During the next year and 2 months, Dezen's development was rapid, but not full of shortcomings, due to Shared Experience.
He was improving this spell multiple times, and was pleased with its effects. However, he also had to faced unexpected problems, such as making undead experienced enough.
The thing was that, he couldn't get experience, from undead who was a newbie in something he was experienced. For instance, he was, let's say, expert at doing examinations, and his undead still had to learn how to cut bodies. He couldn't get anything from it, so he waited until their "level" is similar to his, to gain anything. Luckily, their ability to work 24 hours a day, helped a lot with it.
He was also travelling to get more undead, mostly wolves and bears. Their bodies were also changed to humanoid shapes, but he didn't do it by himself. Instead, he tasked with it one of his undead, and started teaching him what he knows.
Their number was relatively small, as for his current capabilities, but making it high wasn't Dezen's purpose. He preferred to save mana production for the undead he will get during his travels with caravans.
To rise the strength of his undead, Dezen bought many magical resources for them. Mainly of enslavement, nature, and earth magics, but there were also of wind, fire, plaque, and metal magic.
It took almost all of his savings, but not to the point where Dezen was struggling. He only had to wait a few weeks, before buying the next batch.
Doing it, made his undead a few times stronger, but to reach their true potential, he had to test what abilities they gained, and create tactics using them.
Other 2 things worth mentioning, that he did were his researches in modifications of brains, and improving Cutting For.
The odifications he did were focused on increasing the intelligence of his undead, and it succeeded, making them more deadly opponents. It also lets them use more complicated strategies, and fulfil their tasks more efficient, as they don't have to stick to rigid commands, and solve problems, or think of making something in better a way, by themselves.
However, there is still space to improve, as they are not as intelligent as humans.
Improvement of Cutting Fog brought him two things. The first, was making it the strongest spell in his arsenal. Dezen wasn't sure of its limits, and how to properly describe its strength, but it easily destroyed high quality armour, with many defensive enchantments, that he bought for testing. The second thing was realization. Always, while using Cutting Fog, the hatred he harbours is awakening, and he has a lot of it, deeply rooted in his soul. Usually, he isn't thinking about it too much, assuming it is because it always reminds him of that phoenix who robbed him. However, once he reminded himself of some information, treated by most of the mages like some rumour, rather than something real. It is said, that mages who feel extremely strong emotions, can create spells connected with them, but they have to keep the emotions on some minimum level, during the whole process of creation.
Dezen knew only this, but thought that the Church of Alen should possess more information. Thus, he went there and bought it, in hopes of getting a new way to increase his power.
The first part of bought information was similar to what Dezen knew, just said in other words. The next ones, were those which brought him new knowledge.
What was written:
'Spells created with emotions have deep connection with them, and are believed to summon, or awaken them, when they are used. Their quality can be higher, than other spells of the mage, what it believed to be connected with strength of emotion. Mana of "emotion magic" cannot be seen in the soul, for unknown reasons.
The Great Priest of the Church of Haran, Juron, is said to master this magic and gather mages who obtained it.'
"Not much, but always something."
Dezen concluded, and then looked in the sky, and continued thinking about it.
"Church probably has more information, but doesn't want to share them with me. Understandable, after all I am not part of it. They also can know not too much about it either. Getting something from Church of Haran is impossible. I already closely worked with Church of Alen, who is their enemy. Maybe they would accept me if I betrayed the Church of Alen, or became their spy, but there is no chance for it. Nor can I get information from Juron. Great Priest is two ranks below church leader, he could easily kill, or enslave me. Looks like I will have to develop almost entirely by myself, if it is really emotion magic".
Dezen sighed, and stretched.
"Time to find time for it... It sounds stupid. Clone would be helpful, but I already have my undead, though they can't do this for me, I'm still in a wonderful situation. I will have to give them more task, change their schedules, and do researches by myself."
After few tests, Dezen was sure that Cutting Fog is an emotion magic spell. Believing, that it will be worth effort and spent time, he devoted a lot of his time to research this magic, and made few attempts to create new spells of it.
Both things were successful, one more than another.
Thanks to researches, he learned that the stronger the hate he feels is, the stronger the spell becomes, like it was improved in some strange way. However, the mana it consumes grows too.
At first, it is acceptable, but sooner, or later it reaches a point where the usage is higher, than if he made a spell of that level by himself. The highest Dezen reached, and by his estimates, it was 50% higher. And spell such good alone, would cost a monstrous amount of mana. Luckily, it takes every mana that the mage has, what doesn't make using them more demanding.
Making new spells of emotion magic was relatively simple, due to Cutting Fog. It alone, made Dezen feel almost enough hate to create them, he only had to think about proper thing, once in a time and that was enough.
This development made him wonder about something. It was why there are so little mages with emotion magic.
When Dezen was once thinking about this "mystery", Alex noticed it and asked.
- Something happened? Some problem with development, or that plan to protect caravans?
- No, I am just thinking why emotion magic is so rare.
- Well, there are very little mages, like few in a thousand? I don't know. If their number is so small, then it is difficult to meet someone with rare magic.
- I know. I mean... something different. Why is that magic even rare. I know keeping emotions strong for a long time is hard, but not with hate. Instead, it is hard to get rid of it, when it becomes strong. And getting to this state is not so hard. That's why I wonder why emotion magic is so rare.
- Maybe there is some another condition that is unknown. This might be possible, or there is something special about you.
- No, there is not. I'm sure. I just look like I'm extraordinary, but I am not in this aspect. It's people, mages, who didn't obtain it for some reason... This is what I can't understand, as it shouldn't be so difficult.
- Emotion magic is treated like rumour, right? So maybe they don't even try, believing it won't succeed?
- Right, but somehow, I succeeded by accident, so I doubt that others can't do this.
Alex shrugged, and went silent. Dezen didn't say anything either.