-Ionian Council-
Karma sighed as she looked at the face of her close friend. She knew it would be anything but easy to convince her, but she had not anticipated this much resistance.
"Why are you being like this, Lady Irelia?" A fat man with small eyes and slimy looking hair said, his voice laced with barely hidden anger and frustration.
He was another council member and one of the richest people in the nation. Karma had never liked him. He was greedy and egotistical, not to mention his disrespect towards other people of lower class.
"I am being like this because I don't see the point in defending this nation if it's filled with people like you." The firm voice of the woman standing in the middle of the spacious room replied.
Long dark hair fell down her back, emphasizing her perfectly shaped face accompanied by a set of ice blue eyes. Her tight outfit didn't leave much for imagination regarding her body, but the most notable feature by far were the sharp looking blades hovering around her as if threatening to kill anybody who came too close.
"Irelia!" Karma hissed sharply, sending said woman a pleading look.
She couldn't agree more when it came to that particular council member, but she had to defend him if she wanted to keep him on her side. Karma hated to admit it, but the guy was very influential.
Irelia let out huff and turned away from the man, not wanting to look at him any longer.
"Alright, back to the main topic." Karma quickly drew the attention to herself. She was tired and wanted to end this as soon as possible.
"As I have already mentioned, we want you to lead the army of Ionia in the upcoming war. We are willing to give you anything you want, whether it be money or fame, as long as you can support us and save this country from doom."
Karma's face became serious as she said those words. The future of Ionia may very well be decided in this moment.
"As I've already said, I don't wa-"
"We are also willing to give General Duqual to you if we manage to catch him."
Irelia froze.
Duqual was the Noxian general who had brutally murdered her entire family when she was just a child. If she could get her hands on him, participating in this war was a small cost.
"Fine." Irelia finally answered, causing the council members to sigh in relieve.
Karma smiled. To have the Champion on their side would drastically turn the favor towards them. But Karma was not stupid, she knew that it was still a long shot to win this war.
The Champion left without another word, and karma found herself frown as a woman enterer just as Irelia left.
"Uhm, Lady Karma? Master Shen just arrived."
Karma put up her usual pleasant smile.
"Please let him in."
The results of the next few conversations were just as important for the country's future as the one with Irelia.
"Good day, lady Karma."
This war would indeed not be easy to win.
Narlou woke up early, his excitement making it impossible to sleep any longer. He quickly got dressed and went into the dining room, ordering breakfast form the man standing behind the bar.
The woman from yesterday didn't seem to be here this morning, which he was thankful for. He didn't dislike her, but he would rather avoid an awkward breakfast.
As a steamy meal was placed in front of him, Narlou hungrily dug in, letting his thoughts wader back to the root of his excitement, magic.
He had already spent some time thinking about how to activate it but came up with nothing. He had no idea how magic worked, let alone how to activate or use it. So, after he finished eating, Narlou went up to the bartender.
"Good morning, sir. Do you by any chance know if there is a magician in this city? The meal was delicious by the way."
It really was.
The man looked him up and down with a judging eye before smiling, apparently having decided that he liked Narlou.
"Go to the marketplace and look for a bookstore named "Charly's". In there is one of our city's magicians. But I warn you son, he has quite the temper."
"Thank you very much sir! I will keep your advice in mind."
With that settled Narlou went outside, looking for the marketplace.
A small bell rang as Narlou entered the admittedly tiny bookstore. The place was cramped with books, but it was very exciting for the teenager who had only read a few books during his time at the mines.
He wandered around for a bit, looking at all kinds of different covers, each more interesting that the previous, until a man walked up to him.
He looked quite ordinary, nothing like Narlou had imagined a magician to look like. The man wore a robe that went down to his knees, his face adorned by some glasses and his hair grey with age.
"How can I help you, young man?" The old man's voice sounded weak, but Narlou knew better than to underestimate people. Not to mention, his sense told him that the person on front of him could pose a big threat to him even with his superhuman capabilities.
"I was looking for magician Charly, is that you?"
