Lucretia sat quietly admist a set of books that she had purchased to understand this ancient icebergian tome that regalled to her about a potential power that not many could control. Or at least what it alluded to. She’d adjust her chair to be a bit closer to the table so she could do better cross referencing from the various translation books she had picked up. Most of them would only get about a third or even a fourth of what the book she was reading out of was saying.

It was ancient icebergian, so ancient in fact it was hard to really tell what it truly met. Sets of runes, sigils and magical seals sat in front of her. Practically like a thesis that had been spread out among a long tome. She’d bite into her cheek and lean forward; the slipping slopes and the mountainous region wasn’t very forgiving if you weren’t careful. So it made sense to get creative with spells.

She just didn’t understand why she had never heard of a spell like this before. To be able to summon a single blade was the core of this ability. In fact it required a simple understanding of what you were asking for. A simple understanding of what she was looking to summon. The translations were so roundabout that lucretia spent more time than she should have on it… She couldn’t make heads or tails of later parts. They seemed to refer back to the base spell over and over again until it clicked.

It was the same damn spell top to bottom, but many different iterations that didn’t so much increase the power as it increased the amount of blades that you had to work with. She’d look back to the basic spell and start to draw out some of her own designs for those sigils. She saw some discrepancies in the magic that she felt like she could fix if given the proper care. She wasn’t intelligent by any means but that didn’t mean she couldn’t understand what was given to her.

Setting her pen down she’d inspect the ‘blade’ she was looking to summon and the magical circle. They were crude and basic but… They would work right? The woman stood up and glanced around. The hall she was in was empty and many individuals would be gone or out and about. So she didn’t need to worry so much about casting magic here. Especially if it wasn’t destructive. Weaving her hands around she’d try to work her mana like the spell dictated, casting a glance at the book a few times. Adjusting her posture to that of a swordsman…

She felt something click and a flow of magic started to work it’s way through her body; not that of the magic she had before which had been of ice but this time it felt far more powerful. Far more arcane. Far more indepth than what she had anticipated. Grimacing she’d pour a little more mana into it and she felt it latch onto her. She felt that icy grip on her heart from her magic slowly melt away and something else replaced it before…

A single blade, not much longer than two meters appeared as if out of thin air. The woman exhaled slowly and gripped the weapon. Uncertain if she had done the right thing. The magic from before had been powerful… was it right to turn it aside? She felt the rumbling of the beast within her, critizing her indecisiveness. She’d push them away from her and focus on the blade again. Dismissing it with a heated breath…

Maybe she could summon a different type of sword? Maybe the design was of her choosing? She recalled a blade her father had given her when she was a youth and holding out her hand the same blade materialized in her hand. She’d grin and make a note in her paper about this that… the sword's looks were based on your own experience. A cruel person likely would hae a cruel imagination and summon many wicked things. But someone with honor and a pure sense of justice? Straight. True. Simple. Elegant. Words to live by. Something she felt that anyone could use.

”The basis is so easy once you understand it…”

[718/4000]

The second instance was probably a bit harder, there was a clause about putting forward twice teh effort as before for twice the reward. She would be able to summon two blades if she was able to do it correctly. Gritting her teeth the woman held out her hands and ran the mana through her body like before. From the bottom of her body all the way up to the top. She’d repeat this process untils he felt it take and the visulization of her blades were made manifest.

Two equally long blades hovering not even an meter away from her. She’d bite her lower lip and reach out; grasping one by the hilt and staring at the other one. It’d float slightly further away and then testingly lucretia would ‘will’ the blade to sit upright. The blade followed her command practically instantly. She’d grin a bit and make a motion with her hand; wondering if it would respond faster. It seemed to be the same speed and she’d just nod. Tapping the sword against it’s partner she had to wonder what else she could do with this. Could she perhaps use it as leverage?

For now she’d test how far it could go, the absolute furthest right now it seemed… Well it seemed like she could send it up to about four meters. Which for a single blade was actually fairly impressive. Letting go of the other sword she’d blink when the control of the other instead simply vanished along with it’s counterpart. She’d frown a bit and shake her head.

”Have to hold onto one of em huh? I guess that makes sense.”

It also meant that the woman would have to be careful with how much mana she would burn with these. Given her heritage and their difficulty she might not be able to continue her work with them. Sitting back down she’d stare at the book; slowly turning it to the next page where it not only explained some more information about the spell but gave another ‘level’ all it’s own.

