Elemental Apprenticeship

[Magus Syfer]

Lunaria, fourth cycle, Melora, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Spring

Magus followed the directions, up the stairs and first door to the right. He rapped rather urgently on the door and waited for an answer. Before long, an elderly man opened the door.

"Serale, my name is Magus, and I was told to come to you for my training in Apprentice Elementalism. Master Nicholas, I presume."

Nicholas flashed a slight, secretive smile. He was expecting this student of his, after all. Or to be more precise, a student in general. The usual routine for him was to get randoms sent to his room once he was finished training his previous pupil. He held the door wide open.

"Serale, yes, indeed Magus, you are correct. I am Master Nicholas, and henceforth, you are my apprentice. Please do come in."

Magus entered the chamber of Nicholas. Surveying the room, he noticed a globe of cool light hovering above Nicholas' head, offering the sole source of illumination. Magus grinned in delight. He knew that spell! He had learnt it as an initiate elementalist, after all. It was a glowing sphere, probably fashioned from the essence of Water. A single richly-woven tapestry depicting air elementals in flight lined one side of the room, a shelf filling the entire length of another. A handsome desk of mahogany was juxtaposed to the wall of the third. In way of furnitures, apart from the aforementioned desk, there was a marble table in the middle of the room, with two comfortable-looking and well-supported chairs on each side. Small mounds of loose papers were scattered across the room.

Nicholas gestured at one of the chairs, and Magus took a seat at the marble table. Nicholas seated himself opposite the table, pushed an untidy pile of paper off the table and continued the discussion from where they had left it.

"Now, as your master, you must, in any and all circumstances as long as you are under my tutelage, obey my every command. Many of the spells which we shall be attempting are very devastating. As such, some of them will be undertaken outside this room. If you disobey me, I shall terminate your apprenticeship. Is that understood?"

Magus could see from the grave look of the other mage's face that this was no hollow threat. Magus understood the inherent dangers in dabbling in Elementalism. He hastily nodded and replied in an equally serious tone.

"Of course, Master Nicholas. I shall follow your every command.

Nicholas then smiled, satisfied with the response from his new apprentice. A sly thought slipped into his mind. I do believe I could use some help in tidying up my chamber, what with all the new research I've dug up on my lastest thesis. Ah... what are apprentices for, after all. Poor Magus was not privy to the silent monologue, and hence unaware of his future menial labour under such a lovely, caring eccentric.

"Would you care to tell me something of your background in elementalism, Magus."

"Well, I studied in Port Alyxandrya for my Initiate Elementalism under the auspices of Master Kantrell, where I learnt the basic techniques of clara, and the use of vis and ara. After that, we went on to basic Elemental spells, such as the Glowing Sphere, which you have hovering above you."

Nicholas smiled at Magus comment of his Glowing Sphere.

"Very well then. I shall fill you in on some information on Apprentice-level Elementalism before we begin the training.

As you know, there are spells, and then there are techniques. All spheres learn the basic techniques, since it can be cast while in the Astral Plane. The spells, however, are limited to one's own sphere of arcana. Firstly, we shall be going through several techniques, including the Circle of Magic, the Activation technique and how to Reshape Mana.

Once you've gained sufficient proficiency in those techniques, we shall move into the elemental spells. They will consist of Blade of Fire, Column of Flame, Column of Frost, Imbue Element, Project Element, Sandstorm, Shard of Ice, Summon Elemental and Wind Blast. If you need to ask me any questions at any time, do not hesitate to ask."

Nicholas looked sternly at Magus, to ensure that he understood all that was said.

"OK, just one little thing before we begin. I shall need to Impart unto you all the techniques and spells that you shall be taught. Though you may be overwhelmed by it, do not worry. I shall direct you through each individually later on."

With that said, Nicholas placed a heavy hand on Magus' forehead, and Imparted him the knowledge of the spells and techniques he was to be taught.

[Magus Syfer]

Same brightening, same session

Magus concentrated intently on the private lecture that Master Nicholas was extolling to his bright young apprentice.

"Now, let's try the Activation technique, shall we? I shall perform it first, and then guide you through the technique."

