CH20

“… What is this?” Thera asked as soon as she entered the shop in the morning. Ben was already awake this time, just putting the finishing touches on what looked like the sort of backpack one would usually use to carry wooden logs. It was basically just two metal bars in an ‘L’ shape attached together with a few leather straps to wear it, and it was filled with maybe a dozen staves. She turned to Falk for an explanation but he was in the corner staring on with a look of confusion and concern himself, not believing what he was seeing.

“What’s the matter Thera?” Ben asked in his own confusion.

“How did you make all of these in one night? And you had time to make a carrier too?”

“Ha yeah I accidentally forgot to sleep, I’ll just have to do it when we’re done today. Anyway, making them all wasn’t too hard. You saw yesterday right? The technique I was using let me stretch out the metals to make two when it was five layers, but when I tried to make a seven-layer one after leveling up it became three, and then I felt like I could push myself a bit more after that so I tried for nine layers as well and was also able to split it into three. I think I could still get a few more layers of resistance if I try but I’m pretty sure after this I would need to raise my enchanting again to make it worthwhile, like sure it would make a smoother gradient but there isn’t much difference if it starts at the same level you know? So instead I made another nine-layer one with different materials.”

He was smiling the entire time he was talking, not giving the impression he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all, but Thera didn’t know how to react. In less than twenty-four hours he had made eleven staves, certainly it wouldn’t be a big deal for someone like Falk, but he had only managed three or four the first two days he’d started this.

“Boy, are you sure you’re good to go out? It wouldn’t do you any good to pass out.” Falk asked, a little worried.

“Nah I’m all good, I’ve pulled plenty of all-nighters before and we’re just going to the training grounds. When we’re done I’ll get some sleep. Plus if we can get three shots out of any of them then not only can we go hunting tomorrow but I can devote only a day or two a week to making them and have plenty of time for other things. It’s a win-win.”

“Huh, alright just don’t go getting yourself killed then. Thera sorry but if he starts seeming a bit tired come back early alright.”

“Will do uncle, don’t worry.”

“We’ll be off then. I’ll take a nap here when we’re done and then get back to work,” Ben said while leaving the shop.

They could both hear Falk yelling after him. “Just go home!”

“Has your enchanting gotten that much better? You’ve been staring at that rock forever.”

The moment they got out of town, but before they reached the training grounds, Ben picked up a rock about twice the size of his fist to start his regular enchanting practice, but he had been fiddling with it the entire time without stopping to pick up a new one.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author’s consent. Report any sightings.

“Oh yeah definitely. I’m not actually just adding enchantments until it breaks this time, since my level went up I have a lot more options available.”

“So what are you doing then?”

“Since my level went up instead of just applying my enchantment evenly across the entire thing I can focus it into specific sections now. From what I read this usually actually works worse in a lot of cases because it can result in instability and weakness in poor quality materials or just erases the enchantment from better quality ones, but it lets me do things like this,” Saying this he held up his rock, and instead of breaking the entire thing he only scraped away a bit of the material with his fingers.