Deon crouched down next to Taka's flower pot a safe 30 meters away from the opening to a cave.
"That is where your next foe is," Deon said, a smile spreading across his face. "We were lucky to find one so quickly."
What's in there? Taka sent to Deon.
"A Fire Bear," Deon whispered.
----------------------------------------
A creature that'll put up a fight? Taka thought to himself, Uh, no thanks?
I haven't managed to finish off a goblin yet, Taka protested.
"Fret not, Filo," Deon said. "There'll be more goblins to slay along the way."
But--
"If you're already able to start shaping elemental conjurations," Deon interrupted, "you will be fine."
Taka was about to push back further but decided against it. Deon seemed to enjoy killing goblins a little too much for Taka's comfort, but the lizard man had gone far out of his way to help Taka, so he chose to respect Deon's opinion. Fire Bears sounded scarier than goblins, though, and Taka's conjurations still hadn't broken through a goblin's skin yet, let alone armor.
"Most elemental magic is cast through either manipulation or conjuration," Deon explained. "The standard five -- fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning -- all work similarly, though it's difficult to manipulate lightning, and water also includes ice... light and dark magic have their own unique properties, but obey the same idea."
What about psychic magic? Taka asked.
Deon chuckled, "psychic is elemental Magia in name only, and as rare as being able to wield ancient magic. We will work with earth, as that is where I will be able to assist you best."
Taka nodded in response.
"Mana manipulation is a useful skill to have in any scenario that you are able to adapt to quickly, and can become a useful tool in combat, depending on the battlefield and the situation," Deon continued. "Conjuration, on the other hand, does not rely on where you are fighting, instead only on yourself."
Taka understood the lizard man's point. It wouldn't matter if he was able to make the branches of a tree grab his foe if they weren't fighting in a forest, and his foe could shoot him with a conjuration in less time than Taka would be able to neutralize a threat.
"That isn't to say that you should refrain from using mana manipulation in battle," Deon said as if he were reading Taka's thoughts. "Especially considering your... unique circumstances," the lizard man said carefully as he eyed Taka's slimy body and the floating flower pot.
The Lily Minion jumped up and down in the air, Taka unable to decipher the flower's intentions this time around. Deon took a moment to stare at the minion.
"Minions are also able to cast spells, if they have magic circuits."
Magic circuits? Taka hadn't heard that phrase before, and it seemed important.
What do you mean by 'magic circuits? Taka asked.
Deon blinked, then stared at Taka incredulously. Taka stared back, unsure of what to say or do.
"You don't remember?"
No, Taka sent. I do not.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Deon took a deep breath. "All living things have them. Magic circuits are what the mana inside of our bodies flows through, and is how we're able to cast spells. Without them, we would be no more than sacks of flesh."
That made Taka shudder. Was Deon some sort of mage supremacist? Then again, everyone Taka had met so far in this world was able to use magic to at least some degree, so...
Taka shook his head. I need to stay on track, he thought to himself.
Are you suggesting I create more minions, and have them use conjuration magic in my stead? Taka asked the lizard man.
Deon smiled, a genuine, soft smile. "That would devour your mana, and you would need a being stronger than a flower to make the idea worth considering."
Taka knew his MANA TRANSFUSION skill allowed him to transfer mana to a minion at a much more efficient rate than Deon realized, but Taka decided to keep it to himself for now. He would have time to experiment later. Taka's eyes wandered over to the goblin corpses, a dark thought forming in his mind. Deon followed his gaze.
"Don't try. Reanimation and necromancy are an entirely other kind of magic, part of ancient magic that has been lost to time. Blood magic is rumored to have spells related to raising the dead, but pouring your raw mana into those corpses will only tire you out."
Taka relaxed. Although he had the thought of making the goblin corpses his minions, he was somewhat relieved that he wouldn't have to encounter any undead creatures.
"Now, regarding your earth conjuration..."
----------------------------------------
Taka had managed to kill 2 goblins himself on the trek to the Fire Bear's den. It was just a matter of creating the right shape to be able to pierce the goblins' skin and releasing the right amount of mana in the precise direction he needed to shoot his rock spike at. Deon seemed impressed by Taka's quick progress, but Taka felt cold. Taking the life of another breathing creature didn't feel right in his bones, but he did it anyway.
Taka could sense the Fire Bear from within the den. When he focused his eyes, he was able to see the creature's magical aura escaping the cave-like smoke. Its aura was red, just how he'd imagined the energy from a creature called a "Fire Bear" to be. Taka could tell that it was strong, and that it knew how to fight.
"Follow the plan," Deon said. "Use your Divine Arts if you can, then hit it with earth conjurations. I will be watching from here."
Taka nodded, then floated the flower pot higher in the air, and approached the Fire Bear's den. Taka was shaking with anticipation -- he was terrified, but compared to his first encounter with the bird and Zirko's attack, Taka felt prepared. He floated his flower pot higher in the air, about 10 meters above the den.
Taka closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply, trying to sense the magic energy around him. He felt the aura emanating from the Fire Bear and in his mind, followed the energy down deeper into the den to the source. The Fire Bear was eating the corpse of a deer-like creature with wings, its teeth a bloody mess. Just follow the plan, Taka told himself. Taka activated CHARM on the creature.
Warning: Skill: CHARM ineffective on target.
Goddammit, Taka thought to himself. He knew this could happen, but he still wished he knew the threshold, or the variables considered, that determined the effectiveness of his CHARM skill. He took a deep breath and activated his FEAR skill, then, through Deon's ears, heard the Fire Bear roar.
The creature bolted out of the den and sprang upright in front of the entrance before Taka had a chance to reposition. On its hind legs, it was easily 3, closer to 4, meters tall, and broader than he ever imagined a bear could be. The Fire Bear let out another roar, and then looked up toward Taka.
Oh shi--
The Fire Bear exhaled flames directly toward Taka. He sent the flower pot soaring away from the flames, almost falling out of the pot and sending the Lily Minion flying over the edge in the direction of Deon. Taka found his balance, panting, and steadied his flower pot.
The Fire Bear was seething in rage, Taka's FEAR skill only seemed to make it angry. Taka slowed his breathing and focused his mana, then conjured an earth spike, bigger than a basketball this time, and shot it right toward the Fire Bear's head.
The Fire Bear stumbled back as the spike impaled its left eye, wailing in pain and confusion. It fell backward into the entrance of its den, its body sticking out but its head now semi-protected.
Taka's eyes darted around. He couldn't take a clear shot with earth magic from his current position, and there weren't any trees close enough to the bear for him to manipulate and use... so he sent his senses searching in the dirt above the den. Taka felt his heart pounding almost out of his chest as the Fire Bear began to rise, and then he found it -- he focused as much energy as he could and infused it into a root in the dirt above the den, and then shook it around.
As the earth above the den began to shift, he concentrated psychic energy in his head, focused on the root that was full of raw mana, and used telekinesis to pull it downward in a swooping motion. In an instant, the den collapsed in on itself, leaving the right leg of the Fire Bear twitching, still exposed to the air.
Taka's flower pot began to sway in the air, and he lowered himself toward the ground. Deon caught the pot as Taka's eyes blurred in and out of focus and spun the pot to face Taka.
"Stellar work, Sir Filo."