Forge master a litrpg ad.., p.17
Forge Master: A LitRPG Adventure (Tower Book 1), page 17
“We’re starting to run short on some supplies. If you could have those delivered to Titan’s Forge in the west district within two days, that would be great. Thanks.”
Frowning, the receptionist read over the list, quickly realizing it was the same list Thorn had handed her previously. Still, she’d been instructed to fulfill any supply requests Thorn brought, so she reluctantly nodded her head. Elrada, who was still standing by the receptionist’s desk, glaring at Thorn, flinched as the Titan suddenly turned his attention on her.
“I’m headed to the Artificers’ Guild next. Would you like to come?”
“You… what?”
“I’m going to your guild. I haven’t had a chance to visit, so I thought it would be good to stop by and check it out. But if you have other business, that’s fine.”
Turning to scan the rest of the room, Thorn took in the angry glares from the adventurers.
“I sincerely hope I was wrong about all of you and that you’re not spineless cowards. I look forward to apologizing to each one of you.”
With that parting shot, Thorn nodded to Guild Master Fitzburn and walked confidently out of the guild hall. As soon as he was outside, the smile he had worn vanished and an intent expression appeared on his face.
[That was a fraught situation,] Eve said, her voice dry. [What did you think it would do for you to antagonize them?]
“The first rule of advancing from a disadvantageous position is to break the stance of your opponent. Opportunity comes in the chaos of repositioning,” Thorn said, his voice calm. “The status quo must be broken if we’re going to advance.”
[We won’t be able to advance an inch if we make enemies with everyone.]
“No one becomes enemies with a person who can add greater value to their life. I just have to prove I hold the greatest value. But now it’s time to get to know our enemy properly.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When Thorn got close to the Artificers’ Guild, he found that the crowd he’d seen earlier hadn’t dispersed at all. If anything, it had actually grown even larger. The main draw appeared to be a paper tacked up to the wall, and as he got close, Thorn began to overhear people talking about it. From what he gathered, the Artificers’ Guild was going to be hosting a test looking for talented people who had the potential to become apprentices. Filing the information away, Thorn made his way around the crowd and walked up to the grand entrance of the Artificers’ Guild building.
Large pillars supported a carved mantle above the door, decorated with what Thorn assumed were meant to be powerful-looking animals. To someone who had spent time in the intricately carved halls of the Great Forge, however, the carvings decorating the Artificers’ Guild looked crude and somewhat childish. Running down the doorway were a series of runes that, like the carvings, were intended to lend a powerful appearance to the guild building, but as Thorn paused to read them, he nearly choked. Written proudly on the door post to the Artificers’ Guild was the phrase “Women’s Public Bathroom.”
“Eve, am I seeing that right?”
[Unfortunately, yes,] Eve replied, her voice brimming with mirth. [My guess is that either they copied them from somewhere, or someone is playing a joke on them. But there are two more curious questions. First, where did they see these runes in the first place, since it is clear they copied them? And second, why can you read them? I know for a fact that you have never seen them before.]
Stopping on the stairs, Thorn’s forehead furrowed. Eve was right: the runes he was looking at were symbols he’d never seen before, but he still understood what they meant. All things considered, his study of ancient runes under the elven High Mage Keadore had been brief and focused entirely on a small subset of runes. Yet, without even realizing it, Thorn’s innate knowledge of runes seemed to be expanding all the time.
[I may need to update your ability to reflect your knowledge of runes,] Eve said. [I wonder if it is because the ancient Titan runes operate as the base for all rune systems? That is the only thing I can think of, unless you somehow have the record of all runes in your head? This needs more study.]
“Excuse me, are you going in?”
Hearing a voice at his elbow, Thorn looked down and saw a young Axaz man with pale-blue scales staring at him.
“Hmm, oh, yes. I got a bit, uh, distracted by the carvings. Sorry for blocking your way.”
