c forge

Still, shitty park or not it had given me a place to sit down and take in the sheer enormity of what was happening to me. Stepping out my front door and expecting to find my front porch only to find myself in a dirty alley had been a shock, the voice booming through my head telling me I was now, Master of the Celestial Forge, He to whom all Technology and Creation flows, had nearly given me a heart attack. The subsequent info dump on exactly where I was and what the Celestial Forge was had managed to give me a headache.

I'd stumbled my way out of the alley and found this park relatively nearby and preceded to sink onto the first bench I could find so I could think. I was a bit overwhelmed, to be honest, I had been walking out to check the mail and instead ended up in a new world, in a grimdark shithole at that, with one of the most powerful plot devices I knew of in fanfiction grafted to my soul.

It was a lot to take in, and only the comforting weight of the warehouse key I could feel in my right jean pocket was keeping me from immediately breaking down and running for the hills.

I knew how the Celestial Forge stories went, they started slow, and quickly built up to unfathomable cosmic power, which, admittedly sounded pretty nice and was amusing to read about while I was trying to kill time on my lunch break or in between loading and unloading trucks at work.

Living it was…..much less amusing so far. Well, I had been "living it" for all of half an hour at this point, but I would say my complaints still stood, I hadn't really been expecting to go to a whole nother multiverse when I got dressed today, so beyond my cell phone, wallet, and a small pocket knife I didn't have anything beyond my shoes and the clothes on my back and my warehouse key.

It was jarring, it pulled a sense of security I hadn't even realized I had been relying on away from me, the certainty I had that I would go home to my house at the end of the day, that I would go to my room, see my family, talk to my dogs, and my pet snake.

Now the only thing I was certain of was that I needed to find a remote out of the way door somewhere so I could use my key and get into my warehouse to find somewhere to sleep, because like fuck was I just going to sit around in Brockton Bay if I could help it.

Also, I was certain that these benches were uncomfortable as fuck and my ass was slowly falling asleep. That last thought drew a sigh and an uncomfortable posterior adjustment from me before I decided to just bite the bullet and go find somewhere to stay.

I was midway off the bench when a woman plopped down heavily beside me, one of her arms falling across my shoulders and dragging me back down onto the bench with her.

"Stay and chat a moment with me, won't you?" she asked, tilting her head, and the fedora sat on top of it towards me.

Never in my life had the sight of headwear rendered me speechless but I could firmly mark this occasion down as the first time, and the woman who I was fairly sure was fucking Contessa took the moment of pure, Oh, Shit I was experiencing to continue speaking, her lips tilting up at my suddenly rigid posture.

"You know who I am, You know what I am, and what I can do, so, let's make this as painless as possible for the both of us, hmm? You don't want to die, you don't want the planet to die, and neither do I, so let's work together to prevent that."

My brain had fizzled out and died about halfway into her confirming that yes, she was indeed who I was afraid she was, and the further realization that she still had her arm slung casually over my shoulders and around the back of my neck but her words managed to bring me back enough to actually consider what she was saying, now that visions of her killing me a thousand and one different ways were no longer playing through my mind.

Slowly, tentatively, still half expecting her to snap my neck or something I asked "Help each other….how?"

She brightened at my question, turning to shoot a dazzling all-white smile at me, though the fact that it reminded me of a shark facing a seal lessened any impact she may have hoped it would have on calming me down.

"I'm not sure," she admitted happily, "I just know somehow you are important, that you should know that I know you're important and that I will be keeping an eye on you."

Well then, that was….less than reassuring, and also mightily confusing. However she seemed happy to just sit there staring at me and grinning her shark-like smile rather than anything else, so I figured I should seize the chance to ask some questions, only to be immediately interrupted by the Forge before I could.

Forge Connection to Domain Crafting: Technological, Perk Perversions of the Natural Order,(The Glass Scientists,600Cp) has failed, you know have 300cp stored, May it Kindle your Forge.

I blinked and shook my head, the resounding booming of the Celestial Forges voice once more resounding through my mind, before remembering who was beside me and turning to see Contessa staring at me with one eyebrow raised, though she still said nothing.