Four instances of the same spell rather than two; but it burned through ah efty amount of mana. A good chunk of what she was capable of. Gritting her teeth the woman felt like she should work with the mana again. Closing her eyes and this time imagining a little bit more sturdy looking blades. SOmething that she used during her time as a hunter to the north. Envisioning these didn’t take any work; it was practically instant and…

She felt a pop that radiated through her body. The blades slowly formed near her and the nearest one she’d grip on firmly. Grinning ear to ear as the other three slowly floated around. This level of spell seemed more closer to where she was at and it’s control felt the highest out of them all. She’d slowly stand back up and test the distance. A good six meters. It seemed like they increased in increments of two meters each level of spell. The base having none and the ‘second’ rank having a four meter base range. She had to admit that was pretty helpful. Tutting a bit the woman motioned for the blades to circle her. They’d be able to cover multiple trajectories, block multiple weapons. Soften blows if they’d break. Maybe… She’d flick her wrist and the blades would cross over the same point. Grinning ear to ear the woman leaned back and nodded to herself with appreciation.

”Expensive but… Could be worth it. Nicks and cuts. Prove to people I’m more than just another monster and someone they can work with. Heh.”

[1327/4000]

The next instance of this spell was something she wasn’t sure if she could do. She’d stare at the implications of eight blades at once. She wasn’t even sure if she could do it right. The woman gritted her teeth and after a substantial resting period between her last attempt and this one… Lucretia closed her eyes and tried the same way as before; pushing herself. Imagining the swords first thing but… All she got was aches and pains all over her body as she pushed forward. She could feel the mana burning as the energy of her spell was starting to take it’s toll.

Maybe trying a spell that was ‘too’ advanced was a bad idea. But she had to know what the ‘beyond’ would mean for her. It wasn’t something that she probably could do on the regular. Probably something that she should even think about trying. But the spell was the same basis over and over again. With just increasing dividends. Truly a type of spell that she understood once she got used to it.

But like with the first instance of it; the fuzzy distance of power was something she couldn’t understand and instead of summoning her intended number she instead simply summoned her ‘optimal’ amount. Four blades circling around her as though telling her that she shouldn’t go further. She’d bite on her lip and motion for the blades to go away.

They’d flicker and ease out of existence; the woman gripping her chair and stressing the fact that she could do this if she just tried. Anything could be done if you put enough effort forward. She firmly believed that and she could feel the amusement of the beast egging her on in the back. Why would she bother with this when she could just use her sturdy body?

She’d snarl in irritation and slam her hands down on the chair as she felt the magic start to take hold of her again. Not in the same way as before. She could feel her mana funneling into something far stronger than what she should be capable of. Growling as it practically shredded some of the clothing that she had on with the ‘power’ of the exchange. It didn’t damage the chair thankfully or the papers but after a few moments of letting that mana flow she’d let it go, laying her head back and huffing in exertion.

”Four seems to be the most I can manage but… I’ll be damned if I give up now.”

Gripping her chair again the woman pushed off. Maybe a power stance was something she’d need. The woman went over to a more ‘open’ spot in the hall and closed her eyes. Envisioning the swords from before. She needed four for that one, this one called for eight instances. Slowly breathing out Lucretia worked her body in a consistent and ‘powerful’ stance. She could feel her muscles complaining given that she was trying to do something she shouldn’t normally be capable of. If she hurt herself with this one she wouldn’t be surprised. Given that it was… well. As she stated to herself before. ‘Out of her league.’

So she continued on, through the night. Growling and stuffing her face with food to make sure her mana levels were consistent. She was burning through a lot of her reserves with this attempt but she seemed not to care. She could feel the beast getting annoyed at her as she passed by the ‘halfway’ marker of what she had.

If something happened the beast might not be able to defend her. But the woman pushed that to the side, stressing her stance and with a slow exhalation she’d push further than before. Gripping on what mana she had and worked it through her body. Up through her arms and out of her extensions. Her fingers practically were on fire and she could feel the heat starting to ‘heat’ the air around her with how much she was trying.

”Just a little more.”

