"Where do I start?" I asked eagerly.
"The same place every alchemist without a Deathwish starts, enchantment. Among the three fields of alchemy it is the most structured and predictable. Additionally you have already taken the first several steps into it. Those steps are naturally learning the runes used to enchant and understanding how to structure them. What comes next is the practical application. Your task is to carve an enchantment into this. I will judge the finished product to determine where you require further instruction." he said as he set a plain iron ring upon the table.
It truly was as plain as can be, a simple band of smoothed iron. I hadn't expected to be thrown into the practicals so soon but in hindsight it made sense. I had already shown that my understanding of runes had reached the required level for this and naturally that meant the actual practicals were next. I didn't bother commenting on the matter since that would be pointless and picked up the ring. It really was nothing special as it barely weighed enough for me to register I was holding it.-
I briefly considered laser engraving here with my lightning but decided against it as I knew that was not something I could get away with for every material so a more traditional approach seemed best. With that in mind I slid my spear out from the silk bandages on the back of my hand. I shifted it's girth slightly until it looked as though I was holding an ornate pen almost. I pinched the ring tightly between my left hands fingers and gently pressed the tip of my spear into the inner part of the iron band. As expected of the spear it pierced the iron like it was water, barely any resistance.-
I did not press it deep and only just tickled the surface of the metal as I flexed my fingers dexterously carving out clean and perfect runes barely even visible on it. It wasn't particularly hard and soon enough I finished and handed the ring to Flammel for inspection. He took it and adjusted his glasses to peer at my work with a critical eye.
"Smooth precise spacing and rhythm, correct syntax and proper concise instructions. I'd say that all that is left is the final step." he said with an approving nod.
Reaching into his pocket again he produced a small vial of glowing red dust and a thin paintbrush. He carefully uncorked the vial and dipped the brush into the dust. The red powder stuck to the hairs without issue and he very gently began to trace the brush over the runes I had carved. The dust was forced into these hollowed spaces and soon enough he was done. With a light rubbing of the bristles against the lip of the vial the remaining dust on the brush fell back into the vial. He then drew out his ancient worn wand and tapped the ring lightly.-
I felt his magic flow from him through his wand in a smooth even amount and sink into the ring. The red glowing dust in the carved runes started to become brighter and brighter before rapidly dimming. Once the glow was entirely gone so too was the runes, as if they had never been carved to begin with. There was no mistaking it however, the ring was magical now. He didn't speak even at this step and slipped the ring on one of his thin skeletal fingers. Immediately the ring shrank to fit him comfortably.-
He flipped his hand and the ring flashed with a magical gleam before a matchsticks worth of orange flame popped into existence above his palm. It vanished as quick as it appeared and he slid off the ring.
"An excellent first item. Simple, practical and inexpensive magically." he said with a smile as he handed the ring to me.
"It's nothing special, a glorified lighter at best." I said with a shrug.
"Don't disparage your own work. Perhaps the effect appears nothing grand at a surface level but we both know the actual enchantment is anything but simple. You made the ring able to fit it's wearer and produces a flame that doesn't burn the one using it. It's no grand magical artifact sure but it's not a toy either." he said seriously.
"I don't know. It seems like common sense to make it so the tool you are using can't harm you right?" I said with a frown.
He chuckled "You'll find that when magic is involved a lot of things one might consider common sense tend to lack it. Besides it's not that simple. Different materials have different magical affinities and tolerances. More often than not when they are being enchanted there is no room to add safety measures. It's a simple matter of what is absolutely needed and what can be cut away." he explained seriously.
I frowned at this as it painted an ugly picture. One that I couldn't actually say was wrong either. From what he said it could be understood that the larger enchantments needed to cut corners to work at all. The lack of safety features wasn't because the creators didn't want to add them but simply couldn't due to the limitations of the materials they were working with.