Several hours later, Josh and Mary pulled Paul aside. He took them to his office back in the main camp. The fires had burned out for now, so it was safe to cross the Jungle. The reclaimers would dig it up before night fell, to reduce the chance of immediate regrowth. If they continued the process long enough, they'd eventually kill the Jungle in this area. At least long enough to push the Burn Line up.
“All right,” Paul said. He sat down in his chair with a sigh. “By the Eight, what is this all about? You're acting like you stole from a dragon.”
Without a word, Josh scattered a bunch of sticks, stones, and feathers on the desk. There was nothing special about any of them. They were just random detritus from the Jungle that he had picked up on his way back.
Paul closed his eyes in exasperation. “I just cleaned this desk. Do you know how hard it is to keep a clean desk out here? If you don't have anything—”
“Hands-Free Crafting,” Josh said. It wasn't necessary to speak the spell name out loud to make it work. It was, however, suitably dramatic. This one spell drained his mana down to zero. While he only had a 4 in Capacity and a 4 in Sensitivity, which reduced mana costs. This was an expensive one.
The sticks immediately began levitating off the desk. They pulled themselves straight, the bark falling off and the knobbly bits shaved away. The stones chipped themselves into points and affixed themselves to the ends with plant fibers. The feathers attached themselves to the other ends, perfectly balanced for stability in flight. Finally, eight arrows clattered to the desk in a small pile of wood shavings and bark.
The entire process took five minutes. Paul spent the entire time staring, open-mouthed.
“W-what,” he said at last. “What just happened?”
So, they told him. The part about finding and using the bloodstone took the longest. Paul interrupted multiple times, demanding to know exactly when and where this had happened. Midway through, he opened his door and ordered a runner to return to the factory and clear out the office, but didn't tell him what he was looking for. He asked more questions when it became clear he could make bloodstones. Unlike Mary, he didn't ask to touch one.
When they got to the part about testing his new class abilities, he just nodded.
“Yes, I can see why you would want to get a handle on them before you spoke to me,” he said. “What have you discovered so far?”
“I have to build an object at least once to get a blueprint,” Josh said. “Though I already knew how to make arrows out of Jungle materials. It might be more difficult with something I don't know. The object seems to need to be primarily wood, though as you can see, it doesn't have to be entirely wood.” He gestured to the stone arrowheads and feathers.
Paul was not surprised. “That fits with what I've heard of Crafter classes. What about combining your spells? You said the descriptions allowed it.” Using multiple spells in quick succession was, of course, common. Actually being able to combine them, casting them so that they took effect at the same time, was more rare.
Josh shook his head. “I don't have enough mana for that.”
Paul ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, that sounds right.” He frowned. “What are you putting your points into? If you put enough into Capacity, you should have the mana for it.”
“I haven't spent any of them yet. I wanted to be safe.”
“Neither of us know anything about Crafter classes,” Mary put in. “You know stat optimization can get wonky. Especially if you want to refine your class.”
Paul nodded, stroking his chin. “Yes, good point.” He snapped his fingers. “Of course! I should have thought of this first! Jonah will know. Or at least he'll know someone we can ask.” He shook his head ruefully. “Honestly, we need to talk to him anyway.”
Josh exchanged a look with Mary. “Who's Jonah? He's not the Tamer with the rats, is he?”
“No, he's that Rogue, right?” Mary said. She made a circular motion with her hand. “You know, the one who always tries to get the Zephyr class, and fights using twin rings?”
“That's Jacob,” Josh pointed out. “Remember, with the ears?”
“As amusing as this is,” Paul interrupted, sounding anything but amused, “Jonah Moore is the operative from the City. He's the one who they sent to make sure we got the factory. I'm sure he'll be very interested in all this.”
Josh was a little hesitant to talk to a City operative. There was, after all, a reason he had decided to come out here into a Jungle full of monsters, rather than staying safe behind the City walls. But it was doubtful that this operative would be looking for him specifically, and even if he was, it wasn't like he'd have orders to kill on sight.
Probably.
They went outside to find the operative. He was standing at the back of his truck, talking to someone in the shed on the back.
The operative was a tall, thin black man, his hair braided into cornrows. Rather than a rich suit, which Josh had expected, he wore thick jeans, a black leather jacket, and thin gloves. He wore a long rifle on his back, and a combat pistol at his hip. He had a stern, no-nonsense face, clearly used to not smiling, but there was a spark of kindness in his eyes, aimed at whoever was in the truck.
Curious, Josh used his Identify skill on him.
Attacker: Level 17
Josh blinked. He was already level 17? How in the world did he level that quickly? It had hardly been three hours!
Mary whistled. “Whoa, buddy, you work quick, huh?” She nodded to his weapons. “Did you already get the Gunner class?”
