B3 C43: Then Let the Party Begin

With the completion of the orphanage, a much awaited notification finally greeted me.

Construction has reached level 10!

Congratulations! You have reached the Initiate rank in Construction!

Based on your skill usage, one of your abilities has been upgraded.

Lead From the Ground

Buildings in your own settlement that you contribute to the construction of significantly receive a 5% -> 10% bonus to their quality.

Nothing that would help me build orphanages for cheap nobles, but still a good one. It was the first time I’d seen a rank up directly upgrade one of my existing abilities rather than give me an augment or spell variant.

Feel like I have to hide this one from Tuk, though, or he’s going to rope me into building everything with him.

“Good job, everyone! Look at you. Basically professional builders already.” The instructor at last allowed us to break from our huddle, most of us looking considerably happier than we had only moments ago. Whether that was from others leveling just like I had or from a job well done, I wasn’t sure.

“Let’s pack it up! Still plenty of more buildings to build, folks. Pretty sure this next one’s a library.” Soon thereafter, he pulled out a recall gem, and off we went to the next settlement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two wooden figures sat on my bedside table, and despite the care I’d put into making them, I couldn’t help but gaze at them reproachfully.

They’re… fine. Not bad. Not great. Just. Fine.

In fairness, that was to be expected. Once I’d settled on what to carve for Alara, I’d decided to do two quick trial runs using standard wood. And by quick, I meant quick. They were more proof of concept than anything else. In that, they’d succeeded -- the concept had been proved. I would have tried to make a third or a fourth to iron out the last details, but I was running out of time.

All right. Time to use the good stuff then. I pulled out one of the few remaining pieces of life-infused wood from my spatial pouch, all the way back from the first time I’d met Elphaea and fought her summoned root monsters. By comparison, I had a near unlimited supply of darkwood, but it didn’t feel right. Neither Alara nor the creature I was carving felt like darkness. They felt large and full of life.

While I’m using this, though…

I summoned up my Gloves of the Arcanist, switching it to the very first variant I’d found.

Gloves of Wooden Rebirth

Though no longer living, the wood you work with is granted a shot at a second life through the skill of your carving. Any piece created while wearing these gloves will have an increased affinity for life enchantments and effects.

Additional effects may be discovered on meeting the conditions for them.

I’d used them a few times when carving normal wood, but as of yet, it hadn’t done anything. I was hoping that with the extra life mana in the wood this time, the effects would finally kick in.

“Here we go then…” I laid out all the gouges and knives I’d recently bought -- a good purchase too considering how cleanly and easily they cut into wood compared to my previous set -- took a deep breath, and then got to work.

Small motions. Precise motions. It was here that I got lucky with how God’s Mind boosted my recall, allowing me to mentally summon up an exact image of what I was trying to carve from every angle I could think of. Guided by my Perception and made steady by my Dexterity, my hand carved away until the formless wood took shape.

Day after day, night after night, whenever I could find a moment between my classes, I threw myself into the work, until at last, it was the night before Alara’s birthday.

With my desk a mess of scattered wood shavings, I used the tiniest of the gouges to carve the final tiny details. Then, with bated breath, I pulled myself back, judging my newest creation while also awaiting my judgment from the system.

It’s good! Angry. Far better than the two dummy carvings I’d done to prep, although that was to be expected. Not… Not quite perfect. But it’s unmistakable what I made, at least?

I doubted I’d ever be fully pleased with anything I made -- such was the curse of making things, I’d discovered -- but it was done, and I accepted that. In response to my acknowledgment, the system at last made its verdict, starting by throwing me a much-awaited level.

Woodworking has reached level 10!

Congratulations! You have reached the Initiate rank in Woodcarving!

Based on your skill usage, you have been granted an augment.

Gift-giver’s Augment

Items you create with Woodworking have their quality improved when given freely as a gift.*

*Note, any quality improvements or effects added by this ability will be negated if the item is sold or otherwise ceases to be a gift.

A strange one, all things told. Apparently all those levels I’d gained making Nadja’s bracelet counted for something. Ultimately, my leveling was not what I was most interested in reading about, though.

I quickly scanned down to the quality of the carving, eager to see how well I’d done.

The quality of your carving is: Good.

The rarity of your carving is: Basic.

I kept reading to see if I’d gotten any bonuses from using my gloves, and-

Nothing.

At all.

No named item like the time I’d made a ring for Nadja. No life enchantment. Just a basic carving.

I knew it wasn’t really that big of a deal. Alara would still say she loved it, I was sure. None of that stopped me from feeling… defeated, though.

Well, hopefully the new augment can do something.

Despite that hope, I soon went to bed, my disappointment still welling up inside of me until it was banished as I finally fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~

Food! Nothing was quite as amazing at cheering someone up as a good night’s rest and a plate of warm food. To this, I was no exception.

In this case, though, I wasn’t the one eating the food -- well, fine, I was definitely stealing a few bites along the way -- but I was the one cooking it. The dish Alara had requested for her birthday was a repeat of the pasta I’d made for my dinner party.

Prepare the pesto sauce, using a healthy dose of herbs from Emer’Thalis. Boil the orzo. Throw it into the pan. A light frying -- not enough to dry the pasta out -- while tossing in a good helping of duck fat. Add in the pesto. A liiittle bit of citrus to give it all a “zing” to it. Proprietary spice mix. Done.

