by Pirateaba
“Is she okay?”
“Her body is. They fixed most of the injuries she got, but she’s—scarred. But her mind…”
Ceria shook her head, despairingly.
“She just woke up. When she saw me, I thought—she blames herself.”
“Ah.”
It said it all, really. Ryoka listened to the sound of the same tragic story replaying itself out behind Ceria’s words.
“I had to leave because she was getting agitated. But she knows almost no one’s left. And the insurance—”
“The gold for the families of the dead?”
“Yes. We can’t pay it. I mean, she’s the only captain left, and her squad perished entirely in the Ruins. There are about eight others who made it, and they’ve scattered to the winds. And all our equipment was seized by the Watch.”
“And how does she feel about what happened?”
Ceria raised her shoulders slightly, and let them drop.
“How do you think? She blames herself for everything, never mind that Skinner ambushed us. But she wouldn’t calm down, and we had to get people to stop her before she injured herself. I had to go.”
The news had affected the half-Elf, Ryoka could see. But as to making Ceria feel better—
Ryoka looked to the stairs, wondering if she could call Erin. If not for support, at least for advice. Ceria noticed her look and shook her head.
“I’m fine. I wouldn’t want to disturb…whatever she and Olesm are doing.”
“Not having sex, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Ceria half-choked. Ryoka stared at her, eyebrows raised.
“I—”
She hesitated.
“About Olesm…it was—”
“Forget it. I didn’t come here to ask about that. And I don’t want to bother you. But if it’s a problem, I’d rather ask now before you melt Erin’s face off.”
“It’s freeze, actually. I’m not good at fire spells. And I wouldn’t do that.”
Ceria sighed and settled back on her bed, gesturing for Ryoka to take a seat. The girl rejoiced internally; she’d gotten the topic away from adventurers and death. Smooth conversationalist, Ryoka was not.
“Slime molds, I’d nearly forgotten about last night…look, I’m not sure what Olesm thinks. But if Erin’s interested in him—”
“She’s not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Fairly. It would be obvious, wouldn’t you imagine?”
“I would. But Olesm likes her.”
“Right. And you like Olesm.”
“A bit.”
Ceria smiled, and Ryoka had to ask.
“So?”
“Ryoka, I’m not saying anything. Just…it was good. And I like him for more reasons than just him saving my life, although that helps. We spent days down there with only each other to talk to. Whisper, really.”
“I’m not judging. But I wonder if others will.”
Ceria lost her slight smile, and Ryoka regretted saying that. But it was a good point.
“I wonder…we’ll see. I’m not even sure if there is a next time or anything. But…”
She sighed.
“Enough about him. He likes chess, and I’m sure he’s honest. He and Erin can stare at that board all day, but I’m not going to. What did you come here to ask about?”
“Magic. But if you don’t feel like it I can…”
“No, no. Now’s a good time as any.”
Ceria waved her hand and moved awkwardly to face Ryoka. She let her skeletal hand sit in her lap as she spoke. It was still hard to ignore, but Ryoka tried to meet Ceria’s eyes without turning it into a staring contest. It was awkward; she’d rarely had a long conversation at close-range. Or at any range, really.
“I suppose it was wrong of me to teach you a single spell and just leave you, but I was assuming you’d gain a level or two in the [Mage] class, and you’d be able to learn a few more spells from your level ups. But I guess that’s not going to happen, is it?”
“Not really. Is…that a problem? Can you not learn some spells or magic without a class?”
Ceria shook her head.
“No. It just makes things harder, that’s all. Leveling up is a great way to learn a new spell, and it’s so much faster than teaching yourself.”
She drummed the fingers of her good hand on her leggings.
“So, where shall we begin? If you want a formal education, I advise you to pull up a seat next to Pisces and wait for about a year. I can’t teach you what I learned in Wistram, but I can teach you some spells, if you want.”
