Mage Tank

Trying to convince Seinnador to sell me equipment that made sense with my current stats without giving away that something was unusual with my levels proved impossible. I eventually broke down and told him my stat distribution after Seinnador pulled out a very detailed confidentiality agreement that he used with his “most discreet customers”. After signing, I showed the merchant my character screen to prove that I wasn’t delusional.

Not only did Seinnador take the information in stride, his eyes lit up as he considered the possibilities. Having a minimum of ten in everything was extremely unusual, and typically only occurred with the absolute most powerful Delvers, who had points to spare. I wasn’t there yet, but that didn’t stop Seinnador from theory-crafting.

“You aren’t about to wear a full suit of dark-iron plate with a Strength of ten,” said Seinnador. “The draw on your mana veins would be too high, and it’s no good for casters, either. Absorbs a bit of ambient mana, so it is known to interfere with spells. Very popular with mage-hunters for that very reason, though. A suit of Madrin isn’t out of the question.” He tilted his head from side to side in consideration. “Of course, there are budgetary concerns with that.”

Seinnador took a sip from a steaming mug of herbal tea. We sat in his office, with Seinnador perched on the edge of a large wooden desk. I had my own mug in front of me which warmed my hands as I held it. I sipped at the brew politely, though the taste was bitter and earthy.

“How big are these budgetary concerns?” I asked.

“It varies, of course, but the metal for a heavy set alone would run you an emerald chip or so. Then there would be the costs of the weaves. The price of those are limitless, but even with your attribute potentials many would still be out of reach. Certain weaves require the user to be particularly robust in specific areas.”

“An emerald chip wouldn’t break the bank,” I said. I had four. “But I want to make sure that I can move well. My Strength isn’t at ten yet and I’m about to head out on an expedition. Not sure how much room for training there will be.”

“Madrin is heavier than steel, but even a full plate set wouldn’t burden you much with a Strength of seven. As for mobility, the articulation we are able to achieve in the joints and other areas would leave you quite well off. If it were a matter of moving silently, then a lighter armor would be worth considering; but for you, I think a set of Madrin plate would be ideal. However, as you mentioned, there is the matter of your departure timeline. A set of plate requires a goodly amount of customization and adjustment for a proper fit. There are items that I could hand you ‘off-the-shelf’ as it were, but it might pinch or pull or restrict movement in certain places.”

“Maybe we save that for next time. What makes sense with the schedule that I have?”

“I have Madrin scale that can be used for a mail set and crafted to your measurements in time, assuming we do a rush job. Fortunately for you, the busy season is actually before the Creation Delve, as most houses make purchases to give as gifts at ceremonies or celebrations for the newly minted Delver in the family. This is the relative dead season.”

It now made more sense that I was the only one in the store.

“A Madrin scale set,” he continued, “would provide adequate protection against blades and piercing weapons, but would leave you vulnerable to blunt attacks. Things like maces, hammers, and axes to a lesser degree. However, that is what a gambeson is for. I would prefer to make you a custom arming doublet, but again, the time constraint. I’d have to ask Luidis to work a couple of double-shifts alongside me, another significant expense.”

Seinnador drummed his lengthy fingers against the desk, giving me a questioning side-eye.

“Hmm,” I hummed as I thought. “Mana weaving uses a lot of essences, right?”

“Yes, of course. Essences are the grain for the brew that is mana weaving.”

“Uh,” I stumbled over the metaphor. “Are mana chips the yeast?”

“Yes! Yes, yes!”

My respect for Seinnador crept up even higher with his opaque reference to producing alcoholic beverages.

“Well,” I said, bringing up my inventory. Rows of green, glowing crystals filled my vision. “Would you be willing to consider a trade?”

*****

A single poison essence was worth a lot of money. Xim and Varrin had been correct in that assumption back in the Creation Delve. Ten poison essences were worth even more, though there’s customarily a discount when dealing in bulk. Ten poison essences plus a contract to sell a mana weaver all the poison essences he required for the next two years at a sub-market rate was worth exactly:

One complete set of Madrin scale armor, with basic weaves for environmental protection to keep me comfy while wearing it in various weather conditions, and durability to keep the armor in good shape, which also made it more resistant to physical attacks.

