“My apologies. Please finish what you’re doing and we can talk.”
The woman’s frown turned into a small grin, and she returned to her task. Atlas took the time to inch closer to see what she was doing. Her stitch work on the leather was impeccable as she deftly wove thread through the holes.
The section of work finally complete, she pinned the needle into a small cushion and stood up.
“I appreciate your patience. What can I do for you, Atlas?”
“I’m here to continue my leatherworking training. Master Trailia sent me,” he told her as he produced the rolled letter.
“Ah, Master Trailia, she still sour and grumpy?” Master Grant asked with a chuckle.
“She was when I first arrived. She was a little more cheerful when I left. Must’ve been in a good mood that day,” Atlas reflected.
“I doubt it. She’s always perpetually grumbling about something. The paperwork looks in order. It also appears you did quite the work for her. That’s probably why she was happy. Name’s Natalie Grant. Just call me Master Grant. I didn’t work all those years for the master title for people to ignore it,” she lectured while waving her finger at him.
“Yes, ma’am.” Atlas said with a nod.
“Good. First thing’s first. You need to learn how to soft cure hides before you can continue your training.”
“Soft cure, Master?”
“Well, of course. You’ve been working with stiff leather from the basic curing techniques you normally use. When you reach level 10. We teach you how to cure the leather in a better fashion that leaves the skin durable and more flexible. You’ll need this,” she told him as she handed him a small vial filled with a yellowish liquid.
“Don’t sniff it. It smells like piss,” she told him with a wink and a smile.
She led him to a back room with a basin in it. Polished wood lined the basin with a drain in the bottom. A small tube extended from the bottom and drained back into a closed bucket. A wooden slab sat nearby and slid into the pipe to block the flow until you wanted to drain it.
“Now listen up. This process usually takes forever, but you pesky Reborn have it easy. The process is like your previous work. You’re going to take a raw hide and clean it and coat it in salt. You don’t get to use your shortcut this time, though. Do it at normal speed and by hand. Once the skin is properly salted, I need you to roll and stretch it three times. No more, no less. From there, you’re going to place the hide in that basin and fill it with the liquid in that vial. It’s dirty work, but you need to knead the leather with the liquid in there for a short time to make sure it soaks into every bit. When you finish that, remove it and unfurl the leather. You should learn your skill. Questions?”
Atlas shook his head no, and she left the small room. He set to his task without complaint. The process was familiar to him. He’d done it far more times than he could count, and even though he’d done it automatically and at super speed, his body still knew the movements. The hair sliced free of one of his hides and he covered it in salt. He got on his hands and knees and used all of his strength to wrap the bundle tight to roll it before rolling each end over a wood dowel and stretching it using his hands and feet.
The final step had him place the leather in the basin and dump the pungent liquid in. She hadn’t been lying when she said it smelled like piss, but she neglected to mention it smelling like week old rotten piss at that. He finished rubbing all the liquid into the hide and picked it up. The sheet dried on its own and the outside became soft and smooth. A notification popped up.
You learned the Leatherworking ability: Cure Soft Hide.
You gained 35 experience in Leatherworking.
Remembering his initial lesson on shop cleanliness, he took the time to drain the liquid and gather the hair into a small bucket in the corner. With those tasks complete, he left the room to find Master Grant. She was back to work on her project at the small table when Atlas approached.
“Already done, are we? That’s quick work. Now that the hard part’s out of the way. You can learn the rest of your skills the easy way,” she said as a menu popped up in his vision.
Four new abilities popped up. Each of them cost 40 copper, but he bought all four and gave each an appraising glance.
Leatherworking - Soft Thread
Requirements
• Leatherworking Level 10
Rarity: Common
Requirements: 1 Cured Soft Hide
Description: Creates 14 soft thread
Leatherworking - Create Soft Leather Gloves
Requirements
• Leatherworking Level 11
Rarity: Common
Requirements: 2 Cured Soft Hide, 2 Soft Thread
Description: Creates a set of soft and flexible gloves that offer a moderate amount of protection.
Leatherworking - Create Soft Leather Boots
Requirements
• Leatherworking Level 12
Rarity: Common
Requirements: 3 Cured Soft Hide, 2 Soft Thread
Description: Creates a set of soft and flexible boots that offer a moderate amount of protection.
Leatherworking - Create Soft Leather Jerkin
Requirements
• Leatherworking Level 13
Rarity: Common
Requirements: 5 Cured Soft Hide, 6 Soft Thread
Description: Creates a soft and flexible leather chestpiece that offers moderate protection.
He also spotted Vial of Curing Liquid for sale. Each of them cost 20 copper. A quick check confirmed that was the new ingredient he needed besides the salt for these patterns. A check of his bags showed he had twenty-two hides left plus the one he just turned into a soft hide.
To play it safe, he bought forty of the Vial of Curing Liquid. It set him back 8 silver, but it was nothing that concerned him.
