I tool for hours until my mana recharges, by which time it's been a week but thanks to the room it's only been a little over a day outside. This time my mana lasts long enough for me to finish the veins in my lungs.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, you've obtained the Magic Body skill!
√ Magic Body.
√ Level: 1
- All stats +5 HP +5/Hour.
'Great, that's the kind of power-up I needed!'
When I take the first breath of air with my mana-enhanced lungs, I get quite dizzy, as my body is not used to such a large intake of oxygen. I have to sit for a while until I get used to it, but I can't help the smile that comes across my face.
Ruby thinks "Why are you grinning like a fool?"
"Right now I'm on an oxygen high."
Ruby thinks "Huh?"
I have to explain quite a bit about biology to Ruby before she finally gets it. By then, my euphoria has worn off and she groans and goes back to napping. I go through all the tools I've made to see if I've forgotten any. When I can't think of any more to make with the smithy, I take the handsaw I made and return to my camp.
After fishing and eating some fish, I cut the three large mushrooms that are in the camp area. After cutting the softer parts on top, I take the three logs to the forge room. Then I sit down and start to carefully cut a handle for the pickaxe.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, you've acquired the Carpentry craft skill!
√ carpentry
√ Level 1
- Agility +1.
- You can craft wooden tools or structures.
I then continue carving handles for all the tools I have made, with this I use two of the mushroom logs. With the last stem I carve four wooden swords.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Carpentry skill has advanced to level 2!
√ Carpentry
√ Level 2
- Agility +2.
- You can craft wooden tools or structures.
Well, now that that's done, let's see. I have eighty-eight ingots of steel left. I think it's time to try my hand at forging a sword. After draining my mana generating veins, I start trying to forge a sword. It takes me a few hours before I have my first success.
"ITEM CREATED"
√ Steel Katana
- Hit +1 Damage +2
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Blacksmithing skill has advanced to level 6!
√ Blacksmithing
√ Level 6
- Strength +6 Fire resistance +6
- You can transform metal ores into useful objects.
'Yes! I can make a katana!'
The balance is unbalanced, so I need to improve my skill, but I can do it - I can wield katanas like a real anime hero! Although it's a success, I'm not happy with it and I melt it down to try again. I'm so focused on the crafting that I don't notice the small cloud of red light that comes out of the amulet and circles the room a few times. Ruby watches me until I make a katana again.
Ruby says "What kind of sword is that?"
"Huh? Oh, hi Ruby. It's called a katana, it's a sword from my old world that I've always dreamed of wielding."
Ruby says "It's a very nice sword."
"It's also a very good sword, if you know the fighting style to use it properly."
Ruby says "And you?"
"Well, not exactly, but I have some ideas of how it works."
Ruby says "Can you show me?"
I place the sword in a hilt I made earlier and then leave the forge room. In the larger cave, where I have room to wield it, I try to perform a kendo routine based on what I've seen in anime and manga. Ruby ends up laughing after I trip over my own feet.
Ruby says, "Oh yeah, very dangerous!"
"Haha. I told you I only had a few ideas, obviously it's going to take a lot of practice to figure them out. Speaking of practice, do you feel like practicing a little?"
Ruby says, "Yeah, I'm full of energy and a little bored, to be honest."
I go back to the forge room, put down the katana, pick up the four wooden swords and take Ruby with me back to camp.
"Okay, you need to be in human form for this."
Ruby assumes her human form and I hand her two of the swords, then take the other two and draw a rough circle in the dirt.
"Well, this is called training combat. We will fight each other using wooden swords so that it doesn't hurt too much if we get hit. However, stay inside the circle, the limit is to help you become aware of your position and balance.
Ruby swings the two swords back and forth to feel them and then says "Okay!"
Soon, the rapid clack clack clack clack echoes throughout the cavern as Ruby and I struggle back and forth. We're pretty evenly matched, I have the edge in stats and experience, but I'm not trying as hard as I can because I'm having so much fun.
The fight ends after almost an hour when one of my swords breaks, at which point Ruby hits me pretty hard in the ribs. Once the fight is over, we both sit on the floor, out of breath.
"DIZ" "DIZ" "DIZ" "DIZ"
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Dual wield skill has advanced to level 3!
√ Double Grip
√ Level 3
- Agility +3
- You can fight well with a weapon in each hand.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Sword Fundamentals skill has advanced to level 5!
√ Sword Fundamentals
√ Level 5
- Strength +5
- You deal 25% extra damage with swords.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Sword Dancer skill has advanced to level 2!
√ Sword Dancer
√ Level 2.
- Movement speed +10% Damage +10% when wielding two swords.
- You dance the dance of death when wielding two swords.
Ruby says "Wow, I've upgraded a bunch of skills!"
"Yeah, me too, that was the whole point of this. It was a lot of fun though."
Ruby says "Yeah, it was, and what do I get for winning?"
"Haha, I'll cook you dinner."
Ruby says, "Wow, you would have done that anyway!"
"Well, what did you want?"
Ruby looks away and says, "Nothing, forget it."
I get up after catching my breath and grab my net to go catch some fish. I keep at it until I've caught five fish, then I go to pick some mushrooms. After cleaning and gutting the fish, I cut the mushrooms and stuff the fish with them, then I fry the fish with my new steel pan I made.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Cooking skill has advanced to level 6!
√ Cooking.
√ Level 6
- Intelligence +6
- You can cook decent food.
"This hasn't improved in a while."
The food doesn't come out too bad, at least the taste is a little different. Ruby and I sit together during the meal, occasionally talking about little things and enjoying each other's company.
"Ruby, do you have any dreams?"
Ruby says, "Well, yes, originally I dreamed of becoming powerful enough that no one could command me. Then, for a long time, my only dream was to free myself from those chains. You made that dream come true."
"Yes, well, I think I learned as much as you did, so what happens now?"
Ruby says, "Now? My dream now is to explore the world with you and see you standing proudly on the surface, no matter what anyone else says about you."
"I am honored, and even if the whole world is against me, I will stand tall as long as you are by my side."
Ruby smiles and leans over to kiss me on the cheek, which makes me....
I blush even more. I look around quickly trying to think of a change of subject when I see the pile of spider silk.
"Oh, yeah, I never finished that room. Ruby, do you want to help me with something?"
Ruby says, "Of course, master."
"Okay, let's go to the spider room."
Ruby quickly transforms into a cloud of light and speeds across the river before I can try to pick her up again. I then guide her to the spider room, where Ruby reverts back to her human form.
Ruby says "Yuck!"
"Relax, the spiders are dead."
Ruby says "So what are we doing?"
"Collecting spider silk and looking for useful things."
Ruby shrugs and, after I explain how, winds the spindle while I unravel the threads. It takes us about two hours to finish dismantling the medium-sized webs all over the room. Then I start tearing apart the smaller nets on the floor, exposing bones and occasionally something else.
During the process of clearing the room we find two more passages out of the room, one leads back into the main tunnel and out the other side of the room Ruby was trapped in. The other leads north to a large cross-corridor that I haven't explored yet. Aside from a few daggers and other small items, we find nothing useful among the bones, so we pick up the silk reels and head back to camp.