Vitmori POV

I approach the edge of the clearing of the Haven, and the place is abuzz with all sorts of activity. At first, I'm not entirely sure how to approach anyone or where to start, but upon spotting Trisha sitting with Silvia, Miriam, and Virtisa, I decide to make my way over and check in with them.

As I walked closer, Sekha bounded over from Virtisa's side, lunging for my legs and using her claws to scale my wooden body in quick fashion as she perched on my shoulder rather proudly. "Hey there, Sekha, nice to see you too." I mused to her, reaching up and gently scratching her chin and throat while she preened and murred at the attention.

Silvia was the first to speak up at my approach as she regarded me with a small smile. "Good afternoon Vitmori, it's good to see you. Are you here about your equipment?" She asked as she shaped some hide around a carved piece of wood that looked to be about the shape and size of my foot.

I moved to sit with them, settling beside Virtisa as Sekha hopped down from my shoulder, only to get cozy on my lap as she sat there looking rather comfortable. "Not in particular no, but I would like to see what you've done so far now that you mention it."

Silvia flashed a bit of a grin as she stood, setting the wood and hide to the side. "Figured as much, I'll be right back." With that, she started for the longhouse.

Looking among the others while gently scratching the back of Sekha's ears, I sensed that Miriam seemed deeply upset, though I couldn't get a clear impression as to why she was in that state. None of the others seem to be particularly reacting to her being this way, so it's likely not something relatively recent that has her this upset.

Before I could be nosy and say anything, Trisha piped up as she swallowed a bite of some kind of fruit. "So Vitmori, what brings you to the Haven, if not your equipment?"

"Well, if I'm being honest, I just needed to feel useful today, so I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help out around here." I admitted, though, for some odd reason, I felt rather embarrassed about it. Maybe it's because I'm an older man, or maybe it's because I finally have a body and hands that I can move freely. Sure, I may have built the Longhouse all on my own or gathered all that wood. But that was just done quickly through magic. I want to use my hands and do the work somewhere and somehow, perhaps, for my own selfish satisfaction.

Trisha nodded intently, and I could sense she understood what I was feeling in a way. "Fair enough." She said simply, offering a bit of a smile before taking another bite of the fruit in her hands.

Virtisa was the one to speak up next before the lull could drag on too long. "If it's not too much trouble, I actually have something for you to look into if you're up for it." She mentioned as she stirred at the simmering pot of bark and water.

With my curiosity sufficiently piqued, I give Virtisa my attention before bobbing my head. "Sure, what's going on?" I ask simply as I feel Sekha start kneading her claws into the cloth of my poncho and my wooden shoulder.

Virtisa smiled a bit before looking towards the treeline. "I don't know how much you know, but we've been seeing an increase in spider activity around these parts. We've been finding a lot of webs all over the place, and the traps that Cinco and the others have been setting up have been found empty after clearly being triggered and catching something. At first, we thought it was just the one taran-tracker that Cinco hunted around a week ago, but since then, there have been only more webs and signs of spiders."

I nodded intently, considering what I knew about the spiders before piping up. "Well, I was aware of their nest and that there were a few spotted on this side of the mountain. But the fact that they're stealing food from traps is a problem... Yeah, don't worry about it, I'll look into it." I say as I offer them a small smile.

Trisha looked over at me curiously before deciding to speak up. "There's a whole nest of spiders around here? Really?"

Bobbing my head once, I gestured in the general direction of the nest as far as I could recall. "Yeah, off in that direction. The size of the nest is about five city blocks, last I checked, and still growing. But the bulk of them are rather far away on the other side of my mountain. There's supposedly some kind of magic tree in the middle of it all now that I think about it."

That earned me some concerned expressions as the women glanced at each other before Virtisa spoke up once more. "Vitmori, when you say city blocks, how big is that?"

That took me a moment to consider since I couldn't just give them a reference I would readily understand. "Um... I would say around the size of an average village with fields included." I offer as Sylvia returned, carrying a bundle of things.

"A spiders nest the size of a village? By the gods, are you going to do anything about it?" Miriam asked, that bit of information getting her to finally speak up as she looked between me and the others.

I smiled sheepishly, scratching a little at my Sekha's throat as she mrowled pleasantly. "Well, it's not like they were behaving particularly aggressively. As far as we've observed, they have only been wrapping their webs around trees and guarding their own territory. But the fact that they're starting to take food out of your traps is worrisome, so I'll definitely check things out."

