Old Smith

Even the most blessed of people that possessed a skill or magic had to learn how to use it in all kinds of situations for it to actually be useful to them.

Mallory had been lucky that her first real opponent was someone that had already been weakened so they had less power to use and less mobility.

It was not the same when she was up against a more experienced magic user and when there was someone else to assist them.

Depending on the amount of control and power applied to the water orbs, the more they could freely be controlled, the more of a range they could cover and the more powerful the attack would be each time.

Old Smith was far more experienced and controlled the water orbs to release different sized orbs each time and was able to time his chanting to match the movements of Oars.

When Mallory was trying to avoid Oars and focus on her chants, she could not split her attention further by defending or attacking either of them so she had to split her attention between moving to avoid harm and chanting.

Those conditions and the pressure applied to her by Oars had let Old Smith have more freedom of movement and casting.

He would occasionally adjust the power or timing of his spells while other times he moved from his position to adjust the position and angle he was firing from so that Mallory could not become to accustomed to where he was firing from or what to expect.

Mallory adjusted her movements and continued her chant as she narrowly avoided the attacks from Oars. "Form a screen of shining light."

The old man stepped to the side a little while continuing with his chant at a steady pace.

The next part had continued afterwards. "Deflecting mirror of averting evil."

A training staff narrowly missed her head as she avoided it by leaning it to one side. "Warding Mirror."

"Water Orb!"

Mallory was able to gather her magic and completed the chant just in time for the water orb to fire towards her and Oars jumped to the side to avoid the incoming magic.

A small smile appeared on her face as the water orb crashed into the screen of light then bounced back.

It flew towards the old man who had been hit by it but the battle did not end so simply.

Oars appeared on the other side of the barrier behind Mallory who held up the barrier then sent a light chop towards the back of her neck just as she had finished deflecting the water orb. "You are already dead."

Her ears went down again to show that she was feeling disappointed in herself.

Oars sighed. "Once it has done its job.. you should move again like before and cancel it. Keeping it up any longer with keep you immobile and will waste more of your magic."

Mallory nodded in response. "Mm.. I get what you mean."

The old man was protected by a light barrier that surrounded him and the water dripped down from it.

He tapped it and spoke full of enthusiasm. "How interesting. I never got to use one of these before when they were given out to those within the familia. They would make so many spell caster's lives so much easier."

There were some other ways for spell casters to increase their combat potential like the use of items, learning a new spell or using others to cover for their weaknesses but the talismans did provide excellent support in combat situations and were easy to use.

There were some that required an activation key word to use them but others were automatic so they provided a lot of additional options to be used tactically.

Old Smith was much older so he did not have the energy to avoid every little thing so he had to rely on others to keep himself safe but if he was required to participate in a battle again, the talismans would play a key role in allowing him to be safe as he casted his spells.

Another couple of attempts continued and Mallory was gradually getting used to it, there were clear signs of improvement but she would soon find out that she still had much to learn.

The old man shouted. "Water Orb!"

It was a signal that he had completed his spell and Mallory responded as a barrier of light formed in front of her body in between them.

Her eyes looked through the barrier and saw no water orb then Oars bypassed her barrier to reach her.

His attacks caused the barrier to become unstable once she lost her focus then the old man circled around and fired towards Mallory where there was a big opening to the side of the barrier.

The water orb flew towards her and Oars got out of the way so she ended up wet again.

The barrier completely dissipated by the time she had been hit and was knocked down.

The old man walked towards her and reminded her. "A little deceit does help in real combat so remember that. The chant may have been completed but that does not mean that a spell cannot be delayed or fired off later.

If a spell caster can concentrate enough then it should be possible to pre chant for a spell or to change the rhythm of their spells to affect the casting speed and when the spell can be formed and released.

So many youngsters get a magic spell through a grimoire or have less experience with the spell they have learned so all they do is fire off their spells recklessly and prioritise power to solve their problems.

Magic is just not that simple and to maximise its potential or effectiveness in combat, it needs to be fully tested out and understood. Each person has a certain limit to the amount of spells they can cast or the amount of power they can put into each spell before they experience mind down so it needs to be used efficiently."

Mallory scrunched up her face as she wiped her body down with a towel. "I understand.."

She thought to herself. 'Now I just need to get better with the timing of my barriers and the placement of it.'

Old Smith went on to explain. "Against quick casters or quicker ability using monsters, you will still have to be careful. Some knowledge on monsters and their range of abilities should help you to predict those dangers so you can use that barrier in time.

I cannot say much for going against those with shorter chants.. increase your chanting speed and being careful of each opponent would be the best advice I can give you.

There will be some that have certain habits or telltale signs that show they may have something extra up their sleeves so do not let them use it or direct it towards you."

Oars nodded. "I once faced a guy on the battlefield that raised his other hand towards me without warning and fired off a sharp wind towards me when I was preoccupied with holding off his sword. It completely caught me off guard. See?"

He opened his shirt and there was an old wound that had a large cut on his shoulder. "Luckily I avoided the most of it and avoided any major injuries that could have threatened my life further but this scar is my reminder to always be wary of others and to not underestimate them."

Mallory, Oars and Old Smith spent several days training while there were several others that had started to try to find their own way on their own.

The investigation was progressing during that time and the sales of Mallory's talismans continued.

Among them were some small wooden figurines and tablets that were included but were sold for a much higher price.

The figurines were sold for a far higher price due to the increased skill and difficulty to carve them while the tablets were slightly cheaper or less powerful versions of what both could do.

They were capable of warding off lower monsters that could threaten level ones while the greater effects could help in warding off more powerful ones that could be found in more difficult floors in Orario where a more experienced level one or a lower level two may struggle.

The protection they could provide to many was excellent but there was a limited supply due to the magic power required to make them and the time used to craft them but they would be very useful.