“What about the armor and weapons? How does human-made equipment compare to what we Dwarves can make?” asked Garyck.

  “It can’t,” Fayte said. “Having faced off against those [Dwarven Battlehands], I can tell you that nothing a human creates will ever be as good.”

  Garyck looked confused. “What about the equipment ye all are wieldin’? Is that not made with human hands? It’s quite good.”

  “Our equipment was not crafted by humans, to my knowledge. At the very least, I know Lilith’s and Susan’s were not made by humans.”

  “I see.”

  Garyck was a curious Dwarf. Titania had told him that Dwarves were a greedy race that cared little for anything but gold. Perhaps Garyck was cut from a different cloth. He didn’t display any of the arrogance or greed his kind was known for. He seemed more like an inquisitive scholar than anything.

  They eventually reached the dungeon entrance, which meant they could easily reach their home within a day or two of travel. It was late, however, and so they decided to set up camp.

  Adam was in charge of the cooking.

  Cooking in Age of Gods was just like cooking in real life. You couldn’t just magic food into existence by combining several ingredients and pressing a button. You actually had to use your hands and perform all the steps necessary to cook the food.

  The only real difference between cooking in-game and cooking in real life was that the recipes Adam used in-game were all recipes implanted inside of his head via [Recipe Scrolls], which he had bought from the general store in Solum.

  Adam made a luxurious pottage called mortrew made with pork, chicken, chicken liver, gode brother, eggs, and various other ingredients—all of which were stored inside of his inventory. He used a big pot to cook the food, then served them up in several wooden bowls.

  “Mmmmmm! This food is delicious!” Aris squealed in delight.

  “It seems even your cooking in-game is excellent,” Fayte complimented.

  “Master’s cooking…” Lilith murmured as she slowly sipped her soup.

  “I didn’t realize you were such a good cook. I’m… a little jealous of Fayte and Aris,” Susan admitted.

  “Then why don’t you come over?” asked Aris.

  “What? Me? Come over?” Susan’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah! You can come over in the real world and try some of Adam’s cooking,” Aris said.

  “Oh… I don’t know if that would be appropriate…”

  They were all sitting around a campfire, sharing the meal. Garyck was mostly quiet… if you didn’t count the loud noises he made while eating. Aris and Susan were chatting the most, though it seemed more like Aris was talking and Susan was listening.

  Adam was silent as he watched all this with a smile. His good mood was interrupted, however, when a loud ringing alerted him to someone in his friend’s list calling.

  It was Asmodeus.

  “Master? Thank goodness. I’m glad my call finally got through.”

  “Sorry about that. We were trapped inside a location that didn’t allow us to log out or contact the outside world. Has something happened?”

  Yeah. Something big has happened.” Adam waited for Asmodeus to continue, but the man’s next words were so unexpected that not even he could keep the shock from his face. “Daggerfall Dynasty contacted the Guild Association several days ago, asking to set up a meeting between you and them. I believe they want to form an alliance with us.”

  A Meeting With Daren Daggerfall

  After learning that Daggerfall Dynasty wanted to set up a meeting with Destiny’s Overture, Fayte decided to forego resting at their guild house and instead went straight to the Guild Association branch in Solum.

  The members of Daggerfall Dynasty weren’t there, of course, but Fayte spoke with Clarise about setting up an appointment for the two guilds to meet.

  All interactions between guilds needed to be approved by the Guild Association. Violations were met with harsh penalties. Adam didn’t know how the Guild Association could find out when someone had violated this rule, but since this was a video game, there had to be some kind of programming that alerted the Guild Association when someone broke it. That was his assumption anyway.

  A meeting was quickly set to take place two days after they emerged from the Dwarven city. Garyck became an official member of their guild. Clarise had been quite shocked when she discovered a Dwarf wanted to join Destiny’s Overture.

