Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

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“So you guys aren't naturally strong?”

Ipharia considered Kaito's question, though she admittedly did not know anything about their abilities or skills. In some of the legends there had been told of many heroes, but these stories were so old and faded that Ipharia didn't recall them off the top of her head.

The three of them had mostly dispatched the goblins without breaking a sweat despite their confusion. Hiroko was the quickest ranger Ipharia had seen in her life and Honami had used a large branch like it was a steel hammer. All while Kaito had waited in the bushes like her for the goblins to be dispatched. Perhaps he hadn't had his powers awaken yet like they had if they didn't have these powers ordinarily? It was the only conclusion the purple-haired girl could make without running tests in a clerical laboratory or consulting with a temple's librarium.

“I guess your ability hasn't awakened yet. But what kind of powers would the goddess give you? What did you do in this Japan you guys talked about? Maybe there's a connection there? You don't look like much a fighter... actually you look kind of weak. But then again Honami is kinda sma--I mean, uh, Honami doesn't look like a barbarian! And she hits super hard despite not having any muscles!”

The cleric's eyes widened, noticing her slip of the tongue.

“So! We just need to figure it out!”

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

Ipharia listened carefully to Kaito, Honami and Hiroko, their words being strange to her but still important enough to dissect. She didn’t understand what a therapist or waitress was, but from what she could tell Honami’s assertion seemed the most likely conclusion. If Honami was blessed with the strength of a barbarian and Hiroko the reflexes of a veteran ranger then it would most likely make sense that Kaito had been gifted with the mind of a wizard or cleric. But yet, he hadn’t showed he had the capacity to perform magecraft as far as she could tell.

“Hm.” She muttered as she held out her left hand, as an ambient energy began to surround her fingers until a ball of light formed in her hands. “This is a basic spell that summons an ethereal sphere of light. It’s meant to replace a torch by clerics and wizards. There’s a few variations depending how much mana you want to use or how advanced your magecraft knowledge is.”

A flicker gleamed in Kaito’s eyes as Ipharia performed the spell. She didn’t know it yet, but his mind had just processed the magic he had never seen before in seconds of seeing it. As if he had known the spell his whole life he would then be able to replicate it.

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

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“I suppose it would be in our best interests for me to educate Kaito on magic to the best of my ability then.”

The purple-haired cleric mused a few thoughts as she looked at Kaito grasp a basic light spell before she had even gotten a chance to fully explain how mana worked in the creation of spells. As a Cleric of the Goddess of Light, Ipharia was a healer and diviner. She didn’t have much in lieu of advanced spells and Ipharia wasn’t sure that Kaito was properly attuned to use some of the more advanced, clerical-type spells she knew. The best she could teach him was universal spells, which were not too great outside of baseline utility. The matters of the arcane were tricky, after all.

“As you may have guessed, I don’t have a lot of offensive spells. I was running from goblins, after all. My clerical denomination is of protection and healing, and most of those spells require being attuned to my god. Though... I might know some universal spells that might fit the role even if they aren't particularly strong.”

The girl cleared her throat.

Ipharia was not used to teaching. She wasn't suited to it, or at least, she had never done any sort of clerical instruction from anywhere beyond the student's chair. But insofar as she could tell, she was going to have to begin to be one if Kaito was going to become comfortable with his newfound abilities. His world did not have magic, yet the gods had gifted him with the ability no wizard or cleric had in the entire realm, or at least none Ipharia had ever heard of. Processing magic quickly was one thing, but without understanding magic and creating it in mere seconds? Ipharia was impressed by Kaito's boon from the gods.

“So, magic is both simple and complicated. We as humans have been experimenting with the concept of magical science since the end of the Tenebrisic Period, which was around, uhm, one-thousand years ago. Give or take. Since this time we’ve kind of learned how to perform magical equations to create spells. Magic is divided into two categories, though both categories require us to use mana to create a magical reaction.”

She motioned to the plants before placing her leftmost hand on her bare right forearm, trying to use her hands as a way to explain things.

“Mana is like blood, its in everything and everyone. So, you can draw mana from your own body or from a plant or object. Once you do that its just about using your potent imagination, divine incantations, and other source codes to make a spell happen. For example, a sphere of light is pretty simple. It's just about doing the right motions and thinking the right thoughts and then forging your mana into an arcane source of light. There's no incantations required for a novice spell-caster, though when I was new I admit I did need them.”

After she was finished with her brief explanation, she paused her motions as she looked from Hiroko to Honami before returning back to Kaito. It was in this moment that she wished she could just create a portal to the Librarium of Magic in the capital, the books and elder academics could explain this all better than she could ever do. She felt like an awkward student trying to explain magic to a foreigner from a far land. In many ways, that was exactly what she was, she supposed.

She thought of the responsibility the goddess had granted her and tried to not let it discourage her.

