Lunch was a meager affair. Some meats and cheeses. That may not seem meager to many, but I’m absolutely craving anything but meat right now. Give me fruits and vegetables! Give me grains! Oh potato chips! I would sacrifice Rudgraer’s leg for but a bite! Alright, so maybe I’d do that anyway but the assertion stands.
After lunch, I try to enchant the sword with a lock and fire magic. Honestly, it’s more along the lines of heat magic since I’m just having particles get more excited. I shape the enchantment like an arrowhead. Theoretically, this should make anything in front of the blade and to the sides of it catch fire. I am curious, though – if this key and lock setup makes it possible to channel just raw mana into a key and the lock gives whichever programmed affinity, doesn’t this mean that I can make enchanted weapons that anyone of any attribute could use?
As I start enchanting the three-stone ring that Thavim brought I call him over, “Hey, Thavim.”
“Aye lad,” he comes over from sitting at the fire with the rest at a slight trot.
“What elements can you wield?”
“Lad, I know this mae’ sound a bit surprisin’ wha’ wi’ th’ king sendin’ all ‘is best with ye, but there’s actually dwarves tha’ cannae use magic at all.”
I look up from the ring I’m working on, “but I’ve seen you use magic! I saw you use it to identify those swords!”
“Aye, I can, but I can’t have ye thinkin’ that everyone around us can.”
“Sooo...which elements can you use?”
“Wind and water, lad. And only when enchantin’. Otherwise I can just push mana around a wee bit.”
“Is that typical for most dwarves and the reason why there’s a court wizard position?”
“Sometimes ye seem a bit too sharp, lad. Aye, correct on both accounts.”
“So did you enchant that couch in your living room yourself?”
Thavim lets out an audible sigh, “Lad, I’m gonna need ye t’ stop noticin’ things out loud.”
Oh. Guess that couch isn’t supposed to be in the house. I go back to enchanting the three-stoned ring. The middle stone is the key for the two outside stones. I make the left stone a key for the shield and the right for the sword. I then move on to enchanting the sword since that will be easiest. For the enchantment on the sword, I put it in the shape of an extremely tall and thin pyramid and have it super-excite molecules away from the blade.
Time to test! I get up from sitting on the ground and wander over to a boulder. I channel mana into the leftmost stone and can feel it redirected into the sword in my hands. Fortunately the sword doesn’t feel like it’s heating itself, that’s good. That was something I was pretty worried about. Can’t have a functional sword that smelts itself after all.
Extending from the edges and tip of the blade are hazy waves of heat. An experimental swing of the sword through the air leaves an ephemeral trail of fire that quickly dissipates behind like a nineties computer cursor trail. I stop channeling mana and the haze goes away. I experimentally touch the tip of the blade, and though it is warmer, it’s not altogether hot to the touch. This might work better in short bursts. A long time spent with it active might make the blade too hot to hold.
I reactivate the enchantment and attempt to slowly stab it into the boulder. The rock resists for but a moment before turning a reddish hue and sloughing off itself onto the ground below me and splashes a bit on my pants causing them to catch fire. I panic a bit and drop the sword in the attempt to put out the fire on my pants leg.
I can hear Thavim laughing himself silly behind me but Brondelle almost reverently picks up the sword. Yes, rather than helping me. Asshole. She takes an experimental swing that does not result in flames as it had for me and cocks her head to the side like a confused puppy.
I’m finally successful in putting out the fire on my pants and go over to retrieve the shield. Brondelle can hold the sword all she wants, she won’t be able to use it without the key – the ring currently around my thumb. Getting jewelry sized for one of seven winter such as myself seems quite the task, so thumbrings it is! Actually, I wonder if toerings would work. That would probably be uncomfortable to walk in or even fight in, so maybe not on the toe rings. But piercings?
I sit back down and enchant the shield with the shape of a pointed horseshoe, a pyramid at the point of it. All it should do is use telekinesis to move whatever is around the user from beneath foot level and spray it in front of them. Standing up, I move a bit away from the group and activate the leftmost jewel on the ring and the dirt in a semicircle around me rises up and shoots forward. Angling the shield slightly downward quickly builds a dirt mound in front of me – could be useful for a makeshift defense from arrows.
