The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 196

Chapter 196 – Lesson Plans

After dinner, I gathered my apprentices together, so that we could go over the results of their first day’s training. The different methods worked better for the groups I’d tasked them to, but they were useful for the others, as well. A Sorcerer did not depend on knowledge or working with the flows of mana, like the Arcanist and Witch, but those methods would help the Sorcerer in casting higher-level magics, and the same was true for the others. Any Master Mage needed that ability to transcend to ‘Arch’ in their path, and was the first step to moving from, say, Arch-Necromancer to Archmage of Death.

Of course, as I told them all earlier, that was only the first step. The road to becoming a true Archmage was not a simple one. A good analogy I’d heard was that it was like taking a master swordsman trained in sword and shield, and then having him switch the shield to his main hand and the sword to his off hand, and then expecting him to fight. Sure, he had the knowledge necessary to use blade and shield, but all his instincts and training would fight him, unless he started training to switch hands like that from early on. However, few students of the blade trained like that, for obvious reasons. And it was the same with magic. You didn’t train students in multiple paths from the start, unless they showed the proper aptitude, because it slowed their overall growth, and most people didn’t have the advantages I did in their short mortal lives.

I looked at the six eager faces as we sat in one of the common rooms of the palace. “Well, my disciples. The first day is done. Our arcanists have started to understand how much they do not yet know, and how far they have to go. The witches have learned about what kinds of support they can find, to aid their workings. And the sorcerers have had a contest of power, to prove their might and control.

“When you wake in the morning, you will have some light exercise before breakfast, because your mind and body both need work if you are to succeed. Nothing too strenuous, to start. Eventually, however, I will expect you to be running ten kilometers each morning, without Body Enhancement magic.”

A couple of my students seemed distressed by the idea of early morning runs. Not that I could blame them, exactly. Before the Summoning, I would have been hopeless at something like that. Not that I was in bad condition, but I was certainly no athlete.

“Yes, yes, I know. However, this is important for more than just ensuring you have the physical stamina to match your growing magical ability. As your mana pools grow, some of it will naturally leech out into your bodies. If you do not pay attention, then you will find your movements jerky, as your foot moves faster than your reflexes remember, and you’ll find yourself literally tripping over your own feet.”

Seeing that there were no further objections, I continued. “Every Monday will be for training like we did today, to enhance the strengths of your path, and help you cover for your weaknesses. Tuesday and Thursday will be more general magical training, as I show you how to cast spells quickly and efficiently. Wednesday and Friday will be more intensive physical training, including combat training with both weapons and unarmed combat. Saturday and Sunday are left open, so that you might rest, study other paths, and so on. If you have personal projects, or other skills you wish to train, then that is the time for it.”

I paused, and then said, “One skill I will ensure you all learn is the subset of Enchantment known as Scribing. This skill allows you to create spell scrolls. A spell scroll is a single-use magical device, so called because it is typically in the form of a scroll, but could be done with many other types of material. However, I would not put a spell scroll on anything you wish to keep afterwards.

“A spell scroll differs from a grimoire in that a grimoire contains the workings of a spell, allowing a mage to learn from it, or use it as a ‘cheat sheet’ to quicken the casting time and make things more efficient. A spell scroll, on the other hand, contains the spell in its entirety, including the mana needed to cast it. All it needs is a command word and a target, and the spell goes off. Anyone with sufficient knowledge can use a spell scroll. Can anyone tell me why a mage even of my caliber may want to have a supply of spell scrolls available to them?”

Almir raised a hand. “If there is a spell that is mana-intensive, but you want to conserve your strength for whatever reason, the scroll will allow you to cast the spell without draining yourself? Or, you could pay for the drain earlier, and be at full strength when it matters?”

“Good answers, and both part of the full answer,” I nodded. “Anyone else?”

Lucia was the next to raise her hand. “Because it would allow you to use spells of a different element or style than the ones you have. You could use a Holy or Life someone, even as a Death Mage, or a Sorcerer or Warrior could use a Witch’s spell, if that was needed.”

“Very good,” I nodded. “And there’s only one more point in favor of having spell scrolls. Anyone?”

Nawai raised his hand. “The scroll would allow you to use magic that you did not fully know or understand, so long as you knew enough to launch the spell, right? Like, I wouldn’t need to know everything about how to animate a corpse as a zombie to raise one with a spell scroll, just that the scroll had that effect, and how to activate it?”

“Indeed. That is the biggest strength of using spell scrolls. It allows a mage to dramatically expand their arsenal of spells and effects, including spells that she barely understands, and would be unable to cast normally. This is very useful for young mages, but just as useful for Warriors.

“Of course, there are weaknesses to using spell scrolls, as well. The first (and most important) of which is that you are not wholly in control of what happens when you use a spell scroll. The power level, amount of mana, and most other variables are set when you use a spell scroll. If you cast a Fireball from a scroll, you can only designate a target, but can’t alter the radius or power of the spell, which can have ‘unfortunate’ outcomes. For an Animate Dead spell, you would still gain control over the newly risen undead, but you would not get to choose what type of undead was created, or how strong they were. And you do not want to see what happens when a Life spell designed to amplify a troll’s natural regeneration is used on a human without accounting for the differences. New and interesting versions of cancer have been found that way.”

