"First of all, Alexx, these are yours."

The bracers Rika handed to him had the same burnt leather look as Lorans Fire-Hardened set, but unlike their usual bracers, which ended at the wrist, this new pair extended over the knuckles. The leather there was particularly thick, and more shockingly, had a jagged piece of shiny black carapace sticking out of it.

"You made him spiked gauntlets with the Iron Ant shell?" Loran asked, using [ANALYZE].

[NAME]: Iron Ant Bruisers

[QUALITY]: Poor

[TYPE]: Weapon/Equipment(FOREARMS)

[DURABILITY]: 250/250

[STATS]: 10 Bludgeoning Damage

2 Armor

[AFFINITY/REQUIREMENTS]

STR: A/10

DEX: F/3

[DESCRIPTION]

Leather bracers with Iron Ant carapace bound to the knuckles. Provides moderate defense while increasing punching damage.

"Specifically the mandibles. It was the hardest part of the shell and nothing we did could even scratch it."

"That... actually makes sense," Loran said. "It had a Skill called Iron Jaw or something."

"Really? I wonder..." Rika's eyes became unfocused as she began thinking about something.

"Uh, Rika?"

"Right, sorry. It's kind of hard to focus right now. Anyway, we had a bunch of leftover Iron Ant carapace, we could've used it for more processing experiments but I figured it would be better to give you guys some better items for hunting them." Rika picked up a large spear, handing it to Zed. "This isn't anything fancy, but I figured it would work better than your usual weapon."

"Not fancy?" Zed said, staring at the weapon with mild amusement. "I'd say this thing is pretty elaborate."

The spear was almost twice as thick as Zed's normal one and looked like it was made from Maple wood instead of the usual Birch. The ends of the spear were also different than normal, with the top having a carved wooden blade with jagged pieces of ant carapace coming out along the edge instead of a simple spearhead, and the butt having a large wooden block.

[NAME]: Iron Ant War Spear

[QUALITY]: Poor

[TYPE]: Weapon

[DURABILITY]: 200/200

[STATS]: 30 Slashing Damage OR 20 Bludgeoning Damage

[AFFINITY/REQUIREMENTS]

STR: C/15

DEX: C/15

[DESCRIPTION]

A wooden spear with shards of Iron Ant carapace used to create a cutting edge. Although the shards can be knocked loose they can be replaced over time.

"I started with the idea of a staff with one of those blocks on both ends since a normal spear was going to be useless against these ants."

"You don't know tha-"

"Yes, I do," they said, cutting Zed off. "Plate armor is a hard counter to pretty much any bladed weapon, and the shell of an Iron Ant more than qualifies. Anyway, I was just going to give you a staff but then I had an idea to wedge some leftover shell pieces into the wood to create a cutting edge."

"Kind of looks more like a halberd than a spear though," Loran said.

Rika shrugged. "Well the description classes it as a spear, so it should still work with your Spear Fighter Skill."

"And you're sure that the sharp side will work?" Zed asked, eyeing the jagged shell pieces skeptically. "It really seems like they'll just pop out when I try to cut something."

"It's pretty rough right now, but the design was used in reality. It's actually based on an old Aztec design, where they would-"

"I really don't care," Zed said, still inspecting the spear, but slightly more impressed.

"Right, right. Anyway, the pieces will need to get replaced later on, but it should hold up for a few fights, and the other side can always be used as a bludgeoning weapon."

"Alright then," Zed said, taking a few steps back to start getting a feel for the weapon's weight.

"So what have you done with my bracers?" Loran asked, curious and a little excited after seeing what she gave the other two.

"Here they are," they said, tossing Loran the last two pieces of his armor. At a glance, they seemed to be the same as the rest of his armor, but Loran noticed that they felt slightly heavier than they should be. Using [ANALYZE] he quickly saw why.

[NAME]: Reinforced Hardened Leather Bracers

[QUALITY]: Poor

[TYPE]: Equipment(FOREARMS)

[DURABILITY]: 250/250

[STATS]: 6 Armor

[REQUIREMENTS]

STR: 10

[DESCRIPTION]

Leather bracers with Iron Ant carapace hidden within. It provides moderate defense while only slightly increasing weight.

"These things are almost as good as the body armor!" Loran said, stunned. "You guys are really going nuts with the Iron Ant shells."

"Just wait until we can actually process it," Rika said, a determined glint in their eyes. "That Iron Ant shell is some good stuff, but it'll be even better once we can separate the chitin from the metal. I've already had dozens of ideas on how to use it. You guys better bring us a whole bunch of those ants."

