Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

One after the other I place the runes of the enchantment in a neat glowing circle around the diaper I'm looking to enchant. Forgotten are my fluttering nerves. All that counts now, is to complete this circle, thus that is what I do.

At long last I finish the last rune and, as expected the circle of the enchantment gets drawn into the folded diaper resting at its center. Nothing has gone wrong. All is as is intended. At least as far as I can tell at a glance.

So far, so good.

Time to check with my appraisal skill! I close my eyes for a moment to center myself, then, as I open them again, I focus on the enchanted diaper.

[Self cleaning Diaper, Quality: Uncommon, A cloth diaper made from soft cloth. It is enchanted to perpetually clean itself. Even the worst of stains will disappear over the course of an hour.]

Not bad. Not bad at all! It might just be a simple utility enchantment, but I feel that I put it to real good use in this case.

There is just one thing worrying me a little. While the diaper will magically clean itself, it might still suffer wear and tear, as all clothes eventually do. It simply is the nature of such things. Well, it is the nature of just about all things, but cloth suffers wear and tear much faster than steel plates for example.

With some effort I drive that thought from my mind. I need to focus on enchanting the other two diapers first. Anything else I can worry about afterwards.

I fold the diaper back up, enjoying the feel of the fabric in the process. This feels nice. Really nice. Is this really just some leftover cloth? I shake my head and drive away this thought as well. First things first!

Before I get started on the next enchantment I put a little more wood into the fire. The fireplace might not provide the best light, but I don't want to light a second candle right now. Besides, the fireplace provides some warmth in addition to a light and it is getting a little chilly.

Then I get back to work. I put away the enchanted piece of cloth and get the next one to repeat the process. Once again I take a deep breath and once again I take my time to properly draw the circle of runes around the target of the enchantment.

As before the enchantment takes hold without issue. I don't check it in detail right away though. Instead I get the last diaper, while I'm at it, to enchant it right away as well.

Only once I'm done with that one as well, do I take a moment to study the two new enchanted, soft cloth diapers with my appraisal skill. To my great relief the results match the first one.

There are no surprises and, more importantly, no problems. Very good. Very, very good indeed!

Now I can relax at long last. Or rather, I could relax, if there weren't that thought about wear and tear nagging at the back of my mind. I just can't shake it. Not for long anyway. There is no helping it.

With a sigh I put the newly enchanted diapers away and head out back, to catch some fresh air in the garden.

What can I do about the wear and tear problem?

Well, it already should be less of an issue, as the diapers don't need washing, which would be responsible for most of the wear. Most, but not all. Some of it is due to being worn after all. There is no helping that either. It simply is how things are.

What else can I do?

The only thing that comes to mind is a second enchantment. A self repair enchantment similar in effect to the basic mending spell young Odolan seems to know.

I know the runes to make that enchantment work. In theory at last. I can't say that I have a lot of experience with it though. The teachers at the academy discouraged its use after all. Supposedly because craftsmen are not very fond of things that don't break.

It's easy enough to understand. The carpenter can't sell you new furniture after all, if the old one never breaks, and so on and so forth.

Still, I think it is a waste. Why would I want to buy the same things, not counting consumables like food, over and over again instead of spending my coin on new things? Maybe I just fail to understand the argument though, since I make my living selling consumables?

Ah, never mind. I'll place that second enchantment on these diapers! They are supposed to be something special after all. And I won't let anyone dissuade me!

Good. I have the resolve. Now I just need make sure I have the necessary tools as well. Otherwise no amount of resolve will do me any good. Double enchantments, and even more so triple enchantments, are rare for good reason after all.

I'll need better chalks. A better enchanting table as well, probably. Or I could try to acquire a divine gift that helps in that regard. I doubt the latter is an option though. Not considering that I don't have all the time in the world for this particular enchantment.

After all it could take quite some time to earn the necessary karma. Even worse, the only way I can be sure to earn the right kind of karma is by pushing the boundaries with my enchantments. In the long run I should aim for this goal. Right now though, it is out of reach.

That leaves the better chalks and the better table as options. A better table is costly at best, as it will need to be fashioned from rare components. Something like a dryad's heartwood or a dragon's scale. Maybe a slab of finely polished rock from an elder elemental. This too is out of the question right now.

Still, it seems grandma was able to fashion at least one double enchantment with the tools available to her here. Thus it is not impossible.

This leaves the last option. Better chalks. Ones I'll have to make myself. Ones I can make myself! Too bad that all recipes for better enchanter's chalks are well kept secrets, which, for some reason, experienced enchanters are loathe to share.

I roll my eyes at the thought. I'll figure something out anyway! For sure!

One thing of which I'm certain is, that better chalks don't actually use chalk in their recipes at all. I'll have to replace it with something else. What though?

I lean back on the bench and look up at the sky. There are no stars to be seen today though, as it still is overcast. With a sigh I slip off my sandals and bury my toes in a patch of moss instead, as I close my eyes to recall if I have ever seen more extravagant chalks.

And sure I have. Some of the teachers at the academy have egos after all. Egos that need to be stroked! Now what might they have used in their chalks instead of actual chalk?

Marble maybe? Possible, but marble probably wouldn't be all that much better than plain chalk. No, it has to be something else.

How about alabaster? In truth it isn't exactly an uncommon mineral either. It has interesting alchemical properties though. Finely crushed pearl might work as well for similar reasons.

Lapis lazuli might be an option as well. The resulting chalks would be blue though. And of course getting some might prove to be tricky.

I nod to myself. Short of using actual crushed precious stones, more precious than lapis lazuli anyway, which I can't really afford, these probably are my best options.

A mix of the three might be an option as well. Maybe lapis lazuli for the color and pearl for that special sheen? I could give it a try. It would be a pretty expensive experiment though.

And while crushed pearl and lapis lazuli probably make for impressive looking chalks that in all likelihood isn't all there is to making more potent enchanter's chalks. No, if that was all, everyone and their grandmother would have them.

I snort at that thought, as my grandmother probably actually did. I shake my head to keep the silly thought from distracting me any further.

No, that can't be all. I have to improve the rest of the mixture as well.

The wax has to be beeswax. I don't know anything better.

I can replace the oil though. I nod to myself. I should try to extract some oil from Night Candles. Maybe it will even glow in the dark. That certainly would look impressive! And Night Candles most certainly would be suitable! They are used as ingredients for mana potions as well after all.

I sigh and look up at the overcast night sky again. Time for another little field trip in the dark of night! Hopefully people aren't getting strange ideas due to my nocturnal activities!

There is that scary story about that wannabe vampire hunter staking innocent people for silly reasons like that after all. It is just a scary story, right? Ah, maybe I don't really want to know.

I giggle to myself, while I shudder at the same time, as I head down to the creek to splash my face with some cold water.

Brrr! Cold!

Now I'm wide awake for sure. I head back to the house, slip into my sandals once again, and get ready for this nightly trip.

I get my staff, a sickle and a basket. For a moment I contemplate taking the lantern as well, as it is really dark tonight. Much more so than on my previous trips. In the end I decide against it though. By now I'm somewhat familiar with the lay of the land after all. I should be fine. And it is easier to spot the glowing blossoms when your eyes are used to the dark.

Properly geared up I close the door and head out into the night, hopefully for a bountiful harvest. Who needs sleep anyway!