Engineered Magic

Enchanter

She picked up the book and paged through it again. The first pages were identical in all three. They were a combination of newcomer writing and images. From the images she could decipher that these beginning pages were giving a concise explanation of the entire art of enchanting. After that was a page that clearly gave instructions on how to read a spell coding. The next page showed how to turn the information on a spell coding into an enchantment. This book showed only the tier zero enchantment symbols.

Enchanter never considered writing down an enchantment into a spell coding, but just looking at the images in the book she could see how it would work. The final pages were a detailed description of how to put the symbols on a starter backpack. There were three versions, showing the author understood how to change the lifespan of an enchantment. Finally there was the spell coding for this enchantment. This was an enchantment she knew. Looking at the coding and using the images on how to convert it, she knew it was correct.

She studied the images. They were drawn with a steady smooth hand. The enchanting symbols were clear and precise. Whoever made this book possessed the potential to become a master enchanter. Even though the content was tier zero, the quality of it made Enchanter suspect that the artist was likely already tier two.

Selkies were naturally long lived. Very few individuals lived a fraction of their potential lifespan in the dangers of the true god’s domain. Enchanter was nearing the end of that span. She lived a pampered life, her skill at enchanting gained her a secure place in a shore at an early age.

Enchanter wanted to pass her knowledge and skill on to her people. She trained many apprentices, but none of them ever matched her own master status. Most of them were gone now, replaced by their children and grandchildren. She was losing hope. Training a non-selkie wouldn’t save her knowledge for her people, it would just pass it on to another race. Enchanter ran a flipper-hand over the cover of the book.

This was the third day of the newcomer’s visit. The wonder and fear at their presence was fading. Enchanter didn’t know how many more days they would be here. The number of customers at their stall was lessening. She was still undecided. Setting the book aside, Enchanter listened to the low voice calling his offer.

“We are trading in spells. We pay six iron for any spell. If you can demonstrate the spell, we will pay double. For the first twenty spells that we don’t know, there is a bonus. We will pay for crafting spells, fighting spells and utility spells! We will pay double for enchantments. Come forth and claim your coins,” the voice called.

There was a new wave of excitement yesterday when a young hunter sold the newcomers the spell to dry items. The spell was very close to the opposite of the enchantment in one of the other books. Instead of gathering water into a flask, it drove water away.

The newcomers declared it a new spell to them. The tier six paid a bonus of an oxidized bronze coin. The selkie were possessive and secretive with rare spells. They were passed down family lines or between master and apprentice. The newcomers' declaration that they would buy spells was seen by many as an attempt to buy these secrets since they didn’t have any of their own.

Dry, however, was a common spell, known to nearly everyone. Even So-La-Do's daughter probably knew it. She was the first to sell spells to the newcomers. It was odd she didn’t get the bonus. If anything it was likely its commonality caused her to forget to list it. Soon after there was another buzz of excitement when it was discovered that they really continued to pay for spells they already knew.

This was discovered when a disgruntled apprentice offered up every even slightly rare spell he could think of and still didn’t get the new spell bonus. As he was walking away, after Yellow dropped the muffle spell, he fluted in disgust, “I know dry, I should have sold it yesterday.”

“You didn’t mention, dry,” Yellow said through So-La-Do as her translator. “I will add that to the list. Can you demonstrate it for me?”

“But you already know dry,” the hunter replied confused.

“I know the others you are selling too, but I will pay you for them as well. Six iron coins a spell, double if you can demonstrate it. Can you demonstrate dry?” she asked again.

“Yes,” he said. “I may know some other spells too.” Showing not the slightest sign of distress, Yellow recast the muffle spell and sat down to record the rest of the apprentice’s spells. The apprentice didn’t receive a green, but he was not unhappy with the amount he did receive. Especially when the tier six offered him scrap, at a steeply discounted rate, instead of coins.

