Fire sorcery was definitely a very useful weapon, if a tad too inherently destructive, but sorcery thrived on having an option for every problem. Even if a sorcerer had a discipline they favored over others, like Galton with his fire sorcery, they were still expected to have a level of mastery over a good number of other arts so they wouldn't be caught unprepared in any scenario, and Kurt was very much intending to follow that philosophy.
Wind had, however, proven to be considerably more difficult to 'bond' with than fire had been, perhaps because of its naturally fluid and formless nature. And yet, it was because of those same properties and the versatility they could bring to his sorcery that he was so fixated on it being his second element. But it was proving difficult, even with the surplus of wind on his current location.
"Kurt!" yelled Conrad. "Get the hell down here! Are you crazy?!"
"Give me a second!" yelled Kurt back, more out of necessity than emotion. "I'm trying to figure something out!"
"You... Just be careful!"
"I will! Don't worry!"
He was sitting atop their shared wagon. The wind hit his back violently and pushed his wand with great force, threatening to take it from his grasp. And yet he couldn't fuse it with his aether, even after a few minutes of trying. Remembering Galton's words about making his AP flow upwards to meld it with fire more easily, he tried to push his will forwards, in the same direction the wind was moving.
This seemed to do the trick. The tip of his wand exploded in a cloud of light green vapor.
Evocation has gone up by a level.
Evocation (Novice Rank/ Level 2-25)
The ability to mix one’s spiritual energies with the physical elements of the world, achieving the power to manipulate them through thought and will alone.
At the current rank, aether and elements may be properly fused with one another.
Known Elements: Fire, Wind
Kurt grinned.
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"Are you done with the crazy shit?" Asked Conrad as Kurt climbed back into the wagon.
Kurt looked around the room. Conrad was sitting in his corner, cleaning his sword. Mila was in her own section, napping.
"For the time being, yes." Answered Kurt. "I am going to try keeping myself to more subdued stuff, at least until we hit a stop and I get some space to practice."
" The train's structural integrity and I thank you." Snarked Conrad. "And, just for my own edification, what is the more subdued stuff you are keeping yourself to?"
"Psychic Warding," answered Kurt. "To avoid... well, you know."
Conrad's expression soured slightly. "Oh. Good luck with that then."
"Thanks." Answered Kurt while reaching for the pile of books in his corner, from which he procured a thin one with a purple cover in which the words Mind Sorcery and How to Defend Against It" were written. The boy sat and began reading.
The very ability of living creatures for rational thought is, much in the same way as life force itself, a product of the interaction of Transcendental and Physical Ohr. In this case the interaction occurs between the soul and the brain: the will of the soul, that allows it to exist as a separate entity from all the Ohr around it, is refined through the brain, allowing for greater complexity of thought. But this process opens a dangerous door. Unlike the formation of life force, which rejects all aether
in a most violent manner, thought is very much vulnerable to being tampered with in multiple ways: Illusions and glamour, the alteration of memories, the injection of foreign feelings and ideas… are all ways in which sorcery, or similar powers, might be used to violate the sanctity of thought. Luckily, just as sorcery may be used to harm the mind, it may also be used to protect it through the art of psychic warding: The act of shielding the 'connection' between brain and soul with one's aether.
Kurt kept reading as the book began describing the process in greater detail, and found it... surprisingly simple. No wonder it had been common knowledge since the 1800's. The process was, apparently, to take aether, preferably channeled through a foci, and shape it in a 'crown' around one's head. This would seal the aether leaking in and out his skull, creating a 'cloud' of energy around and within the brain that would protect it from any type of psychic interference.
Fine then, thought Kurt as he summoned his wand, let's give this a try.
Pressing the foci against his forehead, trying to put it at the same height as his Aetheric Attunement, and, after having it charged with SP, he drew a circle around his head with it.
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For a moment he didn't feel anything. Then the pain hit him: A migraine unlike anything he had ever felt in his life, feeling as if his brain and skull were trying to compress themselves into a small ball. The pressure kept building up and up, threatening with knocking him out, before it suddenly dissapeared with an unspeakable feeling of relaxation.
Psychic Ward (Unranked Spell)
The user of this skill has slightly altered his flow of aether to make it shield his mind, granting himself a measure of resistance against external influence against it.
The user gains a passive resistance against Psychic attacks. This defense is dependant on MND stat, current AP stored and willpower mustered at the moment.
Strength left Kurt's muscles and his body toppled backwards, the back of his head hitting the wagon's floor. And yet, a content smile remain plasttered on his face.
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Thirty minutes passed before Kurt moved to the next part of his training: Transfiguration.
If he was to make sorcery a part of his fighting style, something he very much intended to do, then centering on the physical aspects of it would be the best way to do so. Any attemp to practice or develop his evocations would have to wait until he wasn't stuck inside a wagon with other two people, particularly the fire evocations. So, he would have to work on the other side of the coin that was physical sorcery.
