“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Kai cautiously asked.

“Yes. For the last time, I know where we are going,” Andre laughed off Kai’s concern.

It was their off day two weeks after the miserable field trip and Kai and Andre had chosen to go out shopping together. Or more accurately, Andre was taking Kai to a blacksmith he knew. He was relying on Andre to navigate through the confusing labyrinth of the city streets. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the design of this area in the city. Already he was lost and wasn’t entirely sure he could make his way back to the academy if left on his own.

Hector had stayed behind in the academy to attend to his lord, and Sean had opted not to join, doing whatever it was that he did. Sean had to be the most anti-social person that Kai had ever met. He was often absent from his dorm room and the others.

Walking alongside his feet, the adorable Akane stopped, picking up her head as she looked around before focusing on a random area in the distance.

“Andre,” Kai called out, halting his roommate.

Confused, Andre turned back to him.

Without warning the ground started shaking. Kai grabbed onto the nearest column, steadying himself. The shaking was strong enough that he thought he might lose his balance. The earthquakes had been ramping up in both intensity and frequency since they had started several years ago. If that wasn’t an ominous sign, Kai didn’t know what was.

Akane stood her ground, glaring into the distance towards the Ashbourne Mountains. Kai figured the earthquake must have originated from there. The shaking ceased a moment later. Without warning a grey figure blurred overhead speeding through the air faster than Kai could react. It went in the same direction as to where Akane had been looking.

“Do you know who that was?” He turned to Andre, only to find him flat on his ass. “You good?” He asked amused, putting his hand out.

“Yea, I’m ok.” Andre took the extended hand and hauled himself up. “Who are you talking about?”

“Never mind,” Shaking his head. “Are we close to the shop?”

“Yea it’s just around the corner.”

The shop in question, was a nondescript building, way off the beaten path. The building remained isolated from the others, which seemed appropriate as smithies were noisy and smelly, and potentially dangerous depending on what projects they worked on. It certainly smelled like a smithy, a distinct odor of coal and metals penetrated Kai’s nose. Black soot and other material clung to the outside and roof of the building, begging the question if it had ever received a wash before.

“Tell me again, why we are coming here and not one of the blacksmith shops near the main street?” Kai asked.

Andre looked at Kai incredulously, “Are you kidding me! Those places charge a premium for their services and materials. Besides, Knock is just as good as those rip-offs,” Andre insisted.

“Knock?”

“Hey, don’t knock on people’s names.”

Kai groaned, closing his eyes in mental agony. It felt like his head was being attacked without mind magic.

The door to the building slammed open. A bear of a man walked through, so large he even made Sven look normal. With eyes that screamed punishment, the man stared at Andre.

“Your aware I could hear you, young Belton?” The man gently patted his enormous palm with the head of a hammer larger than Kai’s stomach.

Kai could hear Andre gulp audibly.

“Knock, I...”

“Come on kid, you can do better than that,” Knock laughed loudly, walking up to the two, he picked up Andre easily, giving him a mighty squeeze.

Turning to Kai, Knock looked him up and down. “This must be your friend?”

“Yea,” Andre sputtered out of breath, still being squeezed.

“... I’m Kai.” He stared at Andre who appeared like he was turning blue. “Umm... do you think you put him down; he is turning blue.”

“Oh, oops,” Knock said, letting go, “Sorry bout that.”

“You almost knocked me out,” Andre said, taking a deep breath.

“Better,” Knock had a small grin as he scratched his chin with a finger that was as large as Kai’s wrist. “Why don’t you three come inside?”

The interior of the building was quite different from the outside. Cleaner and organized, the inside contained walls filled with all kinds of armor and weapons hanging about. Kai recognized many types of weapons, and some he hadn’t ever seen before. Every single item had one thing in common throughout the shop, they were all made of metal which was no surprise.

Even with his untrained eyes, he could tell they were quality works. Interestingly enough, none of them were noticeably enchanted, all laid bare of obvious glyphs and runes.

“Those are my display pieces,” Knock remarked, noticing Kai’s wandering eyes. “You can get an idea of what you are ordering.”

“Their beautiful work, better than the stuff done at my home,” Kai spoke honestly.

The giant man tipped his head in thanks.

“So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, young Belton and friend Kai.”

“Kai here is looking for armor, but he doesn’t know what kind.”

“I might be able to help with that.” The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “A young man who wants armor but doesn’t know what type he wants... quite a challenge.”

“But first, rules are rules,” Knock said.

Andre groaned.

“Shhh, you. For you to commission an item from my shop, you must tell me... a knock-knock joke,” he said will all seriousness.

Kai burst out laughing, “Seriously?”

Grinning, the man spread his arms. “Well, let’s hear it.”

Kai froze. A knock-knock joke? What insanity is this? Is he a child in a giant’s body? Think, Kai, think. You have heard some before... what were they.

