Gestation by John Gold (love books to read .txt) 📗

occasions are when the scroll is attached to a holder, with the stones set around the edges. They look like small rolls of toilet paper with two doorknobs on either side made out of gems. In the vast majority of cases, the scroll creates a one-level spell without any effects added—for example, fireballs, fire spears, wind blades, stun, and simple buffs. Complex spells like acid fog, fire tornado, and golem or elemental summoning work use different ideas. They’re complex, interdisciplinary, and multi-level—golems are Life and Land Magic, fire tornados are Air and Fire Magic.

Large seals are made by combining different types of magic. For each kind, there’s an image, with everything connecting in the center of a large pentagram. It’s basically like the Olympic rings. If you want to intensify the effect of the spell, they can all be the same, sort of the way I did things with the astral bone sword.

There are very few mages in the world who can create scrolls with complex spells, and they’re really universal mages with an inscription skill. For example, if a mage has their Land Magic skill up to 90 and their inscription Life Magic skills up to 120, they can make spells that summon golems with a level based on their lowest skill—90. Scrolls for meteorites or acid fogs, to take a couple of instances, are therefore practically one of a kind and worth lots of money. In Project Chrysalis, groups of mages of single universal mages with huge reserves cast powerful spells during raids or war. Scrolls are the leftovers for non-mages.

To create a scroll, you need the activation word, the spell seal, the paper itself, and developed skills for the appropriate magic schools. The mage draws the scroll, fills it with mana, and then activates it when the time comes. Alternatively, other people can buy and activate them. The biggest problem with them is that you can die from the magic recoil.

I realized what Bernard did to teach me my spells. He was right, it was really difficult. You have to have incredibly well-developed skills in Life and Mind Magic. Currently, the spells are written in my mental body, which is usually only touched by the mage himself, and not other people. It’s like having a vein in your body that you can consciously release blood from. You can boost your running speed or how high you jump, and I have the same thing, only with magic. He figured that I wasn’t going to use my spells very often, but I’ve developed my magic potential and used my magic, activating the spells wired into my mental body rather than the ones I’ve learned myself. What Bernard did was a miracle: he touched me and changed my mental body, using Life Magic to work with my physical body and therefore change my brain. I’m not even close to understanding magic on that level.

The second part of my plan focuses on seals, and I’ll be able to get to work on that once I get to a big city. It’s going to be even crazier than my usual sacrifices, too. And I didn’t expect that from myself. Ritual magic? Blood magic? Never! I’m not going to outstrip my humanity, my own weakness.

Also, I need to build protection against fire and mental damage, and I know how to do that. That will have to happen after the first two parts of my plan, otherwise it will be the death of me.

It’s the fourth day since we set sail, and we’re getting close to inhabited lands with strongholds, castles, and cities.

There are three ships on the horizon, and the captain shouts a warning. The ship’s shields activate. The crew quickly dons their armor.

“Captain, do we have a problem?”

Captain Geriont is watching the fast-sailing frigates approaching from the west. With our current course, we should meet them in about ten minutes.

“Yes, a very big problem, son.” I’m shaken when he calls me that. “That’s three pirate frigates from the Bodoy Archipelago. They’ve never sailed in trios before, and we can’t take them on our own. The bastards know very well that it takes us ten minutes to fire and reload our main armament. We’ll sink one of theirs, though we won’t be able to take the other two. The survivors of the first will swim over, too.”

“What level are they at?”

“About a hundred, and their captains are up to 150.” Geriont suspects that I’m creating something devious in my cabin. His cabin is right above mine, and he complained about the smell yesterday, so I had to patch up the holes. “Why? Do you have a suggestion?”

“How many pirates are there in each crew?”

“Thirty, but they’re all higher-level than ours.”

“If I can neutralize one ship, can you take care of the other two?”

The captain’s eyes bore through me. A Level 0 boy wearing a village shirt is telling him he can kill thirty grown men.

“I don’t care what you do, but I’ll be only too happy if you can save our lives.”

“I’m doing this for my own reasons. I’m going to take their ship, cargo, and people.”

“This is no time for jokes! But whatever, do what you want.”

The captain is better off not knowing what I’m planning on doing. I need pirates! Lots of pirates! I don’t much care about their cargo or ship. Clarissa and I made a paralyzing poison when I was still in Heron, and I used all my metal putting the spikes together. They’re invaluable as mana storage.

I pull off my normal poison and replace it with a bandage laced with a paralyzing ointment. I’m not immune to it yet, and I need more resistance, but I can use it with leather gloves on. The bandage is great as a way to keep it on me and still stay mobile.

Grabbing the spikes, I leap into the sea. I need to capture one of the ships, and the farther away from our ship that happens, the better.

I swim as fast