Chapter 62: The Plan

  The first thing Tristan wanted to do was make a plan. He had a lot he wanted to do on the Crafting Ark and only a month to do it in.

  There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he was going to enter the Tier 2 Crafting Contest for Primary Classes at the end of the month. Four weeks might actually be a bit tight, since he needed to make a lot of progress if he was going to push beyond all his previous capabilities and make the sword he was dreaming of.

  Without a plan, he could definitely lose himself in all the other things the Ark had to offer.

  So, Step One would normally be to gather good crafting materials, but he’d already accomplished that by getting all that amazing, tier 3 black mithril. Combined with the remaining tier 2 white mithril from his parents’ birthday present, Tristan knew he could make something both striking and strong--at least in theory.

  Step Two was to find someone offering a lesson with those materials, to help him coax something phenomenal out of his hammer.

  For a moment he debated just letting that be Step One, since he'd already accomplished the other--but he really liked the idea of already having something checked off of his list. He’d accomplished it, after all, and who besides him would even know that he’d done it? It was his list, after all, and he could label steps however he wanted!

  So, finding that experienced mentor was, had always been, and would always be Step Two.

  One person specifically came to mind... and for no reason other than to help him make the most incredible sword of his budding career.

  Temperance Garrow.

  Except her weapons were relatively basic, other than their amazing enchantments, he reminded himself. He could probably find a better smith to teach him about the materials. Then he would go and find Tempy, and she could teach him to be an enchanter, if nothing else.

  She’d boarded the Ark shortly after he and Sophie had, and seeing her again had been... exciting. That was why Step Three would be to go and find her and somehow convince her to train him. That would lead to some alone time with her... as long as he was able to find a way to get alone, that is.

  Maybe he could help find Sophie something to do, to occupy herself while he was crafting. Though she probably already had some sort of plan for that, considering she was the one who brought them here.

  So maybe helping Sophie should be Step Two, and then the other stuff comes after? He considered it, and then finding a lesson on black mithril is Step Three, and Tempy becomes Step Four. It seemed Tristan might have been a bit hasty with the ‘and always would be’ part of his previous Step Two.

  His new Step Two was important, even necessary. Sophie had been super helpful to him so far, and she and her astrals had been surprisingly good company. He didn’t want her to stop growing now that she’d finally made some real progress. He also didn’t really want her around when he caught back up with Tempy, if he was honest. He wanted the opportunity to impress the runesmith without any witnesses to the possible awkwardness that might arise when he finally got to talk to her again.

  In those few hurried glances at their boarding, he’d seen that Tempy didn’t seem to have changed much. If anything, she looked exactly as he remembered her. He couldn’t wait to show her how much he had changed.

  Despite the boat being so huge, Tristan had no doubt that he could find Tempy on it; there were only so many places a smith would want to work, after all. So he would find her, convince her to teach him to be an enchanter, and then maybe even something more.

  Yeah, that felt like a great Step Four.

  What Sophie had said earlier was true: he was now firmly in the middle of tier 2, so it was frankly a bit ridiculous that he still only had one Secondary Class. And what better place in the entire realm could there be for learning a crafting Secondary than on the Crafting Ark?

  Becoming an enchanter would open up so many new possibilities, too. Like putting runes on his swords, assuming they could hold something like that, or empowering the rest of his gear. Though he hadn’t truly considered it in months, his mind immediately picked back up where it had left off, getting more and more excited.

  The more he thought about it, the more he was certain that enchanting was the direction he wanted to take his Path.

  He’d never really been that strong with magic, so never pursued any sort of study in healing, like Opie or Cleo, or even attack spells, like Aaric or Jamal. Then again, for the longest time he’d assumed his biggest problems in life would be insufferable customers, like the Longblooms. All that had changed with the Brightshield’s death.

  Now his Path was different, and its needs were also different. The idea of empowering his crafts with magic really appealed to him. It opened new pathways for what he could do, what his swordsmanship could become. Though he was only tier 2, he’d already come up against so many things where some sort of a magical edge would have helped a lot. He couldn’t imagine things getting any easier going forward, and would need to find ways to adapt to them in spite of--and because of--his Core.

  And if enchanting didn't work out, getting his magical edge some other way would be Step Five. Thanks to his Core, his options were limited. Potions, which should have been the most-accessible method (even if they were really expensive), were practically off limits due to his Core, unless they were dungeon drops. And as much as he loved crafting, the typical alchemy process just did not appeal to him. Grinding materials, mixing liquids, and transmuting things--however that was even done--just didn’t sound fun to him. He wanted to make it himself with the swing of his hammer, or grind out gear by swinging his sword. He wanted to be able to see his progress every step of the way. He didn’t want to sit around staring at some smelly pot for hours on end!

  No, alchemy was out. That basically left enchanting or engineering, which, if advanced enough, functioned just like magic anyways. Tristan had only come across engineering shops recently, in Rockmoor, as there hadn’t been any in Woodsedge. The first thing he’d noticed was just how finely detailed and tiny everything behind the crafter’s workbench had seemed.

