The Library, Again

As the circle finished, Kendell could feel an influx of ritual power as it rushed into the circle. A strange sensation washed over him, and Kendell assumed that meant he was currently able to cross the wards.

He got up and moved toward the stacks of books, even though he was able to get through the wards the librarians at the front desk had seen him enough to know he was not allowed to enter the upper floors.

Right as the librarian got up to switch with the other librarian, he activated Form Demon 1 and sprinted up the stairs. 

The wards flickered around him, something he was able to sense now that his attunement to ritual energy was higher, but they did not go off.

With a smile, he finished ascending the stairs and was once again in the beautiful upper sections of the library. He could explore this area much easier now that he knew he wouldn't get caught.

Now that he could take his time he could see that there were different sections within this floor. It was split into 'Ritual Circle Guides', 'Ritual Circle Histories', 'Ritual Circle Creation', 'Devil Guides', and 'Fey Guides'.

There were a decent amount of students milling about looking through books or sitting on the ground reading.

In the back corner, there was an arrangement of tables lined with candles where students were trying to decipher rituals or study ritualistic symbols.

A front desk had another librarian who was busy reading his own book, it seemed like there was no need for security on this floor since the wards should be the only thing they needed. 

With a closer look, it seemed like students were only amongst three of the sections in the library. The 'Ritual Circle Guides', 'Ritual Circle Histories', and 'Ritual Circle Creation' sections were full of students browsing the books and looking for what rituals they wanted to learn.

'Hmmm, I must have been in the Devil Guides section last time without knowing it since I just moved to where the least people were. I think I just got lucky with such a helpful ritual though, I need to find a ritual that is incredibly strong that will take me a little bit to cast while I am in combat. Something that compliments Azmoth's abilities as well...' Kendell thought to himself as he began to browse.

He headed for the section labeled 'Ritual Circle Guides' and began looking around at the books.

All of the books described how to perform and learn complex rituals, from body enhancement rituals to curses and even ritual spells. Unfortunately, all of them seemed focused on quick casting rituals which, given their fast cast time, do not tend to have much strength. 

He continued to browse for nearly an hour but all of the books were the same! They had a wide variety of types of rituals but all of them were focused on the ability to cast them quickly!

'What is going on, hmm maybe it's because this is the floor for year two! Of course! They are all focused on the Royal Rally, where the ability to cast fast is the only way to even stand a chance against the other schools. The drawback to ritual magic is the casting speed, we can produce much more magic at the cost of having to use ritual energy or sacrifices in a ritual circle.'

Kendell looked towards the 'Devil Guide' section, there were still no students over there.

'I should just go ahead and check out the 'Devil Guide' section. If I am going to be a devil contractor I might as well see if there is anything over there. If everyone is focused on these sections they must be speed-focused, so maybe the rituals around Devils are strong but slow. Exactly what I'm looking for...' With a determined look, Kendell headed over to the next section.

The Devil's guides were all dusty and abandoned looking as he approached. The section was divided into subdivisions showcasing a deeper dive into Devil-based contract magic. 

The four subsections were summoning rituals, demonic contracts, spell contracts, and body morph contracts. 

'Body Morph contracts huh, interesting. I wonder what that is if I can enhance them with the Golden Demon's Enhancement somehow then I could be a formidable force in duels.'

Kendell began browsing the Body Morph section and found a book labeled, 'Body Morph Rituals, and their Consequences' amongst the shelves and started to read.

"Body Morph Rituals are a dangerous, and often considered taboo topic among those who practice ritualism. These rituals change not only the physical appearance of your body, but if your will is too weak they can change your mind as well. 

The rituals allow us mortals to borrow a portion of a fey or demon's body and use their powers. This is done by forming a binding agreement with a lesser demon or noble fey that will exchange either a portion of your life force, your energy, or your memories for their power.

It is important that each fey or demon you bond with has a very explicit contract formed with them for this process or you use a ritual that has already been defined and inscribed with a contract built in.

A preformed Body Morph Ritual is done typically within a species of fey or demons that pride themselves on selling some form of mortal essence as currency within their respective realms. Typically memories are the most valuable currency in the Fey Wilds while in Hell life force is the most prized meal.

These rituals typically are relatively low cost which is why they have been around for decades, as almost a form of passive income for these creatures. Before choosing to perform a Body Morphing ritual, make sure to know what the cost will be and weigh your options carefully.

The other type of Body Morphing ritual can be performed by summoning a fey or demon, see [Summoning Otherworldly Being! A Simple Guide! by Gurthas Genin], and forming the contract with them personally. Again, when doing this make sure to be exact about your request so you do not get the short end of the deal.

Regardless of which form of Body Morph ritual you attempt to learn, please note that it is heavily recommended to use a ritual tattoo for these rituals. The tattoo binds the contract to your very being and allows for a seamless transition, while a drawn ritual- if performed even a little off, can cause permanent damage to your body during the transition.

The other cost of using this power is not something necessarily lost, but could cost you your life. These rituals, even when tattooed, take time to complete as your body has to morph into its new form. While this transition is happening the caster cannot move or risks the ritual collapsing on itself, but the activation cost is still paid.

Alongside this, if the ritual does work and you enter your morphed form ritual energy is continuously pulled to use it so utilizing other rituals becomes much more difficult. This restriction is a major flaw, however, it does not mean it is impossible to use other rituals. In order to use other rituals your mastery over the new ritual must be higher than the stage of mastery that your Body Morphing ritual is currently at. Your mastery of ritual energy must be high as well so you can move the necessary energy away from your body morph, which is continually sucking in energy, and into the new ritual circle instead."

Kendell closed the book, a spark of a strategy starting to form in his head. 

Recording the tattoo wasn't an issue thanks to his system and the power seemed immense, and with his illusion work the time to activate the ritual shouldn't be a problem either.

'Wow, so I would be able to transform a portion of myself into a demon. That sounds incredibly strong, but the side effects are quite large I need to choose the best one for my fighting style if I am going to lose a portion of my life force.'

Kendell began browsing the isles looking at the different types of books. The way this style of ritual seemed to be recorded was very unique.

Each book contained all the Body Morphing rituals for each demon race/ individual demon that offered their powers to any and all who wished to use their body, for a price of course.

'Wow this seems perfect, why doesn't anyone use these rituals? They seem so strong even if the cost is life... is it due to the fact that they can't use a ritual tattoo yet? Or is it the cost of fewer rituals being available once you are in the morphed form?'

As Kendell began reading the names of the books, he concluded that the best form of Body Morph would be one that gave him a lot of options while morphed. Ideally, it would allow for ranged or close combat so he can use it in any situation.

Kendell was passing a few books when a voice thundered in his head.

"Stop here servant. I don't usually help mortals however your thoughts are interesting, and you have provided me insight into the ways of mortal contract-making. Grab that book there next to your left hand..."