“Okay, Stony, we’ve got light and warmth,” Ike said, leaning over to retrieve the stone. He winced from the pain in his side. “So, steps one and two achieved. That’s the good news. And we’ve got a weapon now, too. Not a good one of course, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.”
“The bad news is we had to use it.” Ike’s eyes searched the hallway ahead for any signs of movement. “Where there’s one monster, there’s probably more, and I’m in no state to take on more right now. Figuring out where we are would be nice, but it’s secondary at this point. Our next priority is safety and recovery. I need to eat, drink, rest, and tend to my wound.”
Ike started following the thief’s blood trail, checking rooms as he passed. Many were inaccessible, collapsed or blocked by rubble. The hall itself was nearly impassable at several points, forcing him to climb over debris. The rooms Ike could enter didn’t seem to hold anything of value. From the destroyed furniture, he guessed they’d been living quarters. He considered using Minor Reshape to turn the materials into something useful but, when none of his mana had recovered several minutes later, decided to hold off.
As Ike rounded a corner, a closed door stood out to him. The blood trail led past rather than through it, but the door itself was intact. Not just intact even, but normal. He moved over to it and saw a small plaque at eye level that read, “Apothecary Ulstraed.”
Ike put his hand to the doorknob but flinched back. It was cold to the touch. It wasn’t just the doorknob, either; Ike passed his hand over the surface of the door and felt a noticeable chill emanating from the other side.
“That’s weird, but there might be something in here I can use,” Ike muttered to himself. He gave the doorknob a quick turn and found it locked. Then, on pure instinct, he knocked.
“Just a minute,” came a woman’s voice on the other side, causing Ike to jump. He heard something being set down and the rustling of fabric before the door unlocked and opened in front of him, spilling light out into the hallway.
“Yes?” said the bespectacled woman on the other side, giving Ike a polite smile. She had slightly messy brown hair set in a side plait and wore a simple periwinkle dress that bore several stains, some fresh. Like the door and the woman, the room beyond was a contrast to the rest of the dungeon, filled with intact furniture, hanging herbs, cupboards filled with bottles and jars, a small water basin built into the far wall, and even a few flowers Ike was sure must be decorative rather than medicinal.
Idalia Ulstraed Level ?
Your Identification skill is not high enough to gain information about this target.
Attack: ? Defense: ? Health: ? / ?
Ike considered the window briefly before dismissing it. It didn’t tell him anything other than her name. The fact that it resembled the format of the zombie’s information wasn’t helpful; for all he knew, this was the way every character or monster looked. He didn’t have a basis for comparison yet.
Ike opened his mouth to speak when the chill of the room hit him. The rest of the dungeon was manageable – with clothes on, anyway – but the apothecary’s room must have been below freezing. “Uh, hi there,” he said awkwardly. “Do you… treat wounds?”
“Ah. You’re in the right place,” the apothecary said cheerfully. “Come on in.” She drifted back into the room, seemingly unaware or unconcerned about the cold.
“Thank you,” Ike said, following her. He hugged himself and rubbed his arms to ward off the chill. “Why do you keep it so cold in here?”
“It’s not so bad,” the apothecary said, gesturing for him to sit in a chair in a corner of the room. “Winter comes early on the Rim. You get used to it.” She pulled up a stool and sat uncomfortably close, wagging a finger toward his tunic. “Let me see.”
Ike frowned, not fully understanding her, but chose not to argue. He took off his tunic, flinching as the rough linen scraped the wound. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to make his clothes such a close fit.
“Are you a recruit for the war? What’s your name?” the apothecary asked, examining under Ike’s arm.
“Uh, no. I’m not a soldier,” Ike said. “I just woke up here a little while ago. My name’s Ike. Where am I, exactly?”
The apothecary nodded, apparently done assessing the injury. “I’ve got just the thing.” She rose and walked across the room to search a cupboard filled with bottles and jars of various concoctions. She spoke over her shoulder as she went about her business. “Nice to meet you, Ike. I like people with unusual names. Mine’s Idalia.”
Idalia retrieved a wide, flat jar of ointment and returned to sit next to Ike. “Refugee, then? You’re in Austrin Fortress. Don’t worry; we treat civilians no matter which side they’re on. Not much point to win the war if nobody’s left alive to enjoy it, right?” She gave a bright smile as she started applying the ointment.
Ike gasped. The ointment was like ice. Or was it Idalia’s fingers? He started to get a sinking feeling and gulped involuntarily. “That’s very kind, Idalia. Do you mind if I ask why the fortress is mostly abandoned ruins? I mean, all except this office?”