He flashed a ring already adorning his left middle finger. It's ruby mult-facets reflected in Magus' eyes. Nicholas grinned.

"Now, the purpose of the Activation technique is basically to energise the nascent spell within an enchanted item. This ruby ring here is a personal item of mine, which I have imbued within it the capacity to produce to Glowing Spheres, one of which is already activated as you can see above me."

He gestured to the glowing sphere that levitated a small distance from his head.

"Now, I'm going to cast the Activation technique upon this ring, to conjure the other Glowing sphere. Observe!"

Master Nicholas slipped into a trance in mere seconds, with such ease for which Magus was amazed, and not a little envious. Master Nicholas interfaced the ara with his vis, directing the coalescing of these energies at a focal point, that of his ring. The resulting arcalysis from the interface manifested as a glow of the ruby ring, which then began to emit a harsh dancing light that gradually grew in strength. This harsh light condensed into a tight ball of hovering flame, a Glowing Sphere of Fire.

The bobbing newly-conjured globe joined its cooler, and smoother counterpart above the master mage's head. Master Nicholas turned to Magus, and continued his lesson.

"As you can see, by focussing the interaction of the ara and the vis at the item in question, an arcalysis is developed to activate the dormant spell. Be forewarned, however, that such items as talismans, or amulets contain dangerous magical energy that might result in an explosion through the use of the Activate spell. Now, you shall have an attempt at conjuring up the Glowing Sphere as I have done."

Master Nicholas paused briefly and conjured up another Glowing Sphere through his own magic, before dispelling the two spheres conjured through the use of the ring. He pulled off the ring, and handed it to Magus, who eagerly placed it on his middle finger of his left hand, as his master had done.

Magus spent a few minutes preparing himself, and slipping into a trance, into clara. His mental concentration floundered for a bit, before steadying himself and focussing on the unformed, ubiquitous form of ara surrounding him. He drew it to himself, and likewise gathered his personal store of vis, and urged both towards the ring on his hand, which he held aloft. What ensued what a long, internal struggle that lasted for nearly half an hour, resulting in a stunning failure. He constantly fought for, and lost, control over the two elements. He looked guiltily at a smiling Nicholas, who voiced his encouragement at the stalwart initiate in his daunting task.

Magus shrugged off his umpteenth failure, and proceeded to interface the ara and his vis within the ring. Gradually, he managed to coax the ara into the ruby ring, before concentrating his vis into the ruby. There was a soft glimmer at first, emitting a faint flow from the ruby. Gradually, as Magus concentrated further at the ruby, the faint light ignited, forming a small, yet discernible, Glowing Sphere.

Magus grinned involuntarily at his success. Nicholas laughed.

"Excellent, my boy. Now, let's take a break, shall we, before we continue. You look exhausted."

He handed a platter of cookies and cream to the tired youth, who gratefully grabbed a bunch, and industriously munched into the soft, and delectable tasties.

[Magus Syfer]

Ten minutes later

Nicholas had just finished off his frothy glass of freshly delivered milk, and heaved a huge sigh of sated relief. He turned to his pupil, who cracked up into an uncontrollable laughter at the white dairy moustache adorning Nicholas' face. The Master Elementalist grimaced as he belatedly realised the cause of the mirth. Wiping off the offending froth off his upper lip, he rounded on Magus.

"Enough. I think you've had enough rest. Now, let's continue with the session, shall we? The next technique for you to learn is how to Reshape Mana. Wipe that grin off your face, young man. This is serious business."

Magus contritely bleated an apology to the older man, who accepted with a noncomittal grunt.

"Now, Reshape Mana is a very useful technique, as it is designed to deconstruct and reconfigure an existing spell to suit one's needs. Once mastered, it proves to be quite an invaluable tool to the caster, as it can be used to siphon an opponent's spell to one's own benefit, and also allows the conservation of energy from an obsolete spell to another."

Magus pondered on the master mage's words, scrolling it through his mind.

"But Master Nicholas, if all mages could reshape the mana of their opponents spells, then won't that make spellcasting virtually useless?"

Master Nicholas smiled, and nodded slowly at the apparent paradox, then continued to clarify his previous statement.

