I made it back to Sart without further incidents. Running through the streets, I was happy when I saw Agga's smelly shop.
Moving inside, I saw Agga still working at the woodcarving table, her face pale and weary. When I came in, she looked up, hope, and hunger on her face.
"And?"
I forced a grin and moved towards her placing the boots and the three Soulwood fragments on the table.
She looked at the boots frowning for a moment. Then she nodded. "I can make something out of those, and boots cost more than one big Fragment, so you did alright." She grabbed the three Soulwood and struggled up before moving towards the back of the shop. Rummaging a bit, she came back with an empty bag and handed it to me.
"Now, let's get some food!"
My stomach growled in agreement, and I followed her back out.
Over an hour later, I leaned back in the wooden chair, my back against the side of the shop, feeling stuffed. I had not eaten this much since coming here. Agga sat at the other side, long since finished and staring at me in wonder.
"I have never seen anybody eat that much…" she said, shaking her head while frowning.
I didn't reply, just sitting there enjoying my full belly.
"Well, now that you are finally done, let's get to work."
Agga got up and moved to the empty table beside the woodworking table she worked on.
"Bring that stool and come here, "she ordered.
I did as asked, and a moment later, we sat at adjacent tables, both with a piece of wood atop.
"I am going to cut the wood, and I want you to copy my moves as well as you can. Normally I wouldn't teach anybody like this, but if we do it any other way, you won't ever make it."
Without asking if I'd understood, she picked up a knife and the piece of wood and cut into the side at a peculiar angle. Looking carefully, I copied her motion. She just looked, nodded, and continued.
For hours I copied her, unsure what we were even accomplishing. Then I started seeing something. The square log I had been cutting and chipping away at was starting to take shape. Slowly a figure appeared. Arms crossed before its chest, legs spread wide and a cowl over its head.
Mine looked like a poor mockery of a person, but Agga's looked almost real. When Agga stopped, I stared at what I had made in wonder, almost missing the pings of my status.
"So?" Agga asked, and I looked up.
"What?"
She snarled. "Not what! Did you learn anything?"
With a blink, I summoned my status.
> Derived Strength: 5
> Derived Dexterity: 7
> Derived Constitution: 5
> Derived Intelligence: 4
> Derived Common sense: 1
> Derived Charisma 1
> Total mass: 72 KG
> Current weight: 72 KG
Active attributes: (Easily changed)
> 11/11: Muscle mass
> 02/40: Fat
> 10/12: Coordination
> 10/10: Stamina
> 03/10: Learning rate
> 49/99: Knowledge
> 02/10: Beauty
> 00/99: Grooming
> 02/20: Well spoken
I looked with shock at the knowledge I had. It was half filled now, but I couldn't remember when that had happened. Looking up in consternation, I told Agga.
"Good!" She said with a smile. "That means you will learn by the end of tomorrow!"
I tried figuring out how this could be classified as good. I had only 50 knowledge points remaining before I would start forgetting things!
She got up, picked another piece of wood from the small pile, and placed it before me.
"Make another one, and this time come up with an image yourself. No matter what, finish it. No matter how horrendous it will look!"
Wondering what I should make, I nodded. It took me only a few moments to think of something, and careful not to destroy the wood straight away, I began scraping and chipping.
When I finished, it was dark outside, and Agga had finished one of the daggers. I had only seen part of the burning process, but that seemed to involve placing the dagger in fire and then in water. Looking at the four-legged, uneven, and ugly thing in my hand, I felt a sense of pride. It barely resembled the Wirg I had tried to make, but it was the first time I had ever made anything with my hands.
Summoning my status, I saw the knowledge had grown again. It was 59 now, and I hoped Agga was right. Looking up, I saw her look at the thing in my hands with a mocking grin.
"What's that supposed to be?"
Scowling, I held it up higher. "A Wirg!"
Agga laughed, a clear, warm sound unlike any she had made so far. Being laughed at for something I'd made sucked, but after a few moments, I sighed and smiled. Her laugh was just too genuine and infectious.
