Scar

first light | [#257943] | TIER 1 PERFECT KATANA | DAMAGE III [desc.]: A standard wakizashi with a rectangular tsuba and four angular indentations.

Thread Closed: Scar | [Word Count: 5682/5 = 1136.4] * [True Tier: 4] * [Group Factor: 1] = 4546 EXP [quest.] 300 Experience Points «Blacksmith» Profession ID: 257943 | First Light Standard «Blacksmith» Shop 5 Materials [summary.] 4546 + 300 = 4846 EXP «Blacksmith» Profession ID: 257943 | First Light Standard «Blacksmith» Shop 5 Materials

Jack stepped out of the forge and into the cooler air, the door shutting behind him with a dull, final thud. The difference in temperature hit him first, the heavy heat of the forge giving way to the gentler chill of the street. Evening light stretched long shadows across the ground, the sky shifting into softer colors as the day began to wind down. For a moment, he just stood there. The katana rested in his hand, its weight steady and real. He drew it partway from its scabbard, the metal catching the fading light with a muted gleam. The curve was clean, the edge straight, the balanc

Post Action: Crafting an item using Callum's forge — The walk back to town felt shorter. With each step, the sounds of the Plains faded behind him, replaced by the distant murmur of player chatter and the familiar clatter of everyday life in the settlement. Jack adjusted the weight of his bag over his shoulder, feeling the quiet solidity of the gathered materials sitting in his inventory, a small, invisible achievement, but his all the same. By the time the forge came into view, smoke was already curling from its chimney, a dark smudge against the sky. The steady ring of st

Post Action: Gathering Materials (5/5) — By the time Jack left the bend in the river where he’d made his second find, the rhythm of the work had settled into something familiar. Move. Observe. Judge. Try. He'd followed that pattern a few more times along the Plains, shifting away from the water for a while, testing patches of earth nearer to scattered stones and the base of small rises. Some attempts had come up empty, others had rewarded him with the quiet chime of success. Piece by piece, his inventory filled. Now, he walked with a steadier sense of purpose. Fou

Post Action: Gathering Materials (4/5) — The faint echo of the last system chime still lingered in the back of his mind. You have gained a rank in Foraging. Foraging: Rank 1 --> Rank 2. It hadn't changed anything dramatic in how the world looked, but Jack could feel a difference in how he moved through it now. His eyes lingered a little longer on subtle details. The shape of the terrain, the way the soil settled, even the distribution of stones and roots, all of it seemed to present itself to him with slightly more clarity, as if the system was quietly acknowledging

Post Action: Gathering Materials (2/5) — Jack followed the curve of the river until the bank began to rise, the soft earth giving way to firmer ground. The grass grew thinner here, interrupted by patches of exposed dirt and scattered stones that jutted from the soil at odd angles. The current narrowed slightly, cutting a sharper line through the terrain as if the world itself had pressed in around it. This felt better. He slowed his pace and came to a stop near a crooked outcrop of rock leaning over the water. The area looked less worn, less touched, like most players had p

Post Action: Gathering Materials (0/5) — Jack studied the riverbank in silence, letting the low rush of water steady his thoughts. The spot he'd chosen felt right, quiet, out of the way, with enough variation in the terrain to suggest the system might tuck something useful here. Exposed stone, packed soil, and the occasional tangle of roots jutting out from the bank. If there was anywhere to start, it was here. He shifted his weight, lowering himself into a crouch. The grass brushed against his knees as he slipped off his glove and pressed bare fingers to the ground this time, f

Jack froze as her lips met his. The world around him went still, no wind, no snow, no sound but the faint rhythm of two hearts beating in sync. For a second, he didn't breathe. Didn't move. The shock wasn't from the kiss itself, but from the sheer weight of it, the raw, desperate way she pressed against him. It wasn't gentle, it wasn't perfect, it was real. And that reality hit him harder than any monster ever could. His hands, trembling from the cold or from everything he'd been holding back, slowly came up to her shoulders, then to her back. He let the breath he'd been holding spill out

The forge door closed behind him with a heavy thud, the muffled clang of Callum's hammer fading into the distance as Jack stepped into the open air. The chill of the wind met the lingering warmth of his skin, carrying with it the scent of grass and faint traces of smoke from nearby chimneys. He paused for a moment, glancing back toward the small workshop, a humble place, yet one that already felt like the start of something important. The rhythmic sound of metal striking metal still echoed faintly in his mind as he adjusted the strap of his bag and set off down the dirt road leading away

Post Action: Talking to Callum — Jack pushed open the heavy wooden door to the forge, and the faint smell of smoke and molten metal immediately hit him. The air was thick with heat, and the rhythmic ringing of hammer on steel echoed through the space, reverberating against the soot-darkened walls. Sparks danced from an anvil as a burly man worked with surprising precision, hammering a piece of glowing iron with deliberate strokes. The man glanced up, only for a moment, his sharp eyes appraising Jack briefly before returning to the metal. "Can I help you with something?" His voic

Alinta shifted, her legs sliding to either side of him, and he froze. Her palms pressed against her chest, steady, warm, trembling. He could feel her pulse through her hands. His crimson gaze rose to meet hers, and for a moment, neither spoke. The night hung heavy with everything left unsaid. When her words finally came, they cut clean through him. "Why did you leave with her? Why were you smiling like that? Why did she know your name before I did?" Jack's expression hardened, not out of anger but resolve. He wanted her to see it, the truth in his eyes. "That day in Tolbana," he

The tavern door closed softly behind him, and the sounds of the kitchen faded into the quiet rhythm of the street outside. The evening had deepened while he and Maggie worked, the light now soft and amber, spilling across cobblestones in long, honey-colored streaks. The air smelled faintly of baked bread and sweet spice, the lingering memory of his first successful attempt at cooking. Jack paused just beyond the doorway, glancing down at his hands. A fine dusting of sugar still clung to his fingers, glittering faintly in the fading light. He rubbed his thumb against his palm, the granules

golden krackle bites | [#256883] | TIER 1 PERFECT SNACK | PROSPERITY III [desc.]: A sweet crunch that makes every Col feel heavier.

When she pushed lightly against his chest, he stumbled back a step before finding himself seated on the same half-buried stone she had occupied moments earlier. Before he could even think to move, she turned and lowered herself on his lap, her back pressing firmly against his chest. Instinct took over, his arms came around her, protective, almost desperate. This warmth.. it was something he had missed, yearned for, even in silence. The faint scent of bergamot and vanilla filled his senses, grounding him in a moment that felt painfully, beautifully real. "I don't want to lose you eith