Sam tried again; frustration evident as sweat beaded on his face. He hadn’t expected it to be this difficult to access the reward he’d earned from the last hunt. He almost wanted to give up, but he could feel Wexi’s eyes on him. They were in one of her rooms, where they had found a decent bed for him. The faint smell of dust and disinfectant herbs lingered, a scent she used to clean the room enough for Sam to rest with his injuries. He winced as a sharp pain sliced through him from one or more of his wounds.

  “You should rest,” Hale said. He was the only one Nadia had allowed to stay behind to check on him.

  “Shut up, Hale,” Wexi said, anticipation clear in her voice. Like Sam, she was eager to see what they’d get from the spear. He had tried to explain the blueprint as best he could, but she had insisted he project it.

  “It sounds like you want him dead, Wexi,” Hale said. Sam opened his eyes to see Hale glaring at the head tech of the entire city. She ignored him, stepping closer to Sam’s bed. He lay there, wearing only the boxer shorts Nadia had given him. His body was a patchwork of bruises and cuts, most from the beating he had taken the night before.

  “I don’t mind, Hale,” Sam said, just before a rush of cold made him shiver. His temperature was high, and Nadia had warned him not to do anything that would impede his healing. Wexi had disregarded that the moment the door closed behind her.

  “The problem is your health is slowing the flow of essence,” Hale said. “Your body is trying to assist the healing Nadia started earlier, but the projection construction is working against that. You need to rest!”

  “He needs to get better at essence control,” Wexi said, though her voice held no real fight.

  Sam closed his eyes. The crude transmitting device strapped to his head made him uncomfortable, but this was important—not just to him, but to Wexi as well. Her eyes had lit up when he first told her about the spear.

  [Blueprint log]

   Construct name: Divine Spear of Orth [Item refining possible]

  The Spear of Orth is a legendary weapon, created for its ability to channel all forms and tiers of essence. It is compatible with most attributes when wielded by an expert in that path. The Divine Spear is equipped for both close and distant combat types. It is designed to be easy to use and carry

  Sam could see the spear when he accessed the blueprint log. It was stunning. He could imagine how it would feel in his hand, and the thought made him itch to craft it. But Wexi had warned against rushing it—not that he could craft anything at the moment. He needed rest and time to heal. Yet, he felt stuck as he tried to push the image in his mind into the construct around his head. Wexi had built the device herself. It was a prototype, and though she had tested it on herself first, the process wasn’t perfect. When she had projected an image of a hammer, it came out rough and blurry at first. She had figured out that she needed to slow the memory feed, as the runestones interacting with the essence could only handle so much information at a time.

  After tweaking the essence exchange, she successfully projected an image of two children running down a street in the trade sector. The scene was complex and only half-formed, but the clarity of the images was undeniable.

  “Don’t overthink it,” Wexi said. “Just push out whatever you see in your mind. Think of it like thinking out loud.”

  She grinned when Sam scowled at her. She chuckled and took a step back. Hale moved closer, checking Sam’s bandages while humming a soft tune. He was around Nadia’s age, though most of his hair had turned gray. He joked about nearly going blind, but his eyes remained sharp.

  “Nothing out of place,” Hale said, offering Sam a nervous nod. Sam smiled, hoping to reassure him.

  Sam tried again, this time focusing less on clarity and more on projecting anything at all. Instead of pushing, he imagined the projection as an extension of his own thoughts. It was still difficult, but the flow came more naturally this time. The weight of the task felt lighter. He outlined the image in his mind, keeping his eyes closed, and breathed deeply to maintain his focus.

  “There!” Wexi exclaimed, her voice too loud. Sam almost jumped out of bed but remembered that his perception had leveled up, making his senses sharper. He eased back, releasing the tension in his muscles.

  “This is extraordinary,” Hale said, his voice filled with awe. Wexi chuckled. Sam wanted to open his eyes but knew that the smallest distraction would shatter his concentration.

  “How are you feeling, Sam?” Hale asked. Sam understood why. He was trembling, and sharp pains radiated from all over his body. His injuries demanded attention, but his focus remained on the projection. His heart rate spiked. He knew he should stop, but he clung to the task stubbornly. Hale’s warm fingers touched his cheeks, then his neck, but Sam kept projecting. He refined the image, adding depth and spinning it in his mind. The spear was compact, no longer than the length from his elbow to his wrist and as thin as a flute.

  “That is amazing!” Wexi said.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Sam grinned, despite the trembling. His breathing was ragged, and he knew he would pass out soon if he didn’t stop. Hale was saying something, but Sam wasn’t listening. He wanted to show Wexi more. Suddenly, his body gave out, and he lunged for the edge of the bed, vomiting violently. His chest contracted painfully, his breathing became sharp and hoarse. Hale quickly turned him on his side, placing a hand on Sam’s chest and channeling essence to stabilize his erratic flow.

  Sam shivered uncontrollably as Hale’s fingers remained the only warmth in his world for a long moment. Then, the essence flow steadied, and Hale stepped away with a frown.

  Sam’s heartbeat returned to a normal rhythm, and he could finally hear Hale scolding Wexi.

  “I’m alright, Hale,” Sam grunted as he tried to sit up. The projector was gone now, its weight lifted from his head. He hadn’t realized how heavy it had been. Wexi walked over to him, grinning.

  “That wasn’t everything, right?” she asked. Sam shook his head.

