Unforged

Chapter 17: Tier 2

Tristan

“You have a choice.”

Tristan calmed his breathing as the words echoed in the seemingly endless space. He had known this moment was coming, but that didn’t make him any less nervous. As important as his Awakening had been to establishing his Path, the tier 2 choice was more about defining it.

In Tristan’s mind, the tier 1 choice was like a freshly forged billet, ready to be worked. But good materials could only take him so far. Giving it direction--how he used it--that was the second choice.

Tristan wasn’t sure what surprises there would be, but he knew for sure it would shape his Path. For some, like his mother, the second tier’s choice was their last.

But Tristan was not his mother. He knew that his Path would take him farther than just tier 2, or even tier 3.

Tier 2 was where he would decide how to both expand and limit his Class. However he chose, it would be what he saw in his Status for years to come. Something to live up to. To claim and be proud of. It would be a massive part of his identity. And it would need to pair well with the Secondary Classes he eventually took.

Tristan, like most people, would take his Secondary Classes in tier 2. He had a rough idea of what he wanted, but he also knew that he had plenty of time before it would be necessary to decide. Focus on one decision at a time, he thought.

The one thing Tristan absolutely knew about one of his future Secondaries was that it would be a combat Class. He wanted to fight. He’d known ever since the dungeon run with Chessa and Opie. Perhaps even as far back as his Awakening, when the sword had called to him so clearly.

More than anything, Tristan saw himself as a swordsman. There was no way it wouldn’t mesh well with his Path.

The other Secondary was less clear. He knew that it needed to somehow synergize with both his other Classes. Everyone liked to stress how important it was that your Path could harmonize. That the pieces needed to add up to a whole that made sense to you. That was what mattered most. Tristan suspected there was a reason behind it, but no one ever answered when he asked about it. Even his father had simply said, “You’ll understand when it’s time.”

It was a lot to think about, which was why there were so many “build guides” out in the world. He’d even seen some. But none of those common Paths really spoke to him, especially with the unique direction his Core was leading him. Most crafting Classes stayed noncombat. He wondered how much of that was because of what Classes he would be offered to choose from. He knew he would be offered anywhere from three to five Classes, all expressions of twists and turns his Path had made through the previous tier. All of them would present big changes to his current Path, in one way or another. He just hoped most of the Classes he was offered would continue to advance his crafting.

No, I can’t worry over things I can’t control. No matter what I get offered, I’ll have another 10 levels to figure my Path out.

With another deliberate breath, Tristan opened the notification, which immediately began to fill his vision and automatically scroll downward. It felt overwhelming. No doubt that was why his father had been repeating almost verbatim what every guidebook said, which Tristan honestly felt should have been obvious: “consider every option carefully!”

Congratulations! You have reached LEVEL 10!

This is the second tier milestone!

New challenges and opportunities will present themselves, as the world begins to shape itself around you.

With your promotion to tier 2, you have unlocked the ability to choose a new Primary Class, which will further define your Path in the world. You must choose from the curated list below, and your choice will be binding.

Following your Class choice, you will unlock new abilities and skills granted by your Primary Class.

Tier 2 Upgrades:

You may now designate two (2) sets of gear to switch between in combat.

You now have access to new locations, resources, quests, events, and achievements throughout this realm and beyond.

You may now accept invitations to join established Guilds and Alliances.

You may now willingly pledge yourself to the service of a god, taking on all rules associated with such service.

You are no longer protected from harm and permanent death in [Sanctuary] locations.

You may now utilize teleportation circles to transition more quickly throughout the realm.

Skills Gained:

[Identify] An active ability that lets the user appraise creatures, examine other people’s Status, and ascertain the qualities and affixes of mundane and magical items with greater certainty.

[Permanent Party] An active ability that lets the user initiate a binding party agreement with at least one other ally. Such agreements must be willingly accepted. Only one [Permanent Party] may be active at a time. Warning: annulment of such an agreement carries lingering consequences.

Choose Your Class...

Tristan stopped scrolling as five transparent boxes appeared, floating before him in the gray space. He was glad to see five, even if only getting three wasn't necessarily bad. He had always preferred having too many options to too few, especially when the outcome really mattered.

But he wasn’t quite ready to deal with them yet. He was still struggling to parse everything he’d read. He hadn’t expected any of the so-called upgrades, and he wondered why the guides he’d read had never mentioned them. Some of these concepts he’d never even heard of before, like whatever a “[Sanctuary] location” was. Clicking the word, out popped the following description:

[Sanctuary] A ritual protecting a pre-designated space, usually a city or fortress, granting all tier 1 occupants great amounts of armor against other players and immunity to permanent death from unnatural external causes.

That such an effect existed at all was mind blowing. That was exactly the kind of protection everyone in his hometown had been missing, and not just since the bandits had come around. It seemed like the kind of thing that might have kept Old Dan Cooper from being poisoned, or saved Arthur Tailor when he’d been ‘accidentally’ pushed off the ladder by his wife. The implications would be far-reaching for sure.

