by Edward Brody
Darion snickered. “As a mage, I want to see you reach a point where fighting with weapons is altogether unnecessary, but for now, I guess you should keep it, just in case. Try to use your magic whenever possible, and only use your sword if you have no other choice.”
“He should get a staff,” Eanos added.
“I agree,” Darion said with a nod. “A staff would help you tremendously.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I have no skill in staves. Why would that be any better than me carrying a sword?”
Darion rubbed his hands together as he began his explanation. “There are a couple reasons why. Right now, you have several offensive spells, but the closest thing to a defensive spell is your Fire Curtain, which is really more of an area offensive spell, depending on usage.”
“Your swordplay or running around like a dodo bird is your best defense,” Eanos added.
“Right,” Darion continued. “And until you have more spells, your best defense as a mage will be offense. But if you’re firing off continuous offensive spells, you’ll quickly run out of mana.”
Eanos stepped forward, pulled a straight, brown staff from his back and slammed the bottom of it on the ground in front of me. He tapped the small, shiny, white ball that was attached to its top. “On-cast abilities from staves cost no mana. A magic staff can essentially grant you another ranged attack with the only downside being the number of charges it holds.”
“Can’t I just find a sword with on-cast abilities?” I asked.
Darion chuckled. “Magic swords with ranged on-cast attacks aren’t nearly as common as they are in staves. And actual spells that require a weapon, such as your Arcane Slash, will drain your mana. A staff will ensure your maximum damage output from a distance.”
Eanos nodded in agreement. “You can still block with a staff, though close-range physical fighting with a staff will be difficult until you level up the skill. The idea, however, is to maximize your ranged damage and avoid physical combat whenever possible.”
“So, there’s no room for me to have a mixed magic and physical combat style?”
“Of course there is,” Darion said. “Once you’ve developed your magic more, it may be to your benefit to branch out and mix things up. But the objective here is to level your magic as quickly and safely as possible. With your low mana pool and limited spell options, a staff is your best bet. Otherwise you’ll be leveling your magic at half the speed.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t excited about switching to staves after investing so much time into swords.
Darion clapped his hands together. “Are we done here? Back to the tower?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there,” I said.
Both men nodded and reached for their runebooks. After a few seconds of channeling, Eanos, Darion, and Xandree were gone.
After checking my remaining, unbroken gear, I pulled out the rune that I had been given upon joining the Mages Guild. I concentrated on the inscription carved on its face, and in a brief flash, I found myself back in the Mage’s Hall.
Chapter Three
2/9/0001
My marked rune was set to the same room where Darion had performed the ceremony to swear me into the Mage’s Faction but had since been arranged to resemble a classroom setting. Eanos was already there, and Darion walked in shortly after. His rune was set to somewhere else in the tower.
“Go ahead and have a seat,” Darion said.
The room had been tidied up, and the desk had been moved closer to the center of the space. A few feet in front of the desk was a wooden stand with a large, rectangular slat of gray stone facing towards the desk. At the stone’s base rested a small, soft, black stone. It was Eden’s Gate’s best version of a chalk and chalkboard.
Eanos leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as Darion moved in front of the stone slat, and I plopped myself into the wooden chair behind the desk.
“Do you remember what we went over yesterday?” Darion asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
Darion cleared his throat.
I smirked a little at the sound. Darion was spotty about requiring formalities, but sometimes he seemed to remember them when we as teaching in the Mage’s Hall. “Yes, Master Darion.”
Darion gave a slight nod. “Spell effectiveness is amplified by what two factors?”
“Spells are amplified by my intelligence rating and my skill level in the branch or branches of magic associated with the spell.”
“And?” Darion asked.
“Certain magic items or status effects could have a direct effect on a spell’s effectiveness.”
“And what negates spell damage?”
“Magic resist,” I said.
“Right,” Darion said. “Magic resist will always dampen the effectiveness of a spell cast on you.”
“But…” Eanos stepped forward and raised a finger. “Don’t forget basic environmental obstructions. If you cast a Fireblast against someone’s armor, it may do slightly less damage than direct contact to their skin, regardless of if it that armor has bonus resistance to fire.”
I nodded slightly. “Seems like common sense.”
“Right,” Darion said. “And that’s what today’s lesson is about. The common-sense laws that govern Eden’s Gate.”
“Okay.” I nodded again and leaned forward in interest.
“Perhaps this is something you already know, but having a clear understanding will help you choose your spell casting wisely and maximize your effectiveness,” Darion explained.
“Your stats, which we can all calculate, are important—but only so much important,” Eanos said. “There’s another stat—an invisible talent, so to speak. Some may call it ‘wits’ or ‘cunning’ or maybe even ‘skill’, which also factors in on how much damage you give or receive.”
“Fire magic is weak against?” Darion suddenly asked, tilting his head.
“Water magic?” I answered as if questioning. It seemed like the obvious answer.
“And water magic is weak against?” he continued to quiz.
