Commissions

The morning sun pierced through the windows of Rivyn's shop, casting soft beams of light over the workbench upon which he carefully polished a silver amulet. Over the past week, business had really picked up nicely; a good stream of adventurers came to his shop and browsed the various accessories on display. New batches came in every day, consisting mostly of D and E-ranked adventurers, knights, and some low-rank mages who were curious about items holding magic.

A reputation as an accessory maker was starting to form for Rivyn. Small, but it was there. The doubts that had so strongly attached themselves to his work were sizzling out as murmurs of the quality of his creations moved through the neighborhood. Yet, with success in his window display, Rivyn knew he needed to push on-if for no other reason than if he planned to finish the System's Main Quest.

With a chime now familiar, the System resounded in his head as he moved the amulet aside.

[Side Quest Progress: Accessorize and Sell - 5/20]

He was doing well but knew he still had a long way to go. For the meantime, he could be found building his repertoire and seeking out more commissions. The first sales were sweet successes, yet Rivyn knew that if he ever was to consider himself some kind of professional, he would have to seek out bigger commissions-more challenging work.

That is precisely what he wanted when he opened the shop that morning.

With Rivyn seating himself behind the counter, laboriously laying out his tools, the door groaned open and framed a figure he knew.

"Rivyn." The voice of Toren, the adventurer who'd hired him to repair his sword a couple of weeks ago. Toren was built solidly, his face showing the marks of too many battles, and yet his eyes held something vaguely respectful that hadn't been there the last time they'd seen each other.

"Good morning, Toren," Rivyn nodded back. "What can I do for you?"

Toren strode forward, belting toward the counter, a little velvet pouch pulled from his belt. "I have heard very good things about your accessories," he lied. "Word is they are not merely ornamental in nature."

Rivyn's eyebrows arched with interest. "And what is it that you seek?"

Toren let out the string of the pouch, revealing a clump of sapphires and emeralds within. "I need a set of rings and an amulet. My party's been having some heavy magic users about it lately, and we can use some more magical defense. Think you can enchant these for us?"

Rivyn's eyes widened just a bit. A full set of custom accessories was now setting itself up to be more work than he had signed on for at first, but this was exactly the kind of work he needed to do with a reputation builder. He mentally calculated what he would need: the base of precious metals, delicate runework, and precise magical infusions.

"This will be difficult," Rivyn said, picking up one of the sapphires. The light in his hand caused the stone to shine, humming gently with a resonating power. "But I can do it."

Toren nodded, clearly pleased. "Good. My party is heading out on a quest next week, so we'll need it done before then."

This made Rivyn's stomach tighten. A week, much too short for something so complex, especially with what was on his plate already, but he couldn't let this opportunity slip by him.

"I'll make it happen," Rivyn replied, shaking Toren's hand firmly. "Come back in five days, and I'll have everything ready."

Toren nodded and left the shop. Rivyn could not move; his frame had been left under the weight of the new commission now sitting on his shoulders. He had agreed to a collection of focus items in an enchanted setting within five days. That had to be stretching his capabilities to the breaking point.

It was not until that afternoon that Rivyn actually started work on the commission. He worked out designs for the rings and the amulet, meditatively balancing the enchantments that would best meet Toren's needs. Protection against magic required more than merely mana enhancement. He had to construct the enchantment capable of screening the wearer from negative magical influences while letting his or her own spells pass through unhampered.

Almost as delicate as anything he'd ever done. Each rune had to be cut just so, each gem set so as to maximize magical flow and energy. Rivyn's hands moved slow, yet calculated in shaping the metals and setting sapphires and emeralds with due care.

Hours slipped by in his working, the forge casting its golden warmth over the workshop. Rivyn hardly noticed; his focus was on the task at hand. A soft, buzzing atmosphere of magic in the air as he chanted the jewels and wove spells of protection into the rings.

But as day meandered into night, another problem started to unravel.

Rivyn pulled back from the workbench a moment to study the first ring he'd completed, even through the sweat glistening on his brow. The band of silver was done to absolute perfection, the sapphire set perfectly in the center. It emitted a soft blue glow, the hum of magical energy quiet. Something, though, wasn't right.

