[ Until this past week, it had been a while since I fought a person. Usually Marlene or one of the others takes care of them before they become much of an issue. This one only got the chance to fight me because they were secluded and I went alone. Little island, middle of the ocean kind of thing. When Queen's Edge bit through his F grade steel shield, all the fight left him. He gave up, then asked for assistance. Turned out, his people were starving. He brought a whole bunch of people to the middle of nowhere, but assumed they could just forage for supplies and build everything else. People were sleeping in trees and eating grass. It still gets me - how often folks take the ideas of food, or housing, or tools for granted. That old adage is still true - armies march on their stomachs. So does everyone else. ]

  Reid's stat gains were prolific - but his growth wasn't the only change that had happened in the past 9 weeks. Lycra and Win had progressed as well - and their surroundings were markedly different.

  The most notable environmental change was the noise. The prior consistent dripping of water and cracking stone had intensified and quickened. The sounds of stone scraping and moving were enough of a concern that the trio had moved all of their operations off of the shelf, and were now camped at the other end of the cavern, feet away from the tunnel. Cave-ins were apparently a bit rare - but they had happened during Win's time in the warrens, and none of them had any desire to see one happen up close.

  The water leaked openly in multiple places around the space, and had pooled in some low areas. That wasn't an issue on its own - but the water coming down from the ceiling of the den was highly polluted. Bathing in it stung the skin - and drinking it was counterproductive. They'd limited themselves to bathing in and collecting water from the least polluted dripping stream - but even then, Win had to work her skill on removing toxins before they used it.

  Their drinkable water was now collected, purified, then stored in leftover bottles from their rations or poured into larger, salvaged containers. They drank less - and ate less, too.

  Despite their massive hauls of meat, Win cautioned them to ration what they had. There was no telling what might happen in the future, and having properly stocked supplies could be a game-changer. Reid's most recent message from Sara reinforced her point. Supplies and equipment were still more important than he gave them credit for.

  While Reid trained, Win had spent the last weeks practicing and crafting. Though Nyx wasn't around to see it, her tree had again grown - and boasted so many leaves you couldn't see through them. When she wasn't working on that application, Win made pills.

  Her skill work, for an untold number of years, had been done in secret. Even then, she'd been productive enough to gain a reputation as a talented apothecary. With the need to hide gone from the equation, her efforts had resulted in an impressive stock of items. Pills filled a mix of salvaged glass, wood, and metal containers. She'd whipped up purification pills that could remove simple poisons - from people or water. She created stamina pills that could stave off the need for sleep or rest like Reid's energy stores. There were healing pills, mana restoration pills, food substitutes, resistance pills, and buffs. She even had some in low quantities that were able to mimic skills - in very short duration. All were capped at G-grade, and she'd made them with the intent to share.

  That was why Reid and Lycra both now had a myriad of Win's pharmaceuticals sitting in their storage rings. Thankfully, he'd been able to stick multiple pill containers into the same storage slot - or more than half of his ring's capacity would've been taken up by the drugs.

  The stock was given alongside some sage advice that Reid needed to hear - don't mix and match, and don't take more than one an hour. Trying to take multiple pills generally created problems while cancelling out the effects of each item. And by 'problems', Win had meant 'this could chew a hole through your lungs'. Reid was happy to take her word for it.

  The second warning around timing was much the same. It took nearly an hour for most of her concoctions to be fully broken down by the body, so taking anything before the window was up effectively repeated the same issue of taking multiple pills at once. The final issue was that, even if you took another of the same pill, doing too many too quickly increased the chances that you'd damage your internals - physical and metaphysical.

  Despite the laundry list of potential issues, Reid appreciated her gift - and understood her reasons behind the act. She hadn't said it out loud, and Reid hadn't prompted the conversation, but Win was readying herself for when the three of them would be separated. Despite everything they'd been through, she still knew she would remain in the warrens. It was like an inarguable law of the universe to her. The pills were practice, but they were also her way of supporting Reid and Lycra long after they both made it out.

  Lycra had responded to Win's gift by giving her a bathtub-sized wooden box full of his 'trinkets'. Win was appreciative and surprised in equal measure when she looked through the contents - but the form and function of the devices still eluded Reid. He'd realized then that there was more he could do, for both his friends - and that he could do it while disguising its purpose as training. Neither of them were aware yet of the fact that'd he'd 'finished' his stat work. Waiting a day to ask them both for their weapons and armor didn't quite obscure his purpose like he'd intended. Lycra spent the next three days asking when his improved sword would be finished. And Reid couldn't hide his skill-induced exhaustion from Win.