I retrieve the sword from Brondelle and channel magic into the rightmost gem, reactivating the sword. Then I switch to the shield gem again. Finally, I put the shield directly in front of me as if bracing for an attack, then lay the flat of the blade on the top of the shield and activate the middle gem. The mana is redirected into the two other gems and then into both the sword and shield. The dirt from the ground around me but before it can be sprayed forward, it gets turned into magma and with the added force from the blade it shoots forward. This is not a precision weapon, mind you, but more like something akin to a shotgun without a barrel. Magma spews forth from in front of the shield like an extreme closeup slow motion shot of someone sneezing.
I let out an excited ‘whoop!’ and shout towards Thavim, “Check it out! Magma blade! Lava shield? What do we call it?”
Thavim comes walking over followed closely by Brondelle and Winston. While I continue musing over a name out loud. “Fire shield and dirt blade? No, that doesn’t make sense. Hmmm. It isn’t exactly fire, it’s just really hot. Searingly hot. ‘Sear’ could work for the sword’s name, thought the word sear feels pretty weak. Scald is better. The ring can be Solstone, that one’s pretty cut and dry. The real problem is that the shield isn’t real earth magic, just telekinesis. That same spell while standing in a river should produce a smokescreen of fog which could probably be useful at some point. Oh! The french word for under is ‘sous!’ Which also sounds kind of weak. Sous and scald? Sousand Scald and the Solstone!”
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“Sousand Scald and Solstone, eh lad? Mighty fine name for a mighty fine weapon! These f’r King Thrumgar?” Thavim asks startling me from my mutterings.
“Yes. For now anyway. If he wants a better one before I leave, he’ll have to return this one and I’ll switch them out.”
“I don’t doubt tha’ ye can make a better one lad, but I donnae’ if th’ King will let ye take these back,” Thavim replies stroking his beard.
“This set more than satisfies the requirements he was looking for, I think. It even has protection against someone else using it against the King himself! I’ll demonstrate – take Sousand Scald,” I say while handing over the arming sword and shield but keeping the ring, “there, now activate them and attack me!”
I skip back a pace and wait. Thavim looks at the sword and shield a moment before a grin flower on his face.
“Aye, I see what ye mean lad. This should make a fine weapon f’r a King!”
“Oh, and Thavim, let’s not tell anyone but the King about the ring. In fact, you do it so I won’t accidentally spill the beans.”
“Now tha’s a mighty fine idea there, lad!” Thavim guffawed.
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Sure is nice to ride back to the city without my party having tried to kill me. I’m sitting quietly next to Winston musing with my clay balls when we hear a sound from the sky that is very reminiscent metal twisting slowly upon itself. Before we’re able to really search for the source of the sound a loud thoomp sounds next to us.
Brondelle is pinned to the ground by what looks like a scaly morning star. Following the spiked ball from where it pins her to the ground along it’s length reveals a long scaly tail connected to a pair of wings. Then it turns and looks at us.
A wyvern.
I gotta give Rudgraer props. He charges at the wyvern screaming at the top of his lungs while brandishing his (enchanted) two handed sword. Grateful for the distraction, I pull an arrow from my quiver and stick the clay ball on the tip and begin the enchanting. A for loop with only three iterations should be plenty. Instead of shaping the blow like a shotgun spread, I shape it like the light from a magnifying glass. I’m a little worried about the blast penetrating the hide of this beast.
Once it’s done, I hand it to Winston, who is standing in his seat with an arrow of his own nocked. I offer my arrow to him and he gingerly takes it. He almost seems more scared of the arrow than the wyvern. He nocks the arrow and draws while I channel mana into the clay ball. The for loop works flawlesssly and stops accepting mana once three iterations have passed. Fantastic!
Thavim and Rudgraer had been keeping it busy but without Brondelle they are receiving quite the thrashing. The wyvern bites down on Rudgraer and flings him away like a dog with a chew toy while it simultaneously bats Thavim away with a clawed fist at the tip of its wing. This is the chance we were waiting for! I squeeze Winston’s leg and he looses the arrow. It impacts on the wyverns chest making a small red hole. With a dull, wet thoom the entire back of the wyvern explodes outward and it collapses right where it stood.
Maybe that was too powerful. I think I have to work on balancing the number of loops with the shape charge type. But hey, this technically counts as a success! I scramble down from the wagon while Thavim and Rudgraer pry Brondelle free. Winston stays with the donkey so it doesn't run off on us.
