Chapter 259: Weapon Testing

    The dining room was lively for the first time in some time. Along with Silvi, Rudy, Thomas, herself, and her mother, they were joined by Jacks, Jensen, Rayna, and Jake. Unfortunately, Stella had quite a bit of stuff to take care of at the Crown, so she wasnt able to join.

    For the first time in a while, Brandi was entirely present in the moment. She didnt have any projects in progress that she needed to focus on, and she had completed the project shed been spending most of her time on. Like her mother kept telling her, it was good to take a break every now and then.

    Brandi and everyone else ate another fantastic meal cooked by Silvi. She had to hand it to the bunny; she was getting better and better. Nothing Silvi made tasted bad. She was a natural talent when it came to cooking.

    After dinner, her mother, Malorie, took all the dishes and put them away somewhere in the kitchen. Either she or Silvi would use Cleaning on them later. Now that everyone was finished eating, it was time for her to give out her own gifts. First was Thomas.

    Since youre enrolling in the Academy tomorrow, I made you something. Brandi blushed as she placed each piece of the leather armor on the table. Its not the best, but it should be good for you for a while. By the time its not good enough, I should be able to make even better things. You can always bring it back so I can adjust it as you grow.

    Thomass eyes widened, and he reached over the table and grabbed the chest piece, pulling it in close and examining it. The others at the table were looking intently at the armor, as well, most likely using various skills like Identify to learn about the armor.

    Good armor, Jacks said. It will suit him well. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

    It doesnt look like much from the outside, Jake said as he turned one of the bracers over in his hands. But it is actually very high quality. I may have to put in a commission with you soon.

    With the support of Alanah and Natalie, Brandi had been a bit more open about her class. Nobody other than Derek knew the specifics, not even her own mother, but she felt that she could trust everyone at the table. Of course, the most they knew was that she was a Blacksmith who had some insights into Alchemy, which, while rare, wasnt too unheard of.

    Brandi smiled at the compliment. It shouldnt be too long before I can make some things suitable for everyone, she began. In fact, I have a couple of new creations that I would like some help with. If its not too late, I would like to rent one of the Adventurers Guilds training rooms, if you dont mind.

    She had made her decision. The best place to test the weapons was one of the training rooms at the guild. Not only would the rooms surely be able to handle it if something went wrong, but there would be more healers other than Jensen around if something bad happened.

    Now Im interested, Rayna said.

    An hour later, Raynas party, Brandi, and Thomas found themselves in a high-quality private training room inside the Adventurers guild. It was one of the more expensive ones, but they didnt need to rent it for a long time just to test her new weapons. Rudy, Malorie, and Silvi had chosen to stay behind at the shop.

    So, what is it? Rayna asked.

    Brandi smiled widely before bringing out the first sword. It was the one with the water-based mana core implanted inside. The sword itself left much to be desired, but it was just a prototype, so that didnt matter.

    Jensen, can you help me with this? Brandi asked as she held out the sword to the water user.

    That crystal holds wind-based mana. So, when you use a skill, it takes some of the mana out of the crystal to supplement your skill. Though each crystal contains a high amount of mana, it is finite, Brandi explained.

    Oh so its a consumable weapon? Jacks asked, with a bit of disappointment in his tone.

    Yes, and no. It can be recharged. You just have to channel your mana into the hilt, and it takes some time to recharge. As long as you charge it up when you arent using it, it will be fine.

    Oh, thats amazing! Rayna said. Can you make them for each element?

    No. Brandi shook her head. I can currently only do water, earth, wind, and fire.

    You can do fire? Jake and Jacks spoke up at the same time.

    Yes, Brandi said. Though I havent worked much on the fire version yet. She pointed at her eyebrows, which were very thin and only just beginning to grow in again. Water was much less explosive.

    Everyone had a good laugh at her expense.

    I bet it was, Jacks said.

    Anyway, I would appreciate it if you two would keep those and test them in real combat for a while, then report back to me. I need to know what I can improve other than the quality of the sword, and if there are any flaws in the crystals. Like, if it will break after a certain number of charges, or how durable it is.

    Id be happy to, Rayna said. Jensen also nodded.

    Great, Brandi said. Ill work on a couple of fire ones next. It would be best to have multiple tests going on at once. After that, I will work on improving my sword crafting. And staff making, she thought secretly.

    Fantastic, Jacks said.

    I guess I can count this as a success! Brandi said as she pumped her fist.

    Ill say, Jacks said. We should be getting back now, though. Thomas has a big day tomorrow.

    With that, everyone left the Adventurers Guild and headed back. Raynas party would be taking Thomas to the capital city tomorrow, and Thomas needed to get however much sleep he could manage.