Chapter 9: 7- Home Lectures

"Today you shall learn of the races.  There are five major races: the beast race, the fey race, the stock race, the kin race, and the others.  Each of the major races are categorized by certain defining traits and similarities.  The members of the beast race, such as yourself, have comparatively higher senses of smell and hearing as well as the ability to shift into a second form which is usually gained during puberty.  You don't even need to say anything, I can tell that the wolfkin in the cursed villages don't have that ability.  I would guess that it's inhibited by the curse that gets placed before puberty hits.  We can discuss your village and their odd proclivities at a later date.

The known minor races of the beast race are the foxkin, the wolfkin, the tigerkin, the bearkin, and the pantherkin.  The foxkin and the pantherkin gain the ability to shift into a large fox and panther, respectively.  The tigerkin's and wolfkin's transformation is closer to their base form but with all the features of the animal form, like a blending of the two.  The bearkin's transformation is kind of between those.  They become more beastly than the humanoid transformations, but more humanoid than the beastly transformations.  In return for this powerful ability and their enhanced senses and strength, they are burdened with lessened sight compared to the others as well as being less naturally gifted towards the mystical, which is another thing we can discuss some other time.

I won't go into as much detail on the other races as I have for the beast race for two reasons.  First and most obviously, you are technically part of the beast race as a wolfkin so this will hopefully help you to learn more about your own origins and capabilities.  More importantly, however, is about the werewolf curse.  It's common knowledge that there is no race that can transform into an actual wolf, so should you ever witness such a spectacle then you will know you have encountered someone who has been cursed into being a werewolf.  I don't know all the details, no, as it's not in my particular fields of study.  Just know that the curse tends to drive people mad while strengthening them, so should you encounter a werewolf or suspect someone of bearing the curse you should either kill them immediately if possible and run if not.  I've heard word of a new device of sorts that can detect and cure the curse, so perhaps in a few years that may also be an option.

Moving on.  The fey race count the minor races of elves, such as myself, sylvans, dark elves, faeries, and pixies as its members.  They are categorized by their rather strong souls and minds in comparison to their weaker bodies as well as the strange ability to feel and touch the souls of others.  No, not like that.  Each of the minor races can only deal with a certain type of soul as their racial characteristic.  The pixies, for instance, can only naturally touch and feel each others' souls.  The sylvans touch and feel trees.  Feel more relaxed now?  Good.

The stock race has humans, orcs, dwarves, gnomes, and giants.  They have more natural dispositions towards crafting than other races.  They also have the shortest natural lifespans.  Their 'gift' I suppose we can call it is for a near unlimited growth potential in two or more of the three standards that define a person.  Those three things are mind, body, and soul, but we can talk about that some other time.  Humans, for instance, can grow any or all aspects of their souls and minds, limited only by their death.  

The kin races are somewhat more diverse than the others and have many minor races that fall in this category.  Most common people just consider the kin races and others as somewhat similar but that is a falsity brought only by a lack of education or laziness from trying to not count all the many types.  Kin races are essentially races that hail from two different ancestor races and have gained some supreme ability from one or both.  The dragonkin, for instance, can use elemental breaths.  I will try to obtain some books on the known kin races at some point for you to study by yourself.

As for the others, this is a category left for the races that don't fit elsewhere either because they have split off too far from other races for some reason, much like the people in the cursed villages likely will be in but a few more generations, or because they were just different originally, such as the dragons.  Yes, you're already very close to not being a wolfkin any longer but rather some kind of offshoot.  Your senses seem lessened compared to even mine, whereas your eyesight is not as bad as many other wolfkin I have met.  From what you've said your people also have an unnaturally high healing rate.  We shall see what other differences show themselves as the years progress.

Other than the other races and the pixies, all of these races are compatible sexually.  Hmm?  What do you mean you're too young?  You have already began having memories of a self that's likely more than old enough and I doubt there is no sexual experience or knowledge among those memories.  Now, even though I said that, it's not entirely accurate.  The pixies could technically be considered compatible, were it not for their physical size.  As for the others, well, it's just a kind of generalization instead of a rule as several races have proven otherwise, most notably of which would be, again, dragons.  That said, races do tend to gravitate more towards others of their own race, but when two different races have offspring then the offspring will only be of one race or the other with only a minor trait or two coming from the other parent's race. 

Hmm?  Why are you covering your ears?  This nonsense about being too young is just that: nonsense.  We have only a few years for you to learn all I can teach you, and you've already lost several years locked away from the rest of the world.  Stop being so silly."

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"Mana?  What the hell is mana?  The mystical arts don't have such a thing.  Before I try and explain the mystical arts, I would first need to fix your understanding of the soul.  In your previous world it seems that usage of the soul was restricted by whatever god or gods act as administrators but it seems you still know that there's a difference between mind and body.  The soul is the third aspect of these, and what allows us to use the mystical arts among other things.

