Satisfied with his meal, Nedoma took out a silver coin and handed it to the waiter. Returning with a handful of copper coins, he placed them on the table near Nedoma and bid him a good day. Taking away five for the price of the meal, Nedoma counts fifteen coins before putting them away. Hmm, where should I go next? Nedoma thought to himself. The service should be in the next few hours... I could just explore the town a little, but is there really any point? I should probably head back and actually read some of that book while waiting for that “Pardi” person to show up.
A regular door would be much faster, although I guess this is more secure... Nedoma thought to himself as he held his necklace in front of the sliding door while waiting for it to fully open. The guild is as silent as it was when he left it, which comes off as disappointing but unsurprising. He sits down at the same desk he was using before and opens the book from where he left off.
The section he reads talks about starting people off by practicing writing using a special tool that marks pages using the user's mana to fuel it. Mana, the book explains, is the source of magical power, and is believed to run through all living creatures as a result of having been created by the gods in the formation of the world. Learning how to efficiently use and handle your mana, as well as expanding your own capacity, are both vital to the growth and development of any adventurer, as well as in this case, a fledgling Demon Knight.
The book outlines what materials are needed to start off. Remembering the contents of the letter, Nedoma searches for the diagram on the main desk and uses it to find the rest of the materials. He grabs an empty book, as well as a few pieces of blank paper from one of the shelves. In a small drawer, he spots something that reminded him of the tool used by one of the workers at the adventurer's guild and takes it.
His first task is to try writing his name on a blank piece of paper using this “Meana” tool. The book mentions that to get the tool to work, you must channel your mana into the tool as the tip touches the page to leave any markings. One should do their best to focus their energy by imagining it as traveling from the center of the body towards the shoulder, then the arm, the hand, and then finally the Meana.
At first, the only result Nedoma produced was a still untouched piece of paper. In anger, he started tapping the tip against the page, tightly clenching the tool in his hand. Finally, he was able to leave a mark – a decently sized black spot could be seen where he had been stabbing at. Ecstatic that he was even able to leave a mark in the first place, Nedoma abandoned the idea of writing the typical neat, small letters and went for large strokes. After some effort, the name “NEDOMA”, although slightly crude, was printed on the paper. With his first attempt out of the way, he set out to improve by repeating the task while trying to produce neater and smaller letters.
After a while of this “training,” which Nedoma somewhat questioned the point of, he leaned back in his chair and looked at the results. Although not as well as written as when he last attended class in Ayrith, he felt he had done a pretty good job. The strange feeling of fatigue was his new focus- he felt tired yet was unable to pinpoint an exact location. It nearly felt as though he had unlocked and worn out some never before used muscle. After relaxing in his chair for a few minutes, the silence was interrupted with the loud clang of wood on stone as he jumped from his seat. “The service!” he shouted. Nedoma quickly thought about what he should wear to the event. Would a sword and shield even be allowed inside a church? What about armor? Nedoma thought for a moment, before opting to leave behind his helmet, shield, and sword. Since the rest of the gear is leather I'm sure it'll at least be passable. Would also be nice to say my goodbye dressed as an adventurer... Nedoma thought as he gave a final look-over of his appearance. Satisfied with his outfit, he dashed out of the guild hall and ran towards the church.
