by S. R. Witt
Her voice echoed in his head. “If you hire someone, let them do the work you’ve paid them to do.”
“Alright, let’s give it a try,” Osmark conceded, a plan forming in his thoughts. “But do exactly what I tell you to do. No more, no less, understand?”
Horan nodded. “That’s what I do best.”
Begrudgingly, they left their spot against the wall and returned to the smelter as Osmark considered the blueprints. He reviewed them again and again, until he understood precisely what each step required.
“First, put on the gloves, and grab those tongs.” He waited as the man complied. “Take one of the ingots from the bucket with the tongs, and put it in the smelter,” Robert said, guiding Horan.
The smelter had cooled considerably once Horan had stopped pumping the bellows, but it was still hot enough to soften the ingots and make them more malleable.
When the metal’s surface glowed a dull red, and its crisp edges slumped into gentle curves, Osmark gave Horan his next order. “Now, grab the nugget and set it on the metal slab to the right of the smelter.”
Horan followed Osmark’s instructions to the letter, grinning like a fool as the ingot sagged into a glowing mound on the flat anvil. It wasn’t molten, but it had softened to the consistency of warm wax.
Robert grabbed a massive hammer from the rack next to the forge and exchanged it for Horan’s tongs. “Next, it’s time for the labor-intensive portion of our experiment. Smash that ingot flat as a flapjack.”
The mercenary nodded and took to the task with gusto. He planted his feet, squared up his shoulders, and swung the hammer into the ingot so hard the anvil rang like a church bell. The metal smushed and spread, nearly flattened with the first blow. By the third strike, it was a uniform sheet. So far so good.
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Racial Ability Unlocked: Overseer
Because of their reliance on social institutions for survival, human races (Imperials and Wodes) can acquire the racial ability Overseer. This ability allows you to command one NPC for every ten experience levels you have gained. The guided NPC uses its physical abilities, skills, and attributes, but the NPC uses your mental abilities, skills, and attributes to determine its success at the skills used under your command. The Overseer ability can be leveled through practice and use, but any additional specialized skills must be unlocked with Proficiency Points. All unlocked specialized Overseer skills can be upgraded a total of seven times (Initiate, Novice, Adept, Journeyman, Specialist, Master, Grandmaster).
Ability Type/Level: Racial, Active / Level 1
Cost: Racial Skill, Once a Day per 5 Character Levels (C.L.)
Effect 1: Command friendly NPCs in your party or faction to perform non-combat tasks.
Effect 2: Commanded NPCs temporarily gain the Overseer’s mental abilities, skills, and attributes for the given task.
Effect 3: Increase the skill increase rate of the NPCs under your command by 5%.
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Osmark’s breath caught in his chest as he read and dismissed the notice. When he glanced up, he saw the dwarf glaring at him from across the shop, and Osmark grinned back so hard his jaw creaked. This was it, the game changer he needed to ensure his place on the Imperial Throne, and now that he’d figured it out, nothing could stand in his way.
With Horan’s strength and Osmark’s mind, the duo hammered through the rest of the sheets in less than twenty minutes. As Horan quenched the last of the hammered metal in the bucket of water next to the forge, Osmark noticed another game prompt awaiting his attention.
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Crafting Profession Unlocked: Blacksmithing
The blacksmithing profession allows you to create finished metal products from a variety of different types of ore. This crafting profession requires a blacksmith’s shop for maximum effectiveness.
There are eight primary Crafting Professions: Cooking, Enchanting, Alchemy, Tailoring and Leatherwork, Engineering, Merchant-Craft, Blacksmithing, and Lapidary (Jeweler). All Professions, both Gathering and Crafting, can be unlocked and leveled through practice and use, but any specialized skills or abilities within a given profession must be unlocked with Proficiency Points. All specialized profession skills can be upgraded a total of seven times (Initiate, Novice, Adept, Journeyman, Specialist, Master, Grandmaster).
