With the Sigil Stones taken care of, I turned my mind to Relic fabrication. At this point, I had hundreds of Common and Uncommon Relic Shards, plus three dozen or so Rare-grade Shards stuffed away in my Spatial Storage.

  I started with the Common Shards to get a feel for things.

  At level 50, I didn’t really have much use for Common-grade Relics, but I could always use whatever I crafted as Sacrifices for my current build. I picked something easy to work with—in this case, Basic Camo Kit—and added ten shards to the table. Now that I knew what I was doing, the process of forging the Relics was intuitive and the Fabrication Table made it almost effortless.

  Far easier than crafting the Sigil Stones.

  It took less than a handful of minutes to fabricate the first Relic, and I marveled when my creation actually did what it was supposed to do. It was so obvious that I almost couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before.

  Since I didn’t need to actually use the Common-grade Relics, I stuck with the same runic pattern and before long I had a precarious pile of basic concealment Relics. Fifty-two in total. There were hundreds—maybe even thousands—more shards back at the store, but those would have to wait until later.

  I was in the zone now, so I decided to fabricate some Uncommons with my available supply.

  First on the list was Fluid Dynamics.

  My gut told me it had enormous forging potential, but I couldn’t risk losing the only one I had on a botched experiment. Having a few backups to play around with was a must.

  The runic configuration powering the Relic was significantly more complex and took twice as long to make, but the process itself was remarkable similar. After a solid ten minutes, I pulled the finished Relic from the table, turning it over in my hands. The shape—the vessel—had changed. Instead of a 90s green and yellow knockoff Super Soaker, this version looked like an old sponge, but sure enough, the effect was exactly the same.

  I shook my head in wonder before setting it aside in its own pile.

  I crafted two more duplicates—another sponge, and one that looked like a fishing net—then made several other Uncommon Relics that were always in high demand at the store, including Balloon Menagerie, Razor-Wire Fisicuffs, Double Bounce, and Thick Fat. All of ’em were packed with utility and would command a serious premium when I eventually put them up for sale.

  Although fabricating the Relics was surprisingly straightforward, I found that it took a heavy toll on my body and mind. Almost as though each Relic drew a little piece of me out in the process. After spending countless hours at the table, exhaustion was finally starting to set in. My back ached, my good hand throbbed, and every muscle in my body seemed to be knotted with pent-up tension. My thoughts also felt strangely heavy. Slow. Fragmented. The side effects of serious sleep deprivation.

  I knew I didn’t have much gas left in the tank, but there was still one last thing I really wanted to try, and I’d saved a few shards just for this purpose.

  Nikoli had said that forming a Relic without an available pattern was the next best thing to impossible, but I had something he didn’t—the Researcher’s Codex. I doubted I would be able to fabricate a truly new and unique Relic, but I idly wondered if it was possible to use the Codex to reverse engineer some of the more powerful Relics that I’d previously forged. What I wouldn’t give to get back some of the base components of Neural Slipstream, Hydro Fracking Blast, or Psychic Sovereignty.

  I had no idea if it was possible, but I’d never know unless I tried.

  I pulled Hydro Fracking Blast from my Spatial Core and examined the Relic using my Mythic Grade Emblem. As expected, a familiar item description flickered to life.

  Hydro Fracking Blast

  Fabled Relic – Level 2

  Range: Single Target

  Cost: 12 Mana/Sec

  Sometimes, the solution isn't subtlety, but a high-velocity water jet of pure destruction. Even better if that water also happens to be on fire. And that’s where Hydro Fracking Blast comes in, brought to you by the good folks at the Variant Research Division!

  That’s right, friends. Unleash a beam of water, skinny as a noodle but mighty enough to punch through a fucking mountain. Oh, and thanks to a little gasoline and some completely safe and totally natural dissolved gaseous methane, this water’s also on fire. It’s the best of all worlds! Water and flame in a perfect yin-yang of death and destruction. What more could you possibly ask for?

  Moving at 100,000 PSI, Hydro Fracking doesn’t just erode, it annihilates. The target receives one stack of Scorching Erosion, suffering 25 points of Piercing Damage and an additional 20 points of Fire Damage per second as the fiery water eats into anything in its path.

  Each additional second under the stream adds more fuel to the fire. In this case, literally.

  For every three consecutive seconds spent in the water stream, an additional stack of Scorching Erosion is added, dealing an additional 25 points of Piercing Damage. When an enemy receives five stacks of Scorching Erosion, all damage dealt triples for each subsequent stack thereafter.

