“You think it’s worth making any of this into weapons or armor? Getting someone really good to work on them?” I ask Taiwo. I’ve pulled everything from my Inventory and he’s sorting through it. Some of it is items I’ve Looted and I try to look over it with fresh eyes, but I can’t find anything that really appeals to me. There are powerful portable shield generators that won’t do much for me since I never really sit in one place to support combat or try to deal ranged damage. I pick them up anyway since it happens once in a while and put them back into my Inventory, just in case. There are also a bunch of technological items, and items meant for users with big Mana pools or high regeneration. None of that stuff matches up well with my Class. Maybe there’s some promise in the high Level Monster bodies I’ve produced, though.

  “It might be worth testing some of them out,” replies Taiwo. “There’s plenty here to choose from!” He glances at me with a magnetic grin and then rubs his hands together before enthusiastically picking through the large, scattered graveyard of high Level carcasses. For a couple seconds I wonder if I should give him a hand or some advice, but I can see right away he knows exactly what he’s doing and he moves around with purpose and no hesitation. I guess that makes sense considering his self-appointed role in the Shop of weapons and equipment tester. Maybe he has a Skill that helps him see the Level of dead Monsters, something I’m unable to do.

  It only takes him a couple minutes to identify what he’d like to test, but it takes the two of us a lot longer to actually pick out what he thinks might be worthwhile. For some of the stuff he doesn’t have anything that can cut through the body part so we can test with it, and I have to do some chopping or sawing with tools that I make with Dimensional Forge. It’s a bloody useful Skill and I’m keen to see what it can do once it’s Evolved.

  Parts from creatures from the Taller’ovst Mana Research Facility seem to be very dense with Mana and when I probe them with my Affinity I can tell there’s something different about them. Perhaps their Mana signature has been altered or affected by the Dark Mana in that Dungeon. Parts from the Colossal Hiisi don’t even make the cut. I go back to my notifications just to check the Level on it and my impressions are roughly right; it was Level 263. The Xytherimox doesn’t make the cut either, with no properly suitable materials for working with.

  Taiwo also picks out some of the Behemoth Manticore which was Level 371 and of course from the Mindshredder Hive Queen at Level 430. It has some crystalline armor woven through its carapace that looks interesting. Even though the Black Dragon Patriarch was only just over Level 300, I ask Taiwo to take some of the claws, teeth, and scales just because it’s a dragon and I can’t get it out of my head that their body parts should be particularly powerful. I’m keen to find out if that’s true.

  When we’ve finally finished gathering everything Taiwo’s experience or my hunches say we should test, we take it all to a section of the Shop I’ve never been to. It’s down a long, straight hallway with rippling patterns on every surface that remind me of being underwater, and I guess that’s the point.

  “Where are we going?” I ask Taiwo.

  “Testing facilities,” he says, which we’ve discussed already.

  “No, sorry. I mean - where are we going? Does the testing facility exist inside the same Shop as you’re always in? Do we transfer Shops? Are we moving from one side of the Universe to the other as we walk down this hall?”

  As my Dimensional Manipulation Affinity has grown, the Shop has developed additional complexity in my head and as I sense what’s around us when I’m in a Shop. It was mysterious not knowing at all how it worked, but now I get glimpses and hints that are in some ways more frustrating than just being ignorant and brushing all this off with ‘that’s just how it is’.

  “I don’t really know,” admits Taiwo. “The Shop system has been around a long, long time and even today attracts massive investment and research. It just is… how it is. It’s way beyond most of us to even really understand it. Do we understand how space travel works? I mean, some people do, but I don’t. Maybe your Affinity is strong enough that you’d like to spend some time diving into it? Maybe even contributing to how it works? You’ve got a long life ahead of you down one path if you choose to take it.”

  He glances across at me as we continue down the hall; it looks like we’re about halfway to whatever door is at the end, assuming the distance doesn’t change between now and when we get there. You never know when dimensional forces are at play.

  “But… you probably won’t take that path.”

  “You never know,” I suggest, even though I think he’s right. Will I feel the same ten thousand years from now? It boggles my mind.

  “No, you never do,” he agrees.

  When we approach, the door at the end of the hall opens automatically and the people who are stationed there greet Taiwo at the door warmly. They seem like a bit like bouncers… but not as physically imposing. It doesn’t take long in the Galactic world to learn that diminutive does not necessarily mean less powerful or dangerous. It’s clear Taiwo is a frequent, valued, and well-liked visitor. Or maybe that’s just part of the service. They don’t point the same level of warmth at me, but they are friendly.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  We’re shown to a laboratory-like room the size of a typical gymnasium that’s got technology and what looks like diagnostic machines to our left. To our right are several stations with crystals, rocks, and magical items that I can only assume help to identify or quantify an item’s properties, just like the machines. Once the door is closed behind us, Taiwo pulls the things we’ve brought along out of his Inventory and puts them on a big white square table in the middle of the room.

