by Scott Seier
The tenth of mana imploded until it was once again a spark and then exploded once more. This process continued, and accelerated, each time it collapsed the spark would be bigger, and every explosion was a little less violent than the last. It was reaching an equilibrium somehow. I watched with a huge grin on my face. I was sure that if someone found my body out in Acrion that I would be sporting a stupid smile there too.
It took a long time, but when the mana finally settled itself into a stable formation I felt a shudder run through the entire realm. Mission accomplished, mana introduced. The stable droplet of power looked like an orb of liquid fire that had crystalline structures running alone its surface, spinning slowly in the dark expanse, bathing the whole realm in a purple hued light. It was calming, and If I tried hard enough I could still sense that mana. It was more distant, but still within my control. Somehow I knew that if I ever desperately needed that power I could reach in here and take it. It would snuff out the pretty sphere, but if I ever figured out how to scale up the power levels I could have just solved my low mana limit problem.
I pulled myself back up to reality and opened my physical eyes. The clearing was still empty and the position of the sun through the leaves told me that not as much real time had passed as I expected. Reaching out mentally, I confirmed that I could still touch the small deposit of mana that I had left in the realm, even outside of that weird trance state. I knew that I would eventually have to figure out how to grow that nodule of power, but decided to table it for the moment and bask in the light of my success up to this point. Flopping back, I sprawled onto my back in the patch of soft golden grass that Kara kept in here. Not wanting to waste time, I called Vigil and started passing mana to him intermittently as we waited.
By the time Kara appeared I would wager that there was more than one hundred mana invested in the construct. The seal that bound it together only gave me information on how much mana that one tiny grain of iron had stored in it specifically.
Level: 15
Iron Sand Construct
Mana: .0037
Construct Seal: Vigil
Seal Status - Active
Seal Stability: 100%
I took a few attempts at trying to figure out the math there, but gave up after Vigil started making jokes about my failed attempts.
When I say that Kara appeared it doesn't just mean that she entered the clearing without me noticing. She literally appeared, in the center of the large ritual that was drawn out in the dirt in the center of the place. She looked around curiously and broke into a huge smile when she saw me standing up from the grass.
"Well, I'm certainly glad that worked, first time testing it!" she said happily, depositing some bags that I just now noticed she was carrying, into a chest that I could have sworn hadn't been there a moment ago.
We took some time to catch up, it had honestly only been a day since we last spoke, but a lot had happened for her since then. She was officially a tier three summoner now, and she had made a trip to some secret academy that she wouldn't tell me much about. Something about her specialty as a tutor allowed her access, but also restricted her ability to disclose anything important about it. She took a moment to explain her specialty, which was really enlightening and explained why she had needed to train up a new summoner to progress her own path. I had sort of been dreading the moment where she told me to go out and spread the good word or forever be stuck at tier two. Luckily, unless I chose the tutor specialization, which I would not be doing if I could help it, I wouldn't be hampered by that stipulation.
That conversation segued perfectly into the discussion about my own specialty. Kara seemed really excited about the whole thing, but mentioned to me that she wouldn't be able to give a very specific description of the options available. Each specialty, she explained, would eventually become indistinguishable from the person pursuing it, and because of that was incredibly personalized and not so structured as to have a manual to its progress. A basic class could be broken down into bite sized pieces of advancement, while a specialty, if suited perfectly to the person, could be advanced massively in an incredibly short time. It was all about how closely it all aligned with a persons natural talents and instincts.
The whole concept was interesting, and I had to stop myself a few times from interrupting Kara's explanation to jump into the actual process. In the end I figured it would be better to listen to everything being said and just be patient. No matter how painful that could be.
It took a minute, a figurative minute unfortunately, but we finally got to the good part. Kara stood and began tapping on her chin thoughtfully. "So it all comes down to what we think would fit you best. If it ends up being the wrong decision it isn't the end of the world, but you would need to wait until level 100 to choose a new specialty, and that could be a very long time if you don't make the best choice possible now." She closed her eyes for a moment and hummed to herself. "I think...yes, I think I have some choices that could fit..." she snapped her eyes open and then started bouncing around the clearing, collecting things.
In no time I found myself sitting in front of a stump with an odd assortment of things laid out in front of me. "Each of these items can act as a focus for your training. Once you make your choice, all you have to do is learn the skill that the item represents and then boom! The specialization should just open up to you, much like growing to the next level.
I was momentarily disappointed that it was as simple as that, but Kara noticed my gloominess. "Don't worry, the specialty itself is just the beginning. The customization of whatever path you choose? Now that is the challenging part. There could be a dozen summoners with the same specialization who all function entirely differently. This is the step where your future is put on your own shoulders." I was still put out, but the possible progression of it all kept me excited. Just slightly less than before.
