The Apprentice of Arabella

by Matthew Kent

  Just as I stretched Dale spoke to me. ”Aye Lorcan those are fine looking knives,” he said as he picked one of them up for a closer examination. “Aye that will do lad, that will do.“ He examined the shop and the workspace that had been used. The tools were racked properly, the space was clean, perhaps even cleaner than it had been before I had started. “Aye, lad you can use the smithy when I’m here but only if I’m not occupied on the forge, and sometimes I may request your help”

  Quest completed: Make 2 drawn knives for the black smith.

  Reward: Permission to use the smithy and 200 xp.

  I smiled at the quest notification I had received, and knew what a boon it was to get the use of the master smith’s work space. “Thank you sir,” I said, smiling and held my hand out to shake. ”Thats very kind of you.”

  “You are welcome. You aren’t like most of the travelers who come here, thinking my shop is theirs to use,"

  The afternoon found me traveling from shop to shop in the town, looking for training in various skills, and searching out recipes. While it was true my real life skills had been allowed to somewhat carry over, I still lacked a lot of the practical knowledge that was required in-game, such as common recipes that other players learned from their teachers. I decided that I would remedy that, and I hoped to find scrolls with new spells I could to use.

  As I thought, it reminded me of the scroll that Ahohako had dropped. Pausing in the street I opened My pack and read the precious scroll.

  You have learned the spell: Burning hands: the player shoots fire from his hands in a forward arc. Mana use: 20 per second Damage: variable.

   The new spell might come in handy I thought. Now, if I could just test out my theory. To do that, I would need to find a kiln or a smelter. I filed the idea away in my mind for later and continued to seek out the rumored hedge witch/alchemist in the town. Eventually I found her shop. It was run down and a bit dilapidated. “Who comes in my door” She said as I entered the room.

   “I’m Lorcan a traveling bard?” I said to the disembodied voice.

   “And what do you want?”

   “To learn and maybe buy a few things.”

  At the last words, a weathered old head of a woman popped around the corner. She was short, what most would call dumpy, and her hair looked like a matted rats nest of gray mop strings.

   “Buy? Travelers don’t usually buy.”

   “No, but most of them have no appreciation for alchemy.”

  She harrumphed in agreement.  “What are you looking to buy?” She asked suspiciously.

   “Nothing to extravagant:, recipes for potions, nothing rare. It's just I have skill from my old life, but…”

   “But here, you’d have learned a few different things." She eyed him, and then smiled “two gold for all that you lack up to your current skill, then you will work in my lab to learn them true. I’ll provide the herbs, you the labor.”

   “Thank you,” I said as I fished out the coin from my bag. As I did, one of the greenish rock crystals fell from the bag. I bent down to pick it up but before I could, I felt the old woman seize my hand. At first I thought it was an attack, but then I realized I had taken no damage.

   “Please, may I see that?” She gestured at the rock he held casually. Handing it to her, she examined it. She struck a small ceramic plate with the crystal, and examined the streak it made on the tile. Nodding, she said, “you have some cabornium there, it's rare. Often used for potions, it's a catalyst when refined.”

   “Thank you. Are there any other uses for it”

  She thought.” I hear dwarfs use it to strengthen their bronze armor. Once it's mixed in, the bronze can’t be melted again. Good for armor and weapons to be used against dragons, or so I’ve heard.”

   For the next few hours until dark, she taught me how to make five recipes, that she gave me. Again, I was saved days of toil and drudgery in the making of the potions. Still, I was required to chop, grind, and boil the potions. Each only took between five and ten minutes apiece, but the old woman had me make each recipe five times. When I was done, I saw the notifications.

  You have learned how to make a Health potion +150 hp when taken.

  You have learned how to make a Mana potion +150 Mana when taken.

  You have learned how to make an Energy potion +150 energy when taken.

  You have learned how to make a Fire bomb 30-45 Area affect Fire Damage When used.

  You have learned how make a Strength potion +3 to Strength when taken.

   It had already been a very full day. I trudged off to the inn, and a nights rest. I paid for a room, and logged out before showering and crawling into bed for my own long nights sleep.

  X X X

  Over heard from the Tak 9 radio frequency Fox Valley Georgia prefecture New United states.

  “Hey, Prentice what does this mean?” Agent Dabrowski said as she pointed out a sticker on the side of the filing cabinets in James Wulf's shop office.

  He leaned in and carefully read it Warning cabinets may contain Nitro Cellulose extreme fire hazard. “Hell if I know, now get ready to light it up.”

  Note from Georgia prefecture EPARD

  Jimmy what the hell happened down there, and how did we lose two agents? Find out soon and I better not hear “unforeseen accident.” By definition all accidents should be unforeseen.

  Thomas Whitworth

  Sir, we don't know. It looks like the office must have been booby trapped. There was an explosion that knocked the windows and doors out. Debris from the roof rained down on the construction crew. All we found in the rubble was burned stuff. It looks like a considerable amount of bones and other things. We can't find the Agents Prenticeor Dabrowski; and we aren't sure if any of it is their bodies. We have an investigator going over everything we have collected.

