Isabelle walked over to Lugano and looked at the burlap sack that held Stelas’ severed head. She untied the sack from her horse’s saddle and pulled it open, so that Isabelle could look at the white hair at the top of Stelas’ head.
“What the hell do you want now, you miserable cur?” asked Stelas.
“Shut the fuck up, Stelas,” said Isabelle. She didn’t care what this miserable beheaded dark elf thought of her. It was time for her to craft with her dragon loot, and Isabelle could hardly contain her excitement.
Wait a second. Didn’t Isabelle have something in her own inventory that helped with crafting? Isabelle opened her inventory to check.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 89/122
Item
Traits
Carpenter’s Guild Ring
+5 crafting
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Hell yes she did!
[Carpenter’s Guild Ring equipped]
[+5 crafting]
Okay. It was finally time. Isabelle hoped she could get away with crafting directly out of Stelas’ inventory, because otherwise she’d have to transfer back everything she needed for each crafting session to her own inventory and probably get over encumbered over and over again. She had a headache just imagining it! Isabelle focused on the top of Stelas’ head.
[Loot ‘Stelas Stelford’?]
Isabelle thought yes.
Inventory: Stelas Stelford
Item
Traits
Young Red Dragon Hide x20
+15 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Scales x20
+20 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bones x20
+11 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Skull
+20 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Eye x2
+10 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Heart x1
+8 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Claw x12
+15 carry weight
Silver Crown
+1 carry weight
Silver Necklace with Gemstone Pendant
+0.5 carry weight
Gold Embroidered Robe
+5 carry weight
Potion of Greater Health x3
+20 hp, +0.5 carry weight
Gold-Studded Jacket
+6 carry weight
Golden Flute
+0.5 carry weight
Horseshoes of Lickedy Speed
+3 horse speed, +5 carry weight
Potion of Mind Reading
+0.5 carry weight
Gold-Lined Folding Boat
+6 carry weight
Golden Jug
+0.5 carry weight
Golden Trident
+3 damage, +8 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Now for the moment of truth. Isabelle focused on the Young Red Dragon Hide x20 and thought ‘Open Young Red Dragon Hide x20 Crafting Menu.’
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Hide x20
Young Red Dragon Armor (human) x2
Young Red Dragon Shield x4
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets x6
Young Red Dragon Boots x4
Young Red Dragon Cloak x6
Woah! Now that was a lot of crafting options. Isabelle wanted it all. Hell, maybe she could craft it all. First of all, though, she knew she had to have that Young Red Dragon Armor.
Isabelle focused on ‘Young Red Dragon Armor (human).’
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’ out of items ‘Young Red Dragon Hide x10’, ‘Young Red Dragon Scales x5,’ and ‘Young Red Dragon Bones x2’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Hide x10’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales x5’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Bones x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[Crafting ‘Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’ added to Stelas inventory]
Excellent. Isabelle was excited to craft more from the first crafting menu, so she decided to go ahead and open it back up.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Hide x10
Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human) x1
Young Red Dragon Shield x2
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets x3
Young Red Dragon Boots x2
Young Red Dragon Cloak x3
Wait a second. Isabelle could improve the Young Red Dragon Armor by making it sleek? That reminded her of the crab exoskeleton armor she’d made a while back. Of course attempting to craft it had broken some of her items way back when, but Isabelle’s level had been much lower then, and she was also wearing this carpenter’s guild ring that greatly improved her crafting ability. So, Isabelle focused on ‘Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human).’
[Craft ‘Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’ out of items ‘Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’ and ‘Young Red Dragon Hide x2’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Hide x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human)’ added to Stelas inventory]
Awesome. Isabelle opened up the crafting menu again. It was time to see what the damage was.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Hide x8
Young Red Dragon Shield x2
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets x3
Young Red Dragon Boots x2
Young Red Dragon Cloak x3
Wow! She could still craft all the things she wanted! Isabelle was excited. She focused on the ‘Young Red Dragon Boots,’ as she really wanted some of those.