“It’s no problem,” the young man said, gesturing for Thorn to go ahead. “I remember the first time I saw them. I think I stood here for a solid ten minutes, just staring at them.”
As the young man spoke, he gestured to the carved animals above the door, and Thorn caught the flash of a badge on his coat. Recognizing it as the same sort of badge he’d seen on Elrada’s chest, Thorn examined the young man a bit closer. In addition to pale-blue scales, his crest was almost white and carried a faint yellow glow. Thinner and shorter than Aciakko, he appeared almost frail, as if a stiff breeze would blow him away. Sensing Thorn’s inquisitive gaze, the young man grew slightly self-conscious and pulled his maroon robe closer around his body.
“Ahem. May I ask you why you’ve come to visit our guild?” he asked, glancing up at Thorn from the corner of his eyes.
“I’m new to the area and was looking for some resources on runecrafting,” Thorn said, smiling. “Maybe something on the runes commonly found in this area.”
Eyes brightening, the young man gestured for Thorn to follow him and led the way through the arch, speaking as they walked.
“Are you an artificer? I’m sorry, I had no idea. Come on in. My name is Zelix, first apprentice of Master Artificer Assal, the guild master of this guild.”
“Nice to meet you, Zelix. I’m Thorn.”
“I’m assuming, since you’re asking about this, you’re not a member of the guild?”
Smiling sheepishly, Thorn shook his head.
“Is it that obvious? And here I was, trying not to look like a complete country bumpkin.”
“Bumpkin? What is that?” Zelix asked, turning his head to look at Thorn as they walked into the main foyer.
“Ah, just someone who lives way out in the country, far from a city.”
“Interesting. I just guessed you weren’t part of the guild since, if you were, you would have known about the member’s library. We don’t have anything that’s available for public access, but if you’re an artificer, you can access the guild library for free. Obviously, the books in the library aren’t particularly valuable, but I seem to recall that there are a number of guides to local runes. May I ask your level?”
Looking around the large hall, Thorn couldn’t help but compare it to the other guild buildings he’d been in. Compared to the Blacksmiths’ Guild, the Artificers’ Guild was bustling, but compared to the Adventurers’ Guild, it was almost empty. Around a dozen Axaz and human people mixed together, most of them hurrying about various tasks, their heads pointed toward the ground. All of them were dressed in similar clothing, making Thorn think they were probably servants of some kind.
A large desk stood in the center of the room, and a bored-looking man sat at the desk, his chin cupped in his hand, daydreaming of who knew what. Unlike the others, he wore a robe like Zelix, but it was considerably plainer and the badge pinned to his chest was bronze instead of gold. Taking in the large stone pillars that ran along the walls and the highly decorated ceiling, Thorn felt almost stifled.
“Umm, would you mind explaining how the guild breaks down levels?” Thorn asked Zelix, pretending he was embarrassed. “My master never talked to me about the ranks, and we lived far from the Artificers’ Guild, so this is my first time encountering other artificers.”
Surprised by the confession, Zelix looked Thorn up and down again, but ultimately, he nodded.
“Sure, come on, I’ll get you a guidebook. That’s probably the easiest.”
Leading the way over to the receptionist table, Zelix rapped on the top of the desk sharply, causing the daydreaming young man to jump in shock. Anger clouded his eyes for a moment, but when he looked up and caught sight of Zelix, the emotion drained right out of him, replaced with panic.
“Ah! Artificer Zelix! I’m sorry, I… I didn’t see you!”
“I could tell,” Zelix said, his voice dry. “Do you have an extra guidebook?”
“A guidebook? Yes, yes, here you go.”
Half rising from his chair, the young man held out a well-worn book with two hands, presenting it to Zelix, who waved toward Thorn. Realizing his mistake, the young man handed it to Thorn, his eyes going wide as he took in the Titan’s size. Taking the book with a smile, Thorn opened it up and began to scan the first page.
“This will give you an introduction to the guild, including things like ranks and the procedure for joining, if you’re interested.”
