Horace spotted the pot hanging from a tree. It was fastened with a couple of grass ropes and arranged so that it would lean on its side. As the wind blew, the pot twisted and turned in a never-ending dance. Something was carved on both sides of the jar. On one side, it read “Jack’s Diner.” On the other, it read in smaller letters, “Nutritious meals for only 25 silver.” Then, an arrow was boldly sculpted on the tree trunk, pointing toward their camp.
Horace couldn't help but laugh. “He's an industrious guy.”
“He's just funny,” Amari replied.
“He didn't waste time, did he?” Marie said with an accusive tone.
“Are you going to blame him? It took us about ninety minutes to get these two mantises. Besides, he ran it by me first. He’s just using his time wisely, that’s all.”
Marie mumbled a few complaints but seemed to accept Amari’s explanation.
“I just don't get why someone would learn pottery and bush crafting,” Horace told Amari.
Amari just shrugged. “I don't know. It is an odd combination. To each their own, I guess.”
On their way to the camp, they found a couple more advertising jars hanging from trees. Given how they twisted and turned on the ropes, they were surprisingly catchy. They also found engraved arrows all over the place. They heard chatter and laughter and finally reached the camp.
Two fires burned at opposite ends of the camp, each five meters away from the tent. Over in one, a series of dead logs had been positioned around it, and four people sat, slurping on steamy bowls of stew.
On the other fire, there was a pile of finished pots, plates, bowls, and cups, all neatly piled up on top of each other. Jack was leaning over a half-dry pot, carving a few more slogans.
Horace nodded approvingly. “This guy is funny.”
“Told you, he's a blast. I love how he's turned this place into a diner and a workshop.”
“Hey, Greeny!” Horace called out. Seeing them, Jack stood up happily and ran toward them.
“Hey guys, how did the hunt go?”
Jack halted seeing the sleeping insects and took a step back. Seeing how the noob was afraid of the sleeping beasts, Horace grinned and held up the cage, rattling it in front of Jack’s face. “Oh, no! It’s going to eat your face, Jack!”
“Hey, watch it!”
Horace laughed a little more. “Here's the first batch. Can we have a meal? Our stamina and health are too low.”
“Yeah, sure. Put the cages inside the tent, and take a seat next to those customers. 20 silver for the tent’s rental fee, and 25 silver for the stew,” Jack said, stretching his hand out.
Horace's eyes widened. “W-what?”
Jack drew his hand back and poked his tongue out. “Just kidding, guys. I’ll get the food ready.” Jack turned and disappeared into the bush, off to collect ingredients.
Amari was trying to hold in his laughter, but Marie had just broken out laughing. “That's just too funny. He got you good, Horace. He got you good,” she said.
Horace couldn’t help but laugh too. This guy seemed to know how to tit for tat. He had immediately gotten back at Horace for scaring him with the sleeping bugs. Horace placed the cages inside the tent and joined Amari and Marie, sitting on the logs around the fire.
Jack returned with a few fruits, mushrooms, and berries and threw them into the fire.
“I see you took my advice to heart,” Amari praised, seeing Jack add a pinch of salt and pepper to the stew.
“Yeah, Amari, thank you.” Jack poured the stew on the bowls, and Horace chuckled as he saw his name engraved on his bowl.
“You made these for us?”
“Yeah, it's a gift. Spread the word. I take custom orders for a premium. If you have any friends who would like to have pottery with their names engraved on them, make sure you give them my contact. I’ve sold a few of them to the travelers! They sell like hotcakes.” Jack smiled, giving a thumbs up to one of the nearby patrons, who sported her bowl with her name proudly.
Horace looked over at Amari, who shrugged knowingly. “Make one out to Linda,” Horace said, smiling. His sister would appreciate the gift. Maybe getting this guy into the party wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
*
You’ve carved a cup.
+50XP in [Pottery]
Jack wiped the sweat off his brow and studied the carvings. Carving names on cups was particularly difficult, given their small size and accentuated curvature. It had come out perfect, though. The word he finished inscribing held such power over him that it made him happy and sad all at once: “Lydia.”
He glanced toward the group of girls who had commissioned the pieces. They were happily chatting away, giving him time to finish their order. He never imagined they would ask him for a set with his girlfriend's name. Ex-girlfriend, he corrected himself sadly.
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He set the cup aside and started working on the leather-dry bowl. The knife cut through the pot's surface, making shallow engravings that Jack deepened and reinforced until each letter became visible on the surface.
Jack had always been told that he had beautiful penmanship. It was one of the few things his teachers praised him for. Lydia, too, loved his calligraphy. That's why he sent her handwritten love letters every once in a while. She loved his letters—she used to anyway. He had assumed it was a next-to-useless skill, but it was marketable on New Earth.
You’ve carved a bowl.
+50XP in [Pottery]
Finishing the bowl, he set it aside, waiting for it to dry up to the bone-dry stage so he could bisque fire it.
He walked over to the tent to ensure the beasts were still sleeping. His teammates had only been back to camp twice. Once to drop off the mantises — huge rec bugs, bigger than any other Jack had ever seen. Judging from the cage’s sorry condition, they had put up an incredible fight before succumbing to Marie’s poisons. The bars were filled with marks and scratches as if they had waved sharp butcher knives around. It was hard to believe the razor blades in the bugs’ forelegs could be so sharp.
