Zedd was standing in front of Duke Gray in the throne room. Until the next King appeared, Zedd was in charge and could run the state like a King could until a Duke was chosen to be King. Before him stood Duke Gray, who had complained about what Zedd had done. He knew that Duke Gray was not responsible for the poisoning, after all, Zedd was the one who did it. However, all the evidence showed that Duke Gray had to be involved.
"What is the meaning of this?!?" shouted Duke Gray as he threw the papers that Zedd had posted all over the city onto the ground. Duke Gray was an older man that as very tall. He wore a green robe fastened around the waist. Underneath it was a green and white shirt. The sleeves on the outermost layer were slashed three times on the arms equal length apart from one another. Underneath his cap was his hair short that was mostly black, but with some white streaks in it.
"It's exactly what it says," said Zedd. "It was too early to determine for certainty that the other Dukes are behind it. Besides, King Caligula was being protected by the guards that you chose, how did you not catch that he was being poisoned for three years?"
"I..." Duke Gray had nothing to say. He had chosen most of the guards and nobles that worked in and managed the city of Antium. "The other Dukes interfered with it!"
"Really?" asked Zedd. "Is that why your little brother tried to capture a prostitute under your name? Is that why there's tens of thousands of gold coins that are unaccounted for in the treasury? Is that why your weapon is stored under the castle?"
When Zedd was angered, he was frightening. Duke Gray had witnessed Zedd's power twice on the battlefield. It was not something that he or is army could stand against. Even if he somehow did manage to defeat Zedd, he would lose so much that he would not be able to fight against the Dukes.
"Stay out of this battle," said Duke Gray. "This is a battle between me and the other Dukes."
Zedd was already involved in a way that Duke Gray did not expect. He made Klarth Captain of the Guards instead of Duke Gray's own men. He arranged to have Garnet sabotage Duke Gray's secret weapon. And, he united the other Dukes against Duke Gray by making them think that Duke Gray was responsible for their assassination attempts.
Garnet was back at Zedd's Workshop studying Summoning and Magicraft. The two were related to one another. One must have a nature type Spirit that represented some kind of element and the proper materials. Only then could they use magicraft. The problem was acquiring the spirit, so she would have to learn to summon first.
The magic circle in Garnet's room lit up. Zedd returned. "Where were you asked?" Garnet.
New Quest: Magicraft
Learn magicraft from Zedd instead of the book.
Reward: New Skill
This new quest replaced the ones that asked Garnet to acquire a spirit and learn magicraft from the book. It was an alternative. Zedd had been willing to teach her a lot and would probably teach her more if she asked.
"Just taking care of some business with Clark since you haven't been able to speak to him," said Zedd. "I thought you would have returned to the Duke's manor by now."
"I actually need your help," said Garnet.
"What is it?" asked Zedd.
"I need you to teach me magicraft," said Garnet.
"What makes you think I know it?" asked Zedd.
"You're both a Grand Wizard and a Contracted Summoner," said Garnet. "You must have a spirit and know a lot of magic."
"You're right," said Zedd.
"So please, help me," said Garnet. "I learned how to fight from Anna, but my magic development has hit a halt."
"The amount of help I can give you is limited," said Zedd. "Most of it depends on your own ability."
"I will do my best," said Garnet. She was determined. In the upcoming battle, she wanted to be as prepared as possible.
"Hold on to me," said Zedd. Garnet grabbed Zedd's shoulder. "Teleportation!"
Garnet and Zedd arrived by the lake where Garnet acquired Lilith. "Why are we here?" asked Garnet.
"Just for safety reasons," said Zedd as he took out a piece of paper and chalk. "Here, draw this magic circle on the ground," he said as he handed Garnet the paper.
It used a standard magic circle as a base. However, the inside of it was different. At the center was a symbol that looked like an A without the line going through the middle of it. It had two lines that were kind of diagonal, but not touching it. (火)
Garnet tried to use her own magic to do it, but it did not work. "It's not working?" thought Garnet.
"This is something that must be drawn," said Zedd. "No way around it has ever been discovered."