"Don't you worry," Zed said, holding up his huge spear and staring at the point, "I intend to."

"Oh before I forget," Rika said as the three were beginning to walk away. "Those special items are all literally prototypes, so when you get back make sure to give me feedback on their performance."

"Can do," Alexx said.

Having received their equipment, the three made their way out of the Workshop.

"I don't know about you guys," said Loran, "but I'm itching to put this new gear to the test."

"Definitely," Alexx said, eyeing his new weapons. "I still need to grab some stuff from my shelter, but let's meet up at the bridge."

"Yeah, I'll see you guys there."

Alexx and Zed left for their respective shelters as Loran made his way to the bridge. There wasn't anyone from the expedition party there yet, so once he put on his new equipment he began doing some stretches to check how restrictive it was. After that, he pulled out his Bone Picks and began practicing the motions for a few attacks, then making sure no one was nearby as he began moving at full speed.

Overall, Loran's range of movement was the same as in the layered armor, and some movements were actually easier. The biggest difference that he could notice was the extra weight in his bracers.

'Not really enough to slow me down, but considering how fast I'm starting to move a half-second could mean a world of difference.'

It didn't take long for Loran's actions to start drawing stares from the players passing by.

'Understandable,' Loran thought once he noticed them. 'Most people would be practicing like this at the Training Field. Doing it next to the bridge would be like someone doing yoga in a parking lot.'

Loran did his best to ignore them, and fortunately, none of them tried to talk to him. Everyone knew that he was going to be a part of the nest finding expedition today, so the staring was just from his actions being a little odd rather than them wondering what he was doing.

Because Loran was trying to ignore his surroundings, it was only at the last moment that he realized that someone was about to walk straight into him. By the time Loran noticed them he was halfway through an attack that would've bashed their skull in.

"What the!?" Loran shouted, throwing his body to the side to avoid hurting the other person. Tripping over his own feet, he managed to not fall into the river, although his landing was... less than graceful.

"Huh? Oh hey Loran," the player said, who Loran now realized was Alan.

"...Did it really take you this long to notice me?" Loran asked as he stood up.

"Were you trying to get my attention?"

"No, I was practicing some moves, and you nearly walked face-first into my pick," Loran swung his weapon for emphasis.

Alan's eyes widened as he realized what had nearly happened. "Oh, well, thanks for not breaking my face," Alan said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"What were you thinking about to be that distracted?"

"I'm thinking up a new bridge design."

"Oh? Have given in to the critics?"

"No," Alan pointed downriver. "One of the hunters found a clay deposit a couple of miles that way. I don't plan to tear down the bridge anytime soon, but I was thinking about how I would've designed it if I had bricks. After all, wood may be water-resistant, but bricks are basically waterproof."

"Clay huh. About time we found that stuff."

Similar to iron, clay was a very important crafting material. Being able to make ceramic pots and bowls would be a huge improvement over their current wooden bowls since those could still rot from excessive use. Clay pots could also be used in cooking, which would give the Kitchen more options in the form of soups and stews.

Most of all, clay bricks provided the option of waterproof construction materials. Once they had a steady supply of clay they could stop making wooden shelters or mud huts and start building solid brick houses, which could not only resist the rain but could be built higher since it gave a more sturdy base. Brick could also reinforce the defensive wall, which could easily keep out anything short of the Demon Bear or the Iron Ants.

'Of course, that'll only be when we have a steady supply,' Loran thought. "I'm guessing that we didn't find enough clay to start building better houses though right?" he asked Alan.

"No, but even if we did it wouldn't matter," Alan said, pulling off his shirt as he prepared to check up on the bridge's supports. "We still don't have any kind of mortar to lock the bricks together. It'll be a while before we can build anything besides pottery."

"At least the builders won't have to worry about changing their plans again. Anyway, I'll let you get to your inspection."

"Yeah," Alan said, pointing at something behind Loran, "seems like you've got other things to do right now anyway." He then made his way into the river, diving once the water was deep enough.

Turning around, Loran saw Alexx and Zed being followed by Bates, Calix, and nearly two dozen other players, the rest of the expedition team.

"Ugh, introductions," Loran groaned. "Let's get this over with."

Fortunately for Loran, introductions were quick and basically just a headcount. Once they made sure that everyone was present, and they all double-checked to make sure that they had all the necessary equipment and supplies, the group of twenty-three players crossed the bridge and began following the river north.