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Threads of Power
Chapter 6 - Illuminated Paths

Chapter 6 - Illuminated Paths

Over the course of the last hour, Gabe had learned more about magic than he had during the rest of his life. Whole new avenues of spellcraft had been revealed to him and Gabe felt that he was finally beginning to understand how all the pieces fit together. There was still one large gap in his knowledge however, the one piece of knowledge he’d been seeking for most of his life. The answers he’d been given so far only made him that much more desperate to learn the rest.

“What do you mean Professor? Is the knowledge of how to become a Knotted wizard the payment for the job you need me to do? Because if so, I accept. Even if you want me to go deep within the tunnel system by myself I’d still accept.”

“I admire your desire for answers and your willingness to face great adversity in the pursuit of knowledge, however I would caution you from making such open-ended promises in the future. It is always better to hear all the details before committing oneself. There are spells that can bind a person to their oaths, often with nasty consequences when broken. However, such measures are unnecessary in our present situation. I will share this information with you freely, as I have so far.”

Gabe was both relieved and chagrined at Professor Alrik’s words. He had been so caught up in everything that had happened today, he had spoken without thinking. The gnome either didn’t notice or, more likely, chose to ignore Gabe’s embarrassment as he continued speaking.

“As I am sure you are aware, there are 10 nodes located within the spirit of every sapient creature. Raw, wild mana can be filtered through these nodes to produce the 10 prime mana types: fire, water, earth, air, light, dark, life, death, mental, and physical. The title Knotted is given to any wizard who has been able to create a new node within their spirit that allows them to combine the prime mana types into something new. This can be done using two different nodes or by combining two threads from the same node to create a stronger variant of that mana type.“

Gabe was shocked at the simplicity of what Professor Alrik had told him, certainly there had to be something more. Professor Alrik may have provided more context, but the core of what he said was something Gabe already knew. The only information he had been able to gain about Knotted wizards was their ability to cast magic from outside of the base 10 types. Had he really practically known the secret all this time and just not realize it?

“Is that it Professor? That seems, well, I mean I kinda already knew that. Not necessarily that Knotted wizards create a new node for themselves, but even a farmer could tell you that they’re able to cast spells no one else can. It can’t be this simple, can it?”

“Just because something is simple, does not mean it is also easy. And the truth is that many of the highlords and archmages of the Lochian Empire purposefully try to create an extra air of mystery around themselves to appear grander than they are. In other nations, it is simply a mark of advancement, similar to the transition from apprentice to journeyman. The process of making a compound node requires a great amount of effort and it is not something to be done without proper training. If you make a mistake when casting a spell, you risk the spell backfiring and possibly exploding in your face. If you make a mistake when forming a compound node, you risk damaging your soul and potentially blocking your access to your prime mana nodes.”

That last comment brought Gabe up short. While he always figured that becoming a Knotted wizard would be an arduous process, he had never considered that attempting it could damage his very soul. How much more power could these compound nodes generate to be worth the risk?

“Professor, is it worth it? Becoming a Knotted wizard has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, but now I’m not sure I want to risk my soul being damaged. Is that even something you can recover from?”

Professor Alrik’s eyes went distant for a moment and his ever present smile drooped slightly at the edges. When he returned his focus back to Gabe, there was a hint of sadness that tinged his gray eyes.

“My dear Gabriel, life is full of dangers regardless if the path one takes is magical or mundane. Soul damage is not something to be taken lightly. Recovery is possible, but that is an even more difficult path than forming a compound node. Those of us who pursue the secrets of the arcane do so with knowledge that we walk a thin line between power and suffering. However, with the proper guidance and teaching, advancing to the next stage of your magic can be done with relative safety.”

Though his concerns weren’t totally assuaged, Gabe felt a slight bit of relief at Professor Alrik’s words. For a brief moment, Gabe had worried that he would have to give up on his dream of advancing his magic. No amount of power was worth damaging his soul, but if he understood what the professor was telling him, the process was only dangerous if one attempted it recklessly. Unfortunately for Gabe, he realized that that probably meant it was not something he should attempt on his own. He needed someone to guide him through the process. Luckily for him, he had someone who could help right in front of him. Now it was time to see if he was willing to, and what it would cost.

“I appreciate you sharing with me as much as you have Professor. If this has been all part of the lead up to your sales pitch, consider me hooked. I think it’s time to get to business and talk about the job you want to hire me for.”

Professor gave one of his small chuckles in reply before taking another sip of his tea and nodding his head. “I assure you Gabriel, all the knowledge I have shared with you thus far was freely given with no strings attached. It would delight me to no end to be able to answer all the questions you have, but alas pressing matters must be dealt with. I shared with you what I did so that you could better understand how it is I came to Aranthia and how I know what I do. Gabriel, if I told you that I myself was a Knotted wizard and that I had formed a compound node between my light and mental prime nodes, what would be your guess as to the compound mana type I have access to now?”

Gabe took a few moments to try to puzzle it out, but he didn’t get very far. He’d known a few people who could cast light spells, they were some of the more useful deeper in the tunnels, but mental spells were something he’d only heard about in stories. Mental magic varied from useful things such as telepathic communication to the outright terrifying mental dominance. He had no idea what would come from combining the two magics.

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“I’m sorry Professor, but I’m at a loss. What is it?”

“Do not fret Gabriel, mine is a more peculiar type of mana. Though I fear you may judge yourself harshly when you hear it. As befits a member of my organization, I formed the compound node of Illumination within my soul. This type of mana is excellent for shining light on hidden secrets and revealing the truth. Additionally, I was trained in the Postrian style of spellcasting with a focus on more esoteric interpretations of Illumination magic. To speak plainly Gabriel, I specialize in divination magic.”

