Persepera

The 21st of Thargelion

The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals

Myriatos had finally fallen asleep by the time the rosy fingers of dawn stretched over the eastern horizon. Lyssa watched it approach from atop the village hall, sitting cross-legged on the long, wooden beam that ran across the building. She reveled in the gentle warmth of the sun’s light against her face, even as the chill wind of early morning nipped at her back. The sun held so many vibrant colors she had never been able to see before, the blinding light now nothing more than a comforting glow.

It had been a long, cathartic night. Wounds of old had been reopened and resewn. Gigator and Elpida had left the activities early in the night to relieve the guards and allow them their own chance to grieve amongst friends and family. They had kept the watch, ensuring no attack could come from over ground or under sky while the rest of the village mourned.

Lyssa cast her eyes toward the remnants of the previous night. Most had fallen asleep, utterly exhausted, at their tables or curled up on the ground. Very few had shown the sense to return to their tents or to the insulae, but Lyssa couldn’t blame them. It had been a night of high emotion and plenty of drinking. Now that morning had arrived, it brought with it different sensibilities.

Three of the dwarves lifted the memorial wall and carried it away to the small cemetery established out of the way of normal foot traffic. There, they set it into the ground, securing it such that no storm could displace it. It would be a place of solemn remembrance for all who grieved, surrounded by their entombed dead. The burials had occurred while she was underground. Theodorous had led the ceremony and organized the grave plots, once again showing his worth as a leader and administrator.

Lyssa saw him, sitting on a rock by himself in the distance, holding a ball of flame in his hand. The attack on the village had rattled him. He wasn’t an old man, she didn’t think. Older than Arche, but not so old as to be considered a human elder. He carried himself like an old man. His movements were methodical, precise, and his countenance was often as formal as it was subservient. He walked like a man that had been hard-pressed by life and learned to move out of the way, but not anymore. There was a set to his shoulders, now. A hardness around the lines of his face. Nearly fifty villagers were casters. They would need training and instruction to avoid injury. If only Helwan was back to start the school, but he and the others were still in Ship’s Shape and would be for at least another month.

They could not learn to control their magic in the wood elf way, they didn’t have the time. Lyssa had spent years learning inner control before it became clear she lacked the affinity for both gaiamancy and biomancy, the only real magics available to her people. Woodsinging, the simplest form of these, was also beyond her grasp. These people, mostly humans, didn’t have the decades to dedicate to such practice. They would need to learn their own ways of finding the songs, of manipulating Mana. For that, she would rely on Abraxios until Helwan returned. He was the most powerful mage in the village, but not the best instructor.

Lyssa recalled the list of spells waiting for her.

You have introduced a Hybrid School of Magic into Tartarus.

Heliomancy

As a hybrid of Phosphomancy and Pyromancy, you may learn one spell from each school and two from Heliomancy.

Phosphomancy spells:

Light

Flash

Identify

Lyssa focused further on each spell, pulling up their descriptions. A free spell accompanied awakened magic, as opposed to learning them through study. Normally the spell was random. The ability to choose meant she had to consider each carefully.

Light — Level 1

Never worry about torches again.

Conjure light from your hands. These lights can be attached to objects.

Cost: 10 Mana Summon | 1 Mana per Light per Second Channel

Maximum Lights: 1

Illumination Radius: 1.1 Meters

Handy enough for a human, but Lyssa could see in the dark already. In fact, with her new eyes, she could also see perfectly well in bright light. She felt no qualms about passing it up as she moved on to the next spell.

Flash — Level 1

Keep surprise on your side with a burst of light.

Conjure a bright flash of light at a location within range. Chance to blind creatures reliant upon sight.

Cost: 30 Mana

Range: 11 Meters

A handy spell for a fight, but it wasn’t quite to Lyssa’s liking. It could offer an element of surprise, but it was equally surprising to simply fire an arrow unseen. She also had a sneaking suspicion she would be able to do something similar with her Hyper Arrows, with practice. If the last spell wasn’t worth taking, she’d go with Flash.

Identify — Level 1

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The secrets of the world are yours for the taking.

Learn the descriptions of objects, creatures, or magical effects at range.

Cost: 100 Mana

Range: 11 Meters

Lyssa’s eyes widened. She didn’t have a way of identifying things. Despite the steep Mana cost of the spell, it was easily the most enticing option. The fact it was of uncommon rarity, while the rest were common, only served to solidify it as the right choice. Lyssa chose it and moved on to the next selection list.

