Baby Cashew gave his father a dirty look after hearing what he said about magic.
Eric: Don't look at me like that, you don't have to choose a sword. You can use a Mace, an Axe, a Warhammer, any weapon, really. I'm only saying you can't learn Magic. I'm not gonna raise a person who likes to hide behind spells instead of tackling any problems with a Sword... Or any other melee weapon.
Eric said to Cashew, thinking that the dirty look was because Cashew didn't want to use a sword and wanted to use a different weapon.
Eric: Although i guess it's fine to read about magic, so you know what to expect should you ever get into a fight with a Coward-... a Magic User.
The dirty look Cashew is giving him didn't stop. For a moment, Cashew even thought about throwing a dinner knife at his father, but decided against after realizing his baby hands wouldn't be able to throw it far and he's still a baby, he's much weaker than him. He doesn't know what his dad would do when/if Cashew is in trouble, especially with knife throwing, but he's not gonna find out yet.
Sara: I think he wants to learn magic.
Eric: Not happening. I'm not gonna raise a coward. Anyways, I'm returning this book. I'm not letting our kid to be introduced to magic. In fact, I think I'm gonna start teaching him how to use a Sword soon. Maybe once he's 2 years old.
Sara: that's way too young. He won't be big enough to even hold a sword.
Eric: Look at us, I wouldn't be surprised if he is 2 meters tall by the time he's 10. He should be more than big enough to practice using a sword by the time he's 2, if not. I'll teach him swordplay using a Dagger, then give him a sword when he's bigger. Besides, id only teach him proper form and swing at this age.
Cashews dirty look never gave even after his father left.
Sara: Heh... I do hope you're not interested in magic though. He is not gonna make it easy for you. I don't know if you could read that book or not, but if you could, id honestly pretend you were only interested in the pictures from now on.
Sara said while getting some food on a spoon to feed Cashew, but suddenly stopped.
Sara: wait, when did you learn to read?... Did Meredith teach you?
She questioned, but she dropped the question quickly and started feeding Cashew.
...
The next day.
Luckily, I did retain a lot of information from that book before the Ape took it away. The book mostly talked about the history of elemental magic, how humans got a hold of it, how those who had it before humans got it, and some basic information about each element.
There is Earth magic, which is the father of all elemental magic, below Earth magic is water magic, Fire magic, and wind magic, all 4 of them have their own sub categories of magic. The most popular of Earth magic is the parent, Earth magic, the most popular of Water magic is Ice magic, most popular of Flame magic is the parent element, Flame magic, and the most popular of Wind magic is Lightning magic. I'm not sure how Wind and Lightning are related, but that's what the book says. The book also says that Ice magic is so popular among mages who choose Elemental magic, that most of them don't even know Water magic exists. They think Ice magic is the parent element. Poison magic is also a sub element within Water, but it's a minor school that most don't use.
As for the benefits and downsides... I'll stick with the main elements for now, but the pros and cons of Earth magic is that it's the cheapest and most versatile element. So long as you're not in the sky. As long as there is Earth around you, you can use it. There is no need to conjure up the element yourself, although you still can if you really want to. All of the sub elements below Earth magic are just more specialized versions. With boosts of power within that specific element. Mud magic would benefit in a swampy/muddy area, Stone would benefit in a mountainous area, Wood would benefit in a forest area, etc. that's what all sub elements within main elements do, they provide benefits in the suitable environment while the main elements benefits from all, but is weaker. Earth magic can be used in a mountainous area, wooded area, muddy area, in all areas that have Earth, but its weaker in all areas than the specialized sub-schools.
On the topic, Earth magic is adaptable as in it can be used offensively or defensively. You can raise an Earthen wall to protect you from any projectiles flying your way, you can form rocks to launch at your enemy, you can form a dome around your target to trap them, you can even raise spikes out from the ground and impale enemies that don't expect it. Although that's a rather gruesome way to use Earth magic and most will ostracize you for using it that way.
As for fire magic, the other school where most prefer the parent element instead of the sub elements. It's 100% offense. It does a lot of damage on impact, it burns your target, and depending on your skill with the spells, it could even explode on impact. This is the preferred element among all mages who use elemental magic and also the closest element to pure magic, at least among function and effects.
Ice magic is next, most mages who use Ice magic use it because of its defense breaking capabilities. Depending on your proficiency with the spell and element, the spell can/will freeze whatever it hits. It's a favorite among mages who fight with melee fighters. If the ice mage launches an attack at a target and it hits, whatever part of the target that was hit will have a very high chance of shattering upon the impact on another attack, such as the sword of an ally. Ice magic has the effect of stiffening the joints of whoever it hit, reducing their mobility as well. It's supposedly painless, so it's also a favorite among those who don't like to inflict pain upon their opponents. That said, it's also a popular element among necromancers. Freeze the body so it doesn't rot and decay until you are able to turn it into an undead summon. Although necromancy is banned in all Countries except the Country of Xethil, so there aren't many necromancers in general, let alone those who use Ice magic.
Next is Lightning magic. The book says that the Race who used Wind magic went extinct over 30,000 years ago, so it's unknown why Lightning magic is classified as a Wind sub element, but it is. Lightning is also the only Wind sub element that's possible for anyone to learn. There is so little information on the other sub elements and the main element that only those who were alive 30,000 years ago know anything about it. And all those Ancient mages are so reclusive that most aren't even sure if they're still alive.
As for the pros and cons of Lightning magic, it's damage is second only to fire magic and it's basically guaranteed to paralyze the target when hit. The only exception would be if your Lightning spell is exceptionally weak and your target is unreasonably strong/resistant. So it's a favorite among bounty hunters as well as guards of big cities.
As for Poison magic... The book isn't very old and it says many people in power are trying to ban poison magic, treating it the same as necromancy. They believe Poison magic is too cruel to be used and should be banned altogether. Poison magic has very little on impact damage, but if it gets in your body, even a weak spell can kill a target eventually. The only way to get rid of poison inflicted by poison magic is either a very rare and specialized potion, which is very expensive. or hope that you're able to tough it out and not die. Or, depending on where the poison got into your body, amputation. There is also the option to find someone specialized and talented in Restoration magic, but that's even more expensive than the potion, not to mention harder to find.
That said, Poison also has different effects, but the most basic spell required the enemy to have some sort of open wound. otherwise it's no different than dumping a bucket of water on them. It could get in through their mouth, nose, and eyes, though. It also doesn't do much against undead and life forms that aren't organic, such as golems and gargoyles. Vampires and Liches are also resistant to poison andimmune to weak poison.
As for water magic, it's the preferred school for Sea Elves. Aquatic Elves in the ocean, but it is possible for humans to learn. It's said that if you master water magic, you can turn your entire body into water and avoid any attacks coming your way, with few exceptions, such as ice magic. A downside is that you basically become aquatic and can't survive too far away from a body of water. So any mages that do use water magic don't study it too deeply so they don't become dependent on it.
"Now... I need to find a way to sneak past the Ape and learn magic behind his back." Cashew thought as he snuck around. Avoiding his father entirely.
Eric: Wheres the boy?
Meredith: i don't know. He wasn't with Sara when I got here, so I assumed you had him.
Eric: Dammit... The village loves him, so I doubt he's in danger, but couldn't he have waited for you before sneaking off?...
Eric said in an annoyed tone, annoyed that he had to go find his son now.
Cashew saw his dad leave, but didn't come out of his hiding spot just yet. Meredith glaced around one more time before sighing and leaving as well.
Now that Cashew has better stamina and walking capabilities, he's confident he can leave on his own now, not caring that he's less than 2 years old.
"If I go to the Village Elders house and make it obvious I'm interested in the magic book, maybe she will be able to read into it and get me a spell book! One of the Kings Royal Guards comes here once a month for reasons I don't know,so maybe she can get a spell book from one of them!" Cashew formulated a plan in his head as he snuck around the village, hiding and making sure his dad is nowhere to be seen, he's not bothering to hide himself from the other villagers, Who all watched him sneak around the village, enjoying the sight.
After 30 minutes of sneaking around, he finally made it to the Village Elders doorstep. Just as he was about to reach and open the door, he remembered what happened the previous day with him being too short to reach the door handle, so he looked around to see if there is anything nearby that he could stand on and reach the doorknob. When Cashew was behind the door, the door suddenly swung open and he heard his father stomping out, cursing about how he lost his kid and cant find him anywhere. Cashew was lucky that he was behind the door when it opened and wasn't spotted.
Cashew thought quickly and moved as fast as he could into the open door before it shut. He was finally inside of the Village Elders home.