Depending on the pattern, we get the spell output in a certain form. It is absolutely certain that we do not need to draw or imagine these patterns and then power them with our own strength. This is a significant difference between us and the local mages.
By drinking the blood of a mage who knows the spells, we can immediately use them. We just need to resurrect the necessary spell in memory. Thus, we get rid of the concentration stage, and much less time is spent on preparing and applying the spell. We expend the same amount of energy, but unlike the locals, it's not ours; it's borrowed. Theoretically, we can perform spells of any complexity, in any quantity, at any time, if there is blood nearby that we can consume.
"Yes, it seems very likely that this is the case," Sergey nodded.
"Don't forget that we also get physically tired," Maria smiled. "And we need sleep, so we do have some limitations."
Alexander, Maria, and Sergey were the only ones at this meeting who had drunk the blood of a mage. The others who had tried magical blood were busy with their own affairs in the camp. Regarding mages, among the vampires, there was generally a gender dissonance.
Apart from the first ones who reached the mage—Sergey and Alexander, six girls managed to taste his blood. Which was not surprising. They were not taken into the assault party, and the second wave of attackers tried to push them to the back ranks. Habits of the old life did not disappear in one day, and even the understanding that a girl was not weaker than you did not dispel the desire to protect her.
Therefore, during the beginning of the massacre, the female part of the attackers was left to those who were in the center of the camp—the mage and the servants. Another one who tasted the blood was Maria.
Yes, she did not participate in the slaughter, but watched it from the sidelines, like Olga, but it so happened that before reason clouded over with a bloody veil, Sergey managed to snatch a neckerchief with a small spot of fresh blood from the mage. He gave this handkerchief to Maria, and without much thought, she stuffed the cloth into her mouth to rid the beautiful item of blood, because otherwise it wouldn't wash out later. And unexpectedly, she became a full-fledged mage.
No matter how much they sucked on this neckerchief later, and no matter how long they held it in their mouths, no one else managed to replicate it. Thus, the vampires acquired a group of nine mages, each of whom could perform exactly two spells—"fire arrow" and "stone wall."
The value of the second spell was extremely low, but, unfortunately, it was the simplest and easiest among defensive skills, and weak mages learned and applied it.
"As for fatigue, let's talk about it a little later, I suppose. I personally noticed—when you drink blood in the morning, you don't feel like sleeping, and there's no fatigue. But I'll continue about magic. Magic for us is a lifesaver in this world, a chance to survive. It is magic, in my opinion, that will give us a chance to live and die of old age, rather than on the spears of the locals or being chopped into pieces. Magic, not strength, speed, or monstrous regeneration. So, I ask you to focus now specifically on it. So, we have a significant advantage over the locals—we perform spells thanks to the memory of mage blood and can quickly replenish our power reserves. But there are also drawbacks—we cannot create power lines. Accordingly, we cannot create new spells. At all. It turns out to be the perfect killing machine—power, speed, lethality. And we supposedly don't need brains, but we have them. I want to hear your ideas; I'm curious what you think about all this."
"It's hard to say. There are only three mages here, and you haven't checked everyone yet. Your enthusiasm is understandable, but for now, we can't help. Are you sure you can't create energy lines?"
"Yes, it's unclear how to create these lines! No matter how hard you try, Kostya (Konstantin), it's unclear. In the mage's memory... how can I explain it to you... well, he concentrates first, then draws a power pattern from memory, then powers it, then... well, there are a bunch of other things, for example, you have to aim the 'fire arrow' at the target, set the vector, and even adjust the power a bit. It's such a thing, not the simplest or quickest. And you saw how I shot five arrows in a couple of seconds, and all precisely! But I can't create lines from scratch..."
"Nevertheless, I think it's premature to discuss magic now," Eugene spoke up again. "What's the point of talking about what only a few have for now? We just don't understand you."
Alexander scratched his head.
"Maybe you're right; I shouldn't have started with magic. I apologize—emotions."
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