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 else’s.” 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 manipulated…physical changes manifest in the body. In short? What this means is flesh, blood and bone…become 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 he’d known about it sooner.

‘Forget offence,’ he thought. ‘If I can alter my own body directly…jeez, 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 doesn’t everyone get taught thi-”

“But.” Professor Hak held up her hand, as though responding to Alex’s 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: you’d 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 else’s, but, if any of you are imagining yourself sculpting your face or physique into statuesque proportions, then I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until your final year: true shapeshifting spells aren’t first-tier spells, they’re at best, fifth-tiers. There’ve been many wizards who’ve 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 you’ve 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 is…’springier’ 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. That’s 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... He’d started modifying spells mostly because of the Mark; forceball was originally a spell that provided light and had a few other uses, but he’d 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 we’ll be looking at this semester,” Professor Hak said. “It’s one that many find…distasteful and the name it bears only encourages that distaste. Corpse Puppet.”

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

A young woman raised her hand. “Um, Professor, isn’t that a necromantic spell?”

“I’m so glad you asked that question,” Professor Hak smiled. “That’s actually a common misunderstanding. Over the centuries, there’ve been mages who’ve 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 don’t realise this though: after all, if an army of walking dead comes pouring over the horizon—led by a half-mad looking wizard—most folk in their path don’t 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 didn’t show it.

She approached a diagram on the wall illustrating the flow of energy between a wizard’s 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 spell’s name really does say it all. Dead bodies re-animated through Corpse Puppet obviously must be…well, puppetted: they need constant mental commands or they’ll 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 didn’t 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 Chitterer’s corpse back to camp.

‘If dead specimens could walk themselves back to camp, that’d 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 idea…a 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 you’ve mastered Warp Flesh and Corpse Puppet, you’ll then have the foundation to learn sympathetic magic: it’s a deadly and dangerous art, but also one of the most powerful. You’ll be able to use a sample of blood from another organism in an effigy you’ve 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 Generasi’s 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 we’ll do this safely…I’ll guide you through the arteries, veins and beating heart of such a practice. Earlier I said blood magic does not entirely deserve its reputation…well, let’s just say that if you listen to my lectures and follow my assignments meticulously…”

A broad smile suddenly swept over her face. “…then I’ll 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 she’d presented her lecture.

The woman’s 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 she’d be teaching her lessons in any way she pleased and that if he was displeased, it wasn’t too late for him to visit the registrar’s 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. “There’s always one. And what can I do for you…which 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 it’s your choice.”

“Alex it is, then.” Professor Hak smiled. “Just to let you know…I 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 everything…afterward, 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 Oreca’s Fall against the demons. You helped a lot of people…which tells me you have steady nerves: no one battles demons and comes out on top without having a pretty sturdy spine, and that’s a good thing. Blood mages need steady nerves. I hope you’ll enjoy and benefit from the course, Alex: Both Professors Val’Rok and Jules have been raving about you since last year-”

“Wait, Professor Jules raved?” Alex asked, feeling flattered. He really liked her, and she’d praised his accomplishments in the past, but he couldn’t really imagine her raving.

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

“Wait, you’ve heard about all that?” Alex asked, feeling more than a little self-conscious. He’d wanted his performance in the Games of Roal to help his name and reputation spread in Generasi, but things were progressing faster than he’d even known.

“Indeed,” Professor Hak said. “It’s not often that we get students who arrive from a distant kingdom—on scholarship—and 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, don’t 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, I’ve 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? I’m finding the spell a bit tricky.”

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

“Nope, I learned it.”

“Ah, well I’m happy to see you’re already taking to my subject in earnest. Tell me what sort of trouble you’re having and I’ll see if I can offer any pointers.”

Alex smiled. “I appreciate it. Actually…there is one other thing. Not gonna lie, I’m 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 I’m wondering if I work hard and use some of what I already know, if I’ll be able to get the content down. I know challenging the exam for credit isn’t exactly encouraged, but I’m thinking that if I get deeper into the course and it just slaps me down, then I’ll know my place. But if it doesn’t, 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 isn’t an easy subject, Alex, but you’re very capable and if you want to try, then I can give you extra materials that’ll let you work toward advancing faster, as long as you’re dedicated to practising. You’re a second year now, and you learned quite a lot through self-study last year, so I think you’ll 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. “I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

“I hope you don’t. I have high expectations for you, Alex.”

He winced inside.

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

Alex swore to himself that he’d 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 it’d be worth it. Professor Hak’s list of spells she’d 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 wizard’s staff.