7. Fragile Fire (Pt. 2)

“Do you think your sisters are still out there, somewhere?” Jake asked. While he was a bit scared to do so, Chul only chuckled.

“If I could survive, so could they. I am uncertain of how many are still alive but I doubt they are all dead.” He paused. “Rey’ra, my youngest sibling, passed through the Ravine many years ago in search of a place for her new brood. She was surprised to see me more than I her.”

Jake blinked a few times, staring down at Chul as the Arachkin’s fangs lightly tapped together. The Arachkin was thinking again. “Did she forgive you?”

Chul looked up at him. “...When she first saw me, she gave me quite the earful, but…” His voice quieted and he turned away. Jake could see him curl up a bit. “She was grateful to see me and she too tried to free me from the Ravine, as you did. When she could not, I shooed her along. Her brood was soon for the world and I would not let her waste her time on her failure of a brother. She was against leaving me, wanting to stay with family, but the Ravine was not suited for a brood. She continued and I remained behind.”

“...That was nearly a hundred years ago.”

“A hundred years?” Jake choked at the number. Chul let out a deep laugh, his fangs rattling. “You are an old man!”

“Quiet, you! I am experienced. Not old!”

“Old!” “Seasoned!” “Yea, a seasoned soon-to-be-corpse!”

“I’ll have you know, Arachkin can live for a thousand years!”

Jake sighed. “I’d call you a liar but you’re probably too stubborn to die. I bet you’ll live beyond that.”

“No, it is quite the opposite.” Chul let out another soft chuckle as he adjusted his footing. “I have lived a terrible life. My body is tired and aged. My mana core isn’t as strong as it once was, and I can feel it. I will likely live for another hundred years at most.”

“As long as you live long enough to see me become a great mage, I’ll live long enough to bury you.” Jake taunted the Arachkin, jabbing at him with a sharp tongue. Chul’s eyes widened as he stifled a laugh.

“Hah! You fragile humans barely live to see sixty! It will be your offspring which will bury me, brat.”

“We’ll see.” Jake grinned.

“Aye, we will.” Chul rumbled.

The silence returned for a little, then Jake reached out and nudged his friend. “Would you like to go visit your sister? She might still be nearby.”

Chul sighed and shook his body. “If she is a Broodmother now, entering her territory will be far too dangerous. While Arachkin offspring move away from the original den, we remain within the vicinity of our Broodmother. Should she need assistance, her original brood will come to her aid. The world is harsh to my kind and we are careful to protect one another. When a sibling has offspring, the brood’s territory expands as those offspring grow.”

“...Why did no one come to your mother’s aid, then?” Once more, another harsh question.

“My mother was the runt of her brood. The fact that she was able to mate at all is a miracle, and her siblings would not waste their lives or their children’s lives on a statistical outlier like my mother.” Chul’s fangs tapped twice before he sighed. “It is why I decided to never abandon any of my sisters until they were large enough to defend themselves… Funny, as it was I who was abandoned instead.”

Jake watched as Chul almost instinctively began to curl in on himself again. It was a tell of his, one that the Arachkin never would admit. Jake didn’t hesitate to scoop up his friend and placed the Arachkin in his lap. With gentle strokes, he brushed his fingers along the soft fuzz of Chul’s abdomen.

“One day we’ll see them again. I hope they all forgive you like your youngest sister did.”

“...That would…” Chul’s voice softened to a whisper. “...That would certainly be nice.”

Jake stroked Chul’s back in silence until the Arachkin eventually fell to sleep. The steady rise and fall of Chul’s back told him that his friend had calmed and settled to sleep. As he did, Jake decided it was time to also turn in for the evening. He carried Chul carefully to the corner of the tent and raised him into the darkness of it. He gave Chul a light nudge, waking him briefly so the Arachkin could crawl up into the shadows to sleep. Then, Jake went to the tent’s sleeping area to crawl into his bed.

