Chapter 92 - Pointers

Nerun quickly actually stopped going forward, and backstepped a bit. He started to analyze the big stone hand that was floating nearby, and there were stars in his eyes. Even though he had met Mr. Menke before, he was nothing compared to the power of Lord Rafal, even when the latter was restraining his power to that of a Great Mana Adept. Nerun, just like Rafal, was also enjoying this experience, and winning or losing was not on his mind, but learning and absorbing as much as he could from this spar.

After all, Nerun had never been classically trained in the ways of Mana, so his actual way of using this energy was quite crude. As Nerun saw Rafal's moves, agility and poise when attacking and defending, he got several ideas to use in his own attacks, but over all, the way to use the spells.

Actually, what Nerun did not know was that most adepts were actually quite stiff in the way they used their spells. Some were accustomed to being like a Magick Tower that fired one spell after another, while being protected by a friend Warrior. This was the usual way of the military on Lutzomya where Adepts were quite frequently seen, and the pair Warrior/Adept was the norm.

Rafal's way of fighting was the way of the experts. They did not stay still, since most adepts knew that once a Warrior got up close to an Adept, they could quickly take care of them. Nerun also noticed that Rafal's moves seemed to follow a certain rhythm. This was the moves of a Martial Art, and Nerun's understanding of Adepts changed as well, since he had never pictured an Adept using a Martial Art as well.

With these new understandings under his bell, Nerun then decided to use magic as well. Once again, flames could be seen around his fingers, as he used "Fire Hand", but this time, he started to make the flames float separately and attack the hand from different sides. The damage done to the Stone hand was negligible, but Nerun did not get discouraged. Rafal started to move and the hand perfectly followed the moves of his hand as he attacked Nerun with it.

The moves of the fireballs were clumsy and the damage they did was minimal, but Nerun kept using his mana. Rafal was not impatient, since he noticed that Nerun was actually trying to do something different with his Magick spell, so he kept attacking Nerun non-stop and applying pressure to stimulate his potential.

Nerun started to dodge the stone hand nimbly, and he started to attack with his fire spell as he moved. It was hard at first, since he needed to focus on several things at the same time, however he quickly got the hang of it and the fireballs started to become quite free, and flew almost like butterflies. This was all on Nerun's great control over his mana, and it allowed the fireballs to attack wherever Nerun wanted, and at the moment he needed it. Nerun also started to combine two, three, or even more fireballs and their might quickly increased as well.

When Nerun used the spell before, he either used the fireballs separately or at the same time, but there was no real fusion. Nerun used three fireballs to attack the hand and another two to attack Rafal, who had some stones float and defend against the fireballs.

"Good. Good thinking, not limited by the spell at all, but actually surpassing the scope of it. Those are the marks of a good Adept. Remember, a proper Adept will not stay put and wait for a Warrior to get close, he must think quickly on his mind, and use his spells properly to damage, defend, and harass the enemy." said Rafal, as he kept pestering Nerun with the hand, with chops, grabs, and even fists. The hand moved the same way Rafal did, and had Nerun been even a bit less agile, he would have already lost on the first exchange, since the stone hand's speed was quite high, almost as quick as a Praetorian.

Nerun was deeply enjoying himself, but he quickly noticed that his Mana pool was about to expire, so he had no choice but to make a last stand. Nerun once again summoned the flames in his hand, but this time he used his self-made technique.

"Choro Sancti Ignis".

As Nerun said this he disappeared from where he was like a fire comet, and quickly appeared right on top of the stone hand, while attacking downwards with an axe kick that was followed by a fire wave.

- BOOOOOM! -

Rafal's eyes constricted as the Stone Hand actually got almost destroyed, with two of its ifingers broken from the power of Nerun's atack. 'A combination attack using both Qi and Mana. This power…' thought Rafal quickly, as he then used his other hand to summon another stone hand.

"Τα δύο χέρια του Τιτάνα - /Ta dýo chéria tou Titána/" (The two hands of the Titan)

With the two hands, Rafal started to attack Nerun with all his power and agility, but the latter defended using the Dance of the Holy Fire. Nerun's attacks were quite mighty, and soon enough the hands were eroded by fire and on the brink of being destroyed. As Nerun was attacking freely, his movement turned ethereal, and soon enough he was right by Rafal's side.

However, before Nerun could get closer, he noticed that a sharp stone needle had suddenly appeared by his throat an inch before it. Nerun stopped abruptly, while cold sweat ran through his back. Rafal's eyes seemed cold, and even a bit angry.

Nevertheless, Rafal's semblance rapidly changed and he once again smiled joyfully, while the needle in front of Nerun disappeared as if it was nothing but dust.

"Hahahahahaha… You must alway take care when facing any kind of enemy. Never assume that an enemy is completely out of movements he could use. You might be surprised." said Rafal while amused.

Nerun looked a bit dejected, when Rafal then said, "Having said that, I lost. I truly lost to a small child that can barely be considered a Grandmaster level expert." Nerun was flabbergasted when he heard this. He then turned towards Elijah, who was also smiling back at him, since Nerun had not let down his expectations.

"You seem to not have noticed Nerun. That the last spell that lord Rafal used, the Two Hands of the Titan, was already the spell of a Mana Scholar. And the Hidden Stone Needle needs at the very least the power of a level 50 Archmage in order to be used properly. So Lord Rafal was simply testing you further." explained Elijah patiently.

Nerun then sat right on the floor while gasping a bit. His nerves got a bit strained during the last part, and his Mana was practically exhausted, so his mind was feeling a bit groggy.

