Chapter 14: Enchantment

11am, Same Day

Landar

The class was packed. I had shown up fifteen minutes early, and nearly every seat had been taken. I had to find a spot in the back row, squeezed in at the end of a row-table next to a short but stout young man who was excitedly drawing spell matrices into what looked like a fresh new notebook.

“Hi,” he said as I pulled my seat in. “My names Victor.”

“I’m Landar, nice to meet you.” I offered him my hand and he shook it.

“Nice to meet you too! Hey, have you ever worked with enchantment before? Like, real spell work?”

I smiled. “I have a bit. But I've dabbled more with the runes the dwarves used near where I’ve been living the last few years.” Victor's eyes went wider than they already had been.

“Runes? That’s an old practice isn’t it? Less potent, and far less adaptable than enchantment, and it involves alchemy and metallurgy so you have to do additional training from what I've read. More time intensive and far less bang for your coin, but with more staying power then most enchantments. Is that true?”

“I have to admit, I don’t know much about complex enchantment. I’ve done a few here or there, but most of what I've done I've mixed with runes to help direct and control the effects. So I don’t have an easy way to compare them. But it is true that a bit of alchemy is helpful, as is some ability to work with materials. For instance a knowledge of mana-conductive materials is essential.”

I pulled out a small wooden handled knife I had made the night before when I was bored. With a thought and a bit of mana it heated to a nice red, then with another flex of my will it went bitterly cold. Cooling to where the air condenced on it, it left streams of cold as I gently moved it back and forth. It was a less powerful replica to the one I had given the Farmer’s family back in the foothills.

“With some testing and trial and error, I've found that some types of common wood work better for holding runes than others. This is a type of evergreen tree. It works very well at holding cold and heat based runes. But if I were to try and do something like, make it levitate? It wouldn’t work. I haven’t figured out why, yet. But the first time I tried it,"I pointed to a scar near my left eye. It was small, but visible if you knew where to look. “The handle exploded.”

“Oooh. Yeah that’s risky stuff. We’re lucky that all that happens when enchantments don’t work is the spell fizzles.”

“Don’t forget spell feedback is always a possibility.” I warned, as I put the now extinguished knife back in my trinket bag I always carried with me.

Victor snorted. “Well duh, but that’s why we wear mana conductive wire meshed clothing. It shunts all that mana right into the ground.”

It was my turn for my eyes to go wide. Why didn’t I think of that? I built an entire forge around something that could have just been a wire in my boots! I did have gloves that did something similar. But if I had incorporated it into the whole outfit rather than just one or two items I wouldn’t have needed the catastrophic shunt I had built into the forge back in the frontier hills.

“You have heard of mana protective equipment, right?” At my blank expression he smirked. “Oh man, you’re in for a whole new kind of world. Trust me, you’re going to want to take notes.” He pointed towards my notebook. “On like, everything.”

I took out my notebook and prepped my pencil. As soon as I did, the teacher entered the room. He had blond hair, and eyes that were so blue it was like they shined across the entire room directly into my soul. He was tall, and handsome, so much so that even a straight guy like me could appreciate it. His hair flowed like water, and his jawline was cut and angular like an angels.

Most of the women, and a few of the men in the room audible sighed or swooned in their seats. I felt my own mind start to wander around his shoulders and neck and . . . Wait, somethings wrong.

You have been affected by Simple Glamor 1 - Weak. A weak charm spell.

Effect: All those affected by this spell will see the individual as they wish to be seen, not as they truly are.

Before my mind spirit could offer solutions, I forced my aura out and pushed the mana of the spell away from me. The effect ended and I looked over at Victory. The guy had literally started drooling on the drawing of the spell he was half way finished with. He sat up straight and stammered. “Wha, what happened?”

Effect ended. Would you like to offer others under your maximum aura’s area of effect, Charm Protection as well?

Yes, I thought and suddenly I found my aura pushed out to its utmost. I felt my chie lines strain as I pushed even more mana and chie energy into the effect. Alright, alright let me do it. Suddenly I was actively projecting it myself. Don’t do that again, unless I tell you. Got it?

I understand, master. Apologize. I was under the impression you were here to learn, not combat the glamor effects of a weak spell for others. So I took it upon myself to engage in said combat through you. I will endeavor to adjust my settings to be of greater use in the future.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Thank you, we’ll talk about it later. You didn’t do anything wrong just . . you just surprised me is all.

Understood. Thank you for your clarification. I would like to — Warning, opposing aura incoming.

Another aura, much stronger and far more potent than my own slammed into mine. In half a heartbeat I found my area of effect shrinking rapidly like a collapsing star.

“Mister Gaudhaus, aura’s are effective in a pinch to combat the illusionary and charming arts.” The professor's sing-song voice came through the distorted image he now projected to the class. “But they are at best, a temporary solution. Though I commend you on your straightforward action. Now, how would one deal with a glamor in a prolonged situation like this where one's will is opposed?”

My mind raced, and I didn’t know . . . except I did. My hand reached down for my ax, and suddenly another wave of mana washed over the room dispelling the glamor spell. And revealing the real professor underneath. The pressure on my aura immediately eased as the professor gave the one who cast the counter spell his undiluted attention.

The professor was golden haired, but instead of being youthful and beautiful, he was hunched and elderly. His hair had mostly fallen out, leaving him with what looked like a golden crown of almost white-gold hair on his head. That must have been what he looked like when he was younger.

“Mis Abory.” The professor nodded towards a girl whose face was bright red, and hidden under long locks of brown hair as she squirmed in her seat.

“With a counterspell . . . professor.”

