Chapter 18: Carpentry 101_to reach the pinnacle: Etheria (Old)

Name: Able Drake STR: 9 INT: 20 Race: Homeo-sapien AGI: 5 CHA: 9 Contracts: *Erebus* *Bob* VIT: 5 LCK: 21 Hp 350/350 5/s END: 7 Skill points: 0 Mp INTx 20 = 400/400 17/s WIS: 17 Essence: 753

Skills: Inspect E lvl 4 79%/100%.

Begginer QCQ E lvl 3 69%/100%.

- Novice Golaith style C lvl 2 92%/100%.

Drake training B+ lvl 1 0%/100%.

Inspector's record E lvl 0%/100%.

Mana weaver A+ lvl 3 86%/100.

Arcane Throwing B lvl 4 53%/100.

Arcane swordmanship B lvl 7 64%/100%.

- Gliding arcana B lvl 5 35%/100%

- Arcane smite B lvl 1 32%/100%

Arcane skining C lvl 5 68%/100%.

While I was walking towards the carpenter's workshop I looked at the dagger blade that I made, and was disappointed at the quality. After that I thought 'When I look at this I get the feeling that I could have done better.' I then looked at a part of the blade and thought 'Like here, I could have made it sharper.' I again looked at another part and continued thinking 'And here Its not structurally sound and would easily crack if I swing and It lands here.'

I was thinking about small imperfections in the structure, like having a problem that close to the guard that if I got hit by a person with 17 STR on full strength with a sword there that a tiny crack that did nothing except make it not look good would form and so on.

After That I saw the carpenter's workshop, I wondered 'How big is this mansion?' I then killed that thought because I didn't really care.

Back to the workshop, It was a lot less loud then the smithy. I liked it, it had a smaller chance of having someone approach me unnoticed. This time we walked not towards the head of the workshop, but their accountant/secretary. The chief carpenter got a secretary to meet with his bosses because he knew he had a problem controlling his emotions, especially anger. I found it good that the chief carpenter that was a male so he excepted, no noticed that he had a problem and made counter measures. Not that it really made a big impression, but it was better than nothing.

When we approached the male secretary and he said "Hello good sir my name is Brett, ze current accountent of ze drake houzes carpenter's workshop." in an accent, (so if you see gramatical errors when Brett is talking is he has 'zat' accent.) after Osgar shaked hands with him. Brett continued "I am honered to speak to the heir of the houze, what did you come to the workshop for?"

Wanting to get this over with to start making the handle for my dagger I said "I want you to get a carpenter to make this" I gave him a drawing of the grip for my gun with a discription and measurements of the grip.

After looking at the paper Brett said "It won't be that hard to make it, Anything else?"

In response I said "Yes, I would like to use a station to make something."

Brett then said "Would zyou want someone to help you with that?"

I then said "No" with a business smile, and I saw the tell tale signs of dissapointment. But then I continued "I would be good if Osgar and you would talk business and other things while I do my thing."

after that Brett got a bit happier and made a slightly genuine smile, he said "zat's a good idea. I'll show you an open station to use and then me an Ozgar will zalk, ok?" And he started to walk in an expectant way and I calmly followed Brett with Osgar

After a minute or so I saw a workbench with the tools needed to make my handle, a carving knife, a rotating manual drill, a clamp to keep the wood in place while the drill does it's thing, and exchangeable drills of different measurments.

Brett said "Zis is one of ze open workbenches. do zyou know all of ze tools?" And I gave a small knod, Brett said "Zat is good, zen I shall talk with Osgar zomewere over zere." He pointed to the north

I said in response "That shall not be a problem." and gestured him to go away with Osgar

Brett then said "Then I bid thou a due." Made a small bow, and left

After they walked away I started measuring the handle part of what I forged at the smithy, I measured it at 2 cm wide. Then I measured its length as around 6 cm. After I got this information I picked up a piece of wood measured with 4 cm of width and 7 cm of length, as to make room for mistakes.

I put the wood block on the clamp with the middle aligned with where the drill top will be put on top of. After that I picked up a long drill top measured at 5 cm of length and 2 cm wide and put it on the manual drill. How to use the drill was a handle on a metal bar that you could rotate clockwise, like a bicycle paddle but with your hand.

I started to drill into the middle of the wooden block still clamped stuck while taking breaks in between. It was very mindless work that let me have thoughts like 'It would be funny if this gave me a talented variant skill.'

