Liam wandered the city as he tried to remember where the Crafter’s Association building was. He was lost in awe as he watched people of different races walking by. It wasn’t the fact they were all different races and ones belonging to what he thought to be fantasy-like. He had gotten over that while in the Tutorial Area. What had his attention was the gear, clothing, and items they had.
Ever since he had gotten his class, awakened his Cait Sith race, and started practicing crafting, he had started to appreciate the many designs and results people were able to make. The clothing were made from different cloths and leathers he had never seen nor heard of before. Not only that, but some clothing had thin pieces of metal-like materials mixed in to it making him believe that he could mix his blacksmithing with tailoring if he got both of them up high enough. So many new designs danced around in his mind as he walked the city.
After a while Liam had finally found the place he was looking for. It was a huge two story building that stretched out as far length wise as it did width wise. It was made from both wood and metal materials. The sign hanging right above the wide double entrance doors had the words Crafters Association in the shape of different crafting tools.
Liam watched as people walked in and out. Some people wore business attire, crafting uniform, and even regular clothing. A few people were bringing in barrels, boxes, and other crates like objects filled with materials, finished products, or even broken pieces.
Liam walked through the door and was confused at what he saw. The room he had walked into was a medium sized reception-like room with a long receptionist desk in front of the wall opposite the front doors.
Five people stood behind the desks helping other people who were lined up. Four doors were lined up on the left and right walls with people walking in and out of them. This made Liam believe they were offices, judging by the people who walked in and out of the rooms.
There were two Tiger-folk men wearing professional suits standing on both sides of a door that was located on the left side of the receptionist desk. On the other side were two Lion-folk men wearing the same thing next to another door.
Liam watched as people walked up to the door where the Tiger-folk men were, showed them some card and walked into the next area. People walked out from the door the Lion-folk were guarding and show them a card and a piece of paper.
Liam wasn’t sure what was going on so he decided to walk up to the line and wait to speak to someone.
After waiting for a few minutes, he finally arrived to the front of the line. When it was his turn he walked up to the desk where a female Cat-folk wearing a burgundy vest over a navy blue buttoned up shirt tucked into a pair of black dress pants stood. She wore a burgundy cap on her head while a few pins in the shape of different tools ran down the right side of her vest strap. She had black hair, blue eyes, and creamy white skin.
She watched as Liam approached her and smiled while greeting, “Good afternoon and welcome to the Crafters Association. My name is Elatrix. How may I help you today?”
“Hello Elatrix,” Liam greeted back. “This is my first time here and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Elatrix kept her smile as she said, “Oh okay. Well first may I ask what your purpose here today is? Are you looking to purchase tools and or supplies for your craft or crafts? Are you looking to find a Mentor in a specific craft? Are you looking to find a crafter to sponsor your completed crafts? Are you looking for someone to make you a Branding Icon for works?”
Liam was surprised by all the options she was asking him about. He didn’t know this place dealt with so much stuff. All he wanted was to get his C.I.D. and go from there.
“Ah, I’m not going to lie to you. I would love to check out all those things you are asking me about, but I think I should start off with getting a Crafter’s I.D. first,” Liam answered.
Elatrix looked at Liam and tilted her head a bit with a confused look before asking, “Oh? So, this is the first Crafters Association you’ve ever been to? Alright we can help you get started with getting your C.I.D., but first I’ll need to ask you a few questions. Have you ever crafted any items before?”
Liam nodded.
“Okay…have you crafted in a personal space or a workshop of some sorts?” Elatrix inquired.
“Uh, I guess you could call it a workshop,” Liam responded, a bit confused by what she was asking.
“Alright, next question. Has any of your completed items ever been sold?” Elatrix continued.
“Yes,” Liam replied nodding again.
“Alright…next,” Elatrix started. Her smile suddenly faded as she gave Liam a stern and strict look. “You do know that it is illegal to sell any crafted item you have ever crafted in any workshop without a C.I.D. right? And if caught it is a capital offense?”
Liam’s eyes widened. “No, I did not know that. I was never told any…”
“That’s what everyone who is caught says. Now since you came clean and told me this I am sure the guards will go easy on your sentence. If you continue to cooperate with us I will make sure your sentence is lessened,” Elatrix started to say as she raised a hand up motioning for one of the guards to make their way over.
Liam, confused on what was going on, looked around and stared to feel a bit irritated as he started thinking things over. Fia and Galin never said any of that to him while he was in the Tutorial Area. If this was something he needed to know then why wasn’t this Association in that place and why didn’t anyone tell him he couldn’t sell any of his potions without a C.I.D.
Galin did tell him to get his C.I.D. once when he got out into the world. If he told him he needed to get it out here and never once said he needed it in there then there was no need for it in the Tutorial Area. If that was the case then he wasn’t in the wrong and didn’t need to be brought to the city authorities.
