“You solved what problem?” Loch asked, looking at a very happy Davis.

  “The mason jars,” he said.

  “I thought you found some at the grocery and hardware stores?”

  “We did,” Davis said, motioning for Loch to follow him. “Just not enough.”

  “So how did the problem get solved?”

  Davis led him around the corner of the school toward where the crafters had set up their outside work areas. There had been a forge made and a couple areas for leathercrafting. The tanning aspect was being done in a far corner of the school, where the smell wouldn’t bother anyone. Loch saw a large collection of the Clan’s crafters working. None looked up, which he liked. They were all too busy.

  Except one. Standing next to the forge, a tall and skinny man with long hair tied up and a long beard with the end held together with a hair band, stood in front of a work table. Spread across it were glass jars of various sizes. As soon as he saw Loch, the man waved his hands over the glass.

  “Behold,” Davis said. “Lord Lochlan, meet Lloyd Harriman, the Clan’s new Classed Glassblower.”

  Loch held out his hand, Lloyd taking it. His smile widened.

  “Glassmith,” he said, his accent midwestern. “The Class I mean.”

  Loch couldn’t hide his surprise. There was a wide variety of Classes in the Connection, but he hadn’t expected one dedicated to Glassblowing.

  “When we started running out of mason jars, I went to Kristin to see if we had anyone that could maybe make them,” Davis explained, smiling broadly, proud of himself. “Turns out Lloyd here had listed it as one of his pre-Connection skills.”

  “Bit of a hobby,” Lloyd said. “Wasn’t ever very good, but it was interesting and I took a couple lessons. Made some pieces at one of those make-your-own-craft places. When Davis and Miss Kristin approached me, I said I’d try. Worked on it and took a bit to get going. The gear here wasn’t what I had used but then they gave me a book and that helped a lot. Book was on how they used to blow glass back in the old days. Took more time and…” he spread his arms out, showing the glass on the table. “A couple days ago I got the Class. Seems there’s more to it than just blowing glass.”

  “Oh?” Loch asked, now really interested.

  “The Class is a Smith class,” Lloyd said. “Besides the usual stuff like glasses, plates and jars, I can make swords and shields.”

  He laughed as Loch looked skeptical.

  “I mean I haven’t tested them myself but the Captain said they worked pretty good,” Lloyd said, laughing.

  Loch looked at Davis.

  “For that, you’ll need to talk to Darren. I was just showing you the jars.”

  “Good job,” Loch told Lloyd, shaking the man’s hand again. “If the swords and shields work, start making as many as you can.”

  Leaving the Glassmith, Loch and Davis headed back to the front of the school.

  “Glass swords,” Loch said, shaking his head. “Crazy.”

  “I kind of want one,” Davis said. “Must look pretty cool.”

  “Let’s go find out.”

  ***

  Loch whistled, watching the glass sword slam against a metal one. The metal had belonged to the Silver Bark, now being used by a Clan Brady Striker. He faced off against another Striker Class, the other using the glass sword. There were sparks from the metal, a glint of light off the glass. Surprisingly the glass sword didn’t break. The weapon was hard to see as the glass was see-through. Loch could just barely make out the edges of the weapon. It was plain looking, just a blade and hilt, but being almost invisible gave it an advantage over normal weapons.

  “That was my reaction too,” Darren said. “When Lloyd brought it over, it took some convincing to get someone to volunteer to try the damn thing out. No one trusted it, but now…” he waved his hand at where the sparring match was happening.

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  The two guards weren’t truly sparring, they were just swinging the blades against each other. Sparring just enough to show Loch the durability of the glass swords.

  “That’s not all,” Darren said with a smile. “Barry, do it!”

  The two fighters stepped back. The one with the glass sword waved at Darren. He Activated an Ability, Loch could see the Spirit moving through Barry’s core. It flowed down his arm and into his sword. Loch had seen Striker’s use one of the Abilities on their weapons. It didn’t really do anything to the weapon itself, just using the Striker’s Spirit to make their attacks faster and the weapon sharper.

  But that wasn’t what Loch was seeing.

  The Spirit seemed to flow into the glass. The weapon lit up from within, glowing brightly. It wasn’t just one spot, but spread through the blade. The two Strikers took their stances, raised their swords in salute, and at the call of one, they lunged together.

  The Striker with the glass sword was faster, the sword almost singing as it swung through the air. The blades clashed, the metal sparking and the glass sword erupting in a bright flash. Barry pushed forward, driving the other Striker back.

  “They’re both the same Level,” Darren said. “Both Strikers at Level 8.”

  Loch watched the way the two fought. The other Striker had Activated the same Ability, his metal sword showing the Spirit but as a glowing and crackling skin around the weapon. Loch could see the difference. The Ability added to the metal sword, but was still restricted by being applied to the weapon. The Ability used with the glass sword was almost part of the weapon. It had enchanted the weapon.

  “It’s stronger and faster,” Loch said, amazed.

  “Yep. Not quite twice as strong, but there is a noticeable difference.”

  Darren whistled. The two stopped, stepping away from each other. They let their Abilities fade away.

  “Barry,” Darren yelled, waving at the man to come over.

  The two jogged up to where Loch waited with Davis and Darren. They were up the slope at the front yard of the school, the two Strikers had been sparring at the relatively flat part of the old Route 4 in front of the school. They’d drawn the attention of people moving about the yard, but now that the spar was over, the watchers dispersed. The other Striker hung back, Loch recognized him but couldn’t remember the man's name. He was a relatively new arrival at the Clan. Someone that had come with the Level and Class. Barry held the sword out for Loch to take.

  He was surprised at how light the weapon was. Maybe half the weight of a similar size sword, but still had enough weight that it wouldn’t affect the fighter’s balance. Loch swung it a bit, moving it through some of the forms he knew. The axe was his primary weapon but he had the Offensive/Defensive Weaponry Skill. A Passive Ability, it gave him some innate knowledge of how to use the weapon. Loch shifted his feet, lunging and parrying with the weapon.

  He stopped, holding the weapon up, examining it. The glass was clear, barely any imperfections, but then he noticed some small cracks along the length. Pulling it closer, he studied the cracking. Loch glanced at Darren, who nodded.

  Holding the sword out, Loch Activated Precision Strike. He didn’t target anyone or anything, wanting to just send Spirit through the weapon. He felt the difference as the Spirit infused the weapon. Swinging it, Loch went through some forms again. He released the Ability, examining the sword.

  There were more minor cracks on it.

  “Using an Ability saps the durability?” Loch asked.

  Darren nodded.

  “Yeah, that’s the big drawback. The more Spirit channeled through it, the quicker the durability breaks. Even normal use will sap the durability quicker and unlike a forged weapon, it can’t be repaired.”

  Loch handed the sword back to Barry.

  “So increased power for a shorter lifespan?”

  “Yeah,” Darren replied. “We’re still testing, trying to get some benchmarks. But overall, if we equip some of the guards with these things…”, he trailed off, waiting for Loch.

  “I like that idea, especially if we limit their use. If we have another siege, issue the glass swords to everyone for the increased power, but use metal swords the rest of the time. Or have a couple in each patrol have the glass swords.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Lloyd is pretty quick at making them too.”

  “How are the shields?” Loch asked.

  “Not as good but since we’re limited on those, outfitting people with the glass shields will help our defense.”

  “Poor Lloyd is going to be busy,” Davis chuckled.