Free The Contention by Jeremy Laszlo

the antique destroyed its own enchantment, having given all of its power to Seth as a final attempt at retribution. Seeing his ploy work successfully, Seth sighed loudly before sitting down for attempt number two.
    Retribution by fire had been a success on the breastplate, except for the part where it nearly got out of control and killed him. That being as it was, Seth decided to take an approach that did not include hitting any enchanted item with another enchanted item. This way seemed safer. Picking up his damaged breastplate, Seth grasped the ancient sword. Twisting it first one way and then another, he managed after several moments to separate the two items. Pouring his power to his will, Seth repaired the damage to his breastplate before continuing with his next experiment. Pulling from his vast reserves of power, over the next three hours Seth created three different symbols upon his breastplate from strands of pure life energy. The first symbol’s meaning was ‘absorb’, and attached to it was the symbol for the magical realm of Thurr. Connected below this symbol was the symbol for containment. Seth believed, if his understanding was correct, that his breastplate could now work to absorb the energy from magical attacks, and contain that energy for him to siphon from in a pinch.
    Before testing his theory, Seth poured energy into the breastplate once again until it had an aura large enough to encompass the entire surface of the piece of armor. That completed, Seth tested the magical armor. Creating a tiny fireball, Seth lanced the small missile into the breastplate where it exploded across the surface of the metal. As the fire expanded over the breastplate, a flash of pale light pulsed out from the metal. Remaining unscathed physically, the breastplate’s aura grew by a miniscule amount. The first test was a success, and Seth could not help but smile to himself within the small chamber.
    Emboldened by his triumph, Seth summoned another fireball, easily a hundred times the size of the first, and sent it to crash into his own armor upon the floor. Again the fire encompassed the surface of the breastplate, seemingly hitting its target as intended. However, again a pulse of pale light flashed and, where the flames had been, an unscathed breastplate remained, having absorbed the flames. Success number two! Now Seth knew the breastplate could withstand any magical attack, and so he decided to try something else.
    Seth drew another strand of power from himself, and fashioned with it a small sphere-like symbol within his palm. Carefully raising the sphere to his lips, Seth whispered into the magical bubble a single word, before he then added it to the side of the previous containment symbol upon the breastplate. Carefully, without damaging either symbol, Seth connected the two before admiring his work. Assuming the plate had enough stored power to make his trial easily visible, Seth pulled one of the wooden crates from the table. He set it carefully in front of the breastplate, which he angled precisely after leaning the piece of armor against the wall. Then stepping back as far as he could, Seth repeated the word he had earlier whispered into the magic symbol.
    “Release!” Seth nearly shouted the command he had chosen.
    As he had hoped the breastplate responded as expected, if not a bit more forceful than intended. With all the power consumed from both fireballs, the energy contained within the breastplate was expelled in a whoosh of raw force, driving the crate backwards across the room where it shattered into splinters against the far wall. Yet another success. Seth, beginning to understand the process more and more, pulled yet another strand of energy from himself, and began shaping it upon the breastplate. This new symbol he also attached off both the containment symbol and the command symbol. Ready for yet another test, Seth first attacked the breastplate with a small fireball. Watching the armor consume the power,