I had the rest of the afternoon and evening to work on [Enchanting], and there was a lot to do. First of all were the pieces for the guild - swords, axes and pikes all to be enchanted with [Undead Bane]. I guess it was understandable that there was a certain amount of demand for that. I only had two weapons available to do though - it would take them a little while to ramp up production of suitable weapons.

With those out of the way, there was a lot of experimenting to do. What I wouldn’t give for some sort of general text on [Enchanting]! There were so many questions that I had that I’m sure could be answered by an introductory text.

For example, why didn’t my [Undead Bane] weapons function properly? Perhaps that was a misleading way of putting it. They did work, and the Guild was perfectly happy with them. However, when I looked at them with [Sense Mana] I could see that, unlike my heating and cooling charms, mana did not flow through the runes. Sitting here on my desk, the runes were inactive.

However, in the dungeon, where the undead actually were, the runes on my dagger became active. My theory was that runes relied on ambient mana to function. There wasn’t enough mana to power the enchantment outside, but the higher mana levels in a dungeon would allow it to work.

That a dungeon had higher mana levels was just my speculation, but a quick conversation with Rhis had confirmed it. Lower levels had higher mana, which allowed for higher threat monsters.

Both my heating charms and the bane weapons used the same formation of runes, the only difference was the cost to buy the different runes. If I assumed that the buy cost was proportional to the mana cost - maybe equal to it, then it meant I could power up to five points worth of runes with ambient mana. Since [Constant Effect] and [Target: Touch] cost 4 points between them, it meant that I was limited to runes that cost one. That wasn’t nothing…

[Sharpness] : Improves Damage on edge weapons. (Cost 1) - Requires: Diamond

[Toughness] : Improves Durability of enchanted item. (Cost 1)

[Generate (Air)] : Creates an amount of air. (Cost: 1)

[Generate (Light)]: Creates and amount of light. (Cost 1)

[Warm] : Raises the temperature of target by a moderate amount. (Cost 1) - Requires: Ruby

[Cool] : Lowers the temperature of target by a moderate amount. (Cost 1) - Requires: Sapphire

But it wasn’t much. There were other runes that only cost one, but I don’t think they were to do with spell effects. They were senses and… logic statements? Not sure how they would fit in. But I already had a model for a more powerful effect: Sean’s amulet. That used a mana crystal and the [Accept Energy] rune to power a more complicated enchantment. There was another ‘energy’ rune as well, [Gather Energy].

[Gather Energy]: Gathers ambient mana to power enchantment. (Cost 2)

[Accept Energy]: Transfers mana into enchantment. (Cost 1) - Requires Jet

Arrrgh! These descriptions! [Gather Energy] sounded like exactly l needed, but also like what enchantments did on their own anyway! The only thing to do was buy it and test it out.

[Gather Energy]: Purchased for 2 points.

To test it, I decided to use [Bane (Undead)] again. It was an enchantment I knew didn’t work without extra mana after all. I started carving [Gather Energy] onto a steel plate - I didn’t want to waste silversteel on a test after all. Maybe Cloridan could use an undead bane shuriken.

There was a round dot as part of the rune, [Accept Energy] had something similar. So it wasn’t a surprise when I suddenly ‘felt’ the need for a mana crystal to go there. Wincing at the probably waste of 10 gold, I picked one out of my jar and placed it on the dot. It entered the metal like it was water, then froze in place when I let it go. The rune was complete.

I wasn’t sure what rune to carve next. The obvious one was [Accept Energy], but I wouldn’t be able to put the dot on the crystal, unless I overlapped runes. That seemed wrong, but I tried carving it, hoping that the skill would provide some guidance.

Sure enough, the skill wanted me to just put the rune next to [Gather Energy], and link the two like I would normally. Then I went and carved the other runes. When I linked the final rune back to the [Gather Energy]… nothing happened.

You have crafted an Undead Bane Shuriken, Quality: Good. You earned 125 XP

I flushed with embarrassment. Good thing no one was there to see. I guess I needed to be more careful with what I was thinking when crafting things for the first time. Also surprising was the XP amount. I normally got 75 XP for a baned sword. It must be due to the greater complexity of the enchantment. Which still wasn’t working. Or was it?

[Sense Mana] Level 3 acquired through use

For gaining a skill level you have been awarded 1 XP

I could sense mana slowly building up in the crystal. Not enough to count as a point yet, but… I watched as it slowly grew.

[Identification]: - Mana Crystal (1/10 charge)

I’d been expecting it to power up once it got the one extra mana I thought it would need, but nothing happened. Then I realised that the extra runes needed to powered as well, so the damn thing needed 9 mana now. I could charge it myself, but that would probably invalidate the experiment. I had to wait.. almost an hour before the enchantment powered up.