The apprentice was the first to sell the spell refine. No one else even thought of it as a spell. His demonstration that he possessed the knowledge to process iron was why the tier six made him the offer of scrap instead of coins. Really the boy was the best advertisement the newcomers could have come up with. He ran off to tell all his apprentice friends, in a loud high voice as his excitement almost overwhelmed him. Half the shore overhead him, including all the crafters that were selling in stalls of their own in the impromptu market.

At first Enchanter thought that this was a sign that the tier six was running out of coins. But that incident was before lunch yesterday, since then the tier six paid and paid and paid. Blue sang out that they would pay a bonus for the first twenty new spells, but he said the same thing yesterday and the day before. By Enchanter’s count they paid out a green at least six times. Most of those later payments were for pottery spells, the newcomers seemed the least familiar with that craft. Shouldn’t Blue only be promising a bonus for the next fourteen new spells?

If the tier six wasn’t running out of coins, why did she offer scrap instead? Enchanter wondered. Was the lesser god trying to encourage crafting? Could she be trying to encourage people to learn spell craft? Enchanter suddenly wondered if this was a one time visit or if it would occur again.

She pulled herself to her feet and looked down at the marketplace below. “Greetings of the day, friends and neighbors. We are the Elder’s pod. We have traveled far to do business with you this day!“ The call came drifting up to her in the low octave voice. Enchanter decided it was time to meet this Elder.

She stepped down into the cool water of the central pond with some relief. All those stairs were hard on the flipper-feet. She lingered near the entrance to the stairwell as she recovered from the walk. She would show no weakness before the tier six. Enchanter watched the newcomers busily moving around. The blue singer and So-La-Do seemed the busiest, as they shifted around to translate the newcomer words into selkie. Although now that she was close, Enchanter noticed that all the newcomers seemed capable of singing a few simple things.

The crowd in the market shifted aside to allow her to pass. She wove her way through the outer stalls that were filled with selkie sellers. A ring of empty stalls marked the newcomers' place. The tier six selected a stall near the inside edge of the market, but not too near the water. It was a stall that could be seen from all the apartment balconies above, as Enchanter was well aware. The Elder was sitting with her back to her stall, facing the pond and the majority of the shore. Enchanter watched the Elder watch her as she approached. Enchanter stopped in the aisle before the Elder’s stall, not quite certain what she should say.

“Greetings to you, elder. Are you interested in buying or selling?” Blue said the words, but Enchanter could see that the Elder spoke them first. This close Enchanter could see that the nearly black blessed cloth the Elder wore was a darker version of her own violet. That was unexpected. The newcomers to the north were all either blue or red. The yellow and green among this group didn’t really surprise Enchanter, since although most selkie were orange, there were a measurable number of yellow and green among them. As far as she knew, she was the only violet magic user left among the selkie. She obtained the color by making storm shield enchantments at an early age. Enchanter did not believe the tier six was an enchanter. She was a storm mage, which was an entity to be feared in their own right, even at the lower tiers.

“I would ask some questions before I decide,” Enchanter replied.

“I will answer what I can,” Elder replied.

“Will you come again, or is this a single visit?” Enchanter asked.

“At first I planned to tour every year or two, but it has taken much longer than I thought. Now I think every five years, although on the next visit I want to only pay for the spells people have learned since this visit,” Elder explained. “We are also trying to come up with a method for paying for patterns.”

“What good would patterns be? Knowing they exist doesn’t reveal them to a crafter.” Enchanter observed.

“Knowing what materials each pattern needs, what skills are used and how close it is to other patterns are all things that might help a crafter reveal it. More importantly, this is knowledge we can write down into a book and distribute,” Elder replied.

“You mean sell,” Enchanter countered.

“Yes,” Elder agreed. “I don’t know about selkie, but newcomers have a flaw in that we don’t value items we get for free. Free items are easily ignored or discarded, because they have no cost. Value is reserved for those things we pay for, regardless if the payment is in blood, labor, grief or coin.” Enchanter noticed that several of Elder’s pod shifted at these words, as if they were revealing to them as well. Enchanter was getting a feel for this newcomer, but she worried her own bias was shading her expectations. Enchanter very much wanted to believe that the lesser god was trying to build a better future for her people, and that she was willing to drag the selkie along. Enchanter wasn’t certain. This Elder might just be in it for the coin.

