Chapter 4
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Draylen sat opposite the old man, a serious look on his face. Today, the old man said that he would examine whether he fulfilled the requirements to become a summoner. Except, there was one question that was plaguing him.
"Old man... Is there really any need for you to be checking my body like this? Isn't there normally just an aptitude test?"
The old man looked at him for a moment before returning to poke and prod random parts of Draylen's body.
"Normally there is, however, I'm teaching you a different kind of summoning."
Draylen nodded slowly, sealing up his mouth and waiting for the examination to finish. After poking several muscles and feeling different joints, the old man nodded in a satisfied manner before sitting on the other side of the table.
"Good potential, but your muscles are unevenly dense and there is not enough surface area. This is easy to fix but will require some time." The old man mused.
Draylen was confused, what did any of those things mentioned have anything to do with summoning?
"You must be wondering why those matter?" The old man interrupted Draylen's thoughts.
"Y-yes."
"I will explain then. First of all, the type of summoning I practice is very different to that which is the norm. Ordinary summoners use scrolls and books in order to channel mana into spells and summon familiars, however, during this process, lots of mana is wasted. It dissipates into the environment, which is why areas with lots of summoner activity have better vitality. For example, if I were to practice spells outside the cave entrance, an insect which has a life span of 2 years would have it doubled and it's health significantly improved. This applies to every living being around, sentient or not."
Draylen nodded, processing the information.
"Now, the way that I summon is to use my own body as a medium to channel mana, removing several unnecessary steps to casting in which mana is wasted. The cost for casting a spell is directly halved and the speed of casting and power are significantly increased." The old man explained in a casual manner, waving his hands around to make shapes in the air as a demonstration.
"But how exactly do you use the body as a medium?" Draylen asked.
"Do you know what we use to make the most basic of spell scrolls?" The old man replied out of the blue.
"Goat skin is most commonly used for tier 1 spells." Draylen answered immediately.
"Exactly." The old man smiled approvingly, "The reason why we use the skin of a goat is because when soaked in a special brew, it gains tough flexible qualities whilst retaining a small amount of mana which was originally from the goat. On top of that, a goat is a common animal which can produce milk and cheese, whilst also being relatively easy to take care of. This makes a cheap, affordable source of spell scroll material."
"Now, you'll probably be wondering why I mentioned the mana retained in the skin. Materials soaked in mana have high affinity with summoning magic, which is why stronger creatures provide better spell scroll material since they contain more mana. This means that if you were to take a live creature and turn it into a scroll a few hours before a battle, the scroll made would be a lot more effective as the mana has not had much time to dissipate out into the atmosphere. However, the process would be extremely rushed and complicated, thus we create spell scrolls in advance."
Upon hearing this, Draylen instantly realised why using one's own body as a medium was so tremendously effective.
"So using one's body as a medium provides an inextinguishable source of spell scroll material, whilst also maximising the effects of mana on spells. The more mana one has, the stronger and more efficient his spells are and in turn, the stronger he is, the more mana he has. It creates a loop in which strength provides with more strength!" Draylen shouted out excitedly.
"Yes, yes ,yes! Well done young Draylen!" The old man praised, clapping his hands together jovially.
"And since we use the body itself as a medium, there is a need for balance in order to make tattooing easier." The old man added.
"Ah, I understand now." Draylen said, nodding his head thoughtfully.
The old man then reached towards his stomach, a bright light flared within his clothes and he reached his hand in. As it came back out, a large brush and a pot of ink was placed onto the table. The old man's hand reached back in and returned with a rolled up scroll.
"I will now inscribe a tattoo stencil onto this scroll, using Void Kraken ink. When tattooing, not only is the skill involved important, but also the materials. When inscribing higher tier spells, a need for better materials becomes apparent." The old man told Draylen seriously.
"Right. Observe."
The old man spread the scroll across the table before taking hold of the brush and carefully dipping it into the pot of ink. He wiped away the excess against the side of the pot and raised the brush, left hand holding his long sleeve back whilst his right held the brush like one would for Chinese calligraphy.
A surge of white light flowed from his heart, through his veins and into his brush, causing the black ink to glow. Then, he brought the brush down onto the parchment. From left to right, top to bottom, a picture of weighing scales appeared and a black circle was drawn around it. The whole process took less than half a minute and it was skilfully done.
Draylen knew that if he tried, he'd end up making an inky mess. He felt his respect toward the old man increase two-fold.