Flipping through the book quickly, Thorn stayed on each page just long enough for Eve to scan it and was soon done with the book. Handing it back to the startled young man behind the desk, Thorn caught the faint disapproval in Zelix’s eyes. Obviously dissatisfied that Thorn hadn’t taken his time to read the guidebook, Zelix seemed to draw back, much of his friendliness disappearing, but before he could speak, Thorn beat him to it.
“On page six, it was outlining the levels based on the number of runes that can be cast, each level corresponding to the equivalent runes. Four runes equals a master, while fifteen runes equals a grandmaster. I noticed that there’s even a sage level listed, but from the chart in the back of the book, it doesn’t look like the guild has a grandmaster or sage-level artificer. Is that correct?”
Taken aback by Thorn’s calm recitation, much of Zelix’s disdain vanished, replaced with intense curiosity and a bit of awe. He had heard of genius artificers who only had to look at something once to hold on to it forever, but he had never met anyone like that before.
“Yes, that’s right. My master, Master Artificer Assal, and Master Artificer Levandi are the highest ranked artificers in the city. I’ve heard that there are grandmaster artificers in the second and first strata, but I’ve never met them.”
“Well, going by your ranks, I think my master would have been a grandmaster,” Thorn said, his tone contemplative. “The guide book said on page eleven that to join the Artificers’ Guild, I would have to go through the public apprentice test, but I assume there’s another way for existing artificers?”
Lighting up at Thorn’s words, Zelix nodded.
“Indeed. If you can gain the acknowledgement of one of the master artificers, you can be granted membership at a higher level. If you studied under a grandmaster artificer, I’m sure you wouldn’t have any trouble. If you don’t mind waiting, I could see if my master is available to give you an assessment.”
“Sure, that would be wonderful.”
“Great! Follow me.”
Leading Thorn into a hallway off of the main foyer, Zelix left him in a messy office and hurried off to try and find his master. The room was filled nearly to bursting with a wide variety of materials and half-finished projects, but what drew Thorn’s interest was the shelf of books along the wall. Walking over, he pulled one of the books out and began to scan through it, all the while keeping his mental sense extended to watch for Zelix’s return. It didn’t take him more than a minute to leaf through the book, and once he had finished, he put it back and picked up the next one, not even looking at the title.
One by one, he scanned the books, making sure to be as careful as possible with them. He was halfway through the third shelf when he picked up movement in the hall and quickly replaced the book in its place. Remaining standing in front of the bookshelf, he ran his finger along the spines of the books, pretending he was just reading their titles. There was a wealth of new knowledge in his head and Eve was busy categorizing it, but at the moment, it was too jumbled for him to process, so he left her to it and instead focused on the people coming into the room.
Zelix’s figure was familiar, but next to him was a stooped Axaz woman who walked with the aid of a cane. Her scales, which seemed almost a size too big for her, were a dull red color, and her green crest drooped slightly. Despite her seeming frailty, Thorn could sense a considerable amount of vitality in her. However, what really caught his attention was the number of artifacts she carried. It appeared as if every part of her body was covered in artifacts, and though the rune work on most of them looked crude, together they created a powerful aura.
“Master, this is Thorn, the one I told you about.”
Bowing to Master Assal, Thorn introduced himself.
“Greetings, Guild Master. My name is Thorn, disciple of Keadore.”
“You’re just as big as Zelix said,” Master Assal said, smiling slightly. “Welcome to the Artificers’ Guild. He has informed me that you’re already an artificer and are interested in joining the guild. Is that right?”
“It is, though I feel I have to inform you of a potential problem.”
Opening her eyes wide for a moment, the Axaz equivalent of raising an eyebrow, Master Assal made her way over to the chair in the room and sat down, Zelix hovering around her like a worried caretaker. Slapping his hand away, she looked at Thorn and sighed.