After a minute of silence, Andre nudged him, “Kai, I’ll tell you one.”

Knock stalked over, grabbing Andre by the back of his shirt, effortlessly picking him up. “No, young Belton, this trial belongs to your friend alone.”

Kai sighed. He had figured out a joke, he just didn’t know if he had enough courage to say it aloud.

“Knock-knock,” he started.

Grinning, Knock said, “who’s there?”

“Tank.”

“Tank who,” the grin got even larger.

“You’re welcome.” Kai covered his face, completely embarrassed and cringing inside.

On cue, Andre, Akane, and Knock started roaring with laughter.

“This never leaves the building,” Kai stared daggers at the still-hanging Andre.

“Whatever you say,” he smirked.

Dropping Andre, Knock clapped once. “Alrighty, now you are officially a customer of Knock ‘em Down Smithy!”

Kai sighed.

“Before we begin, Andre said you did not know of what kind of armor you were looking for. To get an idea, would you tell me your class and element? Of course, it is entirely up to you, if you prefer not, we can proceed but finding suitable armor will be a little more challenging.”

“It’s not necessary?" Kai questioned.

“No, friend Kai. It is not my place to know unless there is an absolute need to. If I may be a braggart for a moment, I am known for my discretion, and many of my clients prefer to remain anonymous, both in name and skills.”

Kai raised an eye at the statement. “I have no issue telling. It’s gravity and vanguard.”

“Wonderful... very interesting. Gravity and vanguard. A beautiful and deadly combination. A true knock ‘em down combination if I ever heard it.”

“Will you be able to help?” Kai tentatively asked.

“Yes,” Knock claimed. His face looked troubled, however. “Even without knowing your class, based on your physique and sword hanging by your side, you are a melee fighter. I can assume that you are fighting underneath your own gravity. If am wrong, please tell me,” Knock mused aloud.

Kai motioned for him to continue.

“The problem is that at your level, any kind of metal armor will weigh you down significantly. Depending on which style of metal armor you wear, it will encumber your movement as well. That is not even taking gravity magic into account which will add to your burden. Your body is simply not strong enough to handle a full plate armor at this time even without gravity.”

He couldn’t help but frown. It wasn’t the answer he had come seeking. “When will I be ready for such armor?”

“Probably in the Forging realm,” the large man guessed, scratching his head with the large hammer still in his hand.

Kai sighed with relief. The Forging realm wasn’t too far away.

“I find it intriguing that you also use a sword despite possessing gravity magic. While not ideal, it can still work when applied correctly.”

The idea of using other weapons intrigued Kai, but it wasn’t something at the top of his to do list at the moment.

“Due to the nature of your element, I’m afraid I need to ask two things of you. The first is a demonstration of your gravity magic. On me I’m afraid, I need to get an idea for how much you currently increase gravity by, so I can determine which metal would be ideal.”

Kai wordlessly obliged by activating [Domain] in the entire foundry. Kai stood tall against the increased weight and pull trying to bring his body down to the ground. His body was slowly becoming more accustomed to the feeling of it as he got stronger and used his spells more often. Andre leaned forward as if he was going to fall before he caught himself with a step forward. Knock remained unmoving, not even a blink or lean as the massive man’s weight increased.

Lifting his hammer up and down like a curling weight, Knock silently examined it. “I see,” he muttered. He placed the hammer down on a small platform of metal. Knock’s eyes shifted below the hammer, something Kai couldn’t see from his angle.

“You are increasing gravity by approximately 80% of what it already is. Meaning you have almost doubled the weight for everything in your boundary.”

Deactivating the spell Kai’s eyes lit up. “You can tell how much the weight increased?” he asked excitedly.

Knock bobbed his head once, “When you work as long as I in this business you get a feel for many things. The hammer I was holding is the same one I’ve used for 30 years. I know everything about it, including its weight. So, it’s simple enough to tell how much it’s increased.” He coughed into his hand twice. “And… I have a device to measure weight,” he gestured to the weird object under the hammer.

The hammer in question was a massive thing, with sigils and glyphs running up the side of its dark brown handle and the silver head. It looked like it weighed more than him.

If he is right and the increased gravity of my domain ability increased the hammer’s weight by approximately 80% at 40 intelligence. Wouldn’t that mean at 50 intelligence the forces of gravity would essential be doubled? Is it possible the gravitational forces of my domain and pillar will be increased by 100 percent for every 50 intelligence?

Is it really that simple? I will easily be able to calculate that as my intelligence rises. What about other planets? I can’t imagine every planet has the same gravitational pull so will my modifier remain the same?

Wait. I forgot about my passive class ability and my general skills.

