Mark of the Fool

Chapter 275: Blood and Whine

Simply put, Professor Hak explained. Warp Flesh establishes a strong connection between your mana pool and either your own lifeforce, or someone elses. A strange light entered her eyes. From there, a blood mage can use the connection to apply mana manipulation techniques to a lifeforce directly-

Alex froze. The rest of the class went quiet.

-and as the lifeforce is manipulatedphysical changes manifest in the body. In short? What this means is flesh, blood and bonebecome no more than clay for you to sculpt.

Alex sat bolt upright, his mind exploding with possibilities, imagining different ways he could have used the spell if hed known about it sooner.

Forget offence, he thought. If I can alter my own body directlyjeez, the sky's the limit. I could increase my muscles mass and density by just casting a spell. I could improve my blood flow and bone density, and even my senses I could even change my shape. Damn, this is fantastic. Why doesnt everyone get taught thi-

But. Professor Hak held up her hand, as though responding to Alexs thoughts. Warp Flesh does have some very powerful limitations to be aware of.

Aaaaand there it is, he thought, waiting for the: too good to be true, information to come.

The control Warp Flesh grants over the body is crude. She wiggled her fingers before her face. Imagine trying to perform a delicate or intricate task with your hands wrapped in a pair of thick, locked gauntlets: youd find it quite impossible to do anything requiring dexterity. The same applies to this spell; you can make simple changes such as moving, folding or growing skin, twisting muscles, breaking bone, tearing flesh and joints in your own body or even someone elses, but, if any of you are imagining yourself sculpting your face or physique into statuesque proportions, then Im afraid youll have to wait until your final year: true shapeshifting spells arent first-tier spells, theyre at best, fifth-tiers. Thereve been many wizards whove thought to use this spell to fashion their bodies in their ideal image only to find themselves deformed in a most hideous manner; the exact opposite to what they were after. Sadly, certain blood magic practitioners who lacked the proficiency to wield Warp Flesh, have even disintegrated their own hearts. So please, keep that firmly in mind. Trying to run before youve learned how to crawl can end quite tragically.

A chill went through the room, and Alex exchanged uneasy looks with students near him.

The other limit to note is that changes achieved through Warp Flesh are only temporary. The body isspringier than you might imagine, and generally wants to cleave to its natural shape. Using Warp Flesh is like bending a sapling: sure, the tree will curve for a time, but springs back to its natural position as soon as you release it. Unfortunately though, damage caused by the spell is permanent, in the same way that bending a sapling enough to break the trunk will leave it broken. Thats why Warp Flesh is more suited for attack than for self-enhancement. If you just wish to gain strength, I would suggest learning body enhancement magic instead, or even good old sweat producing physical activity. She laughed.

Victor scoffed at the back of the lecture room again.

Alex nodded along, already deep in thought. The spell sounded like it might have very limited uses for him, but then again... Hed started modifying spells mostly because of the Mark; forceball was originally a spell that provided light and had a few other uses, but hed turned it into an attacker, a pack mule and a scout.

Given enough time with Warp Flesh, he thought. I might be able to turn it into something with wider applications.

And finally, one of the last spells well be looking at this semester, Professor Hak said. Its one that many finddistasteful and the name it bears only encourages that distaste. Corpse Puppet.

Some of Alexs classmates leaned toward each other, and began whispering. Victor had his arms crossed and a smug look on his face as if hed achieved a victory of some kind.

A young woman raised her hand. Um, Professor, isnt that a necromantic spell?

Im so glad you asked that question, Professor Hak smiled. Thats actually a common misunderstanding. Over the centuries, thereve been mages whove specialised both in necromancy and blood magic, and in both disciplines, there are ways of animating corpses that are very different beyond surface similarities. Most dont realise this though: after all, if an army of walking dead comes pouring over the horizonled by a half-mad looking wizardmost folk in their path dont pause to ask what sort of wizardry is being used to drive the dead toward them.

She paused, her eyes twinkling with humour, but only a couple of students laughed uneasily at her joke. If Professor Hak minded, she didnt show it.

She approached a diagram on the wall illustrating the flow of energy between a wizards mana pool and their lifeforce, and tapped the centre of it. Corpse Puppet injects your mana directly into a body and converts it into a pseudo-lifeforce which you can directly control; it is literally like controlling the strings of a puppet. The spells name really does say it all. Dead bodies re-animated through Corpse Puppet obviously must bewell, puppetted: they need constant mental commands or theyll inactivate. The whole concept might sound distasteful, but still, it can be a very useful spell.

Yeah, I can definitely see how it could be, Alex thought.

The idea of controlling dead bodies didnt gross him out as much as he thought it might. Imagining himself puppeting dead people did make him wince, but he had no problem thinking about using monster corpses like Ravener spawn.

He thought about Tyris team carrying the Chitterers corpse back to camp.

If dead specimens could walk themselves back to camp, thatd make life easier on our team. He considered. Not to mention their potential in combat: every enemy defeated could become a combatant on our side. A monster body just waiting to be puppeted. He liked that ideaa lot.

He circled Corpse Puppet as a spell to focus on.

So, lastly, Professor Hak said, and her voice took on an ominous note. Once youve mastered Warp Flesh and Corpse Puppet, youll then have the foundation to learn sympathetic magic: its a deadly and dangerous art, but also one of the most powerful. Youll be able to use a sample of blood from another organism in an effigy youve created of them, then exert your power over them through the effigy.

