"Is this lesson going to help me kill those damn guinea pigs?"

"Probably. We're going to use this as an opportunity for you to improve your osteal smithing."

Reid couldn't tell if that was a joke. He'd made F-grade equipment while in mid-G grade, which Win had told him was enough of an atypical thing to do that he needed to keep it secret. Requiem, Marrow, Queen's Edge - everything he'd created felt like fantastic works in their own right. He'd outfitted the fighters in the Warrens with spears. He'd equipped many of Sanctuary's fighters with his creations. He didn't exactly feel like he was behind the curve when it came to his crafting skill.

"Ah, yes - I'm sure you're very proud of what you've already made. And you should be - it's good work. But stick with me here, I promise you'll be happy you did. Now, sit down, and just make me a simple ball of bone."

Reid sat on the bare ground, and wished he had a bedroll... and that his muscles were less sore, and he wished he had taken a bath, and that he had different meat to eat. But he pushed those things aside.

He knew - from what she'd alluded to and from her final appearance before she went into quasi-hibernation in the warrens - how much it took out of Nyx to give him lessons. He sure as hell wasn't going to waste her time and energy by complaining about his own condition.

Reid pushed energy through himself in the right way as an ivory ball the size of a clementine grew out of his wrist. It sat in his palm, solid and just a bit rough.

"Alright. Now - let me ask you a question. Why did you grow that from your wrist?"

Reid blinked. "Because I didn't want to grow it out of my knuckles, I guess?"

"Okay, but why would you have to do that in the first place?"

Reid furrowed his brow. "Because that's how the skill works. I grow stuff from my bones."

Nyx let him sit in thought for a bit before speaking again.

"Is that how it works, or just how you assume it works?"

Reid rubbed his fingers together.

Using his body to craft bone was just... natural. He was growing bone things from his bones, which... wasn't how others crafted things.

Back in Sanctuary, Mark hadn't grown wood from more wood - he'd just created it. The same thing happened with the crafters in the Warrens. There wasn't acorn or reed-like material anywhere close to them, and the people had just... made it. With energy. Reid put a hand to his forehead. "I... can't believe I missed that."

"Reid - you had to experiment to figure out what worked when crafting weapons and armor. You had to figure out ways to push yourself, your power, your abilities. You had to test to find out that you couldn't grow armor subdermally without it interfering with other skills. You are learning. You aren't going to stop learning for a good long while. Hopefully ever. So never just accept limitations. Push boundaries. Figure out why things won't work the way you want them to, then exer-" Her voice cut off for a few seconds. "Leviathan's rotten eggs! Closer, but not there yet. Okay, different angle. Osteomancy doesn't have some special limitation that's different from all those other magics you've seen. And - you've already used bits of your skill outside of yourself, you just didn't connect the dots on it at the time."

He sat with that one for a minute.

"The dagger, back in Sanctuary. And the King's Fang."

"Quite right. But - you also did it the last time you Recalled Requiem. It didn't grow out of you, Reid - it grew from the trait, your skill, and your energy. Your application of Osteomancy isn't limited to your own skeleton."

"Does... does that mean I can modify other people's bones? Or maybe do it to beasts? Maybe I could force a creature's skull to grow inwards and take them down that way?"

"First, I am equally proud and worried that your first thought was such an... inventive way to fight. Technically, I guess someone could be capable of that. It would even probably work once or twice, but don't try it - ever. Messing with other people's bodies and their mana directly has some consequences that would be... quite awful. And permanent. No, I'm still just talking about how your skill can apply to things completely outside of your body. I won't give the game away right now, but let me say that once we get finished, you'll have more options in your arsenal."

Reid leaned forward - despite the fact that Nyx was speaking from within him.

"Where do I start?"

"There's more than a few types of things you haven't even attempted to craft yet. We'll start with accessories."

#

Reid swore - out loud - as another ivory ring fell into his palm.

Not at the sensation of the crafting itself. That feeling was sublime.

Energy flowed semi-freely through his body, pooled in his hand, then flowed out just far enough to gather at a point just above his open palm. As it moved and gathered, it solidified and transformed into a thing - a real, proper creation that was entirely born of his energy, instead of created by running his energy to grow his bones. Once he knew what to try - by following Nyx's instructions - the actual crafting had been... easy. He was more used to growing things from his skeleton, but he could feel the new method had more potential than growing items from within himself.

