After speaking with the tower's owner, the fog of my ignorance cleared up a bit. Many things took shape and became clearer, but I still have a long way to go to full clarity. It is important, and I am grateful for the spirit. I have begun to live anew in a new world, and while it is tempting to want everything all at once, one should not forget about conscience.

Everything was fine with food and water. The river was very close, and the area was wild with lots of small animals around. When I started to make a trap, Atzhas waved his hand and said it wasn't worth wasting time on hunting. But with a sly grin, he made a small condition. One rabbit for me, one for him. The owner of the place showed how to write his name in mystical runes. Atzhas caught a live rabbit, I killed it and carved the runes on the fresh carcass with a knife. Atzhas insisted that during the ritual, I should say the words, "Receive the power of this sacrifice, great loa Atzhasarius Petrikus." I'm sure he's just teasing me, and it's unnecessary, but I'm forced to say this nonsense every time. The disgusting loa carefully watches to make sure I follow the ritual exactly. He assures me that after the ritual, all the life force of the sacrifice will pass to him.

As soon as an animal is killed, the kvits immediately swarm to it, quickly running out of space. They start jostling each other and creating chaos. It looks disgusting, as if large bacteria have started a massive fight on the carcass. After the kvits have finished feeding, the meat doesn't become worse. Spirits feed on life energy without interacting with the flesh. If you write the name of a spirit with runes on an animal's body, the kvits lose interest in the dead animal.

"Grandpa, what will happen if I find an dead flesh and write the name of a loa on it?"

"Which one? " the owner of the ruins' thick eyebrows raised.

"Old... " - I fell silent, searching for the right word. "The one that has been lying there for a long time... Eaten by kvits. "

"Ah! Don't expect any good from that! Deceiving a loa is dangerous, " frowned the Domovoy. "The loa will receive emptiness. For humans, emptiness is nothingness. In the spirit world, emptiness is also something. Something bad! The loa will definitely be offended and seek revenge. Do you want that?"

"I understand. " I nodded. - "What if I dedicate the death of a person to a spirit? If I kill a person and inscribe a runic name on them? "

"All sentient beings have a soul - this is a lot of power for a spirit. But it's not so easy to consume a human soul. Only the strongest among us can do that, and they are called loa. Any of us would be pleased with such a gift. "

"Will the loa do what I ask in exchange for such a gift?"

"We need to discuss the wish beforehand and seal the deal with a contract. You can do it otherwise, but the loa won't be obligated to fulfill your request. Most likely, it won't. After all, you already brought the sacrifice to it, so why would it need to? "

"How do I call it to discuss the terms? "

"It's individual, there's no universal way. " shrugged the Domovoy. " The loa will tell you themselves how to call them if they're interested in working with you. "

It was already getting close to evening. My tongue hurt from too many conversations. My head was buzzing with the abundance of information given by the Domovoy. The spirit also pretended to be tired and excused itself with urgent matters before disappearing. I had some food and went for a walk around the ruins. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. The air was fresh. The forest looked magical.

I had an idea. I picked up a small branch and sat on a rock next to the entrance of the tower. I felt the energy flow from the sun plexus as usual. Some chi gathered in my palm, like a warm, weightless cloud. Golden threads extended from my fingers to the branch and dissolved into it. I didn't see any changes, but I felt my chi inside the piece of wood. Nothing seemed to happen. Maybe it became sturdier? I bent the branch. It crackled, ready to snap at any moment. It seemed just as fragile as before. I pressed harder. There was a loud pop, like a big firework explosion. I was showered with small pieces of wooden debris. I looked in amazement at my empty palms. A Domovoy appeared nearby. He plopped down on his butt and laughed merrily, clapping his hands on the grass.

"What was that?" I looked at Atzhas with confusion. "Enough with the laughter already!"

"Hahaha... If only you could see yourself from the outside!" The Domovoy couldn't calm down. "You infused your energy into a stick and then broke it? Well done! It's well known that if you damage an object that contains energy, it will instantly release. Of course, there will be an explosion."

"I..." I struggled to find the right words to express my feelings.

This world never ceases to amaze me. Such information required some time for contemplation. In my mind, schemes for using explosive objects began to appear on their own. The first thing that came to mind was the most banal stretch where an ordinary stick replaced a grenade. How can such a thing be detected? Can one even survive in this world? I mentally stopped myself. There are intelligent people living here who would have thought of this without me. So it's not that simple. I urgently needed additional information.

