Once our trip to Madhyam was at an end, we began our journey back to Kandota where Portia was—hopefully—still residing. The majority of our trip thus far had proven to be fairly uneventful. Encroachers avoided us, digging into the sands or flying away from our group. Occasionally, they would check us out with tilted heads and curious eyes, but for the most part, they left us alone.

It was another melancholy night in the tent when I sat in front of Cailu with my iPaw, legs crossed. I happened to catch him while he was alone, tending to a cup of tea.

“I want to learn more about this world,” I started as I scrolled through the device's settings, “and you said you’d talk to me about Enchanting.”

Cailu regarded me with a stare I couldn’t quite place. It seemed half irritated, half amused. He set his cup of tea beside him and adjusted the threads of his tunic. “Where shall I begin?”

“How does it work? From beginning to end, I mean.”

The lantern started to fade, followed shortly by Cannoli announcing, “[Illuminate].” The light returned, its glow browned by the lantern's glass.

“One must first become an [Arbiter] if they are to Enchant an item.” Cailu crossed his arms and straightened his back. He glanced at Ceres before continuing. “Enchanting is a complicated process by which the [Arbiter] must combine certain materials together to form a bond.”

“What do you mean by ‘bond’?”

He scratched the stubble on his chin. “A bond between materials and Myana must be forged. From what I have been told by practitioners of the art, the [Arbiter] must first determine Latency within the item via a Spell.” The fire outside the tent crackled. “Afterward, they must locate and forge other materials to create their desired effect.”

Cailu continued just as I opened my mouth.

“By latency, what I mean is this. The [Arbiter] would first need to determine whether your equipment has the capability of an Enchantment. The Spell is called [Determine Latency]. The catgirls are unable to see whether an item can be Enchanted without the assistance of an [Arbiter].” Cailu leaned forward and used his pointer finger to tip the front of my iPaw down. “Men do not suffer from such limitations.”

I frowned. I didn’t like how he phrased that, but I ignored it. “So that’s why our gear says it’s Enchantable?”

“Precisely,” Cailu nodded and returned to his straight-backed posture. “Thanks to the iPaw’s miracles, men can determine the Latency of an item the moment it is placed in their inventory.”

“But then, how do the catgirls know whether they’re crafting gear that’s Enchantable or not?”

“They do not,” Cailu said, his voice stern. “As I said, [Arbiter]s and men are the only ones who can. Because of this, an [Arbiter]’s services are expensive.”

“I see.”

“I digress,” Cailu shrugged. “After an [Arbiter] has determined the item’s Latency, they then have to determine how to fill it with Potential.”

“What do you mean?”

Cailu raised three fingers, the back of his hand held toward me. “There are three factors to Enchanting. Latency, Potential, Desire.” 

I opened the iPaw’s notepad feature I’d requested from Ai ages ago and began typing on the screen. 

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Taking notes. Just a second.” I repeated the words to myself. Latency, Potential, Desire.

To my surprise, Cailu wore the faintest hint of a smile. If you could call it one, anyway. 

When I finished, I looked back up. “Okay. Please continue.”

A slight exhale left Cailu’s nostrils. “Latency is how the [Arbiter] determines if the item can be Enchanted.” He folded one finger inward. “Potential is what the item is capable of. This, unlike Latency, is not something a man can discover. Only an [Arbiter] can tell you what Enchantments the item is capable of.” He curled his middle finger. “Lastly, Desire is what an [Arbiter] projects onto the chosen item.” He rested his hands on his knees. “If the [Arbiter] is successful, then the item is Enchanted.”

A lot of those concepts went over my head. Then again, I was never too great at recording heard information—this was still pretty new for me. But I was sure it would make a lot more sense once I’d written it all down and asked a few more questions. I’d be a sad excuse for a Second Class otherwise.

“Any idea how these things work?” I asked. “Like how Potential is determined, for example?”

“Loosely,” Cailu shrugged. “[Arbiter] was not my calling. From how it has been described to me, Potentials can number in the thousands for possible effects.” He sighed. “Enchanting my armor took months.”