"Be as it may, it is far more difficult to reshape another's mana than it is to reshape one's own, hence only the most powerful and ingenious mages can successfully reshape an opponent's mana in the heat of battle. This technique is used primarily to reshape the spells of the caster's own making, hence it has rarely been used against an opponent. That was a very good question. Now, observe."

Master Nicholas conjured up another Glowing Sphere, while a beaming Magus was silently preening himself at the compliment. Why does he always use that same old spell again... Perhaps due to its harmless nature, but still, it's not exciting. Magus sighed inwardly.

The bobbing orb glared harshly at Magus, daring him to object to its existence. While Magus studiously watched his master, Nicholas poured his vis and the surrounding ara at the sphere, and expertly tugged at the arcane weaving of the spell. As the Glowing Sphere spell came apart, Nicholas reached across the Astral Plane towards the bubbling essence of Water, and directly towards the Material Plane with ease. Directing the Water towards the unravelling spell, and began creating a new spell from the remnants of the Glowing Sphere. To Magus' growing astonishment, the fading orb began to warp and enlarge. It took on a translucent appearance, and gradually became vaguely humanoid.

Magus gasped! Master Nicholas had just reshaped his Glowing Sphere into a Water Elemental summons. He stared at the metamorphasising Water Elemental, as it peered back with its watery eyes. Magus' heart quickened as his eyes were drawn towards the being of whose kind he had only heard of, but never witnessed. The elemental turned to it's summoner and waited tacitly for any orders. The corners of Nicholas' mouth was threatening to curve into a smile as he looked at his student's shocked face.

Magus forced himself into a composed state, as he looked upon his master's expectant face. He immediately slipped into a meditative trance, and likewise conjured up a Glowing Sphere. He copied his Master's method, and began untangling the mana structure of the spell. At first, the glowing sphere stubbornly resisted the young mage's futile attempts. However, young Magus, motivated by the sight of the water elemental, which continued to look on at the tiring mage even as he laboured on, was keen to master the techniquel by the end of the day. Gradually, bit by infinitesimal bit, the orb began to fade. Magus accessed the Astral Plane, searching for the Essence of Fire. Dragging it towards the Material Plane, Magus infused the ailing spell with the Fire, and tugged it towards himself. Enveloping his body with the dissolving spell, and the Fire Essence, Magus fleshed out the spell, and restructured the mana into the new spell of Inner Radiance. At first, nothing happened.

Magus glanced at his master, a worried frown creasing his face. But his master merely nodded, and gestured to wait. Gradually, a faint aura seemed to skim along his skin. Magus concentrated harder and further on his spell, and was rewarded with a stronger aura engulfing his body with the heat of Inner Radiance. Grinning sheepishly at what he had thought as a failure, Magus collapsed onto his chair.

"You did well, Magus. You must be quite exhausted over today's exertion. The lesson is over for the day. Return to my chamber tomorrow, if you will. I shall be waiting."

After the two bade farewell, with Magus giving a wave to the unresponsive elemental, Magus left for his home, where he looked forward for a nice long rest.

[Magus Syfer]

Solaria, Fifth cycle of Melora, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Spring

The next day, Magus wearily trudged back to Master Nicholas' chambers and thumped on the door. He had gone to bed exhausted last brightening, and his sleep was interrupted by the chittering of his little ferrets scurrying around the house at ungodly hours. The door opened inwards of its own accord, and Magus entered. Nicholas was still reading the Herald, and having a puff; he gestured peremptorily to Magus to be seated while he leisurely finished the last sentence of the article he was reading. Setting the herald aside, he gave his full attention to his pupil.

"Ah, serale Magus. You look a bit worn out. Well, you'll have to be extra careful today in your studies, then. This brightening, we shall firstly be going through the Circle of Magic, after which you will learn to summon an elemental."

At the mention of the elemental, Magus perked up, his tiredness all but forgotten. He was very eager to summon an elemental, after seeing the water elemental last brightening in this very room.

Nicholas led his apprentice over to a bare area, and inscribed a circle on the floor using a short stick of chalk. Both master and apprentice entered clara, and Nicholas entered the circle while the pupil looked on.

