Dual Class [LitRPG] – Current Vol 4

Chapter One-Hundred and Thirty-Two: Shut up Bitch I’m Cooking!

“Why did you say those things to Chels!?” Megan snapped, throwing her finger into Drake’s face and slamming her other hand onto the table.

“First. Put that thing away,” Drake said, using his hand to gently move her finger out of his face, “Second. What things exactly? I said quite a few.”

Megan’s face deepened into a scowl, “You know exactly what I mean! Why would you dismiss her feelings like that! She was crying all night!” she shouted, drawing the eyes of everyone around, save Sherry who was staring at the food prep unperturbed.

“Dismiss? How did I dismiss her feelings? I was very forward and upfront with what I said,” Drake said evenly.

“You couldn’t have let her down more easily? Your words hurt more than you think!” she spat.

Drake sighed, “That’s exactly why I said what I did. Chelsea is a good woman, she was a bitch to me at first but deep down I know she’s a great and loving person. She was willing to sacrifice herself for her friends with no care for her own safety multiple times.”

“Then why would you tell her she has no chance!?” Megan shouted again, getting closer to Drake.

Drake didn’t budge and moved her back with one arm despite her digging in to stand her ground.

“Because she has no chance with me. She is a good girl and deserves a good man. But that man won’t be me. And I know my words hurt, but what would you have me do? Lie to her and give her even a sliver of hope that she might have a chance? If anything that’s worse. She might be hurting now, I’ll concede that. But I won’t be a part of stringing along someone who I don’t see as a romantic partner. She deserves better than that. And if you think I should go back on my word and tell her she does have a chance, you're more of a shit person and shit friend than I would have thought,” Drake said looking down as he sneered.

Megan’s mouth opened up ready to retort but Jacqueline stepped in.

“That’s enough love, just go comfort Chels now. You’re stepping in where you shouldn’t. The man may be an asshole, but he isn’t mad. Wouldn’t you want someone who has no intention of being yours to tell you so? Or would you like to be used and strung along for weeks, months, maybe even years?” she said, holding Megan back by the shoulder.

Megan’s eyes widened before she ground her teeth. Knowing Jacqueline was talking about her and Chris.

It was still a fresh wound in her mind and heart, but both Jacqueline and Drake were right. She had enough sense to know that if Chris was anything like Drake, none of what happened to their group would have.

Megan reluctantly conceded the point, turning with her head down and walking back with Jacqueline in tow to their tent.

“What was that all about?” Tom asked, saying the question on everyone’s mind that everyone knew was too rude to ask.

“Just unneeded drama…” Drake sighed, “But that’s how it is in life, there’s no getting around it, even in a death tutorial it seems.”

“Is it because of me…?” Claire asked.

“Yep, and cause of me. So don’t get a stitch about it. All’s fair in love and war, and you can’t expect to have one guy horde all the good women. Or can you…. Wait I may have made a mistake, someone go ge- Ow!” Drake complained in faux pain as an elbow hit him from the side.

Drake grinned and looked over to a pouting Claire. Her cheeks puffed up as she chopped away at the ingredients on the table, pushing them off and into the pot on the side, refusing to look at Drake.

“I feel like I’m being hit quite a lot lately… And I’m not getting the good kind of hit,”

“There’s a good kind of hit? The fuck are you saying?” Lamar asked from behind Drake, as he towered over everyone at the table.

“Of course!” Drake said turning to look up at the cyclopean, “There's getting hit in the- You know what never mind. We don’t kink shame here, it's poor manners. You wouldn’t want to be like that nasty construct who zapped me in the introduction.”

“You got zapped in the introduction Mr. Shot?” Harley asked from his left, her face lighting up in surprise.

“Long story but yeah I got tasered in the introduction room,” Drake said casually.

“Haha! How did you manage that bro?” Bjorn asked from his seat barking a laugh.

“Long Story. Do I really have to say that again?” Drake scoffed.

“So your smart ass did something ta get yourself tased, and it’s too embarrassing to admit. Is that right ya idjit?” Hudson surmised.

“You know, some people say EQ is a curse, but for you, Hudson, it might be a very funny comedic gift at my expense,” Drake laughed.

“Thank ya kindly. Wait…” Hudson said his face turning pensive as he went over what Drake said in his head again.

