Sitting down at the workbench, Jake opened the pouch before he began to unpack. Setting each material down in front of him, he silently arranged them into piles, making it easier to keep track of. Setting the last Purified Core into its pile, he moved back as he did a mental recount.

One pile of bone cylinders.

Another pile of steel ingots.

Two piles of leather, one cured and the other not.

Finally, a pile of nearly 40 Purified Cores, glowing like gems.

Now, to make something.

'An ax could work,' he thought as he pulled himself back to the workbench. It'd be a decent way to get other materials while also serving as an extra weapon. 

Grabbing some of the bone cylinders, he let out a small breath before closing his eyes.

Reforge.

Feeling a warmth consume his hand, he immediately brought an image to mind. An ax-head, thick enough to be able to fell a tree, while light enough to  still be an effective weapon. Something to divide both flesh and wood with ease.

Feeling the warmth die, he opened his eyes to see the result. An axehead of white laid in his hands, nearly the size of his face. Rubbing his thumb across the sharpened edge, he felt the blade dig into his skin, but not split it. 

Now for the handle.

Grabbing some more materials, he wrapped the bone and Cores in the cured leather before closing his eyes.

Reforge.

Feeling the warmth wrap his arms, he immediately brought an image to mind. A simple handle, similar to that of a fire ax, wrapped in textured leather. Opening his eyes, he saw exactly what he envisioned in his hands. Grabbing the axehead, he slid the handle into place before grabbing both a bone cylinder and a Purified Core. Putting his hand on the side of the axehead, he let out a small breath before closing his eyes.

Reforge.

Feeling the warmth wrap his hand, he immediately brought a word to mind. A simple command, a way to bring something together.

Meld.

Feeling the warmth fade from his hand, he opened his eyes to see the completed product. Sturdy, yet light. Thick enough to split wood in half, while light enough to be used in a fight.

‘This’ll work,’ he thought before taking a glance at the leftover materials. He ended up using a decent chunk of bone, leather, and Cores to craft it, proving to not really be viable. That was a pretty big efficacy issue.

Getting up from his seat, he rested the ax on his shoulder before making his way out of the workshop.

Guess he’ll have to go out for better materials. It’d also be good to test it out, anyway.

Stepping off the platform, Jake made his way over towards the portal hub, newly made ax in hand. As he made towards one of the portals, he paused as he felt the air shift. It became…colder, as if winter entered the building. Turning around, he saw that everyone was standing still, their gaze transfixed on something. Following their line of sight, he saw a face he was familiar with. Hair of flowing ivory, accompanied by eyes of gleaming silver. 

‘Huh,’ he thought as he watched the lady walk over to one of the portals, the sound of her footsteps echoing through . He had to admit, seeing Snow White not on a screen is a rather different experience. From her gleaming armor to the presence of the sword on her hip, she seemed…not real. It was as if she was out of a myth, a figure that could only be spoken about, but never seen in person.

Strange.

'Eh, it doesn't concern me,' he thought before turning around and continuing on his way. It wasn’t really his problem, so he really didn’t care.

As he stepped through the portal, he found himself in the middle of a town square, people passing by.

Stepping down from the platform, he quickly made his way through the cobblestone streets, weaving through the people around him. 

As he made his way through the crowds of people, he found himself in front of a massive gate. He stepped forward, he noticed something. At the base of each side, there seemed to be some type of altar. A small flame seemed to lay in front of it, with people often stopping in front of it and leaving something. 

‘Must be some type of good luck ritual,’ he thought, tilting his head. He doesn't really see how it helps, but to each their own.

Stepping past the gate, he quickly made his way into the forest. Looking over the trees he came across, he found himself in front of a lone tree. Towering over him, he watched the branches bend and creak against the wind. Reaffirming his grip on the ax handle, he let out a small breath before swinging, the edge digging into the wood. Yanking the blade out of the wood, he then slammed the blade into the same spot, digging deeper into the wood. With each swing, the wood opened, the large gap slowly growing.

‘This seems like enough,' he thought. Readying another swing, he let out a small breath as he felt a strength in his arms. Shifting his feet, he then slammed the ax into the tree, cleaving through the bark and wood.

As the tree fell to the ground, he took a quick glance at the ax in his hands. Numerous cracks now lined the head and handle, with the edge extremely chipped.

‘Won’t be needing this anymore,’ he thought before tossing the ax to the side. Making his way towards the felled tree, he knelt down before putting his hand on the bark and closing his eyes.

Reforge.

Feeling a warmth wrap his body, he immediately brought two images to the front of his mind one is a piece of wood, similar to a brick. The other image was that of rope, wrapped in itself.

As he felt the heat fade, he opened his eyes to see the result. In his hand was a massive wrap of twine, almost like that of a ball. Putting the ball of rope in his bag, he then turned his gaze towards the other item. A stack of wooden bricks laid in front of him, nearly up to his waist. As he started to put the blocks away in his pouch, he couldn't help but notice the weight. It was similar to that of a brick, despite being a lighter material.

Odd.

Putting the last brick in the pouch, he took a quick glance at his watch. He could go on a small hunt, past the time. It'd give him a way to get a refill of his materials.

‘Might as well,’ he thought before going deeper into the forest. It’d be a good time waster.