Chapter 97: Lightning Blade

By now, the dagger in Joan’s hand was plainly sharper than it had been before enchantment, and it gave off a faint pulse of magical power. It could already be counted as a magic weapon; in the jargon of enchanters, it was a “+1 dagger.” In other words, it met the standard for a first-tier enchantment, a widely recognized mark of quality within the trade.

Joan wiped the sweat from his brow. This partial success filled him with confidence, and he looked up at Flint.

The old dwarf’s eyes shone with appreciation. Smiling, he made a gesture for Joan to continue, clearly seeing that his idea for the enchantment did not end there.

Encouraged by the old dwarf’s smile, Joan carefully flipped the dagger over, turning the blade so that the side stained with ink now faced upward. He then repeated the same procedure as before, using Rune Six, Ken, written in ink as the vessel, binding the spell to it and adding magic crystal dust as a stabilizer. There were, however, two subtle differences from before: this time, the spell he was binding was no longer the enchanted-weapon enchantment, but another first-circle spell, Shocking Grasp; and in casting Shocking Grasp, he also applied the metamagic technique Reach Spell.

The metamagic technique Reach Spell had come from an arcane tome that the elf siblings Nick and Jing had given Joan in gratitude for his destruction of the water spirits that had occupied Unfrozen Lake and for helping the pair reclaim their home. This technique could greatly improve touch spells such as Shocking Grasp, extending their reach by an additional five feet.

Joan infused the improved Shocking Grasp into the dagger, and the weapon underwent another astonishing transformation, as though being reforged from the ground up, taking on properties suited to the spell within it.

Under the influence of the rune and the magic crystal dust, Shocking Grasp seeped into the inner layers of the metal, giving the dagger a shocking effect. When it struck, the edge would automatically unleash a high-voltage arc, dealing an additional point of electrical damage to the target. In addition, because Shocking Grasp had been forcibly extended by Reach Spell, the dagger manifested a similar trait. Under normal circumstances, a dagger with a blade less than a foot long could only be used in close-quarters combat, but the dagger Joan had made was no ordinary weapon: the current it released could stretch five feet. Even if the blade itself could not pierce an enemy standing five feet away, the arc burst from the edge could still strike them down. For a mage with little skill in melee, that was nothing short of a blessing.

With that, the first enchanted weapon Joan had ever forged by his own hand was complete.

By the usual standards of the enchanting trade, adding a shocking effect to a +1 dagger would make it a “+1 shocking dagger.” But Joan had also incorporated the metamagic craft of Reach Spell, extending the dagger’s attack range by five feet. How, then, should that be reflected in the name? As a newcomer, he had no idea, so he had to ask Flint.

“According to the naming conventions of the trade, this dagger ought to be called a ‘+1 reach shocking dagger’—rather long and awkward, don’t you think?” The old dwarf stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “My boy, there’s no need to force your masterpiece into the mold of trade convention. Why not give it a nickname that’s both concise and cool, something like... ‘Lightning Blade’?”

“Sounds great, Mr. Flint.”

Joan also thought Lightning Blade was a very cool name. Tom seemed to have a different opinion, but Flint was not in the mood to hear him blather on. He waved a hand, telling his nephew to shut up and stop interrupting.

“Joan, to be honest, I’ve lived one hundred and fifty years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen enchanting craft like yours. Compared with the conventional methods I know, the efficiency is frighteningly high! You should understand that if someone used ordinary techniques to forge a Lightning Blade like this, it would take at least three days to finish. And you? You did it in just one hour. I have to call that a miracle!”

“Unfortunately, my enchanting method isn’t any cheaper than the traditional one...” Joan sighed regretfully. The Lightning Blade he had just made had consumed a full two ounces of magic crystal, double his budget. That was a little awkward. At a capital cost of twelve hundred and fifty gold ducats, it really offered no advantage over conventional enchanting.

“No, no, my boy, you’re still too young to understand that time is money. One day you’ll see that, under the right conditions, greater efficiency and lower cost can amount to the same thing.” After his lament, the old dwarf asked, “Besides the Lightning Blade, do you have any other enchanting plans?”

“I was thinking of modifying a magical shield, but I’ve already run out of money to buy more magic crystal powder.” Joan spoke plainly.

The old dwarf stroked his beard and smiled. “An enchanted shield sounds interesting. I suggest you finish it, child. Don’t worry about money. I have more than enough magic crystal for you to use here.”

“But...”

“If that makes you feel indebted to me, then after you finish your second work, you might spare some time to forge an enchanted weapon for me as repayment for the magic crystal you’ve used. What do you think of that proposal?” Flint asked.

Joan hastily nodded in agreement. Repaying the crystal cost with his own enchanting services was the perfect solution: it would save him a fortune and give his enchanting skill more practice besides.

“Then let’s begin, child. I can hardly wait to see your performance,” Flint urged with excitement.

Joan nodded, turned, and found his backpack, from which he took out the Face Shield. The shield was only a foot long, broad in the middle and pointed at both ends, with the left and right sides curving upward. Its shape resembled a small boat, while the central bend fit snugly against the arm. Once firmly strapped to the back of the forearm, it barely interfered with movement. Rather than a shield, it was more like an oversized elbow guard.

A shield of this size and shape was, of course, not meant for front-line melee fighters; it was better suited to rogues, assassins, or mages like Joan. The shield was made of light yet resilient blackwood and covered in leather. Its advantages were lightness and respectable protection: it could block blades and even arrows, and when strapped to the elbow it did not hinder the casting gestures of a spellcaster—something Joan especially valued.

On the leather covering the front of the shield, a male face had been painted in black pigment: broad brows, large eyes, and an air of righteous seriousness. Unfortunately, the curved surface of the shield distorted the image, making it look rather comical. If the bearer spoke the activation word “Curu”—an Elvish term meaning “craft,” and, naturally, “style” as well—the shield’s attached magical trickery would awaken, causing the solemn face to shift into all sorts of random expressions: anger, contempt, disdain, sorrow, pain, laughter, and so on. In short, no matter which expression it wore, it looked ridiculous.