A Fighting Chance [IV]

As the sequence was initiating, Lucian could feel the heat that naturally came from the leather retracting. It was as if he'd never dipped it in the pepper bath and soon felt just like any other piece of clothing.

[Awakening Sequence Complete]

[Garment has gained properties from the concept of heat. While donning garment, body will reject excess heat quickly in hot climates. While donning garment, material will keep body warm in cold climates. Garment has acquired a light resistance to fire]

"No way..." Lucian whispered, staring at the leather apron in his shaking hands. The material felt cool to the touch, and he couldn't believe that it was the same fabric that had been burning his eyes previously. He pulled the apron over his head, and a wave of relief washed over him almost instantly. It felt like an autumn breeze was passing by, and the sweat that had been beading on his forehead quickly dried.

"Amazing!" Lucian pulled the apron off, and the muggy heat of the woodland once again bore into him. He glanced around at the other four items he planned to craft and frowned. Would he have to use the few Psyons he had available on this equipment?

"If it seems worth it, I should do it," He decided. "The better I perform during the Waves, the higher Grade I can achieve."

Ed wouldn't confirm it, but Lucian was sure that a better Grade would equate to better equipment, better materials, or more Psyons than a lower Grade. If upgrading these temporary pieces of clothing could help with that, it would be worth it.

Lucian wanted to know if all of these items would have different properties, and he still didn't feel he was ready to try the pants, so he grabbed the easiest cutout of the batch. He looked at the three pieces of leather in his hands. They had a yellow tint and were shaped similarly to his knife's axe-like blade and jagged edges.

"I hope the design is good enough," Lucian muttered, thinking about the serrated teeth digging into his back if he didn't place the extra leather properly. It was a simple design. The hatchet-like blade would hook in-between two pieces of leather while the jagged bones that made up the serrated edge would rest against the third piece higher on his back. If he sewed it onto the lower back of his apron, he felt that quickly snatching it out in a pinch would be easy. His main concern was whether or not the blade would sit properly without falling any time he jumped.

With the design in mind, he began to stitch the yellowed pieces of leather onto the bottom of the apron. Since it wasn't a complicated design, it didn't take long for Lucian to finish, and he clenched his fists in excitement when a familiar prompt appeared before him.

[Unawakened Treasure detected. Does Host wish to activate Treasure using I Psyon?]

"Ed, what kind of question is that? Of course, I do!"

[Initiating Awakening Sequence]

Another Psyon turned to hexagonal pixels, and this time they were a dull yellow. He watched as the Psyons manifested in front of him, and the hairs on his arms, neck, and head stood up. Lucian quickly placed the apron on the ground and backed away, watching the pixels gradually funnel into the makeshift sheath.

[1%]

A few minutes later....

[2%]

And again...

[3%]

...

"What the hell?" Lucian waved away the prompt and noticed it shift to the edge of his vision. It reminded him of minimizing a downloading app on a PC. "Ed, what's taking it so much longer than the apron?"

[Treasure is of a higher Grade than Garment]

"A more elaborate answer would be nice..." He complained. "What's the grade of the Apron then?"

[Apron]

[Artisan: Lucian]

[Grade: 7]

[Properties: III]

[Cold Resistance: F+]

[Heat Resistance: F]

[Flame Resistance: F-]

"Oh? Is the Grade on equipment similar to that of the Planets?" Lucian asked curiously.

[Yes. The three criteria for equipment are Durability, Practicality, and Properties]

"What about my knife... hatchet... whatever this contraption is?" He questioned the system, picking up the nearby dagger.

[Bone Dagger]

[Artisan: Atlas]

[Grade: 4]

[Properties: I]

[Sharpness: F+]

"So if the apron has a higher Grade than the dagger, I wonder how the sheath will turn out?" Lucian wondered. He preferred this streamlined display of the equipment information over the long explanation he'd received prior. "Thanks for making things easier on me, Ed."

No prompts flashed in response, but he didn't mind. He moved on to the following sets of leather cutouts he prepared and began to craft the pair of pants, moccasins, and glove while waiting for the sheath to finish absorbing the Psyon.

He struggled for a while with the pants before finally giving up on the craft. When he'd tried to pull the pants on, the crotch was too high, and one of the seams instantly ripped. The result was impractical, and Ed wouldn't even show him a prompt to Grade the item.

After Lucian had enough of making adjustments to the damn thing, he cut the leather again and turned the piece into a kilt instead. The bottom of the kilt rested just above his knees, and though he felt funny wearing it, his movements were hardly affected. The Grade of the item ended up being better than that of the apron, even though they had the exact same properties.

[Apron]

[Artisan: Lucian]

[Grade: 9]

[Properties: III]

[Cold Resistance: F+]

[Heat Resistance: F]

[Flame Resistance: F-]

"Maybe after working out for a while, I'll look like Russel Crowe in the Gladiator," Lucian chuckled, looking down at the primitive skirt that he'd made. He felt that he didn't even need the apron. With just the kilt, he felt like he was sitting on a beach enjoying the ocean breeze. "Man, Sarah would kill for one of these!"

Lucian smiled sadly and looked to the sky before turning to work on his final two crafts.

*******

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