He noticed one of the Lion-folk men making his way over to them. He strode over with his chest out trying to look intimidating. He stood taller than Liam by a couple of feet which made Liam tilt his head up a bit. Liam stared back at the man through his sunglasses, not letting the man feel like he was intimidating him.
Eri? What should I do? Liam asked as he tried to remain calm and not let his irritation get the better of him.
“Nothing. You haven’t done anything wrong. This lady is jumping to conclusions. If she’s adamite about handing you over to the authorities then you should fight her on the issue. – Eri.”
What do you mean? Liam inquired.
However, before Eri could respond Elatrix asked another question as the Lion-folk arrived behind her and looked menacingly at Liam, “Now tell me where you came from and whose workshop you crafted in.”
“I came from the Tutorial Area…,” Liam responded, trying to not let his irritation show.
Elatrix blinked a couple of times before asking, “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
“I said I came from the Tutorial Area,” Liam repeated, allowing his irritation to show. He then added, “I learned how to craft there and all excess potions I made were sold there.”
Elatrix narrowed her eyes as she caught his tone of voice. She then let out a scoff as she said, “That’s a very convenient ex…”
“What’s going on here?” someone suddenly shouted.
Liam, Elatrix and the Lion-folk guard turned to see a well-dressed Wolf-folk man walk out from an office on the left side of the room. He wore the same uniform as Elatrix minus the hat. He had slicked back copper hair and had a monocle resting on his left eye. His icy blue eyes looked like they could pierce into your soul.
“Elatrix…I asked you a question,” the Wolf-folk man stated as he slowly approached them.
“Oh, Mr. Lyca. I…This man has confessed that he has been crafting and selling his completed wares without a C.I.D. I was about to have Mar here escort him to the authorities after I get him to tell me where he came from so I can find the people who allowed him to do this crime,” Elatrix informed. She had straightened her body after seeing this man.
Liam could see this man terrified her and he could somewhat understand why. The look this man gave made him feel like a predator was walking around waiting for his prey to mess up.
“Is that so? Has he told you where he came from?” Lyca asked as he turned his attention towards Liam. He looked him up and down while keeping his facial expression neutral.
Liam returned the stare.
“No, he hasn’t. He has only given me a convenient lie though sir,” Elatrix started.
Lyca raised a brow as he looked back at her. “A convenient lie?”
“Yes, sir. He told me that he just came from the Tutorial Area,” Elatrix stated. “Of all the things he could have said. I mean how stupid or desperate can you be?”
Liam’s eye suddenly twitched.
“We all know if that was true then he would be a Beast-kin but…”
“I am one,” Liam suddenly cut her off.
Elatrix, Lyca, and Mar focused their stare on him.
“What?” Elatrix asked raising a brow.
Liam let out a sigh while taking his sunglasses off. He then narrowed his stare on Elatrix as he scolded, “I said I am a Beast-kin. Albeit, only half of me is, but I am still one. Also, I didn’t give you some convenient lie. You just assumed that I was lying without looking into it.”
Elatrix, Lyca, and Mar stared into Liam’s eyes.
Mar’s face turned into a scowl as Elatrix’s eyes widened.
Lyca looked at Liam. As he restudied Liam he asked Elatrix, “Elatrix, did you ask what his name was?”
Elatrix snapped her attention back to her boss as she responded, “No…I haven’t yet.”
Lyca let out an irritated sigh before walking over to the desk and picking up a piece of paper and asking, “What is your name sir?”
“Liam,” Liam answered as he glared at the three people.
Lyca looked at the paper while running a finger down it. after a couple of seconds had passed he looked back at Liam and asked, “Did you happen to have Lucilindiana as your Arrival Greeter this morning?”
Liam was confused about how he could have known about that. He nodded as he responded, “Yes I did, but how would you know that?”
Ignoring Liam, Lyca handed the piece of paper to Elatrix who started looking it over, turned to Mar and said, “You can go back to your post. It seems Ela here didn’t do as I had asked earlier and jumped the gun…once again.”
Elatrix looked like she found what her boss found as her ears suddenly straightened then swiftly looked at Liam then back at the piece of paper and once more at Liam.
Liam raised a brow as he was curious about what she had read. She looked scared all of a sudden and he couldn’t figure out why.
Why is she so scared now? Liam thought to himself.
Elatrix suddenly stiffened as her boss placed a hand on the back of her head and forced her to bow her head while doing the same.
Lyca then stated, “I am sorry for my employee’s actions. I know this does not excuse what she has done, but I will take over the procedure now. If you could so kindly follow me to my office.”
Still confused on what was going on, Liam said with a cautious tone as he placed his sunglasses back on, “Alright.”
Liam followed the man into the office he had walked out of. It was a normal office with a desk and a few piles of paper scattered. There were no windows, just two Yooperlite lamps, lighting up the room.