I paused to let that sink in, before continuing. “There are other weaknesses, as well. Spell scrolls are physical items that you must actually have and be able to read to activate. That means at least one hand will be full, which can be problematic in combat and you need to have enough light to read by, even if you’re a race that can see in the dark, like a vampire. More importantly, it means that the scroll can be destroyed, or taken from you, which would be worse, since your enemy could then use the scroll against you.

“The last weakness of a spell scroll is also tied to it being a physical object. Different materials have different amounts of mana that they can hold. You can increase this a little with specialized tools or inks when making the scroll, but there will always be a limit of how much mana you can put into the scroll. Which means that, for instance, there is no material on Earth that could hold enough mana for me to create a spell scroll with more than a bare fraction of my power.”

I took a breath, and then said, “Now, Nawai, María? Who was the winner of your match?”

The two looked at each other, and Nawai said, “With respect, Mistress, we actually had time for three matches, with each of us winning one and losing one, and the last being a stalemate. I won the first match, but failed in the second.”

“María?”

“It is as he said, Mistress,” the Vampire nodded. “His spellwork had more power behind it than mine did, especially in the first match. By the second match, however, I was able to work out a way to rob his power, and turn it against him, which gave me the second match. Unfortunately, by the third, we were both tired, and on to the other’s tricks, which caused things to drag on until we could not continue further.”

“What trick did you use?”

“Nawai’s spells were coming straight at the orb, trying to push it directly, and I couldn’t overpower his spell. So, I tried using my magic to spin the orb, causing the part he was pushing to face a different direction. By the third match, though, he started adding power to countering spin, but that took enough away from the actual force of the spell that I could resist it, and pull out the draw.”

“Excellent work both of you. As I said before you began the game, the most important things for a sorcerer are power and control, but the ability to recognize what an enemy is doing, and adapt is important for all mages. That means you cannot simply rely on one trick that works, and just assume that it will keep working. You have to either already have a plan for when it fails, or be able to quickly and easily adapt to the changing circumstances.

“Now, I promised boons and penalties to winners and losers, and you both won and lost. Therefore, as a boon, you may each tell the Chef a dish you desire, and he will work it into the menu this week. As a penalty, both of you will spend part of your free time this Saturday teaching any of your fellow disciple who wish to learn to play the game. Understand?”

The two disciples nodded, neither displeased with my ruling. Well, if they had just stopped after the one game, or after they’d both won one and lost one, I probably would have come down harder. They won nothing by resting on their laurels, after all.

I looked to Lucia and Sang-Ki, next. “Now, for our witches. Of all the three paths a Mage walks, the Witch is the one that most relies upon a familiar, since it helps keep them from overindulging when in mana-rich environments. Thus, the two of you will be the first to get the chance to bind your familiars. You were tasked with deciding what type of familiar you wanted. What have you chosen?”

Sang-Ki spoke first. “Mistress, I would like a panther, or one of the other big cats that typically act as solitary hunters. I believe that a cat would have the best synergy with Shadow mana, and they would also be able to act as both scout and defender for me, depending on what was needed.”

I nodded in approval. “Yes, a large cat is one of the three most-selected familiars for a Shadowbringer, when they have the luxury of choice. The other two being a wolf or other type of canine, and some manner of serpent. All three are stealthy, have senses beyond the human norm, and know about attacking from ambush. Very well, I will have my people seek out a cat for you.” My eyes turned to Lucia. “And you?”

The young spiritualist took a breath, and then squared her shoulders and looked me in the eye as she said, “I would like a human skeleton, to serve as my protector. My father will not always be an ambassador, and I cannot always rely upon his people for guards. I want a guard that I can not only rely on, but can also outfit with weapons and armor. And I know people may look at me askance for that choice, but I am the disciple of the Lich Queen, and I won’t make excuses. I intend to own who and what I am.”

“Why a skeleton, and not a zombie?”

“I know I don’t have the skills to make a zombie that doesn’t smell. Decomposing bodies have a very… distinct smell. I’d rather avoid that.”

“Very well,” I nodded. “I shall see about sourcing a corpse for you. You will not have to dispatch them yourself, but I will have you clean and prepare the skeleton for animation yourself.” I looked back at the group. “The same goes for the rest of you. Some tasks, like creating undead, summoning and binding elementals, consorting with demons, and the like, are an essential part of a mage’s education, depending on what type of mage you are. As your Mistress, I will help in obtaining materials, and checking your ritual circles before you cast, to ensure you don’t do something stupid by accident, but the ‘hard work’ of those rites will be done by you, and you alone, so that you know everything that is part of the process, rather than being like a spoiled rich kid who expects the ‘help’ to take care of everything for them. Bad habits are easy to form, and it is best to keep them from forming in the first place, lest they break you before you can break them.”

The six mages-in-training nodded, and, satisfied, I turned my attention to the last two. “Now, for our Arcanists. Without being told, you immediately began studying and expanding your knowledge. That is the kind of attitude I like to see in your type of mage. Therefore, I will assist the two of you in crafting your first custom spells.”

I held up a hand to silence their questions before they started. “I say custom, instead of original, because you are nowhere near ready for trying to come up with something that has never been done before. However, something simple, like altering the Wind Blast spell to send an orb of silver smoke to explode into a vortex? Or causing the Death Armor spell to look like a set of samurai armor, instead of an outline of velvet darkness around you? These are not only possible, but a vital part of an arcanist coming into their own. Customizing the spell will cause you to learn the processes to the point where you can perform it instinctively, and the differences will make it harder for your enemies to react and counter you.”

Given the reactions, I believed both arcanists were more than pleased with that boon.