chapter 8: Making history
The pondering had begun once more.
Nicolas had left after the one hour mark, saying he had better things to do than watch Alex gain an aneurism.
Bah, let him leave, he could just miss the creation of the, supposedly, first ego weapon by a player.
Alex would savou this moment on his lonesome.
Well, it was true that he had over analyze a bit, however he had come to what he thought was a reasonable compromise.
It was fair to assume that the 'soul energy' was shared between each weapon, so he shouldn't splurge on this one weapon, however he couldn't just deny the weapon any resources as that would make the weapon effectively useless.
Instead he would purchase all of the dormant attributes, as this would be both cheap and effective.
For the attributes, the only real choice was between 'venomous enhancement' and 'spatial laceration'.
Analyzing both of them, 'venomous enhancement' was designed for hit and runs or prolonged fights of attrition, whereas, 'spatial laceration' was useful in any situation and, while not being very versatile, its simplicity lent to its strength as there would be almost no wrong time to use it in a fight.
To Alex, the choice was clear, while 'venomous enhancement' is a good skill, it didn't synergies well with 'poison dopant' which was a short term burst skill, which clashed with the more attrition based 'venomous enhancement'.
It was true he could treat 'poison dopant' like a panic button, but if he came across an enemy with poison resistance, 'venomous enhancement' would be useless, and in a forest full of unknowns, it was better to choose the attribute with the lowest chance of countering.
With a final check, Alex prepared himself to make history, probably, and finished the selection.
[Congratulations player 'Jack Aubrey' for crafting an ego weapon with a 'C' tier weapon as the base
200 exp shall be awarded
As this is your first ego weapon, exp shall be doubled
Congratulations player 'Jack Aubrey' for reaching level 3
Soul bound item 'The crafter's interdimensional key ring' has reached level 3
Congratulations player 'Jack Aubrey' for making history
History made: Be the first player to create an ego weapon
Reward shall be issued
1 title shall be awarded
Title: Ego master (history maker grade)
Effect: Unlocks the 'ego master' skill tree, all ego weapons you own will have a 10% growth rate increase
A title given to you who made history, the first ego weapon made by a player now lays in your hands, your name shall be etched in the annuls of history forever]
[the ego weapon 'void fang' has been infused with the soul of 'the venomous void snake (unnamed)'
The ego 'venomous void snake (unnamed)' has made many achievements
Achievement 1: Be the first ego weapon made by a player
Achievement 2: Be the first ego weapon made by player 'Jack Aubrey'
Achievement 3: Be the first 'good' weapon made by player 'Jack Aubrey'
Achievement 4: Be crafted by a demi-god
Rewards shall be issued
Title: Progenitor of ego (player) (fable grade)
Effect: All egos of similar or lower rank will feel a will to serve the holder of the rank
A title bestowed to the first of their kind, they shall hold authority and agency among their kin, the holders name shall be forever sung about in legends
Title: The first step of a budding crafter (rumour grade)
Effect: Increases attribute points earned per level up by 1
A title given to you who was the first step in a crafters journey
Title: A good beginning (rumor grade)
Effect: While the holder is near, or in the inventory of their creator, making 'good' grade and above weapons is easier
You, the holder of this title, are now eternally a reminder of the time your crafters skills began to shine
Title: Demi-gods proxy (story grade)
Effect: Attribute point gain and experience needed to level up is doubled and the holder will emit holy energy of the creator, the holder shall be treated as an artifact in its respective order.
A title held by a proxy of a demi-god, they shall carry out the will of their creator and be their aid through eons to come, or they shall watch as they demi-god dies a pitiful death, leaving them as a physical reminder of a failure long gone]
Alex was intrigued by the fact that a weapon could gain title, but there was something that irked him.
"It says he you have no name" he questioned the snake interrogatorily, "did you ever have one?"
"I did" The snake said casually, "but once we are summoned, unless we are a figure of importance, we forget"
"Why"
"The system says its so the candidates can have the joy of naming us"
"Candidates? What do you mean candidates?"
The snake gave Alex a quizzical look.
"Are your ears as broken as your brain, I said player"
"But..."
"Listen properly next time, ok"
"Fine" Alex muttered defeatedly, "so should I give you a name?"
