(OsiriumWrites) Death Smith - III - Chapter 3 (Firstforged)
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CHAPTER THREE Firstforged
Three days later
Inside Rift 13
As she carefully sank the knife deeper into the monster’s corpse, the pale woman applied more and more pressure. The knife easily cut through muscle, veins, and other vital anatomy as she extracted the black-shard. Following their established routine, she then stood up and walked over to the growing pile of black-shards. Although she still stumbled occasionally, her movements had greatly improved over the past three days.
“Well done, M—” Lance started before quickly correcting himself. “Well done. You can move on to the next one now.” He observed as the gray woman nodded and walked over to the next corpse, sinking the knife into the monstrous flesh. The woman’s dull overalls were now covered in blood and gore, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Standing off to the side was a taller individual with pale skin. He was dressed in the same gray uniform, though his was stained brown from all the dirt he had moved. He had used Lance’s excavation tool to dig empty graves for basic pitfall traps, and to start a small trench line.
Lance couldn’t help but feel a sense of deep hatred and disgust when he looked at the man. Initially, he had allowed both the man and the woman to use knives to cut out black-shards. However, he had put an end to it when he saw how quickly the man was becoming more skilled with a knife.
“Alright, that’s enough for now,” Lance said as he saw Ash approaching in the distance. His friend had been going on hunting trips nonstop for the past three days, while Lance had gotten some time to rest and heal. Ash only returned when he ran out of javelins, needed repairs, or had filled his backpack with black-shards. The pale man wasn’t as strong as Lance was, but the quality of his equipment and his increased speed more than made up for it. And Ash never went out without Bravo and Icarus, with one serving as a scout and the other as an offensive companion.
“Looks like you had a good time.” Ash was covered in dirt and grime, indicating that he had gotten quite up close and personal in fighting. Lance briefly checked him and his equipment for damage but found only minor cuts and dents on the armor. “Take these two and get cleaned up. Have them carry some water back with them.”
[You have stored several Items in your Inventory]
[You have retrieved an Item 2x]
Lance watched as Ash’s gear disappeared from his body, replaced by two empty jerrycans. Moments later, Ash handed the empty containers to the pale man and woman before pointing toward a rock formation in the north where a small pool of water was located. Lance wasn’t sure if the water was entirely safe to drink, but he mostly wanted the new additions to his team to practice and learn by getting water for themselves.
“Mira . . . Iyas . . .”
The words felt strange on Lance’s tongue as he said them aloud, because both were dead, but he could still see their figures in the distance following Ash. It was like what had happened to Thomas. Both Mira and Iya’s reforged bodies were now devoid of color, had a gray-shard in each one’s chest, and showed no signs of being alive. They didn’t breathe, sleep, drink, or eat. It was almost the same as what had happened when he had made Ash, but there was a crucial difference.
‘Revenants.’
Lance watched as the three of them peeled off their muddy, bloody overalls and bathed in the pool of water. He made a mental note to get rid of the water, as his companions had started filling the canisters after contaminating it with blood and dirt.
Compared to how Lance remembered him, Iyas was now bulkier and no longer the lanky person he had once fought. His build was now closer to Lance’s. With armor and a helmet on, Lance thought they might look identical. Mira now had two functioning legs, appeared a bit taller, and had gained more muscle. ‘Is it because of Thomas’s template?’ Lance wondered, once again considering the subject. He was grateful that his forging skill had rebuilt Mira’s second leg. ‘At least her body is whole again.’
‘I suppose the extra muscle and athletic build will improve their baseline, making them more effective in the field. That will also create a sense of uniformity. It might even help with standardizing their gear?’ Lance looked away from their naked frames and turned toward the east, where he could feel the pull of the Rift-event.
While Lance was confident that he and Ash could handle this Level-Two Rift, he was less certain about the more challenging Rifts ahead. However, he knew that having two extra human companions would give him the confidence to take on a Level-Three or Level-Four Rift.
According to the GRRO Handbook, at his current Level of thirty-two, it would be advisable for him to stick to Rifts between Level One and Six, with more party members added as the Rift Level increased.
He knew that if he wanted to mimic having a skilled squad of Rifters, he needed to both provide his companions with equipment and make them as skilled as possible. ‘First things first . . . Shards,’ he thought, as he went to the others and told Ash to oversee training and protecting of Mira and Iyas while he went out to hunt for more shards.
Rock, dirt, and sand were all that Lance could see. After two hours of hunting, the landscape appeared the same no matter where he went. The little vegetation there was in this place was hidden inside steep-walled, eroded cracks in the earth, which were difficult to spot from a distance but dangerous when he encountered one.
Some cracks were small, only able to fit a leg inside, while others were large enough to hold a bus, with a dangerous drop. The worst part was discovering one of those cracks filled with a dozen monsters, ready to throw crude spears or axes, or use their bows. However, with Icarus and Alpha at his side, Lance could avoid most surprises.