Gathering Ability Type/Level: Passive / Level 1
Cost: N/A
Effect 1: Increase quality of created items by 5% OR reduce required materials by 15% OR reduce production time by 15%.
Effect 2: All Stamina Costs associated with Blacksmithing are reduced by 10%.
Effect 3: Randomly increase damage of created weapons by 1-4 points OR randomly increase the base defense of created metal armor by 1-4 points.
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That second one would have been useful, Osmark thought ruefully.
Horan winked at Osmark. “I guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks.”
Osmark rubbed his chin. “Wait, are you saying you gained skills?”
Horan nodded. “Aye. Picked up a little blacksmithing. Was I not supposed to?”
A flicker of excitement lit up Osmark’s thoughts. This was even better than he’d first thought. If he could use the Overseer ability to train NPCs at the same time he trained himself, there were limitless possibilities. As he gained levels, he’d be able to train even more allies, which would give him access to more physical abilities, which would give them access to his mental abilities…
“Pretty pleased with yourself, eh, Mr. Fancy Pants?” the dwarf asked through a puff of choking black smoke, cutting Osmark’s thoughts short. “Let’s take a look at this garbage you and your henchman have turned out—see if I might not be able to salvage some of it.”
Osmark nodded, patiently ignoring the dig, and gestured toward the neat stacks of metal sheets he and Horan had created. “I think you’ll be surprised at the quality.”
The dwarf grunted and frowned. “I’ll be surprised if there is any quality.”
Robert watched anxiously, hands folded behind his back, as the dwarf strutted over and slowly appraised each sheet of metal in turn. He tilted them to look at their edges, running a calloused thumb along the side. Next, he pulled a pair of calipers from his worn leather belt and measured them at various points from the center. He even lifted one of the painstakingly hammered sheets and bit down on it with his thick front teeth. The dwarf’s craggy face betrayed no emotion. Beneath his massive beard, he could’ve been smiling from ear to ear or scowling in fury, and Osmark wouldn’t have been able to tell.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the dwarf set the last sheet down, folded his arms across his barrel chest, and nodded to Robert. “I have to say, Fancy Pants, you’ve surprised me.”
“I think you’ll find I’m full of surprises if you hang around me long enough,” Osmark replied flatly, though inside he was practically glowing with pride from having discovered a way around the physical limitations of his class. As long as Horan was around, that was no longer a concern.
“Suppose I could use an apprentice,” Rozak mused, scratching absently at his beard. “Just one apprentice, mind you, which means one salary. I don’t care if the old man works with you—lends a hand here or there—but I’m not paying him. Course, if you choose to compensate him from your pocket, that’s none of my business.”
Horan cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Osmark. I damned well better get paid, that look said.
Robert muttered, “Don’t worry, you’ll get your money.”
The dwarf reached beneath his beard and pulled out a smooth leather roll, bound with a piece of twine. “If you want the job, it’s yours. Just take the toolkit, and we can get started.”
Robert didn’t hesitate, not for an eyeblink. He snatched the leather bundle studded with tools from Rozak’s hand and felt a wave of relief wash over him. He expected a flurry of system messages informing him of his new class kit and at least one level gain. But there was nothing except blan
k ominous silence, which could only mean one thing: the quest hadn’t ended.
“Don’t go getting all goo-goo eyed on me,” the dwarf said. “There’s still one test left for you. If you can’t pass this, I won’t have much use for you as an apprentice. Most fools can figure out how to forge a sheet of metal with enough time and patience, but being an Artificer requires more than that.” The dwarf headed across the shop to an ornately carved door set into the east wall. It swung open on silent hinges as he approached, and had almost closed behind him by the time Horan and Osmark caught up.
The smith’s shop had been a dusty, dirty, crude place. The room beyond the door was something else altogether.