Lyca closed the door before walking around the desk and sat down while pointing at the seat on the other side and saying, “Please, sit.”
Liam pulled the chair back and slowly sat down. He was about to ask the question the man ignored earlier, but before he could Lyca started, “To answer your question from earlier, Lucilindiana, or Lucy, stopped by earlier and had informed me that a half-breed Beast-kin might stop by sometime soon to get a C.I.D. She said she wasn’t sure if you would, but since you showed an interest in crafting that there was a possibility.”
“Why would she do that?” Liam questioned.
“It’s part of her job. All New Arrival Greeters inform the Associations of arrivals that have expressed interest in either crafting or merchant work. The Adventurer Association is informed as well, but their rules differ from ours,” Lyca informed. “Its part of the procedure so we don’t have what happened to you happen.”
“But it did happen,” Liam countered.
Lyca let out a sigh. “I don’t like to make excuses, but Elatrix is a…special case. Even if we tell her before hand she tends to…assume the worst.” Lyca placed both elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his knuckles. “She and a party member of hers bought what they were told was a potion from someone who didn’t have a C.I.D. At the time they were unaware of the rules and since they were in a hurry to heal their friend they went ahead and bought it.
“However, what they bought wasn’t a potion, but a fast acting venom. It killed them within minutes. When they reported the person who they bought the ‘potion’ from, they were already gone. I know it sounds like an excuse, but her heart is in the right place. So please don’t be too mad with her.”
Liam raised a brow as he replied, “Even though you say her heart is in the right place her actions could hurt more than help. If she accused the wrong person who hasn’t done anything wrong then it could end bad for her.”
Lyca nodded. “I agree with you and that is why we have the procedure of having the New Arrival Greeters inform us of potential Crafters so we can avoid that.”
“And how has that been working out for you?” Liam countered.
“With everyone else? Great. With her…not so well,” Lyca replied. “So, I ask again please leave this in the past for now. I will give her an appropriate punishment for this.”
Liam stared at the man. He wasn’t sure if he could believe his words, but after seeing how scared she looked after looking at the paper this man handed her and how she stiffened, he guessed he could let it go this one time…for now.
“Fine,” Liam responded.
Lyca smiled as he said, “Thank you.” He then moved his hands away from his chin, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and asked, “So you want to apply for a C.I.D.? What crafts have you been trained in? Which ones are you interested in looking into? Do you have a Mentor in any crafts yet?”
Liam noticed the business like attitude he suddenly summoned and recognized that he moved away from the topic before and was ready to get this over with.
Going along with the flow, Liam answered, “Yes, I ventured into three different crafts. Two of the three I worked a lot in and had found a mentor for those two. The third I am just going to work on by myself. I do have interest in a couple more.”
“Alright, what crafts were the two you found mentors in?” Lyca asked as he checked off a couple of boxes.
“Alchemy and Blacksmithing,” Liam answered. “The one I am working on by myself is Tailoring.”
Lyca raised a brow as he wrote down what Liam told him. “Ok, which crafts are you interested in?”
“Rune Crafting and Enchanting,” Liam stated.
Lyca looked at Liam. “Alright, do you have a rough idea on which craft you will be sticking with as you grow?”
“What do you mean?” Liam asked with a confused expression.
“I mean, you aren’t going to be doing all of these crafts in the future. Many people try out a few crafts before sticking to just one. So, I am asking, do you faintly have a rough idea on which craft you are leaning towards?” Lyca explained.
“No because I don’t plan on dropping any of these,” Liam responded.
“I know you recently arrived to our world, but I must give you some advice. Unless you have a Crafter type class, it is not feasible for you to dabble in all these crafts without focusing on a specific one. It will stunt your growth as an adventurer,” Lyca stated.
“Ah, I see where your concern is. You don’t have to worry about that. Me ‘dabbling’ as you put it, won’t hurt my growth as an adventurer,” Liam replied. “The reason for that is because I do have a Crafter Class.”
Lyca stared at Liam with a slight grin. “Is that so? Then my apologies. You said you had two Mentors right? They were in both Blacksmithing and Alchemy I take it?”
Liam nodded.
“Who were your mentors while in the Tutorial Area?” Lyca inquired.
He placed his pen down ready to write, however he dropped his pen as Liam answered, “My Blacksmith mentor was Fia. Fia from the Rune Hammer Clan. And my Alchemy Mentor was Galin from the Bubbling Potion.”
Lyca brought his gaze back up to Liam. “Are you serious?”
Liam raised a brow as he looked at the man. “Yes. Why? Are they famous?”
“Here in the Crafting Association they are celebrities. Their work doesn’t match up to a Cait Sith’s craft, but they are well known in their respective crafts. They both had the same mentor. A bear-folk who’s crafting techniques are almost on par with the Cait Siths. If they took an interest in you and made you their apprentice then you have a future in crafting, no questions asked,” Lyca explained.