Negative forces of pressure and gravity are lessened by 10% for you

Magic Resistance 4

Physical Resistance 4

The effects of my gravity are already lowered by 10% on my body passively. And my general skills... do they apply to my own magic? They should. Even though I’m creating gravity via magic, the element itself is physical in nature. Physical resistance 4 should be improving my body by an additional 40% against it. Would my body break on me if I didn’t have those two effects lessening the burden of my magic? Would I even be able to move? I’m getting a headache... I received some answers but came out with more questions.

“Err... Knock do you mind if I cast another gravity ability on you to confirm the strength of it?

Amused, Knock nodded.

Kai used [Gravity Pillar] over Knock. Again, the man looked unfazed. “Does that weigh any differently?” He asked.

“It’s the same,” Knock responded.

He had been certain domain and gravity pillar both had the same modifier, but he wanted to make sure. That makes it easy. And my spells overlapping each other don’t seem to combine their forces too which I already knew.

“It’s obvious we need to use a lightweight metal you can wear, that is also sturdy enough to hold its shape and not break down to the pressure of your gravity. Unfortunately, that eliminates most materials in my shop. There are plenty of other metals around that would work but I’m afraid they are difficult to get. Most are only available on different planets, and they are certainly expensive.”

Kai’s shoulders sunk with each addition of bad news.

“Lucky for us, there is one metal in my shop that will work for this project,” Knock gave a winning smile, making Kai just notice one of his teeth was missing.

The massive hammer vanished into thin air, likely into a storage item, but Kai couldn’t see any jewelry on the man. In its place, a block of metal appeared. It appeared dullish greyish white, but instead of reflecting the light around the room, it seemed to absorb it. The enchantments giving light to the room dimmed the instant the block was brought out.

Kai was fascinated, the metal seemed almost mystical, dampening the lighting of the room. It was difficult to tell but white wisps seemed to be swirling around the outside of the ingot, giving it an almost ethereal property. The wisps became more pronounced the longer it absorded the light.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Alderlite.”

“Whoa, that is really rare. How the heck did you get some?” Andre asked, his voice full of awe.

“A payment for a job,” Knock responded vaguely.

“What is it? I’ve never heard of this metal before,” Kai asked. He really didn’t know much about metals. In fact, the material, cold iron that made up his sword was the first time he had ever heard of it too.

“I’ve heard it is used in the Holy City of Zenilia.”

“Zenilia? Isn’t that the only city with a world teleporter on New Earth?”

“That’s the one.”

Alderlite has a durability stronger than steel and weighs just about the same. As you noticed the lights darkened slightly when I took out the ingot. Its special property is that when it absorbs light, its weight lessens,” Knock supplied with a grin. “Seems perfect, no?”

“What about the fact that the suns are almost perpetually covered in this deary kingdom?” Andre pointed out, darkening Kai’s joyous mood with straight facts.

“Well, there is that...” Knock’s smile quickly turned into a frown.

“How much increased gravity can this take before it’s compromised?” Kai asked, getting back on track.

“Dunno, you’re my first gravity magic customer, and I’ve never worked with the stuff before. Should be exciting to find out,” answered Knock, an infectious smile back on the giant man’s face.

“I’m interested,” Kai said. It sounded like he didn’t have any other options short of some kind of hide or leather.

“Great,” beamed Knocked. “One small problem, however,” he said holding up a single beefy finger. “I don’t have enough alderlite to make you a full set of armor, which I wouldn’t recommend it would simply be too heavy for your body at this time. A breastplate and a helmet will be critical for your protection, so those are obvious choices. Shoulder pads are a must as well. I believe I should have enough raw material to make you shin guards, arm bracers, and a kind of tassets for upper thigh protection. You’re going to have a lot of open gaps and vulnerable spots throughout your armor, but your most critical areas will be protected.”

“You will have to figure it out for yourself, but supplementing those areas with different armor, might throw off the balance or reduce your flexibility since it won’t be one perfect set. Also, any other armor type would be increased under the weight of your gravity. Instead, I would instead suggest picking up enchanted cloth material. Something lightweight, sturdy, and thin enough that can be worn under your alderlite.”

Kai nodded. He was beyond happy at the moment.

Knock grinned. “Right, the last item before we measure ya, is payment.”

Kai felt himself begin to sweat a little. He had forgotten about payment. A rare exotic imported metal is surely going to cost a lot. And I have no idea if I am even going to be getting a good deal. Surely it can’t cost more than a full year of school.

“The cost of everything with the friend discount and because I am experimenting with this metal will come out to be about 80 gold total.”

Kai’s face dropped. Shit, that’s more than the entire school year. Kai looked to the quiet Andre hoping to get some help.

Andre shrugged. “I don’t know the price of alderlite armor. But I would take the deal, Kai. You need it and I’m sure he’s giving you a massive deal. I’ve known Knock a long time and I’ve seen him charge much more for less.”

“Fine,” he said with a nod.

“Deal. Half today, half on pick up. Now, let’s get you measured.”