Nicholas interfaced his vis and the ara, and created an arcalysis to initiate the technique. Drawing his energy towards the circle, he infused the inscription with mana, enabling it to repel all objects from entering. Motioning Magus to enter the circle, Magus grinned and lunged in -
Ouch!!!!

That devious master mage laughed shamelessly within the circle, perfectly safe from any retaliations from the grumbling apprentice, who sat back on his haunches to nurse his wounded head - and pride.

Ending the technique with a wave of his hand, Nicholas clasped his hand around Magus' back, apologising. He sounded sincere enough, so Magus let it slide.

Magus took up position within the circle, and proceeded to duplicate his master's actions. Creating the necessary arcalysis, Magus fused the mana into the circle of chalk, which glowed faintly. Grinning at his master, Magus poked his tongue out as Nicholas extended his hand towards the errant initiate. The beginning of Magus' mirth was cut short, as Nicholas' hand penetrated the circle of protection and boxed the boy's ears. Shocked, Magus reached to retaliate - and slammed his hand into the tangible, yet invisible circle of Magic. Howling with pain, Magus' concentration was interrupted, and the technique faded.

"Well, young man. I hope you've learned a lesson here today. Never outsmart someone older than you.

Now, the Circle of Magic, as you have already experienced, is quite a versatile technique, capable of being used either to prevent the entry of any objects into the circle, or prevent the escape of any object out of the circle."

[Magus Syfer]

A disgruntled Magus smothered his rage with happy thoughts. It was most unwise to attack a more experience mage, whether he deserved it or not, especially if the mage in question was about to teach you how to summon an elemental. Magus contritely nodded in response to the brief lecture.

Master Nicholas went on.

"Now, onto learning how to summon an elemental. Be warned, elementals tend to have minds of their own, and the more powerful the elemental, the more powerful its willpower. Hence, one must possess a strong willpower to bend a reluctant summoned elemental to one's bidding, lest they escape the summoner's control. Since you are just an Initiate, the use of Circle of Magic is recommended as an added protection. As before, you shall observe while I summon an elemental; after which you may attempt the spell."

The Master mage entered clara, ascended the Astral Plane, and materialised the Essence of Water in the Material Plane, water being less destructive that fire, more responsive than Earth, and certainly more stable than Air. As an attentive Magus watched on, his master reached forth from the Essence of Water, serving as a temporary portal to the ethereal Plane of Water, to conjure a water elemental.

Shortly thereafter, the sound of gurgling filled the room. Water splashed in from an alternate plane, coalescing into a formless blob. With increasing speed, the formless mass elongated vertically. Limbs sprouted from the appropriate portions of the expanding water mass. Magus began to make out humanoid features, as the water took on the form of a human-sized woman; sleek, well-endowed and stunning.

Magus mouthed an O, and his eyes widened. (Typical Jiraiya ) Master Nicholas finished his spell, and turned to face Magus, taking in the look of awe and couldn't help but preen a little in front of his pupil.

"Well, that wasn't so difficult a spell, was it? Now, you have a try. Don't forget the Circle of Protection, though. Perhaps you should start small..."

Magus took the hint. However, he was feeling a bit adventuresome at the moment, and wondered if he could use another type of Elemental, rather than the water-type.

Inscribing an appropriate-sized circle, he cast the Circle of Protection, making sure that it repelled outwards rather than in. His mind raced through the Astral Plane, and grasped onto the Essence of Fire. A little part of Magus was an arsonist at heart, and delighted at the power of the flame. Materialising the Fire in the Material Plane, his mind reached forth towards the Plane of Fire. Though adventurous, he was by no means foolishly reckless, and heeded the warnings given by his Master. He sought, and found, a small Fire Elemental dwelling in the alternate plane, and wrenched it into the Plane Material. Though it was small, the Salamander, slightly peeved, fought Magus unwelcome intrusion, though in the end it lost.