One cloth hood with small Madrin plates sewn into the lining and a mesh to help keep its shape. It could quickly be locked in place to keep it from falling during “vigorous” activities.

One Wand of Piercing Force that I could feed enough mana to store ten casts worth of a simple attack spell.

One flanged mace with a basic damage weave to bypass Fortitude, because “it’s hard to accidentally cut your own hand off with a mace,” and “no reason to get anything fancy until you figure out what you’re good with.”

And finally, as many ice lances to the chest as it takes for me to obtain the Physical Magic skill.

It took two lances, two recovery sessions after losing three-quarters of my health each time, and an hour paralyzed on the ground in the fetal position feeling like I was going to die of hypothermia. That was the least damaging attack spell at Seinnador’s disposal, and Grotto was extremely displeased that I didn’t warn him about the idea ahead of time. Higher level battle-casters were no joke.

It was worth it.

I immediately selected Explosion! to add to my active skills, and took a minute to look over my list.

Dispel gave me a bit of control, mitigation, and utility. Oblivion Orb was primarily a melee attack that was best used for hitting critical areas. Its ranged, mana-shaped version was useful, but way too mana hungry to rely on at the moment. Explosion! was non-discriminatory ranged area-of-effect. The cooldown of one hour made it more of a big one-shot in combat.

I was missing a reliable, bread-and-butter ranged attack spell. The Wand of Piercing Force was a decent stop-gap, but had a hard cap of ten casts per charge. Seinnador also informed me that the spell cast by the wand wouldn’t benefit from my skills and stats, but rather the quality of the mana weave.

Utilizing wands with stronger spells and weaves required the user to possess the stats required to cast the base spell. Seinnador said it had something to do with the wielder’s mana matrix and how it still connected to the spell and could fry your soul if you didn’t have the right stats… It went over my head. The point is, it was useful for now, but I would outgrow it eventually.

As for the armor, the main thing it left to be desired was the clear vulnerability to my face and hands. When I asked why this was necessary, Seinnador explained that many spells required exposed skin, dextrous manipulation, or clear vocal and expressive communication to maximize their effect. One example was the finger snap for Explosion!, which would be difficult to pull off in gauntlets.

To distract me from my apprehension over my beautiful mug becoming the main target of my enemy’s ire, Seinnador pointed out a series of small loops that would allow me to wrap my boa around my shoulders without having it fly off or get yanked away. The armor was also slim enough that my c’thonic vest could fit over top. I could be well-protected, without sacrificing style.

In the same vein, Seinnador made sure to inquire about my color preferences. Although he was unable to take any significant aesthetic design requests into consideration due to the timeline, coloring the armor was a trivial matter. I shrugged and asked him to make it match the violet and ocean tones of my vest and boa, then left the rest up to him.

For my eyes, Seinnador took some of the design suggestions I’d given him for new goggles to heart, and crafted a pair of Madrin-crystal specs that looked sort of like the kind of glasses you get at a gun range, but with a bit more panache. They had a strap that fastened around my head to keep them in place, and had a pinkish-purple hue to the lenses.

“They’ll help you with flying debris, glancing attacks, and people trying to poke you in the eye, but a well-placed arrow will still ruin your day. They also provide limited protection against bright light without compromising vision in dimmer areas.”

When I tried them on I was surprised to see that, despite their color, they didn’t tint the world with a magenta hue. Magic was pretty great.

Altogether I was amazed that Seinnador could get all the gear ready for me by the time I had to leave. He was happy to tell me that his entire workshop had been dedicated to the effort, while heavily insinuating that I should keep him in mind for future purchases. Overall, it was pretty impressive customer service, but his parting well-wishes left something to be desired.

“Try not to die out there,” he said. “I like to know how my items perform in the field, and I’ll lose out on data if you perish before telling me how they do. On the other hand, your death would be a data point on its own.”

He gazed once more into the middle distance, which I was convinced he did only to add drama to his next line.

“Death is but another lesson for the living.”