Inksmiths: Book One

Chapter 6: Training

"Alright, time to activate your magic," Noel announced, tapping the edge of his brush on a small table.

After our harrowing discussion in the library, Noel had decided the best course of action would be to begin training immediately and had brought me back to his study. It was a normal enough room--an oakwood desk sat near the far right, coupled with a comfortable-looking chair with a scarlet cushion. Two black shelves sat on either side of the desk, and books and papers were scattered everywhere around the room, decorated with various symbols and characters I could not recognize. If nothing else, Noel's love of reading was obvious--I wondered how many hours a day he had spent in the library, pouring over the books lining the shelves.

"What do you know about magic already?" Noel asked, pulling me out of my examination of the room. I shook my head, swapping my focus from the tapestries of Behemoths hanging on his walls to Noel's face.

"...That it exists," I replied sheepishly. "And...it can be used for fighting and chores."

"So in other words, not much," Noel guessed. "Good. That means I can teach you something. Well, to begin, there is more magic than ink magic--you probably knew that already. Alchemists, elementalists, mediums...all these people use magic as well. They aren't very common in Alavan due to our...unique situation, but in other kingdoms such as Taul and Sarchet, they're fairly common. But all magic needs the same three things."

Noel reached for a roll of parchment and spread it open, tapping it with his brush. "A destination..."

He gestured to himself. "A source..."

Lastly, he lifted his brush. "And a conduit. Do you follow me so far?"

I nodded. "Destination, source, conduit. I understand."

Noel nodded back, gesturing to the inkwell strapped to his waist. "You could say your source is the ink itself also, but generally, in all magic you yourself are the source. Everyone is born with magic inside them. They only need to learn how to draw it out. Usually, the most effective way to do so is when faced with a situation where you must draw it out--many of your fellow apprentices unlocked their magic in orientation simply because they wanted to so badly."

I cocked my head. "That works?"

"It does," Noel confirmed. "Willpower and the strength of the soul are some of the most important things for an Inksmith to cultivate. You would be surprised how much we can accomplish simply by wanting it hard enough."

I nodded again, carefully observing the materials Noel had laid out. Suddenly conscious of my surroundings, I pulled out my own parchment and ink brush, unrolling the parchment across from Noel's and placing my brush on top of it. I unclipped the inkwell from my belt, setting it to the left of my parchment. Expectant, I glanced back up at Noel.

Noel chuckled. "You're eager, aren't you? I'm glad. Teaching is much more engaging when the student is excited to learn."

"Willingness to learn makes a great Inksmith," I recited.

Noel laughed more fully, nodding. "Yes, yes, I did say that. Let's see, let's see...I covered the source, so let's talk about destination. It doesn't always have to be your parchment--so long as the magic has somewhere to go, it will take effect. I'm sure you've noticed me painting directly onto my skin by now."

I hesitated before nodding.

"That will work for you as well. Sometimes, the most effective way to handle a situation is by painting a character or drawing directly onto your own body or the body of another." Noel paused, a brief flicker of reluctance crossing his face--sighing, he offered me a small smile. "There is a character for 'resurrect'. It is, theoretically, possible to revive a dead Inksmith. However, to do so requires getting close enough to paint the character directly onto the body before a certain amount of time has passed--five minutes is generally as long as you can possibly afford to wait. It usually isn't...a viable option, given how fast five minutes pass in a war."