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Baptism 1.4

I reluctantly held off on casting [Heroism] on myself immediately the next morning in order to build up my reserve. It was a Saturday, so I didn't have to go to school and face the Trio, nor did I plan on try selling my gold again for a while.

After a night of intensive planning, I came to the conclusion that using up my mana to make money and increasing my Power should not be my main priority.

I had reviewed the specific MP costs of my spells and the way that the [Enchant Item] spell worked, then did some calculations which showed that simply making a bunch of enchanted items would be a lot more useful in the short term than increasing my mana generation directly.

All I had to pay for the process of enchanting itself was a base cost of 50 MP per item, with each item capable of being imbued with only one spell.

Each Unit Enchantment was a permanent passive effect when put on an item, and it only cost three times the regular cost. So, I could make a Ring of Heroism by spending just 140 MP, and it would return my investment after less than five days.

Each Combat Instant became a spell charge, and I could put a maximum of three spell charges on one item, with each charge costing three times the regular spell cost. But, the spell charges weren't just gone when they were used up. Instead, a used spell charge would have a one day cooldown before it could be used again.

The Combat Unit and Area Enchantments could hold a maximum of twenty times the spell cost per minimum time unit in capacity, but it slowly recharged continuously. A [Holy Armor] granting item could hold a capacity of 20 MP, which amounted to 20 minutes of use, and cost 60 MP plus the base 50 to enchant.

Basically every spell had a 3x cost when put on an item, but in exchange the effect was either permanent or recharged itself over time, while for summons the upkeep was gone.

Given the relative costs of my spells, it became clear that, as long as I was trying to target myself, using enchanting items to cast all spells except for the summons would be most efficient. The summon had a relatively low upkeep compared to the massive and multiplied upfront cost of enchanting, so it had a really low return on investment.

But I could guess at why it was like that. The summon itself was already a decent investment. The cost was high, but in return I'd get a powerful unit with stats that would take a human buffed with essentially all my spells to match, whose upkeep was already lower than the cost of any other spell. What would the point of putting a summon into an item be, anyway? I doubted the summon would appreciate getting stuffed into an inanimate object, if they could think for themselves.

Now, if I was trying to target somebody else, [Heal] was even better on an item because the [Friendly] restriction was removed, whereas the Unit Enchantments and Combat Unit Enchantments only worked for the wearer so I'd have to hand over my item.

Finally, I could add one of attack, defense, speed, or resistance to the item instead, at the price of 20 MP per point and a base enchanting cost of only 30 MP, adding up to 3 points on one item—which was also the maximum total bonus from all equipped items, so there was no point in making weaker ones unless I was deliberately trying to hand out weaker versions.

In the other words, if I simply spent some time enchanting a lot of items, I would get a lot stronger and be able to cast way more spells without necessarily having any more Power.

So after telling my dad I was going to the library to study, I went out with my backpack to get some cheap low quality rings, necklaces, bracelets, and armlets. I could use all sorts of things for enchanting, but these were the easiest to hide and carry with me everywhere. Luckily my power wasn't uptight about using luxurious materials this time, any random item could be enchanted.

I also got some more crafting supplies, as part of a new plan I put together to try and get people to become followers. Since the items could be in any shape I wanted, I could keep different shapes and accessories for stuff I used for myself as opposed to things I handed out. That way I could keep my civilian identity hidden even as I equipped every single effect, and add a common theme to my stuff that I gave other people.

I had already made an armlet of Heroism by Sunday morning, and immediately put it on.

"You look like you're in a good mood today, Taylor. Had a good run?" My dad eventually asked me, breaking the silence of our breakfast.

I gave him a smile. "Yes. I feel great today, like I've made a lot of progress recently."

"Well…that's good to hear," he said.

The usual silence between us returned. I reaffirmed my decision in my mind and spoke up again.

"Hey, dad. I've got something important to tell you," I said with a serious face.

"Hm? Did something happen at school again?" He looked troubled.

"No. I think it'll be easier if I just showed you," I said. Then I rolled up my sleeves until my armlet was visible, and detached it. As the effect went away, I hesitated for a moment about what I was doing, but pushed forward.

"Try putting this on."

He looked at me and the armlet curiously. "What's this?" He asked, but he did as I suggested and put it on.

Then his face changed.

"Wow. What just happened?" His eyes darted around the room, and he flexed his muscles. Then his eyes found their way back to me with a focused look. It was unnatural seeing that kind of intensity on his face.

"You're a cape," he said, without any room for doubt. "A Tinker. And this…" He tapped the armlet. "Just made me smarter and stronger. That's incredible, Taylor."

"Not exactly. I mean, I am a cape, but I'm more than just a Tinker. And I'm not sure if that actually makes you smarter. I think it's more like experience, especially in fighting skills and quick thinking in dangerous situations," I said. "A-and, couldIhavethatback?" The last part came out as an embarrassing squeak.

"Oh, of course," he said, detaching the armlet. His face had a look of longing as he hesitated for a split second just like I did when I detached it, but he handed it back over without any fuss.

I felt much better once I had the armlet back on, and felt a sliver of guilt at taking the experience away from dad so quickly. I knew exactly what it felt like the first time I cast [Heroism]. I contemplated giving it back to him momentarily, but ultimately I realized that I could only even think about that while I had it on. Once I took it off again, I'd be back to the needy Taylor that would try to take it back as soon as possible.

"So, you're a cape. How long?" Dad asked, giving me a measuring look.

"I'm not entirely sure, but as best as I can tell, it was at some point after the locker," I said. Dad's face turned soured as soon as I mentioned the locker. I quickly continued. "There was a while when I didn't know if I was going crazy just imagining the things I could do. But a couple of days ago, I built my altar and confirmed that it was real, then I finished making the armlet this morning."

Dad's face opened and closed a few times, as if he had a lot of things to say but wasn't sure where to start.

"Taylor…I'm glad you told me right away. I'm really glad," he finally said.

I gave him an understanding smile. "You thought I might keep it a secret and try to go out as a hero by myself?"

He had a guilty look as his eyes turned down. "Sorry, it's just, you don't really tell me things anymore. Not that it's your fault, of course. It's my fault for not being a better father."

I took off my glasses, whose unnecessary correction was getting really annoying, then I took his hand and covered it with my palms. "Dad. You were willing to give me space, and I appreciate that more than anything else. Things were hard for me at school, and I was ashamed to talk about it with you. You shouldn't blame yourself for doing your best to support me."

He looked deeply into my eyes. "That's your new Tinkertech talking, isn't it? It's made you act more mature, but you wouldn't have said that without it."

"Dad, this is what I wanted to say for the past year and a half. I missed being able to talk with you. I just never had the courage to do anything about it. Now I do."

Slowly his lips moved into the shape of a smile. "Oh Taylor. I missed it too. I'm so sorry. I've been so out of it since, since your mother died, and I wasn't there for you at all, and then the locker happened and— " He began tearing up, then I moved over and hugged him.

"It's okay, dad. I forgive you. You're here, and I'm fine, now. That's all that matters," I whispered.

He tightly hugged me back.