The group huddled around the pool of loot on the stone ground.

30 Goblin Ears (F-) [Material]

Common loot from the goblins. Used as an ingredient mainly for potions and elixirs.

18 Monster Essences (F-) [Consumable]

Can be consumed to increase the strength, mind, and spirit stats of the user.

Wornout Goblin Club (F) [Artifact]

This wooden club has seen its fair share of fights. When used as a weapon it increases the strength of blunt attacks.

Goblin Crossbow (E-) [Artifact]

Crossbow made by the goblins- poor in design and function however operational. When used as a weapon it coats the arrows with a slow-acting poison.

Kristine was examining the crossbow, while Jason and Nico held the Monster Essences in their hands. Nico turned to Jason.

"You sure we can use these?" Nico said, staring at the monster essences in between his hands. They were small and thin square pieces, shimmering a faint gray as they glistened against the red flicker of the torches in the background.

"Yeah." Jason said. "We're doing okay now with our finances, so let's use the Monster Essences. Take your share and hand the rest to the others."

"Shiny." Kai said, taking a piece and bringing it up close to his eye.

"What now?" Nico said.

"Drop them to your mouth." Jason said, popping one, two, and three monster essences to his mouth like they were tic tacs.

"Aight." Nico stared again at the gleaming tokens just before dropping them to his mouth. For a second, nothing, until Nico felt an invigorating sense on his tongue like that of a mint crystal.

"Tastes like breath mints." Jason said before conjuring a pixie screen from the green mote on his hand. Nico did the same.

Name: Nicholas Atkins

Race: Human

Rank: Iron

Affinity: Green (Nature)

Strength: E

Mind: E-

Spirit: E-

Skills: Living Armor (E-), Well of Life (E-), Life Forge (F-)

Life Forge (F-) [Skill]

Conjure a furnace, anvil, and hammer made of magic wood and soul stone. The furnace manipulates life, the hammer shapes life, and the anvil breathes life. Enables you to create two living treants at your command.

Nico's eyes went wide, staring at the pixie screen like he just won some kind of lottery. He chanted the spell.

"Life is in the hands of a Soulsmith."

Viridescent rivers of light seeped out from Nico's mote, swirling around him just before seeping into the stone ground underneath his feet. Then, with a tremor, the ground sprouted out a greenwood furnace, anvil, and hammer- mimicking giant roots. Nico caught himself agape, carefully examining the equipment in front of him as if he was scared they might disappear.

Above the anvil were large floating red, blue, and green orbs- suspended in the air as if they were held up by invisible strings. Nico then touched the green orb, prompting a shimmering pixie screen to appear in front.

Life Forge (F-) [Instructions]

Ingredients:

Base Material/s - Any item/s. Preferably a weapon or fighting equipment. Firewood - Preferably of high quality and rarity. Fragment of Life - A sizable body part. Includes but is not limited to limbs and organs.

Blessing:

Burn the base material/s you want to use inside the furnace. This gives the material/s the blessing of life, now able to be forged into life itself. The type of material/s used as a base determines the treant's fighting role and capability. The type of wood used as fuel in the furnace determines the treant's body composition. Maximum number of base materials is limited by the rank of the user.

Liquification:

Place the now blessed material/s into the blue orb to acquire their pure, liquified state. Place a fragment of life into the blue orb to acquire its pure, liquified state. This prepares the material/s and fragment of life for merging. The fragment of life determines the tier and overall strength of the treant. The tier is limited by the rank of the user.

Solidification:

Pour the base material's liquid state out from the blue orb and into the red orb. Pour the fragment of life's liquid state out from the blue orb and into the red orb. Merge the liquified material/s with the liquified fragment of life, mixing them and solidifying the compound into an ethereal core.

Striking:

Take out the core from the red orb and place it onto the anvil. Picture an image of a living being inside your head. Once you have determined the shape from which the treant will take form of, hit the core with the hammer.

Shaping:

Final adjustments on the shape and size of the treant are made in the final step. The size of the treant is limited to the rank of the user.

"What's that?" Kai said, pointing to the forge that sprouted in front of Nico.

