Chương 22: Imbuements vs Enchantments

Claire leads me into her home. To my shock, it is a pretty normal home. Well, it is a lot larger, given Claire's size. A small kitchen takes up the corner, with a dining table set nicely for two people. A steaming pot of tea sits on the table, along with a couple intriguing cups.

"Alright, first lesson," Claire says and hands me one of the teacups.

"inspect that cup." I do so. The Most Normal Teacup Ever (Mundane) This is a teacup. What else were you expecting?

"It's uh, a teacup?" I say hesitantly and hand the cup back to Claire. Claire sighs, and then flicks me on the forehead. I stagger backwards, and only barely manage to stay standing.

"Hmm, this is going to be harder than I thought." She takes a seat at the table, pours tea into the cups. After a few seconds of looking like an idiot, I take a seat. Damn, this chair is really cozy. I thought it was just a wooden chair, but now that I'm sitting in it, I can feel a faint bit of magic coming from it. An epiphany strikes me.

"Does the teacup have a concealment imbuement or something?" Claire smiles.

"Something like that. Technically it's an enchantment, thus runic magic. The two are very similar, on the surface. Though never mistake runic magic as a replacement for crafting magic, it's a really, really bad idea. Still, im shocked you got it that quickly, I bet you'll upgrade your Inspect soon and be able to view it properly."

"Crafting magic?" I ask as I take a sip of the tea, it is delicious. Also, it is somehow the perfect temperature, probably whatever is on the cup I cannot see. I definitely cannot wait to be able to inspect it.

"Also what's so bad about runic magic? Isn't it far easier to use?" She sighs, and then tips her teacup back, downing it in one gulp. Then she stands up, "I think a more practical demonstration will be better. Follow me." She then disappears, though I feel a faint tug telling me to head outside. Instead of finishing the tea, I leave it there along with Luma. She is very sleepy today. I am not sure, but I think she is still like a baby fox or something, thus needs lots of rest.

Leaving her inside is best, as I have a feeling what we are about to do is going to be at least mildly dangerous. Heading outside, I notice that Claire is a few dozen meters away, holding two seemingly identical swords. A bit in front of her stands a stone target, shaped eerily like Calder. Must just be a coincidence.

"Watch closely, little hero." Claire says, and then with all too much dramatic flourish, she swings one of the blades towards the target. I watch with much anticipation as with a resounding crash, a cloud of smoke is thrown up. Once it clears, I instantly notice that the sword is gone, pieces of it lie scattered around the target.

"That was a blade with archon tier offensive enchantments." Claire smiles at me, and takes a step back. Then she swings the other blade. Crack. I am blown away by the sheer force of the resulting, I go tumbling before eventually landing on my ass. Scrambling to my feet, I check to make sure Claire is okay. To my surprise, she is just standing and holding the sword like nothing happened. The terrain tells a different story, however.

Where the training dummy was, there is a large crack that extends out for nearly a dozen meters. The surrounding ground is scorched, and looks almost molten.

"And that was a blade with archon tier offensive imbuements." Claire says, and then giggles a bit.

"Do you understand the difference now?"

"Well, I can see that imbuements are stronger, but why?"

"Hmm. Well, imbuements are a result of crafting magic, which is, in my opinion, the strongest magic in this world. It is the art of imbuing various materials with your own aura, bestowing all sorts of properties. Naturally, the effects are generally dependent on the strength of the crafter. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"So while runic magic can be used by almost anyone, and can be quite useful in its general applications. It is a mere pittance in comparison to a proper imbuement when it comes to more focused things like combat. Granted, true crafters are rare nowadays. Either due to lost knowledge, or people focusing more on mass market products for sheer profit." Claire sounds sad at the last part, and I get it.

It seems that similar to my own world, things have started to get 'easy' enough that people don't have to focus on getting every scrap of power just to survive. Not all are suited towards such a pursuit, in fact, most are not. So while imbuements are more powerful, they are far more time and skill intensive. Whereas enchantments are quick and easy, and more easily accessible. Naturally, the economy would choose the quick, easy, and most importantly, profitable.

