I sketched out a leaf-shaped spearhead that came to an excellent point. It should pierce easily, and then the broad belly would slice them up real good. I included a wide crosspiece at the blade base to keep monsters from running up the shaft. It ended up being basically a leaf-bladed boar spear. Forge weld some mild steel pipe for the socket, and we should be in business.

  Once I had the propane forge lit, I took up a medium-sized hammer that was flat on one side and rounded on the other for drawing metal out. I grabbed a pair of tongs and used the hammer to shape the tips so they would grip the bar I was working with better and then stuck my metal into the forge.

  I began working on the metal. The steel was already almost wide enough for my purposes, so I worked at drawing out the steel lengthwise and only widening the middle of the stock a bit to give it a four-inch wide belly. As I fell into the pattern of beating the metal and reheating it, I felt my stamina draining, and my strikes were far less than perfect. I started to circulate my Ki through my meridian faster as I hammered the steel before me.

  I fell into my deep breathing technique while I worked, and my stamina drain slowed. I could feel the essence pour into me as I worked the vortex at the mouth of my meridian formed and began converting more Ki. I could feel my Ki trickling into the metal I was working through my tongs and through my hammer in my other hand. Each time the hammer struck, a bridge was briefly formed, creating a circuit for the Ki to pass through. The longer I did this, the easier it was to shape the steel, the longer it stayed hot, and each strike became more accurate. This process continued for several hours until I had hand-forged my spearhead to shape and just needed refining, quenching, and tempering.

  My stamina had fallen to just twenty-five out of one hundred ten, and my arms felt like lead weights by the time I finished the forging process. I managed to take the iron pipe, formed the guard from it, and forged it to the spear’s tang, creating a sturdy socket that extended a good six inches to support the head. I normalized the blade a few times, now I just had to make the handle, and my work would be almost complete. The spearhead still needed to be filed to a sharp edge, and I needed to remove all the forge scale from its surface. But I was damned proud of the work I did so far.

  I turned off the propane and let the flames go out. No need to waste the gas until I was ready to quench. I went through a stack of lumber in the barn and found a good five foot squared length of some darker wood, I wasn’t sure what kind it was, but when I smacked it hard against the anvil, it held up with barely a dent in the wood.

  I took a drawing knife, a straight blade with a handle on either side, and used it to make a simple octagon shape to the wood; all it took was trimming down the corners until it had eight even sides. Next, I traced the socket on the end of the handle and used my knife to whittle it until it was the same size and shape as the socket.

  To attach the socket, I remembered an old Celtic method to attach metal rings to their clubs to make them even more effective at bashing in skulls. They would heat rings of low carbon iron till they glowed red hot, and after soaking the club in water so it wouldn’t burn too quickly, they would hammer the ring over the club then rapidly cool it, the metal would shrink and secure itself tightly to the wood of the club. That was my plan.

  I soaked the handle in a bucket of water while I filed the spearhead, and once I felt it was ready to quench and sharpen, I heated the socket till it was glowing red. I didn’t want to attach the handle like this after quenching the blade; it could lose its hardness if the socket’s heat traveled too far up. Once I was done, I could take everything I needed back to the storm cellar to sand and polish the head and the shaft.

  My plan went reasonably well. The socket was firmly attached to the handle with a minimal amount of scorching. The wood didn’t burst into flame, and it seemed pretty sturdy. But, it was time for the moment of truth. It is time to give life to this blade. I heated the blade carefully until the entire edge was a bright golden yellow, careful not to overheat the tip, and then plunged it straight into a barrel of oil. It let out a hiss as the oil began immediately bubbling up. I held it still until the oil quieted then pulled it out. I looked it over, no warps, no cracks, and once it was cool to the touch, I tested it with a file, and it skated nicely. It was a hard blade.

  I wished I had a tempering oven available, but it wouldn’t work anyway, even if there was one here. So I had to try to temper this spearhead by hand. It was risky but better than the spearhead shattering like glass because it was too hard and not tough enough. Using just one of the propane nozzles in the forge, I ran the spine of the spear through the flame, letting it blue itself before bringing it out to cool, then did it once again.

