The avatar motioned me to sit on one of the large roots extending from the downward-sloping ground at the tree's base. “Your backpack and six potions are magical. If you survive orientation, you have other magical items coming to you as part of your backstory, but I will not go over them now and spoil the surprise.”

  I chose a comfortable spot on an especially large tree root and waited for him to continue. My backpack was on the ground beside me, and the six potions he mentioned rested in the potion vial sleeves that came with my belt and pouches.

  The gnome paced back and forth as he spoke, using the cane more to poke at things randomly than to assist his balance or walking.

  “I shall explain your skills and spells as part of this second phase. The ten points in skills and spells that are standard at base levels during your creation were advanced to twenty points as a golden cognito. You were not limited to level one skill and spell choices, which is standard for other personas, and your levels were limited only by your attribute scores, allowing you to access up to fourth-level options in your case.”

  I knew all this already, but it was a helpful reminder.

  “I shall discuss three areas for your personal growth and development: combat skills across warrior and monk guilds, mage skills, and mage spells in which your specialized enchanter spells are included.”

  He pointed at the nearby dire wolf. “Your combat skills with the staff and your combat spells we already explored. However, you have another attack that combines the two. Your mage skill, Staffcraft, allows you to release a spell upon a successful staff strike. There are some limitations, but they are of no concern right now since your only offensive spell is Mage Blast I.”

  I think I understood how the skill functioned, but I decided to ask a clarifying question. “So, upon a successful strike, I can release a Mage Blast into the opponent to do more damage?” I asked.

  “Yes, so long as your staff is magical and possesses spells. It is an effective attack. However, surprisingly few mages have decided to take advantage of it. But for those few who are able to discern how the martial arts skill stacks on top of the warrior's Two-Handed Blunt weapon mastery attack skill, melee attacks of significance are not out of reach. By stacking those skills, your probability of hitting an opponent increases, as does the damage inflicted with successful strikes.”

  “Does the spell I release on the attack need to be an attack spell?” I asked.

  He looked at me keenly. “No. And that is an insight very few make so early on. Use that to your advantage later.” He said. “By releasing a spell on a successful hit, it has the possibility of enhancing spell effects, and those effects are not limited to combat damage.”

  The avatar and I discussed each of the spells I had chosen and their uses. Although much of what we discussed was something I had already learned during the creation process, it was still helpful. For instance, I learned I could not just add sockets to any object. There were limitations, not the least of which was that the objects had to be fine or better quality. Flawless quality, produced only by a grandmaster or prodigy, was the best option and often enhanced results in powerful and unexpected ways.

  The second thing I learned was that my Single Use Spells also required a quality of material that was pure and of at least fine quality. Magical creations using lower-quality materials had increasing chances of failure or reduced lifespans. Even though Single Use Spells would be consumed by their magical effects, they must be of at least fine quality for the initial spell to work. The quality of the material allows magical anchoring, which in turn permits the enchanter to add secondary spell effects.

  There were also limitations placed on the types of metals used in enchantments. The four pure base metals considered precious were each associated with spell levels. For instance, copper, as the least valuable of the four materials, was used for spells of the first and second level, silver for spells of the third and fourth, gold for fifth and sixth, and platinum, as the most valuable, was reserved for the most powerful spells at the seventh level. Lesser spells could be anchored in more valuable metals, but not vice versa, without risking failure or unforeseen side effects.

  Being an enchanter was going to be an expensive proposition. I was happy that I could at least start with spells of the lowest levels in my specialty work with copper.

  The avatar continued his instruction by adding, “You also have a magical backpack called the Adventurer’s Backpack, or sometimes just called ‘the pack.’ It is only mildly magical but will prove helpful to you as you travel far from civilization.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “The backpack has both spells of enchantment and summoning upon it. It will hold its natural physical volume many times over and never weigh more than when empty upon your shoulders. It can carry only things that are not alive, but it can be used to carry food. Objects too long to fit will magically fit in the bag so long as the object fits through the backpack’s opening and the total volume is not exceeded.”

  “How will I know if the volume is exceeded?” I asked.

  The avatar stared hard at me and spoke very slowly. “You will know when the thing you are trying to place in the backpack does not fit.”

  I sighed.

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  He shook his head and then continued. “You must also learn how to create sockets in a properly prepared object and enchant a Single Use Spell object. These are tricky and take time, but because you chose the orientation, we can bend the rules a bit.” He said this as he withdrew a small black velvet bag and poured a handful of gems and metal rings upon his open palm.

  That got my attention because my See All Magic and Enchantments spell was still up. I could see that the gems were magical, and the rings had a faint glow as if they were components or ingredients.

  “We can go about this several ways. Are you in the mood for show or tell?” He asked with a glint in his eyes.

  “Let’s go with the 'show' option. It sounds more interesting.” I replied.

  “Good choice, " he said, sliding the objects back into his bag. With a wave of his hand, the bag disappeared.

  “Unsheath your belt dagger and pull your silver dagger again from your pack.” He instructed.

  I did as he asked, holding a blade in each hand.

  Pointing at the larger steel blade, he said, “Your combat dagger quality is fine and has three sockets already in it for use as you come upon a gem or runestone. Equally, your silver dagger quality is also fine, but it is pure metal without magical enchantments. Because it is of fine quality, it is in the fifth of seven quality positions. All materials are classified according to a list of levels, from fair at level one to flawless at level seven. Crudely and poorly made objects are below level one on this list. And while as an enchanter you must create magical objects made of materials at least level five or fine quality, it is possible for objects of lower quality to exist and possess unusual qualities such as sockets.”

