Published at 16th of February 2024 2:20 pm

Chapter 16. Barriers and Shields

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Nox had little trouble justifying his behavior with Edward and Louis. The first of the two had gone out of his way to make the relationship as sour as possible. Nox blamed Lord Gedge to some extent. Queen Mercer was more than happy to ignore Nox after she pushed him out of the main house. She wanted to desperately forget her first husband, his family, and the child she made with him. Meanwhile, Lord Gedge took it upon himself to tarnish the Ratra name, and his wife did little to stop him.

The Imperium lord clearly hated all who originated from beyond the Sapphire Straits. All people that looked like Nox and his paternal family started as prisoners of war in the Imperium and lived as lower-class citizens. Some, like Roque’s family, had broken through the class disparity using grit and entrepreneurial spirit. And people like Lord Gedge resented them for it. Nox suspected that the many wars and the resulting losses played a role in blind hatred.

It was no secret that the Mercer and Gedge marriage was one of convenience and not out of love. The royal family forced the queen into the wedding within months of her first husband’s death and ensured it was consummated. The union won the trade empire more links in the Imperium, while the Gedge house gained political capital. However, knowing that his wife cared little for him bruised the aristocrat’s ego. Since he couldn’t take his frustrations out openly, he channeled them indirectly at Nox by taking away privileges and having guards roughhouse his friends. The man successfully isolated his dead rival’s son, forcing him to focus on alchemy and academia.

Edward observed his father’s actions and basked in his wrath. Nox often wondered whether it was the only warmth his stepbrother experienced. There was a time they played together. Nox was six, and Edward four. They didn’t understand the minds of adults. Lord Gedge put an end to that and filled his son with venom. As Edward grew, it wasn’t just his friends and acquaintances that received random beatings but Nox, too. Lillin put an end to it, and he learned to avoid his stepbrother altogether.

In comparison, Louis wasn’t half as bad. Unlike Edward, he had Queen Mercer’s attention. The new baby stirred something maternal in the woman. As a result, Louis grew up somewhat shielded from his father and half-brother’s venom. He was an idealist, refused to see any fault in his family, and cared more about magic and academia. Nox and the related drama were an afterthought to Louis. However, when the two siblings got together, they appeared to balance each other. Edward’s presence made Louis nasty and hateful. Meanwhile, the same qualities were subdued in Edward. The duo’s relationship always intrigued Nox, but he disliked them too much to think long or hard on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Oakhearts and Singh had done nothing to offend or inconvenience Nox. They presented themselves as ambitious young delvers eager to form a well-rounded team. However, the company they kept made him dubious. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that their station and background had him jaded from the start. Something about how the two men presented themselves especially put him on guard. Nox struggled to put his finger on what it was—body language, tone, or something else—but their approach made him suspicious.

“I think we should accept their offer,” Lillin said as they lazily ate their deserts. “They could be useful.”

“I’d like some time to learn more about them and consider the offer,” Nox replied.

“Professor Wolfhammer said we need a good vanguard to delve effectively. Victor and Roque are both front liners. Annabelle can help scout, disable traps, and more. We couldn’t ask for a better team.”

“I know what you really want, Lillin. It’s too risky until we know more about this team. Believe me, I want to delve as soon as possible, and fulfilling your needs is a priority, too. We just need to be smart about it.”

“Fine,” Lillin grumbled. “I’m just getting impatient.”

The pair parted ways after lunch. Nox reported to the Dungeon Studies department’s third floor for the first Introduction to Barriers and Shields lecture of the semester. He saw students as young as Louis and older than himself. It was no different from Beginner Shaping. Practitioners took the classes when their mana systems had the provisions for it. Some dedicated the first planet to Shaping or the relevant focus. Others left it for later stages. The class had novices, apprentices, journeymen, and adepts. It wouldn’t surprise Nox if some had achieved greater ranks, too.

A familiar face sat among them. It was Dean Myrina Woodson’s great grand niece. She nodded at Nox when he entered the classroom and removed her satchel from the seat next to her. He accepted the gesture and took the seat next to her.

“That was an impressive display,” Nox said.

“I can say the same thing about you,” she replied.

“I’m Nox. Nox Ratra.”

“Caitlin Woodson.”

“Are you maybe looking for a delving team?” Nox asked. “Lillin and I are looking for a decent vanguard. We got excellent beast-killing potential between us and are excellent control mages, too—”

“I’m not entering any delving party without my brother,” Caitlin said, interrupting him.

“He can’t delve until he completes the beginner combat course.”

“Exactly. Delving without someone you can trust implicitly is stupid. I don’t know you, and your friend gives me the creeps.”

“Fair enough,” Nox said, getting out a fountain pen and his notebook.

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“Things don’t have to stay that way, though,” Caitlin continued. “Trust can be gained, and creepiness managed.”

“I get it. You’re not ready to climb with us just yet. Maybe things will change next semester.”

The professor arrived just before the first bell after noon, putting an end to their conversation. He was a portly, middle-aged man. The charcoal hair on his head had long retreated from the brow and forehead until it only covered the back and sides of his head. Nox stood at five feet and eight inches—average height for people from the south but short when compared to the locals and Imperium citizens—but still had at least three inches on the professor. The man appeared unimpressive and more suited to sitting behind a desk than in a dungeon.

Unlike other professors, he didn’t jump straight into the lecture. Instead, he removed his coat, mumbling about aches and pains as he did so. Then he wrote ‘Francis Lorenzo’ on the blackboard and took attendance. After reciting every name, Professor Lorenzo took a few seconds to study the person who responded. His expression betrayed very little.

