《The Legend of the Meta-Defying Smith Who Saved the Kingdom》 Chapter 01 - Out to the Forge Editor¡¯s Note: Andrew of Longthorn, better known as Andrew the Chronicler, had a brother who made the mistake of not taking a combat class. The brother, whose name has been lost to time, is known to have left behind three children and a widow, whom Andrew the Chronicler provided for until the children came of age. The influence of this is visible in Andrew¡¯s rendition of The Legendary Smith. *** Author¡¯s Note: All know the Legend of the Smith who Saved the Kingdom, which, while an important part of the history of Asufal (and indeed, all humanity), the legend itself has had a pernicious and lasting impact on the youth of our country. While the perils of taking two non-combat classes are known intellectually, being taught to all children from a young age, the romantic legend of The Smith inspires a small, but simultaneously all too large, portion of youth to ignore the wisdom of their elders, which leads to much suffering in their short lives. All know, or know of, at least one person who has defied the meta of the world and met a terrible end, but the passions of youth, once stirred by the legend of The Smith as commonly told by the bards and storytellers, lead many astray. There is no reason for such as situation to be allowed to persist. It is my hope, that by faithfully retelling the story of The Smith, including the portions of his life that are commonly glossed over by the bards, and therefore known primarily to historical scholars and not many else, to a wider audience, that youth about to choose their second class might pause and take heed of the wisdom of their elders, and thus avoid a tragic and altogether easily avoided end. *** The Legend of the Meta-Defying Smith Who Saved the Kingdom Before The Smith was The Smith, or even a smith, he was a boy in the village of Roric, the second youngest of five. James, as he was known then, was a precocious boy, quick in his studies, and thus often bored with the simple life in a village. ¡°I¡¯m going to Jared¡¯s!¡± he shouted as he ran out the door of the small wood and stone house where he lived with his parents and sister. Without waiting for a response, he ran down the path to the village road and made his way to the village smith¡¯s forge. The wind ruffled his sandy blonde hair as his bare feet pounded the packed dirt of the road, not yet warm from the weak morning sun. On one side of the road there were lines of houses separated by simple low fences and surrounded by herb gardens, while on the other side of the road stretched out fields of wheat bounded by shallow ditches denoting property lines. Beyond the fields was the river, which curved around closer to the village by the lord¡¯s manor before continuing on its way James didn¡¯t know where. On the other side of the river was the forest where hunters and herbalists would hunt and forage, providing the village with an irregular supply of meat, hides, alchemical ingredients, and the occasional magic crystal. James ran through the village square, past the soldiers¡¯ barracks (typically empty) and the village¡¯s few shops and lone tavern before stopping outside the largest shop of them all: the village¡¯s forge. James had been visiting the village smith often over the last few weeks as he approached his fifteenth birthday. He had also visited the hunters and herbalists and farmers, and even spoken with a passing adventurer party who had passed through, but his interest was mainly in the smith and the forge. James fancied that the metal spoke to him, although if he was honest he couldn¡¯t actually hear anything. He did however love smithing, seeing a chunk of raw ore smelted down into a valuable (although practically useless) metal ingot, and then that ingot heated and beaten into a useful shape, every smashing hammer strike and tender tap giving the raw metal a form and a function, becoming a valuable and useful tool to aid a person in their labors. So far he¡¯d seen Jared forge farming implements: hoes and trowels and shovels and rakes, but today Jared would be forging a sword. James wouldn¡¯t have missed it for the world.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He walked around the side of the shop towards the forge in the back, seeing smoke billow up from the chimney. Jared, a great big bear of a man, had yet to put on his smithing apron and was bent over, feeding wood into the forge as the fire grew. Without looking up, he ordered James. ¡°Go fetch water from the river, I¡¯ll need two barrels full.¡± ¡°Okay¡± replied James, impressed that Jared had known he was there without seeing or apparently hearing him approach. Most adults could tell such things although he hadn¡¯t yet figured out the trick. He grabbed two buckets by the handles and jogged down to the river. Carrying two buckets at a time would improve his strength, necessary for a smith, and while he might also train his speed by running with one bucket, smiths didn¡¯t need speed much. James had by this point decided that his first class would Smith, although he hadn¡¯t yet told anyone. Back and forth for the next hour James jogged to the river and walked back with water, until both large barrels in the forge were full of fresh cold river water. Jared had shown him previously the best place to collect the water, to avoid mud and silt and mana from lesser undines that would all spoil the quenching process. James took his word on the undine mana; being as yet classless and not particularly mana sensitive, he couldn¡¯t tell if there was mana in the water or not. Once he poured the last bucketfuls in the barrel, Jared peered into the barrels and nodded. ¡°Good, this¡¯ll do nicely.¡± Next he looked down at James and folded his arms. ¡°And ye know what I¡¯m working on today, don¡¯t ye?¡± James nodded, ¡°You¡¯re making a sword today!¡± Jared nodded too. ¡°Aye, a sword, and not just a sword, it¡¯ll be an enchanted sword for the lord¡¯s son, so it¡¯s quite a bit more involved than forging a normal sword.¡± James listened with wide eyes as Jared explained the difference between forging a normal sword and a sword to be enchanted. A normal sword usually just needed to be balanced properly and was otherwise rather simple to produce, but a sword to be enchanted required very detailed work, the material and precise dimensions and even etching all required to be exactly as ordered to support the enchanting process. ¡°What kind of enchantment will it be? Fire? A fire sword?!¡± James asked eyes shining. Jared snorted. ¡°Heh, no, fire¡¯s a terrible enchantment for a sword. Few monsters are weak to fire most armies are warded against fire as a matter of course. No, this¡¯ll be a wind enchantment, I can tell. It¡¯ll lighten the sword and let the wielder get in more hits faster, good for taking out lots of weaker monsters quickly or against slower swordsmen.