They had also dropped off the cockroaches about one hour earlier. Although they were much smaller in comparison, something about their unnaturally long legs and necks made them creepier. They also had antennae with a striped pattern of alternating purples, reds, and yellows that made them look like creatures straight out of a nightmarish circus. He closed the tent. Having bugs on display could scare off his clientele, especially the girls. He couldn’t have that. He was making good money.
Between meals and personalized ceramics, Jack had made nine gold in under two hours. Although buying and selling in the marketplace froze prices, he could barter with his customers for better deals when he traded directly with them. Thanks to this, he had been making good money selling them these knickknacks.
“I’ll just fire them, and then it will be ready. Is that OK?” Jack confirmed with the lady who had placed the order.
“That’s fine, Jack. We’re good. We’re just resting up.”
Jack nodded. It was funny how this group of soccer moms had banded together to hunt dinosaurs in an MMORPG. He wondered if his mother would have liked to join a gang like this to vent her frustrations. His dad could be a headache sometimes. Maybe she needed an escape like this.
Walking back toward the fire, Jack confirmed that everything was good to go and placed the pots over the burning wood. Once upon a time, he would have nearly died from doing this, but thankfully, he had a pair of mittens that reduced the burn effect and that he happened to bring along with him.
One by one, he finished bisque-firing the pots. He grabbed a slip-filled bowl and began using an improvised grass brush to smear it on the pot. Once he was done, he brought it to the fire again.
You’ve crafted [Earthenware Carved Bowl].
+160XP in [Pottery]
You’ve crafted [Earthenware Carved Cup].
+90XP in [Pottery]
You’ve crafted [Earthenware Carved Plate].
+50XP in [Pottery]
You've reached level 9 in [Pottery]!
[Clay Molding] has been upgraded.
Clay Molding, Lvl. 2.
Description: You can craft many objects using clay.
Skill effects:
You can shape earthenware clay;
You can shape stoneware clay;
You can make pinch-pots;
You can use the potter’s wheel;
You can make coils.
You've unlocked a new recipe: [Vase].
Jack smiled. He had spent a couple of hours cooking and crafting non-stop, and his efforts were being paid in full. He had leveled up in pottery! Even though [Earthenware Clay] was considered a less valuable material than [Stoneware Clay], it didn’t rely too much on game attributes. He was able to get consistent Bs and As.
Additionally, carving boosted the experience and added [Pottery] XP to the final product. As a result, Jack only had one level separating him from one of the requirements to complete the [Jack of all Trades] quest.
He wasn't sure what the coiling technique he had just unlocked was. He put it on the search engine and found only two videos. Jack frowned. It was becoming harder and harder to find tutorials. There had been so many to teach him how to craft cords and ropes or perfect basic pottery techniques. But the higher he climbed, the less information people were willing to share.
He watched one of the videos. It wasn't a tutorial but a video of a potter working. Seeing the gray hair, Jack wondered momentarily if it was Felix. But on closer inspection, he discovered it was some other old man with similar features. It could be Felix's brother or cousin or someone completely unrelated. However, he knew his stuff. His every movement was graceful, just like Felix.
The potter first made a flat clay circle and placed it on a low work table. It looked like a clay pizza. “What is he doing?” Jack asked, studying the old man’s deft moves. The potter went on to roll another lump of clay into a thick, long cylinder, as if he were making a snake. He then brought both ends together, and brought it to the circle, the vase’s base, he now realized. He pressed the coil down gently but firmly, merging it with the base to create a seamless join.
Once the base coil was secure, the potter rolled another coil of clay, slightly longer this time. He carefully positioned it atop the first, slightly overlapping the edges. Using his thumbs and a small wooden tool, he smoothed the inside and outside, blending the coils.
Coil by coil, the potter made a vase as tall as a man. Occasionally, he paused to check the symmetry and ensure that the coils were seamlessly joined. Finally, the potter smoothed the final coil, blending it into the vase's rim.
Jack was impressed. He had seen tall vases for sale at the Pottery Association and wondered how one could craft them. When pinching or throwing, it was necessary to insert the hand inside the piece. But an arm and hand were only so long, limiting the size of the pot. With this technique, the size no longer mattered.
Conversely, it seemed to eat up a lot of clay. In this video, this man was using at least two full stacks of clay to craft this tall vase. Jack caught movement on the periphery of his grayed-out vision and found that his customers had stood up, signaling that they were ready to go. Jack took the hint and approached them with their order.
“Here it is, guys. I've made a set with the name, (cough) Lydia.”
“Thanks. Oh my goodness, you have such pretty calligraphy! How do you do that?”
Jack shrugged. It's not like he could explain it. It was something he was born with. “I'm glad you liked it.”
“How much do we owe you?”
“So, about that, I have a proposition for you guys. What if, instead of silver, you just escort me to the stream? It’s a couple of minutes walk that way. Then, after I harvest more clay, you could bring me back here and we’ll be even. How does that sound?” Jack suggested.
The four ladies exchanged looks and consulted with each other. “That sounds good. It won’t take too long.”
“Yeah, go for it.”
“Deal!” one of the women agreed.
“Very well. Let's go then.” Jack followed after the group to replenish the clay in his inventory. To make these tall vases, he would need a lot of clay.