For the next few months, Liam improved his skills in Design and Smithing, gaining a few levels in both their skills and their related classes. He knew the insights he gained were slower in coming, and so he took the time to explore the other craft skills of Alchemy, Runesmithing and Carpentry.

These skills were difficult to acquire, and he gladly began applying them to his craftwork in Design and Smithing.

He found that through alchemy, he could change the properties of metals, giving them a denser crystal structure by including the tiniest amounts of rare elements.

Runesmithing allowed him to add unique functions to the creations. He even added a flame spell to a hammer, so that it would burst into flame whenever it hit something.

He had hoped that this would keep the metal heated as he worked it, but the small time the flame contacted the metal was not enough to keep the ingot hot.

Carpentry gave his weapons improved grip, agility, and reduced their weight, so that he found that even the heaviest of weapons felt light in his hand.

He had yet to experiment with rune-smithing on his body, as he felt that marking his flesh with sigils would be a permanent step. Given the restrictions of the church on marking the flesh, he was not willing to engage in the act without guidance from a priest.

He had yet to level Archimancy and Magismithing beyond level four, and when he looked at the experience he’d gained, both classes had barely improved at all.

The worst part of the increases to his levels was that he’d hit a hard cap. His will had reached level 50 when it should have been at 54. Instead, the correct number was in brackets behind his current figure limit. He tried to put his available attributes into Will, only to receive another vision.

Racial Attribute cap reached.

You may not assign attributes beyond your racial cap. Further attempts to do so will cause the loss of each available attribute you attempt to assign.

Liam sighed. Whenever he thought he understood something about the system, a new vision would appear to show he truly knew nothing at all.

He assigned his available attributes to his physical statistics. Thinking that it might be worth improving them if he were ever to surpass his limitations.

As his second birthday in the Dungeon arrived, the nagging feeling that he was missing something fundamental became too great.

That night as he tidied the Forge, he allowed his thoughts to drift to the words of the philosophers as he meditated. It was not long before the spirit of King David appeared.

After exchanging their usual informal greetings, Liam unburdened his mind. “I don’t know what to do! Nothing seems to increase my level in either crafting skill, and none of the new designs seem different enough in function to achieve a breakthrough to the next level!”

The spirit mused on his progress for a while before pointing something fairly obvious out to Liam. “You are spending so much time training your crafting that you have neglected all of your combat skills! These too are a craft which you must apply yourself to! By learning the limits of combat, you can learn the limits of design and creation.”

“You have been focussing on the form, not the function. If you can change that, you may succeed where you previously failed.”

Liam’s mouth opened, and he tried to form words. It was so obvious he couldn’t help but to berate himself for his stupidity. “Of course!” It all became clear to him. If he could not understand how to use weapons and armour properly, he could hardly expect himself to know how to craft for their function.

“But how will I learn these skills practically?” Liam asked. “I don’t have anyone to spar with, and there are no facilitie…” He paused. He could build the facilities himself, and the library contained training manuals on several weapons and combat arts.

From a brief perusal, Liam had already seen that every culture seemed to have a different approach to training and weapons. He’d ignored them all to this point, as he had seen little use in learning combat when his focus was crafting.

There were even books dedicated to magic and music.

He’d flicked through these, hoping they would give him an insight into how to fill his Spirit Nexus, but had found nothing beyond advice to continue what he was already doing. Now he understood these books were key to understanding how the systems of magic interacted with combat, crafting, healing and the nature of the world around him.

“There are abundant ways for you to practice your combat, even more available if you fill your Spirit Nexus and use magic. You will find more information within that crafting bag.” The spirit coughed, seeming to be in a rush. “Well. You will find your own way!”

Liam stood in surprise when David suddenly disappeared.

*************************

Liam spent the next month investigating what he would need to design a training yard. He found documents describing how to create a Pell, exercises to perform alone and in pairs, and an entire treatise on archery, including longbow and short-bow techniques from on foot and mounted.

An Arabic scholar had dedicated an entire series to mounted combat, and another from a Latin Scholar to the arts of pole-weapons. And so Liam learned of Phalanxes, Parthia’s tactics, manipular formations, and other defensive and offensive formations. He learned the guards, wards, cuts and movements of each weapon, but still had yet to try them for himself.

Liam soon absorbed them all, finally committing his effort to create himself a training hall where he could put ideas to practice.

