It turns out, as impressive as my little hoard is, it’s not going to stretch as far as I’d like.

Both alchemy and enchanting are extremely resource intensive, so we only have enough for one enchantment each, with some leftovers. Conveniently enough, those leftovers are exactly what Sophie needs for a number of basic healing potions.

Figuring it would be useful to know later on, I decide to ask both Ethan and Sophie about their respective crafts.

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that alchemy and enchanting are two very similar disciplines, wherein both use the infusion of mana into certain materials to create objects intended for certain effects. Where they differ, however, is in what they are best suited for.

Alchemy has a much easier time affecting the body. Healing potions, haste potions, strength potions, potions that help resist certain kinds of damage, the kinds of things that can be done to the body through alchemy are essentially up to the imagination of the creator. Potions are generally slower to make than enchantments, but can be made in larger batches if one has the materials. The process as a whole begins with mana-infused water, which for most people is acquired from an enchantment designed for the process, though if one can get it from a mana spring, that would be best. The water is then kept in a specially prepared container, in which they then use neutral casting to dissolve and diffuse monster remnants and magically-infused plants throughout the water. Assuming the right materials are used in the right quantities, and the potion is then left to sit in the right environment for the right length of time, which differs based on the intended potion, then all that is required is a small injection of neutral mana to catalyse the potion.

I make it sound easy, and based on Sophie’s explanation something as simple as these healing potions probably are. But alchemy gets rapidly more complicated the more complex and potent their intended potion becomes. Material measurements quickly require precision to the miligram, and the leeway allowed for what materials work for a given potion rapidly vanishes. The deeper mysteries of alchemy are hellishly complex, and Sophie easily admits it flies well over her head.

It doesn’t help at all that some of the more advanced recipes require a working knowledge of enchanting to instill a sort of logic to the potion. Invisibility potions need to be told to apply to worn gear as well as the consumer, transformation potions need something similar. More potent healing potions need to be told how to read the soul as a blueprint to enact healing at such speeds, whereas the basic version simply enhances one's regeneration greatly for a short time. There is a surprising amount of crossover between the two disciplines.

Enchanting itself, on the other hand, is a different beast entirely.

It’s actually the first instance of more structured magic I’ve yet seen on Aldor. A lot of the stories back on Earth involve magic words and specific gestures to make it all work, but so far there hasn’t been any of that. Enchanting uses a system of runes to channel and direct mana, and monster remnants are used less for their physical properties, and more for the mana they’re made of. That mana is instilled with certain concepts, which makes enchanting certain effects much, much more efficient.

It is, technically speaking, entirely possible to create and power an enchantment using only will and neutral mana, but Ethan says that anyone doing that is a colossal idiot and a disgrace to the craft. Not only does it require an absurd degree of willpower to enchant without runes as a guide, but it also makes the enchantment more fragile, as it has less of a structure to support the magic, and it will fade from the object quickly. Using neutral mana, either ambient, from coins, or from a mages own reserves, is prohibitive in the extreme, to the point that it is vastly cheaper, and easier, to acquire monster remnants instead.

Ethan’s Channeler Aspect gives him a greater degree of control over mana for the purposes of enchantments, as well as giving his mana senses significantly improved precision. This means he can afford to rush the work for each of us, though he grumbles about it constantly, saying that he’d be able to make something much better if had the time.

In some ways enchantments are more and less complex than alchemy. Less complex, because there is a greater degree of variance allowed for what materials can be used in an enchantment, but more complex because the runes, or at least the set that Ethan prefers, makes what I’ve seen of computer programming look like a children’s book. He tried to spend some time explaining how it all works, but while even my inexperienced eyes can say he is a very, very skilled enchanter, even at his age, he has an annoying habit of expecting other people to understand what, to him, are very basic concepts. It doesn’t help that he gave up trying after the first half hour.

I considered asking Ethan about what he meant by ‘the system he prefers’ but he seemed like he wanted privacy, so when I step back into the lounge room after he sent me away, I ask Armsmaster,

Hey, do you know anything about these runes Ethan uses in his enchantments?

I can vaguely feel Armsmaster stir in the back of my head. It feels distant somehow, like there’s something between me and her that wasn’t there before. Likely the mindscape.

“I do, as a matter of fact. Much like how mana can be infused with concepts and emotions, runes are yet one more way to alter it’s behaviour. Different cultures have their own systems, both in design and layout, and no one set up is, objectively speaking, superior. Unlike language, runes aren’t intended to communicate, and as a result there hasn’t been any signs of the disparate systems merging. Ultimately, they are just another expression of will and intent given shape, and on their own are no more magical than the average rock.”

Huh. Does that mean I can use them to help with my casting? Seems like something that would have been useful to know.

I can feel Armsmaster give the mental equivalent of an ambivalent gesture.

