Chereads / Knights Rise / Chapter 49 - Cantrips

Chapter 49 - Cantrips

While making his way to the village Temple from Membe castle Amondo encountered Shau Rayun who was heading in the opposite direction and after exchanging a few words they parted ways. Once he arrived at the temple, he went to have a word with its cleric, Mario Plumon before his squire arrived.

"Milord Malla, what brings you back to my humble temple so soon?"

"I have a few things to discuss with you if you have the time that is."

"I am always ready and able to help all those who enter these sacred grounds."

"There are three matters I wish to discuss with you the first is that my squire and I require the private use of the temple's shrine to Lungaria for an hour or so if this isn't too much bother?"

"That I can do it doesn't see much use this time of the lunar cycle, what else?"

"If it isn't too much of a bother, I would like you to be one of the witnesses at the signing of my will tomorrow evening around five."

"I have a service at six tomorrow but my preparation for it is already complete so as long as it isn't likely to take that long I would be more than willing to attend, if I may enquire who else has the honour to be witness to it?"

"Vasyl Harez and my brother in law Stoyan Talesh."

"Very well and what is the last matter between us?"

"Do not worry I understand that you still need time to go over the work of Sergio Balinn, so it is nothing to do with that. Rather it is the harvest festival that takes place in seven days that I wish to talk to you about."

"What about it?"

"I suppose you heard that there will be a Dungeon Fair this year, after all, it will not be quite the same as the usual one but it will be taking place none the less. In between these two events, not sure when exactly yet, will be my Investiture ceremony and all that will entail."

"I begin to see what you on about I did of course hear about the birth of your newest niece earlier today. If it had been a nephew then it would have been a whole different matter, the investiture ceremony would have been that of a regent and not a baron. The birth of an heir would necessitate a day of celebration in his honour, but the birth of a girl child doesn't. But still, you wish it to be celebrated in some manner."

"Exactly a mass in honour of her birth is the least I could do and one during the harvest festival would be especially appreciated."

"I have no objection to such a thing and I certainly will perform one, will you be providing anything for those souls who attend it."

"Of course, copper coins and perhaps even a few silvers for those with babies of their own."

"That will be fine my son, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, may the gods look upon you with kindness and when my squire arrives father please point him in my direction."

"I will see you tomorrow at five then milord."

The cleric departed and then Amondo went to the temple's small shire to Lungaria, the Goddess of the Moon and magic to await his squire, Vete Taom.

"Sire you called, and I have answered how may I be of service?"

Since we are here at the shrine to Lungaria you can no doubt guess what that might be. You have under my guidance and that of my predecessors mastered the six Cantrips that she has graced us and many others with. However, when last we trained in them you were unable to perform more than one of them in the hour, I give you to do so and thus the same in a single day.

That was slightly over a month ago and hopefully during that time you have continued to practice them and perhaps even improved. If the first is true then the second does not matter, I can only do two in that time and my knight had to have another teach me as he couldn't perform them at all. The most I have heard of outside potential magi is three, have you been practising Vete?"

"Yes, sire every day but while I have, I think improved one in an hour is still all I can do."

"If that is so then all you can do is keep practising now join with me in prayer to Lungaria and I will test you once we are done."

After praying to the goddess for a time Amondo had Vete perform the light cantrip and once he produced a weakish light from a point a metre in front of his nose he had him hold it there for ten seconds before releasing the cantrip. After allowing him to rest for half an hour he had him try the heat Cantrip but to no avail.

Amondo then performed the heat cantrip himself, followed by the light cantrip and finally the cantrip that allowed him to raise his voice so it could be heard from across a grounded room.

To perform one of the six cantrips all that is required of the one doing so is that they meditate on the desired effect, hold the picture of the effect in their mind and use the magic words unique to that particular cantrip to channel the magic energy in their bodies outwards to produce the desired effect. Sound easy enough I suppose but in practice, well practice and an internal magical storage space with enough magical energy to produce the effect is required.