The Empires Rise

With Eleanor's questions ringing through my head, I focused more on my mana and how to control it better. There aren't any easy guides for me, so instead of floundering and trying to get it to work, I head to where I think Laxreal will be.

When working on my mana veins, I don't feel confident that I can control the mana, stumping me. I think of all the books about how they might control their mana. With this in mind, I come up with a couple of ideas.

My first option is to remove the mana from my body somehow and control it that way. Another option is to be able to control things with external mana.

It takes five minutes before I am in front of Laxreal's tomb. Not knowing the right way to get his attention if he is inside, I go to knock on the stone door. Right as I am about to knock, I hear a raspy voice from behind me.

"And how might I be of assistance to you, Drake?"

Turning with a start, not expecting him to be right behind me, I say. "I was curious if you had time to discuss some things involving my mana."

"I can spare some time, but first, I want to ask. Is the mage tower ready to use?"

I take a second to look at the building queue.

- Building Queue:

Stone Gatehouse Level 1: Complete

Moat Level 1: Complete

Infantry Training Yard Level 1: Complete

Archery Training Yard Level 1: Complete

Apprentice Mage Tower Level 1: Complete -

With all the buildings in the queue finished, I informed Laxreal. "Yes, it is complete. Why?"

"I feel it would be beneficial if we continued this discussion there." He turns around and walks to the tower.

I was helpless since he had just walked away, so I followed him. Only a few minutes before we reached the tower, I looked at him and asked, "So, why did we need to come here exactly?"

"Like I said before, I just felt it would be beneficial if we came here." Shrugging his shoulders at me. He turns to the tower and presses his hand to it. That is when I received a notification.

- Special Settlement Quest:

Teach a Man to Fish...

You have constructed training buildings for each class currently available to the settlement. Find eligible instructors for each of these buildings.

Tasks:

Find Instructors (0/3)

Reward: 3 X Class Experience Bags

3 X Random Skill Books

Extra Random Settlement Bonus -

I find this quest quite interesting. It gives experience bags and skill books. I considered how I could use these items. As I think of ways to use them, Laxreal pokes me.

"Drake, what are you doing spacing out? I was asking you a question."

"Sorry," I apologize to him. "What were you asking?"

"I was asking you why I couldn't enter the mage tower?"

"Wait, we can't get inside? Did you get a reason why?"

"I didn't get an exact reason; it was just a notification saying that I am not allowed to enter yet."

I ponder on this before asking. "Tell me, Laxreal, what were you doing before you were summoned to this world by me?"

"Well, before being summoned here. I was trying to start a school, though it was challenging. Having the reputation of a failed sorcerer isn't the best way to attract students to learn under you." He looks downtrodden.

"What makes you a failed sorcerer? If you don't mind me asking."

"For one to become a failed sorcerer in my world, you have to fail at breaking through to a higher realm while not being able to cast spells of the sixth tier."

"How strong is a spell of the sixth tier?"

"I would be strong enough to slay hundreds of unprepared opponents, at least in power. Many sorcerers have different affinities, which shows in the spells they can cast. The highest-known tier of magic on my planet is the tenth tier."

"And what realm were you at?"

"For a brief explanation, to cast a sixth-tier spell, you needed to be at least in the fifth realm. The first three realms aren't crucial to our discussion, but I was in the fourth realm, also called the Baron Realm. I was trying to get to the level of a Viscount. The naming scheme is based on what land you have at your disposal. If I had succeeded in advancing, I would have also had my land rights increase. After my failed breakthrough, I became known as a failed sorcerer. However, it wasn't because of the failure by itself. It was because I was trying to start a school simultaneously with the failed breakthrough, which made it a larger ordeal than anticipated."

I sensed he still wanted to teach people as he explained this.

"Soooo, I might have just the thing here for you."

He snaps his head up and looks at me before speaking slowly. "And what might that be, Drake?" There is a hint of hope in his voice.

"Well, I might have just gotten a special settlement quest for finding instructors."

"Instructors?" He says, more hope entering his voice. "As in for the different training buildings?"

"Yeah," I reply, a shit-eating grin on my face.

"And how do I go about getting said position?"

"Give me a second so I can try something." I start to look through the menus, and it takes me a while before I stumble upon it in the settlement portion of the menu. By selecting it, I can invite people to become instructors for the specific buildings.

Mentally tapping on the mage tower, a list of the people in the settlement appears. Looking down the list, there are some discrepancies. Only three people are on the list.

- Apprentice Mage Tower Instructor Options:

Laxreal Wraithwhisper

Gibnic Mikmack

Eleanor of the Blood Flight Clan -

Seeing such a sparse list makes me curious, especially since Eleanor is on it. I don't want to think too much about what that might mean, so I select Laxreal.

- Would you like to invite Laxreal to become the instructor for the Apprentice Mage Tower? Yes/No -

Selecting 'Yes,' I see his soul flames focus on something before the settlement quest updates. Giving him another look, I motion for him to try the door again.

