Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – Arcanism

6 years later [...]

- Have you finished getting ready? - Orion was waiting for Oliver outside the house, with a backpack on his back. - He was up late.

- I slept late, that's different. - The old man stretched and yawned slowly, wiping his eyes. - Had some coffee?

- We will when we get downstairs.

- Great," grumbled the old man, using his cane to move around. - We're already late, let's go.

The two of them started down the stone steps. All around, the hill was painted green, with some red and yellowish spots around it. The Islet Caldera was like this, in some places its hills dominated, in other parts, the plain was smooth as a ruler. The water was calm on some shores, but roared like lions on others.

For years Orion tried to guess why the Bakers always lived in the hills, and his father's answer was always the same.

- We are closer to heaven than the others.

- But isn't the fall greater because of this?

At the time, Orion was not even aware of what he was saying. At the age of seven, he questioned Arcanism more easily than other children, even complicating his father's life several times for answers that even that old man didn't have.

It was humiliating not to be able to answer a boy's question, even more so for his son, who looked up to him.

Orion not only liked to question, but also to search for the same answers.

- It's windy today," Oliver said, raising his hand. - How humid is it?

- Three percent, variable of two.

- That's what I thought too. - He lowered his hand, going down another step and looking at the ground. - What about the land?

- What about the earth, Dad?

- It seems looser.

- I have no idea.

- Oh, I forgot. - Oliver hid some of his embarrassment, but Orion didn't care.

This kind of test always came with his father. It was his way of taking some of the boredom away. You could count on your hand how many people studied Arcanism in the Islet Boiler, and few compared to Oliver in this respect.

His son, gifted with a great ability, answered without much difficulty.

Only Orion Baker could not answer practical questions, about mana or magic. His only flaw, amidst all his abilities, was the lack of a magic core.

In Mages, Scholastics, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, whatever race lived in the world, the core was responsible for gathering mana. A natural receptacle created when one was born. It was responsible for reshaping mana into magic, into runes, releasing them, or for forging inlays into items.

What was natural to living beings, to Orion was taboo.

- If I have a two-level circle, a one-level triangle and four rectangles, what kind of magic can I create? - Oliver changed his posture, challenging him. - That is...

- Second Level Magic? 'Inorganic Matter Contraction' - replied Orion. - Used to melt thinner materials, most commonly used by blacksmiths and craftsmen. Average efficiency of 60% dated at the last continental record.

- What if there are only three triangles?

- Then it becomes 'Inorganic Repulsion'. It's another way to deal with temperature, since the Mages of Matter suffered a lot from the Salamanders' fire spells. 40% efficiency because they didn't have a very good base on fire.

- Perfect placement. Have you studied about the magical laws and Intermediate Runes?

- Last night, after you went to sleep. - Orion had read an entire book in one night, and did not feel tired at all. - But it was pretty shallow.

- It's no fun if you don't know the answers.

The two arrived at the foot of the hill. From there, there were quite a few people walking around. Half of the people were wearing very simple clothes, some in cold weather, others with a little more freedom in their legs and arms.

Walking a little, people began to greet Oliver.

- Mr. Oliver, how are the studies of the 'Stone Fist' going?

- Halfway. Orion has been helping me with some branches of the Earth School, but nothing definite yet.

- What about the 'Five Pillars of Viesk'? - another old man asked. - It's a very serious matter because of the branched Schools.

- All in good time, of course. It is very common to have these situations of academies asking for our help, but I am just in the way, who is directly studying this magic is Melek.

The listeners listened with assent.

Melek was a Baker Elder with years of experience in the Fire School. There, in the Boilers, he always stuck to more complex issues, involving third parties or requests coming from outside the island.

Orion, unlike his father, read every article that came in. Regardless if it was because of a request or if it was the head of the Germaco family himself, he always read. Knowledge coming from outside the Boilers was always interesting.

The type of magic didn't change, but his articles were never the same.

For example, in a fire magic, whose attributes are more circles, a scholastic from the Boilers always observed two to three of them at most. This was an intermediate to advanced level, however, some people would simply date experiments from four to six circles.

