Chapter 98: The Shining Shield

One of the greatest sorrows for a low-level mage is their meager spellcasting ability. They trace a series of intricate gestures, chant a spell for ages, and finally manage to cast something—only for it to be less lethal than someone else’s casual stab with a sword. Since magic alone cannot instantly fell an opponent, the mage is often forced into close combat. Joan’s personal experiences in Powhatan Village were enough to prove that it is essential for a low-level mage to carry a handy dagger at all times; a small shield would be even better, offering a chance at survival in critical moments. It was precisely out of such practical concerns that Joan devoted much thought to forging enchanted daggers and shields.

Now, having successfully forged a powerful "Lightning Blade," his next task was to upgrade the "Face Shield." Out of respect for the original creator of this magical shield, Joan left untouched the artist’s proud work—the rather useless face—then took up his pen and inscribed the sixteenth rune, "Sigel," into each of the face’s eyes.

The fundamental meaning of the "Sigel" rune is "Light and Sacredness," with extended connotations of "Order and Victory," symbolizing day conquering night, sunlight dispelling shadow, gods defeating demons, and order overcoming chaos. Any spell related to "light," "order," or "divine power" could be expressed through the sixteenth rune Sigel—in fact, compared to "arcane" magic, this rune is better suited for "divine" spells.

Among the spells Joan currently mastered, only two cantrips of the Light school matched the Sigel rune: "Light" and "Flare." Creating a shield that could serve as a torch for nighttime illumination was a clever idea, but Joan was not lacking in means of lighting up the dark. Shields are, after all, defensive gear; rather than turning one into a lantern, he preferred to maximize its effectiveness in combat. Thus, Joan chose to imbue the Sigel rune with "Flare."

With his plan settled, the specific enchanting process was much the same as forging the "Lightning Blade." First, he cast "Enchant Weapon" on the Sigel rune inscribed in the left eye of the Face Shield, enhancing the shield’s affinity with magic. Then, he imbued the Sigel rune in the right eye with "Flare." The two enchanting steps consumed a total of one and a half ounces of mana crystal powder—enchanting a zero-level spell only required half an ounce of crystals as a stabilizer.

So, Joan successfully upgraded the "Face Shield" to a "+1 Face Flare Shield," or simply "Flare Shield." The upgraded shield showed no obvious difference from before, save that the face’s eyes now gleamed with a bright, spirited light.

"Joan, what magical effects does this shield have?" Tom asked curiously.

"It has two features," Joan replied. "First, the face on the shield can change expressions… Well, I know that’s not much use." He shrugged and continued, "The other is the ‘Flare’ spell I just imbued. So long as I utter the Quenya word for ‘light,’ Anar, the shield will emit a brilliant flash—"

Joan hadn’t finished his explanation when the Face Shield’s eyes suddenly burst forth a pulse of intense light, instantly engulfing Tom, who stood directly opposite.

The unfortunate dwarf, utterly unprepared, had his eyes assaulted by the flash. He cried out and turned away, tears streaming uncontrollably as his eyes stung and refused to open. A full minute passed before Tom’s vision returned, his eyes swollen and red like a rabbit’s.

Joan hastened to apologize. The accident was entirely his fault: during their conversation, he’d inadvertently spoken the word "Anar" while his finger happened to touch the shield, inadvertently triggering "Flare" and subjecting Tom to the painful glare.

Rubbing his reddened rabbit eyes, Tom said with lingering fear, "Good thing it was only ‘Flare,’ which at most causes temporary blindness. If you’d enchanted the shield with ‘Burning Hand,’ I’d probably be roasted medium rare by now."

Joan was amused, but Flint, his uncle, was struck by inspiration from Tom’s joke. With a serious expression, he asked Joan, "Can you really imbue ‘Burning Hand’ onto a shield?"

Joan pondered and replied carefully, "I haven’t tried, but in theory there’s no reason why not."

"Can you imagine what the enchanted effect would be?" Flint pressed.

"Most likely, once activated, the shield would emit a cone of fire from its surface, with the attack range and destructive power similar to my regular casting of ‘Burning Hand.’" Joan thought for a moment, then added, "I have unlimited zero-level spell slots, so the Flare Shield can cast ‘Flare’ at will. But I get only three first-level slots a day, and any enchanted shield would probably not be able to cast ‘Burning Hand’ infinitely—at most, three times per day."

Flint nodded in agreement. "Magical weapons typically possess a ‘charge’ feature—the magic imbued onto them, unless it’s a cantrip, can only be released a limited number of times daily, after which it takes a full day to recharge. Just like a mage who, once out of spell slots, must wait until the next day to gain fresh ones."

"Mr. Flint, do you want your shield enchanted?" Joan guessed the old dwarf’s intention.

"Exactly. I want to add ‘Burning Hand’ to my shield, just as we discussed." The old dwarf gave Joan an encouraging look. "Let’s try it, my boy—I trust your craftsmanship!"

Joan nodded solemnly, determined to perfect this work as a token of gratitude for Mr. Flint’s generous support.

The old dwarf brought his trusty adamantine kite shield, reminding Joan to take extra care during the enchantment so as not to damage the Iron Anvil family crest.

Joan knew how much dwarves valued family honor. Though his enchanting technique would not leave noticeable marks on the shield’s surface, he carefully avoided the crest when inscribing the runes.

The subsequent enchantment steps were much the same as those for the Lightning Blade and Flare Shield, using the sixth rune, Ken, as the spell carrier. He first cast "Enchant Weapon" to enhance the enchantment level, then imbued "Burning Hand," and it was done.

When finished, Joan attempted to lift the shield for testing. He mustered all his strength and barely managed to raise the heavy adamantine shield, sweat breaking on his brow.

"That’s why I keep telling you—you need to eat more meat and grow stronger!" Flint chuckled, taking the shield from the young mage. "If we tested ‘Burning Hand’ in here, my losses would be great. Let’s find a more open space."

Joan agreed, and together with Flint and Tom, headed to the wide riverbank. Flint held the shield single-handed, facing the surging Derlin River, and asked Joan, "All right, now tell me—how do I make this shield spit fire?"