Aedifex looked around his much improved home. The tunnel had become a short hallway, ending in a flight of stairs. The outside entrance was hidden by rough stone doors, made by molding rubble over 2 steel plates purchased from a local blacksmith. The basement had become perfectly square, with 4 round pillars now supporting the previously worrisome ceiling. There was a stone workbench for his tools, and even a crude bed, made just in case he wanted to lie down on a whim.
All this had taken 2 days, meaning it had been 6 days total since he accepted the rat catching job. There was no time limit, and since he’d gone a bit overboard hunting, he figured an extra couple of days would make his haul seem more normal. He’d had another reason, besides just killing time, for all these improvements though. He was testing his mana reserves. You see, there were 2 main ways people on Klishay could increase their mana:
The first and simplest way was to use up your mana pool, over and over, as each time it refilled it would be just slightly larger. This way was the way favored by mages, as it allowed for slow but steady growth without limit (in theory, in practice a limit was set by the length of the human lifespan). However, it was not favored by warriors, as channeling large amounts of mana left one feeling too exhausted to train. Some had tried training first their bodies, then their magic, but the double strain on their bodies proved too much, and a few had even died.
The second, more dangerous, way was to slay monsters. When a creature died, most of its accumulated mana was released in one burst. Someone bathed in that released mana would absorb a bit of it into their mana pool, and more of it would be absorbed by their bone and muscle, strengthening them slightly each time. This was the way favored by warriors, as their job required slaying monsters from up close anyway. It was not favored by mages, as getting close to enemies was exactly what they didn’t want to do. Also, unlike a mana pool, the amount of mana muscles could absorb had an upper limit, proportional to their original strength. So a human was never going to out muscle a bear, no matter how many monsters he killed. The sole exception to this was the Hero (or Heroes now) who’s logic defying body just gulped down any released mana, without any kind of limit.
Now, back when Aedifex had been killing rats he’d tried and failed to detect any increase in his strength. Even if they were just rats, he’d killed dozens of them (the hundreds he’d killed with traps didn’t count as they were too far away) and as the first “monsters” he’d ever killed they should have had the most effect. Yet he’d gained no new strength, and despite using a great deal of magic since his death, his mana pool seemed exactly the same size as when he was alive.
He thought he understood the rules now. After becoming undead, he kept all the mana he had built up when he was alive, and as a bonus he could now channel it without physical fatigue. However, the price was he couldn’t increase his mana anymore. After all, the dead couldn’t grow. He could still practice new spells and learn to cast the old ones more efficiently (his earth magic had already grown noticeably more precise and efficient from all the practice he’d had lately), but that too would plateau eventually.
Now Aedifex was not particularly ambitious. He had built up quite a respectable mana pool back when he was alive, and with unlimited time to practice he was confident he could eventually best even an Archmage in combat. That would seem to be more than enough power. Yet it ate at him. His father had begun his magic training when he was 6, and he had diligently used up at least half of his mana pool, every day, for all 47 years since then. To just quit after all that...
Suddenly, he snapped out of his brooding with a laugh. Of course. He was an Enchanter first and foremost. If his body couldn’t absorb more mana he just had to make something that could. Now the only question was, could he find a decent magical materials store in present day Agrestis?
The answer, it appears, was no. Scrutaria’s Magic Goods was even larger than Aedifex’s old store, and located just 2 blocks from Agrestis’ main guardhouse (the only one still in use), it was probably the most upscale store in the city... and it made Aedifex wish he still had tear ducts. There were no anti-theft enchantments, the “valuables” instead were protected by a decorative wrought iron grill... that a strong warrior could probably pull apart with his bare hands.
The enchanted items were all gaudy things covered in silver plate and crystals. I grind my teeth seeing so many perfectly good crystals wasted as just decoration, and on such terribly enchanted items! Each one carried a crude but powerful enchantment. It almost seemed like whoever had enchanted them was more concerned with pouring as much mana as possible into these items than he was in actually using it for anything. The result was that leaking mana was slowly degrading the items’ materials, including those precious crystals! I was filled with a fierce urge to hunt down the “Enchanter” responsible for this abomination and strangle him.
Fighting down my rage, I move on to the next section, which seemes to be all potions. I know less about these, but I suspect they're of similar quality to the enchantments. Even if the same type of potion varies in color based on quality and specific recipe, I'm still pretty sure there's no health potion recipe that's supposed to come out mauve. Well, I can't drink potions now anyway.
