by Kit Falbo
Enchantment duration 1 day 11 hours 55 minutes.
If enchantments have a duration instead of staying, it’s barely worth the work put into making an item. Might as well have set up a booth before popular farming spots and collected a handful of copper for boosting players weapons.
“Stop lollygagging and work!” Byron yells from across the shop.
Angry, I grab another blade from the barrel and shove it into the furnace.
I had a plan, and this is a crack in it. Already I’ve spent so much just getting to play the game, booking the reactive room, arranging for a lunch service when I take my break, making it a rolling contract so I can keep my spot if I continue past the initial month. This is the gaming gold rush, and I’m going to be the man selling shovels to the miners.
I’m not paying attention. The blade is approaching white hot when I pull it out. It doesn’t even give me an xp bonus. This time I just start wailing on the blade. It can take my frustrations.
Bam! I could be at the park pulling in bills.
Bam! I could be taking lunch money from scrubs at dozens of different games while working Gamer’s Gate.
Bam! I could be helping grandfather, showing him the money I’ve saved up. Much of which is now invested in this game.
I let out a groan of frustration; a pop-up interrupts my thoughts.
Crafting complete.
I don’t know when it got quiet, but Byron is next to me. I look at the item info.
Terrible iron sword. Terribly crafted, terrible quality iron sword, 12 durability, 3-5 slashing damage. 20% chance to damage the welder.
Byron’s hand is on my shoulder squeezing. Not a gentle squeeze. If this was real, I imagine I would be feeling some pain. “YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE? YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?”
I hold my tongue to keep from saying, yes this is a game. He takes the embarrassment of a blade from my hand and shoves it into the hottest part of the furnace before taking it out and shoving it into a barrel of iron shavings letting them adhere to the hot metal. “You will remake this blade into something decent, or I will make sure you will never see the inside of a smithy again!”
It’s a new quest notification.
Repair your shame. Byron has tasked you with fixing your mistake. Rewards: you may continue training as a smith. Failure: you will be banned from all smithy’s in Lusania. Cannot be refused.
I have one thought for that, oh Shit.
Talk about shooting myself in the foot. I take the sword. It’s an ugly thing. Haphazardly lumpy from awkward beatings, with clumps of metal adhered to it. Even the balance feels wrong, which for a game is amazing. I think about putting it in the red-hot furnace, but instead lay the sword on the anvil grabbing more coal, feeding it to the furnace until, like with the first quest, it has a blue-orange quality.
I place the sword in the furnace and watch the arrow start to rise. Last time, I let it sit in there way too late, but the first time, I think I pulled the sword out too early. At least that’s what I hope. Once it is a little higher than it was the first time, close to the orange of the furnace, I remove the blade. A +3xp floats up, so better.
Taking the blade to the anvil, I start to follow the edge of the blade with my strikes, doing my best to keep up with the hand. When I get a +1xp with a strike instead of the usual +2, I cringe a little. I only hammer the same spot twice if it feels a little lumpy.
I get all the way along one edge, and the color is starting to fade. I shove the blade back into the fire hoping I’m making the right choice and watch the arrow rise again. I pull it out at about the same spot as last time. I get no bonus and wonder if I made a mistake. I cast True Nature and Strengthen on the blade. Nothing happens except the same pinkish +3 xp I got the last time I cast those spells. Even if I fail this, I’ll need to level up my enchanting profession anyway.
I work my way back along the other edge. There is no completion notification. And the blade still doesn’t look right. I flip the blade to the other flat side. Maybe it’s only halfway done? The heat is starting to fade from the blade, so I shove it back into the furnace. Either I’m doubling down on my mistake or, I hope, I’m doing it right.
The first blade ended up complete after I made it around the edge, but it had also cooled by that point. I know if I don’t hammer it right….
Lost in my thoughts, I almost leave it in longer than I should. I pull it back out, casting True Nature and Strengthen on the blade, depleting the rest of my mana before I start to work on the other side. I don’t reheat it again, knowing I can make it around before it finally cools.
Crafting complete.
I check the stats of the blade.
Decently crafted.
My heart drops when I see the rest.
Poor-quality iron blade. 20 durability, 4-7 slashing damage. Enchanted +2 searing damage, .5 second reduced cooldown after using combat abilities.
I look for a duration but find none. I get an achievement,
Nature of Enchanting. Enchanting’s greatest strength is while you are creating an item. +1 Wisdom. +10xp.
I feel glad but deflate a little. I can do permanent enchantments. The plan can still work, but with that quality, I’m about to be banished from working at all blacksmiths.
Byron had been watching while I was working. He takes the blade from my hand and inspects it. “So, you’re an enchanter?”
I nod.
He holds the sword out looking like he’s testing the balance. “This will do.”
Quest complete +50xp.
“But the quality was poor?”
Byron laughs, and I’m a little unnerved, “You think we give apprentice’s good iron? You can pretty much only get a poor-quality blade from what we give you. Those blades will be shipped off to the testing grounds for you Touched to beat dummies with. Though I must tell you, because you’re an Enchanter, I can only give you four copper per finished non-enchanted sword. I’ll give a silver for the enchanted ones. That’s to give you some incentive for not keeping every enchanted sword you make.”