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Boots’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Hide x4’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Hide x4’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Boots’ added to Stelas inventory]
Another success. Isabelle was thrilled to have this Carpenter’s Guild Ring, it was really coming in handy. She opened her crafting menu up again.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Hide x4
Young Red Dragon Shield x1
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets x2
Young Red Dragon Boots x1
Young Red Dragon Cloak x2
Hmm. Isabelle could craft one Young Red Dragon Shield, or she could craft a set of Young Red Dragon Gauntlets and a Young Red Dragon Cloak. Isabelle thought about how inconvenient shields were, how much inventory space they took up, and how she generally just didn’t like fighting with them. Then, she focused on the ‘Young Red Dragon Gauntlets.’
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Gauntlets’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Hide x2’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Hide x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Gauntlets’ added to Stelas inventory]
Perfect. Only one more thing to do now. Isabelle opened the crafting menu again.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Hide x2
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets x1
Young Red Dragon Cloak x1
Isabelle focused on the ‘Young Red Dragon Cloak.’
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Cloak’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Hide x2’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Hide x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Cloak’ added to Stelas inventory]
Well that had been fun. Isabelle was eager to look at all her new items, and decide which ones to put in her inventory and which to leave in Setlas’. However, didn’t she have other loot from the dragon that she could probably craft with? Isabelle figured she’d go ahead and look at Stelas’ inventory again. That way, she could see the traits of her awesome new armor while also seeing what else she had to work with.
Inventory: Stelas Stelford
Item
Traits
Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human)
+3 fire resist, +7 hp, +12 str, +13 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Boots
+2 fire resist, +4 stm, +4 dx, +2 str, +7 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets
+2 fire resist, +5 damage, +5 stm, +5 dx, +4 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Cloak
+5 fire resist, +3 char, +5 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Scales x15
+20 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bones x18
+11 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Skull
+20 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Eye x2
+10 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Heart x1
+8 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Claw x12
+15 carry weight
Silver Crown
+1 carry weight
Silver Necklace with Gemstone Pendant
+0.5 carry weight
Gold Embroidered Robe
+5 carry weight
Potion of Greater Health x3
+20 hp, +0.5 carry weight
Gold-Studded Jacket
+6 carry weight
Golden Flute
+0.5 carry weight
Horseshoes of Lickedy Speed
+3 horse speed, +5 carry weight
Potion of Mind Reading
+0.5 carry weight
Gold-Lined Folding Boat
+6 carry weight
Golden Jug
+0.5 carry weight
Golden Trident
+3 damage, +8 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Woah! Isabelle had really crafted herself up some awesome items. But now it was time to see if she could craft anything else. Isabelle saw there were more Young Red Dragon Bones than there were anything else. Maybe she could use those. Isabelle thought, ‘Open Young Red Dragon Bones x18 Crafting Menu.’
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Bones x18
Young Red Dragon Dagger x9
Young Red Dragon Rapier x6
Young Red Dragon Helmet
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Young Red Dragon Glaive x4
Young Red Dragon Bow x9
Young Red Dragon Shield x2
Well that was a lot of options right there. Isabelle’s main question, however, was whether she could craft the Young Red Dragon Shield and still craft everything else in the list. Same with the helmet, which, even though Isabelle wasn’t one for helmets or shields, just sounded badass.
[Calculating…]
[…]
[Notice: Young Red Dragon Helmet costs Young Red Dragon Bones x1 and Young Red Dragon Skull x1. This will allow you to craft many things on the menu alongside it.]
[Calculating…]
[…]
[Notice: Unfortunately, this will require compromise. Crafting every item in the crafting menu would cost over twenty Young Red Dragon Bones items, whereas you only have eighteen.]
Well, that settled it. Fuck the shield. Isabelle really didn’t like shields, anyway. They reminded her too much of Oglo and how badly she wanted to punch his face in. Isabelle looked back to the crafting menu.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Bones x18
Young Red Dragon Dagger x9
Young Red Dragon Rapier x6
Young Red Dragon Helmet
Young Red Dragon Glaive x4
Young Red Dragon Bow x9
Young Red Dragon Shield x2
She focused on ‘Young Red Dragon Helmet.’
