“Excuse me?” Grey blinked rapidly, setting down his breakfast spoon. “Would you…care to repeat that, Nathan?”

It was morning the day after the failed ritual to regrow my arm, and my closest companions had gathered to break their fasts. I was pretty happy about that for two reasons. The first was because I had skipped dinner last night, as I tried to think how I was going to fix my problem. The other was because everyone I needed to talk to was in the tent we had met up in.

Well, and Fade. He was sitting on the floor underneath the small dining table Grey, Azarus, Honoka and Sylvia were sitting at with me. My young wolf was chowing down on a bowl of organs and bones that had been provided for him by the Sculpted camp chef.

Grey wasn’t the only one that had been surprised by my question. Sylvia had stopped one of her rare meals to give me an odd look, while I seemed to have surprised Honoka for once, judging by her raised eyebrows.

Azarus didn’t care though. He just rolled his eyes at me and got back to eating his breakfast.

I was unphased by the scrutiny. “Sure. I’d like it if you could show me the enchantments and runic sequences used to create a Sculpted later. If you have time, of course.” I amended hastily.

Grey furrowed his brow, puzzled. “Whatever for? You…can’t possibly be thinking of creating one, could you? Because I assure you, Nathan. If you do, it will immediately assume full sapience once completed. You will have essentially created a child for yourself. That’s been the case since the Second Initialization.”

“Looking to become a deadbeat father like the reprobate, boy? Like master like student, I suppose,” Honoka teased with a smirk. Grey made a wordless rude direction in her direction, never taking his eyes away from me.

“Ah…” I blinked. “No. I…guess I should start at the beginning?” I smiled embarrassingly at the unimpressed looks I was the recipient of. “Okay, so. Everyone knows by now that I can’t get my arm grown back, yeah? So, I’m just going to have to replace it with something else. I want to create a prosthetic.” I paused. “You guys…do know what a prosthetic is, right?”

I wasn’t sure they would even need them if most people could just get missing limbs regrown.

Honoka rolled her eyes at me. “Of course we know what a prosthetic is, boy. You’re not the first person in history to be unable to get an arm grown back. Hell, the Rite of Regeneration wasn’t even around for the entire history of Vereden, remember? Your master and I are old enough to remember a time when you couldn’t just walk into a Church and come back out with a fresh new limb.”

“Honoka is correct,” Grey nodded, almost reluctantly. “Yours is an unusual case to be sure, however. In rare cases, some people received cursed wounds that were also unable to be regenerated easily. Thus, they receive simple prosthetic limbs.”

“But I’m guessin’ that’s not what yer after,” Azarus grunted out, not looking up from his plate. “If yer asking about Sculpted runes.”

I nodded at my dwarven friend. “Right. Here’s my idea. I want to replace my arm with a mystical prosthetic. Something that I can control as if it were my own flesh and blood. Something that my soul will recognize as my own. If I do it right, then theoretically, even the System shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. That way, it could be bolstered by my Status.” I was getting more excited by the idea the more I spoke, until I was leaning forward in my chair and gripping the table.

Grey’s lips parted in surprise. “And that’s why you’re asking for the Sculpted enchantments. Because-”

“Because there’s something about them that caused the System to react!” I interrupted him eagerly. “Something about those runes and those enchantments must have an interaction with the soul! That’s beyond even the animation enchantments that have to be part of a Sculpted’s make-up that would be useful. If I could isolate the specific part of the Sculpted enchantment matrix that facilitate souls, like I did with the Ward Breaker, I could adapt it to my use!”

“So,” Sylvia spoke slowly. “You’re essentially proposing that you custom create a Sculpted arm and…graft it to both your body and soul?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, pointing to her with my one good hand. “If I can’t get my arm back, I’ll just replace it with something better! It’s-”

“Foolish,” Honoka broke in bluntly. I blinked rapidly at her, momentarily stunned. Honoka shook her head at me, almost in pity. “Boy, such an operation would be incredibly risky. Beyond the fact that you’d need to surgically graft your flesh and bone to the prosthetic, I can’t understate how dangerous it would be to mess with your soul like that. I want you to consider something first. You know your Antium friend? Venix?”