  As the VRD is wont to say, go Frack yourself!

  That wasn’t what I needed, though, so instead, I focused my will and concentrated on how the Relic had been created in the first place. What elements had gone into its forging. For a long moment nothing happened.

  Well, that wasn’t exactly true.

  I didn’t receive any sort of prompt or notice, but I did feel a certain psychic resistance—almost as though I were pushing against an invisible barrier with my mind. Sweat rolled down my face and my body trembled from the strain, but I was making progress. Finally, something shifted and gave way, a new prompt I’d never seen before floated into view.

  Would you like to analyze the component elements in Hydro Fracking Blast (Fable-Grade Relic)? Yes/No?

  I let out a ragged breath and mentally selected ‘Yes.’

  The prompt disappeared, replaced by another.

  Hydro Fracking Blast: Fabled-Grade Forged Relic

  Component Relics: Pressure Washer (Rare Grade), Quicksand Terraform (Rare Grade), Burn, Baby, Burn (Uncommon Grade), Arsonist Accelerant (Common Grade)

  The words vibrated and flickered, unstable. Almost as if they were trying to slip away, but couldn’t quite manage it. I had a feeling that this was something I wasn’t supposed to see at all. As though the System governing this place resented me peaking beneath the hood.

  An uncomfortable pressure built inside my chest—a warning to go back. To proceed no further. Instead, I drilled down deeper, this time focusing on Pressure Washer, which was the core ability I’d used to make Hydro Fracking Blast in the first place. I felt another layer of resistance, this one even firmer than the last, but I refused to stop. Refused to give up and call it quits. I grit my teeth and pushed through with sheer grit and raw force of will.

  Finally, another screen replaced the first, though it was faint and ghostly. A shadow of the real thing and not at all like the system prompts I was accustomed to seeing.

  Pressure Washer: Rare-Grade Forged Relic

  Component Relics: Squirting Flower (Common Grade), Slippery When Wet (Common Grade), Scalding Torrent (Rare Grade)

  A thin smile stretched across my lips. Progress.

  Once more, I pushed, hurling my will against the invisible barrier as I focused on Slippery When Wet.

  Slippery When Wet was a Common-grade, which meant I’d hit already rock bottom, so this time I didn’t focus on what constituent components were, but rather on the runic pattern that powered the Relic. My body trembled like a leaf, knees shaking, arms quivering, stomach knotting in violent protest. It felt like I was trying to lift an Abrams tank with nothing but my bare hands.

  I didn’t care.

  I was almost there, I could instinctively feel it, and I’d come too far to give up this close to the finish line.

  Then it happened.

  I couldn’t really explain what it was, but reality warped around me, the light dimming as a runic pattern appeared in the air. It was surprisingly simple—just three looping curves that spiraled outward from a central point, like a lazy whirlpool scribbled by someone in a rush.

  Holding the pattern in my head, I added several more Common Shards to the table and quickly imprinted the design onto the shards, just like I’d done before. They bubbled and melted, before forming into a yellow triangular sign with a red stick figure flanked by the words Caution Wet Floor on the top and Cuidado Piso Mojado on the bottom.

  Holy shit. I’d done it.

  I let out a ragged sigh of relief as my shoulders slumped forward. Forging the Relic had been immensely more difficult, but clearly it was possible and that opened a whole new world of options.

  Part of me wanted to give up and call it a day, but even though I’d never felt so wrung out, I found myself wondering just how far I could push this ability. It had worked on Slippery When Wet, so why not one of the more powerful Relics?

  Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I repeated the same process—this time concentrating on the Rare-grade ability, Scalding Torrent.

  If recreating Slippery When Wet had been like trying to lift a tank, this felt like trying to uproot an old growth Red Wood. Without the aid of the Fabrication Table itself, I was certain it would’ve been impossible.

  But after fifteen minutes of unwavering concentrate the pattern took shape.

  Imprinting the pattern onto the Rare-grade shards took almost half an hour, but the effort was worth the reward as the shards finally congealed into an item that resembled a foot-long hunk of pitted metal piping. The Relic wasn’t much to look at, but it was powerful in its own right, and allowed the user to release a burst of scalding steam, which inflicted Burn Damage and ignored traditional flame resistances.