The older man's face fell, and his brows furrowed.
"Are you another one of those annoying kids who want me to teach them a powerful fire spell or something?" The annoyance in his voice was evident, but Narlou didn't let that deter him.
"Of course, not sir, I was wondering whether you have any information on how to activate one's magic?"
The man let out a mocking laugh, bending over, holding his stomach, but Narlou kept smiling despite the annoyance bubbling up inside of him.
It took a solid minute until the man finally stopped laughing, and Narlou was very close to just leaving the place.
'No, I can't leave yet. He might be an asshole but he's my only chance right now.'
"A-are you serious? You really think unlocking your magic is that easy? I could give you all the information you need, help you to the best of my abilities and so on, but at the end of the day, only one in 10.000 people have the talent to unlock their magic. And even then, only one in a thousand magicians are lucky enough to use magic to a better extend than creating a small flame or growing some grass, not to mention it takes months, oftentimes even years to unlock it. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the probabilities of you being successful at unlocking your magic is way to low. You would only waste my time."
Narlou listened to the man's words, frowning.
The quest said that he had to unlock his magic within a week, so surely it was possible.
'Oh well, no use in backing down now. I want to at least try my best before giving up.'
"That doesn't matter to me. I don't expect you to help me, I just want to know how to unlock it. You have nothing to lose by telling me, right?"
The man stared at him as if he was crazy, but Narlou met his stare head on, eyes aflame with determination.
"Hmm, I suppose you are right. Very well, I shall tell you how to do it, but don't come back crying because it didn't work."
Narlou nodded, waiting for the man to continue.
"Do you know how to meditate?"
Narlou shook his head, never having heard of the concept.
The man sighed; this would be a lengthy explanation.
Narlou sat in the middle of his newly acquired room in some random inn at the other side of the admittedly big city.
His legs were crossed, his face blank, and his eyes closed.
The man had given him a simple explanation of how to unlock his mana through meditation. His current goal, according to the old magician, was to just find the source of his mana, the rest was up to himself.
The old man had not explained what mana felt like, instead he had said that it was different for everyone.
For some it felt like a warm campfire during a cold night, for others like a furious river destroying everything in its path.
So, rather than trying to look for something specific, Narlou looked deep into himself, trying to be aware of all his senses at once while also keeping his head empty, just like the magician had told him to do it.
It was very difficult to keep concentrating, double so due to his high sense stat. He could hear everything going on inside the building, he could smell every bit of wood, leftover food and even the dirt under his soles. He could feel every strand of hair touching his head and even the way the air bent around him.
His senses were heightened to an extreme degree during his meditation, and he was supposed to keep his mind empty with all this influx of information.
It was very tiring indeed.
Narlou sat there until the sun went down, sat there as the stars formed constellations in the sky and sat there as the moon got replaced by the sun, signaling the arrival of a new day.
He didn't move an inch during that time, his breathing not wavering once.
Narlou could've stopped hours ago, could have gone to sleep and could try this again the next day with a fresh and relaxed mind, but he didn't. If he was one thing, it was determined. Determined to find his magic and unlock it. Determined to get stronger, determined to overcome his own limitations.
And finally, after 12 hours of constant meditation, Narlou had reached a state of perfect peacefulness.
His mind and senses were aligned. He could feel everything in his body, from the smallest hair movement to his blood rushing through his veins. But he could also feel something beyond that, something dark but not sinister, something endless yet not scary. He could feel it's infinity, he knew this was far beyond his comprehension, but he did not fear it. No, he embraced it, reached out for it, yearned for it.
The darkness called him in like a mother calling for her son. Narlou felt at ease. Narlou felt fulfilled.
…
A knocking on the door accompanied by a shout shook Narlou out of his mediation.
He looked around for a few seconds, trying to orientate himself, when he noticed a woman stood at the door, sending him petrified looks. Only now did Narlou notice some kind of dark smoke surround him.
He quickly raised his hands, trying to calm the person down.
"Don't worry, I was just practicing my magic."