His frustration wasn't about the out-of-body crafting, but the wall he was running into with what he made.

Reid frowned at his latest creation. He'd gotten the size and the structure down well, again. The surface was smooth and reflected light beautifully. But the thing had failed to take on any real traits.

Bone Ring (Basic) created!

He threw it into the pile and watched it send a dozen others cascading down to the ground.

"Nyx, what am I doing wrong here?"

"Hm. Reid - Armor protects. Weapons strike. What does an accessory do?"

He let his frustration into his answer. "Look shiny? I tried that, and the smoothness of the surface didn't seem to make a difference. Or... am I supposed to be making a storage ring? I hadn't really thought of that."

"Storage rings are going to be a bit much for you with your current understanding. What I want from you is far more simple - and something you've started to touch on. Intent matters. You intended for Requiem to grow in power so it could continue to take down your foes. You intended to have Marrow keep you safe, so it took on those traits. If you just try to craft a ring with the intention for it to take on a trait, you're not going to get anywhere. Your crafting style is very much influenced by your desires, Reid. So I want you to intend an outcome of the trait, not just that a trait is formed. Make a single-use ring. Give it a trait that will... make it shatter when you punch something."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Reid ignored how useless the item sounded, and worked.

#

He'd spent more time, this go around, on thinking through not just how to make the structure, but what it needed to be for the intent he kept in mind. A bone ring that he could use to deal extra damage on a punch. One where the ring parts set against his palm would be solid and intact, but where exposed bit would fracture - and fly outwards. He could leave a few broken bone pieces inside whatever he hit with the thing.

It was still mostly useless.

Crafting the ring ended up taking Reid more concentration and energy than he'd expected, but he succeeded.

-

Bone Ring (Common) created! Rank: F Traits: Shard

Shard By infusing this ring with energy, the wearer may make it shatter on impact.

-

He turned the ring in his hand, then put it on and unceremoniously punched the ground. Nothing happened.

He pushed some energy into the accessory - which took more than he would've anticipated - and hit the dirt again.

The face of the ring exploded and sent small shards of bone into the ground - and the side of his hand. Reid hadn't gotten the amount of the ring meant to shatter quite right, and flesh had been torn away on his two fingers closest to the thing.

Reid stared for a moment. It was a mild wound, sure, but it was a wound. Proof that the useless ring he'd created wasn't quite as bad as he made it out to be.

If it could damage him, it could probably do a good deal of injury to someone he was fighting. Or something.

"Nice work. Now - I want you to make another ring. This time, don't just focus the intent of your crafting on that single trait. Make it something that can be bound. Add in more uses. Whatever comes to mind. And Reid - make it as powerful as you can."

Reid nodded, and set to work.

#

Yellow light flashed over the bushes as several hours' worth of work came to fruition.

Congratulations! Unique Accessory, [Battery Band] Created! Congratulations! Experience awarded for producing a unique accessory.

NOTICE: This accessory possesses multiple traits. NOTICE: [Battery Band] has successfully bonded to [Reid Calderwall]!

Battery Band [Epic] Rank: F Traits: Energy Siphon, Imbue Energy, Temper Resistant, Bonded

-

Energy Siphon Use a small amount of energy to start an energy siphon from the wearer to the ring. Energy siphoned this way is housed in the ring until it is used.

Imbue Energy Energy stored in this ring may be imbued into the wearer, into party members or allies of the wearer, or into items and crafting processes. If all energy in the ring is removed, it will break.

Temper Resistant As a bonded creation, this ring recognizes the energy of its owner. If the ring is worn or handled by another, it will shatter.

Bonded This accessory is bonded to its owner through the use of simple energy matching. Attempts to identify this accessory will only show the bare minimum level of information, depending on the level of the identifying user.

New Achievement Earned!

Equipment Specialist (Earned for crafting a unique bonded armor item, weapon, and accessory).

-

Equipment Specialist Slightly improves efficiency when crafting equipment. Slightly improves energy expenditure when using or repairing equipment.