The weeks spent designing the building were productive, and soon he’d constructed a large hall out of timber, which he roofed with wooden planks. He designed a large ceiling for the hall so that polearms would not hit the supporting beams, and made sure there was enough room to run, roll, jump, and warm up his muscles before exercise.

An archery range ran along one side of the hall and in the centre a thick wooden Pell stood surrounded by sand. He even built a quintain, as his sprint now was near as fast as a horse rode, allowing him to practise with couched lance and spear.

Next, he visited the forge and created several training weapons of different types. He assigned intelligence attributes to these, as it would have the greatest effect on his ability to learn skills.

He began slowly, simply practising thrusts against the wooden Pell, holding his shield in one hand. The weight of the objects was making him sweat profusely in the still air as he altered his positioning with each strike, checking to see if the action provided greater power, or another advantage he couldn’t immediately see.

He activated the covered thrust technique and watched as the heavy sword thumped into the Pell, creating a dent in the heavy wood.

Now he had a baseline to work with. He continued to practise his thrusts. If he could manage a similar dent, he knew that the technique was correct.

Soon, Liam’s shoulder ached with the effort, and he began stepping forward into the thrust, twisting from the hips and pushing with his rear leg.

Thump

Thump

Thump

Thump

He noticed a splinter split off the side of the Pell from his last strike. He hadn’t noticed, but he’d been creating a larger and larger pit in the wood, compressing it so much that the wood had fractured.

You have increased your Swordsmanship by 3.

Liam smiled tiredly and walked to a bucket of water to drink and rest for a moment. He’d discovered that by using his body and legs as much as his arms, he could drive the point of the heavy training blade much harder than simply with his arm alone.

Returning to the Pell, Liam continued his experimentation. This time he stepped in and back from the Pell as the training manual advised, slamming his shield forward and striking in a thrust over the rim.

For hours, he trained until his stamina ran out. He rested, only to continue to level his swordsmanship when his stamina recovered as the increases in vitality now meant he could rapidly recover without sleep.

His next few gains only increased the skill by one, and after a few days' progress, they slowed significantly.

Each morning at the riverbank, he would update David on his progress. The spirit would make suggestions of techniques he had not yet discovered.

Many of the treatises on martial arts required a partner to practise, and Liam, alone in the dungeon, struggled to perform them by himself.

He returned to the Archimancy workshop every second day to apply lessons he’d learnt from his training to his designs. As he applied new ideas, the failure rate of his Magismithing increased. Progress remained slow, and it took an entire year for him to reach the fifth level.

As he did, however, an exciting new vision appeared to him.

Magismithing Level 5 (Senior Apprentice)

Ability Gained: Epic Crafter (Passive)

Rare tier items now have a slight chance of becoming Epic Tier. Success rate is based upon the uniqueness of design and materials used.

You may now choose to upgrade 2 spells in related skills.

Upgrades Available:

Flame ===> Fire Stream

Flame ===> Inferno

Telekinesis ===> Telekinetic Grip

Telekinesis ===> Telekinetic Field

Upgrades do not prevent access to preceding tiers.

More abilities will become available at higher tiers of this class.

He couldn’t believe it!

Liam had not seen this kind of vision before. He focussed on the upgraded abilities.

Fire Stream:

Fire Stream is a sung spell that must be channelled. The stream of fire deals 10 damage per second to the target and will burn for as long as combustible material remains.

Range: 20 yards.

Magic cost 20 per second.

Liam nodded as he looked over this ability. The increase in damage was considerable, but so was the cost. This ability would allow him to set fire to a large area, but this came at the cost of significantly more magic.

As he considered how he would use it, he opened up the next ability.

Inferno:

Inferno: Level 1

Inferno is a sung spell that must be channelled. Focused Flame allows the user to summon Fire to a specific point or across a wider area centred on their location. Focused Fire deals 10 damage/sec/sq. yard, reducing by one damage with each additional square yard of area affected by Focused Flame.

If Focused Flame applies to areas smaller than 1 square yard, damage increase proportionally to the reduction of area. Maximum damage: 50 per second.

Focused flame effect will burn as long as combustible material remains.

Maximum Range: 10 yards

Magic cost: 50

This effect can be dispelled.