"Explain to me, if I'm walking in the woods and step on a branch like that, would it break and I would lose my leg?" I asked the spirit, carefully choosing my words.

"Do you not even have a village shaman or are you just that foolish?" Domovoy waved his hand and didn't wait for my answer. "Alright, it's not like that. When a mage puts energy into an object, it begins to affect its structure. Little energy - rapid destruction. Much energy - very, very rapid. The branch simply crumbles into dust almost instantly."

"Any material?"

"Well done, good question, " he praised me. "Each material has different stability. The best of all are precious stones. Both in terms of volume and time. Then rare metals: gold, silver, and platinum. They are stable, but have a scarce volume. Everything else is destroyed almost equally. The difference is insignificant. "

"A dry branch and a thick iron rod will break in the same amount of time? " I was surprised.

"Yes. With the same amount of energy, the time difference will not be significant. You can check it. " The house spirit disappeared, but soon reappeared in front of me. Atzhas handed me a rusty large nail. " Be careful, or your fragments will dirty my beautiful tower. "

"Thank you. How are artifacts made? "

"And what's troubling you? "

"Fragility. "

"Ah, I see what you mean. Artifacts are made in a very durable casing that protects them from damage. Inside, they lay a golden or silver wire that conducts energy. This is the conductor from the accumulators to the stones containing constructs or thought forms. You won't understand it anyway... " the Domovoy waved his hand. " Some stones store energy, while others store spells. This is a common scheme for any artifact. Understand, boy. The complexity of artifacts can be incredible! You will never comprehend such wisdom. "

"Wow. " - I looked at the Domovoy in admiration. The spirit puffed out his chest and became important. With a satisfied look, he swayed back and forth on his tiptoes.

I scratched my cheek, imagining how much an ordinary phone would cost in my world if its entire interior was made of precious stones, gold, or platinum. And how to avoid fragility? If I dropped the phone and it exploded, it would be a fun prospect.

"Are all artifacts dangerous? Do they explode if you scratch them?"

"No, of course not, you numskull! What are you listening with? I already said, they are made in the strongest casings to protect against damage. To make an artifact explode, you would have to damage the energy storage inside the casing. It's not so easy to do! Of course, there are different cases, but they are rare. Imagine how unlucky you would have to be for a sword strike to hit the energy storage hanging on a warrior's neck, and even under armor? "

"Do stones also get easily damaged? "

"Of course. If the structure is damaged, there can be an uncontrolled release... Bam! " waved the Domovoi's hands, mimicking an explosion. "

"That's understandable. But the stone is solid. Does a small scratch also cause ejection? " it was important to me to clarify this detail.

"I'm telling you, any damage! Even minor damage to the structure is still damage. We used to make additional protection for the accumulators, but... It affects the size of the product. Maybe something else was invented over time. I don't know. "

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I see. Stones must be expensive." I voiced my thoughts.

"I don't know how they're valued now. " the tower spirit shrugged. " Before, they were very, very expensive. For the price of a small shard, you could live for a week. In the best tavern in the capital. Yes, young friend. They come in different sizes. "

Meanwhile, I charged the stick and nail with energy, trying to do it evenly. I set them aside and began to observe, mentally counting the time. At the fourteenth second, the stick crumbled into gray dust, and at the sixteenth, the nail. I grimaced. I had hoped to gain a powerful argument in my favor.

"See? The difference is not that great."

"Interesting. Do people still use artifacts despite the difficulties and dangers? What are the most common ones?"

"Of course! Protection against mental attacks. These artifacts are small in size and provide good protection. With physical protection, things were difficult in the past. I don't think there has been much progress in that area."

"None at all?"

"They were very rare. The artifacts were too complex and massive, so they were very expensive. Only kings and the very wealthy could afford them."

"Is that all?"

"There is protection against magic, but it is also quite expensive. The effectiveness is so-so, not very strong," the spirit pondered. "A few spells and it's over, but they allow you to survive the first strike. It depends on the strength of the magician. He might be able to break through right away."

"So, it turns out only very wealthy people use artifacts?"

"You surprise me, young man! You'll be buying anything if you want to live badly enough," the spirit looked at me, then at the ruins. "Forest outings? The forest spirit can be a real headache... If you go with a mage, it's okay. A mage can protect you... Although... Powerful mages are vain and don't walk here. The ordinary ones... Ah! What am I saying? It's not worth going into the forest without protection and that's it."