She found herself mumbling and the woman’s stance didn’t falter as one by one blades started to manifest around her. Once she got to four they stopped and she’d curse but… Then they continued and she felt the drain of the spell cause her entire body to hike. She’d gasp in pain and go down to one knee as it drained her fairly rapidly. But she had those eight swords as though they were waiting for her command! She’d grip at one and push herself up with it. Slowly motioning for them to circle her more properly. Her control of them was awful and she couldn’t see herself using them for a while. She’d check their distance and whistle at seeing them at 8 meters in distance?

”Eight is a lot… what level is…”

The woman dismissed the swords and groaned as she felt the aching of the mana through her body. Oh that was pretty intense! Maybe she should consider resting for a bit? It’d be hard to really tell if she was truly successful but she’d write down some notes. It took a solid chunk to summon that much and looking through the tome…

”The final one has sixteen swords? Jeez… Well. I can at least do these outside…”

The woman set the papers in the relevant spots in her tome and smiled a bit. If there was someone that would take this up like her she could at least explain it to them. She doubted that there would be but… She never knew.

”Tomorrow I’m going to see if I can get that sixteen instances… Gonna play hell with my body that’s for sure.”

[2,276/4,000]

It had been what? A few weeks now since she last tried these spells. She had done some serious resting and some serious research based on what she felt was going to be a long haul. She had made sure to pick up as much food as possible and some nastier stuff to help make sure that even if she ran out of mana she wouldn’t be burned out. Some kind of bread that was supposed to help mages recover; terrible tasting stuff but highly sought after apparently.

She had fact checked through some of her hunter contacts and it seemed like she wasn’t being fed bull shit which made her grin a little. Two loaves ought to be enough, she figured. If she needed more she could just either make it herself or go find that baker again… Shaking her head the woman set the tome down, reading over the lines on the page again. There were some warnings about trying to do too much with the spell. Someone had thought to try adding different elements or teleporting to the weapons but the drain was truly immense as it was.

Rolling her eyes she’d turn the page finding the various magical seals that she would have to learn for this spell. Some were certainly advanced and some even had enhancement magics suggested for them and based around that. Just how in depth was this ancient tome? Well. Could hse really call it ancient if she didn’t need to translate every other word now?

The more recent spells were far less muddled and for that she was thankful. Adjusting her stance the woman worked her mana through her body like she had been reading through. Grimacing as the light hit her face and the strain of pushing the mana through her body. She could feel it burning as she was unused to using so much at once and even as she adjusted her footing… She could tell this would be difficult. She’d stagger after a few long minutes of working like the tome said to.

”God damn… not even a shiver in the air. These swords must be hard to figure out…”

She’d sit on a bench just outside of the hall and stare up in the sky. Plenty of cloud cover and thankfully it wasn’t going to rain. She had been imagining various swords for the various levels but this time that didn’t feel like the proper approach. She needed a strong foundation first.

It would be difficult for sure; she’d grin and start to go through the tome again. Finding that there were a lot of notes from a lot of different people throughout the pages. Some more recent than others; much more recent. The last attempt of this had gotten stumped about halfway through saying he simply didn’t have the resources to try. But he did have some solid suggestions about the flow of mana and body posture.

She’d try again with those postures in mind, finding that indeed the mana flowed a little easier than the other times she had tried it. Raising her brows she’d go back through to the other places he had written. Internalizing what they had to offer.

”Be aggressive… not defensive. Be prompt huh? Don’t dawdle… Hmm. Foot there and there… hand there and there…”

She’d stand back up and try it again, finding the flow to be a lot easier now that she had something in mind. But it still needed the push of mana behind it. Grimacing, the woman eventually found herself staring at the moon in what felt like a few long moments. Blinking owlishly she’d look around and then just shake her head.

”Another day huh. Guess I’ll get that bread and rest up…”

[2903/4000]

The morning came around a lot faster than lucretia though it would, the tome had been resting open next to her bed and the woman sat up. Staring at it for a few moments. Just what was she missing from this last spell? She had the mana, the stances, the magical seals weren’t appearing… Maybe she was missing something fundamental? The woman frowned and picked up the book; going through the pages and finding herself outside again.

No clouds in sight and with the courtyard being empty for how early it was the woman started her training again. Working through the various stances, the various mana techniques suggested. She’d work and weave her hands in those suggested poses finding nothing and eventually settling down to sitting against a nearly decrypt statue. Staring down into the tome; a lot of the notes were smudged and she’d turn the pages for a few moments.

