PART II - THE NATURE OF MAGIC

The early-afternoon sky was almost entirely blue, save for a few wispy white clouds lazily drifting by. Below, a green field of grasses stretched out between the rather sudden edge of the forest and a large outcropping of jagged rocks, a well-defined dirt road splitting the latter in two. The day felt lazy, the kind of day that made you want to lie back and simply stare up, drinking in the sun and feeling not a single worry.

At the forest line, from one of the larger trees, a warble of magic appeared. It coalesced into an image of an armored, green-skinned Dryad, holding hands with two others. One was a fair-skinned Elf wearing light leather armor, the other was a large, furry Lionkin with a great mane wearing the same. The Elf extended his hand, allowing a snake to slither down his arm to the ground, where it promptly changed shape into a very young, black-furred Beastkin Druid. The other set down a half-meter tall owl that likewise changed shape into that of a green-skinned Goblin.

Promptly, the four newcomers raced in separate directions, violently vomiting into the underbrush, while the Dryad looked on in awkward confusion.

“Oh my!” Juniper exclaimed, as a second round of retching sounded out from the other four.

“It’s alright,” Vanis finally said, gasping. “That teleportation is quite disorienting.” A third round hit him and he charged for the underbrush yet again.

After a few minutes, the four were feeling better, or at least less nauseous. Rowani used her magic to create a torrent of fresh water from her hands, so everyone could refill their waterskins after rinsing their mouths out. As they did, each occasionally shot irritated glances at Juniper, who was still quite shocked at everyone’s reaction. Maugra helped by dropping a Totem and pushing a Refresh pulse out to everyone, to restore some of the strength they may have lost getting sick.

“Thank you,” Vanis said with a sigh, the returned strength a blessing. Then he shot a look. “You could have warned us, Juniper.”

“I’ve … I’ve never carried someone else through the trees,” the Dryad said sheepishly. “I did not expect that reaction.”

“Are you telling us you didn’t know if that would work?” Maugra asked, a slightly-surprised bitterness in her tone.

“I was fairly sure I would have no issues carrying all of you,” Juniper said semi-confidently. She didn’t have Loki standing on her shoulders to back her up, though, as the Familiar needed to be unsummoned for the trip.

“Only fairly sure?” Olin said with a growl.

“Mostly sure,” Juniper reaffirmed. “And it did work.”

Vanis held up a hand before an argument could ensue. “Please make sure the others are aware of the effect, so they are not surprised.” He then gestured to another large tree thirty meters away. “Perhaps come back via that tree over there, so no one stumbles into our messes.”

“Ahh,” Juniper said, “of course, dear.”

As eyes turned towards the Warlock, the implications of the ‘dear’ comment immediately obvious, Vanis coughed politely, trying to avoid the stares. “We’ll see you soon, Juniper. Travel safe.”

With a graceful nod of her head, the Dryad turned, stepping into the tree they all emerged from as she wibbled out of sight.

“‘Dear’?” Olin said, a light taunting tone in his voice.

“I thought Elves were immune to Dryad charms?” Maugra added.

“We are,” Vanis assured. “It’s … complicated.”

“That might be a really bad idea,” Rowani warned. “Nature magic and Nether magic, coming together … It's a really bad combination. We’ve seen what those Nature-blessed Ranger bows do to the Demons.”

“Yes, Callie uncomfortably warned me against ‘hooking up’ with Juniper last week,” Vanis said wistfully. “Hence, one of the many complications.”

“Well, good for you anyway,” Olin said, clapping his heavy paw on Vanis’s shoulder. “May you find a way to navigate all the complexities.”

“Plus, she is absolutely starfire,” Maugra added tauntingly.

Rowani quickly nodded in agreement, as Vanis blushed and turned away.

“Perhaps we should move on to the next steps in this mission?” the Warlock suggested with a cough, by way of deflection.

Olin grunted a laugh. “Oh, I think we’ve embarrassed him.”

“You would think that it wouldn’t be so easy, being a prince and all,” Maugra likewise grunted with her own laugh. “But, all the same, he’s right, we should probably get to work.”

Rowani placed her hand lightly on Maugra’s shoulder, quietly saying, “Be careful, alright?”

“I will. You, too,” the Shaman replied softly, patting Rowani’s paw and then giving it a light squeeze.

The Druid nodded, turned, and warbled into her hawk form. With a quick birdcall, she took off to the north to find the road, where she would then turn east to find Tazrok. Similarly, Maugra ran towards the distant outcropping of rocks, leaping as she changed into her own owl form, taking off high into the air to begin her scouting mission.

----------------------------------------

“So, what exactly is an Elemental?” Callie asked Trainer Cheena as they sat. They were killing time close to the Medical tent, having collected all the provisions they needed and now waiting for Juniper to recharge enough for the second trip. “I mean, you said they are rock monsters, but are they alive? Shamans summon them, right?”

“They are sort of alive,” Cheena replied. “In the wild, they are formed from concentrations of raw Elemental magic that can spring forth across the world. We call those concentrations ‘Rifts’.”

