chapter 11:Ancient Magic

Earth-33 Superman uses Kryptonian Symbols and Runes to channel his power.

And yes, I'd sneakily loaded this Chekov's Gun earlier...

"Welcome back, sir." Jor-El said as Harry stepped into the Floo room from the cupboard connected to his school trunk. "I have taken the liberty of bringing the Krypton Mage Archive online. Would you care to learn the ways of the Kryptonian Mages?"

Harry blinked. "Jor-El… you know that the duel takes place on Sunday… I have maybe a day and a half before then. How much could I learn in that time?"

"I have completed the construction of the Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm, therefore you will be able to master the basics, sir."

"The Row-zing-kip-whatsit?" Harry asked.

"The Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm, sir. The best translation would be Computer That Provides Experience. It is the end-product of centuries of techno-magical research seeking ways of shortening the time required for formal education without sacrificing quality. The basic course on Kryptonian Mage Combat Techniques would require only twenty-seven hours real-world time for an apparent elapsed time of five Earth months. However, the cumulative mental strain caused by repeated use means that it can be employed only once per Kryptonian year… approximately five hundred and seven Earth days or one point three nine Earth years."

"Sounds promising." Harry mused. "Alright, set it up and let's do it."

"Very good, sir. The Induction Matrix is located in the Fortress, I have opened the entrance."

Harry walked into the central hall of The Pottery, pausing when he saw the hole in the floor.

"A bit obvious, isn't it?"

"Including the Quidditch Pitch, there are nine access points to the Fortress, sir." Jor-El returned. "This one was the most convenient at this time. Please step into the hole and I shall use the gravetic systems to carry you to where you need to be."

Harry paused, looking down through the hole. The basement was visible on the floor below, then the hole resumed as a semi-crystalline shaft vanishing downwards.

"Oh, what the hell." He muttered to himself, then he jumped. The hold gravity had on him vanished and he drifted downwards. Looking up, he saw the hole above him ripple closed.

"Cool." He grinned, then re-oriented himself to look down as he sped up. Less than a minute later, he came to a stop by an opening in the side of the shaft, then drifted sideways until his feet touched the ground.

"Third door on the left, sir."

Following Jor-El's prompting, Harry entered the chamber in question. The walls were metal with bas-relief symbols on them and in the middle was something that looked like a crystal bed mounted at sixty degrees, an open helmet suspended from the top by a translucent cable.

"What are these symbols?" Harry asked, looking round.

"The symbols are part of the education, sir." Jor-El replied. "However, they also represent the Twenty Three Great Clans of Krypton."

Harry nodded and made his way to the angled platform.

"So, I just lie back on this thing and don the helmet?"

"Indeed, sir."

Harry lay down on the angled platform which seemed to ripple as it molded itself against him, holding him steady, then the helmet descended, closing around his head.

"So, what happe…"

The universe seemed to fragment around him, flashes of light and odd square-shapes floating like clouds, then everything reformed and he found himself in standing in a pillar of light with a robed man waiting calmly in front of him.

"What the heck…?"

"Welcome to the virtual world, sir." the man said and Harry stared at him.

"Jor-El?"

"Indeed, sir. The teaching hall is this way. If you will follow me?"

Harry looked around curiously, his eyes taking in the dark walls with neon edging and the dim lines along which sparks of light occasionally raced as he followed Jor-El. "What is this place?"

"The Virtual World, sir. To avoid confusing it with the Real World, I borrowed the design from an Earth film called Tron."

"Huh." Harry managed.

"Currently, the planetary datanet is minimal, sir. With your permission, may I begin interacting with the local developers to bring it up to standard?"

"What sort of standard?" Harry asked cautiously.

"As the current technological level does not support Quantum Node Computing, Optical Fibre transmission and binary-encoding would be the recommended route at this time. If I can contact the correct people, this world could have high-definition video-coms within two years."

"I'm not sure…" Harry frowned. "What if they insist on meeting you?"

