After their talk, Cora left for The Sand Dragon. The upscale magic shop was operated by the surly salamander named Karakis and his equally unpleasant crow familiar Aeri. She thought about her brother as she walked. He was going to spend the morning setting up an outside area for his spider before going to Kel’s. Remembering the spider made her shudder and she forcefully turned thoughts to other things.
Thanks to her father’s brilliant and devoted alchemical work with Karakis, the antisocial master mage had agreed to take her on as his only student which Cora later learned was an incredible honor. He was strict and impatient but he was also one of the greatest mages in the kingdom.
After months of tedious mana control exercises and endless studying, she was finally going to be allowed to use some real useful magic. It was the first step to closing the gap between her and Rin whom for some reason she had begun to see as her rival. She genuinely liked Rin, and considered her a true friend but couldn’t help but be envious of her. She was a true prodigy in magic, and fully dedicated in her pursuit of it. She was famous among magic users and barely even knew it.
She entered Karakis’ shop and the expected caw and harsh words from the shop mascot Aeri announced her.
“Dumb Cora broke a lamp!” The crow issued the usual greeting that had started over a month ago when Cora had broken a lamp while cleaning.
“You’re gonna have to let that go someday.” Cora answered offhandedly.
“Broke. A. Lamp!” The crow insisted. The pauses on his inflection reminded her that he was no normal bird and knew exactly what he was saying.
“Where’s the boss?” She asked, not really expecting an answer.
“I’m in the lab.” Came the salamander’s distant voice. “Grab the usual book and come back here.” He added.
Cora complied, pulling a heavy wood bound book from behind the counter. It was a novice manual of spellcraft. As she started to stand, a glow from a shelf lower caught her attention. She knelt down and found the source: a tray of miscellaneous rings that carried weak enchantments and sold more as novelties than as real equipment. One of the rings was a simple steel band set with a smooth oval onyx, and it was currently glowing green from within the black stone. She felt a sudden urge to seize and wear it but shook it away.
The ring suddenly went dark, and Cora blinked several times. She came to her senses and realized the impatient Karakis would scold her for dawdling. She paid the strange ring little more mind as she rushed to the lab to begin her training.
Karakis’ lab was a marvelous place. It was the result of years of work and was so large that it was beyond comprehension that the space existed within the tiny shop as it was viewed from outside. The truth was that it existed within an artificial dimension created by the mage himself. The lab included an advanced alchemy laboratory, library, scrying room, and the testing hall where they currently stood. The testing hall was as large as a warehouse and was filled with various structures, targets, and obstacles on which to perfect magical techniques.
Karakis pointed at a nearby humanoid dummy.
“Let’s not waste time. Use Mana Bolt on that target.” The salamander instructed.
Cora nodded firmly and raised her hand, quickly tracing the rune that had been grilled into her a thousand times.
“Thunis!” She spoke the invocation, and felt a vibrating rush of energy flow from her core to her outstretched palm. A light purple translucent crystal formed in the air before her palm and shot with blinding speed to strike the target. It shattered like glass and left several shards embedded in the wooden dummy. Cora’s eyes went wide with surprise and exultation. The feeling of casting magic was an incredible rush and release of energy. She looked to Karakis to gauge his reaction.
“Again.” The salamander said without emotion. “Imagine the bolt spinning like a drill as it forms, that will give it a more potent shape.”
Cora wiped her already sweating brow and began the spell again. She did as instructed, imagined her mana spinning and forming a sharp drill as she spoke the final word. Karakis’ lesson was accurate as usual. The projectile formed into an icicle shape and launched with a rotation. Rather than shattering, the bolt burrowed deep into the dummy and held its shape.
“There is sometimes merit in the bolt shattering.” The salamander advised. “When you wish to cause confusion or temporarily blind an enemy for instance, however a properly shaped bolt will penetrate more defense and cause greater damage. Cast the spell twice more and that will be the end of our lesson today.”
Stolen story; please report.
“What? That fast?” Cora dared to reply. She had anticipated a long day of casting magic.
“Exhausting your mana will only stall your progress. The more depleted you are, the slower your recovery rate becomes. It is most efficient to limit practice so as not to interfere with your regeneration rate.” Karakis was surprisingly patient in his explanation.
Cora nodded but held some secret reservations about the topic. Rin had once expressed a contradictory viewpoint, and argued that overall mana capacity was increased the fastest by routinely depleting mana completely and enduring the mana sickness and recovery. It was hard to argue with either of them at her current level, so Cora decided to simply follow her master’s instruction. She focused hard on her final two bolts, and poured as much mana into each casting as she safely could. They struck the target powerfully, and left the wooden dummy a splintered heap.