Idalia stopped what she was doing. Her eyes were on Ike, but they took on a distant look. “What… do you mean? The fortress is the same as always.” Her voice had a dreamy quality.
If there were zombies in this dungeon, what else was there? “Idalia, what’s the last thing you remember before I knocked?”
“I was… preparing more poultice?” Idalia said with so little conviction it became a question. She gave the desk a puzzled look.
“When’s the last time anyone has come by?” Ike pressed gently. He kept one eye on Idalia and the other on the door, which was still open. He mentally prepared himself to make a break for it if things got ugly.
“The soldiers are at the front right now,” Idalia said, her voice touched with a hint of desperation. She hugged herself and started rocking on her stool. “Sometimes they don’t come back for weeks. Things are quiet right now, that’s all.”
Ike reached out to touch Idalia’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. His hand passed through and he felt icy pain course up his arm. He gasped and jerked it back in surprise.
Health: 3 / 6
“Idalia, I think…” Ike couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought.
Idalia’s gaze lifted back up to meet Ike’s and there was a look of realization and despair. “They left me,” she said, weeping. Her voice took on a hollow quality like it was echoing from farther away, and her body became translucent. “I took care of them. Treated them. They said they’d protect me. Then the enemy came to take the pass...”
Ike knew running while the ghost was distracted would be the smart move. Nothing about this world had been friendly so far and he was already at half health. Nevermind that his bat would probably just pass through her. If it came to a fight, he was a goner.
Despite all that, Ike found himself pausing to look at Idalia. He wondered how long she’d been here. Years? Decades? Was delusion something that happened to all ghosts, like a side effect of their condition? Or was it just the reaction of a normal woman who had been betrayed, trapped, and abandoned for all that time.
“I’m sorry,” Ike said. He gave her a sad smile. “What they did… it wasn’t right. You seem nice. I’m sure you tried to make things better for people.” He gestured toward the colorful potted plants, “I can tell from your flowers.”
“My flowers,” Idalia said, turning her gaze to them. She stared at them with longing for several seconds before they vanished. Much of the rest of the room followed suit. Her real desk sat at an angle, one leg having succumbed to rot. Her herbs had fallen and decayed to dust. The door remained on its hinges but had several large holes in it. And there, curled up in the corner opposite them, was a skeleton dressed in what might have once been a periwinkle dress.
“I’m not sure if I can,” Ike said, “but I’d like to help you. Is there anything I can do?”
Idalia wiped her eyes and turned back to him. “I’m sorry. It’s been so long… I guess I just felt better pretending it had never happened. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s okay, really,” Ike said with a smile. “People come to you because they’re hurt or sick, right? Well, who takes care of the doctor when she needs help? Maybe there’s a way I can make it better.”
Idalia smiled at that. The expression was still sad, but it was genuine. “I guess it would be nice to move on. I think something bad happened here… the day I died. Dark magic, maybe. I think something’s keeping me here. If you lift the curse on the fort, maybe I can leave.”
New Quest: Cleanse the Cursed Fortress
In a war long ago, a vile curse was laid on Austrin Fortress to keep the dead from their rest. In the siege that followed, every casualty became a new enemy, until at last the fortress fell. The ghost of the apothecary Idalia Ulstraed has asked that you eliminate the source of the curse and put an end to her long suffering.
Ike wasn’t surprised to see the quest alert and he didn’t hesitate to accept it. “I’ll do everything I can, Idalia.”
She smiled. “Well, not while you’re hurt, you’re not. You came to get healed, after all. I’d hate to turn you away just because I can’t touch you. Come check my desk.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Ike followed Idalia to the back of the room as she advised him where he could still find items of use. He felt like a nurse preparing a doctor for surgery, laying out knives, saws, clamps, drills, retractors, gauze, bandages, needle, thread, and a tooth extractor. “Is all of this necessary?” Ike asked, wide-eyed.
“Just seeing what’s still usable after all this time,” Idalia explained. She pointed him over to her cupboard next. “It’s not like I can use it anymore, and you’ll be going back out once I patch you up. Maybe there’s something that might help you.”
Ike opened up the cupboard. The contents of the bottles and jars had long ago decayed into uselessness. Some of the tools were still serviceable, though. He added a mortar, pestle, scales, tinderbox, and a tea kettle to the pile on the desk. “Well, I should be able to get a fire going, at least,” Ike said.
“I saved the best for last,” Idalia said, gesturing to the bottom drawer.
Ike opened it to find half a dozen jars in pristine condition. All of their contents appeared to be fully intact. A blocky, hourglass-shaped rune was inscribed into each of their lids.
Timeless Jar Durability: 1 / 1
A simple glass jar used for storage.
