Chapter 82: 80
*****
Closing my eyes, I once again concentrate both on myself and on the outside world. Nothing can escape my attention, everything is under my "gaze".
Having "scooped up" the prana that had previously simply flowed through my body, I tried to direct it according to the pattern that was indicated in the manual. With difficulty, but this energy that is difficult to control, I was able to carry out the first cycle. So good. Now we need to give it certain properties. Having removed Prana from the body, it was as if I had mixed it with external energy, to such an extent that I stopped feeling it in any spectrum.
After this comes the next two steps. The first is to draw this mixture into yourself, and the second is to direct this cocktail along an already familiar path, while enveloping your Prana with this energy. Just to understand how to do this, I had to really work hard.
*Sigh* It's time. Having drawn into himself a mixture of his prana and external energy, he wished to send it according to the scheme. With each passing moment it became more and more difficult to do this. After literally ten seconds, sweat began to roll all over my body. My muscles became stiff, my nerves began to tingle, but I didn't give up.
As soon as the "cycle" was almost completed, I mentally cast the necessary spell:
"Stolam mysterium" - just two words, but so much meaning.
Finally, after a minute, I felt an icy "fog" that enveloped my entire Prana, as well as my body. Having opened my eyes, I could not separate my body. In magical vision, my figure is perfectly visible. Reasonably, the second level is still far away.
Clap-clap-clap. The sound of clapping tore me from further thoughts. Turning toward the sound, I noticed a smiling professor looking at me with a satisfied face.
— Congratulations Calder, you were able to take the first step. All that's left is to learn to do exactly the same thing, but in motion, and only then we can move on to the second level," he finished with a knowing smile.
"Uh-huh," a dissatisfied groan involuntarily escaped from me. - Well, how can I achieve this in the allotted time? Yes, we spent almost a day on the first step. According to the notebook, to reach the second level, you need to spend at least twenty times more time. You understand? Twenty! That's pretty much the rest of the time. What about the third level? There is no specific time period for it at all. I'm generally silent about the fourth," I said dissatisfied. No, I'm not angry. These emotions were more for the professor than for me. In my mind, I calmly assessed my strengths, as well as my abilities in this direction.
It will take me a long time to reach the desired level. And this is only with the mother of the cold, but the main direction is space.
"If you devote all your time to training, then in principle it is possible," the professor gently scolded me. "You did it pretty quickly, a day faster than me at the time." It looks like you have a pretty strong gift in ice magic," the professor continued thoughtfully. "Okay," he clapped his hands. "Now you need to learn how to enter this state while walking, and then..." an evil smile appeared on his face. - Practice will begin.
- Practice? What practice? — I don't like his grin. It's obvious that this cunning mug is up to something. Maybe his this technique, and the vampire along with it?
— Of course, in order to hone your skills, you need practice, practice and more practice. The most varied - again that nasty smile. "But don't worry, you'll understand when the time comes."
Well, since it's not time yet, then okay. You can't get anything out of him ahead of time anyway.
- Well, let's proceed to the second step? - Flitwick asked me a question. I just nodded. We can begin.
*****
To the uninitiated, it may seem that the technique is either not difficult, or that I am a "genius," but this is not so. Much of my success can be credited to the professor. Even at the very beginning, with the help of special spells, he showed me a certain "path" along which my prana needed to circulate.
Yes, that's exactly what helped me. Without his help, I would have been looking for this path for at least several months. After all, the notebook contains only a verbal description, and a couple of diagrams that didn't really show anything. What a crappy management.
I took the next small step in mastering this technique in a day and a half. I was finally able to walk, albeit slowly, while activating the technique. I took my first step without expecting it at all. I just started walking and only after a few moments I realized that the effect of the technique had not stopped.
Of course, according to the law of meanness, this is where the technology fell apart. For her, you need to keep your head cool, and at that moment I was overwhelmed with emotions, albeit more faded than those of other people.
The completion of this stage marked the beginning of practice. I waited with bated breath for it to begin. I expected a lot, from regular running to sparring with Flitwick. But he did something much more original.
*****
Just the next day he gave me four bracelets that fasten on each limb. At my questioning glance, the professor replied:
"Put it on and you'll understand everything," oh, that smile.
Shrugging my shoulders, I began to put them on; of course, I snapped them closed with caution. In magical vision, there was some kind of weaving inside the bracelets, which was activated after the name of the complete set.
As soon as I snapped the last bracelet, the senses howled, but it was too late.
The world exploded. The colors floated, the body began to weigh a ton at least, and its temperature rose to about forty degrees, mana rebelled, and with it prana. It seemed that the world itself had begun a battle with me. Fleeting changes in gravity, light brightness, pressing sounds, feelings began to jump and much more.
A minute later everything disappeared, leaving behind only emptiness. But with a sixth sense I knew that he would be back soon.
"I see you have felt all the delights of the teaching artifact," the professor said, standing next to my lying body.
Turning on my side, I squinted my eyes at him. Although the world was still slightly floating, I managed to see his malicious smile.
- What was it? — I finally asked him the question that interested me.