¡± James looked at the plans already hung up on the wall of the forge for easy reference. ¡°It doesn¡¯t say what kind of enchantment it¡¯ll be on the plans though.¡± ¡°Aye, of course not, be a foolish thing to let everyone know exactly what your weapon¡¯s enchanted with. I can tell because I¡¯ve worked on swords for enchanters before and seen some of the finished pieces.¡± Jared looked to the forge, waves of heat roiling out into the rest of the workspace. ¡°Alright, enough chitchat, you sit over there and don¡¯t talk while I¡¯m working.¡± James moved to the corner with a view of the forge, anvil, and workbench. Jared, throwing on his apron and gloves, used large tongs to move a medium sized ingot of white iron into the forge. Then, working the bellows, he brought the forge up to temperature, hot enough to make the ingot glow a dull red, then orange, and then almost orange white before he pulled it out to the anvil. SMASH. SMASH. SMASH. Ear-shattering crashes of iron striking iron filled the air as the ingot changed from a block of metal to a long strip, more details slowly emerging as the hammer beat the metal into shape. James sweltered in the heat of the forge, eyes peeled to not miss a single swing of the hammer and hands over his ears to protect his hearing as the sun rose high in the sky, crested, and started sinking towards the western horizon. As it approached the peaks of the western mountains Jared put away his smallest hammer, having switched several times throughout the day as the work grew more detailed, and finally he worked tiny chisels and files to etch patterns into the blade. First one side, then the other, as sun set behind the mountains. As the daylight dimmed the light of the forge kept the workspace illuminated in red. James wanted to get up and look closer but remained seated, knowing that if he interrupted Jared he¡¯d be kicked out of the forge immediately, no second chances. He¡¯d seen other boys about to unlock their classes ask questions at the wrong time and be immediately banned from the forge, and he wasn¡¯t about to risk it so close to his choosing day. The sky was almost totally dark when Jared finished the blade, having put a simple edge on both sides of the blade, not completely sharpened, and the blade still without a hilt. Jared sat heavily on a stool and leaned back on the workbench. ¡°Okay, ask away¡± Jared said wearily, knowing that the young boy had been biting his tongue all day. James asked questions about the hammers the blacksmith had used, about the files and chisels, about the quenching and why he needed two barrels, about the iron he¡¯d used, and so on. ¡°And how does the enchanting work?¡± ¡°Ahh, that I don¡¯t know. I just follow the plans the enchanter sent me and he¡¯ll do the rest. I just forge the blade, they said to leave the hilt off.¡± James bit his lip and looked down. ¡°Uh, Jared, my choosing day is coming up¡­¡± ¡°Aye, and you want to be a smith do ye?¡± James looked up, shocked. ¡°How did you know?¡± Chapter 02 - The Talk The smith laughed. ¡°What, did ye think ye were keeping it a secret? Ye¡¯ve been down here days and days lad, most young¡¯ns get fed up with the heat and noise in under an hour, of course ye want to be a smith.¡± ¡°Do you think I can? Become a smith?¡± ¡°¡¯Course ye can, why wouldn¡¯t ye? Anyone who¡¯s been to a forge before can choose a smithing class, and it¡¯s a good choice anyway. Never heard of a smith starving before, and I could use some help around the forge while yer gettin¡¯ trained up.¡± The smith turned to face James directly. ¡°More importantly, what¡¯re ye thinking for yer second class? It¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I hadn¡¯t really thought about it.¡± ¡°Well ye better think about it, and quick. Or commit to not choosin¡¯ right away, but most can¡¯t: it¡¯s too tempting when the options in front of ye. It sits in the back of yer mind, distractin¡¯. Yer gonna want a class that works well with smithing. Archer classes are right out, jus¡¯ a total waste o¡¯ time. Hand to hand classes are always a good choice, and the strength bonus from smith classes will help with that. Or ye could take a weapon class, and ye¡¯ll always have yer weapon of choice if yer a smith, and in good repair too. That¡¯s important, too many farmers out there taking swords classes and forgettin¡¯ they need to keep their sword maintained and tryin¡¯ to fight vermin with rusty dull swords.¡± Jared spat. ¡°If ye want my advice, a hammer warrior class works the best. The skills for smithing and hammer fightin¡¯ got good synergy, so you can improve ¡®em both at the same time. Then ye can spend less time training in your second class for self-defense and more time practicin¡¯ yer smithin¡¯.¡± James went home that evening, head full of thoughts of becoming a smith. His fifteenth birthday, the day he could choose his Classes, was only a week and a half away. He could hardly bear to wait any longer, but wishing wouldn¡¯t make time pass any faster. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± James called as he opened the door to his home. As he brushed the dirt off his feet, his parents both came to meet him in the entryway. James looked up. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up?¡± he asked his parents. His parents shared a glance before his father answered. ¡°James, it¡¯s time to have The Talk.¡± James could hear the capital letters. ¡°The Talk?¡± he repeated. ¡°Yes,¡± his mother replied, ¡°your birthday¡¯s coming up, and you¡¯ll be able to choose your Classes, but we need to have a Talk first.¡± They relocated to the dining table. James¡¯ mother poured them all tea and they sat down. James¡¯ father opened the conversation. ¡°So? Have you given any thought to what Classes you want to take?¡± ¡°Yeah, I want to be a Smith!¡± His father chuckled and his mother smiled. ¡°Yeah, we figured. Jared mentioned you¡¯d been spending a lot of time at his forge.¡± ¡°So what about your second class?¡± His mother inquired. ¡°I dunno,¡± James said, ¡°something that works well with Smith, I guess. Jared said a Hammer Warrior would be a good idea.¡± James¡¯ father nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good to take classes with synergy. I can see how knowing your way around a hammer would help both classes.¡± ¡°But,¡± James¡¯ mother interjected, ¡°there¡¯s a problem with taking Hammer Warrior as your second class. Can you figure out what it is?¡± James thought a moment. ¡°Uhm, I can¡¯t really think of a problem¡­ a hammer¡¯s a good weapon, right? It can even smash up armor, unlike smaller weapons like daggers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re close.