There was a ceramic plate that had an intricate looking seal etched into it, a strange herb that glowed a sickly green color and had dozens of tendrils growing out of its top, a crystal that thrummed with power in a way that felt...dangerous..., and lastly a cup filled to the brim with a pure black liquid.
Kara plopped into a cross legged sitting position opposite me and practically beamed with pride. "The seal," she said indicating the ceramic plate. "Once understood will grant you a skill called 'Binding Art'." My eyebrows shot up. I already had that one... "this skill will allow you to bend the rules on seals and bindings. It, once exploited to its fullest, would create a caster of immense controlling potential. Your defenses, offenses, and utilities would all become Incorporated with a myriad of sealing spells. It is a very challenging, but extremely rewarding field of study."
Kara waved a hand at her large ritual on the ground nearby. "I myself tend to wish that I had chosen this path. This seal allows me to be summoned back to this location by anyone. All they have to do is say my name and as long as the mana is there for it, I will be notified and given the option to be brought here. Unfortunately, without the binding art skill, there is really no way for me to push this much further. A true sealing summoner would be able to create a nexus of travel using this same base ritual as their foundation." She looked sad to say it. I wondered what benefits her tutor specialization gave her and why in the world would she ever choose it over something this cool.
Her gloominess passed after a moment and she pushed forward, pointing to the many-vined plant. "This is a Hydra Herb. It's very rare, pulled directly from the astral plane. It will teach you the 'mastermind' skill and open the path of the master summoner to you. This is the most popular path by far for all summoners. It would allow you to summon multiple minions, and when you progress far enough even make it possible to summon multiple intelligent companions to your side. At it's furthest extreme, a master summoner can operate as an entire squad of heroes by themselves, using a diverse team of summons to fill any role imaginable."
It took everything I had to not reach out and snatch the plant when she finis
hed. As a veil summoner I had gotten a super intelligent minion as my first ever summon. Granted the second one hadn't been the brightest, but if the mastermind skill let me control four or five entities that were as intelligent as Vigil? Sign me up.
It took a moment of reflection to realize that, once again, I had bypassed this specialization as well. With my ability to create constructs I already had the choice to have multiple "minions" under my control. I had even had an imp and Vigil active at the same time with no problems. What if I just made an army of constructs and plucked intelligent minds out of the veil? I would effectively have this specialization without actually focusing on it. I sat and waited quietly for Kara to explain the next one to me.
"Compression. That's the skill that you would gain with this one." She said pointing at the crystal. "It's incredibly effective at increasing the power of an already known spell. It allows the user to build-up mana and then release it all at once on a massive scale. Sometimes the effects of the spells will be altered by the compression skill, but it will always be more devastating than before. This skill is also sometimes used with the 'Macro Casting' skill. The two of them together form the basis of the most powerful caster's arsenals on their own."
Instantly I was reminded to the time I had boosted Vigil's veil burst ability when he was an imp. The build up of mana that I fed him had made his imp body expand like a balloon before letting loose a massively improved version of the normal ability. It made some sense that he had somehow been using the compression skill all along. I also noted that the second imp I had summoned, the one I had never named, had been able to be boosted by me, but not nearly to the same level Vigil had been able to. I would have to ask the former imp if he was hiding a set of impressive skills from me later.
"Lastly, is the draught of Darkness." Kara curled her lip like the black liquid disgusted her. "This is more of a test than anything else, although it is a viable field to specialize into as a summoner." I sat up a little straighter. Milenta had mentioned the Dark a few times, but had never really explained what it was. Even after that hulking behemoth had attacked me she stayed more tight-lipped than I would have hoped.
"In normal circumstances, it's sort of symbolic for you to reject the Dark as your source of power. Normal summoners pull their summons from the astral plane. I know that your starter spells were...different than the normal ones most begin with, but I recommend not leaning too far away from astral forces in your quest for mastery." My Veil Summoner class had been a non-issue so far, but if I wasn't mistaken, Kara was sounding a little...judgy?
Well, 'different' had served me well so far. I glanced up at Vigil who was coiling himself around some branches above me. As far as I could tell, I was already able to mimic the aspects of three of the four specialties that had just been offered to me. Suddenly they didn't seem all that game changing. Either that, or I had really been under utilizing my own power so far. Most likely it was a failing on my part. I thought I had been pushing the limits of the game, but I suddenly had the feeling that somewhere someone was laughing their asses off at me.
Limits? Yeah right. I really had to take that word out of my vocabulary. The only choice left was the cup of blackness.
