Guild and Gear

"So what kind of guilds are there?" Lucas asked. If he wanted to earn as many Merits as possible he would join a guild. Even if General Clofos became his Sponsor and helped him out he didn't want to lose Merit. He wanted to earn as much as he could. 

"Ah that's a little complicated. There are hundreds of guilds here on the planet and thousands more throughout the entire CIA. But we have three classifications for guilds." Sohia explained everything to Lucas as they walked to the Quartermaster.

Lucas learned that the 3 types of Guilds are Supportive, Offensive and Crafters. Supportive guilds are normally filled with healers and beast tamers and scout type cultivators. Some guilds offer their services for a fee while others are more teachers for their craft. Offensive guilds are more monster hunters, or martial artists and those seeking to get stronger. Crafter guilds are more straight forward. These guilds make their own stores for selling gear for Merits. The gear is sold to other crafters, or anyone in the other guilds. 

Lucky for him the Quartermaster was the head of one such guild. Obviously a crafting guild, but that's what Lucas wanted to do. If he could make a name as a Runemaster and sell Rune enchanted gear or more private jobs he could make a sh#t load of Merits! 

Sohia and Lucas arrived at a large rectangular building. It was more wide than it was tall. A small section of the wall where it would meet the roof was missing as black smoke bellowed out of it. A holographic sign above the door showed a hammer and anvil. 

"This is the Forge that Quartermaster Grigni manages. Shall we head inside? He is very eager to meet you."

Lucas nodded and followed Sohia in. He was amazed by the inside. He could see all the way to the other end of the long building. Dozens of forges and machinery littered the room with thrice as many people working. People of all shapes, sizes and races.

The one person who stood out was a literal giant! His bald head was only centimeters way from the ceiling. The long grey beard that reached the middle of his chest was covered in sweat. He didn't wear a shirt, but a pair of overalls with the straps dangling on his side. He wore leather gloves and boots.

"Work faster you weaklings! This is a forge not your mothers house. Hit those blades harder! Make that armor stronger! If a soldier dies because his armor broke or his sword was too dull that's on your hands!" His voice was gravely yet booming. He was like a drill instructor commanding his men. "When you're under my roof you're my tool. We have another 500 orders to complete by the end of the day!" 

The giant made his rounds and checked every equipment being made. It was a bizarre sight to Lucas. They were crafting weapons and armor like a medieval forge, but once they were finished they would go into another machine that would infuse them with magic. When he saw them machines he felt some type of connection to them. He wasn't sure what they were, but he would ask about them when he had the chance. He was curious if this was a type of magical enchantment other than runes. 

"What do you two want" the giant barked at Sohia and Lucas. 

"Good evening Mr. Grigni! My name is Sohia and I am the guide for Lucas Kromwell. I asked I bring him here first. He will be going on a week long training session in the Sub-space training room. We are here to collect his equipment and he wished to hear this deal of yours!"

Grigni's eyes widened! "You're Lucas Kromwell! The Runemaster in training!" His voice echoed through the entire building as everyone momentarily paused. A Runemaster was a sought after person in the crafting world! Many began to whisper to one another.

"He's a Runemaster!?"

"Uh oh, Master Grigni has found another one to try and trick with rewards."

"How long do you think he'll last?"

"OH SH#T! WE BENT SOME ARMOR!"

Dozens of people quickly looked down and noticed their work. Some of them cursed because they ruined what they were doing and would have to restart. While other thanked the gods and the heavens that they caught their work before it was ruined. 

The giant Grigni walked towards Lucas. With each foot step the building slightly shook. He stretched out his hands and lifted Lucas up and gave him a big hug. Lucas squirmed and tried to fight back against the giant's strength. For a split second he could feel his bones cracking from the powerful hug.

"AHAHAHAHA" the giant gave out a great belly laugh. "Oh how I waited for a day when Runemaster in training would find their way here. It's only been 600 years, but I've been praying to he Gods and they have listened!" 