  Not only did they now have an able tank, but Garyck was also a talented blacksmith. They didn’t have a forge at their guild house yet. However, Fayte had requested Clarise to help her find several carpenters and stonesmiths to help build a forge for him. It would take around five days before they could come out.

  It was also going to cost a pretty penny.

  “Are you sure this is what you want, Garyck?” Fayte asked.

  The meeting between Destiny’s Overture and Daggerfall Dynasty was set to take place in several hours. Fayte and Adam would be the only ones attending. Adam was merely going as a bodyguard. Guild Association rules stated that guild masters could only take one person with them during a meeting with another guild. The others would remain in the guild house to wait for the news.

  * * *

  At present, Adam and the others were sitting around the living room, drinking tea or coffee. Or sleeping. Aris and Kureha were both out like lights. While the little fox yokai slept curled up on Lilith’s lap, Aris was sprawled out on the couch and using Adam’s lap as a pillow.

  “Course I’m sure,” Garyck said. “I’ve thought about it a lot, and I dinnae ‘bout you, but I’m well aware that Dwarves can’t move about freely in human cities. That’s just asking to be enslaved. Belonging to a guild will help protect me.”

  “Just so long as you’re sure. I know I’m the one who suggested it, but I don’t want to restrict your freedom,” Fayte said.

  Garyck grinned. “Yer a kind lass. So long as I have a roof over me head, a forge to make weapons, good food, and good drink, I’m fine.”

  “What kind of items do you make?” asked the ever-timid Susan.

  Garyck stroked his chin. “I mostly craft swords and armor, but I can also make some accessories. All of ye already have some amazin’ equipment. I don’t think there’s I can make armor or weapons better than what ye have, so I’ll start by making some accessories that provide unique buffs to yer stats.”

  “That would be amazing,” Fayte said.

  “It would, wouldn’t it?” Garyck grinned, then furrowed his brow. “That said, ye’ll need to get the parts necessary for me to craft the accessories. I’ll need lots o’ ore and monster parts. Craftin’ requires a lot o’ material, and different materials create different effects when combined.”

  The crafting system in Age of Gods seemed similar in some ways to the systems of other games, but only insomuch as it required collecting materials to make items. Everything else was completely different.

  The biggest difference was that you couldn’t just select materials and automatically make items appear as if by magic. Just like cooking in this world, to make an item, you had to actually forge it by hand. Adam assumed every crafting class was like this.

  The addition of Garyck was a welcome one. They finally had a tank to help them absorb enemy damage. Thus far, Adam, Aris, and Lilith had been required to simply avoid damage as much as possible, which put a lot of stress on them. Having Garyck on their team would help lessen the mental burden required of them during combat.

  * * *

  Name: Garyck

  Class: Dwarven Blacksmith

  Subclass: Warsmith

  Lvl: 30

  SP: 0

  AP 0

  Experience: 0/107,374,182,400

  Fame: 0

  Strength: +300

  Constitution: +1,500

  Dexterity: +300

  Intelligence: +350

  Speed: +10

  Physical Attack: +2,700

  Health: 15,000/15,000

  Hit-rate: 15%

  MP: 2,000/2,000

  Movement: +10

  Physical Defense: +6,000

  Magical Defense: +6,000

  Dodge Rate: 15%

  Magic Attack: +700

  * * *

  Resistances:

  75% Poison

  75% Death

  75% Blindness

  75% Confusion

  75% Sleep

  75% Paralysis

  75% Burn

  75% Shock

  75% Fire

  75% Earth

  75% Water

  75% Wind

  75% Lightning

  75% Light

  75% Darkness

  * * *

  Skill List:

  Skill Name: Bash

  Description: Swings warhammer down on enemy.

