Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

I take my time with lunch this time around. On one hand because the fish deserves to be enjoyed. On the other hand I'm not in a hurry to get back outside. I'm probably not the only one thinking like that either.

Krystina's parents don't seem to mind either, as those sticking around drink plenty of beer, and in some cases wine. As far as they are concerned, this rainy weather is probably good weather.

Eventually I have to go though. I can't spend all day at the inn drinking after all. No, I still have work to do. And it even is work I'm actually looking forward to. Well, the enchanting is. Moving the furniture to make room? Not so much. Sadly I can't have one without the other.

I rush through the rain, that is more of a drizzle by now. Well, I rush the best I can while still using a crutch.

The look Sour Cream shoots me, as I return home, seems to be asking if I have gone completely crazy. She in turn seems to have no intention to go back out while the rain is still coming down. In the end she simply goes back to grooming herself as I close the door behind me.

Actually, she seems to have the right idea! I grab a towel and dry off, at least superficially. My hair not being plastered to my head and my face already makes it worth it.

Then I head to the front room. Not to open the shop this time though. Instead I start moving the bins for the used gear out of the way to clear as much space as possible at the center of the room.

That takes some time, as I'm still conscious of my ankle. It is getting better, but it still isn't all good. In the end I prevail though. I open the windows again, to let in some more light. I'll need it.

Once the work space is cleared I get the broom once more. In the end I even get a rag and some water, not from the river but the cauldron, to thoroughly clean the floorboards. Once I'm satisfied I put the cleaning supplies away again.

Instead I get the tools I'll need to draw the rune circles for the enchantment. The enchanter's chalk stays on the counter for the time being though. Instead I start by drawing some guiding circles with a piece of charcoal and some string. Even these are already quite complex, as I mark some spots along the circles for the individual segments of the enchantment as well.

In the end I finish without problems. There is something nagging at the back of my mind though. Right, I'll have to clean all of these lines away again afterwards. The staff will soak up all the actual runes drawn with enchanter's chalk, but the coal lines will remain. I groan as I realize that this might turn out to be a little more work in the end than I initially anticipated.

Still that intangible worry doesn't ease. It isn't the cleaning I'm worried about. Not even unconsciously. Not, it has to be something else. I go over the design one again, but I can't find anything wrong with it.

Then, as I reach for the staff I have been using as a crutch realization hits me.

“Duh!”

Of course! The enchantment is optimized for a staff with a crystal! My makeshift crutch doesn't have one! It is, in hindsight, quite obvious, which probably is the reason why I feel really stupid now.

For a moment I'm at a loss as for what to do. The enchantment won't work on a staff that doesn't meet the requirements. At best. At worst it could work in unpredictable ways. And as I have been taught at the academy, these unpredictable reactions may include the violent and sudden release of arcane energies. And I really don't feel like watching my hard work blow up in my face. That is something I can do without.

Should I head down to the smithy and ask if they can somehow add an inexpensive crystal to this staff? Well, I could do that. It would mean going back out into the rain though. Are there any other options? Can I somehow add a crystal to the staff? Do I even have something at hand that counts as a crystal?

Well, to be honest, even if I were to find a suitable crystal, I don't have neither the tools nor the skills to embed it into the staff. Thankfully I don't need to. It only needs to be part of the staff in some way. The runes for the enchantment would be even more complicated otherwise.

I sigh and start looking through the assorted gear I have at hand. Most is obviously pretty useless. To me right now anyway. After a while I do come across something that might work though.

At first I mistake it for an amulet of some kind. As I dig it out of the bin to get a better look, I realize that this isn't true. It actually is a polished focusing lens with a string attached through a hole at the edge. It is a tool for starting fires and it should serve me well enough right now.

I open the knot at the end of the string and start tying it around the knobby head of the staff. In the end the string is just barely long enough to keep the polished crystal lens firmly in place. It isn't exactly pretty, but it should suffice.

I nod to myself as I swing the staff about a few times, taking great care not to put too much weight on my injured foot in the process. Nothing comes loose. And nothing breaks either. Good enough for me.

I place the newly modified staff at the center of the circles I already sketched with coal. It fits easy enough as it is actually a little shorter than Danuta's new weapon. That shouldn't be an issue though.

For a long moment I stare at the staff, but waiting won't do me any good. I slap my cheeks and get the first new chalk while placing one of the pieces of the one that broke on the ground next to the circles, where I'll be able to reach it easily. As far as I can tell, one and a half pieces should be enough to get the job done.

Not wasting any more time I get to work, drawing the first runes in the carefully designated spot. Then I just keep writing, adding one rune after the other. The order in which I do this is not quite trivial this time around either, as I don't want to close one of the two circles early by accident.

Sweat starts to gather at my brows as I keep going, pushing myself as I write rune after rune like a woman possessed. I have to. I can't make a break now. This has to be finished in one fell swoop.

Eventually though, I'm done. I add the last rune and watch as the assembly starts to glow, before the runes of both circles are drawn into the staff, leaving the floor blank again, well except for the coal lines. The enchantment doesn't blow up either, which I take to be a good sign. Of course I still don't know if it works as intended. Not quite anyway. As I expected I'm rewarded by a divine voice whispering in my ear though, which is another good sign for sure.

[Success! Great job creating a new enchantment, more complex than any you have ever before by leaps and bounds! The Dusk Maiden gifts you 3 points for the Magician Arcana as a reward.]

A smile spreads over my face. Yes, this is a good sign indeed. If I earn a few more points for this particular arcana, I might be able to acquire skills or gifts to further enhance my enchantments soon!

Now I only need to check if it works as intended. The first step is to scrutinize the staff using my appraisal skill. I focus on it and activate the skill.

[Used Staff of Illumination, Quality: Uncommon, An old, well used but still reliable staff enchanted to provide light of an adjustable strength after a command word is spoken.]

“Yes!”

I hug the staff close and spin in place, on my good foot, once. Then I speak the command word for the lowest level of illumination.

“Lucerna minima!”

And as intended the lens starts glowing in a soft light. I didn't account for the magnifying effect of the lens itself though, which happens to, at this very moment, shine the light right into my eyes.

I quickly turn the staff around, so the light shines the other way. I'm quite happy with the result. I pat the staff once as I lean onto it again.

“You know, I think I won't put you back on sale. I'll keep you for myself instead!”