We found an excuse to leave Max's group in the bar reasonably quickly--Susie wanted to do some more crafting stuff, and so she, I, and Louise all went off to the comm center, first, where we put some things up for trade and I bought a few random low-level junk items so I could pull apart their enhancements with my Sage skill. For actually doing that, though Susie recommended squatting in the Smithy, where apparently crafting skills got something of a boost.

It should go without saying, of course, that both Susie and Louise seemed displeased at the idea of running with Max's crew, and I didn't disagree with them. So we actually took a bit of time and I sat and told them everything I knew about Max from my time in prison--how he was definitely a blowhard, and probably shouldn't be trusted any significant amount, but how he did seem to be mostly harmless.

Louise, and this did not surprise me, seemed like she was going to just quietly sit and accept what I said even though she privately disagreed. That kind of bothered me, but I did take both of her hands in mine and give her a solemn promise to keep her safe and that I was not actually going to hang out with Max long-term. That seemed to take the edge off of her concerns, although they didn't go away.

Susie, on the other hand, seemed eager to just bury herself in work and not think about it. If what she said about dealing with guys like Max before was true, she was probably just looking forward to it being over. I was similar, although I admit I was also a little curious to see Max in action. Somehow, my mental picture of Max just didn't match up to most of his stories about combat. If he was as reckless as he seemed, even with his friends there to help him, I had to figure he would have bit it a while ago.

Anyway, for now, there was crafting stuff to look into, since we had the time. I did some experiments, trying to see if it was worth it to me to absorb items before turning their enhancements to Forge Points. It was, more or less, though I think that had everything to do with the level bonus to the skill from working on Soulforged abilities.

I also spent some time poking at the skill with my Skill Sage ability, and in the process discovered the Skill didn't actually have any expansions for me to use Skill Sage on--instead, there was a blank list, with one entry written in a clearly inactive color, "[ Request addition... ]"

I frowned at it, and looked over at Susie. She was turning a junk item over in her hands, so I judged she was probably not deeply involved in what she was doing. "Got a sec?"

She looked up at me, wordlessly.

"So I have Skill Sage," I said as preamble, "and normally that lets me unlock new things for skills, right? But since I made the skill... or maybe because I only just made the skill, there's nothing but an option to request an addition."

Susie stared at me for a moment before blinking. "Request... a new Skill Sage thing?"

"Right, something you can spent points on to improve the power."

"More forge points from stuff," she said immediately. "The option to create new ones, to merge them..."

"I'll put in the obvious ones, yeah," I interrupted. "I just wanted to say, if you think of anything I wouldn't, let me know."

"Elemental shifts," she said after a moment. "I have some items with abilities that're the wrong aesthetic for what I was going for. And, uh..." she peered at the glove again. "The base enhancements, like Strength, for any given item seem to be locked. I'm sure they did that to keep us from screwing with it, but maybe an expensive unlock for that one...?"

I stared, nervously, at the mystery button before deciding to poke it before I forgot anything. A text box popped up, with a little eye in the corner with a slash through it, which was unusual. As I started to mentally write in the box, though, there was a split second where the eye flipped open before I ended up, once again, in a blank void.

It was different from the Administrators' void, though. Those had been white; this was black. And the person who stood in front of me seemed to neither be a puppet, nor human. Their skin color was off, their head was slightly a different shape, their clothes were not anything like I'd seen before, ...things like that. One thing, though, I felt certain about: she had gloves and an apron, and tools in her pockets, and on her belt, all of which spoke of her being some kind of craftsman, though I wasn't clear on exactly what.

"Hello, Jerry," said this new figure, and with a gesture, two chairs, a table, and a couple glasses appeared in the void, all identical to what I'd just left in the bar. "Pleased to meet you. You can call me the Artificer, if you like."

I stood there for a moment, in shock, before deciding that after all the shenanigans I'd been through, I could handle this, and I stepped towards the closer chair and took a seat. "I'm pleased to meet you," I said in reply. "Are you the... god, in charge of dealing with these things?"

The figure, who I was beginning to suspect was female, assuming her species was anything like ours, just snorted. "I am not a god, Dungeon or otherwise. I'm sure you're tired of hearing it, but I can't give you the specifics, and unlike them, I'm not eager to leak you any information, either." She also took a seat, moving the chair with a force of will, though she also moved her hand to do so. I studied her motions, wondering at the difference between her, Ethanic, and the Administrators. "After all, unlike the gods, I am one of your enemies."