There were no hammers or mallets here, no blazing forges or hunks of iron waiting to be smelted. Instead, the walls were lined with glass-fronted tool cases, all filled with delicate tools. Osmark couldn’t even begin to identify all of the devices and gadgets, though he knew one day he would have to master every one of them.
“Don’t stand there gawking, boy,” the dwarf growled as he plopped his bulky body into a padded chair in front of a workbench and stripped off the thick goggles he’d been wearing. “I have work for you, yet.” His stubby fingers gingerly lifted another set of goggles, these much more intricate and fitted with hinged and telescoping lenses, from a rack above the bench. “You’ll need these.”
Osmark rested his toolkit on the bench to free both hands for the goggles. He slipped them over his head and adjusted the straps until the lenses were seated snugly over his eyes.
The dwarf tilted his head to one side and said, “Nah, you’ve got them all off-center. Catawampus.”
With a few deft motions, Rozak adjusted the contraption, and suddenly everything snapped into focus for Osmark. His vision had been serviceable before, but the goggles showed him the world in a way he hadn’t seen it before. Everything was sharper and rendered in finer detail—the fibers of Rozak’s clothes popping out, the smudges on Horan’s face taking on new dimension—but it wasn’t overwhelming. It just was.
“You can stare at tree leaves on your own time,” the dwarf said. “I want you to look at this.” He tapped his stubby fingers against an elegant weapon on the workbench—a cross between a flintlock pistol and a Tesla death ray—then pushed it toward Osmark. The weapon was all bright brass, polished dark wood, and copper tubing meshed together into something new, exotic, and beautiful. Carefully, Osmark picked up the pistol, examining the barrel, which was covered with elegant patterns and flowing runes. In his gut, Osmark knew those odd sigils meant something, but he couldn’t tell what exactly.
Not yet.
The barrel butted up against a firing chamber, which sprouted a pair of fine copper pipes from its rear, and instead of a firing pin, this weapon sported a bulging brass cylinder covered in decorative scrollwork. Osmark tried to puzzle out what he was seeing. “What is this?”
“It’s a repeater,” the dwarf replied. “A weapon no Artificer worth his salt would be without.” Rozak hooked a thumb toward the wall behind him, which housed a number of similar weapons on wooden shelves. “This one’s busted, though. Fix it, and it’s yours. Don’t fix it, and you’re done as my apprentice. I’ve no use for someone that doesn’t have the sight”—he tapped at the corner of one eye—“or the wits to use it.”
Carefully, Osmark set the broken repeater down on the tabletop and focused as if his life depended on it because in many ways it did. True, he might be able to fight off Sizemore and the rest of his bloody thugs without the unique skills of an Artificer, but that wasn’t in the plan. He’d have to retool, reconsider everything.
There wasn’t time for that.
Robert’s eyes played over the weapon from one end to the other. He felt a flutter of panic in his stomach. The pistol was exquisite, crafted with obvious care and attention to detail. He couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
He paused, dry washing his hands as he thought. “I’ve no use for someone that doesn’t have the sight.” That’s what Rozak had said a moment before. The goggles had to be the key here. They’d shown him the world in a way he’d never imagined, but maybe they could show him even more.
Robert swiveled a green lens in front of his left eye, and the world plunged into an emerald sea. But he saw nothing different about the repeater, so he rotated the lens away from his eye and back into its place. He stared at the weapon, forehead creased in concentration, and rotated a telescoping lens over his right eye. He adjusted the dials and tiny levers alongside the lens but discovered nothing new about the repeater.
Frustrated, Robert flicked one lens after another over his eyes, experimenting with a variety of different combinations, desperate to unravel the mystery the dwarf had placed before him. If he couldn’t fix Rozak’s repeater, all of his planning would come apart at the seams. No. He wouldn’t let this defeat him, not when he was so close.
Flick.
Nothing.
Twist.
Nothing.
Slide.
Noth—
Something.
A blue magnifying lens over Osmark’s left eye revealed a vivid red streak like a blood vein within the pattern running the length of the repeater’s barrel. The undulating line flowed from the weapon’s front sight all the way back to its firing chamber.
