I pore through the sigil programming book. It has several chapters on how to string sigils together and create conditional statements, but I skip past all that for the moment and flip to the appendix listing common sigils. It's not a comprehensive lexicon of every sigil in existence. That probably doesn't exist, since many sigils are kept as proprietary secrets. Hopefully, though, all the sigils that are on a common magic item like a standard frost wand will be here. I put my [Speed Reading] skill to use and start trying to match them.

I know the activation sigil already, of course. It's very simple and one I'd immediately recognized from my past life the minute I saw it on all the magitech devices in my house. Just a circle with a line going from the center to the top, gathering and directing the flow of vis in a way that probably-not-coincidentally looks just like any on/off switch from my past life. It goes on the handle beneath where it's held.

Then there's air, range, disperse, cold, weather, and manifest. Great, they're all here in the book. I guess in order to not freeze the caster, it makes sure not to start trying to freeze things until it's at range. The exact effects of this manifestation of cold weather depend upon your focused intent while you're casting it. My earliest attempts to use it only conjured a light dusting of snow rather than the deadly hail of razor-sharp icicles my grandma could cast.

I get to work on engraving one of the blank wands, thinking about the meaning of each sigil as I'm drawing them. I get the activation sigil down correctly, but mess up the air sigil and damage the wand beyond use in the process. Blast it. I grab another blank wand and start over.

A teenage boy comes into the workshop as I'm working on trying not to mess up my third engraving attempt.

Name: (Weapon?) Harrow Gleam Tiganna Race: Human | Gender: Male | Rank: Elite | Tier: Apprentice | Class: Apprentice Crafter Disposition: Neutral | Mood: Worried

My [Naming] skill blips as I haven't shoved information on every obscure kind of weapon in existence into my [Mental Encyclopedia], but Golden helpfully lets me know what it is immediately.

"Falchion!" Golden exclaims. "You're late."

"Sorry, Uncle," Falchion mumbles. "I think I overdid the weekend."

"Did you waste the whole weekend lounging about?" Golden says. "This reincarnator kid over here spent all Sunday working his fingers to the bone and had to be coaxed into going to bed. Why don't you have motivation like that? Where's your ambition, boy?"

"Sorry, Uncle," Falchion says. "We were playing Leaves in the Last Thicket and lost track of time."

"Hmph," Golden grunts. "I hope you were at least winning. A man shouldn't lose to a tree."

"I will say nothing lest I speak a lie," the teen recites flatly.

"Gleam has the card-playing trees, too?" I groan.

"So you're a reincarnator?" Falchion asks. "What are you making?"

"A frost wand," I say, accidentally snapping my latest attempt in two. "Theoretically. It's for Misty."

"Why are you making a frost wand for my little sister?" Falchion asks.

"She joined my party and we're going on a quest," I say.

"Oh she is so not!" Falchion exclaims.

"Boy!" Golden exclaims. "Quit bugging our guest and get to work. And don't you dare harass your sister about it. She got a quest for this!"

Falchion deflates with a heavy sigh, and mutters, "As the cores decree." He turns to me and says, "And what do you think of that?"

"Uh... I will say nothing lest I speak blasphemy?" I say. "Yeah, we're on a quest for Harrow. The reward is really good, too."

"What's the reward?" Falchion asks.

"10% rank progression," I say.

"It gave a number for that?" Falchion says. "And what in the Void did it ask you to do that's worth that much?"

"I probably shouldn't say the specifics aloud," I say. "But we'll be going to the Topside."

"Falchion Harrow Gleam Tiganna!" Golden yells. "I told you to quit bugging the Hero and get back to work!"

"Yes, Uncle," Falchion says, shrinking away into another room.

It takes me a few more tries before I get all seven sigils carved to acceptable standards, at which point I take a break for lunch and skygazing. My party members are spending the day doing drills and practicing skills, learning one another's fighting styles. I meet up with them while refueling my body and share my progress.

"I saw your brother, Misty," I say. "Falchion. He didn't seem very happy. Golden told him not to bother you, though."

Misty groans. "Well, I'm on a quest for the core, so he doesn't have cause to argue in this case."

[Your quest just wants you to join my party,] I tell her telepathically. [I could tell you wanted out of the waitress gig, but please don't feel obligated to do anything you don't want to.]

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I get back to work, and immediately manage to mess up the wand I'd carved correctly when I start trying to inlay it. I bite my tongue lest I teach Falchion how to swear in English, and start over. I could probably fix that one, but why? There's plenty of extra blank wands and every repetition is practice. The failures are just going to be chucked into the recycler to be converted into essence.

I've got a pair of artifact tweezers with a minor enhancement to accuracy, grip, and gentleness, and I don't think I'd be able to manage this without them. These wands are only 15 millimeters in diameter, so getting all the tiny details right is a challenge. As I set each piece of wire, I use [Imbue Item] to further enhance the resonance of each sigil with its meaning.

My stomach is rumbling by the time I seat the last piece of wire in. I examine it closely to make sure I didn't miss anything before I put a tiny bit of vis into it to test it. A few snowflakes land on the floor nearby.

Congratulations! You have crafted a Fair magic item.

"You did it!" Golden exclaims. "Well done! A good first effort. [Labor of Love], I take it? I would have expected Poor-quality, otherwise. Now let's just get it lacquered up. Have you done lacquering before? For a magic item, you need to make sure to use a lacquer that doesn't interfere with the sort of magic you're trying to do. We'll start off with the most basic sort that gives no bonuses or penalties, as it's cheap and food for practice, but as you grow and start crafting more complex items, it becomes another point you can use to improve the capabilities of an item."

