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[ The video doesn't show Emet-Selch. Instead, it's pointed at a glowing, complex-looking arcane circle drawn in a clear space near Aldrip's inn. Six fist-sized crystals serve as focal points on the edge of the circle and they glow a gentle blue. ]

I have set up a recovery glyph near the inn. Anyone with minor injuries from the quake are encouraged to rest in it until they are able to move. Those with more severe injuries should contact myself or the other two Artzenritter girls.

[ He means Ethlyn and Marianne. ]

If anyone even thinks of tampering with this spell or its crystals, know that it won't end well for you.

[ He has set up a magical trap for anyone who tries to touch the crystals: saboteurs will get a rude shock and be paralysed for a full minute. The crystals are magicked to rebuff minor projectiles too. While you could bomb the whole circle and destroy it that way, why would you be so heartless?

People utilising or passing by the magic circle may see him replenishing the magic in the crystals with his own aether and are welcome to speak to him then. ]

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[ Ange isn't stupid. Sure, she can endure injuries, but that doesn't mean she is going to do that when there's an easier way to deal with it - by getting herself healed up real quick, that is.

So she makes her way over to where the man described the circle would be, recognizing it already from a distance from the video feed. Ange kind of hoped she'd be alone, but.. well, if there has to be at least one other person using it right now, it's not too terrible that it's Emet-Selch, she guesses. He's weird, but pretty much everyone in this place is.

She stops right outside the circle, not stepping in quite yet. ]

So.. this isn't some sort of weird trick, right?

[ Please, Ange. Why would he be in there himself if it was!! ]

How did you make that? And how does it work?

No.

[ He's half-distracted making sure the crystals are functioning as intended. They don't last as long as he would like despite the simple function of the healing circle. ]

I'm one of the healers with the Artzenritter. If aught happens, I'm sure Ethlyn will have my head.

A simple, written incantation. I suppose it would be called an arcanima circle in modern parlance.

[ Aka. It's a magic circle where the lines, symbols, and words dictate the function of a spell. This one is not complex. ]

The six crystals here are my foci. They supply the aether needed to maintain the spell so I do not have to maintain a constant presence. It will emit a steady healing aura within the bounds of the circle. It can heal minor wounds over a period of time or bring mild relief to those with more serious injuries.

.. true. I guess no one would want to face the wrath of someone as scary as her.

[ Not that Ange actually thinks Ethlyn is scary. Far from it. She thinks the other one is practically one of the nicest people in this entire village, even though she also doesn't doubt Ethlyn could probably kick some serious butt when she'd put her mind to it.

So rather than hesitating more, Ange does step into the circle, moving to sit down and make herself comfortable rather than awkwardly standing around inside it. ]

Thank you, in that case. I guess. I'm assuming she didn't twist your arm into making this circle. [ And though Ange still isn't.. great at being nice in a normal, social way, at least her saying thanks at all is a lot by Ange standards.. ]

I would almost prefer if she had, [ he mutters, just audibly enough for her to catch. ]

[ Satisfied that everything is in working order, he sits on the outside of the circle and massages his temples. He's tired from all the relief efforts. Why must saving people be so exhausting? ]

I don't know why I'm doing this, to be quite honest. I don't care who lives or dies.

What we call anima magic is very different from that in my homeland. [It isn't a formalized category, but it's used sometimes as a catch-all to mean magic of the basic elements, the kind most people can use without special talents.] It's always battle magic.

[But the crystals as focus makes sense to her--it's not unlike the healing magic that's stored in the orb at the end of her staff.]

So the energy is stored in them--how long will they last?

The crystals may break soon. In another day or so of constant use. Nothing here lasts nearly as long as I would like.

[ He sounds annoyed by that. ]

I have replacements, lest you worry. Consider this a test run before I try and implement it at the clinic.

[ There's a slight pause, and then the redhead just plainly asks: ]

Then why are you doing it at all?

[ Maybe not the sort of thing you're supposed to ask someone who is currently actively helping you.. Because she'd sure have to find a way to try and heal herself if he suddenly stopped the circle from working right now.

But Ange is - if nothing else - extremely blunt and direct at all times. Especially when he's bringing this up himself in the first place. ]

...Some vain hope that goodness might persist in a world full of villainy.

[ He wouldn't ever say this to those who know him. Who is she going to tell? ]

A foolish hope, yes? Especially for one who has seen it torn down over and over and over again.

This would be fantastic at the clinic for people who have minor injuries, especially when something big and bad happens--we could freely concentrate on those with grave injuries without fretting about having to turn away people who are still hurt, just not as badly.

[She's assuming it will happen again. It has multiple times before.]

Even if it only lasts a short while, it's still a boon.

.. you're right. I really didn't expect you to give that kind of answer.

[ Blunt.. again..