“I am willing to sell,” Enchanter announced, “but I want something other than coins for my knowledge of enchantments.”

“I am willing to negotiate,” Elder replied. “What do you value more than coins?” Enchanter was relieved. She thought this might work because of the scrap payments.

“For every enchantment I describe, I want a book made,” Enchanter revealed. “I want a copy of the book for myself, and I want it available for purchase by selkie, regardless of whether you know of the enchantment yet or not.”

“I have commitments elsewhere. I can not remain here to tend a shop. Is access to my shore and its shops, including the magic shop, acceptable for making the books available to selkie?”

“Yes, if you transport myself, the portal keeper and the Seagrass crystal owner to your shore so that we may open the route,” Enchanter demanded.

“That is acceptable to me,” Elder replied.

“I will describe the enchantments in sets. I want to see the finished books from each set before I describe the next set,” Enchanter said as she tried to think of any other concessions she should demand.

“This too is acceptable,” Elder commented, “although I request the enchantments be presented in increasing tier, grouped by their magic color, whenever possible.” Which was how any good teacher presented material, Enchanter thought. “Do you have any other requirements?”

“Yes,” Enchanter said. “I want to learn your language, both spoken and written.” The Elder was silent, she took a deep breath. Her gaze drifted off of Enchanter, as the newcomer obviously lost herself in thought. Enchanter was feeling uneasy, she did not expect this kind of long reaction. Was she misjudging this situation entirely? Would knowing their language reveal something the lesser god wanted hidden?

“I cannot with honor say yes to that. Where my people come from there are many languages. Here in the true god’s domain we have used only one. Because of our past I know it can be very difficult to learn another language. I have no way to make you learn. I believe we and So-La-Do have only learned each other's languages so quickly with the true god’s help. That is an intervention I can not guarantee,” the Elder paused again. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “I will pledge to help you learn the language we use here, both with written materials and tutors, but it will take me time to make the arrangements. In return I request that you do what you can to teach both So-La-Do and Yellow the written version of your language.”

“Alright,” Enchanter conceded, recognizing that the Elder was right that you can not make a student learn. There were enough failed apprentices behind Enchanter that she knew that truth. “Come tonight after the market to my living area and I will describe the first set.” She felt it then, in her bones. It was an itchy, jumping feeling of joy. Strangely a weak still voice at the far back of her mind was humming along.

Elder agreed, as Enchanter turned to go, Blue spoke again. It was clear by the change in his rhythm and word choice that he was no longer translating, but speaking for himself. “What of your other spells, Master Enchanter? Do you know how to imbue force into a sword strike? Can you cast fear into the hearts of your enemies? Do you know the spell that can dry the Elder’s boots? Or perhaps you know So-La-Do’s favorite that cools the water in a soaking pool? We will pay you for them all. Six iron a spell, double if you demonstrate it.”

Blue seemed impossibly young. His enthusiasm and energy was dancing along with the joy in her bones that was still not fading. Hold on, Enchanter thought suddenly, what did he say?

“What spell cools the water in a soaking pool?” she asked.

“Green,” Blue fluted, “The Enchanter is interested in your ‘utility spells’ book. I must warn you Master Enchanter we do not pay for spells we have sold you. You should sell to us first so there is no confusion. You can use the coins to pay for the book!”

Enchanter left the Market more than four oxidized bronze coins richer. She tried to refuse the coins, but Elder insisted. The sale of her non-enchanting spells was a clear deal between Enchanter and Blue and had nothing to do with the enchanting agreement. She also carried a ‘utility spells’ book stuffed full of spell encodings the old selkie never heard of. This included a spell she was assured would make the water in a soaking pool cooler. The newcomers called it cold water. So-La-Do carefully explained to her under a muffle spell how to convert the spell coding to song.

Enchanter hurried off to give it a try.