Nico stared long and hard at the pixie screen, trying to digest the instructions as if he was cramming for an exam set tomorrow. He then turned to Kai, an excited look drawn on his face.

"Quick, hand me that goblin club- and my hand." He glanced back to the pixie screen. "I need to test this."

"Your hand?"

"You know, the one that was cut off?"

"Gross man." Kai said, grabbing the wooden club in the pool of loot. "Here's the goblin club. You go get your hand, 'cause I am not doing it."

"Fine." Nico said, tearing away his eyes from the pixie screen as if they were glued to it. He then set out to find his hand.

The group had set up two tents within the remnants of the goblin camp. A burning campfire lit up the area with an orange flicker along with the torches in the background. As Nico was looking for his hand under the piles of wooden debris, he overheard the snores of Hena inside one of the tents. "Glad she's sleeping soundly. Once she wakes up she'll be shocked at what I have in store."

On the way, Nico picked up a dozen wooden scraps to use as fuel for the furnace. While he was picking up some firewood, he finally found his severed hand under the piles of debris, pale white and splattered all over with dry blood. "Fuck that's gross."

He then wrapped a white cloth around the hand and headed back towards the forge.

"I'm back."

"Hi Back." Kai said, earning himself a giggle from Saira.

Nico then dropped all the firewood he was carrying into the furnace, with the wood immediately catching fire as soon as they settled inside. The fire first glowed orange but then took on a bright green. Nico then took the goblin club and threw it into the fire. He first hesitated, expecting it to burn with the wood, but instead the club glowed an ethereal color.

The green orb floating above the anvil shimmered a pixie screen.

Successfully blessed [Wornout Goblin Club] with life aura.

"Nice." Nico said, staring at the furnace. "Aight, let's pull it out."

"He said pull out." Kai said, earning another laugh from Saira.

"Will you stop that?" Nico gave Kai the look as he then grabbed a nearby stick to yank the glowing club out. He then grabbed the goblin club with his bare hands, forgetting it was still fresh from the oven, letting out a yelp. Instead of burning his hands though, the club actually felt icy cold instead.

"Weird."

Nico brought the glowing club next to the blue orb floating above the anvil. The orb then siphoned the club inside it like it was mimicking a black hole. After a while with Nico standing in anticipation, the green orb shimmered another screen.

Successfully liquified [Wornout Goblin Club] into a pure liquid state.

Nico then set out to pour the liquid from the blue orb into the red orb below it. The liquid illuminated an ethereal glow as it ran down like a small waterfall into the red orb, with the red orb promptly absorbing it.

"I hope I'm doing this right." Nico said as he wiped off a sweat from his cheek.

Next, Nico brought out his severed hand and brought it next to the blue orb like he did with the goblin club. The orb siphoned the hand.

Successfully liquified [Severed Hand] into a pure liquid state.

"That's nasty." Kai said, standing from behind as he observed Nico work his magic.

"Shut it, I'm concentrating." Nico said, now pouring his liquified hand into the red orb.

Successfully merged and solidified [Wornout Goblin Club] and [Severed Hand] into a solid core.

Nico then pushed his hand into the red orb, withdrawing back again his hand to bring out an ethereal glass core from the red orb. It swirled with energy inside, like a storm was raging- ready to burst. He placed the glassy sphere onto the anvil.

"Aight, what's next?" Nico said, staring at the glowing sphere on the anvil. His gaze then fell to Champ who was barking with excitement beside him. "Right, imagine the shape of an animal."

Nico first pictured the shape of a dog. Then, a cat. Many shapes and forms crossed his mind, ranging from horses to Pokémons. Finally, he settled for a basic shape- a humanoid form. He then took the hammer to his hand and struck the glass sphere with it. The hit emitted out a ghostly bell ring that echoed throughout the cavern walls.

"Did you break it?" Saira said, poking her head over Nico's shoulder.

"I hope not."

The sphere then burst to ethereal haze, forming a heavy white mist around Nico and his forge. The mist then settled and coalesced into a vague, cloudy, and humanoid sculpture floating above the anvil.

"Nice." Nico let out a long exhale.

"Time for the finishing touches."