One Skill Short

Like Darkspawn but Real

(Sophia)

“Pardon the interruption. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with something.” Dropping my eyes to the stack of books in my arms, I brought them up to her face again.

“You see, last night was the first time I discovered I don't know how to read the language here. Perhaps, you could teach me to read it?”

“Take a seat, my dear. You can speak Common, so I'm sure learning to read it should not be too hard.” She cooly agreed and I eagerly obliged her words.

Vivienne hadn't been wrong. It turned out the language was much like Old English. The reason I had done so poorly at recognizing it was because I had never had any historical literature classes during the entirety of my schooling. It hadn't been necessary.

“Thank you so much. I had wanted to study on my own, but had no way of doing that until now.”

“Have you tried spells other than healing?”

“I tried a fire spell in the bath last night while trying to light candles from the tub. It didn't work. The sound was off and my whole body let off enough heat to almost boil the bathwater.” I sighed, crestfallen.

“Tell me, darling, what do you hear when closing a wound?” Vivienne appeared interested in the topic of magic but it showed more in the pitch of her voice than on her face.

“It's louder than what was going on at Haven. The sound is like a heartbeat; steady and strong. The beat is faster when I have to close larger wounds. Why? Is that not normal?”

“Each spell has a sound or a song and the more proficient a mage is in a school of magic, the louder that sound rings for them. It is caused by the energy brought into the real world. Magic isn't just pulled from the Fade either, one must command it’s stabilization before they can even think to use an elemental spell like a fireball or ice spike. With that affinity, one must learn to use physics and chemistry in order to get that spell right and guide it to its destination. For example, you have an extensive knowledge of biology, which allows you to heal. Whether you realized it or not, you weaken the veil every time you close a wound. As something artificial, that energy and weakening of the veil overwhelms the reality of the wounds existence and then erases it.”

“What are the staves used for?”

“It acts a stronger conductor or amplifier of sorts and assists the wielder in bending the Fade to their will. Some staves are more suited for specific elements and noticeably channel it better. I expect you were quite tired after hours of healing our injured?”

My eyes flickered to the balcony accessible to my left before going back to her. Of course, she had seen that.

“Yes, I'm used to needing concentration and focus for what I do.” I laughed a little. “And I'm used to being tired at the end of my shift.”

Vivienne’s head bobbed lightly.

“Precisely. Healing is something you had been doing much of in your own world, so it is only natural that you would have an easier time using healing spells. From the sound of it, your interaction with the Fade while doing so is almost completely subconscious.”

This was amazing.

“You mentioned ‘strengthening' and ‘weakening' the veil in order to do magic. Solas mentions it a lot. Would that mean that what Templars do strengthen or thicken the veil?” I already knew this but I liked that I was able to talk to Vivienne.

“That is exactly what they do, my dear.”

I hadn't read very much on mages and the lore behind what they do, so my knowledge was limited on the subject, anyway. I had also rarely played a mage as it felt a little overpowered and popular. From the polls, the most common playstyles were female elven mages.