[Arius POV]
"You may learn"
Hearing those words, I felt a burden being lifted from my heart. Falling onto my butt, my eyes were tearing up again, some of it was due to joy but most of it was from the pain in my head that finally set in.
"I'M FINALLY DONE!!"
It seems I wasn't the only one who achieved my goal today. With a full set of armour on an armour stand for display, Big Brother Jaque laid down on the ground to take a well-deserved break. Instead of congratulating Big Brother Jaque, Mr. Doherty, or Master Doherty now, took a look at the large clock hung on the wall and walked closer to examine the suit of armour.
"Not bad, crybaby, a little over 13 hours. Though you've definitely lost your edge, this armour could barely be considered a Copper-ranked item. Hmmm. You're lucky today. Instead of doing 2 gauntlets tomorrow, you'll bring little crybaby over here to go see Earnest and bring back suitable materials for his first item."
"Yess master..."
After responding, Big Brother Jaque's head fell backwards and he fell asleep. Seeing Big Brother Jaque snoring on the ground, Master Doherty lifted him up onto his shoulder before pulling out a small object from his pocket.
"What you're name, little one?"
"It's Arius, Master Doherty!"
"He, alright. Arius, take this potion. Your face looks horrible. Go get some rest, tomorrow is going to be a rough day for you."
"Right! Master Doherty."
After giving me the potion, Master Doherty flashed me a grin before bringing Big Brother away. I got an uneasy feeling from his smile but I didn't have enough energy to care. That problem can be for tomorrow's me.
Laying on the ground, exhausted and tired, I think back to everything that's happened since the beginning of the travel to town. All the events, from the ambush, Duargeinhelm, Big Brother Jaque and becoming an apprentice craftsman, it was too much for my brain to handle. Still, somehow everything is moving forward and that's all that matters. I start giggling to myself.
"Hehehehe, I did it! The first step to becoming a creator!"
...
The next morning, I was full of energy as I was ready to complete the task that Master Doherty gave me. I met Big Brother Jaque sitting in the dining area eating his breakfast while holding a cup of coffee.
"Big Brother Jaque! You ready to go yet?"
"Give me a few more minutes, let me enjoy my coffee."
"Come on Big Brother, it's not that important. I think we should go right now."
"You don't understand, Arius. Once you're older, you'll know the joys of drinking coffee. Some days, it will definitely be the best part of the day."
"Big Brother Jaque, I think you're just weird. No one else I know drinks coffee, not even Sister Lisa or Arielle."
"Well, looks like I just need to introduce you to one. She happens to be one of Master Doherty's Senior Apprentices. Hey, Senior Sister Emma! I have someone I want to introduce you to!"
Seeing Big Brother Jaque crying out to a girl on the other side of the room, hearing his call, she gets up before walking toward us. She had white hair tied into a ponytail while wearing a pair of oversized overalls. She seemed quite small probably only a little taller than Big Brother Jaque.
"Hey, Jaque, seems like you really got roughed up by some goblins."
"So the news has already spread."
"Yup, it already has. Everyone in the workshop already knows."
"Great, just great."
"You really don't like taking others' sympathy, do you?'
"Of course, it's so awkward."
Listening to their conversation, this big sister seemed nice but somehow the conversation ended with Big Brother sighing in defeat and the big sister happily laughing. Soon the conversation switched to me.
"So, is this the famous kid that managed to become Master's apprentice after 15 fails?"
"Yep, he's the one. Arius, meet Emma Silfar, your senior apprentice sister."
"He-hello, my name is Arius."
"Aww, you don't need to be shy, Arius. This big sister here will help you with whatever you need. You just need to ask."
"Ok, Big Sister!"
"Ohh, you'll so precious, Arius!"
Seeing me getting along with Big Sister Emma, Big Brother Jaque quickly looks at me with a stern face before whispering in my ear.
"Psst, Arius, don't be fooled by Emma's kind big sister energy, she loves to tease people when she gets the chance and plus do you know what kind of craftsman she is? She's a weapons specialist! She knows exactly how to make a person feel the worse! She's a devi-"
"JAQUE! What nonsense are spouting to little Arius?! You know, I set up a little gathering of us apprentices, you should come a follow me."
Hearing what Big Sister Emma just said, I see Big Brother Jaque shiver before downing his coffee. Then he quickly stood up, grabbed his bag and evaded Big Sister Emma's grab before lifting me up and running away.
"Alright, I got to go help Arius get his task done. Maybe some other time."
Running away leaving Big Sister Emma in the dining area, we soon enter the workspace where we are greeted by Sister Lorraine and Master Doherty. Lorraine was wearing a nice dress, seeming like she was going somewhere.
"Sister Lorraine, are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I going to visit Sister Stella at her house."
"Alright, that's cool! I'm going on my first task today."
"Wow, that's amazing. Next time you should come along with me!"
"Yeah, I will. Ok cya!"
"Cya!"
While I finished my short conversation with Sister Lorraine, turn around to see Master Doherty talking to Big Brother Jaque. Soon enough, they finished talking and Big Brother and I were on the road.
