Rise of the Living Forge

Even with his excitement, Arwin took care to spend a few more moments thinking about everything that had just flashed through the air before him. The Mesh really hadn’t given him much time to process it all. He’d gotten two levels while he’d been working, though he was pretty sure he’d been really close to reaching Apprentice 9. Wallace’s Challenge had upgraded Molten Novice and given him a new class specialization, and by reaching Journeyman 1, not only had his physical body grown stronger, but he also had the opportunity to choose a Class Specialization.

Lillia and Wallace both watched Arwin with interest. They were more than familiar with the Mesh and could obviously tell at least a degree of what had happened. Both of them remained silent to give him space and avoid distracting him.

I need to stay focused. The Class Specialization comes first. This is what I’ve been working toward ever since I got my very first taste of this class. Journeyman is where your class truly becomes yours. Granted, I don’t think anyone else is walking around with the Living Forge class, but the point still stands.

Whatever choice he made here would be sticking with him for a long time. It wasn’t something he could afford to choose on a whim. Arwin scanned over the glowing options before him once again. Unlike some of his skill choices, he wasn’t willing to dismiss even the most basic options until he had fully thought them through. There were no second chances with a Class Specialization.

[Dwarven Smithing]

[Cursed Dwarven Smithing]

[Offensive Items]

[Defensive Items]

[Magical Consumption]

Arwin temporarily skipped over both Dwarven Smithing options. They were a lot more complex than the other options and he wasn’t sure if they would involve further dealings with the dwarven council. It wasn’t like he was going to lose the abilities that Wallace had just taught him, so he wanted to analyze the other options at the very least.

That brought him to Offensive Items. The meaning was evident enough. Swords, daggers, bows, everything that was meant to hurt and kill. There was always a need for weapons. Getting better at them certainly wouldn’t hurt. But, even as Arwin’s eyes ran over the glowing words, he knew without a doubt that this wasn’t the path he planned to take.

Focusing in on making weapons was great if he planned to sit on the sidelines of a war or if he didn’t truly care about the people he crafted for. Weapons were needed to defeat an enemy, but they didn’t keep someone safe.

I have no plans of moving away from making armor to focus purely on killing. I’d prefer to kill nobody and keep everyone I care about alive than stand alone on a mountain of corpses made from my enemies and allies alike.

Defensive Items could grant him the safety he desired. He’d never say no to a way to keep his guild safe. But there would be no victory if he removed his own teeth. As much as Arwin desired to protect everyone, he had no plans of giving up and letting the war wage on forever.

Survival was the bare minimum. It wasn’t the ultimate goal. Limiting himself to either offense or defense would simply come at too great a cost. His eyes drifted down to the next option on the list and a small frown pulled at his lips. Arwin shifted his footing as he studied it.

Magical Consumption. That’s definitely [The Hungering Maw]. No doubt about it. If I take that, I’ll make it even stronger. Or will I learn how to control it? That’s… tempting. Really tempting. As of now, I’ve only found ways to temporarily hold the Maw back. Lillia’s cooking is doing a great job at that, but I’m not truly in control of it. Taking this might even be the path I’m meant to follow if I want to complete my Challenge.

That thought sent a wave of concern lapping against the shore of Arwin’s mind. Taking a specialization that only focused on his ability to consume magic would do nothing to let him protect the others unless it made him so strong that—

No. I can’t do this alone. I tried that in my past life. I tried it in this one too, but I won’t keep making the same mistake. Even if this is the path the Mesh wants me to take for my challenge, I’m not going to trade away the potential of empowering my entire guild. I’ll find a different way to deal with the Maw.

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Arwin shifted his attention to the final non-Dwarven Smithing option on his list of Class Specializations. War Smithing had more potential than some of the previous options. It didn’t limit him to only making weapons or armor. It could still provide benefits for the rest of his guild… but he just had absolutely no idea as to the details of what War Smithing would entail.

It could have been mixing combat with smithing, or it could have been making large scale constructs and equipment for wars. Arwin blew out a slow breath and chewed his lower lip. Neither of those were bad, but they weren’t exactly what he needed.

