Chương 31: The Loom Pt. 1

1 I have a new respect for the hunter-gatherers in ages past. Turns out, creating a new civilization was actually kinda hard. Who would have thought? —The Artificer's Guide to Underestimations I stomped a foot in frustration on the bare patch of ground in front of me, erasing the latest failed attempt at sketching a diagram for the loom. It would seem that it may have been prudent to utilize my [Recall] ability before planning out something like a loom.

Using the skill to review what I had originally thought was a good idea brought to light how naive I was. The day had worn on, and the smoke coming from the kiln was nearly clear, signaling the time to seal it. A layer of dirt on top of the spare clay basin for the forge made for an effective cap. A softer clay-mud mixture sealed any spots that I might have missed.

With the kiln set, I returned to pacing back and forth, mulling over my ill-prepared decision to create the complex project, still too stubborn to give up. The problem was in the magic aspect. Well, other than the diabolically complex nature of making a loom by hand, going only off of a memory, as detailed as it might be. I desperately wanted to give the Concept of Order a genuinely useful purpose in the build. There was also the matter of [Arcane Imbuement].

I looked over the skill again, knowing there wasn't any more information than there had been the last eight times. > Arcane Imbuement > In addition to imbuing an item with a concept to create magical items, you can also directly infuse objects with mana that can be manipulated to perform a function as long as it is suffused with mana. Well. There's nothing for it but to try, I suppose.

I grabbed my hatchet from where it lay against the forge next to my pack, and picked up the first of the boards Curtis had cut for me. Using its sharp edge, I chopped at the end, forming it into a rough peg that I would clean up with my knives. The other end received the same treatment, and I repeated the process for a second board. Selecting the kiridashi from the leather pouch of blades, I shaved away the rough ends until I was left with a straight, sharp-cornered peg that matched the width of my blade.

Two shorter four-foot planks would receive similarly shaped holes to hold the pegs, forming a rectangular frame. In the crook of each corner, I fit a leg to hold the frame at waist height. Seeing the size of the frame, I quickly reconsidered my plan to build on the hill. As sure as I was that I could rely on Curtis' assistance, better sense prevailed. I flipped it over and slid it down the slope to finish construction closer to the longhouse. In Darby's plot, to be exact.

Somehow, it just felt right to requisition the space. I placed the remaining boards, framing out the harness that would hold the heddles, small vertical sections of string that held an eye. The eye would guide the warp, or the longer interwoven thread that would crisscross with the side-to-side weft thread. The idea was to lift a frame, offsetting every other horizontal thread, then run a bundle of thread sideways through it. Then, when the frame was lowered, it would cross, locking the weft into place.

It would feed back through the crossed section, repeating over and over to form the beginnings of a bolt of cloth. It was an astoundingly time-consuming process that I hoped to expedite with my new skills. The frustrating part of the whole project was the lack of simple tools. I was slowed down at every step—needing to hammer the tip of a nail out to form a makeshift drill so I could create the wooden hinges, or coming up with a solution for the eyes that would feed the warp.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Falling into a trance, I took each step one at a time. My dexterous hands flew over the woodwork, slowly bringing my vision to life. I carved a grand total of three hundred and twenty notches between two harnesses locked onto the levered frame. By the time I had finished, I was seeing floating notches in my vision. I worked until I couldn't see enough to be effective in the dying evening light. Dammit.

Once again, locked in till I miss dinner. I yawned and looked over the loom. It was impressive, and far from complete. I still needed to fit in the levered frame, tie off the three hundred twenty eyelets, get the shuttle made, and figure out [Arcane Imbuement]. But it wasn't a task for tonight. I got up and made my way to the longhouse, seeking leftovers for a well-deserved dinner.

The following day started much the same as the previous, though I needed to understand what I was working with. After inquiring about what kind of thread she used and how she made it, Joann told me to meet her just south of Mossbrook, beside the creek. True to her word, she was already there when I arrived, though with a lot more company than I had expected. A decent-sized group had gathered around a pile of cattails.

"What, did you think I did everything on my own?" She said, noting my questioning look.

"I might be pretty handy, but I certainly can't keep and clothe every person in Mossbrook myself, can I?" It was true. Her ability to keep up production made a little more sense with the support of seven others.

"I'll admit, I hadn't really thought about it. I was curious how you make the thread and wanted to see if I could get some from you." She nodded.

"Normally, I'd have you chip in and make it for yourself, just like everyone else does, but seeing as you are doing me a favor, I can get you some of our stock. I'm assuming it's related to my request?" At my nod, she continued.

"Well, fair is fair. How much do you need?" I considered, doing a quick mental calculation. I'd probably need at least a foot for each heddle, over three hundred…

"About four hundred feet?"

"Is that it? I can give you a good bit more than that to be safe. We've actually got a really efficient setup. Let's head over to the others, and I can get you started so you can see how it's done."

"Wait, I'm not sure I want to start filling up my general skills again just yet. And speaking of… Aren't people a bit afraid of jamming up their skills with weaving or something? I wouldn't think it would be very beneficial to have ten people working at the same skill for long." Joann just looked confused for several moments before seeming to come to a realization.

"You haven't attended any of Cleo's courses, have you?"

"Well, no, but I haven't exactly had much of a chance with everything lately…" I trailed off, wilting a little under her judging stare.

"We've all been busy, Logan. You'd do well to find the time. Since you don't know, you aren't ever clammed up with abilities. Once you're full, you can remove one to make room for another; you just have to restart from the beginning if you pick it back up, though. And once you're full up, you can just decline taking another if you don't want it." She squinted at me.

"And what's wrong with weaving?"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong, I just—""I'm just pulling your leg." She burst out a short laugh and directed me to a pile of thick weed-like plants that had been stripped of leaves and stems.

"This is where the magic happens. We cut off the end," she demonstrated the action, "and then you tap the sap that comes out on a spindle." She pulled the stalk away from the spindle, and a long, thin filament pulled free from several openings in the base of the plant. She grabbed a handful of cattail fluff and fed the sticky strand through it. She used one hand to twist the spindle while twisting the weed in the other. I took over, noting how the sap almost instantly hardened as it pulled free from the plant.

It remained sticky, grabbing the cattail fluff, and became completely covered as I twisted it. By the time it reached the spindle, it was already dried and posed no danger of sticking to itself. I spun it a little faster, and the line broke.

"Tsk. You'll have to make a new cut and quickly roll the thread through the sap. It takes practice." She took the mix of materials, laid them on the ground, and handed me a full spindle.

"I suppose this is what you're after. Now go on," she said, shooing me away. Armed with the spindle of thread, I took my time returning to Darby's estate. A good night's rest had done wonders, and I enjoyed the calm and cool morning walk back as I formulated a plan to finish the loom.