Chapter 12
Marissa was amazed that she was now in the possession of a Sylaalian staff. The piece of wood did not look like much, but she knew that there was much power within.
The staff even though it was twisted and warped, measured four feet three inches long. Its contorted form twisted wildly in a circular pattern from its lower pointed tip to a larger nub at the top. The largest variance was near its upper portion where the twirling snake opened up into a funnel-like shape. Marissa thought that the magical object resembled what a tornado frozen in time might look like.
No splinters could be found along its smooth glossy surface. She drew her fingers along its wooden skin. The staff had long continuous ridges spaced a little over half of an inch apart that traced its entire length. These grooves were a natural part of the Sylaalin tree, and a telltale feature of this rare and unique wood.
The staff did not feel the slightest bit brittle, but it did not feel very sturdy either. She felt that she would need to be somewhat careful when carrying this special weapon.
She heeded the higher cleric's words and went to the Protectorate testing grounds for some experimentation.
In front of the young woman was a range full of target dummies. The numerous mannequins were built from bundles of straw fashioned into the forms of men. These targets were meant to stand in for different shapes and sizes of adversaries. They were also placed at different distances within the field to help the students learn different ranges.
One would think that the range was intended for archers, but they would be wrong. Instead this field was dedicated to the use and practice of magical projectiles. Lying in a pile at the south end of the field was a heap of broken, burned, and completely obliterated targets. Their remains were a stern warning to stay clear of accidentally wandering into the field.
Today the field was empty save for one other adult mage. This other mage was trying to focus on the casting of wind spells. Although she was a full member of the Protectorate, she was flailing wildly in multiple attempts to knock down a mobile target. She was still trying to hone her skills when Marissa entered the field's entrance.
As Marissa entered, a faint light emanated from the side of her staff closest to the other mage. The barely noticeable light flickered whenever the mage tried to cast a spell. As she walked further down the field, the lights grew dimmer.
The use of a staff was not required in order to cast magic. A well training wizard needed no additional accoutrements in order to perform their spells. The known magic of the world easily could flow out of a man given the right circumstances.
However, the use of staffs and other weapons could be a valuable addition to any user's bag of tricks. Even the most rudimentary of staves, poles, or even bladed weapons could accentuate a spellcaster's actions. In addition, the more enchanted the object the more powerful the result.
Marissa had never used a staff to aid with her casting. She wasn't exactly familiar with what she had to do with her new found weapon. The only thing she knew was that the benefits of the object were usually related to the positioning of its form. With this knowledge, the young woman held the magical staff to her right side using both hands. The wider angle faced the field and the pointed end was at her back
The first spell she had chosen for this test was a simple knockdown blow. The particular spell took no ingredients, and could be cast entirely verbally. If performed correctly, the target would be pushed backwards from the magical force. The target she chose was only a few feet in front of her: a good first test.
Marissa spoke the few specific words needed for the spell and immediately felt movement within the staff. Purple lines beginning at her back traced the edges of the staff leading to the front. Within a flash, she was pushed backwards herself and had to struggle to stay upright. She concentrated on keeping both of her hands on the weapon.
When she regained her balance, she looked out to the field. In front of her, the dummy which she had targeted had been sent flying back much further than she expected. A wide path had also been drawn through the field leading towards the dummy's prior location. The magical force pushed aside the loose straw littered about the field.
"Wow," she thought. "Could I really have cast a spell so strong? This staff is remarkable."
She was now excited to try other spells. Next on her list was something far more dangerous: a fire projectile.
Casting fireballs took a bit more than just a few words. She reached into her left-hand pocket and drew from it a bag of tiny coarse pebbles. Only slightly larger than grains of rice, these black stones were made from crushed lava rock. They felt very rough to the touch, and a single kernel could easily be kept between the fingers without fear of losing it.
To cast this particular spell, a mage usually simply held a stone or two within one of their hands. A particular motion was needed as well, and that entailed the user drawing circular lines in the air parallel to their head beginning near their temples. If all went well, the stones within the hand would melt away into ether. Then with a final burst the wizard would point to their target and the spell would hopefully be cast.
Using the staff during this process would be a bit tricky. Marissa assumed that she would hold the staff with her left hand, carrying a single stone in her right. Then she would draw with the right, finish the circle on a downward motion, clasp the staff with both hands, and then aim down the field.
The attempt sounded difficult, and she was slightly nervous that she might aim incorrectly and fire the magical ball to somewhere else within the camp.
