Chương 66: Book 2 Chapter 18 - Getting Reacquainted

Victor barely registered the bell on his door ring as a new customer came into his shop. He didn't look up from his project, as he was just about done inscribing these runes. It was best to finish them in a single sitting, if possible. Using his magic sense was second nature, and his subconscious registered that it was a tier 2 that had come in. That didn't bode well for their ability to afford anything expensive; they probably wanted a simple enchantment recharged or something. But, a customer was a customer.

Customers helped maintain the cover of his artificing shop while he spied on… err… studied Shian Yountal.

"I'll be with you in just a minute!" He called out politely without lifting his eyes from the runic engraving. Another few symbols, then the final connecting node, and he'd be finished. He took his time, making sure to get it right. High quality work was something he prided himself in. After he connected the final node, he probed it with his mana. It responded properly, engaging with his mana in a sort of handshake exchange.

Anyone could scratch lines into a piece of steel in the correct shapes, but only an artificer could activate the runes, turning a mundane item into an artifact. The interaction was beautiful in a way that few people understood. The item, enhanced by the runes and activated by the mage's magic, became something more. It came alive, interacting with his mana signature, shaping its spiritual presence, its purpose, based on the runes as well as his own magical stature and presence.

While any tier 4 mage could technically create an artifact, more powerful mages were better at it, and practice improved both the efficiency and the end result considerably. Few mages had the interest or patience to get good at it. Victor loved it, and was excellent at it. It excited him in a way that few other things could. It was one of his favorite areas of study.

He loved the way the item almost developed an intelligence of its own during those final moments, as the base material, runes, and mana came together to form something new. Even the same artificer, on different days, could turn out different results, based on their focus, their emotional state, and their intent. Creating an artifact really was a conversation of sorts, the mage communicating his intent to the artifact and adjusting based on the artifact's response to the stimuli.

The artifact he had just made was a storage ring. Those were his bread and butter, something that was always in demand in the upper echelons of society. His latest models had included the inspiration he drew from the ring Dustin Savage wore, where the storage space adjusted as needed, based on what was put in there. It had been causing quite a stir in Portish, as the idea was novel. He wondered where Mr Savage had obtained the ring originally, and who had made it.

He would love to meet such a talented artificer personally, someday. Once the ring 'came alive', acknowledging his mana signature and intent and structuring its spiritual presence and function accordingly, Victor placed it on the small work table. Now that the inscriptions were finished and activated, he could spend time imbuing it with magic later. The customer had waited patiently while he finished, and now he could give them his full attention.

As he looked up, his magic sense focused on the person, and their tier 2 signature disappeared, revealing them to be just a mortal. He blinked a few times rapidly. It took his eyes and brain a full second to catch up and confirm his suspicion, as he realized who was standing in his shop. He was caught completely off guard.

"Lady Yountal?" he blurted out without thinking. She cocked her head to the side.

"Do you know me?" His mind raced. Was she trolling him? Trying to get a rise out of him?

"I uh… that is to say…," he fumbled for a response momentarily before his brain latched onto a viable path forward.

"We uh… shared a wagon in a travelling caravan a few months back." Recognition dawned in her eyes and she lit up with a smile.

"We did, you're right! It's nice to see you again." He hesitated.

"Did you… truly not recognize me, Lady Yountal?" She blushed and glanced away.

"Ah, sorry, a lot has happened recently. It was Vincent, right?"

"Victor," he corrected without thinking, his mind occupied with other thoughts. If she truly doesn't recognize me, what does that mean? Is she playing me, or does she not know I've been keeping an eye on her these past few months? He had never expected her to show up in his little shop here. If he had, he would have expected it to be more of a confrontation, or at least some sort of accusation, rather than a complete lack of recognition. He wasn't sure what to make of that.

Her blush deepened as he corrected her on his name.

"Victor! That's right. Sorry, I'm not always good with names." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. He waved away the apology, trying to recalibrate his expectations for how this conversation might go.

"No worries at all, Lady Yountal, there is nothing to forgive. What uh… what brings you here?"

"Ah!" A sword materialized in her right hand.

"I bought this enchanted sword a while back, and it has recently seen quite a bit of use. I was hoping I might get the enchantments recharged here?" Victor had heard about her fight with the lesser noble that ruled over the village she had been frequenting since she moved to Easton. Now, his eyes glanced down to the slightly bloodied bandage on her leg, then back up again.

"I see," he replied slowly, still trying to make sense of what was happening. Was this truly a random encounter? He decided to pry a bit.

"How did you hear about me, if you don't mind me asking?" She blushed again.

"Well, a kind, old man named Arthur pointed me in your direction. I didn't realize you would be someone I had already met. I'm sorry again for not remembering you at first."