“Ummm…” I scratched the side of my head. The last time I recalled fighting against a water magic user was in Gramora, and the monsters there seemed particularly susceptible against fire. “Fire magic, I suppose.”
Darion chuckled. “Those were trick questions, but I suppose those were decent enough guesses.”
“The real answer is that it’s always situational,” Eanos explained. “If you were faced with an ice elemental—a summon under the water magic tree—it could easily be melted and destroyed by fire magic. But a water elemental would just as likely put out a spell like your Fire Curtain while taking little to no damage at all.”
“But as easily as a water elemental could dispel your fire,” Darion added, “if your fire is substantially stronger than the water magic being cast, it may just as easily turn a weak water elemental into a cloud of steamy air.”
I nodded in understanding but still wasn’t quite sure how to apply the information. “So how would I know which branch to use?”
“You must use your eyes to gauge the effectiveness of spells—and experience—as there isn’t always a guaranteed counter when it comes to magic. No branch is always weak against another, and each branch has spells that counter or are less and more powerful against spells in other branches.”
I creased my brow as I absorbed the information. “I think I get it.”
“So, who would win a battle between a mage specialized in divine magic and a mage specialized in earth magic, assuming both are equal level and have equal stats in all areas?” Eanos asked.
“It would depend on the spells that each mage has,” I answered.
Eanos raised a finger. “The spells are a major factor. But more importantly how and when they used those spells. Their personal experience and ability to adapt situationally is the other major factor that will determine the outcome.”
“Let’s get into weapons,” Darion said. “I believe you understand t
he basis of how normal weapon attack damage is determined?”
I nodded. “The level of the weapon skill being used, the stats that modify it, and the damage rating of the weapon.”
“Good,” Darion said. “The damage rating of a weapon only tells you its comparative rating in respect to other weapons and when performing a simple forward-facing attack against another forward-facing target. The actual damage output someone does will be modified by their strength and dexterity—depending on the weapon—their skill level in that type of weapon, and just like magic, their actual skill, wits, or whatever you want to call it.
“For example…” Darion turned and took a big step towards Eanos. He made a motion as if swinging an invisible sword towards his shoulder. “An attack on a less vulnerable area will always do less damage than—” Darion pulled the invisible sword back, then lunged it towards Eanos’ crotch. “—a more sensitive area.”
Eanos scowled and took a step back.
Darion smiled. “There’s also critical hits to account for and the fact that sometimes no stat or level advantage will save you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well,” Darion continued. “If you were level 1 or 2, you could still theoretically kill someone who is any number of levels ahead of you, under the right circumstances. Let’s say they are sleeping, and you seize their opportunity to slam a dagger in their throat. It would be death for some.”
Eanos snorted. “Theoretically. It’s possible you could kill a negligent level 100 that way. Anyone with sense would’ve invested points into willpower, allowing them to survive such an attack long enough to kill the attacker and heal themselves.”
“Many creatures in the wild don’t have a lot of sense.”
Eanos smirked. “Well, rational humans should.”
Darion nodded. “That’s true, and a reminder, Gunnar, to never neglect your less obvious stats.” He sighed and raised his eyebrows. “I’ve seen students in the past who’ve dumped all their stat points into intelligence and wisdom, thinking it would make them the most powerful mage in Eden’s Gate, only to find themselves being knocked unconscious from a hard punch or reeling on the ground from a little poison due to their lack of willpower.”
I immediately thought back to my first day in Eden’s Gate and how unbearable the pain had been.
Eanos laughed. “Remember Jasper Whitefall? Powerful spellcaster but was too weak to block anything with his staff, and too slow to dodge anyone’s attacks.”
Darion chuckled and flicked his hand towards Eanos. “Or remember the student who put no points into his vitality? He couldn’t survive a fight for more than a few minutes before he was winded.”
They both tilted their heads back and cackled.
Darion waved his hand in front of him, slowed his laughter to a halt, and turned back to me with a smile still glued to his face. “Anyway, the point is that intelligence and wisdom are your primary focus when dealing with magic, but you should never let any stats be neglected. Even Charisma serves a purpose.”
“Charisma? How so?” I raised my eyebrow curiously. I had assumed the stat would help me in the relationship department, or maybe get me some better prices when bargaining at a shop, but I was surprised to hear a master mage giving it some merit.
“The higher your Charisma, the more likely you are to avoid a fight altogether,” Eanos added. “Some people say that monsters are less likely to target you during group battles as well—which could be very beneficial for any caster.”
Darion bobbed his head a few times and his face turned serious. “And if a war is really coming, you’ll need people on your side. No matter how strong you become, you won’t be able to do everything on your own. The more charismatic you are, the more likely people are to help and believe in your cause.”
I straightened myself in my chair and looked over the two mages as I processed what I had learned. For the most part, I felt I had subconsciously known what they had been explaining already. Other than the tips Trainer had given me in the tutorial, the whole learning process in Eden’s Gate had come naturally and been somewhat self-explanatory.
