Arwin was spared of the Mesh’s golden letters for a grand total of three seconds after selecting his Class Specialization. The very moment he let himself release a breath and start pulling his attention back to the real world, almost as if the Mesh had been waiting for it, a pinprick of light expanded to form into words before him once again. New Skill Choice Available. [Six of Sets] has been consumed. You may select one of the following skills. [Overdrive] – The heat of the forge burns in your heart. Let it free. Temporarily increase your resilience and power as your muscles are infused with magical power. The duration of this effect scales with your Tier. When this effect ends, the increased strain on your muscles will hinder you for five times the amount of time you spent in Overdrive. [UPGRADED][Shieldwall]: Your desire to protect your allies has proven itself time and time again. Grant it even more strength. When a creature you view as an ally is under attack, magic will infuse your muscles and accelerate your speed when moving in their direction. Furthermore, by spending increased magical energy, your skin will harden and absorb the damage from a physical blow. The amount of damage absorbed scales with the amount of magical energy used. [Magmamancy] – Enhance your control of lava and gain the ability to manipulate it as effortlessly as you would an arm. The amount of magical energy needed to maintain this ability scales exponentially with the amount of lava being controlled. [Leech] – Twist the connection between yourself and magical items, temporarily ripping the power from them to empower yourself with a portion of it. If the item you are targeting has an owner, this ability's effects are reduced the greater your target's tier is than yours. [UPGRADED] [Unleash] – A master of cursed items never fights alone. Meld your power with that of an item bearing a soul, allowing it to temporarily manifest itself. The effects and duration of this ability depend on the strength of the targeted item. Stronger items will require increased amounts of magical energy to maintain their bond, and this ability is ineffective on items whose requirements exceed the magical energy you can supply. “You figure correctly.” Lillia crossed her arms in front of her chest. “What is it now?” Wallace nodded to Arwin and tapped the shaft of his hammer on his shoulder. “You’re a Dwarven Smith now, Arwin. That’s a long path and you’ve only taken the first step along it. You’d be wise to continue to seek the tutelage of a master.” “Another apprenticeship?” Arwin asked with a small frown. He didn’t have time to properly dedicate himself to studying and doing nothing else. “More like a guide. There are a lot of twists that you wouldn’t think about. Some of ‘em are better dealt with yourself, but it’s still customary to have a proper master alongside a newly fledged Dwarven Smith.” Wallace hesitated for a moment, then blew out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his head. “Given your… past, it may be wise to be wary of the dwarven council right about now.” “Can’t imagine why,” Lillia muttered. “Are you offering?” Arwin asked. “Aye. Offering. You don’t have to take me up on it. You don’t even need a mentor. You might be able to get away without one. It’s not mandatory. It’s just…” “Tradition,” Arwin finished with a chuckle. “Right?” Wallace nodded. “Yes.” Arwin considered the offer for a moment. Wallace was rude but definitely knew what he was doing. His actions, misinformed as they were, had all been motivated by a desire to protect others. He also hadn’t actually tried to attack him at any point. At this point, the dwarf basically knew the important bits of his history with the Adventurer’s Guild as well. “I’ll consider it,” Arwin said finally. “It might not be a poor idea. I imagine you might be swinging by every so often anyway.” Wallace cleared his throat. “I was considering it. Hard to find booze like that anywhere, you know.” “Then we’ve got time to figure it out.” “Works for me,” Wallace said, and they fell in behind Lillia as she led them out of the building. The group only made it a few steps into the street before Arwin spotted Reya approaching them with a large mug clutched against her chest. She glanced at Arwin, then turned her attention to Wallace. “Rodrick said you might be getting thirsty, so I brought you a drink,” Reya said, nodding to the dwarf and holding the mug out. “Arwin’s is back in the tavern. I’ll go get it.” “A right lass, you are,” Wallace said with a delighted grin. He stepped forward and reached for the mug. At the same time a loud cough echoed down the street. Rodrick emerged from the alleyway behind the smithy. “Ah, Reya?” Rodrick called, hurriedly drawing a line across his throat with his thumb. “We’re good, actually. Turns out everything is fine.” Reya blinked but pulled the mug out of Wallace’s reach. The dwarf sent her a confused look, and she studied him for a second before tossing the mug to the side of the road and sending its contents spilling out across the dirt. Wallace let out a dismayed cry. “Why would you do that, lass?” A shadow flitted through the air from atop the smithy and alighted on the ground beside Arwin without so much as a sound, dropping into a bow before straightening to reveal Madiv’s sharp features. Anna stepped out from behind another alleyway along with Olive, who was hurriedly sheathing her sword, and an elderly woman’s voice echoed over the streets. “I brought that new anvil you requested up to the roof,” Esmerelda said from the top of the Infernal Armory’s roof, a note of delight in her voice. It seemed like it might have been meant to be a whisper, but her ears had failed her long ago and it came out just as loud as normal conversation. “Now where should I drop it?” “We don’t need it anymore, actually,” Anna said. “You can keep it. Sorry for the trouble.” “I hate all of you,” Esmerelda said. A sizzle filled the alleyway. They all looked down to where Reya had discarded the mug. Its contents were currently eating through the stone and forming deep pits in the ground. The mug itself had started to disintegrate as well. “Earth Father,” Wallace muttered, glancing around at the Menagerie. “What is that?” Rodrick cleared his throat. “That was an extra-spicy batch. Real strong stuff.” “Good thing I dropped it,” Reya beamed at the dwarf. “Glad to hear you’re on our side now.” “It’s better for your health that way,” Anna advised. She glanced up at the Infernal Armory’s roof. “Madiv, could you stop Esmeralda from pushing that anvil off the edge of the building? It’s going to land on Wallace’s head.” The vampire vanished in a blur of shadow, and a hushed argument immediately broke out on the roof. Wallace stared up into the sky. Then he looked back to everyone else. For a moment, his face was unreadable. Then he let out a snort. “You’ve got some dedicated friends, Arwin. I get the feeling I might not have left here alive if I’d decided to start something.” “Oh, not a chance,” Lillia said with an award-winning smile. “I’d have you on the next night’s menu. Now, who was it that put poison in my mead?” Anna cleared her throat hurriedly. “Is it time for dinner? Because I’m starving. I also simultaneously need to use the bathroom. Very badly. See you all soon.”