I nod through Golden's tutorial, making mental notes as we go. Soon enough, Misty's new wand is ready. Once it's dry, I thank Golden and go and take it to her. I follow [Trace Connection] to my party members and find them at the building they were practicing in before.

"You got it done!" Misty says, taking it from me with a touch of reverence before giving it a wave and testing it out. A cloud of frigid mist manifests for a moment before dispersing. "Cool! Thank you! I'll need to spend some time practicing with it and getting a feel for what it can do. Are we leaving in the morning?"

"That was the plan," I say. "I've got a prior arrangement for the end of the month, so if I can't find a way to complete the quest in two weeks, we'll be heading back to Tempest and try again next year."

Misty nods. "It would be disappointing to have to pull back, but I understand."

The lift is guarded by a pair of men wearing uniforms who look like they're allergic to humor.

"Do you have a pass?" says one of them flatly as we approach. "No one is allowed entry to Gleam Topside without a pass."

"I'm Melody Westminster," our Bard says. "I live there. Let us through."

"Sorry, miss. That doesn't matter. You still need a pass."

Melody sighs. "How do we get a pass?"

"You will need to go to the office branch in Islington and fill out an application," the guard says. "If you are truly from Westminster, you probably will not be rejected. It will likely take only 4-6 weeks for your application to be processed."

"4-6 weeks?" Jade exclaims. "You can't be serious!"

"Do I look like I'm joking, miss?" the guard says boredly. "Move along now."

We return to Golden's workshop to make plans somewhere more private.

"I was afraid this would happen," Misty says.

"Ridiculous," Melody spits. "I never needed a pass to move around before!"

"You've also got outsiders with you this time, though," I point out. "We'll just need to find another way through."

"What makes you so sure there is another way?" Rowan asks.

"There's always another way," I say. "And if there really isn't one, we can have Basalt dig a hole."

"Good point," Rowan says.

"Dwarven tunneling would probably be faster than Topside bureaucracy," Melody grumbles, and sighs.

"That still might not be necessary," Misty says. "Topsiders like to think nothing gets in or out without their say-so, but Gleam has more holes than a strainer. Just because we can't use the official channels doesn't mean we still can't just walk in."

"Sis, you can't just sneak into Topside!" Falchion says, abandoning what he was working on to involve himself in the conversation. "What if you get caught? You could get in serious trouble!"

"Harrow will see me safely through," Misty says. "Don't worry. It wouldn't have given this quest if it didn't think we were capable of completing it."

"That doesn't mean it's safe," Falchion says. "You might have a quest but it's still on your own efforts to complete it. How much faith do you really have in these outsiders you've only known for a few days?"

"We'll be fine, brother! Anyway, I don't need to have faith in them, though from what I've seen of them so far, they're good folks. Harrow told me to join their party, though, so it clearly has faith in them. Or do you dispute Harrow's word?"

Falchion sighs heavily. "I still think you need to be careful."

"I will be," Misty promises.

"Do you know a way through?" I ask Falchion.

"I know a way that might get you there," Falchion says. "But it won't be easy. You'll have to go through kilometers of winding tunnels and pass through a couple of dungeons. Don't try the Ancient Mine. That'll be watched. The Last Thicket has a bunch of tunnels leading down, though, and the enforcers don't go there."

"How do we get there?" I ask.

"I could show you the way, but I have a lot of work to do that I should really get back to."

"Falchion!" Golden says. "Go show the Hero's party where they're going and then get back here right away."

"Yes, Uncle," Falchion mumbles.

"And no, you may not stop for a quick card game!"

"Yes, Uncle."

Falchion takes us off into the streets of northern Gleam Underside, where we come upon a magitech power station surrounded by a wire fence. Trees have been planted all around it, and Falchion leads us into the cover between the trees and the fence.

At the end of the row of trees on the far side of the relay station from where we began, the trees become densest until we come upon a doorway leading down that my [Aether Sense] immediately recognizes as a dungeon entrance. The doorway leads us down into a verdant cavern.

You have discovered the Last Thicket.

The place bears a distinct resemblance to the Hidden Glade, aside from being underground. A cluster of treefolk stand around, inviting passersby to take part in minigames. The complete lack of guards tells me that they trust the treefolk to be able to take care of themselves and aren't concerned about anyone potentially getting through to the Topside.

If Tempest's Middle Caverns are any indication, this could be a very large area down here. Fortunately, Gleam is much smaller than Tempest, by a factor of 4. The sides are closer together and there's less room to sprawl.

"Alright, kids, you're on your own from here," Falchion says. "Once you pass through those vines, you might run into monsters. I'm a crafter and no good at fighting so you won't catch me dead stepping foot out there. I'm going to stop for a quick card game before I head back. Don't tell Uncle."

"I do not actually care what you do, so good luck," I say, shrugging. "We're going to stay the night here, anyway. I want to scout ahead first, but the skill I use to scout with works better when I'm sleeping. It'll give my party members a chance to get some experience in the Last Thicket."

"Be careful down there with my sister along," Falchion warns me. "There's Heroic monsters that roam around down there, I hear."

"And this is why I'm scouting ahead in my sleep. I will learn everything I can before setting foot down there."

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