Chapter 20 – Amends

Sal was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Chatfield. It took him a few seconds to realize that he had just been asked a question. Sal’s eyes followed Chatfield’s gesture to the completed sketches, which looked to be untouched. Turning back to the lecturer, Sal forced a smile and lifted his coffee up as though it were obvious.

“Just getting in a bit of design work before the workshop is overrun by second-years. What has you here so early, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Chatfield’s lip twitched, the beginnings of a smile, but not quite there. “Nothing really. I just keep tabs on new equipment that comes onto the marketplace. I’ve been putting together a report on how lackluster our equipment standards have become over the years. Imagine my surprise when I get bombarded with alerts for items that match my search criteria. All created by a single individual, who has clearly been stockpiling them for some time.”

Chatfield got up from his stool and walked around the table with a curious expression on his face. “I can’t for the life of me understand why someone would choose to flood the store with items that disprove my report, days before I submit it. All under the moniker of a fake name…” Chatfield’s eyes narrowed as he raised a hand and pressed his finger against Sal’s chest. “Myth.”

Sal calmly sipped his coffee as he waited for an actual question. He appreciated how it looked from Chatfield’s perspective, but that wasn’t really a concern of his. Sal wasn’t in the Controller class, so it wasn’t likely that he’d be put into Chatfield’s care. He didn’t like how Chatfield spoke to people, nor did he appreciate the lecturer’s stance on Support classes. For that reason, Sal had no issue in talking back to him without any sort of fear.

Chatfield’s smile finally blossomed, and it was genuine. He removed his hand and walked over to the overturned sheets that Sal had been working on. “May I have a look, Myth?”

Sal gave him a curt nod as he gestured at the blueprints. “By all means. Most of the faculty already know I’m Myth, so it was only a matter of time before you were briefed on it, I guess. I’ve been working on armor sets that can be crafted in-house, and improved into advanced versions. I think that one you’re holding is the Agent set?” Sal tilted his head to one side as he tried to look at the drawings in Chatfield’s hand.

When it was revealed to be the Agent set, Sal nodded as he took a step closer. “I know you had your reservations about my grappling hook design and the exoskeleton suit, but I’ve only been here a month and I’m still finding my feet. Having an ability that allows me to craft up to the Mythic grade is great, but I’m still learning the fundamentals.”

Sal watched Chatfield’s reaction carefully. He wanted to drive home the fact that he wasn’t a pushover, and defended his previous designs with the context of how they were created.

Chatfield didn’t react, and instead focused his attention on the blueprints in front of him. He turned each one of them over and studied it for a few minutes before moving onto the next in the batch.

Sal started to wonder whether Chatfield had heard anything he’d said, but the lecturer surprised him when he looked up from the Specialist set.

“You’re saying that you were able to mock up all these sets in a few hours? Common, Uncommon, and Rare grades?”

Sal nodded as he tapped the lid of his coffee. “Wanted to start on the Epic-grade set, but needed a pick-me-up. Want to buy the blueprints? I haven’t set the price, but I won’t be going easy on you.”

Sal smiled as he took another sip of his coffee. It was a nice moment, seeing someone clearly appreciating his work. Considering it was Chatfield, Sal assumed he was going to revert to his surly self and comment that the designs were subpar at best.

Chatfield exhaled slowly as he pulled out another blueprint and looked at it in confusion. Sal was going to explain that it was one of the transition schematics, for upgrading the sets, but it looked like Chatfield had already come to that realization. His hands moved quickly as he assembled the different armor groups, with the transition schematics between them. With them all laid out in front of him, he took a step back and crossed his arms.

“Extraordinary work, Mr. Argento. You have an absolute gift.” He looked over at Sal with a genuine smile as he unfurled one of his hands and waved it over the pages. “And to be here in the middle of the night, working on it.” He shook his head as though in disbelief. “You really can’t teach work ethic at this place, so I’m happy to see that you arrived with an abundance of it.”

To say that Sal was floored would be an understatement.

Chatfield, on the other hand, was happy to share his thoughts as he looked approvingly at the blueprints.

“As for your earlier statements. Yes, I’d like to buy a copy of all the sets, with their transition schematics too. I’ll get my team crafting them. That Specialist one looks to be particularly interesting, with excellent versatility between Offense, Defense, and mobility. You clearly thought about the composition. And to add in a Synergistic effect? Great choice.”

Chatfield didn’t seem to have noticed Sal’s shocked expression and continued. “So, Myth is the alias you’ve chosen for the Mythcrafter ability? I had heard some rumors and mutterings, but I’m relieved to see that the ability is in capable hands. Any other in your situation would be throwing themselves into the deep end and crafting for the one percent who can afford their services. But you’re a Support, and you understand the challenges your peers are going through.”

