Chapter 69 Four.
“So there’s nothing you can do about the gashes in my shoulder?” Isaac questioned.
Clayton shook his head. “No. The wood is already dead, that is probably the only reason you can even use it, so I won’t be able to heal it with plant magic.” He explained to the slightly annoyed Isaac. He was tired of tearing through armors like they were weekly fashion trends.
“We can cut out the destroyed parts and fill them in with something else.” Clayton offered. “The easiest option would be to just cover it with normal leather.”
“What would you fill them with?” Isaac questioned.
“There is this type of mushro-” Clayton was cut off by Isaac before he could even finish the word.
“No. Absolutely not.” Isaac cut in. “No mushrooms.”
“What is wrong with mushrooms?” Clayton asked while pushing up his glasses.
“A mushroom is what did this to my shoulder. That would quite literally be ‘injury to insult’.” Isaac protested.
“You drink mushroom tea don’t you?” Clayton argued back. “I am not seeing the problem here.”
“What about a piece of the mushroom responsible?” Lenna asked. “Then you would get some protection back. Just glue it in place or something.”
“I can magically bind the materials together.” Clayton offered. “That is the best I can do.”
Isaac thought about it for a long moment before conceding. “Fine.” He replied with a liberal dose of resignation like it was something he truly didn’t want to do.
“Twenty gold, the materials, and an hour is all I’ll need for it.” Clayton replied. Isaac nodded and left his damaged armor with Clayton with the promise of the necessary mushroom parts being delivered some time before the end of the next day.
“Now, Lenna lost… Lenna’s sword is no longer available.” Isaac stopped to amend his statement at the sudden spike in pressure from his mate’s gaze. “I know what I want a new one to do but I don’t know if Eliza is capable of it.”
“What did you have in mind?” Clayton asked. He still hadn’t received the research materials about the colors of mana so at present he really was still just the clerk at the local magic shop. It was a good job that paid well and saw him exposed to many new types of magic and people but his level was starting to stagnate. He really couldn’t wait for the research materials to arrive so he could start studying Isaac’s magic in detail.
“A red and black sword.” Isaac began. “The entire sword exists to exude death flames and real ones while hopefully boosting Lenna’s own to some degree. Is that even possible?”
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Clayton took out some paper and started scribbling down mathematic equations and weird magic symbols. After a few minutes he looked up from his work. “Technically, yes.” Clayton replied. “The sword would need to have an available surface area of almost two hundred square inches though if my math is right.” He looked back down at his work and shook his head. “It would need to be reenchanted after a few hundred uses. I don’t doubt that Eliza would be capable of making such a sword but I do doubt that he would want to. What you are asking for is a sword of legendary proportions. In order to maintain its own coating of real fire without bending, warping, or losing integrity it will need three levels of enchantments for each tier of flames. I assume you don’t want it to just be hot. If you want it to burn like a torch and actually be a worthwhile source of fire damage you are looking at nine levels of enchantments.”
“That’s already more than the assassins daggers the drow use.” Isaac cut in.
“Of course.” Clayton replied. “We are talking about a proper flaming sword. Unfortunately the death flames will be even more difficult. I asked Eliza what he knew about them a while ago and I assume you will be able to fill in the rest for me. Running off of the assumption that the colors of mana theory is true, your death flames are made entirely of dark or black mana, correct?”
“That’s correct.” Isaac agreed.
“You would need an enchantment that processes dark mana into these ‘death flames’. An enchantment that doesn’t exist yet mind you. Another to ensure their purity and finally the projection enchantment which would be different but similar to the basic one used with the normal flames.” Clayton explained. “Now at this point we are up to nine from the normal flames and probably nine again for the death flames, with the entirety of the runes necessary for it needing to be created based on the research of a long dead wizard and a mage who’s been learning magic theory in his spare time over the last month or so.” Isaac nodded in understanding. This sword would be no easy feat, if it was even possible. “Now that we are at eighteen levels of enchantment, we still need to make sure the sword can withstand the stress of normal use. Looking at your gear we can assume that one level of hardening and one of sharpening will be far from enough. I wouldn’t use less than three, preferably five of each. I know the heavy armor the dwarves are so proud of uses nine hardening enchantments and it is rumored to be completely immune to physical attacks.”
“So we are talking about somewhere between twenty four and thirty levels of enchantments.” Isaac all but whispered. He had never heard of someone packing that much magic into one item.
“We still haven’t increased Lady V’Nova’s personal power in any way at this point. Those enchantments are always far more intricate and usually work in their own groups of three, six, eight, or nine though they are far beyond me.” Clayton explained. “Hence the need for two hundred square inches of enchantable material.”
“The entire sword would be nothing but enchantments with a blade around it.” Isaac balked. “It would just be a slab of gold. How much would something like that weigh?”
“Would you like to have a lightening enchantment added?” Clayton questioned. “Oh, one more thing, the enchantments would need to be platinum and not gold or else the almost nonexistent magical friction from the enchantments will break apart the sword on the microscopic level. It would just end up falling apart in your hands after a century or so.”
“How much would something like that even cost?” Isaac wondered.
“Isaac, Lord Wexler, Darkness, you are talking about commissioning a weapon fit only for a demigod.” Clayton sighed and took off his glasses. He pinched and then rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “The price would be a favor owed. No one, and I mean no one, who would be willing to make something like this would charge you in gold. Probably because there isn’t enough of it for it to be a fair trade.”
Isaac swallowed hard. “So… do you think Eliza would do it?” He questioned.
“I can ask him but I believe he will send you to the only person who would make something like this in their right mind.” Clayton replied.
“And who is that?” Isaac wondered. Lenna leaned in as well. She had been only sort of paying attention up to that point. The sword may have been for her but Isaac was the one picking it out and she would be happy with anything he chose. She also knew that anything he chose would be for more than just cutting things but that was alright with her. She had no qualms with her or her sword being used in Isaac’s mind games. Now, however, her full attention was turned towards the conversation.
“Blade.” Clayton replied. “The demigod of Blades, forger of legendary swords, spears, axes, and arrows.” Clayton sighed again. “Unfortunately, even if you get him to make you one, he is known for taking decades if not centuries to make it.”
“Eliza is the fastest artificer.” Isaac stated. He had heard it a few times during his time in Safeharbor and no one had ever tried to argue a counter point so he took it as fact. “That’s why I want him to do it.”
“I’ll say something to him when I see him next but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” Clayton resigned. “Oh, as far as the cost is concerned, if I were to try and quantify something like this using conventional pricing, it would be two million gold if new enchantments didn’t need to be created from scratch.”
Isaac paled. “That’s enough to buy Safeharbor.” He argued.
“Yes.” Clayton replied. “It probably is.”
“Safeharbor is probably more like four.” Lenna cut in. Both of the young men turned to her with questioning expressions. “Four million gold, for Safeharbor.”