Pyromancy spells:

Flare

Flame Spout

Minor Flame Control

Lyssa’s eyes widened at the last entry on the list, but she went through them in order.

Flare — Level 1

Clear your path with a ball of fire.

Conjure orbs of fire and launch them with precision.

Channeling this spell requires concentration.

Cost: 40 Mana Summon | 3 Mana per Second Channel

Distance: 11 Meters

Damage: +3%

A handy enough spell in a pinch but not particularly useful for her. She had no interest in setting her enemies on fire and, while more convenient, it was hardly difficult for her to start a campfire.

Flame Spout — Level 1

Flames can wreath destruction or beauty, dependent upon their direction.

Conjure a spout of continuous flame from your hands.

Channeling this spell requires concentration.

Cost: 6 Mana per Second Channel

Distance: 1.1 Meters

Damage: +3%

A similar issue to Flare, though potentially more devastating in combat.

Minor Flame Control — Level 1

Fire is a tool of creation. What will you make with it?

Control external flame.

Channeling this spell requires concentration.

Cost: 1 Mana per Cubic Meter per Second

Maximum Volume Control: 1.1 Cubic Meters

Range: 1.1 Meters

General control over an entire school of magic was the clear winner. Lyssa chose it as soon as she finished reading the description. Despite the lack of clear offense capabilities when compared to Flare or Flame Spout, the ability to shape fire to her wishes was much stronger. Even despite the limitation that she could not conjure flame with it, she would only be limited by her imagination.

That it was a Rare spell made it all the more enticing. Rarity did not necessarily indicate power, or even usefulness, but this was a clear case of both. Though it wouldn’t allow much at its current state, it would grow. Additionally, the prefix of Minor meant the spell itself could evolve into a stronger version, with enough practice and reflection.

With spells from both phosphomancy and pyromancy chosen, Lyssa felt her pulse quicken as she looked at her list for heliomancy.

As a progenitor of Heliomancy, you are not restricted to Ranks when learning spells.

Heliomancy spells:

Solar Sprint

Orbit

Sunblock

Lyssa’s eyes went wide. She opened the descriptions and tore through them as quickly as she could.

Solar Sprint — Level 1

The sun’s light reaches all, eventually. So, too, shall you.

Create platforms of solid light and fire beneath your feet.

Cost: 10 Mana

Duration: 1.1 seconds

Lyssa blinked. She had expected more details, but it was possible the lack of description was a blessing in disguise. The other spells she had learned were very specific in their casting but this left more room for interpretation and experimentation. At the least, it gave a very enticing advantage if it would allow her to run across open air, as she believed it would. As an archer, the ability to gain a height advantage was unparalleled. It was only discipline that allowed her to look through the other options before locking this choice in as her first spell.

Orbit — Level 1

Like a ball on a string, nothing escapes you.

Create a magical tether between yourself and a creature or object within range. As long as the tether is not severed, the distance between you cannot grow larger, only smaller.

Cost: 100 Mana Summon | 20 Mana per Second Channel

Range: 11 meters

Despite the Epic rarity, Lyssa was not particularly impressed. The spell was effectively a leash. It could be used to keep someone from running away from her or catch her if she fell from a tree, but she struggled to see how the spell would be of clear benefit to her, so she moved on to the final spell on the list.

Sunblock — Level 1

The brightest of lights require the strongest of protections.

Conjure a shield of light and heat across your body to ward against attacks. This shield is invisible until activated against damage or against cold.

Cost: Variable Summon | ⅒ Summon Mana Reserved

Current Max Summon: 110 Mana

Duration: Indefinite

Defense: ⅒ Summon Damage

Elemental Resistance: Cold

Lyssa smiled and locked in both Solar Sprint and Sunblock. With all of her choices across the schools of magic, a final notification appeared.

You have chosen to learn 4 spells.

Are you sure of this choice?

Yes

No

Lyssa quickly scanned through the list again, ensuring that the spells from each school were indeed the ones she wanted, then confirmed the notification. Knowledge flooded her mind, filling her with theories and craft of four separate, complicated spells.

She had a single moment of pure, unfiltered understanding, then her eyes rolled back in her skull and she fell against the beam, unconscious.