I wonder how expensive such a ritual would be, and how high-level it is? Not for the first time, he wondered how such information didn’t reach places like Woodsedge.

Comparatively, both [Identify] and [Permanent Party] he’d known about long before he Awakened. He’d been taught about both from a relatively young age, and he was really excited for how [Identify] would help him with finding interesting materials for his crafting.

Then there were the notices about Guilds and Alliances, which he’d expected since his father had basically warned him against both. “To the young, joining a Guild seems like a good idea,” he’d warned, “but they actually bleed you dry. You’ll owe them your best years of crafting.” He’d talked about how any major breakthroughs or techniques he might learn would be credited to the guild. How they might even patent his designs and concepts, so that should he ever try to leave, he might have to relearn his own craft. It sounded to Tristan like a giant, messy trap. One he’d have to scrutinize heavily before ever wading into.

And then there were the gods. Tristan didn’t want to even begin considering those. Everyone knew they existed, and that anyone who had the strength and dedication to reach past the tier 6 milestone and find divinity could change the entire realm. Tristan didn’t even want to think about interacting with beings that powerful.

His attention returned to the five display boxes resting in the air directly before him. They floated fully unsupported, and yet perfectly stationary, like gravity was of no concern. He knew these represented the next step on his Path.

I’m ready. Let’s do this!

Tristan rubbed his callused hands together before flexing them. Then he allowed the notification to scroll farther, and he came to the Class offerings. As he read each, the words drifted from his Visual Interface into one of the boxes.

Choose Your Class:

Advanced Blacksmith.

Gear Combatant.

[Inheritor] Armorsmith.

Shield Specialist.

Swordsmith.

There they were. Immovable options bending reality around themselves, waiting for him to choose his Class.

He stepped up to the first box and reached out slowly, not surprised in the least as its description expanded before him as he neared.

Advanced Blacksmith:

No longer a novice in the art of blacksmithing, this offers the natural continuation of your current Class. New skills and upgrades will help you grow into a generalized expert in all types and styles of smithing.

Stats gained per level...

With a conscious thought, Tristan wiped the stats from the description. Maybe he would display them again if his final choices were close, but he would pick a Class based on its substance, not its numbers.

Tristan stepped back and considered what he read. This, he knew, was the default upgrade offered to all blacksmiths. It was a generalist approach. It didn’t appeal to him much, but he wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand.

He stepped to the next box.

Gear Combatant:

For those seeking to venture beyond the forge, or longing to delve into dungeons and combat beside their allies, this Class offers a more supporting role to traveling parties and groups. New skills and upgrades will help you grow into the perfect mobile outpost, capable of supplying and repairing gear when you’re not disarming, removing, and blocking the gear of your enemies, even in the midst of combat.

Tristan knew immediately why he’d been offered this option, and he had to admit that his time with Chessa and Opie had been formative. He’d salvaged a fair amount of gear in and after the dungeon run. He’d even dismantled his fair share of armor and weapons. But while this certainly lent itself towards combat, this would mark a complete change of direction for Tristan’s goals for his Path. The last line especially read like he would be encouraged to step back into a more supporting role. To him, the idea of crafting, removing, or blocking gear during combat was less than exciting. He wasn’t even sure how those last two would work. Focusing on the terms, they actually popped out with explanations.

Removing gear forcibly unequips it and moves it into the previously-equipped person’s inventory.

Blocking gear disallows it from being equipped for a set duration.

So it was a much more potent form of disarming, and also not limited to weapons. It was a new type of combat Path to Tristan, and he was glad to know now that such abilities existed, but even if they were powerful, they were definitely not for him.

He approached the third box.

[Inheritor] Armorsmith:

A Path has long stood before you, if you wish to follow in the footsteps of your father. This Class offers a specialization in the protective arts of armor smithing and will be upgraded due to your status as an [Inheritor]. New skills and upgrades will help you grow into a specialized expert in the creation and improving of metal armor.

A whistle escaped Tristan’s lips. That was a truly impressive offering. He suddenly understood why his father had been pushing him so hard. The man had no doubt known about the [Inheritor] title and its rather amazing benefits.

[Inheritor] Gain a 25% bonus to all EXP gained by this Class.

Such a bonus would be a tremendous boost to his speed in tier 2, and he’d be basically guaranteed to get to tier 3. Honestly, with how much slower progressing supposedly became with each progressive tier, it might even shave years off the task.

But would I enjoy it? he asked himself. With my current Core, choosing this would almost guarantee I’d have to be a tank.

Tristan couldn’t stop to think about that. He had more Class options to consider, and his own father had stressed that he needed to consider them all.

Shield Specialist:

Expanding on the foundation of traditional blacksmithing, this partial-combat Class focuses on the protective arts of shields and barriers. New skills and upgrades will help you grow into a specialized expert in the creation of shields capable of withstanding great blows and weathering damage that would otherwise cripple. You will grow into a living tank, immovable as long as you have a shield on your arm.