  The second the Relic finished coalescing, a wave of pain hit me like a sledgehammer to the temple. White stars danced across my field of vision, and I doubled over—promptly vomiting into the wooden bucket I’d used to clean up all my failed Sigil Stones. A blinding headache built behind my eyes and blood gushed from my nose in twin streams. The world tilted and spun uncertainly and, for a second, I was sure I was going to pass out on the spot.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I clutched the table with my good hand, wobbling uncertainly on drunken feet. After a minute the sensation finally passed, though the aches and pains remained. When I wiped my mouth with the back of one hand, I saw that it came away covered in even more blood. My lips were coated with crimson.

  Uh-oh… That was probably a bad sign.

  I quickly downed a Zima for good measure. I felt something pop and twist inside my guts, which told me I’d done some pretty serious damage to my organs. But there wasn’t much that an ice-cold Zima couldn’t fix. Still, it was abundantly clear I’d pushed my ability to the limit, and it wasn’t something I wanted to try again any time soon.

  But despite the pain and internal bleeding, it proved that I could reverse engineer forged Relics with enough time and the right resources—even if it came with a step price tag. That made it a win in my book, and I would take whatever wins I could get.

  I regarded Slippery When Wet and Scalding Torrent with a hungry greed.

  Although I could’ve tried the experiment with any of the Relics, I’d picked those two for a very specific reason. Both were water based, though they had very different effects. Because of their nature, some gut instinct told me they might synergize well with two of my newer Relics—Fluid Dynamics and Frost Construct. Between the four, I could, in theory, create water, summon ice, unleash broiling hot jets of steam, and control all the various effects with Fluid Dynamics.

  So what would happen if I mashed all four of the Relics together?

  I ran a quick analysis to see if my hunch was correct.

  Researcher’s Codex Compatibility Analysis

  Based on historic data sets and extensive Forging models, Slippery When Wet (Common – Level 1), Fluid Dynamics (Uncommon – Level 1), Scalding Torrent (Rare – Level 1), and Frost Construct (Rare – Level 1), have an estimated 98% resonance compatibility, meaning the number of possible Relic Iterations is Extremely Low. The most probable outcome is Hydrokinesis (Fabled), or a closely adjacent derivative. Would you like to view additional report records for the Hydrokinesis ability? Yes/No?

  I selected yes and read the ability description.

  Hydrokinesis

  Fabled Relic (Fully Tempered) – Level 1

  Range: 10 Meters

  Cost: 25 Mana

  Cast time: Instant

  You’ve officially earned your honorary PhD in Liquid Violence, giving you full-spectrum command over your favorite molecule: H?-Oh-hell-yeah.

  Hydrokinesis is the final word in wet work, ideal for anyone who thinks subtlety is a four-letter word for cowards. When cast, you gain total, unrelenting mastery over water in all its glorious forms—liquid, solid, vapor, steam, mist, tears, beer, hot tub runoff. If it sloshes, steams, or freezes, it’s under your control.

  Water stops being a tool. It becomes a language, and you’re screaming in it.

  Sculpt glacial armor. Conjure ice barriers to block attacks or surround yourself with a spiraling cyclone of water blades that slice through spells, projectiles, or anyone dumb enough to get close. The sky’s the limit—in this case literally, since clouds are just condensed water vapor waiting for marching orders.

  Because Hydrokinesis is classified as a mental-based ability, all bonuses to psychic damage and cooldown reduction apply to it as well.

  This Relic enables mana usage.

  I just stared at the description with my mouth hanging open like I was trying to catch flies. I couldn’t help it, though, because I was in awe.

  Hydrokinesis was everything I wanted Fluid Dynamics to be, but wasn’t. It was a keystone ability, easily on par with Psychic Sovereignty or Eldritch Taxidermist. Thanks to the Codex, I had plenty of other Fabled-grade Relics in my arsenal, but this would likely affect every aspect of my build. Not only would it give Hydro Fracking Blast far greater versatility, it would also boost the effectiveness of my new Frostfang Spire Relic.

  Plus, I could think of about a hundred other ways it might be useful.

  I didn’t hesitate for a moment before forging the new combination and adding it to my Spatial Core. A buzz of potent energy washed through me, and I instinctively knew this was the kind of power that could change everything. This was the kind of power the Sovereigns had access too, and now it was mine.

  All I wanted to do was test it out, but I knew this wasn’t the time or place.

  I still didn’t trust Nikoli and having an ace like this tucked up my sleeve could come in handy if he tried to fuck us over. Besides, I didn’t have the mental energy for it. Not after fabricating both Slippery When Wet and Scalding Torrent.