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Helmet’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Bones’ and ‘Young Red Dragon Skull’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Bones’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Skull’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Helmet’ added to Stelas inventory]
[Crafting increased to level 5]
Nice! Isabelle was wondering when her crafting level might increase. There was no reason to stop crafting now. She focused again on the crafting menum, this time concentrating on ‘Young Red Dragon Dagger.’ Since she could make so many of them, Isabelle decided it might be fun to craft two, for dual wielding purposes.
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Dagger x2’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Bones x4’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Bones x4’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Dagger x2’ added to Stelas inventory]
Okay, Isabelle needed to look back at the crafting menu and see what else she could make.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Bones x13
Young Red Dragon Dagger x6
Young Red Dragon Rapier x4
Young Red Dragon Glaive x3
Young Red Dragon Bow x6
Young Red Dragon Shield x1
Okay, the damage wasn’t too bad. Isabelle decided to go ahead and focus on the Young Red Dragon Bow. That sounded useful.
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Bow x2’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Bones x2’ and ‘Young Red Dragon Scales’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Bones x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Bow’ added to Stelas inventory]
What would Isabelle craft now? She looked back at the menu to see her options.
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Bones x11
Young Red Dragon Dagger x5
Young Red Dragon Rapier x3
Young Red Dragon Glaive x2
Young Red Dragon Bow x5
Young Red Dragon Shield x1
So all she really had left to craft was the glaive and the rapier. Isabelle focused on the ‘Young Red Dragon Glaive,’ as apparently it took more Young Red Dragon Bones to craft.
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Glaive’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Bones x4’ ‘Young Red Dragon Claw x2,’ and ‘Young Red Dragon Scales x2’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Bones x4’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Claw x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Glaive’ added to Stelas inventory]
Awesome. All Isabelle had left was to craft the Young Red Dragon Rapier, which sounded fun. She focused on it.
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Rapier’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Bones x3’, ‘Young Red Dragon Claw x2,’ and ‘Young Red Dragon Scales x2’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Bones x3’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Claw x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales x2’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Rapier’ added to Stelas inventory]
[Crafting increased to level 6]
[Notice: You’re ready to level up]
Well, shit. It was time to level up already? This dragon was proving great for Isabelle’s progression, even in its death! She did want to look through Stelas’ inventory and check out all the new items she’d crafted, but Isabelle also figured that she could raise her carrying capacity by tacking some points on to her const when she leveled, and she wanted all these items out of Stelas’ inventory and into her own. So, Isabelle shrugged.
[Notice: You’ve reached level 16!]
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 10
Hp:
46
H-Regen:
3/50sec
Mana:
40
M-Regen:
2/min
Stm:
32
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Isabelle’s stm needed a facelift. Five points of a facelift, she figured. Isabelle decided that two points would go to her mana, and the last three to her hp.
Skill Points to Spend: 10
Str:
23
Int:
28
Dx:
24
Wis:
23
Const:
24
Char:
21
So, this was always the tricky bit. Isabelle knew she wanted to put three to her const. Her char could probably also use three. That left four points. Isabelle decided two to int, and two to str.
[Congratulations, you’ve finished leveling up!]
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
16
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
49
H-Regen:
3/50sec
Mana:
42
M-Regen:
2/45sec
Stm:
37
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
25
Int:
30
Dx:
24
Wis:
23
Const:
27
Char:
24
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
0
Summon:
0
Heal:
0
Destroy:
6
Transmute:
0
Confuse:
0
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
6
Sneak:
6
Archery:
7
Lockpick:
0
Armed Combat:
7
Melee Combat:
4
Speechcraft:
6
Sleight Of Hand:
3
Okay, now that she was all good and leveled up, Isabelle was ready to look in Stelas’ inventory and check out her newly crafted items. She focused on the top of his head.
[Loot ‘Stelas Stelford’?]
Isabelle thought yes.
