it could have.”
You have received: Moonstone Arrows of Freezing. Quantity: 60. Durability: 8/8. Item Class: Uncommon. Quality: Superb. Damage: +4. Traits: +3 Water damage. 2% chance to cause Freeze.
“How did you enchant all of these?” Richter asked. He was thoroughly pleased. “I didn’t give you that many soul stones.”
“That was na a problem, yer lordship. The arrowheads are so small; you can enchant them in lots of ten. I have to warn ye though. I be almost out of powdered crystal. If ye want more enchanted weapons and armor, I will need more.”
“It won’t be a problem,” Richter assured him. Then he went back to gushing over his new arrows. “This is amazing, Krom. Thank you. That reminds me, though, can you do anything with this?” Richter reached into his Bag and pulled out the schematic for the heavy arrows.
Krom greedily took the diagram and rushed over to a wooden table. He smoothed out the large parchment and began poring over it. “Yes… See I always thought that… The counterweight…” Krom muttered to himself for a full two minutes. That was the extent of Richter’s patience.
“Krom! Can you make these or not?” he asked.
The dwarf looked up. “I think so. Yes, yes I can make them. Just going to take a little trial and error. Thank you for giving me this, my lord. Give me… a week. Learning to make these will increase my Smithing skill a lot more than just swinging a hammer. Can I hold onto this?”
A prompt appeared in his vision.
Return to Smith Krom in one week to see if he has learned the creation of Heavy Arrows.
Richter dismissed the notification and nodded. “Just make sure that you get it to one of the scribes when you have figured it out. Tell them to make a copy and then give both to the chamberlain. Okay?”
Krom nodded. He weighted down two of the parchment edges with daggers he took from a nearby stand. From the longing glances he cast at the diagram, Richter was sure the Smith would be back to poring over it the moment he was alone again. “I do have one other thing to show ye, milord.”
Krom walked over to another table and reached underneath. He pulled a chest out and lifted the lid. Inside was a collection of white, hand-sized scales. The skeeling scales.
“Haven’t made much progress, huh?” Richter asked.
“More than ye think, my lord. Each scale has been scraped clean. Each also has small holes drilled to link them together and have been treated with a resin that will keep them strong, yet supple. I have done everything short of making the actual armor, but it is completely planned out. We will also measure ye for the armor first. It will take longer, but there will be a boost to the defense.”
“So why haven’t you made it yet?” Richter asked, confused.
“I believe these scales will make something special, my lord. Because of that, they not only need to be forged well, they need to be enchanted well. I know it not be easy, but we need more soul stones with strong souls. It also would be a good idea to place more armor enchantments into the Forge. If you do that, I can make ye an amazing set of armor.”
You have been offered a Quest: The Spirit of Defense . Krom wants to make you an amazing set of armor, but he needs more soul stones! Will you obtain them? Obviously, higher-level stones will give you a better yield! Optional: Place new armor enchantments in the Forge of Heavens. Yes or No? Reward: A new set of armor.
“Of course,” Richter said. He chose the “Yes” prompt.
“Just let me know when yer ready to start on the armor. Well, that be all I have for ye so far, yer lordship. Much of our time be spent making arms and armor for the new militia.”
“This is more than enough, Krom. Thank you. I’ve seen the new gear the militia is wearing, and I want to congratulate you on a job well done.” The
Learning to Kill: Stories