¡± James¡¯ father encouraged, but his mother frowned at him. ¡°Stephen, please, this is too important.¡± She scolded James¡¯ father. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with a hammer as a weapon, or even with daggers. Pretty much any weapon is fine as long as your class supports you using it. The problem is, what if you don¡¯t have a hammer?¡± James fell silent. He hadn¡¯t thought of that. What could a Hammer Warrior do without a Hammer? He¡¯d never actually met a Hammer Warrior, but he could imagine it¡¯d be a big problem in a fight. James¡¯ father, suitably chastened by his wife¡¯s wisdom, then spoke. ¡°Your mother¡¯s right, James. It¡¯s a very serious problem, and not just for Hammer Warriors. Swordsmen, Fencers, Spearmen, any class focused on the use of a particular weapon is at serious risk of being beaten in a fight if they lose their weapon, or for whatever reason get in a fight without their weapon. In fact, that¡¯s why Knifewielders aren¡¯t unheard of: it¡¯s easy to hide a small blade on your person and Knifewielders are geniuses at hiding one or two, even after you search them real good.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Of course,¡± James¡¯ mother resumed, ¡°most weapon Classes do have skills that support unarmed combat, but they¡¯re not nearly as good. A Swordsman without his sword is simply much easier to beat than when he has his sword. That¡¯s why your father and I both chose Brawler as our second class.¡± ¡°You know that your mother is a Homemaker primarily, and that my first class is Farmer.¡± James¡¯ father said. ¡°But we both chose Brawler as our second class. In fact, lots of people choose Brawler.¡± ¡°The benefit,¡± James¡¯ mother¡¯s eyes shone as she started speaking more rapidly, ¡°is that for a Brawler, anything can be a weapon if you¡¯re holding it right! And even if you don¡¯t have anything useful, like a barstool or a piece of wood or a rock, the Brawler class has plenty of support for unarmed fighting and running away. The way weapon-based classes fight are just so boring and orthodox, but Brawlers embrace the chaos of a fight and use any advantage they can get to either win or get away to fight another day.¡± Her face was slightly flushed as she extolled the virtues of a good brawl. ¡°Martial Artist is also a good class for unarmed combat.¡± James¡¯ father added. ¡°But Martial Artists don¡¯t do well with weapons, dear! A Brawler can use a sword, a staff, a knife, anything at hand in a fight! The options are endless! Martial Artists, sure you can¡¯t really disarm them, but they can¡¯t do much to someone wearing armor now can they? And unless they really train for it, they don¡¯t do as well running away from a fight now do they? Brawler is definitely the best choice!¡± Her voice had risen in volume until she was just shy of shouting, and at some point she¡¯d stood up out of her chair, too. ¡°Honey, please, I agree with you, but in the end it¡¯s up to James.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, ahem of course.¡± James¡¯ mother sat down and sipped her tea somewhat elegantly, but her face was still flushed. ¡°Haha, you might even say your mother¡¯s first class is Brawler, and Homemaker is her second!¡± James¡¯ father said, before the dull sound of a leg being kicked came from under the table and his eyes started to water. ¡°Anyway!¡± James¡¯ mother exclaimed, ¡°While synergy is important, it¡¯s much more important that you DO take a combat class, if not as your first class then at LEAST as your second. The world is a dangerous place. Without a combat class, no matter how much you train, anyone who DOES have a combat class can push you around, or worse, and you won¡¯t be able to defend yourself.¡± James¡¯ father nodded, now entirely serious. ¡°What you must NOT do is take two non-combat classes. If you decide to take Hammer Warrior as your second class after Smith, that¡¯s entirely fine-¡± James¡¯ mother coughed, but it sounded suspiciously like ¡®brawler¡¯. ¡°Entirely fine,¡± James¡¯ father continued, ¡°because you will be able to defend yourself in a fight, and just being able to fight is enough to stop a fight from happening in the first place. It¡¯s called deterrence. Even powerful Knights with two combat classes don¡¯t stupidly pick fights with even the weakest B- ahem, Martial Artists, because it doesn¡¯t take much to get injured or even permanently crippled.¡± ¡°The trick is to go for the eyes.¡± James¡¯ mother said dreamily. James¡¯ father broke into a coughing fit as his mother blushed. ¡°Now, James, do you understand?¡± James nodded. He hadn¡¯t thought about it much, but what his parents were saying made sense. It was a dangerous world out there. There were bandits, monsters, dungeons, and even wars between countries that could ravage the countryside. Besides, he really only cared about the Smith class. Nothing else really appealed to him, so he figured that whatever would work for his second class. Brawler sounded okay, but Hammer Warrior would probably be better, since it would help him be a better Smith. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± James said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to pick a combat class.¡± ¡°Which one??¡± his mother leaned forward eagerly. ¡°Uh, Brawler sounds good, but I think I¡¯m going to pick Hammer Warrior, since it¡¯ll help with being a Smith¡­¡± James had never seen his mother look so crushed. His father pulled her close and started rubbing her back. ¡°It¡¯s okay honey, he¡¯s still got time to think it over, right, James?¡± His father made eye contact, urging him to agree. ¡°Yeah, uh, right, there¡¯s still time, so I¡¯ll keep thinking about it¡­¡± James said. ¡°And you¡¯ll keep Brawler in mind, right?¡± His mother sniffed. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± His mother perked up. ¡°Good! Oh dear, it¡¯s getting late, I¡¯ll go get dinner started.¡± She got up and headed into the kitchen. James¡¯ father leaned in and lowered his voice. ¡°Even if you do take Brawler, you can put most of your effort into your other class if you want. I put way more effort into Farming than I do Brawling, and I get by alright. Your mother, on the other hand¡­ Well, lets just say, she¡¯s one of the best Brawlers I¡¯ve ever met, and I¡¯ve met a fair few. If you do choose Brawler, you couldn¡¯t ask for a better mentor to learn from.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also the best Homemaker you¡¯ve ever met!¡± James¡¯ mother called from the kitchen. James¡¯ father winced. ¡°Like Brawler, Homemaker is a more generalized Class than specialized. And one of the Class skills is [Eavesdropping]¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it sure is!