Trillia was greeted by the others, who had taken to the shop in their free time to learn and chat with one another. Business was doing well for Marg and Alfred, which Trillia was happy about. She wanted to see the humans succeed, not just because they were kind but also because it'd incentivize orcs to get into these classes as well.

At least, that was her hope.

Amelia gave her a hug and did a poor job hiding her concern. "How are you feeling?"

Trillia shrugged and looked down at her hand. "Ok, I guess? Lord Arlyss and Ba'Shoon think it might be related to having my mana tied to Alirast. I guess because my Wisdom breaks one-thousand when fury is active, it changes the flow of mana."

Marg spoke up between hammer strikes. "The benchmarks I know of are one-thousand, three-thousand, and I was once told that ten-thousand is another. It's one of the many reasons deities aren't allowed to use most of their skills and abilities on mortals."

Trillia and Amelia wandered over and sat on stumps next to the woman, happy to listen. "A little-known fact. Dragons are quite chatty creatures. While Alfred served his two years in the Library of Scales, I was permitted to visit him. Despite my wariness of dragons, the one who runs the library is quite honorable. We would often chat for hours between petitioners, and I'd listen to stories."

Alfred spoke up with a grin. "I had to serve two years for two hours. This minx got the information for a smile."

Marg shot him a glare that rapidly turned into a grin. "Some people are just smart enough to listen. For a creature that's thousands of years old, they don't often get to simply talk. The master of the library is the one who informed me that there was another benchmark at ten thousand."

Trillia went from staring at Marg to staring at her hand. Holding her left arm up next to her right and remembering the claw. "Is it possible to use magic to mimic a hand?"

The room went silent, save for the rhythmic clang of hammers. Marg paused in her strikes and stared at Trillia. "Magic can do many things. From what you've told us. I don't know that such a thing would work for you. Many times, sacrifice is permanent for abilities such as yours."

Trillia closed her eyes and spoke softly to herself. "I never wanted to sacrifice for this. I just wanted to be useful."

Amelia gave her shoulder a little squeeze. "How do you think we should train? So that you can get a feeling for your benchmark?"

Trillia shrugged. Opening her eyes and looking at Amelia. "I'm not sure. Lord Arlyss said he might stop by to help learn about melding. I can ask him then."

As if on cue, a portal opened, and out stepped Arlyss. "Sorry. I completely forgot about that. I have a lot going on right now. This body won't be able to channel any of my power, but it can still be used to communicate."

Trillia blinked as he appeared. Everyone else froze. Quite unused to a deity being so casual. Though, perhaps they didn't know many deities. "Finished with your other talk?" She didn't feel the massive weight of power, which was refreshing.

Arlyss shook his head as he wandered over to a table with some of the armor on it, lifting each piece with each and closely inspecting the metal. "I'm still having that conversation. I currently have seven bodies out. Each has its own discussions. I'm still learning to spread my power equally as well. Assume this body is a level one child, nothing more."

Alfred and Marg finally found their wits and bowed. "Pleasure to see you, Lord Arlyss." Marg was the one to speak. Arlyss turned to them with a smile.

"A pleasure to be here. Thank you. For helping educate and take care of my avatar. I saw your attempts at melding and thought they had promise. It's something I'd like to better understand as well. I also know that you must make armor to earn your keep. For now, I'm happy to sit here and have a pleasant conversation. When you are done for the day, if everyone is willing, I'd like to give melding a solid look."

Both immediately nodded their agreeance. Trillia offered a weak smile, her mind wondering what it must be like to have instant respect and admiration. In the back of her mind, Arlyss' voice spoke softly to her. "It's quite tedious. I will never develop friendships. I will never develop camaraderie. I will only ever know servants and worship." Trillia snapped her eyes to him and offered a weak little nod. She watched his mouth move independently of the words he spoke to her mentally.

"Lord Arlyss, how should I go about training? So that I don't lose myself again?"

