[CRAFTING] [SOLO] Have to Start Somewhere

[Stalwart]

((Barry! Play track ten!))

Everything was in place. He had the materials paid for - one-hundred and fifty gold. Enough for a mid-tier level one shield, spear, and suit of armour. Sure, it'd leave a sizeable dent in his wallet, but it'd be worth it to get out of his starter gear. He was fairly certain that what he was currently forced to go out and gather resources in was actually just paper-mache in the vague shape of equipment, barely able to stad up to even the slightest of blows. Just the thought of actually wearing something decent was enough to put a smile on his face.

He had his measurements. In this world, there was no need to worry about armour padding, oddly enough, so all he needed to get to work was the metal. Fortunately, while the game lacked any huge leaps in crafting technology, the humble hacksaw was still a thing that existed. Work using it was long and laborious, but it was far better than using a chisel. A noisy, slow, and ultimately impractical chisel. Alan made a mental note to see some mechanics and higher-level blacksmiths about better cutting tools - a hacksaw was hardly going to cut it for long, ironically enough.

Eventually, the pieces he needed had been cut out, more or less. They were rough around the edges, certainly, but that was what the files were for. Getting everything filed down to just the correct shape was difficult, but Alan persevered regardless. It didn't take him long, however, to regret not buying a mask of some sort. He could handle the noise, given that there wouldn't be any permanent hearing damage to him no matter what he did in the station, but breathing in metal particles was incredibly irritating. Not deadly, natch, but enough to make him grimace while he worked.

[Stalwart]

Next came shaping the metal. And that required hammering. Lots and lots of hammering. With every hit of the hammer, the metal bent. And with every clang, Alan wondered if he was doing it right. He'd seen people forge, he'd had people tell him how to do it, and he'd read up as much as he could on the subject. But not a single one of those were a substitute for actual experience.
"No. Can't think like that. Have to focus. Have to keep forging. Just keep going."
The fear was pushed out of his mind. Not by confidence - by sheer force of will.

Much to his surprise, the metal was starting to take on a form that resembled armour. Well, pieces of it, but it was still decent enough progress. He continued shaping the metal, inch by painstaking inch. It was about halfway through the process that the novelty wore off, and he was beginning to get bored of it. And yet, his work did not get any sloppier. Partially because he was new to smithing and his work looked like a modern art piece regardless of how hard he tried to make it resemble something that a man would wear to protect himself, but also due to his work ethic.
But it was mostly his inexperience.

Eventually, the pieces were ready to come together, to an extent. He could have done better, it had to be said. His work was hardly that of an expert, and it showed. However, the faults were fixable, and Alan was determined to at least try to make his gear look presentable. And, while he knew it would take years of experience, trial, and error to make something even remotely complex, he took some small solace in the fact that his armour - despite being unfinished - was still looking more sturdy than the plate mail the game had given him had ever looked.

[Stalwart]

Then, the final step. Putting it all together. The forge was hot, his hammer was ready, and so was he. ALan braced himself, took a deep breath, and focussed. His hammer struck the metal, in a precise manner not befitting someone who had never done such a thing before. A lucky shot, undoubtedly, but he'd obviously done his homework. The timing was inconsistent, and he missed the blow on more than one occasion, but every hit of the hammer brought his armour closer and closer to completion. Few would have noticed it - Alan especially - but a grin was beginning to split his face.

The torso's piece was set to one side. The gauntlets were next. Again, his technique was far from perfect, and definitely needed to be worked on, but he hadn't just gone in hoping that smacking a mallet against some metal would result in gear worth using. But he was getting somewhere. he was progressing. Something he was doing was actually working. He was being independent. People wouldn't look at him like he was some sort of invalid, unable to do anything because of his heart. He wouldn't be treated like he was made of glass. He could finally go out do what he wanted.

The rest of the armour came together shortly after - relatively speaking. There was still time to make the other two pieces of equipment, but there was no avoiding the fact that forging the armour had taken quite a while. Alan considered the time well spent, though. Armour to cover him from his head to his toes had been forged, and it was all made by him. Not very well, when compared to those who'd actually taken the time to practise with more basic items first, but it was still an improvement on whatever the hell he'd had to wear beforehand.

[Stalwart]

EQUIPMENT PIECE 1/3 COMPLETED


ITEM: Metal Equipment
MATERIAL: Grade V Metal
NAME: Fortress Armour
DESCRIPTION: Bulky plate armour that looks more like it was made out of stone than metal. Thick, rugged steel is used to cover the wearer's body and limbs, while a close helmet keeps the head covered. Looks as though it could withstand being trampled on by a giant.

