The smithy was just as hot as Eik remembered. Eik's A-rank body had no trouble withstanding the heat but Michael was having trouble from the moment they stepped inside. A stench of molten metals seemed to permanently permeate the space, hanging thickly beneath the ceiling.

Michael coughed and held his hand up in front of his mouth. "How the hell do you stay in here all day long?" he asked Heath.

The big man just laughed. "You get used to it."

"Your lungs must be black as a cauldron on the inside. You should come by the clinic for a checkup soon. This can't be healthy."

"That is a concern, but there are both medicines and abilities that clean the lungs. We get it done pretty often." The speaker was Kikah, Heath's brother disciple. And the two truly had become as close as real family during the two years they had spent as disciples together.

The man was even bigger than Heath. It looked like he was bleeding profusely from every inch of his body as sweat ran down his deeply crimson skin.

"What's up, Kikah?" Eik pulled him into a friendly hug. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good, pretty good," the smith said. "Every day is a good day when I know that I'm better than then our little friend Heath."

"Then every day you wake up to from today is going to be a bad one, I'm sorry to say, you big, dumb oaf," Heath said, kicking Kikah in the shin. "I made some pretty nice stuff this time," he said, looking at Michael and Eik. He beckoned for them to follow him through the smithy and through a backdoor leading to a small backyard.

It was remarkably similar to the design of the smithy back in Forest owned by Ben Brooks, the father of the former C-ranked administrative officer of Mission Central Andrew Brooks. He too had a backyard, although theirs was filled with scraps and the rusty leftovers of defective or imperfect projects, while the backyard of Heath's new workplace the grass was pristinely kept with several small beds of vibrant flowers.

It felt more like a little area to take a break and get a lungful of fresh air than anything else.

The hustle and bustle of the marketplace just on the other side of the wall was clearly audible but it was muffled by the barrier. It actually made for a cozy little spot that was both isolated and calm but also smack dab in the middle of the life of the market.

"It's a little nicer out here, isn't it?" Heath remarked as he led them to an ornamental bench where two boxes had been placed. One long and narrow, the other small.

"I'd say. Do you actually like it in there?" Michael asked, taking deep breaths of relief.

"Like the air in there? No, of course not, but it's worth it to learn from my master here. What he is capable of is… I mean, it's unbelievable. Did you know that nearly all of Master Pthar's skills are dedicated entirely to the art of smithing, and that he has hit B-rank using only weapons and armor that he made himself? He's amazing!" Heath was absolutely enamored with the master smith he was apprenticing under.

"He does sound pretty amazing," Michael said with a smile. "I'm glad that you get to work under such a skilled artisan."

"Me too. And that's why I have become able to make this for you," he said and knelt down to open the larger of the two boxes, the clasp clicking satisfyingly. The box was unadorned but polished and lacquered to perfection.

"Did you make the box too?" Eik asked, running his finger along the smooth surface.

"Yep," the former tank said with a nod as he revealed a piece of velvety cloth inside. Thin chains kept the lid from opening too far. "Presentation is part of a perfect piece as well. It's crucial for a smith who wants to eventually sell his work. I'm learning leatherwork as well. It all comes together. Ready?"

"Am I ever!" Michael said, bending down to get a closer look.

Heath tore the cloth away with a theatrical flourish that he must have learned from Ben Brooks. Eik had seen him do it before.

It was a mace, the polished metal glistening in the sun. Where the mace Michael had been using since they started out together was rounded with soft, blunt edges, this was slimmer with sharp, protruding corners that were made to open wounds and shatter bones rather than simply bludgeon.

"It's so light! What is it made of?" Michael asked, beaming as he weighed the weapon in his hand and tested the grip by swinging it a couple of times.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"An alloy of metals that don't exist on Earth. It's super tough on top of being light so I think it's perfect for you."

"It's beautiful, Heath!" Eik praised sincerely as Michael handed him the weapon to hold. "And here I thought you were mainly making formless globs of metal and crude finger paintings. But do you even have a use for this, Mikey?" he asked, handing it back. "You're retired from combat."

"Yeah, about that…," Michael drawled. "These past months it has become clearer and clearer to me that I need to level up my skills if I want to become a better healer. Sitting in the safety of the clinic and treating patients who walk in just isn't doing it."

Eik nodded along, realizing where this was going.

"Sure, I can manage to get a level in Heal here and there, but my power rank doesn't change and that creates a pretty low ceiling for what I can realistically achieve. I mean, look at you, Eik. You are a hundred times better healer than me and it basically happened by coincidence. There is simply no denying that risk equals reward in this strange world we now live in. And I need to get out and take some risks."

By the look on his face, Heath had clearly already known.

"I'll find you some good teammates. I know a lot of people around your level from Gimleh as well."

