Kylara gets Aid

After we got done without training, Lord Glade, Ishmael, and I returned to the Palace.

I was in a terrible mood. Training had gone horribly. I was severely limited in my attacks because of my rank advancement and as a result I had only killed six monsters. I nearly cracked Ishmael's skull when I saw his gloating smile after I announced my total number of kills.

Wisely, I got my anger under control as I showered and changed.

Then I went to see the Archivist.

I found him at work translating a book under an oversized desk lamp that shed gentle light.

I waited patiently for his attention. When he got to the end of his page, he looked up at me with a smile, which I returned.

"You said to stop by today, Sir, if I could." I prompted him.

Glancing at the tables in the center of the room, I saw Pharon at work at one of them again. 'Wasn't that every day this week?' I wondered. I looked at the other table. It was empty, void of all tea things. With a frown, I hesitantly asked, "do you have time for tea?"

The Archivist's smile turned regretful, "Alas, not at the moment but I did want to give you this." he reached under the desk and dug around for a bit. After a few moments, he smiled and pulled out a small box. He passed it to me, and I opened it gently.

Inside the box, I saw gleaming black opal set on a plain gold band. The ring glittered as if brand new, but I got the sense of ancient magics from it.

I blinked, 'he was giving this to me?'

"This was a gift from my master to me. He got it from his master, who got it from his master, and so on. It is very old and very precious. I am loaning it to you for the time being. I recognized that magic you were attempting yesterday. It was training for unaided lightning magic, was it not?" The Archivist asked. I bit my lip and nodded slowly.

He continued, "normally, unaided magic isn't unlockable until a mage reaches the journeyman stage or even later. However, you have chosen another path in your study of magic. You are able to unlock these magic lines earlier. This comes at the cost of less experience in casting magic in general. Therefore, you will have a harder time learning unaided magic, especially with your aptitude for enchantments." I grimaced and nodded again.

It was true I could perform enchantment magic before I had acquired a system. And it was also true that I was having quite a hard time with my unaided lightning magic. I practiced it every chance I got. I probably put in at least 20 hours working on the magic line, but I had only gotten credit for seven hours. The lack of progress was very frustrating.

"How can a ring help?" I asked with doubt.

The Archivist smiled wryly, "enchanted jewelry can be good for more than just illusions and anti-glamour spells." I blushed, ashamed to be called out in such a way. "This ring will act as both a conduit and a focus for your magic. It should aid you in calling it forth from yourself and in manipulating it to do as you will." the Archivist finished.

I'd like rapidly as my eyes began to prickle. It had been a long time since I'd received so much kindness.

"Thank you, Sir." I whispered.

The Archivist nodded, "very well. Once you get the hang of it, you can return the ring to me. You are not my apprentice after all. This ring is destined for that person."

I nodded my understanding as I sent a fleeting, envious glance at Prince Pharon.

"I will work quickly, Sir." I promised. I slipped the ring onto my finger and hurriedly left to begin practice.

I got to my clearing and set about practicing. The Archivist was right. The ring shone in my mind and attracted my magic like a lightning rod. Soon, sparks enveloped my right hand at will, no rubbing required. I was ecstatic!

I kept training for two hours and the progress leapt from 57/250 to 100/250.

I couldn't keep from doing my happy dance when I returned to my rooms. However, when I remembered what the today's mating event was all my happiness fled me. The joyous feeling was replaced by cold dread in the pit of my stomach.