"Sooo, Big Brother where are we going?"
"We're going to go see old man Earnest to get some materials for you to start crafting, he's in charge of managing all the mining operations in town."
Soon we arrive at a large depot on the edge of town. Outside the depot were large bins filled with ores and there were plenty of people, wagons and horses arriving and leaving the area.
Walking into the depot, we start to pass through the crowds of people who were there taking a break and talking. Slowly, we made our way deeper into the building until we came in front of the counter. There was no one and nothing at the counter, but a bell that hung from the ceiling. Using his fingers to flick the bell, Brother Jaque patiently waits as if something was going to happen.
Click
Even though Big Brother Jaque flicked the bell, other than the initial click of his nail hitting the bell, no sounds rung out of it. As we waited there in silence, I started getting more and more impatient. Just as I was about to say something, I hear the flapping of wings before with a poof, I see a pale skinny old man in front of us. Ignoring the fact that I just jumped in my boots, the old man stared at us before talking in an emotionless voice.
"Jaque, what does Doherty need this time?"
"Sir Earnest, this time, we are simply here to buy materials needed for apprentice-level craftsmen."
Taking a brief glance at me, I see a large book float from a bookshelf next to the old man. It opened by itself before flipping through pages one by one before resting on one page.
"Hmmm, we have plenty of Karthin and Exerac but it seems like our stock of Fonotavic dust is gone."
"Sir, do you know when the next batch of Fonotavic dust will come in?"
"Not many specialize in getting Fonotavic dust. While they are already out, they will only come back when they have a full cart so it could take around 3 days."
"Seems like we have to go find it ourselves, thank you, Sir. Alright, Arius. We're going mining"
Giving a slight bow, Big Brother Jaque quickly took my hand and turned around to leave. I was simply bewildered and confused, not understanding what I saw and what they were talking about so I simply followed along. Looking back at the counter, the old man had already disappeared and the book returned to its spot on the bookshelf.
"Big Brother, what's with that old man? He gives me the creeps!"
"I don't know much about Sir Earnest, but from what Master Doherty told me, he is a high-ranking vampire and the strongest person in town. So treat him with respect at all times, ok?"
"Alright."
Arriving outside, we begin walking on the road away from town, it seemed like we were slowly walking up a large hill. With a long walk ahead, I start talking to Dakria in my head.
'Wow, a vampire! I've never seen one before! Dakria, isn't that cool?'
'It is a rare sight to behold, they always seemed to live in solitude and isolation.'
'Dakria, did you understand what Big Brother Jaque was talking about?'
'Yeah, the three materials he talked about are all used for crafting items. Karthin is a metal that when mixed with an iron will greatly increase the durability of the item. Exerac is a fuel that is used in the furnace. Fonotavic dust is a type of mana dust. A special substance that allows an item to be engraved upon.'
'I don't understand.'
'...'
As Dakria and I were having a very productive conversation, we reached the top of the hill and looked over to the other side, my eyes widened in shock. On the other side of the hill, there was a valley filled with large stone pillars. In the middle of the hill, you could see a path that lead into a deep hole. Most of the people mining were outside the hole but there were a small number of people going down the hole.
"Woah!"
"Pretty cool right? I felt the exact same way when I first say it. The terrain in the valley has been completely changed by this S.T.A!"
"Alright, let's get going the-ack!"
"Hold up, you gotta listen first."
Just as I was about to launch myself into the valley, Big Brother Jaque grabs me by my shirt, keeping me in place. Then he starts dumping stuff out of his bag and hands me a pickaxe, a bag and a piece of paper.
"You're going mining and you don't have a pickaxe, come on Arius, use that big brain of yours."
"I'll try my best."
"*sigh* Alright, this is a special pickaxe used by everyone in town, there's this yellow rock on one side of it. This rock glows a different colour whenever you hit an ore. Here's a list of all the different colours."
----------------------
Iron-Grey
Karthin-Green
Exerac-Black
Rhinade-Yellow
Mythril-Gold
Titanium-White
...
...
-----------------------
Looking at the list of many different ores and colours, I didn't know most of them, but I saw what I needed to find, Karthin, Exerac and Fonotavic Dust... Wait where's the dust?
"Umm, Big Brother Jaque, Fonotavic Dust isn't on the list."
Hearing my question, Big Brother Jaque just stared at me, speechless.
"I guess you were using a bit of your brain. Arius, from the name, what is Fonotavic Dust?"
"A-a dust?"
"Yes! It's not an ore, it's a dust so it's not on the list. You'll find the Fonotavic Dust in the S.T.A. itself. I'll tell you more once we got the other materials first. Alright! Let's go!"
"YEAH!"
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Dakria's Fun Fact: Vampires
The last time I was awake, I remember that you would usually only find vampires in their capital, the city of Xlium. The vampires were more of an infamous race. They had special magic and skills that made them very adept in assassinations and with a cunning mind that rivalled the humans, they controlled many supply chains and resources. Additionally, to their low population and reproductive capabilities, they had a very strong sense of kinship and would do anything to avenge their people. Truly a terrifying race.