  That had taken a bigger toll on me than I wanted to admit.

  Still, there was one last thing I needed to do.

  Although I’d crafted Sigil Stones for everyone on the team, including Croc, I realized there was one fatal flaw in the plan: the mimic didn’t wear gear. Didn’t have any Artifacts of its own. And without an Artifact, the mimic wouldn’t be able to equip the new Sigils. Sure, I could’ve pick up a run-of-the-mill Artifact from the shop—a pair of glasses maybe or a stupid top-hat—but this would be Croc’s first Artifact ever and I wanted it to be something truly special.

  And with the Mana Infusion Table at my disposal, I could make that happen—even if it cost me.

  With a heavy groan, I shuffled away from the Fabrication workstation like a half-dead zombie and made a beeline for the crystalline Artifact table. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harper wave at me, but I didn’t stop. I was on a mission and I knew if I paused now, I’d never find the will to start back up again.

  I opened my Spatial Storage and scanned through my inventory until I found what I was looking for. A bright red dog collar that I’d picked up down on the third floor. It wasn’t an Artifact—had no special arcane abilities at all—but it had made me think of Croc, so I’d taken it.

  Now, I could finally put it to good use.

  I set the collar down gently on the tabletop and pressed my palm to the surface. It was surprisingly cold, almost like ice, and if not for the new Chillblister Core Sigil, I was pretty sure it would’ve hurt like hell. I pushed past the sting of discomfort and turned my focus inward, searching for a memory I was willing to give up. It had to count. If I wanted the collar to come out Uncommon-grade—with enough slots to make it useful—I needed to sacrifice something with real weight behind it.

  My mind cycled through possibilities, before finally landing on one that felt right. As with crafting Golems, I suspected the intention mattered.

  The memory that floated to the surface was close to my heart, but tender to the touch. Like an open wound that had never quite healed. The last day I’d spent with my dog, Macaroni. He’d been my first dog—a black pug with bulging eyes, who looked like he’d fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every single branch on the way down.

  Mac had been a stray that my dad had found rummaging around in our garbage can. He was a poor malnourished looking gremlin and we’d taken him in when I was just a kid—maybe seven or eight, I wasn’t sure which—but I couldn’t think about my childhood without remembering the snorky pup. He’d been dumber than a box of rocks, but I’d loved that dog with every ounce of my soul. There were so many happy memories that I could’ve picked from, but the most powerful had been on the last day.

  He’d grown old, his fur slowly morphing from black to gray at the onslaught of time. In the end he was deaf and mostly blind, though he would still follow me around the house like a ghost of his former self. Curling up by my feet or snuggling in the corner of the couch. He was never much of a cuddler, but he always liked to be nearby.

  He snuggled me on that last day, though, his head in my lap while the vet gently administered a shot in his leg. He blinked wide, hazy eyes at me as he slowly drifted off. Less than a minute later his chest went still, and he closed his eyes to the world.

  I was never much of a crier, but I cried then.

  Big, wet ugly tears that ran down my face as I stroked his matted fur and his too still body.

  I cried now, too, as I recalled the event in minute detail.

  Truth was, I didn’t want to lose the memory, but I also didn’t want to lose Croc. My heart broke the day we put Mac down and I didn’t want it to break again. This collar would help keep the mimic safe. Mac was a good doggo—the best—which is why I knew in my heart, he wouldn’t mind if I gave this precious gift away.

  The table flared bright beneath me, a blinding glow that I couldn’t look away from as it ate through me, devouring a piece of my soul and feeding it into the offering on the table. I could feel the memory flowing out of me.

  Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the glow faded.

  My head ached and I felt strangely lacking. Empty. As though I was missing something important, but I couldn’t quite recall what. I reached up with a curious hand and found tears staining my cheeks. I didn’t know why they were there. I shook my head as though to clear away the cobwebs of a long night of restless sleep, and lifted the collar from the altar, examining my creation with the Researcher’s Codex.

  Man’s Best Friend

  Rare Artifact

  Type: Collar (Beast Companion Only)

  Some artifacts can blow up mountains. Others freeze time. This one sits beside you in the dark and reminds you you’re not alone.

  Man’s Best Friend is a rugged, rune-stitched collar made for that four-legged friend who follows you into hell without a second thought and would probably do it again for half a sausage link. When equipped, it deepens your bond to your canine companion—not just in the mechanical sense, but in the quietly devastating, emotionally gut-punching way that only dogs and dead siblings in flashback scenes can manage.

