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The Lost Ones Ch.2
🕑 Added 2023-10-01 09:58:37 +0000 UTCChapter Two
Crafter’s Folly, Part Two
The following morning’s first rays of light woke Emilia. At first, she simply sat, staring at the burnt-out fire, feeling that same twisting in her stomach that accompanied her every waking moment.
She was lost and alone in some other world and had no idea how to return to where she belonged.
It was intolerable.
“The intolerable is only intolerable to the weak,” She said automatically as soon as she had the thought. Emilia found herself doing that a lot. Years of repeating the affirmations had formed an almost instinctual reaction. Strangely, it actually made her feel better.
“I am Emilia Cannon, and I control my life,” She started her morning affirmations.
“I am enough, but I can be better. My will and my determination are the tools I use to forge a new tomorrow.” She continued, feeling slightly better. “No matter what comes, I am ready, willing, and able.” Emilia noticed her rumpled state and frowned. “I am master of the ship of life, and I will sail into a brighter future.”
The silence returned as soon as she finished speaking, but somehow, she felt better.
The affirmations were her armor against the world. It had worked on Earth, and it would work here. Wherever here was.
She was trapped and lost, it was true. But as a modern woman with impeccable standards, Emilia was sure she could overcome any challenge.
The thing to do, she decided, was to take things one simple step at a time.
With a little nod, she pulled her organizer out of her bag and turned to a new page; the click of her pen was a welcoming and familiar sound. Everything she had ever done began with that sound. The click of a pen was the start of her fight, of her new rise!
“First, cleaning and a right and proper personal appearance,” She wrote it down. “Second, putting right this cottage and the grounds.” She wondered briefly if there was a lawn mower somewhere. “Next, secure food and water.” Emilia wondered if that should be higher on the list but dismissed the idea. She had a bottle of water in her bag and another energy bar. The primary concern was to be clean and presentable. What if someone found her looking like this?
“I can not be seen in this state!” She scoffed. “They would simply leave me here. A woman who looks like a tramp will be treated like one.” That had been one of her mother’s favorite sayings.
After a moment’s hesitation, she added a final note to the list.
Sort out this class business. Can it help me?
With that done, she closed her organizer with a snap and got to work.
Hauling water from the lake had turned out to be a poor choice, as the water looked simply awful. She was sure there was a way to filter it and then some other stuff to make it into proper water, but she had no idea how to do it.
“Water comes in bottles, not buckets,” Emilia complained as she looked at the mirky stuff.
She brightened slightly, remembering the well. Well-water was bound to be better. It probably even counted as Artisanal or something.
The broken-down old well still worked, and soon, she had a bucket of much fresher-looking water.
She still wouldn’t drink it, but it was something.
After tightly closing all the shutters, despite the echoing lack of anything resembling another living creature in miles, she stripped down and bathed with the water heated over the fire.
It took a lot longer than a shower, even with her little bottle of sanitizer, to help out. Next, she meticulously brushed her hair the requisite amount to get it truly silky again. The final step of her wash involved straightening out her clothes which she beat against her legs to remove the rumples and creases.
A spray or two of perfume and a few minutes of airing left them sweet-smelling and as close to perfect as possible.
Once dressed again, she opened the shutters and did her makeup in the little hand mirror. She went for the natural look today as it seemed to fit the rustic aesthetic.
Feeling much more herself, Emilia treated herself to a small sip of water and the corner of an energy bar before she got to work cleaning the cottage.
“Who doesn’t have at least one pair of yellow gloves?” Em complained, digging into her handbag again and pulling out her thin plastic gloves.
They weren’t much, but necessary if she had to use a public restroom somewhere.
At least they would come in handy now.
A scant few hours later, she had done everything she could. The house had been aired, swept, beaten, and fluffed within an inch of its life.
It was still a mess, as far as she was concerned. There was no mop or scrub brush she could find, so she had just done the best she could.
Emilia munched on the last of that day’s energy bars and finished her bottle of water as she stared at the small trunk sitting on the table in front of her.
Spirit Crafter’s Starter Pack!
