Spell: Arcane Forging
Requirements: Fire Magic and Earth Magic
Mana Cost: 30 MP
Cast Time: 5 seconds
Description: Cast a spell to forge metal into the desired shape. The initial cast takes 5 seconds, but the length of time required to complete the item depends on the size of the project. The project will complete faster if already brought to the correct temperature before casting.
Special Traits: Using this spell increases the base Rarity and Quality by one rank as long as the item and materials used are within your skill range.
Mastery Level: 1
That was amazing. This spell would be invaluable to him, and on top of that, Arthur had discovered a hidden smithing subskill. He assumed that it didn’t happen very often at all. He was so excited he thought he might burst, so Arthur took off as quick as he could to Rowan. He held the item out and was rather sure he looked like a giddy child opening a Christmas present. Rowan gave him a look of exasperation and turned to look at the dagger blade. As he studied it, his eyes started to widen.
“How in the blazes did you manage to do this? You are what? Level 2? Maybe level 3? Now you come out here having made an Uncommon item. Not only that, but an Uncommon item that has the Mage-crafted mark. What the hell are you, Arthur?” Rowan said in amazement.
“I combined my magical skills with my new smithing skills. I was pretty sure it would work because I had heard of something similar in a book but had to give it a try. Successfully combining those skills also unlocked a hidden subskill. I have now learned the subskill of Arcane Smithing.” Arthur explained to him.
“You did fucking what?” Rowan yelled.
Chapter 20
The Devil is in the Details
“Umm, I unlocked a hidden subskill…” Arthur said carefully.
“You know what, I am not sure why I am even surprised anymore. You must truly be blessed by one of the Gods to have the kind of luck you have in these things.” Rowan said in resignation.
“It is a Goddess, but I would agree,” Arthur told him seriously.
Rowan eyed him, curiously, “You are serious, aren’t you?”
“I told you I had a mission here. My Goddess sent me here to help. That is my goal here.”
“Well, we must be truly blessed to have the attention. What was the name of your Goddess again?” He asked.
“Her name is Lianna,” Arthur told him.
“Thank you, Arthur. So this new skill, how long does it take you to forge with it, and are there any restrictions?” Rowan asked.
“It only takes a few seconds to cast the spell, and the time it takes to finish the entire thing depends on the size of the item. Once I cast the spell, it completed that dagger in roughly two minutes. It costs me thirty mana each time to cast, though, so I can’t use it infinitely. Another benefit is the spell will raise the Rarity and Quality level by one rank as long as the materials used are within my skill range.” Arthur explained to him.
Rowan’s eyes grew wider and wider as Arthur described the spell. When he got to the part where it increased the Rarity and Quality level, he thought Rowan’s head was going to explode. The man looked borderline apoplectic.
“Do you have any idea how special that skill is? That spell could make or break a kingdom. Especially once you boost your skills high enough to use better materials. Now that I think of it, you may be more valuable than you know. One of the rarest metals to use is Magesteel, but the method to make it is extremely guarded. I have a feeling it is related to this arcane forging of yours, and once you have the skill to do that, the sky is the limit.” He said in awe.
“What is so special about Magesteel?” Arthur asked.
“Magesteel is so special because it has an extremely high capacity for magical enhancements. The most advanced and special weapons and armor in this entire world are all made with Magesteel. Other metals are harder than Magesteel, such as Ruinite or Adamantite, but when combined with the magical enhancements and the sheer power, it can contain Magesteel wins hands down.” Rowan explained.
“I look forward to getting to that point, and I will promise you we can discover it together. Until then, I am sure I at least need to make it up to steel before I can even consider trying to make it.”
“I agree with that. It looks like you need to do plenty of work on your skills. If you can combine this with your new Enchanting skill, it would be a formidable pairing. You can practice on pieces you make as well. That would give a decent starting weapon for many around here. Would you mind sticking around and helping with some more work? I think having a Mage-crafted item for each of our recruits would go a long way toward earning their trust and admiration. I can work on the handle pieces for each if you can make a couple more daggers and even a sword or two. I would also like to see if you could add an enhancement to them with your Enchanting skill.” Rowan said.
“I’d love to. Let’s get to it, Rowan. Let me make a couple more daggers and a sword in this manner, and while you are working on the handle material, I can focus on creating an enchantment to use. I am not sure why, but I have a feeling the enchantment must be placed on the blades before they are assembled.” Arthur told him.
Arthur went to work and grabbed a couple of iron ingots from the stack. He decided to start them by letting the forge heat them. One bar was separated by his Earth Magic, and he left the other bar whole for the sword. Casting his spell on each of the small pieces, successfully created two more matching dagger blades to the one he had presented to Rowan. After this, he picked up the final bar and cast the spell while picturing the shape of the sword he wanted. He was amazed as he watched that line of power slowly crawl down the metal and change the entire shape of it into what he wanted.
