“I’ll think about that.” Menadion shrugged. “Right now, the Eldritches are not a threat and I’m back for just three days. Forgive me if I want to spend a bit of time with my daughter before disappearing into my Forge for the gods know how long, mister workaholic.”
“I didn’t mean right now. I just-”
“Mom is right, Lith.” Solus grunted, cutting him short. “This lesson could have waited, instead here we are.”
“Ripha, if you please.” Lith raised his hands in apology and stepped back.
“You have already learned the basics so this won’t take long.” Menadion took the Hands from Faluel and wore them. “As you know, the Hands can draw in the surrounding world energy and control it as the orc shamans do.
“Your hypothesis was correct, Lith.” She said while giving a demonstration of how to create an elemental imbalance. “I studied the orcs and developed enchantments capable of imitating their abilities in order to craft the Hands.
“You were wrong about unfallen orcs, though. If there’s any out there, I didn’t find them.”
“Does this also mean that by studying Nandi Bytra can replicate the Hands?” Solus asked.
“Replicate, no. She never so much as touched it.” Menadion shook her head. “She can make something similar, though. If she follows a line of research parallel to mine, she can reach a similar yet different conclusion.
“Back to the Hands. They can also conjure elemental arrays through the gemstones.” As she spoke, the air and darkness crystals combined their powers to generate the Dark Air array.
Then she spread her arms and the array grew in size, covering the room.
“Two elements at a time is the limit for normal mages and the same applies to the Hands, but only in their locked state.” The fire crystals lit up as well, adding two points to the magic circle and forming the Dark Firestorm array.
“A Nova spell?” Lith was flabbergasted. “And without consuming one drop of your mana at that?”
“Why so surprised? The principle is the same as your Nova spells.” Menadion chuckled. “You know that we are standing above a powerful mana geyser and that the abilities of the Hands to control its world energy are almost a match for the tower, right?”
“Almost.” Faluel echoed with a sigh.
“Doing differently would have been idiotic and impossible.” Menadion replied. “Even if I were dumb enough to give away an artifact that could threaten my daughter and me, the difference between a power core and a tower core is like heaven and earth.”
“Point taken.” Faluel nodded. “Please, continue.”
“You can add up to four elements, but I do not recommend it in battle.” Menadion activated the earth crystals, forming an eight-pointed star. “Not only because a single elemental-sealing array would make it crumble but also because the energy builds up to dangerous levels.
“If someone hits you with a disarray spell, all the power accumulated by the Hands will be turned against you.”
“That’s not what I’d have done anyway.” Faluel replied. “I mostly use the Hands in my lab and there’s no Forgemastering circle that requires more than two elements.”
“At your level.” Menadion corrected the Hydra. “Also, in its unlocked state, the Hands can do this.”
The gauntlets generated thin tendrils of energy that connected to the various pieces of equipment Menadion wore.
“You can use it to fuel the enchantments of any pseudo or power core and refill them more quickly. It does put a strain on an artifact but in a life-or-death situation, that’s the least of your problems.
“On top of that, it’s vital to cast a Blade Tier spell after your equipment is allegedly drained. By taking your opponent by surprise, you can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.”
“That assuming I learn Blade Magic and the fight takes place over a mana geyser.” Faluel pointed out.
“I’m sorry. Rulers of the Flames make wonders, not miracles. Unless this counts.” Ripha replied with a smug grin on her face.
The Dark Firestorm array faded, replaced by three glowing spheres orbiting around Menadion as they followed the luminous threads generated by the elemental crystals of the Hands.
“What’s that?” They Hydra asked.
“Three tier five spells.” Menadion said.
“Three tier five spells?” Faluel echoed in disbelief.
Keeping so many spells of that magnitude active was supposed to take a great toll on a mage’s mana and focus yet Ripha looked relaxed.
“Yes, and I can keep them at the ready as long as I want. Or I can do this.” One of the spheres was absorbed by the other two, increasing their size and power.
“Two Nova spells at once?” Lith was flabbergasted.
“Correct.” Menadion nodded. “Sure, during battle your enemy can see and counter them, given time, but they are still quite useful if used swiftly at the right moment. Also, there is no enemy when you Forgemaster a piece.
“You can take your time and imbue up to two Tower Tier level enchantments.”
“By the gods!” Faluel clapped her hands in excitement. “What about the blades?”
“They are a last-ditch but very useful weapon.” Solus replied. “If you infuse them with the right elements, you can use them to neutralize the enchantments of the enemy’s weapon and sever their spells from the world energy.”
“Oh.” Faluel was mildly disappointed. “But that requires either the Dragon Eyes or the Eyes to react in time and I possess neither.”
“That in battle.” Menadion said. “In your lab, while casting your most powerful spells, you already know their elemental composition. It doesn’t matter if something goes terribly wrong or someone ambushes during an experiment, the blades are the final safeguard.
“In case of danger, you can screw up your spell on purpose and unleash it on your enemy while the Hands shield you from the conflagration.”
“Mom, since when are you that paranoid?” Solus asked.
“Since I had many disciples living under my roof and no guarantee every one of them was the good person they pretended to be, Solus.” Menadion replied. “You can’t remember it, but I had to kick out and kill people on a regular basis.
“I expelled those who tried to rob me and eliminated those who mistook my kindness for weakness. People knew where we lived, who we were, and what we had. Anyone who dared raise their hand on us couldn’t be allowed a second chance.”
Ripha returned the Hands to Faluel who immediately tried to put Menadion’s teachings into practice.
“How do I handle three elements at once?” The Hydra grunted in exertion.
“The pieces of my Set are different from all other artifacts you have handled in the past.” Ripha replied. “They are akin to a partial mage tower. Their enchantments aren’t supposed to be used on their own but to complement and enhance your abilities.
“To cast a Tower Tier spell, you must combine your mana flow with the energy channelled by the Hands. Then, you use the elemental gemstones to stabilize and amplify the spell.
“It’s a delicate process that needs balance. Focus too much on one energy flow and the others will dissipate. The trick is to use the world energy conjured by the Hands like your own mana. You need to practice until you can manipulate them with the same ease.”
