🎨 SIDE QUEST: THE FORGE OF SMALL SKILLS
🎙️ Opening Monologue — Dawn in the Crafting Hall
The torches of the Crafting Hall flickered awake before I did.
I shuffled inside still half-asleep, arms heavy, shoulders reminding me of every push-up I’ve earned this week. And there, standing atop a wooden crate like a general addressing his troops, was Tobito — sunglasses on, headband glowing faintly with mischief.
Before I could say a word, he tossed a pair of carved dice into the air.
They spun. They shimmered. They clattered against the stone floor.
Tobito grinned.
“Hero… your Skill Tree demands expansion.”
I blinked. “I’m still mastering push-ups and painting.”
He slapped a tiny taco-sized hand against his shell.
“EXACTLY. And progress must be FED. Just like me.”
---
⚒️ The Trial of the Expanding Skill Tree
Over the past week, two skills have quietly leveled up in my personal menu:
🏋️ Push-Ups
The reps hit cleaner.
The form sharper.
The burn? Still there — but the kind that whispers, “Keep going. You’re actually doing this.”
🎨 Painting
Brush strokes that once felt clumsy now land smoother.
Colors blend more willingly.
That blank canvas doesn’t feel like a boss fight anymore — more like a puzzle door with a solvable code.
And apparently… Tobito has been watching.
He hopped onto the table, unfurled a scroll twice his size, and tapped the parchment with a charcoal stick.
“These,” he declared dramatically, “are NEW CRAFTING ITEMS for the hero to master. Completing them will strengthen your push-up discipline AND your artistic power.”
I wasn’t convinced.
So he grabbed the dice again.
“This is how fate decides.”
He rolled.
The dice glowed.
A new Quest popped up in the air like a hologram.
---
📜 NEW CRAFTING QUESTS (Assigned by Tobito, Chaos Enthusiast)
1. The Miniature Sigil Boards
Small wooden boards with engraved symbols you paint by hand. Great for dexterity, detail work, and learning to control the brush with “micro precision,” as Tobito put it.
2. The Copper Trinket Charms
Tiny stamped metal pieces — easy to sell, good practice with shaping and design. Tobito claims they “increase Dexterity +1 permanently,” but he tends to exaggerate.
3. The Hero’s Daily Ledger Covers
Leather or board covers for journals. A combo of crafting + painting + discipline.
---
He pointed at me with both hands.
“By mastering new items, you’ll level up faster. More XP. More gold. MORE CONFIDENCE.”
He leaned in close.
“And hero… you need all three.”
Then he fist-pumped the air.
“I rolled a NAT 18. That means Mandatory Skill Expansion!”
(We don’t argue with high rolls. The laws of RPG physics are clear.)
---
🧪 Tobito’s Tip of the Day
> “A hero who repeats only one skill never evolves.
> Add a new craft, add a new challenge, add a new flavor!
> Also—never trust the dice. Trust yourself.”
He then attempted to roll the dice again but dropped one, which bounced off his sunglasses and landed in a cup of paint.
He claimed this was intentional.
---
📅 Today’s Side Quest Check-In
⭐ One Win: Push-ups felt smoother. Painting felt more confident.
❌ One Fail: I hesitated when Tobito first gave the new quests… fear of messing up.
🎯 One Goal for Tomorrow: Finish at least one new crafting item to prove the Expansion Roll wasn’t wasted.
---
🧩 Community Codex Entry
Adventurer — what skill are you adding to your tree?
A micro habit?
A tiny discipline?
A small craft?
A new creative stretch?
Drop it below so we can update the Codex and see what the dice assign you next.
---
🚪 Exit Message — The Forge Stays Hot
The Skill Tree grows because you grow.
Push-ups and painting were your first steps.
Now comes diversification — the mark of advancing heroes.
The dice rolled in your favor today.
And Tobito believes in the expansion.
Stick around. More quests are coming.
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