“Keep that up and you'll make
Novice in no time!”
“Yes, that was an
impressive shot,” Annala agreed. “More than I would expect from someone who
hadn't heard of mana until recently.” Eric blushed and scratched his neck. He
insisted it was nothing while Annala insisted it was far from nothing.
“Now for the next
step,” Basilard said, “Fire a mana bolt at me.”
Eric was so
surprised he stopped scratching. “What?”
Basilard walked
in front of the target. “Fire a mana bolt at me.”
“All right, if
you insist.”
Eric crossed his
hands and gathered mana in his palms. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the
mana becoming a sphere. With a yell, he fired. The bolt that blew a hole in the
target failed to even reach Basilard. It splattered against a light screen in
front of him. Basilard cocked the nacho cheese dish, threw it at Eric and it
splattered in the same place. By virtue of the cheese stain, Eric could see it more
clearly.
“This is a
barrier; a projection of willpower,” Basilard said. “It follows the same
principles as a mana bolt, but the opposite application.” He dropped the
barrier and the cheese fell to the ground. “This will be your final lesson
before your entrance exam: Proof of Skill.”
The rest of
Eric's basic training focused on barriers. The master/apprentice pair returned
to the park and Basilard explained how they worked on the way: a projection of
the user's spirit, reinforced by willpower and summoned by thought. Eric spent
hours trying to get it right before he finally succeeded. Basilard's approving
smile made him blush. Then his mentor poked the barrier and it shattered. Eric
blushed harder in embarrassment. The second phase had begun: strengthen his
barrier to the point it could actually protect him.
“Is this why
spiritual power is so important?” Eric asked, “Barriers and magecraft?”
“No. It's more
fundamental than that; a strong spirit is vital for all warrior skills because
all warriors fight monsters. A monster's will to live is a scary thing; I've
seen them walk off limbs and regrow decapitation. If a warrior's spirit isn't
strong enough, the monster will ignore everything they do.”
“The Knee-Jerk
Shield,” Eric recited. “A barrier all living things possess that makes most
ranged weapons useless. Aside from a longbow arrow, physical intimacy is lost
between the user and the ammo, and as a result, the latter cannot be charged
with intent to kill. A weapon without this intent cannot harm monsters or
non-suicidal sapients. “
“Very good. If
this was a pop quiz, I would give you an A.”
Eric raised his
barrier again. “Is it?”
“No. But it's a
good thing to know because it was a history-changing technique.”
Eric lowered his
barrier again. “I can imagine. With all the training longbows and magecraft
require, professional soldiers rise in importance.”
Basilard smacked
the back of his head. “You're still not thinking big enough. Since we have the
Knee-Jerk Shield we don't have to bother with those awful broomstick things
Ceiha invented.”
Eric rubbed the
spot. “ You mean 'guns'?”
“Oh yeah, that's
what they're called . . .They make Ceiha a completely different society in
terms of its martial culture. Magecraft and Martial Arts require discipline to
become strong and even hand-held weapons require close combat; a gun allows
someone to kill at a distance instantly. It also makes substantial changes in
military logistics.”
“How so?” Eric
asked.
“Those things are
so expensive, reliant on ammo, breakable, and worthless in bad weather, they're
not at all practical. In the time it would take me to build a single gun, I
could train a dozen of you to shoot mana bolts and create battle barriers. This
way, I get soldiers that can attack at close range and midrange, ward off minor
damage, and all I have to do is pay their wages. Money that would be spent on
weapons instead goes into food, transport, etc.”
“You sure
Novice in no time!”
“Yes, that was an
impressive shot,” Annala agreed. “More than I would expect from someone who
hadn't heard of mana until recently.” Eric blushed and scratched his neck. He
insisted it was nothing while Annala insisted it was far from nothing.
“Now for the next
step,” Basilard said, “Fire a mana bolt at me.”
Eric was so
surprised he stopped scratching. “What?”
Basilard walked
in front of the target. “Fire a mana bolt at me.”
“All right, if
you insist.”
Eric crossed his
hands and gathered mana in his palms. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the
mana becoming a sphere. With a yell, he fired. The bolt that blew a hole in the
target failed to even reach Basilard. It splattered against a light screen in
front of him. Basilard cocked the nacho cheese dish, threw it at Eric and it
splattered in the same place. By virtue of the cheese stain, Eric could see it more
clearly.
“This is a
barrier; a projection of willpower,” Basilard said. “It follows the same
principles as a mana bolt, but the opposite application.” He dropped the
barrier and the cheese fell to the ground. “This will be your final lesson
before your entrance exam: Proof of Skill.”
The rest of
Eric's basic training focused on barriers. The master/apprentice pair returned
to the park and Basilard explained how they worked on the way: a projection of
the user's spirit, reinforced by willpower and summoned by thought. Eric spent
hours trying to get it right before he finally succeeded. Basilard's approving
smile made him blush. Then his mentor poked the barrier and it shattered. Eric
blushed harder in embarrassment. The second phase had begun: strengthen his
barrier to the point it could actually protect him.
“Is this why
spiritual power is so important?” Eric asked, “Barriers and magecraft?”
“No. It's more
fundamental than that; a strong spirit is vital for all warrior skills because
all warriors fight monsters. A monster's will to live is a scary thing; I've
seen them walk off limbs and regrow decapitation. If a warrior's spirit isn't
strong enough, the monster will ignore everything they do.”
“The Knee-Jerk
Shield,” Eric recited. “A barrier all living things possess that makes most
ranged weapons useless. Aside from a longbow arrow, physical intimacy is lost
between the user and the ammo, and as a result, the latter cannot be charged
with intent to kill. A weapon without this intent cannot harm monsters or
non-suicidal sapients. “
“Very good. If
this was a pop quiz, I would give you an A.”
Eric raised his
barrier again. “Is it?”
“No. But it's a
good thing to know because it was a history-changing technique.”
Eric lowered his
barrier again. “I can imagine. With all the training longbows and magecraft
require, professional soldiers rise in importance.”
Basilard smacked
the back of his head. “You're still not thinking big enough. Since we have the
Knee-Jerk Shield we don't have to bother with those awful broomstick things
Ceiha invented.”
Eric rubbed the
spot. “ You mean 'guns'?”
“Oh yeah, that's
what they're called . . .They make Ceiha a completely different society in
terms of its martial culture. Magecraft and Martial Arts require discipline to
become strong and even hand-held weapons require close combat; a gun allows
someone to kill at a distance instantly. It also makes substantial changes in
military logistics.”
“How so?” Eric
asked.
“Those things are
so expensive, reliant on ammo, breakable, and worthless in bad weather, they're
not at all practical. In the time it would take me to build a single gun, I
could train a dozen of you to shoot mana bolts and create battle barriers. This
way, I get soldiers that can attack at close range and midrange, ward off minor
damage, and all I have to do is pay their wages. Money that would be spent on
weapons instead goes into food, transport, etc.”
“You sure
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