In front of Magus, a small fire blossomed into being, barely an inch tall, and at the centre was a small reptile. The leaping flames surrounding the Salamander suddenly flared, and streaked towards the seated Initiate. It would have singed the mage's clothing were it not for the erected spell of protection. Frowning at the diminutive elemental, with whom he was still engaged in a mental tug-of-war, he looked questioningly at his master, hoping for pointers in subduing the elemental.

Master Nicholas winked at Magus, and deigned to finally help his ward, perhaps as reparations for his earlier prank.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have so forcefully yanked the elemental out of it's habitat. Once you get more familiar with this spell, you get to learn that it is far easier to coax them out than forcefully command them out. Also, to change its form to your design, you must have subdued the elemental in question, and will it to change its form.

Magus was far too busy concentrating on the elemental to reward Nicholas more than a nod in thanks. His gaze returned to the Salamander, and instead of raging against the fiery reptile, he attempted to soothe it with apologies, and promises of treats to come, perhaps a morsel or two of coals. The fire elemental relented, partly because it was also tired from the struggle. It was a delighted Magus that, linked to the now-receptive elemental, willed it to change its form. What resulted was a stubby, and ugly vaguely feminine figure. Oddly enough, it reminded him a bit - actually, a lot - like his boss, Jaali Desseren.

Relieve that the fire lizard(woman) was obeying him, Magus dispelled the magical circle, and went to fetch Nicholas' ash-tray. Perhaps the ashes would keep the elemental sated until he could appropriate some food for it.

[Magus Syfer]

Master Nicholas heartily approved of the progress his pupil had made. Where would he be now, without my help he thought to himself. Though a bit weak, Magus was proving to be quite adept at, if not mastering, then acquiring the new spells with relative ease.

Of course, the previous spells had been safe, compared to the elemental spells that Magus was now to learn.

With a nonchalant wave of his hand, Master Nicholas dismissed the water elemental he had summoned earlier. Looking questioningly at his pupil, and a pointed look at the contented Salamander nestled within his hands.

"We shall be moving onto several more deadly elemental spells. Due to the considerable destructive powers of these spells, we'll be moving to a more... appropriate location to practice. Return your elemental to its native plane, and we shall be off."

Magus looked plaintively at the other mage. He was somewhat reluctant to part with his newfound companion so soon after successfully luring it into this plane.

"Oh please, Master Nicholas. Can't I just keep him until the lesson is over? It won't be much of a distraction, honest!?"

Sighing, Nicholas gave a grudging nod. He exited the room, with the excited Magus trotting at his heels, the Salamander, back in its original form, firmly planted around his neck.

Leaving the academy, they weaved along a windy path towards a looming dormant volcano. Slivers of obnoxious gases slithered towards the pedestrians, threatening to cause poor Magus to wretch like never before. Before long, they had reached a narrow opening that led into the heart of the volcano. Magus peered inside, and glanced at his master in askance.

"Surely we're not going in there, are we?"

The older mage merely grinned, and scampered confidently into the hole. Magus had no choice but to follow in his footsteps. They emerged in large hollowed-out crater. It was large enough to accomodate 20 houses, or so Magus thought. Craggy walls rose on all sides, to shield the view of the mages from prying eyes. Belately, Magus realised that they were in the volcano. Of course! We entered a hole at the base of the volcano, didn't we?

"Right, as you would have realised, we're inside the volcano. We can wreak havoc all we want, and not destroy any buildings and so on. Now, the spell I'm about to teach you is called Blade of Fire. It's a fairly destructive elemental spell that hurls a fiery blade of flame at an opponent. For the purpose of this exercise, I shall summon an Earth Elemental to act as a passive opponent. Don't worry, Earth Elementals are quite resilient creatures."

Nicholas turned towards the empty centre of the crater and began to cast his spell. Reaching through the Astral Plane, he fashioned a fiery blade from the Fire Essence. The blade appeared in front of him, blossoming with red anger. Then he reached back across the Astral Plane, and summoned an Earth Elemental, which appeared with a rumble. Gesturing at the conjured elemental, the blade spun frantically, and streamed towards the unfortunate elemental. The collision resulted in an explosive flash of fire, and molten rocks. The right arm of the elemental was cleaved off. The damaged limb had already begun to regenerate, with streams of soil from the ground running up the elemental.