Callie shook her head, not getting it, and even a couple others were equally confused.

“Hmmm, let me try to keep this simple,” Cheena said. “Think of it like this: Arcane magic tends to flow across the world, almost like rivers of power. We call those rivers ‘Ley Lines’. Like flowing water, the size ranges from small trickles of magic, to sometimes raging torrents of it, and those flows can come together, and split apart like a web. In some cases, that flow of magic can, in a sense, overflow its banks and break through. That creates a Rift where the raw magic can leak out of the Ley Line for a while.”

“That doesn’t sound safe,” Bratig said.

Cheena shook her head. “It’s usually not a concern, as the Rifts will heal themselves quickly, usually in just a few hours, or a day at most, as the pressure behind them eases. They are fairly harmless, and in fact, quite useful for anyone that uses Arcane types of magic, as your mana regeneration is increased in those areas. For larger Rifts your spells may even be more effective than usual. Ley Lines tend to move, and thus you can never really tell where one might appear, so it doesn’t make sense to, say, build upon one, as it could move away.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Arcane magic? I’ve heard people say there are types of magic, but don’t really understand it.” Callie asked. “What magic do Rangers use?”

“This is all magic theory that I don’t fully understand or care that much about,” Cheena said, blowing out her cheeks with a sigh. “I’m not an academic, so this description is going to be really simplistic.”

“That’s fine,” Callie said.

“There are generally two types of magic in the world: Natural or Nature magic, and Arcane magic. Nature magic exists all around you, created ambiently by living things, and is what Druids use as their source of power. Rangers, like you, and many Scout-based classes, as well. Arcane magic is far more common, and is what Wizards and most Healers use, as well as most Scholars with magical skills. In fact, Warriors also usually tap Arcane. For that magic, the power comes from absorbing and focusing the magic in Ley Lines. I do know of one exception to that rule for Warriors, and that’s the Martialist class, which is a Warrior specialist. Their magic is Nature-based. There could be others, too.”

“What’s the difference?”

Cheena shrugged. “That’s just it, it really doesn’t matter very much. This is why I don’t really worry about it. They both restore mana in your body, and both create similar skill effects, which is what matters. However, there are places in the world where Nature magic can fade, where there is a lot of death or desolation for example. That can make it slower for a Druid or Ranger or other Nature casters to restore their mana. Likewise, if an Arcane user is too far from any Ley Line, they could have similar limitations. By the same token, if you are in a Nature-rich area, your mana regeneration will be faster and maybe even your skills improved, just as with the Arcane users and Ley Lines.”

“What about Ethereal and Elemental magic?” Callie continued asking. “Pixyl said she uses Ethereal magic, and you guys use Elemental, if I remember what Lhawni said?”

“That’s right,” Lhawni confirmed.

“Arcane magic within the Ley Lines is actually a twisting mix of many different specific types of magic. Shamans, as well as Elementalists, pull just that specific type out of the torrent to recharge their mana.” Cheena gestured towards Pixyl. “The same with her, as she uses Ethereal magic. There are a few other types swirled into the Ley rivers, too, such as Astral. Again, though, I’ve never thought it really mattered where a person’s power comes from. I heal just as effectively using Elemental magic as a Druid does with their Nature magic or a Combat Healer does with general Arcane.” She gestured both to Wallir and Ambria to emphasize the point. “It all turns into mana in the end.”

“So these Stone Elementals we are going to be fighting, they form from a bigger Rift that lasts long enough?” Bratig asked.

The Shaman nodded. “If a Rift is large enough, the Elemental magic within the torrent will enchant the area around it. As this is a stony outcropping, apparently that is the type of material that has animated. They aren’t really alive, but they will attack anyone that gets too close. With a Rift of this size, even after it closes, there’s enough ambient magic to keep the Elementals moving for some time as they continue to wander the area, which is why we want to close it as soon as possible.”

“Your T-T-Totems create a tiny Rift, don’t they?” Pixyl asked. “When you summon an Elemental, that is.”

“Not quite. Think of our Totems as a tap that is able to filter Elemental magic out of the general Arcane, and then focus it into a result through the Totem, which indeed could be to create an animated Elemental. Maugra will be able to use her Totem to tap directly into the Rift, and then siphon off the overflowing magic enough that the Ley Line can reseal itself. I could do the same thing, although I’ve never attempted to seal a Rift, and she’s Platinum and I’m only high Gold. She’ll be much better at it.”

“What about Nether Magic?”

Cheena laughed. “Now you’re getting into weird magic. Nobody is really sure of its source, although many think it originates wherever the Demons are summoned from. All I really know is that it is considered the ‘opposite’ of Nature magic, and if the two come together, it’s usually quite devastating.”

“That is true,” Juniper said. “Nature and Nether cannot exist together without mutual destruction.”

“There you go,” Cheena said, gesturing at the Dryad. “But, like Nature and the Arcane variants, the result is to fill a person with mana all the same.” The Shaman shrugged. “You’d need to talk to Trainer Terrin to learn more, or perhaps the Prince. These are things that Scholars in the Nexus have been trying to understand for decades, and all that comes from it is arguments and fistfights.” Then she leaned forward conspiratorially. “It’s just easier not to care,” she whispered loudly.