  There was no part of Tristan that could be amounted to ‘tiny.’ He’d felt like a bull in a potter’s shop when he’d walked through the few aisles of clearly breakable gadgets and gizmos.

  All of that was to say that enchanting really was the best fit. He’d even been offered the Class already, all the way back in Rockmoor before his duel with Bernhardt. Taking enchanter just made sense. It wasn’t even because he was hoping to spend more time with Tempy!

  Well, it wasn’t just because of that.

  With a teacher and some time to work, he could then move on to the final task, Step Six: crafting a sword phenomenal enough to win the Tier 2 Crafting Contest for Primary Classes.

  But why stop there? With Tempy as a teacher, I bet I’ll learn quickly enough that I could make something good enough to win the Secondary Class Contest, too!

  With a nod, he resolved himself. The plan was solid, and even if it wasn’t exactly fleshed out all the way, it would work. He would make it work.

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  It was time to find Tempy and take his final Secondary Class. Now, if only he could find a way to accomplish Step Two without wasting Sophie’s time--

  A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. “I’m going to head back to my room to finish unpacking before we set sail,” Sophie said. “That should be in an hour or so still. If I finish early, I might even have enough time to resummon Sneakers before the Departure Party, which I’ve heard is supposed to be quite a sight. Want to come find me so we can watch it together?”

  Tristan stumbled over his answer at first. “I, uh, didn’t know there was one. So I hadn’t even considered going.”

  “Well, it’s not every day you get to see an airship leave its skydock and begin floating toward the horizon.”

  Tristan nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve got a plan I’d like to start on too, to get better at crafting, you know?”

  If Sophie was upset, she didn’t let on. “Oh, alright. Catch you at dinner?”

  Tristan gave a noncommittal grunt, noting that Sophie didn’t seem too surprised, only a bit disappointed. He tried his best to backpedal without agreeing anyway. “I’m heading back up to the crafting areas now, but you’re more than welcome to join me if you want.”

  A deep grumble echoed around in Mister Biggs’s chest. Or maybe it was the big bear-like astral’s belly.

  Sophie stroked his mane soothingly. “As thrilling as I’m sure you’ll find whatever crafting process you’re about to begin, I think I’ve got other ideas. I’ve got to make something, too, you know? And I’ve got a decent idea that I need to consider a bit more, though I do think it’ll work... I’ve just got to get the right permissions from the right people first.”

  “Oh, OK,” Tristan said, honestly a bit confused. He’d never seen Sophie make anything, and he knew she didn’t have any crafting Classes. Her Primary and Secondaries were all astralist, after all. It was that unusual approach that had earned her the {First} title.

  Still, he wasn’t going to fight her when the result was exactly what he wanted. She’d tell him more when she wanted to, of that he was quite sure. “Good luck!” he called after her, unsure if she even heard him.

  It was time for Step Three. He had to say, he was making excellent progress on his plan!

  Getting a lesson on tier 3 black mithril didn’t turn out to be nearly as hard as he expected. As it turned out, one of the people already set up and working in the Foundry had a few display pieces--a dagger, two longswords, and some bracers--made of black mithril! The guy didn’t even charge Tristan for the hour, because apparently teaching a lesson still counted as “attending” a lesson for the sake of the quest. By the end, he was even nice enough to give Tristan some practical, hands-on time while he worked with one of the bars he’d bought in the Central Market. The whole of Step Three took less than three hours.

  That meant it was finally time for Operation: Find Tempy.

  The first problem was that the Ark was really big. Tristan started by looking around in the Foundry, zig-zagging his way across the majority of the floor, but he didn’t see her. Maybe she just hasn’t set up here yet, he hoped. Or maybe she’s set up on the enchanting deck instead?

  Up he went, to the Ark’s enchanting deck, nicknamed the Glowstrip. Though she wasn’t there either, at least this time he got confirmation that she had been, as a black scaleborn with intriguing lights dancing around their head informed him. “It’s pretty obvious when a smith comes ‘round,” he said, eying Tristan’s powerful arms. “She came, talked to the elf over there,” he indicated a tall, thin, and decidedly graceful elf a few benches over, “and then left again.”

  So Tristan went to talk to the elf, though the nearer he drew, he realized that this particular person also appeared fairly nervous, verging on paranoid. Apparently the elf had commissioned something from her, though he wouldn’t say what. In fact, the only thing he would tell Tristan was that she’d sought clarification on the commission.

  The elf acted suspicious the whole time Tristan was there, trying not to allow a clear look at what he was working on... but Tristan managed one good peek. It was a small dagger that the elf looked to be trying to etch runes into it. Tristan suddenly wondered if the commission was just an expensive way to get ahold of one of Tempy’s finished runes, trying to teach himself some of her tricks. Would seeing a finished rune even be worth it? I mean, isn't the technique what matters most with enchanting? He hoped, if that was the case, she’d seen through the elf's plot and was over-charging him. He would ask her when he found her.