Up until she stumbled onto a single page; it was written before everything else and was definitely older in terms of writing. Hell she had to go and get her translation book for this one since a lot of it was unknown to her. She’d slowly blink again and the woman found herself staring at what was… more than an answer. It was a simple effort put forward for those that turned the pages to look for the truth.

There was no easy way to go about it; you had to put your own honest effort through and that the notes from before really didn’t have any impact here. She’d snap the book shut and place it to one side. Standing up and heading out to the courtyard again. She’d roll her shoulders; staring up at the sky. Midday had come faster than she expected just with the morning.

”The sweat of one’s brow gives them their worth…”

It was an old saying; if you didn’t put your own effort forward then you weren’t worth your own weight. Others shouldn’t control your own effort towards things. She’d crack her neck and let flow what felt natural to her; the same sort of natural that she felt when trying to transform into a wolf. But rather than imagining a blade or imagining chains to keep herself in control the woman would just go through the motions she felt were right.

Slowly forming what felt proper for her; an open snarling mouth of a wolf being the guard, the hilt being the ‘spine’ as it were. The sword itself being sharp, pressed and true. She could feel the tingle of the magic through her body. A single sword slowly wormed its way into being and the woman felt the mana burn through her body like wildfire. She had only summoned one but.

Small steps as she put both of her hands forward; closing her eyes and exhaling slowly. Keeping that mental image in her head without the sword in front of her pushing it’s way into her mind… The woman continued to let that mana burn, continued to let the words etch their way into her head.

Her own efforts would be the catalyst not the others that had come from before her. So she’d bite her tongue for the moment and keep working. No flashy smiles, no earnest wonder. Just this spell and her. She could feel the pain of the mana burning its way more and more through her body.

Telling her that she had more to do and much more to accomplish; but for each blade that she summoned that pain became greater; the effort greater. She’d grit her teeth and not look to what she had brought into this world. She could feel the weight of the spell pressing down on her and she would adjust her stance ever so slightly.

Everyone treated swords like they would attack; but her? She would treat them defensively. They could be used to save lives rather than take them. She’d grit her teeth as she felt another pull of mana. She’d push through that and remember the ones she had saved before. Bringing her hands together one closed and one an open palm.

The mana didn’t burn so much now and she could feel the flow into her fist. The first sputtering magical seal that she had for a long time while trying to figure out this spell came into being. She didn’t know what color it was or what she was aiming for at the moment but she knew whatever it was was hers. She’d continue to push through the limited pain she was feeling and push forward in that idea.

A wolf could be taught to do so much, why couldn’t it be taught to defend others? She felt each pull of mana more acutely now and it wasn’t long before the pulling stopped. She’d crack an eye to find that there were fifteen swords floating around her. But the last blade had yet to arrive. Frowning a bit she’d close her eyes. A missing foundation had been given to her by her own ideas.

So what was the last part? The last issue that she had? That was an easy answer for most but with her sitting there and holding that stance eventually the answer worked its way into her head. She remembered the claws, the steely gaze, her own gaze. The white fur. Grimacing, she dragged her hands apart. Feeling the cold smooth steel of a blade pulling out of the magical seal; the furred guard and the long sinuous hilt. It felt like it was hers and hers alone. It felt like it was a blade that was made just for her.

Kind of like how yoru felt right to wield even though she was one of the beasts that it was made to hunt. Her eyes slowly opened and given the view of a long but thin black blade with a stark white wolven guard. It was screaming at whatever she would be swinging at curling down to protect her hand as all crossguards were meant for. She felt the mana pull even fiercer now and the woman shook her head slowly.

”Won’t be seeing this for a long time I figure.”

She’d mumble a bit and toss the sword up in the air. Watching it vanish along with all its companions. She hadn’t tried to direct them but she had felt the presence of each like it was trying to take her to a dance and she was the chieftain's daughter all over again. It never ceased to amaze her how much magic was really at your core… Who you remembered yourself to be.

”...A blade for others, a wolf fit to guard. Heh.”

She felt the grin split her features for the first time in weeks and she’d scoop the tome up, humming as she went back into the hall… She had some more practicing to do but that wouldn’t stop her!

[4064]

[exit]