However, as he lay down to sleep, Jake triggered the sigil that would bring him to the Library. A trick he had been taught that would allow his body to sleep while his mind continued to work. It wasn’t quite meditation so the available mana was less than usual but he could still practice his magic to some extent and study. With no one to disturb him in the Overworld, Jake could train without distraction for quite an extended period as well.

“Hello, Mr. Furrow.” One of the fairies was near the entrance of the Library when Jake stepped through it.

“Hello,” he answered. He hadn’t learned all of their names as there were far too many fairies floating around to do that confidently. But, he was picking up on their unique traits; different shapes of their wings, different choices in clothes, color differences, hairstyle differences, and even the areas of the Library Jake could find them in were all different. Each fairy had a category of magic they were good at and they tended to remain around in the area to provide the best assistance to any Magicians that were passing through. Only a few moved between different areas, and those tended to be the fairies with the most real-world experience.

The study room was just how Jake left it, as was the practice room. He had cleaned up the area of books and returned them all to the shelves. He hadn’t studied much recently, focusing entirely on casting and cultivation to better his practical use of magic. However, tonight he would take that next step forward. After fighting several Dunebeasts without much issue and having made his Wind and Water casting more efficient, it was time to take that step into the next field of magic. Or, well, the next element.

Fire Magic was an element that required a high level of mana to utilize as well as high levels of mana control. It was a tricky element and losing control of it was dangerously easy. Mana converted to work with Fire Magic tended to be highly volatile, much like the element itself. The spells were high risk and high impact. They packed a heavy punch but bore a high cost. Fire Magicians were some of the best combat mages in the field, but they were also known to be the least efficient. Most fire magicians could only cast a handful of spells before their mana was spent. More experienced mages would cast smaller spells to increase that spell count, conserving their mana for when they could guarantee a strike with a stronger spell. Or, there were the mages that liked to gamble. Such fire mages would utilize large, flashy, and very powerful spells in hopes to obliterate their targets with one or two deadly spells.

Fire mages were a spicy bunch.

Jake had avoided the element at the recommendation of Yir. She had told him to wait until he was more capable with his mana control and instructed him to strictly focus on the basics before moving forward. Jake had done that and he was very confident in his ability now. His mana pool had expanded further and the lone tail he had was longer, thicker, and denser to compensate for his growth. It was almost time for a second tail, actually, lest the single one grow massive and far too long to deal with.

The mana tubes within his body were thick and strong, capable of containing the power of the mana raging within him. He had removed the small holes in his hands, leaving the mana flow open to make conjuring it forth easier and more efficient. Now that he could control his mana almost naturally, there was no need to forcibly limit the outward flow whenever he needed to cast. Jake could pull out just the right amount necessary and then cut the rest off with ease. With that being the case, he figured he would be fine to dip his toes into fire magic now.

Control and stability. Two big focuses he needed to keep at the front of his mind. Steady feeding of mana. Careful collection of it into the spell. Calm handling as he conjured the result. Smooth activation.

The boy pulled the Novice Spellcasting Guidebook from the shelf and opened its pages to the beginning of the Fire Element text. The spells once more followed the standard of the other two elements- Fire Ball, Fire Wall, and Fire Spear. The ball was meant to assist with basic spellcasting and generation of mana from element to spell. The wall would develop the technique of mana channeling. The spear would assist with mana manipulation. Once perfected, the next level of spells would be open to the mage to step into safely. Well, if paired with proper cultivation and a capable mana pool of course. Jake had both of those.

As Jake began to study, he didn’t skip the initial texts. Though he had already trained with Water and Wind magic, he wouldn’t let himself get complacent. The basic information may have been rather identical to the other two elements but the nuances of Fire Magic were not to be underestimated and he didn’t plan to let himself get cocky.

Unlike Wind and Water magic, Fire magic had a fourth step to it. Wind and Water’s three steps were conversion, variation, and trigger. For Fire, the four steps were conversion, ignition, variation, and trigger. Akin to the element itself, the mana needed to be lit to be utilized for the spell. This ignition portion was where the most danger was present. Spark too much mana or improperly separate the spell mana from the core mana flow, and the mana could explode or backfire and damage the caster’s flow directly. Damage could range from slight burns to catastrophic results.

