Billowing heat washed over his back as roiling flames came into view. It didn’t hurt. He actually felt his body drinking in the heat, some of his exhaustion abating. Suddenly, he was facing the sky, a concerned Julian staring down at him.

  “Harvey! What the hell happened?”

  Too tired to answer, he laughed himself into a wheezing cough.

  “Are you ok?” Hannah asked as Buttercup clopped up beside him.

  “Calm down,” he wheezed. “I’m fine. Better than fine.”

  Holding out a hand to Julian, the burly man yanked him to his feet so fast it felt like he went airborne.

  “Was that a new skill? There’s no way you’ve gotten your class to Level 35 already!” Julian chattered.

  “No, just the inscriptions on my hammer,” Harvey explained.

  “That lightning came from an inscription? I don’t believe you,” Hannah doubted.

  “See for yourself,” Harvey beamed, inspecting the hammer with Artificer’s Eyes before sharing the screen.

  “I was up all night inscribing it,” he explained, holding up the shaft for the others to see. “These rings absorb the vibrations and store them as kinetic energy in these runes. Once they’re full, I transmute it all into lightning that can burst out from either end of the hammer.”

  “If you're powering it with vibrations, what’s the essence crystal at the bottom for?” Julian asked.

  “I’m not sure yet. Having it power the lightning arrays defeats the purpose of the other half of the inscription, so I don’t want to waste it on that. For most people, it would just be decorative at this point, but thanks to Modular Array, I can add something else later. Maybe a shield…”

  “I’m more concerned with the fact that this thing gives stats. I haven’t noticed any changes wearing the gear Elena’s inscribed for me,” Hannah muttered.

  “Only when I wear it. Perks of my Soul Forge skill.”

  “So not fair,” she complained.

  “Not as much as you think. It only works on equipment forged and inscribed by me, and I have to connect my weave to the weapon to get the boost.”

  “So what?”

  “Well, what do you think happens if the hammer snaps while my soul’s still inside it?”

  “Oh,” she froze. “Yeah, I don’t want to think about that.”

  “Why would a warhammer give you Wisdom?” Julian asked, taking the hammer and testing its weight.

  “My working theory is the bonus stats come from the inscriptions themselves, not the equipment,” Harvey began. “I’ll know for sure once I inscribe a few more pieces.”

  “I guess that makes sense. Is it really worth it if using the skill means putting your weave in danger?” Julian asked.

  “The equipment gets a boost from my own stats, too, so it should be worth it as long as I’m not punching too far above my weight class. If I ever get in a fight with something strong enough to break through my empowered armor instantly, I’m probably dead anyway.”

  “Isn’t that how your weave got injured the first time?”

  “No,” he lied. “Maybe… Yeah, it was, but I’ve got the skill, and I’m not going to waste it. I can always pull my weave out of my gear if things get dire.”

  “Well, as long as that’s an option,” Julian smiled. “I couldn’t stop you from using your own skills anyway.”

  “Damn right! What have you guys been up to?” Harvey laughed.

  “We just got back from the Loom. Most people have filled out that notebook with their skills by now,” Hannah said.

  “Oh, really? Learn anything interesting?”

  “There are a few theories about potential skill combinations. We think you and Emily, the Hunter who shoots arrows that turn into plants, could be a good team,” Julian began.

  “Get everyone tangled up in vines and then I light them on fire?”

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  “Exactly.”

  “That could work. Could’ve tested it in the mine if I wasn’t on my back half the time,” Harvey chuckled.

  “The main takeaway is that wherever we fight, we’re going to want to spread out,” Hannah sighed.

  “Most of us have skills that are too big and flashy to synergize well,” Julian added.

  “Hopefully, big and flashy also means deadly and effective against the Undead. Maybe it will work out in our favor where we cover a wide front and then surround the army if they try pushing hard in one spot,” Harvey theorized.

  “I doubt they’ll make it that easy on us.”

  “Well, then, we’ll use traps to corral them. They have to get through us, which means we get to prep the battlefield,” Harvey smiled.

  “Unless the timer ending is when the System expects the Undead to arrive,” Hannah worried.

  “I doubt it. We haven’t seen a single bat, spider, or raiding party yet, and they can move a lot faster than a massive army. If they start showing up in the next few days, we can start worrying, but based on the quest forcing us to gather at one outpost, I think we’ll have some time,” Harvey explained.

  “Either way, we shouldn’t be wasting any standing around. We’re going hunting, do you want to join us?” Julian asked.

  “Can’t. Trust me, I’d love to,” Harvey began, grabbing Aftershock and putting it in his slipsack. “But I have too much to do in the forge. I’ll focus on my profession until the quest ends, then try to get my class caught up before the war starts.”

  “Sounds good. I expected as much, but wanted to ask just in case,” Julian confirmed.

  “Be safe, you guys. I’ll have your armor ready for you by the time you get back,” he smiled.

  “Just make sure you don’t get mine mixed up with Gary’s,” Julian laughed.

  “How could I? He will need a lot of extra room for his stomach.”

  Harvey waved goodbye as Hannah leapt onto Buttercup’s back and they strode up the mountain. Something about their presence always lifted his spirits, and he felt ready for another hard day in the smithy despite his late night. Knowing his own weapon and armor were complete took a massive weight off his shoulders, and he was finally ready to settle back into the one-man factory routine.

