Chapter 14.5 - The Studying
I looked at misty dome above me and tried to decide what to do.
-’ Should I learn standard system? It seems like it is rather efficient… ‘, I thought despite already knowing answer to my dilemma.
-’ There is no way in hell that I will pass on knowing what other systems are out there. Its likely that I will not have time to learn how to use magic today, but I am damn sure to know what I am going to make them teach me! ‘.
-” I am sorry for my excessive explanation. I did not want to bother you with all the details, but it seems that I wasn’t able to contain myself. Please do excuse me, Miss Audentia “, Sylthfran’s calm exterior radiated distraught and embarrassment, making me want to hug him.
I quickly ignored the feeling and said:
-” No need for apology, quite the opposite actually. Thank you for your kind explanation. Could you also explain other spellcasting systems? I do find the subject wildly interesting, Master Sylthfran “, I focused on the subject and wished that fluttery feelings would subside.
-” As much as I would like to fulfill your request I am afraid that I cannot. Since this is a practical spellcasting lesson I have to teach you practical applications of magic.. “. he said apologetically, but I interrupted him as he made slight pause.
-” Could you then tell me, Master Sylthfran, how are you going to teach me, since I have not yet decided which spellcasting way to pursue? “, I said vehemently, steel in my voice.
-’ I shall not budge, especially after seeing Raghnall’s condescending teaching habits ‘, this change of pace made me really happy, especially since butterflies in my chest seemed to die off at sight of my intransigence.
Sylthfran seemed surprised by my words, but his expression remained calm. Though as it turned out I was not the only one bearing surprises.
Suddenly his easy to read and tranquil demeanor vanished, turning his open calmness into unreadable impassiveness.
-” I have to admit that it’s a valid point , Novice Audentia. One which needs careful consideration. I advise that you have a discussion with Headmistress and ask about the possibility of pursuing Advanced Curriculum. You may add that you have my support in that endeavor. That’s all for today’s class, Novice. You may take your leave, “, his coldly calm and formal words shocked me.
Illusion that clouded my eyes was dispelled by his sudden change. Once again I was made aware that I should not make assumptions lightly. The boy before me might look like innocence incarnate, but in front of me was standing an imposing presence which could not be taken lightly. I realized that I know nothing about him.
-’ How could I underestimate such a pivotal character? ‘, I was asking myself in exasperation, chastising myself for being lulled by the peaceful atmosphere.
-” I understand, Master Sylthfran. As you have advised, I will speak with the Headmistress. Also, thank you for your support “, I responded and gave him curtsey bow for farewell.
Suddenly his calm and caring manner was back.
-” Miss Audentia..”, I turned back at those words.
-” Yes, Master Sylthfran? “, I asked and felt fluttering sensation coming back…
-” Please visit the infirmary, it would be unwise to leave your hands untreated. I do hope that I will be able to teach you, without constraints, in the future “, his serene voice bearing a speck of care and fact that I had been seen through, sent my mind into chaos.
I was elated by his attention and shocked by his insight. That combination, coupled with strange tingly feeling I had…
I squinted my eyes and felt my knees weaken as sudden conclusion struck me.
-’ Noo… ‘, I sighed and tiredly exclaimed in my thoughts.
-’ ...way. So those are the famed feelings of adolescence… ‘, if not for my vow from before and things that I managed to endure thus far I would probably quit at that very spot.
[ Vow from chapter two~ ]
Instead I mused:
-’ I am not sure whether I should hug the developer who thought up and implemented this much detail, or gut him and watch him die horribly...preferably few times ‘.
-’ I can always do both ‘, I concluded finally, my attention back to what I was doing…
I wasn’t surprised that I was back inside academy.
-’ It seems that my habit of doing stuff without thinking resurfaced ‘, I shrugged and started thinking about what I was going to do next.
-’ Anyway, I want to learn more about spellcasting and luckily I have a cooperative teacher to ask ‘, wicked smile twisted my lips at the thought.
-” Clothilde, I wish to meet with Professor Raghnall at the earliest. Could you make necessary arrangements? “, I was grateful for Maids presence as I had no idea how to arrange such a meeting.
-” As you wish , Milady. Ollie and Livia will escort you in my stead. Could you please retire to the infirmary for the time being? I will notify you as soon as meeting is arranged “, she said formally and made a bow to excuse herself.