This spell cost significantly more, but the text reminded him of the flame he’d felt emanating from the Half-Orc Chief he’d fought in Ferniegair. He thought of its uses, and realized that despite it being a channelled spell, it was also ideal for rapidly forging, smelting, and for combat. The downside was that he lost the ability to cast multiple spells.

He moved onto the next Spell.

Telekinetic Grip

Telekinetic Grip is a played spell. This spell allows the user to manipulate one large object in their immediate environment. Telekinetic grip can hold an object of up to 400 pounds (based on user strength).

If Telekinetic Grip is used upon objects smaller than 400 pounds, cost of the spell decreases as well.

Maximum Range: 10 yards

Magic Cost: 40 per minute.

This effect can be dispelled.

It astounded Liam by how much weight this could move, but he wasn’t sure he actually had much use for that volume of metal in the forge. He supposed it could be useful as a combat skill, but so far, he hadn’t discovered a way to translate the forge abilities of telekinesis beyond the workshop.

He turned to the final skill.

Telekinetic Field Level 1

A telekinetic field is a passive spell. The user becomes aware of all objects surrounding them. Telekinesis can be used on any object below Maximum weight and within Maximum range.

Maximum velocity of movement: 10 yards per second.

Maximum Weight: 40 pounds.

Maximum Range: 20 yards

Magic Cost: Magic Regeneration -50%

This effect cannot be dispelled

Liam pondered the benefits and flaws of each. He thought the immediate effects of Fire stream and Telekinetic grip would suffer over time and would only be effective towards one object at a time.

Liam knew that whatever Tribulations would appear in the future, his friends and allies would require armour and weapons far faster than he could produce them. Especially if he worked on one object at a time.

More, Telekinetic Field would allow him to sense the surrounding area at all times. This should give him a significant boost in combat–so long as he could understand what to watch for.

Without hesitation, he chose Telekinetic Field and Inferno. If he could improve these abilities over the next years, he would have two skills that would significantly improve his combat and crafting abilities.

***************************

It was only a month later that Liam levelled his Archimancy. His spells - Inferno and Telekinetic Field - had improved significantly. He was sure a breakthrough was coming.

It finally happened as he worked in the Archimancy workshop, attempting to design a coat of plates. He had been struggling to find a way in which each plate would overlap in such a way that they would never bend inwards, but could shift comfortably to allow greater movement.

The solution he found was to attach rivets to plates so they could slide slightly within a lengthened hole, giving the armour some small amount of flexion inwards, and creating no gaps.

A blow to the armour would only compress the plates and ensure that nothing would get through.

As he finished the design, he received his long-awaited level up and the subsequent vision.

Archimancy Level 5

Ability Gained: Epic Designer (Passive)

Rare designs now have a slight chance of becoming Epic designs. Success rate is based upon the uniqueness of function and materials used.

You have zero spells to upgrade.

You may select one spell to learn.

Available Spells:

Spiritual Design

Inspired Design.

More abilities will become available at higher tiers of this class.

Liam looked at both skills.

Spiritual Design

Spiritual Design summons your Guardian Spirit from within your soul.

When designing new items, you can access spiritual guides to aid you. You may call up on them to manifest for a brief time once per day.

Magic Cost: 300

Duration: 1 hour.

It tempted Liam to pick this immediately. To access the knowledge of his Spirit Guardian while forging would only give him the same skill level as the ancient royal spirit.

Liam considered what it would mean. He respected the spirit greatly and had no wish to enslave it to his will. To enslave another creature’s mind was horrific to his stoic sensibilities.

Another point to consider was while he could summon his spirit when fishing, nothing was stopping him from doing so at other times, too.

Inspired Design

Inspired Design summons an upgraded design from within your soul.

This spell summons an upgraded design for crafting. Study of this design may lead to greater levels of advancement in design of tools, weapons and armour.

Your understanding of technique, function and fabrication will limit designs received.

Magic Cost:

400 (Rare)

4,000 (Epic)

40,000 (Mythic)

400,000 (Divine)

?

?

?

Reset Duration: 1 per week.

Liam picked the second choice.

As he’d gained level 5 in both Archimancy and Magismithing, his will had reached the maximum, being capped by his race at fifty, leaving him a comfortable hundred magic as he used the spell.

His loot icon flashed, and he opened it, seeing a golden scroll now filled one space. Removing it, he broke the wax seal holding it closed.

