by Sean Oswald
Looking at the book, her mind automatically started to categorize the new spells by school of magic. It did things like that now without her even trying. She saw two Essence Magic spells: Life Salve and Abolish Disease. Three for Abjuration: Totem of Defense, Elemental Malaise, and Quell Energy. Evocation only had one spell: Frost Rift while Charm had a pair: Charm of the Snake and Aura of Sleepwalking. Shaping Magic had four with Diminutive Shrink, Alacrity, Spirit of the Ox, and Immobilize. Besides the one evocation spell, the school Mira was most interested in, at least as far as the spells in this book, was Conjuration Magic with: Spirit Pouch, Venom of the Snake, and Guardian Shadow Wolf.
That only left Imbue Gem, but the book listed its school of magic as two different schools, neither of which was one of the seven schools she had been told about. The description said it was Enchantment and MetaMagic. Enchantment she sort of understood. Even if she hadn’t been told that there was a school of spells for enchanting, it still made sense to her as she had learned that mana was used extensively in the process of creating enchantments, whether that be a spell like the other schools or a crafting skill. The one she had trouble wrapping her head around was the idea of Meta-Magic as a school of spells. That was her very first class,–if it was a school of spells, wouldn’t she have been given access to it?
It left her feeling like she didn’t know half as much as she had thought that she knew. She didn’t like that feeling. She was supposed to be the smartest person around now. She was the brain who could figure out anything. That was the new identity which she had started carving out for herself. Still, if there was a school of spells specifically related to her class, then it was something she wanted to know about. Originally, she hadn’t even been interested in this spell, yet now she was wondering how she could have missed it before. It made her wonder what else she had missed.
She turned that question inward, and as she looked at her character sheet, her eyes lingered on Quicken Spell, Steal Spell, and Shape Spell. They are all skills rather than spells, but they clearly had no purpose other than to affect spells. So far, she was the only one who had access to Steal Spell and Shape Spell, but both of her parents had Quicken Spell. That meant that those skills couldn’t be unique to meta-mages or, at least, that other people could learn skills that would directly influence spells.
She continued to ponder it and began to wonder how much of a difference there really was between a skill and a spell. Trying to be systematic, she broke it down and came to the conclusion that there were two main differences between skills and spells. The first was the power source.
Spells always required mana to work while none of the skills she possessed or had read about in her options menu required utilized mana. Some of them were always active and didn’t require anything to function, like her Balance skill. Others were available at any time and did not require a resource but did require her to consciously use a skill like Bluff.
Then there were skills that used other resources. She didn’t possess any such skills but knew that her mom had skills which required Faith points or Teamwork points, and her dad had skills which required Stamina points. Jaselm had even told her once that some of his skills relied upon Bravery points, and she had overheard people talking about how minotaurs such as Rak’kar often relied upon Fury points for their skills.
The second primary difference between skills and spells was that skills had to be acquired by spending character points from gaining XP, or in rare cases, they could be earned through diligent pursuit of a given task. In contrast, spells didn’t have any such threshold but required you to have the pre-requisite level of skill in the appropriate school of magic. Even then, there was no guarantee since it was possible to fail at learning a spell, especially if you had too low Intelligence. Spells could also be passed on, whereas skills couldn’t. Although, Mira didn’t think that was a separate category, but rather another aspect of the difference in acquisition.
Just as she was starting to think that she had a handle on the question, she realized that she had made a mistake. There was a skill which relied upon mana–Esoteric Senses–and where there was one such skill, there could be others. Just because she had not encountered them before didn’t mean that they didn’t exist.
She smirked at that last thought. She could feel she was changing. One of the most common defining traits of a teenager, such as she had been on earth, was an inability to conceive of a world outside of their rather limited experience. It was that attitude of youth which led to the know-it all-attitude of so many of her peers, and if she admitted it to herself, she was like that before Eloria.
Yet, as embarrassed as she was of who she had been, it was that very thought which helped provide another push towards a truth that she felt was just out of reach. She had to re-evaluate everything she thought she knew about Eloria, specifically about skills and spells as building blocks for a character build.
Sitting there flexing her hands again and again, digging her nails into her palms and shaking her head so that her long hair flung from side to side, Mira wanted to scream. Her breathing was coming fast, and there were beads of sweat upon her forehead, all just from thinking. She felt like there was an epiphany waiting to be discovered but that it was just out of reach. Her mental hand went out trying to grab it, but this hidden truth remained ephemeral, and she drew back only to be empty. Or maybe not empty–as a sudden notification lit up in her mind’s eye.
Quest Updated: Meta-Mage Part 2- Two Sides of One Coin
* * *
Examine what you know about the structures of power around you. It may be both more complex and yet far simpler than you imagine. The question before you is to determine if the coin is only a single object or if it has two sides. Are those sides mere mental constructions designed to help the viewer to understand the object better, or do they have objective reality?