I squinted my eyes as I watched Head Maid’s silhouette moving away from me. I was sure that arranging the meeting would take exactly as much time as was required for treatment of my hands to finish...
I was escorted to the infirmary, where green robed healer examined my hands. I noticed that healer was giving me strange looks as he was asking about how I was feeling.
-’ Heh, it seems that NPCs do not know that Adventurers feel only 20% of the usual pain. Not that he knew that I was one... ‘, at that thought I realized that I was actually rather fortunate. I dreaded to think in how much pain I would be if I was feeling full burn of it…
Glowing ointment was applied and burning pain I was feeling thus far subsided.
Maids helped me put on the gloves, when Clothilde returned.
Clothilde bowed and said respectfully:
-” Milady, I have arranged your meeting with Professor Raghnall. He is currently waiting in one of the classrooms, I do hope that you are well enough to attend “.
-” Thank you, Head Maid. I am really pleased with your service.. “, I said trying to relay my gratitude for her help thus far.
-” I am here to serve, Milady “, she said dutifully and bowed. I was unhappy because I was not able to establish any kind of link with Head Maid, but I sighed and let it go...for now.
I gave my thanks and farewells to the healer, then left. Soon, I arrived on the third floor. I was standing in front of the doors to the lecture hall. I casually walked inside and was greeted by the sight of Professor Raghnall, in all of his wizardly wizened glory. He was sitting extravagantly behind the desk.
-” Khem, Greetings, Audentia. *cough* What have I done to deserve such, khem, sudden meeting? “, he was playing me for a fool so heavily that it was painful to watch, so I decided to reciprocate.
-” I do wonder what might have been my motive in organizing such a meeting... “, I said slowly as I moved to the first row of benches directly in front of him. I side-sat on one, bending forward to lay on a desk with my head propped on my crossed arms.
He sighed and said in defeated voice:
-” Khem, hrgh, I understand...what do you want to know? “.
I straightened myself and said calmly:
-” I am glad that we understand ourselves Professor Raghnell. I have two questions for now - a short and a long one… “.
He made a gesture urging me to continue.
-” I would like to know more about Master Sylthfran.. “, I said and was interrupted by his screechy chuckle.
-” You are not the first child, but give up on this silliness… “, he was barely able to say this much before exploding into laughter.
-” Khehe hehe that’s the first khe… “, I waited calmly until his outburst subsided.
I said in deadpan voice as he wiped his tears away:
-” I am glad that you find my question so amusing, could you now tell me who he is? He does not seem as your average teacher.. “, my words drained away Raghnell’s mirth.
-” Ah, because he is not the teacher “, he said in suddenly heavy atmosphere.
I gave him a wave to elaborate so he continued:
-” He is this country’s War Mage...actually I shouldn’t be saying anything about it, but with your connections...it doesn’t matter. Anyway, as I was saying he is the youngest War Mage around, passing the trials and then fulfilling his first task being barely twelve years old! “, Raghnall seemed very excited out of the sudden.
-’ Who would have guessed that the old guy got a soft spot for gossip? Not that I am complaining ‘.
-” How does one become War Mage? “, I asked curious about what exactly we are talking about.
-” Hmmhhm, that’s dead easy...with dead bearing most of the importance here. Khehehe. You just must prove that you have sufficient control of the arcane and get hired as one “, somehow I got very creepy vibe coming from the Professor.
-” Somehow I do not think that its just this simple..”, I said dubiously.
I could not stop myself from feeling disgusted at the sight of Professor, he radiated creepy kind of sick mirth I could not comprehend entirely.
-” Oh, its quite simple my child, Imagine all those straight faced nobles during Subjugation of Herima three years ago… “, he began slowly and playfully.
-” All of them ready to engage in honorable combat, to settle some unimportant slight on the honor of each other. With a bit of pillage to spice things up... “, I could feel his elation at slowly breaking this story to me, but I had to admit that I was intrigued.
-” Imagine surprise on the face of the lord Tibald as he arrived a bit late to the predetermined spot… Instead of neatly arranged, colorful ranks of his rival’s forces his army found something quite different… “, He made meaningful pause watching at me closely to determine my reaction.