Thankfully, the Fire ball spell was the easiest spell to practice the ignition stage with, as expected of a basic spell. Its low mana cost and lack of required preparation beforehand meant a mage could spark and cancel the spell with very low risk, expending little mana while focusing on the initial steps. Even if the fire ball were to explode or backfire, the damage would be negligible to feeble magicians. While Jake wasn’t quite weak, as long as he kept the utilized mana to a minimum he assumed that he would do fine.

Once more following in line with the other two elements, the chapter on the Fire element presented Jake with the Words of Power that would call forth the spells. For Fire, the elemental identifier was “Ignarus”. Igna was derived from the word “Ignite”. The Word would not only cause the mana to convert to the element, but it would also trigger the ignition of said mana.

Taking a deep breath, Jake stepped onto the platform in his practice space and set down the book beside him on the pedestal. He held out his hand, then began to concentrate. He steadied his breathing, stabilized his mana, and waited until his mind had settled. He could feel a bit of anxiety in his core, a bit of fear in his mind, and there was hesitation in his fingers. He continued to breathe and cycled through the brief exercise. Once he had a firm hold of his mana flow, Jake focused on the far end of the room.

“Ignarus-” His mana flow surged, the power flowing out of his palm and into the air as his skin began to heat up. That heat flashed over his body as a powerful ball of fire flared to life in front of him. The flame kindled brightly, its orange and yellow color glowing just beyond the splits in his fingers. Jake felt his mana continue to trickle out towards the flame, coiling within his palm as the spell awaited the next variable to be spoken. He took in another breath, then finished the spell.

However, unlike with his initial Wind and Water balls, Jake was ready to put extra into the last word. As he triggered the spell, Jake dumped enough to propel the ball away from him. He didn’t quite care where it went so long as it didn’t drop to his feet.

“Tyr!” His muscles tensed and his mana flow vibrated in his arm as the spell devoured a chunk of the mana he had gathered for fuel. With a pop, the flame swirled into a dense ball before rocketing forwards. It twirled in the air, twisting wildly before looping and slamming down at an angle towards the floor. It smashed into the bottom of the left wall. The flame spread out, flashing brilliantly as it scorched the surface of the magic barrier.

The mana utilized for the spell had been less than what Jake had expected but the amount it used to be propelled was larger than he had hoped. One Fire ball cost the same as four Wind and three Water when it came to the final trigger. The spell's trigger barely cost him a drop of mana, but maintaining it required a constant feed of mana to keep the fire lit. While it wasn’t much it would require a stable channel connection or he assumed the spell would either die off or destabilize. The latter being far more dangerous.

Taking in a slow breath, Jake collected the same amount of mana and repeated the process. He kept the variables the same, the amount of mana the same, and he aimed in the same direction. As long as he didn’t change or make any sharp deviations to the cast, he doubted he would cause any issues.

“Ignarus…” He muttered. The mana in his hand sparked, heating as it flowed out into the air. It collected into a droplet before sparking to flame, all in the blink of an eye. He fueled the burning inferno, adjusted its shape to a circle, and then triggered the spell to send it on its way. “Tyr!” He shouted once more, the ball ate into the gathered mana in his hand. The ball spiraled off, twirling around before careening into the wall.

Spacing out his spells evenly, Jake repeated the process every ten seconds. Ten seconds gave him enough time to reset his mana, reset his breathing, and prepare for the next cast. He knew he would need to be faster but for now- it was all about familiarity. Slow and steady. One spell after another, ten seconds at a time.

Ten seconds was the best he could do, however. Between the strain and the constant need to cycle his mana, he found it difficult to advance to the next step. There was little way to cut down the recovery time aside from staging the mana within his chest and then pushing it upwards immediately after casting. While he had plenty to spare, the problem was filling the hole the spell left behind.

