Chapter 13 - Forge
I hurried through the dark streets of The Commons as fast I could without spilling the precious Crystals cupped in my hands. I glanced furtively to my left, my right, and behind. Would others try to rob me? Was I being followed?
Thankfully, the hubbub of the Armory faded in the distance and I found myself in more deserted byways. Clutching my cargo, I tried to recall the general direction of the Data Forge from the small area maps I had viewed earlier, and believed I was on the right path.
It was a few blocks behind the central pinnacle of the Restoration Point, a low but wide brutalist structure punctuated by an enormous glowing sign depicting red blacksmith hammers crossed on the roof. Vents at ground level and black pipes emitted clouds of acrid steam at regular intervals as whatever machinery within churned and hissed.
I stepped in a puddle of condensation as I entered. The liquid sizzled upon contact with my footwear.
Within the building, a row of huge hydraulic arms churned like a perpetual engine, like an oversized loom of metal spiders’ legs weaving thread. Before this churning scene, three angular podiums sprouted from the ground, connected by tubes to a central pedestal with a basin-like indentation. Behind this clover-like umbrage, a sort of sculpture reminiscent of a double-helix stood tall, pulsing with latent energy.
I quickly looked around, still anxious that I could be ambushed by a vengeful ‘cobra’ seeking to reclaim the loot I had won. I saw a ubiquitous panel with a glowing red light, and scanned my code. Upon scanning, a heavy metal door slid into place and locked behind me, sealing me inside the Data Forge.
Okay. At least I didn’t have to worry about somebody sneaking up on me.
The panel next to the central contraption lit up with menu options. There did not appear to be a virtual assistant installed at this location, so I would need to figure this out on my own based on the text.
[DATA FORGE
CONVERT
FORGE
FUSE
EXPORT
TRANSMUTE]
I lingered over each option with an outstretched finger to see if any further details or explanations would appear, careful not to spill my treasure.
[DATA FORGE
CONVERT (Crystals into Value)
FORGE
* ITEMS (from materials)
* CARDS (from card fragments)
FUSE
* SKILLS (fuse data cards onto eligible skill slots)
* EQUIPMENT (fuse data cards onto eligible weapons or armor)
EXPORT (transform one type of item, weapon, or armor to another type)
TRANSMUTE (transform the cosmetic appearance of an item, weapon, or armor)]
I had 30 Crystals. 20 of which I did not have room to store.
I thought back to my Orientation. I was given an initial 30 Value to assign to my Statistical categories, which all started at a base score of 10. What was the conversion rate of Crystals to Value? 10 seemed to be the lowest denominator for just about everything in The Collective, except for materials and Crypt, which were calculated fractionally as tenths and hundredths, at least as far as storage space was concerned.
Opening the Convert option on the screen, I saw that 10 Crystals could be consumed to generate 10 unassigned Value. Boosting some of my Statistical categories would be a smart choice. I selected the option and one of the podiums next to me began glowing, indicating an indentation to place the Crystals.
[Deposit Crystals for Conversion]
I dropped the 20 Crystals in my hands into the space, and watched them clink and glow as they settled.
[Begin Conversion process?]
Yes.
The diverse collection of small Crystalline shapes vibrated, and a deep hum filled the space. The spider-like mechanical arms churned and churned, and light spilled out of the Crystals as they broke apart, like atoms splitting. A bright glow of energy filled the tubes connecting this podium to the central platform, and the digitized double-helix sculpture shone brighter and brighter.
I shielded my eyes from the light, but when I looked again I saw motes of warm light hovering over the central pedestal. One by one, the motes lifted up and shot into my chest. I instantly felt aglow with internal warmth, as when one imbibes a hot beverage too quickly.
After a time, the heat faded to steady but noticeable warmth. The sensation of unassigned Value, pulsing within me. A charge seeking discharge.
I opened my menu and several submenus.
[STATISTICS
* ATTACK - (30)
* * STRENGTH - 20
* * ACCURACY - 10
* DEFENSE - (30)
* * ESSENCE - 20
* * RESISTANCE - 10
* ABILITY - (20)
* * ADEPTNESS - 10
* * ENERGY - 10
* MOVEMENT - (30)
* * SPEED - 20
* * AGILITY - 10
* PROCESSING - (40)
* * PERCEPTION - 10
* * PERSUASION - 10
* * PROTOCOL - 10
* * PROBABILITY - 10
MEMORY
Stolen story; please report.
* STORAGE
* * 210 / 210
UNASSIGNED VALUE: 20]
After tooling around with my menu options, I discovered that increasing from 10 to 20 in any category would cost 10 Value. However, increasing from 20 to 30 would cost 20 Value. The higher the Value, the higher the cost would be in a linear, progressive manner.