This Class was clearly inspired by his Heartmending Shield, but it also reminded him of aspects of the Brightshield. It would be another type of shift in Tristan’s Path, if he chose it. Tanks were always in high demand, mostly due to the increased danger they were expected to handle and the added responsibilities they were forced to manage. It was a role Tristan had undertaken before, and he thought he had been good at it, even without the actual support skills. But was it something he wanted to do forever? Unlike the Gear Combatant, it was an actual consideration.

Which brought him to the final offering.

Swordsmith:

Expanding on the foundation of traditional blacksmithing, this partial-combat Class offers a focus on the art of sword smithing. New skills and upgrades will help you grow into a specialized expert in the creation and wielding of bladed weapons, specifically swords. You will become as dangerous as the edge of your blades, and flexible enough to deal with any issue you face.

Tristan felt the familiar pull toward this option as a smile crept across his face. He could almost see the possibilities of his Path unfurling before him. If he took this Class, he would get to keep on smithing while also refining his Path to include swords. And, just like the shield specialist, this Class wouldn’t limit him to just crafting swords either. The final lines definitely suggested it would help when he eventually took up his combat-oriented Secondary.

With only a little introspection, he had already eliminated two options: Dungeon Supplier didn’t speak to his Path, and he wasn’t really tempted by Advanced Smith either, not when he could specialize in something he enjoyed. [Inherited] Armorsmith, though...

He wondered whether the perks of the [Inheritor] title would be worth focusing on armor rather than swords. He knew his father would support him whichever way he went, so it really came down to knowing his Path. Which Class felt more true to him?

It wasn’t even a question, he realized. While the title might make the next tier easier, his goal was much grander than that. For the first time, Tristan seriously considered the end of his Path. He was genuinely excited to see how far he could take this. He wasn’t planning to stop until he hit divinity or died trying. Would he really want to spend eternity crafting armor instead of swords?

Answering that question sealed the deal. Armorsmithing was not his Path. Truthfully, he’d known that all along. So he stepped forward, put his hands around the Swordsmith box, and selected it. Looks like I won’t need to compare stats after all.

In response, a blank voice asked him a very familiar question.

“Are you certain?”

Tristan felt himself smile, and this time he answered aloud as he pulled the box toward him and absorbed it with a burst of warmth that filled him with joy.

“I am.”

“The choice has been made.”

Once again, the voice faded to nothingness, and a resounding quiet settled over the area. A new notification began blinking in Tristan’s interface.

Your Path continues as a Swordsmith.

As a Swordsmith, you create, repair, and enhance metal blades designed for battle. Whether slashing, piercing, or protecting, swords are one of the most versatile and dangerous tools in the realm. The better you learn to shape and wield them, and the more your works improve, the stronger you will grow.

Stats gained (per level): STR +4, AGI +2, END +5, INT +1, WIS +1, WIL +3

Core Upgraded:

[Soul-Forged] Items you craft replace a portion of the required materials with soul, are greatly enhanced, and become Soulbound. You may only use Soulbound items.

Skills Gained:

[Enhance Craft I] A passive skill that grants a minor increase to statistics, properties, and affixes of all items crafted by the user. After you craft an item, there is a 1% chance it will upgrade its current rarity, again (if applicable).

[Sharpen Blade] An active ability that lets the user enhance the cutting qualities of a blade during crafting, making it slash and pierce more easily. Increases the damage of bladed weapons you craft by 10%.

May your Path be long and productive.

This final message was also familiar, as it had concluded his Awakening, too. It was nice and uplifting, even if he also recognized it was likely universal. Sure, everyone saw it, but you know what? He would appreciate it.

He appreciated the Core upgrade even more. Another bonus to help balance out the Soulbound drawback. Another small boost to help him progress farther along his Path.

Another notification popped up immediately.

You have gained the They Grow Up So Fast Achievement!

You have chosen a tier 2 Class within 1 year of Awakening.

Reward: Gain a permanent 2% increase in movement speed.

Tristan hadn't just earned that Achievement. He had smashed it. He had taken nearly a third of the allotted time! And he could only imagine how useful that reward would be. Two percent didn’t seem like that much, but he knew that it could make a huge difference. He was now permanently faster than everyone who didn’t also get a movement speed increase. That would be immense during battle.

I wonder how I could add more.

As the gray world around him began to fade, Tristan couldn’t help but be filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. He would walk his own Path his own way:

With a sword in his hand.

STATUS:

Tristan Hammerson

Human

L10

Swordsmith

Stats:

STR 35 (+4)

AGI 16

END 34 (+3)

INT 10

WIS 12

WILL 19

Core: [Soul-Forged] Items you craft replace a portion of the required materials with soul, are greatly enhanced, and become Soulbound. You may only use Soulbound items.

Titles: {Awakened}, {Fledgling Dungeon Delver}, {Soulscarred}

Skills: [Craft Armor], [Craft Shield], [Craft Tool], [Craft Weapon], [Gather Ore], [Repair Item], [Sharpen Blade], [Work Metal]

Passives: [Born Blacksmith], [Endurance Up I], [Enhance Craft I], [Heat & Fire Resistance], [In a Hurry], [Strength Up I]