Unlike this mana you ranted on about, you do not 'use up' your soul by using mystical arts.  There is a certain stamina, of course, but it's no different with your body or mind.  Think about it.  Do you not get mentally tired when thinking for too long or too hard?  Does your body not tire when you exert yourself in some way?  The soul will also grow tired when taxed and just the same as the body or mind will recover with rest.

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What? You're worried about accidentally doing something in your sleep?  What utter nonsense.  Does a swordsman worry about cutting down others in their sleep?  Does a tailor worry about sewing a new dress in their sleep?  Of course not.  It's the same thing.  The mystical arts are arts because they require more than just a spare thought to learn or accomplish.  Hmm?  Well of course I do things sometimes without thinking about it.  I've been doing such things for hundreds of years and any repetitive action eventually becomes habit.  Think about walking.  You had to learn it and then you used it every day until it became natural.  Do you still think about each step you take? How to put one foot ahead of the other and where it should go?  No.  You simply think 'I want to go from here to there' and let the habit of walking and how to do it take you.

So much like you use your body to do things physically, you use your soul to do things mystically.  Sorcery and magic are the two ways to do this.  Sorcery is the simpler but often more difficult of the two.  It use more of your soul's strength and stamina than anything to create simple and direct effects.  Magic focuses in a different direction.  Using magic is often attributed to craftsmanship.  It is the forming of effects through the harnessing, shaping, and combining of various thing using the soul.  A simpler way to remember it is that sorcery uses more strength and stamina to create and force an effect to happen while magic uses finesse, skill, and practice to form an effect.

Each has their own good points and bad points and each can be mastered in their own ways.  They can both be broken down further as well but not quite in the same way.  Sorcery, for instance, can be broken down into fire sorcery or wind sorcery, allowing practitioners of the art to focus more clearly on an aspect to master.  Magic is broken down into different kinds of categories based more on how to use it than its effects, such as spellweaving or spellsculpting, and after that can it then be broken down further into such things as conjuring or evoking.

Keep in mind, however, that although the two arts are...what was that phrase you used once before...two sides of the same coin, they are also opposed to one another.  Magic has difficulty in affecting things in sorcery but sorcery also has the same problem with magic.  Defending with one will not block the other in combat, for instance.  Those who wish to truly become masters in the mystical arts will typically try master one type of each.  That is what this blindfold I wear actually means: I have taken the next step after stepping into the realm of the Mystics and forsaken my physical sight for a mystical sight to become a Mystic Master.  Although the general public neither knows nor cares much about it and have come to call us 'Souleaters'.  That is a story for another time, though.

If you want to start learning the mystical arts, I would recommend learning sorcery first for several reasons.  For starting, it will take me less time and effort on my part to teach you.  It's also a better way to exercise your soul in addition to you always seeming to be more impressed when I use sorcery instead of magic in front of you.  I will have you take note, however, that there are something like racial affinities.  Among all of the known races, the beast race is the least mystically inclined, and the wolfkin are only better than the bearkin.  Of course, I only say that as a general rule to which there are always exceptions.  Foxkin, themselves, are almost an exception as they tend to be slightly more mystically inclined than the stock races.  A colleague I actually get along well with and often compare notes with is actually a foxkin, if that holds any meaning for you.

So on the assumption that you will take my suggestion to learn sorcery, we must next decide where you will want to place your focus.  Bear in mind that I am not a master of all types, and there are even some that I doubt I could even do the smallest things with, but I will guide you through the basics of what I can at least.  I would say that you should pick only a handful of types to learn for now, no more than maybe three or four.  I can feel that you already have some ideas of which to start with.  Let me hear which and your reasoning to see if I agree or can make better suggestions."

Marik had learned to enjoy his master's lectures.  They were relatively easy to understand and gave him the information he needed or wanted without adding too much pointless exposition.  Of course, Marik had been thinking about what he would do if he could ever be taught magic and sorcery for some time, so it was easy enough to already have a choice of what he wanted to learn ready.  His master's one pet peeve, after all, was having his time wasted too frivolously.

"Knowledge is the strongest weapon, and with that goes perception.  Being able to recognize an opponent and everything about them while keeping them from doing the same is the best way to always have the upper hand.  In my past life a wise philosopher once said 'know yourself and know your enemy and will never lose a battle', or something like that.  Knowing the sorceries of darkness, if there is such a thing, and wind would most likely help me best for that.  After that would be lightning, because of its versatility and strength, and then either water, ice, fire, mind, or something that can heal myself and others.  Water because all known life requires it to survive, ice because it can provide water but also do things physically, fire because...um...because fire, mind because it fits with perception, and healing because it's always nice in emergencies and nothing can bring more allies to your side than the ability to make and keep them safe."

"I see that accepting some of your past life has already made you wise in some ways.  Unfortunately, I can not help you with ice or mind, and healing lies more in the domain of magic.  As for lightning, although I can help you with the basics it is considered among the most difficult of sorceries and I would urge you to reconsider."

"Sorry, Master, but if I have the chance to learn lightning sorcery then regardless of how hard it is I would still prefer to learn it."

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