His luck must have been with him. As he unravelled the document, it showed an armour schematic for an articulated harness, not too different in appearance to the riveted coat of plates he’d designed to but far more intricate.

The rivet pattern here was far more tightly clustered, allowing for a more solid facing of plates, while the plates on the shoulders, elbows and knees were articulated like the joints on gauntlets to allow for protected movement.

Without waiting, he perused the schematic, seeing how rivets could slide to give greater movement between the plates. If he wore mail beneath this armour, he’d have just as much flexibility, while becoming impervious to most blows.

The helmet was the most interesting part of the design. Rivets did not hold its faceplate in place. Instead, a hooked hinge above the brow supported the mask. Sturdy latches on each side of the bascinet, locking it in place. The faceplate when unlatched could swing up and down, much like a castle drawbridge.

If Liam were to undo the latches and lift the visor like a mask, it would come entirely free of his helmet. The design was so thorough that even were he to let it fall free; a chain attached the face-plate to a hook on his left spaulder. Thus, it was simple to retrieve, even if he detached it in a melee.

Liam knew this armour was years beyond what even the royal armourer of the King's court could craft. He grinned, knowing that he’d chosen correctly.

He ran to the forge and entered a meditative trance, summoning David. “I just reached level 5 in Magismithing and Archimancy!”

The spirit seemed distracted for a moment before turning to Liam. “Oh? Is that why you summoned me? I assumed you wished to talk, not boast!”

Liam was a bit put out by the lack of enthusiasm the spirit showed.

“Well, what did you receive for your efforts?”

“Inspired Design! And I received this!” He showed the design of the armour. “I wanted to know what you thought. The other skill was Spiritual Design, where I could summon you for an hour to help with crafting.”

“I’m glad you didn’t choose the Spiritual skill. It may have had some… unintended side-effects beyond this realm.” The spirit said cryptically. He lifted the designs and looked over them. “These are interesting, these rivets and this chain. Hmm…”

The spirits voice trailed off before he handed the designs back to Liam. “… these should give you a good starting point. Think also how to defeat armour when you design weapons. Perhaps you might also think of looking at the other metals?”

He disappeared from view.

Liam frowned. The spirit’s attitude had been… odd. It would be something he’d need to bring up with the spirit later.

He played his harp, gathering the flows of magic around himself. Slowly, he drew magic into his depleted reserves, the process taking a good deal of time. The magic now was like a thick, humid air. Something he could feel around him if he moved his will through it, but too ephemeral to tame with will alone.

Eventually, Liam pushed some into his spirit nexus, filling it slightly. Discomfort ran through his soul, his spirit stretching as it worked to accommodate the greater Magic potential.

He’d gotten into this habit of recharging his magic from the surrounding air during the first weeks, but this was the first time he’d pushed ambient energies into his node.

Now, as the feeling of stretching vanished, Liam believed that when he could fill the nexus, he’d finally activate its ability to increase his stores of magical power.

While he waited for his soul to integrate the large quantity of Magic, Liam worked on creating the armour from the design. The Telekinetic field made him more aware of everything around him than mere telekinesis. He could feel particles of air on his skin, the shifts in crystalline structures of metal beneath blows of his hammer, and the molecular carbonization of the atoms as he deftly applied heat with Inferno.

He didn’t fully understand these concepts, of course, having only been recently introduced to them via highly speculative manuals he’d discovered in the Arabic section of the Dungeon Library.

Still, he worked with a finesse and speed that would have been the envy of a team of master armourers from any of the great kingdoms of earth.

Liam forged steel, bent lames of armour and perfectly cut and measured metal. For two days he worked, resting by the forge and recuperating his magic when he needed to. He barely ate, only grabbing what he could from the tower as he went for water or to relieve himself.

As the last motes of sand from his Telekinetic Field’s grinding process fell to the floor, the vision he’d been waiting for appeared in front of him.

Armour of the Harbinger Set (Rare)

Weight: Medium

The Armour of the Harbinger Set is a collection of six items crafted by the Earth Realm’s first Harbinger, Liam Lamberton. A steel armour, it provides comprehensive protection against attacks by mortals.

Each piece of armour grants:

+4 Vitality

+2 Agility

+2 Strength

+2 Will

+2 Charisma

Set Bonus: Harbinger's Call

Once per day, the Harbinger can send a message to anyone in the Mortal Realms. (Effect Locked by Dungeon).