“Getting old comes with many benefits, but the insistence that I’m too frail to do things for myself is not one of them. Anyway, where were we? Oh, right. Your potential problem.”
Nodding, Thorn crouched so that Master Assal didn’t have to stare up at him, earning himself a small smile from her.
“Yes. The truth is, I’m new to this city, but already I’ve had some trouble with an artificer by the name of Elrada. She called herself the third apprentice of Master Artificer Levandi. I don’t want to cause you trouble because of it.”
“Elrada? I’m familiar with her,” Master Assal said, her eyes narrowing. “If I’m honest, that would normally be enough for me to throw you out, right away. But Zelix said something that makes me curious. You said your master was named Keadore, right? I’m not familiar with that name. But you say he was a grandmaster artificer?”
Shaking his head, Thorn put on a slightly confused look.
“He never used that title himself, so I hesitate to call him a grandmaster. However, I know that he knew and could use twenty-three runes. He may have known more, but he only demonstrated those twenty-three to me.”
This time, Master Assal’s green crest brightened considerably, revealing her surge of emotion. As a master artificer, she had completely mastered eleven runes, and knew of two more she was feverishly studying, so to hear of an artificer that not only knew but had mastered twenty-three was astounding. Even more than that, if the huge young man in front of her knew of all twenty-three runes, then even if he hadn’t yet mastered them, he was destined to be an absolute powerhouse.
“Twenty-three runes would place your master in the ranks of the greatest artificers in this world,” Master Assal said, managing to get her voice under control. “To have studied under someone like that is a dream artificers would give anything for. I would be more cautious in the future, young man, that you don’t go speaking of this to everyone. There are unscrupulous people who would, in their greed, seize you and try to strip your knowledge away.”
Looking stricken at the thought, Thorn paled and hurried to bow to the guild master.
“Ah, thank you. I will be more careful.”
“Good. There’s nothing wrong with being friendly, but some pieces of knowledge can awaken greed in even the kindest hearts. But enough of that talk. Now, let’s return to the more important thing. Your admittance into the Artificers’ Guild. The process is simple, really. You just need to show me how many runes you know and have mastered.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A few hours later, Thorn was walking through the back streets of the western district, a rose-golden badge held in one hand. He hadn’t realized how much he missed his inventory since leaving Angoril and finally understood why the emperor had been so excited about developing subspace magic. Sensing a pressing question lingering in his mind, he slipped the badge into his pouch and gave Eve a mental nudge.
[I confess, I am struggling to understand your thought process,] Eve said. [To me, it looks like you are intentionally putting yourself at a disadvantage over and over again. First, it was with the Adventurers’ Guild, and now again in the Artificers’ Guild.]
“I can understand why it would appear that way,” Thorn said, nodding. “But remember, people act in the way that brings them the greatest benefit with the least amount of effort.”
[That does not explain why you risked revealing so much of your knowledge.]
“Actually, it does,” Thorn replied. “First, I revealed the extent of my value.”
[You mean the twenty-three runes.]
“Correct. However, that also served as a warning, since Master Assal will naturally be wary of an unknown grandmaster artificer. Consider it a carrot and stick. Or at least, the idea of one. Next, by demonstrating that I know all twenty-three, and can use five, I’ve established myself as a potentially valuable ally. Four is the cutoff for a master, but by revealing five runes, I’m showing that I’m low enough level to not be a threat to the guild master’s authority but have enough potential to grow into a powerful artificer.”
[Ah, which is why you mentioned your antagonism with Artificer Elrada early in the conversation. You were planting the idea that you were naturally opposed to the other master in the guild, which makes you a perfect political ally, since you are already a master yourself. And due to the naive persona you presented, Master Assal undoubtedly believes she can not only control you, but will also be able to extract your knowledge of runes over time.]
“Exactly.”
Falling silent for a moment, Eve finally sighed.
[But you never mentioned that you held a position in the Blacksmiths’ Guild. Are you not worried about what will happen when she finds out?]