Looking at Kara closely, I weighed my options. The construct spell had been revealed only when I had asked the right questions. That may work in this situation too, but what did I actually want? I thought about it for a long time. Plans were built up and torn down, options were weighed and disregarded. In the end it was my indecision that solved my problem. My mind drifted for a moment to the tiny realm that was floating nearby.
"Kara? I'm wondering if there is such a thing as a... I don't know what the name would be for it. A summoner who could summon incredibly small things. I already have a skill called 'micro casting', it's caused some unique ideas to come to mind." I finished weakly, but hopefully.
Kara sat there for a long time. For a few seconds I thought she was going to be taken over by one AI or another, but apparently it was just her real character thinking through my request. After several minutes she started absentmindedly putting away the assortment of items that had previously been offered to me.
I was briefly worried that my question had somehow insulted her, but when she was done tidying up, she just plopped back down and continued to stare off into space. "I'm not sure I fully grasp your request to be truthful." She said at last. "I can see why you would want to leverage your micro casting skill into your new specialty. I haven't even heard of such a skill before now. The possibilities are intriguing, but somehow I think you have gone further with your ideas than my imagination can follow." She smirked at me and tried to flick me in the forehead, but I leaned backwards a few inches and got an approving look as the puff of air generated by her finger breezed against my brow.
"Alright. I think I have what you need. It's a very weak spell on its own, but coupled with your current skills it could become something of note I suppose." She stood up and I followed her movement excitedly. Ask and you shall receive!
Kara finished brewing the tea, sitting back and looking at me over her cup as she enjoyed the beverage. She offered me a cup as well, but I left mine to cool on the stump between us. It functioned as her kitchen table apparently.
"Now, we have several ways of trying to attack this problem. I have an idea of a spell that may be helpful to you, but I myself do not know it. So, we can call in a friend of mine to teach you it, but you would need to offer something in return and he does tend to be the spiteful sort... We could have me toil around a bit and see if I can bend one of the spells I do know in that direction, but then it would double the time it would take you to learn it, having to learn the base spell first, then the alteration with my guidance. Or we could have you try to stumble upon the spell system spontaneously. That, by the way, is the option I think would be best suited for our situation." She squinted at me with a small smile in place. "All we have to do to get it done is make you invent a new school of magic all on your own with no prior knowledge. Should be easy as a cup of tea." She raised her cup in my direction and took a long sip from it. Great. Just great.
"How...proficient...would you say your spellcasting ability is?" For the third time Kara rephrased the same basic question, getting the same response from me. "Huh?" I look at an enemy and I cast the spells! What more is there?
After looking at my blank face for a few condescending seconds, Kara waved her hand in the direction of the center of the clearing. By the time I looked that way the large circular ritual that and brought her here was gone and it had been replaced by a solid looking wooden figure. It was shaped like a person, but about fifty percent larger in every proportion.
"Here." Kara said, giving up on trying to verbally convey her meaning. "Attack that. Give it all you have."
I looked sceptically at t
he target dummy. I hadn't been able to cast magic on inanimate objects before.
"Ahem... I'm asking about your casting proficiency. Not your ability to command a construct. Attack the target with magic. Please."
I felt stupid. Right... I raised my hand and cast my Veil siphon and Astral Tag, back to back. Surprisingly the dummy took the two spells like any other mob would have, although the tag spell didn't reduce any strength from the immobile thing.
After the first two spells, I was at a loss. I unhelpfully drew Frightener's song and looked at the dummy in a semi-aggressive way. That's all I had...
"Well, honestly I can't really ask for much more, can I?" Kara said as she took another sip of tea. Frustrated I turned back to the dummy. I thought back to the lumbering Goliath thing that had attacked me last night.
I focused on the Falling Gate summon. After throwing a significant amount of mana at the spell, a large, solid, gate swooshed into existence above the dummy. The result was a very loud cracking of wood as the wedge that adorned the bottom of the gate easily split the dummy apart.
I turned back to Kara. She had her cup of tea half way to her mouth and was staring at the carnage. "Hmm. Well, there is a perfect example of bending a spell. Well done. Now that I know you have the basic concept down we can move from there. Kudos, by the way, for using a purely defensive summon as an offensive attack."
Despite my success I was still slightly confused. "Bending? All I did was change where the gate would fall. Is that really the same thing?" Kara smiled kindly at my question. "The Summon: Falling Gate spell, at least the form of it that I myself know and taught you, is completely confined to falling exactly in front of the caster. It is simply a part of how it works. You have now bent the spell, creating a new version. Yours version can be summoned anywhere within a certain range it seems. Extremely useful. How much practice did it take to achieve this outcome? How many casts do you have under your belt? You must have pushed yourself to your absolute limits to have achieved this in a single day."
