“Seriously?” Reya asked, her eyes going wide. “You aren’t messing with me?” “Why would I joke about something ?” Arwin asked. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. Now that his work on the greaves was done and he’d gotten his tier advancement, he was exhausted. “I’m dead serious.” Reya swallowed. “I – thank you. I don’t know if it’ll work out, but I really appreciate it. I’m not so sure I’ll be able to get a class. If I could, wouldn’t I have gotten one by now?” “We aren’t always dealt the hand we want, and the Mesh can be strange. From my experience with it, the thing you desire will come to you so long as you work toward it. If you don’t have a class yet, it’s not because you can’t get it. It’s because you haven’t been in the situation where you’ve been doing what you truly want to.” Reya didn’t look completely convinced, but she gave Arwin a nod. “Okay. I’ll trust you, so just tell me what to do. Shouldn’t I… I don’t know, train or something?” “Do what you want. I’m not an expert on this,” Arwin said with a dry laugh. “For today, I’m done doing anything other than sleeping. I’m about an inch from passing out on my feet. Just make sure you’re around three days from now.” “I will!” Reya promised hurriedly, her eyes flashing with a mixture of excitement and determination. She caught herself and cleared her throat sheepishly. “Thank you.” “Stop thanking me for something that hasn’t happened yet,” Arwin grumbled. He trudged over to his bed and tested it with a hand. It sank beneath his palm – not as much as he might have liked, but it was still far softer than the floor. One more step toward making this place a real home. Right now, Arwin needed to complete a set of armor for Reya that would last her until she had her class. She already had a chest piece, so what she needed now was something for her lower body. There was no point to make it too specifically tuned, though – it would likely become irrelevant if her class ended up being something that couldn’t use it. Making magical plate armor for someone trying to move stealthily would be quite the waste. What I need is a set of armor perfect for someone who hasn’t gotten their class yet. Something that protects them but doesn’t constrain them to a specific fighting style. Something fast, effective, and easy to move in. Arwin didn’t know what Reya’s measurements were – a problem that the scales fortunately seemed to understand. He still wasn’t sure how much of it was their own desire and how much was his own magic, but as time slipped by, a set of greaves started to take shape in the forge. They were mostly made from scale mail, but he added curved plates to protect her knees and solid lines down the outside of the legs that would hopefully serve to deflect a glancing attack better. Arwin didn’t work through the nights this time around, not wanting to be exhausted when it came time to set out with Reya. He stopped whenever it grew dark, retiring to his new bed and leaving the armor in a pile under it so Reya didn’t see what he was working on. His work came to a close on the third day, just before the morning of when they’d set out with Rodrick and Anna to get Reya her class. Reya – at least as far as Arwin was aware – had no idea of what he’d been working on. She’d spent the last few days out and had always come back late and weary, dropping into bed without much more than a muttered greeting. He could see the stress weighing on her shoulders, but there wasn’t much he could say to alleviate it. Reya was already asleep by the time Arwin finished, which made it considerably easier for him to put everything away without her seeing it. He slipped all the pieces of the armor under his bed, then laid down on top of it and let himself drift off to sleep. When the night came to a close and Arwin’s eyes drifted awake the following morning, he found Reya already awake and pacing in front of the door. Her eyes snapped over to him as soon as she noticed he was awake. “Is it time?” Reya asked, wringing her hands together and shifting from foot to foot. “You don’t have to be worried about it. If things don’t work out, we’ll just try again a different day,” Arwin said through a yawn. He rose to his feet and stretched his arms out, rolling his neck and wiping the sleep from his eyes. “Not if I die,” Reya said. “You’re not going to die. We’ve got two other adventurers with us, and they’re both pretty good at what they do. One is a healer.” “But what if I slip while I’m fighting? I’ve only properly fought other people. We’re going to go fight some really powerful monster or something, aren’t we?” “What makes you think that?” Arwin tilted his head to the side with an amused grin. “We could just be going after some weak ones.” “If I haven’t gotten a class yet, then killing a bunch of pushover monsters isn’t going to change anything.” “That’s likely true,” Arwin allowed. “Technically I think it would depend on exactly how you killed the monsters, but fighting something stronger is more likely to get you a good class. If we can get you an Achievement or Title in the process, even better.” “Before I even get a class?” Reya shuddered. “Are you trying to get me killed? All the Achievements for that kind of thing always come from defeating something way stronger than you. I’ll get ripped in half!” “No you won’t,” Arwin said. He knelt beside his bed and pulled out the greaves that he’d hidden beneath it the night before. Reya made her way over to him, looking curiously over his shoulder. “What’s this?” Reya asked. “That looks a bit… small for you.” “You would be correct.” Arwin’s voice was as dry as the desert. “It isn’t for me. It’s for you.” Reya snickered and rolled her eyes. “Right, sure. Did you get commissioned by the other adventurers or something? I bet these would go for a good amount. They look great.” Arwin just raised an eyebrow. Reya’s smile flickered and fell away. She looked from the armor to Arwin, then swallowed. “You weren’t joking?” “Dead serious. It’s to keep the dead in the serious and not in you if you get hit by something nasty,” Arwin said. The joke had sounded considerably better in his head, but Reya was so engrossed with the armor that she didn’t even notice. She hurriedly donned the greaves and fastened everything before rolling her shoulders and hopping from one foot to the other. The set he’d started some time ago was complete – at least for the time being. The greaves weren’t magical, but they were still more than enough to keep her safe. I hope they are, at least. As far as Arwin could tell, the armor fit her perfectly. A small smile flickered across Arwin’s face. He’d been more than a little worried that it would have been the wrong size, but his powers hadn’t failed him. “I think this might be the nicest thing anyone has ever gotten for me, much less made,” Reya murmured, running her hands along the scales in delight. “This is incredible. It’s such a huge step up from what you were making just recently as well. Were you holding back on purpose? Wait. I can’t afford this, and you already gave me a magical chestpiece. I–”