The man stepped back from the truck, putting himself between the newcomers and whoever was inside. His hand fell down to his pistol so casually that Josh wasn't sure he even noticed. “Yes.” His tone was short and clipped. His eyes flicked to Mary and paused just long enough that Josh could tell he was using his own Identify skill. He continued on to Paul. “Captain. Is something wrong?”
Paul chuckled ruefully. “Maybe the exact opposite, sir.” He paused, then jerked his head at Josh. “Why don't you check him?”
Josh stepped out from behind Mary and stood tall, then met the operative's eyes. He had to look down to do it. The Identify skill needed a good view of someone to get a reading. Even the simplest of masks could keep it from working.
There was a half second pause, then the operative's eyes widened. “What is this?”
Josh held out the bloodstone he had found. “It's what you think it is, sir.”
The operative looked down at the bloodstone, then back up at Josh. With surprising gentleness, he picked up the stone. After a pause—checking it against his own class advancement, no doubt—he gripped it tightly. “You can make more of these?”
Josh nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Jonah,” the operative said, sounding distracted. “Jonah Moore. What's your name, reclaimer?”
He swallowed. They... wouldn't kill him on sight, right? They had no reason to. Of course, they'd had no reason to chase him out of the City, either. “Joshua Hundredborn, sir.”
Next to him, Mary shifted subtly, ready to move if Jonah looked like he was about to commit violence.
But it was clear that violence was the last thing on Jonah's mind. He smiled. It was a sharp, small thing, the smile of a man clearly unused to such expressions. It was still a real smile, though, and he nodded to himself. “Excellent to meet you, Joshua. I think we're going to have a long and profitable relationship. RUTH!”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The last word was a shout, and Josh jumped about three feet in the air. The operative didn't seem to notice his reaction.
A black girl poked her head out of the truck's apartment. No, not a girl, a young woman. She looked to be about the same age as Josh and Mary, so thirty at the oldest, with a round face and full mouth. She wore a white and brown traveling dress that was rather pretty, though clearly designed for the rigors of the road. Her black hair was long, done up in a braid, and there was an annoyed look in her blue eyes.
Josh used Identify on her. It was a matter of habit, more than anything.
Unclassed: Level 8
He blinked. Wait, she didn't have a class yet? She was level 8, what was the problem? There was no way a City operative would have trouble getting his hands on bloodstones.
“Yes, papa?” she asked. Her voice was kind, but exasperated. She sounded like the sort of girl who tried to be helpful to others, but usually got her way in the end. “Are you willing to admit that I'm right?”
“I have a new class for you,” the operative said, not taking his eyes off the bloodstone in his hand.
She brightened at that. “Is it a Mage?”
“It's not a Mage.”
She scowled. “It's not a Mender, is it?” She held up a bloodstone. “Papa, I told you I don't want to be a Mender again!”
Josh raised his hand. “It's not a—”
Father and daughter both glared at him.
“Right,” he said quietly. “Talking was a mistake, I see that now.”
The operative turned back to his daughter. “Please, just take it.”
The woman—Ruth, apparently—frowned as she stepped out of the apartment. She picked up the bloodstone. Her eyes clouded over as she checked her system messages.
A moment later they went so wide that Josh thought they were going to pop out of her head. “This—this is—” She looked at Josh. “You. You're a—” She looked down at the bloodstone. “A Woodcrafter? How?”
Josh opened his mouth to answer. The operative answered first. “It doesn't matter. Use it.”
Ruth frowned. “But what if—”
“Use it,” the operative insisted. “Everything else can wait.”
Ruth still looked conflicted. After a moment, she nodded.
The stone in her palm shattered, releasing a cloud of red mist. It quickly turned white, then flowed into her body as if she was breathing it in. There was a pause, and then she smiled. Josh checked her again.
Crafter: Level 8
“All right,” the operative said, smiling that small, hard smile again. “Now we can hear the full story.”
So they went back into Paul's office, and Josh went over it all again. The operative didn't ask any questions, just listening intently as if he was trying to memorize every word. Ruth, meanwhile, was a much more interesting listener, gasping or exclaiming in awe at all the appropriate moments.
Once they got to the part about Josh needing advice on his stat distribution, Jonah nodded. “A wise choice. What did you say your primary stats are?”
“Perception and Sensitivity,” Josh replied instantly. Ruth nodded.
Jonah's fingers tapped a pattern on his pistol. “I don't have any specific information on Crafter classes. However, if you are hoping to refine your class beyond Woodcrafter—”
“Yes, please,” Josh interrupted.
Jonah glared at him.
Josh winced. “Uh, sir.”