All hints of humour vanished from her face. Using sympathetic magic on another without their express verbal or written consent is one of the highest crimes in all of Generasi, so I will teach you the laws governing such practices. But, that said

Her eyes sparked, matching the crimson glow that bathed the room. you will find such effigies to be mosteffective against monsters or enemies beyond Generasis shores. Remember well, though, that to use sympathetic magic on another, is to leave yourself vulnerable to them reversing that connection, then exerting their power over you. She paused, looking over the class as if appraising each student.But well do this safelyIll guide you through the arteries, veins and beating heart of such a practice. Earlier I said blood magic does not entirely deserve its reputationwell, lets just say that if you listen to my lectures and follow my assignments meticulously

A broad smile suddenly swept over her face. then Ill show you a path to the sorts of powers that will make your enemies tremble before you.

At that moment, Professor Hak strongly reminded Alex of Hobb.

After that disquieting declaration, the rest of the lesson continued smoothly, and ended soon after. Alex wanted to ask Professor Hak a question about Mana to Life, but Victor immediately scurried up to her after class like a centipede, and trapped her in conversation in his critique on how shed presented her lecture.

The womans humour instantly died and Victor received a terse lesson on who was better equipped to teach the class, which ended with her informing him that shed be teaching her lessons in any way she pleased and that if he was displeased, it wasnt too late for him to visit the registrars office and switch out of her course. The young man-in-black immediately turned red in the face and stormed out the door.

She sighed. Theres always one. And what can I do for youwhich do you prefer, Alex or Mr. Roth?

Either, Professor Hak. He shrugged. Professor Mangal says that names are whatever we accept them to be, and I respond to both. So its your choice.

Alex it is, then. Professor Hak smiled. Just to let you knowI watched your matches at the Games in the Duel by Proxy competition. And let me offer you my congratulations, both you and Claygon- She glanced at his golem. -were very impressive, both in power and in how you commanded the battle. The same for your entire team in the Grand Battle.

Oh, uh, Alex flushed, suddenly feeling self-conscious. His face grew warm, and he hoped the red light from the tanks was hiding the redness spreading across his cheeks. Thanks, I guess. You know, with everythingafterward, with the demon summoner and all, the Games feel like they were a lifetime ago.

They do to me too, Professor Hak said. I also wanted to thank you for what you did on Orecas Fall against the demons. You helped a lot of peoplewhich tells me you have steady nerves: no one battles demons and comes out on top without having a pretty sturdy spine, and thats a good thing. Blood mages need steady nerves. I hope youll enjoy and benefit from the course, Alex: Both Professors ValRok and Jules have been raving about you since last year-

Wait, Professor Jules raved? Alex asked, feeling flattered. He really liked her, and shed praised his accomplishments in the past, but he couldnt really imagine her raving.

That she did, Professor Hak said. Professor Mangal had very positive things to say about you too. Then theres your performance in Chancellor Baelins course, and what you and your team have done for the expedition so far.

Wait, youve heard about all that? Alex asked, feeling more than a little self-conscious. Hed wanted his performance in the Games of Roal to help his name and reputation spread in Generasi, but things were progressing faster than hed even known.

Indeed, Professor Hak said. Its not often that we get students who arrive from a distant kingdomon scholarshipand excel not only academically, but also in the Games, as well as research. You are a rare breed. So, as I said, I hope you find that blood magic suits you. If there is anything you need from me, dont hesitate to ask.

Alex fought the urge to laugh.

He remembered Professor Jules once saying: that when one was succeeding, people scrambled to offer them support, rewards, help and opportunities. The more that time went by, the more he realised how true that was.

Thanks professor. Actually, Ive been having a little trouble. I started learning from the blood magic textbook in the summer, and I was wondering if you could give me any tips on learning Mana to Life. Is there anything I should be watching out for? Im finding the spell a bit tricky.

Her left eyebrow rose. Did you skip Life to Mana?

Nope, I learned it.

Ah, well Im happy to see youre already taking to my subject in earnest. Tell me what sort of trouble youre having and Ill see if I can offer any pointers.

Alex smiled. I appreciate it. Actuallythere is one other thing. Not gonna lie, Im kinda hoping to work very hard and try to challenge the Exam for Credit. I know some of the spells use Mana Manipulation techniques, so Im wondering if I work hard and use some of what I already know, if Ill be able to get the content down. I know challenging the exam for credit isnt exactly encouraged, but Im thinking that if I get deeper into the course and it just slaps me down, then Ill know my place. But if it doesnt, I was wondering if you could give me extra readings and maybe some pointers so I could give it a try.

Professor Hak raised both eyebrows. Blood Magic isnt an easy subject, Alex, but youre very capable and if you want to try, then I can give you extra materials thatll let you work toward advancing faster, as long as youre dedicated to practising. Youre a second year now, and you learned quite a lot through self-study last year, so I think youll be a good candidate to give it a try. Just remember what I said about learning to crawl before trying to run, and be careful.

Thanks, Professor, Alex said. Ill try not to disappoint you.

I hope you dont. I have high expectations for you, Alex.

He winced inside.

That was one problem with having ones name spread: opportunities came, but so did pressure.

Alex swore to himself that hed rise to expectations, especially those he had for himself.

Preparing to challenge the course to advance faster was something to work toward during the semester, but itd be worth it. Professor Haks list of spells shed be covering was giving him loads of motivation to try and master them quickly: during the lecture he realised that some could be built into his latest alchemical project.

A wizards staff.