"A training artifact," he answered me ironically. "I told you, what are you listening to?" - but under my gaze he continued. "It was with the help of a similar artifact, but only tuned to the mana of space, that we trained to use the first and second levels of technology. This one," he pointed with his hand at the bracelet on my legs. — A version of that artifact modified by my friend. The principle of its operation is quite simple - it constantly scans your body. If he notices the use of technology, he will compare it with the standard one. If everything is successful, then this artifact will simply change gravity for you, in any order. This will disorient you, but you should not give in to it. If you can withstand such pressure for twelve hours, you have mastered the technique. No - let's do it again.
— And if the technique is not activated or fails, then I will have to feel the effects of this artifact? — made a logical conclusion from his words.
"That's right," the goblin nodded. "I would advise you to quickly activate the technique; the allotted three minutes of rest are almost over."
That means rest for three minutes. Before I could think about it, the world became my enemy again. Mordred, couldn't we have said this earlier?
*****
This stage of training took another five days. I could only sleep for four hours; the rest of the time I had to fight this hated artifact.
In general, I decided to give this technique a proper name, otherwise everything is just technique. I didn't think for a long time, but gave the first name that came to mind - Inviz. From now on, Inviz is a technique, and a technique is Inviz.
In general, changing gravity is quite an interesting thing. The artifact creates a sphere around me in which a difference in gravity is artificially created. Like a ball into which the gel is pumped to create more pressure, or vice versa, it is pumped out to reduce the pressure. And these changes are not predictable. Some are completely insignificant, and some are the opposite. It is never possible to guess what to make of an artifact in the future.
As I said earlier, it took me five days to complete this technique. During this time, all the residents of the camp laughed like that. Especially Og. No, so what? You're sitting like this by the fire, and next to you, as if from the void (Inviz is over - minus invisibility), I fall out and start setting the world on fire, almost vomiting at the same time.
Yes, I had a lot of fun with them, but now this nightmare is behind me, and I'm starting the second step - masking my mana along with prana. You can still learn separately (as with the level one in the first step), but here you need to combine them together.
*****
- Well, you were worried. Just seven days, and you start the second step," the professor told me, smiling so that all his teeth became visible.
"Who knew that you had this "damned" artifact," I said dissatisfiedly, more for appearance (more precisely, for the processor).
However, I am indignant in vain. He helped me a lot. I can now be in Invis for a whole day, provided that I am conscious. Yes, and tightened the control. Perhaps in the second step I will not only return it to its previous level, but also be able to slightly increase it. But it is not exactly.
"The second step," the professor began a little later, letting me think everything over. - Much more difficult than the first one. What is its description in the manual?
- "Experience the world. Let your aura merge with him. And it will lead you to the next step," I quoted from memory. — As I understand it, the principle of operation is the same as with prana. But this time it uses mana as well as aura.
"Yes," the goblin nodded. - You see, in those days, almost everything was passed on by word of mouth. Or through the grimoires of magicians. It's so easy to get even this," the professor shook the notebook that appeared. - It was another task. What does this say about Grimoires? So many secrets were lost or forgotten because of this. What a shame," he shook his head. The notebook appeared and disappeared. - Okay, okay. Let's continue. At the second stage, you need to combine the disguise of prana and mana. You own the first one," a nod from me. - You will learn the second method now. But before that, it's worth remembering. At the second step, not all mana is masked, but only that which you release from the aura. "Otherwise, many people lose sight of this, and then become indignant that they can't do it," the professor smiled cheerfully. And my feelings were full of nostalgia. Really?..
- How are you? — I asked with a slight smile.
- Hmm, it doesn't matter, - oh, you know how to be embarrassed. "You need to create a kind of cocoon right on the border of your aura. It should completely cover it. This is exactly the part you are masking. As if creating a kind of curtain that lets glances, and not only glances, through itself, preventing you from being detected.
- Why can't I do exactly the same as with prana? Immediately hide Mana throughout the magical body?
"Try it," the professor smiled.
No sooner said than done. I wish I could say so. I couldn't do absolutely anything in an hour. I couldn't even get close to it.
- Why?
"Only talented people who achieve enlightenment will be able to comprehend the third stage," Flitwick was now projecting a phrase from the manual. - Unfortunately, I can't tell you. I don't have talent in this area. And how much hope there was...
This is where our conversation ended. The professor began to watch me, helping me with advice, and I began my first attempts at mastering the second level of Invis.
*****
It took me half a day to disguise the mana. It really turned out to be much easier, but the experience of the first step still takes its toll. The dome that I created at the border of the aura acted as an "external" body for me. It was through him that my allure came out. It was in it that I made a displacement of external mana and mine. True, at this step it was much easier to do it, after all, I know the school of cryokinesis. Cold mana is quite familiar to me.
However, it took me another seven days to complete it. And all these seven days I walked with the damned artifact. It turned out that combining the first two methods was much more difficult than separately. Which is basically logical. In total, fifteen days to fully master the first two levels. If it weren't for being half a goblin, I would have mastered these levels if Merlin gave it in a year. How much has the training time been reduced? True, this is only with the mana of cold... Space is much more complicated...
My joy knew no bounds, and neither did the professor when I finished this step. If I use it often, then quite possibly I will be able to introduce it to the level of reflex, and this is much better than my previous method of concealment.
True, now I will have to transfer all this to the mana of space, and I haven't even really been able to feel it yet. So, echoes and then, with the help of crutches. Hmm, I still have to do a lot to become strong enough.
After all this time, we will finally make a sortie to the draugr. Can not wait.
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