Some spells are flexible enough to allow several related elements to use it. The staple 'bolt' spell, for example, is just an incomplete first circle diagram that is taught incompletely to apprentices. Uses on its own it just releases a weak bolt of pure mana that does little damage, as it passes without much opposition through living creatures and most materials. But a budding mage first exercise in manipulating spell glyphs is exactly that, filling the blanks in the 'mana bolt' diagram with their own elemental glyphs, thus making an elemental bolt. Duo or Tri elemental mages have it even harder. They are required to make three or six elemental bolts respectively, one for each element they control. Later on, they are required to change the glyphs in the incomplete mana bolt diagram to change the intensity, size, and range of the spell. After all these basic exercises are mastered, the apprentice is considered a first circle mage and can be taught more complex spells.
Excerpt from An introductory guide to spellcraft, vol 1.
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After reshuffling their belongings and resting the rest of the day, it was decided they were going to take only Deb and Cythrel with them. The other four maids were tasked with taking the letter to the King. Skippy returned after a couple of hours, two rabbits in his claws and no pursuers in sight.
Aidan wove a strong protection enchantment on the seal, placing a tiny engraved silver disk inside the wax. It would protect the scroll from damage and opening. The court magicians could unravel the enchantment easily, but if anyone else tried to open the letter they would be buffeted with a volley of searing ash. It was not a surefire security measure but it would detain the less skilled from tampering with the letter.
Everything was going according to plan until they met the first roadblock in the shape of a princess refusing to change her clothes.
"I am not putting on peasant clothes!" Pearl protested against Aidan's plan. Even a kidnapped princess was stubborn about looks. Dawn to the rescue.
"That is how you found me, Pearl. The life of a runaway demands it. But once we are back in Yutis you will be able to wear your usual clothes again. Now stop fighting and get dressed. You can take one bag with fancy dresses and other sundries. Later when we are no longer in danger of being caught, you can dress up in full glory."
She conceded after a while and the maids swarmed Pearl to finally changed her clothes. They were all going as incognito as they could. They were going to take the smuggler tunnel back to Yutis.
"At least there is no smelly, bloody hospital laundry this time, Sora."
"You are so funny, your Highness." The squirrel-kin's sarcasm was delivered with a fake smile.
The maids departed with the task of carrying Pearl's words to her father, King Jett. The group traveled a bit while there was still sun before setting camp in the rocky, snow-covered hills.
Aidan and the girls broke camp in the morning and started hiking up the trail. They had to go around the town to the west until they found the trail. Aidan still stumbled sometimes, but nothing serious. He could keep both sets of eyes open now if they were looking in the same direction.
Two hours later, Pearl decided to break her silence. It seems that even her mourning had only a temporary effect on her verboseness. Or now that she was on the run she was able to push those worries away for the moment. In any case, she was a social animal. She needed to talk.
"Lumina, dear. There is one thing that has been bothering me for days now."
More precisely, she needed to gossip.
"What is it, Pearl?"
"I believe it is a rather delicate subject..."
"Don't worry, we are among friends here. Even Deb is fine, she spies only for you, I presume."
Deb froze for a moment and then resumed her gait. Being singled out like that by a royal is bad for the heart of any commoner. Pearl laughed.
"Indeed, Deb is mine and mine alone. She won't tell anything to anyone else, but she will tell me everything. I am really grateful to you for looking after her and even awakening her magic." And for overlooking the blatant spy, mentally added Aidan.
"I like Deb a lot," Dawn answered matter-of-factly.
"Yes, good. The thing bothering me is this. You and Lord Aidan are close, right?"
"Yes, he saved my life. And then I saved his and mine by escaping the hospital."
"I've seen the fervor you had when you were designing that spell to heal him. You even got those ugly bags underneath your eyes, so unfitting!"
"Go on."
"Why do you barely look at each other, and only in very rare occasions talk to each other? I believe that you favor him and he is not the silent type, he talks to Lady Sora a lot. But between you and him, there's nothing. It is like you both ignore each other's presence. He doesn't even steal glances at your beautiful figure, Lumina."
Sora gave Aidan an 'I am dying to see how you'll get out of this' amused look. Aidan was pondering how much should he tell Pearl. After all that happened, the situation between both princesses was rather reversed. It could be considered repaying the favors, but Aidan didn't want to keep a tally.