This isn’t it. It’s probably the option I would have gone with if the Dwarven Smithing paths hadn’t been open to me, but they are. I suppose I really shouldn’t have been surprised. At least I don’t have to sit and wonder if I made the wrong choice later on.

Only two options remained. Dwarven Smithing and Cursed Dwarven Smithing. Arwin was pretty sure that he could call himself an idiot for choosing either of them over the other. The non-cursed version was safer, and it wouldn’t exactly get rid of the title he’d gotten that let him craft with emotion.

On the other hand, going with Cursed Dwarven Smithing could give him a way to control the Cursed items he made. Then again, there was also a chance it would just make them even stronger and more dangerous to their own wielders. Arwin’s fingers drummed against his thigh. He knew what Wallace would say. The dwarf would tell him to choose the normal Dwarven Smithing and stop being an idiot.

But Wallace doesn’t know what it’s really like. He might have been in battles, but he hasn’t seen what Lillia and I have. Cursed items are stronger than normal ones. They’re dangerous, but they’re stronger. Nobody would ever bother screwing with them otherwise.

If that danger can be controlled… I’ll take it. I can’t get strong enough to protect the others by taking the safe route. But if it can’t be controlled, then locking myself into specializing in pure evil items effectively makes my class completely useless. There’s too much riding on this for me to gamble with it.

Fortunately, I don’t have to.

Arwin had gone through every option he had on his own, before the Mesh had a chance to pitch in its own influence. Sure, he’d landed on the two options that were probably the smartest options to take, but he’d done it himself.

Now it was time to cash in a little advice that he’d earned himself some time ago. He summoned one of his Achievements with a thought.

[Smart Set] – Awarded for forging a set made entirely of [Awoken] items. Effects: Gain guidance on a single class-related choice. This achievement will be consumed upon usage.

[Smart Set] has been consumed.

How do I do this? Do I just… ask a question? How detailed will the answer even be? I need to avoid anything that could be subjective. What the Mesh thinks is best and what I think is best may not be the same. All I need is facts.

Arwin cleared his throat. Nothing had changed since he activated the Achievement. It would have been a cruel prank if the Mesh had just removed it and given him nothing because he’d gone about it the wrong way or some equally stupid reason.

“Give me details about every Class Specialization offered to me,” Arwin said, then quickly amended, “and if I’ll get more by narrowing down the focus, then only give me detail on the first two. Specifically the safety of the latter one.”

“Who, me?” Wallace asked, blinking. “I don’t know what classes you got, boy.”

“Me neither, but you should go with the one that your heart tells you to,” Lillia suggested. “Either that or the one that lets you make the biggest hammer. Hitting things hard never fails.”

Arwin bit back a snort. The Mesh shimmered and the glowing words changed, drawing his gaze back to them as the bottom four options fell away and left only the two at the top.

[Dwarven Smithing] — This specialization will allow you to further the knowledge you have earned and continue in the way of a Dwarven Smith. Accept tutelage from another smith or set out on your own, both paths are open to you.

[Cursed Dwarven Smithing] — This specialization will allow you to twist the way of a Dwarven Smith to your own goals. Though you may seek knowledge from others, this is a path untrodden. There is no line between smith and cursed item. There is only power and the one with the desire strong enough to take it. One will become the weapon, and the other the wielder. There is no path that cannot be conquered, but nothing comes without cost.

That wasn’t much to work with. Arwin sucked on the insides of his cheeks. The Mesh hadn’t exactly been generous with its information, but it had answered the question he needed to know. Cursed items could be controlled, and the Cursed Dwarven Smithing path wasn’t just a straight up trap. A weapon that could be controlled was just that — a weapon.

Power wouldn’t come if he didn’t seek it out. It wouldn’t be long before the Menagerie had even more attention on it. He hadn’t heard any word from Melissa yet, but the assassins would find her soon enough. When people found he could make magical weapons, there would be some that wanted to control him. There always were.

Arwin made his decision. The golden words shimmered one last time as they melted and flowed to obey his will.

Name: Arwin Tyrr

Class: Living Forge (Unique)(Tier: Journeyman 1)

Specialization: Cursed Dwarven Smithing