Enji Equipped

Chapter XVII

Enji Equipped

With Skia lending her magic, Enji cast simple spells and experimented with various wording in the incantations to determine what worked and what didn’t. Because of that, he was able to streamline the chants and prove some of his theories. A few hours later, two by his reckoning, Elpinia returned. She had left with Maka right after Skia had arrived.

Elpinia retook her seat at the bench with the crystals, and Maka resumed her position of standing guard next to her. Enji raised his eyes from the notes he was writing and observed her. Is she playing? Elpinia would pick a gem crystal from a pile and whisper something that made it glow. He was curious about her actions, but refrained from asking.

Skia let out a loud yawn. For the last few minutes, she had been resting her head on the workbench, sitting next to him.

“You want to go rest?” Enji asked the bored girl by his side.

“I thought you would be showing off some fancy spells, but most of what you have been doing is just writing.” She stretched with her arms above her, reminding him of a cat.

And by thinking of cats, Silma came to mind. “When Silma returns, I’ll be able to do a demonstration of what I have accomplished.”

“Really?” She perked up. “I’ll fetch her.”

Before Enji could stop her, she had exited the room.

“Well, I’m excited too to show my results to her.”

“You said something?”

Enji turned to face Elpinia. “Don’t mind me, I was talking to myself.”

“Was Skia able to be of help in your research?”

“Yes, she was. By the way, I have been observing you play with those stones. What’s the purpose of making them glow?”

“They are being imbued.”

“Imbued... I don’t understand.” Enji stood to get a better view of her workbench.

Elpinia took one of the crystal gems from the bench and gave it to him. “This one is used in the lamps that provide us with light at night. There are others used for cooking and various household uses.”

Enji gazed at the gemstone nested between his thumb and index finger against the window light. It was of a beautiful bluish color. It didn’t feel warm to the touch, nor did it emit any light, like a glow-in-the-dark paint or a luminescent stick. So. If it doesn’t store light, what does it get imbued with? Realization hit him. “Magic! It stores magic!”

“Yes...” Elpinia looked at him as if he were someone who marveled at seeing the sun rise in the morning.

“Is this one strictly used for illumination? How about different colors?”

“Different colors? Color has nothing to do with its use. What’s important is the size and purity. How they are used will come from the spell that is written into it.”

“What does size do?” Enji looked at the rest of the crystals in her workbench; the biggest was about the size of a grape.

“It can last longer. Isn’t it obvious?” She cocked her head to the side.

Enji had a sudden inspiration and chanted a spell. A little spark appeared over his hand. A smile formed on his lips. He gave the crystal stone back to Elpinia, who had not noted his experiment.

“They are coming.”

Startled, Enji jumped in place. Skia was by his side, having arrived undetected.

“You are going to kill me!” He placed a hand over his heart.

“Do you want me to?”

“Enji... let’s change our looks and disappear,” Silma whined as she entered the workshop. “I can’t stay on my feet any longer.” She trod in, dragging her feet and leaning on her staff.

“We haven’t finished for the day yet. After this, you will resume training.” Galakei followed her in.

Silma flopped to the floor, leaning against one of the workbenches. “Enjii...” She whimpered.

“Skia announced that you will demonstrate powerful spells.” Galakei sat in one of the stools closest to Enji.

Enji side-glanced at Skia, who seemed to be interested in counting the cracks in the ceiling.

“I wouldn’t put it that way,” he muttered. “Anyway, I have made some progress.” He grabbed his notes and the chalk he used to write on the wooden tablets, and then stood in front of a wall. He drew several geometric figures.

“Where I come from, we have a device that, when it was initially created, its purpose was to do mathematical computations. We called them computers. They were enormous machines, taking up a whole room. As time passed, with new advances in technology, they became smaller and more powerful. Eventually, it would fit in the palm of your hand.

“We compared these devices to brains, because in the same way our brain processes information and controls our body, they would also process and control things.

“In addition to the central ‘brain’ on these devices, they needed a place to store the commands that the brain used to perform different tasks and a short-term memory for executing them.”

Enji paused and observed his audience. Galakei’s red eyes looked at him with such intensity that Enji thought they were boring right into his head. Elpinia listened undisturbed. She probably had questions, but she politely waited for him to finish. Silma had sat on a stool when Enji began explaining and was attentively listening. Maka eyed him, mesmerized, and Skia showed no emotions.