¡± came ringing out from the kitchen. Chapter 03 - Meeting the Baron James, having heard the wisdom of his parents, ate his dinner with his younger sister and his parents. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± His father said. ¡°You¡¯ve been invited to the Lord¡¯s manor to see if you have aptitude for any Classes he needs for the barony. I¡¯ll take you there the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Classes for the barony?¡± James asked. ¡°Yes, although since you¡¯re already interested in Smith, you should be fine. A Lord can never have too many Smiths. But there are other classes, like Merchants, Strategists, Mages, and so on that the Lord might need.¡± ¡°Oooh, Mages?!¡± his younger sister¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°I wanna be a mage!¡± ¡°You¡¯re only twelve, Sarah¡± James said, ¡°you won¡¯t be able to get a Class for a long time.¡± James¡¯ mother put her hand on her cheek. ¡°It might be hard for you to become a Mage, Sarah. Usually only the nobility can study to get a Mage class, and then you still have to study and practice a lot to be able to do good Magic.¡± ¡°What if I was a Mage and a Brawler? Then I¡¯d be invincible!¡± Sarah proclaimed. ¡°Oh my!¡± Now it was James¡¯ mother¡¯s eyes that were sparkling. ¡°That would be wonderful! I¡¯ll support you all the way Sarah! We can start practicing tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Sarah yelled excitedly. Two nights passed, and James and his father walked out to the Lord¡¯s manor in the crisp morning air. The manor was surrounded by a stone wall, and they passed through a gate revealing a large garden bisected by a tidy path leading to a courtyard in front of the manor itself. The manor had two wings forming a U shape around a courtyard, in which a corps of Knights were drilling in full armor. James already knew that to take a Knight class one generally had to be a squire first, so even though like most boys he thought Knights were very cool, he was more interested in their armor. As a Smith, he¡¯d be able to work on armor for Knights, maybe even make some himself, if he got good enough. To the left, under a canopy, was the Lord of the barony and several other men. Surprisingly, Jared was also there, presenting the Lord with the sword he had made several days earlier. As he approached, he was able to overhear the conversation. ¡°...quality is acceptable, m¡¯lord.¡± ¡°Yes, very well. Jeeves, pay the Smith.¡± ¡°As you wish, sir.¡± An older man, with thinning hair but impeccable posture, counted out silver coins for everyone to see, then placed them in a small cloth bag and handed the bag to Jared. Jared took the bag and bowed to the baron. ¡°My thanks, Lord.¡± ¡°You may go.¡± The baron replied. Jared bowed again and left swiftly, but not so swiftly as to cause offense. As he passed James and his father, Jared nodded in greeting but otherwise continued on his way back to the village without stopping. James and his father knelt outside the canopy and waited to be summoned. After a few minutes, Jeeves called them under the canopy and they knelt where Jared had been before. Jeeves then spoke to the baron. ¡°Sir, this is the Farmer Stephen and his son, James, who is due to reach his fifteenth birthday in seven days.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± the baron grunted. ¡°Currently there is a need for Calculators, Rangers, Smiths, and Mages. Farmer Stephen, does James know mathematics?¡± ¡°No sir, I regret to say that I¡¯m unable to teach him, as I do not know mathematics myself.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Do you think that James has any aptitude as a Ranger? Does he spend much time in the forest, hunting or gathering herbs?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t suppose James has displayed any talent for magic? Producing flames, communing with spirits, or anything like that?¡± ¡°No sir, not that I¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°Hrrrmmmm¡­¡± The baron groaned. James saw the old man give his father a look. ¡°If it pleases your Lordship, my son has displayed an interest in Smithing, and has been spending time down at the forge of late.¡± James¡¯ father volunteered. ¡°Oho¡­¡± the baron said. ¡°Very good.¡± the old man said. ¡°If James decides to take the Smithing class, the village Smith Jared will be directed to mentor him, and his Lordship may call upon James from time to time with tasks for the good of the barony, which will be rewarded appropriately upon satisfactory completion.¡± At this point, a man behind Jeeves coughed, holding the sword that Jared had delivered. ¡°Oh, right. Jeeves.¡± the baron said. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± the old man, Jeeves, replied. He then turned back to James and his father. ¡°Farmer Stephen, has James had any experience with Enchanting?¡± James¡¯ father turned to him and raised an eyebrow. James hesitated, then nodded. The man holding the sword looked surprised. ¡°Apparently so, sir. May my son answer in his own words?¡± ¡°I permit it.¡± the baron said. Jeeves turned to James. ¡°Go ahead, young James. What is your experience with enchanting?¡± James answered, ¡°I was present the day the sword that Smith Jared presented was forged, and I saw how the sword was prepared to receive enchanting, according to a design that had been provided. That is my only experience with enchanting, m¡¯lord.¡± The man holding the sword stepped forward then. ¡°If I may, m¡¯lord?¡± ¡°Go ahead, Meridox.¡± The man with the sword, Meridox, bowed to the baron and then stepped forward next to Jeeves. ¡°James, answer in your own words: do you have an interest in Enchanting?¡± James could hear from the way Meridox spoke that the word Enchanting was capitalized. ¡°Sir, uh, I haven¡¯t seen any Enchanting done before, but I guess I¡¯d like to see it.¡± ¡°Good enough for me.¡± Meridox said. Jeeves looked to the baron, who nodded. ¡°Very well. Farmer Stephen, we will have James observe the enchanting of this sword, and determine if James has any hitherto unknown latent talents for Magic. Would you like to stay with James, or return this afternoon to take him home?¡± ¡°If it pleases the Lord I will return in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± The baron then turned to James for the first time. James froze under his piercing gaze. The baron was on the younger side of middle aged, but he had an awe-inspiring presence with his stern expression, clean, fine clothes, and large calloused hands. ¡°Go with Meridox, James, and observe his craft. My barony is in need of talented Enchanters, and you would be welcomed into my service if you were to answer this call. But know this: my barony is also in need of Smiths, as well as Farmers, Hunters, and many other classes. Do not feel pressured to take a Class for which you do not feel an urge in your soul merely because you believe it would please me. An Enchanter who lacks passion for Enchanting is useless to me, whereas a humble Farmer with a passion for Farming is much more valuable. Whatever you choose, so long as you obey the laws and serve me faithfully, you will be a valued subject of mine.