* * *
Success Condition: Gain a deeper understanding of Eloria’s system of skills and spells such that you are able to determine if they are separate systems or one and the same.
* * *
Time Limit: This quest has no formal time limit, but the sooner you finish it, the sooner you can move on to the next part. That’s right. There is no end to this chain.
* * *
Failure Condition: Give up the quest. Settle for not knowing.
* * *
Reward: Tier 2 in your class of Meta-Mage.
Hmm … well that was more than a little exciting, but she realized she would need time to dwell on it. Perhaps even talk about it with her dad or that stodgy Gunidar if he would ever get the stick out and stop avoiding her. For now, all she was sure of was that her understanding of skills and spells was fundamentally lacking.
Looking at the description for Imbue Gem:
Imbue Gem (Enchantment, Metamagic) Allows the caster to imbue certain magical properties into a gem. The most common eligible gems are: diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, beryls, garnets, bloodstones, corundum, pearls, jade, jet, lapis lazuli, moonstone, onyx, opal, and magicyte. The spell will have varying effects depending upon the type of gem used as the base, but in general will make the gem more receptive to magic and enable them to hold various spells or even pools of mana.
* * *
Cast Time: Varies but minimum of 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Mana: Varies but minimum of 500
The description of the spell was clear as mud, but she simply settled in to learn it. Once lost in the study of the spell, time flew by, and before she knew it, she had spent the three hours locked in the meditation required to learn a Tier 3 spell. Learning the spell didn’t actually increase her understanding of how to use it, but at least she knew how to cast it. Mira wondered if perhaps Hiroto would know what the spell was used for but decided to learn one more of the Tier 3 spells first. So she looked at the two Essence Magic spells and did her best to ignore the other ones she was more interested in.
Abolish Disease- Caster attempts to
remove a disease from the target. In general, any non-magical disease can be removed as well as any magical disease up to 4th Tier. The spell creates a contest between the power of this spell combined with the will of the caster against the disease and the extent it has spread through the target’s body.
* * *
Warning: There is a 1% chance when using this spell that the caster will become infected with whatever the target disease is.
* * *
Cast Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Mana: 50+
Cool-Down: 1 hour
Then she looked at the second option.
Life Salve- Creates a magical salve which can be applied to the body. This salve embodies the metaphysical concept of wellness. Any tissue which comes in contact with the salve will regenerate and attempt to reach optimal health. Regeneration effect is 10+1 per 2 levels per tick. The salve will work on any living tissue so long as there remains the tiniest spark of life.
Range: Touch
Mana: 75
Duration: 1 hour
Cool-Down: 10 minutes
There was no cast time on that spell, so she assumed it followed the standard of 1 tick per spell Tier. She weighed out the two spells trying to decide if either of them could be useful in healing Jaselm, or for that matter, Kraden. Mira couldn’t decide if the acid damage to the paladin’s lungs would count as a disease but figured it was unlikely. The problem with the Life Salve spell was she couldn’t see how to create a salve which would heal his lungs given that she had to touch where she wanted it to go. Would it work if applied to the outside? Beyond that, if it was trying to restore the tissue to optimal health, would that allow it to regenerate Kraden’s hand and foot?
Without even realizing it, Mira transitioned from being angry that she wasn’t allowed to learn the spells she wanted, an entirely self-centered focus, to being concerned about the two men she had adventured with. She certainly knew Jaselm better and felt vaguely warm feelings to him as he had been kind to her even when she had nothing to offer.
Her dad was always going on about how shared experiences created the tightest bonds between people. Maybe that was what it was. She had fought and struggled beside the two men, and if it was in her power to help, then she felt compelled to do so. All she could think now was that maybe her mom would know which one would work better. With that thought in mind, Mira got up without choosing a second spell and went running off to try and find her mother.
The first sun was not more than halfway through its arc across the sky, and still Emily felt like she had gotten in more time with Sara than she could remember doing back on Earth. She felt that she had gotten to know many of the people around town, but seeing it from Sara’s perspective was different. Many of the children who were too nervous to come and talk to her would at least say hi to Sara, although she did notice that there was some distance between them. Emily didn’t know how, but she needed to make sure that people felt it was okay for their children to play with Sara. Friends were important for children, and Emily realized that all too often she had forgotten that and put mission or charity work above the needs of her family. She was honest enough with herself to know that she couldn't change who she was, but she pledged internally to be more mindful of the little things Sara needed.
The first stop of note was at the blacksmithy. Well, actually, the human blacksmithy as there were now two. The elven blacksmithy was almost complete, and the human one was still being expanded to incorporate the extra smiths, but the older portion of it was still functioning, pretty much 24/7. As they walked into the rhythmic sound of hammer striking metal, the heat hit Emily even before she saw Conrad’s warm smile.