That... put the glass on the table in front of me in a different light. I studied it, wondering if she was going to tell me whether or not the contents were poisoned, but after a moment, I simply decided to take it on faith and drink from it. It turned out to be apple juice, which was... a weird choice, but it didn't seem to be any kind of drugged or poisoned thing that I could tell.

"When you say enemy--"

"I'll only say that your people are destined to fight me," she said, swirling her glass with a gesture from one finger, rather than picking it up. "I can't, and won't, tell you more."

I studied her for a long moment, but it was Merry piping up that broke the stalemate. Pretty sure she's from one of the dead civilizations, that the key visited. It's not like the stuff I got was clear, but... uh... I think she might be from the last one, actually.

I frowned. "You're from--"

As though she'd been waiting for me to figure it out, the Artificer immediately changed the subject. "So you, Jerry, are the Origin of a skill, and so you'll be the primary test of its function. Since only you and your second have it so far, and since you both are low level, I'll be counting on you to experiment with it and give me honest feedback. Please don't think that you will be able to manipulate me into a better outcome; as complicated as the subject is, I am the very definition of a professional."

She raised her other hand, the one that wasn't idly toying with her glass of apple juice, and pointed at nothing, where a menu appeared in glowing neon-like script--clearly, the same menu I'd just been looking at, but filled in a bit more:

[ RECYCLE EFFICIENCY (TIERED) ] [ UNLOCK RAISE ITEM LEVEL ] [ UNLOCK COMBINE IDENTICAL ENHANCEMENTS ] [ COMBINE EFFICIENCY (TIERED) ] [ ELEMENTAL SHIFT ] [ UNLOCK ITEM PROPERTY MODIFICATION ]

I frowned at the list. "Tiered means there are various levels, right? Like--"

"Yes."

I nodded; I'd seen things like that before. "What about creating--"

"That's too powerful."

"What are--"

"Item properties are the basic attributes of an item, including attack power and weight."

I frowned, not entirely enthusiastic about having my questions answered before I finish asking them. The thought about creating new enhancements, though, reminded me that some of the things I'd gotten from the Administrator were very unusual--including the otherwise-worthless Administrator Notes. "What about making cosmetic enhancements? Flavor text, that kind of thing?"

The Artificer looked up from her glass to stare at me. "Text wouldn't be worth spending points to unlock. I'll adjust the power slightly so that any item modified by Enhancement Sage has a custom entry whose text can be edited with the power."

I thought back to what I'd seen before, as well. "Also... you can affect visibility for these things, right? I've had ones that were hidden--"

What appeared on the list for that was "UNLOCK ALTER ENHANCEMENT CONCEALMENT LEVEL", which was a mouthful. Or, really, a screenfull, I guess.

I considered other things I'd seen. "Add and remove conditions on an bonus? I assume the power cap raises when something has a condition."

She nodded, not bothering to respond, again, as another entry appeared on the list.

"Are there any other cosmetic things you can do with enhancements? I know Susie, and others, would love the ability to--"

"You realize that people will count on this ability to survive in the Dungeons, right?" The Artificer deliberately met my eyes, and held them, and the longer I looked, the more I felt like I was brushing up against some unfathomably deep darkness. I shivered, and looked away.

"They will," I said, after a moment. "But they'll also want to make items as a business. Little details can make a difference."

The Artificer huffed out a noise, a little squeaky thing, that I am sure meant something in her culture but didn't at all to me. As though under protest, an entry for "UNLOCK CREATE COSMETIC ENHANCEMENTS" appeared.

"Other than that..." I shook my head. "I think that's probably all for now. How often do you think you would be available to meet like this? Instead of just using the text thing?" Not that I'd gotten to use it, but I was sure that the point of the box I'd seen before--an ability to leave a message, or an opportunity to meet if she was available.

"My work is on-demand and not scheduled" said the Artificer. "There is no way to predict when I will or will not be available. Additionally, I do not wish to imply that I am willing to entertain regularly."

"That's fair." I stood up and, for lack of a better option, bowed slightly. "Thank you for meeting with me."

She didn't immediately eject me, though, and I looked at her, still sitting there, one hand pointed at the screen in midair, the other, now frozen, still pointed at her glass of juice.

"I hope for your people's sake that you manage to win," she said, after a long moment of silence. "It... takes more hard work than anyone from your world yet knows. I hope you understand that."

I did, but I wasn't sure what to say in response.