"You okay Brondelle? You need some healing?" I ask once I make it to her.
She coughs and gasps as they finally manage to pry the talons out of her but she immediately starts in on the healing magic, a green glow emitting from her hand as she slowly starts to sit up. "I'm--" she pauses for another breath, her voice a bit raspy, "I'm okay."
"Rudgraer, Thavim?" I ask turning to the two front liners but both wordlessly indicate they don't require aid.
"Hey Winston!" I shout back to the guildmaster on the wagon, "Does this count as my first kill? I still gotta pay back Abe!"
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"Quite frankly, it be spectacular," Thavim decrees to King Thrumgar. "I'm thinkin' ye shoul' try it out rather than havin' us describe it t' ye. Better surprise tha' way."
King Thrumgar lets out a good chuckle at this, "Ah Thavim, you never change. Fine! Let us to the dueling area!" The two of them get up from their places at the conference table, the arming sword and shield already in the Kings hands.
"You guys have a dueling arena?" I ask as i scoot back from my own chair.
"Aye," Thavim replies, "cuts down on crime if'n we have th' people deal wi' their own disputes early on."
The guards are in a bit of a tizzy now though. The four that are usually semi-hidden all ran out of the conference room and an entire platoon of guards are formed up and looking like they're prepared to escort us all to the arena.
Thrumgars brow creases in frustration, "Captain."
"Aye Sir." A guard with what a bit more golden trim to their silver plate armor steps forward.
"I believe we've had this conversation before. I'll not walk around with a full armed party at all times in my own kingdom. If you must have someone accompany me, you may choose two men to do so," Thrumgar states not pausing in his stride toward the arena. The captain himself and the closest guard to him ended up tagging along.
We take a few twists and turns through the palace until we come to a large double set of doors and the two guards open it for us. Inside is what looks very similar to a Roman coliseum what with the stone benches in a circle around a dirt pit and all.
"Wait, your arena is inside the palace?" I ask. "Wouldn't it be more accessible to the public if the intent is to quell crime by allowing the two conflicting parties slug it out?"
"Aye, we've 'ad arguments both fer an' against jus' tha' lad," Thavim responds. "Th' consensus bein' tha' if the two people are mad enough to use an arena, there needs be someone official t' stop them an' declare one of 'em th' victor. Else they jus' go til one of 'em no longer breathes. And if the fight wasn't all tha' serious, they just settle it outside th' tavern."
We make it down to the dirt in the center. Unlike the Roman coliseums, the audience seating is not raised but at the same level as the fighters.
"Hey, King Thrumgar? Do you think we could discuss these items in private?" I ask, indicating the guards that have accompanied us in here.
He glances at Thavim, who nods. Thrumgar makes a hand signal and the guards exit the room and close the door behind them.
"Oh right, I guess I asked you to explain this part Thavim. Sorry, did I just step on toes?"
"Not t' fret, lad. Go on, then," he replies.
I take off the ring from my thumb and hand it to Thrumgar explaining how neither the sword nor shield can be activated without this ring. He looks positively starstruck at the novelty of enchanted weapons that only one person can use. He activates the sword first and does a few experimental swings, leaving behind the ephemeral afterimages of fire. Then the shield and it pulls the dirt up from around him into a spray in front of him. I have him try the both of them sending a spray of magma in front of him and he seems positively thrilled. I've seen children less excited in toy aisles.
"It's not strictly the earth element," I notify him. "Theoretically, if you were standing on water this would produce steam and I haven't tried it on solid rock at all yet."
"Well! No time like the present!" Thrumgar declares and emits a bit of gravel-speak. What looks like solid granite circular podium about two meters in diameter rises out of the dirt with him standing atop of it. And before I can offer an words of warning he's already trying it out.
To my surprise, it works fantastically! The rock looks like gradually break apart from in front of the user and rises up before being superheated and blasted away by the sword. Not all of it turns into magma this time, so it's more of a spray of magma and hot rocks, but hey! Nothing truly seemed to have gone wrong, so that's a definite plus! Especially since I was the one that sent the guards out of the room. I've a suspicion that I would have been blamed or accused at attempted assassination if something had actually gone wrong.
"Alvis," Thrumgar is looking intently at the sword, a beaming smile on his face, "consider your title earned!"