“Thank you for giving me another chance.”
Byron yells, but not just to me, “Back to work!”
The other smiths had stopped to hear my ruling.
I pull another blade from the barrel and get back to work. I complete two non-enchanted blades before my mana is back to full, one poor and one decently crafted. I figure I can make every blade enchanted if I cast one spell on each blade. My attempt at that ends up with a single bonus of +1 rending damage. It’s a permanent bonus but doesn’t seem enough. I discard that idea as not worth it. I’ll stack enchantments to make the strongest blade possible for higher quality work.
I complete four more basic blades and two more fully enchanted ones before an alarm goes off telling me to log off for lunch. I tell Byron I’ll be back soon and log out.
I’m back in the reactive room, and suddenly I really need to pee. I barely notice such things in the game and rush off to the bathroom. I’m not the only player with the issue and must painfully wait in line. I do get to listen to other players chatting. “I’ve made level 3 and got the Slayer of Rodent’s achievement and unlocked my cleave skill. That prize money is calling me.”
“I think it’s calling everyone, I took my starting gold to the gaming house and doubled it.”
Starting gold? Maybe I should have gone to the training grounds.
“Only you would be lucky enough to do that, I lost most of my coin there,” quips the player behind me.
I have no temptation to brag about my enchanting; I haven’t even leveled yet. Grandpa tried to teach me the verbal aspect of chess hustling, using your mouth as much as your speed to distract your opponent. I prefer to just to be the better player. Doing online wagers soured me on it more, with its insults and shit talk.
It’s a relief to finally make it to the bathroom. When I get back to the room, my lunch service already has a meal and a two-liter bottle of water waiting for me. I try not to eat too fast, b
ut lunch does cut into the time booked for the room. I put my waste in the trash bin outside the door and slip my goggles back on. “Log on.”
It doesn’t immediately go back into the game and allows me to review my status and messages before entering the world. I’m a little shocked when I see I only have 305xp. I need close to another seven hundred before I level up.
It doesn’t make sense with all the small xp bonuses floating up while I smithed. I check my skills. Smithing is listed at 834 xp, almost three times my base xp. I look deeper into that and see a notification stating
Profession xp gains grant a 1/4 primary xp bonus.
Enchanting only has 45 xp listed under it. Maybe I can at least get the Smithing profession today, I’ve got three hours and twenty minutes left on the room.
I enter the world. It’s a thin portal that appears just outside the smithy before it disappears. I wave to Byron, “I’m ready to work more.”
I complete ten more swords, three of which are enchanted. A clock pops up informing me I have twenty minutes left. I know I pass a thousand xp in smithing, but still, no profession achievement happens.
I have six sword’s I enchanted as fully as I could to keep. I choose not to keep the one that has the temporary bonus. Waiting for Byron to be done with his task I take a small cart and bring the fifteen finished swords to Byron while awkwardly carrying the six I’ve enchanted for myself. He gives me a little more for the partially enchanted blade. It’s a total of 69 copper.
“Any suggestions on how I can carry these?” I ask, indicating the six swords. I try to give him a smile.
“Didn’t you go to the training grounds and get your gear?”
“I kind of skipped that.”
“I guess you did come in here with that silly gown. Hand me those coins back.”
I hand them back to him.
He goes to a set of drawers in the back corner of the shop and comes back with a small pink bag with yellow flowers stitched onto it. I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a purse except it is made to be tied on at the waist. “Wife’s old bag, she would be mad if I just gave it to you for free.”
“How do I…”
He just opens the bag and takes a sword, sliding it in until the bag swallows it. Right, magic game rules. Once he finishes filling it up with the six swords, he hands it to me. I’m penniless again. Maybe I should head to the training grounds after all. “Thank you. Do you want me to put the clothes back on the same shelf?”
He shrugs, “You’re coming back right? Keep them.”
I say my goodbyes and start walking south towards the training grounds with my last few minutes. If I’m going to go see them tomorrow, I might as well get started. I reach my hand into my new bag. A display pops up with fifteen slots, six of them full. I can use my finger inside the bag to highlight different squares and select the sword I want to pull out. It’s kind of neat.
After a short time, my clock approaches zero and I logout. There is still a line of people waiting to get into the immersion center as I’m leaving, I heard they were planning to stay open twenty-four hours a day until the game’s popularity fades out. I get my dinner from a food truck and take the bus home.
Chapter Three – Chess
The next day, when I enter the game, Jasper is waiting for me in the exact spot where I logged out. “That’s better than the robe. I swear I could see you naked through it in the sunlight at times.”
I suppress a laugh, “Well how did your day go, being eccentric?”
“There’s a cafe down that way. It’s easier to sit and talk than explain it in the middle of the road.”
I follow him to it. The place is mostly empty, most of the players are still working on their beginning quests near the training grounds. We find some seats at one of the many empty booths and sit down.
I touch the bag I’m trying not to think of as a purse. “I have to warn you. I have no money to pay for anything.”
