What buff spells can you use on another person else?

  It was unlikely Dice knew many buff spells well enough to use them on other people. It was always harder to buff someone else, than it was to buff yourself. Classed Fighters tended to just buff themselves before fights. Rarely would they spend the time mastering the buff well enough to apply it to someone else.

  Dice responded with just two spells, both through pieces of memory. The first memory showed a figure walking quietly and carefully, probably a Quiet Steps or Silent Steps spell. He didn’t have such a spell at his disposal, though Ina had something similar. It was a fairly common spell for hunters in the Wilds, though not necessarily required. Many beasts could smell better than they could hear, so spells that covered one’s scent were usually more useful. The next memory she offered was one where a figure was making increasingly accurate strikes with thrown weapons. It was something to do with thrown dexterity, and therefore not really useful to him. He tried another question.

Does Karmis have any trinkets that protect against mental attacks?

  The only thing he felt from his link with Dice was confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. He was trying to think of more question for Dice, but Dice was clearly told very little. His mind was racing through questions and possibilities, but fundamentally he knew he had to be the one to take care of Karmis.

  Presuming, Karmis hadn’t locked her tent against a man she thought dead, he could gain access to her tent and cast his Dominate Mind spell. He asked himself, would that work? She wouldn’t have the influence he had built up inside of Dice, which would mean, more than likely, the spell would fail. Would that be enough to incapacitate her? He realized, painfully, it would have been better if he had been in Karmis’ bed every rest period. He would have been able to apply his influence at least then, even if he had to figure out a way to perform for her. Could he wake her long enough to us his Gaze for some extra advantage? Could he simply use Dominate Will, and hope it failed spectacularly and killed her? Dice’s mind had been so easy to dominate, he couldn’t really imagine failing to dominate Karmis, even if he had to fight her mentally. What other options were there? After he dominated or killed Karmis, he would have to do the same to Wersa, but her tent was open all the time because her legs stuck out, so he would have easy access. What choice did he have? It was dangerous, but he had to try. They would come for him, hunt him to other settlements. Especially if he took Dice with him. She held their secrets.

  It was unlikely he would be able to fool them by having Dice try to infiltrate when they were awake again. Her eyes were a bit too vacant and her voice completely toneless. That wasn’t an option, and he definitely needed more options.

  He decided to consult the Grimoire. Ina dropped it down to him, her face hidden from him. She seemed confused, but he didn’t have time to talk with her, he needed to live, for them both.

  “Grimoire! Tell me more about my spells. My Path has advanced considerably!”

  You have taken another Dominating step.

  He took this to be a good sign, and continued hurriedly, with a specific question. He was a bit frantic, he still needed travel back while Karmis and Wersa still slept.

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  “What is Will?”

  Your Will is the animating force of your experiences and personality. No two people have the same Will. Your Will drives you. You Will is your sense of self.

  So Will was… personality? Drive? To control someone’s will meant he could.. direct people? Change what they wanted? He asked another question.

  “If I control a person’s Will, can I have them do what I want without needing to direct their specific actions? Will they know what I am doing? Will they fight it all the time?”

  Your will be done over their own. They will do as you ask them believing they are doing exactly what they wanted all along. To control Will is to direct without directing. To direct Will is to have an unknowing slave, happy to be of service should you wish it.

  It was no wonder this spell was more difficult to cast. If successful, whatever you suggested would be what the person believed was true. They would never know you controlled them, they would simply act according their will, which was also your will. He felt himself revel a bit in the thought of using such a powerful spell. This was useful, but he still need more options. He would have to cast these spells as quickly as he could, and hope that Karmis couldn’t resist them all.

  “My Path has advanced significantly! Have any of my spells improved?”

  The strength of your Dominator’s Influence has increased.

  The strength of your Dominator’s Presence has increased.

  You have a new spell you may not cast, the spell-template is already available in your mind.

  He hadn’t checked earlier, but it was true, there was a spell-template that felt like he could activate it. It was complex, many times as complex as Dominate Will.

  “What is the name of this spell, how is it used?”

  Your new spell is as follows:

  Dominate..

  Just as he was reading, he felt Ina, push on their bond. At first he ignored her, trying to read the spell name, but she pushed hard again. Icy feeling had reached most of his body at this point, and he was beyond anger, so he considered simply closing the bond off as much as possible so he could continue his work. As he was turning to look in Ina’s direction, she pushed hard across the bond, offering him the entirety of herself. This was what they did when they were intimate, opening the bond totally to each other. He paused not understanding, and then she slammed into his mind with her own.

***

  When their minds joined, he felt Ina push away the feeling of coldness from his mind. She wrapped herself around his mind, while wrapping herself around his body in the outside world. He felt the warmth of her regard for him, and realized she had been so very worried for him. The use of his spells had caused some kind of change he didn’t understand. The rage had built in him, the affront to his dignity had caused a fire in his soul, only for it to suddenly be replaced with a feeling of deadly cold that drove him towards survival at all costs. He understood the feelings as they happened, but not why they happened. It had to do with his Class, his Path, and whatever the grimoire had done to him.

  He gripped Ina tightly, thanking her for her warmth. Guilt came crashing down, when he glanced over at Dice, or what was left of her. She was still smiling at him, sitting on the ground. Not able to move without direction from him. He had been almost fond of her, after a fashion, and yet, she was willing to kill him and he was willing to destroy her mind. Moreover, he had enjoyed destroying her mind. He had love it, in fact. It had empowered him.

  He sighed, and thanked the Divine Humanity, he had Ina. He took a moment to hold her, and be held in return. He knew he would still have to go through with the plans he had made earlier, when he was not quite himself, but he would do it with Ina’s support. He needed to move, though. He needed to get all this over with.

  He steeled himself, and looked down at the latest spell he would have at his disposal. After reading the words provided to him by the grimoire, he closed the book and stored it away. Rather than be shock at what it had offered, he only felt grief. Grief for what he might do in the future, and for grief for the person he was becoming.