[@Stabby][@Zeroth]

[quote=System:Femus]
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

Skill Gain: Magic Analysis I (1.0)!
You may now analyze magical energies or objects to learn their most basic magical characteristics. Less effective on Materials and Monsters unless they are magical in nature.
[/quote]
Femus failed to properly duplicate the shield spell, perhaps his lack of understanding was hindering his progress.  However, it felt like he might be practicing something too advanced for his current level.  With a new set of words flashing in his awareness to remind him of the past few level up experiences, he found it fairly easy to understand that the words said exactly what they meant.  He was developing a skill quickly.  His methods were bearing fruit, whether or not it was the fruit he aimed to get.  In any case his newly acquired analysis skill would definitely come in handy.

In fact, Femus began using it immediately.  His first target was the nearest blue flower.  It wasn’t magic but it was closely related and he knew that its mana restorative properties were something that he needed to better understand if he was going to cultivate them in the future.  The next target was the tree in which he sat.

After using these uses to gain a practical understanding of the function of the skill, and hopefully some useful information, Femus began reforming that mana orb and trying to alter its attributes to reflect the memories, feelings, and knowledge he used before.  This time, he repeated a simpler series of images and concepts in his mind like a chant to crystallize the concept into a more cohesive idea.  He closely observed the orb’s changes in behavior as well as how it made him feel, seeking to strengthen the previous effects and continue the skill’s ‘rapid progress’.  He also turned his Magic analysis on this developing skill, seeking to push the skill as far as he could and gain specific information about the component parts of the spell.

After this test, regardless of outcome, he meditated back to full mana and turned his attention outward.  He heard chittering.  It was fairly faint, likely due to some distance, but it was definitely Pixie chatter.  Either that pixie was gathering help closer than he remembered pixies gathering or else… it had disturbed Nira.  In that case… who could possibly know what was going on out there.  At least, he didn’t hear any sounds of fighting yet.  Maybe, just maybe.. he could use this time to try another approach… or store extra mana for a possible fight.

Survival first.

He meditated, concentrating as much mana as he could and trying to compress it in an effort to improve its quality within his body.  He also thought about the tree around him.  It was old and lived slowly.  A great deal of power flowed through it but it must flow slowly and be closely guarded.  He tried to open himself to the tree, not seeking to pull mana from it but seeking to draw mana that felt similar to the tree from the surrounding air into himself.  If he could, he would seek to keep it distinct from the regular mana but circulate it through his body in tandem.

However, if any loud noise or violent change became audible outside he would immediately stop his activities.  Femus would also grab two of the blue flowers, letting them orbit himself as he headed outside to see what was going on.