Garnet took the piece of chalk and started to draw it. After a few minutes, it was done. "Is that it?" asked Garnet.
"Now channel your magic through it like any other magic circle," said Zedd.
The entire magic circle glowed blue, then changed orange. The whole thing disappeared. At what used to be the center of it appeared a small orange and red flame that hovered above the ground. "This fire is a spirit?" thought Garnet. She was confused. Then again, it was the first time she had ever seen a spirit. The closest thing so far was the Bicorn, and that was actually a magical creature.
"Give it a second," said Zedd. "It usually takes it a minute to wake up."
Garnet watched as the flame continued to burn in mid air. It began to move around. Some parts of it stretched, other parts of it narrowed. "Did someone call for me?" asked a feminine voice.
"I did," said Garnet.
The flame transformed into a small girl with short red hair, orange skin, and a red one piece dress with red eyes. On her back were two wings made entirely out of fire. "My name is Nuria," said the flame.
"I wish to make a contract," said Garnet.
"What are you offering in exchange?" asked Nuria.
"Her blood," said Zedd.
"Oh?" asked Nuria. "Let me take a look." She flew around Garnet and looked at her. "You look kind of young to be a strong Summoner. Are you sure the perverted old man didn't summon me for his granddaughter?"
"I summoned you myself," said Garnet.
"We'll see about that," said Nuria. "A drop of your blood."
Garnet took out her short sword and pricked her finger with it and dripped it onto the ground. She watched as Nuria touched it. "Very good," said Nuria. "I accept!"
New Skill: Call: Nuria
Summon forth Nuria, the Spirit of Fire. Her strength is proportional to the Summoner and will not disappear unless dismissed by the Summoner or her physical form is destroyed.
MP Cost: 1000
"Call: Nuria!" Garnet tried to summon her right away. It required quite a large amount of mana that most people probably did not have. The magic circle that was used to summon Nuria appeared underneath Garnet's feet and Nuria appeared in front of her. The Nuria in front of her was a little bigger, but not by much.
"So you do have the power," said Nuria. "What did you need me for anyways?"
"Magicraft," said Garnet.
"Have fun with that," said Nurnia.
"What now?" asked Garnet.
"Have you read the book given to you by Rita?" asked Zedd.
"I didn't understand any of it," asked Garnet.
"Basically, you need a magic circle, an elemental spirit to assist you, and a material to work with," said Zedd. "A spirit of fire like Nuria works with metals."
"What about this?" asked Garnet as she took out the Crystal Conduit she took from the Magitech Cannon.
"That's not a metal," said Zedd. "If you ever decide to make a magic staff or magic robe, you can probably use it to amplify your magic."
"I have a magic robe," said Garnet. She pulled out the robe that Anna had made for her. It was a black mage robe that consisted of several parts. It appeared to be a black dress with a hood and a boat style neckline. It parted at the sides just below the waist. It came with a pair of black pants, gloves, and boots as well.
"So beautiful," said Nuria. She was still here hanging around them. Garnet had not dismissed her and she did not leave. She just wanted to see what was going on.
"Give me the dress and the crystal," said Zedd. Garnet handed the two objects to him. He took a closer look at each. "These are very well made, where did you get them?"
"A friend in Anzio gave it to me," said Garnet.
"This looks like it was made by Peter," said Zedd.
"It was," said Garnet.
"Then I have no doubt this will be good," said Zedd. "Hold on one second."
Garnet watched as he took the Crystal Conduit and began to sew it onto the dress just below the neckline. However, it was not regular sewing. She could feel that Zedd was releasing an incredible amount of mana to do it. When he finished, some of the fabric of the black dress began to eat away at the crystal.
"What's happening to it?" asked Garnet.
"The dress is absorbing the Crystal Conduit," said Zedd. "When it is done, you can wear it and it will amplify your power."
"Thank you," said Garnet. "So about magicraft."
"Hold this," said Zedd as he handed Garnet a lump of metal.
Garnet looked at it confused. "It's different types of steel," said Zedd. "Now comes the hard part."
BOOM. Garnet was still looking at the lump of steel when she saw a large cauldron appear in front of Zedd. "What is that?" asked Garnet.