The woman quickly nodded and powerwalked away, but not before slamming the door shut.
His gaze fell towards his hands, the smoke having disappeared. Narlou just sat there for some time, overwhelmed by what he had just felt. The old mad sounded very sure when he told him that others usually took years to unlock their magic, yet he had done it in just half a day.
He might have believed that he had yet to unlock his mana, if it weren't for the window hovering on front of his face.
You have successfully unlocked your mana!
The quest rewards will be received at the end of the week or if you finish your second objective!
Good luck!
He had really done it. He had unlocked his mana. Excitement soon rose in his chest, spreading through his body at a terrifying rate.
"Mana…"
The word rolled off his tongue, sending shivers down his spine.
Narlou jumped up, wanting to immediately test his magic out, only to fall face first onto the floor. Pain shot through his legs like boiling water, making it impossible to move them.
In his excitement, he had completely forgotten that he had not moved for half a day straight, so his limbs were understandably very stiff.
"I should've expected this." Narlou thought amused.
Nothing could change his good mood. Not even the sleepiness that overtook his mind, causing him to fall into a deep slumber right on the hard ground.
The smile never left his face.
It would be the next day when Narlou noticed another window, telling him that he had gained 3 points in Mind due to his intense meditation session.
The next day found Narlou standing near the big river that caused the city of Drugne to be built here in the first place. He had gone a bit upstream to avoid curious citizens, wanting to experiment with his magic by himself.
Before coming here, Narlou had paid the old magician a visit. He was not stupid enough to tell him that he already had unlocked his magic, knowing the trouble that would surely come looking for him if he did. Instead, the red-eyed teenager asked for tips on how to utilize magic once he had unlocked it, telling Charly that he planned on moving to the capital of Noxus soon. Charly had looked at him like he was a lunatic, but a few flattering words had made the old man help him out.
He had explained that magic could be divided into four different categories.
The first one was the most basic one, Pure Mana manipulation. According to the man it was considered to be very powerful, but the strain on one's mana reserves stopped many magicians from pursuing this path of mana manipulation.
The next magic was the one that most magicians strived to master. It was Natural Mana manipulation. This included everything that stemmed from nature and ranged from basic but powerful fire magic to shadow magic and even gravity magic. It was difficult to master even one element and only geniuses had the talent to master more than that. Furthermore, the stronger the magic was, the more difficult it would be to master it.
The next kind of magic was the one that people who fought with their body or a weapon specialized in. It was enhancement magic. This type of magic allowed one to enhance their body or weapon with all kinds of useful enhancements, ranging from sharpening a blade or strengthening one's body to giving them elemental attributes. This magic was easier or harder to master than Natural magic depending on the goal, because if one wanted to give their weapon an elemental enhancement, they would also need to learn the corresponding Natural magic, but only experts would be able to pull that off.
The last one was Spirit magic. The old man had only read about it in books so he couldn't say much regarding that magic, but apparently only chosen individuals could use spirit magic. The amount of people in the lands of Runeterra who were not champions and could manipulate spirit magic could be counted on two hands. Vastaya were the only ones born with the ability to successfully utilize it, which is why they were so feared across the lands.
Narlou had been too embarrassed to ask what a Vastaya was.
Charly had only explained how to manipulate the first three, saying he had no idea how to use the fourth even if Narlou was a chosen individual.
The basics of every magic, the old man had said, was imagination.
"The magic moves however you want it to move. In the beginning, you'd have to say the spell you want to cast out lout and make fitting movements as it drastically improves your magical control, but as you become more proficient, not even movements or words will be required to cast powerful spells. If you have enough mana and control, you could set a whole city aflame with just a thought or give your sword super powerful attributes to cut even mountains in half, but that's of course not possible unless you are a champion."
The magician had said that imagination also determined whether one would use pure magic, natural magic or enhancement magic.