¡± James gulped. ¡°Y-yes m¡¯lord.¡± ¡°You may go.¡± The baron said. James and his father, still kneeling, bowed their heads then stood. Jeeves and Meridox bowed as well, then Meridox, James, and his father walked out from under the canopy. ¡°I expect we¡¯ll be done by mid-afternoon, barring any unexpected Magical talent James may have. If he does, we¡¯ll still be done by late afternoon.¡± Meridox said to James¡¯ father. ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯ll be back by mid-afternoon.¡± James¡¯ father replied. ¡°James,¡± his father said, ¡°be on your best behavior with Enchanter Meridox.¡± ¡°Yes father, I will.¡± James said. ¡°Good boy. I¡¯ll be back this afternoon.¡± With that, James¡¯ father departed, walking back up the path to the gate, and then through the gate back to the village. Meridox clapped a hand on James¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Come along now, Young James¡­ Oh, you¡¯ve got some muscles on you! Looks like you¡¯ve been preparing to be a Smith, eh?¡± ¡°Yes sir, for a while now.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s alright, come along with me. We¡¯ll measure your mana pool and if you¡¯ve got any affinities, and then I¡¯ll get this sword enchanted.¡± Chapter 04 - The Enchanter Meridox Meridox led James around the left wing of the manor, revealing several smaller buildings. Then they entered one that wasn¡¯t the largest, but also wasn¡¯t the smallest. Inside was a single large room with work tables lining the walls, broad windows to let in as much light as possible, and there were large chests under the tables. Meridox set down the sword, still hilt-less, on the worktable with the most light, and opened the chest under the table, pulling out a rod about a foot and a half long, and a smaller chest. The rod he set down on the table, and then he opened the small chest, pulling out six colored mana stones and a small bottle of liquid that sparkled in the light more than water normally would. He then reached into the chest again and pulled out a mortar and pestle and several other small, metal tools James had never seen before. Meridox then looked over to James, who was standing to the side, watching. ¡°These are the tools of the Enchanter¡¯s trade, generally speaking. But first we¡¯ll measure your magical aptitude in general. Can¡¯t be an Enchanter in the first place if you¡¯ve got no aptitude.¡± He picked up the rod. ¡°If you have a mana pool of any decent size, this rod will pull some of your mana out and light up. The more mana you¡¯ve got, the more it¡¯ll light up. You can¡¯t push more mana into it than it¡¯ll take from you anyway, so you can¡¯t fake having more mana than you do. Now, you can hold your mana back, and then the rod won¡¯t light up, like I¡¯m doing now. Sometimes people do that when they don¡¯t want their lord to know they¡¯ve got talent, but your lord, Baron Rufus, is one of the good ones. You heard him: if you don¡¯t want to be a Mage, he won¡¯t force you into it. So I¡¯ll ask you not to hold your mana back, okay? Besides, it¡¯s nice to know where you stand in the world. If you hold back, you won¡¯t know how much mana you do have. Of course, I won¡¯t be able to tell even if you do. Are you ready?¡± James nodded. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Meridox nodded. ¡°Good boy. Alright, take the rod, hold it, and just relax. It¡¯ll pull the mana out without you needing to do anything.¡± He handed James the rod. The rod started glowing white dimly, starting from the end James was holding until a few inches away from the end of the rod. ¡°Ooh, would you look at that, you do got a decent bit of potential in you.¡± Meridox pointed at the furthest extent of the glowing portion of the rod. ¡°See, this is your potential mana pool, and how bright the rod glows is how much you¡¯ve trained your mana pool. If you trained, you¡¯d have a bit more mana than your average mage. But see how dim the light is? You haven¡¯t trained at all, have you?¡± ¡°No sir. I wouldn¡¯t even know how to train mana, sir.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s no surprise for a peasant. Regardless, just having mana isn¡¯t enough to be a Mage, you also need elemental affinity. There¡¯s many different elements you can have an affinity with, but every Mage has an affinity with at least one of these six basic affinities.¡± Meridox gestured to the six stones lined up on the table. ¡°Fire.¡± He pointed to the red stone. ¡°Water.¡± He pointed to the blue stone. ¡°Air. Earth. Light. Dark.¡± Green, Brown, White, Black. ¡°If you have an affinity, you can push mana into an appropriate mana stone and make it shine. Oh, except for Dark, if you have Dark affinity it emits a shadow. Weird stuff. If you don¡¯t have an affinity, it won¡¯t shine. The stones won¡¯t draw your mana out on their own, but you should notice there¡¯s an emptiness in the stone that you can push your mana into. It¡¯s not that hard. Now, let¡¯s just go down the line. Touch the stone, push some mana in, and we¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± James said, then put a finger on the fire mana stone. He didn¡¯t feel any ¡®emptiness¡¯, and wasn¡¯t sure what it meant to push his mana, so he was at a loss. After just a second, though, Meridox hurried him along. ¡°Okay, no Fire then. Move along, check them all in order. You¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about when you get to your affinity, don¡¯t worry. James said ¡°yes sir¡± again and moved onto Water.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Nothing. Same for Air, Earth, and Light. Finally he touched the Dark mana stone, and¡­ nothing. ¡°Whelp, that¡¯s that.¡± Meridox said. ¡°Bit unusual, but not unheard of. Now, Mages aren¡¯t the only Classes that use mana, Holy Classes like Priests and Paladins, for instance. But more importantly, Enchanters.¡± Now Meridox reached for the small bottle of liquid and removed the cork. He just barely touched the tip of his finger to the sparkly liquid and then it started shining brightly, brighter than the sunlight coming in through the window. ¡°This liquid is called Aqua Magia. It¡¯s produced by Enchanters and is used to create Enchantments. If you have talent to be an Enchanter, you can make it shine just like a mage with the right affinity can make a mana stone shine.