“Either way, good morning ya big lug, you here for Breakfast or you want to just get to it?” Drake said, turning back to Lamar.

“Always down for some grub. Don’t exactly get decent meals in the Outpost. And after what I heard happened last night… I don’t think we will at all anymore,” Lamar said wryly.

“Ok,” Drake said holding up both hands, “Yeah that was my fault, but the people in charge didn’t give me a choice when they decided to try and kidnap someone important to me, and hurt another,” Drake said his face turning steely, “If you come for what’s mine, you have to understand there will be consequences tenfold.”

Lamar, even as large as he was, still shivered under Drake’s not-so-idle threat. Even if it wasn’t directed at him, but said in general.

“Right… I’ll keep that in mind. Just stop staring at me like that, it's freaking me out.”

“Then let's get some food in us. I’m ready to start crafting! I need some new bling!” Drake shouted.

The only ones who cheered along were the small garbage trucks, Sherry and Natto. Everyone else sighed and continued to either wait or help with the prep.

After finishing breakfast, Lamar and Drake moved to the outskirts of their small camp.

“So how is this going to work? Do I read a book, are you going to impart knowledge on me? Or is it the old fashion way?” Drake asked, getting a little excited.

“Don’t know, I’ve never helped someone with it before. I kinda assumed you knew more than I did,” Lamar said, beginning to take things out of his own inventory.

First Lamar set a tent next to him, then pulled out more craftsman-type equipment.

He pulled out a kiln, forge, whetstones, hammers, files, clamps, stacks of wood, measuring tools, you name it and the large cyclopean had it within a few minutes out and ready.

“You will have to do it the old-fashioned way if the larger-than-life oaf does not have a skill book prepared, which I assume he does not,” Natto explained.

There we have it then. Thanks for the info, even if it was a little late… Drake jabbed.

“You did not need it until now, do you not have enough problems dealing with monsters and women, fool,” Natto retorted.

There’s no need to be so snippy. One of those lovely ladies might one day be your pseudo-mommy. Drake joked.

“I will never call you or any ill-minded woman either of those words. And they better not get in my face, 'cause I will unceremoniously drop that motherfucker!” Natto shouted.

Wow, that escalated quickly. And technically it would be a she who is.. Yeah… so it would be a fatherfucker…? Nevermind… Drake thought, shaking his head.

“Ok yeah, old-fashioned way it is!” Drake said, trying to get the very disturbing image he had come up with out of his head.

“Who told ya that? The little birdie?” Lamar asked, putting some blacksmithing tongs on his shoulder.

“Why yes, yes she did in very colorful and endearing words,” Drake replied a smile on his face.

“That’s not creepy. But whatever, I have things to do so let's get to cooking,” Lamar sighed.

“Let him cook!” Drake cheered, his hair shimmering to a vibrant orange.

Lamar looked back over his shoulder confused.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” Drake shrugged, “So what’s first then big guy?”

“First you're going to heat and mold a large slab of regular iron,” Lamar instructed pulling a huge darkened rod from under the table.

Drake looked at it and smiled, “Oh this should be easy, I’ve been doing this for most of my life,” Drake said snickering as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“I don’t need to hear that you fucking freak. Get to beatin- hittin-” Lamar sighed, trying to change the word every time when Drake leaned in closer his eyebrows going up and down, “Just fucking smack the stupid piece of metal with the hammer after you heat it up! Fucking weirdo…”

Drake saluted and moved over to the unlit forge, where he quickly encountered a problem.

“Hey, Lamar,” Drake said over his shoulder as he looked at the forge.

“Yeah….?” he answered.

“How do I set this thing on fire? And I don’t have any tools…”

Lamar sighed, his hand covering his one eye.

“That’s right, I forgot you’re a newbie. Can’t you do some sort of magic thing? And the forge… I’ll do it, just watch so you know for later,” Lamar sighed, thundering over to the forge.

Drake stepped back a bit watching the hulking cyclopean do something he didn’t expect. 

Breathe fire into the forge.

“How am I supposed to do that? Is that a skill or something?” Drake asked incredulously.

“Yeah it's a blacksmithing skill, you’ll get it later,” Lamar explained.