"Sure, knock yourself out"
"Before I give you a name, I would like to know, what's your gender, wouldn't want to call you Butch only to find out your a girl"
"You name me butch and you shall experience horrors beyond your imagination, and for your information, I'm male"
"Ok, no need to get you knickers in a twist, it was just an example"
Alex pondered for a minute, though it wasn't really needed, as he already knew what the snake would be named.
"Stephen Maturin"
"Huh"
"That's your name, like it or not"
"An special reason for that name"
"Yep"
"Then what is it?"
"Don't you know a lot about our world? Figure it out yourself"
Stephen looked at Alex, clearly annoyed, but said nothing.
"Don't look so down" Alex said in a mock comforting tone, the kind you would take when talking to a screaming toddler, which annoyed Stephen even further, "If your good and don't make a fuss, I'll tell you, deal?"
Stephen said nothing, however a subtle nod was all Alex needed to see.
"Well" Alex said in a jovial tone, clapping his hands together, "no time to sit idly by, lets get started shall we?"
"Not sure what you expect me to do"
Alex shrugged before opening his status.
[Player ID: Jack Aubrey
Player level: 3 (0/800)
Player class: Beast forger (level 3)
Str: 8
Dex: 12
Con: 12
Int: 6
Wis: 6
Cha: 6
Free Stat: 24
Skill paths: Basic beast forging (Novice) 6/100, basic spatial magic (Novice) 0/100, Minor blessing of nature 0/100, Wendigo's skull 0/100, Wendigo's tribal tattoos 0/100, Minor divinity of crafting 2/100, The crafters dimensional key ring 0/100, Ego master 0/100 (Novice)
Titles: 1 in 100 crafter, Man of quality, Ego master
Skills: Property change
Effects gained:
Basic beast forging:
6/100: Skill with hands becomes slightly better
Minor divinity of crafting:
2/100: Your divinity grows slightly stronger
Skill points: 12
Skills: Property change
Equipment: The first beast forgers tool belt, Basic smithing attire, The crafters dimensional key chain, Wendigo's skull
Titles: Mam of quality, ego master, 1 in 100 crafter, not just one way]
From what Alex had learned from his short time as a beast forger, it was an all-rounder were all stats, apart from charisma, had to be roughly equal.
Alex had decided that he would keep all stats the same, why, he felt like it, being an all rounder was what he had decided on while enhancing the void fang, being a jack of all trades, while not being the most viable strategy competitively in most games, could still be fun.
For the skills, he would invest most into his production skills, and later invest in some combat skill paths.
[Player ID: Ack Aubrey
Player level: 3 (0/800)
Player class: Beast forger (level 3)
Str: 12
Dex: 13
Con: 13
Int: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 12
Free Stat points: 0
Skill paths: Basic beast forging (Novice) 10/100, Basic spatial magic (Novice) 0/100, minor blessing of nature 0/100, Wendigo's skull 0/100, Wendigo's tribal tattoos 0/100, Minor divinity of crafting 10/100, The crafters dimensional key chain 0/100, Ego master (Novice) 0/100, pathetic divine sight 0/100, Basic divine magic (Novice) 0/100
Effects gained:
Basic beast forging (Novice):
7/100: Increases amount gained per summon
8/100: Skill with hands becomes slightly better
9/100: Increases amount gained per summon
10/100: You Gain the skill 'magic adhesive' and one skill up point
Skill name: Magic adhesive
Cost:-
Effect: Permanently attaches two items together, once fused they can not be separated, to activate the skill, the two objects must be touching for one hour and they can't be alive
A skill used by the first beast forger to help with his lack of suitable adhesives, making him more and more frustrated at his disappointing works, he made this skill through sheer willpower and determination.