"If you want to cast a pure magic spell, just imagine the spell with your pure magic. The same goes for Natural magic, for example fire. Just imagine your mana taking the form of fire and it will become fire. If you want to use enhancement magic, just imagine the magic strengthening your body or sharpening your blade. Of course, it's not that easy and requires a lot, and I mean a lot of training. Even more so for stronger types of magic."
This was the reason for Narlou to be at such a remote location. He would need concentration if he wanted to use his imagination and didn't want any strangers distracting him. Plus, the sound of the river right next to him was very relaxing.
"Let's start with pure magic." Narlou said to himself as he got comfortable on the mossy ground.
Slowly, Narlou reached inside of himself, trying to grasp his mana. It responded immediately to his call, and he felt a rush of power as the mana spread through his body, ready for whatever its master wanted from it.
Narlou started to imagine the mana flowing out of his hands, fading into the surrounding atmosphere. He wanted to start with something simple, and as he opened his eyes, magic did indeed flow out of his hands and into the atmosphere dissipating after a few meters of traveling through the air. The magic had no color, instead shining with a powerful white light.
He kept pushing it out of his hands at a measured pace, watching how it painted the air in white. Eventually, exhaustion of using mana for a prolonged time caught up to him.
Deciding to stop for now, Narlou was about to take out a meal from his inventory when a sudden window appeared in front of his face, successfully startling him.
You have successfully learned "Pure Mana manipulation"!
You have successfully completed the quest!
Reward: Your mana capacity will be doubled.
Bonus reward: Your proficiency with "Pure mana manipulation" has significantly increased!
Narlou sensed his mana capacity expanding quickly. It felt very unusual, but once it stopped, he could feel his mana buzzing with strength. He felt more complete than ever. It was as if he had eaten his favorite meal and slept in the most comfortable bed, but ten times better.
Narlou, curious as to how much better he had become at Pure Mana manipulation, did the same thing as before, and sure enough, he felt way more aligned with the mana itself.
It listened to him much easier than before and had a way higher power with lower costs. The air was soon filled with pure white mana, casting a ghostly hue onto the riverbank.
It was a sight to behold.
Narlou kept watching for a few minutes, but stopped soon after, not wanting to waste his entire mana again.
Now more excited than ever, he wanted to try and do some kind of spell with his newly acquired mana, something that could defend him if necessary.
Something that could do damage.
He formed a dense pure mana ball between his palms, watching as it grew bigger and bigger until it was the size of his head. He threw the ball into the air, willing it to move however he wanted it to. Narlou ordered his mana ball to fly at the next big tree, increasing its speed to the max.
The tree didn't stand a chance and exploded into hundreds of small pieces, causing Narlou to let out an impressed whistle. The ball had used more mana than he expected, but the results were definitely worth it.
Narlou finally decided to take a look at his stats, wanting to see at what level his mana manipulation was.
Name: Narlou
Age: 17
Level: 4
Stats:
-Strength: 15
-Agility: 24
-Dexterity: 17
-Mind: 23
-Sense: 18
points: 0
Magic: Pure Mana manipulation (rank 3) (5%)
Inventory: Food and water for 7 days, 11 silver coins/6 Bronze coins, sharp curved knife
'So, my Mana manipulation is at rank 3. If I compare it to how strong it was at rank 1, it seems as if every level makes a huge difference in strength.' Narlou observed as he looked at his stats.
'The 5% must be the progress towards the next rank. It would only make sense since I had already done some things with my higher rank mana. But isn't 5% a bit too much for just some easy manipulation and a strong ball?'
Narlou, wanting to test his theory, gathered his remaining mana and made another ball, this one at least twice as the size of the previous one. He then threw the ball at another tree, watching it explode with much more force than expected.
A glance at his progress told him everything he needed to know.
Magic: Pure Mana manipulation (rank 3) (8%)
'It's so easy to rank up!' Narlou thought with excitement in his voice, until he felt a sudden weakness in his legs.
"Aww shit, I completely forgot about mana exhaustion. Well, that certainly makes it a lot more difficult to rank it up, not that something like that could stop me!"
Determination filled him again, but for now, he would wait for his mana to regenerate.