  This was all I could do, that and pray to the forge gods… well, that’s not just a joke anymore, was it. The gods were supposed to be real now. I shook my head; grabbed some various grit grinder belts, a chunk of wood, the files, and a couple whetstones, and Rukia and I went back into the storm cellar. I suddenly felt I had been out in the barn for far too long, making a ton of noise, and wanted to get safely out of sight and underground.

  As Rukia and I walked back to the cellar, I saw my notification icon flashing. I pulled it up and whistled softly.

  Congratulations you have gained the skill Weapon Smithing: Weaponsmithing rank 3

  You can forge lifeless hunks of metal into graceful swords, piercing daggers, vicious axes, and stalwart spears. A weaponsmith is every warrior’s best friend. +2% durability and damage to completed weapons forged per rank. +.5 % chance to produce a weapon one grade higher per rank.

  Congratulations, you have gained the skill Ki Forging, Ki Forging rank 1

  You can imbue your Ki into the Forging process, increasing the malleability of steel being worked, increased durability, and Ki channeling capacity of all weapons forged with Ki

  +2% durability and Damage or Defense per rank. +2% Ki Capacity per rank. These effects stack with mundane forging bonuses.

  If I use my Ki when forging, I can effectively double any bonuses my weapons acquire, and what is Ki channeling? Can I put my Ki into my weapons, making them deadlier? It might be worth it to test out, and based on the bonus to Ki capacity, I’m guessing channeling too much Ki through a weapon would be pretty bad, maybe explody type bad.

  Once back in the cellar, I locked us in, gave Rukia the last piece of hawk meat, and ate a pouch of my, now thawed, homemade chili. It wouldn’t last long now that it wasn’t frozen. Tomorrow morning, I decided tomorrow morning, we would head out once again, adequately armed this time, better packed, and with increased stats, we should make much better time.

  I spent most of the evening grinding at the spearhead, giving it an excellent polish and a very sharp edge. I sanded down the shaft until it was smooth and polished it with a bit of linseed oil I found earlier. It felt comfortable in my hand; the spear was six feet long in total, a one-foot long blade, and a five-foot long handle. I should be able to choke up and use it one-handed or switch to two-handed easily. Once I finished polishing the handle, I read the Spears stats before sleeping with a smile on my face.

  Leaf Bladed Ki infused Steel Boar spear

  This spear was crafted by John Baker in the first days of System Initialization

  Quality: above average- +10% damage and durability

  Item rarity: uncommon

  Durability: 86/86 (base 80+6 from skill and Ki infusion)

  Damage: 32 (base 30+2 from skill and Ki infusion) x2 damage on critical hit.

  Traits: Ki Infused blade- Ki capacity 20 Armor Piercing- 10% defense from light and medium armor

  Chapter 6

  After one last meal the following day, Rukia and I said goodbye to this shelter. I gave quiet thanks to the previous owners for the hospitality they were unable to personally provide. Looking around, I noticed all the grasses and trees were growing quite rapidly.

  In the two nights we camped here, the grass grew several feet and seemed to acquire a purplish tint. In addition, the tree branches grew longer and swayed more easily in the breeze. I didn’t know what these changes meant, but I knew I didn’t really know enough to even try to investigate the changes.

  I started to head around the house and back to the highway when I noticed Rukia wasn’t following me. I looked back and saw her staring intently at the barn, ears perked forward.

  “Do you hear anything, girl” I whispered while walking back to her. I studied the barn again and the area immediately around it. I stilled my breathing and listened hard, trying to pick out what Rukia was hearing.

  Very faintly, I could hear what sounded like grunts and gargling snarls from over by the barn. I gripped my new spear tightly in my hand as I wondered what fresh hell this new world was going to inflict on us.

