XXIX - Training and Upgrade

The following day, Bree finally asked me to train her in magic. I agreed to this but was unsure how or what to teach her.

We went to the woods behind the temple and looked for a secluded area to start her training. I then asked Bree to cast all the spells she knew.

Every time she would fire a spell, it would take around 7 seconds to chant before she could release it. Is that how elemental magic works?

I wanted to understand her magic more, so I used the 'Transfer' blessing to copy it.

I then fired several different ice spells in succession without chanting.

'Ice Wall'

'Icicle Spear'

'Icy Prison'

'Cold Blast'

Bree gasped in disbelief. She couldn't understand what just happened.

"Master, I didn't know you could use the same element as me without incantations!"

"No, I just copied your skill and automatically understood it."

"Is that a blessing?"

"It is, but keep it a secret for now. Arthur and Gale aren't aware of this at the moment."

She nodded and then asked another question.

"Is it also part of the blessing to have the ability to omit incantations?"

"Not exactly. The chants were made to aid you in creating a shape in your mind for the spell you're casting. So, if you understand the spell's structure, you should be able to do the same as I did."

I let Bree try it out. She was having a hard time, but she was determined to learn. She kept casting her spells until she suddenly collapsed from where she was standing.

I rushed to check on her; she was still conscious. I held her in my arms and tried to assess the situation.

"Bree, what happened? Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm okay, master. I'm just experiencing mana deficiency."

For someone like me who hasn't experienced something like mana deficiency, I was confused and worried at the same time. As we returned to the temple, I carried her in my arms and consulted with Korys.

"She's fine, Egil. Let her rest for now and prohibit her from casting any spells today," said Korys.

I brought Bree to her bed, left her to rest, and returned to Korys for an inquiry.

"Korys, is there a way for Bree to increase her mana capacity?"

"It's simple: let her expend mana every day, and her capacity will increase."

"Wouldn't there be any complications?"

"It would be unwise to leave her unsupervised, so you must be there when she does that."

For the next two weeks, I watched over Bree as she exhausted her mana and would bring her back to the temple to rest.

Finally, the day for me to return to Brogue arrived. I had Bree rest from her training for the day, and she accompanied me to Ferra's shop.

"Mr. Egil, just in time! I finished everything you ordered earlier today."

"That's great. Now, about the payment.."

"What do you mean? You already gave me one of those, right?" Ferra winked.

"Are you sure that's enough? I could give you one or two, you know."

"No, no, no. Another one of those, and I won't be able to sleep peacefully."

"If you say so. I truly appreciate it."

After Ferra handed me a sack full of the ordered items, we quickly went to the market to get something to eat on the road before returning to the temple.

Back at the temple, I called Ness and the others to hand them the equipment.

I handed Ness a pendant with a magistone on it.

"Oh, what's this, Egil?" she asked.

"It's not an ordinary accessory. The holy magistone on it allows you to cast 'Barrier' so you can protect yourself when we're unable to."

Their eyes widened when they heard the word 'magistone'.

Gale enthusiastically awaited his turn to receive equipment, so I gave him next.

Confused with what I handed him, he asked, "Am I supposed to flail this at the enemy or something?"

"Try attaching it and see what happens," I told him.

His was a bit special. I gave him a metal prosthetic arm embedded with a few magistones to make it feel like a part of his body, among other features.

"It's been so long since I last had the sensation of having a left arm!" Gale exclaimed while holding back his tears.

"Arthur, I wasn't sure if you'd need another weapon, so I had these made for you instead."

"Thank you, Egil. I'll treasure this forever."

I gave him a pauldron with a magistone to increase his defense and destructive power.

"Bree, give me your hand," I inserted a ring on her finger with a magistone capable of amplifying her spells.

I didn't think much about what I just did. Bree's face turned red while the rest were smiling like idiots. When I realized what was happening, I quickly stood up and took a few steps back.

"Quit it, she's just fourteen!"

"What are you talking about? You can marry someone at the age of 12," Gale said.

They laughed and teased, seeing how I had flushed cheeks.

Gale and Arthur considered having another spar when they finally had their fill. Since we'll be testing the new equipment, we decided to go where Bree does her magic training so we could avoid damaging the temple.

The spar started with swords clashing. Arthur's attack, made stronger by the pauldrons, caused Gale's grip to loosen, and his sword was flung.

Every time Arthur swung his sword, the ground would shatter, and gusts of wind were like blades that could cut even if you were a few meters away.

Gale was having a rough time with Arthur. Although he was to dodge the sword, he would get caught by the swing's explosiveness.

He finally used the arm's power when he understood he was no longer a match for Arthur.

The arm glowed, and Gale's whole body was covered in a bright light. When the light disappeared, Gale wore a new set of silver armor accompanied by a kite shield and a sword.

Gale's awe was evident in his movements; he again faced Arthur, bracing for an attack.

They continued the spar, with Arthur charging towards Gale. He swung his sword to hit Gale's side, but the shield deflected it. The space behind Gale exploded when the sword hit the shield, and despite that, he didn't move an inch.

Gale countered with an attack of his own, but Arthur skillfully recovered his sword's momentum and parried the attack.

They exchanged blows until Arthur didn't hesitate and delivered a powerful downward slash. The ground around them shattered, and a thick cloud of dust veiled them, making the result unclear.

When the dust finally settled, Gale stood while Arthur was on the ground. Apparently, Gale parried the sword with his shield and let go of his sword to sneak a right hook to Arthur's face.

Ness and Bree clapped their hands for both of them, and Gale helped Arthur stand up. 

When the spar was over, the surroundings looked like a small war had occurred here. Then Gale's equipment glowed and vanished instantly, leaving him with only his undergarments. Bree shrieked and quickly covered his face while the rest of us shook our heads.

"Don't you wear anything besides undergarments when your armor is on?" I asked.

"It's hot wearing full armor, you know! Also, You didn't tell me about this."

Moving forward, having Gale wear lighter clothes might be a good idea.

Ness took some spare clothes from the 'Storage' blessing and handed them to Gale.

Korys suddenly appeared and looked ready for battle. When he realized it was just us, he relaxed his guard and approached us.

"And here I was thinking there was an attack," he said.

"I'm sorry, they got too carried away with their spar," I replied.

"A spar, you say? Why don't we have a spar ourselves, Egil?"

"I think I'm going to pass. Thank you very much."

"No, I insist we should."

I grabbed Bree by the hand as we walked away to find a place for her to train.

The magistone ring was more than I expected. Bree's spells were more potent than before, but the problem was that she still didn't have enough mana to cast more spells. With the ring equipped, she exhausted her mana with just three spells.

Once we were done, we retreated to the temple and took a break for the rest of the day.

Later that night, I went to talk privately with Korys outside the temple hall.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow. Thank you and to the goddess again for the hospitality that you have shown."

"I could send you to Auhnaver as a farewell gift."

I shook my head and changed the topic.

"Korys, I've been meaning to ask. You have extraordinary powers as an emissary, and Brogue is a part of the Kingdom of Easton; why didn't you participate in the war?"

He gazed at the sky and said, "It saddens me to know that the capital Barta has fallen along with its royal family, but it is not my place as an emissary to meddle with politics."

"What are you trying to say?"

"My sole duty is to protect this realm from threats that could endanger the continent."

"Don't you think the Apton Empire's current activities are not a threat?"

"It is not at the moment."

"That's ridiculous! You could've prevented it, yet you chose to do nothing. People died, Korys!"

"More people would've perished if I let 'drifters' run amok in the continent!"

I was about to say something when suddenly, someone came rushing from the temple entrance.

"Master Korys, it's an emergency!"