“In a sense, yes. However, you’d be sacrificing flexibility for speed and consistency. It’s useful to have a few runesets memorised for when you need to cast quickly, but if you start to rely on runecasting too much, then you’ll end up becoming predictable, which is a very bad thing in combat in the upper tiers of power. It is a very unique person that can adjust runes on the fly, and no offense Valerie, but you aren’t one of them.”

I think about that for a moment.

Could we use it to shape the starlance? It could be exactly what we need to get it under control, at least in the short term.

“It’s not a bad idea, but unfortunately I don’t have much expertise when it comes to runes. I know a little, but not enough that I could comfortably instruct you in it. You’ll have to talk to one of your teachers”

I take a seat on one of the armchairs.

Aren’t you ridiculously old? Surely you would know enough to get me started?

“Not really. We Guides have a very hard time retaining knowledge and skills that don’t fit in our Archetypes. You forget too easily that I am not human, in any way, and my mind doesn’t work the same way as yours.”

That’s a shame.

Armsmaster hums in agreement. “There are upsides and downsides to everything, Valerie. I don’t hate what I am, so I can live with not knowing a few things.”

It’s at this time that I hear sounds of impacts coming from the training room. Curious what Onslo is doing, as both Sophie and Ethan are engrossed in their crafts, I walk over to take a look.

He’s currently beating a mannequin within an inch of its life with a massive staff. It’s clearly from the weapon racks on the sides of the room, as the one he appeared in the mindscape with is currently in Ethan’s possession, to be enchanted. Sophie did the same with her spear, and I left him my armour, which I replaced with a set of training gear that appeared behind my room's privacy screen when I stepped back there with the intent to take my armour off. Nifty.

“Did that mannequin do something to offend you?” I ask.

He turns back to me, grinning. “It looked at me funny. Had to show it who’s boss.”

I glance at the mannequin and its featureless face. “Well, you sure showed it.”

He chuckles. “Indeed. Now it and all it’s brethren shall know and tremble at my might.”

I start walking into the middle of the room. “Well, mister big strong warrior, you up to spar with something that hits back?”

Talking with Sophie and Ethan was interesting, certainly, but it also showed me that I’m not all that inclined towards their crafts myself.

He gives me a once over. “Not that I’m against it, but are you sure? You’re unarmed, after all.”

I summon my sword, which flickers into being shortly after, then its barrier wraps around it.

“Am I?” I ask, head cocked.

He chuckles. “A neat trick, truly. Is that your mysterious Aspect at work?”

I fight down a blush of embarrassment, and am mostly successful. Sophie wasted no time trying to trick me into revealing my Aspect to Onslo and Ethan, but did it in a way that made it seem like I was hiding it more to prolong the joke than anything else. I suspect Huntsman helped her there, given his penchant for melodrama. Regardless, it did serve to pique their curiosity, but I suppose it was inevitable.

“... Something like that,” I say.

“Very well then,” he says, “Ready yourself.”

I get into position, and signal my readiness.

Without hesitation, Onslo begins to stride towards me, not rushed, but purposeful. Inevitable.

I enhance myself, and dash towards him.

I realise fairly quickly that while, like Sophie, Onslo is much, much more experienced than me, my fighting style is almost perfectly suited to counter his. His Aspect means that the longer a fight goes on the harder he is to beat, and his Affinity means that, among other things, he will not tire for a very long time. Altogether, Onslo is perfect for holding a position, and keeping an enemy’s attention, both due to his size, and how annoyingly difficult he is to put down as time passes.

However, if he’s facing someone whose whole technique relies on putting their opponents down hard and fast, and he hasn’t had the chance for Onslaught to build up, well. That’s when the fun starts.

The first thing I do when we close distance is rap his knuckles with the flat of my blade. The barrier isn’t as solid when coming from that side, so it stings, and stings hard. It causes him to lose his grip on one half of his staff, opening him up for me to step in and lay my sword against his throat.

Onslo is quick for his size, and Physical Enhancement gives a well rounded boost to all attributes, but even with that, I’m still faster.

“Ah.” he gasps. “Damn, you’re quick.”

I shrug. “It’s what I’m best at. Even Sophie isn’t quite my match there, and she’s a Wind mage.”

We quickly reset, and went again.

We spend the next few hours like this, taking time to rest often. The mindscape does an amazing job of replicating our bodies’ physical conditions, but this section of it seems created with training in mind, as we recover much quicker than we normally would. Eventually, Sophie joins in, once her potions have been mixed and set to rest. All told, we have nine very basic healing potions. They won’t be much help in the middle of combat, but they will help us recover from our wounds once the fight’s done, and if the last scenario is going to be as tough as we expect, we may need that healing.

Now that Onlso has a solid handle on how fast I can get, I have a much more difficult time winning our spars, but I still manage to win out more often than not. The main thing holding him back is that he’s focusing a little too much on defense early on. Against most that would be fine, as letting Onslaught build strength and taking them out in one or two blows is a great strategy for most people, and Armsmaster agrees. But since I don’t let him get that time to build strength, it quickly becomes more about who can beat the other quickest, and his experience there is… limited.