Liam was surprised. He knew their work was amazing. He had watched them craft in person and was amazed by what he had seen. He knew there were plenty of people also fighting for Fia’s attention while he trained in her smithy, so he could believe that Fia was well known. However, hardly anyone came to see Galin.
Liam remembered his first encounter with the gnome. He was complaining about people not having any interest in Alchemy. His attitude had changed though after Liam showed an interest even though he already had Alicia as one.
Liam thought about the three. He hoped they were all doing well. Learning from both of his mentors was one of the few things he had enjoyed during his time in the Tutorial Area. Not only that, but poking fun, teasing, and learning with Alicia was also a blast.
Liam was dragged out from his thoughts as Lyca asked, “Do you wish to find a mentor in any of the two crafts you mentioned earlier? The Rune Crafting and Enchanting?”
Liam thought about it. He could use a mentor for those two crafts, but he wasn’t ready to start learning them yet. There were some things he still needed to do before he started down that road.
“I would like one, but I’m not in a hurry yet. I would like to focus on the three I have for right now,” Liam stated.
Lyca nodded. “Good answer. For crafters it is not good to overwhelm yourself with more work than you can handle. I have one more question. Do you plan on getting a M.I.D. so you can sell your crafted wares personally or are you wanting to have others sell your completed crafted works?”
Liam thought about it. If Mercer was here he would have him sell it, but since he wasn’t he would need to figure out what to do. As much as he wanted to do it himself, he simply didn’t have the time, nor the knowledge needed to run a store to do so. However, if he had someone else do it then it would be helpful, but he also needed to make sure they were trustworthy.
“I think I would like to have someone else sell my work, however, I would need to see how trustworthy they are before I gave them my wares,” Liam stated.
“That is fair and understandable. We have a system here that will help you with that, but we can go over that tomorrow,” Lyca stated as he wrote some stuff down. After he finished he looked back at Liam and informed, “Alright, so here’s what is going to happen now. I have all the basic stuff for now. I need to send the request for a C.I.D. card to be made along with the application to the Crafters Association Headquarters. That shouldn’t take long. I should have it all ready by midday tomorrow. Come back around then and we can get everything placed on your C.I.D. then.
“Also, if can. Please bring anything you can use to showcase your skills on the items you will focus on making to sell. The more you have the better because it will show the person who is wanting to sell your wares that you are serious, and it won’t be a once in a few weeks’ thing.”
Liam’s brows scrunched. “I can do that, but I thought I can’t use any workshops here in town since I don’t currently have a C.I.D.?”
“That will not be a problem. We have areas designated for crafters who don’t have a CID and are trying to make items to showcase. They are right outside of town near the areas where ingredients naturally grow. Oh, I must say though that if you wish to make poisons then please do not contaminate the forested areas or any places with healing ingredients. There will be signs stating whether you can make poisons or not there,” Lyca informed.
Liam nodded as he said, “Alright, sounds good to me.”
Lyca smiled as he and Liam stood up. “With that I do believe we are down for today. I look forward to seeing what you bring tomorrow.”
Liam and Lyca walked out the door of his office. Liam waved at the man as he headed for the door and walked out.
Lyca stood and watched as Liam disappeared into the crowd outside.
Elatrix slowly approached Lyca from the side as she too watched the man disappear. With a low and quiet volume, she asked, “Is it true? What it said on the paper?”
Not turning to look at her, Lyca replied, “It is only a guess, but from what he had told me so far it is a very good possibility.”
Elatrix’s eyes widened. “But how is that possible?”
Lyca shook his head as he responded, “I’m not too sure. However, that isn’t the only thing we’ll need to be wary of.”
Elatrix gave him a confused look as she asked, “What do you mean?”
Lyca let out a long breath of air before saying, “His two mentors. They are the apprentices of Narad the Crafting Connoisseur.”
Elatrix froze at the mention of the name. She then stammered, “Wha…What? Are you sure?”
Lyca nodded. “I did hear that they both went to a Tutorial Area, but I didn’t expect them to be in the same one. Nonetheless find the same apprentice. However, it only goes to show that the possibility of what Lucy has suspected to be very high. And if it turns out to be true then not only will we need to keep an eye on him, but we will also need to be sure not to offend him unless we want them to come after us.”
Lyca turned his gaze to Elatrix and gave her a stern look as he stated with a cautious tone, “Let this be a great example that you must listen and follow the procedures and not to jump to assumptions. Do you understand me?”
Elatrix nodded vigorously.
“Good, now get back to work,” Lyca stated before looking back to the door. He then said in a low enough voice for only him to hear, “Let’s hope that it is only coincidence and that what she thinks is not true. There has never been a half breed of that race before and we do not know their stance on such a thing yet.”
