Chapter 38: Class about magical tools

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Chapter 38

Class about magical tools

"Foci are the most important tool in the arsenal of any magic user." The old teacher, Quentin explained.

"During your academy days, you will mostly stick to wands, but there are many more types out there, like rings, necklaces, bracelets, and others. Today I will explain the most popular types."

The teacher went to the board, where several designs for foci had been drawn.

"The first ones are the ones that we could consider more classical. The wand and the staff. Can someone tell me the most important differences between those two?"

Iria Monet, the pretty blonde with a cheerful personality was, as usual, the first one to rise a hand.

"The main differences are in their power and precision. The wand is more precise and better for spellcasting that requires more finesse while the staff can be imbued with powerful crystal catalysts that can greatly strengthen the power of a spell while sacrificing any form of finesse."

"That is a correct assessment, Miss Monet. The main advantage of wands are precision and control, that is why they are used by apprentices."

The teacher then continued.

"As for staffs, they have essentially the same components that a wand, but on a much grander scale, allowing the user to enhance the power of their spells to another level. There is one family that is particularly famous for their craft and use of the staff. The Daltons are one of the three high-tier noble families of Aglioso. In the past, they have devastated entire battlefields with their spells, enhanced by powerful staffs that took them to another level. "

The teacher, Quentin then pointed at another drawing.

"Then we have rings. A mana crystal like the ones used in wands can be embedded on rings, the crystals of course will have to be a bit smaller, diminishing the increase of power one would get by a little bit. One also doesn't get the benefits of great control that wands are known for. So you may be asking, why would anyone would want to use rings as foci when they seem like an inferior version of the wand?."

Quentin extended his fingers out to show them.

"Because we have ten fingers. That means that, in theory, one could use ten rings to power your spell, far surpassing the wand. Although I have never seen anyone capable of controlling ten rings. With enough practice and skill you could compensate for the lack of control and by activating several rings at the same time, you can compensate for the lack of power. There are also many types of rings, ones better for some spells than others, by carrying several of them, you can gain versatility. And last, if one chooses rings as their foci, that means that their weapons will never leave their hands and they will always be ready for anything."

"My Aunt Arabella has a great collection of magical rings." Commented Edward.

"Indeed." Affirmed the Teacher. "The Headmaster, Miss Arabella is capable of wielding six magical rings at the same time. I have had the fortune of witnessing this feat with my own eyes. Quite a display of skill indeed." Quentin smiled at the memory.

"But, we must continue now. Next, we have bracelets. Similar to the rings, one can only wield four of them at maximum, one on each wrist and ankle. The wider surface allows for more complex rework and bigger mana crystals. They are a less popular alternative to rings despite their higher power because the type of spell that one can cast with these foci is very limited, but there is one family that is especially fond of them." The Teacher's eyes traveled to meet Hilda Vance's.

"The Vance family developed a way of fighting by using magic bracelets and martial weapons. I do not know the details, but we have a Vance in this classroom. Would you mind, Miss Vance?"

Hilda Vance gave a smug smile. "The fighting style developed by my family consists of making use of four bracelets combined with one of his." Hilda took the miniature axe in her hand and made it grow to full size while still holding the giant weapon with one hand.

"We use the bracelets on our ankles for mobility spells by melding the earth and the ones on our wrists are specially designed for physically enhancing magic. Speed and power...that is the Vance style."

"Very well." The Teacher commended her. "Thank you for the explanation." He then looked at the board. "And now we arrive at the last foci...Blades. If a piece of wood can be turned into foci, why not something that was already a weapon, to begin with? "

"But is not all that easy. Magic blades are extremely hard to manufacture." He pointed at the drawing on the board. "The mana crystal is placed at the end of the pummel and a thin layer of mana conductive material has to run inside the metal until the end of the blade. Crafting a good blade is already a difficult process, if you add to add all of the magical components and runes that need to be blended perfectly then…you can count the craftsmen capable of creating such weapons, with one hand. And most of them are in the same family."

The teacher looked at Iris.

"The Castel family are famous for their wind spells and their magical blades. The real downside of these foci is that only certain types of spells can be cast with them. The Castles have spent centuries perfecting magic capable to enhance the cutting prowess of their blades to the point that they can create wind blades capable of cutting anything, even at great distances."

"There are more types of foci out there of course. But those are the most well-known and used here, in the Aglioso State. We will cover more special and rare forms of foci in your second year. Any questions?"

"I have a question." Edward rose his hand.

"Go ahead, Mister Aston."

"Would it be possible to use several types of foci at the same time?. Like wearing rings and bracelets at the same time?." Edward asked.

"You can wear as many foci on your persona as you can possibly carry. However, using them all at the same time to increase the power of your magic…that's a different story. Keep in mind that in order to cast a spell with a magical tool, you need to channel the right amount of mana through it which requires a lot of focus. With more than one foci, the difficulty gets exponentially higher. Imagine you a trying to create a beautiful painting, but instead of one, you are trying to use a dozen brushes at the same time and the movement with every single one of them must be precise or the painting would be ruined. Is not easy, right?"

Edward nodded in understanding. But then remembered one detail that was spoken before. "You said that my aunt Arabella could use six rings at the same time…how is that possible then?"

The teacher gave him a kind smile. "She is not the Headmaster for nothing, Mister Aston."