Grigni placed Lucas back on the ground. "Come. Follow me" he spoke as he turned around. "We have a lot to discuss young man." Grigni walked to the back of the building with Lucas and Sohia in tow. At the back of the building were two very large and extremely heavy stone doors. He placed a hand on each and pushed with all his strength. 

Behind the blacksmiths workshop there was another smaller room, compared to the main building. The room was massive to Lucas and Sohia who were once again struck with awe from the sight. Inside was a large forge that looked more like a hand with a weird table in the center with a magical circle engraved onto the top of it.

"This is my personal workshop" Grigni spoke and turned to face Lucas and Sohia. "I am an Arcanesmith cultivator. The weapons and gear I craft have magical enchantments imbued with them that are powered by the mana of the wearer. I have a proposition for you Lucas."

"What would that be Sir?"

"Aye you can drop the formalities. We are both crafters. I would like to craft you some gear, for free, if you can make me a Rune Plate or two. You'll also be paid in Merits for your work. How does that sound?"

Lucas understood what Grigni said was supposed to be a bombshell. But Lucas had no idea what he was talking about. It sounded important and rare, but he was like a newborn in this universe.

"I'm sorry Grigni, I have no idea what a Rune Plate is. My master never taught me that."

Grigni went silent for a moment and thought. "You're able to use and create Runes correct?" Lucas nodded his head and stated he only knew a handful of Runes and that some he would prefer no to share. "Ah that's fine lad. I have 2 Rune Plates. All you need to do is inscribe the Rune on the plate and the job is done. Do you remember those large machines where the armor and weapons would be placed in and come out enchanted?"

Lucas again nodded his head. When he saw them he felt like there was some connection with them. "Well those are Rune Printing Machines. They were created by Runemasters for armies to print Runes onto weapons and armor in bulk. The two Runes we have no are [Sharpness] and [Protection] Runes. They costed us a pretty penny. The [Sharpness] Rune print makes our weapons sharper and the [Protection] Rune print makes our armor sturdier."

"That's amazing!" Lucas said like a child on Christmas. He had never thought of something like that! If he could create something similar that would make creating Minions and Henchmen easier. He even thought about being an Arm's dealer and using Rune enchanted weapons and armor as his main source of Credits! 

"Aye it is. But I'm only looking for two particular types of Runes or if you have Runes that are similar. On the planet we have been noticing increase in the Bruiser and Bloater type Xeomorphs. I'm looking for a Rune that can the soldiers fend off the Bruiser and another that will help people spot the sneaky Bloater. Do you have anything like that?"

"Can you explain these Xeomorphs to me first? I know a couple Runes that might be best, but I'd like to know what these creatures do to best combat them." 

Grigni smiled feeling like he had hooked Lucas into his deal. He was also happy to hear Lucas had a lot of Runes. He was hoping to milk him for all he's worth! "Of course! The Bruiser is a powerhouse. They are 12ft tall and 8ft wide. They have 4 mighty legs, 2 powerful arms, a set of tusks and incredibly durable carapace armor covering their body. They have the strength of a Liquifying Realm cultivator without any of the techniques. Their roll in the Hive is to smash walls and let smaller Xeomorphs into the defenses of bases."

"I'm looking to craft something that will help soldiers be able to take a hit and keep fighting. We already have squads that specialize in long range combat to take these things down, but we have other soldiers that need to tie the best down so we can get a good shot at them. I want to craft armor that will allow soldiers to take a blow without dying."

"The Bloater is more complicated. They are slightly larger than the Bruiser, but have no arms and 8 legs. They are essentially large sacs of explosive acid. Their role in the Hive is to eliminate large groups of anything living. They have zero armor and are easy to kill. The problem is their Chameleon skin. They can blend in to their surroundings and even drop their body temperature to match as well. We are having a hard time to find."

"That being said, I want to make a Visor of sorts that would help soldiers find them. We have teams dedicated to searching for them, but Bloaters are sneaky b@st@rds. We've managed to find them before they reach our base, but teams that leave the base are more likely to be intercepted by them. This halts our scouts from finding the Queen and the main Hive. Do you have any Runes that could help?"