Liam wandered the city as he tried to remember where the Crafter’s Association building was. He was lost in awe as he watched people of different races walking by. It wasn’t the fact they were all different races and ones belonging to what he thought to be fantasy-like. He had gotten over that while in the Tutorial Area. What had his attention was the gear, clothing, and items they had.
Ever since he had gotten his class, awakened his Cait Sith race, and started practicing crafting, he had started to appreciate the many designs and results people were able to make. The clothing were made from different cloths and leathers he had never seen nor heard of before. Not only that, but some clothing had thin pieces of metal-like materials mixed in to it making him believe that he could mix his blacksmithing with tailoring if he got both of them up high enough. So many new designs danced around in his mind as he walked the city.
After a while Liam had finally found the place he was looking for. It was a huge two story building that stretched out as far length wise as it did width wise. It was made from both wood and metal materials. The sign hanging right above the wide double entrance doors had the words Crafters Association in the shape of different crafting tools.
Liam watched as people walked in and out. Some people wore business attire, crafting uniform, and even regular clothing. A few people were bringing in barrels, boxes, and other crates like objects filled with materials, finished products, or even broken pieces.
Liam walked through the door and was confused at what he saw. The room he had walked into was a medium sized reception-like room with a long receptionist desk in front of the wall opposite the front doors.
Five people stood behind the desks helping other people who were lined up. Four doors were lined up on the left and right walls with people walking in and out of them. This made Liam believe they were offices, judging by the people who walked in and out of the rooms.
There were two Tiger-folk men wearing professional suits standing on both sides of a door that was located on the left side of the receptionist desk. On the other side were two Lion-folk men wearing the same thing next to another door.
Liam watched as people walked up to the door where the Tiger-folk men were, showed them some card and walked into the next area. People walked out from the door the Lion-folk were guarding and show them a card and a piece of paper.
Liam wasn’t sure what was going on so he decided to walk up to the line and wait to speak to someone.
After waiting for a few minutes, he finally arrived to the front of the line. When it was his turn he walked up to the desk where a female Cat-folk wearing a burgundy vest over a navy blue buttoned up shirt tucked into a pair of black dress pants stood. She wore a burgundy cap on her head while a few pins in the shape of different tools ran down the right side of her vest strap. She had black hair, blue eyes, and creamy white skin.
She watched as Liam approached her and smiled while greeting, “Good afternoon and welcome to the Crafters Association. My name is Elatrix. How may I help you today?”
“Hello Elatrix,” Liam greeted back. “This is my first time here and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Elatrix kept her smile as she said, “Oh okay. Well first may I ask what your purpose here today is? Are you looking to purchase tools and or supplies for your craft or crafts? Are you looking to find a Mentor in a specific craft? Are you looking to find a crafter to sponsor your completed crafts? Are you looking for someone to make you a Branding Icon for works?”
Liam was surprised by all the options she was asking him about. He didn’t know this place dealt with so much stuff. All he wanted was to get his C.I.D. and go from there.
“Ah, I’m not going to lie to you. I would love to check out all those things you are asking me about, but I think I should start off with getting a Crafter’s I.D. first,” Liam answered.
Elatrix looked at Liam and tilted her head a bit with a confused look before asking, “Oh? So, this is the first Crafters Association you’ve ever been to? Alright we can help you get started with getting your C.I.D., but first I’ll need to ask you a few questions. Have you ever crafted any items before?”
Liam nodded.
“Okay…have you crafted in a personal space or a workshop of some sorts?” Elatrix inquired.
“Uh, I guess you could call it a workshop,” Liam responded, a bit confused by what she was asking.
“Alright, next question. Has any of your completed items ever been sold?” Elatrix continued.
“Yes,” Liam replied nodding again.
“Alright…next,” Elatrix started. Her smile suddenly faded as she gave Liam a stern and strict look. “You do know that it is illegal to sell any crafted item you have ever crafted in any workshop without a C.I.D. right? And if caught it is a capital offense?”
Liam’s eyes widened. “No, I did not know that. I was never told any…”
“That’s what everyone who is caught says. Now since you came clean and told me this I am sure the guards will go easy on your sentence. If you continue to cooperate with us I will make sure your sentence is lessened,” Elatrix started to say as she raised a hand up motioning for one of the guards to make their way over.
Liam, confused on what was going on, looked around and stared to feel a bit irritated as he started thinking things over. Fia and Galin never said any of that to him while he was in the Tutorial Area. If this was something he needed to know then why wasn’t this Association in that place and why didn’t anyone tell him he couldn’t sell any of his potions without a C.I.D.
Galin did tell him to get his C.I.D. once when he got out into the world. If he told him he needed to get it out here and never once said he needed it in there then there was no need for it in the Tutorial Area. If that was the case then he wasn’t in the wrong and didn’t need to be brought to the city authorities.
