Chapter 4.6 - Power vs. Expertise

Serin, Liza, Rufala, and several more designated caretakers sat with the newest refugees. Serin was surprised but it took almost a day, even with healing magics, for the oldest refugees to start waking up.

The first to arise was the boy, Shurik, Serin had spoken with. As he awoke this time, he was much calmer, and much cleaner. Shurik looked at Serin, "You have my thanks, stranger. I wish to ask, where are we? And the dark masters, did they follow us?" A spurt of wet coughs left Shurik.

Serin checked his status. Serin's Observe and Study skills had reached a point that he could check the status of the unplated. Serin saw that he suffered from [Exposure Sickness: Mild].

Serin looked at Shurik, "You are safe here. This place is a haven for refugees such as yourself. I am currently trying to treat your people, but i wanted to ask, what is exposure sickness?"

Shurik answered, "We are aware that compared to the other master's experiments, our bodies are frail. We are prone to sickness, and should we be exposed to too much heat, or cold, or rain, we can get exposure sickness. Without treatment, it can be fatal."

Serin was confused. They had cleaned the refugees and ensured they were kept warm and fed with warm meals and clean water. "Why are you still suffering from mild exposure sickness then? We have provided warm meals, water, and dry clean clothes and a warm bed."

Shurik shook his head, "I do not know. The fragments of knowledge of my kind are hidden. The dark masters would only give us enough knowledge so we were able to maintain intellectual growth. And the knowledge we have is not of who we are."

Serin hit another blank. These refugees looked roughly human. But according to the information Serin was able to pull from Shurik's status, their race was called the 'Gole'. It was definitely confusing.

Serin also didn't know how he would care for people who were unable to survive in their natural settings.

Lord Koni stood near the doorway and motioned to Serin. Serin looked at Shurik. "Rest up Shurik, I will be back shortly, but I must talk to one of my other townsfolk."

Shurik saw Lord Koni, but was unphased by the appearance of an elder lich. Serin either determined that Shurik did not know what Lord Koni was, or he did not care.

Lord Koni bowed to Serin, "I do not know master what causes their ailments, but I might know of a solution."

Serin perked up. Lord Koni smiled, "You will have to practice your enchantment magic though."

***

Serin arrived at the adventurer's guild. The Attendant greeted him with a smile, "Good Evening Lord Serin. I see that you have truly met another of our kind. It is good to know that one such as powerful as you has managed to keep goodness in their heart."

Serin thought for a minute, and remembered Guide with his meetings with the divine. I hadn't mentioned my meeting with Guide to the attendants yet, Serin pondered. Serin looked at the Attendant. "Yes, Guide sends his regards."

The attendant did a slight bow as thanks, "Now, what may I do for you Lord Serin?"

Serin smiled, "I would like to make a purchase from the donation box."

The attendant smiled.

***

Serin learned two magics. The first was the primary skill of the enchantment magic archetype. The advanced spell [Permanence] allowed for a spell effect to be cast into an object permanently. Of course, the power of the spell that was cast into the object exponentially increased the mana cost of the Permanence spell. It was really only feasible for lower level spells, as more powerful spells quickly grew outside the limit of the [Permanence] spell. Small changes though were more than within the grasp of Serin, who's mana reserve was absurdly high.

As for the spell used, that was the second Magic Serin learned. The Novice level spell, [Minor Protection from Elements], was mostly used as a training aid magic and something to enchant the clothing of the wealthy to ensure they were neither too hot nor too cold on an average day. It also removed the stench of nearby rot and reduced effect of body odor. Overall, as a spell for combat, it was completely useless. It was however a good quality of life spell for the average city dwelling citizen.

Enchanting this into equipment permanently was another story. Serin decided to make bracelets made of inscribed gold. The more precious the metal, the easier it was for magic to imbue. So Serin used gold. Still, due yo Serin's inefficiency with the spell, the first bracelet he made for Shurik took almost 1 hour and 2000 mana to create.

Serin took the simple latched bracelet and placed it on Shurik, and instantly his status of 'Exposure Sickness: Mild' was cleared. Serin pondered, it seems that anything other than complete isolation from the elements wears on the Gole.

Serin then got to work. He wouldn't be able to give his orientation with people still sick. And he did not want these new refugees to think that receiving a bracelet was conditional upon their staying. The second bracelet took 1500 mana and about 30 minutes. The third 1200 mana and 20 minutes.

After 10 bracelets, Serin had cut his time down to 8 minutes per bracelet and 900 Mana.

After 40 bracelets, Serin had cut his mana used to 750. By the time Serin had completed the 90 bracelets required by the Gole, He had cut down the casting time to 5 minutes and mana usage to 500 per. Serin was proud about it, as through repetition he had learned the most efficient ways of creating a magical object, even if it was just a simple bracelet. It had also taken him several days. Serin had learned by heart the protection magics of Abjuration and was sure that he could increase his [Permanence] efficiency if he practiced it with other magical archetypes.

Out of all the spells and skills he had taught to the protectorate in the last year, Serin had made sure to leave out healing magic. Rufala and Liza as dedicated healers were experts in their craft, and for that time Serin knew that if he taught everyone the magics they excelled at, they would have been hard pressed to find work. But with the opening of the Dungeon, Serin realized he could not keep a stranglehold on healing magic. Rufala and Liza in this time had learned to become capable fighters in the meantime, Rufala sticking to her improved scattergun, and Liza focusing on the spear.

So during his bracelet productions, Serin began releasing healing magic to the Protectorate. Every member of the protectorate knew every spell and skill that Serin did with the exception of Bring to life, and in return they had imparted whatever spells or skills they knew to him. Although Serin already knew most of the spells and skills that they did, even if it was just a novice level. However unlike his normal transfer of skills, with healing magics Serin made sure to explain the lessons he had learned, that a dedicated healer should not use magic to fight unless it was life or death, and instead should fight with other weapons. Now the dungeon would be open to all those who were awaiting a chance to enter with a healer.

Serin had solved that issue.

Instantly, Serin had created another.

***