  Well, he would be ready… after breakfast.

  His stomach gurgled in complaint, so instead of walking back inside, he cut around the side over to the main road. Veils End was alive with activity, most people snacking on breakfast burritos or cream-cheese bagels from their favorite fast-food chains back on Earth. What used to seem like an unnecessary extravagance just weeks earlier was now relatively affordable as the merit gains of slaying monsters steadily increased.

  Walking into the general store, he saw Christian standing at the mirror, minor healing and endurance potions steadily appearing in his hand before disappearing into the pouch tied to his waist.

  “Morning, Harvey.”

  “Good morning! Going out on a hunt?”

  “Yeah, just picking up some supplies Gary asked for before we head out,” Christian huffed.

  “Well, be safe out there.”

  “I will be. My skills work a lot better in the forest than fighting down in the mine.”

  “Speaking of, has he…” Harvey began.

  “Nope, hasn’t noticed a thing.”

  “Good. By the way, I’m working on everyone’s armor over the next few days. I still have your measurements from last time, but let me know if you’d like anything altered,” Harvey explained.

  “Nah, everything fits well. I appreciate you doing this for us. Without you, we’d all be stuck fighting in jeans,” Christian laughed.

  “That’s not true. What about Carla’s leather armor?”

  “My grandpa wore leather pants, not me. She’s great, but I feel better with some steel between me and the monsters,” Christian smiled, patting Harvey on the back as he walked out of the store.

  “Me too,” Harvey chuckled, stepping up to the mirror. His hair was getting shaggy, and even the brown strands were starting to turn black with all the soot and dirt covering them. He was filthy, but didn’t have time for a day trip to the river.

  I’m not sure getting used to this is a good thing, but I barely notice the grime anymore.

  Mentally scrolling through the list, he passed the food tab he usually shopped in and ended up on Earth. He’d been frugal for a long time, saving up to fund both his and Elena’s professions. After the mine, he was up to nearly 20,000 merit and could finally afford a taste of home.

  You deserve to celebrate! A magic hammer is way cooler than a birthday, right?

  A cream cheese bagel, a plate of steak and eggs from his favorite breakfast joint, and two energy drinks appeared in a plastic to-go bag dangling from his left wrist. Usually, he restricted himself to one a day, but something told him his extra Vitality could handle the strain an extra can put on his heart.

  He also spent another 6,000 merit on potions, 4 of each type. They were always good to have on hand, and he could afford to keep a reserve by now. Finally, he bought a batch of empty glass bottles to store his inks, and strolled back to the smithy.

  “Good morning,” Elena called out through a mouthful of biscuit.

  “Morning!”

  Her aura was calm, like it always was in the mornings, the relief of surviving another night in the madhouse washing away the stress that built up over the day. He hated to interrupt her peace, but had an important question to ask her.

  “Hey, I hate to bring him up, but I’ve gotta ask you something,” Harvey began, watching her shoulders slump.

  “What…”

  “How are we going to get the measurements for Gary’s armor?”

  “I don’t know. You could ask him?”

  Yeah, but that would require talking to him... face-to-face.

  Whether it was an irrational fear of even being in the man’s presence or not wanting to look in the eyes of the man he was trying to kill, he didn’t know, but his mind raced for an alternative.

  “I could… but he doesn’t trust me. Getting him to let me scan him with my ocular skill is a long shot, and he’ll know something is up if I push too hard.”

  “And you don’t think he’d be suspicious when a set of perfectly fitted armor shows up out of the blue?”

  “I’m banking on the groveling distracting him from that,” Harvey winced.

  “I don’t know. I could grab some of his clothes from the hamper, and you could measure those?”

  “That could work. I’d have to guess for the gauntlets, sabatons, and helmet, but… Wait, you guys have a hamper?” Harvey asked, stunned.

  “Yeah?”

  “You have enough clothes to need a hamper? I’ve been wearing the same ratty robe for weeks!”

  “He does. I don’t. Whenever something gets ripped or stained, he buys another one and throws the old stuff in the hamper so Amy can wash it if we ever find running water,” Elena explained.

  “Ridiculous,” Harvey griped. “Seriously, how much merit is this man skimming off the top with his stupid taxation skill?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s working in your favor now, isn’t it?”

  “Whatever. If you could snag an old outfit he’s not going to miss, I should have what I need,” he complained until the satisfying pop of a cold can of liquid gold interrupted his train of thought.

  God, it’s been weeks. I’ve missed you so much, baby.

  He greedily drank down the acid goodness his body had been deprived of for so long, the blend of chemicals jolting through him like a level up.

  “Ew. Are you… moaning?” Elena asked.

  “What! No! I just haven’t gotten my juice in a while!” Harvey stammered, shoving a bite of steak and eggs into his mouth before another involuntary groan of pleasure could sneak out.

  Now that the sizing problem had been figured out, he had a week to test in between the grind of steel production. Seeing the results of his hammer gave him a decent idea of the amount of power an F Grade inscription could bring to bear, and just one wouldn’t be enough to handle Gary. He’d need layers and layers of debilitating effects if he wanted to cut that monster down to his own level. Kalthera venom, Carrionwing acid, exploding essence crystals, burst of lightning turned inward… he’d need all of them.

  That’s ok. It all turns into more Profession levels for me.