Now it was Magus' turn. He took a step towards the Earth Elemental, and fell into a trance. He rode the Astral Winds and summoned forth the Essence of Fire. Concentrating on the figure of a blade of flame, he formed a blade similar to the one fashioned by his master, except smaller by several inches. Willing it towards the Earth Elemental, the smaller Blade of Fire hurtled towards the immobile elemental, and embedded itself in its right arm.

Master Nicholas barked a laughter, and clapped his hands on Magus' back.

"Well done, my boy. Return on the morrow, so we shall continue the lesson."

[Magus Syfer]

Dianara, Fifth cycle of Melora, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Spring
As soon as he was able to this brightening, Magus prepared himself for the day ahead. He almost half-ran the entire route towards the yawning cavern hidden deep within the heart of the dormant volcano. Skipping lightly along the cracked ground, gagging slightly at the stench, he could barely contain the excitement for the day.

As he neared the entrance of the tunnel leading into the volcano, he skidded to a stop. A small cloud of fine dust swirled at his feet. No one else was in sight. Where could Master Nicholas be? Weren't we supposed to meet at the volcano? Or was it inside the cavern... Better go check it out, no harm in checking.

Magus shuffled through the tunnel, feeling his way gingerly through the darkness. He stumbled into the exit, and once again entered the volcanic arena.

"Ho! Serale Magus. You're fairly early today. Eager as always, I see." Master Nicholas' distinct voice boomed across the expanse of the crater. A seemingly impossible feat, yet it was achieved. The man shortly appeared at Magus side, and led him towards the centre of the crater.

"I see that you're early too, Master Nicholas. So, what spells shall we be discussing this Brightening?"

Master Nicholas barked a laughter, and ruffled Magus' hair as paternal figures are wont to do. He gestured at the air in front of him. Since the next spell would be considerably more destructive and dangerous, Nicholas wanted Magus to preview a smaller model of the actual Column of Flame before demonstrating the full fury of the spell. Magus obediently stared at the empty space in front of his master, excitement building up within his tensed body.

Nicholas dipped into the Plane of Fire, and drew out a spindle of Flame into the Plane Material. Funnelling the mass of Fire into a roughly cylindrical shape, as close as leaping flame get, motioned curtly at the ground. The stick of Flame hit the ground. Pound. Pound. Pound. Wisps of smoke were curling up from the part of the ground where the rod fell.

Magus nodded slowly at the display, realising the significance of the spell. Ah, if he had cast the spell at the Earth Elemental, it would surely have crumbled beyond repair.

Looking to his master if he was allowed to proceed with his spell, Nicholas nodded. Magus gathered up his will and what remained of his energy to embrace the state of clara. He summoned forth a small mass of Fire and fought to shape it into a rod. Though it was slightly difficult concentrating in 3 Dimensions, Magus finally pulled it off. The result was a miniature Column of Flame, though still considerably bigger than Nicholas' prototype. Since Magus reasoned that the Salamander he had summoned was a creature of Fire, perhaps it would be able to withstand something fashioned from the same Plane as it came from. Magus located the elemental he had summoned earlier, and transferred the rod over its head. The Salamander looked quizzically at the flaming rod, before it descended. Bang!

Unfortunately for the poor elemental, Magus' hypothesis proved wrong. Well, at least incorrect; for though fashioned from the same plane, nevertheless there was still enough force within the rod to deal an appreciable amount of force to its unsuspecting target. Nicholas grunted in disapproval. The Elemental disappeared in a flare of anger and annoyance, back to its home, where it could frolic among the flames without some fool bullying it. Magus learned Column of Flame.

[Magus Syfer]

As soon as he was able to this brightening, Magus prepared himself for the day ahead. He almost half-ran the entire route towards the yawning cavern hidden deep within the heart of the dormant volcano. Skipping lightly along the cracked ground, gagging slightly at the stench, he could barely contain the excitement for the day.

As he neared the entrance of the tunnel leading into the volcano, he skidded to a stop. A small cloud of fine dust swirled at his feet. No one else was in sight. Where could Master Nicholas be? Weren't we supposed to meet at the volcano? Or was it inside the cavern... Better go check it out, no harm in checking.

