Summoned Again?

I successfully moved the enchanter and his new family to the main temple near the capital city. I had to admit that getting us to protect her family's home and land was a pretty neat way to endear himself to her. It wouldn't take him long to earn enough money to buy a new house for himself and his new family, because they didn't want to live inside the temple permanently. There was lots of land on the temple grounds and they picked a nice spot for a house to be built.

The best part, now that he worked for the temple, he could be sworn to secrecy about my armor enchantments and only reproduce the main enchantments for the clerics. I wasn't going to restrict him from using the same layering techniques on other things; but, even the head cleric agreed that having the armor exclusive to the temples and the clerics, for use in the holy war, was the best for everyone.

Mind you, I was careful with it as well. I wouldn't take out my armor chest plate until he agreed to show me his instant storage invention and how it worked. He had almost kept it a complete secret, until he saw his assigned work room inside the temple and was so excited at all of the space that he begged me to take out all of his containers. He sorted through them and brought one over to where he wanted his main work desk to be, then hit the release.

“Jesus.” I said when his full bench and all of his tools appeared from the case.

The enchanter cursed in his native language for several minutes, then he sighed. “You have to promise to never tell anyone about this.”

“I can do better than that.” I said and we worked out the deal. I spent the next ten hours learning the basics of his enchanting style, which was practically revolutionary, then I took out the damaged armor plate and showed it to him.

“Holy (unpronounceable)! You weren't kidding! This thing... this...” The enchanter sat down at his desk and stared at it. “My technique... it will...”

“After seeing how you do it, this embedding technique should let you triple the size of whatever you want to store.” I said. “Now you know why I wanted your secret first.”

The enchanter gave me a wide eyed look and nodded. “No one... no one else can know about this.” He looked back at the chest piece. “The top layer has to have a hiding enchantment. It'll take me a little while to work it out.”

“I don't really have the time to wait.” I said and told him the technique I knew from the first enchanter.

“Wait, attaching a partial enchantment will complete the underlying ones?” The enchanter asked.

“Once it's melded onto the chest plate, it should integrate and become part of the existing enchantment.” I explained. “Of course, I've never seen it done or have the ability to do it myself.” I chuckled. “I can't even use the normal enchanter's kit.”

The enchanter chuckled as well. “It's not meant to be used by heroes. You're on the front lines and your skills and abilities would be wasted if you went into a support role.”

“I'd be able to enchant really quickly if it wasn't class restricted.”

The enchanter laughed. “Do you want to switch places? I wouldn't mind being the hero that saves the world, as long as I don't have to go out there and fight.”

That made me laugh, too.

“All right. I'll go get some mithril plates for you to use.”

“They need to be this big with each one an inch wider to hammer into place!” He said and held his hands apart at the right distance.

I nodded and left to see if Lady Matricia had any luck getting them for me. Just as I stepped out of the door, she was there with three metal plates in the right sizes.

“Oh! I was just coming to see you.” Lady Matricia said as she blushed.

“You don't have to blush every time you see me.” I said and took her hands.

“Damon, I... well, we...” Lady Matricia sighed. “I really overstepped my authority by doing what I did.”

“What? Asking for what you wanted?” I asked and she nodded. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Immensely.” She responded without hesitation.

“You didn't want a child.”

“No, my life is too hectic to care for a child.” Lady Matricia said. “Although, when this is all done...”

I took the plates from her and stored them, then put my arms around her. “I hope that getting rid of the main bad guy will work...”

Lady Matricia sighed and nodded. “There's no guarantee when he's gone that all of the undead that have been overflowing settlements on every continent, will just magically disappear.”

“It's far beyond a normal direct control ability, to be honest.” I said. “The undead are pretty much mindless and are moving in straight lines when the terrain doesn't corral them.”

“That's what I'm afraid of. We might win the battle and lose the war.”

“No, you'll never lose, not with what you know now.” I said and gave her a quick kiss. “How are the other clerics doing?”

“Thanks to the time spells you cast in the main room, they're getting a lot more practice than they ever thought they would.” Lady Matricia smiled. “I still don't understand how it works.”

“I can cast it on an area to get the effect or on myself and it generates an area around me. It costs the same either way.”

“No, I mean how can time exist differently with no real arbitrary way to discern where the time distortion exists, except by sight. When you're outside, you can't really see anyone inside, since they move so fast relative to the outside, and from inside, the opposite is true. People on the outside move extremely slowly.”