[Stalwart]

The shield would be simpler. He wasn't aiming to create any intricate patterns or complex mechanisms. He just needed a shield that wouldn't shatter the moment the breeze blew the wrong way. Not that whatever he made would be much stronger than the starter great shield, but it would at least soften any blows more than the hulking lump of rubbish he was forced to wield could ever dream to. Still, that was no excuse for carelessness. The shield would still have to be forged with some degree of competence, or else it could possibly break sooner than even the starter gear.

First, he cut the slab of metal he'd been given for his shield into shape. A simpler task than the armour - the parts he needed for it weren't nearly as intricate. This was balanced out by the sheer amount of cutting and filing that he had to do to get it into shape. The end piece wasn't going to look particularly polished, but then again, neither did his armour. The two would go together quite well - almost as if they were a set. Not a particularly appealing one, mind, but a set nonetheless.

The metal was finally cut down to size. instead of a slab of metal far too big for anyone to feasibly use, it was a slab of metal that was of questionable size for a great shield. Not quite what he had had in mind when he started smithing, but it was more or less what he wanted. All he had to do was shape it now, and then add the finishing touches. A task easier said than done, however, given that the shield was far more solid than the armour's pieces, and wasn't going to budge easily.

[Stalwart]

The clanging of metal rang in Alan's ears. He was throwing everything he could at the shield-in-progress that he could without breaking it, and it wasn't even beginning to look like what he wanted it to. This wasn't like cooking or baking or art, or any other craft he'd tried - he couldn't even tell if he was making any progress. he was sure somebody with some modicum of experience in it could, but he was on his own. There was no way for him to tell if anything was working, bar how the actual shape of the item was looking.

It was at this point that Alan began to consider a change of subclass. It was inexpensive, and he'd be able to actually do something. Sure, the market was saturated with people who were trying to sell food, and his was nothing special in even the slightest sense of the word. But he was a far better cook than he was a blacksmith, that much was certain. He couldn't make a shield worth a dam - his was just starting to look like a curved slab of metal, instead of something that a man would use to protect himself. But he made a mean tuna casserole.

Eventually, the shield was in the shape he needed it to be. More or less. it certainly wasn't perfect, but it was still high enough quality to beat out his starter gear. Not by much, natch, but enough for him to consider using it. Plus, it didn't look as bad as he thought it did - it kind of resembled a wall, to his mind. Like it was made out of rock, not metal. He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but it looked cool and the shield appeared to be able to take blows, so it was all good. To him.

[Stalwart]

Now Playing: I AM NOT A MORON! (Piano Rendition by Taioo)

---

The boss could be made with a dishing bowl. Not something he was entirely sure he could do with any degree of competency, but at least it sounded simple on paper. Sort of. Alan shook his head, trying to dismiss the thoughts. They did him no good - he'd just have to keep forging ahead. Trial and error, he told himself. That was all it was.
"But what if I'm really just incompetent?"  He thought. The thought by itself was bad enough, but perhaps the worst of it was that it wasn't even one of his 'louder' ones. It was a thought that lingered at the back of his mind, constantly eating away at him, only able to be suppressed - never dealt with.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, I suppose. I wouldn't be the first to be a complete and utter failure. Some people are just bad at... Well, everything, really. Just look at how I turned out. Completely unremarkable. And even that was taken from me. Now I'm just..."
The hammer didn't clang this time. It slowed mid-swing, eventually just tapping the steel. Then, the hit came. but it wasn't even remotely precise. It was an angry blow - one struck out of fury. No technique, no finesse, nothing. He wasn't shaping the metal, he was striking it.

The boss and the handle turned out usable. They were by no means incredible, but that was to be expected. What was odd was how they deformed they were. The basic shape had been made, and they would function as intended, but something about them seemed... off. Alan set them to one side, but he didn't look at them proudly as he did the armour. The fire in his eyes was fading, and his expression was drooping. Something was wrong with him, and it was something only he knew about.

[Stalwart]

EQUIPMENT PIECE 2/3 COMPLETED

ITEM: Metal Equipment
MATERIAL: Grade V Metal
NAME: Bastion
DESCRIPTION: A thick, rectangular great shield made solely of metal, with an appearance reminiscent of that of a castle wall. Though heavy, its sheer defensive ability makes up for this.

