Brutus waved at the door leading back to the ruined crafting rooms, a frown plastered on his face. “Suffice it to say, there aren’t many of those weapons anymore.
“You should also be wary of an opponent using melee or ranged weapons – such as a sword or bow. Certain mana-infused skills use the weapons as a focal point, allowing the mage to cast with a single hand or no hand gestures. The limitation there is that the mage typically can’t sustain a channel at the same time.
“In other words, just because the person is holding a sword doesn’t mean that they aren’t a mage. They’re just working with different limitations.”
Brutus could see he was losing Finn and Julia, both of them staring at him with a puzzled expression. “Okay, let me simplify. If the mage has a staff or wand, then they are usually going to be able to maintain one channel, and they can only cast one spell at a time – but they can also fight with that staff or wand in the meantime.
“If they have a melee or ranged weapon, they’ll still be able to cast a spell, but they can’t channel. Although, they are probably going to be deadly with that weapon. These opponents will often try to get in a position to use their weapon instead of relying on casting.”
“And if I’m Multi-Casting, I can’t carry a weapon, but I can cast more quickly and channel two spells at once,” Finn murmured.
Brutus cracked his knuckles. “You’ve got it! There are tradeoffs to each setup. However, for the spell-slinging purist, there are quite a few advantages to using my approach, assuming you can learn the skill. We can cast much faster, we can maintain more spells, and it keeps the hands free.” He wiggled his fingers. “Which means you will be much more agile. Lugging around some fancy staff or sword restricts your ability to move and dodge.”
His smile widened. “Also keep in mind that we can still drop the channels at any time and reach for a weapon. So, we’ll always be the most flexible in a fight.
Finn stood there in silence for a moment, mulling on Brutus’ explanation. He could indeed see the advantage of Multi-Casting, especially now that he understood that he could actively channel mana into his spells.
“But all of that is just theory right now.” Brutus grinned at Finn. “First, you’ve got to learn how to Multi-Cast. Start by casting Magma Armor as your first spell and then shift the channel to just your left hand.”
Easier said than done, Finn thought, still skeptical that he could pull it off.
Yet he was curious. Could he manage it? Things seemed to come easier to him in-game; his memory and reflexes were sharper. He had also been practicing a lot with maintaining and controlling his mana, and he was able to manipulate multiple orbs now. It seemed possible…
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
Finn closed his eyes, lifting his hands and focusing his attention entirely on his fingers. He slowly began the gestures of Magma Armor even as he summoned his mana. The burning sensation soon seeped into his limbs, and his hesitation and doubt bled away – replaced by an excited, simmering anticipation.
He held himself back. Finn didn’t need to focus on speed – that would come later. He just needed to keep it slow and steady. Maintain the pattern.
A few seconds later, he could feel the warmth of the Magma Armor trickle up his left arm, a solid barrier against his skin. Here was the difficult part. He abruptly shifted the channel to his left hand, his fingers fumbling for a moment under the strain of trying to keep up with the spell. However, days spent juggling burning orbs finally paid off, allowing him to pull off the feat with only a brief stumble.
Now for the next part.
Finn began moving the fingers of his right hand. The movements felt awkward. His fingers were forced to wind through double the number of gestures required to cast the spell, and he could feel the muscles ache from the effort. This was made even harder by maintaining the Magma Armor with his left hand.
Yet Finn could feel a single flaming orb beginning to form – a simple manifestation of his mana. He fed it more energy. Gingerly. Trying to keep up the steady rhythm with his left hand. And then he felt it complete.
Finn’s eyes snapped open.
The shield still lingered along his arm and a single ball of flame orbited in front of him. A triumphant smile crept across his face, and the flame wavered and flickered erratically as Finn lost his focus. He steadied it a moment later, his right hand picking up the rhythm of the channel. Beads of sweat already lingered on his forehead, the concentration needed to maintain both spells taking its toll.
“I did it,” he murmured, staring at the orb.
“Fantastic!” Brutus said.
“Now dodge!”
“Wait, what?” Finn croaked, glancing at the fire mage in alarm.
He looked up just in time to see another massive Fireball hurtling toward his head. Finn barely lifted his shielded arm in time. Even so, his fledgling armor wasn’t nearly enough. The force of Brutus’ spell sent him hurtling backward, and he could feel his Magma Armor crumble and then break apart.
Finn’s back crashed against the stone wall, the wind escaping his lungs in a rush as flames lapped at his body, leaving burnt flesh in their wake. As the spell dissipated, he slumped to the floor, landing on his chest and gasping for air. He lay there for a moment, red notifications flashing in his peripheral vision. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his arm. Judging from the throbbing pain, it was a mess.
The sounds around him were warped and garbled, his ears ringing.
“What… kill him…” he heard someone shouting, but it sounded far away.
“…wasn’t… too much…”
Finn groaned.
“You see? He’s fine,” Brutus said, his voice snapping back into focus. “I told you I adjusted the force to make sure I didn’t kill him.”
“You came pretty damn close,” Julia snapped at him.