Liam laughed. He’d done it!

He’d created a Rare item set, and it was powerful beyond anything he could have imagined. It even came with its own attributes, meaning he didn’t need to assign them!

Now Liam understood how the design worked, he could refine it to suit the purpose he desired.

But first, he needed to discover what other metals were sturdier than steel. He could hardly face trolls in steel armour. He’d seen what the monster’s claws had done to his now repaired chainmail, and his arm beneath it.

If he was to fight a troll, even a weak one with steel armour, he doubted he would last longer than a minute if he couldn’t escape. Well, perhaps before he’d levelled!

Liam tried on the new armour and immediately the increase in his statistics transformed him. He opened his statistics to admire the new Liam.

Titles: Page, Primus, Guest of Glitnir.

Name: Liam Lamberton

Levels: 21

10 (Human)

1 (Harbinger Page)

5 (Magismithing)

5 (Archimancy)

Genetic Heritage: Davidic Scion

Class: Harbinger Page (Davidic Order)

Crafting Classes: Magismithing, Archimancy

Age: 15

Tribulation Experience:

Harbinger Page: 94 / 931

Magismithing: 183/244

Archimancy: 28/158

Health: 290

Magic: 500

Stamina: 100

Attributes:

Strength: 25 (37)

Agility: 30 (42)

Vitality: 29 (53)

Intelligence: 50

Wisdom: 50 (57)

Charisma: 19 (31)

Luck: 29

Faith: 20

Will: 50 (62/74)

Skills:

Sword: 14

Swimming: 7

Manners: 16

Tactics: 7

Animal Husbandry: 10

Light Armor: 8

Riding: 10

Carpentry: 22

Chivalry: 7

Reading: 41

Stealth: 4

Wood Chopping: 20

Writing: 15

Housekeeping: 31

Languages: 62

Maintenance: 24

Athletics: 20

Mathematics: 12

Harp: 15

Music: 18

Heavy Armor: 4

Polearm: 13

Shield:20

Lance: 5

Climbing: 3

Fishing: 7

Cooking: 5

Design: 17

Smithing: 20

Mining: 6

Meditation: 5

System Lore: 9

Spells:

Ward: Level 2

Healing Song: Level 2

Telekinesis: Level 6 ==> Telekinetic Field: Level 1

Flame Level 8 ==> Inferno: Level 1

Abilities

Feinting Slash: Level 1

Covered Strike: Level 1

Shield Parry: Level 1

Epic Crafter (Passive)

Inspired Design (System Effect)

Epic Designer (Passive)

Identify: Level 1

If Liam were to define himself by his Statistics sheet, he would no longer recognize himself. Well, even when he looked into his reflection in the bucket next to the forge, he couldn’t recognize himself.

He was now fifteen, and while his face had taken on the ageless look of someone with a high vitality statistic, his body was that of a mighty warrior. Muscles rippled upon his torso, and his arms and shoulders were wide and well defined. His legs could not fit the trews he arrived in since the end of the first year in the dungeon.

Liam had been fortunate to stumble across a folio describing how to make cloth from the abundant flax surrounding the tower. After some experimentation, he’d constructed a few sets of clothes by using his telekinesis to “forge” linen garments.

Despite the ad hoc nature of their creation, Liam found the clothes comfortable and light. He took more time caring for his appearance, too.

His beard had filled in and he’d taken to tying his hair back at the nape of his neck rather than trying to cut it. He knew it would only regrow and fall into his eyes if he did.

Liam wondered briefly if his friends from Douglas would recognize him. He still thought about them. Something would remind him of a joke Aidan had made, or a gruff response that Andrew would make. Oddly, the friend he missed most was Llywelyn. Even though his friend was nowhere near, his quiet mien made Liam feel he was with him in spirit.

Sometimes he’d turn, thinking his friend was behind him, only to be disappointed.

He thought of Duncan and Lady too, hoping that they wouldn’t mind his transformation into a man too much. Liam knew it wouldn’t bother the Border-Collie, but Duncan likely hadn’t levelled at all. He worried that the difference between them was becoming an insurmountable gulf.

It wasn’t something he could address now.

Now he needed to discover where he could find more effective metals for his forge.