There was nothing to see, as [Bane(Undead)] wasn’t the flashiest of spells, but my [Sense Mana] could see clearly the moment it activated.

OK, so it worked. My sense of triumph was somewhat muted by having to wait an hour for results. But this means I can make permanent spells. That had been the promise of the [Enchanting] skill after all.

[Spell Store] : Casts a spell stored in the Enchantment at the time of crafting (Cost 3)

This was the rune that would give me some real versatility with Enchantments. If I could put any of my Illusion spells in a rune, or Janie's [Fire Magic] spells, then I wouldn’t be limited by the range of effects I could buy runes for. After buying that, I had just one point left, so I purchased [Sense (Touch)]. I had [Trigger] but the only thing I could use with it was [Sense (Temperature)], which wasn’t very useful. Touch control…

“Miss? Miss Kandis?” Elodie called out from the door. “Were you planning on staying up much later?”

“Huh? What time is it?” I asked, broken out of my train of thought.

“They just rang ninth bell, miss,” she said reproachfully. “If you don’t need anything else, I was going to head to bed.”

“Thats fine,” I said, stretching. I’d really lost track of time. “I’ll go as well. I left some notes on what I used on the bench, you can do the bookkeeping for the guild in the morning.”

“Of course, miss,” she said, as I headed over towards her. She had both [Scribe] and [Calculate] which was unusual for a [Maid] but quite common, apparently, in Guild-members daughters.

“Enjoy the bath?” I smirked, noticing her skin was flushed and her hair still damp.

“Yes, miss. It was very…” she trailed off.

“Decadent?” I suggested. She frowned. “Oh wait,” I said before she could object. “I forgot about the thing.” I turned back to the bench and my Undead Bane Shuriken. “I should make sure this is safe in case it explodes?”

“Its going to explode?” Elodie took a step back and moved behind the doorframe.

“No. Probably not.” I said. “But I’m not 100% sure what will happen if the crystal charges up past full. Better safe than sorry, right?”

I used [Phantasmal Object] to conjure up a safe, and popped the plate inside. I didn’t bother with a combination, I’d just cancel it in the morning. Actually, I had no idea how safes worked on the inside… had it conjured all the gears and tumblers a safe needed to work? Didn’t matter.

“Um, what kind of magic is that, miss?” Elodie said, staring at the safe. I looked back. It did look a little incongruous. A modern safe sitting in a medieval house, but it wasn’t that out of place. Oh shit. Eloide is from a metal working household, she can probably see a dozen ways that thing is impossible to craft.

“Its special magic to keep us safe,” I said. “You’ll see plenty more of it when I start crafting devices for the kitchen.”

I thought that would distract her, and I was right. “Oh no, miss, there's no need for such things!” she said urgently.

“Don’t worry about that now,” I said, “Weren’t you going to go to bed?”

The next morning, I gave Elodie some funds and a list of things to buy, or order made. Some were work related, others merely ‘decadent’. I really hope this world has bath salts. I thought, as I headed out for my own appointment. I was the first to arrive at my old house, which was my aim, as I hadn’t yet arranged for keys for the rest of the group. It also gave me a chance to plan out the modifications that I wanted.

Lets see, a partition there, table here… It had occurred to me to use [Phantasmal Object] instead of relying on my imagination, so as I planned, the house was rapidly becoming furnished. I… probably wouldn’t keep it like this though. Small though the upkeep was, it added up. If I was going to furnish with illusions, I’d want to use enchantments to keep them. Of course just the cost of one illusion would pay for real versions of everything.

My team took the overnight appearance of furnishings in their stride. They quickly deduced they were illusions, knowing what my magic was. Solid illusions though, were new to them. It took a few careful experiments before they were willing to sit on Phantasmal chairs, but eventually we were all seated around my version of a medieval conference table.

Aubert slid a letter across the table to me. “My father's… orders, or whatever it is that I should call them.” He didn’t look pleased to be his father's messenger.

The letter was sealed, with old-fashioned - no, I guess I should say with a wax seal that was entirely normal for a Count’s correspondence. That it was sealed though…

“Did he not tell you what was in here?” I asked.

“He did not,” Aubert admitted, shifting uncomfortably.

“Hmm.” I broke the seal. Inside were two letters, both short. The first one, after all the palaver that nobility started letters with, stated:

…and the County Autumn Ball is in three weeks, to commemorate the start of the season. Consider this letter your invitation to attend, as Aubert’s tutor. We can observe his progress and review your performance.

My face went blank, and I looked up at Aubert. “You’ll want to read this,” I said, and passed it across. He read it, and started grinding his teeth.

“I don’t.. He… What does this mean?”

“Pass it to me, Aubey, I’ll read it to you?” Janie said, with undisguised glee at whatever had gotten Aubert mad. He didn’t dignify her taunt with a response, but his hand shook as he gripped the letter more tightly.