Enji continued, “At first, I had no idea how magic worked. Eventually, I noticed that the magic in this world seemed to be very similar to an instruction language for computers, which we call BASIC. They—”

“Elucidate me,” Galakei interrupted. “I figured the shortened incantations are the result of using the ‘Basic’ you speak about. But what is this computer or brain you mentioned before, and what does it have to do with our magic?”

Enji pointed to the central circle of his doodles on the wall. “The ‘sug’ is the ‘brain’! The processor of the commands chanted in an incantation, and the ‘essence of life’ supplies the materials needed to form the spell.”

Galakei pointed at the wall. “You mentioned memory, I suppose we are the ones who store the information. Am I right?”

“Yes, you are. But...” Enji walked to the workbench where Elpinia had her crystals. He took one and returned to stand in front of the improvised blackboard. “Tell me, how much information can be embedded in these?” He raised his hand to show the crystal.

“You want to use magic stones to store spells? I don’t see any advantage in speed. As for storage, a simple spell perhaps.” Galakei crossed her arms over her chest as she frowned.

“If they can store a whole chant, the spell can be recalled with just one word.” Enji smiled. He hoped that the crystals had enough capacity for storing a complex spell that would solve the problem of memorizing long incantations.

Galakei, with a finger over her lips, remained in thought for a few seconds. “I see what you mean... Pinia, embed the instructions of a simple spell in one—”

“Wait!” Enji grabbed a slate and quickly wrote a spell on it. “Elpinia, see if you can pack this in.”

“I’ll try.” She took one crystal gem from a pile on her bench and began chanting. After a minute, the gem glowed for a moment and then returned to normal. She handed the crystal to Enji. “Done.”

“Thank you. Silma, would you do the honor?” Enji gave the gem to Silma.

“What am I supposed to do?” She looked at the little stone with puzzlement painted on her face.

“Extend your hand and let your ‘sug’ flow. Then say ‘run flame.’”

She did as instructed. “Run flame!”

A flame appeared twenty centimeters above her hand, and it was not the little flame that was usually cast; this one was about three times bigger. Everyone looked at it, mesmerized.

Enji stood next to the perplexed girl. “Say ‘end.’”

“End!” The flame extinguished. “That... That was incredible! I didn’t feel any effort, and the [sug] flowed unimpeded.”

Galakei took the crystal gem from her and chanted, “Run flame!” Satisfied with the result, Galakei commanded it to end. “Why is it bigger?”

“I added a line command to multiply by three.”

“Multi...ply?” Silma asked.

Enji turned to her. “Yes, I have seen that in some of the spells, a line is repeated several times. So, instead of compounding the effect by addition, it’s shorter to multiply.”

Galakei put the crystal on the workbench. “Enji, I know what it means to multiply, but most people only use addition and subtraction in their everyday lives.”

What?! How backward... or simple is life in this world that people don’t need basic arithmetic? Enji cast his eyes over the girls in the room who were looking at him quizzically. “I guess I have to teach math too.”

“Don’t waste your time if it’s not necessary for the duel; it can wait for our return,” Galakei advised Enji.

“No problem.”

“Can you cast the spell using the gem?” Galakei asked Enji.

“I haven’t tried.” Enji took the crystal and commanded, “Run flame!” The flame appeared, but after a few seconds it extinguished by itself. Enji looked at the crystal in his hand; it had cracked.

“I see...” Galakei pondered for a moment. “A purchase of a bigger gem is in order, to handle the flow of [sug] that you require.

“Are they expensive?” Enji inquired.

“You wouldn’t be able to afford one even if you worked for ten years.”

What?! Enji set down the broken crystal. How am I going to pay for this?

“Silma, work with Enji in condensing your spells. No further training with me is required today.”

“Yes, Mage.” She couldn’t hide her happiness; her erect tail gave her away.

Galakei was by the door when she turned and said, “By the way, Enji. Something occurred to me... I’ll tell you at a later time.”

What? What is it? Don’t leave me hanging! “Yes, Lady Galakei.”

***

They fell into a routine during the following nine days. Silma trained her incantations with Galakei. The three vampire girls honed their sword skills, while Enji, aided by Elpinia, prepared magic crystals for the girls to use. Occasionally, Skia would train him with the sword.