Magus shuffled through the tunnel, feeling his way gingerly through the darkness. He stumbled into the exit, and once again entered the volcanic arena.

"Ho! Serale Magus. You're fairly early today. Eager as always, I see." Master Nicholas' distinct voice boomed across the expanse of the crater. A seemingly impossible feat, yet it was achieved. The man shortly appeared at Magus side, and led him towards the centre of the crater.

"I see that you're early too, Master Nicholas. So, what spells shall we be discussing this Brightening?"

Master Nicholas barked a laughter, and ruffled Magus' hair as paternal figures are wont to do.

"Ah, I come here sometimes to think, and also wait for you to show up. First up, we will be going through the Column of Frost spell. It is not so dissimilar to the Column of Flame that you learned last Brightening, so you shouldn't have much trouble with this spell. With this spell, one summons a mass of ice and shape it into a column, to pound an enemy into the ground.

Master Nicholas proceeded to demonstrate. He concentrated for a few minutes, accessed the clara, arcalysed the vis and ara, traversed the Astral Plane, and summoned forth the Essence of Water. He willed it to transform into a huge block of ice, and materialised it within the rocky arena. Gradually, like a rod pounding a large bell, the massive column of ice onerously descended towards the grounds. Clang! Clang! The ground shook slightly, and Magus panicked momentarily, wondering what would happen if the crater was compromised.

Nicholas granted Magus a wide smile, and dispelled his spell. He gestured Magus to have an attempt.

Gathering his wits about him, Magus entered clara, drifting in the seemingly endless space of bliss; he copied Nicholas' techniques, and summoned a mass of ice not far from the two mages. It materialised, vaguely in the shape of a column, though there were odd shapes occasionally jutting from the otherwise smooth rod. It clanged down on the ground, though with apparent less force than the previous icicle column.

"Excellent Magus. Though you might want to refine your spells a bit. You can do that in your own time, though. Now onto the next spell..."

[Magus Syfer]

"The next spell I'll be teaching you is called the Shard of Ice. The principles behind this spell is to condense the Essence of Water into an solid form and reshape it into a spear. The commonest application for this type of spell is to hurl it at an enemy. Observe closely."

Master Nicholas concentrated for a moment, entering clara, then summoned forth the Essence of Water into the Material Plane. Aiming his pudgy hands imperiously at the centre of the crater, he gave form to his spell. Magus could see tiny particles of water spinning rapidly together, eventually coalescing into a rod of ice. Mist wafted from its shaft, before it was sent spinning across the length of the crater, shattering upon impact against the jagged walls of the crater.

Master Nicholas turned to his pupil expectantly, and Magus took that as his cue to duplicate the spell. Personally, he thought that this particular spell was somewhat less formidable as the previous few he had learned. Why spear a person with a spear of ice when you could bludgeon him to death with a scintillating Column of Fire. Well, apart from the mess the latter spell would cause, of course. Briefly, he wondered if he could also conjure up similar spears, but from different elements. Silently berating himself for his lapse in concentration, he dismissed his ponderings, and returned to the task at hand.

Magus entered the familiar comfort of clara. Taking a moment to enjoy himself, he then began to draw upon the Essence of Water and brought it out into the Material Plane. Though he still felt drained by the effort in channelling the mana into the new spell's contruction, nevertheless he believed he was growing accustomed to the strain. He subsequently began to shape the mana into the form of a spear. Though his initial attempts resulted in a bulging rod of liquid substance, on his fourth attempt, he managed to create a spear of ice, which wobbled in the air as it careened in the same direction that Master Nicholas' had taken, before faltering and shattering on the ground.

Magus sighed softly. Though seemingly mild-mannered, he had fierce ambitions of advancing to a stage of mastery over magic such that even kings would turn their heads at his presence. The usual daydreams youngsters like to entertain their daily thoughts. Yet, despite his intense concentration and hard work, his skill paled noticeably beside that of his instructor.

Unbeknownst to him, Master Nicholas was aware of Magus' disappointment. After all, he himself was an ambitious youth once, and it wasn't like Magus was schooling his facial features and body stance to mask his ongoing frustrations. Perhaps some words of encouragement wouldn't go astray.