The crimson line within the pattern, however, was slightly different from the wave form it occupied. There was a tiny break in the red light midway down the repeater’s barrel, a minuscule rupture. Osmark leaned in to get a closer look, resting his elbows on his thighs, and noticed a jagged notch gouged through the complicated pattern etched into the metal. “Here,” he said, pointing to the damage.
“Good eye,” the dwarf offered with grudging admiration. “Being an Artificer is more than just knowing how to build machines. It’s more powerful than science alone and more flexible than the spells you’ll see mages bonding to weapons and armor. What you’ll learn bridges the natural and the supernatural, science and sorcery, in ways others can only imagine in their wildest dreams. There are a few who can manage what we can—mostly the Weaponeers and their ilk—but the gift is exceedingly rare.”
Rozak opened the case to his left and extracted a tool with a narrow shaft and a wicked point at its tip. “This is an engraving awl, and a finer one an amateur like you is unlikely to see. Take it. Use it to fix the repeater.”
Osmark returned his attention to the weapon before him and hunched over it to focus on the task at hand. The dwarf continued talking, his words not distracting, but soothing, calming, and focusing Robert’s thoughts.
“We control the secrets of the Divine Geometry,” the dwarf continued. “We combine ancient symbols and diagrams of power with the force of steam and ingenuity of science. We merge the two worlds to power our inventions.”
Osmark drew light strokes across the notched gap on the repeater’s barrel. Each movement left hardly a scratch, but Osmark knew he was making progress. The hair-fine lines he engraved into the weapon’s surface were nothing individually, but they were building on one another into something much greater than the sum of their parts.
“I could teach anyone the basic scrivening you’re doing, but the higher orders contain secrets only the most talented can master. A true artificer can craft mechanical minions to do his bidding. Some even claim to have re-created the ancient Weapons of Sundering.”
Osmark healed the repeater’s broken pattern with a final line etched with his steady hand. Blue light shot away from the tip of the engraving awl with a sizzling crack and flowed through the repeater’s restored pattern. The luminance soaked into the brassy metal and oiled wood, breathing new life and power back into the damaged contraption.
Rozak took the engraving awl from Osmark’s nerveless fingers. “Well, don’t just stand there, boy, pick up your new weapon. Take a moment to appreciate the work of your hands.”
Osmark raised the repeater from the bench and admired its ornate construction, feeling the comforting weight in
his hands and breathing a deep sigh of relief. It seemed at once too delicate to be a weapon and yet too refined to be anything else. A series of game prompts flashed across his vision.
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x1 Level up!
You have (18) unassigned stat points! Stat points can be allocated at any time.
You have (6) unassigned proficiency points! Proficiency points can be allocated at any time.
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Quest Alert: A Dwarf’s Dogsbody
You have completed the tasks set before you by Master Artificer Rozak Kulrath. He has recognized the value of your work and agreed to train you in the ways of the Artificer in exchange for your apprenticeship here in his workshop.
You have permanently received the Class Basic Artificer and have been granted a scalable toolkit from Rozak Kulrath.
Also, you have raised your reputation with the Tomestide township to Friendly.
You have also been rewarded 50 renown for completing this quest!
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Class Unlocked
Congratulations, you have been granted the Basic Artificer class and have unlocked the Basic Artificer skill kit! Each class has a variety of locked skills/abilities, which can be unlocked and improved by investing Proficiency Points earned while leveling up your character. Many skills require you to reach a certain character level before unlocking, and each unlocked skill can be upgraded a total of seven times (Initiate, Novice, Adept, Journeyman, Specialist, Master, Grandmaster).
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“A word of advice before you bugger off into the great wild. You won’t be able to use that repeater until you unlock the Firearms Skill in your new class tree. Weapons like these are specialty items, and only those with the proper know-how can use ’em, understand?”