********************************

It only took Liam a few weeks to discover a geological map of the area, and another month to re-open the collapsed tunnels in the caverns below. He sought three ores.

Adamanthil, Mythril and Aesium.

Adamanthil was the least difficult to work, being only ten times harder than steel. From what he could tell, working the metal required a similar - if more energy intensive - process as steel.

Mythril was trickier, requiring far greater heat to smelt and work. He had no information on how to work Aesium. Hopefully, his Spirit Guardian would know more.

What he’d discovered was a vein of Aesium. He’d only found a reference to the vein in a side note dealing with smelting of Adamanthil. A note showed it had almost been mined out in this dungeon. He would need to search for an alternative source of the black metal.

From what Liam had found, the Aesium was so hard that even Adamanthil picks couldn’t scratch the ore of the material. To remove the ore from the surrounding rock, Liam would have to mine the Adamanthil, create a pick from the metal and return to the mines to find Mythril.

From what he could tell, this was the hardest material the smiths who had previously visited the dungeons had worked. Liam made it his intent to craft his armour and weapons from the Aesium deposit. He rose earlier each day, worked harder, and focused intensely.

He had just over a year and a half to create the items, and who knew what barriers he might find to his growth.

The schematics he’d been receiving from Inspired Design were almost entirely useless. What he needed was a more effective pick design. Instead, everything the spell produced was irrelevant to his crafting classes.

One schematic the spell produced had been for a blueberry pie. A delicacy whose memory had raised Liam’s hopes for a moment.

They fell again as he saw a problem.

The problem being: Liam didn’t have any blueberries within the dungeon.

It had tempted him to burn that one out of spite, but thought it might make an excellent gift for Duncan when he returned to Douglas.

As the weeks passed, Liam’s progress mining slowed, and inspired design provided no more schematics related to his classes.

He refused to allow the long hours and hard work to wear him down. Before he returned to the tower to take his ease, he took long dips in the river before he went to bed.

It was not long before he found his ability to feel the water as he swam was improving his ability to feel the flows of magic around him.

Soon he thought he’d be able to push magic fully into his nexus node. He’d already filled it to over three quarters of its capacity, but had to stop as the strain upon his spirit became too great.

Liam continued to push his labours, knowing that soon time would run out. He hoarded what Adamanthil he could find. Soon he’d sourced enough to create a pick and a smithing hammer from the substance.

Now able to mine Mythril, Liam kept digging as the months passed.

Liam no longer used steel in his work, preferring instead to work other metals into alloyed designs. As more schematics came to him from Inspired design, he learned to apply ideas from them into his Smithing and Design. His levels rose once more, and he soon stood at level seven in each. The experience had slowed once more, though, and he doubted he’d reach the Journeyman level of either craft.

It was on his third birthday in the dungeon that he discovered the vein of ore he sought.

Mythril.

He couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift, but he got one anyway.

That week, as he used Inspired Design, Liam received another schematic related to his classes.

It was a hammer of epic proportions and required a significant amount of Mythril to work. Liam’s problem was that although he could mine the material he needed, he had yet to discover a way to smelt it in large quantities.

Finally desperate for aid, he summoned King David.

He realized he’d been avoiding the spirit’s company after his brusque treatment last time, but now he needed specific guidance.

He’d combed the library hoping to discover a way to melt Mythril ores into pure blooms but found nothing beyond ways to mine the material.

As David appeared before him, Liam explained his circumstances.

“It sounds to me you already have all the tools you require except one! You must condense your Nexus node if you wish to have enough magic available to focus the flames of inferno.”

Liam immediately understood what the spirit meant. He’d been trying to smelt conventionally in a furnace. He knew now that he could hold Inferno around the ore, heating it from all sides and raising its temperature beyond anything he could achieve with coal.

Before he could begin self-recriminations, the spirit continued to speak.

“I cannot attend to you for the next few days, but know this. There comes a point in all of our spiritual growth where we must push past our limitations and accept that pain which comes with it. Either we break or we succeed.”

Liam nodded as he understood what he needed to do.

“Good. Then I shall see you when next we meet, Scion of my House. May you find prudence and fortitude in all our deeds!”

He disappeared before Liam could ask anything more. What in all the heavens could a spirit be so busy with that he cannot linger when summoned? Liam wondered. The spirit's odd behaviour of late was a concern, but it would have to wait.