Though she doesn't even sound mean about it? Not in tone, anyway. She's saying it so calmly, like she's just observing some sort of objective reality. She did see all the victims that were caused as a result of the other's actions, after all.. And Ange sure hasn't seen a pile of bodies that high before. ]

Then again, isn't this exactly what our captors are pretending they want out of us? For us to do the right thing all the time, especially when we might not have done so in the past. [ Her wording indicates that she isn't sure whether it's a genuine desire on the part of the beings that dragged them there - but it sure is the charade they keep up, anyway. ]

Yes, I thought you might approve. It won't do anything for the sick. I suspect trying to add another layer of effectiveness will drain the magic out of these crystals faster than is practical.

[ He needs to find the balance between usefulness and the longevity of his crystal 'batteries'. ]

'Tis best deployed during mass disasters like this one. I'm not wasting my energy on anything less than an open wound.

I suppose. It won't make a difference when I return home. I've committed too much for too long to my cause. Changing tack now would do a disservice to the memory of those who gave their lives.

[ He leans forward and squints at one of the crystals nearest him. Hmm, it definitely could be more efficient. Something to note for next time. ]

Sunk cost fallacy and all that, you know.

[ She exhales, feeling the magic working on her, at least. It's a bit of a relief as she's sitting there. ]

So what, you're just going to do a little bit of good deeds community service here before going home and proceeding to be bad?

[ Granted, that might be too simple of a way to put it in the first place, but Ange is just like this. ]

[ The absurdly frank way she states it gives him pause, interestingly enough. ]

Well... [ he drawls ] When you put it like that... Yes, what I do would be reviled by most. But 'tis in service of a greater good: the restoration of my home and my people.

I'm not from your world, so it's not my place to judge you.

[ That, too, is pretty frank. But Ange seems to mean it. Maybe the fact she sounds the same way she always does - a total lack of emotion or passion - that makes it even more believable. It easily makes it seem like she just doesn't care either way.

It's everyone's own decision to make in the end, after all. The only person who owes Ange anything is the person who ruined her life, and that isn't him. ]

If anything, it sounds like a great arrangement for me if it means you're going to keep providing free healing to people here. Even though I have magic, I have no idea how you'd do something like this with it. [ So it's great that there are other people who can do this. ]

[ That gets a little, amused scoff from him. He can't help but think that someone like her, uncomplicated and frank, would have been difficult to manipulate directly.

He idly brushes some small bit of dust off his clothing. ]

Great for you, is it? Magic can be used for anything you put your mind to. What has beeen stopping you from trying to use it to heal?

[ The girl is quiet. Just for a moment, but long enough compared to her usual quick retorts that it might register as just a slight bit significant. ]

Is that how magic works?

[ Even her usual tone can't fully conceal something more curious than the usual in it. ]

I thought it was more limited than that, especially when you don't have a whole lot of experience. Isn't it way easier to kill someone with magic than it would be to heal them?

[ He raises an eyebrow at her. She sounds surprised. ]

Aye, you're not entirely wrong. Death is easy. Mortal beings are so incredibly fragile that you can die simply from consuming too much of a food that is beneficial in lesser quantities. Magic - aether, on my star - is but another form of nature.

[ He holds up a hand and starts drawing another arcane circle in the air. This one won't do anything; it just glows in the air so she can inspect it. ]

There are several methods of healing but the one you're currently taking advantage of is known as 'arcanima'. 'Tis the application of aether by way of geometric patterns. The other common way is to utilise the latent aether of your surroundings but that exacts a heavy toll upon the land if misused.

[ He gestures vaguely around them. ] There is none to be found here regardless, so if you wish to learn then arcanima is all I can teach you.

[ Ange shifts, sitting up a little bit straighter.

It's like the girl is actually paying genuine attention to what he's saying. Kind of like a student in a classroom, but one that's actively involved in a lesson rather than just staring out of the window. Ange doesn't really like learning about most stuff, after all, but.. this? This is actually important. It's something she wants to know more about, especially if he isn't lying to her. He makes it sound like this sort of thing is actually within her reach, even though Ange was feeling like she was constantly bouncing off the limits of her own magic, especially in this place. ]

.. I didn't know that. [ She admits, still seeming kind of fascinated. It's a rarity from a girl who usually display so little emotion. ] Where I come from, I was taught that magic is always that comes from inside you. I didn't even know that you could use your surroundings for it like that.

[ Another thoughtful pause, and then-- ]

You really think I could learn it?

Arcanima? I don't see why not. You'll have to forgive me being more cautious about teaching the other method as even amongst mortals it is heavily regulated. The potential for its abuse is quite great.

[ Why stop at drawing power from the land? Why not people as well? A dangerous train of thought. It's nothing personal against her; Emet-Selch doubts most mortal people's motivations. ]

Are you good at visualisation? Have you experience with other forms of magic?