Arlyss looked over at her and stopped speaking. "Your best bet is to continue delving into Red River. Push yourself as hard as you can every time. Even if you meet the same fate for the next month, you will eventually tame the mana currents that come with that benchmark. Red River is as safe a place as any. I really do need to spend some time talking to him."

Trillia nodded and looked at her companions. "Sorry that you have to deal with so much instability."

Amelia laughed at that and shook her head. "You're still the primary damage dealer in our group. You're the only reason we won that fight on the second floor. Your instability is just being untrained. Which we can work towards training."

Fred snapped his fingers at that. "That reminds me! Sir Gobbinz sent over our drops!"

Frederick turned and hurried off towards his room, getting a heavy sigh from Marg, who walked over to his workstation and grabbed the armor he was working on.

It only took him a few minutes to return. He brought out a trident and a small glass orb. "I figure Malor could use the trident. Amelia uses instrument weapons, and Layla prefers blunt weapons. " He looked at Trillia and gave a little shrug as if to say sorry. "I don't think it would suit you well. I have my own weapons. I'm not sure what the orb is. Father says that part of dungeoneering is learning how to identify items. So he's leaving that up to us."

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Trillia gave a little grin at his words. Then jumped up and spun to look at Marg. "Can you make me a shield I can strap to my right arm?!"

Marg blinked a few times at the girl's explosive energy but nodded all the same. "They are often referred to as targes, dear. Yes, we can fashion you something like that. We might be able to work out one for your left arm if you'd prefer. I think I can manage something around your artifact."

Trillia nodded excitedly at that. Then remembered she had interrupted poor Fred and looked over at him. "Sorry, Fred. Go on."

The man smirked and shrugged. Lifting the trident and offering it to Malor, who stepped forward. "I have a skill that lets me scan items for enchantments. Give me some time with both items, and I will see if I can work out what they do."

The group nodded as Malor sat down at a little makeshift workstation that had been created for him. The minotaur enchanter had started to enchant armor for customers as a way to repay Marg and Alfred and earn himself a little extra as well.

Trillia sat on the stump near Marg and watched with interest as a combination of skills and know-how turned metal into a flexible, wearable thing. "I wish the realm wasn't so topsy-turvy. I think I want what you have."

Marg glanced at the girl as she spoke. "What's that, dear?"

Trillia looked around the shop and saw everyone off doing their own thing in their pockets. Lord Arlyss was having a conversation with a random customer who had no idea they were speaking to a deity. Scans of Arlyss just showed obfuscated now, not some warning about a deity. Trillia scooted closer and lowered her voice. "I want a family. I want a calm life where I can craft, surrounded by the people I love. I hope that one day I don't have to fight anymore."

Marg's visage softened considerably as she looked at the child in front of her. "I think you'd be a great mother. I hope one day your dream can come true. Until then, you're part of my family, Trillia. And as long as I draw breath, you will always be welcome under my roof."

Trillia smiled up at the woman and gave a little nod. The two chatted about silly things, what people Trillia was interested in. What she was looking for in a person, what she might name her children. The more they spoke, the more Trillia realized she just wanted stability and peace. She wondered if that's why Amara and Cordaos had stopped adventuring and leveling. She stopped mid-sentence as the realization hit. "I'm a pact-bound. I'll always be at war...or on the edge of one."

Arlyss, who had ended his conversation by now, walked over to put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get your calm centuries. I promise. That's a big part of my research. I believe we are nearing the end of day. Is it alright if I bring some of my tools here?"

Marg shrugged and nodded. Not really sure how to say no to a deity, perhaps. Arlyss nodded, and his power fully settled on this body. Everyone in the area paused at the sudden weight of it. With a few surges of mana, a dozen tools, and two tables appeared out of thin air. All of it was made from the same crystalline-like structure as the spire was. Trillia had come to realize that it was crystallized mana like the cave she was kept in.

As Alfred and Marg finished their work for the day, they walked over and began peering over things. Arlyss motioned. "Feel free to pick up and inspect things. All of my equipment is quite durable, and I'm happy to learn from Masters of their craft on how to improve."

