To say that the news about the uchmute went over poorly would be a vast oversimplification. There was shouting, yelling, growling, and more than a little bit of cursing, but it was mostly directed at the circumstances rather than at Chase himself.
Still, when it was done, they got to work.
The first thing was setting up the outpost defenses, which Chase left in the capable hands of the dokkalfar who knew what the hell they were doing, and who he was fairly certain weren't trying to kill him. Or at least, he trusted that they had enough self preservation to not stab him in the back just before the arrival of a massive army.
From what Haka and Tahlia were describing, fortifications and wards designed to keep intruders out and allow for a single group of warriors to hold off a much larger force were being drawn out, and preparations were being made to create the physical structures and magical enchantments. For his contribution, Chase would not be directly involved in the defensive preparations. His skill set wasn't geared towards that. Instead, he'd be using his new crafting interface to upgrade his gear in preparation for fighting on the front lines. Having hit Level 25, he was now the highest level warrior their group had.
Dracht had contributed to the discussion by providing his opinion on whether or not he thought the frek'idh would accept Chase's offer for mutual protection, and he thought it likely. A brief rundown of the general capabilities of the pack were considered and added to the defensive plans by Uthrik and Katsu.
In the end, they had a rough battle plan. Muthroth and some other scouts would find the main uchmute force and report back. Once they knew what they were dealing with, and how long until a likely attack, they’d solidify their battle plans. Until then, they had a rough plan for how they’d proceed.
Uthrik was given command over the defense of the outpost, with Ricardo providing research and additional magical support, while Dracht, Chase, Katsu, and a few more skilled dokkalfar would be part of the main force that would attack the enemy's rear guard. The goal was to hit them hard and fast, and make a swift retreat before the enemy could respond, all while doing as much damage as possible. Then move to a different flank and hit them again, rinse and repeat.
If it worked, they could whittle down the enemy forces a lot faster than just sitting in the outpost waiting for an attack. If they got too close, the plan was to withdraw to the outpost and defend it to the last, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
With their battle plans finalized, the dokkalfar returning to the outpost, and the defenses being set up, Chase was free to start preparing for the inevitable fight.
He looked over at the crafting interface, and couldn't help the grin that split his face. He had so many things he could do now that he had this. He’d already gotten his trusty turtle shell shield back, now it was time to upgrade his weapon.
The first question he had was whether or not he could put his previously crafted in and just upgrade as is. The turtle shell before hand was basically just the shell with some leather straps tied to the inside for him to use as a grip, which didn't make it a particularly good test. If he couldn't, he'd have to disassemble pretty much everything he was planning on upgrading. It'd be an annoyance, but they should have enough time, knock on wood.
Still, only one way to find out.
Chase put his pick on the table before opening the menu, and was frustrated by the screen that appeared in front of him.
Please Use Raw Materials Only
Sighing in disappointment, he closed the menu and picked up the pick before making his way to the kitchen. Taking one of the knives, he began to cut away the dried and pitch-cemented sinews holding the two components of the pick together. He’d done a damn good job when he was making it, given the things it had been subjected to without so much as a crack.
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When the sinew had been removed, he was left with an antler the length of his arm and a robust femur. Considering the animal and beast parts he had lying around, he decided to conduct a bit of an experiment.
Making his way out of the cabin, he walked for ten minutes before reaching a pit at the edge of a clearing filled with the guts and organs he couldn’t use until now. If he still had his nose, the stench coming from it may well be enough to knock him out. But with out it and with his plague doctor mast stuffed full of aromatics, he was able to kneel at the edge and pick out the discarded gland he was looking for.
Upon his return to the cabin, he put all of the components – the antler, femur, gland, some more bits of bone and teeth, and a few more drops of his blood – on the table and got to work. Once again, he opened the crafting interface and sorted through the potential items that could be made, settling on a warpick like he’d become comfortable with.
The design was simple, a sturdy bone haft and an antler blade, reinforced with leather. It took only a moment for the design to appear on the screen, and he dragged the materials into the crafting area. He couldn't help but watch as it repeated the process from earlier, and was a bit surprised to see that the bones didn't disappear completely, the head and the shaft both being made out of them, leaving a small, rounded nub on the back.
When the craft was complete, a screen popped up with the results, and Chase whistled in surprise at the numbers.
Sickening Primal Warpick (L)
Offense: 150
Durability: 85
Magic Resistance: 200
Special Features: Armor Piercing (Cunning), Blood-Bound, Sickening (10%), Spell Reflect (5% Cunning)
A really high Magic Resistance and Spell Reflect again, that suggested that it was the result of his blood. Curious, he concentrated on the new Special Features.
Armor Piercing: This weapon ignores armor less than 3 times the related Characteristic.
Sickening: When this weapon strikes a target, it deals a portion of its Offense as poison damage each second.
A grin split Chase’s face as he picked up the pick. He could definitely see the benefit in both. The Armor Piercing would help him take out all but the biggest, most heavily armored foes, the Sickening would help him deal more damage with fewer blows.
Cheeks aching with how widely he was grinning, Chase set down his pick and started considering how to upgrade his mask. After a few minutes consideration, he left the cabin and went digging through the various bones he still had laying around. Finding the one he was looking for, Chase held the skull up in his hand.
There were still dried out bits of muscle and tendon attached to it, but it felt appropriate that the skull of the mountain lion become part of his regular kit. Returning to the cabin, he put the skull on the table and began disassembling his plague doctor mask. The outer shells from the compound eyes, the inner leather pieces untied, and the whole thing was set next to the skull. After thinking for a moment, he stepped outside and found the plating from the top of the glyptodon's skull and added it to the pile before once again adding his blood to the mix. The benefits of Blood-Bound were too damn good for him to pass up.
Opening the interface, he looked at how the model appeared and made some adjustments, before confirming. A third time, the components rose into the air, reminding him of the video games he used to play where characters would create items while meditating, swirling and dancing around each other, merging together to form the completed mask. Though it would be more accurate to call it a helmet, the skull covered the top of the head, while the glyptodon’s plate wrapped around to protect the back and sides.
A screen appeared in front of him after the process was done, displaying the finished product.
Primal Ravager’s Mask (L)
Defense: 125
Durability: 75
Magic Resistance: 200
Special Features: Blood-Bound, Intimidating, Miasmic Barrier, Spell Reflect (5% Cunning)
Two additional Special Features. Intimidating was fairly self explanatory, and Chase had a hunch that he wouldn’t see a great deal of use from it. Miasmic Barrier…if it was what he thought it was, then he basically had a Network backed version of what the original plague doctor mask was supposed to be.
Intimidating: Increase the effectiveness of Fear based effects from the user by 50%.
Miasmic Barrier: So long as item is worn, wearer is immune to damaging/debilitating, air/gas based attacks/effects.
Chase wasn’t going to lie: the crafting interface was fucking awesome!