  On its own, this Artifact doesn’t make your companion faster, meaner, or more vicious. But it does make them braver, because it reminds them of your love. It grants them the kind of stubborn, loyal bravery that ends with bite marks on the ankles of your enemies and a broken body curled protectively over yours.

  Just don’t abuse that unconditional trust and always remember that although you might just be passing through your dog’s world, you are his whole goddamned universe.

  Effect 1, Lethal Injection: Once per day, if the wearer detects incoming lethal damage to you, they may intercept it, redirecting 75% of the damage to themselves. They do this without hesitation, because we genuinely don’t deserve dogs.

  Effect Slot: Empty

  Effect Slot: Empty

  As I read over the description, I was beginning to understand the tears. I took out my engraver’s awl and carefully chiseled the name “Croc” onto the front of bone-shaped name plate, dangling from the front. On the back, I added the words “Dan’s Best Friend.”

  I slumped forward, emotionally drained and more tired than I ever remembered being, then slipped the new Artifact into my bathrobe pocket.

  With that, I knew I was done. Spent.

  I wasn’t sure exactly how long we’d been working for, but dusk had come and gone long ago, and the day had officially turned into full night. With a start, I also realized that I hadn’t heard anything from Temperance or Croc, which made me more than a little anxious. Where in the hell had they gone? Were they okay? I was half-tempted to radio them then and there using the Etheric Walkies, but that was another secret I wanted to keep close to the chest.

  Stifling a yawn with one hand, I blinked with heavy eyelids and reluctantly collected my pile of Common and Uncommon-grade Relics, slipping the whole lot of them into Spatial Storage for later.

  Nikoli was still toiling away, though he’d finally moved on the from the sword and seemed to be manufacturing a set of heavy steel cogs—though what he needed something like that for, I had no idea.

  Jakob and Harper were both still here, but instead of working they were now talking softly as they compared notes from each of their respective journals.

  “For the Sevenfold Tonic,” Harper said, “it looks like we got a better effect when substituting Marrow Fern Spores for Copperleaf Oil.”

  “Agreed,” Jakob replied, jotting something down in his notes. “Based on initial tests, it seems to be five percent more effective and has a significantly longer effect duration.”

  I coughed politely and Harper raised an eyebrow when she finally saw me looking.

  “Hey, look who’s finally come back to the land of the living,” she said, eyeing me from head to toe—almost as though she was inspecting me for injuries. “You okay?” she asked. “We were starting to get worried there for a minute.”

  “Fine,” I said with a shrug. “Why would you be worried?”

  She just stared at me blankly. “Seriously?” she asked.

  “You’ve been working nonstop for almost twelve hours,” Jakob said. “You didn’t stop to eat or drink. The only time you paused was to vomit blood into a bucket, but even that only slowed you down for a handful of seconds.” He shook his head. “I’ve honestly never seen that level of focus before.”

  “I tried to check on you more than a couple of times,” Harper added, “but it was like you were in some sort of trance. I kept shaking you, but you didn’t seem to notice I was there at all.”

  I grunted, feeling a little shocked. “Must’ve just really been in the zone,” I said, “but I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine,” Haper said. “Your skin is waxy and pale. Looks like you haven’t seen the sun in a month.”

  “Is normal,” Nikoli interjected. I hadn’t even seen him move from the workstation, but suddenly he was standing beside me. “Forging Sigil Stones and Relics doesn’t burn memory like creating or upgrading Artifacts, but there is price to pay.” He tapped a finger against his sweat-slick chest. “You must put yourself into the work. It takes from you. Borrows your strength. Your magic. Your essence. Can be dangerous.”

  Harper openly glared at him. “Seems like something you could’ve warned us about earlier.”

  Nikoli just waved a hand dismissively through the air. “Is fine. Eat big meal. Sleep well. You will feel better tomorrow. Which is good,” he added with a grin, “because tomorrow we will kill Krampus. Now go. Eat. Rest. Tomorrow we will fight. Kill.”

  Nikoli gave me one last look, his unnerving eyes boring into me, but then he turned and stomped back over to the forge, resuming his work without missing a beat. In seconds, an enormous hammer feel, the reverberating clang of steel against steel ringing through the air. He’d been toiling away just as long as we had—probably longer—but he moved with the easy rhythm of a man who had long since forgotten what it meant to tire.

  I really hoped Temperance’s suspicions about him were wrong, because I didn’t want to see what he was capable of if backed into a corner.