The two read through the night just like Harvey had, and he had to hold them back when they tried to rush over to the church.

  “There are at least 30 people asleep in there! You have to wait.” Harvey urged.

  “Yeah, 30 people I brought there. I can kick them out!” Hannah replied.

  “You’re not their mother. That argument doesn’t work in this situation.” He laughed.

  “He’s right, Hannah. What’s a few hours of sleep going to change? We could use the rest.” Julian consoled.

  “My puppy is out in the forest somewhere just waiting for his mommy to rescue him. Are you really going to leave him out in the cold just because you’re a little sleepy?” She mocked in a sing-song voice.

  “Reading a book about taming beasts doesn’t make puppies start appearing. Unless you’re trying to tame a Bloodrunn, you aren’t adopting tonight.” Julian replied.

  “Maybe I will tame a Bloodrunn, then when I reach level 5 and get my first skill, I can tell it to bite your foot.” Hannah quipped, resigning herself to a sleeping bag.

  He laughed as he climbed into his own, blowing out the lantern now that their books had disintegrated. His body was exhausted, but there was no way he’d fall asleep anytime soon.

  The potential of his newest revelation was just too exciting.

  Hannah’s beastmastery guide had something the others didn’t... a blueprint for her first skill.

  Beastmastery was powerful, but its strength depended on convincing a creature you couldn’t even talk to that it was better off helping you than eating you. To solve this, the guide provided a universal blueprint that, when combined with an existing relationship with your beast, established a telepathic link.

  A skill like this was miraculous on its own, but it was the components that created it that interested Harvey. So far, they have relied solely on The Loom, but this proved it was possible to guide the process.

  He tried to wrap his head around it all by putting it in coding terms.

  Each skill was a script he could run. Some were short and simple, not needing a lot of power. Others were long and complex, requiring most of the computer's processing power to execute. So far, they’d treated the Loom like an AI code-builder that spit out the best solution it could think of based on the prompt they gave it. Harvey had no idea what coding language it used, so he couldn’t do anything to improve the output.

  That was all well and good if the entire process was some magical enigma they were never meant to understand. But, the fact a template like hers even existed meant the language had repeatable functions.

  If he learned the language, he could create his own templates. Bring a blueprint to The Loom. Forge his own legacy, instead of letting The System decide his path for him.

  His heart raced in his chest, the warm sleeping bag feeling like a cage restraining his boundless creativity.

  He still had no idea how he was going to learn the language, but he’d done it plenty of times before as a software developer! He fantasized about all the earth-shattering skills he wanted to make down the road, but eventually drifted off to sleep.

  Hannah and Julian were gone when he woke up, but that didn’t surprise him. He was sure they rushed to the Loom the second the sun's first rays hit the chapel windows. That was perfect. It let him get to work without any distractions.

  Elena wouldn’t be by for a while, but that was ok. He didn’t need her help for the casting process. He could prepare a large batch of rods and ingots so they could hit the ground running as soon as she showed up.

  Moving to his massive pile of raw iron, he grabbed a baseball-sized chunk and tested his skill. Only the Essence Infused material had given him a system prompt before, but now a screen popped up the second he looked at it.

  Raw Iron Chunk | G Grade | Inferior

  Standard Iron Ore mixed with stone. Useless in its current state, but it can be melted down into a usable product.

  It was as he expected. The screen also provided a few details like its melting point, what oxide this chunk contained, and a list of items he’d created with it. Knowing it was Hematite instead of Magnetite really did nothing for him at the moment, but the built-in cookbook feature could be useful when he needed to gather materials in the future.

  Grabbing a handful, he went inside and got cleaning.

  His goal for the day was to create a third batch of nails, a few more hinges, and a set of basic tools for Julian. If he could make a hammer, saw, and a chisel, Julian could at least get started working on his new profession.

  Harvey could just give him one of the hammers and chisels he already had, but he was loath to part with any of his tools. He’d found a use for all of them already, and giving one up felt like losing a piece of the engine he was trying to build.

  He doesn’t want a blacksmith's hammer. He wants a construction hammer! Both were just metal on the end of a stick, but he doesn’t need to know that… Harvey rationalized, spitting when a stone flew off the wire brush towards his mouth.

  The crucible piled high, Harvey lit the forge. It was fascinating to see the temperature skyrocket in real time, each pump of the bellows moving the firepot closer to what he needed. There were a lot of gamelike things going on around him, but the thermometer floating in his peripheral vision was right on the nose. Usually, he’d avoid staring into the fire to try and protect his eyes, but the subtle glow of the sigil protected him. He stared at the crucible, watching the heat rise.

  It was hypnotic. The flash of color each time a charcoal popped, sending sparks up into the chimney. It was chaotic, yet coordinated.

  This is why people used to stare at the radio in old photos. Life’s a lot different without infinite scroll. Harvey laughed to himself.

