Bleary, I drifted back to consciousness. I tried to rub the tiredness from my eyes only for consciousness' shores to prove more rugged than expected. My internal sundial was certain this wasn't the usual timing, though whether early or late I was unsure. I really wanted to assume early and roll back to sleep, but I had responsibilities. Cracking an eye towards the window, the cool light sneaking in through the shutters came into focus, suggesting the sun hadn't fully risen. Or hadn't fully set. It was coming back to me, a jolt of cognizance cutting through the morass of my mind. I was on nightshift.

  It felt almost mocking how active and alert I'd been before my rest compared to the lethargy and grogginess that filled me currently. It was like my whole body was telling me to roll over and stay curled up under the warm blankets. But I wasn't about to let everybody down, so with a burst of conviction I flung back the covers tempting me with their snug embrace.

  The cool air was jarring, remaining unpleasant even after the initial shock. Rolling stiffly onto my feet, I opened the shutter, flinching away as the light of setting sun bathed the room. My waking process kicked into gear - more sharply than I'd prefer – my body followed the usual routine to get presentable and into something warmer, while my mind whirled with what I'd accomplished before I fell asleep.

  I briefly considered that it might have all been a dream, but a moment of self-reflection assured me it was not. I'd made progress with my class and skills. Maybe not steady or complete progress, but progress nonetheless. Even just becoming more practiced at viewing what I could of my status would be invaluable for working the rest out. I hadn't really been thinking about what was revealed as I was revealing it, too in the moment before I drifted off, but analysing it now, I could draw some conclusions.

  Class – ___________ Master Craftsman

  Skill 1 – Passive – _________ _ast_r Crafting – _o__

  \Subskills

  Dependent Skill 1.1 - Enchanting - Mana

  Skill 2 – Active – Insightful Appraisal – _o__

  Skill 3 – Passive - __ss___ _r_j__t_ - _o__

  Dependent Skill 3.1 - _____'_ ____ - _o__

  Dependent Skill 3.2 - __________ Focus - _________

  The dependant skill for enchanting was a bit of a surprise, but the fact it used mana shouldn't have been. In my potion making I'd been drawing out properties using mana. I hadn't thought of that as enchanting, but I guess it was the same process that made a sword harder, sharper or burst into flame, just on a smaller scale. That also had implications for how to discover my other skills, I'd found this one by using it. I'd been advised I'd learn things as I went along and to attempt things. This appeared to be a direct payoff for doing exactly that. On the other hand, I had two unknown passive skills, so it couldn't be quite as simple as just having the skill running. I probably needed to be pushing or stretching the skill, or at least pushing my known boundaries with it. Argat could provide more clarity, but he was more busy than usual with those sick or injured during the storm.

  I was fairly sure my first passive skill was some sort of master crafting, but unfortunately that didn't tell me anything more about what it was suited to or how to utilise it than I'd already known. It might mean it was better, or it might just be that every master crafter had some sort of master crafting skill. I could easily believe Bartan had some kind of master cooking skill at the very least.

  I'd gotten a few letters for my third skill, but what they were pointing to I had no idea. If I could come up with a good guess for the skill, they might be enough to verify it. However, if the guess came from work on a project, I'd probably be able to reveal the rest of the skill once I completed the project anyway. Still, maybe Argat had a big list of possible craftsman skills somewhere we could compare it to. From what he told me of sages, that seemed like something they'd make.

  Ironically, the single letter revealed as a resource for so many of my skills was probably the most useful piece of information. It strongly suggested that all of those with an "o" revealed were fuelled by the same resource, and I was hopeful that it would narrow down the options for Argat. It already ruled out all the fundamental resources at least. Working out what it was and what to be careful of was sure to have a huge impact. It might also hold the key to getting my memories back.

  I yawned and stretched, feeling something pop as I reached the apex of the motion and by upper back suddenly loosen up. Rolling my shoulder, I appreciated the easy range of motion, the last of my grogginess fading with the stiffness. A quick once over confirmed I was ready to face the world, so I left my room and headed downstairs.

  My first stop was Eimer who loaded me up with a tray of rice balls and warm rolls, some to share with Sarala now, and some as a snack for me later. She also pressed a key into my palm with whispered instructions to just venture into the kitchen if I needed anything during the night after they closed up.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Tray of food in hand, I made my way through to the main hall where Sarala was waiting behind the counter. She was happy to refresh my knowledge on the various intricacies of manning the desk, covering lots of little details that could wait when I was just covering for her briefly, but might be needed for the night shift. To my amusement and delight, the first of these was a tea service that was tucked away beneath the counter when not in use.

  The set was a dark reddish brown, the glaze clearly chosen to celebrate and enhance the natural colour of the clay. Carved patterns of drifting clouds in a lighter tone adorned the cups, pot and tea containers, tying the whole set together. The pot rested on a hollow puck with a metal top which turned out to be a magical heating element. It was similar to the brazier I used for alchemy but less powerful and more compact, designed to run off oils specifically. Thankfully there was a small container of oil with the set should it need refilled during the night, and Sarala soon had gentle stream of steam wafting from the pot. She paused the discussion as she poured the tea, intent on giving the moment its due ceremony.