"This is a cauldron," said Zedd. "We use this for all forms of magicraft."
"Don't we need a fire?" asked Garnet.
Zedd pointed at Nuria. "That or whatever spirit you're using is going to be your fire."
"What do I do with her?" asked Garnet.
"Just throw her in the pot," said Zedd.
"Really?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Zedd.
"Get in there," said Garnet. She watched as Nuria flew in. A red fire appeared underneath the pot.
"Now throw in your other items," said Zedd as he rummaged through his bag.
Garnet threw in the lump of metal. Zedd threw in several more. "Now what?" asked Garnet.
"Just apply your mana and stir," said Zedd as he took out a stick from his bag.
Garnet grabbed the stick and began to stir. She began to mix. It felt like the entire pot was filled with liquid when there was only a little from the metals at the bottom. "When the white smoke appears, stop stirring," said Zedd.
BOOM. A white cloud of smoke exploded. "That's not a white cloud," said Garnet. "That's an explosion of white smoke!" COUGH. Garnet could not stop coughing as she was the one standing near the white smoke.
New Sub-Class: Alchemist
New Skill: Magicraft
Allows you to use a cauldron to create magical items.
MP Cost: Varies
Skill Upgrade: Inspection (Level 5)
"Same thing," said Zedd. "Stop stirring and take the stick out."
Garnet looked into the pot and the amount of white smoke began to lessen. When the smoke disappeared, all that was left was four bars of steel.
"That's all there is to it," said Zedd. "You'll need to find other spirits yourself."
"How?" asked Garnet.
"Find an area that is rich with a certain type of element and hope Nuria or one of your other spirits can guide you to it," said Zedd.
"Hmm..." thought Garnet. They were in the woods. "Are there wood and water type spirits?"
"Of course," said Zedd. "There are many types including space, time, and creation."
"What do you think Nuria?" asked Garnet.
"There's a water one right here," said Nuria as she pointed to the lake. Nuria wrote out a symbol in the air. (水)
Garnet drew a magic circle on the ground again with the chalk with that character in the middle and channeled her mana. A ball of water floated in the spot. "It worked!" shouted Garnet.
"Not so loud," said a feminine voice.
"You're a girl too?" asked Garnet.
"Unless you suddenly turned into a boy, all spirits will appear like a girl to you," said the voice. "I'm Mazu." The ball of water turned into a small girl with long blue hair and a blue one piece dress. Unlike Nuria, she did not seem to fly. She had no feet either and instead, her legs were simply a stream of water that sprouted out of the ground.
"A summoning contract please," said Garnet.
"Her blood is delicious," said Nuria.
"I'll see that for myself," said Mazu. "Give me a drop." Garnet dripped it onto the floor for Mazu to get a taste of it. Mazu circled around it. "I accept!" said Mazu.
New Skill: Call: Mazu
Summon forth Mazu, the Spirit of Water. Her strength is proportional to the Summoner and will not disappear unless dismissed by the Summoner or her physical form is destroyed.
MP Cost: 1000
"Dismiss!" Garnet immediately sent both of them away. "It was like there's two of them," said Garnet.
"Three," said Zedd. "They tend to take after the person who summons them."
Garnet realized that Zedd was talking about her. The spirits react to not only the person who finds them, but their personality as well. That was how Garnet appeared to other people.
"Don't worry about it too much," said Zedd. "Fire is good for making metals and metal weapons while water is good for making medicines and curative items. It's a good start."
"Thank you for the help," said Garnet.
"No problem," said Zedd. "You're probably gonna need them for when the fighting starts."
"How would those two help?" asked Garnet.
"Spirits can only be harmed by magic," said Zedd. "Around here, that is rare. And, they can harm anything they want."
"In other words, they can fight, but others cannot fight back," said Garnet.
"Correct," said Zedd.
To be unable to fight an enemy in front of you. It was frightening. Only the strongest would be able to fight against her now.
"Take the cauldron and mixing stick with you," said Zedd.
"Don't you need it?" asked Garnet.
"I have another set with me," said Zedd. "I had this made for you."