For Orion, the difficulty of formalizing an Advanced Arcane Rune was easy since it could take points from other Magic Schools. For Oliver, it was a taboo that no one should mess with.

Therefore, the spells were always kept at the same level in all the Schools.

"If I could tinker with the arrays of fire spells, I could improve by two times.

- Dad, I'm going to Uncle Raimundo over there.

- Right, right. - Oliver didn't even give him a glance, returning to his listeners. - I think that to speed up the magical composition of the Speed School, one should at least try to recreate one more...

Orion turned away and kept following the stores. There, the courtyards were paved with Arius Stone, white as snow, but so smooth that it took refiners to create a matrix on the floor so as not to slip.

- Raimundo opened his arms when he saw his boy entering with a backpack. - Is today already a shopping day?

- The week has gone by very fast, Uncle. - Orion took a small list from his pocket and handed it to the bald bearded man. - My father asked for attention to the Eucalyptus Seeds, please.

The man's eyebrows twitched.

- Experiments with light magic again?

- He is still stuck with 'Accelerated Growth'. I think he is wondering how it works with other plants.

- What about you? - Raimundo's gaze was sneaky with a low smile. - I am sure you know something that can help your father.

- I do, but if I do this, he'll be whispering in my ear all year. It was enough last week that he took one of my notes. - Orion paused, shaking his head. - I'd rather let him study alone.

- Ah, me dad will always be a bit inside the box. That's his life. He doesn't like anything new, so will he let his second son be free? - Raimundo denied. - The only thing your father wants is for you to be just like your brother.

- Omar? I don't remember much about him.

- And you won't if you don't. By the way, I have something here that needs your help.

Raimundo was one of the few people who did not mind the constructions of the Arcanum involving Orion. He liked the boy's reasoning, as well as his good creativity. In the last month, Oliver had been stuck in an irrigation system for days. Raimundo showed Orion and he solved it in two minutes.

- The generation gap is absurd - this is what Raimundo always told Orion. - He should be a scholastic. He would be well paid, really.

- I don't like it very much.

- It's a shame.

The roll delivered by the bald man had a small bluish seal, even though it had been opened, it was still designated by one of the Boilermakers' families. Besides the Bakers, which was the oldest, and most disgraced, they lived with four others.

And the blue one with a black crow was the Vidian symbol.

- Are you talking to important people, Uncle?

- You are the only one who recognizes an ancient symbol of the families, you little pest. - Raimundo laughed after he sat down, standing at the height of the counter and the boy. - I was asked to give it to one of the Elders, but the Herald said that all of them are busy with magic from outside the island. I wondered if your father could handle it?

- If he had the time, maybe. - Orion pulled out the scroll, continuing: - He grabbed some symbols using... - It stuck, those symbols were different, with random branching and little intricacies on letters and numbers. - Is that Advanced Arcanism? No. Cardinal Mana Numbering? No. The numbers do not line up in ascending order and are not prime. Very small circles.

Raimundo crossed his arms anxiously waiting.

- So, what is it?

- Basic Arcane Mechanics. - Orion snorted, placing the papyrus on the counter and pointing to one of the circles. - Here is the mana concentration. It's very small, so it's impossible to pump mana into everyone else, so he will need a mana condensation token. - Orion looked at Raimundo. - Aren't you going to get something to write down? There's quite a bit here.

- Ah, pardon me. - He came in and returned with a notebook. - You may speak.

- I'll say it again.

The world was too big. Arcanism was divided into scales, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced. Besides them, Symbols and Runes were also incremented within these levels, being part of the Common Arcanism.

A Scholastic, in his whole life, would study these concepts to specialize. Arcane Mechanics was involving Symbols and Mana. Symbols were only Symbols. Matrices were Runes.

And in the end, Arcanism was divided into several branches, some capable of adventuring, others that were only theory, unable to be reproduced in practice.

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This was the job of people like Oliver, and what Orion was currently studying, to spin the concept into practice. Bringing from the roles to the Magi.

After five minutes of explaining about Arcane Mechanics, Raimundo nodded.

- In the end, it all comes down to how much mana a person could acquire. That's two problems.