On the eve of their departure to the capital, Glakei called for Enji after their evening meal.

Enji knocked on the door to her bedroom, and Galakei invited him in.

When he entered, he was surprised by what he saw; he had expected Galakei to be on her bed resting like other times, but instead she was pulling and throwing clothes from her wardrobe. The floor was literally flooded with pieces of garments.

“Do you require my assistance?” Enji ventured, unsure of why she had called him.

“Ah, there you are. Help me get these rags out of the way.”

Is she doing spring cleaning? The ‘rags,’ as Galakei referred to them, were dresses and coats that looked and felt expensive. Enji pulled them from the wardrobe and carefully placed them on a pile. After clearing all the clothes, the bare wooden interior of the armoires was exposed.

“Where is that lock?” Galakei searched for something in the wardrobe’s framework. “Here it is!” She activated a lever, which triggered a hidden mechanism, and a door slid open at the back of the wardrobe.

Are we going to a magical land and meet a lion? Enji craned his neck to look beyond the opening. It was too dark to see, but he didn’t have to wait long. Galakei cast a spell, and the room inside was lit.

“Follow me.” Galakei extended a hand to him, which he took without reservations. He trusted the mage. They stepped over the threshold into the hidden room. She pulled him to the far wall, where weapons of all kinds hung without order or reason.

Releasing his hand, she pushed aside a pile of swords that fell to the floor with a loud racket. She turned to him with a sword in her hands.

“I want you to have this.” She gave Enji a sword similar to a cavalry saber, like he had seen in movies. It was sheathed in an ordinary black scabbard with no decorations except for the metal tip.

Enji pulled the sword from its sheath; its steel surface reflected the light of the magical stones like it had a light of its own. He was sure that if he placed his finger on the edge, it would be cut off without effort. The curved blade reminded him of a katana, but unlike a katana, the grip was short, and it had an intricate guard to protect the user’s hand.

It was beautiful. Enji didn’t know what to say. He sheathed the saber and held it to his chest. “Thank you.”

“There is something else I’ll give you.” Galakei kneeled next to a wooden chest. From it, she pulled out some garments of sorts. “You must wear this in the capital.”

It was a black outfit, consisting of pants, a shirt, and a jacket, all black. Are these trophies from vanquished enemies or dungeon drops?

“Put it on!”

“Here?” Enji hesitated. She might look like a skeleton, but she was still a woman.

“Don’t be a prude. I have already seen you naked.”

“What?!”

Galakei chuckled. “Well, not exactly. You were in your underpants. After you arrived from the fight and broke your arm, you were completely covered in mud. Lia and Maka cleaned you up. I dropped by to check on you. So I have already seen you in your underwear. Now, if it makes you feel better, I’ll strip too.”

Enji waved his hand in front of his face and shook his head vigorously from side to side. “No. No, that’s not necessary! I’ll change over there.” No way I want to see a naked skeleton! He glanced back, but Galakei’s attention was focused on searching for something else in the chest.

The attire fit him slightly loose, but that provided the benefit of ease of movement. When he buttoned the jacket, he turned around. Galakei was judging him with a critical eye.

“Not bad. You might grow into it eventually.”

“Lady Galakei, I have been meaning to ask for some time. How come you have so many clothes that fit me?”

“Oh. Those were my garments.”

The look on Enji’s face showed confusion.

“Let me explain. When Eithea and I began adventuring to avoid drawing undue attention from men, being two lone girls, I dressed as a man. I could pull it off because I wasn’t built around the chest like Eithea.” She grabbed the robe around her chest with both hands, then she stood next to him, comparing her height to his. “We are the same height and have the same build. Of course, my hips were wider then, and I had to bind my modest chest so it wouldn’t stand out.” Facing him, she pulled some objects from her robe’s pocket. “I believe you originally came here for this.” She strapped leather braces to Enji’s wrists. “The one on your left is the language translator. The other can be equipped with crystal gemstones.” She smiled and placed three large crystals in his hand.

“B-but these are valuable—”

She turned serious. “You are more valuable. I want you alive.”

Enji stared at the gemstones. He had to make good use of them.

“Now get out! Go and get some rest. We leave early in the morrow.”

“Yes, my lady.” Enji bowed and left the secret room. At the door, he heard Galakei grumbling about the mess she had made and wondering how she would explain it to Ulua.