Chapter 17 Isandra's Guardian
Ethan looked at the ring on his left index finger and tested it briefly.
The way to use this ring is really simple, and more importantly, the enchanted magic array is made very stable; it's impossible for it to lose its effect from a simple bump or scrape.
He recalled the two bracers he had made before; they were only struck once, and even though the bracers themselves weren't damaged, the inscribed magic array was completely destroyed—the difference in skill wasn't just a little bit.
"Thank you, Zhur."
Zhur, who calmly accepted the thanks, took a step back, yielding his position to Eiszandara, who was waiting nearby.
"Charsi and I made this together for you. Didn't your original pair of bracers get damaged?"
Ethan hadn't expected Eiszandara to make him a pair of bracers, and ones that were very similar to the previous pair but even more exquisite.
"This..."
As soon as he held them, Ethan discovered that the metal on the surface of the bracers contained Mithril, which was more suitable for channeling magic and mental energy. Furthermore, the precision of the magic array was far superior to his previous work; the structure was more stable, and the effect was greater.
"These bracers have more than one enchantment?"
Putting them on and trying to inject a little mental energy, Ethan immediately discovered the excellence of this pair of bracers.
"This one on your left hand, besides being able to add freezing damage to the six short arrows loaded on it, can also cast an Ice Shield."
Eiszandara guided Ethan on how to use this magic. Ethan, who understood the trick after just one explanation, controlled his mental energy according to Eiszandara's instructions and issued a 'command' to the magic array in his left bracer.
A chilling cold air emanated from the bracer, and then in the blink of an eye, it condensed into a translucent round shield about one meter in diameter.
"Besides providing a certain degree of defense, it will also have a certain effect on anyone who approaches you."
When the frosty cold air is cast, it will inevitably cause a drop in temperature, which will have some effect on people. However, Ethan, who is protected by the Ice Shield, will not be harmed; at most, he will feel cool.
The drawback of the Ice Shield is that it requires continuous mental energy to maintain. Before Ethan's mental energy becomes strong enough, it cannot be maintained throughout a battle.
However, even so, it is a very excellent defensive magic item. Moreover, this bracer also has six short arrows, which can also be imbued with frost magic to damage enemies.
Ethan also tested it, firing an arrow at a stone not far away. The power of the freezing air was much stronger than he had anticipated, and the entire stone was covered in a layer of frost.
"If this hits a person, even if it doesn't freeze them to death, they will suffer severe frostbite and lose their combat ability."
Furthermore, the number of arrows on the bracer was three more than the one he had made before, and with this power, his combat ability was practically multiplied.
"What about this one?"
Having only introduced the left bracer, Ethan wasn't stupid; how could he not guess that the effect of the right bracer was completely different from the left?
"The magic on this bracer is mainly used for offense."
The right bracer was inscribed with a fire-attribute magic array that Ethan was quite familiar with. He had previously inscribed a fire-attribute magic array on his own bracer, but the magic array on this new bracer was far superior to Ethan's in both effect and power.
Similarly, it could attach fire damage to the short arrows fired, but compared to the slight flames Ethan's attached, which could only cause some interference to the enemy, the one Eiszandara made was much more powerful.
A flaming arrow was fired, directly blasting a small pit in the ground. If a normal person were hit by this, they would surely be dead through and through.
"In addition, this bracer can also fire five fireballs."
Fireball?
Fireball is arguably a basic magic spell that all elemental spellcasters must know. Although it is an entry-level magic, its power varies greatly depending on the caster.
Although Eiszandara is not a mage specializing in fire magic, her understanding of the fire element is sufficient to create a qualified item.
The Fireball spell inscribed on this bracer given to Ethan is not an entry-level small fireball. After having those few flaming arrows, attaching a small fireball wouldn't have much significance. Therefore, the fireballs condensed by this magic array each have considerable power and can be used for area damage. This is still not as powerful as the large fireballs she casts.
This was based on Ethan's strength and mental energy intensity, and considering his future progress rate, Eiszandara had put in a lot of effort to set a standard.
"Thank you!"
Ethan, who had learned about the two bracers in detail, also learned their names, which made him want to cry and laugh:
The one on the left that could use the Ice Shield and fire Ice Arrows was surprisingly called Eiszandara's Passion! Meaning it protected the user with Eiszandara's passionate friendship; while the one on the right that could use Fireball and fire Flaming Arrows was called Eiszandara's Ruthlessness, meaning ruthlessness towards enemies.