"Alright, lie on the table, face down." The old man commanded, returning his brush and Void Kraken ink into the bright light that came from his stomach.
Draylen did as told. The old man gently raised up the parchment and a dim white light spread through his hand across to each of the brush strokes, causing the ink to dry instantly. The black ink possessed a strange entrancing quality, just looking at it would make one feel as if they were looking into the black flames of hell.
He then placed the parchment onto Draylen's bare back, hands running over to ensure that it was evenly placed. The old man raised his right hand and a white glow was emitted from his finger tip. Then, he ran his finger over the brush strokes, in the same order as before. The whole process seemed very mysterious.
After a few minutes, the old man removed the parchment, directly throwing it away as if it were junk. On draylen's back, there was now a weighing scale with a circle around it. The boy jumped up, stretching exaggeratedly.
"How did it go, old man?" He asked.
"Perfect." The old man replied smiling.
He then poked the tattoo with his finger.
"You feel here? Just think hard about this area and feel the flow of blood here. Control the mana in your heart and open a path for it. Let it spread across your body here."
Draylen nodded, brows furrowed in focus. He relaxed his muscles as he tried to follow the instructions. Soon enough, a dim light shone through the skin where the old man had poked before. It spread across the tattoo and made it glow brightly.
Draylen felt his mind go faint for a moment.
'Left 46% Right 54%'
He widened his eyes in surprise before looking at the old man.
"A little trick to help you regulate your muscle balance." He chuckled upon seeing Draylen's shocked expression.
"Come, we aren't done yet."
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Draylen sat opposite the old man, a serious look on his face. Today, the old man said that he would examine whether he fulfilled the requirements to become a summoner. Except, there was one question that was plaguing him.
"Old man... Is there really any need for you to be checking my body like this? Isn't there normally just an aptitude test?"
The old man looked at him for a moment before returning to poke and prod random parts of Draylen's body.
"Normally there is, however, I'm teaching you a different kind of summoning."
Draylen nodded slowly, sealing up his mouth and waiting for the examination to finish. After poking several muscles and feeling different joints, the old man nodded in a satisfied manner before sitting on the other side of the table.
"Good potential, but your muscles are unevenly dense and there is not enough surface area. This is easy to fix but will require some time." The old man mused.
Draylen was confused, what did any of those things mentioned have anything to do with summoning?
"You must be wondering why those matter?" The old man interrupted Draylen's thoughts.
"Y-yes."
"I will explain then. First of all, the type of summoning I practice is very different to that which is the norm. Ordinary summoners use scrolls and books in order to channel mana into spells and summon familiars, however, during this process, lots of mana is wasted. It dissipates into the environment, which is why areas with lots of summoner activity have better vitality. For example, if I were to practice spells outside the cave entrance, an insect which has a life span of 2 years would have it doubled and it's health significantly improved. This applies to every living being around, sentient or not."
Draylen nodded, processing the information.
"Now, the way that I summon is to use my own body as a medium to channel mana, removing several unnecessary steps to casting in which mana is wasted. The cost for casting a spell is directly halved and the speed of casting and power are significantly increased." The old man explained in a casual manner, waving his hands around to make shapes in the air as a demonstration.
"But how exactly do you use the body as a medium?" Draylen asked.
"Do you know what we use to make the most basic of spell scrolls?" The old man replied out of the blue.
"Goat skin is most commonly used for tier 1 spells." Draylen answered immediately.
"Exactly." The old man smiled approvingly, "The reason why we use the skin of a goat is because when soaked in a special brew, it gains tough flexible qualities whilst retaining a small amount of mana which was originally from the goat. On top of that, a goat is a common animal which can produce milk and cheese, whilst also being relatively easy to take care of. This makes a cheap, affordable source of spell scroll material."
"Now, you'll probably be wondering why I mentioned the mana retained in the skin. Materials soaked in mana have high affinity with summoning magic, which is why stronger creatures provide better spell scroll material since they contain more mana. This means that if you were to take a live creature and turn it into a scroll a few hours before a battle, the scroll made would be a lot more effective as the mana has not had much time to dissipate out into the atmosphere. However, the process would be extremely rushed and complicated, thus we create spell scrolls in advance."
Upon hearing this, Draylen instantly realised why using one's own body as a medium was so tremendously effective.
