Mana Skin

The familiars that had come along were Pandora, a bird and the Velociraptors while a large snake had been far more difficult to bring along for a long journey.

A bird was sitting on the shoulder of Grimwood who had stood back calmly and looked on quietly as Blush had appeared once again.

They had all discussed taking a pilgrimage every now and again to increase their opportunities to grow together as a witch coven but also to gain some valuable experiences in the world that could provide breakthroughs mentally, in their research and even in their magic.

Magic was similar to science in the way that a witch needed to understand how the world worked in order to fully comprehend what their magic was capable of.

Understanding the strengths and flaws of each thing while learning the rules of the universe was just a small part of the path in magic.

There needed to be more knowledge towards medicine, different healing properties or energy and the body to be able to use healing magic to its fullest potential.

It was the same for understanding the laws of space if a space related spell was being used otherwise there could be errors that could result in an accident.

Each magic spell or abilities followed some kind of law and it required practice and knowledge to be able to bring out the full potential.

Holly and Maple were the youngest of the witches so they were just building up their foundation in magic and were choosing which path they wanted to walk on so it was best for them to come along to experience the world too.

Willow had been a user of inheritance magic and had a lot of magic power that had been passed down to her from her master who gained it from their master before them and so on.

She may have made some trips outside at times but most of her time had been spent in a secluded location where she studied so she was not able to fully make that power her own completely and grow it further.

It was a journey for to improve upon their magic, knowledge and experiences but it was a chance for some spiritual and physical growth too.

They had all walked together on the road while being followed by their pets but the bird belonging to Grimwood had flown over the skies to scout the area around them.

They were not allowed to use any magic to aid them while they made their journey and took on difficulties so that they could push themselves physically but that did not mean that they could not use it to protect themselves.

Coral was the most physically fit among everyone followed up by Blush and Grimwood while the others had struggled a little more so there were times when they had to take a small break along the way.

The scorching heat of the sun had come down on them from above as they walked along the path and they all had to endure it in their own way.

A yawn escaped the mouth of Blush who had turned to the others. "Some of you will be less familiar with magic manipulation and may have only practiced it a little since I have passed on some things to you so this may be difficult at first.

If you still struggle with the exercise then take some time during the time we are resting to practice the magic coating, layer or mana skin. Whatever you prefer to call it, just practice it while staying still to get the hang of it along the way.

Those that can already do so can move onto keeping it up to provide a layer of protection to your body while you are on the move."

Mana Skin was a reinforcement type of spell but it did have its drawbacks and advantages.

The drawback was that the protection it provided was not that much compared to a barrier type spell but the advantage was that if mastered properly them it could be used on the move.

Those that practiced it would gradually learn how to better control their mana and they would be able to survive in harsher environments.

The mana skin helped keep away foreign or dangerous materials so it acted as a thin layer of protection and fit around the body so it was more versatile than a flat, curved or spherical barrier that was solid and made it difficult to do additional tasks when inside or behind the barrier.

The strain what was put on the users mana from using it and keeping a strong focus helped to strengthen the mind and control of the user.

Just like any other use of a spell that has been pushed past its limits to reach a new stage or had been met with resistance of other forces, the users limitations and quality of mana would be pushed further than before.

Different environments and conditions would make it far more difficult to maintain the mana skin and would require far more effort and concentration to keep it up for a longer time to consciously gain control over it in such conditions.

Different elements would be met with other elements and some energies would be met with an opposing type of energy that nurtured, suppressed or was mutually opposing it.

Blush had been training in the mana skin method for a long time but she had to often split her focus and push herself so far that she had to stop before she did any harm to herself since she was controlling dangerous flames and was trying to keep up her mana skin.

One wrong move and pushing herself too far could have easily resulted in her losing control of either of the two which would have resulted in her mana skin dispersing too early or the fire going out of her control.

Either one of those could have harmed her or the place she was training in so she could not push herself as much as she wanted which had slowly caused her own magic growth to slow down.

It did help her to gain a better grasp of multitasking when casting spells so the time spent was not completely wasted.

Blush already had a good grasp of the mana skin technique so she had started applying it to her training as she moved around while others were still busy grasping control over it while remaining still.

Willow had a better understanding of mana manipulation than the others so she was doing slightly better than them but Holly who was the youngest seemed to show quite a lot of potential too.

Grimwood did not have that good of a grasp over it yet but she was improving while Holly was struggling a lot.