Not that I have any evidence of this, as I really haven't explored this world. I still have so much to learn, and honestly it's kinda intimidating.

"So then, how does one craft stuff?" I ask, "Like, properly. I know how to do it in my old world, and those techniques probably work here. But I assume anything I make will be practically worthless."

"You would be correct, mundane techniques have never been in fashion." Claire says and then motions for me to follow her behind the house.

"Luckily for you, I am most likely the single most talented crafter in the entire Realm of Humanity at the moment. So, let's get to work." When we turn the corner, my jaw drops. Laid out behind the house is a workshop that any person worth their shit would dream of having. My eyes are immediately drawn to what seems to be a kiln of sorts. But wait, there is also an anvil, made out of a shiny orange metal that almost seems to radiate heat. As I glance over the workshop, I notice a few more familiar tools.

But most of it is completely foreign to me. I guess that some of it must be used for working with different materials, which I am not the most experienced in. My Magic Smith class did mention that I am not entirely constrained to metals though. Claire walks into her workshop like she owns the place, which she does.

"Now, do not touch a single thing. I am pretty sure the raw energy in this equipment would instantly kill you." I retract my hand that was totally not reaching to feel the anvil's glossy surface.

"Got it, no touching or I go poof." Claire laughs, "I think it would be more like a kaboom. Corestone overloads are no joke. Anyways, I highly doubt I will have time to teach you all that much. Calder did only give me a week to whip you into shape. But, good news for you!" Claire turns to lock eyes with me." We have an entire week!" A shiver runs down my spine. Something tells me that this is going to be a very intense week. I laugh it off, "well then, what's first, teach?"

"First, you will sit down on the ground and meditate, until you figure out how to make a domain." Claire states.

"A what?" Claire sighs.

"A domain. You know, a localized area filled entirely with your aura. It's essential for any crafting to happen. Plus, you will need to craft proper tools, which is going to be impossible without a domain."

"Oh, like this weird place you have? Will I get a fancy barrier too?" I ask, really hoping that I get a fancy barrier. Like, if I got a whole place I could fill it with cool stuff, like books about magic!

"Hmm, kinda. This space that you entered is a bit different, though it is basically an upgraded domain. But still, you need a domain. Bad news is that it has been about two thousand years since I first figured it out. So you will have to figure it out yourself." Damn, I knew Claire had to be old. But two thousand years is quite long, I thought it was a few centuries at most.

"So I just need to focus really hard and fill an area with my aura…" I say, "By the way, what is an aura?" Claire clicks her tongue.

"Geez, what the hell has Calder been teaching you? Auras are like, basic shit."

"Well he kinda rescued me from a real evil dude, then set me up with an inn. Then he just left me alone. I did find my way to the library though! I learned a whole lot of cool stuff about magic." I reply. She sighs again, and then cups her face in two of her hands.

"Well, you know how all beings kinda leak energy, right?" She asks, and I nod, having read about it in that book.

"Well, auras are the more tangible part of that energy. With enough focus and skill, one can control it. Be it to form a badass presence telling people to fuck off, form a domain, or all sorts of other stuff you are too green to know about."

"So I just gather up the energy leaking out of me and like, compress it down or something?" I say and take a seat on the ground to a spot she shows me about fifty meters from her workshop.

"Sounds simple enough."

"Eh, close enough. It really isn't that hard, just poke around and you'll figure it out." She says and then sits a bit in front of me.

"Meanwhile, I will be trying to remove my aura from this spot. As there is no way your domain will override mine when it is this compressed." I am not sure I have understood anything that she has said. But I will simply pretend I have, and try shit out till it works. Nothing like a bit of trial and error with forces that may or may not be able to kill me. What could possibly go wrong? Calming my brain down, I activate Meditate. Though I don't go so far as to go into Spiritual Resonance.

Something tells me that I need to focus on the normal shit before I start messing with my spirit. I sigh as the world around me fades into the familiar sense of meditation.