“Its about the Autumn Ball, apparently I’ll be attending,” I told her.

“Oh, now I’m jealous. You really are a cut above us common folk,” Janie said. She was half-serious, but at least I’d distracted her from her target, and given Aubert a chance to calm down.

“I’m sure I could take a guest,” I told her, “but you’d have to lose the piercings, and wear something to cover up the tattoos.”

“You can’t touch my precious face!” Janie exclaimed. “Oh no, am I destined to languish in the lower half of society forever?”

“Lower quarter,” Aubert said, seemingly recovered enough for banter. He was still angry, but he was controlling it. “Simple townsfolk have a level of respectability that you have yet to reach.”

“Alright, alright. The rest of this isn’t team business, so I’ll talk to you about it afterwards, Aubert.” I was saving ‘Aubey’ for when he misbehaved, something I think he’d already noticed.

“And what might our team business be, gracious Lady?” Cloridan said, quiet up until now, nodding at my other letter.

“Give me a second,” I muttered. “Oh, while you wait, here, do you want this?” I passed my anti-undead shuriken to him. The crystal had not, in fact, exploded. It had managed to fully charge; at which point [Gather Energy] had stopped. It should now remain at full charge for the rest of its pointless existence.

“I shall treasure it always, my first gift from you. Um, what is it?”

That couldn’t be a question that was often asked, what with [Identify] being a common skill. The others were equally puzzled by what the skill was telling them.

“Its enchanted with undead bane,” I replied absently, my mind on the letter I was reading. “Its a version that will work outside a dungeon.”

“Undead bane doesn’t work outside a dungeon?” Aubert asked, with some concern.

“Not the ones I’ve seen, or the ones I’ve made,” I said, looking up. “Except for that one. Do people not know this?” Everyone shook their heads or said no.

“Undead don’t spawn outside the dungeon, around here anyway.” Cloridan said. “Only in the wilderness - you need wild mana for that to happen.”

“Well, they might work under those conditions as well,” I said. “Out here, there's not enough mana to power the enchantment, which is the problem. I guess if there's more mana in the mountains, they might work there.”

“Why didn’t you put it on a weapon though?” Janie asked. “And whats a shuriken?”

“Ah, its a name for a really small throwing knife,” I said. “Sometimes they’re round, so if it had pointy bits it would probably qualify as one. And it was just an experiment. The enchantment will degrade the metal in a week or two, at which point it will just be a piece of junk.”

“It isn’t balanced for throwing though,” Cloridan pointed out. “And a round throwing knife? How does that work?”

With a sigh of exasperation, I used [Phantasmal Object] to make a classic ninja shuriken and placed it on the table.

“There,” I said. “Now, was anyone interested in our secret mission?” Everyone perked up, even Cloridan, though he carefully reached out to pick up the shuriken.

“Secret mission?” Janie asked.

“Yeah, this job requires our absolute discretion, and I’m to swear you all to secrecy before telling you about it.”

“You have my oath, of course,” Aubert said. “I’m not going to go against father.”

“Yeah… I guess so.” Janie said. I raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not a huge stickler for sacred oaths,” I said, “but maybe a little more commitment then ‘I guess so.’ would be nice?”

“Fine, fine, I so swear.” She said. I looked over at Cloridan.

“Yes, I swear as well. Can I keep this?” he said, indicating the shuriken.

“It will disappear after a day, or if you manage to do enough damage to it,” I said. “But fine, knock yourself out - thats an expression.”

With the oaths acquired, I could move to the next part.

“The mission statement is simple enough,” I said. “The Count thinks there might be a [Demonologist] in the city. If there is, he wants us to find them and kill them. We get 200 gold for showing there’s no threat, 1000 for ending it.”

There was a silence as they all looked at me. I took the moment to look up [Demonologist], I didn’t recall seeing it before.

[Demonologist] : A forbidden class applied to those possessing the [Demonology] skill. No skill unlocks or bonuses are granted. (FORBIDDEN)

[Demonology] : A forbidden skill for summoning demons.

Thats a little different, I thought to myself.

Aubert was the first to speak. “Did father say why he thinks there might be [Demonologist] in the city?”

“No,” I said. “I guess he has secrecy concerns?” The rest of the note was just instructions to burn it, so I manifested a metal bin and put the note inside. “Janie, can you burn this? And I don’t know much about demons, does anyone know more?”

“I don’t think anyone knows more than the basics,” Cloridan said, while watching Janie drop a fist full of fire into the bucket. “They start out weak, but if they aren’t stopped they get out of hand and then…”

“The Gods get involved and everything goes… whomph!” Janie exclaimed, demonstrating what she meant with a mini fireball.

Cloridan winced. “Thats only happened a few times, but the smoking crater does leave an impression. For that to happen in Anchorbury - this seems like far too serious a matter to be given as a first mission.”