“Then what were you doing all day yesterday?” Not waiting for an answer, he continues, “It’s okay. I can use some of the money I earned yesterday to get us drinks. It’s your money anyway.” He waves a waitress down and orders two caffs, giving her six coppers.
“I had to use all the money I made to get this bag.”
Jasper chuckles a little at the flowery pink bag. I pull out the six swords and set them on the table for him to see. He picks one up and looks at it.
“What do you think?”
“They’re not bad; the enchanters here really have a thing against making weapons, armor…well, anything that requires outside help. There’s a big rift between them and the smiths. It can take a lot of money to overcome that. I’m surprised the smiths let you do enchanting there, though being Touched, you guys are probably separate from all those politics.”
I put the swords away, and he pulls out his own bag. First is a coin purse. “Your eccentric idea really payed off. Three silver and forty-five copper, well thirty-nine now. I can’t remember there ever being so many odd jobs or people needing help before. That was with me refusing almost twice that amount asking for materials instead.” He pulls six more items out of his bag.
First is a rough gem, dark blue in hue with sparkles. I hold it, and a description comes up.
Raw starlight gem, Crafting material.
Next, a large ingot of metal, high steel, with a stamp of some kind on it. A mysterious, twisted piece of metal that just says unknown metal. A sheet of snakeskin. A razor viper hide. A bag with a dozen strange looking teeth and last, a polished twisted stick that seemed to hum, appropriately named harmonium root. Truth be told, I have no idea what to do with them. I can figure that out later. More importantly, I don’t need to go out and get them myself.
The waitress comes with the caff. It smells odd, like beef and mocha. Not thinking, I lift it up and get a gulp of air causing a small coughing fit.
“You okay?”
“Sorry, wrong pipe.” There is nothing to swallow, me forgetting this isn’t real tripped me up. Amazingly, I can taste it. I pick up the drink again and sip in the flavor. I look at the items, a little overwhelmed because I have no idea what to do with them. There are no official crafting guides, and the unofficial ones may be trial and error. “Jasper, do you know what these are used for?”
“The steel is obvious. I assume you made those swords.”
“Don’t think I’m a good enough smith to start from scratch. Maybe with some help. “
“I was a bookmaker, well an apprentice one. I could probably use the hide as a cover. Your best bet is to research at the library or ask some crafters. If you can trust them.” I perk up at hearing him mention a library. I love those, even outside the game.
“I don’t think I’m at the point I can reliably use any of them. If you do bring in a haul like this everyday, my bag will run out of space. Do you know of a good secure place to store the items?”
Jasper nods, “It’s pricey, but for a silver a month we can get a box at the bank that will hold fifty items.”
“Can you get that set up for us by the end of the day? Maybe before, if you need to clear out your bag for more space.”
“Sure. You going to want me to do the odd jobs around town some more today?”
“Probably, but first I want you with me while I check out the training grounds.”
He nods looking a little resigned, collects the items back into his bag and then finishes his drink before we head out of the cafe. He leaves two more coppers for the waitress as we go. I guess tipping is alive and well in Lusania.
As we get deeper into the southern part of the city, I see more and more players. None of them are wearing white robes. Instead, they are dressed in gray leathers. But I can tell they are players because they just act different from the NPC. A few are gawking like I first did. I see one poke a girl, an NPC in the butt with more curiosity than malice, only to get pulled to the side by his companion. We pass another smithy, groups of players are pounding away on swords of thei
r own. The competition is alive and well.
The training grounds are past the south wall, close to the platforms I entered the world on. I see a steady stream of robed players heading south toward the training grounds and geared players returning. All the players going out to the training grounds wear the starting uniform of white robes. The ones coming back into the city wear drab gray padded armor. All are being escorted by their companions.
I join the line of new players, drawing some looks. “How’d you get that gear?”
I look to the speaker, an elf with long blue hair. “Showed up yesterday but skipped out on the training grounds to roam the city. Going to see what I missed out on now.” The line wanders down past players using bows on archery targets, swinging swords at dummies and shooting spells at scarecrows.
Ahead, giant signs direct us to split up by name, A-C, D-F and so on. “It’s friggin’ college orientation all over again,” mutters one of the players next to me. I head to the A-C line. After waiting my turn, I’m in front of a grizzled soldier of an NPC holding a clipboard.
He looks me up and down. “You sure you got the right place son? I’ll know if you are trying to double dip in the supplies.”
I give him my best smile. It doesn’t seem to affect his mood. “Came in yesterday but chose to tour the city before heading here.”
“Aren’t you lucky. Lines were much worse the first day. Level of moaning I heard made me think we were handling children instead of people Touched by the gods. Name?”
“Chess, Sir.”
He snorts a little at my use of Sir and flips through the papers on his clipboard before checking something off. He reaches into the large box next to him and pulls out a small coin pouch, a bag, and a set of the gray clothing everyone is wearing. He starts to grab a very familiar kind of sword from a very familiar kind of barrel. “Oh, I don’t need that, I’ve brought my own sword.” With a grunt, he drops it back into the bucket and hands me the pile.