This took Gabe by surprise. “Divination magic? You mean you can see the future?”

“Not quite as clearly as your question implies. I believe that true future-sight requires divination mana and no one in my organization has found the correct mana combinations to produce it yet. However, with illumination mana and a cleverly chanted spell, I can get glimpses. In recent weeks, these glimpses revealed to me three things most relevant to why I am sitting here before you. The first was of a great battle. The individuals fighting were blurry, however the weapons they wielded glowed with an intense inner light. To a piece, all were constructed with a silvery metal that was no ordinary steel and radiated magical power.”

“It’s spellsteel! Either someone discovers a cache of weapons made of the stuff, or someone figures out how to reforge the items that have already been discovered.”

“Those were my thoughts exactly. Whichever outcome proves true, these peaks will soon garner the attention of some of the most powerful wizards on the continent. So far they have been content with letting others explore the tunnels and collect what they view as simple novelties of a bygone age. But once the true potential of the metal is realized, specialized earth mages will be sent in to rip the mountains apart to uncover its treasure.”

Gabe was horrified by this thought. There’s no way someone could actually level the mountains, could they? The amount of destruction such actions would cause, it’s unthinkable.

“The second vision took me much longer to figure out its meaning. Before me sat several items made of spellsteel. Not the weapons from the previous vision, just the ordinary household items that are currently being found within the tunnels. But each item glowed with a unique light. It took much experimentation to unlock this secret, but fortunately such tasks are what illumination magic is designed for. My experimentation revealed that within some of the objects retrieved from the Dweller settlements was the faint remnants of mana. Now this in and of itself is not unusual, as I am sure you are aware that spellstell is a near perfect conductor of mana.”

Gabe nodded at this. This property of spellsteel was the main reason people still went into the tunnels to collect it. It was widely believed that once a method to reforge it was discovered, some of the most powerful magical weapons and armor anyone has seen in generations could be made from it. If the professor’s visions were anywhere close to accurate, it seems that such an outcome was no longer a possibility, but an inevitability.

“The curious part was that the mana left within these objects was not any of the prime mana types. To a piece, each contained a compound type with such a variety of the dozen I examined, I was only able to properly identify eight of them, and that is with having access to the Pathway’s library.”

“What does that mean Professor?” Gabe could tell that this was something consequential, but as he was still new to the idea of compound mana types he failed to grasp the full implications of what he’d been told.

“It means dear Gabriel, whoever these Dwellers were, they had a much better understanding of magic than we do today. One of the steps to make a compound node I did not mention before is that one must attune their soul to the node type they wish to create. However, as I implied when I spoke about divination mana, if one does not know the correct mix of mana types to generate the compound mana, it is nearly impossible to create a node. That these objects contain mana unknown to us suggests that the Dwellers had a much more robust understanding of mana than we currently do. "

Gabe still wasn't sure if he fully understood why it was such a big deal that the Dwellers could access mana types that currently were unknown. When he said as much to Professor Alrik, the old gnome took a moment to gather his thoughts before replying.

"The significance dear Gabriel is that this tells us the Dwellers were more than just some primitive peoples who lived in the mountains and happened upon a magical metal. My current hypothesis is that magical knowledge was much more freely dispensed in ancient times, but something occurred to cause the people we now refer to as the Dwellers to hide themselves within the mountains. Whatever this event was, it eventually caused the knowledge of certain compound mana types to be lost to us. However, my hope is that there is some record of the Dwellers history hidden within those tunnels. If we can figure out what caused them to go into hiding in the first place, perhaps we can prevent it from occurring again."

Professor Alrik took in a deep breath and Gabe began to feel a wave of apprehension come over him.

"Gabriel, I must tell you of my third vision as this one concerns you. I want you to know that if it were at all possible, I would have much preferred to leave you out of this mess. However I fear that your fate has been interwoven with what is to come."

"What do you mean by that Professor? What did you see in your vision?"

"I saw you Gabriel, and you were surrounded by hundreds of symbols. It took me a while to understand what those symbols were but I am certain of it now. Those symbols were representations of compound mana nodes." Professor Alrik pointed to the pattern stitched on his shirt. "This is the symbol for illumination mana. It is a simplified version of the pattern necessary to generate the node. Members of the Pathway wear such symbols on freely to showcase our dedication to sharing knowledge, however many people believe that we are fools for doing so. Too often when a wizard discovers a new compound node pattern, they keep it a secret to prevent others from sharing in their power. If my vision of you is correct Gabriel, you are the key to ushering in a new era of magic."

All Gabe could do was stare at Professor Alrik dumbfounded. There was no way Gabe could be the one to do all that. Sure he had big dreams, but he was just a simple man from a small village. And why was the professor staring at him with such sadness in his eyes? A sinking feeling began to settle in the pit of Gabe’s stomach.

"Professor, was there more to your vision? Something else you aren't telling me?"

The gnome looked into Gabe’s eyes for several long seconds before slowly nodding his head.

"It pains me to admit this, but I was not sure if I would tell you the rest. Call me a coward but I feared if you knew everything, you would refuse to help. But it would go against everything I believe in to lie, especially in a situation such as this. Just know Gabriel, that my visions are often more symbolic than literal. They come to pass in ways that differ slightly than what I see. Take solace in that fact, your fate is not sealed." He paused for a moment to gather himself and then looked directly into Gabe's eyes.

"Gabriel, in my vision you were surrounded by those symbols as I already mentioned. However you were also….. you were also bleeding from a hole in your chest. I believe you were dying."