Style Quest: Enchanted Spell Thread

Varick sat behind his desk, trying to make sense of his accounting books. It was a slow day, so the mahogany Clydesdale thought it was the perfect time to catch up on some bookkeeping. His dad, Stefan, had taught him how to make clothes but not how to do accounting work. A smile spread across Varick’s face as he wondered if his dad had the same accounting issues and was just better at hiding it. Maybe there was someone around the guild he could hire as an accountant. He could pay them in clothes and then write it off as a business expense, assuming that’s how that kind of thing worked.

Suddenly, a loud noise in the hall caused Varick to look up from his books. A bright-scaled, tan-skinned naga could be seen through the display windows and appeared to be talking to herself. Varick shrugged to himself and went back to his books. This commotion was not the weirdest thing the blonde horse had seen in the guild halls. He was forced to look up again when the door to the shop opened, and the half-snake person loudly entered.

“Alright fans, continuing in our Exploring the Guild series we have Varick’s Tailoring and Enchanting,” the naga cheered as she talked to a floating metal object. “SEAL get a good look around at everything for the viewers. Don’t want them to miss a single part of this adorable shop!”

“Hello miss, is there something I can help you with,” Varick asked, standing up from his desk. He wasn’t sure what was happening or why this person was talking to the floating metal thing. “I’m Varick, the owner of this shop. Do you need clothing made or something enchanted?”

“SEAL come in close! It’s the titular owner himself! Let’s get a good shot here,” the naga called to her strange machine thing. It floated close to the tailor, examining him with a peculiar glass eye.

“What is happening here,” the tailor demanded, trying to push the floating metal thing away from his face. He was moments away from activating the wards to get this person out of his store.

“Oh! Of course! Silly me. I forget that not everyone is from a high-tech world,” the half-snake woman taps her forehead before turning to Varick with a wink and peace sign. “I’m Hotpop, and you’re on my newest stream, where I interview the different shopkeepers around the guild.”

“Stream? No, absolutely not! You are not flooding my store,” the blonde Clydesdale declared, pointing to the door. He didn’t know much about magitech or technology in general but wasn’t willing to take any chances. “If you don’t need some clothes or an enchantment please leave.”

“No good tailor, you misunderstand. No water involved here. Lets just say that I’ve got people all over the paperverse watching and we are getting all kinds of hearts,” Hotpop laughed as she slithered around the store. “Business is going to be booming for you soon as this broadcast is over. Why don’t you fix me up with a shirt with some flashy enchantments? My viewers would love to see you work.”

Varick still wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but a sale with the chance of a boom in business wasn’t something the tailor could pass up on. Casting a quick eye over the naga, he estimated her size to a margin of two millimeters. Usually, he’d get exact measurements with his tape, but he wanted to get this done quickly. The equine tailor found a premade pink tee shirt on the rack that would work. With the shirt on the desk, Varick started pulling a length of thread from one of the spools on his arm-mounted talisman sewing kit. When he got the size he needed, the mahogany Clydesdale snipped the thread.

“Stand back,” Varick ordered as his blonde mane and tail ignited with blue and purple flames. Hotpop let out a gasp and did as directed but motioned for SEAL to stay in close. “This is going to look a lot flashier than it actually is.”

Blue and purple sparks ignited over the length of thread that the tailor held. Each flame inscribes a burnt rune into the thread at a microscopic level. With an extra flick of the spell thread, raw magical energy flowed over it, energizing the runes. Quickly, Varick threaded the needle and sewed the newly enchanted line into the shirt. Once in the garment, the horse tailor gave it a tap with his hand, sending a wave of colors cascading over the surface.

“Oooh, that’s amazing. Now it can change into all those cute colors instead of just one,” Hotpop exclaimed as she took the shirt that the tailor handed her. Your magic is incredible! How does it work?”

“Its no different than a scribe making a scroll,” Varick answered as his mane and tail returned to normal before sitting in his chair. “I lack the power or control to evocate a spell spontaneously. However if I burn the runes into specially made spell thread I can use it top enchant clothing or other items that I can put a stitch or two into. If I bothered to get certified with a caster league, I’d probably rank as an archmage in enchanting but fail at any other school of casting.” 

“So you aren’t an OP magical god? You can’t just do it all by yourself,” Hotpop gushed, slipping into the enchanted shirt. The colorful naga struck several cutesy poses for SEAL while making the magical garment change colors. “That’ll make you way more endearing for the viewers. Bye, till next time Varick.”

Waving as Hotpop left, the tailor was still confused by what had happened. He shrugged and went back to trying to figure out his bookkeeping. Hopefully, what she said was true, and there was about to be an enormous boom in business. Varick did have a future child to save money for. That was, of course, if the druids could figure out a fix for their conception problem.