It may look easy but the two of them knew that it was not. One must have precise control of their mana in order to engrave one talisman within minutes. They were not sure if they could do that and if they could be of help with the archmage.
"We will be doing several protection talismans with different spells on it then we will need to try it against a malevolent spirit to see which of them will be effective," Sigma explained.
He lifted the talisman he created and inspected it carefully before placing it together with the other talismans he created. He then handed out one metal plate to Ezio and Isaiah and pointed at the two seats on the other side of the work table. The two of them went to sit down and stared at the metal plate in their hands.
Sigma handed them a copy of the spell they would engrave on the metal plates. "Those are the easiest ones in my list." He handed them something like a pen but the whole of it was metal and there was no ink. The end of it was also a little bit sharp. "Now, infuse mana on that metal pen and think of it like you are writing on a paper. Use your mana to carve out the spell."
While he was explaining, he was also demonstrating it to them. They watched as a mana of yellowish almost golden in color coated the metal pen until it converged on the pointed tip. He then let the glowing tip touch the metal plate, and just as he said, he was just like writing on a paper.
The symbol for the spell slowly appeared on the metal plate and they could still see embers on each stroke that the archmage made. Once the man was done the embers cooled down and all they could see was the completed spell. Sigma lifted it up to feel if the mana in that plate was enough to activate the spell, when he was satisfied he placed it again together with the other talismans.
"Now, you should go ahead and try it," Sigma urged them. Instead of looking at them, the man focused on his own work which gave the other two the confidence to try it out too.
Their first attempt didn't go well and they couldn't gather their mana on the tip of the metal pen. It took them several tries to do it and now the next challenge was to use that mana to draw the symbol of the spell. Ezio was the first one to attempt.
He was able to draw the first line but when he attempted to make the second line, the mana on the metal pen dispersed. This also happened to Isaiah but after several attempts they were able to complete the spells. Sigma took the metal plates and was impressed because they did an impressive job at their first try but he couldn't use what they made.
"You did a great job, but both of your works don't have enough mana to be activated. The mana lines are also broken in several parts. Try it again," he kept the ones they worked on and gave them metal plates they could use.
They practiced until the sun finally set on the horizon. They only stopped when the butler came to call them for dinner. After several attempts and failures, they managed to create a decent one that passed the archmage's standards.
Cygnus stared at the tired faces of the two and couldn't help but be curious as to what they were up to. Ulysses saw the curious look on his son's face so he took the initiative to tell him what they were doing. Maybe after hearing Ulysses, he would also join them.
"They are helping Archmage Sigma to create talismans that can be used against malevolent spirits," Ulysses said to answer the man's unspoken question.
Just as he thought, the master expressed his interest in the matter. "Oh, is that so?" There was a grin on his face which the duke couldn't guess its meaning.
"Do you want to join them?" Ulysses asked.
"Certainly! I can even provide a malevolent spirit that we can use to test those talismans," Cygnus answered with enthusiasm.
The whole table became silent after he said those words. Even the sound of cutlery disappeared as all eyes in the room all looked at him. Now, Ulysses knew the reason behind that grin but it was still unexpected.
"What's the matter? Aren't you happy that you could test it out after making it or would you prefer to go to those haunted places and hunt a malevolent spirit?" He feigned ignorance as to the reason why they were all looking at him.
It was just a matter of time before they knew what he could do. So, it should be fine to give them a heads up. He waited for more reactions from them and it didn't take long for his wish to be granted.
"What are you talking about?" It was the archmage who asked first after that long silence.
"What do you mean?" Cygnus asked as he looked at him in confusion.
"Provide a malevolent spirit? No one can easily acquire a malevolent spirit and even creating it just like what the enemy has done would take time. So, please don't joke about it," Sigma had a frown on his face while telling him off.
The tension inside the room rose after the archmage's words. Even Galahad was not sure why Rigel would say those words without care. He knew that the man was adept at using magic but he hadn't dealt with a spirit before. Yes, he won against a wraith but he wasn't sure if that was a fluke or real.
Cygnus felt insulted because they didn't believe him even so he calmed himself and still smiled at them. He took a deep breath and looked at the people around the table who were waiting for him to answer. He didn't have the heart to disappoint them.
The master stretched out his hands forward and with a snap a gray smoke appeared out of nowhere and a magic circle appeared after the gray smoke vanished. Something like lightning appeared at the edges of the circle followed by a buzzing sound that filled the room. Wind could be felt as it picked up inside the room as the gray smoke joined the lightning that was swirling around the circle.
With the wind, the servants needed to make sure that all the easily blown things inside the room were secured. The people who unexpectedly needed to face the scene already lost their appetite. They were now focused on what the master was doing.
Sigma could feel something dark and ominous coming from that circle and the stronger the wind blew, the fiercer the lightning appeared to be. He clenched his jaws as he waited on what would appear from that magic circle. He then looked at Duke Ginehart's son, who had a confident look on his face, with a frown.
While the archmage was watching him, Cygnus grinned and this did not escape the mage's eyes so Sigma's attention shifted to the magic circle and at what appeared above it. To someone else it would appear as a mass of black smoke but if one was patient enough, they could notice that it has a face and limbs. Those details were only covered by the smoky body it has. If one was also sensitive to spirits, they could feel that the negative energy from that mass of black smoke was beyond what a normal evil spirit has.
Gasps and shouts from the servants echoed in the room when they saw that thing appeared on the magic circle. Some of them even went as far as to find a place to hide in fear that the malevolent spirit would attack them. They could feel its gaze sweeping through the room and lingering on them. One mere spirit ensued panic.
