Construction Mage - Chapter 64: Test & Materials

AN: Hey, sorry for being so late. I had a bad day of writing and overall just an unproductive day. As a result, tonight's release will be postponed by a day, meaning Wednesday's release will be pushed back to Saturday instead. Thank you for bearing with this delay.

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[Ding—Level 5 Kobold Sentry slain.]

[Ding—Skill: Earth Blast(I) has leveled up!]

Clay smiled wryly as he got back into a meditative state. He had the honor of having the earth elemental fight on his behalf while he could just sit back and occasionally chuck spells at his foes.

He had been trying to get that last level in the Meditate Skill, but inadvertently leveled up his Earth Blast first. It couldn’t be helped, as Earth Blast was at a much lower level of six, and now seven. Even so, it couldn’t be said that he was disappointed. As soon as the fight was over, he immediately opened up his status to appreciate his gains.

Status:

Name: Clayton Stratton

Age: 30

Class: Earth Mage [Apprentice] - Level 9

Profession: Staffmaker, Alchemist

Resources:

Health - 100%

Stamina - 112/112 [1.6/min]

Mana - 32/100 [8.6/min]

Stats [Mage]:

Stat Points: 0

Strength: 15 

Endurance: 16

Agility: 17

Dexterity: 11

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 43

Skills:

Spell Manipulation(I): 6

Earth Blast(I): 4 -> 7

Meditate(I): 8 -> 9

Summon Elemental(II): 1

“Sir, I’m done with the loot. Shall we keep going?” Malik asked as he gave the human-sized backpack a sharp pull, settling it more comfortably onto his shoulders.

“Yes. As I said, today we won’t just be following our usual routine. I want to see for myself how the dungeons make any manmade structure within them disappear. Also, I plan to start pushing toward the core area of this layer. Probably once I craft my new weapons, we’ll start venturing into the underground area.”

“Got it! I think I see the tunnel entrance up ahead!”

Determined to obtain that final level on Meditate today, Clay made ample use of his Summon Elemental skill as he cleared out the rabble guarding the tunnel. It had the highest drain on his mana, but allowed him to stay in meditation while in combat.

[Ding—Level 6 Kobold Sentry slain.]

[Ding—Level 5 Kobold Worker slain.]

Hmm, still not there yet. Is not not gaining any experience points because the monsters I’m fighting are too low level, or it’s just at a severely reduced rate? 

Wait, no! I’m already making quick progress as it is. If I were in a full party with others who share the experience points with me, it would take several times longer. Don’t be ungrateful. Takes things one step at a time.

With no level up yet and having reached the wide tree with the tunnel connecting down to the inner parts of this stratum, Clay decided to forget about leveling up his skills for now. It was time to build a makeshift outpost.

“Malik, no need to pick up your backpack once you’re done. We’re setting up camp here.”

“Okay. I’ll get the pot and firewood ready once I’m done, then!”

After their trip into the second layer with Sylphira and Dorgan, the two of them took the things they had learned in stride. They were never ones to rush things in the first place. Being taught how to take things easy fits right into their playbook. 

They were now prepared to take breaks within the dungeon. For now, they would do practice runs on the first layer, but it was all in preparation for the next floor.

As Malik busied himself with the loot and camp, Clay got to work as well. The outpost they would be building was temporary and meant to be destroyed by the dungeon, so he didn’t bring any materials with him.

Instead, he made do with what they had in their surroundings, which was an unlimited supply of withered trees. It was in no way a good construction material, being more suitable to be used as firewood, but that was fine.

The earth elemental’s heft made it easy to snap the thinner trees in half. In no time at all, a pile of freshly fallen trees lay before Clay.

Right, I should commission an axe head for my future weapon as well. I’ll need it to harvest lumber.

For now, he made do with the skinning knife from Malik’s pack for the finer things while getting the elemental to snap off the branches. The resulting logs weren’t the prettiest, but were functional enough. One end of it was sharpened, and the extra branches were trimmed. With the material ready, all that was left was for Clay’s summon to drive the wooden pillars into the ground. By having a few of them next to each other, they formed a palisade.

The scene of the elemental working once again impressed Clay. It might be clumsy, but it was strong! He didn’t know how much longer it would take if he had to be the one driving the logs into the ground.

“How long have I been going for?” Clay asked.

Hearing a question, Malik instantly jumped up from his seat.

“Umm, maybe a little shorter than our shorter delves.”

“An hour or so, then. I see.”

During this time, Clay managed to erect several palisades a foot or two taller than him. Each of them consisted of only three logs. They were generously spaced apart from each other, which took up quite a lot of real estate. It made the open space before the tunnel entrance look like a fortified position. If he could figure out a way to prevent structures from disappearing, he could very well create a fortified outpost here with a little more time.

“Okay, so they say as soon as we let it out of our sight, the structure would disappear. I don’t suppose that means if we both blink at the same time, it’ll be gone, but more like as soon as we get a certain distance away from it. We need to verify if that is true, the exact distance for when that happens, and try out a few things to prevent that from happening.”

The tests took the two of them another hour. It was an informative session, but the information acquired wasn’t something that could be put to use for now. That was because he confirmed that the structures disappeared when no humans were within approximately one kilometer and had no line of sight. It was hard to get precise measurements due to the withered forest getting in the way and the lack of tools, but a rough estimation was enough.

