Thaddeus looked at the incoming call. It was from Hephaestus, the Mythical Guild Vice Guild Leader of Crafting. Huey, as he liked to be called, managed Mythical Guild's crafting company, Vulcan. Huey and Thaddeus were friendly colleagues and sometime friends. Huey was also his contact in the Mythical Guild. As a consultant for Mythical Guild, Huey would reach out to him weekly to check in and relay information from the administration.
"Hey Huey," Thaddues said accepting the call.
"Thad, good to hear your voice. I trust all is well in Woodhaerst and Ironwood. I'm sure Iron and Oak's waitlist will keep you very busy even in winter." Huey's voice was always warm, but today there was an urgency behind it.
"The settlements are running smoothly, thank you. I'm also ramping up production on furniture. What's going on with you?" Thaddeus inquired.
"We have a bit of a situation," Huey said getting right to the point. "Freya and the dragon raid party are planning to assault the dragon, and they're in need of specialized equipment. All the raid parties will attack the dragon in unison. But the fourth and fifth raid parties aren't strong enough to cause damage. Instead, Freya plans to use them as range fighters to protect our castors.
I'm trapped in the capital, working on the anti-siege alchemical cannons for Redwood's wall defenses and we just had a breakthrough. We have a couple of months before our temporary hold on Redwood elapses. My entire team and I are tied up trying to construct these cannons. So, I thought of you for this project."
"You want to contract me, to craft this 'specialized equipment'? What do you need and how soon?" Thaddeus asked curiously.
Huey sighed in relief. "Arbalests. 25 of them. We also need an assortment of recovery potions, but the Arbalests are a priority."
"Arbalests? Do you mean crossbows?
"Yeah, but these are large and strong enough to pierce to dragon hide."
"Fine, send me the blueprint and I'll get right to work. As for the potions, I'll ask Sabrina to make you some, for a price."
"Price is not an option, but secrecy and speed are of the utmost importance. The guild cannot afford the blueprint falling into another guild's hands. Mythical must be the first guild to slay a dragon. Already, other guilds are gearing up to beat us to the world's first bonus. The raid is in two weeks, can you deliver by then?" Huey asked with a hint of hope in his voice, sending him the blueprint.
"Honestly, I don't know," Thaddeus said examining the blueprint. "It'll be tight, but we'll make it work. I'll start right away," Thaddeus assured him.
"I knew I could count on you, Thaddeus. Odin will be pleased. I'll wire you the payment once we're done here."
"Take care, Huey."
Thaddeus disconnected the call and walked to the manor to let Sabrina know Huey's request, before leaving to visit his carpentry shop.
The carpentry shop was filled with young men and women framing furniture. Once the frames were finished, they were sent to the blacksmith to install coils. When the coils were added, Thaddeus checked over each piece of furniture before it went to the tannery to be leather and buttoned tufted. In total, Thaddeus had 15 player apprentices working for him, five carpenters, five blacksmiths, and five tanners. Quality control was easy with a small business, and Thaddeus was proud, nothing but top quality left the workshop.
After checking on today's progress, he found a spot in the corner and reviewed the arbalest blueprints. Time was of the essence. The arbalest was complex but well within his realm of expertise. Thaddeus was a high-ranked general woodworker and metal worker. While he didn't have much experience in fletching, it wasn't difficult to comprehend.
To fletch a quality bow, required a soft bendable wood. Yew, Osage, and Hickory worked best. What mattered was making sure there were no knots and defects. Then whittle the stave until it's nice smooth and flexible. After it's smooth, dip in boiling water to soften the wood before tillering the bow to the desired weight and length, to have an even curve when the bow is drawn. Afterwards, a linen string could be used to nock the bow and the process was completed.
However, arbalest were much larger than wood bows. Unlike traditional bows, the arbalest bow was made from metal and with greater tensile strength. Arbalest had greater tensile strength because a crank was used to bend the metal bow. An arrow fired from an arbalest carried several times the amount of force than a traditional bow and arrow.