He reaches for the tower's double doors with shaking skeletal hands. Once his hands are on the handles, he pulls lightly. Upon seeing the tower inside, I released a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Inside the tower, it is filled with light. Shelves line the walls with books. Tables are placed around a central winding staircase.

From the feel of the room, there is a scholarly air about it. Walking inside, I ask Laxreal, "Is there anything special you received when you got the instructor position?"

"I did receive a bonus for teaching skills I know. I also learned that when someone learns a skill, I get class experience. One passive ability of the building is that you can also self-study and learn new skills or upgrade current skills. It says that there are more bonuses, but they will be unlocked at higher levels."

Pondering this, I went back and selected the other training yards. Two notifications came up with who can be chosen as an instructor.

- Infantry Training Yard Instructor Options:

Ramona the Peace Guardian Daemon

Nelaedeth Oakenbrow

Ilpheus Taldrit

Rognar

Archery Training Yard Instructor Options:

Autumn Dust

Sylvasti Brymaris

Muiress

Eleanor of the Blood Flight Clan

Strauvana Void -

With a couple more options for these, I slowly go down the line. I start muttering about the different options.

"Ramona seems like it would be a good fit, but I also feel that Rognar would be better at this situation. I am shocked that my father is on the list for the Infantry instructors list. Interestingly, Eleanor was on the list for both the mage tower and now the archery range."

Laxreal comes to my side, "Drake, I think it would be best to talk with these people individually. Maybe even hold interviews with those who are interested. You might be surprised by the response you get. Also, I heard you are curious why Eleanor was on both lists. I can tell you one thing. The Blood Flight Clan is not one to take lightly. They train all of their members to control their mana to an almost perfectionist state, and while doing that, they also train them how to be hunters. They are vampires, after all."

"Thanks, Laxreal. I don't know where I would be without your help and the help of my family."

"It is fine, Drake. We are all here in hopes of seeing success and maybe even getting to go home."

I contemplate what he just said. Do I even want to go home after everything I have experienced? I shake myself out of my momentary stupor. "Since I don't have as much time as I would like to learn what I asked about, we should start quickly. I don't know when someone will ask about the other training yards."

"Then let's get started." He rubs his hands together and heads upstairs.

Following along, I see that there are doors leading to different rooms. I see Laxreal open one of the doors, and inside, there are two mats on the ground where he promptly takes a seat. I sit across from him, and not long after, he asks.

"Are the mana veins in your arms and hands cleared out?"

I circulate my mana through my system to ensure they have been cleared. This doesn't take more than a couple of seconds before I reply. "Yes, I have cleared out the veins in my arms."

"Alright, that makes this a bit easier. What I want you to do is concentrate on your mana and bring some to the palm of your hand. Once you get to that point, we will move on."

Focusing on my mana, I try to follow the instructions. It is more complicated than it looks, and I can see his teasing smile. I don't know how he does that, but I am getting better at reading his facial bones. On a different note, he has some mana flowing through his own hands; it is entwining itself around his fingers, taking on various shapes as it does so.

After twenty minutes of trying, I can finally get the tiniest trickle of mana to the palm of my hand. Or at least to just under the skin of the palm of my hand.

"Good," he says after my accomplishment. "This is a great start. One more step, and you will start to learn the process of officially controlling mana."

I have been so focused on my hand that I lose concentration when he speaks, and I look at him aghast. "What do you mean? Isn't this controlling it?"

"Oh heavens no. I got the mana control skill up to level 7 in just a couple of days doing the basics of mana control from my world. There is a long way still."

Sighing about getting my mana back to where it was, I ask. "Could you tell me the next step so I can attempt that?"

"Sure, once you get your mana, just underneath your skin. The next step is taking the mana and pulling it from your body. One thing to mention is that you have already done this once, from what I have heard. Do you remember when you were pushing mana into Zul'Zara during her transformation ritual?" I nod my head in agreement. "You need to do the same thing, but instead of letting it run wild, you must take control. I would recommend starting small—no need to cause an explosion."

I look at him in shock. "What do you mean an explosion?"

"Oh, nothing. It is just a little joke; seeing your expression is funny, though." He says while I hear a dry chuckle leave his mouth.

With an exasperated sigh, I start work, focusing on what he said. I try to remember what it felt like when I was injecting mana into Zul'Zara, which seems like so long ago. It takes another twenty minutes before I can feel the mana just under the skin of my right hand. Once it was there, it didn't take me long to push it past that final barrier and out into the world. A tiny trickle of mana comes out, and right when it comes out, I am able to grasp it with my mind. I noticed it has a gold and green color to it. Thinking about my affinities, it makes sense.

Once it is within my mental grasp, I receive a notification.

- Congratulations on learning the skill: Mana Control Level 1 -

I look up to Laxreal and can tell he is happy I succeeded. "Now, Drake, all you have to do is continue to work on what you just did. Once you have gotten used to pushing mana into the air and consistently pushing out small amounts, I will teach you the next steps."

Thanking him, I head out of the tower and start to look for the people that are on my list for instructors