HC: Handyman | Ch. 167 - Wax Resist

Author's note:

After reading your comments, I've returned to this chapter and rewritten the second half. I think it's a solid improvement, and now Jack's journey through the etching recipe feels much more earned. Let me know what you think!

*

After an XP-grinding session by the pot hive and another one down at the well, Jack had fixed everyone a meal and had come running to the battlefield, waiting for wave 18 to hit.

Things were going a little different than he had imagined.

Jack stared, wide-eyed, at the spectacle unfolding before him. Marie had yet to throw a single bomb. Christoff kept loosing arrows at the romies, but even he seemed half-hearted about it, as if questioning whether his shots were even necessary.

The four bears were tearing through the romie horde. The two males, in particular, were going all out. They reminded Jack of a pair of overzealous wrestlers in a grand performance. They weren’t just swiping their massive paws or biting down on the smaller creatures—they were showboating. 

They crashed into the romies with full-body tackles, rolling and twisting mid-air before slamming back down, sending stunned enemies flying in every direction. They kicked, clawed, and even trampled over the weaker romies, their movements fueled by a raw, competitive energy.

One of them flung a romie over his shoulder in a perfect arc, only to roll onto his back and kick another straight into a boulder. The other launched himself into a spinning tackle, crashing down so hard that cracks spread through the ground beneath him.

And the reason for their wild ferocity was clear.

The females, who feigned disinterest, were watching. Not overtly, of course, but the occasional side-glance, the way their ears twitched in acknowledgment, gave them away. The males, fully aware of it, doubled down, each move more theatrical than the last. A particularly ambitious one even reared up and slammed his paws into the earth as if demanding applause.

Marie let out a low whistle. "I guess love really is a powerful motivator, huh?"

Jack exhaled, shaking his head. "I used to think allosaurs were the scariest thing out there, but even an allosaurus would take one look at these guys and run for the hills. God forgive me, but I’m just glad these bears are extinct."

Finally, after what felt like mere moments, the males had their fill. With one final huff, they trotted off, dragging a portion of their kills. One of the males huffed and flicked his ears, sneaking a glance toward the females. Seeing one of them idly licking her paw, pretending not to notice, he let out a short, self-satisfied grunt and trotted off with the arrogance of a champion.

What remained of the romie horde was in tatters. Any other army would have broken ranks and fled. But bound by the relentless programming that drove them toward the fortress, the romies pressed on, summoning whatever scraps of courage they had left. They charged for the first ditch, their movements desperate, their formations ragged.

Jack considered pulling out the ocarina, but after watching how effortlessly Marie was finishing off the stragglers, it felt like overkill. This fight was already over. Wave 18 had collapsed as quickly as it had arrived.

Wave 18 cleared.

+1 breach point.

Marie grinned, stretching her arms. “Well… those bears sure are incredible! I barely used any stamina. I think I’ll just head straight to my next pin.”

"A-are you sure? I can make you something to eat first."

“No need.” She waved him off and took off toward one of the unexplored pins. 

Christoff, too, gave a slight shrug before heading back toward the fortress. 

Jack exhaled, shaking his head. It barely felt like a fight. If this kept up, the fortress wouldn’t even need defenders—just an arena for the bears to show off.

I guess it’s time to pick up the spoils then.

He positioned the vases in the place with more carcasses and played Clay Dome. There was a ring after going through the better part of the battlefield.

Congratulations! You’ve reached level 9 in [Butchering]!

[Meat Carving] has been upgraded.

Meat Carving (Common)

Skill level: 2

Skill description: Whereas amateurs might miss cuts of meat that are less obvious in the carcass, you leave nothing behind and make the most of nature’s bounty.

Skill effects: 

You can harvest meat from creatures that wouldn’t normally drop it. For creatures that already drop meat, you’ll extract larger yields.

There’s a chance of obtaining a prized cut of meat with every harvest.

Jack examined the skill upgrade, his brow furrowing. "Prized cut of meat?"

Up until now, all he’d ever gotten was just… meat. No distinctions, no fancy cuts—just slabs of flesh dropped into his inventory. As far as he knew, it was all the same, whether it came from a romie or a roach.

