Cozy Isekai Craftsman, ch 14

Joe walked through the nearly empty streets of Lockwood, leaving the locket open for Thomas to take in the sights.

"This place has changed considerably," Thomas remarked.

As they walked down the stony cobblestone street, Joe asked, "Like what?"

Thomas replied, "This wasn't always a port city. In fact, there weren't even docks down here. It was my house and a few other wealthy merchants."

He didn't say anything further, just taking in the sights, showing a disinterest for any more information that Thomas wanted to tell him about his past. He would have his own time. For now, Joe was just enjoying the fact that he was able to help someone who had been basically trapped inside of a painting for countless decades. Even Thomas didn't seem to have a good grasp on how much time he had spent inside that painting

Now that he remembered it, Joe recalled that the painting itself had been full of grime and weathering, and even the colors were aged. But when he had used his power to clean half the room, which included the painting, he wiped off a considerable amount of the excess grime and oxidation from before. He wondered if the degradation of the painting had affected his mind, eroded him somehow, maybe physically or spiritually.

They reached the Rusty Nail, there was a cacophony of sound from the other side of the door. Joe turned the locket to face Thomas and asked the old man, "Are you okay with this? Are you ready?"

Thomas bunched up his coat, adjusted his collar, and twisted his monocle just to make sure it was clear. He cleared his throat and said, "Ready as ever, boy."

Joe opened the door. It was the same scene that he had seen over the past couple of nights. Every single table was filled with now familiar faces who Joe had recognized but not known the names of yet. None of the tables were empty.

Ava was busy rushing back and forth, taking orders, cleaning, doing her job. She didn't look as tired as when Joe first met her. Maybe those extra hours each night and sleeping in the morning helped her recover a bit of her vigor and stamina. Caroline waved Thomas over, handing him a plate full of food, a bowl of soup, and a mug of beer.

Joe's stomach rumbled, but he said to Caroline, "Thank you. I'll eat it when I get the chance. Is there any way I could get Ava to come over here?

Caroline looked at him and teased, "You're going to confess your feelings? You've only known each other for a few days."

There was a cough from the locket. Thankfully, Caroline had clearly meant it as a joke. Joe said, "No, nothing like that. It's something important, and it has to do with their family."

Caroline's expression turned serious, and she asked, "Is Emily hurt?"

Joe shook his head and said, "No, actually. It’s better to show it than trying to explain it." He opened the locket and showed Thomas to Caroline. The woman gasped and almost dropped the mug she was cleaning but set it down carefully. She held the locket that Joe gave to her and saw the man moving inside.

She looked to the locket and then to Joe and said, "Is this a living thing? A demon?"

Thomas spoke up, defending himself, "Excuse me, madam, but how dare you call me one of those vile creatures. I am the patriarch of Ava and Emily. I have come here to see my granddaughter."

Caroline almost dropped the locket in surprise, but Joe caught it, hoping that the southern woman didn't make Thomas dizzy. Thomas looked perfectly fine.

Joe said, "Sorry about that. I thought it was easier to show you than trying to describe it."

Caroline recovered herself and said, "I see what you mean. You're saying that's Ava's grandfather or great-great-grandfather?"

Joe shrugged. "He’s older than that. How many greats, even he doesn't know, but he apparently was the first person in her family to come to this town. So he knows more about Lockwood than anybody else around here."

Caroline nodded and said, "Okay, well, all the tables are so full and everyone's food has been brought to them, so there should be a little bit of downtime for her. If you need to fill in when you can."

Joe nodded in agreement. The tavern owner seemed too busy to even care about the fact a painting inside a locket just claimed to be her waitress’ grandfather.

Caroline whistled, and Ava hopped over, asking, "Ma'am, is there anything wrong?" Caroline simply nodded to Joe, and Ava walked over to him.

Joe gestured for her to take a seat on the stool next to him, which she did. She put her hands on her lap and seemed a bit nervous, and Joe asked, "Are you doing okay?"

Ava nodded and said, "Yeah. Emily told me what had happened, and we're glad that you were there to protect her with your magic."

Joe said, “I’m here to show you something else.”

He handed her the locket, and when she took it with a curious expression, he said, "Open it."

She did, and inside, Thomas stood looking proud, tall, and strong, but with a grandfatherly expression. Ava gasped and said, "Grandfather."

Thomas beamed and said, "It is I, granddaughter, your patriarch.

Ava looked at Joe and then at Thomas, then back at Joe. She was so confused and asked, "How is this possible?"