Thaddeus walked to the wood pile in the woodshop and pulled out a heavy oak stave. Methodically, he planned the stave into a smooth rectangular piece of wood. According to the blueprints, he needed to whittle further until it resembled the shape of a rifle, except the arrow would take the place of the barrel.
On top of the rifle, where a scope might be placed, sat a circle hand crank. The crank was responsible for tightening the rope attached to the metal bow. What drew Thaddeus' attention though, was that the hand crank was adjustable. It could be moved backward to increase the tensile strength or moved forward to lessen. Lastly, to fire the arbalest, an archer only needs to pull the trigger.
A few hours later, Thaddeus put down the arbalest. It was his first time building a weapon other than his own. Once he finished, he received a system message.
System Message
New Active Skill: Fletcher. At higher levels can identify the quality bows and arrows.
Stat Increase: +1 to AGI, +1 STR, +100 EXP
Level 1: Novice Level 1
Effect: Increased speed and accuracy of fletching
Cost: 10 AGI/second
Seeing the message, he chuckled. How long had it been since he received a new skill? He couldn't remember, but he was happy to see his stats screen grow.
Looking up from his screen, he noticed his carpenters were looking at him in amazement.
"Why is every staring?" Thaddeus asked as his employees glanced over the arbalest.
"Thaddeus, what's that?" asked his apprentice Cecilia.
"A crossbow."
"No respect, master, we've all seen crossbows in-game, they don't look like that," retorted his apprentice, Zack.
"Master did earn another world's first bonus?" asked his apprentice Lars.
"You all already know, I'm a consultant with Vulcan. They have their hands full, so they contracted with me to make 25 crossbows and recovery potions from Sabrina. Alright, now get back to work. We all have a lot of work to do."
In the large backroom of her alchemy shop, Sabrina was busy brewing potions. The air was thick with the aroma of herbs and spices. She carefully measured precisely, knowing all too well a drop too much of Nightshade and it becomes a poison rather than a potion.
Sabrina looked up from her cauldron as Thaddeus entered the room, carrying with him the distinct smell of wood and metal shavings. Her shop was filled with the gentle hum of bubbling potions and the soft glow of enchanted jars containing magical herbs and reagents.
"How are the arbalest coming along?" she said, stirring a simmering concoction.
"Fine, I was able to make one. Even picked up a new skill: fletching. I should be able to finish by the weekend. What about you? Huey ordered a large assortment of potions. Recovery, mana, and fire resistance potions to be exact. Can you handle it?"
A sly smile crossed Sabrina's lips, "I love a challenge. I already started."
Setting her stirring rod aside, Sabrina moved to the shelves lined with jars of dried herbs, tinctures, and mineral vials. She selected bottles of Moonlight Moss for the recovery potions, Essence of Arcane for the mana potions, and Fiery Nettle for fire resistance.
For the recovery potion, she ground Moonlight Moss into a fine powder, then dropped it into a cauldron filled with purified water. Chanting a spell, the mixture turned a soothing shade of blue. Sabrina carefully poured the liquid into vials, sealing them with a flick of her wand. Each bottle glowed with a gentle light, indicating the potion's efficacy.
Next, she moved on to the mana potions. Pouring the liquid Essence of Arcane into a separate cauldron, she added crystallized ether to empower the brew. The liquid turned a deep shade of indigo. Using a set of fine tweezers, she added a sliver of a Wyrm's scale to the mix, causing it to bubble and hiss before stabilizing. These were carefully ladled into gem-encrusted flasks, perfect for quick mana regeneration.
Finally, Sabrina tackled the fire resistance potions. She dropped Fiery Nettle leaves into a boiling mix of dragon's blood and nectar. The potion turned a vibrant red, and she murmured an incantation to lock in its fire-resistant properties. As a finishing touch, she added a few drops of Phoenix Feather extract, making the potion not only fire-resistant but also thermally insulating.
"Done," she announced, looking at her collection of carefully crafted potions laid out on the table.
"Three potions down, how many do you have to go?"
"A lot more," she laughed wryly.
"It looks like both of us still have a lot of work left to do, but for now let's eat dinner."