-” Misshapen battlefield, ridden with craters, spots of earth scorched to crystal, columns of sparkling ice and bodies...great many of them - ripped apart, burned, crushed, encased in ice, skewered by earthen pillars...the recounts went on and on… “, as he delved into gory details he seemed to lose his mirth and his expression became darker.
-” Khem, anyway among the field they found a lone boy, who seemed to be the only survivor, but he was not... Khehehe guess who has become the youngest War Mage back then? One that bore no expression after slaughtering a thousand men? I still can’t stop from laughing at fools who try to get close to that monster “, I was still a bit surprised by the conclusion of the story despite knowing where it was going from the beginning.
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I was wondering about some aspects of the story, so I asked:
-” How come he is so powerful, shouldn’t that army have their own mages and be able to defend from magic attacks? “.
-” Pah, they call him a genius, but I only see a monster! His skill at magical combat is inhuman, I tell you. Anyway, I still do not understand what the Headmistress was thinking by letting him come here “, he said passionately and I confirmed my suspicion of his jealousy.
-” What do you mean, did he request to come here? “, I asked surprised.
-” Yes, that damn monster actually said that he wanted to see our academy as he ‘found our mages lacking’ and then, bah!, went on and said that he is going to teach them correctly! “, He said and I could easily tell where all his hate came from…
-’ Hmm, even I do find your methods lacking and I do not even know how to cast a single spell yet...’.
Raghnall was in full on rambling rampage:
-” And everyone is treating him like he is some embodiment of heavenly grace or something...but I know that he is just a monster! “.
-’ I am quite sure that you do not give damn about what happened three years ago... Jealous prick ‘, I concluded, but had not spoken a word - I didn’t want to antagonise him at that point.
Also, I had a decent idea how to manipulate him into giving me nice explanation that I wanted.
-” I see, well I had a bit of quarrel with him today… “, I said calmly, interjecting neatly into his ramble.
-” What?! “, his expression clearly showed that he took a bait.
-” I wanted him to explain different casting systems to me, but he couldn’t do it. Therefore I
organised the meeting with you, I knew that you would be able to explain them properly and also maybe shed some light on his unsettling character “, I said neatly.
My throat should be bleeding raw from all the falsehoods I had given him, but I felt energized instead.
-’ This is much more satisfying than role playing an Evil Mastermind that convinced the Team to kill the Good Guys ‘.
His expression turned to one of elation and he gave me his best explanation of magic systems. Without kheming and coughing, I had to admit that, he was very good at it.
[ -” Here’s transcript of what Almisha has learned, I decided that this is much more efficient way of handing it to you and if you don’t want it...just skip ahead to next chapter… “ ]
Casting systems can be split into two general categories:
Origin Systems - rely on direct manipulation of transformed aether to achieve effects. Yes, origin systems rarely have the spell matrix and therefore rely on creating magical phenomena out of thin air and do not cast actual spells. They usually are intuitive and subjective, which makes them hard to teach.
Core Systems - have a spell matrix which is infused by aether to create, hold and unleash power in the controlled way - that’s what usually is being referred to as spell. Core systems are easier to teach as they are usually codified and aether infusion process, while still subjective, leads to the same effects in the shape of spell matrix.
Melding Systems - is actually a sub division of core systems which uses spell matrix to produce parts of the spell composition and then the rest is assembled by the caster using some sort of Origin system.
TL, DR Origin systems do not have Spell Matrix, they work on the energies directly
Channeling - Origin System
Pros:
Easy to learn
Spell Casting Speed: Spontaneous
Unlimited Power Throughput^
Moderately Adaptable
Cons:
Hard to control
Low cost effectiveness^
Susceptible to magic inhibition*
Imprecise
Volatile
Oldest known casting system, now mainly used by savage orcish tribes and barbarians. Its rarely learned by mages due to its low cost effectiveness and high susceptibility to magic inhibition. In recent centuries it has been implemented into War Magic due to advent of new Power Gathering techniques.
To use Channeling mage shapes his aether directly into displays of pure force, usually those energies have low cohesion ratio and are easily diverted by magic inhibitors. One needs to remember that skillful Channeler is able to counteract that limitation by shaping the aether into more cohesive form. Since Channeling has no spell form it has almost unlimited potential as to how much power can be used to achieve effect, that actually makes highly powered effects quite potent and cost effective. Due to its unstructured nature Channeling is wild and unpredictable.