“It's impressive that you can just absorb knowledge like this. All of you. I imagine my language must have come to you like you had known it for years if you are able to weave magic and skill this quickly.”

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“I’ve certainly never heard of such an ability.”

Ipharia returned her traveling pack to her person as she stomped out the camp, musing about their ability to learn not just abilities but also languages. If they had learned her language just by reading a stone or hearing her talk she wondered what else they would be able to acclimate into their memory.

What would happen if Honami fought a skilled duelist or Hiroko a master thief? For the gods to have granted such a power was incredible. Though she did suppose that such a shortcut was their way of making the process of living in the world so much easier for them. She couldn’t help be envious. She imagined similar spellcasters would feel the same if they saw an absolute novice like Kaito utilize mastery of the most complex spells after witnessing them seconds before. Though, how much mana could he control in his body? Hearing her words and seeing a light spell was only one part of comprehending the arcane and divine. Use of mana exhausted every spellcasters body. She was positive if she were to perform a resurrection spell she would push her own body to the limit if not outright completely exhaust her for days.

The gods had given Honami great strength, but what was the threshold of their physical limits?

Ipharia supposed it would be inappropiate to think such things. Her thoughts felt like they belonged to a deranged alchemist rather than a devoted cleric.

“At any rate, I can teach Kaito whatever universal spells I know. I'm sure we'll be safe once we get to grand highway. Assuming we don't run into trouble. The capital will probably have more answers for you.”

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“I guess that depends if people see you as a threat or not, but people are kind of desperate right now.” Ipharia remarked, as she looked in the direction of the grand highway.

Thinking about the complications of them knowing nothing of the world, she decided here and now that would be the best idea to give them a head's up about the general state of the world, or at least the state of Alma by itself. She wasn’t sure it would inspire confidence in their abilities, but not telling them was admittedly worse. Her goddess was not just a goddess of healing and protection, but of honesty as well. As a servant of her deity she needed to follow their ideals thoroughly and with conviction. Though that did not stop her anxiety in making such an explanation.

What would happen if these heroes turned out to be cowards? Kaito certainly looked like one despite his earnest interest in magic.

“I should probably tell you that the King being sick isn't the only other problem we are facing. There’s someone more dangerous than any goblin. Someone who’s been trying to take over Alma for the last year.” She commented as she kept looking out in the distance. “The Black King.”

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

Ipharia’s mouth hung open for a good fifteen seconds of time following Honami’s assertion.

Her assessment that laying low being difficult given their circumstances made some modicum of sense, but when the green-haired girl shrugged off the Black King’s name without ever witnessing him Ipharia couldn’t help but wonder about the sense inside Honami’s skull. Kaito was naïve, and for most of their journey into the camp in gleeful denial about being summoned to her world, which suggested a certain deficiency of wisdom but she never thought Honami would have the same issue in a different sense. She supposed that was why the gods summoned her to be the representation of a warrior. All muscle, nothing else.

“There are nine kingdoms here on Eferion. The Black King has run over three others in his wake.” She commented, her voice lower than before. “You shouldn't underestimate him.”

Ipharia returned to her things before finishing up sorting out her camp, before waving her hand at her tent as she uttered the word dissipate, calling her items back into her personal pocket dimension. It was something that required attunement, so even as Kaito’s brain understood one half of the spell, he would not be able to replicate it’s effects as he did with the sphere of light. It was a spell that could only work on items bound to a person’s personal mana signature. It was useful for keeping Ipharia’s rucksack light and full of more essential items like scrolls and maps. Perfect for keeping camping supplies, though.

“Alma used to be perfectly safe from the capital all the way beyond Valengard to the border, before No Man's Land. Valengard was destroyed last month.” She mused, as she thought about it.

Her grandparents had been born in Valengard after the great migration of the Eianese people led them there, so it was a bit of a personal subject for her. She forced a smile. Cities could be rebuilt as could old fortresses. These people had been sent to right the wrongs that the Black King had started.

“We should get going! The nearest settlement we should reach by afternoon's end. Kaito, are you ready to learn some magic?”

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“Three or four years. Nobody knew a thing about him when he came upon the Kingdom of Belône. We still don't. The only thing we have is rumors and the graveyards he leaves in his wake. We know he can use magic as proficiently as he can use a sword and bow. Not even the most powerful clerics or wizards have been able to undo his sorcery.” Ipharia remarked, ignoring Kaito to answer the question.

Admittedly, Ipharia didn’t know a lot. She had never seen the Black King in person, but now that he had set his sights on Alma she wondered if it was a matter of time. She did wonder why the remaining kingdoms didn't form a coalition properly to stop him, but there was a lot of political issues going on in the wake of a conqueror-king. Princess Avantasia would surely know more. She imagined their conversation in the capital would provide a lot of information.

But they still had to get to the nearest townstead. They were wasting daylight.

Ipharia tightened her pack, motioning for the group to follow her as they continued their conversation.