¡± Meridox removed his finger from the bottle, which stopped shining. Strangely, his finger was entirely dry, unlike how a finger pulled out of a bottle of water would normally still be wet. ¡°Go ahead, stick your finger in and see if you can make it shine. Don¡¯t worry about spoiling the Aqua Magia or wasting it. It doesn¡¯t work like regular water.¡± Meridox said, holding out the bottle. James nodded and stuck his finger into the bottle, just barely touching the surface of the aqua magia like Meridox had. The moment he did, he felt it. The emptiness. The liquid, which he now realized wasn¡¯t a liquid at all, not like water or soup or tea. It was as light and empty as air, while simultaneously as thick and heavy as mud. And suddenly, he realized there was a not emptiness within him, a mass of something that, until just now, had never had an outlet, never had anywhere to go or anything to do. He willed that mass to move, but it was sluggish, and heavy. Like trying to roll a heavy boulder. But the aqua magia was so empty, that with just a little push some of that mass moved and filled up the emptiness. All this James realized in less time than it took to blink, and the aqua magia shone just like it had for Meridox. ¡°Well, there you have it.¡± Meridox pulled the bottle away, and James noted that his finger was completely dry, just like Meridox¡¯s had been. He restoppered the bottle. Looks like you do have some potential as an Enchanter. And before you go getting a big head, it¡¯s not that rare. Most Mages have the potential to be Enchanters. But anyone with an affinity usually chooses to be a Mage outright, rather than take an Enchanter Class. And lots of people with potential get overlooked, because they never get tested. Lucky you, you¡¯ll get to make an informed choice before you choose your Classes.¡± James wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this. He suddenly was aware of this mana that was inside him, and suddenly he had an opportunity to be an Enchanter. Meridox then moved the mana testing materials to the side and pulled the unfinished sword to the center of the table, inspecting the Smith¡¯s work. ¡°Tch¡± he clicked his tongue. ¡°More undine essence than I¡¯d like, but probably unavoidable. The river¡¯s infested with them. And the forging¡­ tolerable, I suppose. The sword itself is excellent but look here-¡± Meridox pointed to the engraved patterns, specifically around where the hilt had yet to be attached, leaving the tang bare. ¡°See this? The Smith just copied the pattern blindly onto the metal, didn¡¯t take any of the mana composition of the steel into account. If he¡¯d just stretched this bit of the pattern here, and compressed it here¡­¡± Meridox continued on in this vein for some time, delving deep into minutia well beyond the ken of an untrained and unstudied fourteen-almost-fifteen year old boy. After a time he satisfied himself with his critique and prepared to begin enchanting. ¡°Alright, stand over there and observe. Do not disturb me during the enchanting process. You can ask questions after I¡¯ve finished.¡± Meridox took the green mana stone and placed it in the mortar, then, using the pestle, ground it into a fine green dust. Using one of the long thin implements, with a tiny little shallow scoop on the end, he spread the green dust into the grooves Jared had etched into the blade. Once the dust was evenly spread in the grooves and tamped down, he took a small brush with a long handle and dipped it into the bottle of aqua magia. He then applied the aqua magia in an even coat to one side of the sword. Then he repeated the process for the other side of the sword, spreading the mana stone dust into the etched grooves, then applying aqua magia. Finally, he held both hands over the sword and after a moment, all the aqua magia flashed with a bright light. When the light faded, the etching on the sword had changed into green glowing lines depicting the enchantment pattern, before slowly fading. Eventually, the pattern faded entirely, leaving the sword without any apparent etching at all. It just looked like a normal sword. James had to bite his tongue, hard, to keep from pestering the Enchanter with questions. What was that flash? Where had the etching pattern gone? What did the enchantment do? Meridox inspected the sword from every angle, then let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Hahhh¡­ ten percent, at best.¡± He then glanced over at James. ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯re here. Well, ask your questions.¡± Chapter 05 - Temptation ¡°D-did the enchantment work?¡± ¡°Yes, it did, but¡­¡± ¡°But what? What did you mean by ¡®ten percent¡¯?¡± ¡°Ehh, it¡¯s technical, but it¡¯s the trouble with Enchanting. The sword¡¯s Enchanted, sure, and it¡¯s about average compared to other Enchanted swords, but the efficiency is only about ten percent of the theoretical maximum for the Enchantment.¡± ¡°Theoretical maximum?¡± James had never heard that term before. ¡°Yes. Well, I can¡¯t tell you what this particular Enchantment is, but as an example, if it were a [Haste] Enchantment, which it¡¯s not mind you, but if it were, the pattern might have had a theoretical maximum efficiency of five hundred percent, let¡¯s say. So someone using the sword could move five times faster than normal.¡± ¡°F-f-five times?!¡± James shouted. That was an unbelievable amount of speed. ¡°Well, you couldn¡¯t get a [Haste] enchantment that good with just the Air element, but it¡¯s just an example. Which, again, this sword is not enchanted with [Haste], so don¡¯t go talking about the sword regardless. Enchantments are to be kept secret, and for good reason.¡± James nodded, keeping his mouth shut. ¡°Good boy. Anyway, that¡¯s the theoretical maximum. But that assumes perfect compatibility between the Enchantment Design, the material of the item to be enchanted, no impurities in the mana substrate, and perfect application of mana material and Aqua Magia. Now not to brag, but I¡¯m very good at applying mana material and Aqua Magia. And this design is also very robust. You can apply it to almost any sword shaped material and not lose too much efficiency. And I can¡¯t fault the Smith too much, but¡­ If he were an Enchanter, he¡¯d be able to see how just these little flaws in his etching, well you can¡¯t see them anymore, but they impede the mana flow through the enchantment, dropping the efficiency. Just that¡¯s enough to drop the efficiency from 100% to, I¡¯d estimate 60%, but the bigger problem here is the mana substrate. I can¡¯t expect much better in a backwater barony like this-¡± At this point Meridox¡¯s face paled and he rounded on James, looking him directly in the eye and grabbing his shoulders. ¡°Do. Not. Tell. Anyone. I. Said. That.