“I could make a joke about it being magic.” I said and she gave me a stern look for a second, so I laughed. “If there were distinct ways of telling where the distortions are, it would let everyone know, wouldn't it? Everyone would see it easily and know it was a time displaced area.”

“I suppose you're right. It could easily be used to delay someone if they can't see it.”

I nodded. “I guess I could have made a series of spaces up to the main room, that way the transition isn't so jarring visually. I wasn't thinking about that at the time and I can redo it if you want.”

“No, it's fine.” Lady Matricia said. “In fact, you could probably cast the spell in a few other places for us.”

“Like the personal rooms?” I asked and gave her Angel's professional smile.

She knew I was teasing and laughed. “That would be nice; but, I meant in the prayer area and perhaps the dining room.”

“I would, except the spell will end if I'm not in the area.”

“Why aren't they ending with you around?” Lady Matricia asked, curious.

“I'm maintaining them. As soon as I'm out of range, the spell's normal time of expiration will kick in.”

“Ohhh, that explains so much.” She said. “Then there's no point in doing it if you have to leave soon.”

I successfully stopped myself from commenting on that last statement. “I'm hoping we can get this done soon. Any luck on borrowing a blacksmith?”

“Yes. He's only been repairing weapons for the knights, so he is expecting to see you during his break.”

“Doing more work is a break?” I asked.

“Doing interesting and different work is a break from monotony.” Lady Matricia said. “He's suffering from what the enchanter was worried about while making things for us. Repetitive work.”

“Ah, I get it.” I said. “I'll head over as soon as we get these prepped.”

Lady Matricia nodded and started to turn away, then turned back. “Kiss me.”

I didn't hesitate as I stepped in, took her into my arms, and kissed her passionately. She moaned a little as her arms went around me and held on. We stayed like that for several minutes and then she broke the kiss to look at my face.

“Were you ever going to stop?” Lady Matricia asked in a soft voice, her lips a little plumper than normal.

“No.” I said and gave her another quick kiss. “See you later.”

I left her there with a surprised look on her face, and went back into the enchanter's work room. I took out the three mithril plates and he snatched one from me and drooled.

“An enchanter's dream metal.” He whispered and hugged it.

“Hey. Hey! Dream later.” I laughed and shook him by the shoulder to wake him up, then I put the other two plates down. “Let me watch you work.”

He gave me a scandalized look and then put the plate down and started to trace out the enchantment with a pencil. Like me, he had a specific diagram in his head and knew exactly where to start engraving. He wasn't taking any chances, however. He needed the lines to guide him on both the thickness and the depth of the various parts.

It took him three hours to do the first plate, an hour to do the middle plate, and over four hours to do the top plate, because it was the most intricate and delicate work. I was almost dying to take out my own engraving tools to help, to try and speed things up a little. We both knew we couldn't rush things, because sometimes rushing was not a good idea.

I really needed this to work and waited patiently for the enchanter to finish. When he let out a sigh and rubbed his hands over the glowing metal plate, it was finally done.

“Give me the hammer.” The enchanter said and I handed him a clawed hammer. “What the hell is... no, never mind. I don't want to know where you got this funny looking thing.”

“It works, believe me.” I said and he started lightly tapping the top metal plate to bend the ends down slightly for the other two plates to sit inside. The plates were thin enough that he didn't have to use a ton of force to achieve the desired results. He soon had it in the right shape and the other plates fit inside of it to make a stack of three. They almost sucked together like magnets and then it glowed for a second.

“That's got it.” The enchanter said. “I can't believe it.”

“I do.” I said and stored it and my chest plate. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. If you hadn't come up with that tax idea...”

“...we'd both be a little bit screwed right now.” I finished for him and he nodded. “I better go.”

“Good luck saving the world.” The enchanter said.

“Have fun having fun.” I countered as I waved at his elaborate setup and the piles of materials that the clerics had provided on commission, halving his cost and halving the price they would pay for his enchantments.

“You have no idea how much I enjoy this.” The enchanter said and picked up one of the fifty blank rings that the head cleric had given him.

“Just remember to give them a good bonus for the first item.” I reminded him. “You want them to return as customers.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Ten percent mana capacity and ten percent mana generation. Once they get used to that, upgrade to fifteen and see who can sustain it.”

