, it sounds like I’m going to need a lot more help in the future.” She replied.

“Not a problem,” He reassured her, “especially if this profession is as useful as I’m imagining it’s going to be.”

A wicked grin cut offset the tear running down her cheek, her red eyes going sharp as she laughed. “Oh, it will be.”

Steadied, she placed her hands on the crystal ball, and Harvey took his seat on the pew beside the loom. Floating in the space between her and that cosmic mystery, he saw visions of her reading the guidebook mix with art she’d created back home. He’d reminded her to check every combination she could think of, so it took a few minutes before the cosmic replays in the space between melted into the Loom. Where he’d been infused with red, orange, and silver thread, Elena was swarmed by every single color. It wasn’t that her profession was stronger than his, but that it needed a bit of everything the Loom had to offer.

He winced as a panicked scream escaped her lips, dozens of threads snaking their way into her weave, but it wasn’t long before the loom settled and the rainbow haze retreated.

“Are you ok?” Julian asked.

“Yeah. I’m all right. It didn’t hurt as badly as I thought it would. It just scared me. Sorry, everyone!” She winced, cheeks rosy as dozens of nervous Veilstriders stared at her.

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“Congrats! Now don’t keep us waiting, share the screen!” Harvey encouraged.