After the roll call, the professor passed around reading lists and printed handouts with diagrams and spell forms. He only started speaking ten minutes after class began.

“Barrier and Shield spells are the most direct and potent forms of defensive magic. Can anyone tell me why many mages prefer them to body enhancement or armor spells?”

Caitlin raised her arm and answered once the professor gave her the go-ahead. “Body enhancements and armors leave very little distance between flesh and attack. Kinetic attacks can still reach you through them. While fire, lightning, and similar spells will still assault sensory organs and gaps in the armor.”

“I understand you speak from experience, Miss Woodson,” the professor said. “You mention the negatives of one but not the positives of the other.” He drew a line down the middle of the chalkboard and scribbled on either side of it. “Armor and body enhancement defenses only protect one person and suffer from the weaknesses Miss Woodson was so kind to detail. However, unlike the spells we will cover in this class, they don’t deter mobility or martial ability. A practitioner could shape growths onto their armor to create weapons, too.

“Unless you dedicate a planet to Manipulation on top of Shaping, shield and barrier spells aren’t mobile. They help you defend while maintaining a healthy distance from your opponent. If you’re smart, you can use it to control the environment, too. Obstacles can serve as defense and offense. Just be aware that your opponent can turn such weapons against you unless you’re prepared.”

The professor drew two stick figures on the chalkboard. He drew a dome around one and a shield in front of the other. “These are the basic defensive spells we’ll practice in this class.” He tapped on the dome. “Some of you will be better suited to the dome. It’s best when you’re swarmed or dealing with enemies who can attack fast and from multiple directions. It isn’t the most sturdy since your mana needs to cover a larger space.” Then he pointed at the shield. “Others like Miss Woodson's vine growths will fare better in shield-form. It doesn’t offer as much coverage, but you can concentrate your magic, resulting in a sturdy defense. I’ll teach this class alongside Dean Woodson’s Shaping. It is compulsory for defensive spells, and my lessons, in turn, will help you progress faster in her course.”

Professor Lorenzo assigned them a simple exercise. Every student needed to shape a mana disk a foot in diameter and hold it for fifteen seconds. He adhered to Dean Woodson’s opinion of repetition being critical to a Shaper’s success. Then he went around the class talking to students individually, discussing their magic and how they hoped to integrate defense into it.

The exercise came surprisingly easily to Nox. He once again felt his Sigil of Artisan tingle as he worked. Since the exercise didn’t require a crystal disc but one of raw mana, his visualization proved sufficient. Unlike the other students, he failed to create a shimmering disc a foot away from him. Instead, the clear shield manifested just an inch away from his outstretched left arm.

Meanwhile, Caitlin’s disc floated three feet away from her. It appeared a lot clearer and more solid than his conjuration. Nox guessed she had more practice at Shaping than him. The young woman probably received more personal tutelage from her grandmother. He hadn’t observed her practice in Beginner Shaping and wondered why she wasn’t in the intermediate course.

“Right. Master Ratra. What is it you wish to achieve?” Professor Lorenzo scrutinized Nox’s disc closely.

“My star is built around the dual concepts of Slow and Crystallize Essence,” Nox said. Both the professor and Caitlin raised an eyebrow. “I was hoping to build a spell presence that conjures a shield of essence glass. Once I get better at shaping, maybe I can shape the outer surface to have large protruding spikes capable of impaling an attacker.”

“That’s pretty advanced,” the professor said, leaning closer to Nox’s disc as it flickered. “By my estimates you don’t have a planetoid dedicated to Shaping yet, do you?”

“No.” Nox shook his head. “However, I have the surplus eight mana necessary to create a planetoid. It’s just not clicked yet.”

“I reckon you’re not far off. Still, it will take a lot of practice before you can successfully create an essence glass shield and even longer before it has spikes large or sturdy enough to pose a threat. Don’t be discouraged. It’s a great idea, but currently outside your means, mana level, and this course’s coverage. May I suggest an alternative?”

“Please do.” Nox tried his best to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He had spent years imagining the great Archon dungeon boss Kumbakarna impaled on giant jagged spikes growing out of an ice shield.

The short, pudgy man plopped down on the seat next to Nox and claimed his notebook. “It will push your Shaping capabilities but may also help form and advance a planetoid faster.” He drew a stick figure and then a bubble around it. “Domes and spheres are more complex forms than a shield. They demand greater concentration and control.”

“And they’re more mana intensive,” Nox added.

“Yes, but your mana costs will drop drastically as a planetoid reduces the burden on your star. Best of all, you don’t need one particularly thick. After all, you won’t be trying to block an attack altogether.” Professor Lorenzo scribed the word ‘Slow’ next to the dome in capital letters and underlined it twice. “Professor Kris tells me the cantrip is especially potent in your hands. So make a dome out of it. Start with a curved shield and then expand it into a dome. With time, you could turn it into a low-investment channeled spell that uses multiple small discs, triangular, or hexagonal plates that orbit around you. That’s long-term, of course. A Manipulation planetoid will be necessary for such a spell. However, you could make it cheap and sustainable by spreading the spell out across your star and two more heavenly bodies.”

Nox took the notebook from the professor and studied the basic spellform outline he had drawn. “That’s quite brilliant,” he mumbled. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Experience, Master Ratra,” the older man said. “I’m the professor for a reason.”

Then he moved on to Caitlin to discuss a living shield of wood, vines, and brambles.

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