Jake raised his other hand, coiling mana into it and he attempted to double-fist his spells. Yet, all that did was split his concentration. Switching between hands required a full mental shift from one side to the other, causing the mana in the other hand to weaken and displace. It felt… awkward, and slow, and he felt even further burdened by the mana expenditure. He was missing something, and he couldn’t quite understand what.

“It’s your affinity with the element.” Jake sought out the fairy, Alba. She was floating around on an upper floor, reading a spellbook containing higher-class Earth magic.

“But, I thought I could use all of the elements?” He was confused. Jake had heard of the term affinity and believed it to be simply the capability to use an element. He had also heard some Magicians having higher affinities but he never really considered what that had meant.

“You may be able to use them all. That does not mean you can use them all equally. You can cast Wind and Water balls, right?” Alba sat down on the edge of her book, folding her legs as she stared down at Jake.

“I can.” Jake extended both hands and conjured up one ball of each element.

“Now tell me. Which one used more mana?”

Jake looked down at his hands and canceled the spells. He then cast them again, this time putting more focus into their creation. The Water Ball cost him more, but not by much. Due to his practice, he found them both to be fairly easy to cast. His mana efficiency with the two spells was quite high. Yet, the cost was still noticeable.

“The Water ball,” Jake muttered, lifting them both up. Alba nodded and pointed at it.

“You have an affinity with both of them, but your connection with Wind magic is higher than your connection with Water magic. Wind spells will be easier for you to learn and cast. No matter how strong of a Water spell you learn, a Wind spell of the same size and class will always be easier for you,” she explained. Jake stared at the Wind and Water balls for a moment, then he cut the mana and dispersed them.

“So… My affinity with Fire magic is too low?”

“Yes. It’s not so low that you can’t use it. You can obviously cast since you’ve practiced already. But you won’t be able to get much better with it.” Alba paused as her lips curled into a smile. “Unless you find a way to mitigate the lack of a bond you have with the element.”

Jake raised his eyebrows. She had his interest. Seeing his expression, her smile stretched even further. She held up three fingers in front of him.

“There are three ways to increase your affinity with an element, so long as you can use it in the first place. The first way is to cultivate near the element in a natural state. The second is to form a bond with a familiar. The third is to utilize sigil magic.” A finger dropped as she listed each option, but then she raised her pinky finger. Jake felt his stomach tighten.

“There is a fourth way, however. One that is very dangerous and is generally only attempted by high-class mages.” Her voice lowered as she spoke, likely to keep the fact that she was sharing the information as secretive as possible.

“And that is?”

“Steal the mana from someone who has the affinity and bond the mana to your own,” she said.

To be honest- he expected something a lot more… sinister.

“That sounds like the easiest choice out of them all. Why is that not a normal thing?” The exchange of mana sounded simple enough. Jake felt like he could do it if he practiced. With him being able to make a mana tail, why wouldn’t he be able to make a tube or something that someone else could bond and connect to?

“Mana is a volatile substance, Jake. It is refined by our bodies and made specifically to meet our body’s needs. It is individually unique to each of us, and our mana sources are only capable of handling our own mana.” Alba slid off the edge of her book, her wings fluttering as she caught herself in the air and began to float. “Outside mana can cause a plethora of problems that could even result in death. An incorrect transfer and your body might react negatively.”

“...Oh.” Suddenly, Jake wasn’t so confident in such an option. If it was that risky, he understood why it wasn’t taught or done regularly. “What about the familiars? Can I bond with a familiar then?”

Alba shook her head. “Unfortunately, we do not keep familiars within the Library due to the dangers of doing so. If you want to do that, you would need to find one in the Overworld, and as far as I am aware- their numbers are very few. So few that they are hunted and sold as either slaves or they are found and protected by Dwarves and Elves. For a human to find one will be difficult. Especially as you are now.”

Jake sighed and his shoulders slumped. “Sounds to me like I need to cultivate some more then, or learn that sigil magic. What is sigil magic anyways?”

