Spell 04 : The Mastery

'Mana Manifest?' I said.

It doesn't sound very powerful...

'Magic does not have a form. It bends and shapes itself according to how its user controls it. You are able to create a ball of fire because you WILL it to be a ball of fire. However, there are still the fundamental laws of magic that people have long ignored, and have eventually forgotten. The very first rule that one should always remember is that magic and mana are nothing without each other. You are unable to control magic without mana, and likewise, mana without magic. What this also means is that one will be used at the expense of the other. The more magic you use, the more mana you consume.' He paused, and then continued.

'The significance of this is that you, as a mage, are able to manifest your spells. In other words, you can channel your mana into your spells to make them more potent. Not all spells can be manifested, of course, while there are others that, if manifested, will become too unstable for even the mage himself to control. That also means there is a limit to the mana you should channel into increasing the potency of your spell.' He finished.

'So this means that instead of just casting my spells blindly, I can actually hold them in, and cast them out stronger?' I said.

'Yes. Now, try casting your Fire Strike, but do not release the spell. Feel it at your fingertips, and do not let the spell go.' He said.

*DING*

[p=center]Gained new ability : Mana Manifest

Mana Manifest Beginner Level 1 . 0%

Channel your spells to make them stronger for twice of the mana-cost.

Mana Cost : Zero (Passive)[/p]

'Cast Fire Strike!'

The familiar warm sensation built up around my fingers, and almost immediately, three fire balls appeared. However, instead of letting them fly out, I held onto the flames.

'Good. Now, feel the flow of mana within your body and allow it to channel into your spell. Let the flames go when you feel the spell getting hard to control.' said Ghanda.

I did as he said, concentrating on the flow of mana in my body. It felt like encouraging the flow of river with my mind. Slowly, I could feel the three fire balls between my palms grow bigger. The heat slowly intensified too. I could feel the power of the magic growing stronger because of me. It was exhilarating.

I could feel it. The spell was getting stronger to the point that it was not going to obey my will. Immediately, I let it go. And I realised only too late my aim wasn't at the dummy, but at Ghanda himself!

But of course, a novice's spell was no match for him. He immediately reflected the spell back at me! I couldn't raise a shield in time and took direct hits! It was a whopping 400 damage combined! Usually, my Fire Strikes could only hit for 250, and 350 at most if it were a critical hit. But I just too 400 damage from my own spell!

The effects of Mana Manifest are really crazy!

'It is never an excuse for a mage to lose control of either himself or his spells! Always remember to control your emotions! That serves as a warning to you.' He reprimanded.

'Sorry, sir. I will be more careful next time.' I replied sheepishly.

'I have a question to ask though, sir, if you don't mind. If Mana Manifest is so powerful, how could it go forgotten? I mean, surely mages will make use of this to empower their spells, right?' I continued asking.

'A valid point. However, like I said, Mana Manifest is a dangerous ability to have, if you do not know how to control your own magic. It was commonly used in ancient history, but more often than no, mages got themselves killed for pouring too much mana into their spells. Or that they lose the ability to guide their mana flow and eventually drained themselves out of mana, getting themselves killed by others in duels or by monsters. The Order of Magi, a ruling council of mages, decided to ban the use of it and decimated all records of Mana Manifest, in a bid to protect all mages from getting themselves killed in future.'

'But I, I survived to tell the tale of it. And that is why I still know of it, and can impart it to you. You can consider a secret ability today, for I believe that are not many still standing today who know of it. Use this ability wisely, and do not walk the footsteps of the mages before. As your ability to grasp Mana Manifest grows stronger, you'll find that you need less additional mana to channel into your spells to make them stronger.' He finished gravely.

The moment he said that, I could not grasp how lucky I was to be able to learn such a fine ability! True, I might have to take a while to channel spells and may get assaulted during that time, but as long as I can get a good vantage point to cast spells, I can definitely turn the tide of battle to my favour with Mana Manifest!

'Now, I do have another thing to teach you before I teach you the final step of becoming a particular magician class, but first, I need you to secure something. It is a quest I set to no other, but my own apprentice, which is none other than you. Go find Leyla, and tell her I sent you to procure the Codex.' He said, dismissing me with his hand.

[p=center]Quest Received!

You have been sent by Ghanda to procure a particular Codex of some sort. Do you accept?

Quest Difficulty : D

Yes | No[/p]

'Yes, master. I'll go find her rightaway.' I said.

[p=center]Quest Accepted![/p]

With that, I took a portstone from the nearby table and used it. (The previous portstone disappeared after use.)

Almost a split second later, I found myself in the Enchantium again. Leyla was at her desk, and well... Clipping her nails.

'What?' She said, revealing a slight hint of embarassment in her tone. Clearly, clipping nails wasn't really approved in the library, but she's doing it anyway.

'Ghanda sent me here to look for you. He wants me to find a Codex. Do you know where I can find it?' I asked.

'Yes, of course. Follow me.' She got up, and started moving to the back of the library. I followed after her brisk pace, wondering what was in store for me.