  In an attempt to not break or damage their equipment, Reid started by experimenting with his own armor. Each piece was individual, but even his storage ring recognized it as a set. It took the better part of two days just to figure out how to get the disparate pieces to form an interconnected whole, and another full day after that to work everything into the structure he needed it to be. The most interesting part of his bone smithing work was that - because of his resource stores - Reid had been able to work through the process of creation without requiring a healer to keep him up and functional. The results were excellent - and included a trait effect he'd been hoping for.

  Marrow [Legendary Armor]

  Rank: F

  Traits: Self-Repair, Growth, Delocalized Damage, Bonded

  Self-Repair

  This armor is capable of self-repair, either through latent energy stored within the armor, or through external injections of energy.

  Growth

  This armor is capable of growth. Growth may only occur in conjunction with the growth of the bonded individual. Growth may be fueled by latent energy stored in the armor, or through external injections of energy.

  Delocalize Damage

  As an interconnected whole, damage done to a single piece of this armor will be shared with the rest. This process is not instantaneous. As a result of delocalized damage, resources and energy are pulled from other pieces of armor and used to partially repair the initial damage. If a piece of armor is broken or removed, damage will not be delocalized to other pieces in the set.

  Bonded

  This armor is bonded to its owner through the use of simple energy matching. Anyone that attempts to wear this armor without a matching energy signature will fail. Attempts to identify this armor will only show the bare minimum level of information, depending on the level of the identifying user.

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  One of the biggest issues Reid had encountered during combat was that hard, specific blows tended to hit him in the same spots. He would take much more damage on an arm than on his back, for instance. The Delocalize Damage trait was a result of his desire to make it so that the full armor could keep him protected throughout a fight, without sacrificing a single piece that was more prone to taking blows.

  The rest of the traits were already known to him, so he didn't go through them fully. Reid was a bit saddened by the fact that he didn't also get recall on the armor - but he wasn't going to wish for more than what was possible. Four traits was a definite limit, no matter how much he poured into the creation.

  And it wasn't the only limit he encountered. Satisfied with his armor, Reid had read through the description a few times before considering whether he should rename it.

  The realization hit him like lightning, and Reid had physically scrambled to his feet in excitement.

  But it didn't last long.

  He hadn't tried to actually rename Queen's Edge. Hell, he had no idea what he was even going to try and say, or if he would say anything at all. His mind was already racing through questions of whether a weapon-name-note to his daughter was for his benefit or hers. More than that - how the heck would he even explain what had happened to him over text?

  Simply trying to bring up his connection slammed him with the error.

  ERROR: THE SMITH'S LINK TO THIS WEAPON HAS ERODED.

  He let himself half-crumple to the floor.

  It shouldn't have been a surprise, right? There were a thousand years since he'd made the thing, and Reid hadn't gotten any new requests for a name change since he'd woken up.

  Knowing it wasn't an option still stung. Reid laid down and stared up at the rock ceiling for a long time. He let himself wander through a sea of what-if-isms about texting his daughter before he ended up level again. The truth was simple. Reid wouldn't be able to use Queen's Edge to tell his daughter he was back.

  And that meant he was going to need to do it in person.

  He rolled up into a sit and slapped himself on the cheeks. Waiting was the old plan, and he'd already agreed to it. The fact that he'd spent so much time wondering about sharing the news early was evidence that he might've gotten himself in trouble if he did have the ability to send her something.

  Reid let out a sigh. His reunion would come. For now, he had work to do.

  #

  After the experimenting with his own armor - and losing a not-insignificant amount of time to his lamentations on losing the connection to Queen's Edge, his work on the upgrades for Lycra and Win progressed much more quickly - and now it was time for the big reveal.

  Reid savored his last bite of mole meat, sprinkled with a bit of crushed pill from Win. The pill's primary purpose was to assist in rejuvenation, but it doubled as a half-decent salt substitute. He washed it down with a bottle of water, then smacked his lips. The noise made both of his tablemates turn in his direction, and Reid smiled.

  "Lycra, I think it's about time I give you your upgraded sword."

  His eyes went wide as Reid put both hands out towards a clear spot in the table. He still wasn't as good as his friend with the storage ring, but he was able to manipulate two spaces at once when he focused the action through his hands. Thirty seconds later, a weapon and a set of armor appeared nearly level with the table.

  When he'd crafted Lycra's armor, he imagined what he really needed it to do. His friend was no longer 'weak' - he'd had his own stat gains, after all - but Lycra was inherently less tough than those around him. The idea Reid solidified on was that he wanted the armor to be something of a sacrificial piece of equipment that could prevent as much damage as possible to his friend, even if it broke down in the process. He'd gotten something quite close to his ideal.

