Chapter 078: Light Spell (Part Two)

Jess kept thinking about the tiny spark he'd just produced. He wanted to try again, because he didn't feel as though casting a spell that small had pushed him anywhere near his limit.

Marin was rarely wrong, but the exhaustion he'd warned about simply wasn't there this time.

Well, perhaps not entirely. Jess wasn't quite as fresh as he'd been when he woke up that morning. But how much of that could really be blamed on two attempts at a spell?

Whatever the answer, he certainly didn't feel like he needed to stop and rest immediately.

“Master Marin, can you train your mind by casting spells over and over? Say I cast two spells right now, and communicating with the ley network twice makes me a little tired. If I keep training, can I improve that ability over time?”

Marin nodded. “Of course. But remember what I just told you. Don't overestimate what your body can take. Improve a little at a time. Besides, the fastest way to increase how many spells you can cast isn't to push your mental endurance. It's to improve your casting technique and your concentration.”

“By casting technique, I mean saying the incantation properly, using the right gestures, and all the other requirements I mentioned. Every spell has techniques you can practice to reduce how much effort it takes. Some mages in Dalaran call them energy-saving casting techniques. Many scholars believe mental strength is a kind of energy that can be spent and restored—mana, if you like—much like the energy flowing through the ley network. From that point of view, finding ways to spend less mental energy really is a form of saving energy.”

“Concentration is more about what's happening inside you. If casting technique is a skill you need to master, concentration is how fully you focus on the act of casting. The more focused you are, the less mental energy you'll waste. That's one reason mages rarely throw themselves into the middle of a battlefield. Instead, they support their allies from behind the fighting. They need to concentrate as much as possible to keep casting for a long time.”

“Mastering these two things is much more effective than blindly trying to toughen your will. And while you practice them, you'll slowly find that your mental limits grow as well.”

Jess understood.

When he had cast Fear before, he'd felt completely drained after only a few uses. Perhaps that was because he'd always been scrambling around, watching where his enemies were attacking, and trying to squeeze a spell into whatever opening he could find. He'd paid no attention to proper casting technique or how accurately he spoke the incantation. No wonder the results had been poor and the effort so costly.

But did shadow magic work the same way as arcane magic?

There had to be some things they shared.

“We'll tackle one goal at a time,” Marin said. “Let's start with the light spell. Your first task is to keep the light going for more than one minute. It's a very basic exercise for an apprentice, and even an ordinary person should be able to attempt it without seriously exhausting their mind. Once you manage it, come back for a simple test. If you pass, we'll move to the next step. I'll give you two weeks.”

The passage here came from the author's official story page without permission. Reading it at the publication supports their work.

He pulled out a book with yellowed pages: Felix—An Introduction to Arcane Casting Techniques.

“Page twenty-two. The section on casting the light spell. Read the basic instructions first. Don't worry about the variations that come later. Get the simplest part right before anything else.”

“Yes, Master.”

Jess took the book and flipped through it. The light spell really was simple. All it did was gather arcane energy and make it glow. As a child in the royal city of Lordaeron, he'd even seen young apprentices—and sometimes children—do it.

After his Orcish class that afternoon, Jess decided to visit The Slaughtered Lamb and ask Ursula Delin, who worked in its basement, about making healing and mana potions.

When he entered the basement, he said, “Liyusa,” and held a tiny point of light above his finger. It lit up the barred door and the dark passage beyond.

The light stayed steady for several seconds. He reached for the door handle, but just before he could touch it, the light slipped out of control and dissolved into the air. Only the faintest trace of purple arcane light remained.

He sighed, stepped through the barred doorway, and walked into the darkness.

The basement of The Slaughtered Lamb was almost empty that afternoon. Gakin, Surena, and Erlan were all absent. Only Galds sat in the central hall, reading.

His servant, an imp named Jiaoji, was holding a book open for him. Whenever Galds glanced at him, Jiaoji immediately understood and hurried to turn the page. His master lounged comfortably in his chair, apparently unconcerned by how long the imp had been holding the book up.

If only Saeno could be that quiet, Jess thought.

“Jess Seso. You're here,” Galds said, looking up. “How did you find that summoning spell? Did you keep a demon whose temperament suited yours?”

“It's pretty dangerous to run around Stormwind with an imp,” Jess replied.

“If you have a lot of business to attend to around the city, I can understand your concern. But if you rarely wander about, as I do, keeping a demon around isn't much trouble. Imps even have their own ways of turning invisible.”

“An imp will obey its master's orders without question, but it still has a temper, a personality, and things it likes and dislikes. I hope you won't treat summoned demons as disposable tools the way Gakin does. For one thing, summoning takes a lot of energy, and every attempt requires a safe place to cast. For another, each time you summon a new demon, you're dealing with a stranger. You haven't had any time to get to know each other or learn to work together. I wouldn't feel comfortable with that. I couldn't trust it.”

“Thanks, Galds. I'll think about what you said,” Jess replied.

“No need to thank me. By the way, what brings you here today? I don't recall Gakin calling everyone together.”

“Is Ms. Delin here?” Jess asked.

“Ursula's in the room at the very end of the middle passage. You'll smell it before you get there. That's our alchemy room.”

Jess followed Galds's directions. Sure enough, a powerful medicinal smell reached him at the end of the corridor.

There seemed to be some Grave Moss in the mix.

Inside the alchemy room, a woman wearing nothing but a loose sleeveless shirt and wide-legged pants with the cuffs rolled up was crouching beside a cauldron, stirring its contents. She hadn't heard Jess come up behind her at all.

The room was unbearably hot. The weather outside had already begun to cool, but the basement had poor ventilation. One vent led off to who knew where. Perhaps it helped a little—at least the steam wasn't quite enough to cook someone alive.

“Ms. Ursula Delin?” Jess said softly.

Ursula turned. Sweat covered her forehead and face. Her normally fluffy hair was wet and plastered to her neck.

She took a breath and nodded.

“Jess Seso. I still remember your name. What can I do for you?”