Chapter 23: Observations

Chapter 23: Observations

We ended up staying for lunch before heading off to Miss Spencer’s shop. I wondered how I was ever going to find the time to visit all the crafting guilds.

“I was beginning to think you’d run off,” Miss Spencer said with a smile when she heard us come through the door. “Why did you bring Leslie with you? You did come to work, right?”

“Don’t mind me, Miss Spencer,” Leslie replied. “He’s coming with me to the tower after and I don’t him to forget.”

“Very well,” Miss Spencer replied. “If you’re going to stay, you might as well make yourself useful.”

Leslie, who had already taken a seat out of the way in a corner, fidgeted. “I don’t know. Do you think I’ll be useful?”

Miss Spencer smiled. “I can always use help around here. Even though I’m not officially affiliated with the Weaver’s Guild, I’m still backlogged by over two weeks.”

“Okay,” Leslie said. “What can I do to help?”

Miss Spencer led her to the back and handed her an ink pen and a roll of fabric. “I want you to trace these patterns into the material. Don’t worry about making mistakes. If you do, just set that square aside and start on another one.”

“I don’t want to ruin it,” Leslie whined, pushing the pen away.

“Don’t worry,” Miss Spencer said with a wink. “This is magic ink. It disappears when you add water.”

“I want to learn too,” I said, once again worried I was about to be used for my skills without learning how to make anything.

Miss Spencer gave me a sympathetic smile. “I have something else in mind for you. Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed.”

I stood by as the Tailor took her time guiding Leslie. She was nervous for the first few but I watched her excitement grow every time Miss Spencer praised her work.

Once she was satisfied Leslie understood the basics, she turned her attention to me. “Okay, today we’re going to help each other. You’re going to help me make things and I’m going to help you understand your class better. Does that sound like a fair trade?”

I nodded, wondering how she was going to live up to her end of the bargain. She took me to the cluttered room in the back and sat me down. “Tell me, Oliver. What do you know about the system?”

I scratched my head. What was that? Did it have something to do with tailoring? She sighed. “The system is what we call the thing that governs all magic. It’s what assigned your class and keeps track of your levels.”

“Oh, you mean the words,” I blurted, with sudden realization dawning of what she was talking about.

“The words?” She asked, rubbing her chin. “Do you see words, or do you hear them? Personally, I feel my skills in my bones. It’s something I know I can do. Does that make sense to you?”

“Oh,” I gasped, wondering if I was strange after all. “I see words written in mid-air, kind of like a mirage. Is that strange?”

She smiled. “Not at all. The system manifests differently for everyone. The only thing that seems to be universal is that we all level in our sleep. Some people don’t remember doing it but those that do describe them as vivid dreams. Wait, do you remember yours?”

“I do!” I screamed my reply, causing Leslie to swear as she jumped and made a mistake. All the blood in my body felt like it rushed to my face. “I mean, of course, I do. I’m not a baby.”

“Ah,” she replied with a coy smile that made me even more uncomfortable. “So you have leveled up. What level are you, and do you know what skills you have?”

I tried to remember the messages. “I’m not sure. Is there a difference between the red and the golden ones?”

“What do you mean?” Miss Spencer asked. “Those might be unique.”

That complicated things. If only I saw them, how would I ever figure out which one was accurate? Miss Spencer watched me intently as I tried to work it out.

“Forget the messages for now,” she said after a while. “Let’s start with the skill you used on the robe and bag. Can you use it on yourself? Specifically to pull up your personal information.”

I focused on myself and a familiar message popped up.

Oliver Evans

Class: Craftsman

Level: 4

Age: 13

Weight: 114 Lbs

Height 5’6

I relayed the info to Miss Spencer and she smiled. “That’s a good start. Try doing it again but this time try to expand it and think the word skills.”

I did as instructed and got a surprise.

Oliver Evans

Class: Craftsman

Level: 4

Age: 13

Weight: 114 Lbs

Height 5’6

Hitpoints: 400

Mana: 400

Stamina: 400

Strength: 25

Dexterity: 20

Agility: 30

Constitution: 35

Intelligence: 55

Wisdom: 45

Charisma: 35

Luck: 50

Skills: Analyze, Research, Mana Link, Observe

Traits: (Monster Vision - F)

She could tell by my expression that it worked. “Excellent! Tell me what you see.”

“There’s a lot of information,” I replied, leaning back to take it all in. Fortunately, the words stayed longer than usual. “There’s a lot of words with numbers. Hitpoints, Mana, Strength. Oh, and there are skills down at the bottom.”

“What are they?” She asked, leaning over the table as though that would help her see them.

“Analyze I know about,” I listed the first skill. “And Research. I don’t know what Mana Link or Observe do though.”

“What level are you?” She asked.

“Four,” I replied, wishing it was higher. “What level are you?”

Her information popped up again, reminding me that I’d seen it before.

Mary Lou Spencer

Class: Tailor

Level: 57

Age: 39

Weight: 137 Lbs

Height 5’3

“Oh, right,” I mumbled when she started to reply. “You look younger than…”

I trailed off when her eyebrow shot up. “Can you see my age? What else does it say?”