  Congratulations you have gained the Skill Listen, listen rank 1

  Through intense focus on the sounds surrounding you, you have gained an increased sensitivity. You can hear more clearly and from sources farther away. +2% clarity of sounds detected per rank, hear from source 2% further away per rank.

  I flinched as the sudden prompt from my new skill appeared before me. Of all the times to get a damned prompt, I cleared it out of my vision and saw what was making the strange noises. Three of those fucking goblins that killed and dragged off the family that owned this farm, I hope they died before being dragged off, were casually walking around the corner of the barn. I focused on the creatures to trigger my Identify skill.

  Goblin Scavenger

  Magic Monster Level 1

  Congratulations, your skill in Identify has increased.

  Identify Rank 2

  Well, aside from bumping my Identify up a rank, these weren’t spirit beasts or cultivators. They must be monsters from the path of Mana. I had no idea what differences there were between a level one magic monster and a body rank one spirit beast. Still, in most games, goblins were typically chumps that relied on swarm tactics over any fundamental skills or abilities… unless they were war leaders or shamans. Thank the gods there weren’t any of those here at the moment, just scavengers.

  I considered sneaking around the house and hope they didn’t spot us, but before I could try that most reasonable of options, Rukia started growling and let out a sharp bark at the Goblins. Her teeth were bared, and she looked ready to rip them a few new holes. I guess she really doesn’t like their smell or something.

  The Goblins looked at us, grunted and gargled amongst themselves, gesturing at us and back at the hills. I could see their yellowed teeth, practically fangs the way they were pointed, as they smiled at us and began to charge, waving their clubs over their heads.

  “Thanks, Rukia,” I snarked at Rukia before dropping my pack before starting to fight this time. I stepped forward to meet their charge, spear gripped in both my hands, Rukia crouched low by my side, ready to lunge.

  Those little bastards were faster than their three feet of height should allow. Almost before I knew it, they were half a dozen feet from us. I lunged my spear at the one in the middle, the entire foot of steel running through the creature’s gut. Nearly black blood poured from the goblin’s mouth as it vomited, its eyes glazing over and became dead weight.

  Rukia lunged at the goblin on my right, her teeth sinking into the arm holding the club as it swung at her. The goblin dropped his weapon as he hissed in pain. Rukia shook her head and savaging the arm of the monster even further.

  The goblin to the left closed the last few feet as his friend died on my spear. It swung the club towards my left knee, doing his damnedest to break it. I managed to swing my spear, goblin still attached, into his side, throwing off his stride and making the swing club the dirt instead of my leg. I jerked my spear free of the goblin I killed, swinging the butt of it at the monster’s head.

  I managed a glancing blow, sending the thing staggering as it tried to regain its balance. I brought my spear back in line, pointing at the goblin I clipped before he could regain his balance. I heard a yelp of pain from Rukia. I looked over and saw the third goblin holding his blood-streaked stone blade in his uninjured hand and was preparing to plunge it into Rukia’s side again, trying to get her to release his arm.

  I let out a roar of rage, startling the goblin for a split second. I swung the blunt end of my spear at its head; I didn’t want to risk stabbing Rukia with the pointy end. Instead, I managed a solid Thwak that knocked the fucker to the ground.

  Rukia took advantage of this to release its arm and tore it into the thing’s throat. I paid for taking my eyes off of the other goblin; I felt a hard strike against my back that nearly knocked me on my face. It felt like I’d been hit with a baseball bat wielded by a ten-year-old. It hurt, but one hit wouldn’t kill me. A red -5 flashed at the side of my vision.

  I spun around, cutting at the goblin with the edge of my spear. It jumped back, only taking a shallow cut across its bare chest. It looked at its dead companion and at the downed one with my dog savaging its throat. I saw the look of fear in its eyes as it dropped its club and turned to flee back to its tribe. Not wanting it to get away and warn who knows how many other goblins there were in the hills, I stepped forward and thrust my spear with all my might into the back of the fleeing goblin before it could take more than a few steps away from me.