  Over the next few hours, he prepped various molds and cast his material for the day. During his second batch, Elena returned and got to work on another living portrait for him. Just as he finished the third, Hannah and Julian walked in.

  “We got two new professionals in the building!” Hannah cheered. “Damn, it’s hot in here.”

  Harvey didn’t respond, too focused on holding the crucible steady as he poured his last batch. He’d made a mold of a few small rectangles, aiming for ingots instead of the nail rods.

  “He has to focus on this part,” Elena explained for him, the trio watching the red-hot liquid settle into place. When it was done, he set the crucible on the edge of the forge, dropped his tongs on the anvil, and wiped the sweat from his face.

  “Congrats! What’d you get?” Harvey asked.

  “If we’re interrupting, we can come back later.” Julian offered.

  “No, you’re good. I have to wait for this stuff to cool down a bit anyway. I want to hear!” Harvey encouraged.

  “I was able to get a Rare one called Beast Caretaker. It was just like you said. Reading the guide was enough, but it got brighter when I added all the time spent with my horse back home and my pre-vet classes!” Hannah cheered as a screen appeared.

  “That definitely fits you. Usually beast masters are all about dominating an army of wolves or something, but i couldn’t imagine you seeing it that way. Caretaker is a much better fit.” Harvey said.

  “Thanks! I can’t freaking wait to get started.” She giggled.

  “Mine’s not as cool.” Julian sighed. “Just got an Uncommon Profession called Builder.”

  “Don’t say that. Isn’t our goal to literally build a fortress? You got exactly what Veil’s End needs.” Harvey encouraged.

  “You know what? You’re right. I hadn’t thought about it that way. Thanks, Harvey!” Julian smiled.

  “No problem. What are your plans now?” He asked.

  “I want to get the hell out of here and start leveling, but Julian won’t come with me to the living forest,” Hannah complained, like a kid tattling on her brother.

  “We’ve been gone too long. I think it’s important that people see us contributing, so some people…” Julian hesitated, looking at Elena, “don’t cause any problems.”

  Elena laughed. “I’m not stupid. Trust me, Gary scares the hell out of me, too.”

  “Did he say anything to you last night?” Hannah asked.

  “No, just threw a fit before he and Amy went to bed,” Elena replied.

  “Are they… like… a thing now?” Hannah asked, visibly repulsed at the thought.

  “I think so? I definitely hear them doing things, but I can’t figure out for the life of me what she sees in him.” Elena explained.

  “She’s so hot, and he is very much not,” Julian added flatly.

  “Julian! You are married!” Hannah said, slapping his arm.

  “So what? Married men still have eyes! And I’m not hitting on her, I’m just commenting that he’s disgusting and it doesn’t make any sense!” Julian laughed, retreating away from Hannah.

  “It’s because he’s strong, and she’s making a bet that he’ll get her out of this place,” Harvey concluded.

  “Yeah, everyone else is getting out of here, too, but they don’t have to pretend to be his wife.” Julian chuckled.

  “It’s easy to say that, but pretty hard to believe when you’re not sitting at the top of the food chain. I’m no fan of Gary, but I can understand why she’s hedging her bets. If things go south here, they could fight to the portal and leave the army to head to earth.” Harvey explained.

  “If people start thinking that way, our whole plan falls apart. Even if we can sneak our way home, we can’t just let the Undead invade.” Hannah worried.

  “I know, that’s why we need to stick around for a while. Reassure everyone that our plan might actually work.” Julian concluded.

  “Ugh. Fine!” Hannah groaned. “Maybe I’ll try and tame a Bloodrunn or something.”

  “I can head out with you tomorrow if you want, Hannah. I need to work on leveling my class a bit anyway. Plus, I’m flat broke and not making any money in here.” Harvey offered.

  “Really? That would be amazing!” She shrieked. “Awesome, you guys get to work, and tomorrow we’ll go find my pet.”

  With that, the two left Harvey and Elena to get to work.

  His new skill worked wonders, showing him signs of subsurface imperfections and flaws in his material. Being able to see the problem, he was able to hammer it out until he was left with strong, cohesive rods to start hammering nails out of. The combination of the increased strength from yesterday’s levels and Elena’s skill let him work faster with an almost 100% success rate.

  Before, his lack of skill and imperfect material left 10-20% of his attempts unusable. Now, he barely broke one in every hundred. His empowered sight also measured for him as he worked, so instead of a hodgepodge of different shapes and sizes, his product came out uniform. It didn’t matter much for the nails, but it was a game-changer when he made his second attempt at hinges. He was able to hammer them into near-perfect rectangles, spacing the holes evenly to make sure they were as sturdy as possible.

  His lips were salty after being baked in sweat, but he smiled widely anyway. The heat bothered him less each day as he acclimated to life in a sweaty, soot-covered forge. Callouses were starting to cover his soft hands, helping with the constant vibration of holding tongs and swinging his hammer. He was becoming a one-man machine, and he loved it.