I coughed, feeling for some unknown reason embarrassed, like my being distracted by the ringing Celestial Plot Device grafted to my soul was rude for some unknowable reason. Taking a moment to shake that ridiculous notion off I refocused on the world's deadliest woman current sitting sedately beside me.

I opened my mouth to ask what she really wanted only for her to choose right then of all times to start speaking again.

"I really don't want anything, not right now, like I said, I don't know how we can help each other right now, but I do know that you need to know that I know you're here, and you need to know that I know, beyond that, this conversation serves no other purpose, I'm not here to help or hurt you."

Well, that was a most confusing mix of reliving as well as concerning, but the important thing there was that she didn't seem to be ready to kill me/whisk me off to be imprisoned or experimented on so….

"I can leave then?" I blurted, before coughing a bit in embarrassment at how rude that sounded, and then taking a moment to marvel at the fact I even cared about being rude in this situation.

"Of course," she agreed, still smiling, still starring, though she did do me the courtesy of removing her arm from around my shoulders and neck. "Have a nice day."

"Um….right," I blinked slowly standing up still half expecting her to spring forwards at any moment or for a portal to open underneath me and swallow me into a dark void.

When neither happened I just kind of awkwardly shuffled in place for a moment before bidding her a good as well and slowly walking away, doing my utmost best to convince myself I couldn't feel her eyes on my back as I walked along.

That….. Yeah, that had been terrifying I admitted to myself as I quickly made my way up the road, not really paying any real attention to where I was going but bound and determined to put some kind of distance between me and the park bench with Contessa on it.

The fact that she had found me, that she knew where I was and at least somewhat knew that I was important was terrifying, mostly because of the way her power worked. She could say she was not here to hurt me, all she wanted but if the next step to reveal itself after she finished the current one telling her to talk to me was to shoot me in the head she would do it with no hesitation because that was what her path demanded. I really had no way of knowing what would happen in the future or what her path would demand of me, and worst of all I couldn't plan anyway to get out of the way of it or counter it because I had no idea what kind of powers, knowledge or abilities I would have at any given time to counter her.

I'd been in Brockton bay all of half an hour and already the Forge had tried to make two connections, though what I had done to gain the additional points I had no idea. Was it time-based, was it because I met a character from the story, or was it something completely different? I had no idea and that was a massive problem.

I needed to find somewhere to think, that fact combined with the fact that I had already been feeling exposed out in the city really only left me one option, I needed to try and find somewhere to use my key and get into whatever kind of warehouse I had. Though given the fact it really was just the personal reality entranceway I wasn't really expecting anything truly insane.

Not being able to close the door behind me was a real bummer but if nothing else I could at the very least get somewhere with some walls around me and have a place to stay the night.

And, hey, I'll say this for Brockton Bay, while it may be the Cape Capital of the world and absolutely infested with gangs and assholes it also had no shortage of out of the way doors tucked away in old buildings and warehouses, such as the half-collapsed wreck I could see ahead of me.

It looked like something had crashed into it and taken half the frame with it, one side was completely collapsed, and the parts that were still in possession of walls and a roof were fairly short. Getting closer I started to be able to pick more details out, and if the half-crushed Fire Truck I could see poking out of some collapsed rubble was any indication I had been wrong about my initial guess as to the place being some kind of warehouse.

It was apparently an old Fire House, Firehouse thirteen apparently if the sign I could see hanging haphazardly from some screws in a half-collapsed brick wall was to be believed. Carefully I scooted into the wrecked station, scanning around me to make sure I didn't step on a loose brick or nail or something, the last thing I needed was to roll my ankle or some stupid shit like that.

The old Fire Station was….well, it was totaled, it had three standing walls and a bit of roof but beyond that the whole thing had been smashed open and destroyed, and the elements had not been kind to it either, rain and who knew what else blowing into rust and mildew anything that had been in the station.

From what I could see it used to be a square-shaped building but whatever had destroyed it had left little more than a small triangle of roof and walls standing, and, luckily for me, set within one of those sections of the wall was a door.

Before I could hurry over to examine the door to see if it would work for what I needed I was interrupted by the Celestial Forge's hammering voice once more.

Forge Connection to Domain:Skills: Clothing, Perk Battle-Ready Bathrobes (Elder Scrolls Online) (100CP) Successful, You are the Forgemaster, Knowledge is your Hammer! You have 200 Cp remaining stand by for an additional roll.