He noticed one of the Lion-folk men making his way over to them. He strode over with his chest out trying to look intimidating. He stood taller than Liam by a couple of feet which made Liam tilt his head up a bit. Liam stared back at the man through his sunglasses, not letting the man feel like he was intimidating him.
Eri? What should I do? Liam asked as he tried to remain calm and not let his irritation get the better of him.
“Nothing. You haven’t done anything wrong. This lady is jumping to conclusions. If she’s adamite about handing you over to the authorities then you should fight her on the issue. – Eri.”
What do you mean? Liam inquired.
However, before Eri could respond Elatrix asked another question as the Lion-folk arrived behind her and looked menacingly at Liam, “Now tell me where you came from and whose workshop you crafted in.”
“I came from the Tutorial Area…,” Liam responded, trying to not let his irritation show.
Elatrix blinked a couple of times before asking, “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
“I said I came from the Tutorial Area,” Liam repeated, allowing his irritation to show. He then added, “I learned how to craft there and all excess potions I made were sold there.”
Elatrix narrowed her eyes as she caught his tone of voice. She then let out a scoff as she said, “That’s a very convenient ex…”
“What’s going on here?” someone suddenly shouted.
Liam, Elatrix and the Lion-folk guard turned to see a well-dressed Wolf-folk man walk out from an office on the left side of the room. He wore the same uniform as Elatrix minus the hat. He had slicked back copper hair and had a monocle resting on his left eye. His icy blue eyes looked like they could pierce into your soul.
“Elatrix…I asked you a question,” the Wolf-folk man stated as he slowly approached them.
“Oh, Mr. Lyca. I…This man has confessed that he has been crafting and selling his completed wares without a C.I.D. I was about to have Mar here escort him to the authorities after I get him to tell me where he came from so I can find the people who allowed him to do this crime,” Elatrix informed. She had straightened her body after seeing this man.
Liam could see this man terrified her and he could somewhat understand why. The look this man gave made him feel like a predator was walking around waiting for his prey to mess up.
“Is that so? Has he told you where he came from?” Lyca asked as he turned his attention towards Liam. He looked him up and down while keeping his facial expression neutral.
Liam returned the stare.
“No, he hasn’t. He has only given me a convenient lie though sir,” Elatrix started.
Lyca raised a brow as he looked back at her. “A convenient lie?”
“Yes, sir. He told me that he just came from the Tutorial Area,” Elatrix stated. “Of all the things he could have said. I mean how stupid or desperate can you be?”
Liam’s eye suddenly twitched.
“We all know if that was true then he would be a Beast-kin but…”
“I am one,” Liam suddenly cut her off.
Elatrix, Lyca, and Mar focused their stare on him.
“What?” Elatrix asked raising a brow.
Liam let out a sigh while taking his sunglasses off. He then narrowed his stare on Elatrix as he scolded, “I said I am a Beast-kin. Albeit, only half of me is, but I am still one. Also, I didn’t give you some convenient lie. You just assumed that I was lying without looking into it.”
Elatrix, Lyca, and Mar stared into Liam’s eyes.
Mar’s face turned into a scowl as Elatrix’s eyes widened.
Lyca looked at Liam. As he restudied Liam he asked Elatrix, “Elatrix, did you ask what his name was?”
Elatrix snapped her attention back to her boss as she responded, “No…I haven’t yet.”
Lyca let out an irritated sigh before walking over to the desk and picking up a piece of paper and asking, “What is your name sir?”
“Liam,” Liam answered as he glared at the three people.
Lyca looked at the paper while running a finger down it. after a couple of seconds had passed he looked back at Liam and asked, “Did you happen to have Lucilindiana as your Arrival Greeter this morning?”
Liam was confused about how he could have known about that. He nodded as he responded, “Yes I did, but how would you know that?”
Ignoring Liam, Lyca handed the piece of paper to Elatrix who started looking it over, turned to Mar and said, “You can go back to your post. It seems Ela here didn’t do as I had asked earlier and jumped the gun…once again.”
Elatrix looked like she found what her boss found as her ears suddenly straightened then swiftly looked at Liam then back at the piece of paper and once more at Liam.
Liam raised a brow as he was curious about what she had read. She looked scared all of a sudden and he couldn’t figure out why.
Why is she so scared now? Liam thought to himself.
Elatrix suddenly stiffened as her boss placed a hand on the back of her head and forced her to bow her head while doing the same.
Lyca then stated, “I am sorry for my employee’s actions. I know this does not excuse what she has done, but I will take over the procedure now. If you could so kindly follow me to my office.”
Still confused on what was going on, Liam said with a cautious tone as he placed his sunglasses back on, “Alright.”
Liam followed the man into the office he had walked out of. It was a normal office with a desk and a few piles of paper scattered. There were no windows, just two Yooperlite lamps, lighting up the room.