"In the few messages I have sent so far, I have implied that I am an agoraphobic recluse with mild autism and some paranoid tendencies." Jor-El replied. "There is a 99.999956% chance that this cover will prove sufficient and the careful incorporation of Kryptonian-derived technology will provide a strong financial revenue in the non-magical world."

"…okay." Harry sighed. "But take it slow and be careful."

"Yes, sir. Here we are. I have activated a Tuition-Program for you, one based on your grandmother's tutor. Enjoy."

"Thanks." Harry grinned and Jor-El seemed to blink out of existence. Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed open the door and entered.

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"Combat Mage Manifestation and Implementation level one." The dark-haired man standing in front of Harry stated. "In this place, you will learn how to manifest, deploy, arrange, energize, synergize and empower the Runes that are the focus for Kryptonian Battle Magic. A few other races also use magic and while they may seem to be capable of greater feats than we are, their reliance on external foci leaves them vulnerable. Snap their staff, break their circle, take their jewel and they are incapable of more than basic telekinesis, color changing or other minor acts.

"By using ourselves as the primary foci for our skills and the runes to control the effects, we can match them in combat without the weakness that an external foci brings. Our abilities are the result of thousands of years of experimentation, refinement and analysis.

"Our power is primarily expressed through the symbols of the Twenty-three. Each symbol represents different aspects of existence and each House has their own specific augmentation effect. You are primarily of the House of El with a secondary affinity for the House of Van, meaning that you have access to both Augments. For your edification, Augments are geneti-magical capabilities that were imbued into specific families centuries ago.

"The symbols and meanings in Earth Alphabetical are…

Ak: Art, inspiration and beauty.

Am: Change, cycles of history and destiny.

An: Law, justice and integrity.

Da: Harmony, synergy and music.

Dar: Trees, origins and ancestors.

Do: Strength, skies and battle.

El: Hope, Contemplation and serenity.

Em: Endings, resolutions and conclusions.

Kann: Concepts, thoughts and communications.

Ko: Peace, reflection and calmness.

Lor: Travel, evolution and rhythm.

Mer: Nature, animals and environment.

Nu: Renewal, consistence and stability.

Ran: Influence, relationships and persuasion.

Re: Ethics, morality and honesty.

Tor: Secrets, myths and ambiguity.

Ul: Command, control and order.

Ur: Attack, crisis and chaos.

Van: Family, home and hearth.

Veks: Beginnings, questions and birth.

Zar: Abundance, wealth and success.

Zor: Exploration, borders and discovery.

Zu: Sacrifice, acceptance and ritual."

As the tutor listed each House, the symbol appeared beside him.

"The Augment for the House of El is Mind-power, a natural ability to learn and remember. On Earth, it is known as an Eidetic Memory and resists external manipulation. For the House of Van, it is the ability to bring others into the family, including those not of the same race. The Kryptonian race has incorporated several genetic advantages from other species as a result of this Augment."

"…wow." Harry breathed. "So, I can eventually be a dad?"

The man froze for a moment, then replied. "QNA analysis indicates that any offspring with the local sentients will be half-Kryptonian and capable of reproduction with full Kryptonians or the local sentients. Returning to topic. To access the Kryptonian Mage Path, you must first be able to fully visualise all twenty-three Symbols, sequentially and simultaneously. Begin."

Harry closed his eyes for an instant, then pulled up the symbol of Ak.

.

"When the symbols are deployed, they act as protective shields against enemy magic as well as absorbing low levels of ambient magic to maintain themselves for as long as they remain visualized." The tutor explained as Harry grimaced with the effort of keeping all the diamond-shaped symbols from dissipating. "Mage Apprentices generally deploy the Symbols in two interlocking rings around themselves, thus creating a cylindrical shield in the process, while Mage Journeymen utilize a less structured arrangement for more flexibility, often discarding several of the lesser-used Symbols unless required. Mage Adepts conserve power for longer battles by manifesting only their five or six most-used Symbols for general spell-casting, choosing them for maximum flexibility. Any other Symbols are manifested at need and dissipated as soon as the required spell has been cast. It is worth noting that as the number of Symbols decreases, their manifested size can be increased, although above a certain size, their shielding capabilities degrade noticeably. To trigger a Symbol, touch it and push your power into it.

