Rise of the Arcane Heir

Inheritance (2)

Sweat ran down Callum's forehead as he attempted to manipulate his mana again. It had taken him several attempts to get the feel for changing the shape.

Unfortunately, he found he had to use his hands as a crutch, and could only manipulate the shape by moving his fingers like a puppeteer. Damn, this is hard. 

He could guess that with practice he would eventually be able to do it using only his mind. However, that thought only made him more frustrated since he couldn't do it right now. This should be enough.

He could feel his mana taking the form of two hands, but the flip side of that was the rest of the mana around him becoming thinner. So, if I think of it as a liquid and the shape is the container, it's obvious the extra mass would have to come from somewhere.

Something seemed to click when Callum realised that. There was a clear limit to how much mana he could use. Instead of trying to force out more from a dry well, it would be better to use the unneeded mana from elsewhere.

Suddenly, with the shift in his thought process, the mana shielding his body began to flow to his hands. He could feel the mana limbs becoming thicker, stronger, and more connected to his will. 

"Ha, haha."

Callum couldn't help but laugh as his control over his mana became smooth. He no longer had to struggle to force it to do what he wanted. This is good.

A wide grin spread across his face as he urged his mana to grab onto the world mana in the water. If anyone saw him, they would describe his grin as becoming creepy-looking as his hypothesis proved to be correct. Will pulling it into my body be enough?

Callum's eyes widened as he dragged the water mana from the glass. The more he pulled out, the lower the water level became, until the glass was dry. A few questions came to him, but he pushed those to the back of his mind as he continued his task.

He willed his mana to enter his body, and his body jolted when the foreign water mana followed it. The palms of his hands became itchy and uncomfortable, which caused Callum to frown as he stared at them.

Right, I'm supposed to circulate it. Callum sighed as he used his mana to push it up through his arms and around his body in a clockwise direction. The foreign mana thinned out with each circuit. Eventually, he could no longer feel it.

[Ding!]

[1st Vessel Refinement Complete...]

[Unlocking Stats...]

[Stats Unlocked...]

[New Quest: Use the Stats command.]

[Reward: 1 Legacy Point.]

Why does this feel like a game? Callum groaned as he glared at the screens only he could see. He was quite interested in the Legacy point reward since he assumed it was some kind of internal currency he could use alongside his inheritance. 

Stats.

[Name: Callum Shaw]

[Stage: Circle (Initiate)]

[Attunements: Water]

[Mana: 20/38] [Expand]

[Power: 1]

[Endurance: 2]

[Charisma: 4]

[Agility: 4]

[Spirit: 6]

[Mysticism: 2]

Callum's frown deepened as he glared at his stats. Why do they seem so... low? And what about my mana? Did I use some of it during the exercises?

[Quest Complete.]

[You have been awarded with 1 Legacy Point.]

[Please visit the Archives section at your earliest convenience.]

I'll do that in a minute. Callum sighed as he expanded the mana section. However, what he saw made him groan.

[Arcane: 19/19]

[Light: 0/4]

[Water: 1/6]

[Air: 0/4]

[Dark: 0/2]

[Fire: 0/1]

[Earth: 0/2]

What the hell is this?

[Query Answer: The expanded mana menu shows the user the composition of different magical elements currently stored for use within their body. Arcane mana is the user's natural mana that carries their will when casting spells. It is the only type of mana that naturally regenerates over time. The six elemental mana types must be drawn and stored from a source. They can also be used to further refine your mana vessel to increase its storage capacity for each element.]

Callum hadn't expected an answer, but it was nice to get one. So, it can do more than show the information stored on it. What exactly is this ring?

[Query Answer: An enchanted item that stores the Shaw family's magical legacy. Further information has not been unlocked in the Archives.]

Can you explain my other stats? 

[Query Answer: Your other stats are representative of how much of each of the six elemental manas your vessel has refined. Together they set the limit of your Arcane mana and how it affects your body and spells. I will now explain each stat and what element it is linked to.]

[Power/Fire: Determines the raw power of your spells, their range and the area they can affect. Increased spell penetration against magical defences.]

[Endurance/Earth: Faster Arcane mana regeneration, increased resistance to magical and physical damage, resistance to extreme conditions and magical effects.

[Charisma/Light: Increased positive spell effects on others, increased resistance to dark magic and curses, and others will see you as more attractive/trustworthy due to the influence of your magical aura.

[Agility/Air: Faster mana flow for spellcasting, increased reflexes and speed, greater control over fine body movements.]

[Spirit/Water: Increased spell potency, Lower mana cost for spells, Greater effectiveness for summoning spells, Increased Arcane mana regeneration, Increased enchantment effectiveness.]

[Mysticism/Dark: Increased spell complexity limit, Increased Magical Insight, Increased effectiveness of negative spell effects on others, Increased damage to user's Curse spells, Increased alchemy effectiveness.]

Damn, that's a lot to take in. It's a shame my Power stat is so low. A long sigh escaped Callum's lips as he decided to check out the Archives as the ring had suggested earlier.

[You have one new entry available to unlock.]

[Unlock Circle Level Enchantment and Knowledge of Major Arcana: The Magician? Cost: 1 Legacy Point.]

Callum hesitated for a bit as he read the new notifications. However, he was completely at a loss for what it meant or what it may unlock. It should be fine. He wouldn't have left me something that could be dangerous to me. Yes, unlock it.