- The first is that the core cannot store the mana that is needed to activate the center circle, and the second is that the person must be at least in an ArcheMage position.

- Difficult that one.

- Quite. - Orion scrunched up his mouth, looking at the paper a little bored. - Do you want to know how to fix it, Uncle?

- Will your father complain?

Orion laughed.

- Quite a bit.

- Come on and show me. I won't tell you anything and I can make some money if I can deliver it before the deadline.

Raimundo's greed to expand his store was already known to Orion. This was a businessman, who ventured into any negotiation, to learn, win or lose.

- You need the magic 'Electrical Link', to unite inside the central core. It will work like a pump, distributing charge to all channels.

- A magic? Is that all?

- Here. - He pulled out his notebook and drew the two circles and the triangle in between them. - That's all you need, on a small scale, and that's it. The distribution will be based on how much the person will want to use this.

- And what is this Arcane Mechanics for?

- For many things, Uncle. If he has a pipe that always spills ink at five in the afternoon, every day, he can use this mechanic magic and use a small time rune. This way, the core will be activated at five o'clock in the afternoon, and the tube will pour the ink.

Raimundo stared open-mouthed at the paper.

- I had no idea that someone could do that.

- That's just one of the few things she can do. - Orion looked at the shopping paper and pointed. - My father will be here any moment, Uncle. Put everything away, please.

Raimundo hurriedly took out his notebook, pencils and the papyrus. He took it inside and began to bring in the orders when Oliver entered the store.

- Raimundo, give me a glass of water, please.

- Two silver coins, old man," he shouted from inside. - If you want more, you will have to pay double.

Oliver let out a laugh.

- You don't deny water to a friend.

- And you don't deny water to an enemy. So they say.

Oliver watched his son waiting, and then stared at his bored face. Oliver knew well when the boy was just wanting to leave.

- Do you want to go see the sea?

- May I? - Orion's eyes met Oliver's. - I'll be back in two hours.

- Don't be late.

After the boy left, Oliver put his cane on the countertop and crossed over, sitting down in his chair. He waited for Raimundo to come back and deliver the food and seeds. He stared at the old man sitting down, and could not sit still.

- You have a rare gem on your hands, Oliver. You just can't and don't know how to polish it. You know that, don't you?

- More than I would like to. I wish he had half the ability of his brother and more sense than I do, but it seems he was born with his ass turned to the moon and came out with twice the intelligence of Omar, three times the creativity of his mother, and zero sense.

Raimundo bursts out laughing, prompting Oliver to laugh as well.

- He has a future, he was able to explain some things to me that other Elders took years to do. And he just didn't seem convinced that he was the best at it.

- And because he knows that even if he is the best, there is still something missing. Orion can be considered outside the curve, so much so that he learns faster than you and I put together, it's just that his fascination with putting elements together blinds his potential.

- That's the problem. - Raimundo pointed at Oliver. - Is this blindness his or yours?

The old man held up his cane and thought. Deep inside, he didn't know the answer.

The door to the meeting room of the Magi opened. Raimundo walked directly to the round table in the center where Rosana Mixer, Cairo Rent, Trish Agors, and Silena Vidian were waiting for him. He went around the table, and pulled out a chair, arranging his long robe before sitting down.

- What did I miss? - he asked, staring at the table.

- Nothing. We were just having a little discussion about the crisis in weapon materials and also about the lack of passive spells to aid great weapons. - Rosana's rosy face fell on some papers scattered around her. - As much as we try to come to a conclusion, it's being very complicated.

- Passive spells are even rarer, and even here in the Boiler Room it is rare to find someone who specializes in them. - Silena Vidian was the eldest daughter of the man who ran the Vidian family. Since she had come to the position of military strategist, she was still far from knowing all facets of warfare.

- What is that in your hand, Raimundo? - Cairo asked, indifferently. - And that smile on your face? Did you manage to make a good sale today?

- No, I just got the answer to one of the questions that has been killing you for a while. - Raimundo laughed faintly, placing the papyrus in the center of the table. - Luckily, I know a person who is very articulate with Arcanism and he solved the problem about Arcane Mechanics.