¡± he hissed at James. ¡°I mean it, not a word.¡± ¡°Of, of course. Not a word.¡± James said nervously. The Enchanter stood up straight again. ¡°Ahem, of course. I meant to say, in a barony so far from the capital, it¡¯s understandable that, ahem, resources might be lacking, so to speak.¡± He looked sideways at James. ¡°In the capital, there are companies where Smiths and Enchanters work together, which can improve efficiencies as high as twenty-five percent at the highest. But that¡¯s very expensive, and only the largest and best companies can afford to do it.¡± ¡°Only twenty-five percent?¡± James asked. That seemed so low! ¡°¡¯Only,¡¯ he says. Twenty-five is incredibly high! Your father is a Farmer, no? So you should know at least a little about Farming. Imagine if you had to Farm yourself, without a Class, blindfolded, while your father gave you directions. If you didn¡¯t kill each other out of frustration, the work would take five times longer and only be a fifth as productive.¡± James¡¯ head spun. He¡¯d watched his father do Farmwork before. He always knew exactly where and how deep to plant his seeds, and how to keep weeds out of the fields, and how to keep pests off the plants while they were growing, and nobody harvested faster and with less waste than his father. James had tried his hand at it when he was little and it never turned out nearly as good as his father¡¯s, even when he was working twice as hard. Meridox continued. ¡°Going back to my example, the average for enchanting efficiency is usually between ten and fifteen percent. In the case of this sword¡¯s enchantment, it¡¯s about ten percent. A ten percent efficient [Haste] enchantment with a theoretical maximum of five hundred percent [Haste] works out to a fifty percent [Haste] in the end.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that good?¡± James asked. He didn¡¯t trust his own instincts at this point in the conversation, especially with all the numbers they were talking about.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°From an Enchanter¡¯s perspective, it¡¯s adequate.¡± Meridox declared. ¡°It certainly meets the terms of this particular commission, although this isn¡¯t a [Haste] enchantment. More importantly, from the end user¡¯s perspective, in this case a Swordsman or a Knight, it¡¯s fantastic. Neither of us is a Swordsman, so it¡¯s a bit hard to imagine, but the ability to move even just half again as fast during a fight can make a huge difference. Even a Swordsman with very little mana, who could only boost his speed for just a moment, well that moment could be what decides life and death for him. Timing is, apparently, very important for swordsplay.¡± James¡¯ mind was blown. He hadn¡¯t given it much thought, but this sword was going to be used by a Swordsman in the future. It didn¡¯t exist just for the Smith, or the Enchanter, who worked on it. The work done on it now was a matter of life and death for someone in the future. ¡°In that case, why didn¡¯t you work with Jared from the start? Wouldn¡¯t the Enchantment on the sword have been much better if you could have adjusted the design and been involved in the forging?¡± ¡°Well, for one, I¡¯m specialized in applying Enchantments. Designing Enchantments is a tricky business. It¡¯s much easier to just take a standard design and apply it, even if you lose efficiency by not adapting it to the particulars of the mana substrate. Frankly, I¡¯d probably just mess up the Enchantment more by trying to make changes when it¡¯s already so optimized.¡± James thought for a moment. He guessed that made sense. Although Jared seemed to be pretty good at adjusting his forging to meet a customer¡¯s particular needs. ¡°For another,¡± Meridox continued, ¡°I¡¯m only here for the one day. It¡¯s costly enough to have an Enchanter make the trip out here to apply an Enchantment. To have one stay out here for the entire process of forging as well would be far too expensive, even if the efficiency were improved thereby. There¡¯s also the issue of leaking information. If the Smith works too closely with the Enchanter, they¡¯re more likely to figure out what the Enchantment is. Not really a problem in the big companies, but in general it¡¯s better for the particulars of an Enchantment to remain a secret. They act as more of a trump card that way. An unexpected application of [Haste] in a swordfight, even if it¡¯s only a fifty percent [Haste], is more valuable than a one hundred percent Haste that the opponent knows about.¡± James wasn¡¯t sure about that. He thought that it¡¯d be better to be able to go faster, since if he was fast enough, it wouldn¡¯t matter if the person he was fighting knew he could go that fast. Like how if someone was twice as strong, it didn¡¯t matter if you knew about it, you¡¯d never beat them in a fight. ¡°Heh, I can see you don¡¯t believe me. Well, the important thing is that I was commissioned to apply a particular enchantment, which I did, according to the terms of the contract. The rest is frankly none of my business.¡± After that, Meridox explained the intricacies of applying enchantments to James until mid-afternoon. When James¡¯ father arrived to take James home, Meridox handed James a small bundle of papers bound with string. ¡°Here, take this. It¡¯s some designs for beginner Enchantments. You should be able to take an Enchanter class if you want because you watched me do an Enchantment and I explained it to you, but these will give you more specialization options if you study them.¡± ¡°Oh, sir, my family couldn¡¯t possibly afford¡­¡± ¡°Do not worry, this is a trifle for me. I have apprentices make copies of these designs as part of their training, so I have plenty more.¡± ¡°As you will, sir.¡± James¡¯ father bowed his head deeply, and James followed suit. ¡°Yes, thank you so much, sir.¡± For the rest of the week before his birthday, James would wake up, study the enchantment booklet in the morning, visit the forge during the day and assist Jared, and in the evening return to study the booklet more. The night before his birthday, at dinner, his father asked, ¡°So, have you decided? You want to be an Enchanter? Or will you be a Smith?¡± ¡°Both seem like good options¡­¡± James replied. ¡°Well you can only choose one.¡± His father said. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± his mother said, ¡°more importantly, have you decided on your combat class?¡± ¡°More importantly?¡± his father interjected. ¡°Well, whether he¡¯s a Smith or an Enchanter, James will be more than fine. There¡¯s always plenty of work for Smiths, and the Lord offered him a job if he becomes an Enchanter, no? So it doesn¡¯t really matter. But if James does choose Enchanter, he should definitely take Brawler as his combat class. No point in Hammer Warrior if you¡¯re an Enchanter, right?