"From the very start, you have to try your best. Some of the earliest mistakes can be the most lasting ones." She brushed, suddenly, the glass of juice off the table, and it fell off into the void as though there was no such thing as a floor. "It creates a culture, a precedent. Be careful what you are known for, Jerry. Others will follow in your footsteps."

And then I was in the Smithy, and both Louise and Susie jumped out of their skins as soon as they saw me.

"So, that was interesting," I said into the stillness.

"Did you meet with a God or something to talk about the skill?" Susie frowned. "Why would you have to go to the Tower--"

"It wasn't a god. It was... something else." I let myself get distracted, though, by Louise, who seemed upset. I took her hand and tried to read what her eyes were telling me, but somehow, she didn't voice it, and I couldn't quite figure it out.

Somehow, it reminded me of back after I'd gotten Merry, and we were lying in bed, and all Louise had asked me was... was whether or not she was crazy. At the time, instinctually, I knew that she meant... that she... I frowned. I'd replied almost on instinct; it had made sense at the time. But looking back on it, what I'd said somehow seemed presumptuous, almost pretentious. And yet...

"So did you get the skill upgrade stuff?"

I frowned and shook off the thought. I opened my Skill Sage window again and looked at the list, which was filled out--but also, it was suddenly too complicated. "It's there, but my list is screwed up, I think because I'm the Origin. Things are already unlocked, but also, I have the option of relocking them... I... I don't know," I said, somehow unwilling to voice some of the extra additions.

Uh, yeah, bro, about that, broke in Merry. Sorry to say it looks like the alien lady slapped some kind of censorship thing on you while we were in there. Pretty sure you actually can't talk about it.

I frowned and looked over the list. There were numbers on the "RECYCLE EFFICIENCY" upgrades--percentages that must be directly applied to the value of an enhancement when it's used. As soon as I thought about mentioning the numbers, though, something in me reacted. A pressure built in my head, and somehow, I just never actually got close to saying it--the act of trying to speak just became a battle of will that distracted me entirely.

Oooh, yeah, I felt that. Merry studied whatever was going on. It's complicated enough I can't just, like, poke at it and fix it. Maybe if I had a long while to look at it, but it's definitely made knowing I was in here. It's, like, locked, I guess.

I shook my head and spoke out loud. "Apparently I'm not allowed to talk about some of it. Even Merry can't get around it."

"Not a huge surprise," was all Susie had to say. "So when will you be able to unlock anything for me? I know these things are usually pretty expensive..."

So I had her bring up her Skill window, and tapped it to link it to my Skill Sage. As expected, even though her Growth Rank was increasing (far more than my own), she didn't have the points to spend on anything--even the lowest tier of upgrades were 25 points, and that was still beyond her. The way Growth Points work, you'd have to have either a whole mess of low-rank levels, or at least five to ten higher-rank levels in order to afford anything useful. And unfortunately, that meant understanding the depths of the skill's complexity, which were still beyond us.

So she went back to her experiments with the skill, and I spent a good couple minutes trying to remember where my head had been before she interrupted. And then... I remembered, with Louise and the unsaid things and the thought, just the thought, that... that we had communicated in some unspoken way.

And that led me to remember that I had recently unlocked the Telepathy skill. And I turned and looked at Louise, who was still looking at me, and I pulled her aside. Because... well, because. "I, um," I paused, and realized I was very nervous. "I... don't want to do anything without asking you first," I said, "but I... recently was able to unlock the Telepathy skill. And I feel like... like I'd like to understand you, and..."

She took my hand, and looked me pretty hard in the eyes for a long minute. "Later," she said, after a moment, and I let it be. I guess... in the end, it wasn't a great time for it, yeah, but if we had an unspoken thing going... well, was there really a reason not to have a more definite unspoken bond?

I mean, it depends, offered Merry. I dunno how you humans are for understanding each other's thoughts, but you don't put a lot of filters on your own. I mean I appreciate the trust and all, but you do just let me see and feel everything going on in your head, and well, it's kinda... I got an impression of a shrug from her. Not skillful? Like, I don't know the ranking system at all, but I wouldn't say--

Okay, I get it, I snapped back at her testily. I don't mind learning or anything, you know. I figured you'd tell me if there was a problem.

Maybe we'll do that. I got a sense of a nod from my fairy. Not now, obviously.

I nodded idly and went back to try to mess with my items, trying to grasp any sense of my new skill's sense as I activated it, without any real success.