  When it came time to forge the hammer head, he stuck the vaguely rectangular ingot into the fire. It was small, only 5 inches long and 3 inches wide, so it rose to working temperature fast. It was pointless to try and make it look like a hammer back home, but he still had a good idea of how to add the claws to remove nails at the back. It would be his first time hot cutting material he didn’t plan to throw away, so he’d have to be careful.

  To start, he beat out all the imperfections from his crude casting process. When it was relatively uniform, he used a technique called upsetting to ensure the face was perfectly flat. Holding it face down on the anvil, he beat down on the back, each strike slowly bending it into shape. Satisfied, he repeated the process on each side, drawing out the shaft to be slightly thinner. It was awkward, because he had to let the face hang off the edge of the anvil so it wouldn’t bend, but he managed to avoid dropping it.

  At the back, he drew the blocky end down into a flat edge, only a quarter inch thick. Passing the tongs to Elena, she held them in place while he chiseled out a thin triangle in the center of the flattened plate. That left him with two flared ends leading to a point in the middle, and all he needed to do to finish the nail-removing claw was bend it back towards the handle.

  His sweaty palms struggle to grip the wet tongs, and he could feel rust flaking onto his hands. He wanted to retch at the slimy feeling, but couldn’t afford to wait.

  Balancing the hammerhead at an angle, he struck down hard. His impatience bent it way too far, and he swore at himself. Taking a deep breath, he straightened them out again before making another attempt.

  He missed having an undo button like he did when he was coding, but at least his mistakes didn’t force him to start over. Fixing the problem was as easy as creating one, just heat the metal and get hammering. Taking his time, he bent the claws and was left with a respectable hammer head.

  Just as he went to dunk it in the water, Elena grabbed his arm.

  “How are you going to attach it to the handle?” She urged.

  That was a great question. How was he going to attach a handle?

  “I’m not sure! I didn’t really get that far. Great catch though.” Harvey thanked her.

  It was a simple problem, but something he’d never taken the time to think about. How did you attach a metal head to a wooden handle without glue? Was that even how they did it back home? Even if he had some rope, he couldn’t just tie it to a stick. It would be way too loose.

  In the end, he got the metal as hot as he could without misshaping it and used a chisel to bore a hole through the top. It only took a few strikes before the scale shooting up at his hands finally forced him to bite the bullet and buy a pair of leather gloves from the mirror.

  They cost 2000 merit, essentially bankrupting him, but he couldn’t afford to burn his hands every day.

  Finally properly equipped, he resumed carving out a rough oval shape. He left the hole wider at the top, hoping he could drive a wedge into the handle from above to expand the wood and hold the head tight. His effort warped the sides a bit, but it was nothing his hammer and magical eye measuring tool couldn’t solve.

  Finally ready, he quenched the hammerhead. Satisfying steam wafted up, the telltale sign of blacksmithing success. The smoky smell got better every time!

  He turned to Elena and gave her a high five. “Thanks for your help! Trying to do this without an extra set of hands would really suck.”

  He set the hammer head to temper with the rest and got to work on the final craft of the day. A saw blade.

  There was no way his methods were optimal, and whoever owned this forge before him was likely rolling in their grave as he desecrated the sacred art they’d devoted their life to. Unlucky for them, nobody was around to teach him the right way of doing things, so they couldn’t hate him for doing it his way.

  He’d prepared a long, thin ingot, but hadn’t considered the handle for this either. He settled on letting Julian build something and then just nail it in place. It wouldn’t last long, but he didn’t need it to. Their fate would be decided in months, not years, so it was ok if his work was only good enough.

  He pounded the metal into a long, rectangular sheet, only an eighth of an inch thick. To cut his teeth, he used his chisel to shave the bottom edge into small triangles. The measuring feature of his skill helped him keep them mostly uniform, and it wasn’t long before it was quenched as well.

  The chisel was easy, just a long, thick rectangle hammered down to a flat edge. He cut out a thin tang so Julian could slide it into a wooden handle and nail it in place just like the saw.

  It took hours to temper everything, but as the fire finally burned down, blinding radiance shone from within him.

  You have created | Simple Nail x374 | Minor Essence Gained

  You have created | Simple Hinge x20 | Minor Essence Gained

  A new creation has been made | Hammer Head | Major Essence Gained

  A new creation has been made | Crosscut Saw Blade | Major Essence Gained

  A new creation has been made | Chisel | Major Essence Gained

  Your Profession, Apprentice Inventor, has reached Level 6. +3 Strength, +3 Endurance, +2 Wisdom, +2 Willpower, +2 Free Points

  Your profession, Apprentice Inventor, has reached Level 7. +3 Strength, +3 Endurance, +2 Wisdom, +2 Willpower, +2 Free Points

  Your race, Veilstrider, has reached Level 7. +1 to all stats