The only real variation he’d noticed was when Tenderizing Repercussions kicked in, occasionally upgrading a piece to exquisite quality. But if this skill upgrade meant what he thought it did, was he about to start collecting actual cuts? Sirloin roach steaks? Romie picanha?

The thought made him chuckle. Yet another way to improve my cooking, I suppose.

Still, it wasn’t just his cooking that was improving. He’d gained two full levels in Butchering during wave 17 and now one more, pushing him to level 9. He was almost at the maximum level! Not bad, considering the bears had hauled off half of the battlefield before he could even get to it. 

He wasn’t complaining, though—he’d still managed to process plenty of carcasses, and every bit of progress counted. 

Jack swept his gaze over the rest of the battlefield. He had already worked through the biggest clusters of corpses. What remained was scattered too thinly to be worth the effort of setting up his vases for XP grinding. Hauling them around would take too long.

I really need to find a better way to move my vases.

That was a problem for later. Right now, he had something else to focus on.

Turning away from the field, he started back toward the fortress.

Jack opened the game’s menu and pulled up the etching recipe.

[The One-Eyes and the Bears]

Recipe:

Etching pattern 1: Peace

Etching pattern 2: Preyed Upon

Etching pattern 3: Battle

Etching pattern 4: Retreat

"OK! So there are four patterns."

Each pattern came with an illustration, and he also had videos and pictures of the cave of the One-Eyes stored in his VRX helmet’s memory for reference.

Thankfully, even a kid could make these.

The One-Eyes’ artwork was simple—picturesque but flat, with little depth. Even though Jack didn’t think of himself as an artist, he felt confident enough in making these with a little practice.

The first decision was what to etch them onto. Should he carve all four patterns onto different sides of a single piece? Or should he make four separate pieces, each dedicated to one image?

He thought back to the exhibits he’d seen at the museum. The sequence of a blacksmith forging a sword and a statue had been etched across four different vases. Making separate pieces also had clear advantages. If he messed up one vase, he’d only have to redo that part instead of throwing out everything. That settled it—four vases, each carrying a chapter of the One-Eyes' story.

As for the type of piece itself, he’d also go with what he’d seen at the museum. The pieces in the exhibit were about knee-high—medium-sized, which made sense. The finer details would have been impossible to etch if they had been too small. If they were too large, the project would take forever.

Jack got to work, shaping four mid-sized vases by hand. He missed having a potter’s wheel; pinch vases were fine, but the wheel always gave the curves a more natural, artistic flow. Still, he made do, carefully molding each one. Before long, the four vases were drying to the leather-hard stage—firm enough to hold their shape but still soft enough for carving.

He flexed his fingers and eyed the smooth surfaces. "How should I etch them?"

He had two options. The first was the traditional method: carving directly into the clay. The second was using his new skill.

Wax Resist (Common)

Skill level: 1

Skill description: With your pottery expertise, you can use beeswax to create intricate patterns and designs by preventing glaze or dye from adhering to specific areas.

Skill effects: Use wax to create patterns on pottery before glazing.

Jack hesitated. He hadn't tested the new skill yet, so he decided to stick with what he knew.

The first pattern, Peace, depicted the One-Eyes herding their goats.

For a moment, he simply stared at the vase, visualizing the scene in his mind’s eye.

I’ll start with the broad lines and then work my way to the finer details.

He pressed his bushcraft knife into the clay, carving the outline of a goat. The body, the head—so far, so good. But as he added the curve of a horn, the blade slipped.

Argh. It’s ruined.

He exhaled sharply and turned the vase over. If he was already making mistakes this early, he'd probably keep making them. Might as well use this one for practice.

He tried again, adjusting his grip, focusing harder. When he reached a goat’s eye, the blade caught—then jerked, tearing through the line.

Jack swallowed. The One-Eyes’ paintings looked so simple, as if even a child could make them. But carving them with a knife? That was an entirely different challenge.

Frustration mounting, he set the vase aside and grabbed another. Then another. No matter how steady his hand or how carefully he worked, the knife refused to cooperate.

The blade either skated across the surface, leaving stray lines that ruined the design, or it caught, forcing him to press harder just to make a mark. His movements grew stiff and clumsy.

Four vases. All ruined.