"Arthur Hendleton?" She shrugged.

"He didn't give me his last name. He works at the infirmary here in Portish." Victor nodded at that. Arthur had already been old when Victor was young. He was an old family friend who'd known Victor's parents and grandparents. He'd been thrilled when he learned Victor was spending some time in Portish. No doubt he'd already reported back to someone in Victor's family on his whereabouts. Arthur must have sensed something unique about Shian's presence and thought Victor would find her interesting. If only he knew.

"That's him," Victor confirmed for Shian's benefit. He held a hand out for her sword.

"May I?" She stepped forward and handed it to him. It was an attractive sword, well made, but clearly something made for the upper class. It had probably seen more use in the short time Shian owned it than most nobles' swords saw in their lifetimes. He did a physical examination first, gently prodding the chips in the edge of the blade with his fingers, scanning it visibly for any other damage. It seemed fine, apart from the chips in the edge.

They didn't threaten the structural integrity of the weapon, so they didn't need to be repaired at all. They even added a sort of intimidation factor, as if claiming, 'I've used this sword in the past, and I'm not scared to do so again'. The runes were etched along the flat of the blade, deep enough to avoid being damaged during a fight. That was good. They looked to be in proper order. It seemed to be two simple enchantments: one for durability, and the other for sharpness.

Satisfied with what he saw visibly, he gave one final glance at Shain, who was watching his process rather intently. Turning his attention back to the blade, he extended his mana into it. The enchantment was there, waiting, and reached out to him almost greedily as he offered it mana. Its purpose became even more clear to him as he delved his magic sense into it. The enchantments were fairly standard on a weapon like this, meant more as a selling point than being actually useful. Did they do what they claimed?

Sure. Did it matter? Not really. Against a mortal, even a blunt blade was dangerous, and it took quite a bit of wear and tear to blunt the edge of a steel blade. Against a mage with mana shielding, a tiny enhancement to the sharpness of the blade didn't help all that much if the mage was worth their salt. Then again, in a duel between two people of relatively equal strength, every little advantage helped.

Even then, though, most who could afford an enchanted weapon like this wouldn't see enough fighting in their lifetimes to warrant the extra cost of such an enchantment. That being said, enchanting objects was Victor's passion, so he would never pass up the opportunity to closely examine another artificer's work. The runes held the imbued mana of an artifact, channeling it into the desired effects.

The enchantments themselves were shaped by the artificer's will and intent during the rune inscription process, one of the reasons it was best to finish a piece in a single setting with unbroken focus. To create a sharpness enchantment, the artificer had to know how to inscribe the runes to support sharpness, as well as how to integrate them into the structure of the item in such a way that the desired effect happened in the right places.

Most importantly, though, the artificer needed to understand sharpness on a fundamental level. If a mage didn't know how to use their magic manually to achieve a certain result, it was impossible for said mage to create an artifact that did so. He probed the swords' enchantment for details. The durability portion of the enchantment was well made, although it was obvious the artificer hadn't developed a durability concept. The sharpness portion of the enchantment was honestly trash, though.

The primary purpose of this particular sharpness enchantment was to maintain the edge of the existing steel, not to add any additional sharpness. That was something the durability portion of the enchantments should have been handling already, making it redundant. Because of how it was structured, a blacksmith would need to re-sharpen the blade before the enchantments were re-activated. Victor was just about to say as much to Shian, but he paused when he glanced up at her. She was looking at him expectantly.

He had an idea. He still wasn't sure if she was messing with him or not, and he wanted to find out.

"How long did these enchantments last?" he asked. She pursed her lips as she thought.

"Two fights. Or maybe one and a half, I guess." That didn't really answer his question. He had meant to ask more along the lines of how many impacts she was quoted the blade would sustain when she purchased it, but her response was telling in and of itself.

"I see," he responded carefully.

"Where did you purchase it?"

"In Easton," she replied.

"I don't really remember the name of the place." Perfect, he thought to himself. She didn't seem overly attached to the blade, and likely wouldn't notice if he switched it out for a different one. He would show her what a real artificer could do, and see if she even noticed the difference. If not, it would lend credence to the theory that she wasn't a tier 6 or tier 7 monster masquerading as a mortal.

"Okay, no worries," he said smoothly.

"I can fix it up for you and get the enchantments recharged, no problem. I can have it ready by tomorrow afternoon, if that works?" She looked a bit disappointed at the timeframe, but she didn't call him out on it. He could recharge this existing weapon here on the spot if needed, it would only take him a few minutes. She didn't seem aware of that, which was informative.

"Okay!" she responded, perking up quickly after the momentary show of disappointment.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then!" She waved lightly, turned, and left the shop. Victor smiled once she was gone. It was time to get to work.