Chương 57: Magic

The cloud had followed her down when she sat. It hovered two feet above her head, pillow-sized, and rained directly onto her skull. Her shirt was soaked through. Sera was watching her from a few feet away, a slight smile plastered on her face.

"These curses are getting ridiculous," Sera said.

"To think this miniature rain cloud would follow you around like that… The level of detail a mage would need to achieve a similar result is astounding."

"I swear curse of rain is the worst of the lot." Under the Keeper's supervision, Alexandra had trained Dark Bolt for hours. Each cast gave her a new curse, each more annoying than the last. Curse of shaking, curse of monochromatism, and curse of delayed reaction were only a sample of all she experienced. Sera could have dispelled a few of the simple ones. But she insisted that it was crucial for Alexandra to experience a wide array of curses.

If she was going to use Dark Bolt with Life Curse in combat, she needed to be able to recognize each curse, and react accordingly. She was getting better at enduring the pain. After the third goblin, Sera had put her up to agility drills while she was suffering. The goal was to build her up so she could stay lucid and active even in the worst circumstances.

"It's a blessing in disguise," Sera had claimed.

"Even when you get rid of this sickness, you won't escape getting hurt in fights. Having a safe way to train your pain tolerance is good." Alexandra saw the logic, but her body and mind's protests were just as strong. She stood up. The lone cloud was still hovering above her, spilling its water on her head.

"Dark Bolt just isn't as efficient on non-plant monsters. I guess the same will be true for humans."

"It'll be even less efficient on humans. Those goblins are all level one. Unless you start attacking children, you won't fight someone that weak." Alexandra frowned and opened her journal. Dark Bolt 4 -> 6 Life Curse 4 -> 6 Progress was progress.

"This is a step toward killing the Yshant, but it's not going to help me free Louis." The Keeper nodded.

"Of course not. I told you I was going to teach you some spells for your rescue operation."

"I guess you already have a plan."

"Naturally. I'd rather not act myself, so you'll have to be the one on the ground. The thing is that the Merinus estate is guarded. Not well guarded, admittedly. But you're not a great infiltrator either. I can feel a skill trying to divert attention from you. Not too high level, I presume?"

"Level two. I've been in this world for less than three weeks."

"I don't care. I just want to assess your capabilities." Sera picked up a stick and cleared a patch of dirt. Then, she drew a square.

"This is the estate." She placed a few buildings, entrances, and paths.

"It houses all of the Merinus family, their guards, and their servants. About a hundred people in total."

"That many?" Sera shook her head.

"It's nothing. You have to realize that Lucius Merinus is merely Gold. In Kator, anything below Ruby is not worth mentioning. Even then, it's the bottom rung of nobility." Alexandra nodded.

"If you say so. What do you suggest?"

"It's simple. You have to get in the estate, and reach the basement where prisoners are kept. The only thing stopping your friend from leaving is the magical lock on the door of his cell. You'll have to dispel the enchantment. Once you're done, he should be able to sneak out on his own." Alexandra bit her lip. It sounded about right. Louis was a thief, after all. If someone could get out of there, it was him.

"What about me? How do I even get in and out without being detected?"

"That's where the spells come in." Sera raised a finger.

"First, a simple dispel. I checked the lock. It's enchanted. Nothing fancy. Not many mages in this backwater town. Second, a weak glamour. It's the best we can do in such a short time. Hopefully, with your skill, it'll be enough for you to pass as a servant."

"There's no way this will work." Sera shrugged.

"I agree. It would take absurd levels of incompetence for the guards to let you approach the cell."

"I'm serious, Sera. We need to get him out. Counting on them to mess up is completely dumb."

"You haven't let me finish." Sera smiled.

"A successful prison break hinges on the prisoner himself."

"Louis is locked up. We can't exactly count on him." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"You really don't know much about that guy, do you? Anyway, I'm sure he'll know what to do when the time comes. Besides, the Merinus are so used to ruling over Esmera unchallenged, the basement where they keep prisoners is actually the least of your problems. The guards and servants working in the estate, on the other hand..." She clasped her hands together, and looked up at the cloud.

"It's about to disappear. Let's get started with the spells." Alexandra looked up, allowing a few drops to fall onto her face. Then, as Sera predicted, the cloud dissipated.

"Great." Sera snapped her fingers. Her clothes and hair instantly dried up.

"What did I just do?"

"A spell?"

"Yes. What is a spell?" Alexandra hesitated.

"It's… mana manipulation." Sera nodded.