Forge Connection to Domain:Skills: Magic, Perk Restriction/Formation Expert | Cultivation | Formation and Restriction Flags (Renegade Immortal) (600CP) has failed, you have 200 CP remaining stand by for an additional roll.

Forge Connection to Domain:Skills: Enchanting, Perk Artisan (Silmarillion) (400CP) Has Failed, you have 200 CP remaining stand by for an additional roll

Forge Connection to Domain:Crafting: Magitech, Perk Project: Black Book (Freddy vs Jason vs Ash) (400CP) has failed you have 200 CP remaining stand by for an additional roll

Forge Connection to Domain: Facilities: Magical, Perk House of the Witch (Fate/Legends - Empires of Antiquity) (100CP) Successful. You are the Forgemaster, Wonders shall flow from your Abode! You have 100CP remaining stand by for an additional roll

Forge Connection to Domain: Supplies: Mundane Small Scale, Perk Advanced Materials Upgrade Kit | Lathe-Wrought Armour Plating Kit (Light of Terra DLC 4 - Lords of the Iron Line) (700CP) has failed, you have 100 CP remaining standby for an additional roll

Forge Connection to Domain: Databases: Magitech, Perk Gem furnace schematics (Dungeon Keeper Ami) (200CP) has failed, you have 100CP remaining, the Maximum number of failed rolls has been achieved, and your 100CP has been banked.

Knowledge slammed into my brain, know-how on how to prepare dozens and hundreds of different kinds of materials, how to work it into until it moves and flexes akin to the most subtle of leathers, or how to harden and toughen it to survive the worst that the elements can throw at it, while keeping its wearer dry and warm, and turning aside the blows of their foes. Knowledge of dozens of different kinds of stitches came with it, and for a moment my hands ached with the desire to take up my newly mastered craft, a quick glance down at the clothes I was wearing revealed a dozen small ways that my shirt and pants could be tailored to hang more comfortable around my frame.

It was….a rush, to say the least, suddenly being so skilled at something that I barely comprehended even the basic ideas behind even a minute ago, and I actually had to remind myself that I had no way to actually do anything before the itch to use my new skills subsided. It was the ultimate endorphin rush, the same high that came with seeing my numbers go up in a video game or reading about a character's skills improving in a story, except it was real. I had improved, I was better at something, not just better but almost masterful!

It was amazing, and it gave me the first truly happy moment I have had since I stepped through my front door and into this crazy death world today, here among this flattened and destroyed Firehouse I was truly happy for a moment, and that feeling of jubilation only increased when another bit of knowledge popped into my head, this time not the rush of new knowledge and skill filling me, but a simple report that my warehouse had been expanded, and what I had gained had me breaking out into a wide grin.

Quickly I rushed towards the rickety door to what was probably once a filling closet or cleaning closet, taking a moment to glance around and make sure that the walls and roof still standing didn't seem likely to fall and kill me at any moment.

There were no cracks in the walls and while the ceiling tiles were busted in some places and had mold growing on them, the ceiling and the walls seemed sturdy enough at a glance so I quickly focused on the more important task of getting my key into the door and getting to the new witches house waiting for me just beyond it.

My hands were actually shaking as I pushed the key into the small lock on the doorknob and I nearly collapsed from relief when it went in and the knob turned smoothly with my key, the door swinging open not to reveal a cleaning closet or more molding Fire Station but instead, a gleaming white interior, what seemed to be white marble walls and floor greeting me as I stepped through the door with a pounding heart and a face splitting smile.

On each wall, there was an alcove, and recessed into the alcove was a door, or, in the case of the two walls in front of me and to the left, there was a space where my brain was telling me a door should be, but since I had nothing for the doors to lead to, they had yet to materialize for me.

The alcove to my left however had a sturdy wooden door recessed snugly into it, with an extremely realistic carving of a black cat with a witch's hat sitting on its head in the middle of it.

I all but sprinted for that door, it was starting to get, well, not dark but the bright light of the mid-day was starting to fade into early evening and I really wanted to be able to close myself away from all the craziness I knew lurked in Brockton Bay.