“Sigil magic?” Alba raised an eyebrow before pointing down toward the entrance of the Library. “Sigil magic is like the thing you step on whenever you want to leave, or the rune you think of when you want to come here. It’s the use of magic circles and written Words of Power to cast spells.”

“Should I learn those, then?” Jake scratched at the back of his head, a bit unwilling to go down such a tedious route. Learning magic already was hard enough. Learning specific circles and words was going to be even more difficult. Right now, he wanted the quickest and smoothest route forward. The route that would get him Adventuring as soon as possible. He certainly wanted to be safe, but he didn’t want to wait forever to leave either.

“You can. We of course have several books on Sigil Magic.” Alba jerked a finger towards the books over her shoulder and her smile remained broad.

“Sigil Magic is not for a novice, Alba.” A familiar fairy appeared from between the shelves. A purple-hued fairy with a very studious look about her. Fena.

Alba jolted a bit when she heard the other’s voice. “It will be good for him to learn it, though!”

“It sounds to me like you are being impatient, the both of you.” Fena planted her hands firmly on her waist as she stared down at them both. Jake frowned and prepared himself to be scolded. “Sigil Magic is a higher level of magic. It takes quite a bit of patience to learn and any errors in the creation of the marking can cause potentially dangerous side effects. Can you even write?”

“N-No…” Jake could read and he could copy some of the letters, but he wasn’t quite capable of fully writing yet. He struggled with certain more complex shapes and his scribbles looked terrible.

“Exactly.” Fena glared at Alba. “And you wanted to teach him Sigil Magic. How about you teach him how to properly write first?”

Alba groaned and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Fena. I was going to supervise him.”

“Supervision from you is as good as a Radicol watching over an Ewa.” Fena spat, which immediately irritated Alba.

“Oh? And you think you could do better?” Alba hissed. Fena scoffed and pushed out her chest.

“I, in fact, would be more suited than a fire bumpkin like yourself.”

“It sounds more like you think your magic is better than mine. Would you like to test those thoughts?” Alba’s eyes narrowed as she held out her hands. Her nails sparked, flames emerging at the tips of them as her hands began to burn. Even her wings glittered with fire as her mana pulsed excitedly.

“Fighting you would be a waste of mana.” Fena rolled her eyes. “Put your magic away you single-minded barbarian.”

Alba’s eyes glistened as she seemed on the edge of snapping. Jake took a few steps away, creating some distance between himself and the two fairies just in case they started slinging spells at each other.

“Enough, you two.” Just as Alba opened her mouth to retort, Yir emerged from the floors above. A few other Fairies had emerged from the shelves to see what the ruckus was, but the scene was quickly calmed with the appearance of the Head Librarian. Alba lost the spark to her fire and Fena turned away with a huff. “No fighting in the Library or I’ll send you both to the Ferryman.”

“Yes, Miss Yir.” Both fairies responded in unison, but they still glared at one another from the corners of their eyes. Yir let out a sigh.

“What is the problem?” She asked, curious as to what sort of situation had caused the disagreement.

“Alba wishes to teach Mr. Furrow Sigil Magic.” Fena snitched. Alba grumbled.

“It’ll be good for him. His affinity for Fire magic is too low for him to use the element. Sigil Magic would make up for that loss.”

“Sigil Magic is too dangerous for his current level.”

“I will supervise him.”

“He can barely write!”

“Enough.” Yir silenced them both as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jake.”

Jake stiffened when he heard his name. “Yes, Miss Yir.”

“Sigil Magic is currently beyond your level. You will learn it later, understand?” She ordered, finalizing the decision on the matter. Reluctant but not willing to challenge her judgment, he nodded. “Instead, you will cultivate…”Jake groaned, thinking she had finished speaking. When she glared at him, he apologized and bowed his head.

“...We’re going to have you cultivate in a familiar location.”

There was only one location that came to mind and Jake felt his blood run cold as he thought about returning to it so early on.