As Sabrina and Thaddeus left the alchemy shop, she smiled with happiness. When she moved to Woodhaerst, Thaddeus gifted her a small shop in the popular Central Plaza. She was excited because she finally had a workshop to herself. Moreover, she enjoyed helping the townsfolk and gossiping with the nearby shop owners. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
They silently walked home. Thaddeus, sharing the moment of quiet pride and happiness with Sabrina. There was still so much work ahead, but moments like these were a reminder of what they'd built together, and the community that had sprung up around them in Woodhaerst and Ironwood.
As they walked down the cobblestone streets of the Central Plaza, the evening air grew cooler. The pressure to deliver for the Mythical Guild was significant, yet it wasn't burdening him. Instead, it felt like an opportunity, for new growth and increasing his stats.
"Whatever comes next," Thaddeus thought, looking at the illuminated storefronts and the virtual moon rising in the sky, "we'll face it together."
Both entered the manor, where the servants served them a simple but hearty meal. Before eating, they changed clothes. Sabrina took off her alchemist's apron and Thaddeus his carpenter's gloves. Tonight, they were not just crafters, Barons, and shop owners; they were a couple. Two people sharing a simple moment, grateful for the peace it offered.
As they sat down to eat, the prospect of dragon raids, world-first bonuses, and competitive guild politics seemed far away. For now, it was just about enjoying the evening, the food, and most importantly, each other's company. After all, even in a game as expansive and demanding as Heaven's Gate, the most meaningful quests were often the ones closest to home.
Dinner passed pleasantly, and as they finished their meal, Thaddeus felt a small alert vibrate from his game interface. It was a message from Huey, probably an update on the project. He glanced at Sabrina, who was busy chatting about her plans to organize a potion-making lesson for her high school science students.
The message could wait a few minutes, he decided. Right now, the real world—and the person sitting across from him—mattered more. And with that thought, Thaddeus pushed aside the urgent demands of Heaven's Gate, if only for a little while, and immersed himself fully in the simple joys of a well-earned meal and good company.
In a game full of challenges and trials, it was these mundane moments that felt like the greatest rewards.
A week later, just hours before the agreed deadline, Thaddeus stepped back and looked at the finished arbalests. Each heavy-duty arbalest was a work of fine craftsmanship, each piece fitted perfectly together. Lined up on long wooden tables, they were formidable, awe-inspiring weapons. Beside them were barrels filled with deadly arrows and meticulously sealed vials of recovery potions.
Thaddeus' heart swelled with pride at the quality of these weapons. The previous settlement where Woodhaerst stood, was destroyed by the revengeful dragon the last emperor tried to kill. He would not see his settlement put in jeopardy, so he took special care to make sure the arbalest functioned with deadly accuracy.
The notification for an incoming call broke his reverie. It was Huey.
"Thad, please tell me you have good news."
"We've just finished, Huey. Twenty-five arbalests, top of the line, and barrels of recovery, mana, and fire resistance potions."
"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. You've done it, Thad. I'm in your debt. I made arrangements with Ethan for immediate pickup."
Ethan was a scrawny black-haired olive-looking man with sunken eyes and round spectacles. He looked tired and annoyed at the same time. Ethan was the newest Mythical Guild member to Woodhaerst. He replaced Travis, who was promoted to manage the Dragon Mountain Fort. Unlike Travis' gregarious personality, instead, Ethan was more reserved and enjoyed auditing the Trading Post and bank finances.
"As long as the guild leaves Woodhaerst and Ironwood in peace, we'll consider the debt paid," Thaddeus replied.
"Oh, we will, my friend, we will," Huey said, smiling from ear to ear. ""
As Thaddeus disconnected the call, he glanced over at Sabrina, who was smiling. She looked up and met his eyes, and in that simple exchange, a whole conversation seemed to take place. It was a look of mutual understanding, shared accomplishment, and above all, love.
With that behind him and winter's arrival, Thaddeus decided now was a good time to finish any remaining quest. He wanted to go into the New Year, with a clean slate. Looking at his quest monitor, he saw only one:
Quest: Call of the Wild
The seven kings of the forest are happy with the decision to restore their homeland. Dhruvah invites you to visit him and learn to polymorph. Do you accept (Y/N)?