After she finished laughing, she told me some more things about wood crafting as she stoked the fireplace. Then she went upstairs, warning me not to do anything more, and wait for the morning.
Weary from the day, I crashed on the ground before the crackling fire and fell into a deep, instant sleep.
--
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I shot upright, a nightmarish scene fading from my mind. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall what it was about, but the prospect of sleeping didn't seem appealing in the least.
The fire was almost out, a few embers burning softly below the logs. Staring at them, I wondered if burning the poisonous wood wouldn't be harmful to our lungs. Then I shrugged and used the old poker to light it up again. Taking a quick peek outside, I saw the sky was grey, showing it would be morning soon. No use sleeping now anyway, but that meant staying awake for a few hours.
As I looked around, instantly bored, I saw the ax. Remembering my skill, something I shouldn't have gotten but did, I grinned. Picking up the ax, I stepped to the middle of the room. It was mostly open and widening my stance, I thought deeply. I'd done an odd year of martial arts once to improve my skill in a combat-oriented game. That was with a stick. Besides, I'd never gotten good at it, only learning a single style and it's many steps and swings.
Remembering the starting move, I swung the ax. Slowly I began walking, a form I had not done in years. I struggled at many points, but as I continued, my body warmed, and I began remembering more.
At first, the difference between an ax and a quarterstaff made the movements unwieldy, but I just removed those that didn't work, changing the ones that almost did to fit the ax. Not being a martial artist, I wasn't sure if it made any sense, but it still beat sitting and doing nothing.
After ten repeats, I'd gotten most of the moves down, and another ten complete cycles later, my made up movements began flowing with those I remembered. As I dropped down, spinning around and swirling the ax in a wide circle, a loud ping came from my status. Finishing the movement, I stood panting and sweating.
Summoning my status, I almost whooped with joy.
> You have adapted an almost perfect staff style to work with an ax.
> Although the new style is rough and flawed it shows promise
> Ax mastery increased
Looking at my status, I blinked. I'd expected the increase in muscle mass, but had my knowledge actually lowered? It had! Whereas it was fifty-nine before, now it was only fifty-five.
Shaking my head in wonder, I continued practicing with the ax until I heard Agga move upstairs. Putting the ax down, my body glistening with sweat, I smiled. I hadn't gained another point in ax mastery, nor had I expected it, but the moves had gotten a whole lot smoother.
"I'm going to wash up in the sea!" I yelled upstairs and got a muted response.
Leaving the ax, I made my way to the docks again, stripping and bathing. When I got out, this time nobody was waiting for me. Wiping the water from my legs as best I could, I got dressed and headed back to Agga's.
As the sludge on the street stained my feet within moments, it reminded me how much I needed boots.
When I entered the shop, Agga was already sitting at the table, working on another of the knives. The boots I had brought back stood on the table beside her. Moving towards them, I saw right away that they had been tampered with; the middle section stitches had been removed. It almost seemed like they would fall apart at any moment.
"Take that towel and clean your feet, then put them on, "Agga said, wiping some wood chips from the table.
As I sat down and put the boots on, she came over and knelt before me. With deft hands, she quickly changed the size of the boots until they fit. Luckily for me, they had been too large, but feeling the edge press in my foot I frowned.
"Don't worry. When I'm done with them, you will walk like a King, "Agga said. She marked some things on the boots before taking them off by almost dismantling them. She brought them to the leatherworking bench.
"Go and make another item from wood. Make a dagger this time!"
Blinking, I looked at the ax on the other side of the shop. "Don't I need to get more wood from the forest?"
"No. We have enough for now, and with how careless you are, you need to get more powerful quickly. Make a dagger and a sword. Those are the weapons that most Grablons prefer."
Thinking of my ax skill, I looked at the sections of wood on the ground. There were a few large pieces, but none as large as an ax blade. For now, a dagger would do. But I was definitely going to look for a bigger piece of wood to make an ax.