Reid breathed heavy. He'd managed to get most of what he'd wanted out of the ring - which essentially made it a battery that would explode if someone else touched it. The ring could make future crafting sessions easier, or it might have some use inside the middle of a fight. On top of that, finally making something considered a unique - and bonded - accessory had given him a new achievement to add to the list.

It was a simple number, but Reid felt proud of the fact that his xp boost had finally made it to 20%.

"Solid progress, Reid. And a good idea on how to make something useful for yourself. That'll certainly come in handy. I have two more things for you to craft, now. First, I want you to make yourself a backup melee weapon."

"But I have Requiem, I just need to recall it."

"I could run through the absolute litany of reasons why you might need a backup, but I think you already have a decent idea of what I would say."

Reid flushed and looked towards the valley. "Yeah. A backup isn't a bad idea."

"Glad we agree. Now, instead of large, flashy, and all that, your backup weapon should be more inconspicuous. Imagine a scenario where you've lost Requiem or had it taken away. Resummoning something that large is noticeable. Fighting in close quarters with it is hard. It's better to have something not just small, but useful. A dagger might also be a good wedge or lockpicking tool. A small warhammer might double as... well as a regular hammer. I think you get what I'm saying here. Make something usable and useful."

Reid didn't need to think long about what he wanted. An inconspicuous weapon - that was also a tool.

Reid made a simple survival knife. A slightly bulbous handle. A solid pommel-like end he could use as a hammer. Holes in the quillion (the guard) so he could tie it onto something and use it like a spear. A clipped point, so it would excel as a stabbing weapon. Teeth on one side so he could use it like a small saw. Small, so he could keep it hidden. The whole thing was only about ten inches long in total.

For the weapon's traits... Reid imagined that if he were in a position where he couldn't Recall Requiem, he'd also potentially be in a predicament that had left him low on energy. If that was the case, he'd want the same battery-like capabilities of the ring. And it should be bound to him - but rather than having it self-destruct, Reid wanted to give it the capacity to grow with him.

As soon as the thing was done, Reid renamed it.

If his large weapon was named Requiem, he had a fitting moniker for the backup.

Congratulations! Unique Weapon, [Little Nap] Created! Congratulations! Experience awarded for producing a unique weapon.

NOTICE: This weapon possesses multiple traits. NOTICE: [Little Nap] has successfully bonded to [Reid Calderwall]!

Little Nap [Epic] Rank: F Traits: Energy Siphon, Imbue Energy, Growth, Bonded

-

Growth This weapon is capable of growth. Growth may only occur in conjunction with the growth of the bonded individual. Growth may be fueled by latent energy stored in the weapon, or through external injections of energy.

Bonded This weapon is bonded to its owner through the use of simple energy matching. Anyone that attempts to wield this weapon without a matching energy signature will fail. Attempts to identify this weapon will only show the bare minimum level of information, depending on the level of the identifying user.

"An excellent choice. Having more potential to refuel yourself with energy in a bad spot will be very beneficial. Giving it the growth trait will make it useful for a while longer, too. High marks, Reid."

He cradled the knife in his hands for a minute before stowing it away in his ring. This wasn't a main weapon, but a backup. As a backup, he was going to leave it in storage until and unless he absolutely needed the thing.

"Now, drink some water and take a rest. When you wake back up, we'll do some stat work, maybe for a few days, and then move on to the last thing I want you to make."

"Isn't that going to take up too much time?"

"Reid, first of all you still have more than two weeks left on this quest stage. Second - do you know what happens if you actually miss that time window? The answer is you potentially lose out on a title. With accelerated growth, there's a chance that you're just going to get a title for completing the quest after the secret challenge timer is run out. So the downside is, effectively, nothing. Completing the quest in that time window is a secret challenge. Most people would never even know it was an option in the first place because it would've taken them - and their forces - more than the 30 days to take all of these guinea pigs down. You're not going to need two weeks to take them all out once we're done. Even if you end up overshooting the timer, nothing truly bad happens. And trust me, you're going to want to keep going with this lesson."

He took the bait. "Why is that?"

Reid could feel Nyx's smile.

"Because we're going to plug a hole in your tactics, Reid. We're going to elevate you past those little black rocks."

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