Getting used to earth magic (1)

The outposts are done! Finally!

It took me multiple days to get the bunkers into place all around our main camp. Originally things were going a lot faster but as the goblin riders progressed further in their bonds with the animals I decided that we should add an area reserved for their bonding activities right next to camp.

Since this new area, called the stables, also needed to be guarded I had to make more outposts.

Anyway, the work is done now. Since the goblin leader has been following me throughout the entire process he is already informed of the locations and structure of the outposts. He just left to round up some goblins to man the outposts.

As long as I am here these outposts will be mostly useless since my dungeon map is way more effective but if there is an attack when I'm out they could be crucial.

The process of making those outposts was also very beneficial for me. My earth magic has yet to level up but I have grown very used to utilizing it. Creating that connection to the earth has become an almost subconscious process for me now.

I think I should also spend some time thinking of ways to use magic as an actual attack though. I go to find the goblin mage. I find him showing off his fireball in front of some newer goblins. That's perfect for my purposes.

I sit down a good distance away and watch. The goblin mage slowly raises his hand and screams fireball from the top of his lungs. A single spark explodes from the palm of his hand and grows to become a fireball that is then launched in a straight line. The fireball hits a boulder that is placed within the camp for training purposes and dissipates.

Fireball is the go-to spell amongst mages. It is simple, easy to imagine and since fire is just energy it takes little power to create and move it. The mp necessary to move a stone of the same size as the fireball I had just seen would be far above what the goblin mage currently has.

Hurling head-sized stones may look fancy but is a waste of mp. The amount of damage those stones could do would never come close to even the fireball and they cost more mp. In the first place, I shouldn't just copy spells from other elements. Every element has its properties giving it strengths and weaknesses. What I need to do is exploit those strengths when I cast spells.

Fire has the strength that it is energy thus making it affordable mp wise and good for area of effect spells. On the other hand, it can easily be negated by a resistance skill that protects against heat or fire and is only temporary unless you provide flammable material.

Earth is the polar opposite. While anything you do with it costs more mp the effects will likely stay and no simple resistance skill can completely protect you against it. It is also hard and remains physical even without further magic provided.

To press my advantage I should minimize weight and distance while relying on the toughness and shape of my spells.

Currently, I can think of two methods to use earth magic effectively. The most mana efficient way is to make small rocks long and sharp like needles before a battle. During a battle, I can then fire them with little to no effort and they should still cause some damage.

If that doesn't work out I can also go big and summon rock spikes from the ground the opponent is standing on. This attack is definitely stronger but has multiple drawbacks. I can't use this spell over a large distance so I need to be quite close to my opponent. Additionally, the casting isn't instantaneous so I need the opponent to stay in place for a while.

Both modes of attack are passable but not that great. Here's hoping that when I level up my earth magic I get access to more options of attack.

Come to think of it, the armor golems we fought a while back, were they made using earth magic?

<Yes and no. They were made by a golemancer, a class that can be attained after becoming an earth mage. Using just earth magic to make a golem is impossible since you need something to make it move. Otherwise, it's just a puppet.>

So golems are created by a fusion of skills?

<Sigh, yes, some golems are made that way. But that is very rare since only magic related to the soul or spirit could be used in the fusion. Golemancy doesn't need any of that fusion business and works autonomously. Furthermore, there are also golems produced by the dungeons and those are considered monsters. Monica is one of them.>

So basically making golems is way out of my league. I should have known. Nothing ever comes easy.

I try not to worry anymore and start to train the magic attacks I just thought up. Making the rock needles proves challenging since I want to find the perfect balance between weight and mp cost but eventually I settle for a ratio I'm comfortable with.

After completing the rock needles I train to fire them. The way this works is weird...

Normally when I imagine shooting something with my mind I'd imagine some telekinesis like power doing so. However, no matter how much I concentrate the needle never moves like that.

To make the rock needle move I have to imagine something pulling the 'earth' inside the rock needle. While I'm growing more familiar with the principle of pulling instead of pushing it is quite bothersome. Is this also due to my imagination?

<No. It's simple logic really. If you imagine a force wrapping around the projectile to fire it you need to either use telekinesis or magic attributed to wind. Imagining pushing is possible but the imagining a pulling force usually makes things like that easier.>