Joe snapped his finger and said, "You know how Ava, magic."

Joe stood up, saying, "Well, I'll leave you to catch up."

However, Ava interrupted, asking, "Wait, is this really my grandfather?"

Thomas spoke up and said, "It's really me. That boy, Joe, was able to transfer me from the painting to the small, cramped little locket, although he did promise me to get something more befitting of someone who is of my stature."

Ava said, "I thought you weren't real, that Emily and I had made you up. It’s been so long."

Thomas frowned. "When your mother left, it was hard for me to reveal myself. I wanted to, but something inside myself made it difficult to move. I'm sorry for that, to make you doubt yourself."

Tears came to Ava's eyes, and she wiped them. Deciding to leave the conversation without their permission, Joe felt like he was eavesdropping on something that he shouldn't have been a part of. He was just glad that he was able to help them reunite. Even as he walked away, Ava touched him with a brush of her hand against his and mouthed the words, "thank you," as Thomas was regaling her about what had happened.

Joe winked and walked around behind the bar, went to the kitchen and found Dylan cooking, although most of the time he was cleaning at this point, since all the orders were taken care of. Dylan turned and was greeted with a smile. The tall black man said, "Hey ho, JoJo, welcome back."

"Hey Dylan. Do you mind if I do some cleaning?"

Dylan shook his head. "Do your pebble thing, Mr. Pebble magician." Dylan had said it like an insult, but there was a smile on his face.

Joe did the dishes and cleaned them all up with the pebbles that he had in his pockets, dumping them in the sink and washing the pebbles off, making them easier to clean. He did the same with the rest of the kitchen as well. But it only took one pebble and he didn't have to clean up the floor and then one wall and then another wall. His ability was able to recognize the entire kitchen at this point, so he cleaned it in one go.

There was a sudden gasp, and Joe saw Dylan jump up, startled. Dylan looked at Joe and said, "Hey man, you need to warn me about when you do that. It's a great power, but when you see a bunch of dirt and grease just vanish in front of you, it's a little startling."

Joe laughed and said, "My apologies," as he walked over to help Dylan move a couple of things.

The cook said, “We're going to have to wait for these parts in this griddle to cool down before you could touch them.”

"Yeah, I'll do those at the end of the night. I'm gonna go eat my food before it gets cold," Joe replied.

Dylan said, "Wait a second."

Joe stopped and asked, "What's up?"

The cook sighed, and his shoulders sagged. While he cooked, he looked like ten years younger. Now that the most of the work was done, Dylan looked his age, maybe past seventy years old. His black hair was peppered with gray everywhere, wrinkles all over his face, both from age and from weariness. Dylan continued, "I have a good idea of what you can do, but I was just wondering if you have anything up your sleeve that could heal my granddaughter. She has some sort of illness, and even the local doctor doesn't know what it is."

Joe shook his head. "My ability works on objects, although I did just use it on a spirit, or I think it's a spirit, so I might have the capability."

Dylan brightened up, but Joe interrupted him. "So far, I haven't been able to affect living people, and I don't want to get your hopes up."

Dylan sighed. He said, "That's what I figured."

Joe explained to him his ability again, including the details and limitations. When he did, Dylan's eyes watered, but he blinked the tears away. His voice was rough. He said, "Yeah, you definitely can't help. I'm sorry."

Joe said, "Don't count me out yet. I'll try to think of a way to do it. Besides, my power is growing. I don't want to give you false hope though. I'll try to figure out a way to help her."

Dylan said, "Don't worry about it. Thank you. I'd like to save some money to take her to the city to see one of the doctors or priests. They are of high grade and might be able to dissipate her symptoms, if not cure her outright."

As Dylan bustled about, tidying up his duties and getting everything ship-shape for the next day, Joe slid back into his seat at the bar. He scooted down a few spots to give Ava and Thomas some privacy for their catch-up session.

The savory aroma of Joe's meal wafted up to his nostrils, making his mouth water in anticipation. He savored each bite in silence, relishing the flavors that danced across his taste buds.

But Joe wasn't content to settle for just any old brew to wash down his meal. Oh no. He had brought with him a pair of small, wooden containers filled with tantalizing spices, just waiting to be added to his beer.

With a deft hand, he began the delicate process of transferring the spices into his mug using his ability. He played with the proportions, tweaking the mixtures to achieve the perfect balance of taste and aroma. Back and forth he went, adjusting and readjusting until he hit upon the precise combination that sent his taste buds into a frenzy of delight.