The young woman took a deep breath and started to go through the motions. Once she started, the whole world seemed to slow to a crawl. As she cast, small flames appeared along her right fingertips. They did not burn, but they did leave small flickering trails in the air. Her right index finger drew two full circles and on the third pass she widened the radius leading down towards her right side. Her fiery right hand met up with the staff held with her left. The flames upon her right hand washed over the length of the Sylaalian staff. Bright red trails marched up the length of the wood, just as they had done before. Quickly, she pointed her flaming staff town towards a dummy near the middle of the field.
A giant ball of fire launched from the wide end of her staff, heating the air around her. Her face felt hot and the magical ball raced down the field. Within just a second's time, the ball exploded onto the straw figure.
It instantly burst into flame and the straw dummy shattered into thousands of pieces. Flaming particles shot out in every direction. Nearby dummies caught pieces of the burning embers and also began to catch fire. The ground beneath the dummy was still smoldering and charred black.
Marissa heard the woman at the end of the field swear verbally in shock. She quickly raced to the young mage's side.
"How in blazes did you do that?!? Oh my… I've never… Such force...!"
The ridges of Marissa's staff were now white hot in color due to the cast spell, but it was still cool to the touch. The glowing lines caught the eye of the adult mage.
"Ah, now I see. It was your staff…" she tried to catch her breath, "But what an amazing staff. Where did you get it?"
"Sage Klaus gave me this Sylaalian staff," she replied.
"Sylaalian? If Sylaalian can help a novice such as yourself cast such fierce spells, I should try to drudge one up too. Why if I had such a staff, who knows what I could do! Then I might not have to work so hard with these flimsy practice sessions. I'll be sure to look around near the merchant's row next time I visit town. Wow!" The other mage just seemed to be babbling now, obviously dumbstruck from today's experiments.
Thoughts were also running through Marissa's mind. "Such power! Why, there isn't anything I couldn't do with this staff!"
Reason began to come over her, "But, this staff could also be very dangerous. My face almost melted off with that Sphere of Embers spell. The destruction I could accidentally cause could be catastrophic.
"Also, the staff is clearly not something I could use silently. The glow from that last spell is still present. Hrm, that might be a problem. I can't be giving away my position every time I use magic. This thing might give away my location."
As Marissa thought to herself, her eyes wandered to one of the white spires of Ducann. There looking outside his window near the top was Sage Klaus. Even from this far away down below on the ground, she could see his red cheeks. He was obviously laughing at what had just happened. She almost could hear his chuckling echoing through the yard.
"Did he know that this artifact was so powerful? If so, why did he entrust a student such as I with such power? Does he really think the journey ahead will be so dangerous?"
Continue reading onto Chapter 13
The staff even though it was twisted and warped, measured four feet three inches long. Its contorted form twisted wildly in a circular pattern from its lower pointed tip to a larger nub at the top. The largest variance was near its upper portion where the twirling snake opened up into a funnel-like shape. Marissa thought that the magical object resembled what a tornado frozen in time might look like.
No splinters could be found along its smooth glossy surface. She drew her fingers along its wooden skin. The staff had long continuous ridges spaced a little over half of an inch apart that traced its entire length. These grooves were a natural part of the Sylaalin tree, and a telltale feature of this rare and unique wood.
The staff did not feel the slightest bit brittle, but it did not feel very sturdy either. She felt that she would need to be somewhat careful when carrying this special weapon.
She heeded the higher cleric's words and went to the Protectorate testing grounds for some experimentation.
In front of the young woman was a range full of target dummies. The numerous mannequins were built from bundles of straw fashioned into the forms of men. These targets were meant to stand in for different shapes and sizes of adversaries. They were also placed at different distances within the field to help the students learn different ranges.
One would think that the range was intended for archers, but they would be wrong. Instead this field was dedicated to the use and practice of magical projectiles. Lying in a pile at the south end of the field was a heap of broken, burned, and completely obliterated targets. Their remains were a stern warning to stay clear of accidentally wandering into the field.
Today the field was empty save for one other adult mage. This other mage was trying to focus on the casting of wind spells. Although she was a full member of the Protectorate, she was flailing wildly in multiple attempts to knock down a mobile target. She was still trying to hone her skills when Marissa entered the field's entrance.
As Marissa entered, a faint light emanated from the side of her staff closest to the other mage. The barely noticeable light flickered whenever the mage tried to cast a spell. As she walked further down the field, the lights grew dimmer.
The use of a staff was not required in order to cast magic. A well training wizard needed no additional accoutrements in order to perform their spells. The known magic of the world easily could flow out of a man given the right circumstances.
However, the use of staffs and other weapons could be a valuable addition to any user's bag of tricks. Even the most rudimentary of staves, poles, or even bladed weapons could accentuate a spellcaster's actions. In addition, the more enchanted the object the more powerful the result.