I may not be able to close the door to the warehouse, but I could certainly close and more importantly lock the door to my new Witches house. Of course, about two steps from the front door the Forge chose that moment to declare it was once more trying to make a connection, its voice hammering into my brain just as it had every other time it tried to improve me.

Forge Connection to Domain: Skills: Alchemy, Perk Alchemic Prodigy (Elder Scrolls Online) (100CP) Successful. You are the Forgemaster, Liquid Miracles Shall Flow from your Cauldron! You have 100Cp remaining stand by for an additional roll

Forge connection to Domain:Knowledge: Future Tech, Perk A Born Natural: High Technology (Generic Alien Invasion) (600CP) has failed, you have 100CP remaining stand by for an additional roll

Forge Connection to Domain:Supplies: Mundane Large Scale, Perk Store of Omni-Metals (DC - Larfleeze) (300CP) has failed, you have 100 CP remaining, stand by for an additional roll.

Forge Connection to Domain:Skills: Magic, Perk All Magic Affinity (400CP) has failed, you have 100CP remaining, stand by for an additional roll

Forge Connection to Domain:Supplies: Mundane Small Scale, Perk Memory Crystal (Five Star Stories) (100CP) has succeeded, You are the Forgemaster, you shall hammer this material into a divine edifice! You have no CP remaining there will be no additional rolls.

I swayed for a moment, Knowledge of potions and ingredients and how to use them swimming through my mind, it was…..I…..I shuddered and stepped forward to lean my head against the front door of my new witch's house. I….could make potions, actually honest to god fantasy potions, the kind of thing that was supposed to be forever consigned to the pages of fantasy books and novels, trapped within the digital world of the video games that no matter how realistic they became I could never truly reach out and touch, and yet, here and now….I could make them.

A half-laugh half happy sob escaped me as I leaned on my honest to god's witches house front door and a half-remembered quote from a once-beloved book series came to me. As Severus Snape once said to a room full of nervous and hopeful young witches and wizards, " I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death." Well now so could I, it was monumental and I really just had to take a moment and stop to breathe as old childhood dreams and yearnings suddenly came streaming back to the forefront of my mind.

I don't know how long I stood there, basking in the feelings of nostalgia and just pure elation I felt at my newest power, long enough that the nudge from the Forge to inform me of the other item I had gained, some kind of really powerful recording crystal or something had long since faded from my mind. It was my stomach rumbling of all things that got me moving again, the reminder that I had started my day several hours before trying to leave my house and had now been here in my new world for a few as well and I had not eaten in that time a powerful enough motivator to actually kick my butt into gear and get into the house in front of me.

Smiling I stepped over the welcome sign with a winking black cat in it and gently pushed the door open, inhaling deeply as the scent of pancakes filled the air now that the open door allowed the aroma to escape as well as several other harder to define scents masked underneath the mouth-watering aroma.

The front door lead straight into the kitchen, and an open doorway led to hallways off to either side of the kitchen but my sight was set immediately on the massive stack of pancakes sitting on the stove, light reflecting off the covering of Syrup that was absolutely drenching them.

Forcing my gaze from the succulent breakfast food on the stove I took in the rest of the kitchen, it was fairly open, with small wooden counters on both sides of the stove and longer marble counters extending along both the left and right walls. Directly in front of where I had entered, there was a half wall with an island built-in, perfect for serving food to anyone coming in from either hallway and there was a small round kitchen table in the corner of the kitchen.

Content with merely gazing at the space around me I bustled forward to explore it in a more hands-on way poking around in various cabinets and cupboards as I familiarized myself with what was and was not there.

The answer was…..not a lot, while there was plenty of cabinet space most of it was empty only a small cabinet over a sink built into the island that I had missed on my first causal glance and some utensils such as knives and forks and spoons and the like by the stove filled the kitchen.

Which, well…..if the biggest problem I had in my new magical witches' house was that I had to buy some more stuff for cooking then I think I would live.

Speaking of cooking, having resisted the grumbling of my stomach for nearly ten minutes I finally gave in, pulling the stack of pancakes and a fork and knife with me to the small table and digging in.

They were, in a word, amazing, they were light and fluffy and the syrup was sweet and melted on my tongue along with the pancakes and I honestly ended up eating way more than I probably should, though the smell of pancakes never diminished even as I finished the last of the stack I had in front of me, and a sudden hunch had me turning to see yet another sitting and looking just as inviting as before on the oven.

