Looking around at everyone in this group, Eldrian noted a few strangers. "Elizabeth, let's talk in private. Where are you staying?"
He had rushed over, relying only on his map to find where they were. Not having messaged Elizabeth before and thus why they were so shocked upon his early arrival upon the massive spilio. Besides, anyone would be astonished to see a bear even more enormous than an elephant—and most hadn't seen an elephant up close.
"We still need to set up camp," Elizabeth eyed the now tiny -in comparison to before- spilio. "We're currently looking for a place that will hide us from the random passerby, and also has some defensive value." Turning to the players, she quickly told everyone to continue the search. Asking only Ilmadia to remain.
"Ilmadia, please explain what exactly happened. Can you also show me what you accomplished?" Eldrian asked after setting up a wind barrier. He wasn't sure exactly how to stop sound specifically. Regardless, this should make it harder for anyone outside the barrier to listen in. 'I need to learn so much still . . .'
Ilmadia nodded and started explaining what had happened, showcasing her usage of a combination of elemental runes to form a spell. Eldrian watched and nodded; she had gotten some good control over her mana and could use mageia expertly. The spell she formed was a basic one, a simple fireball. However, her control over it proved that she had mastered these basics.
"And what about the hidden class?"
"The description says it is for the class runic mage," Ilmadia continued and explained that the description said she had two options: Mastering runic casting, or mastering the secret of runes.
"Is that all?" Eldrian asked. He himself had a very vague hidden class quest, so he didn't expect much more.
"Yeah, 'Master the formation of runes and the flow of mana to become a runic mage.' is all that the first part says. The optional part states, 'Learn the secrets of runes and peer into the secrets of magic itself and become a sorceress.' "
"Are there any items listed or something that could help guide us?" Eldrian asked, noting the word sorceress. He was confident that the name classification was essential to further understanding the information.
But he had no idea what differentiated a sorcerer from a mage. ANW certainly wouldn't follow conventional standards, but the core of the naming was likely the same since the AI constructed this world by relying on Earth's fiction as a basis. Again labels weren't reliable, but they could still be helpful.
'If I recall, sorcerers are generally less structured than mages. No, actually, a mage is simply someone who harnesses the power of mana in the form of spells. A wizard is the most structured type of mage and a warlock the least, relying on the powers of others—sounds kind of like devils—'
"Nothing." Came Ilmadia's reply, bringing Eldrian out of his contemplation. Dropping it for later, he returned to the conversation.
"Seriously?" Elizabeth couldn't believe it. That didn't sound like a quest at all. The descriptions were too vague to even know what it actually asked.
"It's quite common to get quests like this." Eldrian countered, realizing what Elizabeth must be thinking.
"For you maybe . . ." Her eyes flew wide as she whipped her head between Eldrian and Ilmadia, "Are all hidden classes going to be such a headache?"
"I don't know. I received my first one without a quest."
"First one?" Elizabeth asked with a twitch.
"Didn't I explain that I have this new one relating to my bloodline?" Eldrian asked, his tone indicating clearly that he didn't think much of it. Though, that was mostly because he didn't want to touch it—yet. He had all the elements he needed now, thanks to Ashliel.
Nevertheless, he dared not dive into this quest. He would -at the very least- need to return to Avgi and ask Zamia to help ensure that nothing went awry. He would also prefer to have talked with Ziraili first. He still needed to find time to meet with her.
"You really defy common sense." Elizabeth sighed and looked toward Ilmadia. Hoping that her friend wasn't going to become a similar case. But a part of her hoped against her hope. Having another Eldrian would be a headache, but he was also a massive help when he decided to help.
"Let's get back on topic; I want to head back to Ganalin before sunset." Eldrian took back control of the conversation. He explained what he had learned of runes to Ilmadia, saddened that he had rushed off before reading the guidebook for runes. But he had to try and help resolve Vivian's burden first. To either set Old Sword free or rescue him.
"...In short, it is a type of language. I'm not sure if it is something created or discovered. Think of it kind of like math. It is a method for us to describe the basics of the world, in this case, the magical world.
"Spell modules are deconstructed visualizations of the spell, whereas runes are the language. It isn't a language of words, however. Some runes are words, some are characters, and some are pictures. I still don't have a good grasp on it, but I know that intent doesn't alter the rune's effect.
"This is what differentiates a rune and a module—as I call them." Modules were the visualization Eldrian used to enchant metals and create items. The perfect example was the water screens he used to both record and project memories through.
"A module requires that you visualize the effect of what will happen. It is a makeshift spell module in a manner, but it doesn't need to be confined to a spell. It can be attached to items. Hence why I simply call it a module." Saying this, Eldrian quickly drew the mirror in midair and fueled it with some mana.
Seeing the screen of water reflecting their images like a mirror, Elizabeth and Ilmadia were impressed. They had heard about the artifact but hadn't visited it due to all the other things they had to prioritize.
"However, you can't just copy the square shape of this module. It requires the caster, or perhaps creator? Either or, it requires that the person forming it envisions a mirror. It requires control of mana and the elements and quantities.
"A rune, in contrast, works regardless of what the person forming them is envisioning—"
"But what about when I am envisioning the effects of the runes?" Ilmadia asked.
"Runes can still be influenced, but if you draw the rune for amplification, it is going to amplify whatever it is part of. If you draw a rune that represents fire, it will form fire. You can't draw it and envision water and then summon water."
To illustrate, Eldrian drew the square mirror again but this time imagined it as a thin sheet of flames. It was a weird image and required more focus since he didn't typically link this with the module. But seeing the same 'drawing' bring about a different element helped Ilmadia understand.
"I see. Runes can be influenced by our thoughts only so much. We can guide it and alter the amount of mana, but the rune will still bring forth the effect it . . . reflects? Means?"
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