Chapter 304: Pawns (1/2)
”You can do that?” Morris asked, looking awestruck.
”I guess so. This is the first time I've used this method, and I'm honestly not sure how it's working like this.”
”That's amazing! Just think of all the applications...Wait...did you just use an untested spell on me without knowing what it would actually do?”
Mike scratched his chin. ”I did ask you to be a guinea pig, didn't I?”
His friend scowled at him. ”Yeah, but I assumed you'd done some kind of testing prior to this!””
”What should I have done? If I wanted to ensure the method worked I needed to use it on someone. Thanks to my unusual constitution, it's not like I can really practice on myself.” He shot back defensively.
”Then why not use a summoned creature?”
”Because...” Mike started defiantly before trailing off, ”...well, because it honestly didn't occur to me at the time...Sorry about that.”
Morris sighed while rubbing the back of his neck. ”Look, I know you mean well, and with your command of Healing Magic, you could probably fix any damage you might have caused, but try to think things through a bit before taking action. Even if you have the power and skill to overcome obstacles through brute force alone, that doesn't mean it's always the best option.”
”I know.” Mike replied quietly.
The older man slapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. ”Well, considering your luck, this might actually have been the best option. If you tried it on something you summoned, it could have ended up a lot worse. After all, these sorts of experiments were the original source of some of the more unusual monsters.”
”What, really?”
”Of course, you don't think something like the bearowl developed naturally, do you?”
”Do you mean owlbe...you know what, never mind. I don't think I want to know the answer to that question.”
Morris grinned. ”Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about this new discovery of yours. How exactly did you make this happen? Is it limited to Endurace? Can you enhance other attributes? What about baseline physical abilities?”
”That's a lot of questions all at once, maybe you could slow it down a bit. You know one at a time, and all that.”
”Ahem. Right. Sorry, I got a little carried away. If you don't mind, could you start with explaining the process. Did you make use of Healing Magic, or was this some new application of one of your other skills?”
”Actually, there is something I need to confess...” Mike started before glancing over at Sahel, who was standing nearby and watching them with all of his usual avian intensity. ”Would you mind giving us a second?”
The Asani nodded, and stalked over to the room's entrance without another word. There, he assumed a rigid pose as if he were guarding the door.
”So, here's the thing,” He continued quietly. ”My Healing Magic actually evolved into something called Life Magic recently.”
”Life Magic? As in magic that controls the Life element? I've never heard of anything like that.” Morris replied with a thoughtful frown. ”It's been theorized to have existed, of course, but as far as I'm aware, no one has confirmed the existence of that skill.”
The bard's face gradually began to lighten until he was giving an excited grin. ”This could very well be the beginning of a new and more comprehensive understanding of the way in which mana interacts with living beings. Just think of how revolutionary-”
He stopped short after noticing Mike's rueful smile. With a cough, he backtracked. ”Of course, we can't reveal anything too specific, lest it be used against us somehow, but I can only imagine the discoveries it might allow.”
”I'm glad you're excited, but can we perhaps concentrate on the task at hand?”
”Right, right. Could you give me a description of what this skill is supposed to be capable of?”
Mike summarized all he knew about Life Magic, which pretty much consisted of the brief description available in his [Status] screen.
Morris began pacing while deep in thought. ”That's quite open-ended. Although, I should have expected as much from an evolved version of an Elemental Magic skill. Nevertheless, it seems like we have an adequate solution for our current situation.”
”Yeah, just give me a few minutes for my mana to regenerate, and I can probably slap the effect on Sera as well. Assuming she wants anything to do with me at the moment.”
The bard gave him a blank look for a second, evidently distracted by other thoughts, before answering, ”Ah, you are referring to her current agitated state. I know it must seem like she's infuriated with you, but I suspect that she's actually grappling with a distressing realization. More than likely, her acidic temperament is a result of this inner dissonance, and is in no way a product of your actions.”
”...You know, you sound a lot more intelligent when you're lost in thought.”
Morris blinked, and then chuckled. ”Yeah, I've been told that.”
”Anyway, I'm going to talk to her. Wish me luck.”
He wandered over to the bench Tal and Sera were sitting at. The Oracle was grimly staring at the back of the seat in front of her. Based purely on the way she was clenching her hands together, it was obvious that she was thinking about something that disturbed her greatly.
[Well, here goes nothing.]
”Ahem, Sera, do you have a minute? I need to prepare you for the Elder's visit.”