I had to laugh at that, as the realization of just what I had really started to set in, it was an infinite food supply, sure it was of one thing, but still, that one thing, along with everything else this House had given me had changed my situation drastically, probably the most of all the powers I had received. It had given me (somewhat) secure shelter, food, and comfort when just two or three hours ago I thought I would be sleeping on the floor next to an open door hoping no one found me, and decided to kill me in my sleep. The knowledge I had was amazing and I itched to put my potion skills to use now that I was fed, but the sheer relief I was currently feeling as I realized I wasn't homeless, wasn't going to go hungry….it was nearly indescribable, and I actually felt a few tears slip from my eyes before my natural manliness reasserted itself and I sniffed them back.

"Geeze, look at me, crying over some pancakes and a nice house" I muttered to myself, happy despite the razzing I was giving myself, who cared if I cried a little, I was happy, I had an awesome house, I could make magic fucking potions and I had some truly amazing pancakes to feed myself, it wasn't a bad way to end my first day in Brockton Bay and as much as I itched to play with my new potion know-how(in a safe and responsible way, no need to kill myself through easily preventable stupidity, I could also feel the stress of the day starting to pile up on me and keeping my eyes open was starting to become a struggle.

Reluctantly, I decided that potion making could wait, and got up and quickly washed and rinsed my plate and silverware, before locking my front door and wandering off to the left, some niggling sense in the back of my mind telling me that's where the bedroom was and lo and behold there was, a decent-sized room with a king-sized bed and a dresser next to it was at the end of the hallway and I wasted no time falling face-first into the inviting bed, quickly drifting off to a peaceful sleep for my first night in Brockton Bay.

Quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping Forgemaster an attempt was made at the

Domain:Knowledge: Mundae, Perk Peak ADVENT Technology (XCOM 2) (200CP)

However it failed, and as such there was no reason to wake the Forgemaster so instead, the CP was quietly banked in preparation for the next connection attempt.

End of Chapter CP Total=100CP

Total CP Spent This Chapter=400

Powers/Knowledge/Items Gained this Chapter=

Battle-Ready Bathrobes (Elder Scrolls Online) (100CP)

The title of "clothier" is misleading. Rather than being a simple seamstress, it's more accurate to say that a clothier specializes in making subtle but protective light armor that can easily transition from the ballroom to the battlefield and durable yet flexible medium-weight armors that are adored by scouts and survivalists during long treks. You now have that set of skills, able to craft any armor up to Rank Five (Ebonthread and Fellhide) and refine it with tannins. In time, you may be able to expand your skills further, perhaps even learning to sing-weave ancestor silk from the Moth Priests themselves.

House of the Witch (Fate/Legends - Empires of Antiquity) (100CP)

Every young witch's favorite birthday present, at least until they know how to make it themselves. This small house is rather rudimentary when it comes to living necessities but quite filled out in regards to potion-making. Not only does it have a high-quality set of tools and appliances towards creating potions, poisons, and designing magical rituals, it also comes with a weekly replenishing stock of low to mid-range potions in the pantry. From youth-restoring drinks, potions to plump or slim down the form, some love potions, and even a few useful for combat potions that can temporarily improve strength and speed. The house also always has a fresh batch of pancakes ready on the stove, covered in your choice of delicious topping

Alchemic Prodigy (Elder Scrolls Online) (100CP)

One of the most profitable and respected professions in Tamriel, a good alchemist can find lucrative work just about anywhere on Nirn, from Necrom to Stros M'Kai. Aside from a good bit of experience in identifying herbs that can be used for medicinal (or malign) creations, you have enough experience to work with up to Rank Five solvents and oils (Purified Water and Pitch Vile respectively), with a whole decade to learn even more. Healing potions, potions to bolster physical attributes, or even debilitating poisons can not only be produced, but with adequate testing, you can even begin to mix and match their effects by combining the right ingredients.

Memory Crystal (Five Star Stories) (100CP)

A backup memory crystal, strong enough that it could easily be used to instantly record live combat information to be replayed later. It could also be used for other mundane purposes, such as serving as the hard drive for multiple supercomputers.