“What a rush. It used to hurt, but I’ve learned to love it.” Harvey sighed. “Did you get any essence from the session?”

  “Nope, I didn’t get any notifications,” Elena replied.

  “That’s too bad.” Harvey lamented. It would’ve been nice if The System counted her skill contribution since she could keep levelling without him needing to drag her on hunts. She was falling behind already, and with how yesterday went, he wasn’t sure she’d ever leave the walls again. He put two free points into both Strength and Dexterity before closing his Status screen.

  “I can get my first profession skill. Want to come with me?” Harvey asked.

  “No, I’ll stay here and clean up.” She replied.

  “You don’t have to do that. I can clean up when I get back.” Harvey replied.

  “Just go, I don’t mind. If I’m going to be your assistant, I have to actually help out.” Elena encouraged.

  He felt uncomfortable. It was like when he and Cleo first started dating, and she would rush to do the dishes as soon as they finished eating. He was a “leave that mess for future Harvey” kind of guy, but also didn’t expect anyone else to clean up after him.

  “You’ve helped out a ton already, but I appreciate it.” He finally settled. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Leaving the smithy, the outpost was still empty. It wasn’t quite dinner time yet, and most people were still out doing their daily tasks. Once the wall was done, people would have more time to focus on other things, like leveling up a profession.

  As far as he knew, he was the first Veilstrider to get one. That needed to change fast.

  In two days, he’d gotten an additional 72 stat points from 5 profession levels and the 2 race levels that came with them. Compared to the 8 attributes gained from each class level, a rare profession offering 12 like his was the fast track to power.

  Entering the church, he picked his way to the loom. The orb flared to life as his weave connected with the unfathomable consciousness behind the simple wooden frame.

  He honestly had no idea what direction he wanted his first profession skill to take. His main issues stemmed from a lack of resources and proper tools. It would be great to get a skill that lets him conjure good molds or state-of-the-art hammers, but he had no idea what qualities to look for other than the obvious benefit of being less than 200 years old.

  The System valued experience, and he basically had none in those areas. He’d melted some metal and pounded it into pointy sticks, but really hadn’t pushed the boundaries of the profession yet. Any kid with a pocket knife could whittle a stick into a shiv to poke his friends. It took an artist to carve a figurine.

  Understanding how the loom worked was important. If all his skills became were shortcuts to doing things he’d already done faster, he’d never really grow. Considering The System was all about building an impressive legacy, there had to be a way to direct the process.

  Thinking back to his class skill, one piece of the puzzle snapped into place.

  He’d never created a shield out of essence before, but his fangbreaker skill did exactly that. It was like he presented The Loom with his problem and his meager attempts at solving it. He’d wanted a fireball or lightning bolt that could kill his enemies before they ever got close, but The Loom knew what he really needed in each of those moments was a shield.

  He tried putting himself in The System’s shoes. If he were a god, and some random mortal came up to him and screamed, “I’m level 5, give me something!” he’d have no idea what to do. Even if he wanted to help, it was like a toddler screaming without telling their parents what was wrong. Until he understood the problem, he was stuck.

  The Loom was the same. It recognized he’d earned the right to a new skill through his level and asked him to share experiences so it could get an idea of what he needed. The light behind each combination was how good a solution The System could offer, which is why the memories needed to be correlated.

  It wasn’t giving him shortcuts. It was helping him solve problems.

  He might be way off course, but if he was right, he could approach The System with a plan and shape his skillset in the direction he wanted it to go. It wasn’t some random exchange, but a negotiation between his legacy and the Loom’s power.

  With that in mind, he thought about his problems in the forge. The guide had taught him the melting point of Iron, but he had no way to tell how hot the forge was. He knew there were imperfections in his raw materials, but he couldn’t fix what he couldn’t see.

  A modern blacksmith would have tools to test temperatures, magnify their metal to see its flaws, and measure the quality of their work.

  He didn’t have any of that, and he never would while he was stuck in Veil’s End. He couldn’t build a thermometer. Maybe he could buy one, but why would he? He didn’t have a magnifying glass, a scale, or any of the other high-tech instruments that would turn his blacksmithing from swinging a hammer hard into the art form he knew it could be.

  None of the memories around him specifically characterized that issue, but he hoped The Loom would take his ideas into account.

  One by one, he added his ingredients into the mix. A vision of him anxiously staring into the fire, looking at the crucible as he wondered whether the ore had melted yet. Struggling to hammer his terrible first pour into a workable rod, knowing gaps and cracks were almost certainly hiding under the surface.

  Five visions of time in the forge floated in front of him, and when he felt certain he’d found his brightest future skill, they floated into the Loom.

  Silver, yellow, orange, and blue thread swirled down, and he was surprised to see two sigils taking shape. He wondered if he’d somehow created two skills at once, but when two rings looking like tempered steel floated towards him, he understood.

  They burned into place around his eye sockets, ringing his eyes like when he’d let his sister do his makeup when they were kids. He couldn’t see them on his face, but the image of the tattoo on the screen confirmed it.

  He channeled essence into the sigils and was surprised to see the image on the screen change. The previously gray circles lit up with uneven rings of blue, orange, and yellow. It looked like steel being heated in the forge.