Caroline approached him from the other side of the bar. She said, "David told me about how you transfer the taste of blueberries, and now you're doing it with different spices."

Joe nodded. He said, "Yeah, it's pretty great. Want to taste?"

Caroline moved a little bit from the other side of the bar, and she said, "Wow, this is wonderful."

Joe nodded. "Yeah,"

Caroline hummed to herself a little bit. "I have a couple ideas for you. But we'll have to get them approved by the man we buy the kegs of beer from."

Joe said, "Yeah, however I can help, I'd be glad to." He told her about what had happened with the mansion, how that could be his new home now, and his interaction with Thomas. She listened intently.

At the end of the story, Caroline gave him an impressed look. "You've been here a couple of days, and somehow got yourself a mansion in the process."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but I don't have a job. I'm not making any money. If it wasn't for you, Rick, and Ava, I would be a homeless guy destitute on the street."

Caroline nodded. "But it was your ability and strength of character that got you to where you are now. So don't discount that."

Joe sighed. He felt like he was talking to his mother again, which wasn't a bad thing. Joe thought about what he had done to the fireplace with Emily and her forge. He perked up.

Caroline noticed the curious expression and she grinned. "I know that look. You have an idea." Joe nodded. He said, "Yes."

He explained to her what he had done to Emily's forge, that he could probably do something similar. He finished explaining and added, "I could also create a barrier around the chimney and even enchant the chimney itself. That way it could resist heat more and prevent any fires from spreading."

Caroline’s eyes widened. She said, "I would like that very much. I definitely don't want my tavern and home to burn down. Can you do that right now?"

Joe said, "Yeah, it's pretty easy. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes."

Caroline blinked a couple of times, shook her head in wonder, and said, "I don't know who sent you, but I thank the goddess that you came our way."

Joe laughed, but his laughter was too loud, and Caroline gave him a strange look. "What's so funny?" she asked.

Joe explained that he had told the sheriff and Grace how he had come here from another world, not just another place or city, because the goddess Quinn had asked him to. They didn't believe him.

Caroline stared at him for a long moment, as if assessing whether what he was saying was true. Finally, she said, "I know you're telling me the truth, but it's very difficult for me to believe what you're saying."

Joe said, "It’s hard for me to believe too, you know."

Caroline said, "I know, it's just a lot to take in."

Joe asked, "What do you mean? Don't people know that gods and goddesses exist?"

Caroline leaned forward and said, "Yes, but very few people have interactions with them. Even priests don't have interactions with them."

Joe was surprised. "I thought they get their power from faith and pledging themselves to a god, right?"

Caroline shook her head. "Yes, but it doesn't mean that they've met them face to face."

Joe said, "Yeah, I met her twice."

Caroline slapped her forehead. "Twice? Who are you, Joe?"

Joe shrugged and said, "Just your average Joe."

He drew the conversation to a close and stepped out into the cool night air, his mind awhirl with ideas. As he strolled along, he kept his eyes peeled for the perfect pebbles to add to his collection. With each new find, he felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.

Returning to the kitchen, he set to work with a fervor, gathering up a handful of firewood and setting it alight with a flick of his wrist. The flames danced merrily, casting a warm glow over the room. Carefully, he picked up his pebbles, one by one, and began to work his magic.

With a deft touch, he infused each stone with the properties of the firewood, imbuing them with the power of flame. He added the conductivity of the doll knives, channeling their sharp edge and metallic essence into his creations. And then, with a final flourish, he transferred the heat resistance of the pebbles to the surrounding stones, the chimney, and even the wooden floor.

As he stood back to admire his handiwork, a sense of pride washed over him. He had transformed these ordinary stones into something extraordinary, something magical. And as he gazed upon them, he knew that there was no limit to what he could achieve.

With a flick of his wrist, he flung open the kitchen window, letting the cool night air rush in. His eyes darted about the room, analyzing every nook and cranny, every surface and space. And as he surveyed the scene, he felt a sudden surge of power and control.

With each pebble he touched, he felt a connection to the elements, to the forces that governed the world around him. He drew upon their power, their strength, and their resilience, infusing each stone with the heat and fire resistance it needed to protect this place he had grown to love.

He worked tirelessly, moving from pebble to pebble, channeling his energy into each one until the item description glowed with a brilliant "+53." He knew he couldn't get it any higher, not with the pebbles he had on hand, but that didn't stop him from trying. He longed to be even stronger, even more in control.