“Anything you can do is fine by me. But I don’t know any of the basics of magic. How wands work, how spells work…”
“Wands amplify your magic. They have stored energy which may or may not restore itself over time. Depends on the quality of the wand—some contain spells that you can trigger once or multiple times.”
“Fine. Then how about artifacts?”
“Think wand, only usually with recharging mana and deeper reserves. Also, if you ever get one, never tell anyone you have it because some people will kill for it. Or offer you a king’s ransom.”
“Spells? I’d like to learn some.”
“Got a month?”
Ceria raised an eyebrow and Ryoka had to smile.
“You taught me [Light] in a day. Can’t you teach me another one?”
“If I know it. Or Pisces might help, but he’s finicky. Which one did you want to learn?”
Ryoka had a list. She’d thought it over, and if she could learn any, there were three she’d desperately love to know.
“How about [Detect Magic], [Fireball], and [Haste]?”
Ceria rolled her eyes.
“Everyone wants to know how to cast [Fireball]. Well, you’re out of luck. I can’t cast it, and neither can Pisces. I used a wand for that when I had to cast the spell. But I do know [Ice Spike]. Trouble is, you probably won’t be able to cast it without a wand.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s a matter of shaping the energy. Oh, I could cast the spell once, but the backlash would hurt. Maybe if I had a skill or more levels…plus, it’s Tier 3.”
“Which means it will take a long time to learn?”
“At your level, a year. No offense, but you’re a novice. [Detect Magic] is Tier 3 too, and [Haste]…no.”
“What’s wrong with that spell?”
“There are Tiers of magic. I explained this, didn’t I? Right, well, you could consider the spell you want to learn – [Haste] as a Tier 4 spell. No—wait, is it Tier 5? I don’t know, sorry.”
“Does that mean I can’t learn it?”
“No, you can learn it. Or rather, you have the potential to. It’s just…I can cast Tier 3 magic at best. Tier 4 – it’s possible, but I’d need a spellbook and weeks—maybe months to learn the spell at my level. Maybe I could learn it in a week if I had a tutor, but if I’m teaching myself…”
Ceria shook her head.
“It’s about time and effort. Put enough into a spell and you can master it. But there are limits. If I wanted to learn a spell like [Grand Fireball], it would take me years even if I knew how the spell was supposed to go. My magic isn’t at the level where I can understand it yet, and I’m not well-versed in fire magic anyways.”
“Right. So it’s not worth the effort?”
“It’s totally worth the effort, but I don’t have a spellbook. Why do you think I adventure for a living? It’s certainly not for my health.”
Ceria tapped her finger on knee, thinking.
“Pisces knows one Tier 4 spell, and that’s [Invisibility]. I remember him learning it – it nearly killed him and he studied every night for at least two hours for a month before he got it down. And he’s a genius. An arrogant, insufferable one, but he learned [Invisibility] when he was Level 18. He leveled twice from learning it.”
“So leveling for mages allows them to comprehend spells faster? Like [Grand Fireball]?”
“Well, assumin
g I gained ten levels overnight…yes. It would be far, far easier for me to learn. On the other hand, if I somehow…figured out how the spell works, I could learn it just as easily.”
Ryoka frowned. It sounded like magic was definitely not a linear thing. From what she remembered of learning [Light], it was almost closer to…reaching a mathematical revelation, solving a formula, or something of that nature. She let Ceria go on.
“Anyways, as a general guide, Tier 3 magic is good for fighting, so long as you’re not going after anything too deadly. [Ice Spike] for instance is Tier 3. There’s a derivative spell – [Ice Shard] that’s Tier 2. [Frozen Wind] is Tier 1, although I know Pisces can make the spell a lot stronger than it’s supposed to be.”
“And [Light]? Tier 1?”
“Well, I’d call it Tier 0 if I could, honestly. It’s one of the most basic magics people learn. Making light, making heat…[Spark] is another example.”
That made sense, and Ryoka was tempted to ask about [Spark], but—
“You can add magic to a spell? How?”
“Like this. Didn’t I show you?”