He only had a year and a half to achieve Journeyman in his crafting classes.

Over the next few days, Liam pushed his Nexus Node to the limit. The effects on his Vitality enhanced body were horrific, and he used Healing Song more often to overcome the effects. Bruises swelled on his stomach, and he passed blood.

After a week, he was vomiting, first undigested foods and then copious amounts of blood and stomach lining.

He continued to push.

Just as he thought he could no longer bear the agony of another session of channelling magic into his Nexus node, he felt something… change.

The surrounding magic was now tangible, and he dragged it into himself greedily. His mind swimming through the currents as though they were water, flooding his body with magical energy.

His node filled, and Liam screamed.

Every cell in his body felt like it was being ripped apart as the magics of the world smelted his soul and his body.

It Forged them.

It Tempered them.

Finally, it quenched them, and the pain disappeared.

Liam roared in victory as power flooded his body.

His new body.

He laughed as he looked down at the armour that had shattered into fragments at his feet. He’d need to reforge his Armour of the Harbinger. It looked as though every rivet had burst at the same time.

A vision appeared before his eyes.

Congratulations

You have opened your first Nexus node and have ascended beyond your mortal limits. Your class selection limits race change.

Selection has been made:

Human ===> Demi-Ascended

You transcended your maximum limit for growth.

Attribute Cap: 50 (Human) now increased to 250 (Demi-Ascended).

Liam sighed with relief.

He’d worried that the new level cap would only double his current attributes. Instead, it was an increase of a factor of five.

Liam took the time to admire his new form. He was taller now. Not enough that he had to stoop below the frame of the door into the tower, but enough to wonder if his head would hit the old stone.

He couldn’t wait to get back to Scotland. He knew that the more he changed, the harder it would be for his friends to recognize him. He hoped they would accept him, but then, that was not his decision to make.

Liam checked his attributes to ensure that he’d gained full use of all the gains he’d made, and sure enough, the brackets which once defined his limit were gone. His race name had changed too, and his magic had doubled!

He quickly assigned his available attributes to his strength and charisma. He knew he would need to address his low Faith stat soon, as well as his luck, if he wished to maintain any kind of balance in his ability.

After all, who knows what I’ll face next. Putting all my eggs in one basket is a sure way to see them broken.

Titles: Page, Primus, Guest of Glitnir. Name: Liam Lamberton Levels: 25

10 (Race Tier 2: Human 10, Demi-Ascended 0)

1 (Harbinger Page)

7 (Magismithing)

7 (Archimancy) Genetic Heritage: Davidic Scion Class: Harbinger Page (Davidic Order)

Crafting Classes: Magismithing, Archimancy Age: 16 Tribulation Experience:

Demi-Ascended: 0/931

Harbinger Page: 94/125

Magismithing: 183/476

Archimancy: 28/476 Health: 310 Magic: 1560 Stamina: 100 Attributes: Strength: 30 Agility: 34 Vitality: 31 Intelligence: 58 Wisdom: 71 Charisma: 22 Luck: 29 Faith: 20 Will: 78 Skills: Sword: 18 Swimming: 12 Manners: 16 Tactics: 12 Animal Husbandry: 10 Light Armor: 8 Riding: 10 Carpentry: 22 Chivalry: 7 Reading: 44 Stealth: 4 Wood Chopping: 22 Writing: 18 Housekeeping: 31 Languages: 71 Maintenence: 26 Athletics: 20 Mathematics: 21 Harp: 19 Music: 22 Heavy Armor: 4 Polearm: 15 Shield:23 Lance: 6 Climbing: 18 Fishing: 58 Cooking: 33 Design: 24 Smithing: 31 Mining: 19 Meditation: 5 System Lore: 13 Spells: Ward: Level 2 Healing Song: Level 5 Telekiesis: Level 7 ==> Telekinetic Field: Level 2 Flame Level 8 ==> Inferno: Level 2 Abilities Feinting Slash: Level 1 Covered Strike: Level 1 Shield Parry: Level 1 Epic Crafter (Passive) Inspired Design (System Effect) Epic Designer (Passive)

Deciding that further investigation of his new race could wait now that he’d gained the abilities he required to forge the hammer, Liam headed to the Archimancy workshop.

He quickly gathered an armour design he’d prepared for when he could craft in Mythril and took both it and the schematic for the hammer to the forge.