Against Sophie, however, is a different story. Like I’m a direct counter for Onslo, and I haven’t really won against Sophie except for the first time, Sophie really can’t do much to Onslo. Her method of wearing people down before taking them out simply doesn’t work on someone who can take the hits easily, heal the damage, and ultimately only gets stronger and tougher.

We don’t need to eat in the mindscape, nor do we need sleep. Onslo apparently thought this was all real, and the teachers had set up a pocket dimension for training, so he was understandably confused why he didn’t get overly tired or hungry, but I explained it all to him, which he seemed to take in stride fairly well. Huntsman recognised the mindscape for what it was, just like Armsmaster, and when Sophie spoke to Ethan about it, he said he knew how to tell he was in one because his father had shown him the difference. Regardless, this means that by the time Ethan comes out of the workshop, a little haggard but visibly pleased with himself, almost fifteen hours had passed and we hadn’t fully realised. Sophie stepped back into the workshop about halfway through to catalyse the healing potions, and that was essentially the only indicator of time passing.

Looking over the items, Onslo’s staff, my armour, Sophie’s spear, and Ethan’s coat, I can’t help but be impressed with his work. The runes are tiny, but extremely detailed and neatly placed. Straining my mana senses shows the presence of magic in those runes, and thus the equipment, but I can’t get a finer read than that. I really should get around to refining my mana sense, but there’s been a lot to do lately.

“Wow, Ethan. You do really good work,” I say.

He blushes faintly. “This isn’t all that much really. Like I said earlier, if I had more time I could do something better than all this, but it’s fine, I’m sure. I made do with what we had.”

“Right. So, do you want us to guess, or are you going to explain what they do?” Sophie asks.

Ethan starts. “Oh, of course. Well, to start we have Onslo’s staff. I won’t go into the specifics, but anything you hit with it will receive greater force, and the impacts won’t be as jarring for you. It’ll help keep your grip on it when you hit something harder than you expected. Essentially two benefits from the one effect, I’m quite happy with it. It is limited, however. Eventually the enchantment will run out and will need to be recharged. The ambient mana should be enough to do it in about ten minutes, but a silver coin or two will top it up if you need to.”

Does he mean what I think he means? Did Ethan just say he violated Newton’s Third Law? It sounds to me like he designed the enchantment to redirect the opposing force inflicted by Onslo’s attacks, which is honestly not what I expected. I want to get upset over his casual disregard for physical rules, but, well, It wouldn’t be magic if didn’t break physics over it’s knee.

“My coat is a simpler affair,” Ethan continues, “in that it will ward away projectiles and magic attacks. It’s not perfect, these things rarely are, but it’ll certainly help. Sophie, your spear will have an easier time piercing armour, though I traded effectiveness for efficiency in your case. Onslo is more likely to use a few big swings, where you said you prefer more attacks over heavier ones. Which finally brings me to Valerie.”

He gives me a considering look. “There was something very odd about that Amphisbaena scale, I must say. The mana in it was much more concentrated than it should have been, and it had a very firm idea of how it would be used. If you could find a way to repeat whatever it is you did to get it, please let me know. It’s a wonderfully potent component.”

He pats my armour. “Whilst its worn, this will constantly project a thin, short-lived barrier of force. It can take some heavy blows, though not many of them, but I did get it to pull in ambient mana much better than Onslo’s staff. About a minute, a minute and a half will bring it to full.”

I whistle. “That will be great for those times I’m not able to dodge a hit, Ethan. Thanks.”

“Agreed,” Onslo says, admiring his staff. “This will be an excellent addition to my arsenal.”

“You know,” Sophie says, with a hint of mischief in her voice, “We haven’t actually seen how well you fight. Maybe we should change that while we take the time to get used to these upgrades.”

Ethan gapes at her. “I… really don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Nonsense. We need to know what contributions you can make for the group outside these enchantments. Come on, let’s see how you do.”

Sophie grabs Ethan by the elbow, and drags him into the training room. He stares at me and Onslo, pleading silently.

**********************

In the control room, once Davis settled from his ire at Valerie upsetting the temporal array’s failsafes, he had dragged in a chair and sat down to watch the feeds. That wasn’t technically what he was supposed to be doing, but he intended to claim that since one of the student’s Aspects kept tripping so many failsafes, he needed to be present in case something went wrong.

Suddenly, off to the side of the feeds, a small red light began blinking.

Davis gestured to the light, inwardly dreading it’s the mindscape array reporting a fatal error. It was important he expected the worst possible outcome when it came to these things, that way he already had a solution when it inevitably came up.

To his pleasant surprise, however, it was something altogether different.

Alchemy Laboratory and Enchanting Workshop made use of in Combat Simulation 293. Scenario 3, version C now active.

Monster strength returned to baseline, as per protocol.

Davis’ chuckling was quiet, but malicious.

“Well. This should be fun to watch.”

He pulled up the Endmarch girl’s feed once again, removed a mug of ale from his storage ring, and leaned back on his chair.