Darius studied himself in the mirror, not really too sure how to feel about his new attire. Alabaun had insisted on Darius wearing a suit, but he just wasn't feeling it. He wasn't sure what it was, but he just didn't feel right without a hood to pull over his head. So, Alabaun had dropped off a new cloak and some folded clothes for Darius to try on. The cloak was a sleek and trimmed black cloak with blue tints and lining. The shirts ranged from black to white and the pants were all a dark shade of gray.
Darius put his hands in his pockets, staring back at himself in the mirror as a frown came across his lips. 'What am I doing?' He thought. 'Do I really think I've got the strength to make it here?' Etto's maddening grin came to mind then, the way he was clobbered by Nira. He once thought he was decently skilled. Suppose fighting anything other than a mage would make one feel that way. He peered into his own amber eyes. His jaw was sharp, his skin tanned and smooth, dotted by small scars here and there. He had dark eyelashes and his messy hair hung just above his eyes.
A knock came on his door then and he quickly ruffled himself, pulling down his hood as he went up to the door. He briefly wondered at how odd that felt. Once upon a time if any knock were to come upon a door anywhere he stayed, his first instinct would be to pull up his hood.
"Ah, Darius. Sleep well?" Alabaun asked with a smile when Darius opened the door.
"Yeah. The bed is nice." He responded, briefly looking over at his shoulder. The bed was unmade and his old clothes were strewn across the the couch.
"Hmm. We will.. have to work on that. I'll have the maids attend to it for now." Alabaun said, turning away.
"Uhm..?" Darius asked, "Are we.. going somewhere?"
"Why of course. Off for more training we go." Alabaun spoke.
The man was oddly not as talkative as usual.
"Are you going to throw me through a window again?" Darius asked, following Alabaun.
"No." He said blankly.
"Is… everything alright? Did I do something wrong?" Darius inquired. He couldn't think of anything, all that occurred the night before was.. well, they ate and then went around the city for some time before Darius simply returned to his room.
"Mm." Alabaun hummed for a second, "I suppose you can know. Not as though it would be a problem."
"Know what?"
"My son, Nillan returns tonight."
"Oh?"
"He took a hundred men to the Western border. They were investigating Black Rose activity. Last night I received a message that they were returning."
"Did they learn anything? Like, maybe a hideout or something?"
"No. In fact they learned nothing. They didn't even see a single assassin. At least not the survivors." Alabaun spoke bluntly.
"What? Survivors?" Darius could pretty much guess where this was going.
"Apparently every night that they made camp and took head count, they were missing anywhere between three to five soldiers. And this kept going on. But no one reported hearing or seeing anything. Eventually they had to turn around. They lost over thirty people."
"Sounds about right. Why don't you just go yourself? Like, with your kids?" Darius asked.
"That would be the worst play. The castle would be left unprotected."
"Right…" Darius had forgotten. He wasn't used to having something to protect other than himself.
"Anyway. They will return tonight. It's just been on my mind. We will be training in the same field today, and you will be training with me." Alabaun spoke.
Darius felt the blood drain from his face.
"Don't worry. I will not be fighting you. No, we will be practicing your manifestations." He spoke.
"My maniphestations?" Darius asked, "I'm… a conjur mage."
"That is what you prefer, as of now, yes, but it… does not work all too well. Conjur mages like their range, and they have a wide range of affect, but they are not as effective in one on one combat. Not unless they are masters of their art." Alabaun explained, "Which you are not. Let's also bear in mind that conjurations are more effective as elemental or energy based spells. The only mage I can think of who is an exception of this is Kyrune."
"So, what exactly will I be doing then?" Darius asked as they exited out a door to the field he'd fought Nira on before.
Alabaun walked out onto the field a ways before turning around. He drew out his sword, but, it wasn't a sword. It was just a hilt. Darius scrunched up his face, confused.
"What?" Alabaun asked, then followed Darius's gaze. "Ah, yes. I use this to focus my elemental manifestations. An object to focus a spell can exponentially increase its effectiveness."
"I see.. will I be doing that?" Darius asked.
"I am not sure if it is needed yet. With the way your spells work, it seems you cycle between varying sizes and shapes, so I doubt it. An item like this is more useful for specific formations. In this case, a sword."
"I see." Darius said, but the idea was interesting and he decided he'd try it on his own at some point.
"Now then, let us begin. From the top, the basics." Alabaun began, rolling his hilt between his fingers as he started to pace. "Darius, tell me, what is a conjuration?"