"So using one's body as a medium provides an inextinguishable source of spell scroll material, whilst also maximising the effects of mana on spells. The more mana one has, the stronger and more efficient his spells are and in turn, the stronger he is, the more mana he has. It creates a loop in which strength provides with more strength!" Draylen shouted out excitedly.
"Yes, yes ,yes! Well done young Draylen!" The old man praised, clapping his hands together jovially.
"And since we use the body itself as a medium, there is a need for balance in order to make tattooing easier." The old man added.
"Ah, I understand now." Draylen said, nodding his head thoughtfully.
The old man then reached towards his stomach, a bright light flared within his clothes and he reached his hand in. As it came back out, a large brush and a pot of ink was placed onto the table. The old man's hand reached back in and returned with a rolled up scroll.
"I will now inscribe a tattoo stencil onto this scroll, using Void Kraken ink. When tattooing, not only is the skill involved important, but also the materials. When inscribing higher tier spells, a need for better materials becomes apparent." The old man told Draylen seriously.
"Right. Observe."
The old man spread the scroll across the table before taking hold of the brush and carefully dipping it into the pot of ink. He wiped away the excess against the side of the pot and raised the brush, left hand holding his long sleeve back whilst his right held the brush like one would for Chinese calligraphy.
A surge of white light flowed from his heart, through his veins and into his brush, causing the black ink to glow. Then, he brought the brush down onto the parchment. From left to right, top to bottom, a picture of weighing scales appeared and a black circle was drawn around it. The whole process took less than half a minute and it was skilfully done.
Draylen knew that if he tried, he'd end up making an inky mess. He felt his respect toward the old man increase two-fold.
"Alright, lie on the table, face down." The old man commanded, returning his brush and Void Kraken ink into the bright light that came from his stomach.
Draylen did as told. The old man gently raised up the parchment and a dim white light spread through his hand across to each of the brush strokes, causing the ink to dry instantly. The black ink possessed a strange entrancing quality, just looking at it would make one feel as if they were looking into the black flames of hell.
He then placed the parchment onto Draylen's bare back, hands running over to ensure that it was evenly placed. The old man raised his right hand and a white glow was emitted from his finger tip. Then, he ran his finger over the brush strokes, in the same order as before. The whole process seemed very mysterious.
After a few minutes, the old man removed the parchment, directly throwing it away as if it were junk. On draylen's back, there was now a weighing scale with a circle around it. The boy jumped up, stretching exaggeratedly.
"How did it go, old man?" He asked.
"Perfect." The old man replied smiling.
He then poked the tattoo with his finger.
"You feel here? Just think hard about this area and feel the flow of blood here. Control the mana in your heart and open a path for it. Let it spread across your body here."
Draylen nodded, brows furrowed in focus. He relaxed his muscles as he tried to follow the instructions. Soon enough, a dim light shone through the skin where the old man had poked before. It spread across the tattoo and made it glow brightly.
Draylen felt his mind go faint for a moment.
'Left 46% Right 54%'
He widened his eyes in surprise before looking at the old man.
"A little trick to help you regulate your muscle balance." He chuckled upon seeing Draylen's shocked expression.
"Come, we aren't done yet."
Draylen sat opposite the old man, a serious look on his face. Today, the old man said that he would examine whether he fulfilled the requirements to become a summoner. Except, there was one question that was plaguing him."Old man... Is there really any need for you to be checking my body like this? Isn't there normally just an aptitude test?"The old man looked at him for a moment before returning to poke and prod random parts of Draylen's body."Normally there is, however, I'm teaching you a different kind of summoning."Draylen nodded slowly, sealing up his mouth and waiting for the examination to finish. After poking several muscles and feeling different joints, the old man nodded in a satisfied manner before sitting on the other side of the table."Good potential, but your muscles are unevenly dense and there is not enough surface area. This is easy to fix but will require some time." The old man mused.Draylen was confused, what did any of those things mentioned have anything to do with summoning?"You must be wondering why those matter?" The old man interrupted Draylen's thoughts."Y-yes.""I will explain then. First of all, the type of summoning I practice is very different to that which is the norm. Ordinary summoners use scrolls and books in order to channel mana into spells and summon familiars, however, during this process, lots of mana is wasted. It dissipates into the environment, which is why areas with lots of summoner activity have better vitality. For example, if I were to practice spells outside the cave entrance, an insect which has a life span of 2 years would have it doubled and it's health significantly improved. This applies to every living being around, sentient or not."Draylen nodded, processing