But for now, he was content with the knowledge that he had done something good, something right. He didn't know if fifty three was a good number or not, but it was better than +2. And that was enough for him. He smiled to himself, taking pride in the fact that he had helped to protect the people he had grown to care for.

Joe helped Dylan clean the rest of the pots and pans in the kitchen, and Dylan was relieved of his duties. He left, telling everybody good night. And by that point, all the customers had left and Ava was still talking to her grandfather. There were tears, lots of laughter, and quiet moments of silence that Joe had died from far away.

Finally, Ava ushered him over. She said, "Grandfather wants you to take him."

Joe said, "What? I thought he'd want to stay with you since, you know, you guys are related."

Ava shook her head. "He said he wants to keep an eye on you, so that you don't cause trouble in the mansion. And he wants you to take him to see Emily. Although, I think he's grown fond of you.”

Joe laughed. “He and I were kind of at odds when we first met."

Ava chuckled and said, "He can be that way with everybody. I'm just glad that someone I'm related to likes you."

Joe asked without thinking, "Why is that?"

Ava looked away and cleared her throat. "I mean, you know, it's just nice to have everybody like everybody."

Joe replied, "Okay, cool."

Ava smiled, and their eyes met again. She said, "Cool," in agreement.

Joe turned to both Ava and Caroline and asked, "Do you guys have dirty clothes? Are you going to clean those too and save me a day of laundry?

Caroline looked confused and said, "Yeah. Is there a limit to what you can do? It's not fair."

Joe laughed and replied, "Hey, I'm just your average Joe. Your local soup and pebble wizard."

Ava said, "Don't forget drapery wizard."

Joe added, "Yeah, that too. I’m expanding my repertoire."

Caroline beckoned to Joe with a wave, her eyes scanning his form as if sizing him up for a challenge. "Hold on," she said, disappearing upstairs with a swish of her skirt.

Minutes ticked by, and Joe was just about to call out to her when Caroline descended the stairs, arms piled high with mountains of clothes and sheets. With a nonchalant shrug, she dropped the heap onto the floor. The once spotless surface was now buried under a tsunami of dirty laundry, but Caroline didn't seem to mind.

Joe cautiously reached out to touch the pile, his fingertips brushing against the soft fabrics. It was almost as if his ability recognized the clothes as a single entity. Perhaps, he mused, his power had grown accustomed to the idea of cleaning clothes. He gripped a nearby pebble in his hand and focused on transferring all the grime and foul odors to it. As soon as he was done, Joe darted outside and tossed the filthy rock into a nearby bush, where it landed with a soft thud.

When he returned, Caroline was slumped over a stool next to Ava.  She was tired, but not exhausted like Joe had seen on the first night.

Rick walked into the room, looking a bit confused. "Why do you guys all look like you're about to fall asleep?" he asked.

Joe replied, "Long day. Had to deal with a ghost."

Rick stared at them, then looked at Caroline and Ava as if to check if he was in on some sort of joke.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you in bed later," she said. Then she perked up and asked, "Can you do the cleaning thing with him?"

Joe said, "Yeah."

He walked over to Rick and said, "Here, put your arms up."

Rick took an involuntary step back. "Are you going to set me on fire or something?" he asked.

Joe shook his head. "No. You know how we can clean kitchens? I can do that with your clothes too."

"Oh," Rick replied. Joe touched the man's clothes and a new window appeared, saying "outfit" instead of just "Rick's clothes."

That was nice. Maybe Joe should add "clothing wizard" to his repertoire. He took a pebble from the dugout and transferred all the nasty grime of the day from inside of the man's outfit and armor into his clothes.

The next instant, Rick jumped up in surprise.

"Whoa. That's crazy," he said. Joe opened the door and tossed the pebble outside. Rick walked over to his wife and sat on the stool next to her.

"Man, it sure is helpful to have you around," he said to Joe.

"Thanks. I'm glad to be useful," Joe replied. Everybody started to drink their beer and Rick's eyes widened.

"Is this our beer?" he asked. Caroline nodded towards Joe.

Rick turned to Joe and said, "You know, I really like you, boy. Like, I like you more than my own wife."

Caroline nudged him and he almost fell off the stool, but they both laughed about it.

Joe said, "Let me guess. You took some spices and fruit, put them in the beer, right?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah, it took a little bit of experimenting back and forth, but that's the taste."