"A form of spell. When a mage draws out an amount of arcana and separates it from their body, releasing it. The arcana will then take the mage's desired form before merging or absorbing arcana that already exists in the surrounding area, whether it be within the ground or the air. Generally, any form of life gives off a small amount of arcana. The spell will then either change in form or size depending on the desired reaction." Darius thanked his personal studies.
"Correct. I'm impressed, for someone who never had a home of their own, you are quite knowledgeable. A few things you missed. First off, once the spell is cast, it is completely separate from the mage. While this means it will take on the desired effect while the mage can move on to another spell, it also means it is difficult if not impossible to manipulate a conjuration once it is cast. This is something I've noticed about you, you have an odd talent of being able to do just that, on a large scale. You can conjur large spells and manipulate their shape with minimal effort. This is a valuable skill not many mages have, so be proud of it. At the same time, conjurations are dispersed arcana. Meaning what?"
"They cover a wide range and can deal with multiple enemies at once." Darius answered.
"Yes, but, the individual effect is rather weak. Though the damage is wide spread, it is not quite so devastating. The arcana has no focus, thus, the damage it will actually deal to any single target is not as high as say a manifestation. This also means conjurations of physical objects are often brittle and weak. I am sure you are aware of this, I've seen myself how your spires can be shattered with little effort." Alabaun noted.
"Yeah.."
"Conjurations are strong, and versatile, but they should never be your ace in the hole. There are only a few mages I know of that this does not apply to, and that is only due to the nature of their magic. Calling upon the void or stars will kill no matter what ultimately. But you use glass. So I'm afraid that the rule does apply to you. In turn, conjurations are typically utilized for tactical control, manipulating the pace and direction of a battle. Just as you use your pillars to gain a height advantage, or how you used a rupture conjuration to pin down Nila. This is how you are meant to use conjurations, quick spells that don't require much focus or arcana but can have substantial effect."
"I realize that, so what's the point here?" Darius asked.
Alabaun raised an eyebrow. "Impatient? The point is that you are too reliant on conjurations, yet your conjurations are frail and weak. For example, the spears your cast whenever you snap your little fingers, those are conjurations. But they are slow and weak, and they break upon being deflected. This means they serve no purpose, the use of a ranged conjuration like that would be to force your enemy to move, but what point is there if they can simply deflect it? You'd be better of manifesting them and then shooting them yourself. It may take more effort and arcana, but they would have more power behind them. They'd actually be a threat, not to mention you'd be able to control their trajectory as well as their shape even, as well as their speed." Alabaun said, "Do you see my point?"
Darius nodded. Alabaun wasn't wrong. Darius had always thought his glass spears were just fine, they dealt away with assassins quickly enough, but now that he thought of it, they never really did anything for him against other mages. Not once did they have any real value.
"Now then, Darius, what is a manifestation?"
"A manifestation is a spell directly attached to the mage. They tend to be far smaller in size and they require a lot more arcana and focus to cast, but in turn, they are pure focused arcana that the mage can have complete control over. Manifestations are focused and condensed, as a result, they have extreme effect and can be a mage's most lethal spell."
"Exactly. It seems you've picked up on what I'm getting at. Now, manifest a sword."
Darius held out his hands, his fingers turning to glass as a sword formed, it's prismatic edge distorting the sunlight as it shone through it.
"One thing I will say about your magic is that it is truly some of the most stunning mage work I've ever seen, at least, in terms of appearance." Alabaun held his hilt to the side. The air became cold then as particles of ice formed around it, condensing and solidifying into a blade of cold ice.
Darius's eyes bounced between Alabaun and his own blade. He had to divert more focus on the weapon as he had to constantly pour arcana into it to keep its form.
"Now, hold out your sword, with both hands please."
Darius did so, holding up his blade.
Alabaun effortlessly swept his own blade across Darius's, with only one hand, instantly shattering the crystalline blade with one swift motion.
Darius grimaced, cursing under his breath.
"While manifestations are far more sturdy than conjurations, they are just as frail without proper focus. And now, we will be doing this all day long till you get it." Alabaun said with a grin.
"What?!" Darius exclaimed in surprise as his heart dropped with disappointment. "This? How is this.. what?" He was going to ask how it was training, but he knew the answer to that. He just didn't want to do something so boring for so long.
"Do you want to get stronger, Darius? Or do you want to die?" Alabaun asked bluntly.
Darius grit his teeth. 'He's right. I'm being lazy. I need to put forth effort if I am going to get anywhere..'
Darius lifted his head, his amber eyes determined now. "Alright." He manifested another sword and held it out as firmly as he could.