Ceria raised her hand and a familiar orb of bright yellow light appeared in her hand, a soft sun. She flicked the orb of golden light at Ryoka. The girl raised a hand reflexively and the light splashed around her hand, fading away as Ryoka’s eyes widened in amazement. She’d felt nothing when the light struck her flesh.
“You can throw it, but only a really good mage can control it at a distance. Same with size; you can add more mana to make the light bigger or give it a different shape, but these are just exercises. They help with your ability to control spells, but it’s just light in the end.”
“How about brightness? Can you make it as bright as the sun?”
“You can do the spell. You tell me.”
Ryoka concentrated. Ceria hadn’t even said [Light] to create the orb, but for some reason, Ryoka couldn’t do the same.
“[Light].”
The orb drifted up out of her palm. It was just as bright as normal; no brighter. Ryoka frowned at it.
“How do I—?”
Wait, that was a stupid question. Who asked for the answer to everything? Ryoka closed her eyes, concentrating, and then the orb grew brighter behind her eyelids.
“Huh. That was…quick.”
It was tiring to add more energy to the spell. Ryoka focused though, and the orb grew brighter…brighter…
But not that bright. Ceria was shading her eyes, but it wasn’t as if she was in any danger of going blind. Ryoka sensed she might be able to increase the light of the sphere, but she didn’t want to risk anything.
She let the orb disappear. That was another trick she’d just figured out. It was like pushing or pulling, but maybe absorbing and releasing were better ways of thinking of how she could control the power within her.
Whichever it was, the sensation was in a part of Ryoka’s mind she hadn’t even realized existed. Was…magic just like tonsils or an appendix? Something long forgotten?
“That was impressive. It’s hard to imagine something that bright. I can’t do it, myself.”
“Imagine?”
Ceria nodded.
“Mages can’t form spells based off of nothing. The images in our heads become spells. So I can make the light spell really bright, but not as bright as, say, the sun.”
She raised her hand and another orb of light appeared. It turned a bright white as well, but not as bright as Ryoka’s.
“Guess I don’t look at bright things that often, huh? And I’ve never seen the sun up close so I have no real idea what it looks like. The fact that it is so bright makes it hard to envision. What did you look at to see something so bright?”
Floodlights at parties. Police lights. Car headlights, and the sun, yes, because she was stupid when she was a kid.
“Fire, and stuff like that. Ah, you’re saying that I can learn a spell better if I understand what goes into it?”
“Well, I suppose you could say that. Most mages have specialties—something they understand. Myself, I understand the cold. Spent a few winters in the snow and ice, and I’ve always liked snowflakes. But I’ve studied icicles as well, and…well, it just means spells like [Ice Spike] make more sense to me.”
She nodded at the orb of light in her hands.
“You can probably figure out the rest yourself, but I’ll teach you how to manipulate the [Light] spell. But as for [Haste] and [Fireball], you’re on your own. If I hear of someone selling a spellbook with those ones in it, I’ll let you know, but if you’re buying an entire book for one spell…”
“It’s not worth it. Right.”
“Well, you could learn other spells within, but I was going to say it’s too expensive. Spellbooks with Tier 4 magic in them are way out of my price range, even back when I was with—with the Horns.”
That might be different soon. Ryoka wondered how much eight hundred gold would get her. Probably a Tier 1 spellbook, or Tier 2 at best. But magic…she was willing to spend as many sleepless nights as necessary for magic. But if she had a class, how fast would she learn it?
Ceria must have sensed Ryoka’s dilemma.
“I’m still not sure why you don’t like classes, but—well, I’ve said enough in the past. If you don’t want to do it that way, it’s fine. Magic requires study even with levels.”
Ryoka nodded, relieved. Another choice deferred. Not a good practice, but she could think it over all day and all week if she had to. The Wandering Inn was a good place to learn and stay.
Ceria pointed to Ryoka, and changed the orb of light in her hands into a square.
“If we’re going to practice, we might as well make it a complete lesson. Do the [Light] spell again. Now, clear your mind. Focus on the spell, and add as much power into it as possible. Let’s see how bright you can really make it.”
Ryoka did, and the two practiced until they heard the scream.
—-
“Aaaah! My eyes!”
Erin dropped the plate she was holding to cover her eyes, but when she looked down, Ceria had caught the plate and fries with a spell.
With her skeletal hand.
Erin stared as the room blurred around the tears and Ryoka and Ceria got up. Ceria tried to apologize. She was blinking quite rapidly, as was Ryoka.
“We were—practicing magic. How’s the chess game going?”
She didn’t get any response. Erin just pointed with her own hand, and both Ryoka and Ceria looked.
“Your hand!”
“What?”
Ceria blinked at her hand and then froze. Ryoka stared at the glowing tip of the bleached bones.
“I didn’t know you could move it.”
“I didn’t—I mean, I moved it before, but it was unconscious. Like this time.”
“It must be magic.”
Ryoka gave Erin a look, and she blushed.
“Okay, obvious. But I was wondering how it was staying together and y’know, not falling apart without skin and stuff.”
Ceria blinked.
“That’s true. I didn’t even think of that.”
“And you nearly put an ice spike through my head last time with it, so…it must move when you’re using a spell!”
Ryoka eyed Erin and looked between the two, but Ceria was nodding.
“When I channel magic it must—well, I hadn’t tried because I thought it was dead but maybe…”
She frowned at her hand. Ryoka and Erin saw nothing, but then the fingers twitched. And moved.
Ceria slowly closed the fingers into a fist, staring as the blackened skin and bones moved seamlessly. For Erin, it was the creepiest sight she’d ever seen; skeletons in biology class was one thing, but Ceria’s hand moved so naturally it was scary.
“Ancestors.”
Ceria breathed the words.
“Oh man, that’s amazing!”
Erin wanted to hug Ceria, but the floating fries were in the way, and she was afraid she’d break the mage’s conc
entration. Ryoka was smiling, too.
“That’s impressive. Does it hurt?”
Ceria shook her hand, but now she was smiling too.
“What’s really impressive is that I can cast magic with it more easily than with my other hand. I felt it when I caught that plate. It must be the bones.”
Erin didn’t get that, but Ryoka did, instantly.
“Half-Elf bones conduct magic more easily?”
Ceria paused.
“It’s…a secret. Don’t tell anyone, please.”
Ryoka immediately nodded, and Erin did likewise.
“Of course not. Totally. Um, thanks for getting the fries.”
“Fries?”
Ceria blinked, and only then seemed to remember the floating fries and plate in the air. She looked at Ryoka and Erin.
“Help me grab them? I can make them hover, but fine control is beyond me.”
In less than a minute, both girls had helped Ceria put the few remaining fries back on the plate, and had eaten more than half. They all went back downstairs to relay the good news to Olesm.
He was ecstatic, but then he had to show Ceria something which he clearly thought was equally important. He waved tightly-written papers full of chess notation at Ceria, who just blinked at them. She wasn’t as impressed by his rendition of Erin’s game with the mystery opponent, either.
“Erin played a good game of chess? That’s good.”
“It’s more than good, Ceria. It’s…phenomenal! Incredible! It was—I’m sure whoever’s on the other side had to have leveled! I’ve never seen such playing. And I’ve got it written down here!”
He brandished the inky parchment at Ceria. She blinked at it, bemused.
“Looks intense.”
Ryoka was frowning at the board, Erin noticed. Did she want to play? But the running girl wasn’t interested in that.
“Are you two done playing for the moment?”
“I think so. I think whoever’s on the other side is busy, because they tapped the board twice with a pawn and then stopped. But I bet they’ll play me tomorrow. And they’re so good. Isn’t it great?”
“Wunderbar. But is the other player really that good?”
“They’re really, really good, Ryoka. The best I’ve met in—”
Erin hesitated, realizing she might be hurting Olesm’s feelings, but the Drake nodded.