  A vision showing basic information about whatever he was looking at appeared in his periphery, and he played around for a moment, comparing the warm crystal orb to the cold chapel roof.

  The rainbow haze receded, and he jumped when cheers and clapping roared like thunder behind him. His body froze, hands held like he’d just been caught sneaking cookies from the pantry.

  “Thanks for the demonstration, Harvey. We were planning on giving one ourselves, but you were already here.” A voice called out.

  “Julian! You guys are back!” A wide smile split his face as he grabbed him and Hannah into a hug. They looked tired and smelled horrible, but so did he.

  “Just got back to town. Wanted to show the new arrivals the Loom and explain how skills work.” Hannah replied, smiling back.

  “Don’t let me get in your way. We should talk before you get started, though. I think I’m starting to figure out how it all works.” Harvey explained.

  Just like he’d hoped, The System had given him the perfect solution to his problem. He didn’t have the benefit of instinct developed over years of apprenticing a skilled blacksmith in the forge. He was fumbling around on his own, figuring most things out as he went. He could read a book telling him that iron melted at 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit, but before, he had no way of knowing how hot the forge was.

  Now, he had a skill that would let him apply the knowledge he’d gained from John’s guide.

  He shared his theory with Julian, who nodded in understanding.

  “Hannah and I can test it ourselves, and if you’re right, we’ll let everyone else know,” Julian said before turning to address the crowd.

  “For most of you, this trial has been nothing but pain and terror. We want to show you that it can also be wondrous and magical for those who have the strength to keep pushing forward. The odds may seem stacked against us now, but we’re not fish in a barrel waiting for the shots to come.” Julian shouted before placing his hands on the orb.

  He sat in thought for a moment before visions appeared of him sprinting to interpose himself between a scared survivor and whatever monster was bearing down on them. Harvey saw him dive into a stonetusk, taking the pain of a vicious charge upon himself before stabbing its neck. In the next, he was surrounded by a familiar red mist, struggling to chase a hungry bloodrunn running rampant through a group in panicked disarray.

  Julian was strong enough to contend with most beasts. His problem was being fast enough to kill them before someone got hurt.

  So, it was no surprise when the sigil taking form on the loom depicted a man leaping through the air with a sword held high. It detached from The Loom and branded itself into his right calf.

  Again, tired veilstriders roused a celebration, cheering as the man who saved them took another step forward.

  He responded with a wide smile, a screen appearing to share with the onlookers.

  “Hell yeah, Julian! That’s perfect for you!” A man yelled.

  “The next Bloodrunn coming for us better watch out!” Another added.

  Julian smiled, thanking the crowd and doing his best to calm everyone down. When the uproar finally died down, Hannah took his place.

  Her visions showed a different story than Julian's. Instead of pitched battles, she was stalking through the trees, looking for any signs of life. On their hunt for starved and struggling veilstriders, she needed to spot the telltale signs of friends and foes around them.

  Back on earth, most people had gotten used to ignoring their surroundings, too focused on whatever entertainment the screens all around us were offering. Even if you were crazy enough to walk without a phone in your hand or headphones in your ears, dozens of brightly colored ads were constantly trying to grab your attention.

  As such, being able to notice the simple signs of a day-old campfire or animal droppings was lost on most people, but it appeared Hannah had gotten quite adept at finding beasts to hunt and people to save.

  Harvey could see how important a skill like that would be in their endeavors. Without it, they’re best course of action would be wandering through thousands of square miles, hoping they randomly ran into someone.

  As the memories entered the loom, a sigil of a bird with its wings open wide and predatory eyes staring forward wove into shape. It was small, around the size of a credit card, and floated onto her right shoulder. As the light receded, a wicked grin flashed on her face before a flash of blue light revealed a small hawk sitting perched by her head.

  It was stunning, with light brown feathers covering its head, blending into a mix of white and brown covering its body. Its beak was short, curling down to a sharp tip ready to devour any squirrels it could get its talons on. There was intelligence behind its deep brown eyes, and it sat unbothered as the crowd stared.

  “Wow…I’ve never seen a hawk up close like this.” A man gasped.

  “It’s kinda cute!” A woman agreed.

  Screeee! The hawk shrilled, ruffling its feathers.

  “He said he isn’t cute, he’s handsome.” Hannah translated as her skill screen appeared.

  Leaping up, the hawk soared in wide circles up into the rafters of the decrepit chapel. With a triumphant screech, it disappeared in a flash of pale light.

  The crowd erupted in raucous celebration, some even sobbing as relief flooded over them.

  The skills were impressive, but he would never have understood the reaction if he didn’t know the hell they’d just escaped. For days now, they’d been lost and overwhelmed. Even if they had reached level 5, they didn’t have access to a Loom, and without one, their odds at survival were almost zero.

  Most had likely resigned themselves to death, only to have an Italian firefighter and a cheerleader from Idaho show up from nowhere, offering to bring them to a supposed haven deeper into the deathly forest. Even if he wanted to believe, every step he took, he’d be forced to struggle through the doubt that there really was a light at the end of the tunnel.

  Now, they had proof. Julian and Hannah’s strength wasn’t a fluke, and there really was a way out of this place.