The true danger of Ferrum only really started to sink in at that moment. I was aware - conceptually - that Ferrum was filled with dangerous creatures that would kill you without a second thought. In the game, walking through a forest would usually result in a dozen dead monsters. In practice, however, I had spent nearly the last ten years in the peaceful environment of Sableton. My life had been almost entirely isolated from the danger of the outside world, and that had made me forget that Ferrum was, at its core, an MMO. It was built, fundamentally, on a foundation of violence.
“Monsters are really that bad, huh?” I said with a tone of concern in my voice.
“Yeah,” Beltane said. He clearly did not want to linger on his experiences with the monsters of Ferrum any longer.
“In my experience, learning new [Spells] has been really difficult. Is there any way to speed up the process?” In an attempt to change the subject of conversation, I asked a question that had been on my mind ever since Beltane had mentioned it.
“Oh, yeah,” Beltane said. “Certain Traits lower the amount of time required to learn a new [Spell], and you can learn [Spells] instantly if you have enough [Experience].”
Beltane was giving me a post hoc justification for the RPG system at the core of Ferrum. Because [Ferrum Online] was a video game, the creators had to tie a Mage’s magical advancement to killing monsters. You couldn’t reach max level in [Ferrum Online] by just reading books and practicing spells at the Magic Academy; you had to go out and complete quests.
“I assume a mage would have to kill monsters in order to gain [Experience],” I said. “Do you know why that is?” I wanted to hear how people in the world of Ferrum justified this game element in-universe.
Beltane frowned. “No one’s entirely sure why practicing magic in stressful situations and gaining [Experience] makes you learn spells faster. Some suspect that gaining [Experience] is akin to exercising your brain, thus making it more able to withstand the minor trauma of learning a new spell. In your case, you’ll be able to learn spells 30% faster, and you’d gain [Experience] from healing people.
He was referring to my second Trait, [Intelligent]. I was unaware that Traits could be perceived via [Observe], but Beltane had managed it.
The [Intelligent] Trait grants its benefactor a 30% increase on anything involving the Intelligence stat. Mana reserve, mana conductivity, and spell acquisition speed are all increased by 30%. [Intelligent] is a greater version of the [Quick] Trait and a lesser version of the [Genius] Trait.
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At character creation, the players were given eight points to put into Talents and Traits. NPCs were generally created with less attribute points, and I knew that Thale was created with six attribute points. I knew that [Intelligent] was worth +3, [Sickly] was worth -4, [Hellfire] was worth +5, and [Observe] was worth +2.
I really was the pinnacle of the “glass cannon.” Ten attribute points had been committed solely to making me as great a mage as possible, but it came with a steep downside. Any amount of physical activity sapped my energy. Walking up a flight of stairs would nearly kill me. By all accounts, I should have been quarantined in Feldrast Manor, and I was only barely able to maintain my current level of activity with healing magic.
“Anyway,” Beltane said after I spent thirty seconds deep in thought. “Let’s get to our first lesson: the [Shield] spell.”
“Great!” I said. My voice carried a child’s excitement for the first time in a while.
“The concept is simple, but the execution is complicated, like all magic,” Beltane began. “You just mentally reach out and grab the fabric of reality. When you pull on this ‘fabric,’ it hardens in response, creating an impenetrable barrier.”
I had never heard the [Shield] [Spell] described that way. It was used in the game to create an instantaneous effect that negated a single attack. The specifics of its function were previously unknown to me, but I knew that basically every war mage in Ferrum knew the spell.
“You cast it like this.” With his palm outward, Beltane pointed an outstretched hand away from me. “I don’t typically use the incantation for this spell. Please excuse me if my delivery isn’t perfect.”
After taking a moment to prepare himself, Beltane chanted a single word in the Ancient tongue, “Scutum!”
An opaque, circular wall formed in the space in front of Beltane. After an instant of existence, it morphed into a concave, lens-like shape. Looking at the shield, it was only natural to describe it as a shield that had been formed out of space itself.
“Now, the Shield cannot be moved once it is created. In a battle, there’s no reason to keep it up for longer than a second. Summon the shield, block the attack, drop concentration. That’s how this spell is meant to be utilized.”
I clapped my hands in appreciation of the display I had just seen, and Beltane gave a deep bow with a broad smile on his face.
“You said you don’t usually use the incantation,” I said. “How do you bypass it?”
“Right, that,” Beltane said, stroking his beard. “You see, the Expression of the spell doesn’t necessarily need to be verbal. It can also be written. I’m not carrying all this stuff around for my health, you know. Incantations are carved on every square centimeter of my staff and wand. As long as I’m in physical contact with the wand, I can use the engraved words as my [Spell’s] Expression rather than have to use an incantation.”
Beltane continued. “I’ve inscribed ᚮᚧᚶᛞᚯᛟᚪ (scutum) on my bracelet. Observe.”
He held his right wrist out as if he was presenting his bracelet. The runes inscribed on his silver bracelet began to glow a bright silver, and an opaque shield once again appeared before him.
“This is called a shield bracelet,” Beltane said a moment after he dropped the shield. “If you want to survive as a mage for long, you’re going to need one.”