  The Eggshell [Legendary Armor]

  Rank: F

  Traits: Self-Repair, Growth, Hard Shell, Bonded

  Hard Shell

  This bonded armor makes the wearer more resistant to all damage - including damage from fire, electricity, or other magical means. This includes damage and skills that would normally bypass or negate normal armor or equipment. In exchange, this armor gains the Targeted debuff. Attacks against the armor itself deal more damage, and the armor pieces have a higher chance of breaking.

  For Lycra's weapon, Reid worked on the things he'd managed to pick up about the crystal contraptions he saw. The engravings and the connecting points differed, but there were always bits and pieces Lycra was able to change and interconnect. So Reid had focused on what he expected a tinkerer would most benefit from - something they could continuously change and morph. The work ended up more instinctual than intentional, but the finished piece proved his instincts were right.

  Experimental Incisor [Legendary Sword]

  Rank: F

  Traits: Self-Repair, Growth, Unconventional, Bonded

  Unconventional

  As the primary weapon of a tinkerer and inventor, this weapon is not a typical sword. The bonded owner may expend energy to shift internal structures and create integration points for their other crafted creations. Modifications may not remove the weapon's grip. The size of the weapon may not change by more than 50% from its natural state. The weapon will revert to its natural state if it receives too much damage or channels too much energy.

  Whatever application or tool Lycra needed, his sword was now capable of meeting his requirements - even if it took a decent amount of energy and time to make that happen.

  Lycra was practically drooling, eyes wide, as his hands reverently ran over the pieces. He muttered out a series of 'thank-you's, and gave Reid more than one massive hug. Only when Lycra had bonded the armor and weapon did he start to calm down. Reid turned to win - who was still staring at Lycra's new equipment with wide eyes.

  "No big speech, I promise - but thank you, Win. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for seeking us out. Thank you for everything you've done to help and to heal and to prepare us for the next leg of our journey - whatever it might be. You and Lycra are more than friends, to me. You're family. So if there's anything we can do for you - I want you to ask. Anything that might give you joy or comfort or closure, no matter how difficult it may be. Lycra and I are going to get out. I'm going to get stronger, and then I'm going to come back here - and I'll fight the whole goddamn planet if that's what it takes to get you above ground."

  Win gave him a curt nod as her nostrils wrinkled. He put his hands out on the table and the countdown started.

  "I thought of both of you during crafting to get the traits right, but Win - your equipment names ended up sounding quite a bit more personal, like the weapons are named after a place or a person. The system picks the names, so... just don't be surprised if they're things you recognize."

  The spear and armor clattered softly as they hit the tabletop.

  For Win's armor, Reid imagined what a medic on a battlefield would most need. The image seared most clearly in his mind was Win standing in front of Lycra to shield him from a blow. He hadn't seen it happen, of course - but he could picture her stepping into danger again to save Lycra's life. He wanted her to be able to tank that damage, and got something quite special for his efforts.

  Augestin's Scales [Legendary Armor]

  Rank: F

  Traits: Self-Repair, Growth, Indomitable, Bonded

  Indomitable

  Allows the bonded wearer to expend large amounts of energy to completely negate damage and impact force for a short duration. Attacking immediately ends the effect. Duration of indomitable is affected by the energy used to activate the trait, and the amount of damage dealt to the wearer while it is active.

  Her weapon was a bit harder to figure out. Reid had seen her throw a spear - but he didn't know if that was her primary way of fighting with one. He'd seen her make pills, and knew she was pretty good at leading people - but neither of those really felt trait-worthy. In the end, he settled on the tree of knowledge for guidance while he worked.

  Ascheron's Ascendance [Legendary Spear]

  Rank: F

  Traits: Self-Repair, Growth, Hungry Roots, Bonded

  Hungry Roots

  Whenever this weapon deals damage, it also pulls energy and resources from the target and transfers them to the wielder. If Ascheron's Ascendance is damaged, the energy and resources obtained through this trait will automatically be used to repair the weapon before they are transferred to the wielder.

  Win inhaled sharply, and her hands started to shake. She swallowed hard, and stood so fast her chair was knocked to the floor. Shaking hands balled into fists, and blood dripped from her palms.

  She took long, deep breaths to calm herself. Reid wasn't sure what she needed right now - but the names had obviously brought back more of her old memories.

  "If you want, you can rename them. I don't mind."

  The mix of emotions playing in her eyes stilled as something sharp pushed itself to the fore. She unclenched her fists, then flexed a hand as her tail would into a tight spiral. A long breath whistled through her nose. When she spoke, her words were deep with conviction.

  "No... They are precisely what they're meant to be... Thank you. Truly."

  Light flashed as Win bonded both pieces to herself. She spent a long while staring at the equipment, then leaned down on the table.

  "I believe it is time for us to plan our return."

  SO LONG.

  Character Cheat Sheet: