That notebook-or rather, that old book exploring casting gestures and the relationship between people and spells-made it clear that people held many views on this field and pursued different directions. Broadly speaking, in ages long past, some had sought to make use of it, creating more casting gestures and expanding specialized fields. Others believed that, as wizards advancing toward a higher form of life, they ought to cast off these symbolic imprints of primal instinct. Abandoning casting gestures was, to them, a sign of progress.
Did ascending to a higher level of life necessarily mean discarding the imprints of primal instinct?
Ruger did not think so.
And anything advantageous deserved to be used to the fullest.
That was precisely what he intended to do now: use the spirit furs so intimately connected to him, the deeply ingrained image of the hand, and the special Spirit-Sucker Fur to help him cast in an unconventional way.
To humans, hands were more than mere organs. In primitive times, there had even been totemic faiths that worshipped them.
For Ruger, spirit furs were likewise part of his body. One major feature of the Fur Shepherd's ascension was that detached spirit furs still counted as growing on him. What had originally sounded like a joke about not fearing hair loss actually held tremendous value, and reality had borne this out. The simplest proof was Stray Hair One. He had been separated from Ruger for a long time, yet had still grown somewhat longer. Had Ruger been some long-haired subterranean beast, he would surely have grown even more dramatically.
All of this formed the foundation that had emboldened him to imagine new possibilities after reading that book.
He even wanted to train the spirit furs. The Spirit Fur Cultivation Method was not limited to modifying them