As one of the oldest members of the Boiler Room, Cairo Rent's hair was whiter than snow and his beard was thick, unshaven for years. However, his defining characteristic was his skill in Arcanism.

- I know that you have been a follower of the School of Matter for many years, and your affinity is one of the best, but I would like you to take a look, sir. - Raimundo was very humble in letting you have it.

Cairo took it and opened it slowly. This had been one of the oldest plans sent from Archeboom, the city that was under siege by the Clergy and the Order of the Magi.

- If I remember correctly, the type of magic they wanted to implement with this passive was 'Sequential Bombardment', right? - Trish waited for Cairo to open to ask. Only the old Mage was reading the scroll, his eyes tired. - Even Elder Melek couldn't solve it because of the complexity.

Raimundo continued to watch old Cairo's expression. The indifference of seconds ago was changed by a sudden surprise and a raise of the eyebrow.

- Impeccable - was all he could say as he read. - Reshape the center to pump charges instead of receiving from the one who conjured it. The mana limit would be nullified since it could be applied through a series of openings.

- Calm down, is it serious? - Trish and Rosana got up and went to read. It took some time for Trish to have the same reaction as the old mage. - He cast a base from the School of Electricity in the middle of a passive magic.

- No, it's different. - Cairo pointed to the center, where a small circle had two wires connecting two larger circles above it. - The base is common, with no specific school, but the way it is used looks like Electricity.

- What does this mean?

- That the person who made this has a giant notion of how the arcane mold works, and if the person can think about it, he knows well that the smallest possible failure could result in the death of the person who used it.

Raimundo was already aware of this because Orion came back to tell him the details, but he was graced by their comments. Silena Vidian was the only one who waited for the three Magi to finish their comments.

- Of course, there is also the way the mana connection was made. If the wires are too wide, the bombardment loses power and the effect diminishes. - Cairo brought his hand to his mouth, disconcerted. - A flaw, I wanted to find one to say is wrong.

- There are no flaws," Raimundo told the three of them. - Here are the comments he made so that they would understand the steps, and he added two more points that could be improved.

- And what would they be?

- The runes of letters and numbers, and the two larger circles. - The small notebook was also passed to the two. - The calculation he made was that if these two changes were made, the effect of the area would increase twice and its characteristics changed.

- This is 'Elementary Affinity' - Rosana pointed to the notebook. - He suggests that if we move one of the larger circles two centimeters to the left, we can insert another smaller circle of the person's choice and use any primary element.

- Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Any of these in a 'Sequential Bombardment' would generate very different results. - Cairo was shocked. - This is the first time I have seen something like this, Raimundo. What is the name of the person who wrote this?

- Secret. Unfortunately, my great colleague has many matters to attend to, but I hope this one will be of help for Archaboom.

- If we can implement this, we might be able to hold the city and get the upper hand.

- Great. If you have another problem involving Arcanism, I can try to negotiate with him to see if he can solve a few more.

Silena looked at him sideways

- Would your colleague be happy to help us in this matter, or do you want to negotiate?

- His price is a little different from what you are used to.

- What can we offer you for your help? - Cairo was already thinking of precious stones, treasures and even valuable information. What he heard made his jaw drop.

- Books, he asks. Advanced Arcanism, Symbology and Runes, whatever is available, he wants. It's simple.

- Is that all? - Silena asked. - It's a lot easier than I thought. Just take some from my library, and...

- No, no, no. The books have been selected. The books have been selected. If you look at the last page of the notebook, you will see a list of ten books, these are the ones.

Cairo opened the last page and looked around. His expression changing with each name he read.

- 'Dual Runes Affinity and Connection'. 'Contraction-Based Arcanism'. Physical Mana Bonds. - His eyes returned to Raimundo. - These are books that only a few people in the Order can read.

- I am not the one asking, my dear Cairo. I am only the person who is asking. So, what do you think?

- These books are worth a fortune, but if they cannot be understood, they are worth nothing. - Silena Vidian nodded to Raimundo. - I will provide the books. In return, take the projects we have in mind to your colleague.

- It will be a pleasure, madam.

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