"I won't ignore my current needs, however," Adrian told Daniel as they walked through the store. Amber walked behind them, from a distance. She kept them within he eyesight, but her attention was mostly focused on the books that she found on the shelves, "I will practice Evocation as well, both to protect myself and my sister."
"So you'll learn two schools like Amber?" Daniel asked as his fingers toyed with the spine of a book before him, "Evocation and Enchantment, I dread to think. You've chosen the two most difficult schools of magic out there. Well, let's get your things then."
"What will I need?" Adrian asked as he turned away from Amber to look at Daniel. Daniel shrugged.
"I can't tell exactly what will be provided for you, but I can guess. You'll be provided a catalyst- Evocation mages would usually choose gloves, but you two will be different- as well as a training dummy. We'll have to get you textbooks on basic magic theory- it'll be useful for every school of magic, as well as textbooks to get you started on the elements. Earth is the easiest- the structure is simple and easy to understand- but we should get you started with something that will hurt your opponents first."
"Fire?" Adrian assumed, "Unless this world has some sort of element I've never heard of."
"No, you're right. Lightning is more lethal, but it's for masters. We'll start both you and Amber on fire, then move on to the other elements. At that point, we'll have the other textbooks you need ready, so we don't have to buy them here," Daniel said, "For her, she'll need a few textbooks on the human body- doctors use them, but they're useful for transmutation mages as well- as well as a medical kit for when she wants to examine the makeup of carcasses herself. So long as she knows how to control the magic inside her bloodstream, she'll be able to perform transmutation magic without really needing transmutation books."
"So we're getting her stuff somewhere else?" Adrian asked. Daniel nodded.
"We should get a few basic transmutation books, so she knows where to start, but everything else we'll get at another shop," Daniel confirmed, "For you, you'll need a multitude of Enchantment books, as well as a scrying crystal. They'll allow you to see inside the brain, to examine how the brain reacts to your magic."
Adrian didn't understand half of what Daniel told him, but he nodded along anyway. An hour later, the group left with everything they needed- save for basic equipment and the medical equipment Amber would need for her dissections. Adrian only needed to pay two gold coins for it all. It was most of his current wealth, but still manageable.
Out of everything they got, most of it belonged to Adrian. When Daniel told him that Enchantment was the most studious of the schools of magic, he wasn't joking. With Adrian were three different textbooks on the human mind and a clear crystal the size of a baseball. Compared to his single textbook on evocation, it was a lot. Luckily, his backpack was empty enough to hold all of his material- otherwise, he wouldn't be very happy. Upon his hand was a ring- silver in color- that had purple runes decorating its surface.
"It's a catalyst. It makes it possible for you to cast spells at long distances," Daniel explained, "Ages ago, mages used wands and staffs, but they were too large and cumbersome. Don't ask me how it works, I'm not a mage."
"I'll have to ask somebody else, then," Adrian said as he held up his finger to gaze upon the ring. Then, as he remembered something Daniel said in the store, he looked toward the man and asked, "I thought you said Evocation mages prefer using gloves?"
"They do, but only mages focused on Evocation. Amber, you'll be using Transmutation magic to create your catalyst- one that you can move around your flesh as you see fit," Daniel explained.
"My flesh? Ugh, don't say it like that. It's gross," Amber muttered.
"Adrian, your catalyst is one Enchantment mages prefer," Daniel said as he ignored Amber's side comment, "All schools of magic use a different catalyst. They are designed to be used by mages of their school of magic. Evocation mages choose the gloves because they allow them to direct their spells with their fingers- so they'd have more control. Enchantment rings are unnoticeable- easily hidden by a pair of gloves. If your target doesn't know that you're enchanting them then the spell is more successful."
"Then why don't I get several rings? Combine the advantage of being able to hide the rings with the advantage of better Evocation control?" Adrian wondered.
"It's impossible, unfortunately. With every additional catalyst, more of your magic is diluted. Some of the power within your spells would get absorbed into the rings you wear, making your spell weaker. With ten rings in total, your spell will have been completely taken over by your catalysts, I suspect," Daniel answered, "But don't worry. The gloves that Evocation mages use don't make their spells stronger, it only gives them more control over them. Your ring, as small as it is, won't become a hindrance."
"I hope not," Adrian whispered under his breath.
A day later, Adrian and Amber sat in a carriage with Daniel. The carriage was nice, having been designed for nobility. Adrian thought it was designed similar to the carriages from the 19th century, but it was a little more simplistic than some of the carriages from that era. The outside was painted black- yet there was only one window on each side. The inside, where the three of them sat, was large enough to house six people. The red benches, each of them furnished with comfortable cushions, faced each other from either side of the carriage. Daniel sat on one side, the driver's side, while Adrian and Amber sat on the other. Each of them wore new clothes- bought during their trip around the city yesterday.
"I'm glad we found a tailor that enjoyed Breaton fashion," Daniel said as he looked down at his new suit. He wore a light brown shirt and dark pants. His suit jacket had been folded and placed on the cushion next to him. His fit was more casual than it had usually been, but he seemed to enjoy it nonetheless.
Adrian wore a suit as well, but one that would've been nice for outside weather rather than the inside of a carriage. He wore black pants and shoes that were much nicer than the jeans and shoes he wore hours ago- both of which he had thrown away. He had a thick black coat- one that overlapped with itself to create a thick protection against the cold- as well as a black tie and a black vest underneath. His shirt was white, giving a stark contrast to the black he wore, but it fit well with his pale skin.
Amber wore black as well, but her attire was closer to a mix between a suit and a dress. Above her waist, She wore a white frilly shirt that opened up the collars of her wrists. Over it was a leather vest that was close to a corset. The frilly collar of her shirt- which Adrian couldn't help but compare its appearance to the waviness of waffle fries- was open, exposing her collarbone as well as a brand-new silver necklace. On her hands, she wore a pair of leather gloves with, Adrian didn't fail to notice, small leather plates attached to the knuckles. Her leather corset dropped to the sides of her hips, to where the drapes of a dress dropped to the middle of her shins. The two sides of the dress connected themselves to the opposite side of the corset, so anybody looking couldn't see any details higher than her shins- which she protected by wearing a pair of leather brown pants anyway.
"Why are you dressed like you're going to a Halloween party?" Adrian asked his sister as he turned in her direction, completely unaware that he was also dressed like he was going to a Halloween party.
"What? It was cute," Amber told him as she turned to the window. She put her elbow against the windowsill as she rested her cheek against her leather gloves.
"It was because of the leather, wasn't it? When you saw the gloves, I knew you would go looking for something that matched!" Adrian sighed. He turned to Daniel, and then asked, "How long will we be on the road?"
"A month. It should give you enough time to study those books, huh?" Daniel smiled.