  Jimmy Main

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Chapter 12

  A great clamor from the hallway woke me early the next morning. The sound proofing in the building was good, but obviously not able to stop everything. I poked my head out to see what was going on, but by the time I looked the hallway was clear. The crono read three am. The witching hour. I crossed myself and said a quick prayer, before going back to bed for a few more hours of sleep.

  When I next awoke, it was the more sane hour of six. Refreshed after a good nights sleep, I stretched then dressed in some of the new clothes I had bought. Serviceable blue jeans a gray t-shirt, and then I was about my day. The cafeteria was fuller than I expected it would be. The room was a buzz with players as they talked in excited, nervous whispers. Queuing up in line and I received my food; reconstituted eggs, faux bacon, and toast. The toast was good, it's hard to mess up toast, I sighed It’s sad when the toast is the best part of the meal. I found one of the other gamers I had previously spoken with and asked “what's up?”

  He looked at me, incredulous. “Didn’t you hear?”

  “No, what?”

  He looked furtively around.

  “Two players are locked in their capsules and can’t get out of the game.”

  “Wai,. how do they know they are trapped? That's not supposed to be able to happen," I replied.

  “No, it's not. And further more, they can’t locate where they are in the game world to ask what happened.”

  “Wow,” was the only thought I had. “Which players?”

  “The Bolo brothers.”

  “UH oh."

  “You know something?”

  “I might. The other day they were pressing me about a possible quest. And I gave them a bullshit answer to get rid of them. The thing is, I told the Valks the same thing.” Now it was my turn to look around wildly.

  “Yeah, that may sound suspicious, but the Valks are fine. See...” he said as he pointed out Eira and Malik coming through the door. I sighed, then finished my tray and left. He felt like I had to check out Dros Drin, but only after he had leveled some more and created a few goods to sell. I readied himself
for the pod allowing his mind to sink into the game as the shell of the pod closed over me.

  X - X - X

  I woke on-line and started my calisthenics to once more familiarize myself with my body. The balance differed slightly from my actual self, and it helped to limber me up and clear my mind for the day. That's when I noticed my chat notifications and opened them.

  Ahohako; Bruce and I know it was you and we will be waiting outside the town for you. You can’t escape. We’re going to kill you back to zero and we’re gonna get the dwarf too.

  God, I thought, what pricks, trying to shake someone down. Then to get pissed because you got hurt. I shrugged and went down to the inns common room. “Inn keeper,” I said respectfully on spotting the man.

  “Ah, sir Lorcan, you are up early this morning.”

  “’Early to bed, early to rise makes a man health, wealthy and wise,’" I quipped

  He harrumphed ”More like damned tired.”

  I smiled. "By the way I feel silly calling you ‘Inn keeper’ all the time…”

  He harrumphed again. “It’s Thomas.”

  “Thank you, Thomas. I need to get headed out, but I’m curious. Is there a pottery nearby?’

  He nodded. “Yeah Nan down the road, near the tanners.” He said blandly.

  I reviewed everything I knew about black smithing in the game, and the smelting of metals. I didn’t know if what I was going to try would even work here, but it just might. First, I would need to see if the kiln would fit my needs. Why use a kiln? Well, they are usually a good size, and they are designed to create heat well in excess of two thousand degrees for stoneware, and with the right design it can easily reach twenty-five hundred. This is just using wood, with coal it will go hotter-about thirty five hundred degrees. Iron melts at twenty-eight hundred degrees. In the real world. I thought that if I used a kiln with wood and coal, I could make a crucible steel using clay pots with lids as my sealed crucibles. I would use some of the teeth and bones to help purify the final product, by it acting like a flux.

  I soon saw the tanners, and then a way past it I saw the pottery. The hut was wattle and daub; there were long sheds where I assumed pieces were stored or dried before going into the kiln. I approached the hut and knocked.

  “Back here.” I heard from the rear of the house.

  I went around and saw a fenced area that held a contraption with a mule attached to a balance beam, with the mule walking in a circle turning the gears.

  “Hello” I said holding out my hand to the woman. “Nan?”

  “Yep. I’m Nan,” she replied “Who are you, and how can I help you?”

  “I’m Lorcan, I was hoping to see your kiln, buy a few pots with lids from you, and maybe rent your kiln for a time.”

  “Rent my kiln?”

  “Yes I have an experiment I’d like to try.”

  “How much are you thinking?”

  I rubbed the back of my head in thought. “Say a gold for the use of the kiln along with the wood.”

  She stuck out her hand. “Agreed, and the size of the bots you need?”

  I held out my hands for the size. ”About this tall and this wide.”

  “Aye I have a few of those, they are twenty Coppers apiece.”

  “Do you have ten of them?” I asked.