"Indeed young boy, you have brought me a pleasant surprise. I will be the first person to accept that I was uncertain about this new path that you have created but I can now see its potential. The might of using Qi and Mana together is not simply one plus one, but it seems as if both energies complement each other and become much stronger. That being said, I do feel that the union is not complete yet. It looks as if there was something missing, since the combination of both energies, albeit stronger than the simple addition of both is not what I would call thorough enough that most people would choose to follow this path rather than simply becoming a Warrior or an Adept. Your path is, after all, much more difficult."

Rafal was pointing to all and any ideas he had noticed while sparring with Neurn. He was doing his best to be unbiased and to properly tell both Nerun and Elijah his thoughts about the pros and the cons of Nerun's new path. Actually, Rafal was also intrigued by this new path and wanted to help Nerun explore it, so he kindly gave the best advice he could think of.

"What I can help you with is by giving you some pointers on how to properly use Mana. I noticed that you had not had any training before, and the magics you have used, and the way you use them are mainly self-taught, and with the accomplishments you had managed to accrue they are nothing short of impressive. But I think you could do a lot better."

Nerun was listening avidly to each and every word. After all this was quite a rare chance, the opportunity to listen to one of the most powerful men on the continent to expound the ways and uses of Mana and Magick spells. Nerun was spellbound to Rafal's speech, and he absorbed it all like a sponge. Since he had very little knowledge beforehand, the experience he was gaining right now was unbeknownst to him quickly raising his level of understanding towards the Will of the World, and the proper way to use the Natural Energy of the Heaven and Earth.

"The main issue with the path you have chosen, is that there seems to be a conundrum when trying to use each energy apart. When you use them together you have the advantage, but there is a severe lack of proper techniques, and the way to use them is something you'll have to figure out on your own. I can tell that the purity of your energy is quite high, and your meridians are quite vast and strong. So even though your energy levels seem to be scarce, since you have opened two Core Meridians and two Heavenly Gates, the power of your attacks when using either Qi or Mana should also be representative of the level you are currently at." said Rafal.

"I have noticed this issue in past encounters. Also, although when using my Martial Art, I spend little to no Qi or Mana, whenever I use a Technique my lack of energies is quite noteworthy, so I can't freely use them as much as I'd like to." said Nerun also asking about the concerns he had found for himself.

"There is not an easy solution to this problem, but for now, I have found a way to help you improve somewhat." said Rafal with a slight smile on his face. Nerun was eager for his next words, but Rafal seemed to have become mute and had a nonchalant face, which made Nerun actually start to make faces. It's like listening to a very interesting story and someone abruptly stopping at the climax.

Before Nerun started hollering out, Rafal actually chuckled and stopped teasing Nerun. Elijah remained quiet, since he knew that although Rafal Sen Buran looked quite stern at times, he was quite a good and kind man, and deeply loved talented people, as well as the Kingdom of Eonia. Therefore he was more than happy to help Nerun in developing this new path.

"I'll stop teasing you Nerun. Actually, what you need is to have an efficient use of the energies. I can only talk from the way of a Mana Adept, since it's my main point of expertise. What are Magick Spells? People might think that Magick is a transformation of the Mana into different elements to attack. Actually Mana is simply an intermediary. Mana allows us to communicate more easily with the Will of the World. As you know, Will is quite important when using energy, and a Qi Warrior will use his Will to materialize it in the world, what people call "Voluntas". We do not use our own Will, but the Will of the World. We Adepts need to "talk" to the Will of the World and use its power. This is the main reason why the might of the attack done by an adept is actually higher than the one done by a Warrior. Because we do not use our own power, but the power of the World itself. The same world that contains us and gives us life is the one also supporting your power."

Nerun kept listening and asking questions when in doubt, which was something that Rafal and Elijah encouraged. His mind was opened to the world of Mana, and just by listening the the Titan's explanation, he was sure that his overall power when using his spells had risen from 50 to a hundred percent.

"The power of a spell comes from two things.The amount of Mana used to call upon the might of the World, and the amount of actual power the World is willing to lend to you. The first part is difficult to improve, since you have little of it, but you have to take advantage of the purity of it and end the Magick rite with the minimum of movements and words needed. That way you can call upon bigger spells with little mana. You will be able to freely use the lower rank spells quite easily. There will be an issue though with the stronger spells, especially those that need the Adept to be a Magic Emperor at the very least. So you will need to develop new techniques like the one you used to defeat me, hehehehe."

"Thank you so much for this night. What you have given me is something so precious I have no idea how to return it in the future. But I promise that in the future, whatever you need me to do, I'll do it" said Nerun seriously.

"Hahahaha. The thought is enough. Actually if you want to repay me, then I want you to get stronger. Strong enough that you can prove to me that you are worthy of the time and attention me and your brother have given you. Show me the might and reach of this new path. We'll end it here for tonight, but I'll give you a piece of homework. You need to think… What is fire? What is its nature? If you manage to solve this answer, I'll assure you that the might of your spell will not simply double" ended Rafal quizzically.

"Thank you so much Lord Rafal. I assure you that he will use this opportunity to the fullest. Nerun, return for now to my quarters and get a good night rest. I still need to discuss several things with Lord Titan. Tomorrow morning we'll have a good chat." said Elijah with a smile.

Nerun said good bye and went back to Elijah's quarters, while Elijah stayed. Lord Rafal saw Nerun off and then went with Elijah towards his study where both sat and started to discuss proper business. After Rafal congratulated Elijah for his accomplishments, and his naming, Elijah started to address something first.

"Actually, Lord Rafal, I wanted to ask for your opinion on something. After seeing my little brother and his achievements on this new path I wanted to recommend him to become the seed for the Elite Program of the Royal Military School and develop him into a super soldier."

Rafal was a bit shocked by Elijah's proposal and he wanted to interject, but he then stopped and actually started to consider the issue. The more he thought about it, the more he started to think that Elijah might actually have a point.