  I could feel the spear as it parted flesh, sliced through bone and severed them with no resistance at all, and pierced through to its other side. The trust only stopped at the crossguards. I thrust so hard that the goblin was pushed forward, and my spear bit into the dirt.

  I ripped my spear free and spun to Rukia and her goblin, intending on putting an end to their fight. It wasn’t needed. I saw Rukia tear the Goblins throat out with a savage jerk. Black blood fountaining out and spraying over her face, the goblin gurgling as blood poured into its lungs. Idly I wondered if it would drown in its own blood first or from exsanguinating.

  I felt oddly detached for a few moments, thinking Rukia looked like a savagely beautiful beast. I was strangely proud of her at this moment. The blood geysered from the goblin’s ruined throat fell away after a moment or two. I had the time to think, “well, that answers that,” before the world spun around me. I fell to my knees and vomited up everything I had ever eaten and possibly everything all my ancestors ever ate.

  By the time the bile spewing and the inevitable dry heaving ended, I felt exhausted. Not just physically exhausted but mentally and spiritually drained as well. These monsters that I just slaughtered… were tool-using, leather-wearing, even if just loincloths, beings. They seemed to have their own language and could communicate with each other. They could clearly fear for their lives. They were obviously sentient and possibly sapient too. It was too easy, like killing children. Their bodies so small… the feel of my spear sliding through their flesh with ease. My stomach tried heaving again, but there was absolutely nothing left to come out.

  I didn’t know how long I was on my hands and knees, vomit covering my hands and soaking into the dirt, but it was a whimper from Rukia that managed to snap me out of the spinning thoughts clouding my mind.

  I looked over, suddenly remembering the bloody knife in the goblin’s hand, and I scrambled around. My girl was panting, steam puffing out with each breath. Steam? It wasn’t cold enough for breath to fog out. Instead, a pale blue glow seemed to emanate from her fur, the color almost precisely matching her pale icy blue eyes. I wiped the vomit off the back of my hands onto my own shirt and quickly checked the side where she had been stabbed.

  The wound was visibly closing before my eyes. The blue tinge was on the edges of the puncture too, it seemed to be icing over then melting away, leaving healthy skin under the blood matted fur. At the same time, her wound healed over completely, the slight glow faded from the rest of her. “What is going on, girl” I whispered. Then, remembering that it was a thing I could do, I pulled up her character sheet to see for myself.

  Rukia character sheet

  Cultivation Rank: Body 1

  Health Points: 55/55

  Health Points: Regen: 0.46hp/hour

  Stamina: 150/150

  Stamina Regen: 15/minute

  Ki: 25/75

  Strength: 11

  Dexterity: 11

  Agility: 17

  Constitution: 11

  Stamina: 15

  Intelligence: 4

  Wisdom: 7

  Special abilities:

  Spirit Beast: can gather essence through fighting other beasts, and able to consume Beast cores to increase in power. Does not unlock meridians like sapient Cultivators, but grows more naturally in power as they gather essence. Essence is automatically converted to Ki. Ki is stored in their own Spirit Beast Core. Spirit beasts, unlike their human counterpart, can gain an element to their Ki once they reach their first rank. It will be a weak affinity but will grow in strength as the Spirit beast rises in rank.

  Bonded Spirit Beast: this spirit beast is bonded to a sapient Cultivator. The master and beast can always locate one another and share an empathic link, which allows for better understanding and alerts one when the other is in danger.

  Elemental Affinity Ice: Minor

  Skills:

  Scent Tracking: rank 1

  Listen: rank 5

  Primal Combat: rank 1

  Cultivation abilities:

  Charge: imbue your muscles and bones with Ki to create a burst of speed when you need it most.

  Cost: 5 Ki

  Effect: doubles movement speed for 3 seconds

  Frost Fang: imbue your teeth with Ice Ki causing +2 damage per point of Ki, +2 points of stamina damage per point of Ki. .5% chance of slowing target by 20% for .5 seconds per point of Ki.

 

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