"Well done, young man. Fantastic effort on your part. I myself took the better half of a week to construct a spear of that calibre. You are progressing better than I had expected. Come, rest awhile 'fore we undertake the next spell."

He was rewarded with a wide grin forming on his young companion's visage, manifesting his delight in the unexpected compliment.

[Magus Syfer]

Ioannolia, Fifth cycle of Melora, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Spring

So far, Magus had a relatively easy task following the instructions of Nicholas. However, Nicholas decided that Magus would have to eventually learn to learn his spells on his own. And what better time to kick of the transition to self-directed learning that now.

"Now, for the next spell, we're going to do something different. I'm simply going to instruct you as to how to create the next spell, but you will have to try to conjure it up without seeing me perform it first. I know it may sound difficult, but someday, you will have to learn to create your own spells, and I'm not helping by spoon-feeding you all the time."

Magus looked aghast at the suggestion that he would be learning his next spell based solely on the directions issued by his master. But he quickly realised that this was an opportunity to truly cast a spell without the cloud of envy over him. He waited for Nicholas to continue.

"This spell is called Sandstorm, and basically consists of the melding of both essences of Earth and Air to create the spell's namesake. Now, what I want you to do is to access the planes of Earth and Air, though it might be easier to access them one after the other. Use the essence of Earth to create tiny particles of dirt, and whip them into a frenzy using a conjured wind with Air."

Magus entered clara, accessed the Astral Plane, and drew forth the essence of Earth. Quickly channelling it and melding it with his vis, he hastily created a small cloud of brown motes that danced in the air in front of him. He re-entered the Astral Plane, drew on the essence of Air, and manifested it in the Material Plane. Carefully molding the two essences within his touch, Magus fought to contain the two raw forces of Nature. With a grunt of determination, Magus whipped up a tiny self-contained wind that swept towards the cloud of conjured dirt. Once in contact, the two gyrated wildly in a dance none understood. Sweating profusely, Magus turned to his master as the whirling sandstorm eventually faded to nothingness. Nicholas patted him on the back as a sign of congratulation. His Vis drained from him, he was told to return the next brightening to continue his training.

[Magus Syfer]

Magus emerged at the entrance of the crater, awaiting his master. Eager as he was, he had arrived at the crater before his master, and idled the time away by examining the damage done to the crater in the preceding few brightenings. Shortly, his portly master appeard as well, holding what appeared to be a staff. Magus greeted him before the man had a chance to note Magus' presence.

"Serale, Master Nicholas. What spells are we learning this brightening?"

The old mage looked his student in surprise. His room was far closer to the volcanic crater, yet the young man had actually arrived before him. That boy's got determination, that's for sure. He took a moment to collect his composure, calming himself after the strain of climbing to the arena.

"Serale, indeed. You sure are chipper today. The first spell is called Imbue Element. It involves instilling the essence of a particular element into an item, thereby temporarily granting it certain destructive capabilities. If one were to imbue a sword with the Essence of Fire, then when used, the sword will let loose an incinerative blast upon contact. Likewise for the other elements, with Water dealing an icy chill, Air an electrical spark and Earth an energetic stun to an opponent. Since the same principles of imbuement apply to all elements, once you've learned to imbue with one, you can imbue with all. I brought a staff, which I want you to imbue for me."

Nicholas gingerly handed the staff to Magus, which he had carried all the way from the Academy solely for this reason. Of course, it didn't hurt that it served as a good walking aid up and down the path from the volcano.

Magus gripped the staff tightly in his hands, and concentrated on gaining clara. He entered the Astral Plane, and from the Plane of Fire, he drew the ara therein. Bringing it to the Material Plane, he merged it with the staff's vis. Satisfied that he had accomplished the spell, he stepped back from his master, and proceeded to demonstrate the staff's newfound capability.

He gripped the staff with both hand, extended it away from his body, and struck the ground with it. The contact of wood and ground resulted in a mini-explosion, with a small circumscribed crater where the staff's butt had been. The lower end of the staff itself was sooty black.