Chapter 56 – Functionality

Sal sat in the blueprint room undisturbed for a few hours, and he managed to blast through the design work with ease. With his visor attached, he was able to bring up each of the armor set designs and add in the evolutionary trait. Doc Ameye’s suggestions had proved invaluable, and he positioned each of the runes in the optimal spaces along the different sets. What was most interesting about them was that Sal had expected to put individual runes on each component, but the Mythcrafter ability and visor showed him that he could create one rune that was only activated when the set pieces were worn together. It would reduce the speed of evolution, but ensured that the set would grow at a steady rate.

When it came to materials, Sal had way more context than before, which allowed him to pick the best combinations. All the materials he had analyzed with the visor were finally becoming useful. Natural synergies appeared, similar to moonsilver and scarlet screen, and Sal made a note of them. Since the designing and material selection was so straightforward, Sal decided to create armor sets that would suit different fighting styles. Heavy, medium, and light armors. Metal, leather, and cloth. Everything was basic in design, but it didn’t matter. They needed to be functional rather than stylish. If they were durable and had the potential to evolve, that made them fit for their purpose.

Sal didn’t know what cost each of the materials were, but the visor had created a tier system for each component. Void metal was low on the list, with dreadcloth being significantly higher. Hellfire titanium was middle tier, which was concerning to Sal because the Credit floor had been charging quite a bit for a single ingot. He’d need context from Chatfield about prices to know what would be the most cost-effective materials to use for mass production.

When the first set of blueprints were done for the cloth armor set, Sal desperately wanted to try crafting it to see how it worked out. Instead, he saved the blueprint into a file and sent it over to Blathnaid, asking her if she’d be able to craft it from the instructions provided.

If she was able to make it, then it was undeniable proof that he was on the right track. He needed each of these designs to be accessible to students who were learning how to craft from scratch. If they could cut out the patterns, and stitch them up in the right way, apply the runes and follow the procedures, then it would be a success. He was about to move onto the medium armor that he was hoping to try making with faux bovine leather, when his tablet vibrated on the table.

Sal tapped the screen and saw that it was a message from Blathnaid. He checked the time stamp from when he sent it over; it had only been a few minutes. He wondered whether the design was too complex for her to interpret.

Hey! Yeah, I’d be able to make it, but can I play around with the design? It doesn’t look fitted and wouldn’t look remotely flattering on anyone but you.

Sal laughed as he shook his head in wonder. Was it a false confidence or was he underestimating her? He was about to reach over to reply when another message came through from her.

I’ve attached a quick sketch of how I’d tailor it for someone like me. More often than not, it will require less material to make these sets for women. If you make them all for a tall man, it’s going to create a lot of waste. Check the patterns and tell me what you think. My best guess is that you could cut down on material spend by at least 20% with this design, and even higher if you tailored it for the average builds and kept tall people like you as the exception rather than the rule.

Sal tapped the attachment and saw a hastily constructed silhouette of a woman’s body with the armor design. The waist and chest were much tighter than in Sal’s design and looked minimalist. Sal’s had covered pretty much every visible inch of skin, but Blathnaid’s was a lot more revealing in nature. No matter what way he looked at it, Blathnaid’s looked way more sleek and fashionable. Another vibration caught him off guard, and Sal moved back to his messages.

Here’s what I’d do for the male one. I noticed that your designs lacked basic functionality like pockets, so I added them in. If they’re going to be used for field exercises or battles, then it’ll be important to have them. You could also add in a harness into the chest design to allow weapons to be carried on the back, or maybe something held on the hip. It wouldn’t require more material, but just a few tweaks to the design.

Sal laughed. Blathnaid was right. He hadn’t considered any of those factors. He had designed the set for the skills they would yield, rather than ease of use and basic functionality. Sal clicked into her attached image and was met with another sketch that highlighted all the points she made in her message. He saw the value in her design as it would give him a place to holster his revolver and have pockets that would allow easy access to his bullet cartridges. When the next vibration came through, Sal had to admit defeat. He wasn’t a tailor, and it absolutely showed.

If you want, I can come over and do some sketches with you? I already have my team sorted, so I’m chilling for the rest of the day.

Sal sent her his location and told her to knock on the door and he’d let her in. Other than the few instances in the Crafting class, Sal hadn’t seen Blathnaid work. Thinking about it, Sal realized he’d never even seen her using her ability. It was a Tailoring one if he recalled correctly, and he found himself curious about what it could do.

Rather than moving onto the next set of designs like he had intended, Sal took Blathnaid’s suggestions into consideration and re-mapped the design with her changes. He added the harness and pockets as well as the belt attachment for holding a sidearm.

Sal tried to think outside the box when it came to the functionality of the set. It was cloth, so it wasn’t going to be worn by Offense- or Defense-based classes, which left him with Controllers, Healers, and Supports. The versatility needed by Supports, in having a lot of the team equipment, meant that it would require a lot of added functionality. Mythcrafter understood his intentions and proposed he use faux bovine leather that had a high chance of producing the Feather skill, which would reduce weight and increase jumping and mobility capabilities.