The big man had been one of the original citizens of Eris’ Rise and a member of the city council. She and Dave had named him the official head blacksmith of Murkwood. It was quite the juggling act to make sure that they appointed a fair number of humans and elves equally to positions of authority, but it would have been unthinkable to snub this man after his hard work in founding the place they now called home.
“Baroness Murkwood and Miss Sara, to what do I owe this honor?” The man’s voice boomed just like the hammers in the background.
Emily just shook her head at the honorific. She had to remind herself to choose her battles carefully. She couldn’t undo centuries of cultural traditions, and truthfully, a part of her wondered if she was right to even try, but it was a small part quickly silenced by the roar of her distaste for overt power structures like the nobility. “Master Smith, it is we who are honored to see the hardworking men of Eris’ Rise literally shaping the future of our home in their hands.”
Some of the humans still weren’t entirely keen on the idea that their new lord’s wife was an elf, but the fact that she was a Daughter of Shanelle and her obvious and tireless work for the town had won most of them over such that they all beamed at her praise. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she was breathtakingly gorgeous without being snobby about it. It is likely a constant on all worlds that men love a compliment from a beautiful woman. “We but do our part under the wise governance of your lord husband, and of yourself of course, My Lady.”
With a smile she said, “So will you show me what you are working on?” She strove very hard to keep everything professional with the craftsmen around town even though she often found them staring at her. Even with the influx of settlers, there were still many more men than women in town, so she supposed some of it was to be expected. Most of the time, she told herself it was just because she was a Daughter of Shanelle, but sometimes she still found it flattering.
“Of course, My Lady,” Conrad said as he then proceeded to show her and Sara around the shop, being careful to stand between them and anything which might send hot sparks at them and just as carefully ignoring the goblin who was shadowing them. He showed the door hinges being made by one man while most of the other smiths were working on repairing tools that the builders were using. Conrad explained that in the future the blacksmiths will be able to make everything that the town needs of metal, but that now things like nails and tools had been sent with the supplies by King Borstein.
“This is all wonderful. What I am wondering now is if you have any idea of how to craft a replacement for a hand or foot? I hate to even ask, but I have as of yet been unable to heal Kraden, and I would very much like to be able to keep my promise to him. I just don’t know what all you are capable of, Conrad,” she said hesitantly.
“Uhh you mean like crafting a hook? I suppose we could do something like that, Lady Murkwood.” The blacksmith’s tone made it clear he wasn’t sure what was expected of him.
“That isn’t quite what I had in mind. I was hoping that there was something like a prosthetic here in Eloria. I didn’t know if you would have any knowledge about something like that or where I might go seeking it.” The suggestion of a hook had appalled Emily, but she carefully kept that out of her words.
Baffled by her words, Conrad responded, “Pross a what? I am ashamed to admit, My Lady, that this humble blacksmith has no idea of that which you speak.”
“It’s okay. It was probably a long shot anyway. I’m sorry to have bothered you, master smith.” Emily’s face grew slightly more flushed as she berated herself.
Noticing this, Conrad said, “My Lady, if anyone can perform a miracle, I am sure that it is you, and your great concern for a working man like Kraden speaks volumes about the sort of woman we have as not only our Baroness but also our spiritual leader.”
Then it was Conrad’s turn to blush as he wondered if he had spoken out of turn by saying that much. “I apologize, I didn’t mean to say too much, I am but a simple man.”
“No, your kind words warm my heart. The same for all of you, please know that I really mean it when I say that what I do is nothing compared to the real work of building this community. Making things is a truly noble task and you all embody that as well as anyone in Eris’ Rise.” Without even realizing it, Emily entranced
all the men again, who were flattered to be praised so by their baroness.
Sara couldn’t help but grow bored. A part of her understood that adult conversations were important, and she had always been taught to be quiet while mommy was talking to someone. It was just sooo boring. Sara ended up making use of the skills she had learned from Krinnk, and the two of them snuck out of the smithy with mommy not even noticing them.
Once outside the hot building, they found a group of children playing catch with a ball. Sara watched, yearning to join in. Sometimes the kids were kind to her, but other times they would just stare at her. She didn’t know what to make of it. Her little mind told her that there was something different about her from the other kids, but all she really wanted was to be their friend.
As she watched the game, it became obvious that they were playing something akin to a game her brother and sister used to play with her, called monkey in the middle. It could be fun, but it had also felt at times like Mira and Jackson were being mean to her and just keeping the ball away from her. The game unfolding before her eyes was similar.
There were two children in the middle of a circle, and they were called the monsters, while the circle of half a dozen children around them were called the adventurers. No one seemed to want to be the monsters, so it fell to the last two children to arrive, and whenever a new kid came, they had to start out in the center. On the rare occasion that one of the children in the middle intercepted the ball, whoever had thrown it would clutch their chest as though they were in pain and would cry out while mock convulsing.