The truth is, this was probably the first time I'm tackling a D level quest. By myself, I might not be able to complete this quest.

At the back of the library were a set of metallic doors that were locked. Probably by enchantments, since there were no keyholes nor were there any visible locks. And I was right. She looked at the doors for a brief moment, and then placed her hand near the door. I could hear her mumble something, and a soft glow formed around her hands.

Metallic gears started to grind and strange clicking sounds could be heard as she shifted her hand downwards slowly. The moment her hand reached the middle, something clicked into place and the doors started to open, revealing a set of stairs that went down.

'Before you enter the basement, I have to warn you. What you will face in the basement downstairs are foes a lot stronger than the treants you faced previously. The Codex is below, guarded by beings known as the Forgotten Ones. They may have been trapped there for decades, but they are still sentient beings. When threathened, they will still attack. From here on, you are on your own. Good luck.' Leyla said, stepping aside to let me through.

Feeling a moment of dread, I descended down the steps.

'Cast Luminous Light!'

It was like an underground labyrinth made up of shelves that was damp, dark and cold. There was no light at all. It was typical of a search and locate quest for something like this to be the quest location.

So this is the cellar of the library. Looks like the secrets of the library, like this Codex, can be found here...

I reached the bottom of the stairs, and continued walking forward. All the shelves were lined up nicely, shelf to shelf. Suddenly, I heard a sound next to me. I turned slowly and looked through the empty bookshelf. And I daresay I saw the ugliest creature ever possible.

It was a monster without a face. Its head was just a single eyeball mounted on a neck that was horizontally attached to a body that was partly ethereal, and emitting black smoke. It had tiny claws for hands, and in its body where the chest should be was a large mouth of some sort. It was a terrifying sight to behold. I held my breath. Being discovered by these creatures would not end up well. The creature continued to glide down the passageway, apparently not noticing its neighbor, which was me. Luckily, I kept the Luminous Light at a minimal glow, or else the creature would have probably seen me. When I was sure it was gone, I continued walking.

However, luck was not with me all the way. I crossed one of the creature's path, and I had no choice but to attack. It was a tough fight, because the creature was constantly shifting in and out of existence. Nothing could hit it when it shifted out of reality. It also had this annoying ability that extinguishes my vision for a short while.

'Cast Fire Strike!'

Using Mana Manifest, I managed to hold onto the spell. Attacking the Forgotten Ones requires precise timing. The creature turns corporeal whenever it attacks with a breath of black fog, and that was the time when I had to strike.

Waiting for it to turn corporeal seemed to take forever, and I could feel myself losing control of my spell. Finally, it opened its mouth, and I immediately released the spell, feeling the air itself burning where the flames travelled. It was a direct hit! Furthermore, the flames seemed to ignite whatever poison gases that was in the Forgotten One's body. The creature exploded!

[p=center]Critical Hit![/p]

However, it was not the time to rejoice. Unfortunately for me, the creature met its demise rather noisily. It roared and screamed in agony, which pretty much alerted all the other Forgotten Ones. And I could almost sense all the other creatures coming towards my location. It would be a bad idea to stay, so I pretty much ran for it. A creature at a time, I could deal with. But surrounded with so many ethereal creatures would pretty much get me slaughtered.

As I ran, I stumbled onto a few of the Forgotten. Some I managed to subdue, the rest I side-stepped and continued running. After killing 6 more monsters, I leveled up. With no end in mind, I just kept running and turning right at crossroads. I could almost feel the creatures catching up to me. With their ethereal forms, they could easily glide through the bookcases.

At last, I reached the heart of the labyrinth. From what I could see, the bookshelves here were all stocked with numerous copies of the same tomes. I heard deep breathing behind me and I turned around. Close to 50 creatures were gathered together. And they were all eyeing the same thing. The tome in my hand. Then I remembered something Leyla said to me. These creatures were guardians of the Codex.

Oh shit...

The creatures roared with anger and they charged as one! Panic coursed through me as I looked around for a means to escape. The abandoned scrolls on the floor gave me an idea.

'Cast Fire Strike!' I aimed at the floor.

A blaze ran across the floor, and all the scrolls on the floor caught fire! This formed a wall of fire between me and the creatures. However I knew this was just a temporary measure. I have to find something... And the Forgotten were getting over their shock and were all turning ethereal to cross the fire.

Almost as if my prayer was answered, I noticed a table nearby with a portstone on it! Immediately, I rushed forward and grabbed it! As if time slowed, I saw the creatures at the corner of my eye opening their maws, with dark mist pouring out. I hurriedly channeled magic into the stone, and I felt the familiar sensation of flying through space. The dark breaths swarmed the spot I was just at, a second too late.

I was back in the Enchantium again, with my heart beating loudly and rapidly.

Leyla looked up, and smiled.

'So, it looks like you survived. I did not, when I went down myself the first time.'

That old fart probably didn't expect me to survive either!

[p=center][/p]