"Thank you," said Garnet. She stored it away in her rings. After all, she will probably have to use it often in the future. There was still one more thing that Garnet needed. Combat magic. "What about combat magic?" asked Garnet.
"What do you already know?" asked Zedd.
"Only how to make a Fire Ball, Chain Lightning, Blood Absorption, and Mana Armor," said Garnet.
"Just Blood Absorption?" asked Zedd. "Have you already used it?"
"Yes," said Garnet.
"Did you get any abilities from it?" asked Zedd.
"A few," said Garnet.
"Show me," said Zedd.
"Call: Skeletal Hounds! Call: Skeletons!" Garnet summoned her group of undead. She saw that Zedd was sweating. He was nervous about something.
"They're a lot bigger than I remember," said Zedd.
"That's because I got them after using Blood Absorption on a powerful wolf and some dead man who washed up near a river," said Garnet.
"Would you happen to be able to transform?" asked Zedd.
"Yes," said Garnet.
"Show me," said Zedd.
"Transformation: Temptress of the Night!" This was the first time Garnet was actually using her full transformation. She had only used it to retract her scales at first. "UGH," Garnet's eyes closed as she groaned. She grabbed her sides as if pain. A pair of black wings sprouted from the shoulder blades on her back. Her arms and legs turned black starting from the fingers and toes. From there, it spread to the rest of her body, covering almost all of it in black scales. The scales stopped just as it was about to reach her neck. Her hair grew down from about halfway to her waist down until it almost touched the ground. When she got back up and opened her eyes, they were red and black instead of white and green or white and blue. She was unrecognizable.
Zedd was visibly frightened by this transformation. "Is something wrong?" asked Garnet. Garnet looked at herself. She appeared more like a monster than a human. The ao dai that she was wearing was gone. It was swapped with whatever she had transformed into. In the corner, she saw an icon that showed that all her stats were being increased.
"How did you obtain this power?" asked Zedd.
"I absorbed three Siren," said Garnet.
"When the war begins, you need to attack Duke Gray in this form with your spirits," said Zedd.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"What? Why?" asked Garnet.
"Your form is very frightening, you resemble a monster," said Zedd. "It will greatly devastate the morale of the enemy troops."
"Isn't it ridiculous to attack the main enemy army alone?" asked Garnet. "That's suicide."
"That's only if they have access to high level magics," said Zedd. "I doubt anything outside of a very dense Mana Armor can hurt you."
"Isn't Mana Armor for defense?" asked Garnet.
"It's for offense too," said Zedd. "Mana Armor Overlay!"
Garnet watched as Zedd activated his Mana Armor. A blue skeletal like structure wrapped around his entire body. In his hand, appeared a blue long sword about three feet in length. "How did you do that?" asked Garnet.
"When your Mana Armor is strong enough, I can teach it to you," said Zedd.
New Quest: Enhanced Mana Armor
Raise Mana Armor to level 5 and speak with Zedd.
Reward: New Skill
Zedd was truly frightening as a mage. Garnet noticed that even a strong fighter like Anna was able to use magic. It was clear that a powerful mage like Zedd would be a match for most warriors. The line between the two blurred at higher levels.
"How strong is Duke Gray's army anyways?" asked Garnet.
"He has a very large army," said Zedd. "I estimate that his combined force is probably four times the size of the other three combined, so probably a total force of about fifteen thousand."
"Fifteen thousand?!? How is that even possible?" asked Garnet.
"Duke Gray owns a very large amount of land that is populated by cities, not villages like the other areas," said Zedd. "He was able to build them with the money he's been taking from the treasury over the years. However, his soldiers are extremely poor in quality, especially their officers who are mostly just wealthy nobles."
"Do you think I can do it?" asked Garnet.
"You can beat anyone for sure except Duke Gray," said Zedd. "He's the big older man who has black hair and white streaks in it, he's easy to see."
"So kill some soldiers and avoid Duke Gray, got it," said Garnet.
"Try to taunt them a little and capture Baron Gray while you're at it," said Zedd. "You can use him as leverage and force him to surrender."