Drake looked at the forge, a thought coming to him.

“Wait. I want to learn how to make rings and necklaces, why are you having me hammer iron? I don’t need a weapon,” Drake asked.

Lamar looked back at Drake, both silent for a moment.

“Oh,” Lamar said.

“Oh?” Drake replied.

“Hmm…” Lamar added.

“Hmm…?” Drake parrotted.

“Well that makes stuff more simple,” Lamar said pulling an item from his inventory, handing it to Drake, “Here.”

Drake looked at the large circle of measuring rings confused.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Exactly what it looks like you idiot. Their finger measuring rings,” Lamar scoffed, pulling a few more items from his inventory, “Here’s some armor you can cut to replace thin sheet metal for now until you get it down enough to use mana iron strips. This is a mandrel you're going to be bending the metal around it until it's a circle,” Lamar said, throwing the spike-like thing to Drake.

“Whoa,” Drake said, catching the piece of equipment, “What comes after that?” he asked.

“That’s all you need for now. Once you get good at molding metal to the size you need we can move on, but before that, you need to get used to bending metal,” Lamar explained.

Drake took the piece of armor, a chest piece, and ripped a piece from it with his bare hand, scrunching the strip he had torn around one of his empty fingers.

“Done,” Drake said, giving a smile.

“No not done you fucking idiot! Do it how I told you!” Lamar roared.

“Jeez, take a joke….” Drake laughed, then spotted a notification.

[New Profession Quest! Create Simple Metal Bands [No Grade], Simple Chain Necklaces [No Grade]

[Reward: Profession Experience. Low-Grade Crafting Manual, Mana Infused Tools [F-Grade]

[Requirement: Create 250 Simple Metal Bands [No Grade], 100 Simple Chain Necklaces [No Grade]

“Oh look at that…” Drake chuckled.

“What?” Lamar asked indignantly.

“I got the quest I needed,” Drake replied snidely.

“Bullshit,” Lamar scoffed.

Drake willed the quest window to open and turned it so Lamar could see.

“Read 'em and weep big man,” Drake sneered.

“That’s horseshit. You didn’t even do anything!”

Drake held up his finger holding the crushed metal around it.

“Nuh uh!” Drake joked wagging the finger.

Lamar groaned but waved Drake’s childish games off, needing to go back to his own work.

“Fine whatever, do what you need to, once you get past it I’ll help with the more intricate details for better craftsmanship…” he sighed, “Stupid fucking system… What was all that work I did for years for!?” he grunted, walking off to his workbench grabbing some tools and continuing to grumble.

Drake smiled, satisfied he had annoyed the cyclopean well enough for the rest of the day.

Pulling out a few more similar-looking pieces of equipment he still had on hand, Drake got to work pulling them apart for the metal. Easily stripping them down into smaller pieces fore the rings.

At first, he made each ring by just bending them around his own finger with raw strength. But then thought better of it.

I’ll need to do it properly eventually anyway, better not to take shortcuts I guess… He thought admitting to himself he was cheating the quest.

Sighing he pulled out the mandrel and a piece of stripped metal. Fiddling around with the best way to bend it.

He tried heating up the strip but he was unable to get it to bend as precisely as he wanted around the tool.

“Damn it, why is this so hard…?!” Drake grumbled under his breath.

“Hey,” Lamar said from behind him.

Drake turned quickly saying the first thing that came to mind.

“Shut up bitch I'm fucking cooking here! Oh, my bad. Yeah? What is it?” Drake said, chuckling nervously.

Lamar just raised his singular brow in confusion but chalked it up to Drake being an idiot like usual.

“You need to hammer the metal around the mandrel lightly to form it. I can’t believe I needed to say that. Are you really an idiot? And act like one to cover it up?” Lamar asked incredulously.

“I plead the 5th, thank you very much,” Drake said, hearing a snickering in his head from Natto.

“Right well, get your dumbass over to the table, it’ll be easier if you use an elevated surface,” Lamar suggested, thumbing to a spare workbench.

“Thank ya kindly big guy,” Drake said, tipping an imaginary hat.

“I fucking despise you,” Lamar cringed.

“That’s what everyone says at first, but don’t worry I grow on you,” Drake smiled.

“If only that were true….” Natto sighed.

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