The enchantment felt… weak.

Rivyn frowned, peering closely at the ring as he held it in the light. The protective magic he had set within the gemstone wasn't strong enough. The runework was sound, the setting solid, but full power would not hold the spell.

He put that ring down, picked up another, and the same frustrating realization cropped up, becoming more and more discouraging. The spells were there, but they were too weak. Toren wanted some serious magical protection and these rings were not going to cut it.

Rivyn was dejected, trying to understand what went wrong. He had followed the process according to the System's instructions, and the result was pretty poor when compared to his average or normal results.

Then it struck him:.

It wasn't his technique; it was the way people perceived him.

Despite his growing reputation as a smith, people were still leery about asking him to craft magical accessories. They came to him for weapons and armor, but steered clear of requests for rings and amulets. Even Toren, who had ordered quite a substantial quantity, doubtless privately harbored skepticism that Rivyn's work could compare with that of a full-time enchanter.

It was as if the doubt had insinuated itself into the very underpinnings of the spells themselves. Rivyn knew that magic depended as much upon belief as it did upon talent. If people doubted him-if people felt he was not capable of doing things-then the magic would fail in its complete emergence. It's almost as though the spells reflected back the fear in his customer's eyes.

Rivyn clenched his fists at the burning anger that began to bubble inside him. He had worked so hard proving his worth, but that bias against him being 'just a blacksmith' remained a serious obstacle. As good as he was, he knew trust would not be forthcoming until he broke through that perception.

But how? Across the half-completed rings and amulets that lay spread on the table, he only too well knew doubt must not be suffered to enter his work. A deadline was closing in, and Toren believed in him. But more than anything, Rivyn needed to prove something to himself—to reach out beyond the limitation placed upon him.

He wished to be a master craftsman, not just to hold the title of blacksmith.

Over the next several days, Rivyn worked harder than he ever had before. He reworked the technique, perfecting it to get a better enchantment out of the rings and amulets. He spent hours tracing runes, fitting enchanted gemstones into their settings, and inlaying the bands with threads of fine gold and silver. Slow and exhausting work though it was, Rivyn would not fail.

He knew that once he completed this commission, everything would be different. Toren's party would tell the rest, and from there on out commissions would start coming in. More importantly, Rivyn would be one step closer to solving the Main Quest given by the System.

By the fourth day, all were done but one. The rings and amulet emitted a soft glow, yet unyielding, their spells alive with an energy all their own. Rivyn had tested over each piece carefully, making sure that the protective spells were strong enough to hold up to Toren's requirements.

Though a gnawing doubt still plagued at the back of his mind, which Rivyn resolutely pushed aside—he knew he couldn't afford to let doubt stay his actions. He had to go ahead by relentless perseverance.

And indeed, he did, arriving once more at the shop on the fifth day. He was accompanied by two other adventurers, both of whom cast their curious and skeptical gazes upon Rivyn's workshop.

"You're done?" Toren asked, his voice cautious but hopeful. 

He nodded toward the tiny display of rings and one amulet that lay on the counter. "Take a look. They're ready."

Toren moved forward, focusing a careful look on the accessories spread before him. He picked up one of the rings, squinting as he felt its magic flux within. His companions did the same, thus gauging the potency of their various enchantments in kind. Toren smiled after a long moment. "It's good work, Rivyn. Better than I expected." Rivyn let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, a deep one. "Glad to hear it." He got paid—rather a great, bulging pouch of silver that would keep Rivyn's shop in supplies for the better part of a month—but past the exchange of silver, it was the acknowledgment that really mattered.

The adventurers clearly had been impressed, and Rivyn could see they might well relay his story to others. They filed out of the shop, leaving Rivyn behind the counter and more satisfied with his work than he could remember being. The commission hadn't been easy, but he'd made it happen.

[Quest Progress: Craft and Sell Accessories – 12/20 ]

Though he was not yet there, it was certainly a lot closer.

Rivyn softly chuckled to himself, feeling the weight of the commission slowly lift from his shoulders. He had a long way to go yet, but maybe for the first time since he'd been given it, he was on the right track.