"Stick dammit" Octavius the first beast forger
Minor divinity of crafting:
3/100: Your dominion over materials increases slightly
4/100: Your dominion over tools increases slightly
5/100: You gain the skill 'eye of the divine'
6/100: Slightly increases divinity
7/100: Control over dominions increases slightly
8/100: Your divine aura increases slightly
9/100: Slightly increases your divinity
10/100: Unlocks the skill 'Divine radiance' and gain one skill up point
Skill name: Eye of the divine (passive)
Effect: Turns one of your eyes into a divine eye, through this divine eye you can perceive all, the downside is that if it is over used, the user will suffer extreme pain and may permanently damage divine eye, the eye will only deactivate when closed or blocked, length of use is directly tied to users divinity, unlocks the divine sight skill path
A skill that the gods devise to stop mortals from rebelling or breaking taboos, by sacrificing an eye, the user will be able to see all truths, with this, the gods secured their reign so no mortal could resist, as before they could, the gods would know
"Everything, hah hah, I can see it all" magnifico the mad prophet
Skill name: Divine radiance
Cost: All remaining MP
Effect: Releases a burst of pure, unfiltered divine energy, cleansing or eradicating all it comes into contact with, the more MP supplied, the higher concentration and amount produced
When a God is backed into a corner as a last desperate bid for survival, they shall release all of their energy at once, some gods even use this to bless lands and cure all
"Perish" The first great god
Skill up points: 2
Equipment: First beast forgers tool belt, Basic blacksmithing attire, The crafters dimensional key chain, Wendigo's skull
Titles: Man of quality, ego master, 1 in 100 crafter, not just one way]
As Alex finalized his decision, he began to feel a burning sensation in his left eye, similar to that of brushing your hand against a boiling kettle.
Alex recoiled backwards, clutching his eye.
Once he removed his hand, he was greeted by a strange sight, the entire world seemed bathed in a golden glow.
Alex stumbled around, disorientated, before righting himself.
As he looked around the room, he began to notice small balls of light permeating everything, they floated around in the air lazily as they meandered around the space.
Another odd thing was the knife he had just made, it was surrounded in a pure white... Flame?
Alex couldn't truly tell but that was how he could best describe it. Waving his hands through the flame did nothing so he grasped the knife with his hand.
The white flame around the blade did nothing, It simply continued flickering around the blade, uncaring of Alex's scrutiny.
A loud crash alerted Alex of Nicolas's flamboyant arrival.
"The door has a handle for a reason" Alex yelled, signalling to Nicolas that kicking down the door was not a good idea.
"And what, enter in such a drab fashion, live your best life here, that's my advice" Nicolas replied, seemingly elated at the rise he got out of Alex.
"Ok, be flamboyant away of my general vicinity, wouldn't want to catch whatever you have"
"Ah" Nicolas exclaimed, clutching his heart in mock sadness and pain, "I am, shocked, and appalled, that you could say such rude and hurtful thing to me, and here I thought we where getting along well, like a pool full of teens and a falling speaker"
"Morbid imagery aside" Alex responded with a hint of disgust and recoiled away from Nicolas slightly, "we've know each other for what, half a day, no need to get so attached"
"Ah, but we shall be seeing each other a lot more, we should build... Oh what is the word, working relationship? That is how you Americans say it, right?"
"Call me American one more time" Alex spat out, twirling his Dagger in his hands, "And I'll show you why Briton used to be know for knife crimes"
"Okay, okay. Put down the knife, it was just a little joke of mine, no need to resort to violence, in fact, I did hear that those that are the quickest to resort to violence are on average dumber than those that don't"
Alex put the knife down carefully, not like he was actually going to use it, but something else was bothering him.
Just like the knife, Nicolas, was wreathed in pure white flames, but unlike the knife, which had only a thin layer around it, Nicolas was a veritable inferno.
The blinding white flames raged and boiled around him, smothering all around him and obscuring Alex's vision.
Though he didn't ponder on it too long, after all, he had no idea what this represented, this much flame could be normal for all players.
The world of gold was, however, turning a deeper shade of bronze with each passing minute, when the world become as pure bronze as it could be without having everything meld into an incoherent mess of shapes, Alex began to feel extreme discomfort, as if there was a flame being lit unnecessarily close his eye.
Instinctually, he shut his eye tight, and as he did, the discomfort began to lessen, was this the warning the system gave him about the skill? He would have to make sure to keep it in check.
"Didn't you have work to do?" Nicolas probed, snapping Alex out of his daze.
"Your right" Alex replied, slightly miffed that Nicolas had felt the need to remind him, but also thanking him for an excuse to kick him out, "so I should get back to it, no, and I always found I work best in peace and quite.
With a confident stride, Alex moved swiftly toward the door and held it open for Nicolas.
"Much obliged" Nicolas responded calmly, taking Alex's shooing in stride, annoying Alex even more in the process.
Once Nicolas had left the forge, Alex gave a sigh of relief, finally he could work in peace.