“You got it.” I said. “Although, if you want my opinion...”

“You're going to give it to me anyway, so go ahead.” The enchanter said.

“Do a ring with twenty percent each for the head cleric, because she can handle it.”

“I can't believe she's Level 99.” The enchanter said. “I never thought I'd see someone at max.”

“The four heroes are maxed.” I said with a grin.

“You don't count, since the rules don't apply to you.” The enchanter said with a laugh. “Now get going. That blacksmith is going to hate taking a break if you're not there to distract him.”

I waved and left at a run. I had cast the time spell a couple times in his work space, just so he could spend much more time there than he normally would, and he would still have plenty of time to spend with his new family.

I left the temple from the balcony and flew to the closest knight deployment near the outskirts of the capital city. They were expecting me, so no one shot at me as I flew over their encampment and landed at the clearly marked blacksmith's work area.

“There you are.” A big burly man said and glared at me. “You better have what the head cleric promised or I won't even look at your chest plate.”

I nodded and took out one of my +20 Strength and +20 Vitality rings with the Minor Healing inherent spell in it. “As promised.” I said and handed it to him.

“It's too small.” The man said and held the gold ring in his palm.

“It expands and shrinks for the wearer.” I said. “If it's for you, then put it on any finger. If it's for your woman, I suggest her marriage finger. You'll never find another ring like it.”

The big man huffed and tucked it into his pocket. “Show me your chest plate.”

I took it out and he cursed for about thirty seconds in his native language. “I know I mangled it. It was damaged and I still needed to fight with it. The rest of the armor can't be worn without it.”

The big man glared at me and picked it up. “Mangled is right.” He shook his head. “Even I can tell the internal enchantments are ruined.”

“That's why I need you to attach this to it.” I took out the set of three enchanted mithril plates and put them on his work bench. “It'll complete the enchantment and I can get the full use out of the armor again.”

“Who hammered the ends of the plates like that? Is he an idiot?” The big guy nearly yelled, then he put the chest plate down and picked up the stack of mithril plates. “You poor, poor metal. I'm so sorry that the inexperienced hands of an idiot touched you.”

I wasn't sure what to say to the guy to get him to stop caressing the metal, so I let him do what he wanted. I didn't want to piss him off, either.

After a couple of minutes, the big guy sighed. “I hate not being able to reforge something so damaged.”

“I'd let you if I wasn't pressed for time.” I said.

“That's good, because work like this shouldn't be disrespected.” The big guy said. “It should be cherished and cared for.”

“I clean and polish it when I get the chance.” I said and he glared at me. “What? It's working armor. I usually only have it out when I need it. Why add extra wear and tear when I don't have to? I need that armor to last.”

The big guy sighed again and nodded. “I do, too.”

I watched as he painstakingly used a kind of fusion technique to merge the two things together, while also reheating the chest plate and the mithril plates up to a very high temperature. It was fascinating to see him use magic in a very different way than I had ever seen before. I wasn't sure if it was a skill or a talent, until he was done and handed me my completed chest plate back.

____

You have learned the spell Merge. This spell allows the joining of two similar and complimentary things together. Depending on the amount of mana used, less similar things can be fused together and will become complimentary.

You have learned the spell Cool Off. This spell greatly reduces the internal and external heat of an item when cast upon it. Works instantly if enough mana is used.

____

Okay, those could be useful. I thought and smiled. “This is fantastic. Thank you.”

“You know my price.” The blacksmith said.

I nodded and slowly equipped each piece of armor like I had for the clerics, as if I was building the armor on top of myself from the ground up. I ended with the chest piece and then the helm.

The big guy's hand reached out to touch the armor and smiled. “It worked.”

“It did.” I said and checked the enchantments on the armor. Not only did I have the mana boosts back, it also had the full shield, anti-magic protection, and had restored my full enchanted sword attack. “If you will excuse me, I have more of the undead to fight.”

“Good luck, hero.” The blacksmith said and pat my armored shoulder.

I flew up into the air and the knights around me cheered. Maybe word about what we're doing is finally getting around. I thought as I waved to them, then I flew back to the temple. I needed to get the other three heroes ready to head out as soon as possible. By my calculations, I was up to just over eight full minutes in real time.

The time was burning away much quicker than I thought it would.