"You seemed to have thought this out," said Garnet.
"I did not have much to do for three years," said Zedd. "I had time for it."
Garnet took a look at herself again, flexing her fingers and running around. "Will you fight me?" Garnet asked Zedd. "Not seriously though."
"Are you sure?" asked Zedd.
"Yes," said Garnet. "I want to feel what it is like to fight in this form. I've never done it before."
"Let's fight seriously then," said Zedd. "Instance Dungeon Creation: Training Arena!"
A bright flash of light appeared and blinded Garnet. "I can't see," said Garnet.
"Give it a second," said Zedd.
The bright light gradually weakened before it disappeared. Garnet stood on a large square stage with Zedd in front of her. As far as the eyes could see, it was just white. "What is this?" asked Garnet.
"This is a Time-Space Spell, that allows me to control the flow of time and flow of space," said Zedd. "If you die here, you'll just feel the pain, but you'll be okay."
"What about you?" Garnet asked.
"The same for me," said Zedd. "It took me many years and attempts to learn the base spell, this is just a small modification to the spell."
"I did not think this was possible," said Garnet.
"Yet you exist as an impossibility in that form," said Zedd. "You are someone who can rewrite the rules of reality and exists as something that is both human and not."
Garnet looked at Zedd. His Mana Armor Overlay was changing. She watched the skeleton over Zedd's body was covered in another flesh and skin. Something that resembled clothes that were black and white appeared over it. His hair turned black and grew to the length of his shoulders. His face began to unwrinkle. "What is happening to you?" asked Garnet.
"Much like you, I am something that is human and not," said Zedd. "This is the real me." On top of his now younger form appeared a layer of something that looked like, but was not armor. It changed from the white to blue to numerous colors before changing to a dark shade of green.
"You're kind of attractive," said Garnet.
"A married woman shouldn't speak like that," said Zedd. "And we're here to fight." Zedd's aura had completely changed. He was releasing and burning through an insane amount of mana.
"Mana Armor!" Garnet activated her Mana Armor. It paled in comparison to Zedd's, but this was an opportunity for her to train it.
"And remember, fight to kill!" shouted Zedd. "Fire Bolt!"
Garnet immediately flew up into the sky upon hearing these words. A huge beam of fire appeared from Zedd's finger tips. He was aiming it like Garnet did and fired them continuously. They were nothing like Garnet's Fire Bolts. They were more like beams.
"Fire Bolt!" Garnet fired her own Fire Bolt. Her Fire Bolt was no match for the power of Zedd's. It was instantly swallowed by Zedd's. "There was no sound of explosion," thought Garnet. "Does this arena stretch endlessly?"
Stat Increase: Agility +1
"What's the matter?" asked Zedd. "You wanted a fight, now you got one."
Zedd's power was frightening to Garnet. He was not holding back and a single hit could kill her. If she got close, Zedd's sword would probably instantly kill her. If she kept her distance, Zedd could continuously throw spells at her.
Garnet turned around and flew directly toward Zedd. "Lightning Bolt!" Zedd was using Garnet's own spells against her. BZZT. Garnet was hit by it and crashed to the ground. BOOM.
"Get up," said Zedd. "You need to be better than this, you need to be stronger than this."
Garnet's mana was being drained while transformed, but thanks to her passive skills that increased her mana regeneration, it stabilized at around 50%, meaning that she could use any spell in her arsenal except Teleport.
SHING. Zedd had stabbed Garnet with his sword. "UGH," Garnet groaned in pain. She collapsed on the ground and lost consciousness for a second. When she opened her eyes, Zedd was standing in front of her.
"How did death feel?" asked Zedd.
"Very painful," said Garnet.
"Maybe you'll learn to avoid it next time," said Zedd.
"How am I still alive?" asked Garnet.
"I control everything in here," said Zedd. "I told you, as long as you are in this space, you won't die from any injury. It doesn't mean you can be careless though."
Avoiding Zedd's attacks taught Garnet how to control herself better, but it was still not enough to actually fight Zedd. She wanted to use Anna's dash attack, but she was not able to do it. "Maybe with this new body, I can do it!" thought Garnet.