"And it's not just in the forests that you should be careful," I said quietly.

"What do you mean?" the ruin owner asked.

"I mean, have people ever tried to drive away, disperse or come up with something else for the forest spirit?"

"They tried. The Leshy spilled a lot of blood, especially after the shamans were destroyed. The old fool felt impunity. Then the strongest magicians gathered. In that battle, the Leshy killed two out of six archmages and disappeared for many years. People thought they had won, but he returned. He hid somewhere, healing his wounds. The Leshy became cautious and no longer misbehaved like that. He probably walked the line and yet the people weren't strong enough. A few magicians couldn't finish him off. Now humans and Leshy maintain neutrality. There are no fools to chase the forest owner around. And the Leshy himself behaves more calmly, not picking fights for no reason. It's better to negotiate with us, the great loa, peacefully." puffed up the Domovoy.

"How did it happen? You said that the energy of the world doesn't affect spirits."

"Well..." – The Domovoi shuffled his foot, and I even thought he blushed. – "It's just... Not everything is true about that. Constructs of mages are not lethal to spirits - that's true. Spells are painful, but that's not the main thing. Blows take away strength. A little, but they take away. If enough strength is taken away, the loa will lose themselves. We become weak spirits, then kvit, and then... You saw what that looks like. And that's the end, death. Imagine what six angry archmages could do! Still, they made Leshy calm down and be more careful."

"I understand. How many mages are there in total?"

"Who counted them?" the owner of this place shrugged. "There are many people and many mages."

"Can the loa destroy or enslave humans?"

"Why? Killing a human doesn't give us much energy. It's much more profitable when they bring us sacrifices. And let's not even talk about voluntary sacrifices." the spirit dreamily rolled his eyes. It looked like he remembered something very pleasant. "How to explain it? When a person fights... they become strong, resilient. A person wants to live, wants to win. Then it's almost impossible to consume their soul. We spend more energy than you gain. Fighting humans isn't profitable. It's easier to live nearby and wait for the moment to make a deal. Also, humans lose a lot of energy during strong emotions. I scared you and had a nice snack. Leshy led the person through the forest, exhausted them, scared them, induced sadness, and a stream of energy flowed towards him. Then the forest spirit released them. What will happen? The person will come back to the forest again, and maybe won't forget to bring an offering so that everything goes well for them."

"Wait. What did you say? " I finally caught the elusive thought. " The destruction of shamans? "

"Yes. " nodded the spirit. "Unfortunately, all the shamans were exterminated by the mages. It was a long time ago, two hundred years ago. "

"I don't understand. Why? " The information didn't please me at all.

"Something preceded it, I don't know. The magicians had absolute power. Perhaps the magicians saw the shamans as a threat to their power. Who knows what was the last straw that broke the donkey's back. And then the war began. The magicians persecuted and destroyed those like you, everywhere. The methods of training new shamans were lost. Those born with the right talent cannot develop it. There were already few shamans, and now there is no one left. " Atzhas waved his hand. " Where did you come from? "

"Is this still happening now? " I ignored his question.

"How would I know? I've been trapped here for many decades."

"Great. You just made my day." I spat on the ground. I had a feeling that trouble was brewing, so I had decided to hide in advance. " And if I hadn't asked, would you have kept quiet? "

"I might have forgotten. " the vile old man turned away.

"Excellent answer. " I gave him a thumbs up.

I mentally put myself in the shoes of someone being persecuted by the Inquisition. Before my eyes appeared a blazing bonfire on which I writhed in pain. The vivid image was replaced by a damp torture chamber. Chains on the walls, a rack, torture instruments, Spanish boots, a spiked chair. So much blood. I was naked, tied to a table. The repulsive bald man - the Inquisition executioner - leaned over me with monstrous pincers in his hands. The man smiled unpleasantly and began to insert the instrument into my bloodied mouth. I felt physical pain as my teeth screamed. I quickly dispelled the obsession. The prospects did not appeal to me.

"Show me how to do a simple spell?" I forced myself to return to the conversation with an effort of will. I needed information, otherwise my fantasies would become reality.