A complete set of tools and crafting supplies for the budding spirit crafter.
She felt hesitant about opening it. Everything else she had done today was simply logical to do.
Worrying about a pleasant appearance made sense.
Wanting a clean house made sense.
Even in this mad situation, however, having a class did not. Opening it felt like accepting something she just did not want to accept.
Accepting this crate was almost like accepting her life was now… this.
She knew what classes and such were. A wide and varied knowledge of popular pastimes made a positive impression in social circles. Lots of books told her that, so she made sure to be informed on many subjects. Gaming was simply one of them.
One thing all of them had in common was that a class added utility of some form.
“Only a fool ignores a viable resource for their betterment.” She finally nodded and flicked open the latch on the chest.
A bright golden light spilled out, making her step back. As soon as she did, an item spun up into place above the chest.
Orb of Spirit Crafting!
She tried to step forward and take the thing, only for another flash of light to reveal another item,
Crafting Bench - Basic!
“A bit small,” Emmy frowned as it spun in place above the chest. It could have been designed for a child if not for all the sharp edges on the rough wood and metal construction.
Another flash showed a small bundle wrapped in cloth.
Crafting set - Spirit Tools - Basic!
Emilia sat down, finally realizing what she was seeing.
“A whole other world, and we are still dealing with bloody Loot Boxes,” She rolled her eyes. A brief attempt to actually play some of the games she had read so much about had ended in frustration with the damn things. The fact she had spent way more than she intended only reinforced her hatred.
The final item that spun up was a small booklet covered in bright, colorful phrases.
Spirit Crafting - Introductory Pamphlet!
The light abruptly snapped off, and the items materialized in front of her. The table, it turned out, was the size of a small desk. The rough wood promised plenty of splinters for so much as looking at it.
The rough and ready appearance did not exactly endear it to her. However, she was curious about the other items. The Orb, a small glass sphere on a small pedestal, looked like a pocket-sized version of the ones you saw fortune tellers use in movies.
It sat in the middle of the bench, faintly glowing with a fetching glittery purple light. Next to it was the cloth bundle of tools.
The first thing she looked at, however, was the pamphlet.
Welcome to your new horizons!
As the lucky holder of this rare and prestigious class, you can look forward to years of growth and a future of unlimited power!
It all starts now!
This pamphlet will guide you through the process of making your first spirit, in this case, a simple wisp to emit a pleasant light.
But wait!
Before we start, we need to know what a spirit is!
And how is it made?
Well, I’m glad you asked!
A spirit is a magical construct that mimics the forms and functions of the Soul. Mana is clean and simple to use, unlike that icky and complicated soul energy. In technical terms, the magic forms the ANIMA of the resulting spirit and, therefore, removes the need for complicated things like a soul.
Isn’t that great?
So how do we accomplish this no doubt tricky task, I hear you ask?
Simple!
Your class will handle the vast majority of it through the unlocking of various SKILLS, and the rest is done by the vast and varied Orbs of Spirit Crafting* so that you can focus on the fun part of designing your very own servant spirits!
*Other types and methods exist; use at your own risk. Any damage, death, soul leeching, or other accidental or deliberate acts are not the responsibility of the printer of this pamphlet or associated people or organizations.
To start, please place one hand on the Orb in front of you!
Emilia did so, finding the tone of the pamphlet delightfully familiar. It was almost like one of her self-help books!
The orb felt vaguely warm for a moment, and then she felt it. A damp warmth that permeated the room as her vision took on a purple tint. Blinking, she saw a set of three icons at the top of her vision.
Looking at one, she saw a small tag appear saying ‘New,’ the next read ‘Previous Creations,’ and the final one was a red cross that obviously exited the crafting process.
Please note the crafting interface will customize itself to you, so while we can’t give you exact instructions on starting the process, it should be very clear how to do so!
Using her other hand, Emilia reached up and tried to tap on the New button.
It worked!
Her vision swam, and a prompt appeared with a little microphone next to it.
To form the core of your spirit, you need to give it a purpose or a guiding phrase. For this first one, we recommend the phrase…’A warm and gentle light in the dark.’