  The green tea she favoured paired well with the rice balls and the red bean paste within the rolls, as well as warming me up nicely. As we ate, she filled me in on the various records and procedures, interrupted by sporadic visitors to the counter. Most of it made sense and wasn't individually complex, but the agglomeration was intimidating.

  Sarala was quick to reassure me, "Don't worry too much, as long as the information is recorded somewhere, I can sort it in the morning. The main duty of the night shift is to be present in case of an emergency."

  "Thanks, though I hope that particular duty proves unnecessary tonight." I attempted to inject a bit of levity back into the discussion.

  "It'll be fine. Just wake us up if you have any problems. Xia or Taffy usually keep whoever is on duty company."

  "The guildmaster mentioned Xia would be present. I'll have to be careful not to wake her up accidentally."

  Sarala shook her head, "A bit of noise won't wake her, if she can sleep through the ruckus of a busy morning in here, she can sleep through anything. Just don't touch her unless you want to wake her up." She paused, savouring the last of her tea, "Well this has been lovely, and if you still have some questions, I'd be happy to answer, but you might want to grab something to tinker with before your shift starts."

  "Good idea, I'll be back shortly. Gotta take the opportunity while I can leave the counter."

  "You can still leave during the night, just leave the bell visible before you go. I would however suggest picking a project you can progress here. As, if you'll forgive me for saying so, you tend to become rather engrossed in your work."

  "Aye, that's probably for the best."

  Rushing off towards the storeroom I hoped inspiration would strike for what to work on. I'd finished my present earlier in the day, and while it was probably finished by now, I didn't want to keep Sarala longer than necessary at the end of her shift. I was eager to finally use the forge for some metalwork, but that was obviously a non-starter. Given the guildmaster's orders and my assumptions about how to reveal my skills, I wanted a small project that was totally different to what I'd worked on up to now. Something random, that would push me in new ways.

  Entering the storeroom, my eyes drifted past wood and leather. Eimer had mentioned whittling, but that was too similar to other projects. I reached the stock of iron, bronze and copper, with small samples of other metals. I lingered by some thin wire, I might be able to make something with that, but I didn't have an immediate idea what. I could make something decorative, the guild master would probably be fine with it, but I wanted whatever I made to be at least a little applicable to an adventurers' guild. Next came the teeth and claws and chitin, salvaged from various dungeon creatures. This was closer to what I was looking for, but they might be a little too much of a challenge right now. I didn't know where I would start with this stuff.

  As I reached the geological samples, amidst the various samples of sand and stone - including a giant block almost my height that must have been a nightmare to carry out of the dungeon – I spotted them. The black, igneous rocks that an adventurer had been so convinced were valuable he'd drawn his axe over it. I'd said at the time they were only good for knapping, a perfect skill to explore tonight. There was also a small optimistic part of me that hoped the adventurer was right, and I'd find something special as I worked with the stones. There was also a petty part of me that wanted to prove I wouldn't. So, it was a win-win.

  I was heading to my workshop, stones in hand alongside a softer chalky stone my instincts directed me towards s soon as I'd picked up the black rocks, before it occurred to me knapping might be too loud. Shrugging, I figured I'd stop if anyone complained, but I wasn't going to keep Sarala waiting much longer. I quickly located a small bucket in the workshop in which I deposited my stones before I began looking for the knapping tools. Did knapping even have tools? Didn't you just strike the stones together? Or were there antlers involved? But my feet had led me to the workshop by habit, so it didn't hurt to look. I'd want something more than the bucket for the mess at the very least.

  My leather gloves seemed like a fine place to start, but as my eyes darted round the rest of the room there wasn't anything obvious. Time to try something weird. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and thought about the tug of my appraisal skill whenever I spotted something interesting. I knew I had other skills running passively, and I'd had enough luck with finding the right equipment that I figured one must be guiding me. So, I tried to actively seek that guidance this time, trying to feel a tug similar to the appraisal skill. Nothing happened. Then I thought I felt something in my gut, so faint it might have just been me digesting the rice balls and buns I shared with Sarala. But I opened my eyes and tried to interpret it as a direction.

  The first drawer I came to had compasses and fine sticks of charcoal. Somehow, I doubted that was what I was seeking. The drawer below however, had a leather mat and a selection of wooden rods, sized to comfortably fit in a hand with small copper spikes affixed firmly to one end of each. Now that I looked a little closer the size of the small spike gradually decreased as I moved left to right. As I lifted the contents free for a better look, I found a small but thick section of antler hiding near the back of the drawer as well. I wasn't sure what all this stuff was, but I was pretty sure it was what I'd been looking for.

  Adding it all to the bucket for ease of transport, I made my way back to Sarala who eyed my supplies with amusement.

  "It certainly looks like you won't be bored. Any last questions for me?"

  "Not that I can think of."

  "Well then, good luck on the night shift Vaul."

  Patreon.