Liam spent three weeks crafting these items, and when done, he found it shocking at how much the material levelled him AND transformed the items he now held.

He inspected each.

Armour of the Harbinger Set (Epic)

Weight: Light

The Armour of the Harbinger Set is a collection of six items crafted by the Earth Realm’s first Harbinger, Liam Lamberton. A Mythril armour, it provides comprehensive protection against attacks by mortals and most beings of Tier 1 races.

Each piece of armour grants:

+6 Vitality

+4 Agility

+4 Strength

+3 Will

+3 Charisma

Set Bonus: Harbinger's Call

Once per day, the Harbinger can send a message to anyone in the Mortal Realms. (Effect Locked by Dungeon).

Set Bonus: Self Repair

Once per day, the Armour of the Harbinger can self-repair.

Cost: 1000 Magic.

A self-repairing function would be incredibly useful, especially if he ever found himself without an abundance of oils to maintain his armour against rust and corrosion.

The hammer, however, was even more interesting.

Volcanic Hammer (Epic)

This Mythril tool doubles as the weapon of a true Magismith. The Volcanic hammer applies heat as it strikes, ensuring that when forging the work remains malleable.

When used in combat, the Hammer burns its foes, crushing and burning with fire and Mythril.

This tool grants:

+3 to all attributes.

Weapon Ability 1: Return.

This hammer returns to its owner's grip on mental command, allowing it to be thrown and retrieved in combat.

Weapon Ability 2: Shatter.

Once per combat, the weapon may shatter any item of a lesser tier.

Tool Ability: Shaper.

This hammer may change its surface profile to the users need.

The armour was amazing, and as Liam put it on, he watched his physical stats rise to near that of his mental capacity. He felt as though he could lift a mountain. He jumped, smashing his head into the ceiling beams above him.

While walking was not too difficult, any sudden shifts of his balance would send him careening to the side, and if he pushed too hard off the ground, he would bound into the air.

He laughed at how amazing this moment had become. This was something out of tales of old wives and peddlers. It seemed a pure nonsense. But it was happening to him!

As if I am some hero from myth. Liam laughed at the idea.

The armour was astonishing in its quality and shone gleaming even in the half-light of dusk that had been his constant companion for the last three years. The hammer too gleamed with a powerful intent. It appeared to him as a simple ball-peen hammer, square in profile and with a defined head. Runes covered the weapon, and Liam knew that his work with the other crafting skills had finally paid dividends.

The hammer was truly awesome.

He swung it through the air a few times to see how it would respond in his grip and found it amazingly light. This would move faster than any sword, while providing the impact force greater than a horse’s hoof.

He’d never practiced with the hammer before, but was keen to learn the skills. Liam took off towards the training grounds.

With his first blow, he shattered the Pell into fragments of wood that flew all over the hall. Sighing, Liam returned to the forge and built a Mythril Pell, hoping it would withstand the hammer’s might.

This time it seemed to work, although he needed to allow the Mythril to cool lest it bend or melt as he practised.

He would have loved to spend weeks in practise with the weapon, but knew time was growing short. Liam knew he still needed to gain at least two entire levels in his craft.

He was now close to level nine in Magismithing. If he could mine enough Aesium, he knew he could create an item which was truly unique.

He already knew what he wanted to create, but he’d need to have the material prepared before he began. And again, the problem of smelting.

He just hoped Aesium would be easier to deal with than Mythril.

As Liam walked towards the entrance of the cavern into the deeps below the dungeon, he inspected his new Race.

Demi-Ascended

The Demi-Ascended are the race of heroes from which the Ascended beings derive. Beloved of God, they provide hope and guidance to mortals in times of war and inspiration in times of peace.

Each level in this Race grants:

+10 to all attributes per level.

20% increase in skill gain.

Unique Ability: Realm Traveller

His bellow of laughter echoed across the quiet and empty dungeon. He could finally escape the realm even if he didn’t complete Bragi’s quest! It tempted him to use it right now, but knew that if he did, he’d lose whatever rewards he might gain from his trials.

Worse, he’d lose any hope of Bragi blessing the Harp.

That he was here of his own volition, despite being able to return, made things even funnier to his sensibilities.

His laughter continued until he noticed an answering sound echoing back from the darkness below.

The bellow of an enraged troll.