Quote:
*Crackling lightning*
“And now young jed* you shall die...“
Invocation - Core System
Pros:
Efficient during Overcasting
Highly Adaptable^
Capable of extreme precision^
Spell Casting Speed: High*
Moderately high automation
Cons:
Time consuming to Learn and Master
Adaptability and precision reliant solely on skill of the spellcaster^
Spell casting speed vary greatly*
Metamagic Words do not always assemble seamlessly creating problems for less experienced Invokers
Advanced Core system which relies on learning Metamagic Words and piecing them together - Words are typically hard coded reflexes of channeling aether into specific forms ( like fire, ball, fly forth 50 paces etc ) - to create spells ( like fireball - though that one also has explode and few other meta words added ).
Invocation is usually learned by full time mages who commit great deal of time to hone their craft, they are rewarded by adaptable spell system that is able to produce reliable effects quickly.
QUOTE: “Unfortunately magic is a lot like singing, or martial arts, even if you know what to do and how to do it, your body has to be trained over a long period of time to actually not suck.”
Weaving - Origin System
Pros:
Spell Casting Speed: Moderate
Highly Adaptable
High Automation
Cons:
Hard to learn
Complicated: Time consuming to learn
Limited Strength
System of Weaving aether into strands of power, final effect is depended on how the energies interact with each other - each particular weave could be considered a spell. This system does not use spell matrix but its function is fulfilled through shape in which energies are assembled.
It was created as improvement on Channeling System, countering most of its flaws. Unfortunately power that can pass through weaves is limited due to structural strength of each particular formation, bottlenecking intensity of the spell. There are high throughput weaves but they tend to be warfare aspected and limited in utility.
QUOTE: “ If you don't know everything, you must go on with what you do know ”
Evocation - Core System
Pros:
Easy to use and Learn
Moderately High Casting Speed
Cost Effective
Precise
Power Boost ( Keyphrase up to +25% Power)
Cons:
Requires Spell Glyph ( which is hard to invent)
Low Adaptability ( spell effects are predetermined, and glyphs have small amount of variables. )
No way to spontaneously achieve effects
Power Cap - spells have predetermined power/cost ratio. Overcasting is possible but efficiency and sometimes precision are lost
Optional Verbal Component heavily weighing on efficiency
-” Commonly used system is by far the easiest to learn. Its called Evocation and It is based on metamagical formulas derived from mathematical principles. To cast a spell one needs to know glyph of the formula and associated keyword which usually takes a form of a chant. Glyph is graphical derivation of magical equation that needs to be remembered, during casting one needs to imagine the shape and fill it with colors appropriately. I am aware that this was crude comparison, but it was very fitting, so please bear with it. Once Glyph is assembled one needs to provide the keyword and it will unleash the effect. Actual keyword need not be spoken aloud, but due to additional power transferred during activation it can boost effectiveness of the spell by up to 25% “
-” Evocative system requires spell glyph formula, which is considerably difficult and complex to create. Spellcrafters are widely respected and well paid specialists. I have seen certain spells bought and sold for small fortunes. Apart from that downside, Evocation is characterised by its low casting time, low complexity and high automation, which makes spells easy to replicate or teach. Additional downside is in the spell glyph itself - low amount of variation is prevalent, as including wide array of variables into a glyph is exceedingly difficult “,
QUOTE: " Got it, I will get them extra crispy with my new spell "
QUOTE2: “ Everyone who want’s to talk to Elmi****r gets a Fireball...if he survives he may talk to Elmi****r “
======================
Hey~, Author's here~
Somehow I managed to publish this chapter today (if 3 AM is today...), it took me a while to get to writting and I had distractions....and tommorow too so I will probably post next chapter in 2-3 days.
Please let me know how you feel about the way I decided on showcasing the lore, I feel that it is much more decent than just talking it out with sylthfran...
Also, for all those who voted no - theres no more hard packed lore I want to push on you in nearest future so rest assured.
As always comments about how you feel about the chapter are greately appreciated
Cheers,
Mea
PS There’s few more systems, but they were not included in the Raghnell’s explanation...and they are mainly melding ones so you should be able to figure them out anyway
NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 15 - Blair's Arc ( Special )
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