[ Hey, the girl isn't complaining about being only taught part of this. She'll take any opportunity to strengthen her own magic, especially when it feels more and more like she'll need it here - or even when she finally goes back home and has to deal with those other witches. There's no way she can meet their strength with her current powers. ]

Yeah. I'm familiar with the magic from my world. I can't do too much with it, but I can do some basic stuff-- and that magic is all about visualisation. [ It's how she's been taught that, anyway. ] It's practically all I know when it comes to using magic.

Then that will make this easier.

[ Since they're waiting anyway, he starts drawing in the air. A glowing circle appears, quickly filled with lines and shapes and script. When he snaps his fingers, a carbuncle appears. ]

This is typically what most arcanima beginners will learn to conjure. It does not have to be this shape as long as you visualise it clearly. Do note that such a creature has no sentience or will of its own - it is simply an extension of your own magic.

[ ...

Huh.

Ange blinks, looking slightly surprised. ]

What is that meant to be? [ Even if he's saying it doesn't have to be this shape, it would help if she at least knows the parameters of this sort of thing.. Just how different from this specific example could it be? ] Is it some sort of familiar? An animal, except lacking the sentience?

A carbuncle. You could call it a familiar, yes, but its scope is far more limited than that. The soft, round shape and distinctive features are simpler for novices to visualise.

[ He shrugs. ] But like I said: if you have some other creature you prefer, then do so. Think of it as an assistant spellcaster.

.. okay. Hold on then.

[ She has a vague idea, at least. She isn't sure if she's perfectly following his train of thought, since magic seems to be so different in his world than in her own, but Ange can summon a familiar, sure. Especially when it can be much more limited than those usually are.

The girl closes her eyes for a moment. Having been healed and having regained her energy makes it so much easier for her to use her magic again. All she has to do is close her eyes, holding out her hands, palms up. ]

Come and remember. [ It's said softly, more mumbled to herself than spoken to him, but it's audible all the same. ] What sort of form did you have?

[ The palms of her hands glow with a golden light, and then that light changes into small golden butterflies seeming made out of said golden light flying out of her hands - gathering together until they form a shape that then changes into something that seems less like it's made out of golden light, and a little more solid.

It looks strangely like.. some sort of cute lion plush. ]

[ He watches with interest. Even though he had explained, he of course couldn't be sure that the technique would work for another.

When the golden butterflies reveal her creation, he smiles approvingly. (Congratulations, Ange, it's an actual smile.) The carbuncle he had conjured himself waddles over to sniff at the lion. Seems the familiar does have a little bit of sentience after all. ]

Well done. The next step is to control it. As a conduit of your own magic, this should not be too difficult.

[ For a moment Ange watches the little plush lion - which is standing up by itself, but not seeming to do too much else just yet - and his own creation, especially when the latter gets closer. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be doing anything bad to the lion though, so Ange can take her eyes off the sight to instead look over towards Emet-Selch as she speaks. ]

In what sort of way? Should I be making it do something?

Hmm... For now, try to move it.

[ The carbuncle sits down and uses its back leg to scratch behind its ear, looking every ilm an otherworldly cat. ]

Normally some of the caster's personality may carry over to the summoned entity but mayhap your magic functions differently.

No offense. [ .. mostly towards herself, really, given what she's about to say. It's way more insulting towards herself than it is at all towards him.. ] But I don't think that anything that looks like this is going to have my personality.

[ The lion plush looks so cutesy, after all. And Ange would describe her own personality with pretty much any other word than that. Anything but cutesy.

Still, she breathes out, trying to focus, and it seems like she can at least do what he's asking. It takes some concentration on her part, but then the creature she summoned actually does start to move, even if it's with a bit of a wobbly, wiggling movement. The tiny lion moves over towards the carbuncle, angling its own body and moving a plush hand to pet the other being on the head. ]

You think this thing has my irate nature? Humans are more complex creatures than what you see on the surface.

[ He chooses to be amused rather than offended. The carbuncle obediently sits still, although it does sniff the lion's plush paw. Emet-Selch nods approvingly. ]

Good work. If you practice that until it becomes second nature, eventually you can begin trying to command it in a fight.

[ The girl is quiet, like she's trying to take the information in. Not the part about his nature, mind you, but the latter part of what he's saying.

When she speaks up, she's staring at the two creatures, rather than at him. ]

So is this like some kind of magical puppetry?

[ It almost looks that way to her. ]

I suppose you could call it that. Those on my star call it 'summoning'. True puppetry requires a physical object rather than a created entity.

[ Emet-Selch does not move or gesture but suddenly the carbuncle stands and faces away from them. It suddenly jumps up on the spot and flings a tiny ball of magic at the ground whilst briefly in the air. ]

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