Inventory: Stelas Stelford
Item
Traits
Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human)
+3 fire resist, +7 hp, +12 str, +13 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Boots
+2 fire resist, +4 stm, +4 dx, +2 str, +7 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets
+2 fire resist, +5 damage, +5 stm, +5 dx, +4 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Cloak
+5 fire resist, +3 char, +3 stm, +5 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Dagger x2
+2 fire damage, +5 damage, +3 stm, +1 dx, +2 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Rapier
+3 fire damage, +6 damage, +1 str, +5 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Glaive
+2 fire damage, +7 damage, +2 str, +6 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bow
+3 fire damage, +2 damage, +3 dx, +3 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Helmet
+7 str, +5 char, +3 speechcraft, +3 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Scales x10
+20 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bones x4
+11 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Eye x2
+10 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Heart x1
+8 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Claw x8
+15 carry weight
Silver Crown
+1 carry weight
Silver Necklace with Gemstone Pendant
+0.5 carry weight
Gold Embroidered Robe
+5 carry weight
Potion of Greater Health x3
+20 hp, +0.5 carry weight
Gold-Studded Jacket
+6 carry weight
Golden Flute
+0.5 carry weight
Horseshoes of Lickedy Speed
+3 horse speed, +5 carry weight
Potion of Mind Reading
+0.5 carry weight
Gold-Lined Folding Boat
+6 carry weight
Golden Jug
+0.5 carry weight
Golden Trident
+3 damage, +8 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Now that was some awesome gear. Isabelle was pumped. It even looked like she could try and craft some more stuff from all those dragon scales. She focused on them and thought, ‘Open Young Red Dragon Scales x10 Crafting Menu.’
Crafting
Item
Craftable
Young Red Dragon Scales x10
Amulet of Fire Resist x3
Ring of Hoarding x3
Young Red Dragon Scale Pendant x3
Hey, three things! And it looked like Isabelle would be able to craft all of them. Time to get to work, she figured.
[Craft ‘Amulet of Fire Resist’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Scales x3’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales x3’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Amulet of Fire Resist’ added to Stelas inventory]
On to the next item.
[Craft ‘Ring of Hoarding’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Scales x3’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales x3’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Ring of Hoarding’ added to Stelas inventory]
And now for the last item.
[Craft ‘Young Red Dragon Scale Pendant’ out of item ‘Young Red Dragon Scales x3’? This cannot be undone.]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[‘Young Red Dragon Scales x3’ taken from Stelas inventory]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Crafting complete]
[‘Young Red Dragon Scale Pendant’ added to Stelas inventory]
[Crafting increased to level 7]
Hell yes. Isabelle looked back at Stelas’ inventory, but this time she only wanted to see what all she’d crafted. It was time to see if it would all fit in her own inventory.
“Hail, adventurers!” said a voice from afar.
Isabelle looked up from the burlap sack containing Stelas’ head and felt her heart lurch. Five members of the Cloud Reach guard had come upon her and the rest of her party! Tahsi and Sir Jingles looked anxious, and Isabelle felt the same. Even the horses looked a little startled.
“Do not be afraid on such a fine evening,” said the guard. He walked up to Isabelle and removed his helmet, allowing Isabelle to see his yellow, lizard-like kobold eyes. “While the three of you were once known as escaped convicts, you are now known as something far different. For slaying this beastly dragon, and saving Wheatstar and surely Cloud Reach too from certain destruction, we are deeply indebted to you.”
Before Isabelle or her party could respond, the guards knelt before them.
“Please consider yourself pardoned,” said the guard. “And what’s more, we ask that you please consider joining the Duke of Cloud Reach for a banquet in your honor this midnight. Of course, we understand if you will not accept, or if you are weary of Cloud Reach. So, we will all unequip our weapons before you, as a show of peace and respect.”
All of the guards tossed their swords and shields on the ground, bowing their heads.
“We are at your service, oh dragonslayers,” said the guard.
Isabelle wasn’t immediately certain how to react, but she did know she liked seeing the Cloud Reach guard submit to her. A banquet in her honor didn’t sound too bad, either.
“What are we going to do, Isabelle?” asked Tahsi. He was munching bread nervously.
“I say we accept their offer,” said Isabelle. “It sounds like a fitting reward and treatment for all our hard work.”
“Oh, by the gods, thank you!” said the guard, pressing his chest, arms and face against the ground for effect. “You will not regret this!”