“Ah. Yes?” I said weakly.

“That fool pulled on his soul for more strength in a pinch and wound up in a coma. He didn’t try and attach something to it in some kind of surgical hack job, which is much more dangerous. If you screw that up, you could more than kill yourself. You could kill your soul.” Honoka finished seriously.

I felt my spirits dim.

Grey though, was tapping his cheek in thought. “Well…” He drew out consideringly. “Perhaps not that dangerous, in this specific case.”

I perked right back up, while Honoka rounded on Grey with a very real scowl.

“Don’t you pull this shit again, Greycton,” Honoka said warningly. “I’ve seen you play fast and loose with experiments too much in the past to trust you have the right idea about this. As the head of the Healing department, I’m telling you. It’s too dangerous.”

Grey raised his hands soothingly. “Peace, old friend. I’m just saying there are some things you might not be aware of. Nathan, if you could perhaps demonstrate your Profession for Honoka’s peace of mind?”

Honoka looked over at me questioningly, while I realized what Grey was talking about. Looking around for something suitable for my use, I shrugged and just looked down at my plate. On it, the only thing left was a slice of ham. I held out my good hand over the plate, and with a moment’s thought, fell into my Aetherial Melding trance.

I’d gotten so used to this state by this point that I didn’t even need to close my eyes anymore. Around me, the pulse of Vereden’s Aether swirled even in our indoor environment, casting the tent in unseen clouds of blue and green. I concentrated on the slice of ham for a moment, and did something ridiculous.

I melded the slice of cooked ham into the shape of a small ball, about half the size of my fist.

Honoka blinked in shock at the strange sight.

I picked up the small ham ball and let it rest in my palm, my trance fading away as it did. I presented the ball to Honoka as if it were a present and spoke in a grandiose voice. “Behold! Orb.”

Gingerly, Honoka accepted the small piece of spherical meat and examined it. Wonderingly, she turned it over in her hands. “No seams…hollow…” Honoka looked up at me. “How did you do this? I don’t even know if a Necromancer could fuse flesh like this, much less a Healer.”

“Meld,” I corrected for her, smiling. “I melded that flesh, with my Profession.” I proceeded to tell Honoka all about Aetherial Melding, describing how it was a Profession that combined all aspects of the seven. How I had learned how to use it, and create my Bond Breakers from the altered design of the Ward Breakers.

And…

“I think that it can work with Souls in some way,” I said to an interested Honoka. The rest of the table had finished their breakfast while I was talking, and were watching the conversation in interest as well. “I haven’t experimented with that aspect of Melding. But, I’ve found that I can Meditate with the skill, and kind of synch my own Aether with the surrounding. It’s an odd experience, but it’s why I think I could essentially perform spiritual surgery on myself. Honoka, we don’t know each other very well yet, but I’m sure I can do this.” I paused for a moment, before acquiescing. “With some help. The operation would probably be pretty complicated.”

Honoka kept quiet for a moment, looking at me consideringly and drumming her fingers on the breakfast table. “All right. I’ll help.” She acquiesced reluctantly. Before I could celebrate, she raised a finger. “If! If you can put together a good enough prototype for the arm. I’ll make a decision then, as your Healer.”

Since when did she become my Healer?

I flickered my eyes over in Grey’s direction. He shrugged, and made a helpless gesture with his hands.

Okay then.

I nodded at Honoka and stretched my hand out towards her. She took it and squeezed, meeting my eyes. We shook.

As our hands broke apart, I tried to discreetly shake mine to get feeling back into it. That woman had a strong grip. Judging my Azarus’s amused stare, I wasn’t as discreet as I was hoping.

“Well!” Grey said, clapping his hands together once. “If that’s all, then we have a project to work on while we wait for the main host of the Uprising to reach our position. I spoke to Nyx yesterday, and they’re apparently three to four days away. I’m given to understand that the families that had members hostage have already rejoined our cause, promising a copious amount of resources as thanks. Both martial and material. They’ll be traveling with the host.”