Michael held up his hands. "No, thanks. I would prefer to find a team on my own. It's part of it, you know."

"Yeah, I get it. It's not a bad idea to vet your teammates yourself. Makes it easier to trust."

"I've got something for you as well, Eik," Heath said, moving the large box to the side and grabbing the smaller one. "But it might not be of any use to you…"

He was slightly less enthusiastic in his reveal this time, his confidence lacking.

Within the cloth was a banded bracer, about fifteen centimeters across, made to fit Eik's wrist perfectly. Some kind of small, blue gemstone cut into a sphere was inlaid on the front. It looked like a small blob of Profound Toxin.

"Oh, wow, Heath. This is amazingly well made."

"Thanks," he said. "It has a small enchantment on it that helps you keep a grip on a weapon, but… it's so weak that it wouldn't do anything for you, and you don't even have a weapon," he said with a laugh.

"Are you kidding? I love it! My friend made it for me so I love it. I don't give a crap about stats! Thank you so much, man!"

Heath glowed. "One day I'll make something for you that you can actually get something out of."

"I'll be waiting!"

"Can you make my brother as supportive as your friends?" Kikah asked Heath playfully. "I've given him three pieces already, and all he does is complain that the enchantments aren't powerful enough."

"I'll gratefully accept anything you make," Michael said with a grin.

"I do actually have something. I also made a bracer like what Heath gave Eik when we practiced enchanting. It's not as finely made and it probably won't fit as well, but the effect is the same," he said and headed for the door, speaking over his shoulder. "If you're going back out to fight, I'm sure you could use it."

Sounds of him rummaging around inside the workshop clattered out into the yard and a few seconds later he reemerged. The bracer looked considerably more banged up and crudely made than the one Eik had received but the foundation of the craftsmanship was nearly identical.

"I feel… something," Michael remarked as he slipped the bracer over his hand. "There's definitely an effect."

"Of course," Kikah said. "Heath might be better at detail work than me but when it comes to practical craftsmanship, I am the reigning king!" He patted his own massive bicep.

"Bro…" Heath deadpanned, punching him on the arm.

Kikah ran back into the workshop, giggling like a little girl despite his size. "You can't do anything about it! I'm going back to work so you can't say anything more! Bye, guys!"

"Bye, Kikah," Michael called after him. "Thanks for the bracer. I'll use it well."

"Yep!" Kikah's voice answered.

Heath clapped, signaling a change of topic as he turned to Eik. "So, what did you say you were testing again?"

***

They bought a late lunch and brought the food to one of Gimleh's many parks where they sat on a blanket and Eik explained the situation.

"Is this the first time Apocalypse Canvas has evolved?" Michael asked.

"Yeah. The choices are called Diverse Palette and Autonomous Wanderer."

"Autonomous Wanderer?" Heath repeated. "Does it become a guy who can walk around or something? How does that make sense?"

"Because it doesn't make any sense," Michael said. "My guess is that it would be able to move on its own. In its current state, it doesn't move at all right? It just hangs exactly where you summoned it?"

Eik nodded. "Pretty much."

"Yeah, okay, that makes more sense than my thing," Heath admitted and bit into his sandwich. He looked at it and sniffed the filling. His brows knit together as he narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is this?" he asked, looking to the resident cosmic foodie.

"Literally no clue, dude," Eik said. "I like it though."

"Mmnh, I don't know, man. It's kind of weird."

"You just have to get used to it. Give it a few minutes and I'd bet you'll want more."

"All right, great," Michael said through a mouthful, chopping the air between them. "Can we get back to the topic at hand?"

"You like it, Mikey?" Heath asked, blatantly ignoring the healer's request to move on.

Michael looked irritated for a moment, then tilted his head. "Eh, I don't know. It is kind of weird."

"Then you guys pick the place next time," Eik said with exasperation.

"What about Diverse Palette?" Michael asked, forcing the original topic.

"My theory is that it lets me use Visage of Death and Panacean Quintessence through Apocalypse Canvas," Eik said.

"That would make you capable of healing an entire city at once. That's OP as hell," Heath said.

"Exactly!"

"But how often will that come in handy?" Michael wondered. "Imagine if it could move. You could summon it from a distance and send it in to rain havoc upon unsuspecting enemies without having to put yourself in danger."

"Damn. Good point," Heath agreed. "I think that might be better as the first pick."

"Yeah, then we might be able to avoid getting hurt in the first place."

"Two votes for Autonomous Wanderer," Heath said.

"Thanks, guys," Eik said. "I'll think it over a last time later and then make my choice."

"And what was the other thing you wanted to test?" Heath asked.

"My new trait. It's called Original Life and I think it does what it sounds like."

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