  He again stuck out her hand, and we shook the bargain. That was how I found myself with the use of her kiln. It turned out, she used a beehive style kiln, with a large area underground and fire brick built up around it. Not the best, but it could easily help me reach the temperatures I needed. I went to the blacksmith’s and got a load of coal for ten silvers, a few pounds of charcoal, and any of the scrap iron he could part with for an additional twenty silver.

  When I got back, I began working. In each pot I put in a layer of charcoal, bones then the iron ore I had mined. Then, I sealed the pots with the lids and a mixture of clay and water. I was able to prepare six crucibles this way. I did the other four using the teeth instead of the bones, and added the carbornium that I had collected. I placed the sealed jars inside of the kiln close together, then layered in the wood and charcoal around the jars and on top of them. Finally I stood back and cast burning hands at the entrance to the kiln to get the blaze going. I poured my Mana out like it was water. I let the fire rage in the kiln.

  I rested, and when my Mana was full once more, I cast burning hands again. The second time, Nan looked on, then shook her head. I think I heard her mutter about the abuse I was putting her poor kiln through. But I didn’t worry. She had been well compensated.

  Maybe thirty minutes later I received a notification.

  You have discovered the recipe for Crucible steel. You receive a patent for crucible steel and 4,000 xp.

  You have discovered the recipe for Star steel. You receive a patent for star steel and 8,000 xp.

  You receive experience for 6 Crucible steel ingots: 600 xp.

  You receive experience for 4 Star steel ingots: 800 xp.

  You have gained a level. You are now level 9.

  You are now a Journeyman miner. Forge new paths in your efforts to discover the resources of Arabella. You receive the title of Journeyman miner and 4,000 xp.

  You receive plus 4 to Strength.

  You receive plus 4 to Intelligence.

  You receive plus 4 to Wisdom.

  I was stunned by the rewards, and I would definitely have to figure out what the patent system was. The fire had died out, and when I looked in the kiln. I found that the jars were still slightly glowing, but they were dimming quickly. Soon I was able to pick them up. I smashed one of the jars and examined the raw bar inside. It was a dull silvery gray. On the top was a dark scale , cast off material and slag. I read the description.

  Crucible steel: This steel is imbued with the strength of your enemies. +5% to quality and durability

  I smiled at the thought of what I could do with this. I already had plans to craft new tools, but perhaps I had a choice for the skull I had found. I needed new weapons, and I much preferred something sturdier than the short sword I had been using. I was so going to surprise the blacksmith with this. I pondered the best all around hammer I could make and decided it would be a Brazeal style rounding hammer in the four pound range. It was considered one of the best all around forging hammers for multiple jobs, although I thought a Japanese Tezuchi sword smith hammer might be nice for weapon crafting. They had a wedge free way of making the handles. I’d have to see what the system would allow.

  If I went with the Tezuchi though I’d also need to find a striker and make a mukozuchi for him to use. I mused, as I collected my fresh steel and set off to the blacksmiths. As I left, I smiled and waved to Nan. “Thank you, miss for the use of your kiln.”

  She waved, then went back to the work of getting her mule to turn the crank that mixed her clay.

  I hurried back to the blacksmiths in hopes that I might just be able to start on my tools. With the steel I had I should be able to make some unbelievable weapons to sell. As an initial test, I’d say my crucible steel was a success. The star steel I had hoped for, but wasn’t sure if I’d be able to achieve that. After talking to the alchemist, her comment about the material when used with copper in bronze seemed to indicate it might be cuper-nickel, or nickel which often was what was mixed with iron asteroids, aka, meteoric iron. I had smelted it and Voila star steel, one of the hardest toughest metals on middle age earth. At a guess, I was carrying a kings ransom.

  As I hurried along, I saw out of the corner of my eye a movement. I dove into a roll as a shaft thudded just past me. I sprinted in the general direction of the smith’s.

  I heard behind me. “You missed the son of a bitch.” I thought it was Ahohako’s voice. My guess was Bruce had tried to shoot me, and was going to try to get me in melee range. I heard the pounding of feet as they ran after me.

  I yelled out, “Assassins! Guards they went that way,” as I ducked into a side street, and used my stealth ability. I faded into the background an
d started to sneak into an ally. As I did, heard my assailants speaking

  “Ahohako, we have to get him.”

  “I know that” I heard Ahohako reply. I glimpsed them as they ran past looking for me. Their names were still red. They had each lost a level from yesterday. That was when I thought I needed to learn a few more spells and just maybe a bow. It was also when I started to think that being in a guild would be a very good idea, especially since I had three patents to my name. I headed back the way I had come and continued to the blacksmiths. Being in stealth slowed me down, but it was safer now that I had made a few enemies.

  I heard the blacksmith at work. There was a steady rhythm to his work, it showed an efficient movement of the metal. It said he had first apprenticed to a farrier, then grown his smithing skill from there. I waited to see if I could spot the two chuckle heads. I gave it a few minutes, then I snuck into the building and tried not to startle the smith.