“Actually,” Sylvia spoke up quietly. “I…have something to say as well.”

Grey’s eyebrows rose, turning to face his daughter. “Oh? Do speak up then, my dear.”

Sylvia took a deep breath before her sapphire blue eyes flickered my way, almost apologetically. “After all the fighting and traveling we’ve done, I hit level one hundred. I’m ready to pass the first breakpoint.”

Honoka, who had been taking a drink of water, started coughing violently. She drummed her chest for a moment, before rounding on Sylvia with a wide smile on her face and standing up from her chair. Swiftly, she moved over to Sylvia’s side and dragged her up into a hug. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?! Congratulations!”

Grey copied Honoka, promptly joining the hug. “Oh well done my dear. Well done and congratulations indeed. I’m sure that we can procure the needed reagents for the ritual from Silvercrest.”

Azarus started clapping politely for Sylvia as well, while Fade poked his head out from under the table, curious about the commotion. I tilted my head in thought.

Huh.

I leaned in closer to Azarus. “So,” I whispered to him. “I’m guessing this is a big deal?”

Azarus nodded to me, careful not to drag attention away from the celebrating…family? “Aye, it is,” He whispered back. “Getting’ to one hundred and breaking through the first barrier shows yer being serious about becoming a classer. Things change from that point, let me tell ye.”

Grey and Honoka broke away from the embrace, with Honoka turning to face me. “Sorry, but this has precedence for now,” She told me bluntly. I winced, but nodded. Like I’d said, Honoka and I didn’t know each other well yet, while she seemed to almost think of Sylvia as a granddaughter. “You’ve survived this far with an arm, you can wait a few more days. Your master and I will be busy.”

Grey looked at me apologetically, but it was Sylvia who unexpectedly came to my rescue. “Ah, actually, I’m…not looking to become a Mage. I want to be a Cultivator, instead.”

Grey’s eyes flew open in surprise, while both he and Honoka turned back to Sylvia in shock. “But…I thought you had been investing in Magi Virtues?” Grey said, stunned.

Sylvia shook her head apologetically. “Not for some time now. I made this decision…years before you were even captured, Father. I just…” She bashfully lowered her head. “I was afraid of what you would say. I know you were expecting me to follow in your footsteps and become a Mage.”

Honoka shot Grey a blistering look of warning, but she needn’t have bothered. Grey’s shock melted away into sympathy. “Oh, my Sylvia,” He said fondly, reaching out to cup her Mithril cheeks. He raised her gaze level with his own. “You needn’t have worried. I’m not upset that you wish to follow in Honoka’s footsteps instead.” He chuckled. “In retrospect, I should have expected this with all the time you two have spent together. In that case, then you’ll be needing Honoka’s help instead of my own to draft your ritual.”

Honoka reached out to grasp Sylvia’s hands in her own, clutching them with a fierce smile on her face. “I’ll be more than happy to help.”

“Thank you,” Sylvia whispered, smiling faintly. She nodded over in my direction, where Azarus and I had been watching the family moment, mildly uncomfortable. “In that case, you can help Nathan with his project, Father. I think…we’ll be able to get both done by the time the main host gets here.”

Grey turned away from his daughter and friend to look at me. I saw him wipe something away from his eyes quickly, before he smiled in my direction. “Well, possibly. If we hope to have your arm done before the next battle at Helstein, then we’d best get started. No time to waste,” He said, marching for the entrance to the tent, before pausing and looking back at me. “Nathan, if you would? We can get started on the design in my tent. Azarus, you should come too. I suspect we’ll need your metallurgical knowledge for the project.”

Both Azarus and I stood up hastily from our chairs, while Fade emerged from under the table to follow at my heels.

As I turned to follow after Grey as he left the tent, I looked back over my shoulder and met Sylvia’s eyes.

I smiled at her, and mouthed a word.

‘Congratulations.’

She smiled back, and returned two.

‘Good luck.’