“Correct! But what type of counterspell specifically?”

“Disenchantment professor,” another student said from the front row. He was brawny but the light in his eyes told me he was far smarter than most people probably assumed he was. The cleric robes reinforced that understanding. “Or the same type of miracle.”

“Miracle is an imprecise term, young Bartholomue. Please correct yourself.”

“Sorry sir. I mean faith based spell.”

“Correct. Now as I'm not actually an academic snob, and for ease of use, I am happy to allow the slang parlance of ‘miracle’ to be used for faith based spells. So we’re not here all afternoon. But do remember, actual miracles do not use your mana. They use the power of the gods directly. Faith spells use one's own mana, or the collective mana of a group of believers, shaped and forged, and at times reinforced, by your god or goddesses will!” The professor made a cane appear as if out of nowhere, and he began walking back and forth around the half circle hall. Looking at the students on every tier of seating as he did.

“This is an important distinction. Now, young Bartholomue, you are correct. Disenchantment or its accompanying, ‘miracle’, would be the correct method of removing charms, glamors, and illusions in the most efficient way possible. However, a powerful enough general counterspell, like the one used by Mis Abory there just now can also have the same effect. Does anyone have any questions so far?”

He tapped his cane on the stone floor, and a few hands went up.

“Yes, young Victor Strongarm.”

“Thank you professor.” Victor said, excitement clear in his tone. “The course description suggested we might explore runes in this course. Is that correct?” There was a small commotion in the class, and a few outright laughs at the suggestion.

“Yes, you read the description correctly Victor. We will be covering Runes. Just as we will be covering the easterners Formations, and the Sigils of the southern duchies and their traitorous cousins who embrace the jungle elfish magics. Not of course, to be confused with the Sigils and Signs of the holy brethren of the clergy. We will be covering them only briefly, to describe their general operations, how to identify their use, and of course how to break them. As they are somewhat inferior methods of the process of Enchantment, we will not be practicing them during this course. We will also be exploring the creation of mana circuits that form our standard spell set, mana constructs such as the ubiquitous and temporary creation of the mana sword, magical constructs like Golems, as well as temporary enchantments like charms and hexes. And of course we will learn the basics of combat enchantment! Or as our eastern cousins might call them, Field Techniques”

I shot my hand up.

“Yes, Mr. Gaudhaus? You have a question?”

“Yes sir. Why are written inscription imbuement methods inferior?” The class laughed good naturedly, and the professor smiled genuinely.

“Eager to learn, it speaks well of you boy. Well to start off, ‘inferior’ is perhaps too harsh a term. Having major trade offs however, is more on the nose. Each of these more archaic methodologies have at least one major drawback that comes along with the benefits they provide. For instance, with runes you can draw in far less power then you can using an enchantment. But you gain with greater standardization and generalized quality control, along with longevity. Another example might be the eastern Formations. These are a kind of hybrid between runic standardization, and the powerful field effects that can be generated through enchantment. Unfortunately, miniaturizing said formations is extremely difficult. What they gain in standardization and quick deployment of large powerful fields, they lose in more subtle effects.”

“And how sir, does enchantment get around these issues?” I asked, trying to keep my tone pleasant and inquisitive.

“Well, this wasn’t going to be today's lesson. But I can tell all of you are interested in this topic.” He glanced at Rayce, Sakura’s younger brother who was intently staring at the professor while taking notes. “Enchantment as a process, gets around these issues by simply not having trade offs. It is as the peasant saying goes, a journeyman of every trade, and a master of none. At least in its general application. There are specialist fields that permit improvements far beyond what generalists are capable of accomplishing, but for our purposes Enchantment touches on all facets of magical imbuement.”

He tapped his cain on the stone as he continued walking around the half circle in front of his lectern.

“Secondly, enchantment trains the wizards will to be sharp and powerful. The other methods use a medium, signs, sigils, and runic writing and the like to show a wizard's intent and will to the magic flowing through them. But enchantment? Enchantment is the wizards will, personified. To practice the imbuement art of Enchantment, in any of its sub fields, a wizards will must be resolute, powerful, and unwavering in its intent. As well as being familiar with the spell and effects as they are with the very back of their hand.

“A weak will, means an enchantment such as one might put on a flying sword might be as temporary as one they would use to place a hex, or blessing. So, in this class we will train our wills!”

My hand shot up again and the professor chuckled to himself. “Yes Mr. Guadhaus, last question. We can’t allow the entire three hours to be devoted to your seemingly insatiable curiosity.”

“Thank you sir. What of hybrid spells? Enchantments that incorporate things like sigils or runes?”

“Hmmm. I want both you, and every student here, to hear this clearly. Hybrid spells can produce extremely powerful effects. However, it is also extraordinarily dangerous. I would not suggest you start experimenting with mixed magic until well into your third year. And even then, not without a professor's direct supervision. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

I nodded, and he walked on. Not that that’s going to stop me, I thought with a grin. I’ve already learned how to do a lot through my own experimentation. This is only going to help me.

“Alright, perhaps it is time I introduce myself.” The class laughed good naturedly at that, myself included. “I am Professor Dugal, one of the duchy's few High Magi. I am pleased to be your teacher this semester. Now, please open your textbooks to chapter one. There you will find exercises that will enhance and strengthen your will, or as our eastern countrymen would say, your aura control. Find one of the three basic techniques, and begin practicing. I will come around to each of you to evaluate you.”

“So cool! I can’t wait to learn hexes. They’re so cool!” Victor said under his breath.

I couldn’t help but smile myself, as I opened my own textbook. When I read the first exercise, my smile only grew.