Ava said, "You could do that with colors too, transfer the color of flowers into clothes." Her expression brightened.

"You know, I have a dress that will be great." Caroline added, "Joe, you could get-- I don't know how you're broke-- you could start a business and transfer the colors to cloth, or make swords stronger, or any number of other things, and make as much money as you wanted. I don't know why you're still here."

Joe sat down and started drinking his beer, which he had experimented with instead. "Honestly, that's a problem that I've been thinking about for a couple of days now," he said.

Rick blurted out, "A problem? How is that a problem? You can literally do anything where you put your mind to."

Joe sighed. "That is the problem. I wanted to come to Lockwood and live here. I don't want to be rich. I don't care about that. I just want to live a peaceful life, you know."

Rick stared at them, and a respect grew on his expression that wasn't there before. "I understand what you mean," he said. "If you seek greatness, others will try to bring you down."

Caroline's expression turned grim. "Yes, there seems to be a story there between the two of them," she said.

But Joe continued, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Ava said, "Wow, that's a beautiful thing to say."

Joe chuckled. "I didn't say it originally. It was a wise guy where I come from who said it. Anyway, I can't just start any old business. If I start a business and make it available to the public, it could affect the livelihood of someone else in this town, someone I may have never even met."

Everyone's eyes grew wide, and they went silent. After a moment, Caroline said, "You're worried about offending someone else's business. That's very thoughtful of you."

Joe said, "I don't know if it's thoughtful, but I just don't want to bring harm to others with my ability. I just want to do good. And the problem with doing good is that even if I intend to do good, like if I try to drastically improve someone's life, it could threaten someone else's livelihood."

Ava asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Joe gave Ava one of the many examples that he had thought of over the past couple of days while working on the mansion. He said, "Let's say I transfer colors to cloth and make them much brighter and more vivid, giving clothing colors that people have never seen before."

Ava's eyes widened in excitement and she said, "That would be wonderful!"

Joe replied, "Yeah, I agree. But for anybody who makes clothes, it might put them out of business. People might get bored with the clothes that they make. On top of that, not just the person who makes the clothes, but the people who sell the clothes, the tailors, the weavers, the spinners, even the people who provide the wool, the shepherds... You're right, it affects the whole supply chain. Anything that I do."

Caroline said, "That is a real problem."

Joe agreed. He said, "So now you understand my predicament."

Everyone went silent again for a little while, and then Rick said, "Do you have to make something to sell to people directly?"

Joe blinked. He said, "What do you mean?"

Rick continued, "Well, if you had a market stall, and people came by, they could buy from you directly. But if you're afraid of beating out the competition and outcompeting your neighbors, then why don't you sell to the neighbors directly?"

Joe felt his mouth hanging open. It was a genius idea. He thought about it a little bit longer. He said, "That's amazing, Ava. That's wonderful."

Ava blushed, and her eyes raced, her irises flooded to a vertical split again before going back to round. She looked away from Joe. She said, "Thanks. I'm just talking off the top of my head."

Joe said, "No, it's great. However, even doing it might hurt businesses."

Rick slammed his beer on the table and splashed some of it on the bar. Caroline gave him a displeased look. Rick continued, "A man can't be afraid of everything. It's okay to have concern. But to be afraid to take every step will make you regret your life. Our biggest regrets aren't the things that we do, but the things that we have left undone."

Joe stared at them. He found himself saying, "Wow, you sounded like some famous general or something."

Rick laughed and said, "The great and powerful Rick, at your service Joe. Talk or belong with him." Then he continued, "Okay, well, it is still a problem but not as big as the previous one before. I think this helps though. If I do decide to start a business or anything like that, I'll have to start slow and small. And I'll have to get the permission of everybody involved and inform them of what I can do and what I won't do."

Caroline said, "That's a lot of work to get done before you even start your business." Joe nodded and said, "I'd rather do it the right way than do it quickly."

Rick crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. He said, "Exactly. It's a good mentality to have."

Joe's heart raced with excitement, his mind spinning with possibilities. The mere thought of his newfound abilities sent shivers down his spine, and he could feel his fingers twitching with anticipation. It was a power that came with great responsibility, and he knew he would have to be careful.

But despite the daunting task ahead, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope flickering deep within him. For the first time in a long while, he felt as though he was surrounded by friends who would be there to support him through the inevitable bumps and blunders along the way.


-----------------


Okay, that's the chapters for today!

What are your thoughts on the story now?

-BC