Though at that, I looked over at Sylvia curiously and checked out what she had as she flashed a bit of a smile. "Well, if you're about to go off and fight some of those oversized crawlers, you're gonna need something to protect yourself with. Even if a bite probably won't affect you all too much." She mused a bit and handed over the bundle.

Trisha stood as she finished the last of her fruit. "If that's the case, I've got some throwing knives and a dagger ready for you. I hope it'll be enough for now." She expressed with some concern, wiping her hands on her pants before jogging off towards my mountain.

It was at that moment that I realized they were expecting me to head out right now... So much for helping around the Haven or talking with Zasutir. I looked over the things Sylvia brought me and smiled to myself. "Wow, this is all really well made." The clothes were hand stitched, but the needlework was tight and well done overall.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

This was the effort of several days of work, and I could feel the skill that was put into them. As for the armor, it looked almost like a gambeson at first, but once I picked it up, I could feel the metal plates that were sewn in between the layers of thick cloth. It almost reminded me of a bulletproof vest if I had to find something to compare it to, but it was made in the shape of a coat. Though at the end of the day, what I was most excited about were the pants. I could finally get out of this oversized skirt/wrap and move normally without having to constantly worry it was going to fall down in front of someone.

As I'm looking things over, I realize Miriam and Silvia seemed to be watching me rather expectantly. "I suppose I ought to go put these on then." I say simply, standing as Sekha hopped down from my shoulder and rejoined Virtisa's side.

Looking around for a moment, I'm not entirely sure where to go to get changed. I may not have anything to conceal under this skirt, but the idea of me being naked in front of these women despite being a glorified mannequin doesn't quite sit right with me.

After taking another moment to think about it, I opted to just cross through the tree line. Once I was out of a direct line of sight, I opted to further ensure I had my privacy as I poured out some dirt and stone before shaping them into a sort of impromptu changing room.

Despite having never worn these clothes before, the act of getting dressed in something that wasn't just a poncho or a glorified skirt towel felt so... Comforting. Even as I used a cut of rope as an improvised belt to ensure my new pants stayed in place, for just a moment, I felt more human than I had in quite a long time.

Pulling on the long-sleeved green tunic, I'm satisfied to find that there was enough freedom of movement that my clothes shouldn't hinder me in the day-to-day. I was still lacking in the shoe department, however, seeing as I'm made of wood, I probably don't need shoes to travel; and it's not like I've been wearing any, to begin with. I'll probably just try to buy some from a shop of some kind instead of letting Silvia try to go out of her way to make some for me.

Looking over the black armored coat, I go about pulling it on as well, fastening the wooden buttons until it is properly closed up. Just going through the motions of putting on the armor felt rather nostalgic, even if it wasn't like any armor I was used to wearing back home. Now, wearing it, I could appreciate the considerations that were taken when designing it.

There were quite a few plates that were sewn into key places around my body, guarding my forearms and upper arms, around my shoulders, and even some that were shaped to fit around the collar of the coat protecting what would be the nape of my neck and clavicle. Beyond those, I could feel plates spread out evenly along my chest, stomach, and back; all in all, it was a weighty piece of kit, but not at all cumbersome as far as I could tell.

In practice, the plates should protect me from most kinds of slashing attacks, while the sheer padding of the coat would be useful for shrugging off blunt strikes. It is also likely to be fairly warm with all these layers, though I have a feeling I probably don't have to worry about exposure while using this wooden body of mine.

With the need for privacy done and over with, I pull the walls of stone and dirt back into my storage, along with the cloth for my skirt and the poncho, before making my back into the Haven clearing.

Though before I could say a thing, Sylvia and Miriam both approached and started looking me over; making me bend this way and that and move in specific poses to test the range of movement I could accomplish while wearing the things they made. After a few minutes of this, Sylvia spoke up with a rather pleased smile on her face. "You certainly cut an impressive figure, Vitmori. Is there anything you want us to fix?" She asked rather sincerely as she looked me over from shoulder to shoulder.

I couldn't help but grin in response as I shook my head. "Nothing I can think of, no. This is some wonderful work." I enthuse cheerfully before glancing at my own feet and continuing. "You also don't have to worry about making my shoes or gloves, I don't need either right now." I mentioned while looking between them. "I owe you both. Is there anything you would like for me to do for either of you? Anything at all?"

Miriam looked taken aback with surprise while Sylvia looked thoughtful. The two women glanced between each other for more than a few moments when Miriam piped up first. "I-I'm not sure what I could ask for. Is it alright if I take some time to think about it?" She asked, her voice clear with an air of uncertainty right now.