"More subtle spells and those of greater flexibility are attainable through the manifestation of Kryptonian runes in specific positions relative to the Symbols, but to attain such knowledge requires multiple Sessions while the activation period of said spells renders them generally impractical for combat use.

"Only the Ur symbol can be used by itself, all the others can only be used as part of a combination.

"Please deploy and use the Ur Sigil."

Harry let the Symbol of Ur move into position, then he reached out. As his hand made contact, the symbol seemed to solidify, then a blast of magical energy slammed into the wall, leaving a diamond-shaped scorch mark.

"To adjust the effect, you must align the relevant Symbols." The tutor added. "Using Ur as the prime Symbol for its Attack, modify it to a wind attack by placing the Do Symbol beyond it."

Harry followed the instruction and the magical blast slammed out from the Ur symbol, only to be absorbed into the Do, which in turn issued a massive blast of wind.

"The innermost Symbol initiates with the first meaning. The second Symbol changes it in conjunction with the second meaning while the third modifies it further in conjunction with the last meaning. Using four or more Symbols will cause the spell to abort. Example, using Ur and Kann will launch an attack that will create temporary disorientation in whoever is in the area affected. Adding the Symbol Tor will leave the target unable to make any decisions until the effect wears off whereas adding Ran will make them highly suggestable to spoken commands. Here is a table of the cumulative effects."

Harry looked at the three-dimensional grid forming in front of him.

"There are eleven thousand, one hundred and thirty-three usable combinations." The tutor added and Harry slumped.

"Even with Eidetic memory, that's ridiculous." He complained.

"Be aware that seventeen of the aforementioned combinations are highly dis-recommended to the point of being highly hazardous to the caster with a non-zero chance of fatality. The combinations in question are highlighted."

Harry stared at the embedded holographic cubes glowing a sickly red.

"Do I even want to know what they would do?"

"The only non-fatal dis-recommended combination is Zu Da Ur which causes all Mage-energy within range to de-cohere, rendering all external use of Mage-energy impossible until the natural order reasserts itself. Depending on the area affected, this may take several planetary revolutions."

"Okay." Harry whispered to himself. "That would be a definite do not use."

.

.

"Welcome back, sir." Jor-El said as the helmet lifted from Harry's head. "The time is eleven PM on Saturday. How do you feel?"

"Oddly tired." Harry admitted, rubbing at his head. "It's odd, I had plenty of time to absorb that knowledge, but my head's feeling rather… stuffed."

"That would be a common side-effect of the Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm, sir." Jor-El confirmed. "Should I use the gravetics to carry you to your bedroom?"

"Let me try something…" Harry mused, concentrating and a pair of Symbols appeared before him. For an instant, the seemed to waver, then the firmed up and sharpened, revealing themselves to be the Lor and Ul runes. Harry reached out, touching the Lor and a beam of magic connected it to the Ul, then continued to hit the wall, where it opened up a portal through which Harry's bedroom could be seen.

"Analyzing energy patterns for future duplication." Jor-El stated and Harry paused, looking up at the embedded lighting strip that also served as the presence indicator of the AI.

"You mean you didn't have access to this knowledge before?"

"No, sir." Jor-El replied. "Prior to the completion of the Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm, I had no viable method to access the files."

"Huh. Well, I guess this means you'll be able to use this to make Portals now." Harry smiled as he stepped into his bedroom.

"The range is limited, sir. To reach Gringotts using this technique would require no less than five Portals and should two Portals be activated near each other, they tend to destabilize. In addition, they cannot be used to traverse high-level Wards such as those around The Pottery and Gringotts."

"Damn." Harry groaned as he let the Portal dissipate behind him. "So much for that idea. I guess we're stuck with the Switching Rooms."