Together, the two bracers were called 'Eiszandara's Protection', which was a slightly more normal name.
"Aren't these two names reversed?"
But upon hearing the meaning behind them, he felt that Eiszandara's names made perfect sense and were very fitting.
Eiszandara gave a few simple instructions and then yielded her position to Charsi, who had come with her.
This blacksmith from Rogue Encampment was actually a very enthusiastic person. Ethan hadn't had much contact with her before, but when he needed help, Charsi put aside what she was doing and helped Ethan forge that pair of bracers in the shortest time possible—even though Ethan said he wasn't in a hurry to use them.
He hadn't expected her to come specifically to see him off, and judging by the look of it, she seemed to have a gift for him too?
"Actually, I didn't have much time to prepare anything, and I don't have suitable materials to craft things for you mages. This set of light armor is something I made earlier by mixing some strange metal particles; I'll give it to you for protection."
A very light set of armor, composed of only a few pieces.
A breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves. Besides protecting the vital area of the chest, it only protected the hands and legs, which are frequently used for clashing with enemies. It could be said to be targeted armor.
What surprised Ethan the most was that this set of armor was not heavy at all, even lighter than leather armor. Wearing it felt just like ordinary cloth clothes. This was also the reason Charsi gave him this light armor; armor that was too heavy would just be a burden for Ethan.
"I'm not entirely sure about the specific effect of those strange particles. Currently, I only know that they make this light armor lighter than cloth clothes and capable of floating on water. I don't know if it will be useful to you."
Ethan, who was just thinking if he had successfully become a Bronze Saint, almost twisted his mouth into a smile when he heard Charsi's words.
"Useful, it's extremely useful!"
His world was all water, and no one could guarantee that they would always maintain sufficient physical strength or clear consciousness if they fell into the water. Having such a 'life vest' would undoubtedly provide more security for his life.
If Eiszandara and Zhur weren't standing right there watching, making it awkward for Ethan to show too much excitement (which would make it seem like the things they gave him weren't good), Ethan would have really wanted to give Charsi a big hug—of course, given Charsi's physique, it wasn't certain who would be hugging whom.
"Also, I repaired your weapon for you."
Charsi was also very happy to see that Ethan liked her gift, and she casually took out an iron rod from behind her.
That was the iron rod Ethan had obtained earlier when clearing the Den of Evil. After eliminating Blood Raven and returning to the camp, Eiszandara had asked for the rod. He didn't think much of it at the time and just gave it to Eiszandara.
He truly hadn't expected that Eiszandara had given it to Charsi, and Charsi had repaired the iron rod, dealing with the original break point where the hammerhead was attached, and also cleaning off the various stains on the surface of the iron rod, polishing it and even adding some patterns for decoration.
The silver-white rod body with irregular patterns, and the grip that was almost completely remade. Its appearance was much better than before, and coupled with its inherent considerable lightning power, there was no sign of its previous pathetic state; it was practically a brand new weapon.
"This weapon doesn't have a name yet. Perhaps you can give it one?"
This seemed to be a custom of this world, but Ethan couldn't think of a good name on the spur of the moment.
"Ten Thousand Volts?"
"Big Generator?"
"Lightning King?"
"Human Mythology - Lightning Descent?"
One name after another related to lightning flashed through his mind, but none of them were reliable.
"I'll think about it later. I can't think of a name right now."
Just then, the last of the spacetime energy on Ethan began to fluctuate violently, and a magic array pattern appeared out of thin air where he was standing, emitting bursts of light.
"My teacher has already started the teleportation magic. It seems I will be leaving soon."
He quickly picked up the few packages on the ground. He remembered that things not 'carried' on his person could not be taken back. The most important things in these weren't the meager food and water, but the books and notes given to him by Akara, Eiszandara, and Kashya; he absolutely could not forget to take them.
The few people who had wanted to chat with Ethan a bit longer retreated a few steps when they saw this. They weren't sure of the exact range of the magic array. It would be fortunate if they were accidentally caught in it; it would be truly unlucky if they were caught in an in-between position and torn to shreds by the powerful magic energy.
"It was a great pleasure to become comrades fighting alongside you. I will always remember this time."
The gradually intensifying light slowly obscured Ethan's appearance, and even Ethan's final farewell words became blurred as the magic power fluctuations grew stronger. As the spacetime energy finally erupted, Ethan also disappeared into the dazzling light.