Chapter 11: Hammertime |
Cal entered the backyard to see Orrin wiping himself down while sitting down and giving himself a breather.
“Initiate Cal,” Orrin gave him a slight nod. “It’s still too early. I’ll need at least two hours to finish making the plow.”
“I’m not here for that. I’ll return tomorrow for the tools, so take your time,” Cal’s eyes moved to the various hammers on the rack. “Are any of those hammers for sale? I need one that is good for breaking up stones.”
“You mean a sledgehammer… I have one available, but it is on the pricier end. It has nothing to do with material cost—though that is significant. It’s one of my first successes in creating a Common ranked tool.”
Common-ranked equipments weren’t much in the grand scheme of things. Cal had used plenty in the core guild and some of the Uncommon rank, too. However, it was different when considering that Orrin hadn’t even activated his interface yet.
He really is remarkable.
“How much?” Cal somehow stopped himself from drooling.
“… One silver? I—” Orrin caught the coin flicked at him in surprise. He hadn’t even finished speaking.
“Is it possible for you to make similar ranked tools for me? I don’t mind paying an increased cost.”
“If you end up being successful, I’ll up the pay. Fifty copper per Common tool. How does that sound?” Cal wasn’t being altruistic. It would benefit them both.
The more motivation available, the higher the chance of success. I have seen this far too much to not use it.
Orrin looked like he wanted to question why, but eventually, he just nodded firmly. “I’ll do my best.”
He pulled the hammer with a long wooden handle and a flat metal head off the rack. After a moment of looking at it—as if to memorize the tool's appearance—Orrin handed it to Cal.
“It was being wasted here anyway. Tools are meant to be used.”
“Well said,” Cal praised. He knew Orrin was trying to convince himself that it would be better to let the hammer go. “I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ll see you soon, Orrin.”
“Farewell, Initiate Cal.”
***
Cal dropped the heavy sledgehammer to the hard ground with a relieved groan. The trip back was nearly as devastating as the trek to Mariner’s Rest.
The sledgehammer he now carried nearly matched the combined weight of the three tools he found in the shed. His plan to continue working was nearly killed in its infancy, but the allure of gaining the sledgehammer as equipment pushed any tiredness away.
He eyed the last spot he was at. Far too many stones were embedded into the ground around the shed—his new home for the foreseeable future. He made himself a goal.
Before he returned to Mariner’s Rest, he would break apart all the stones within a thirty feet diameter of the shed. It would have been a difficult ask with the pickaxe, but the sledgehammer was designed for this work.
Cal grabbed the handle and hoisted the hammer over his shoulder, wincing at the sudden pressure added. He walked up to the nearest target and brought down the hammer with a grunt.
CRACK!
The stone shattered under the hammer’s head, small pieces of rock scattering everywhere.
You have gained [Common Sledgehammer: Excellent Quality] as equipment.
Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level.
Name: Cal Maddox
Class: Farmer (Special)
Tier: Initiate 4
That increase in [Tier] gave Cal a boost to continue. And the stone broke with a single hit from the sledgehammer.
It didn’t even require me to use all my strength. This tool is perfect.
The usually silent Northern Wastes was filled with the repeated shattering of stones. The sledgehammer always succeeded in breaking what it was targeted at.
An hour in, Cal saw the interface light up again.
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Your skill [Perfect Match] has increased by 1 level.
Name: Cal Maddox
Class: Farmer (Special)
Tier: Initiate 4
Skills:
[Perfect Match: Novice 3]
There were still a few hours until sunset, enough time to clear several dozen stones.
CRACK!
The sun had almost set over the horizon when the interface lit up again.
Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level.
[Tier] increase has activated an ability of [Farmer (Special)].
Your skill [Perfect Match] has increased by 1 level.
Name: Cal Maddox
Class: Farmer (Special)
Tier: Initiate 5
Skills:
[Perfect Match: Novice 4]
Skill choices available. Choose one.
[Stone Breaker: Novice 1] - You feel at peace when shattering stones into rock and rock into rubble. Your strength increases to twice your capacity when targeting all stones. As your mastery increases, no stone can stand in your way.
[Master Negotiator: Novice 1] - You might be a [Farmer], but you feel at home while trading. You will have an easier chance of getting discounts, but that chance increases and decreases depending on the skill of the person you are negotiating with. As your mastery increases, the skill of others matters little.
