Elemental magic explained pt 2.
Dual elementalists are when a person has a great affinity to two elements. One in every 30 humans has a dual elemental affinity. Having an elemental affinity does not automatically mean the ability to cast spells, as mana affinity is equally important.
The known element combinations are
Air Earth Fire Water Air -- -- -- -- Earth Sand -- -- -- Fire Sun Magma -- -- Water Mist / Rain Mud Steam -- Light Lightning [1] Blaze Dew Darkness Dust Cavern Ash Abyss
[1] There are no known dual combinations of light and darkness or light and earth. It could exist, but it is not in any record.
[2] Dew is also called sometimes Glitter or Glamour. Some illusionists use this element.
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Spellcraft explained part 2.
Spells are recorded as magic diagrams, often circular in shape. Although other forms exist, most of them are geometric in nature. The runes and symbols that represent a spell (collectively called glyphs) are organized in order of abstraction, with the more concrete concepts inside and the more abstract ones outside. As the symbols fill the inner circles, more circles are drawn around the inner diagram to make room for the other glyphs. A spell's circle is the measure of how many circles are needed to write all its glyphs. For this reason, most spells take only one page on spellbooks (although to avoid ink seeping through the paper or parchment, the back of the diagram is left blank). When it doesn't, the extra pages are filled with notes and instructions on how to interpret the symbols. On the other hand, low circle spells' diagrams can be crammed on the same page.
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Wizardry part 1
Wizardry is the ability to cast spells. If spellcraft is the theoretical skill to understand magic, wizardry is the practical skill to manipulate mana. One can be inept in spellcraft, learning spells with great difficulty but a prodigy in wizardry, able to cast the few spells known with ease. On the other hand, there are some magic-users that cannot cast spells. They can still wield magic using wards, inscribed runes, and diagrams. These are called enchanters.
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Morning in a frontier town in the neighbor country of Gohar to the east of Yutis. Two damsels in distress are skulking around, catching their breath while hiding from their pursuers. A human girl of unblemished beauty and a squirrel-kin female with beautiful auburn hair decorating her delightful face and limbs.
"Dawn, what happened? Who are these guys and why are they chasing us?"
"Did you notice the strange language they were using?" Sora nodded. Aidan continued, "For some reason, I... Lumina understands that language. Maybe it was something she was training for. And I can understand it too. I think more of that girl is surfacing now that she is almost healed."
"You are digressing. Save your breath."
"Yeah." Aidan took a deep breath. Lumina's body was still not used to exertion. "Anyway, I am pretty sure those guys are otherworlders. Summoned 'heroes'."
"And what were they saying?"
"Hey, dude, take a look! A squirrel girl."
Sora clenched her fists. Although the beastkin had animal traits, they refused to be lowered to the status of animals. They are proud of their ancestry that somehow mixed a humanoid form with animal traits giving them several enhanced traits, but they are above the lowly beasts. Referring to her as a 'squirrel girl' was objectifying. She was a person, a sentient first and foremost. Her animal heritage came second. Aidan held Sora's hands.
"Look, otherworlders are insane and unpredictable. Sometimes they do a completely nonsensical thing, sometimes they fancy an ordinary thing. And they are prone to errors and misconceptions."
"And why are they chasing us all around town?"
From the time the two girls bolted out of the hunter's guild, the summoned heroes are merrily chasing them around town. The only reason they could evade them was because of Sora's heightened senses. Even now she was hearing the noisy male duo approach.
"I don't know. They are insane. They might want to give you money, paint your portrait or murder you. Or anything in between."
Sora's ears twitched and she pointed to an alley. "We should go that way. They are about to cut us a block later in that street."
Suddenly two figures blurred above them and the summoned heroes were right in front of them, blocking their way forward.
「こんにちは！ なぜあなたは逃げましたか？」(Hello! Why did you run away?)
"What are they saying?" Sora whispered to Aidan.
"They want to know why we ran away." He whispered back.
"Aren't these guys supposed to be awfully strong?"