"Our blood mixed deeply during the assassination attempt." Dawn finally spoke. "Because of that, we developed an empathic link. We can communicate with thoughts."
"You talk to each other with your heads. Is that right?"
"Yes."
"About... everything?" Pearl lowered her voice a lot. It was obvious what everything meant.
"Of course we don't talk about everything. A girl gotta keep her secrets." Dawn waved a dismissive hand.
Pearl sighed in relief. It would be a royal bother if Aidan was privy of everything Lumina knew. Like some princess to princess bath shenanigans.
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"But that is a nice ability to have. He can spy for you and nobody would never know."
"You would. Now."
"Point taken." Pearl took a few hurried steps forward and grabbed Dawn's arm. "Is this the famed friendship born of adversity?"
"Among whom, may I ask?" Dawn inquired with suspicion.
"Oh, my. Oh, my. Between you and me, of course. Because you and Lord Aidan are past the friendship stage, I'm afraid."
"No comments." Dawn looked away.
"Lumina! How bold of you. You really eloped!" She jokingly pushed Dawn away before pulling her back and holding her arm. "Thank you for trusting me with your secrets."
'Not all of them'. Thought Aidan.
"Hey, is he listening in to this right now?" Pearl whispered in Dawn's ear.
"Maybe." She answered noncommittally.
Pearl almost buried her face in Lumina's hair and delivered her line. "Lord Aidan, you better take really good care of my friend Lumina. And you better make her feel half as good as I did when your time comes."
Aidan stumbled and missed a step, making Pearl laugh heartily. "Caught," she muttered on Dawn's ears after checking the reddening of her cheeks.
Dawn squeezed Pearl's hand. Suddenly he spoke words not entirely his. "We should support each other, Pearl. Not bicker like bitches fighting for a bone. In our gilded cages atop the tallest tower, who do we have but each other? Who can understand our pain and loneliness but another princess? Wasn't that why you summo..."
Dawn bit her tongue as she realized she was going to talk about the summoning ritual. On how Pearl summoned the heroes without a real need to taste a bit of freedom. Too little, one might add in hindsight.
Pearl shut herself. She understood what Dawn was about to say. All the things she was trying so hard to push aside, all the pain and terror she wanted to mentally bury in that wretched dungeon surfaced. She froze, closed her eyes and fought hard to hold the tears in.
"Shinji, I'm sorry." She soundlessly moved her lips, head hung down and face hidden beneath her locks. Despite her efforts, she could taste the saltiness of her own grief on her lips.
"Oh, Pearl. I'm so sorry." Dawn wrapped her arms around the older but smaller princess and pulled her in, lending her own breasts as a pillow for Pearl. "We'll solve this together. We will fight through this together. I promise this to you."
"Lumina, you are going to make me fall for you." Pearl calmed herself, looked up, caught Dawn's pained face, and teased.
"Please don't. The rocks here are too jagged. Don't lose your balance." She answered with a deadpan face.
"How callous, Lumina. One moment you are sweet and speaking straight to my heart and the next you are a block of ice, unapproachable. It is like you are two persons in one."
'Damn, Pearl is into me more than I thought'. Aidan mused. He would have to be extra careful now. The truth was complex but one interpretation was that he stole Lumina's body and soul. Good intentions are damned. He had to get the assassins and unravel a conspiracy to save face. And then tie the loose end that was Kazuya with the diagram to his unfinished spell. The problems were piling up like droppings in a castle's cesspits.
And here he was, kidnapping another princess.
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The only good path they knew to the smuggler tunnel passed by a certain cabin. Smoke was coming out of the chimney, a signal the inhabitants were well and probably in right now. The snow was indecisive on whether to thaw or not, but the cold was still there. Aidan was about to announce themselves when the door was thrown open and a big, strong and well-presented man appeared. With hatchets.
"Who goes... Your Highness!" He immediately knelt and lowered his head. Some ruffling sounds could be heard inside and Gurf's niece also came outside and got down on a knee as well.
It was amazing how much the man changed. Shinji's healing magic restores his body to perfection, even his teeth. He shaved and trimmed his hair. It looked like another person entirely. His scars were gone, his apparent age reversed by decades. Now that he was well groomed and clean, he looked a rustic kind of handsome.