The metal seemed to flow like liquid as it formed the pointed tip and gradually worked its way toward the tang of the blade. The sharp, double edge looked perfect as the spell continued shaping. The tang itself tapered quickly to the needed length. The shoulders where the guard sat were perfectly flat. The weapon itself had a dull sheen to it, but as soon as the spell completed and the finished blade fell into his hands, it had increased its luster. He couldn’t help but pull up the stats on the item.
You have gained 150 experience in Earth Magic and Fire Magic for successfully casting Combination Spell: Arcane Forging. (x3)
Congratulations, you have successfully created Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger Blade. You have gained 150 experience in Arcane Smithing and Blacksmithing for creating this item. (x2)
Congratulations, you have successfully created Basic Mage-crafted Iron Bastard Sword Blade. You have gained 85 experience in Arcane Smithing and Blacksmithing for creating this item.
Item:
Basic Mage-crafted Iron Bastard Sword Blade
Attack: 8-12
Durability: 65/65
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.2 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: A basic Iron Bastard Sword Blade, created using magical techniques. This blade will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with handle components to assemble a Basic Mage-crafted Iron Bastard Sword.
It still wasn’t as good as the one he had found, but it was an incredible start for a crafted item when he was such a low skill level. Now it was time for him to incorporate his Enchanting into the pieces. He handed the sword blade over to Rowan and grabbed one of the dagger blades to start.
Arthur moved to the side and found a metal awl that he decided would fit his purposes. Locating a small hammer and a seat allowed him to get to work. His main concern with these blades was that they were iron. Due to this, they wouldn’t be nearly as hard as steel and would easily damage faster. The trick would be to find a way to increase the hardness of the blade. He started by trying the symbols for weak, power, and durability. The awl carefully peeled those symbols into the metal. He then decided to scratch the symbols weak, power, and sharp down one side of
the blade directly between the center spine and the edge. He copied this symbol set for the other side as well.
He decided that would probably be the best set to start with. Usually, he would only try one since this was his first time with these enchantments, but since Rowan told him the mage-crafted ability would help it hold more power, he decided it would be fine. Both of these spells should require an Earth base to them.
So far, every time he did any type of spell that required multiple components or elements, he was forced to do all at the same time, or they would fail. If they were different powers, he also had to weave them together while performing the spell. Due to this, he decided he would have to attempt all three symbol sets at the same time. He pictured the idea of the blade increasing in durability and taking less damage from blows. He also imagined both edges of the blade being perfectly sharp at all times and never dull. While picturing these two things, he directed his attention to all three sets of symbols and started feeding each of them mana simultaneously.
Arthur’s mana took a quick nosedive as soon as he started. He had spent enough time scribing the symbols for it that he had recovered all of his mana, but it still scared him. Within a few seconds, he had dropped 75 mana. The drain was immense at the start but quickly steadied out as he continued to feed all three of the symbols. He watched as his mana kept falling but was starting to get a feeling of satisfaction from the magic itself. It was an odd feeling, but he assumed it meant the enchantments were almost done. After thirty more seconds, the symbols faded and permanently burned into the metal, and the flow of power ceased abruptly.
Arthur was amazed at the process. For all three of them, it took 150 mana to complete. Arthur assumed that the process would be typical for other attempts with roughly half coming out immediately, and the rest slowly trickling in. He couldn’t help but step back and admire the work, though. The blade was now pretty amazing for something he had made.
Congratulations, you have successfully enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger Blade for 120 experience in Enchanting.
Item:
Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger Blade
Attack: 5-7
Durability: 60/60
Rarity: Rare
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 0.6 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: An Enchanted Basic Iron Dagger Blade, created using magical techniques. This blade will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with handle components to assemble an Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger.
Enchantments:
● This blade will not lose attack damage as the durability falls.
● This blade loses durability 10% slower.
That was a great success. Arthur was happy with the results but knew he needed to get to work on the other blades. The hammer and awl quickly scrawled across the metal as the next piece was inscribed. He didn’t want sloppy work to cause an issue with his enchanting, so he took his time. It took him a good thirty minutes to put the same symbols in, and by then, he had the mana he needed to enchant it again. Completing the enchantments two more times gave him three identical dagger blades.
Congratulations, you have successfully enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger Blade for 240 experience in Enchanting. (x2)
He decided to walk them over to Rowan to show him his work. He needed to get the sword blade from him anyway so he could finish it. He made it up to Rowan, and he was busy working on a wooden handle and flipped him one of the blades. Rowan took a look at it and let out a slow whistle.