"Yes. They receive the most strange powers from their summoners. Things that can destroy mountains or make them grow powerful awfully fast."
"Tsc. There is no way we are going to fight past them."
"Yes. And we can't afford to be seen with them, they are too high profile."
「あなたはとても美しいです。 私と一緒に来ますか？」(You are very beautiful. Do you want to come with me?)
Aidan grimaced. "They want us to go with them. Even going so low as to resort to flattery."
"For what reason? Can you talk to them?"
"I can, but something is telling me it is a bad idea. They have no idea I can understand them, let's try to go away."
They tried to walk away, but one of the guys walked forward and tripped on some pebble in the ground. He came crashing down with arms stretched forward, and Sora pulled the other girl out of the way. The hero fell down.
"He was aiming for your breasts! Now, run."
"Damn, they are the sadist type then."
They ran away from the alley back to the street they were at before. The heroes did not chase them for a while, but then one of them got out of the alley and ran after them. He stopped when the other yelled at him.
「愚かな真治、今戻ってきて！」(Shinji, you idiot, come back now!)
He stopped and turned around. Moments later, he was nowhere to be seen. The girls went into a tavern and found an empty table.
"My feet are killing me," Complained Aidan.
"You are doing fine! You from a month ago wouldn't have run a tenth of what you did without breaking down."
Before Aidan could answer, a barmaid brought two mugs of ale and placed them in front of the girls. Sora took a swig from her mug.
"Not bad. Probably dwarven made."
Aidan drank from his mug and flinched. "Too bitter."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"For a tongue raised on only the finest wines, I think it is too rough," Sora laughed.
"Lower your voice!"
Aidan looked around and yes, several ears and eyes were not literally glued to the two girls. They were rather far from the inn where Skippy was watching over Aidan's body and the hunter's guild near the inn.
"Let's go back. I think they were leaving when we entered, so we might not bump into them now." Aidan dropped two copper coins on the table and followed Sora out of the tavern. They carefully walked back to the hunter guild and after Sora gave an 'all clear' they entered the building again.
The place was very business-like. There was a notice board near the door with several scraps of either paper or parchment with job descriptions, a wall with counters where you could sit in front of a wooden grate and talk to the guild person on the other side. Signs with words like "Registration", "Job Assignment", "Quest Turn-In", "Monster Part Assessment" were written in the common tongue overhead marking the start of waiting queues, separated by actual lines painted on the ground. At this time of the morning, there were a few people in the second and third lines. The girls walked under the "Registration" sign and went all the way to the front of the line. A pig-faced boy with green skin waved from the other side of a counter at them, and they approached.
"We want to work with the guild, how do we do that?" Aidan asked the Orc boy.
"Can you write, miss?" Aidan nodded. "Then fill this form for both you and your friend, and pay two silver coins as a fee. We will make your hunter tags and after a couple of hours, you will be good to go. Now, do you know how one gets jobs at our guild?"
"We rank the hunters that work with us with a letter starting from G for those that recently joined all the way up to A for the best. Your ranking is not a measure of your strength, it is a measure of the trust the guild places on you. Better paying jobs go to the higher ranks and although it doesn't mean they are more dangerous, danger usually raises the pay scale of the jobs. As you finish jobs with the guild and our trust raises, so does your rank."
Aidan glanced at the board next to the G section. There were at least three "Outhouse Cleaning" jobs posted there. Payment was a few copper coins. He thought how many hoops they would have to go through figuratively and literally before they could recover the four silver they would pay for the registration. It was more than half their current money reserves.
"We understand, give us the forms and we will fill them up," Sora spoke on Aidan's behalf.
They filled the forms with their fake names and paid the four silver coins. There was a field for 'occupation', for Dawn it was 'fire mage' and Skye was a 'scout'. The orc then told them the tags would be ready in a couple of hours. They were free to browse the request boards or even return at a later date. The tags would not go anywhere.
They decided to leave because several other hunters were already inviting them to talk about recruitment into their teams.