the information."Now, the way that I summon is to use my own body as a medium to channel mana, removing several unnecessary steps to casting in which mana is wasted. The cost for casting a spell is directly halved and the speed of casting and power are significantly increased." The old man explained in a casual manner, waving his hands around to make shapes in the air as a demonstration."But how exactly do you use the body as a medium?" Draylen asked."Do you know what we use to make the most basic of spell scrolls?" The old man replied out of the blue."Goat skin is most commonly used for tier 1 spells." Draylen answered immediately."Exactly." The old man smiled approvingly, "The reason why we use the skin of a goat is because when soaked in a special brew, it gains tough flexible qualities whilst retaining a small amount of mana which was originally from the goat. On top of that, a goat is a common animal which can produce milk and cheese, whilst also being relatively easy to take care of. This makes a cheap, affordable source of spell scroll material.""Now, you'll probably be wondering why I mentioned the mana retained in the skin. Materials soaked in mana have high affinity with summoning magic, which is why stronger creatures provide better spell scroll material since they contain more mana. This means that if you were to take a live creature and turn it into a scroll a few hours before a battle, the scroll made would be a lot more effective as the mana has not had much time to dissipate out into the atmosphere. However, the process would be extremely rushed and complicated, thus we create spell scrolls in advance."Upon hearing this, Draylen instantly realised why using one's own body as a medium was so tremendously effective."So using one's body as a medium provides an inextinguishable source of spell scroll material, whilst also maximising the effects of mana on spells. The more mana one has, the stronger and more efficient his spells are and in turn, the stronger he is, the more mana he has. It creates a loop in which strength provides with more strength!" Draylen shouted out excitedly."Yes, yes ,yes! Well done young Draylen!" The old man praised, clapping his hands together jovially."And since we use the body itself as a medium, there is a need for balance in order to make tattooing easier." The old man added."Ah, I understand now." Draylen said, nodding his head thoughtfully.The old man then reached towards his stomach, a bright light flared within his clothes and he reached his hand in. As it came back out, a large brush and a pot of ink was placed onto the table. The old man's hand reached back in and returned with a rolled up scroll."I will now inscribe a tattoo stencil onto this scroll, using Void Kraken ink. When tattooing, not only is the skill involved important, but also the materials. When inscribing higher tier spells, a need for better materials becomes apparent." The old man told Draylen seriously."Right. Observe."The old man spread the scroll across the table before taking hold of the brush and carefully dipping it into the pot of ink. He wiped away the excess against the side of the pot and raised the brush, left hand holding his long sleeve back whilst his right held the brush like one would for Chinese calligraphy.A surge of white light flowed from his heart, through his veins and into his brush, causing the black ink to glow. Then, he brought the brush down onto the parchment. From left to right, top to bottom, a picture of weighing scales appeared and a black circle was drawn around it. The whole process took less than half a minute and it was skilfully done.Draylen knew that if he tried, he'd end up making an inky mess. He felt his respect toward the old man increase two-fold."Alright, lie on the table, face down." The old man commanded, returning his brush and Void Kraken ink into the bright light that came from his stomach.Draylen did as told. The old man gently raised up the parchment and a dim white light spread through his hand across to each of the brush strokes, causing the ink to dry instantly. The black ink possessed a strange entrancing quality, just looking at it would make one feel as if they were looking into the black flames of hell.He then placed the parchment onto Draylen's bare back, hands running over to ensure that it was evenly placed. The old man raised his right hand and a white glow was emitted from his finger tip. Then, he ran his finger over the brush strokes, in the same order as before. The whole process seemed very mysterious.After a few minutes, the old man removed the parchment, directly throwing it away as if it were junk. On draylen's back, there was now a weighing scale with a circle around it. The boy jumped up, stretching exaggeratedly."How did it go, old man?" He asked."Perfect." The old man replied smiling.He then poked the tattoo with his finger."You feel here? Just think hard about this area and feel the flow of blood here. Control the mana in your heart and open a path for it. Let it spread across your body here."Draylen nodded, brows furrowed in focus. He relaxed his muscles as he tried to follow the instructions. Soon enough, a dim light shone through the skin where the old man had poked before. It spread across the tattoo and made it glow brightly.Draylen felt his mind go faint for a moment.'Left 46% Right 54%'He widened his eyes in surprise before looking at the old man."A little trick to help you regulate your muscle balance." He chuckled upon seeing Draylen's shocked expression."Come, we aren't done yet."