The house spirit silently nodded and frowned. A complex pattern appeared in the air in front of my face. It slowly began to gain strength. Before my nose hung a flat, uneven square with dashes and several marks resembling runes. Gradually, new details began to manifest. Once fully formed, the construct began to fill in, with energy flowing along the lines. Everything happened in a jerky, uneven manner. Different sections of the pattern filled in differently, but there was a sense of orderliness in it. The house spirit was doing it on purpose. Becoming uniform, the pattern blinked, and instead, a small glowing sphere appeared. It circled above my head and then extinguished.

"That's it. Each mage visualizes the construct in their own mind. The sequence is important. Then it is filled with energy and activated. Yes, the energy is filled in different parts unevenly. There can be no mistakes! The entire order is memorized by the mage. Constructs can come in three projections and be much more complex. All parts of the spell must be precisely in their place and not twitch. Higher level spells change during formation and filling - this is called the fourth dimension, time. " Lectured the Domovoy. " Magic is a very complex science! "

I guess for the first time I agree with the cunning old man. The complexity is excessive. Wasn't there an easier way to come up with a system? While you are visualizing the construct and filling it with energy, even a drunk peasant can turn you into a salad or throw a knife into your eye. Simple constructs can certainly be trained. It would take desire and time. But what about the three-dimensional variation? What about in battle? What if you are moving and under attack? It's clear why magicians will never abandon spheres.

"How many years does it take to become a mage in the academy? "

"I think it's eight years now. " shrugged the Domovoy. " It's not much, of course. Two hundred years ago... "

"What can a graduate do? " didn't bother listening to the old man's grumbling.

"Usually they learn five or six combat spells. They master three well, usually one. They also learn a few practical and healing spells. " Atzhas replied. " The "fire whip" spell, which is on the mandatory list, a graduate forms four heartbeats until ready. That's a good result. An experienced mage can do it in about two heartbeats. "

I am deeply disappointed in the local mages.

"Ten years to master four spells? " I chewed my lips, skeptically glancing at the tower's owner.

"Nonsense? Try it yourself! " for some reason, Domovoy got offended. " Did I show you? Did you remember? Train then! "

He turned sharply and went into the tower.

"Why should I train? " I was a little confused by his reaction. " I won't be able to use the energy of the world! "

"Exactly! You're a fool! Try using chi or something from your own arsenal. " Atzhas said as he walked away and quietly added. " It will be funny, I need to take a more comfortable position.

He is behaving very suspiciously. Well, if I don't try, I won't know. It seems like I memorized the pattern correctly. Is this it? It looks similar. A structure unfolded before my eyes. I studied it, trying to find any discrepancies with the one shown to me by the spirit. There was nothing complicated about it. I mentally wished myself luck and began to fill it with my energy. It lit up with my energy and slid down as a dirty stain. Something resembling a pile of manure appeared on the ground. I stared at the result of my manipulation. It was even moving! Is it alive or am I imagining things? Quitts started flying towards the substance. Perhaps, my energy was attracted them to it. Soon, there was nothing left of my failed experiment. The little creatures scattered to their own affairs. Was this result due to my mistake, or is it an incompatibility between the magical construct and the soul's energy? How can I figure this out?

What else did Atzhas say? Try my arsenal? It's so huge! I don't even know where to start. Maybe with the "ball" - an energy exercise from my world. I filled the sphere in my hand with energy and spun it inside. A small golden sphere lay in my palm. Inside it, a beautiful vortex was spinning. It seemed like something similar was in some cartoon.

"Good thing I don't have to shout anything to do it." I muttered. "It would be funny and silly."

I aimed at a large rock ten meters away from me and threw the sphere. It flew about halfway before hitting something. It immediately shot up, dove to the left, and then down again. I couldn't see what happened next. I jumped to the side, rolled a few times, and dove behind a thick tree before collapsing on the ground and covering my head with my hands. I heard a strange noise, cracking, rustling, and a loud impact. The ground beneath me shook as if from an explosion.

The cheerful laughter of the owner of the ruins brought me out of my stupor. I shifted and cautiously lifted my head. In the nearest thick tree, at the level of an adult's chest, there was a hole about twenty centimeters in diameter. Further lay a tree cut down to the roots. Presumably, that was what rustled and crashed. I realized that I wouldn't be throwing spiritual energy anymore. And what if the sphere had hit me?

"You could have killed me!" I shouted towards the tower.

"I risked myself too!" the spirit of the ruins replied, continuing to enjoy himself. His laughter seemed to create an echo inside the tower.