[Benevolent Mentor: Novice 1] - You cherish passing on your knowledge to others. Those who wish to learn from you will feel a sense of peace and clarity in your presence. The higher your mastery, the better the effect and the more loyalty you will inspire.
Cal took heavy breaths and put the sledgehammer down. He supported his weight by leaning on the handle as he thought of the choices he was given.
All the skills were related to activities he had been doing since the last time the interface showed him skill choices.
Unlike before, he felt that he had a much more difficult decision ahead of him. Except for [Benevolent Mentor], the other skills would be useful immediately while also having drool-worthy long-term benefits.
This should have resulted in an easy elimination, but [Benevolent Mentor] might have the best long-term benefits out of all of them. Loyalty was not to be discounted. It would almost always be worth more than anything that gave him personal power.
The only issue was time. [Benevolent Mentor] would need time that he might not have.
At first, [Stone Breaker] seemed like a joke of a skill, but a close reading of the description made it frightening. This would be the most useful skill in the short term, but that aspect was the one he was least interested in. Breaking the stones around the field could be done with or without the skill, but it was the wording of the future that got his attention.
As your mastery increases, no stone can stand in your way.
There were a lot of things that could be considered stone. Even mountains, if the definition was stretched. He would be able to reshape the world at his whim.
… There I go again with my ambition. What will I do with the title of the strongest stone crusher? The world is controlled by flesh and blood, not stone.
Cal shook his head roughly. So maybe there was one that could be eliminated.
It still left [Master Negotiator]. That skill was self-explanatory.
There is nothing that’s forcing me to make my pick now. I’ll sleep on it and see if there is a clear winner in my mind tomorrow.
He hoisted the hammer over the shoulder—noting it felt like it weighed considerably less—and trudged to the shed. The [Tier] increases were finally making a difference he could feel.
***
Cal sat up, fully alert. His hand surrounded the handle of the sledgehammer with a death grip.
I heard something.
Despite the terrible conditions—the hard floor, creaky roof, whistling wind made worse by holes in the wall—he had been sleeping well.
Something had woke him up, but he heard nothing as he strained his ears.
I doubt it’s the Silvermane Wolves. They won’t stop with one howl. Even if they did, I would wake in the middle of the howl.
Cal spent a few more seconds staying absolutely still before he decided to take a look.
He put the sledgehammer over his shoulder and opened the door slowly. His attempt at being quiet was ruined by the screeching racket the door made—a first since he arrived.
Perfect timing. Truly.
The moon provided more than enough light to see everything clearly. There was nothing out of place. All the stones he had shattered, pieces and all, were in the same place.
There wasn’t any movement that caught his attention either.
Wait. What is that?
Cal stared into the distance, near the edge of what could be seen in the moonlight. He could see two yellow eyes staring right at him.
The wooden handle creaked under the pressure he was putting on it. He could do limited things with his mana, but those should be enough to deal with two or three wolves.
The only reason I am confident I can deal with them is the odd solitary nature despite being in the wolf family. They only gather when they are faced with overwhelming force. I do not qualify.
The wolf’s head—the silhouette—tilted up, eyes disappearing before it let out a long, mourning howl.
Cal saw the eyes reappear when the howl ended, but he wasn’t the target this time. It was looking at an irrelevant spot to his right.
The wolf glanced at him after a while before turning away. He wasn’t sure what happened and why the wolf felt it had to have a showdown for no reason.
Cal had fully expected to get into a fight. Silvermane Wolves do not back down once spotted, or so he had read.
Unless I wasn’t the target. It was targeting something else, and my presence made it rethink the situation.
He didn’t take more than a second to decide to find out what had the wolf’s attention.
Cal’s footsteps might as well have been hammer blows, given how quiet everything else was. The barrenness of the Northern Wastes had never been so clearly on display.
He reached the area that the Silvermane Wolf was staring at intently and froze in shock. There was a hole—large enough to swallow him whole.
What type of beast could do this without me noticing? Thankfully, that wolf wasn’t afraid of it, so I shouldn’t be worried either.
Cal spent nearly half an hour trying—and failing—to find what had dug up the hole. He eventually felt that he was just wasting time.
I’m not at a [Tier] where I can afford to skip on sleep.
He scanned the area one last time before heading back to the shed. He might have better luck in the daylight if there was something to be found.
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