Conjuring a flow of AP from his wand, Kurt willed it to pierce into the switchblade he was holding on his free hand, and to suffuse its whole structure. Once this was done, and recalling what he had read, Kurt made the energy within the blade to compress and sharpen itself while still contained in the it..
Sharpening (Rank E spell)
A simple transfiguration spell used to sharpen and concentrate the normal force generated by an object, causing it act as if it were sharper than what its physical structure indicates.
The sharpness achieved depends on MND stat, Aetheric Attunement skill rank, AP used and how sharp the object originally was.
The edge of the blade glowed a soft blue, and its structure hummed rythmically with the power contained in it. And yet, no matter how much Od Kurt cycled through his eyes, the blade didn't look any sharper.
Deciding to test the efectiveness of the enchantment, Kurt left the small knife fall blade first onto the wagon's metal floor. He didn't put any strength behind it, commiting it entirely to gravity.
The blade went right through the surface without any hint of resistance or struggle, only stopping when its handle hit the floor. Kurt hadn't even put that much AP into it.
This, Kurt thought as he placed his gaze onto his sword, had enormous potential. Kurt drew his word, already much sharper than any mundane blade its type could realistically be, and cast Sharpening into it. The power of the spell slithered into the blade, but before it could realize its purpose, the magic already present into the sword's matter rejected it. A blue mist enveloped the blade.
Kurt sighed.Of course it couldn't be that simple: Anything that naturally possesed magic of any kind rejected any external magic that tried to affect it. This applied to pretty much anything with magic, even human bodies with their Od. While enhancing a regular steel blade was simple enough, a blade of mithril, a metal that was both magical and carrying purifying properties, would be pretty much impossible. At least the way Kurt was trying.
He sheathed Silver Demon back. Better to keep practicing.
Directing his attention to the switchblade, which was still embedded in the floor, Kurt pointed his wand at it. The AP still in the blade resonated with the conjured implement, as if a thread was connecting them. Kurt poured more energy into this 'thread', and raised his wand as if it were a baton.
The blade promptly dislodged itself from the floor and began floating in the air.
Dynamancy (Rank F spell)
The ability to control the forces flowing within an object through the use of aether.
Maximum force controllable increases with MND stat, Aetheric Attunement skill rank and AP used.
It wasn't much. Just a basic skill that fell under neither evocation nor transfiguration. Because the aether was interacting with the physical world without being grounded first, like mixing it with an element or the physical making of an object, it's effect was quite weak for the AP supplied. It was a spell any sorcerer knew, but also one no sorcerer would use as a weapon.
Well, it could make for a good control exercise.
Kurt began weaving his wand around, and the blade started to dance through the air.
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Due to skillfully controlling your SP, your MND stat has gone up by 1!
Aetheric Attunement has gone up by *1* level!
The blade fell and clattered against the wagon's metallic floor, devoid of any energy to animate it.
Conrad whisttled. "Impressive showing. And withou getting anyone stabbed."
Kurt picked the blade up from the floor and pushed it into his inventory. "Thanks. I was trying to practice my control. That was the most subtle spell I knew."
"Better than a hail of fireballs, thats for sure." He looked at Mila, who was still sleeping. "That girl sure is a heavy sleeper. She's been out for, what? Two hours already?"
"Yeah," Agreed Kurt, the corners of his mouth bent in a soft smile. "She sure loves her naps. And her food. I actually learnt to cook just for her. She makes the cutest smiles when you give her a plate of cookies."
Conrad chuckled. "I think she only makes that smile when you give her sweets. Heck, you could probably gift her a piece of concrete and she would still make that smile."
"…Probably, yeah." Agreed Kurt. "It's the thing about best friends right? Plus, she's too upbeat to react poorly to a gift, no matter what it is. She's just… nice to everyone, I just get first servings."
"Believe me dude, you are the only one that gets the kind of niceness she gives you. And it is not because you're best friends."
"What do you mean?" Asked Kurt. "She's nice to everyone."
Conrad began chuckling. Then he began cackling. "Dude," he said. " you're a dumbass!"
Kurt conjured his wand, green energy spiraling around its tip, and promptly blasted Conrad with a burst of pressurized wind that sent him ass over teakettle.
Wind Sorcery: Pressure Cannon (Rank E spell)
The user shoots a blast of pressurized air capable of pushing its target with considerable force.
Power increases with MND stat, Aetheric Attunement skill rank, Evocation skill rank and AP spent.
"Hey!" yelled Conrad. "What was that for?!"
"Don't mock me." Answered Kurt simply. "It's sort of a trigger for me. Since we're friends now, I think you should know."
Conrad got to his feet, sweeping his ruffled hear back and away from his scowling face."I'll keep tabs on that."
"Hmm?" Mila's voice came from the side. "Whuzzat?"
The sound of the train's brakes reverberated through the wagon.
"The train." Answered Kurt. "We're reaching the first stop."