“A warm and gentle light in the dark,” Emilia said as she read the pamphlet. The words appeared on her prompt, and she felt a gentle tug on something inside her.
Notice the draw on your mana, but don’t worry about it. This is a normal act and binds the spirit to your will!
Congratulations on your first craft!
Be sure to see our other pamphlets for more ideas, designs, and guidance on your new class!
Note: Other pamphlets are sold separately; all created spirits are your own responsibility. Creating advanced spirits without guidance is not recommended. All rights and responsibility are your own.
The little crafting orb shifted in her hand, and a small glowing form, the size of a tennis ball, swam up from it through her hand to hover in front of her eyes.
She was prompted to name it and decided to call it Lamp in a fit of mirth.
Closing the crafting orb and taking her hand off it, she saw the little thing glowing with a pleasant, warm golden light.
“Hello?” She tried.
It bobbed.
“Lamp?” She tried.
It bobbed again.
“Go into the living room,” She ordered.
The little thing merely moved to the door and back again.
“Follow me,” She commanded, and it did. The little orb stayed just above and behind her as she gave it a tour of the cottage. Once she was done, Emilia was able to command it to go to any room she named.
“Completing the first step is always a good time to take another!” Emmy said excitedly.
=============
Em stared at the prompt and tried to think of a good choice for her second spirit. It was clear that she could only give a basic command at this point, but she hoped that would improve.
But what to use? She struggled to come up with anything, her mind simply offering one affirmation after another.
Even when she thought about how there was no affirmation for this, all she could think was, “There is an affirmation for every situation.”
Emilia struggled to free her mind from the patterns of the affirmations, but as she had used them since she was only seven years old, she wasn’t sure she even remembered HOW to think without affirmations.
Affirmations were all she had.
Shrugging, she simply sorted her affirmations in her mind until she found one that sort of fit,
“Cleaning is the best; keep your home tidy at all times to make a good impression on visitors!” She tried, delighted to see the phrase accepted by the prompt.
A new screen popped up, and she stared.
Appearance?
“What it looks like?” Emilia said, thinking. Then it hit her. She had seen an amazing animated movie as a kid, and she had always wanted one. “Magic Broom!”
The craft will consume two spirit slots for the day.
Current available spirit points for today: 2/3
“Fine,” Emilia said, hoping she could make better use of her slots tomorrow. She really needed more help if she was going to find food.
This time, the tug was a lot stronger. It felt as if she was being drained of something she had not even been aware she had. Eventually, it stopped, and a ghostly broom rose out of the orb to hover in front of her.
It was smaller than she had hoped.
She named it Sweeps and exited the orb, only to see another prompt pass in front of her vision.
Spirit Crafter Level 2!
New Skill unlocked!
Spirit Customisation -
Add an additional prompt and a modifier to all spirits crafted!
Daily spirit points raised from 3 to 4.
“Yes!” Emmy celebrated her victory but found herself feeling light-headed and a bit weak after making Sweeps.
She really wanted to rest, but first, she took the new spirit around the house, showing it everything that needed cleaning.
It took over an hour, and by the time it was done, she set Sweeps to work and barely managed to strip out of her clothes before passing out on the couch beneath the one sheet she had managed to get halfway clean.
When the light once more woke her, she gasped. The cottage was spotless. Every surface gleamed and shone with the industrial cleanness that she felt was appropriate to the home of a truly organized woman.
The best bit, however, was her clothes. She had neatly folded them up last night and put them on the table before collapsing. She found them neatly cleaned and almost pressed.
“How on earth did Sweeps do that?” She asked herself as she slipped into the immaculate clothes after another bucket bath.
She found Sweeps industriously cleaning the thatched roof and got her answer.
Magic.
The broom wiggled back and forth over an area, ghostly soap foam flying in an adorable way, and whatever was near it was clean and shining. It didn’t even have to touch the things.
Which was handy, she supposed, as spirits were definitely incorporeal.
Sitting and eating her portion of the energy bar that morning while doing her makeup, she felt almost giddy at the possibilities.
And today, she had four spirit points to use…
