Sworded Affair

Chapter 143: Burn the Candle at Both Ends

“So the difference is just thematic?” Emma asked, staring at the sinister looking candles she’d made. “They’ll still do the job, right?”

[The outcomes should be the same; in that evil intent and alignment are dissuaded from approaching. It might take a different route to get there, however.]

“Right, I’m leaving a warning for Dad,” Emma concluded.

Because she was raised in modern times, Emma preferred to do this via electronic means; the Weave was convenient for things like that. A short message that yes, those were Hallowed Candles despite looking like something out of a horror film, and lighting them would help the town’s defences was quickly dictated, left in the Weave to await Noah’s return home.

[6x Hallowed Candle (Demonic) stored.

1x Leftovers (Home Made) withdrawn.]

Given that she was unlikely to be able to have the chance for a sit- down meal, or to make candles in peace once she reached Blenheim, Emma decided to get as much done as she could for her Chandler class in the time left before departure. She’d been hesitant the first time around, but now, having proven the modified candle making process to be effective, she no longer hesitated to eat. The leftovers were nothing fancy, just some of the excess mashed potatoes and coleslaw in a plastic container. But it was still warm, thanks to Eden’s Echo, and still a good and filling meal.

[EXP gain doubled for 1 hour.]

Tossing the plastic container in the bin, Emma cleared the table, before pulling out more wax and glass jars, to start making the next batch. It was easier this time, and faster, as her familiarity with the process grew. The limiting factor was still the writing needed for each jar; finger painting was a lot harder than it looked, at least if she wanted the end product to be legible.

[6x Hallowed Candle (Demonic) created.

50 (100) EXP gained

Level up!

Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 4 Chandler

HP: 100

MP: 100

EXP: 350/550

Select one of three options below:

Candle Attribute - Soothing: Emits a potent soporific that can put an elephant to sleep.

Candle Attribute - Spooky: Induces fear, paranoia and hallucinations.

Candle Attribute - Chaos: A random effect, generated the first time the candle is lit.]

“What’s with me and Chaos?” Emma scoffed. “That’s what, the third or fourth time that association has come up for me?”

[I wasn’t joking when I said you were like me, back in my youth. The magic would come naturally to you, if you ever attempted to learn it. I’d give you as much as a 20% chance of surviving the process, where most people are in the single digits.]

“Pretty good odds,” Emma allowed. “Especially if it's as destructive as what happened in my memories. Maybe something to look into, when I have the time.”

Then, because time was ticking on her buff, Emma carefully cleared her workspace, placing the recently made candles to the side to let them dry in peace.

[Candle Attribute - Soothing selected.]

Despite her appreciation of Chaos, Emma opted not to take it for her candles, as while she had gotten quite good at surviving, the risk of a random effect killing other users drastically limited its appeal. Likewise, Emma was already rather good at inspiring fear, but lacked methods for non-lethal takedowns, which made the Soothing attribute an obvious choice.

“Well, that’s easy,” Emma remarked as knowledge of her new candle flowed into her mind.

It was basically an ordinary candle, with the addition of a calming scent, which could come from any number of places, and just a hint of magic to increase the potency. Choosing to use what was closest to hand, Emma grabbed a handful of Earl Grey tea bags, puncturing them and pouring the contents into half a dozen glass jars. The fragrant smell of bergamot, with just a hint of citrus filled the air, providing a pleasant backdrop as Emma returned to the stove to heat up her next batch of wax. A few minutes later, she poured the hot wax into the jars, added a toothpick to each to serve as the wick, and finished the whole process with a mild infusion of magic.

[MP: 40/100

6x Soothing Candle created.

25 (50) EXP gained.]

The EXP gain was less than the Black Candle, which made sense given its relative complexity, and Emma decided that six was enough for this particular product. She’d be taking them all with her to Blenheim; as an elephant tranquiliser seemed like overkill for a bit of insomnia. There were pills for that anyway, she was pretty sure. Putting them aside to dry, Emma wasted no time moving to her next batch; more Hallowed Candles, as those were the ones most likely to make a tangible difference in the town’s survival. By now, she was confident enough to have halved the time taken, so instead of six glass jars for this batch, she went for a full dozen.

[12x Hallowed Candle (Demonic) created.

100 (200) EXP gained.

Level up!

Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 5 Chandler

HP: 100

MP: 50/100

EXP: 600/850

Select one of three options below:

Ability - Candle Intent (Cost: 100 MP): Imbue any candle you’re holding with your intent, granting it immense penetrating power.

Trait - Breath Control: You can hold your breath for (Level)*2 minutes without losing focus.

Candle Attribute - Blinding: Looking directly at this will cause permanent eye damage.]

“...Do I want to know why that first ability exists?” Emma asked, after reading it several times to check she hadn’t misunderstood.

[That was created by an old cultivator; a formation master who was ambushed one day in his workshop, with nothing except a pair of candles at hand. He was also good with a sword, and could manifest Sword Intent. The resulting combination was odd, but surprisingly effective.]

“That…” Emma trailed off. “Cultivators are weird.”

[Yes, they are.]

Her curiosity assuaged, Emma moved on to the other choices, and in the end found none of them particularly appealing. She had another form to fight in, and had no desire to be blinded, so she settled on the passive choice which might prove useful if she ever had to work with toxic fumes.

[Trait - Breath Control selected.

EXP gain returns to normal.]

All in all, a productive hour of her time.