“That’s it. Tack the leather there, and you can add a metal clasp.”

*****************************

“No, no! You have to dowse the blade in oil first, otherwise you’re damaging the tools and wasting your time.”

*****************************

“Wrap the string around itself thrice, then double back with the whole thing again at the end to secure it. Then you’ll have a bowstring that’ll hold for ages.”

****************************

[New Skill Acquired: Armorsmithing. Level: Apprentice. XP Gained: 300.]

[New Skill Acquired: Swordsmithing. Level: Apprentice. XP Gained: 300.]

[New Skill Acquired: Bowmaking. Level: Apprentice. XP Gained: 300.]

[Level Up! Current Level: 4 (XP: 100/800)]

~I straight up skipped a level by learning skills!? Dang…~

“Well, you did far better than I could have hoped, kid.”

The still quite intimidating figure of Forge Master Kane stood beside me, wiping his brow of sweat.

“I’m not sure if I should charge you extra for the free gear… Nah, it was pretty enjoyable working with the basics again, and they were quality materials - low level, sure, but still quality.”

Several items of gear now sat on the table in front of us, results of demonstrations that he had made as he walked me through each skill. The failed results of my own attempts had already been made into scrap, resources for future attempts.

~Ah, wait, I should ask him about that gem that was in the chest of materials!~

I removed the blue gem from my inventory, holding it in my hand. It sparkled in the fire light, shimmering on its many faces as the fire danced off to my right.

“Forge Master Kane, do you happen to know what this gem is? A merchant gave me a chest of goods after I saved him, and this was in it.”

He glanced over to me, wiping his hands off on the table. When his gaze landed on the gem, his eyes grew wide.

“YOU HAVE A SHIELD STONE!?” He roared in shock, snatching it from my hands and holding it up to the fire light.

~...What’s a shield stone?~

Forge Master Kane slowly calmed down, and the shock in his eyes faded away.

“I don’t know how the hell that merchant was stupid enough to give you a shield stone - though it’s in its raw form, so it’s possible he didn’t even recognize it.” He sighed.

“What a waste, you won’t even know how to use it until you become a Forge Master…”

A glint appeared in his eyes, and he suddenly turned to face me, looking me right in the eyes.

“I’ll tell you what, if you accept a quest from me, I’ll remake this equipment into gear worthy of a shield stone.”

Pulling a scroll out of his pocket, Forge Master Kane gingerly unrolled it, revealing a map with text handwritten along the bottom.

[Story Quest Offered! “Scratch My Back”, Reward: Armor Set (rewarded on acceptance)]

“I can have the armor ready in a couple hours, then you can set out for the forge. Sound good?”

He held out his hand expectantly, a greedy and excited glint in his eyes. I grabbed his hand and shook it, smiling.

~Seems like a good deal to me, especially since the dungeon’s probably got a ton of XP opportunities in it.~

“Wonderful, Miss Romula. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some top quality gear to make.”

And just like that, all of his attention immediately left me as he jumped enthusiastically into his work. I stood there awkwardly for a while, just watching him hammer away, but eventually I just decided to log off for the night.

~Time check.~

~I might as well head off, I have no confidence in my ability to complete either the bounty or the quest without my new gear.~

With a swipe of my fingers, I brought up the menu screen, and the world faded away at the touch of a button.

**********************************************************

The headset slid up onto my forehead, and with an extra push it came off of my head entirely. I gingerly sat it back on its charging station, next to the computer that it ran off of. For a moment, I just sat there, unable to muster the willpower to get up. But with a sigh, I pushed myself up, pushing in my desk chair behind me as I did so.

~Better go shower, I’m not going to want to fight over it with the other two in the morning…~

I clicked my phone on to check my texts, walking across the hall to the bathroom. I could hear the clicks of a keyboard and various game sounds from my brother’s room as I passed by - despite the advent of VR, computers were still more convenient in many cases, and non-VR games still had a major following.

Hey Ren, you ready for school tomorrow? Hyped to have you at my school, we’re way cooler than Boughton High.

We’ll see about that. Maybe you’ll be right, if you stop pestering me about joining cheer every day.

Come onnnnn, Ren, you know you’d be good!

*sigh* You know my plans, Kanna, I don’t have time for that even if I thought I’d enjoy it - which I don’t.

Pleeeeeeeeeease? T_T

*facepalm* This conversation literally goes the same way every night, Kanna, just give up on it.

Not a chance.

I sighed loudly, though she obviously couldn’t hear it. Having long since passed through the doorway of the bathroom, I sat my phone on the sink counter top, and began my nightly hygiene routine.