  He waved his hand as if he were getting off track. “But that is too much detail. For now, what is important is that your dagger is relatively pure and was made at the fifth level. This fine dagger can be used as an object for enchantments. We will do several things with it, and when done, you may wish to avail yourself of a future skill point to acquire proficiency with daggers.”

  He motioned for me to give him the silver dagger. I did so eagerly and placed the other back in its belt sheath.

  He accepted the silver dagger by its handle, blade out, and then turned it around in his tiny hands, scrutinizing both blade and handle from several angles. “Yes, this will do nicely.” He finally stated.

  Handing it back to me, he said, “Once an object has been suitably made with fine metal, you can do a lot with it. Pure metals have even more options open to them. But for all fine materials, you can add sockets and place gems, runes, and other special objects in them. You can enchant it to have a special ability, or you can do a combination of both. But the order and how you do it are critical.

  “If you wished to place sockets in this object, you would cast your first-level Enchant Item spell, cast your Add Five Sockets spell, and then seal it with your Seal Enchantment spell. The last step is not required, but failing to do this could make the object leak magic, allow others to add curses to it, or the magic could fade more rapidly. Adding the seal does not make it invulnerable to time or tampering, but it does add considerable resistance to those detrimental effects.”

  He smiled. “Because you have been kind and complimentary to me, something that we don’t often do to ourselves despite years of service, I will add some wisdom.”

  Although his descriptions of himself and his other parts were sometimes challenging to follow, I appreciated his help.

  “If you begin with sockets and then add base enchantments such as Lesser Sharpen Weapon, you increase the chance of spell failure because of an inherent aspect of the sockets spell, which I shall not get into. However, if you prepare your object correctly, add base spells, and then end with sockets before sealing it, your chances for success go way up, and the chances of failure or catastrophic spell failure go way down.”

  I asked, “And by catastrophic spell failure, you mean…” I paused, hoping he would fill in the details.

  “I mean that object melting, area of effect explosions, spontaneous combustion of the caster with burning damage over time, or unpredictable and wild effects could occur.”

  “So, not necessarily immediate death?” I asked.

  “No. It may only be frustrating and expensive. Or it could be worse.”

  “Worse than death?” I asked doubtfully.

  “Yes. But I say no more about that. Do it right, and your chances improve. Understood?”

  “I do. Thank you.” I said.

  We stared at each other.

  He sighed. “You said you understood.”

  “Yes,” I replied.

  He stared at me for another ten seconds and then said, “Well, use your magic. Do something interesting with your dagger!”

  “Oh,” I said, my cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

  I thought about what I already knew about my spells and options. I didn’t plan to use the dagger as my primary weapon, but since we were here, I decided to go for it.

  I had twenty casting points remaining. I would need one point to open the object to enchantment and four points to close it. That left me fifteen points for the enchantments. If I added the five sockets, that would take five more points, which would leave me with ten. The only other spells I had remaining were a two-point Lesser Sharpen Weapon spell and a two-point Lesser Harden Weapon spell. I could use either or both as needed. And on top of those two spells, I had the more vague Imbue Item spell.

  If I used them all, I could make it effectively a +2 dagger with sockets and an imbued ability.

  But then I recalled that to imbue a permanent power, I needed to use at least ten more casting points to give it a +1 effect on magic, knowledge, or strength. I did not have enough casting points for other options than strengthening its attack and damage ability, and then adding sockets.

  “Okay,” I said, “I know what I will do.”

  I focused my will and cast the one-point Enchant Item spell. With my See All Magic and Enchantments up, I saw that the dagger glowed magically, not thinly as a component or ingredient, but as an actual magical object.

  “Good start.” He complimented me. “Nineteen casting points remaining.”

  I then cast the two-point Lesser Sharpen Weapon spell.

  The dagger glowed slightly more brightly, but that could have been a glint from the day orbs.

  “Again, nicely done. Seventeen casting points remain. Before you continue, I sense you might be interested in stacking spells. I’m sure you know from your knowledge of the Lesser Sharpen Weapon spell that you cannot cast it again. Doing so will not damage anything, but neither will it help, and it is a waste of your limited casting points.”

  He waited for my nod of understanding.

  “But, if you wish to cast the two-point Lesser Harden Weapon spell, which I know you understand will stack to make the dagger a +2 to attack and damage, there is a bit of wisdom you should be aware of.”

  “What is that, master?” I asked, using the language practiced by all apprentices toward master practitioners.

  “Before you cast a second base enchantment, you must recast your one-point Enchant Item spell, or the entire construct will fall apart. In a best-case scenario, nothing happens, or the weapon is degraded to a lower material quality level. Worst case, it goes boom! And since you are already wounded, that might be a problem.”

  “Oh. I did not know that.” I said, thankfully.

  “Wisdom versus knowledge, my boy.” He replied with a smug look.

  I sighed and recalled a saying one of my masters was fond of reciting to his classes, “Knowledge is foundational, wisdom is actionable.”

  “Well stated.” He agreed.

  I did some mental math and realized I still had enough to pull this off if I was careful. But what if I blew this chance?

  The avatar waited. His foot started tapping, and I could see that the praise I earned earlier was running thin…