I replied, listing off her details. Miss Spencer blushed. “What about my skills, did you do a deep scan, or is that all you saw?

Mary Lou Spencer

Class: Tailor

Level: 57

Age: 39

Weight: 137 Lbs

Height 5’3

Strength: 60

Dexterity: 55

Agility: 60

Constitution: 55

Intelligence: 75

Wisdom: 65

Charisma: 85

Luck: 40

Abilities: True Snip, Cross Stitch, Weave, Sew, Pattern Design, Alter, Hem, Adjust, Measure

Traits: Sure hand, Affinity: Cloth, Unending Patience

I marveled at the stats of a much higher-level crafter. “Will I have skills like you when I get higher level?”

She smiled sweetly. “That all depends. Every class works differently. I had to learn these skills and master them with hard work. Some classes assign skills as you level. You’re level four and already have four skills, so that’s likely the case for you. We need to figure out what they do and find out if you need to practice with them.”

“I do know some things,” I admitted, deciding the best option was to share what I knew. “I can Analyze things by looking at them. I get experience if I act on what I learn. Research is an extension of that. I can ask questions when I get the Analysis and it provides me additional information. I don’t know about the other two skills but Observe seems pretty straightforward.”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “A skill like that probably has hidden meaning. Do you think you can Analyze it?”

“Huh,” I said as her suggestion sunk in.

Observe: Occasionally learn skills that are explained in detail.

“Oh, wow!” I explained. “It says I can learn new skills if they are explained to me.”

“Interesting,” Miss Spencer said, unable to hide her excitement. “Your class might be better than a specialized one. Now, tell me about your other skill.”

I Analyzed the final skill.

Mana Link: Borrow the mana of people you are touching for craft-based rituals.

Info: This ability works in a chain. Any person in contact with the person you touch will be part of the chain.

“It says I can use other people’s mana so long as I’m touching them for rituals,” I explained. “And it works with anyone so long as they are touching each other.”

“Hm,” she muttered thoughtfully. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess your class uses a lot of those arcane circles then. I’ve seen them before but I’ve never seen a skill that creates them. Now that we know about your skills, we can get started. How much experience did you get since you’ve been here?”

“None,” I admitted. “I have to act on the things I Analyze or I don’t get any.”

“I see,” she replied, clearing her desk and pulling out a leather handbag. “Let’s try this. I’d like one of the magic bags you made last week.”

The bag was a bit larger than mine and twice as gaudy. Rather than a dull brown worn-looking bag, hers was bright yellow with bold red trim. It was designed to stand out.

“Do you have a shadow hair?” I asked, looking down at her shadow.

Miss Spencer shook her head. “Not yet. Do you think you can get one from my shadow?”

Her shadow ran a shadowy finger across its throat. I shook my head. “No, I don’t think it likes you very much.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, following my gaze to her shadow.

“Don’t you see what it’s doing?” I asked before realizing that she probably didn’t. “You need Monster Vision to see your shadow properly.”

“Oh, right,” she sighed, putting the bag away. “Alright then. Let’s see what we can do about your clothes. Let me teach you a small bit of what I can do.”

She replaced the bag with a pile of folded clothes. They were my clothes. The clothes I assumed were beyond redemption during my romp in the sewer were clean. She’d even repaired some of the holes that had been there before.

“As you can see, I’ve already patched them up,” she began, spreading the shirt and pants out on the table. “The next thing we are going to do is add some enchantments. I trust you’ve been enjoying them on your loaner outfit.”

“I have,” I admitted. “Do they have the ability to absorb the shock from a fall? I jumped off the roof earlier and barely felt it.”

Miss Spencer smiled. “That’s correct. There are three types of generic damage, Blunt, Slashing, and Piercing. The type of damage a fall generates is typically blunt damage. If you fall on something it can occasionally be one of the other two. Blunt is one of the easier to guard against as you can achieve it with simple padding. In the case of your loaner outfit, I’ve woven cloud fiber into the lining.”

“Lining?” I asked, pulling the shirt out to check. “It doesn’t feel thick enough to have any lining.”

She smiled knowingly. “Magically crafted items work a bit differently than you’re used to. Running cloud fiber along the seams is enough to protect the whole garment. Don’t ask me how it works because I couldn’t tell you.”

“Does the shirt have protection from the other two types of damage?” I asked, wondering if piercing protection could protect against a knife or a gun.

“Turn the shirt inside out,” Miss Spencer said, waiting patiently while I took my shirt off and looked inside. I discovered a strange white mesh. “That is woven steel spider silk. It’s highly protective against both piercing and slashing. The only thing that outfit lacks is magic protection.”

Suggestion: Line the collar with Sphinx Feathers or Stitch an Arcane Circle into the back for magic protection.

I took off the shirt. “I have an idea for that.”

“Put this on,” Miss Spencer snapped, throwing my old shirt at me. “Now, let’s make it better.”