Jonah rolled his eyes. “I understand your position. I doubt Woodcrafter will grant any great powers, even though a Crafter class alone is obviously invaluable. Trying to refine it to something else, either with bloodstones or stat milestones, is a good idea.” He paused. “The problem is, it's unclear what you need.”
“Putting points into your primary stats is always a good idea, right?” Ruth asked. She was fiddling with random pieces of detritus she had found on the ground. Josh frowned. Was she trying to get blueprints? “That's how Papa got to Gunner so fast.”
“Yes, but we know Gunner's primary stats,” Operative Moore said. “Agility and Perception. Archer is Strength and Perception, so I had to put most of my points into Agility to make sure I reached the milestones fast enough.” He shrugged helplessly. “We don't know the primary stats for any Crafter classes.”
“So, what?” Mary asked, sounding a little confrontational. “Just put everything in Perception and Sensitivity, then hope for the best?”
The operative sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. “Unfortunately, yes, that seems like the best option.”
With no better ideas, Josh shrugged and dumped four of his points into Perception and four into Sensitivity. Then he opened up his status screen.
Name: Joshua White Race: Human (earth-type) Role: Crafter Class: Woodcrafter, level 8 Stats: Strength 5, Agility 3, Constitution 5, Perception 8, Power 4, Flexibility 4, Capacity 4, Sensitivity 8 Techniques: 4 Spells: 2 Skills: 2 Would you like to see a full list of your abilities?
He clicked [Yes].
Techniques: Craft Arrows (rank 1), Straighten Wood ( rank 1), Sharpen Wood ( rank 1), Fletch Arrows ( rank 1) Spells: Hands-Free Crafting (rank 1), Instant Crafting (rank 1) Skills: Identify, Blueprint: Wooden Arrow
Josh was proud of his baseline stats. Without any class bonuses or level advancements, he had 4 in almost everything, except a 5 in Strength and Constitution, and a 3 in Agility. 4 was the average, so he ended up one point ahead. Plenty of people had a point higher or lower here or there, but it usually still averaged out to 4. On a whim, he drilled down farther, into the actual stats. It had been years since he checked the descriptions.
Strength: The measure of your ability to use your physical power to maximum benefit. For every point of Strength, you may put an extra point of stamina into your techniques, above the default cost. Overcharging your techniques will increase their speed, power, and damage. A higher Strength score also increases your physical strength, including your ability to lift and carry heavy objects. Agility: The measure of your ability to recover from physical exhaustion and return to the fight. For every point of Agility, you recover 1 point of stamina per minute. A higher Agility score also increases your physical speed and dexterity, including your flexibility and fine motor control. Constitution: The measure of your total physical endurance and capacity. For every point of Constitution, you have 1 higher maximum stamina. A higher Constitution score also increases your general health, resistance to disease and poison, and exhaustion. Perception: The measure of your ability to sense the most efficient uses of your physical energy. For every point of Perception, your techniques cost one point less stamina. Note: This cannot reduce stamina cost to below 1. A higher Perception score also increases your physical senses, such as sight, hearing, and kinesthesia. Power: The measure of your ability to use your magical strength to maximum benefit. For every point of Power, you may put an extra point of mana into your spells, above the default cost. Overcharging your spells will increase their speed, power, and damage. A higher Power score also increases your magical power, including your ability to force through barriers in your spells. Flexibility: The measure of your ability to recover from magical enervation and return to the fight. For every point of Flexibility, you recover 1 point of mana per hour. A higher Flexibility score also increases your magical swiftness and arcane agility, including your ability to twist your spells. Capacity: The measure of your total magical resolution and endurance. For every point of Capacity, you have 1 higher maximum mana. A higher Capacity score also increases your general energy, resistance to depletion and enfeeblement, and chance to defy curses. Sensitivity: The measure of your ability to perceive the most efficient uses of your magical energy. For every point of Sensitivity, your techniques cost one point less mana. Note: This cannot reduce mana cost to below 1. A higher Sensitivity score also increases your magical senses, such as psychometry, remote viewing, and telepathy.
He dismissed the screen. It seemed strange to him that he had learned techniques, which actively required stamina, for basic things like carving and straightening the wood he had used to make the arrows. Especially since he had also gotten a technique for crafting arrows, which seemed like it should supersede all the other techniques.
He had received experience for learning all those techniques, though, so he wasn't going to complain. He was already pushing up to the edge of level 9. And he received a little experience when he crafted things, so he should be well on his way.
“I think I'm going to put some points into Capacity,” Ruth muttered, mostly to herself. “I want to be able to combine those spells.”
“There's nothing wrong with experimenting a little,” Paul said.
For some reason, that made Mary grin wickedly.
“All right,” Josh said. “Now what?”
That small, satisfied smile came back to Jonah's face. “Now, we grind out some levels for you two.”