By the time Icarus returned to signal the presence of another crack, Lance had already cleared the second one. He quickly followed the bird and spotted the third crack he would clear out today. With a crude bone javelin in hand, he peered over the edge for a moment and saw seven Gnolls. Four of them were eating something while the other three were on guard, weapons at the ready.
‘Detonate’
[You have used Detonate Level 1 at the cost of 25 Mana]
[Current Mana 159/345]
As he looked over the edge, the crude javelin in Lance’s hand started glowing. He gave himself a second to aim before throwing the weapon into the center of the group. It exploded in a wave of bone shrapnel moments later.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
‘Now.’
Jumping into the crack, he landed in the middle of the monsters. Lance spotted that several of them were wounded while the rest just looked shocked. He didn’t give them a chance to recover, instead beginning to smash his mace into the first Gnoll. The skin, bone, and muscle offered little resistance as he proceeded to stain the surrounding rocks red. Two more fell within seconds as he charged forward.
As he rushed toward the Gnolls, Lance thought to himself, ‘I need to keep the momentum going. I can’t let them regroup.’ Overpowering them left and right, the sounds of the mace slapping against their bodies being undone was sickening, but a part of him was starting to enjoy it.
‘Ricochet’
‘Ricochet’
[You have used Ricochet Level 1 at the cost of 25 Stamina x2]
[Current Stamina 321/530]
As he sent his mace and throwing knife flying toward the rocky wall, they bounced off faster and slammed into the Gnoll at the far end, killing it instantly. This left only one monster alive. Lance wasn’t sure if the creature could experience terror, but from the way it was frantically looking left and right after seeing its brethren killed, he figured it was at least scared of him.
‘Ricochet’
‘Ricochet’
Throwing two more knives from the sheaths on his gauntlets, Lance missed his target completely. It was a bit amusing to see how difficult it was to hit something that was moving, ducking, and dodging. However, that amusement turned sour when he missed three more knives. Deciding that was enough, Lance retrieved his pistol and fired a round into the Gnoll’s stomach, causing it to fall over in pain.
“Not so quick at dodging that, huh?” he said as he approached the wounded monster and kicked it into the wall, knocking it out instantly.
As he was about to finish the unconscious creature, Lance realized that a single Gnoll might be a good sparring partner for his new companions. ‘They’d have a hard time fighting it on their own, but two against one and with proper weapons? They should be fine,’ he thought as he prodded the Gnoll with his feet to make sure it was unconscious. “Icarus!” he shouted, pointing at the unconscious monster. “If it gets up again, kill it.”
Once he had retrieved his weapons and searched for loot, Lance explored the area. Most of the monster corpses were stored for his companions to continue practicing on, and the crude axes, spears, and bows were destroyed with his Forging Skill for a chance to obtain their templates.
On the verge of leaving, Lance spotted the half-eaten animal that the monsters had been devouring. While its limbs and much of its body were missing, some of its organs were still untouched.
‘Must be the digestive system,’ Lance thought as he leaned closer and started to dissect the carcass with a knife. He knew that some predators on Earth didn’t always eat everything, because of its taste, or that it could be harmful to them. As he sliced into the carcass with a knife, Lance noticed two fangs still attached to the creature’s mangled head. He extracted one of them and the small sack connected to it, wondering if the animal had been venomous. He thought about how he might be able to use the venom to improve his throwing knives. ‘Poison is always a useful tool,’ he thought before he suppressed that thought, realizing it wasn’t his own.
Lance turned at the sound of a crunch behind him, finding Icarus had dive-bombed the previously unconscious Gnoll. Both the monster and the bird were now severely damaged, the monster drowning in its own blood and Icarus struggling to escape its chest cavity. It was clear to Lance that the bird had broken its wings and legs, if not more.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, buddy, I really do. But for your own sake, we should consider improving your durability or adopt a less kamikaze attack style.” He then pulled out, stored, and started repairing his favorite bird. When he had finished with this location, he went over to the next major crack in the rocky landscape, determined to wipe out any monsters that he’d come across.
On his way back, Lance climbed to the top of a hill and saw his camp in the distance. The combination of fertile soil, trees, and bushes against the rocky terrain was a clear sign that this was where the Rift had intersected with Earth, a hotspot for Rifter activity. With his three avian guards keeping watch from above and Ash covering his back, Lance felt secure enough to have made that spot his camp. However, he knew that in the tougher Rifts ahead, he would need to be more careful. He slid down the jagged surface, ignoring the metallic aftertaste in his mouth. Lance was still coughing up blood every now and again, but it was thankfully getting less frequent.