Ah finally, the materials section. Looking it over, I now know why all the enchantments in this city are so terrible. Clearly, all the competent Enchanters killed themselves upon seeing what they had to work with.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Most of the section was filled with monster material. That was the one kind of material that I have almost no experience with. Though residual mana made the hides of strong monsters much stronger than normal leather, that mana would gradually seep away over the years, and I refuse to make anything that would just fall apart eventually. Still, I've heard such equipment is popular among adventurers, who I suppose would be more interested in affordable equipment today, rather than in equipment they could pass on to their children someday.
The trophy aspect was probably appealing too, though that carried its own risk. I've heard rumors of equipment made from monsters have a way of braking at the worst possible time. It seemes to happen particularly often when the person using the equipment is also the person who killed the monster it came from. Well, those were just rumors after all.
I was about to give up when I notice something in a dark corner of the store. It seemed to be an entire fortuneteller’s stall. Once gaudy, now faded, purple curtains acted as a backdrop for a table draped in the same material, and a manikin dressed in a once gaudy, now faded, loose red outfit. My gaze snappes to the orb at the center of it all. That's no glass ball!
As casually as possible I turn to the woman behind the counter, who is looking very confused for some reason, and ask...
“How much for all of this?”
“Ah?! Well... 2 gold.”
I silently take out the money. It’s over 2/3rds of my remaining funds, but I don’t hesitate. The befuddled woman helps to pack the curtains and cloths into my item bag, I handle the precious orb myself. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do with this pile of tackiness, but I don’t dare draw attention to the orb itself. Doesn’t anyone in this city know what a 25 cm sphere of perfectly clear quartz is worth?
Um... probably not, if this store is anything to go by. The few crystals they were selling were clearly chosen for appearance and not mana capacity. This orb was probably meant to be the core of a fortress class barrier, but those took an entire team of Master Enchanters to cast, and teams like that just didn’t exist anymore. Likely the orb had sat in some government vault for years, until no one could remember what it was for, and someone took it home as a knickknack. Muttering some polite nothings, I leave the store as fast as I can without being boorish.
--Scrutaria POV--
I look up as someone enters my store. I should be happy, there aren’t many customers who can afford my goods these days, but I’m not. The reason is, this lout came into my store armed and armored! I do get adventurer customers, my store has the best enchanted items and potions in the city after all, but they don’t have to dress that way to go shopping for the Goddess sake! I prepare myself to look him straight in the eye, and tell him to come back when he’s dressed appropriately for this district. Only... I can’t. Look him in the eye that is. The reason is... what I thought was his face was really a mask painted like a face! Did he really think he could fool anyone like that?! Though it did fool me for a few seconds...
While all this is going through my head, the man started looking over the enchanted items section. Abruptly, this really frightening aura starts pouring out of him. Oh no, could it be... he’s wearing a mask because he plans to rob me?! I clutch at the protective amulet around my neck with my left hand, while my right reaches for the cymbal on the wall behind me that’s enchanted to make a tremendous ringing sound when struck (it almost deafened me that time I tested it).
However, he stopped giving off that aura, and just moved on to looking at the potions. Confused, I decide to look him over with my Sense. Although I’m just an Apprentice water mage, I’m very proud of my Sense. With just one look I can tell how much mana is in any item. No shoddy enchantments can get past me! Looking him over, I’m shocked to see his entire form ablaze with mana. His weapons are enchanted, his armor enchanted, I think even the clothes underneath might be enchanted! I’m confused by how strongly they shine, though. I can’t imagine any Master Enchanter would waste his time enchanting such plain looking equipment. Perhaps having them all together makes them look brighter?
In any case, having that much enchanted gear of any grade makes him a man of wealth. But why would such a man wear a disguise just to look over potions? Could it be... he wants to secretly buy a love potion?! No, I wont do it! I wont help you take advantage of some innocent young thing!
At this point Scrutaria lapsed into a fantasy of an overbearing noble slamming a bag of gold coins in front of her and demanding a love potion, and of herself bravely refusing, over and over, in the face of growing threats and ever larger bags of gold. Somehow in all this she forgot that she didn’t have any love potions, or even know where to get one. 9/10ths of “love potions” were just colored water sold by swindlers anyway.
“How much for all of this?”
She snapped out of her fantasy to discover the man was pointing to the fortuneteller’s stall. What? She’d bought that years ago, thinking it would look impressive in her store, but she hadn’t realized how cheap the dyes were. Now it was faded to the point she was embarrassed to even look at it. Despite her confusion, her merchant instincts let her rattle off a price roughly 4 times what she’d be willing to take for it... and he actually paid it! Well, the casual way he spent gold confirmed he was rich. Perhaps he wanted to secretly buy a present for his daughter?
At this point, she became worried he might have rushed to buy the set without noticing its condition. She hoped he wouldn’t tell anyone she sold shoddy goods. After all, Scrutaria had a reputation to uphold. Her store sold only the best!