Lyca closed the door before walking around the desk and sat down while pointing at the seat on the other side and saying, “Please, sit.”
Liam pulled the chair back and slowly sat down. He was about to ask the question the man ignored earlier, but before he could Lyca started, “To answer your question from earlier, Lucilindiana, or Lucy, stopped by earlier and had informed me that a half-breed Beast-kin might stop by sometime soon to get a C.I.D. She said she wasn’t sure if you would, but since you showed an interest in crafting that there was a possibility.”
“Why would she do that?” Liam questioned.
“It’s part of her job. All New Arrival Greeters inform the Associations of arrivals that have expressed interest in either crafting or merchant work. The Adventurer Association is informed as well, but their rules differ from ours,” Lyca informed. “Its part of the procedure so we don’t have what happened to you happen.”
“But it did happen,” Liam countered.
Lyca let out a sigh. “I don’t like to make excuses, but Elatrix is a…special case. Even if we tell her before hand she tends to…assume the worst.” Lyca placed both elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his knuckles. “She and a party member of hers bought what they were told was a potion from someone who didn’t have a C.I.D. At the time they were unaware of the rules and since they were in a hurry to heal their friend they went ahead and bought it.
“However, what they bought wasn’t a potion, but a fast acting venom. It killed them within minutes. When they reported the person who they bought the ‘potion’ from, they were already gone. I know it sounds like an excuse, but her heart is in the right place. So please don’t be too mad with her.”
Liam raised a brow as he replied, “Even though you say her heart is in the right place her actions could hurt more than help. If she accused the wrong person who hasn’t done anything wrong then it could end bad for her.”
Lyca nodded. “I agree with you and that is why we have the procedure of having the New Arrival Greeters inform us of potential Crafters so we can avoid that.”
“And how has that been working out for you?” Liam countered.
“With everyone else? Great. With her…not so well,” Lyca replied. “So, I ask again please leave this in the past for now. I will give her an appropriate punishment for this.”
Liam stared at the man. He wasn’t sure if he could believe his words, but after seeing how scared she looked after looking at the paper this man handed her and how she stiffened, he guessed he could let it go this one time…for now.
“Fine,” Liam responded.
Lyca smiled as he said, “Thank you.” He then moved his hands away from his chin, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and asked, “So you want to apply for a C.I.D.? What crafts have you been trained in? Which ones are you interested in looking into? Do you have a Mentor in any crafts yet?”
Liam noticed the business like attitude he suddenly summoned and recognized that he moved away from the topic before and was ready to get this over with.
Going along with the flow, Liam answered, “Yes, I ventured into three different crafts. Two of the three I worked a lot in and had found a mentor for those two. The third I am just going to work on by myself. I do have interest in a couple more.”
“Alright, what crafts were the two you found mentors in?” Lyca asked as he checked off a couple of boxes.
“Alchemy and Blacksmithing,” Liam answered. “The one I am working on by myself is Tailoring.”
Lyca raised a brow as he wrote down what Liam told him. “Ok, which crafts are you interested in?”
“Rune Crafting and Enchanting,” Liam stated.
Lyca looked at Liam. “Alright, do you have a rough idea on which craft you will be sticking with as you grow?”
“What do you mean?” Liam asked with a confused expression.
“I mean, you aren’t going to be doing all of these crafts in the future. Many people try out a few crafts before sticking to just one. So, I am asking, do you faintly have a rough idea on which craft you are leaning towards?” Lyca explained.
“No because I don’t plan on dropping any of these,” Liam responded.
“I know you recently arrived to our world, but I must give you some advice. Unless you have a Crafter type class, it is not feasible for you to dabble in all these crafts without focusing on a specific one. It will stunt your growth as an adventurer,” Lyca stated.
“Ah, I see where your concern is. You don’t have to worry about that. Me ‘dabbling’ as you put it, won’t hurt my growth as an adventurer,” Liam replied. “The reason for that is because I do have a Crafter Class.”
Lyca stared at Liam with a slight grin. “Is that so? Then my apologies. You said you had two Mentors right? They were in both Blacksmithing and Alchemy I take it?”
Liam nodded.
“Who were your mentors while in the Tutorial Area?” Lyca inquired.
He placed his pen down ready to write, however he dropped his pen as Liam answered, “My Blacksmith mentor was Fia. Fia from the Rune Hammer Clan. And my Alchemy Mentor was Galin from the Bubbling Potion.”
Lyca brought his gaze back up to Liam. “Are you serious?”
Liam raised a brow as he looked at the man. “Yes. Why? Are they famous?”
“Here in the Crafting Association they are celebrities. Their work doesn’t match up to a Cait Sith’s craft, but they are well known in their respective crafts. They both had the same mentor. A bear-folk who’s crafting techniques are almost on par with the Cait Siths. If they took an interest in you and made you their apprentice then you have a future in crafting, no questions asked,” Lyca explained.