“Friendly!” Lance called out as he neared the camp. He was pleased to see the numerous defensive improvements that had been made, including dirt walls, traps, and other protective measures. Beyond that, it was obvious that Ash had been teaching the others how to defend themselves. “I see you’ve enjoyed yourselves,” he remarked at the sight of the woman nursing a broken wrist and the man trying to remove an arrow from his chest.
“Sparring . . . using the bow . . . knife-throwing . . . hand-to-hand . . . they break . . . easily,” Ash stated as he struggled to find the correct words and breathe life into them.
“Well, you have more experience, are faster, and can take more punishment,” Lance said as he walked over to the pile of black-shards that his companions had collected. He stored them all, counting to himself, 103. ‘Enough to upgrade some of my companions. Or should I save it up to a thousand and give Ash his third one?’ A first upgrade would cost him an Item and ten black-shards. The second upgrade would be a hundred and the third upgrade a thousand. He was already dreading just how expensive it would get if he Leveled his Smithing Skill further. He then made his way over to the pale woman, placing a hand gently on her broken wrist.
‘Repair Item’
[You have used Repair Item Level 1. Reducing Stamina and Mana regeneration by 25% until completion]
Keeping contact with the woman, Lance straightened out her wrist to accelerate the healing process. It didn’t take long for it to feel more stable. “Did Ash do this, or did you manage to injure yourself?” he asked, pointing to her wounded companion.
The pale woman nodded and pointed to herself, indicating that she had a rudimentary understanding of communication. This surprised Lance, as it had taken Ash much longer to learn this skill.
‘Maybe Mira has a natural ability for observing behavior and patterns, like Thomas does with boxing?’ Lance wondered, smiling reassuringly. He held onto her wrist for a few more moments until he was confident that he had repaired it enough for now. “Great job. And here I thought you were only skilled with a rifle. Maybe a bow would suit you. Keep up the training,” he said, watching as she stood up and retrieved a basic bow and some arrows.
[You have retrieved an Item 5x]
Lance brought out five more monster corpses and let them fall to the ground before turning his attention to the wounded man with the arrow stuck in him. “Quit messing around with it. Pull it out and get back to work. I need these shards,” he ordered, turning away from the man and taking a seat on a nearby log next to Ash.
[You have retrieved an Item 2x]
He brought out a meal and a canteen with fresh water, but his gaze was drawn to the east where he sensed a Rift event approaching. He quickly pulled back his feet. An arrow embedded itself in the spot where his right foot had been seconds earlier. He noticed the strange, confused expression on the woman’s face, almost identical to Mira’s. “You could try aiming the bow away from our party members?” he suggested, nodding reassuringly as the woman turned to the side and continued practicing.
[You have retrieved an Item]
“I got you something,” Lance said, handing Ash the sack of fangs and venom he had collected. “I found it on a dead creature. I was thinking we could coat some arrow tips or knives with it.” He leaned back and looked up at the three gray spots circling overhead. It was strange to have six companions by his side. Despite the physical and mental pain that the forging process had caused him, he felt that the benefits were still worth the drawbacks.
“Are you angry?”
Ash’s comment caught Lance off guard. As he turned to look at his friend, he saw that Ash was staring at the other two with a thoughtful expression on his face. Ash had changed a lot during the time they had spent together, but Lance had never seen him like this. “No, I’m not angry. Maybe a little stressed, but not angry. Why do you ask?”
Ash didn’t answer right away, instead continuing to stare for a while longer. “You look angry . . . with him . . . but calm with her . . . like you were calm . . . with me.”
Lance nearly dropped his canteen in surprise as he shifted his position to face his friend. ‘Where is this coming from?’ he thought, following Ash’s gaze to the tall, wounded man who was cutting and removing black-shards. Although he was bulkier now, he still looked so similar to Iyas. Just looking at him was enough to make Lance feel angry. Seeing the man use a knife only exacerbated that anger. “I . . . maybe? I don’t really know. Seeing him like that, with the same face as Iyas, it makes me feel rage. It reminds me of bad things.”
They sat in silence for a while longer before Ash resumed speaking. “Am I . . . Thomas?”
“No, you’re not Thomas. You have similarities to him, but you’re not him,” Lance said as he felt his throat dry up.
“Then he is not . . . Iyas,” Ash said, his deep, unnatural voice countering Lance’s earlier comment. “We are not humans . . . We are not them . . . Not Mira. Not Iyas,” Ash said softly, as if he had just come to a realization. “Not Thomas.” He stood up and placed the sack on the ground next to the arrow.
“You made me . . . You named me . . . Ash . . . I’m the . . . first forged . . .by your hands. You also . . . made them,” he said before moving away to assist the other two with their work, leaving Lance bemused. He began to replay the conversation in his mind.
‘Ash Firstforged.’
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Copyright: OsiriumWrites