Finn pushed at the ground feebly, barely managing to push himself to a sitting position. His left hand and arm were a gnarled mess of burnt flesh, his blood dripping onto the stone from the open welts, but the skin was already beginning to repair as his natural regeneration healed the wounds.
However, his attention wasn’t focused on Brutus and Julia, the pain, or the many crimson warnings flashing in his peripheral vision.
His eyes lingered on two blue skill notifications.
New Skill: Concentration
Prolonged study and practice have gifted you with an uncanny ability to concentrate – even going so far as to allow you to split your focus between more than one task. With further practice, it will be almost impossible to interrupt or disrupt your incantations. Higher ranks of this skill may also enable the user to perform phenomenal feats of mental agility.
Skill Level: Beginner Level 1
Effect: Ability to split your focus between [2] tasks.
New Skill: Multi-Casting
Through intensive training of your mana (and the help of a sadistic instructor), you have learned to cast and maintain two spells at once. Experts of this skill were once rumored to be a force of nature, capable of slinging spells with such ferocity and speed that they could level armies singlehandedly. Or, well, with both hands, technically… anyway, you get the point.
Skill Level: Beginner Level 1
Effect: -50% casting speed on second spell.
Finn grinned, wiping at the mixture of sweat and blood along his forehead with the back of his hand.
Assuming he mastered these new skills and figured out whatever was blocking his ability to create new spells, the possibilities were almost endless. A dozen ideas were already swimming through Finn’s head, and he could feel his mana respond, the fire in his chest roaring in response to his excitement. Despite his injuries and having run Brutus’ hellish gauntlet all afternoon, a sudden surge of energy swept through him.
With a grunt, Finn heaved himself back to his feet, wavering for only a moment before he steadied himself. The burns were only a dull ache now. A manageable distraction.
>
Brutus and Julia abruptly stopped arguing, turning to stare at him in surprise.
“Alright,” Finn said, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s go again.”
Chapter 19 - Focused
Julia lunged forward, her blade sweeping through the air with a soft hum.
Finn shifted his weight, raising his left arm to block the strike and feeling the comforting warmth of his Magma Armor pulse along the limb. He was keeping a watchful eye out for a counter strike. Julia was fast – really fast. And he had learned that the hard way. More than one blade had sliced through his skin over the last week that they had spent training in-game.
The dagger’s blade skittered against the molten barrier, carving off chunks of the half-cooled substance. Yet Finn’s fingers never stopped moving; his left hand continued its regular rhythm and quickly repaired the damage as he channeled more mana into the barrier.
Finn grimaced. Julia had bested him in nearly every duel. The story was always the same, she slowly beat him down, whittling away at his health and armor with small cuts to critical areas until he couldn’t keep up anymore.
This time around, he intended to do something unexpected.
Instead of reaching for his own weapon or backpedaling to avoid the counter-attack he knew was coming, Finn summoned a second Magma Armor and stepped into Julia’s follow-up attack. Within seconds, he could already feel the tingling warmth drift up his right arm as the armor slid into place.
Julia’s eyes widened slightly as her other blade skittered against the barrier that was still forming along Finn’s right arm. He used that brief hesitation and swung. His fingers had abruptly stopped their continuous movement, and his left fist connected with her face.
His right hand also swept forward, dropping its cast and grabbing at his dagger.
However, his next swipe only struck air.
His daughter anticipated the blow. She had recovered quickly, using the force of Finn’s punch to fall backward into a backflip. At the same time, two throwing knives suddenly arced through the air. Time seemed to slow slightly as the blades flipped end over end. Finn batted the weapons aside, sparks flashing in the air as the metal skittered along his armored arms.
“Damn, you punched me in the nose,” Julia said a moment later, standing a few yards away and rubbing at her face. Her voice came out a little nasally, and a trickle of blood emerged from between her fingers.
“More like your nose hit my hand,” Finn taunted. This was a small victory. He knew the punch had barely hurt her. In a real fight, it would have been nothing more than a distraction.
Julia mock-glared at him. The injury was shallow and impermanent. They both knew that it would heal soon. “Still. Punching your own daughter in the face,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “Pretty sure this is child abuse.”
“You’re definitely not a child anymore, and have you forgotten how many times you’ve stabbed me over the last few days?” Finn retorted. A sudden grin crept across his face. “Speaking of which, maybe I should start calling you, Old Lady. I was actually meaning to mention that I saw a few wrinkles forming.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “Oh, you fucking take that back…” she began.
A slow clap suddenly interrupted Julia’s tirade. The noise came from the doorway, and the pair turned to find Brutus leaning against the frame. “You’re getting better,” he grunted at Finn. “It doesn’t seem like you’re struggling with Multi-Casting now and you’re weaving spells into your normal movements.”
“I guess so, but I still don’t have any real way to fight back,” Finn muttered as he released his spells and relaxed his posture. As the molten armor along his arms disappeared, he rubbed at his forehead with the back of his hand, his skin coming away slick with sweat.
Julia arched an eyebrow. “True, but you’re getting to be a real pain in the ass to hit,” she muttered, wiping away the blood still trickling from her nose and looking at the droplets staining her fingers.
“Which was the goal of this training,” Brutus commented. “The most important lesson for a mage to learn is how to avoid getting hit. Everything else is really secondary.”