A talented variant skill is an objectively better version of a skill taking 1/5 the exp needed to level it up, and ranks up the skill's original rank.

As you know a skill's rank is calculated with < skill effect strength : exp cost > but the 1/5 exp cost is not taken into acount with talented variants. And yes there can be a talented variant of a variant.

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

After I noticed that I drilled 4 cm inside the wooden block I stoped my tangent and picked up the carving knife sitting on the table, holding it next to a nearby torch and looking at it. After that I walked back towards the work bench, took the wooden block of the clamp and cleaned up a part of the workbench from all the sawdust, put the wooden block on that part of the table with the hole's opening on the top.

I first started taking parts of the top four corners, the futher I went in the smaller the cuts became. It looked a bit hexagonal on the top, but thats only the flat surface on the top. After making sure I was happy with my work, I did the same on the botom. I made the surface a bit smaller on the botom though. After I was happy with the botom I started to make the sides thinner/ started to cut them of piece by piece, same with the corners the further I went in the smaller the cuts and the more careful I was. the diameter of wood from the hole drilled inside was around 2.5 cm, it was a cube still but you get the picture.

I started to make the corners rounder, I wasn't perfect and after I finished I was so happy there was sandpaper in this world; It was pretty expensive and a normal carpenter wouldn't ever have a chance to use it, but that didn't mean anything to one of the 6 great noble houses. After I was done with the rounding of the four corners, I used the biger cuts I made in the begining as a base and started cutting. After all the cutting was done you could see that the thickest part of the block or I'll call it grip, was a little under the middle, and the size slowly shrunk from there. It was stronger on the botom, and the width of the grip was what bigger on the top then the bottom

I chose to inspect the grip; not the skill but naturally. The grip was cubical but had smooth edges, it was far to big for my hand to grab it I would need to be around 13~14 to be able to use it affectively. But that didn't matter to me, not like I was going to use this. I'll probably give it to my father to show what I made in a naive way to make the act more convincing.

Next I looked around for another block of wood with around 1.5 cm in hight and 7 cm in width, but when I started looking around I saw it was already the icarus equivalent of 3 pm. Still a couple of hours left.

I quickly found a wooden block close to my needed measurements, just like last time I made a hole with the drill in the middle of the top of the wooden block. I already knew what I wanted the guard, Two hooks, one hooking up like one of those clothes rack, the other one was the other one but upside down.

It wasn't that hard to do it really, I was getting used to the knife and how to carve. What I did was making a rough outline, making it rounder, less of the hard edges, Use some sand paper. I'm making it sound like I'm doing it in minutes, but I took my time and triend to reach my 'minimum standard' of what I would actually make. And I took the pultry sum of 1 hour to do it, Yep 1 hole hour.

What I did next was one of the easier parts, I put the blade in the clamp and, well clamped it so that I could exert force and not have it move everywhere without making my hand bleed. I first tried to get the guard on the metal handle, and I couldn't just push it on I needed to use the backside of the knife to get it on. I just kept hitting it with the back side of the knife till it was good at the top of the metal handle.

The wooden handle was easier, I had a better grip to push it on. It didn't take long to have it fully on the dagger, but it's rotation was wrong and it took a lot of hard work to get it on right.

After taking a break from all that hard work, I stood up from the chair I was resting on. Stood next to the dagger picked it up with both hands, lifted it up and rotated it so that I could see the middle of the blade. After I saw it I made a small smile thinking 'This is my first real mark on this world that's mine and not the persona made by the house for propaganda, more importantly where's that skill at?' and a blue screen popped up (when I say things like popped up I don't mean into existance but the sound they make) making a smile already expecting the two skills I wanted

You have obtained the skill "Blacksmithing" D

The smile went from uncertain to certain after reading the box, I wondered where the other screen was with the carpentry skill and speak of the devil another screen popped up.

You have obtained the skill "Carpentry" D

I nodded, walking of towards Osgar's direction but another screen popped up with my eyes constricting because of it, but chose to stay calm and just read the screen.

You have gone beyond the perimeters of the skill 'blacksmithing' D calculating what to do.....

'Wat?' I thought with constricted pupils, sweating a bit and a shocked smile. Before I could process what I read, another screen popped up.

Your skill 'Blacksmithing' has evolved into 'Talented blacksmithing' C

I had a giant smile on my face, then another screen popped up.

You have gone beyond the perimeters of the skill 'Carpentry' D calculating what to do.....

Your skill 'Carpentry' has evolved into 'Talented carpentry' C