Zedd released more Fire Bolts. "Ki Burst!" Garnet wanted to see how effective Anna's abilities were. VWOOM. The Fire Bolt released by Zedd was neutralized and scattered.
"I see you've learned some new tricks," said Zedd. "But is that enough? Lightning Bolt!"
Zedd was now no longer using fire because Garnet had just shown that it would be ineffective against her. He was using lightning now. Zedd was changing and adapting to the circumstances of the battle every moment. Even with her Enhanced Body, Garnet could not resist the effects of his Lightning. The attack itself was impossible to avoid.
"How can I get around lightning?" thought Garnet. It is too fast. Zedd by himself is already fast enough to keep up with her "All of my speed advantage is gone." There was nothing to attract lightning, except, her sword.
Zedd approached Garnet as he kept her paralyzed with his lightning. "You still haven't even been able to attack me yet," said Zedd as he stabbed Garnet.
Stat Increase: Vitality +1
Garnet opened her eyes and in pain again. She drew her sword this time. What she was doing before was not working, so she had to change it to even have a chance. "Call: Mazu!" Garnet did not have access to water magic herself, so she needed to rely on a spirit. "Wet as much of the ground as you can," she ordered.
Garnet watched as Mazu spread water all around the ground. If Zedd used lightning, there was a chance he would shock himself as well. If there was nothing to stop it, she would make it so that everyone would get shocked.
Garnet flew towards Zedd. "I need to be faster!" Garnet thought.
Skill Upgrade: Speed (Level 10) -> Haste (Level 1)
Greatly increases the speed of the user
It was a little faster, but still not enough. "Horizontal Slash!" Zedd met the attack head on with his own sword.
CLANG. The two swords collided. "Strange, my sword should have cut right through yours," said Zedd. His eyes moved up and down, looking at Garnet's sword. "Why did you not attack with your hands?"
"I'm pretty sure you can cut right through me," said Garnet.
"Stop fighting like a human and fight like a monster!" shouted Zedd. "In that form you are not human," said Zedd.
It was hard for Garnet to accept those words. She was something that was not human. However, she had to at least try. After all, Zedd was someone who was very experienced and probably even seen the ability before.
"Sweeping Kick!" Garnet lowered herself and swung her leg sideways, igniting flames along the path.
Zedd almost fell over as Garnet's sword stopped resisting his, but he was able to regain his stance and step backwards before Garnet was able to kick him. This was the first time that Zedd was on the defensive since the fight started. Garnet knew that Zedd was still holding back. He was a powerful mage, but he was not using any strong magic against her. Zedd had only used spells that he had seen Garnet use. Instead, Zedd chose to attack her at close range.
Garnet looked at Zedd's stance. He was still standing in a rather defensive stance. He was not attacking at all. Zedd wanted Garnet to attack. He wanted to see how strong she really was. Garnet flew straight towards Zedd with her fist. Zedd raised his sword to block, but Garnet expected this. Her hand opened up when she saw Zedd raise his sword. "Explosive Palm!"
BOOM. A powerful explosion knocked Zedd back, but he was relatively unharmed. "More aggressive!" shouted Zedd. "Fight fierce with all your might, hold nothing back!"
SCREECH. Garnet used the loud screech that the Sirens were able to do. The loud high pitched, shrill sound would definitely scare those who have heard it before. If you were close to it, you would suffer hearing loss or a loss of balance. Zedd was unaffected by it. "When you fight outside, you are fighting to survive! If someone is trying to kill you, you must try to kill them right back!"
Garnet had not fought to kill another person yet. It has only been monsters. Zedd was pushing her to be able to fight and kill another human. After all, it was what she was going to need to do in a war. If she broke down the moment that she killed someone, everything they have done up to this point would have been for naught.
Garnet charged forth with the intent to kill Zedd. She tucked in and dived low, making it as difficult as possible for Zedd to actually hit her. Her fingers closed in on themselves so that it acted more like a knife, she hoped they were close enough to each other so that she could stab straight through someone with her hand. As she pushed forward, Zedd intercepted it with his own sword supported by his Mana Armor. CLANG. The collision between Garnet's fingers and Zedd's sword produced sparks. However, Zedd did not move a single step.