“Those are some damn fine blades for the level of their crafting. Most would probably say they are a waste, but I do believe there is no such thing as a waste when it comes to making something correct. That would fetch a pretty hefty sum even though it is only an iron blade. Fine craftsmanship is almost nonexistent in the human kingdoms anymore with the horrible conditions everyone is subject to. The only current magical artifacts are those passed down through families or won in war.” Rowan told him.
“Any of our people would be honored to use one of these. I’m getting pretty close to finishing the remaining pieces for the blades. I have the guards and pommels for all three daggers and the sword. Just working on the handle pieces to fit it all together. Based on the time it took you to do those other three, I should be done about the same time as you are with that sword.”
“I’ll do my best to match your timing so we can get these wrapped up. I am sure I have some work backed up by now for the village at the inn, and I need to get some things together for my hunting trip tomorrow. I also need to give you some time to get that shield done I asked for.”
Arthur grabbed the sword from the nearby table and walked back over to his working area while Rowan continued working on the handle he had. The runes used on the daggers would have to suffice for this sword. There wasn’t time to experiment with something new, and he needed this sword complete without accidentally destroying it. He got the runes in place quickly and finished the enchantment. The sword took a little more mana, though. It took 180 mana to do the three enchantments on the sword. The finished product didn’t look bad, though.
Congratulations, you have successfully enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Bastard Sword Blade for 150 experience in Enchanting.
Congratulations, you have reached level 2 in Enchanting. Your enchantments have a 3% decreased mana cost.
Item:
Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Bastard Sword Blade
Attack: 9-13
Durability: 75/75
Rarity: Rare
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.2 kg
Slot: Crafting Item
Traits: An Enchanted Basic Iron Bastard Sword Blade, created using magical techniques. This blade will have more capacity for absorbing magical power. Combine with handle components to assemble an Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Bastard Sword.
Enchantments:
● This blade will not lose attack damage as the durability falls.
● This blade loses durability 10% slower.
Not bad for half a day of work. He went to go check in with Rowan so they could finish the blades up. When he got back over to Rowan, he saw the man was finishing the wooden handles with a little bit of a thin and semi-clear oil to preserve them. He walked over to him, and Rowan looked admiringly at the sword blade.
They decided to work on the daggers first. Arthur heated the end of the tang on the first while Rowan prepped the handle components. As soon as it was hot enough, Rowan slipped on the guard, followed by the handle and then pommel. They wedged it in a small wooden vice, and Arthur peened the end over to finish the blade. When done, he looked at his notifications.
Congratulations, you have successfully created Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger. You have gained 220 experience in Blacksmithing for creating this item.
Congratulations, you have reached level 3 in Blacksmithing. You are granted a 6% bonus to forging speed.
Item:
Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger
Attack: 5-7
Durability: 60/60
Rarity: Rare
Quality: Well Crafted
Weight: 1.1 kg
Slot: Main Hand/Off Hand
Traits: A dagger made out of iron with magical means and enchanted.
Enchantments:
● This blade will not lose attack damage as the durability falls.
● This blade loses durability 10% slower.
Arthur and Rowan finished up the other two daggers and admired their work.
Congratulations, you have successfully created Enchanted Basic Mage-crafted Iron Dagger. You have gained 440 experience in Blacksmithing for creating this item. (x2)
“I almost forgot the feeling of gaining a level. It is a great sense of accomplishment.” Rowan told him.
“Has it been that long? I guess you were able to also gain experience from helping me finish those?” Arthur asked.
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br /> “Work has been scarce in the last few months, I may have completed a handful of items a week, and those were all with garbage scrap. I did get experience from helping you finish those blades, but it was only a percentage since you did most of it. It was still enough to push me into the next level when combined with the things I have already completed.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what level are you up to?” Arthur asked.
Rowan eyed him warily. “Most people won’t answer questions like those. Being too high of a level in anything is a quick way to find yourself having an accident with the control the lords try and keep hold of. I will tell you, though, that I have made it up to level 8 now. Resources are heavily regulated in the towns, and typically, you are only allowed to make small things that don’t reward much experience such as nails.”
“Well, congratulations on the level either way. That should get you another talent point to play with, at least. Hopefully, you can find something good you want to use it on.”
“I’ve had my talent picked out for a while but wasn’t sure I would ever see it happen. If we keep up this pace though and stay under the notice long enough, we should be able to get our skills up rather high and will probably be more skilled than almost all of the kingdom except for some of the royal court and their retainers.” Rowan said.
“Sadly, I think that will be our only hope. I know that this first attack coming our way won’t be the last. If we can kill all of them and prevent them from reporting the problem back, we should at least buy ourselves some time, but eventually, higher powers will notice us, and we will have to defend what we are building here. I have a feeling we won’t be able to hide from Lord Golgara for long before someone notices something odd.” Arthur stressed to him.
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