"I am going to the inn to rest a bit," said Aidan. The inn Peter recommended was two blocks away from the guild, just a few minutes walking. Since they had to wait anyway, he could use this time to stay near his body.
"Fine, but no naps. I want to get at least one job done today. I am going to shop for a few sundries."
"Take care. The otherworlders might be around."
"Don't worry."
Aidan returned to the inn, played with Skippy for a bit then laid down next to his body to gather some mana. He hadn't used any since two days ago but every minute spent in close contact with a full mana pool was a minute less before full recovery. He didn't bother removing the clothes for an improved rate of recovery because he was too lazy to put them back on. He wasn't sleepy either So he just sat holding his own hand and either played with Skippy or stared into several things in the room.
She looked at the longsword Aidan used to wield and remembered the training in the tunnels. For Lumina, it was unwieldy. He decided to visit a smithy nearby to kill some time. The smithy was run and owned by an old-looking dwarf. The dwarf was busy at the back hammering away at some metal, but the moment Aidan set foot on the smithy he yelled.
"Welcome and feel free to browse my wares. Lad, someone is at the shop, go there and make yourself useful for a change."
A younger dwarf came to the front, a soot-covered apron and a soot-covered beard decorated his soot-covered body. "Welcome." He said with disinterest.
Aidan browsed the weapons trying to find something for Lumina. It should be a weapon for agile fighters, not strong ones. He had an idea of what would be suitable, and after a few minutes, he found it. There were a couple of rapiers in a corner. He took one and checked the grip, the basket guard and, after unsheathing it, the blade. Wielding the blade and slicing at the air, he measured the weapon's balance and flexibility. Then he switched to the other rapier.
The second rapier had a bluish tint to the blade that became more intense at the tip. Aidan looked the metal closely trying to figure if it was just a surface treatment or a feature of the alloy. The grip was smaller than the other and a better fit for Lumina's hands, smaller than a man's. There was a cross-guard between the blade and the basket guard and it was polished silvery steel, different from the blade. He tried it for a while and when he was about to test the blade's flexibility, he noticed the hammering halted. He also noticed the shop owner, the older dwarf was closely inspecting the girl. He didn't believe she ever held a weapon. Her hands were too delicate.
"Hi, sir. I was just testing this weapon, I'm sorry if I bothered you," Aidan sheathed the rapier and was about to put it back on the rack when the dwarf spoke.
"Nay, lass. Please do browse my wares. I was just informed by the lad here that the lady was interested in that rapier. Now, what can you tell me about it?"
Feeling a sort of quizzical tone to the dwarf's inquiry, Aidan decided to indulge.
"The cross-guard and the basket are well crafted and aesthetically pleasing while providing good protection to the wielder's hands. The symmetry and handwork are impeccable. The blade has this blue tint and looks impressive and even without testing it I know it is a sharp dual edge that won't go dull or chip easily." he said running a finger along the flat side of the blade with eyes closed. The metal is smooth and uniform, a testament to the skill of the smith. But one thing I noticed is that it is not homogeneous."
Aidan held the blade in one hand and grabbed the tip with the other in a way the edges wouldn't dig into his hands. He then flexed the blade into an arc and slowly returned it to a straight position.
"The blade gets heavier and rigid as it approaches the tip and so does the intensity of the blue tint. I suspect this blue tint is a different metal mixed into the steel in different proportions." He finished and sheathed the blade.
The dwarf spent a few moments scratching his beard before he spoke again. "Wanna take it to the back to test it out?"
"Yes, sir. I'd be very pleased to."
The dwarf led Aidan to a straw doll. "Feel free to use this one. It is battered and is going to be replaced next week."
Aidan latched the scabbard to the belt and assumed a duelist stance. He measured the distance to the straw doll and drew the sword with a swift, practiced motion. Holding it straight in front of him, he lunged and stabbed the doll, returning to the first stance fluidly. He then took a few swings at the straw, cutting the doll over several vital points. If the doll was a person, of course.
Besides only attending a semester at the capital academy, Aidan was trained in magic, sword, and warfare from a tender age. Lumina's body doesn't have the same reflexes as his own, but the training, the movements are still there.