“Months?” I frowned. “You’re kidding, right?”

Cailu returned the frown. “No. It is not as simple as selecting an option on your iPaw and delivering the desired effect to your equipment. The [Arbiter] will almost certainly spend a minimum of a few days locating the Potential you require. Even if she is successful at locating the Potential, it may require the armor to be readjusted. Depending on the Desire, the [Arbiter] may request stones, fabrics, woods, Encroacher parts, and materials that may surprise you.” He shook his head. “It is a long and arduous process.”

Something still didn’t add up, though. How did Cailu know that these pieces of gear would be Enchantable? From what he’d said so far, he’d only know once the item was complete. That’d avoid him getting screwed over by frauds, but I couldn’t imagine he had them remake this equipment multiple times in just a few days.

“In that case, how did you manage to get all of our gear Enchantable?” I asked.

“Magni was thorough in his research,” Cailu explained. “His smiths were aware of many techniques to produce exceptional gear. No doubt paid for by the tax. I recognized two of the designs detailed by the workers.”

That got me wondering how this whole process worked between [Arbiter]s and smiths like Espada. From what it sounded like, the [Arbiter]s were the ones who could figure out if something had Latency. That, or a dude.

“Do a lot of [Arbiter]s practice smithing?”

Cailu shook his head. “The practice required to master either of the two crafts can take a lifetime. In Nyarlothep, the smiths and [Arbiter]s work together closely to ensure that every [Crusader] is armed properly to combat Defiled. However, as I said before, the process can take months.” His expression grew dark. “It is not uncommon for a [Crusader] to perish before donning their armor.”

Brutal. “Last question, and then I’ll leave you alone.” Honestly, I just didn’t want to talk to him anymore. But I wasn’t about to pass up solid information on [Arbiter].

“Proceed.”

“[Arbiter] is a Third Class, right?” I asked. 

Cailu nodded. 

“Which Class turns into one?”

Cailu gestured to Ceres, who was standing right outside the tent. “[Magic Knight].”

Well, that makes things a little more interesting, I guess.

“Thanks, Cailu. I’ll leave you to your tea. I’m sure I’ll have more questions once we’re at sea.” I got up to leave, dismissing the iPaw. “Thanks for the information.”

Cailu nodded and returned to the cup of tea he’d prepared.

I made my way over to the tent's entrance to find Ceres and Cannoli chatting a few feet away. It was nice to hear them giggling.

“Hey, Cannoli. Hey, Ceres,” I smiled.

“Hey, Matt,” Cannoli said, reciprocating.

“Mind if I talk to Ceres for a minute?”

“Not at all!” Cannoli shook her head. “I’ll go say hi to Ravyn!”

“Cool.”

“Is something amiss, Sir Matt?” Ceres asked once Cannoli had left.

“Nah, just curious to hear your thoughts.” It felt kind of awkward to just ask, but I suppose there was no other way to go around it. “What do you think of becoming an [Arbiter]?”

Ceres blinked. “My, becoming an [Arbiter] would be an honor! Few ever have such a privilege! A lifetime of practice is oft-needed!” Ceres clapped her hands together against her lips, grinning. “That Sir Matt would find me worthy of partaking in his adventures for such a lengthy period of time is truly uplifting.”

“You all mean a lot to me.” My face grew hot. “I want to try and prepare for the future… if I can, anyway.”

“Truth be told, I had abandoned such fantasies.” Her tail wagged side to side.

“Hey, if you want to be an [Arbiter], then I’ll make sure it happens.”

A rare shade of pink colored Ceres’ cheeks. “Thank you, Sir Matt.” She put a hand to her chest, bowing slightly. “I shan’t be gone long. I will return to your side with haste.”

I watched Ravyn groan while Cannoli playfully tugged at her new [Combat Mode] outfit. Keke pointed and laughed from across the fire while Tristan sat between Destiny and Lara. Zahra wiped her sword with a rag, covering her mouth whenever she laughed—something I hadn’t seen much of since we’d recruited her. It felt warm, felt right.

I looked back at Ceres. “Of that, I have no doubt.”