However, I noticed that 10 Value could directly convert to 10 additional metabytes of storage space no matter what. Strangely, it appeared that the unassigned Value did not take up any storage space. Yet, I would not be able to increase any of my attributes as I was currently maxed out at 210 out of 210 storage.
My only option was to increase storage. I dragged the 20 Value to my Storage category and confirmed. The screen flickered, and then my total Storage increased. It did not seem to be a reversible process, at least within my own menu.
[MEMORY
* STORAGE
* * 210 / 230]
Okay. Not the most exciting upgrade, but necessary. And I still had 10 Crystals left in my inventory. I could increase a category, such as Accuracy, Agility, or so forth. But I was curious about this ‘crafting’ process.
I closed my personal menu and went back to the Data Forge panel, selecting the Forge options.
[FORGE
* ITEMS
* CARDS]
I only had ‘4 out of 10’ hellhound data card fragments, so that wasn’t going to work. However, I had my 3 fern flowers and the materials I purchased from the Supply Depot. I selected the Forge Items option.
[No Schemas currently discovered.
Do you want to continue with Forging?]
Schemas? Yes I would like to continue.
[Insert the raw materials in the indicated depositories]
Two of the podium-like devices glowed. I removed one of the fern flowers from my inventory and placed it on the device. I had to choose between Pure Water or the White Linen Cloth as the other material to combine. After some deliberation, I selected the vial of Pure Water, and placed it on the other platform.
[1 {common} fern flower and 1 vial of pure water detected. With your current Protocol and Probability scores, you will only be able to forge 1 {common} item, with a moderate chance of failure]
Failure? You mean after all this, there was a chance that my item forging attempt could fail? Did that mean I would lose my materials? My Crystals? Agh…
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
[Deposit Crystals for Forging]
I materialized the 10 Crystals from my Inventory and physically placed them in the third and waiting receptacle.
[Begin Forging Process?]
I selected yes, performing the mental equivalent of crossing my fingers. Wouldn’t do me any good. Apparently my destiny was in the hands of my minimal Probability score.
Again, brilliant light cracked forth, this time from all three platforms. Raw energy and data were sucked into some great centrifuge, smashed and reformed in new combinations. The glow in the center pedestal was too bright to make out.
[Item Forging successful.
1 {common} Tincture of Fortune forged.
New schema discovered.]
As the light faded, I saw a small clouded bottle. Vaguely oriental. Ornate. Something out of a forgotten bazaar or caravanserai. I reached out and lifted the item, cupping it delicately between my hands. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, and held the weight of a small quantity of fluid within.
I dematerialized the item into my inventory, then opened my menu to locate it. I found it under the Consumables submenu.
[INVENTORY
* CONSUMABLES
* * 1 Tincture of Fortune (10 metabytes)]
I highlighted the item to access the details.
[Item: Tincture of Fortune
Item Type: Consumable
Frequency: Common
Details: Increases the probability of obtaining Crystals and discovering items of higher rarity for 600 seconds.
Size: 10 megabytes]
Interesting. So if I were to somehow consume this item, perhaps by actually drinking its contents, I would be more likely to find better loot for… 10 minutes.
I wondered if that only meant in the context of hunting invasive entities, or if there were other situations for which this would apply. Perhaps it would temporarily increase the probability of finding invasive flora as well, such as the fern flowers.
I checked the rest of my menu to see what my storage situation looked like.
I used the 10 Crystals, which freed up 10 metabytes. I also used 1 fern flower and my pure water, freeing up 2 metabytes. However, the Tincture of Fortune took up 10 metabytes of storage. I also noted that a new category had been added: Schemas.
[MEMORY
* STORAGE
* * 208 / 230
* SCHEMAS
* * Tincture of Fortune (fern flower + pure water)]
The system had recorded the crafting recipe for me. Helpful. I wondered what result the fern flower and the white linen cloth would have had. But I was out of Crystals.
I also wondered if there were ways to obtain additional schemas without having to experiment, without trial and error in the Data Forge. There was still so much to learn.
Then a sinking realization came over me. I should have backed up my data at the Restoration Point after buying my new weapon, not before. After going to the Data Forge. I kicked myself. If I died out there, I would lose all my progress.
I had only 100 Crypt left. Just enough for another backup. Not even enough to ride transit. I would have to find a bounty within walking distance of The Commons, if that was possible. And if I died, I would go into debt to be restored. I shuddered to think of the implications.
Wasn’t this supposed to get easier? Did the system even want me to succeed in my mission?
I gritted my teeth and turned away from the forge. I would quickly stop by the Restoration Point and spend the last of my money on a backup, then head straight to the Task Assignment Boards. It was time for another hunt.