"Correct. If only partially. A spell is energy manipulation. Your Dark Bolt is a spell that consumes lifeforce, for example. Hold out your hand." Alexandra did. Sera placed a small, smooth rock on her palm. A faint shimmer ran across its surface.

"I've put a minor enchantment on this. A warming charm. Touch it." Alexandra pressed her thumb on the stone. It was warm.

"Your goal is to remove that enchantment. Do not destroy or damage the stone in any way. Remove the charm specifically." Sera crouched and picked up her stick. She drew on the floor.

"The first step is to take control of your mana. You've got some training stopping it from escaping your core. It's the same idea." Alexandra closed her eyes, and found a thread leaking out of her core. She grabbed it.

"Don't close your eyes. You have to watch what you're doing." She pulled her eyes open, trying her best to keep hold of the mana thread.

"Good. Now direct the thread toward the rock." She willed for the mana to move, and lost control.

"What happened?" Sera asked. Alexandra frowned.

"I'm not sure. I felt like I had it. Then it was gone."

"You had the thread. You didn't have the direction," Sera stood up and stepped beside her.

"Next, you need to let the spell take shape. It's an intuitive process. Wrap the thread of mana around the rock." She tried again, pulling another thread from her core. She directed it toward the rock, slower this time. It reached the surface.

"Now try to cover the entire surface." She nudged it sideways, trying to spread it. It bunched up on one side and thinned out on the other.

"Don't think about the rock. Think about the shape. Mana doesn't spread like butter. Think of it like a veil of fine fabric. You're covering a shape. Follow the surface." Alexandra shifted her focus. The rock was smooth, slightly flattened on one side. She traced its outline in her mind and let the mana follow the image. She spread the mana to the back. The thread was getting thin.

"I'm running out."

"Pull more. The thread is connected to your core."

"I don't have that much mana."

"When's the last time you used your mana? Your intelligence attribute has increased since then. You can do it." She pulled. More mana fed into the thread. She kept wrapping, over the top, under the flat side, and around again. Almost there. One gap left. A small patch she'd been circling around. The mana stopped moving. She pushed. The thread didn't budge. It wouldn't advance. Something was pulling at the loose edge of the veil, tugging it away from the gap she was trying to close.

"It's not moving."

"I know. Tell me what you feel." Alexandra focused on the gap. The edge of the veil was fluttering, like a curtain near an open window.

"Something's pulling at it. From outside."

"Ambient mana. It seeps into any opening you leave in the coverage. The enchantment is feeding on it." Sera's voice was level.

"This is why building your spell before casting it is better. If you'd covered the whole rock in one go, you wouldn't have this issue."

"Should I start over?"

"Push against the current. It's still possible." She stopped trying to ease the edge forward and pulled it away from the rock. Then she brought it forward with great momentum. The ambient mana was fighting back, flooding into the breach, called over by the starving enchantment. She pushed down. Sealed it. The warmth built immediately. It was sharper than the last time, the enchantment fully enclosed now with nowhere to drain. She held the coverage flat against every surface and waited. It flattened. Then it died.

Alexandra looked at her teacher, lips pursed.

"You did it. Rough, but you did it."

"You should have told me about ambient mana." Sera shook her head.

"Experiencing it yourself is important. Ambient mana behavior is unpredictable. You need to get used to it."

"So many things to get used to… But I cast my first spell. Thank you, Sera."

"You're welcome. But I wouldn't thank me so fast if I were you." Alexandra raised an eyebrow.

"This was the weakest enchantment I could conjure. I might look down on the competence of those upstart Gold ranks, but their stuff is still a bit more adequate than that." She handed her another rock.

"There. More practice." Alexandra took the rock. She practiced until her hands started shaking from the effort, and then practiced more. Sera enchanted rocks at intervals, each one slightly harder than the last, the enchantments thicker, the ambient pull made aggressive by increased mana consumption. By the fourth she could feel the difference in quality. Merinus's lock, Sera had said, was nothing fancy. She was starting to wonder what fancy meant to the woman. The light changed from day to dusk.

Their shadows stretched. She looked up and realized she'd lost track of the sun entirely.

"Should we head back?" Sera was sitting on a boulder turning one of the completed rocks over in her fingers.

"What's your constitution score?"

"Twenty-seven. Why?"

"Then you don't need much sleep. Three hours. Four at most." She set the rock down and produced another from her coat. The shimmer on this one was brighter than anything Alexandra had handled all day.

"We keep going." Alexandra looked at the rock. Then at Sera. Then at the rock again. She took it.