Chapter 17 Mana Sensitivity
“I have a list” Isaac began and pulled a sheet of paper out of thin air. There was no point in hiding the ability from the young wizard as he had seen it before. Clayton’s eyes lingered on the space where Isaac had pulled the page from for a long moment. Isaac took a look at his note. “First is biology, I haven’t found many books on the subject which is weird since there are monsters all over the place. Most of them are for alchemists but I have more… theory, questions.”
Clayton nodded. “Alright, I should be able to help you with broader topics. What specifically?” He asked.
“What is the difference between beasts and monsters? Many texts refer to them like they are different but I don’t understand how. Also, how does one become a wizard? I read somewhere that even people who can’t feel mana can learn to become wizards and gain the ability later in life.” Isaac leaned against the clerk counter that they were all standing near. The Adventurous Taste wasn’t a very busy store so they were alone and had plenty of time for deep discussion on magic, the universe, and everything.
“Did you mention those two questions together on purpose? Because they are tied together and have more or less the same answer.” Clayton questioned.
Isaac’s eyes went wide. “No I did not. How are they connected?” He asked.
Clayton pushed up his glasses. “Monsters are beasts who have been changed by mana and their environment. People born with the ability to feel mana are people who have been changed by mana and their environment.” He smiled smugly at Isaac’s rapt attention. He was enjoying being the teacher for once. “Some species are all always changed like falling-shadows or elves. All of them have access to mana to at least some degree whether or not they are spell casters. For humans, giants, goblins, dwarves, and a handful of other species mana sensitivity can be genetic.”
Isaac nodded along. “So it’s like a mutation?” He asked.
Clayton thought about it for a second. “Yes?” He thought some more before nodding in agreement. “Yes it is. You are familiar with shadow-wolves or jumping spiders, correct?”
Isaac nodded. “Yes. It’s hard to live down here without fighting any of them at least once.” He replied.
“Both are monster versions of their base species, gray wolves and cave spiders. They are an offshoot of the main genome. At some point the mana and their habitat cause them to mutate in that direction. There are other subspecies of cave spiders and gray wolves but those are the most common around here. Their species seem to be drawn towards those specific mutations.” Clayton explained.
Isaac continued to nod along. “So if I were to take some kind of non-magical beast and breed it down here it could evolve into a monster?” He asked.
Clayton chuckled. “Yes and no. Wizards have done that in many places prone to magical subspecies appearing for longer than recorded history. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. It is entirely dependent on the creature and the environment. Wolves in a volcanic region can become brimstone wolves but by the sea they do not change at all. Elves used to be one species but split into two soon after coming to Primatia.”
“Okay, okay, wait. I have two questions here. One, they came here? As in they are not native? And two, Primatia?” Isaac asked.
Clayton looked at Isaac quizzically. “Yes. Elves all came from the fey realm many millennia ago.” He continued to look at Isaac with a mix of confusion, curiosity, and a feeling like Isaac was hiding something from him. “This world is Primatia, that’s its name.” He waited for Isaac to process and ask a follow-up question before continuing.
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Isaac nodded in understanding. “The elves coming here is something I will have to research later but that can wait. Primatia huh? What does it mean? If anything.”
Clayton shook his head. “There are many guesses and a lot of speculation but no one knows for sure as all records from before thirteen hundred years ago were almost completely wiped out.”
“Why?” Isaac asked.
Before Clayton could answer Lenna cut in. “Later, this tangent will take hours.”
Clayton nodded. “Yes, easily. Do you understand the difference between beasts and monsters now or do you have more questions pertaining to that?”
Isaac nodded. “I understand that part but mana sensitivity in people is still a bit confusing. Wouldn’t the mana mutation simply create sorcerers? How can it make people be sensitive to mana without them having any control over it?” He asked.
“Mana sensitivity is common among people who live in mana dense zones such as Safeharbor or Altia but is less common in lower mana zones like Sapphirestone or Rivendell.” Clayton explained. “Sorcerers are actually quite common in both of the latter cities as both are often hit by incredibly powerful storms during the rainy season. Children are often born with storm related magics if they were both conceived and born while a storm is ravaging their city.”