Alfred chuckled softly and shook his head. "Worked for a dragon, saw true dwarves, having a casual conversation with a god, and I'm married to an amazing woman." Shaking his head some more as he glanced at Marg. "I would have never believed it. Had someone told me I'd be standing here now, back in our slave days."

Marg walked up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Arlyss chuckled softly as he joined them at the table. "Good people find good things, Sir Alfred. It's as easy as that."

Alfred looked over at the deity and gave a little nod. Turning his attention back to the table.

Trillia had walked over with mana-sight active. Everything came up with the prefix [Crystal]. Crystal hammers, crystal tongs, crystal magnifying lenses. "Why don't other items have prefixes like this? Like, why isn't it an iron hammer? But just a hammer with a description that it's made of iron?"

Marg grabbed the crystal hammer and handed it to Trillia, who took it. Looking down at it and not quite understanding the answer. Arlyss spoke up. "She's my avatar. Anything that is bound to me is usable by her. She doesn't get the warning."

Trillia blinked in even more confusion as everyone stared at her. Marg gently took the hammer back. "It's all minor artifacts. The tables, the tools. All of it. We get a warning that it will only operate as a masterwork variant of the same tool in our hands. I suppose, as Lord Arlyss said. It will work at full power for you."

Trillia nodded slightly and ran her fingers along the surface of the table. "I see."

Arlyss pulled over a set of their failed melding armor. A fresh set that Fred had pointed out was good to use. Fred pulled out some wolf pelts. "Ok, let's see why the mana is fraying. It looked like you all did everything spot on, from what I've read. I don't understand why your attempts failed."

As the conversation drifted to shop talk, Marg and Alfred once more grew significantly more comfortable. Alfred stood next to Arlyss and motioned at a few seams in the armor. "It looks like the make isn't good enough. Marg and I have been discussing it with Freddie. We think the armor we've been using just isn't of good enough quality. How much do you know about enchanting, Lord Arlyss?"

Arlyss glanced at him and shrugged. "I'd say I'm probably at Malor's level. I can only create more powerful items because I can brute force them with divinity and raw mana. So I don't have to be as skilled. Why do you ask?"

Malor had also joined them and was curious as well. Alfred flipped the armor and motioned to the enchanting lattice they had started. "Good armor holds enchantments well. The way we weave mana into runes and how well that mana holds takes a great deal of emphasis on the quality of the item. Something of shite quality can only hold one or two weak enchantments." Alfred looked at Malor now. "Stop me if I'm wrong on any of this, lad." Malor motioned for him to continue. "Melding is a combination of alchemy and enchanting. As everyone here knows just from conversations with Marg, if nothing else, alchemy isn't art. It's a science. Things need to be exact, or they can go explosively wrong."

Marg nodded her agreeance with that. Trillia found herself also nodding, having caused several small explosions of acid in her learning. Alfred walked away and grabbed a set of their masterwork armor. "My guess. Is that because of how exact enchanting and alchemy have to be, the vessel which we're melding with also has to be exact. I just worry about testing it."

Arlyss nodded at the words and grabbed the masterwork chest plate. "Trillia, may I borrow from your mana reserves? If I use you as an intermediate, I am allowed to use certain skills."

Trillia nodded immediately and waited. She watched as a quarter of a million mana vanished, and a second masterwork chest plate appeared on the table under Arlyss. The deity picked up the piece he had created and extended it to Alfred. "That's probably one of the most expensive things I've ever copied. But it should work to test on without wasting your hard work."

Marg looked over at Trillia. "Is it ok, dear? You paid for that with your mana."

Trillia shrugged but wore an eager expression. "I have plenty of mana. I want to see melding work after you all have worked so hard on it. If we need to make more test subjects, I'm okay with that as well!"

The group now all stood around the crystal table as they discussed the next steps. They had even gained a small audience of orcs and minotaur that were watching the group. Trillia didn't realize it, but Tormash and Ba'Shoon were in that audience as well. It had been a few hours since she left them at this point. It wasn't every day you got to see two master smiths and a god work on a project together.