Marissa had never used a staff to aid with her casting. She wasn't exactly familiar with what she had to do with her new found weapon. The only thing she knew was that the benefits of the object were usually related to the positioning of its form. With this knowledge, the young woman held the magical staff to her right side using both hands. The wider angle faced the field and the pointed end was at her back
The first spell she had chosen for this test was a simple knockdown blow. The particular spell took no ingredients, and could be cast entirely verbally. If performed correctly, the target would be pushed backwards from the magical force. The target she chose was only a few feet in front of her: a good first test.
Marissa spoke the few specific words needed for the spell and immediately felt movement within the staff. Purple lines beginning at her back traced the edges of the staff leading to the front. Within a flash, she was pushed backwards herself and had to struggle to stay upright. She concentrated on keeping both of her hands on the weapon.
When she regained her balance, she looked out to the field. In front of her, the dummy which she had targeted had been sent flying back much further than she expected. A wide path had also been drawn through the field leading towards the dummy's prior location. The magical force pushed aside the loose straw littered about the field.
"Wow," she thought. "Could I really have cast a spell so strong? This staff is remarkable."
She was now excited to try other spells. Next on her list was something far more dangerous: a fire projectile.
Casting fireballs took a bit more than just a few words. She reached into her left-hand pocket and drew from it a bag of tiny coarse pebbles. Only slightly larger than grains of rice, these black stones were made from crushed lava rock. They felt very rough to the touch, and a single kernel could easily be kept between the fingers without fear of losing it.
To cast this particular spell, a mage usually simply held a stone or two within one of their hands. A particular motion was needed as well, and that entailed the user drawing circular lines in the air parallel to their head beginning near their temples. If all went well, the stones within the hand would melt away into ether. Then with a final burst the wizard would point to their target and the spell would hopefully be cast.
Using the staff during this process would be a bit tricky. Marissa assumed that she would hold the staff with her left hand, carrying a single stone in her right. Then she would draw with the right, finish the circle on a downward motion, clasp the staff with both hands, and then aim down the field.
The attempt sounded difficult, and she was slightly nervous that she might aim incorrectly and fire the magical ball to somewhere else within the camp.
The young woman took a deep breath and started to go through the motions. Once she started, the whole world seemed to slow to a crawl. As she cast, small flames appeared along her right fingertips. They did not burn, but they did leave small flickering trails in the air. Her right index finger drew two full circles and on the third pass she widened the radius leading down towards her right side. Her fiery right hand met up with the staff held with her left. The flames upon her right hand washed over the length of the Sylaalian staff. Bright red trails marched up the length of the wood, just as they had done before. Quickly, she pointed her flaming staff town towards a dummy near the middle of the field.
A giant ball of fire launched from the wide end of her staff, heating the air around her. Her face felt hot and the magical ball raced down the field. Within just a second's time, the ball exploded onto the straw figure.
It instantly burst into flame and the straw dummy shattered into thousands of pieces. Flaming particles shot out in every direction. Nearby dummies caught pieces of the burning embers and also began to catch fire. The ground beneath the dummy was still smoldering and charred black.
Marissa heard the woman at the end of the field swear verbally in shock. She quickly raced to the young mage's side.
"How in blazes did you do that?!? Oh my… I've never… Such force...!"
The ridges of Marissa's staff were now white hot in color due to the cast spell, but it was still cool to the touch. The glowing lines caught the eye of the adult mage.
"Ah, now I see. It was your staff…" she tried to catch her breath, "But what an amazing staff. Where did you get it?"
"Sage Klaus gave me this Sylaalian staff," she replied.
"Sylaalian? If Sylaalian can help a novice such as yourself cast such fierce spells, I should try to drudge one up too. Why if I had such a staff, who knows what I could do! Then I might not have to work so hard with these flimsy practice sessions. I'll be sure to look around near the merchant's row next time I visit town. Wow!" The other mage just seemed to be babbling now, obviously dumbstruck from today's experiments.
Thoughts were also running through Marissa's mind. "Such power! Why, there isn't anything I couldn't do with this staff!"
Reason began to come over her, "But, this staff could also be very dangerous. My face almost melted off with that Sphere of Embers spell. The destruction I could accidentally cause could be catastrophic.
"Also, the staff is clearly not something I could use silently. The glow from that last spell is still present. Hrm, that might be a problem. I can't be giving away my position every time I use magic. This thing might give away my location."
As Marissa thought to herself, her eyes wandered to one of the white spires of Ducann. There looking outside his window near the top was Sage Klaus. Even from this far away down below on the ground, she could see his red cheeks. He was obviously laughing at what had just happened. She almost could hear his chuckling echoing through the yard.
"Did he know that this artifact was so powerful? If so, why did he entrust a student such as I with such power? Does he really think the journey ahead will be so dangerous?"
Continue reading onto Chapter 13
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