The dwarf was only watching, and Aidan approached him. "How much is this rapier?"
"For the lady, twenty gold."
Aidan dismayed and removed the rapier from the belt. He held the scabbard in his left hand and spun it twice, making it fall on both hands. "The latch on the scabbard is also masterfully done."
He presented the rapier to the dwarf. "I am sorry, master dwarf, but I don't have this much gold on me. But I am really grateful that you offered me this weapon at such heavy discounted price."
"Heh. The lady assumes too much. The weapon is really worth twenty gold."
Aidan smiled and bowed once again. "The master smith jests. If the blue tint is what I think it is, this weapon is worth way more than a hundred gold. The basket guard's workmanship alone is worth twenty gold."
And he left the smithy. It seems he spent more than a couple hours inside, but it was common for him to lose track of time when distracted by something. Outside, there was some commotion going on at the streets, and at the guild's door, some hunters were betting on something.
Aidan's gaze met some young lady dressed in a strange fashion. If she had long straight black hair and an Asian face, Aidan would automatically assume she was also an otherworlder. It had a red metal piece carefully molded around the girl's stomach and breasts in a way to put emphasis on her silhouette and cup. An also red pauldron over the left shoulder with a flap for a neck-guard but no matching piece on the right side. And a skirt made of segmented red metal pieces interlocked. All of this over a white frilly dress fit for a princess that left the upper part of the breast exposed.
Aidan decided to return to the inn but the girl's gaze remained steady, fixed on his female body. Out of habit he smiled and waved at the girl before turning around, but then she walked in front of his path and spoke.
"Lumina? Princess Lumina of Yutis? Is that you?"
Aidan wanted to crawl into a hole.
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Meanwhile, in another part of town, a squirrel-kin was merrily shopping for sundries. She even got a brush for Lumina's tangled hair. Her mood was so high that she was even considering brushing the princess' hair herself.
「私達はリスの女の子を再度見つけた」(We found the squirrel girl again!)
That was when she regretted dropping her guard after hearing the otherworlder 'heroes' talking about her. She quickly shoved the stuff she was buying into her bag, flicked a silver coin at the shopkeeper and ran. She probably overpaid for the goods, but it was better than being called a thief. She even caught a 'thank you' from the man.
And the game of chase was on again. But without the princess slowing her down and pinning them to locations close to the inn, Sora decided to give those heroes a run for their money. Up and down alleys, roofs. She even ran into a guard detachment.
"Help, I am being chased by those ruffians!" She cried at the guards before dodging them and dashing away.
She ran across a busy street around people and went in front of the inn. Lumina's scent showed she had left the inn and the heroes appeared from a corner. She ran and passed in front of the guild.
"Hey, those weird guys are chasing after the beastkin again. Four silver that they catch her."
"No way, the girl is too nimble. She will shake them off. I take that bet!"
She frowned. Could she get a 10% cut for the entertainment? She tried to commit the hunter's faces to memory but gave up.
She ran past a girl with a strange red armor that protected nothing and heard her yell at the heroes.
「馬鹿、街中を走り回るのをやめなさい！」(You idiots, stop running around the town!)
'Oh, great, they are multiplying', she thought.
She ran past the guild turning on some streets turned around an unknown part of town and found herself in front of the town walls. Some guards up in the ramparts made catcalls at her but she ignored them. When she caught her breath and thought on where to run to, one of the heroes, the one that can move as a blur cut off her path in front, while the other one came from behind.
「お待ちください私はあなたを募集したいのです」(Please wait, we want to recruit you)
'I have nowhere to run now. I'd rather fight than be caught by them', Sora mused. "Hey, you guardsmen up there, would you mind giving a maiden in distress some help?"
"Sorry lass, but our duty is to watch the wall from outside threats. And we won't fight with the otherworlders. You are on your own." The guard said before commanding his man to just stop watching the scene.
"Hey, thank you very much, it was very helpful. Now about you two..." Sora drew her sword.