  She leaned down and picked up the strap of the enchanted ring beside the bed. The metal gleamed faintly—there were no runes on it, but the stones embedded within the ring bore intricate markings. Sam winced, still feeling the bite of pain in his side.

  “The city squads are still trying to find the ones who did that to you,” Wexi said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t. You’ve become popular after your hunt with Zel’s crew, but there are still a few people who don’t think you belong here. It’s stupid if you ask me. But that’s not our problem, is it, Samuel?”

  Sam knew what she was asking. He had asked himself the same thing when he woke up in her room, Nadia’s worried face hovering above him.

  He didn’t have an answer to the second question yet, but the first was obvious: he needed to learn.

  “It is,” Hale said. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his expression was serious. “You can’t ignore the question. The people out there won’t just move on, Sam. Those who lost someone in the D’Arak battle will hate you forever. You have to be sure you can bear that weight.”

  “You think he doesn’t know that, Hale?” Wexi asked, her tone sharp. Hale looked taken aback for a moment, but Wexi didn’t relent. “People are stupid. The city squads weren’t saving Sam—they were protecting the Forge. The city is always in danger. That’s their job.”

  “That’s not what I—”

  “I know what you meant, Hale,” Wexi said, her voice rising. “You can go now. I’ll call you if we need you.”

  Hale glanced from her to Sam, disappointment in his eyes. He shook his head and left the room without another word. Wexi sighed and sat down at the edge of Sam’s bed.

  “I’ll have to apologize later, won’t I?” she asked, giving Sam a pained smile.

  Sam chuckled softly, nodding. He leaned back against the wall, thirst gnawing at him, but he waited for the right moment to speak.

  “What’s the answer?” she finally asked. “Are you leaving? You know this won’t be the last time, right?”

  “Yes,” Sam murmured. “I can’t leave, though. There’s too much to learn, and I can’t do that while trying to survive out there. I don’t know where else to go. There’s only danger beyond the Forge.”

  “There are coastal cities to the west. Some walled towns too. I don’t know how much safer they are, but they might be worth—”

  “No,” Sam interrupted. “I have to toughen up. The danger here is nothing compared to what’s outside. The Krilig hunt made that clear. I wouldn’t last two days out there with what I know now.”

  Wexi chuckled. She seemed smaller now, as though some of her mystery had unraveled, but Sam still admired her brilliance. He wasn’t going to lose that just because of a few kicks. He’d find a way to push through.

  “I hear your Krilig hunt will fetch you a few silver seeds,” Wexi said. “That should hold you over for a while. You don’t need to join any hunts for now.”

  “I have to,” Sam said. “And I might need your help with something else. I know I picked the Technology Domain, but I think I need some basic combat training.”

  “True,” Wexi said, a grin creeping up her face. “I know someone who’d love to help with that.”

  “Am I going to be a punching dummy?” Sam asked, and Wexi cackled as she stood up.

  “I hear the best way to learn is through pain,” she said. “Your spear is fascinating, but we need to figure out its components and how it works. That means more projections and crafting. You need to get better for that.”

  Sam nodded, sinking back into bed. “Can I have some water?” he asked, a little unsure.

  Wexi grinned. “That’s coming out of your seeds,” she said with a teasing smile. “That, and the food. Someone’s been waiting to see you, but I wanted to discuss the spear first.”

  “Who?” Sam asked, but Wexi was already out the door.

  The room fell silent after Wexi left. Sam tried to recall his attackers from the night before but could only remember the bigger man’s face—the one who looked at him with pity, even as they beat him. Sam felt a small surge of anger but quickly sighed it away. There was no point dwelling on it. There was only one path forward, and that was to get stronger. He needed his gun and his spear crafted, and maybe other tools. An idea began forming in his mind, but he pushed it aside, suppressing his bubbling excitement before it turned into daydreaming.

  He heard footsteps outside the room. Moments later, Rosaria entered, and her sharp inhale echoed in the stillness.

  Sam smiled when he saw her approach. “Wexi didn’t tell me you were waiting.”

  “Yeah,” Rosaria murmured, her eyes moving over his bandaged body as if she could see the extent of his injuries. She held a tray of food, standing next to his bed like she was suddenly unsure of herself.

  “I’m alright, Ro,” Sam assured her. Her lips quivered for a moment, and Sam thought she might cry, but instead, she sighed and placed the platter before him.

  “I hope they catch the ones who did this to you,” she said, sitting beside him. “This can’t be allowed. CragForge doesn’t go after humans like that. You didn’t do anything to deserve it.”

  “Some people lost family or friends in the battle, Ro,” Sam said. “If all I get are a few bruises, I don’t mind.”

  He winced as his left arm moved too quickly. Rosaria shook her head, smoothing out her dress. As always, the flowing fabric covered her feet. Sam wanted to reach out and feel it, to appraise the material’s craftsmanship, but instead, he took the cup of water she’d poured and drained it in one long gulp.

  “It doesn’t make it right,” she insisted.

  Sam didn’t reply. He focused on his food, grateful for the warmth. It tasted good, though he couldn’t quite identify what it was. As he ate, Rosaria told him what had been happening in the city and the projects she was working on. She was excited about the spear, too, and when Sam mentioned his plans for modifying his Glock, she eagerly shared some of her own ideas.

  “You still haven’t told me much about your world,” Rosaria said. She picked up the tray and set it aside. “What was it like?”

  Sam chuckled, and then he told her about cars and the civilization that felt so far away.