Preservation: Prevents contents from aging. The effect is suspended while the lid is removed.
“They were important to my work,” Idalia explained while Ike moved the jars onto the desk. “Some of the herbs and spices I needed to treat my patients aren’t local. Others have short seasons or go bad quickly after they’re harvested.”
Idalia looked over the items Ike had arranged. “Not much to work with, but let’s give it a shot. We’re going to bandage your frostbitten hand and pack the abrasions on your chest. Get the scales and those two jars on the end, the ones marked bergamot and lavender. And that one there. Yes, the rosemary. The basin is fed by a spring, so the water should still be good.”
Ike followed Idalia’s instructions. He measured the herbs with the scales, ground them into powder with the mortar and pestle, and mixed them with water from the basin. Then he spread the mixture on the back of the bandages and followed along carefully as Idalia explained how to dress his wounds. Despite her cheerful disposition, Idalia was serious about her craft and strict with Ike about his technique.
Health: 4 / 6
You have learned the skill: Healing Arts 1
You have gained experience.
“Thanks for the lesson, Idalia. You’re a life-saver,” Ike said, smiling as much at her as the notifications.
“It’s nothing,” Idalia said, though Ike could tell she was pleased with the praise. “It’s just nice to have a real patient for a change.”
Ike looked at the jars. One was empty after making the bandages. “Say, Idalia, how attached are you to that jar? There’s something I’d like to try out, but it might break.”
“Go ahead,” Idalia said. “You’re welcome to use anything here if it’ll help you. Besides, it doesn’t make much sense to stay attached to things when I’m trying to move on. You can’t take it with you and all that.”
Ike nodded his thanks and touched the jar, activating Harvest Enchantment. He watched as the hourglass-shaped rune on the lid flared with light before vanishing.
Mana: 2 / 9 (-1)
Timeless Jar has lost the enchantment: Preservation
Timeless Jar has been renamed: Jar
Jar’s remaining enchantment capacity: 1 / 1
You have learned the enchantment: Preservation
You have gained experience.
You have recovered 1 mana drain.
Mana: 3 / 10
“Aha!” Ike said. He was starting to understand his class. Enchanting items caused mana drain, which was permanent and reduced his maximum mana. Harvesting enchantments removed them from an item and let him reclaim drained mana. As a bonus, he’d also learn the enchantment if he didn’t know it already. He looked out over the other five jars and started to formulate a plan.
“What’s with that face?” Idalia asked, amused. “You look like you’re up to something.”
“Oh yeah,” Ike said, showing his teeth with a devilish grin. “This dungeon has been messing with me ever since I woke up. It’s high time I show it who it’s dealing with.”
Ike spent the next several hours in preparation. He started by casting Minor Repair on the door to secure Idalia’s room. The knob was beyond fixing, but at least the door would help hide his light while he worked.
Next up was food. Water was a given; Ike drank his fill from the basin, which helpfully replenished itself. He used Idalia’s surgical saw to break apart desk drawers, then used the tinderbox to get a fire going.
The food itself could only loosely be described as such. Ike took Idalia’s advice about which of the preserved herbs and spices were edible. He tried to boil them together in the kettle first. What came out was less like soup and more like potpourri or very strong herbal tea, aromatic but extremely bitter. He settled on grinding a few of the herbs into meal, forming them into crude biscuits, and cooking them over the fire. These only proved to be better because he could eat them faster.
Despite the meager nourishment, Ike was pleased to see his health and mana steadily tick upward until they were full again. It made intuitive sense; nourishment plus rest meant recovery in real life, after all. And while he had to wait the better part of an hour to recover completely, at least it didn’t take the days or weeks it might have in the real world.
Even as Ike sat recovering, he refused to be idle. Being an artificer meant using items to get things done, so he started by enchanting some of the surgical tools with Glow. As he’d expected, now that he knew the enchantment, this was as simple as selecting it from the menu.
Scalpel has gained the enchantment: Glow
Scalpel’s remaining enchantment capacity: 0 / 1
Mana: 9 / 9 (-1)
Surgical saw has gained the enchantment: Glow
Surgical saw’s remaining enchantment capacity: 0 / 1
Mana: 8 / 8 (-1)
Tooth extractor has gained the enchantment: Glow
Tooth extractor’s remaining enchantment capacity: 0 / 1
Mana: 7 / 7 (-3)
“Is there a reason you’re making my surgical tools shiny?” Idalia asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“Just moving mana around. I’ll reclaim it later. I’m worried about losing any excess mana I might recover when I harvest the enchantment on my cloak.” Ike pulled the garment off his back and activated the spell.