Sylvia smiled as she started walking back over to the sitting area around the boiling pot. "I'll also hold onto that debt of yours for later. It's not every day a dungeon says they owe you after all." She mused rather teasingly while collecting her tools and materials before stashing them away.

I bobbed my head at their decision. "Sure, there's no time limit on cashing those debts in. Just let me know when you've got something in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll see about dealing with that spider problem."

"Good hunting, Vitmori." Virtisa said as she held up a large wooden spoon in a declaration. Sekha mrowling out her support as I made my way out of the Haven's clearing.

Instead of making my way straight to the spider's nest, I start making my ascent up the mountain to meet with Trisha. Through our bond, I made sure to let her know that I was going up to meet her soon so she didn't try to rush back down the mountain for no good reason. When I finally do make it to the smithy, I find Trisha in the store room as she methodically polishes something with a piece of cloth. "Hey, sorry about making you feel like you had to rush up the mountain. I appreciate you going through the trouble, though." I offer, though she still jumped slightly as I sensed I startled her by speaking up suddenly. Apparently, she didn't hear me come in.

She looked back over at me and flashed a small smile, turning to face me while hiding whatever it was she had been polishing behind her back. "Hey boss, don't worry about it. I just wasn't planning on you needing your weapons so soon. Your sword still needs a hilt and sharpening, and I haven't even gotten started on your spear yet." Despite her concerns and somewhat self-inflicted sense of pressure, she still seemed rather proud and even excited about what was to come next.

I couldn't help but be at least a little swayed by her good mood as I smiled back and stepped closer, crossing through the store room's threshold and waiting to see what she had been hiding. "It hasn't been all that long since you started, so be sure to take your time. Honestly, I'll be happy with whatever you can make for me after my own piss-poor attempts at smithing using magic." I muse almost mischievously at the end before shutting up so she could finish hyping herself up.

After another moment, she pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle from behind her back and held it up in the palms of both of her hands. "I want to say this is my best piece yet, though I'd be lying since I'm still working on your sword and spear." She mused confidently.

I could sense that she was genuine in her confidence, which was quite a good sign. Once she offered up the bundle, I took it up and immediately felt that the hilt was heavier than the blade and smiled again. "It dawns on me that I didn't even tell you what I intend on using the dagger for." I mentioned offhandedly as I unwrapped it; revealing the wicked-looking, doubled-edged dagger that had been sharpened to a point. The blade was a quite beautiful shade of metallic mint green, whereas the thin hilt was a rather dense piece of black metal with a compact guard.

At that comment, I sensed a spike of worry shooting from Trisha as she suddenly looked a little less confident. "Is there something wrong with it? I can remake it, no problem."

I chuckled softly as I shook my head, taking up the dagger by the hilt and holding it securely in my hand as I got a feel for it. "No need, it's perfect. This dagger was made for stabbing and making a mess. It was just what I needed."

Trisha seemed to shudder at that comment, and I can feel a healthy mix of fear, awe, and pride at how I described her work. Ultimately, she settled on pride as she flashed a toothy grin and scratched the back of her head. "Thanks, boss, I honestly wasn't sure about it at first. I had only seen a blade like this before and was hoping for the best when I settled on the design."

Now that was a surprise, I glanced between her and the dagger again before chuckling a bit. "If that's the case, I'm even more impressed. There was this contest where they would gather blacksmiths from around the nation, and they would pit them against each other, racing to make a certain blade shown to them by the judges. For all their tools and machines that sped up the process and made things that much easier, they would still fail to do it right with the example right in front of them."

I then held the dagger up, letting it catch the light of the self-sustaining ball of light that illuminated the room. "Yet here you are, you may have had the advantage of getting to work on it longer, but you beautifully recreated a blade from memory that you no doubt only looked at quite some time ago and undoubtedly improved on the design to what you thought best."

Trisha was all sorts of shades of red from the praise as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head. A smile nearly glued to her face as she looked up at me. "I only did my best and nothing more, Boss." She was not sure what else to say, but I could sense she was fired up as she then procured a set of brown throwing knives that were bound together by a cord and pressed them into my free hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I've got work to do." She said, very bluntly trying to force her way out of the conversation before she seemingly embarrassed herself in front of me.

I eagerly held up the throwing knives as well, marveling at how balanced and sharp they were. But before I could say a word about them, Trisha had already hurried off towards the smithy without another word. Well then, I suppose I ought to get to work too.