Liam was surprised. He knew their work was amazing. He had watched them craft in person and was amazed by what he had seen. He knew there were plenty of people also fighting for Fia’s attention while he trained in her smithy, so he could believe that Fia was well known. However, hardly anyone came to see Galin.
Liam remembered his first encounter with the gnome. He was complaining about people not having any interest in Alchemy. His attitude had changed though after Liam showed an interest even though he already had Alicia as one.
Liam thought about the three. He hoped they were all doing well. Learning from both of his mentors was one of the few things he had enjoyed during his time in the Tutorial Area. Not only that, but poking fun, teasing, and learning with Alicia was also a blast.
Liam was dragged out from his thoughts as Lyca asked, “Do you wish to find a mentor in any of the two crafts you mentioned earlier? The Rune Crafting and Enchanting?”
Liam thought about it. He could use a mentor for those two crafts, but he wasn’t ready to start learning them yet. There were some things he still needed to do before he started down that road.
“I would like one, but I’m not in a hurry yet. I would like to focus on the three I have for right now,” Liam stated.
Lyca nodded. “Good answer. For crafters it is not good to overwhelm yourself with more work than you can handle. I have one more question. Do you plan on getting a M.I.D. so you can sell your crafted wares personally or are you wanting to have others sell your completed crafted works?”
Liam thought about it. If Mercer was here he would have him sell it, but since he wasn’t he would need to figure out what to do. As much as he wanted to do it himself, he simply didn’t have the time, nor the knowledge needed to run a store to do so. However, if he had someone else do it then it would be helpful, but he also needed to make sure they were trustworthy.
“I think I would like to have someone else sell my work, however, I would need to see how trustworthy they are before I gave them my wares,” Liam stated.
“That is fair and understandable. We have a system here that will help you with that, but we can go over that tomorrow,” Lyca stated as he wrote some stuff down. After he finished he looked back at Liam and informed, “Alright, so here’s what is going to happen now. I have all the basic stuff for now. I need to send the request for a C.I.D. card to be made along with the application to the Crafters Association Headquarters. That shouldn’t take long. I should have it all ready by midday tomorrow. Come back around then and we can get everything placed on your C.I.D. then.
“Also, if can. Please bring anything you can use to showcase your skills on the items you will focus on making to sell. The more you have the better because it will show the person who is wanting to sell your wares that you are serious, and it won’t be a once in a few weeks’ thing.”
Liam’s brows scrunched. “I can do that, but I thought I can’t use any workshops here in town since I don’t currently have a C.I.D.?”
“That will not be a problem. We have areas designated for crafters who don’t have a CID and are trying to make items to showcase. They are right outside of town near the areas where ingredients naturally grow. Oh, I must say though that if you wish to make poisons then please do not contaminate the forested areas or any places with healing ingredients. There will be signs stating whether you can make poisons or not there,” Lyca informed.
Liam nodded as he said, “Alright, sounds good to me.”
Lyca smiled as he and Liam stood up. “With that I do believe we are down for today. I look forward to seeing what you bring tomorrow.”
Liam and Lyca walked out the door of his office. Liam waved at the man as he headed for the door and walked out.
Lyca stood and watched as Liam disappeared into the crowd outside.
Elatrix slowly approached Lyca from the side as she too watched the man disappear. With a low and quiet volume, she asked, “Is it true? What it said on the paper?”
Not turning to look at her, Lyca replied, “It is only a guess, but from what he had told me so far it is a very good possibility.”
Elatrix’s eyes widened. “But how is that possible?”
Lyca shook his head as he responded, “I’m not too sure. However, that isn’t the only thing we’ll need to be wary of.”
Elatrix gave him a confused look as she asked, “What do you mean?”
Lyca let out a long breath of air before saying, “His two mentors. They are the apprentices of Narad the Crafting Connoisseur.”
Elatrix froze at the mention of the name. She then stammered, “Wha…What? Are you sure?”
Lyca nodded. “I did hear that they both went to a Tutorial Area, but I didn’t expect them to be in the same one. Nonetheless find the same apprentice. However, it only goes to show that the possibility of what Lucy has suspected to be very high. And if it turns out to be true then not only will we need to keep an eye on him, but we will also need to be sure not to offend him unless we want them to come after us.”
Lyca turned his gaze to Elatrix and gave her a stern look as he stated with a cautious tone, “Let this be a great example that you must listen and follow the procedures and not to jump to assumptions. Do you understand me?”
Elatrix nodded vigorously.
“Good, now get back to work,” Lyca stated before looking back to the door. He then said in a low enough voice for only him to hear, “Let’s hope that it is only coincidence and that what she thinks is not true. There has never been a half breed of that race before and we do not know their stance on such a thing yet.”