If I had been playing a game back on Earth, I would’ve done exactly as Darion had described other students doing and dumped all my points into Intelligence and Wisdom to create the best magic build possible. Or if I were a fighter, I’d put everything in Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality, neglecting all my other skills. Because, well… That’s just how games were back on Earth. There were certain recipes that everyone had to follow from the very beginning or else they’d be ‘gimped’ as people would call it. So, everyone almost always had the same builds, depending on their class.
But Eden’s Gate had led me down a path that encouraged me to be situational—from the moment I picked up the dagger and learned backstab, all the way up ‘til now, where my emphasis was shifting towards becoming a mage. When it was obvious that I was being stunned by painful attacks, I sunk more points into Willpower, and I got stronger. When I was focusing on swords, more points had gone to Strength and Dexterity, and I got stronger.
I wondered if the special moments I had shared with Keysia would’ve ever happened had I left my Charisma at 10, or if the NPCS who had joined my guild would’ve been less likely to team up with me.
Whatever the case, hearing it spelled out affirmed how far Dr. Winston had developed Eden’s Gate into being more ‘world’ than just a simple game. But it made me wonder how he managed to keep everything balanced in a world where water and ice magic were part of the same branch, where fire melted ice, but water extinguished fire, but fire could also turn the water into steam. Branches of magic could be combined to perform special spells, and every branch of magic had a chance to overpower the other. Every stat mattered, no matter what “class” or specialty was chosen, and you were encouraged to just… be yourself.
It all made sense, of course. But how did Dr. Winston balance it all?
Or was it even balanced?
Maybe the simple fact that there were no limitations made it balanced?
I smiled internally, knowing that Dr. Winston probably didn’t want me to know. If he were sitting there with me right then, he would’ve probably said something like, “In a perfect world, you have to always have some sense of uncertainty or else there’ll never be a sense of excitement.”
Darion sauntered to wall and pulled a book from one of the shelves. He flipped it open as he started walking back towards me. “I think we’ll have you read this passage regarding the difference between spell types in chapter—”
The door suddenly swung open, and a young, lanky man stepped inside. He had long, silvery hair that fell down just past his shoulders and wore a dark blue mage’s robe with a green belt cinched around his waist. His eyes were light blue, his skin was pale, and his face was smooth like a baby’s bottom. He had a feminine air to him that may have led me to question whether he was male or female if it weren’t for his voice.
“My apologies for the interruption,” the man said with a slight bow of the head. He looked up and smiled brightly. “The journey was a success, Master Darion!”
Darion closed the book he was holding and returned a wider smile. “Welcome back, Liam.”
Chapter Four
2/9/0001
“You’ve been gone a few days. I was beginning to worry,” Darion said.
Liam nodded again. “The location was practically at the end of the Omnicron’s map, so it took some time to get there. It turned out to be a massive borehole filled with kobolds. It took a couple visits to clear the higher levels and make it to their leader.”
“Find anything of note?” Darion asked.
“A spell book, which I’ve donated to the guild, a legendary ring with a magic amplification effect and a pretty substantial boost to my poison resistance. A few more magic items, but everything else will go to sale.”
Darion stepped forward and placed hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Great job, as usual.”
&nb
sp; Liam grinned proudly, then his eyes shifted towards Eanos as if he were just noticing him for the first time. “A guest?”
“Ahh, yes,” Darion said. “This is Master Eanos, a—”
“Master?” Liam asked as he creased his brow. “He’s not wearing a belt of the guild.”
“A former master,” Eanos corrected.
Darion cleared his throat. “Eanos is a former master of the Mages Guild, but for all intents and purposes, consider him a master for now, as he’s helping me with teaching for now.”
Liam’s lips were set in a hard line. “Eanos? I’ve heard that name before…”
“As I said, he’s a former member of the guild,” Darion reiterated. “And this is our newest member.” He turned and motioned his hand towards me. “Liam, this is my new student, Gunnar. Gunnar, this is Liam.”
Liam’s eyes darted to me then back to Darion. “A new student? You’ve turned down several others who wanted to train under you before.”
Darion nodded. “Gunnar, I believe, will be worthy of my time. Eanos’ time as well.”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why is a second master needed to—?“
Darion raised his hand towards Liam. “Relax, Liam. It’ll all make sense in time. For now, just accept that you have a new peer. In fact, I’d like for you to both train and spend time together. It’ll help accelerate both your growths.”
“But he’s a green belt!” Liam protested.
“As are you,” Darion said.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m ready to trial for my yellow belt now!”
Darion raised his eyebrow and peered at Liam curiously. “Are you now? He placed his thumb and index finger on his chin and scanned Liam up and down. “Soon… but for now, I want you to train with Gunnar. I’d prefer for you to trial together, and he’ll be ready for a yellow belt in no time. His magic training is already far ahead of most new recruits.”
Liam clenched his teeth, and he was visibly fighting to keep his face softer than whatever he was internalizing. He turned his head slightly and stared at me with a tinge of anger in his eyes.
