Blassie had two Dwarves come over and take measurements of the Korak, while he and Rena left to discuss the matter. The two Dwarves reported their measurements, and they came back to discuss the fee. “The construction time will be nine or ten days and will cost 4,000 coins,” Blassie said. “The enchantment will be 1,000 with the materials that you specified.”

Maroftis assumed that the costs were in silver, but most games that he had played used gold or platinum, so he asked, “Silver?” To his relief, Blassie nodded; he had no idea how long it would take to save up 5,000 gold.

“We can do that,” Vultressant said. “Do you need all of the metal?”

“No,” Blassie said, shaking his head, “but leave it all here anyway, and I’ll return what we have left over.”

“How much would it cost to have a shield made?” Vultressant asked. Maroftis had no ability with a shield and no real desire to use one, so he looked at the Gnome and frowned.

“I will need more metal to craft a shield for this one to use,” Blassie said.

“It’s not for him,” Vultressant said, and he drew a picture of Isla’s shield.

“That I can do,” Blassie said. “Do you want it enchanted too?”

“We don’t have enough essences to enchant that one right now, but can we enchant it later?”

“We must do the enchanting just after the item is finished,” Rena said, “but you can have it imbued with a property later, provided that the quality and magical potential of the shield are high enough. Bitty is our Imbuer, but she is not here today.”

“Bitty appears to have banker’s hours,” Vultressant said. “I’ve never actually seen her here.” He waved a hand. “That’s okay; I just wanted to know the crafting price.”

“From what you have described, 500 should do it,” Blassie said.

“Thank you for the information,” Vultressant said. “For now, just hang on to the extra metal.” He turned to face Rena. “If we get materials to put a tier two enchantment on the armor, what would that cost?”

“The construction cost will not change, but the enchantment cost will double,” she replied. “Dealing with higher-tiered essences requires far more work and skill, so the fee has to be increased.”

“So, 2,000 silver?” he asked, and she nodded assent. “Then would tier three be 3,000 in this case?”

“It would double again to 4,000.”

Vultressant nodded in understanding and asked, “Okay, do you need any more measurements?” The Dwarf indicated that nothing else was required of Maroftis, so they retrieved the rest of the metal from their inventories and placed it on the table before departing.

“What was all that about a shield and the costs for a higher enchantment for the armor?” Maroftis inquired as they made their way back to the Silver Penny.

“The shield is for Isla,” Vultressant explained. “Her shield bash special move might be enhanced if she uses a better shield, and more protection is always good anyway. She’s been pretty adamant about wanting to do less adventuring and more work in town, but a boost to her defense and general effectiveness might help delay that transition or possibly make it easier to persuade her to join us for bigger jobs in the future, once she does decide to stay in town.”

Vultressant made sense, but Maroftis felt that if Isla was going to stay in town, then getting her something useful for town activities would be a better idea. It seemed wasteful to use valuable resources on a shield if she didn’t plan on fighting. “Shouldn’t we use the metal on someone who actually plans on fighting?” he asked.

Vultressant shrugged. “Vanya and I don’t really need the stuff; you’re getting the armor, and Taloc has his sword, so that just leaves Ewtain. But he’s leaving soon, and we have no idea when he will get back, if ever. We could probably get one or two weapons made for him, but those resources would be out of the party soon after. It may not be fair, but I’m looking out for the party.”

The points were valid, but Maroftis couldn’t shake the feeling that Vultressant was subtly maneuvering to strengthen the party, a strategy that seemed to keep him out of harm’s way. “Isn’t that a little self-serving?”

“Absolutely,” Vultressant replied unashamed. “Look, we’re stuck here for the foreseeable future, possibly forever, so I plan on growing stronger. Currently, I can’t solo anything and need a great deal of protection that the rest of the group can provide, so it’s in my best interest to keep that protection around me.”

“I thought you preferred to solo.”

Vultressant stopped and looked up at him. “The online games had tons of solo content and areas that were level-appropriate. Sure, I spent most of my time soloing, but in all those games, the best way to progress was with a good party. With a group, we could tackle more challenging content, and it usually meant faster experience gains. Plus, the loot was better, assuming the rolls went my way.”

“I never had a problem with the rolls,” Maroftis said, smiling.

Vultressant chuckled. “Yes, we’ve established that you’re a luck box. Speaking of which, have you been adding points to Fate?”

“Not since character creation,” Maroftis replied. “I’ve focused on the tank stats: Strength, Vitality, and Brawn. What about you?”

Vultressant shook his head. “Same here; I focused solely on the caster stats. I just can’t bring myself to invest points into a nebulous stat like Fate. I probably should, though, if only to mitigate my bad luck. I’m going to see Oeister today, so I can ask him his thoughts on the stat. Oh, and to your other question, I’m going to see if he can tell me where we can find more emerald essences to put a tier two enchantment on your armor.”

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

So that was why he was asking about the costs of a higher enchantment for the armor. “We do have some time before they finish making the armor, but why not just go ahead with the mission to the south?”

Vultressant continued walking as he replied. “That sounds pretty tough, and I’d like to get us some more levels and your armor before we tackle it. Taloc and I are almost level ten, and the perks that come with that level should help. I gained spells at level five, so I hope level ten brings something even better. I’ll add that to the questions for Oeister.”

“Yeah, I got another special move at five.”

“Nice,” Vultressant said. “If we can all reach level ten before heading south, it should make things easier for us.”

“And having the armor made will help us on the mission too,” Maroftis agreed, “but if the metal is tier three, shouldn’t we wait until we can make the enchantment tier three as well?”