[Stalwart]

Originally, Alan had planned to make a boar-hunting spear. Simple and practical. But then something came over him, and he decided to make something a little... scarier. A weapon that would strike fear into the hearts of man and beast alike. Something to go with the armour and shield. Huge and solid, an unstoppable force to go with the immovable object. A weapon that would leave his enemies sprawled on the ground or kneeling at his feet, begging for their lives. Something to show them that he wasn't weak or pathetic, and that he could do anything he wanted by himself.

The hacksaw chewed through the metal, but Alan gave it little attention. his mind was elsewhere.
"This... This is right, isn't it? I'm making a spear, aren't I?"
Even in the early stages of forming it, the spear wasn't looking like a conventional weapon. Sure, it looked- for all intents and purposes - like a spear. It was long, but not as long as a lance. It was straight, and a man could hold it and thrust it at something. But if a person saw it, there would be a distinct lack of one of the defining features of a spear - the spearhead.

"Look. Can't even make the pointy end. Hell, can't even make something pointy. All that metalwork... Just looks like someone took a blowtorch and a hammer and tried to beat them into shape."
The spear - if that was what it could be called - was beginning to take a clearer shape. Alan took a file to it, and began to smooth everything he could down and get off anything superfluous. This would be his weapon. Something unique to him. It wouldn't be the first of its kind, sure, but he'd certainly not seen many of them around.

[Stalwart]

As much as he hated it, the chisel was needed for some parts. It was a clumsy, imprecise tool that seemed more suited to breaking through rock than for cutting away at metal. And yet, because he hacksaw didn't have the precision he needed, he was forced to use it. At least he could pretend that the scowl he wore was just born of frustration out of having to use such a dreadful implement.
"Outdated, unneeded, unwanted. Crude, clumsy, only useful for very specific things... Sounds familiar."
Alan grimaced. He was getting distracted. Not something he could afford to do.

He picked it up to test its weight. Not bad, but a little unbalanced. A few bits would need to be taken off to make it usable. Alan noticed a saving grace of the chisel - something he didn't think existed.
It distracted him from himself.
Alan knew his thoughts were toxic. But he couldn't ignore them - he couldn't deny them a voice. But the chisel was hell to work with, and took up any available space in his mind to make him reflect on what a hellish contraption it was.

The spear was starting to look more like he intended. That was assuming one could call it a spear, anyway. It actually looked more like a thick pole than it did a weapon made for stabbing. But that was perfect. He was a Guardian, not an assassin. He was a wall, solid and unyielding, and his weapon had to reflect it. He couldn't just wield a stick with a pointy end on it - they just looked pathetic when compared to his armour. And everybody used swords like they were going out of fashion. No, he needed something special.

[Stalwart]

It took him quite a while, but Alan finally finished his new weapon. It was a brutish thing - looking like no more than a long lump of metal. And yet, it was a weapon. His weapon. It was weighty and solid, but compact. Holding it, he felt like sweep with it could knock somebody to their knees - or it could break their knees altogether. He felt like thrusting it into somebody's chest could reduce their ribs to powder, and pulverise anything that they were supposed to protect - lungs and all.

"An ugly weapon for an ugly person... How quaint."
Alan's thoughts did not perturb him. The power he felt he had with his new weapon... It was something else. It was only a level one weapon, and was likely not much better than the rubbish he'd been outfitted with initially, but it was something he'd made. And it could actually do something. He could bake a cake better. He couldn't draw well, but he did so better than he forged weaponry. But even so, to him, there was just something about seeing a weapon made by his own hands, and feeling its weight in his hand.

Alan put the spear down, and observed all of his handiwork. Was any of it any good? Hell no - none of it was. No self-respecting blacksmith would call it "good." It was ugly, it needed polishing, and it only just fit the specifications its creator had in mind. But they were all functional, and they made Alan look like more than just another kid. With the equipment he had, he actually looked the part of a Guardian - a huge, impenetrable wall, capable of shrugging off even a dragon's wrath.

Alan felt ready.

[Stalwart]

EQUIPMENT PIECE 3/3 COMPLETED

ITEM: Metal Equipment
MATERIAL: Grade V Metal
NAME: Impact
DESCRIPTION: A rugged spear made entirely out of metal. Thicker, heavy, and with a blunt end, this weapon uses blunt trauma to pulverise its victims. Looks like it could punch through sheet steel.