"Gurf. It delights me to see you in good health." Dawn spoke.
He didn't answer. There were some sounds and vowels coming out but he was trying really hard to figure out what to say.
"We consider you a friend, Gurf. There is no need to be afraid or cautious around us. You may rise."
He didn't.
"Thank you, your Highness. Your mercy granted me and my good-for-nothing niece a new life." He stole a glance sideways at the trembling girl. Gurf understood how close he came to death. His third-degree burns were mere bruises compared to the risk of extorting a royal. Even though it was all his niece's doing, he still felt responsible. The niece flinched at being belittled by her uncle. She knew it was not her place to speak unless she was addressed by the princess.
Dawn steeled herself before delivering the speech forming in her head.
"I will give you two options, whichever you pick is yours for weal or woe. Dark forces conspire against us from both west and east. We are on a journey that might take us to the bowels of the earth or the trenches of hell. But as you see our group is mostly female and our strength is lacking." She made a dramatic pause before continuing. "You can either join us and share our fate, or stay in your home and earn your own. But our visit will be noted eventually, and they will come here to question you."
Pearl decided to step in. "Gurf the hunter. We need your strength. But as wise Lumina said, we won't force you. The choice is yours. If you choose to stay, I would beg you to relocate. Leave this place and your name behind. Blood has already been spilled in this conflict, it would pain us to see yours join them as well."
Gurf looked up, his eyes were moist. "I am but a lowly huntsman. If your Highnesses call me, I shall answer. It will be my honor to walk beside... to take even a single step on your exalted presence." It was visible that the man was fumbling for his words.
"Lumina, should I do it or do you want the honor? He is your idea anyway."
"Why don't we do it together for a change?" Dawn answered with a mischievous smile.
"Are you insane? How can he serve two masters?"
"Let him serve none." Aidan felt something stir inside him. Lumina. He ushered her to the surface of his mind and gave her free rein of the words. "Let Gurf serve an ideal instead of a master. A lofty goal instead of a nation. I have seen his heart and found him worthy. If we do the same as always, Pearl, we will achieve the same results as always. If we do something new, we might fail but in the odd chance we succeed, the world will change. Improve even. But without hope, we are just wretched damsels."
"Indeed. We, runaway princesses, are defying the world and throwing common sense through the window. The feeling of liberation is exhilarating. We do it together."
In the recesses of his split mind, Aidan watched as the two princesses went sky high riding on their fantasies. His male body exchanged a glance with Sora and she had an amused smirk.
He was unsure how much of that was him and how much was Lumina. It could be his delusions born of a faint hope Lumina could be salvaged from his merged soul. He decided not to care. In almost dying, they were set free. So long their hearts were not betrayed by themselves, he decided to soar wherever their wings took them. He reached out and grabbed Sora's hand. Startled she began to pull her hand away but receded and squeezed his hand back.
"Swords!" Dawn called out. She drew her rapier and Pearl got a sword from Deb. Gurf lowered his head.
"Gurf the hunter, do you hereby promise to fight for no nation? Do you vow to fight for mercy, kindness, love, chivalry, and justice?" Dawn asked. Before he could answer Pearl butted in.
"Gurf the hunter, do you swear to fight to defend us princesses of all nations and to uphold our freedom? To listen to and respect our wishes when they don't conflict with your ideals?"
The foolhardiness and absurdity of the situation brushed away Pearl's worries. For that moment, she was just enjoying herself.
"I take those to be my sacred oath under the gods above and the earth below. From now on until the day I draw my last breath, I will uphold those values." As he finished making his oath, he felt metal on each shoulder.
"Then by my power as Princess Lumina of Yutis, I knight you."
"By my power as Princess Pearl of house Juvela, I knight you."
"Let you from henceforth be known as Sir Gurf, Paladin." Dawn declared.
Aidan facepalmed inside. Exhausted, he felt Lumina's influence fade. The embarrassment hit him. What the heck was he doing in Lumina's name? Who was he becoming?
And on that day the legend of Gurf the Paladin, a knight that served no nation, only his own oaths was born.
Sworn to lend an ear to the whining of princesses everywhere.