  “I’ve spent a lot of time in these rooms,” Taiwo muses looking around. His expression is enthusiastic and it’s easy to tell this is something he really enjoys doing.

  “What am I looking at here? And how secure is it?” I ask.

  “Essentially you’re looking at different ways to test equipment and items. I’m sure you’ve already worked out there are magical and technological approaches to doing it and we’ve got both in this room. Sometimes it’s good to test with both where that’s possible just to validate the results. Each test should give us a bunch of information about what we’re testing that’s not going to make a lot of sense to you, but isn’t too tough to interpret if you invest some time into it.”

  Taiwo looks at me and grins then looks around at the complex stations and I wonder if he knows how to use all of it.

  “There are other, inferior places where security can be an issue and the quality of the analysis is questionable. However, this is one of the very best facilities in the Shop network and we’re currently paying for discretion. None of the readings and tests are stored, only we will see the results. The room is reset automatically after each client visit so that people can’t even tell which tests you conducted. This room is completely private; there are very significant protections from scrying and more mundane methods of spying. I’m not saying anything is ever 100% secure, but this is about as close as Credits can buy.”

  I’m tempted to ask how much, but since it’s not coming out of my Credit balance I decide to let it ride so there’s no chance I might feel guilty or feel compelled to contribute. I’m not poor, but it’s not a secret Taiwo has a lot of Credits at his disposal.

  We spend a couple of hours testing everything we’ve brought. Everything gets tested at more than one station and Taiwo tells me about what he’s doing as he goes through it. Most of the tests are simple to execute, but he’s right that the results are not easy to interpret. Mana density, resistances, measurements, performance against other materials, performance in various conditions, interaction effects, flaws, weaknesses, the whole nine yards. Not all the stations can discover all the information, but Taiwo compiles a profile for each of the items and creates an overall summary.

  When we’re done he lays it all out for me.

  “It’s an impressive collection of materials, Bronwic. It would be expensive and take some time, but with the right high Level Crafter you could create some very powerful weapons and armor. Less cost than buying something similar, if you could even find it, since you’re providing the raw materials and Crafters will be hungry for the XP they can get through this work. Most equipment that’s up in that kind of caliber is not for sale.”

  “How would I get access to that kind of Crafter?” I ask. I doubt they’re just sitting around waiting for me to show up with some materials.

  “I could find one. You’d have to accept a big lead time. I’m keen to find out if as a SSA High Enforcer you have special access or priority for stuff like this. I have heard you do and even had some of my stuff bumped in the past for SSA Enforcer work, or at least that’s the excuse the Crafter made.”

  I nod slowly, wondering myself what kinds of resources I might be able to draw on.

  “Of course,” Taiwo continues, “all of this might not be worth anything to you if it doesn’t outperform the weapons and armor you’ve already got. Especially if you Evolve that Skill one day!”

  I frown at what he’s saying even though I know I could Evolve that Skill at my next Level and that’s exciting.

  “How can I tell if my current weapons and armor outperform whatever would be made out of these?” I ask, curious.

  “Well… one of the reasons I got this room is I thought you might want to test out the quality of the armor and weapons you create with your Dimensional Forge Skill.”

  “You can do that?” I ask, surprised. “Even though they aren’t actual, permanent items?”

  “I think so,” says Taiwo. “At the very least it’s worth a try. I’ve evaluated armor and weapon Skills before, though of course not specifically like yours since it’s a Skill from your unique Class, bolstered by your Affinities and all the other weird and wonderful things you have going on.”

  Taiwo says it in a way that makes it clear he’s interested rather than giving me a hard time. I bet Jeff would be giving me a hard time right now and he’d slap me around in excitement.

  “I’m definitely curious, Taiwo. How do we do this?”

  “Same as the other ones. Let’s start with your weapons. Maybe a few different ones to see if the properties change depending on what you create. And then your armor.”

  We spend another hour testing all kinds of things and I swear Taiwo to secrecy half a dozen times. By the end of it I double down on my excitement about the Dark Mana Knight Class and can’t wait to Evolve Dimensional Forge. And… I’ve got a big chunk of Credits coming to me when I sell all this stuff.