“That could take a while,” Vultressant said. “The resource cost for enchanting it at tier one is one emerald essence and at least seven ruby essences. Upgrading to tier two requires one sapphire essence and at least seven emerald essences. For tier three, we’d need one tier four essence and at least seven sapphire essences. The one sapphire essence we have was from the Rock Troll, a situation we couldn’t escape since we were on an escort mission mandated by the council. However, to acquire more, we’d need to defeat at least six more creatures as tough as that troll, as well as whatever the hell drops something higher than sapphire. We need to gear up to face tougher mobs.”

“Yeah, screw it; I want the armor now.” Maroftis felt that it might take a very long time to get enough resources for the tier three enchantment, and that was a lot of materials to sink into just one item. “Well, let me know what Oeister says.”

“Sure, I’ll update everyone when we eat tonight.”

_________________

Vultressant arrived at Oeister’s estate in the late afternoon, where he was promptly escorted to the Sage’s summoning room by one of the many servants employed by the mage. Oeister rose from his seat upon Vultressant’s arrival, extending a hand in greeting. “Hello, how was the trip?” he asked, his voice warm and welcoming as he approached.

Vultressant shook his hand, and they went to sit at one of the worktables. “Mostly good,” Vultressant said after sitting down. “We did have to fight a Rock Troll, so that sucked.”

“Did you end up fleeing?” Oeister asked. “Those things are reportedly very tough.”

Vultressant shook his head, and his face appeared as if he had just bitten into something sour. “We had to protect the cart of supplies that we brought to the Dwarves in the mountains.”

Oeister laughed. “I hate escort missions. They seem guaranteed to have extra problems, and usually the ones that you’re protecting do some stupid stuff.”

“The Dwarf that we were with stopped the ox that was pulling the cart and stayed out of it, so he didn’t make it worse.”

“That’s the best that you can hope for,” Oeister said. “Any casualties?”

Vultressant shook his head. “No, but it was a close thing.”

“Well, that’s good—you should really try to avoid death if you can.” Oeister motioned to the summoning circle in the center of the room. “Are you here to practice your summoning?”

“Actually, I’m here to ask you a few questions.”

The Sage spread his hands. “I am Oeisterdamus, the all-knowing giver of knowledge. Ask your questions.”

Vultressant smiled; the man did like a bit of pomp. “I wanted to know about level ten,” he said. “I got spells at level five, and I assume that level ten will be similar. What can I expect?”

“What you get varies by class, but a Wizard should get new spells and probably an improvement to an existing spell or two.”

“Why can’t I just train in all of the spells? I learned how to summon.”

Oeister smiled warmly. “You did pick up that spell rather quickly, but usually, learning a spell through training takes much longer—weeks, if not more. Even then, success isn’t guaranteed. If you lack a prerequisite, sufficient affinity, or simply struggle to grasp the necessary concepts, you might not succeed. The surefire methods for learning new spells are through leveling up or via magical means, such as a font or an enchanted item like a book.”

“Book?” Vultressant asked.

“There are spell books, akin to skill books,” Oeister explained.

“So, anyone can learn any spell with just a book?”

The Sage shook his head. “No, you still need to have the requisite skill in the magic type or types required for the spell,” he clarified. “There may also be a stat requirement or other prerequisites. Also, the books aren’t cheap. I once attempted to create a spell book, but it didn’t go well. I tried several times, and I ended up losing a lot of silver on the deal. It was a learning experience.”

“So, is it better to sell a spell book if you find one?”

Oeister looked startled. “It’s better to read it if you don’t know the spell. Knowledge is power.”

That was what Vultressant thought as well, but there might be some spells that had little use. He had played several games with spells that weren’t good at all, so there must be some spells that he would not need. “What about a less useful spell?”

“It could be a prerequisite for a spell that you do want. Some spells or skills become available only with prior knowledge, so any spell could potentially be useful. Also, if you get a skill book in one of the magical fields, you are also granted a spell in that field.”

“Any spell or a choice, like when leveling?” Vultressant asked.

“Depends on the book,” Oeister replied, looking annoyed.

“Was it something I said?” Vultressant asked.

“What?” Oeister waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, no. It isn’t you. I had one such skill book stolen just recently.”

Vultressant looked around. “Did someone break in?” he asked.

Oeister shook his head. “Stolen in transport by an Orc raiding party.”

“How much did that set you back?”

“A lot,” Oeister said flatly.

“Sorry, dude,” Vultressant said. “What about learning a spell by watching someone else do it?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

Oeister frowned. “That typically occurs during formal training, so I assume you mean something else,” he replied. “Please elaborate.”

“When we fought some Gnolls, their leader cast a spell at me, and I learned it from just that casting.”

“That’s new to me,” the Sage said, pausing to think. “I would think that it’s related to a skill or ability. Do you have anything that might do that?”

Vultressant reviewed his skills sheet for a few moments, then shook his head and said, “The only ones that enhance learning appear to be the skill decipher script and the language sense ability.”

“It’s not decipher script,” Oeister replied, “and from what you told me about your language ability, it shouldn’t be that either. I haven’t heard or read of anything like this that relates to the Wizard class.” He paused to think and tapped his fingers on the table. “What was the spell?”

“Wind wave,” he replied. “It’s an AOE spell that’s fifteen feet wide and blows for twenty feet.”

“You might have a very high affinity for wind magic and possibly fire magic as well, since you learned how to summon a fire-based creature rather quickly. Do you know any other magic types?”

Vultressant shook his head. “No, just the two.”

“You might have some sort of bonus to learning spells from just those, but you might be able to learn spells from other magic types in the same way once you learn the skills to cast them.” Oeister shrugged. “Who knows?”