Jack scowled, gripping the knife tighter. It felt wrong for this kind of work—too rigid, too crude.

Knives were fine for geometric patterns, straight lines, or simple wave-like designs. But organic shapes needed something more delicate, something that flowed. No wonder Felix guarded his treasured carving horn so fiercely.

There was no helping it. He had no choice but to switch to [Wax Resist].

Jack grabbed a wet cloth and evened out the surface of the vases he’d been working on, wiping clean his earlier attempts with a knife. He set them aside to dry again to the leather-dry stage.

In the meantime, he grabbed a chunk of wax, turning it over in his hands. How does this wax resist thing work? What do I do now? Apply this to the piece directly?

As soon as the vases had tried enough, he tried rubbing the wax against the clay as if it were chalk, hoping it would transfer smoothly. Instead, the wax crumbled and left behind uneven streaks. When he tried pressing harder, it simply flaked off, refusing to adhere properly.

I’m doing something wrong here.

Jack glanced over at the pot where the terracoat was still tempering his hat, and a memory clicked into place.

The wax.

He had thrown it into a hot pot earlier and watched it melt effortlessly into liquid. 

Without wasting another second, he set a chunk of wax in a small pot and placed it over the fire. As the heat worked its magic, the solid wax softened, then pooled into a smooth, golden liquid.

Jack nodded to himself. This should work.

Once the wax was ready, Jack grabbed one of the brushes he always carried for glazing pottery. Taking a deep breath, he dipped the bristles into the warm liquid.

Before bringing the brush to the vase, Jack hesitated.

Maybe I should experiment with the technique first before painting the full scene.

He decided to start small—just a single goat.

The moment the brush touched the vase, the difference was immediate.

No more strain in his wrist. No more resistance. The bristles glided effortlessly across the surface, smooth and controlled.

Jack painted the goat with careful strokes. The details that had given him so much trouble—the eyes, the horns—came together with ease. No more stiff, clunky lines. No more fighting against the knife’s rigid edge.

But then he frowned.

I can’t see what I’m doing.

The biggest drawback of this technique, at least so far, was that the wax was nearly transparent. It left behind only a faint, wet sheen on the vase, making it difficult to track what he'd already painted.

Tilting the vase toward the firelight, he squinted, trying to catch the glossy strokes in the flickering glow. Even then, he had to rely on memory and intuition to piece the design together. He traced the brush along where he thought the lines should be, hoping he wasn’t overlapping or leaving gaps.

When he finally pulled back, he let out a breath. “Good… That should do it.”

He leaned back and examined his work.

Despite all the effort he’d poured into painting the goat, all he saw was a beige pot with barely visible markings. The design was there—just frustratingly faint.

Jack reread the skill’s description.

After making the pattern with wax, I have to add the glaze.

Nodding to himself, he prepared a bowl of slip. Switching brushes, he dipped one into the mixture and smeared it over the vase.

The effect was instant.

The wet clay clung to every exposed surface, but where the wax had been applied, it slid right off, forming crisp, distinct lines. What had once been a nearly invisible design now sprang to life.

Watching his faint design emerge, the wax shielding the clay beneath from the slip, felt almost like magic.

It reminded him of a toy his mom had given him as a child—an invisible ink pen that only revealed its markings under a UV flashlight. He used to scribble secret messages, then grin as they appeared out of nowhere under the soft purple glow.

Just like then, the image had always been there, hidden. It only needed the right trick to bring it to life.

Jack’s eyes lit up. He had always found glazing relaxing, but this—this was something else.

So cool!

He kept glazing, eager to see the full effect. But as the complete pattern revealed itself, his excitement wavered.

The technique itself looked incredible. Coating the entire piece in glaze and letting the unglazed sections form the design had a striking effect. Sadly, the goat looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

One leg jutted out at an impossible angle, and a horn was sprouting awkwardly from the creature’s neck. Jack's face burned. Being unable to track the pattern because of the wax’s transparency was going to take some getting used to.

On the plus side, the lines were crisp. And unlike with the knife, he actually felt like he could improve with practice.

Satisfied, he grabbed a fresh vase and started again.

Ch. 166 - Fiber Tempering

INDEX

Ch. 168 - Broth