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IT was a month and a half before the deadline for the Magic Item Design Awards, and it was another fall afternoon threatening to rain.
Olivia felt her heart thud in her chest as she stood in front of the door to Gordon’s office.
I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but I’ve finally made it. She was holding the magic ring that she had made after many late nights. It’s been such a long road to get here…
Her eyes glazed over as she thought about all the days of trial and error. The imbued effect was better with a larger stone but at the cost of sacrificing convenience and design. But if she used a small stone, she’d have to sacrifice effect.
It was incredibly challenging to align ease of use, design, and effect, but she believed she managed to pull it off. It was the best work she’d ever created.
Oh, I’m so nervous.
She let out a little huff and tried to steady her breathing, then told herself it’d be all right—she’d given this everything she had—then knocked on the door.
“Come in,” called Gordon.
She opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit office.
Gordon looked up from whatever he was writing on his desk. “Ah, Olivia. I thought you’d be paying me a visit soon.”
“I haven’t finished imbuing it yet, but I’ve finished the exterior,” she told him as she nervously placed the box with the ring on his desk.
Gordon grinned. “I’m excited to see what’s in there. I’m sure it’s not just any piece of magic jewelry, is it?”
“I hope not.” She nodded humbly.
With a smile on his face, Gordon picked up the box and popped open the lid. “Huh,” he let out. “I wasn’t expecting this. So, this is the direction you went.”
Inside the box was a beautiful ring with a flower that looked like it had just burst into bloom. In the center were five sparkling pink magic stones arranged as the petals. Vines twined around the band to make an incredibly refined piece that gave the impression of a nearly translucent pink flower opening on the wearer’s finger.
“I was aiming to create a stylish piece of magic jewelry that the working woman could use daily,” explained Olivia. “I incorporated a floral motif as that’s popular at the moment and used five small stones rather than one large one, maintaining a high level of effect while increasing its usability.”
Sounding impressed, Gordon uttered, “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. What is the core?”
“The stones are pink diamonds. I plan to imbue all five of the diamonds with lyle seeds, increasing the effect.”
Lyle seeds had an anti-poison effect. Wearing something with its effect would reduce the efficacy of any poison in the wearer’s body by 50 percent. Five cores together would bring the efficacy to nearly 100 percent.
Gordon nodded. “Hm. It looks nice. The design is groundbreaking. And, this doesn’t have anything to do with the contest, but using small stones reduces the cost. It’s very well balanced.”
Olivia was relieved that Gordon seemed thoroughly impressed. She let out a sigh at the idea of this working.
That was why what Gordon told her next shocked her to her very core.
“Unfortunately, though, this will never take gold,” he broke to her.
Olivia gasped. It felt like time stood still. What he said was so unexpected that she was at a loss for words. “But, why?”
“It’s a fairly simple reason. You haven’t figured it out yet?”
Olivia stared at the ring in a daze. She had no idea; she thought it was perfect.
Gordon hmphed; she clearly was at a loss. Then he looked at the calendar on his desk and murmured, “I guess I have no choice.” He opened the safe below his desk, removed an incredible leather box, and placed it on the desk. “This is the same as the piece that took gold in the women’s magic jewelry category last year. The anti-poison brooch.”
“Ah!” Olivia’s eyes flew wide open.
“I know the person who made it. I had reason to see him recently and asked to borrow it since it might be good for you to see.”
Olivia stared questioningly at the leather box. She was dying to know what sort of piece could take gold, especially considering she’d just been told her very best piece had no chance.
“May I see?” she asked.
“Of course. That’s why I borrowed it.”
Somewhat nervously, Olivia gently slid the box toward her, undid the clasp, and slowly opened the lid.
“Huh?”
She was once more speechless.
This took gold?
Inside the box was a brooch shaped like a long, narrow diamond with a bright red magic stone the size of Olivia’s thumbnail. The metal around the stone was meticulously worked into an intricate and jagged design.
This is the same shape I’ve seen women wearing around town, the one that’s so popular among the nobles right now.
Gordon looked at Olivia in her shock and began, “It was made by a veteran artificer in his fifties. The function is the same as yours, anti-poison, and apparently, the design has been trending among nobles.”
Olivia was confused. She could tell by looking at it that it was a well-made magic item. It was evident from the core’s luster that it was created with high skill.
But why did this take gold? It’s obvious it wouldn’t be very practical.
Gordon stared into her confused face and murmured, “Guess I need to help.” He lifted the box with Olivia’s ring. “Normally, I’d like you to work through on your own how that brooch got gold, but, unfortunately, we don’t have time. I’ll give you a hint, this once.” He set the boxes side by side in front of her. “Let’s imagine, for argument’s sake, you wanted to give Rose a piece of anti-poison magic jewelry.”
“Uh, all right…” Her eyes showed her confusion at the unexpected theoretical situation.
“You go to the shop with plans to buy one and see these two pieces. If it were you, which one would you give Rose?”
Olivia thought about it. If it were an anti-poison piece, it would need to be worn at all times, meaning usability was paramount. What was more, it was Rose, a working woman. It would, of course, be better for her to have a design that didn’t hinder her movement.
I’d obviously go for mine.
She went to point to her ring but then hesitated and let out a heavy sigh before slowly turning her finger not toward her own piece but the brooch.
“I’d…get that one.”
Gordon nodded. “And that’s your answer.”
Olivia’s shoulders slumped. She hadn’t picked her piece because of its efficacy as a magic item. The large magic stone used in the brooch had been imbued using a scale of a pale fish, a material with a complete anti-poison effect, giving the brooch a 100 percent defense against poison.
Olivia’s ring, on the other hand, used lyle seeds, which only gave a 50 percent anti-poison effect. She’d used five stones, the most you could use in a single item, to increase the efficacy, but that only brought it up to 97 percent. It was 3 percent short of completely defending against poison.
“The design of your ring is outstanding and fresh, and it would certainly sell if we put it in the shop,” continued Gordon. “But in terms of effect, it does lose out to pieces that use large magic stones.”
“You’re right… If you’re giving someone a gift, that means they’re important to you. You’d choose the brooch,” she muttered in a quiet voice.
According to Gordon, the brooch had been selected for gold due to its incredible technique, high efficacy, and excellent design.
“The judges evaluated it highly due to its efficacy and technique, especially since it incorporated a design that was only just starting to become popular.”
Olivia hung her head.
I’ve had blinders on.
It was magic jewelry. The most important factor was its effect, and yet, she’d only been focused on its convenience and design to the point she barely paid attention to effect.
I’ve failed as an artificer.
As Olivia reflected on her mistakes, Gordon softly said, “There’s still time. You can rethink things.” Then he rubbed his chin. “But you know, it is interesting. This piece is the exact opposite direction from all the men.”
“Hmm?”
“They always perfect the efficacy aspect, almost to the point of going too far, and destroy design and how it feels to use in the process. Perhaps men and women have different sensibilities when it comes to these sorts of things.”
Olivia thought back to how her father had been utterly committed to the effect. “You may be right,” she replied, her eyes crinkled in a smile as memories came back to her. Then, she turned to Gordon with gratitude. “Thank you. I see the problem now. I want to think this through more and create a piece that can win gold.”
Gordon grinned. “I expect good things.”
Olivia swore she would improve her idea now that she knew the problem.
However, things didn’t go so smoothly.
Nearly three weeks passed.
“Olivia. Olivia.”