Finn supposed he might be right. He had gotten pretty good at avoiding attacks and using his armor, but that was only half the battle. The duels were to the death – which meant he needed a way to inflict some damage. He still lacked a decent way to attack short of casting Fire Nova or reaching for his dagger, and both of those options had severe limitations. They required him to get close, and Fire Nova ate mana like crazy.
“In any event, I might be able to help you boost your offensive capabilities soon enough,” Brutus added. “Unless you’ve forgotten what’s coming tomorrow…”
The fire mage trailed off, the implication of his words hanging in the air. It only took Finn’s tired brain a few seconds to catch on. He glanced at the clock in the corner of his UI, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw the calendar readout below the time.
“Oh, damn,” he murmured.
Tomorrow was the last day before the duels began.
Finn had been so absorbed in his training that it almost felt like no time had passed – which was only made worse by the time compression in-game. A week in AO was just a few days in the real world.
It also didn’t help that the last week had been one painful, exhausting blur. He had attended Brutus’ class almost every day, followed by more personal instruction – by which he meant that Brutus kicked his ass for an hour or two. The fire mage usually just blasted away at Finn while he tried vainly to avoid the blows. After his beating, Finn shifted gears, continuing his language and Mana Mastery training, interspersed with the slightly more reasonable bouts with Julia.
“I expected a happier reaction,” Brutus offered with an arched eyebrow. “You look like I just kicked your dog.”
Finn grimaced, shaking his head. “I’m not ready yet.”
The pair just stared at him skeptically. “Are you kidding?” Julia asked.
“No. No, I’m not,” Finn replied. “I haven’t mastered Veridian, and I’m sure the other students have been busy in the meantime. I mean, I know two spells?”
“You’ve been training continuously for weeks,” Julia retorted. “And I mean continuously – like day and night in-game.” She glanced furtively at Brutus, before continuing, “Hell, I had to remind you to log off the other day since it had been at least eight real-world hours since you took a break.”
Now that she mentioned it, Finn had noticed that the log-off warnings had slowed down considerably. Which only made him wonder how many more hours he could squeeze in before tomorrow.
“And yet I bet you’re thinking about how much longer you could train tonight…” Julia accused, stabbing a finger at him.
Finn tried not to look guilty, but he wasn’t sure how well that worked.
“Well, I don’t want to interrupt this little spat,” Brutus said with a chuckle. “I just wanted to pop in and say that Finn needs to show up in the courtyard tomorrow at noon. There’ll be a ceremony to celebrate the passage of the newest class of novices.”
The fire mage’s expression sobered, his eyes clouding over. “I also hear there’s supposed to be a rather large announcement.” His gaze snapped back to Finn. “You shouldn’t miss that ceremony.”
Finn nodded, cocking his head at their instructor’s serious tone. The man was clearly a sadist – that had been firmly decided – but he was usually a jovial sadist. If he was worried, then there was definitely some cause for concern.
Brutus turned to leave but hesitated. He glanced back at Finn. “Just my two cents, but you should take the thief’s advice. Some rest would do you well. This might be the last opportunity you get for a while.” With that, Brutus stepped out of the room, leaving Julia and Finn alone.
“See, even the flaming asshole agrees with me,” Julia said, her arms crossed and her foot tapping insistently. She hadn’t even reacted when the fire mage called her a thief, which meant she was
really on the warpath now. “Do you even remember the last time you logged out?”
Finn ran a hand through his hair, his mind flailing for the answer. “I’m honestly not sure. Maybe yesterday?”
“Are you asking me?” Julia demanded. She shook her head, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I thought you were supposed to be the parent, but here I am nagging you to put down your videogame and go to bed.”
Finn barked out a laugh. “I thought that was how it worked. You change your kids’ diapers, and then they do the same for you when you get older.”
“You aren’t quite that old yet,” Julia observed dryly, although she was struggling not to smile now. “Besides, I’ll leave diaper duty to Daniel, thank you for very much. Maybe I can program a ‘parent protocol’ for him…”
They both laughed at that.
Julia’s expression sobered. “Seriously, though. You need to get some rest.”
“I will. I will,” Finn agreed, although he didn’t sound super convincing even to his own ears.
“Hmph. We’ll see.” Julia sheathed her blades, her eyes skimming to her own UI. “Ahh, shit. Speaking of which, I’ve got to get going.”
She stabbed a finger at Finn. “Thirty more minutes or I’m going to have Daniel yank you out of here kicking and screaming.”
Finn just gave her a thumbs up.
Then Julia disappeared in a rift of multi-colored energy.
Finn stood there for a moment, watching the rainbow tendrils slowly dissipate. For all the angry bluster and banter, he suddenly realized that he had missed this.
It had been a long time since he and Julia had spent this much time together. When she had left for college, they had become more distant. He supposed that was natural. Although, Rachael’s death certainly hadn’t helped. He had pulled away even more after that. He had been like some wounded creature, crawling into his cyber cave and shutting the door firmly. Yet now AO had brought them back together, and he had spent most of the last week with Julia.
Awaken Online: Ember (Tarot #1) Page 20