  Current lvl: MAXED

  Ability: Causes 250% damage

  MP Consumption: 1

  Cooldown Time: 0 Seconds

  * * *

  Skill Name: Heavy Bash

  Description: An upgraded version of the [Bash] skill

  Current lvl: 5

  AP Needed to Reach Next Lvl: 400,000

  Ability: 500% damage

  Generates a shockwave that staggers enemies within a 15-meter radius

  MP Consumption: 5

  Cooldown Time: 5 Seconds

  * * *

  Skill Name: Anchor

  Description: Paralyzes every enemy within its area of effect.

  Current Lvl: MAXED

  Ability: Prevents enemies up to 20 levels higher than user from moving for 60 seconds

  Has an area of effect of up to 20 meters

  MP Consumption: 100

  Cooldown Time: 60 Seconds

  * * *

  Skill Name: Pile Bunker

  Description: User uses the tip of weapon to pierce through armor

  Current lvl: 6

  AP Needed to Reach Next Lvl: 1,500,000

  Ability: Deals 1,000% damage

  Ignores armor

  * * *

  Skill Name: Earthen Defense

  Description: Turns skin as solid as the earth to increase user’s defensive power

  Current Lvl: 4

  AP Needed to Reach Next Lvl: 240,000

  Ability: Increases Physical and Magical Defense by 250%

  Lasts 60 seconds

  MP Consumption: 500

  Cooldown Time: 120 Seconds

  * * *

  Skill Name: Weapons Crafting

  Description: Grants the ability to forge weapons

  Current Lvl: MAXED

  Ability: Can forge weapons up to 3-Stars

  MP Consumption: 0

  Cooldown Time: 0 Seconds

  Passive Skill

  * * *

  Skill Name: Armorer

  Description: Grants the ability to forge armor

  Current Lvl: MAXED

  Ability: Can forge weapons up to 3-Stars

  MP Consumption: 0

  Cooldown Time: 0 Seconds

  Passive Skill

  * * *

  Skill Name: Jeweler

  Description: Grants the ability to forge accessories

  Current Lvl: MAXED

  Ability: Can Forge accessories up to 3-Stars

  MP Consumption: 0

  Cooldown Time: 0 Seconds

  Passive Skill

  * * *

  Skill Name: Dwarven Hands

  Description: Boosts crafting skills

  Current Lvl: MAXED

  Ability: Allows crafter to create items one star above their natural abilities

  MP Consumption: 0

  Cooldown Time: 0

  Passive Skill

  * * *

  Equipment:

  Name: Garyck’s Forging Hammer

  Item Type: Crafting Tool

  Grade: 3-Star

  User Requirements: Can only be used by the Dwarf, Garyck

  Description: This forging hammer was crafted by Thohkum for Garyck during his coming-of-age ceremony.

  Abilities: Decreases crafting time by 50%; Strength+300%;

  * * *

  Name: Leather Dwarven Armor Set

  Item Type: Armor

  Grade: 2-Star

  Use Requirements: Can only be worn by Dwarves

  Description: Armor made by Garyck. Made from hard leather. Solid defense.

  Abilities: Physical Defense+500%; Magical Defense+500%; 75% resistance to all status ailments and damage types

  * * *

  Garyck’s stats were all excellent and the armor he wore was incredible despite its 2-Star rating. It was clear the materials Garyck used when creating this armor were also of subpar quality. Adam wondered what kind of armor he could create with better materials.

  Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Garyck’s stats was the fact that his main class was Dwarven Blacksmith and his subclass Warsmith. Was this because he was a Dwarf?

  In every story and game Adam had played, Dwarves were considered the best craftsmen of all time, but their primary class would still always be a combat class. It was interesting to see how different things were in this game.

  “Hey, Garyck, I have a question for you,” Adam suddenly said.

  Garyck looked at him curiously. “Ask away?”

  “Have you ever considered taking on an apprentice?”

  “An apprentice? Me? Why do ye ask?”

  Adam leaned forward, then remembered there was a girl using him as a lap pillow and stopped. He sighed and began stroking Aris’s hair. The girl shifted a little and mumbled something about pancakes under her breath before going silent.

