Uh oh. I think I might have really given Reya the wrong idea about how much I know about anything romance related. It would be rude to tell her I can’t help, though. “Let’s hear it, then.” “Well… I don’t know.” Reya’s cheeks colored. “I just don’t know what to do.” “It seems like you’ve been doing better. You’re actually talking to her. That was a step in the right direction.” Arwin tried to make sure his voice didn’t get too dry, but he didn’t do the best job at it. Reya’s blush intensified. “You don’t have to rub it in. And I know that. I meant what I’m supposed to do about what she just told us about. Her past.” “I don’t know if there’s a specific answer to that. Just be kind and try to help her if she needs help. Is it something specific you’re asking about? I’m not sure I’m following.” Reya’s fists tightened and she tapped a foot on the ground as she searched for the proper words. “That’s not it. I know that. I mean… isn’t it cheap, or something?” “Olive is clearly not feeling well. Even if she’s pretending like she isn’t bothered, it’s pretty obvious that she is. Wouldn’t it be wrong of me to try to do anything when she’s like that? I have ulterior motives.” She stepped out before Arwin could respond. Arwin looked at the spot where she’d been standing, a small smile pulling at his lips before he could quash it. He wasn’t so sure he should let himself feel good about this. He barely knew what he was doing himself. Giving Reya advice didn’t feel like the smartest move, but her question hadn’t been too focused on the romantic elements, so he felt like he hadn’t overstepped any bounds. And, if Arwin was honest with himself, it felt nice to be relied upon. He got back to work on the Maristeel, the small smile still present on his lips. Time slipped by, properly this time. The rough exterior of crud covering the Maristeel steadily came off and he soon had a polished piece ready to work with. Arwin set it into the flame and set about working it into a plate once it was hot enough. When he’d finished, he pulled it into pieces with [Scourge] and laid them out to cool. “Right. Which of you want to be an arrow?” Arwin asked, looking out at the thick strips of Maristeel on his anvil. He’d started to get used to speaking to his materials, as odd as it was. And, as usual, he was delighted to find that the Maristeel was amiable to just about anything. The metal was just so happy to be used after all the time it had sat around doing nothing that he was pretty sure it would have been thrilled to be a toilet seat. Okay, that might be going a bit far. I’m not so sure anything wants to be a toilet seat. I should take care to never speak to the materials of one of those, or I may never be the same again. Arwin gathered up the pieces of Maristeel and set them aside. With the metal handled, it was time to move on to the next, and arguably more important, step. He needed something to focus the magic. “Let’s see,” Arwin mused, looking around everything he’d brought into the smithy. He still had the white gemstone from the Mesh’s Challenge. That didn’t feel like it would benefit an arrow much. I need something that would give it traits that would… well, suit an arrow. Definitely nothing with [Brittle] since I want to reuse it. I don’t think anything from the spiders would be all that useful. I bet I could get a poison attribute from that, but I’m looking more for massive damage than that. The centipede pieces will also be a lot more useful for defensive purposes. Arwin’s thoughts drifted to the Wyrmling scales. There were literal piles of them just waiting to be used. The scales themselves probably wouldn’t be of any use in an arrow… but their claws and teeth were a whole different game. I think that’s what I need. I’ll just wait for the others to come back with the Wyrmling bits and I’ll use either a tooth or a claw for the arrow. He turned, satisfied with his decision, and froze. Resting in the corner of his smithy behind him was a bag stuffed full of bone. He walked up to the edge of his workshop and squinted out the door beyond it that led into the street. The sun was already shining down on the street. He’d somehow let hours slip away from him once more. It looked like the others had already completed their item run and dropped everything off without disturbing him. “Good timing,” Arwin mused to himself, even though it was likely the bag had gotten dropped off quite some time ago. He pulled it open to see what they’d gotten for him. Within it was a mixture of bones, teeth, claws, and daggers. There were also a few broken swords. Well, it certainly looks like they got everything they could. This was probably just one of the bags. Arwin took out a tooth and a claw, then walked back to the anvil. Both of them were sharp — there was no doubt about that. The claw was considerably larger than the fang. It was rounded and curved to a thin point. The fang, on the other hand, was sharp all the way along its edges. Even though it was smaller, the fang felt like it fit what he needed quite a bit more than the claw did. Not to mention I’ve used a fang for an arrow before. Sure, it was a smaller fang and a worse arrow, but the idea is the same. Arwin put the claw back and set the fang aside. He selected several pieces of Maristeel and returned them to the flames to heat. Once they’d grown hot enough, he set about hammering them together into a rod. The process went relatively quickly. That wasn’t to say it was fast, but between the extra strength from [Scourge] and the [Soul Flame] that rippled with every strike, Arwin soon had the shaft of the arrow made. He added the tooth to the head of the weapon, keeping himself focused on his end goal. The Maristeel would likely add in some form of water or sea related attribute. He couldn’t easily control that one without splitting his attention — perhaps that would be an ability that came with time. It wasn’t one he had now. So, instead, he focused entirely on what he could control. He needed an arrow that would be sharp. An arrow that would shoot straight and fly as far as a rod of metal could reasonably be expected to fly. Strike by strike, the arrow came together. Arwin poured magical energy into it. It was considerably more nerve-wracking to make something entirely without the Mesh’s guidance, but he didn’t want just any old arrow. He wanted the arrow. One that would serve him for the foreseeable future. Something that could survive being fired and resummoned over and over again.