The entire morning and afternoon were filled by me making daggers. The first one was too thin, and Agga snapped it in half, explaining I would work with Winding Weed wood and needed to make the knives bigger. The second one just earned me a scowl and a frown as it was taken and tossed in the trash.
When I was almost done with the third one and scraping a little of the handle, I got a ding that resounded and echoed throughout my head. Blinking, I quickly put the knife down and summoned my status.
> You have learned the basics of wood-crafting
> As you have not learned a profession yet, you can choose to become a wood crafter!
> Every being can have only a single true profession and gain its bonuses.
> All other things you learn will never go beyond normal
> Wood crafting profession 0/10
> Passive increase in coordination and knowledge
> Random skill gain at level five and ten, based on previously created masterpieces
> Take wood crafting as your true profession? Yes / No
Looking at the messages, I whooped and raised my hands in the air.
"So, did you gain wood crafting?" Agga asked, smiling at me.
I nodded, almost clicking yes before I thought of something.
"So, do I click yes now?"
Agga nodded, wiping her hands that were stained with a pungent liquid she was putting on the shoes.
"What? Did you expect something more?"
She snorted at my innocent look, and I grinned. I'd better not say I actually had. Selecting 'yes', a loud ping followed a host of changes to my status. Inspecting them, I couldn't suppress a large grin.
> Derived Strength: 6
> Derived Dexterity: 8
> Derived Constitution: 5
> Derived Intelligence: 2
> Derived Common sense: 1
> Derived Charisma 1
> Total mass: 73 KG
> Current weight: 73 KG
Active attributes: (Easily changed)
> 12/22: Muscle mass
> 02/80: Fat
> 12/25: Coordination
> 10/20: Stamina
> 03/20: Learning rate
> 40/199: Knowledge
> 02/20: Beauty
> 00/99: Grooming
> 02/40: Well spoken
Skills (Learned)
> 1/4
> Ax master 2/10
Chosen profession
Wood crafting 1/10
All of my maximum values, except for grooming, had doubled. I wondered what eighty fat would look like when I noticed my knowledge. It had lowered again! Frowning, I looked at Agga.
Her eyebrow raised, and I shook my head in confusion.
"My current knowledge has become lower!"
"Of course it did, boy!" Agga said, and she laughed. "All knowledge for wood crafting is now part of your profession. Why did you think I tried so hard to get you across the first hurdle?"
Seeing her reproachful look, I sniffed. How should I have known that?
"From now on, you can learn everything that deals with wood crafting, and it won't be added to your general knowledge!"
"Does that include all knowledge about wood, trees, axes?" I asked, wondering how far I could stretch this, in my eyes, loophole.
Agga's grin widened, and she nodded. "There is a reason why there are more people with professions than classes!"
Ignoring the fact that one way or another, I wouldn't have known that, I nodded. Moving towards the ax, I picked it up and grinned. Flexing one of my arms, I examined the obvious but small muscles on them. Twelve muscle mass had promoted me from skinny to wiry. I was curious about what another ten would do!
Moving out of the door, I turned as I recalled a question that had come to me the previous morning. I wasn't sure if the thing I was going to ask would make any sense to Agga, but so far, everything pointed in the direction that it might.
"Is there a Paladin order nearby?" I asked, thinking of Sandra. No matter what game we played, she always ended up as a Paladin, Crusader, or something similar.
Agga's face fell, and she looked at the ground for a moment. "I guess that makes sense, with you trying to be a hero, saving me, killing the Wirgs…" She turned to the woodworking table and sat down without looking at me.
"The Paladins of the Stone have a Castle close to the nearby city of Geliron," she said, then began working on another knife.
I looked at her for a while, wondering what had gotten into her. Was she upset I might be leaving or was it because of the Paladins? Guessing she wouldn't tell me right now, I stepped out of the building.
"I'll go and get the wood and try to be back before nightfall," I said before closing the door.
Raising the ax, I grinned widely. Now it was time to grind!