“So they are different but semi parallel mutations?” Isaac surmised.
“Yes.” Clayton agreed. “As for wizards.” He pulled them back to part of the original set of questions. “Anyone who can feel mana can become a wizard or cast spells with some time, training, and practice. If someone wants to become a wizard but is not mana sensitive there is a ritual which can awaken one’s ability to feel mana.”
“A ritual like that exists?” Isaac asked, surprised but only partly. Magic had never stopped amazing him so the revelation didn’t hit him very hard even if it was surprising. “Why isn’t everyone mana sensitive then?”
Clayton smiled sadly. “There is a five percent chance that the ritual will kill you. It is estimated that the reason there are more stillbirths in high mana zones is because not everyone's bodies are meant to handle mana.” He took a drink from a glass resting on the counter and refilled it with water from a pitcher that was hiding behind the counter. “The ritual is also painful, not enough to cause any lasting mental damage but there have been reports that some people have nightmares about it for up to a few months afterwards. I had to go through it myself. It felt like a migraine, only it was in my veins, all of them at the same time for about an hour and then it lessened into a dull ache that lasted a week.”
Isaac winced. “That doesn’t sound pleasant. I can understand why non adventurers wouldn’t want to go through that but why are there adventurers who haven’t at least done the ritual so they can be sensitive to some of the dangers out there?” He asked.
“The problem with the ritual is that it is not natural. The effects will eventually wear out if we don’t continue to use mana regularly.” Clayton explained. “If an adventurer only wanted the mana sensitivity then he would have to get the ritual done once a year and then once every eleven months and then ten and so on until the ritual would simply stop being effective. They would have to learn at least one spell and make sure to cast it everyday or risk losing the effects.”
Isaac nodded with his hand on his chin in thought. “The body tries to heal away the effects of the ritual unless you keep running mana through the pathways. It’s like getting a piercing, you can get a hole punched in your ear but if you don’t have a way to keep it from healing closed then it will do so.”
Clayton nodded excitedly. “That is an amazing analogy for that.” He complimented. “Are we done with this topic?”
Isaac thought for a long moment before nodding. “I think so.” He replied.
“What’s next?” Clayton asked excitedly with a clap of his hands.
“Why don’t spells work with only one type of mana?” Isaac asked. “I can’t cast spells even though dark mana obeys my every whim. That doesn’t stop me from doing things that many people think are spells via raw mana manipulation but there are shadow and death spells that I should be able to cast but can’t. Why?”
Clayton’s eyes widened in shock. “You can’t cast spells?” He asked in a whisper.
Isaac appeared behind him so they were back to back. “No but I can still teleport.” He told the wizard who jumped and spilled some of his water on the counter. Isaac walked out of Lenna’s shadow as Clayton turned to try and find Isaac. “I can walk through shadows.” He walked back over to where he had been leaning against the counter. He held out his hand, palm down with his fingers spread almost like a claw. “And create death.” Death flames came into being and dripped towards the ground from his hand. “I even have a familiar of sorts.” He shook his head. “But none of those things are spells. They are just my magic doing what it does.”
Clayton took a long moment to think about what Isaac was telling him. “Spells are designed with the understanding that all types of mana will end up being used in the spell form. If you can only pour dark mana into them then they will be missing key components.” He began and nodded to himself. “The shadowblade spell uses reality and force magic to help hold itself together. The spell form even directs light mana around the blade to keep it from weakening its integrity.” He nodded to himself. “Yes, you would need custom spells made otherwise they would all fail.”
Isaac sighed defeatedly. “I thought you would say that. That’s what all my research pointed to as well.”
Clayton nodded and then gave Isaac a sad smile. “Creating new spells is way out of my capabilities I’m afraid. You could probably find someone willing and able to do so at the academy.” He offered. There was only one academy of magic worth talking about so which one he was referring to was obvious. The Altia Academy of Magic and Artificery in the capital of Altia, Altesia.
Isaac sighed again before straightening. “Well now that that disappointment is over, I have a few more questions.”