I shoved it all into a glass to-go container before topping it with some of the city’s local cheese, reminiscent of some mozzarella that had birthed a child with a wheel of goat cheese. And then, at last-

Cooking has reached level 11!

The level is a good sign. I don’t think I’d have gotten it if I’d cooked something awful. Even if my carving ended up being a bit lackluster, I was sure the food would be well-appreciated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good! You are here!” The very moment Alara spotted me, she dashed over to crush me into an embrace.

“Hi Alara. And happy birthday.” I’d picked up a few levels in Breath Control with Flithus, mainly meaning to use them if I ever was stuck underwater for a while. I was happy to see that they worked just as well when it came to speaking while my chest was in the process of being smushed to oblivion.

“Yes! It is a happy birthday, PPG! A good observation. Now come, wait.”

I was apparently the first to arrive, and as such, the two of us waited outside Alara’s house together.

This, however, proved to be the perfect setup for an ambush.

The door to the house swung open, and a middle-aged couple stepped outside. Immediately, the two honed in on me, and without the rest of the herd to protect me, I was easy prey.

“Hi there! Are you one of Alara’s friends? She never tells us anything about her friends, you know.” The woman was short and fragile-looking, and when she took a hold of my shoulder, I barely felt the weight of it at all.

“How’d you two meet, hmm? You’re not one of those fighter folks are you? Believe me, her uncle already fills her head with enough of all that.” Though not nearly to the extent of the woman, the man was similarly thin. Even with stats and skills occasionally making appearances deceptive, I couldn’t imagine him ever throwing a punch.

Alara -- invincible, unbreakable Alara who only a week before had gone toe to toe with a titan several times larger than her -- looked like she’d suffered a fatal blow.

“Mother, father, I thought we agreed you would not do this! I am 23 now, not 13!”

The first two words alone caused me to short-circuit. These people were Alara’s parents? Alara probably had more muscle mass in a single arm than the two of them did in their entire bodies. How did they give rise to her?

“Well we wouldn’t have to if you told us more about your friends, now would we honey? And in any case, as long as you’re still living under our roof and we’re splitting your tuition with your uncle, you’ll just have to put up with it. But enough of that.” Alara’s mother shut her daughter down flat before continuing my interrogation. “Is our Alara popular at the academy? Oh, what classes are you taking together? You’re not part of that frightful dungeon class, are you? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. It’s just, we worry, you know? It’s just not safe!”

Your daughter looks like she could crush a metal slime to death with her thighs; I really think you’re overreacting here.

Unfortunately, I figured it wouldn’t be too tactful to say that aloud. As such, what followed was perhaps the most tense and awkward minute of my life as I did my best to deflect and redirect every line of questioning. Some of the easier ones I answered as truthfully as I could, while the others I sidestepped with so much grace, I thought my Dodge skill would level. In fact, I did get a level out of it all, just not for Dodge.

Deception has reached level 6!

In the end, I was only saved by the arrival of a new target, one that I hadn’t even realized was invited despite how well I knew her.

Sensing a new vector of attack, Alara’s mother switched targets. “Hello! Are you another one of Alara’s friends?”

With a calm and collected expression, the newcomer nodded. “I am acquainted with the young Lady Valis, yes. Would I be correct in assuming you two would be her parents? It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Verin’Sylus, and you have my thanks for the job you have done in raising your daughter. She is an… eventful person to be around.”

For all of Verin’s ice, Alara seemed eminently pleased by that last comment, as if “eventful” was the best thing a person could be. Alara’s parents, on the other hand, seemed to focus on a different part of Verin’s words.

“Did you say Sylus? As in Sylus Sylus? Oh my…”

Now it was their turn to short-circuit, and seeing her chance, Alara pounced.

“I am certain the great and honored noble Verin’Sylus does not wish to be questioned, mother! Here, as a good daughter, I will help you inside!” Throwing propriety to the wind, Alara then scooped her mother up with one arm before using the second to grab her father. Both of them squawked out in equal parts surprise and protest, but they apparently hadn’t rebooted enough yet to properly object.

If a bit more gentle, the entire thing reminded me of when Alara had scooped up me and Emin on my birthday. Only a few seconds later, she’d deposited her parents back in the house, looking supremely pleased with herself when she came back out. Notably, her parents stayed inside.

“That did not occur,” she informed us. Considering it was her birthday, both of us chose to tactfully nod in agreement.

The other soon rolled in, Emin next, and then Oachin and Nella together. Save for Verin, there was no one outside of our delving group invited, marking the gathering complete.

If I’d been surprised to see Verin here, the Larin twins were considerably more so. They bowed stiffly when they arrived.

“Lady Sylus. Apologies, we did not realize we were making you wait on us with our tardiness. We look forward to spending time in your company.” Oachin eyed his sister nervously, clearly deciding that he would serve as their spokesperson.

“Larin twins. Likewise,” was all Verin responded with.

Diffusing any tension before it could even build, Alara slammed her hands together in a clap that could wake the dead.

“Good! We are all here. I thank you all for coming. I am confident today will be a day the bards sing of!” In a flash, she pulled the Larins into a side hug, one on each arm. “Now, Larins! Did you succeed in bringing your party offering?”

“We did!” Nella held up the familiar shining blue of a recall gem. “The venue is on us. Back to the lake house!”

She activated the gem, and the streets of Sylum were rapidly replaced with the greenery and placid blue of the Larin’s lake house.

Staring out across the lake and beaming as widely as I’d ever seen her before, Alara bellowed out in full force.

“Good! Then let the party begin!”