  “I have the ability to add a secondary class. I’ve been thinking about what secondary class I should have. I don’t want something ordinary. I’d like a class that can really help increase Destiny’s Overture’s fighting overall prowess. I think having a Blacksmith class would really help with that, and what better person to teach me than a Dwarf?”

  “Adam, you’ve been thinking about that this whole time?” asked Fayte, a hand to her mouth.

  Adam nodded. “Of course.”

  “Are ye tryin’ to replace me already?” asked Garyck.

  Adam shook his head. “Not at all. I doubt I could ever be as good as you anyway, but it would be beneficial to have a helper, wouldn’t it? Plus, it would be a good idea to have at least two people who can help maintain our armor and weapons. We could even make blacksmithing a business and sell high-quality weapons to shops or create custom weapons for individuals who are willing to pay more money.”

  Money was still something Fayte needed in abundance to win her bet. The more money they had, the better off she would be. Adam didn’t just want her to win the bet either. He wanted her to smash Levon’s expectations to pieces.

  “Hmmm.” Garyck rubbed his chin. It was still weird seeing a Dwarf without a thick beard. “I suppose I could teach ye a few things, but I’m not much of a teacher meself. I’ll have to warn ye in advance that I don’t know the first thing about teachin’ others. Whether or not you can actually become a blacksmith will depend entirely on yer own aptitude.”

  “I understand,” Adam said.

  “Then we’ll get started after ye get back from yer meetin’ with that other guild. Daggerfall Whatserhoosit.”

  “Daggerfall Dynasty,” Susan corrected softly.

  “Right. Them,” Garyck nodded.

  “Speaking of, it’s about time for us to leave,” Fayte said, standing up.

  Adam woke up Aris and, after giving the girl a kiss goodbye, left with Fayte. They used the [Warp Pad] to arrive inside the Guild Association’s Solum Branch.

  Clarise was waiting for them. She was an attractive woman with a thin waist, wide hips, and a modest chest dressed in something that looked like an attendant uniform. It was a pleated skirt and long-sleeved shirt combo with a vest thrown over it.

  “I’m glad you two could make it. Daren Daggerfall and Spear God are already waiting in the meeting room,” the woman greeted.

  A jolt raced through Adam’s spine the moment he heard the woman say, “Spear God.” He tried hard not to let the wave of emotions inundating him affect how he acted as he followed Fayte and Clarise out of the warp room.

  “We’re not late, are we?” asked Fayte.

  Clarise shook her head. “No. You’re just in time. Daren Daggerfall arrived an hour early. He seems quite eager to meet with you. Not that I blame him, of course. You’re strong, pretty, intelligent—not to mention beautiful.”

  “I think pretty and beautiful mean the same thing,” Adam muttered.

  Fayte and Adam were currently wearing their mask and veil respectively. Since they were meeting someone who wasn’t part of their guild--and was an important figure to boot--they had decided to keep their appearances a secret.

  They soon reached a door with a number marked on it. Number 011. That was their personal meeting room and the office Clarise used when doing work for the Guild Association.

  Adam bit his lip as he stared at the door. Beyond it was the Spear God. The person he had been thinking about non-stop for so long now. Was that person really Lexi? He both longed to find out and was also terrified of the answer. What if they were Lexi? What would he do? What if they weren’t her? Could he handle the disappointment?

  Clarise opened the door and gestured for them to precede her. Fayte did just that. However, she turned around and stared at him when he didn’t move.

  “Adam?” Fayte called to him.

  He blinked several times and shook his head. “Sorry. I got distracted.”

  With hesitant steps, Adam entered the room, where two people were waiting for them.

  Lexi

  Darren Daggerfall’s brothers were not in the room. It was unusual but not unheard of. Fayte had heard through the rumor mill that, while Darren and his brothers were almost inseparable, he would occasionally act alone if he deemed it necessary.