It meant that the only way for Clay to create an outpost was to station people there. It made sense that no one currently did so, as staying inside the dungeon for days and weeks on end was a death wish. There was no incentive to do so when parties never stayed in one location indefinitely.

If I can get enough people into the guild, maybe I can create a rotation. No, maybe I can even hire some normal people for the role and create a small town somewhere. That’s a far-off goal, though. Stay focused. I can think of that later when the basic framework of the guild is even up.

For now, focus on the tasks at hand. It’s time to dabble in staffmaking!

“Let’s go, Malik. We’ve seen enough for today.”

***

“See you tomorrow, sir!” Malik said as he waved his hand under the late afternoon sky.

Just as he turned around to leave, Clay suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait, I almost forgot. I have a task for you. You can have half the loot from today if you can complete it.”

At the mention of a reward, Malik’s eyes lit up.

“Yes? What do you need done?”

“Find me someone who is skilled in pottery. I need them to teach me—hmm, maybe even work for me if they are the right person. They’ll have to work exclusively for me, though, so that isn’t a mandatory requirement. I’d rather not piss off their current workshop. What I mainly want are the skills and knowledge of their craft. Can you find someone like that without drawing attention?”

“Um, yes, if you don’t require them to be someone currently working for an existing workshop. I believe apprentices have to sign a contract with them that lasts for years. It’d be easier to find people with such skill among the refugees who entered the city at a later date.”

“Refugees? You think they’re skilled craftsmen among the refugees that haven’t been recruited yet?”

“Sir, there are only so many workshops in Ravenhold. I may have been a kid then, but even I know how many people from the nearby town and villages had to relocate here in a hurry. Without funds and tools to work with, there are plenty of craftsmen who can’t continue to ply their trade anymore.”

“Ah, yes. Makes sense. Sounds like you know where to look. As long as they really have the skills, I can fund them.”

“Understood. Was there anything else, sir?”

“Hmm, if there are that many craftsmen just lurking around, find me someone who knows how to make an oven as well.

“That should be easy enough. Plenty of bakers were forced to change trades. I’ll get back to you with what I find tomorrow morning. Is that fine?”

“Yes. Have a good evening, Malik.”

“You too, sir. Bye!”

With the matters delegated, Clay brought his attention to the task he must carry out himself—crafting. He had learned the Ironspine recipe, and it was time to make use of it. With that in mind, he opened his status screen and navigated to the Staffmaker profession. There, he found a single recipe listed.

[Ironspine: A staff that serves as a humble conduit of magic. Though far from mighty, using appropriately aged Ironbark in its construction can grant it unexpected sturdiness, making it a reliable melee weapon. Materials required: Ironbark, Mana Crystal, Infused Bone Ash, Mana Dew. Craft now? (Missing Materials)]

He had ironbark stored away at home, and Bone Ash from grinding down the bones from the Feral Lizards he had slain. He also had two Mana Crystals on hand from his daily delves. He had held onto them for when he needed more water crystals, so that worked out in the end. That left one missing material—Mana Dew.

Thankfully, he was at the core of the Delver trading area. With a goal in mind, he began wandering through the marketplace. The entire place was bustling with activity, as numerous people strolled around looking for good deals at the various stalls.

It didn’t take long to find one that dealt in crafting materials. Unfortunately, Clay didn’t even know what Mana Dew looked like, so even if it were laid out ‌before him, he wouldn’t recognize it. That’s why he patiently waited for his turn to speak with the seller. He listened in on his senior Delver’s conversation as he waited.

“Is this chunk of Reverberite all ‌that’s left?” a young man asked the vendor.

“Yes. I had a whole pile several days ago, but another beginner beat you to it. You’ll have better luck in a few days, or if you’re in a hurry, you should go mine it yourself.”

“Hm, I would if I thought my team was ready for it. Back on topic, do you know if any other vendors here have what I want? I’ve been looking all day to no avail. If you can point me in the right direction, I can make it worth your while.”

“Get lost, kid. I don’t have time to play informant for you. Go to the broker if you want answers.”

That’s some customer service skills, all right…

The young man grimaced upon hearing the harsh words, but didn’t snap back. He sighed and took his leave, allowing Clay to go next. The conversation revealed the short temper of the vendor, which put Clay on edge.

“Um, do you have any Mana Dew for sale?” he gingerly asked.

Without even making eye contact with him, the seller leaned over and grabbed a small earthen pot. He pushed it over to Clay and stated his price.

“Thirty silvers.”

The price was enough to buy two cheaper weapons from a reputable blacksmith outside, but Clay didn’t hesitate to slap down the amount he quoted. Delver equipment was just worth it.

As soon as he closed the deal, he hurried home and retrieved the quarters of Ironbark he had stowed from his trip to the second layer. They had one of the Delvers in the enclosure help cut up the log into more manageable pieces. Of course, Clay was mindful not to allow it to reduce too much in size. He would be making his first Delver equipment from the lumber, after all.

Now, with all the materials required to make an Ironspine, Clay laid them all out before him. He ran his hand through the Ironbark and opened up the screen to the Staffmaker’s page. Reading it through one more time, he selected yes.

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