Chatfield laughed as he shook his head. “I finally understand why you were so passionate in Quest’s office about the role of Supports. I owe you an apology for trying to push you down the Controller path. Your talents are clearly aligned to helping others.”

Sal decided to keep certain facts to himself, like how this whole exercise was designed to make Q-Cred, or the fact that he was happy to offer his services to the highest bidder. For some strange reason, Chatfield seemed to think that he was an altruistic guy, and Sal was happy to leave him with that impression.

“I don’t have experience on a real battlefield, so I tried to create a collection of well-rounded abilities for any kind of eventuality. Do you have any suggestions on how I could improve the sets, and maybe make them more suitable for those fighting out in the field?”

Sal was pretty pleased with that performance. He already knew how frustrated Chatfield was about the lack of good equipment, and how most students weren’t battle-ready going into second year.

Chatfield smiled as he gestured to a workbench on the other side of the room. “That grappling hook that you made? Was that a concept for one of these sets?”

Sal had to think fast. He didn’t want to admit that it was a joke concept that he whipped up to antagonize Upgrade. He tried to think of what possible use a grappling hook would have and took a long drink of his coffee to stall for time. He could suggest that he was making it for Watcher, who might need it to get a better vantage point with his sniper rifle, but that was oddly specific and he didn’t want to talk about that in case Chatfield asked him to make another Legendary weapon with an evolutionary trait. He thought of all the practical solutions for a grappling hook against all the experiences he had so far.

Sal thought of the zip line challenge from the previous day, but the grappling hook’s design predated that event.

When the cup left his face, Sal sighed and put on his best conflicted expression. “In the lead-up to the tournament, there was an incident involving a commander variant that used Psionic abilities. I watched the strike teams navigate around the dungeon raid because of the huge crater in the ground, filled with demons. I thought that the grappling hook would be a great mobility tool for Heroes who needed to cross something like that. After the exercise with Lars yesterday, and the gauntlet, I thought it might also work well as a utility tool for escaping difficult encounters.”

Sal genuinely wished that he had picked the example with Watcher, because as he gave his excuse, he realized how stupid it sounded.

Chatfield looked thoughtful as he glanced through the designs again. “What is your intention for the Epic-grade set? If you’re intending on making another transition schematic, you’re really limiting the potential of the set by anchoring it to the previous sets. Additionally, if your target market is the academy…you’re looking at only a few dozen students who could make something beyond Rare and Epic. At an absolute push, I’d say a handful could aim for a Legendary grade but it would take more time than it’s worth. My advice would be to cap the sets with transitions at Rare, keep it achievable for the Crafters.”

Sal was surprised at the insight about the other Crafters in the academy. He didn’t know there were some who could aim for Legendary grade, but it was good to hear. Not that he relished competition or anything, but the fact that there could be some interesting people to learn from in the future. Chatfield’s suggestion of capping the sets at Rare was a bit of a surprise, though. Sal decided to be completely honest with him.

“I was intending on doing the sets all the way up to Legendary, so if people had the instructions and materials, they could upgrade their existing set to the next grade of quality. What would you suggest as an alternative?”

Chatfield sighed as he gestured at the materials on the nearest blueprint. “When you get to this level of production, the cost of materials skyrockets. Because you’re improving an existing build, it will have more demands and will likely be a one-size-fits-all set. The people who can afford these costs will likely be at a whole different level of specialization, and while your blueprints might be the best option they have available, it won’t amplify their chosen specialty.

“If I had your ability, I’d likely create an Epic-grade set for each of the main classes. Look at the top Masterclasses on offer and build the equipment that would suit them the best. Your grappling hook, for example, could be an excellent addition to an Assassin build, but only if it’s built with stealth in mind. In the same vein, it could be great with a Healer for that enhanced mobility around the battlefield. Offense and Defense won’t have any use for a grappling hook, so it’s never a one-size-fits-all at the later stages.”

Sal nodded. “I’ve been invited to a Tactics Masterclass with Alastair, but I can’t think of how that might be reflected in a piece of equipment.” Just as he was saying it, Sal suddenly realized the obvious item that he had been pushing to one side of his brain. “Except for the tracker project I’m working on. I don’t know how it would function as part of a set, but there’s a lot of stuff in it that could work for Tactics.”

Chatfield’s eyebrow shot up and with a smile, he sat on a nearby stool. He gestured for Sal to take a seat, too. When he spoke, there was none of the usual abrasiveness. “Why don’t you tell me about these projects you’re working on. Maybe I’ll be able to shed some insights on them, and give you a few suggestions on how they could work better out in the field?”

Sal couldn’t tell what worried him more: the fact that Chatfield was being friendly, or the fact that he was starting to warm up to Chatfield.