After about ten or fifteen minutes more of idle chit-chat about the nature of magic and the apparent pointlessness of trying to understand it, Callie heard a now-familiar squeaking and turned to see Thorn pushing Trainer Reynard towards the team. Even after roughly two weeks of Regrowth treatments, the Foxkin wasn’t really that mobile over irregular ground, and while he hated it, he usually allowed himself to be pushed in his wheeled chair in the interests of time. But, his mood had turned more than a little depressive over the past week, which Callie suspected was in part because he had very little to actually do except be reminded of his injury while the world continued on without him. Vonn had tried to keep the Foxkin involved in directing training, but for the last three days Reynard hadn’t even visited the class, and his absence had been noticed.

“Hey,” Callie said as a greeting, sounding a little more patronizing than she wanted to. She was worried about her Trainer, and she had been thinking a visit from her and Jesca might be beneficial tomorrow, even if he didn’t want one. Maybe she could bring some Pama treats.

“I hear you are going up against Stone Elementals,” Reynard said to the assembled team.

“That’s right,” Cheena responded, nodding.

Reynard grunted, studying Callie, and then the others assembled. “A lot of Druids, don’t you think?” he said, directing his gaze back to Callie. “Explain.”

Quickly, Callie summarized the transport plan to get on site as soon as possible, explaining the limited number of slots available to Juniper, and how the shapeshifters could essentially get a free ride as one of their smallest forms. “It’s a little clunky,” Callie added after her summary explanation, “but it was the best I could come up with in a couple minutes to get people there quickly. Otherwise we’d likely need to wait until tomorrow to attack, which would make the number of Elementals higher.”

If Reynard was surprised by Callie’s mission plan in any way, or the fact she planned it, he didn’t show it. Callie had been expecting at minimum a sneer of some kind, or maybe a snarky comment, but instead, his face was essentially non-expressive. Perhaps it was simply that Thorn had already filled him in, but it seemed as if he wasn’t really hearing her or even interested. Maybe she could include him somehow? “Do you have any advice or suggestions?”

The Foxkin glanced at Callie for a moment, before looking at Cheena. “I assume you’ve briefed them all on what they are facing?”

“Yes, Trainer,” Cheena said in confirmation. “It also turns out that Corporal-Major Pixyl has extensive combat experience with Stone as well as other Elemental variants, and has provided excellent guidance on tactics and weaknesses.”

Reynard only grunted an acknowledgement. “Recruit Callie, may we speak?”

“Uh, sure.”

To save Reynard needing to move for privacy, everyone else, including Thorn, relocated to a spot about fifteen meters away. Callie felt a sudden sense of being abandoned as she worked to force her face into a smile. “What’s up, sir?”

“Unless the Nature blessing on your bow has an effect, your normal arrows won’t be of much use,” Reynard said without preamble.

“I thought that likely,” Callie said with a nod. “But I can layer up an Explosive Shot every thirty seconds or so. I’m hoping that’s strong enough to blow them apart.”

“Ah, of course. I forget about that strange perk of yours. All the same, be mindful of your cooldowns.”

“I will.” The combination of Burst Shot and Piercing Shot, which Callie had taken to calling Explosive Shot, had become her signature layered ability, often combined with Rapid Fire as a third layer. While Piercing had an agonizingly long thirty-two second recharge time with the assistance of her bow’s rune, Callie nearly always kept a rapid-fire triple-layer stored in her Talismans, effectively giving her four charges. She’d also become quite adept at always tossing the spare shot-cocktail into said Talismans if one was empty, despite the minor mana cost, that way she’d be able to get both internal personal charges back if the time allowed.

Reynard looked as if he was about to say something important, but then seemed to backtrack. “Very good. Watch your shooting, as most of your team hasn’t worked with Rangers before, and your layered explosive concoction should be avoided if someone is engaged with the target.”

Callie knew all this, of course, but didn’t say anything. She sensed Reynard needed to play the part of trainer a bit, maybe just to feel involved somehow. She was also definitely convinced he needed some cheering up of some kind, and hoped the Midsummer celebrations the next week might help, too. She couldn’t imagine him participating in the finding-a-companion tradition, but there were a lot of other activities planned, including the dinner party for his friend, Thorn. She’d need to talk to the other Rangers and make sure they all did something nice for him.

“One last warning,” Reynard added by way of bringing the conversation to a close, “watch out for those boulders the Elementals throw. If one hits you, it could kill you outright, as small as you are, and even a hit to a limb could turn you into…” he gestured to himself, “this.”

She didn’t want to say they’d already been told that, too, so instead Callie replied with a simple, “Thanks for the warning.”

“Alright,” Reynard said, taking a breath and looking at the rest of the team sitting or standing a short distance away. “Be safe, all of you. Good hunting.”

Callie reached out and took the Foxkin’s paw, giving it a squeeze, which caused him to jump with surprise. “Thank you, Sir. We’ll be careful.”