Zedd had been playing it safe and backed to make sure that he had sufficient time to react to Garnet's attacks. At no point had Garnet been able to actually hurt Zedd in any way, shape, or form. "We'll stop here," said Zedd. "That's good enough for me."
"I couldn't break through your defense," said Garnet.
"I would be surprised if you could," said Zedd. "You are strong enough to beat any soldier in Antium, even Duke Innes and Duke Gray in a head on fight if you fought like that."
"How is that even possible?" asked Garnet.
"You don't realize it yet, but your transformed self exhibits an aura of oppression," said Zedd. "This aura reduces the abilities of your enemy. If you combined it with your own boost in your own abilities from your transformation, it should be easy to do it."
"Why don't you fight Duke Gray?" asked Garnet.
"Because I must at least maintain the illusion of neutrality," said Zedd. "I keep the King's throne safe until someone is qualified to take it. That is my duty. If it was known that I was favoring a certain Duke, it would make it harder for others to accept that the Duke earned it."
"Then the battle will largely be up to me," said Garnet.
"Yes," said Zedd. "But if you can strike fear into their hearts early on into the battle with that form, it will greatly reduce their morale."
"Transform!" Garnet undid the transformation. "UGH!" she groaned. Her hair retracted and turned black, the black scales on her body and her wings retracted. It was still extremely painful because it transformed entire body. It consumed mana to maintain the form, but thanks to her high mana regeneration, she was able to maintain it if she did not cast a lot of spells while transformed.
"That looks very painful," said Zedd.
"It is," said Garnet. "Yours looks so tame by comparison."
"Thta's because it is mostly an appearance change," said Zedd. "It does very little to change my power, but yours grants you immense power by physically changing your body."
"So they're fundamentally different?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Zedd. "Mine would be like a 10% power increase at best, while yours doubles your power."
It was a frightening thought. You could double your strength in an instant through a simple transformation. Even with Garnet's low level, she could be a match for someone who was almost four times her own level.
"How is that even possible?" asked Garnet. "The Dukes are each like three or four times my own level."
"Levels are not everything," said Zedd. "I'm sure you've noticed it at least some point."
When Garnet fought the Siren, the level 15 Siren proved to be more powerful than she ever thought. She did not see the others, but they were a match for Dukes Wellington and Kiko. "The Hero System is truly frightening," said Garnet.
"As important as levels are, experience is what matters most," said Zedd. "Combat experience, training, and for us mages, studying. All of these vastly increase our strength more than experience ever could."
"Then why do the Dukes seem kind of weak?" asked Garnet.
"Many of them are suited for magic because of the things they do, but they choose to use decorative weaponry instead," said Zedd.
"In order words, they aren't able to use their full power and their stats are being underutilized," said Garnet.
"Correct," said Zedd. "Duke Wellington is a decent fighter, but he is suited for public speaking and and oversight more than anything. Duke Innes is a tough fighter, but because of his style, he often avoids fighting. As for Duke Gray, he is fairly straightforward and lacks special skills that most other fighters have. "
"Duchess Kiko was quite a powerful mage though," said Garnet.
"That's because she still actively studies magic," said Zedd. "She developed some very high level lightning spells though her mana pool is quite low since even though she studies magic, she doesn't actually utilize it enough."
"I saw some of those spells," said Garnet. That was also what would explain why Kiko fell asleep after using the powerful lightning spell. She ran out of mana and fainted.
"And do not speak of anything you saw or did here today," Zedd added.
"Okay," said Garnet. "Do you know when the fighting will begin?" Garnet asked.
"Wait for the impatient Duke Gray to attempt to seize control of Antium and the throne with his army," said Zedd. "That will give the other Dukes a good reason to fight back."
"Okay," said Garnet. "Then, I will go into Antium transformed and strike terror into their hearts."
"I have no idea how long this war will last," said Zedd. "It is best that you try to whittle down Duke Gray's power as much as you can so that the other Dukes can finish him off.