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true¡­¡± James murmured. Before last week, he¡¯d been sure he¡¯d take the Smith class, and then whichever of Brawler or Hammer Warrior he felt like at the time. But now, he couldn¡¯t get the thought out of his head. A mere ten percent? And that was considered adequate? He looked down at his plate, currently almost full of barely touched roast, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. He quickly at a few bites as his parents continued discussing Classes, until he¡¯d finished a tenth of the food, and looked at the rest. What a waste it would be to throw away all that was left! And that was considered ¡®adequate¡¯! Another few bites, and a quarter of his plate was emptied. And that was as good as it got for Enchanting. A paltry twenty-five percent efficiency rate. It was at this point that an insidious thought took root in Jason¡¯s heart. Why not both? Why not be a Smith and Enchanter? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to produce wondrous items with Enchantments far better than anyone else? The Lord of his village had been satisfied with a sword with only ten percent efficiency. Surely he could do better. Naive to the realities of the world, he forgot the wise advice of his parents. Chapter 06 - Class Selection Class System unlocked. 0/2 Classes chosen. Please select a Class. James¡¯ eyes flew open. He sat up in bed and looked out the window. It was that moment where the stars of the night started to fade as dawn approached. The day of his birthday. Class System unlocked. 0/2 Classes chosen. Please select a Class. It was the strangest feeling, like someone else was thinking inside his head. He started to tremble excitedly. This was it, he could finally choose a Class! He was going to be an adult! As he turned his mind to choosing a Class, the strange thought-feeling happened again. Beginning Class Selection Suddenly he found himself in a vast, but not empty space. He was surrounded by¡­ himself. But not himself as he was then. He was surrounded by himself as he could be. Himself wielding a sword. Himself wielding a miner¡¯s pickaxe. Himself seated at a desk, writing on parchment and surrounded by books. Himself swinging a barstool around at invisible enemies. Himself loaded down with a large pack, counting coins in his hand. Himself with a scythe, harvesting wheat. James looked around for a version of himself wielding magic, but was unable to find what he was looking for. After a while, he recalled that he had no elemental affinities, and realized that he could never be a spellcaster. He was surprised with himself that he didn¡¯t feel let down by this. It just wasn¡¯t a part of him, of who he was or could be. There was no sense of loss. After a time looking around at all his potential, he found himself standing before two versions of himself. On his right, he saw himself wearing a Smith¡¯s apron and hammering a piece of metal against an anvil. On his left, he saw himself holding his hands over a sword, which flashed as he applied an enchantment, just like the Enchanter Meridox had. I¡­ want to create. James thought to himself, then reached out his right hand. [Smith] Class selected. Will you specialize? The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. All the other versions of himself disappeared, then were replaced by versions of himself as a Smith. One Smith was surrounded by nails and horseshoes, while another was surrounded by dozens of half-finished swords. There was a smith working on a Knight¡¯s armor, repairing it, while another was forging new sets of armor. There were dozens of options, but none grabbed his attention more than the version of himself he¡¯d first seen. Looking back at it, now there was more detail. He could see he was working on a sword, but there was half-finished armor, tools, and all manner of metal objects lying about that version of himself. As he decided in his heart not to specialize, the strange thought struck him again. Specialization rejected. No proficiency bonus applied. No proficiency penalty applied. [Smith] Class selected. Will you choose the [Smith] Class? James nodded. [Smith] Class chosen. 1/2 Classes chosen. Please select a Class. James could tell that if he wanted to, he could leave this place, return to his room in the early dawn and put off choosing another Class. But he was curious. He stayed in that place, surrounded by his potentials, and found himself now wearing a Smith¡¯s apron, and so were all the other versions of himself. The swordsman swung a sword in one hand with a smith¡¯s hammer in the other. The version of himself counting coins was now weighed down with an unbelievable number of swords and other weapons hanging from his pack. But almost immediately his eye was caught by a version of himself in a forge, examining a freshly forged sword and carefully, oh so delicately etching an enchantment design onto the surface. He could tell, though he knew not how, that he was altering the design of the enchantment to match the sword. He watched, enraptured, as the entire process of enchanting the sword was completed. Finally, he watched himself hold the sword aloft, when it suddenly burst into bluish white flames, the hottest flames he¡¯d ever seen, surely hot enough to cleave through armor the way a hot knife effortlessly cut through butter. Yearning. He felt it from the deepest part of himself, and the other versions of himself faded from his consciousness. I want to create¡­ the very best. He thought, and stretched out his hand. Enchanter class selected. Will you specialize? This time he found only two versions of himself to choose between. On the left there was the version of himself from before, showing himself adjusting an enchantment to a sword he had forged. On the right there was another version of himself, but he had a stack of enchantments he was applying to swords from a template on a piece of paper. He could see that the enchantments were being applied quickly, but that they were less efficient than the enchantments the other version of himself was adjusting. Far less efficient. He knew he wouldn¡¯t choose that path. Specialization rejected. No proficiency bonus applied. No proficiency penalty applied. [Enchanter] Class selected. Will you choose the [Enchanter] Class? James nodded. [Enchanter] Class chosen. 2/2 Classes chosen. Class selection ending. James gasped and his eyes flew open. He was lying back in his bed. The early morning sun¡¯s light was shining through his window. He climbed out of bed, dressed, and headed to the kitchen where he found his parents waiting. ¡°Well?! Did you choose Hammer Warrior or Brawler?!¡± His mother grinned at him.