“Perhaps its a test,” Aubert mused. “Father might want to see if we can keep his secrets.”

“If thats the case, then all we have to do is keep our mouths shut to pass.” I said. “But we should probably take it at face value.”

“Right, but how do we do that?” Janie asked, “We’ve got no information on where these demons are… are we just supposed to patrol the streets?”

I nodded. “Yeah, Aubert - you’re on that. Find out what the Count’s willing to tell us. You might… can you be subtle? This cloak and dagger stuff might mean he suspects someone listening in on your home.”

“Speak as if we’re being overheard. I understand.” Aubert said grimly.

“I’ll… try to find out more about demons.” I continued. “My social skills should let me make enquires without raising too much attention. The question is where to start?”

“Bards,” Cloridan said. “Though they might have social skills to match you, they tend to collect stories and lore. Short of a [Sage], I’d say they would be your best bet.”

“I suppose [Sages] are only to be found in the Capital.” I said glumly. Cloridan nodded.

“There’s one to the south?” Janie said uncertainly. “Still a couple of days run, and I’m not sure where exactly. Some isolated tower full of books. A bard is still your best bet I reckon.”

“Then thats what I’ll do. You two can take tomorrow off, we’ll meet again the day after to go after what we’ve found.”

“Yay!” Janie yelled. Cloridan just smiled, no doubt thinking of the taverns he would be frequenting. The two of them left, leaving me with Aubert.

“So.” Aubert said. “What is it that my father feels you should be teaching me?”

I made a face. “I can tell you, but I’m not sure you’ll understand if I do.” I paused, but he just glared at me. I sighed. “Respect towards women.” I answered.

He frowned. “You are… correct. I don’t understand. I’ve always been perfectly respectful towards women.”

“Like you were towards me?” I asked.

“I barely said five words to you, before you insulted me-“

“You words were an attack.” I interrupted him. [Persuade] coiled through my words like a snake. “Meant to put me off balance, be more receptive to your next ‘suggestion’. Don’t try and tell me otherwise.”

He flushed with embarrassment. “I wasn’t going to make you do anything, just -“

“Follow you? To a nice quiet tavern where I’d be surrounded by your friends? Unable to run away?”

“I wasn’t- I wouldn’t use Skills for that, I just wanted to talk…”

I cut him off with gesture. “If I wanted to, could I make you kneel?”

“My loyalty to my father is-“ he exclaimed, but I cut him off again.

“Not that,” I said. “I’m talking about a show of humiliation, making you kneel down in front of the team, or in the main street. Could I do that?”

He worked the muscles in his face for a bit, before admitting. “Yes. We may be the same level, but your [Charisma]… just how high is it?”

I ignored his question. “And if I took you to bed-“ I saw his eyes widen at the thought. “-I’d be the dominant one, wouldn’t I? I could make you do whatever I desired, inflict whatever indignity I wanted, and you’d just lap it up, wouldn’t you?”

He didn’t answer, but his breathing had deepened, and his eyes were starting to glaze over. High [Charisma] is scary stuff. I thought, but I kept on.

“You’d beg me to step on you, wouldn’t you?”

[Seduction] Skill unlocked.

“Yes, mistress.” As he said that word, he got a shocked look on his face. It must have slipped out, and clued him in on just how deep he’d gone.

“I wonder if that’s what your father’s plan is,” I mused. “If he expects me to show up at the ball with you as my obedient little puppy.” Puppy… that word struck a chord, there was something…

Focus. “Thats not going to happen.” I said. I put the full weight of my [Persuade] behind it, and it snapped him out of it like a face-full of water.

“Feeling better?” I asked. “Maybe now you have an idea of how some of those girls felt.”

“You… you don’t know anything about them,” he said weakly.

“No, but I can find out,” I said. Then my wayward thought finally crystallised. “and you are not a puppy!” I exclaimed.

He looked at me, eyes narrowed. “Thats… true, but I still feel that I’ve been insulted.”

“I think I’ve figured out the next step in your lesson plan,” I explained. “It will take some research, but there should be some time before the ball.”

“That doesn’t explain the puppy thing,” he complained.

“When you house-train a puppy, you - actually I’m not sure if this is best practice - you have to catch them in the act of shitting and then rub their faces in it, so they know its bad.”

“And thats what you’ve been doing to me?” he asked. “You’ve certainly been rubbing my face in something.” he muttered.

“I guess so, yeah,” I said. “I’d forgotten that you are a thinking being that can remember his actions and have his errors explained to him. I’m sure you can see how I’d get confused.”

“Ah there's the insult. I should take my leave then, unless you have further wisdom to impart.”

He got up to leave, but he hesitated before turning away.

“Not going to happen.” I said again. He gave a peculiar shudder, and then nodded.

“Probably in my best interests,” he said, and then left.