Mana: 6 / 7 (-3)
Scoundrel’s Cloak has lost the enchantment: Muffle
Scoundrel’s Cloak has been renamed: Cloak
Cloak’s remaining enchantment capacity: 1 / 1
You have learned the enchantment: Muffle
You have gained experience.
You have recovered 2 mana drain.
Mana: 8 / 9 (-1)
Idalia cocked her head to the side. “I don’t understand. Why don’t you want the enchantment on your cloak?”
Ike shrugged. “I do, and I’ll put it back on in a minute. This way I can learn the enchantment and use my reshaping spell to harvest the excess material. It doesn’t work on magic items, but an ordinary cloak is fair game.”
Ike used the scalpel to cut the cloak horizontally in two, then cast Minor Reshape on each piece, adding his stone to the portion with the hood. When he was done, the top of the cloak had become a cowl with the stone integrated as a fastener. The excess fabric had been shaped into a very basic satchel. He completed the plan by enchanting the cowl with Muffle and giving it a less provocative name.
Cowl has gained the enchantment: Muffle
Cowl’s remaining enchantment capacity: 0 / 1
Mana: 4 / 7 (-3)
Clandestine Cowl Durability: 3 / 3
A simple covering for the head and shoulders.
Muffle: Dampens the sound of the wearer’s clothes rustling, granting a small bonus to stealth.
Satchel Durability: 2 / 2
A cloth bag worn over one shoulder.
Idalia leaned down to admire his work. “I see. You put your light source on your chest so you can see in front of you but keep your hands free. Plus you have a bag to carry items with you now.”
Ike nodded. “That’s the idea. Of course, now that I’ll have a hand free, I really ought to use it to carry something.” He walked over to the desk and cast Minor Reshape again, molding the top of the desk into a circular shield with a handle. It wasn’t much better than a buckler, really, but it was the most he could manage within the one-kilogram limit.
“You’re very resourceful, Ike," Idalia said. "I’ve heard tell of artificers, but I never knew your kind were so handy."
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Ike said. He packed the satchel with the tinderbox, bandages, a jar of water, and a scalpel. He considered the other surgical tools, but none of them were suitable as weapons and he couldn’t reshape metal. He likewise left the mortar, pestle, scales, and tea kettle for now; they might be useful at some point, but they’d only weigh him down in the meantime. He’d reconsider them all when he came back after finishing the quest.
Ike sat down on the floor, laying his equipment out in front of him. “The final touch is enchanting everything,” he said. “I won’t have any offensive or defensive abilities I don’t enchant in advance, so my fight starts here.”
Ike opened the enchanting window for each item in turn. Most of them could receive one enchantment. Oddly, the breeches didn’t. Ike frowned at that. “No magic pants, I guess.”
With the cowl and stone already enchanted, that left him with six options: The tunic, the belt, the boots, the bat, the shield, and the satchel. If he added his personal mana to the mana he could reclaim from items, he had eighteen mana to work with. Of course, if he used all of it to enchant, he’d have none left to cast spells. Minor Reshape had already proved useful for improvising a weapon in a pinch, and he was also likely to need Minor Repair. Ike resolved to use nine for enchanting and keep the other nine for spells.
Of course, the key to Ike’s plan was the hidden manual entry field he’d discovered while enchanting the stone. He only knew four enchantments at the moment: Glow, Minor Combo, Muffle, and Preservation. Preservation wasn’t useful to him right now, and he wouldn’t need multiples of the other three. Then again, he wasn’t sure how the two new enchantments even worked.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Ike said as he stared at his enchantment window. “They’re all open source.”
“Open what?” Idalia asked. “What are you even looking at?”
Ike made a mental note that NPCs couldn’t see his interface. “I’m, uh, concentrating on enchanting these items. And I can see how the two enchantments I just learned work. It’s a bit like reading a list of instructions.”
“Okay,” Idalia frowned. “I don’t understand. Is that important?”
“Profoundly,” Ike said, scanning through the code for Muffle. “Think of it like food. If you get the prepared dish, that’s closed source. There’s nothing you can do but enjoy the meal and guess at how it was cooked. If you get the recipe, though, that’s open source. Now you know exactly how it was made and you can tweak it to make something new.”
“New enchantments?” Idalia asked. “Just by reading the – what was it – source of those other two? I’ve never heard of anyone making enchantments like that.”
Ike cracked his neck and studied the code intently. Just because they were weak enchantments didn’t mean they were simple, and it was always harder understanding someone else’s code than reading your own. Still, there was a lot he could work with here.
“Hello world,” Ike said with a smirk.
You have achieved a World First: Original Enchantment