Sal frowned as he looked at it, wondering whether that would classify the set as a medium armor set rather than purely cloth. If it was inexpensive, then it wouldn’t matter. Sal wasn’t attached to the idea of just having a cloth-based set. It was purely down to making something that would be comfortable to wear and offered protection for each of the classes.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie, and Sal grinned as he opened the door, expecting to see Blathnaid. However, it was Upgrade on the other side of the door, with two coffees in hand.

She looked somewhat surprised to see him in such good spirits. She offered him one of the cups with a smile. “Martin said you walked straight in here and didn’t pay a visit to Alex. Thought I’d get you one while I was on the way.”

Sal took the cup from her and stepped to the side to let her through. “Thank you. I was starting to get the craving!”

He realized that he likely needed permission from Upgrade to have someone else use the blueprint room. He didn’t want Blathnaid to get in trouble for joining him in an area that was usually reserved for seniors.

“Would it be okay for me to invite Blathnaid here? She’s helping me with the designs for the Chatfield armor sets.”

Upgrade stopped as she looked off to one side. “That name sounds familiar. Why do I know that name?” She placed her coffee down on the table and looked over at Sal. “Have I met her before?”

Sal nodded with a wry smile. “I’d hope so. She’s in your Crafting class.”

They had only had a few classes, so he didn’t expect Upgrade to have memorized each student already. Just as Sal was about to provide more context, Upgrade clicked her fingers with a laugh.

“She’s the one who threw the Controller in the team fights?” Upgrade’s eyes lit up as she looked over at Sal for confirmation. When he nodded, she laughed even harder.

“The Tailor versus the Controller! All the Crafters who went to your tournament wouldn’t shut up about it, which made me sick that I missed it!”

She chuckled a bit and waved around the empty room. “She’s more than welcome to join us. I can get her a card if she wants to use this room regularly. Same rules apply, though. No liquids until she’s trustworthy, and no playing around with the original blueprints in the rack.”

Sal was relieved to hear it. He took a sip of his coffee before looking at Upgrade. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for the last week. I needed some time to decompress from the dungeon, and there were so many things happening all at once that I couldn’t focus on anything. I appreciate what you did for me, and while I hated every moment of it, I feel better for having done it.”

Sal moved around to the blueprint table to avoid making eye contact with Upgrade. “Just wanted to say thank you for what you did and that I’ve got no hard feelings.”

Upgrade stepped over to Sal and tapped his table to get his attention. When he looked up at her, she gave him a bright smile.

“You’re welcome, Sal. I hope you’ve come to terms with how incredible your crafting capability is. You were able to clear a dungeon by yourself with a weapon you made over the weekend. I’ll only have hard feelings if you come to me with feelings of inadequacy again. You’ve got an incredible gift, but it’s your personality that makes it truly wonderful.”

Sal’s face grew hotter as he cleared his throat. “Blathnaid is going to be here shortly. She’s going to help me with this design, but I’ve already made some improvements. What do you think?”

Upgrade looked at the upside-down design and paced around the table to get a better angle. She was deep in thought when another knock came at the door. Upgrade was about to move when Sal gestured that he’d get it.

With a wave of his hand, he indicated that she could keep looking at the design. Sal opened the door to reveal a flustered-looking Blathnaid. Sal was about to ask what was wrong, when he spied the same blond second-year student standing behind her with his arms crossed. It was clear that he had said something to Blathnaid.

“I only asked him which room you were in, and he went off on a tirade,” Blathnaid muttered as she slipped past Sal to enter the room. She looked pissed and evidently wanted nothing to do with the second-year.

Sal wanted to tell the guy to fuck off, but Martin’s words bubbled to the surface. That second-year was likely lashing out because he thought things were unfair. If Sal was going to be labeled as an outcast, he’d at least give them something to talk about.

With a surge of essence into his gloves, Sal activated the Transform effect, turning his hands into a set of impressive mechanical claws. Sal didn’t bother holding back as the rest of his body turned into a suit of black-plated armor. His visor was still equipped, and he could only imagine what he looked like to the second-year at that moment.

“Do you still need a multi-tool?” Sal extended his right claw forward.

The second-year’s face paled as he backed away from Sal. His urgency caused him to fall over himself to the ground, drawing the eyes of everyone around them. But when the other second-years looked over, they could only see Sal with an outstretched hand and their classmate sprawled on the floor.

Sal had deactivated his armor almost immediately after speaking. He didn’t want to do this to intimidate him, but to show that he wasn’t some spoiled first-year who could be picked on. “Stop treating me like I’m the problem. If you need my help, ask for it. Understood?”

The second-year nodded as he pulled himself farther away from Sal. The last thing he saw before the door closed behind Sal was the girl he had just berated.

She was giving him the finger.