  Not wanting to give up yet, Tristan trekked back up to the Foundry again. There were many more people than even an hour earlier, so he paid special attention not to cross paths with the Steelblood guy who had assaulted him before. The Foundry was meant for all smiths, after all, and it was where Tristan most wanted to go on the entire ship. He hoped Tempy might feel the same. Besides, he wouldn’t put it past the sketchy elf to try to watch her techniques, too, so moving off that floor seemed to be a good plan, at least to Tristan.

  Luckily, this time he found her. She’d claimed a workstation not far from where he’d thought to set up his own tools, which was a promising coincidence. She was spreading out her tools, but it didn’t look like she’d actually started her crafting process yet.

  “Hey,” he said, suddenly incredibly self-conscious about how impressive he might or might not have made one small word sound. When she didn’t even look up, he tried again. “Hey Tempy, I’ve been looking all over the ship for you.”

  Her initial reply was gruff, and she didn’t even bother to look up from her station where she was carefully arranging a dozen thin tools Tristan didn’t recognize. “And now you’ve found me. Congratulations to you. I’ve already got a commission, though, so--”

  Tristan stepped nearer and laughed nervously, then lowered his voice in an attempt to interrupt her while not sounding pushy. “I was actually hoping for your help, since, you know, I got a strike from the Steelbloods protecting your shop and all?”

  The thick-armed runesmith looked up at last, her face still perfectly framed by her short brown pixie cut. As her sky blue eyes found his, Tristan almost lost his breath. Luckily, recognition dawned on her immediately. “Tristan! I really am sorry about that whole thing. It was my dad’s idea not to have you seen around the shop for a while. You understand, I hope.”

  He nodded. “It honestly makes sense, so don’t worry about that. But like I was saying, do you think you might be able to spare some time to help me with, um, a project?”

  A playful smirk graced her lips. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was busy. Even if it is you. I do have a commission to complete.”

  Tristan tried not to read too much into the compliment. “I actually know about that,” he admitted. “When I was trying to find you, I sort of bounced around the ship, and I met the, uh, nice elf fellow--"

  “You mean the piece of shit that’s trying to steal my secrets without paying me properly to outright teach him.”

  Tristan bit the inside of his cheek lightly. “Yeah, about that. How much would be proper for someone to pay... for you to teach them enchanting?”

  Tempy’s eyes widened, and the grin that spread all the way across her beautiful face made Tristan’s heart flutter. “Are you serious? I’d be delighted to teach you! And you know what? We’ll just write off the cost as previously paid, since my father overcharged you all the way back when you made those dinky chisels. Honestly, I’ve wanted to see you work again since that day. And after watching you fight?! I’ve never seen a smith do that before, especially not against a full combat Class!”

  Tristan stood in silent shock, not sure how to handle the sudden flood of praise.

  She winked at him. “And I’d be happy to teach you how to work those hands on something delicate.”

  Just then, Tristan felt a sudden, subtle shift in his balance, as if the floor had decided to second guess supporting him for a moment. It must have been the Ark setting sail and departing from its dock. Still, it gave Tristan a little surprise, and though he’d caught himself, he’d nearly stumbled in front of Tempy.

  The woman in question had moved one of her hands to cover her mouth, holding back a laugh. Tristan was horrified. The pose did nothing to hide her impressive biceps, though. “Watch out, these first few days,” Tempy managed between laughs ill-concealed in coughs. “It can take a while to get your air legs under you.”

  Tristan tried not to be too embarrassed. He’d only just found her, and he couldn’t afford to run away and hide, no matter how much he wished to do exactly that at the moment.

  No, he needed her to teach him. He thought back to her prior offer with a bit of a grin; he’d be happy to learn anything, if it was her teaching him. “So, uh, when can we start, and what materials will I need? I’ve already seen the Market downstairs, and it’s got practically everything, so I’m sure I’ll be able to find whatever you say I’ll need--"

  Tempy cut him off with a laugh and a shake of her head. “Tomorrow, if that’s fine with you. I’ll have this commission done by then.” She leaned in and pulled his ear to her lips with sudden intensity. “But don’t you dare tell anyone that, because if I have to take on another commission, I swear I’ll charge double my normal rate to train you.”

  “I-I wouldn’t dream of it,” Tristan stammered, trying to pull away. “Especially since you’re going to be helping me.” He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “I just want to be able to make something for the Secondary Class Crafting Contest. Maybe even work some enchanting into a sword for the Primary Contest, too.”

  Tempy released her grip and sat on a stool positioned behind her bench. “Don’t we all. Well, like I said: tomorrow. And don’t worry about costs or mats either. I’ll front all of that and keep a running log of what we use, if it ends up mattering.”

  Tristan noticed that, as she leaned back in a relaxed pose, she also looked him up and down.

  “Maybe if it gets too much, we’ll talk again about if, and how, you can cover costs. But don’t worry, Tristan. This is going to be fun!”

  for those interested. (8 chapters ahead!)