“You’ll surpass me in potency before long.” Karakis observed dryly. “Well done.”
“I can’t imagine that.” Cora replied, flushing at the unexpected praise.
“It’s not saying much to pass me in potency. My power is in my knowledge more than my mana.” He clarified. “Still, you are quite powerful given your level of experience.”
“How shall I spend the rest of the day?” Cora changed the subject.
“Continue inventory of the metallic reagents in the west store room. I need to make sure we have ample supplies to work through the winter.” Karakis answered.
“No problem, I should be able to finish today.” Cora said, absently tracing mock runes in the air.
“You’ve been working hard for me. Your work is worth more than just the lessons.” Karakis said. “I’ll need to repay you somehow.”
“I don’t mind at all. Learning magic is really important to me.” Cora assured him. “Though I did notice a ring today that I like. A steel and onyx one from the minor bauble tray.”
“Take it.” The salamander said dismissively. “I’ll settle on a real payment another time.”
Cora nodded gratefully. She wondered what made her bring up the ring. Aside from the brief curiosity it wasn’t something she would normally fancy at all.
“Actually if you have a moment would you mind taking a second look at the ring? I thought I saw it glowing earlier though that may have been my imagination.” Cora said to Karakis as they passed through the translucent edge of the laboratory and into the shop.
“Very well.” The mage replied, gruffness creeping back into his voice.
She pulled forth the ring, and felt none of the strange emanations from before.
“Agitha pawned this off here last year with a few wands and other baubles.” Karakis recalled. “The other pieces were all extremely high grade relics. This one only carries a wisp of mana, meaning it likely once had a strong enchantment that was depleted. It now carries no more value than the onyx and steel that it’s made of.”
“I see.” Cora said. “I still like it and will take it if you don’t mind.” She said that, but wondered why. She didn’t like the ring. Maybe she was just embarrassed to contradict herself?
“When you finish inventory it’s all yours.” Karakis replied.
----------------------------------------
As Cora resumed taking inventory of the various powdered metallic vials in Karakis’ lab, Zell was walking toward Kel’s Place to make good on his promise to spar with Nin on her day off. He paid little mind to the familiar surroundings as he walked down a narrow alley. A voice behind him caused him to pause. It was deep and gravelly like a dwarf but the inflection was familiar for a different reason that sent tremors of remembered fear down Zell’s spine. It was the same accent used by the devil Onigoro.
“Balfonse Zell, apprentice of Defaria Agitha.” The voice identified him firmly.
Zell turned and looked at the speaker. It was indeed a dwarf, but like none Zell had ever seen. He was cloaked in dark grey, and his face was hidden save for one of his eyes which glowed like a ball of red hot iron.
“Accompany this one without resistance and avoid suffering. Resistance will mean great pain.” The dwarf said in a mechanical tone.
“Are you here to avenge the kidnappers?” Zell asked, backing slowly up to create some distance between him and the unsettling being.
“This one’s motives are not relevant to the issued ultimatum. Final vocalization; accompany calmly or suffer greatly.” The dwarf said, then assumed a ready stance.
“I’m too busy to get kidnapped today.” Zell said, putting up his hands and assuming his own fighting stance. “Don’t blame me if you end up dying!”
Zell moved first, confident that he could overwhelm the dwarf with the power and speed gained by training in The Tear. The dwarf made no move to avoid the deadly blow aimed at his skull.
Just like the rest. Zell mused. This dwarf just didn’t understand the concept of real power like he and Agitha wielded. Zell’s closed fist impacted the dwarf’s cheek with a splintering crack. The wave of pain that shot up Zell’s arm from his injured wrist caused an involuntary yelp to escape his lips. The dwarf hadn’t dodged because Zell was too fast. He had merely gauged the boy’s power incapable of causing harm and ignored it.
“What are you?” Zell asked, hopping back a step.
The dwarf never answered. Suddenly Zell found himself flying backward and up at terrifying speed. He had been hit in the chest, that much was clear from the pain he was now beginning to feel. The dwarf hadn’t even moved as far as Zell could tell. He was twenty feet away from where he had been standing and ten feet in the air when a fist smashed into his right shoulder blade from behind him. He plummeted straight down into a pile of refuse and scrap wood.
Zell struggled to his hands and knees. Blood poured from his nose and lips, and his right arm was completely numb. A pair of dark leather boots appeared in his blurry field of vision as the dwarf touched down beside him. Zell growled and banished the pain from his mind, allowing himself to slip fully into his fighting trance.
Robaru’s normal eye widened slightly as the certainly crippled boy leaped to his feet and launched a relentless flurry of kicks and punches. Not only was he showing no signs of his injuries or fatigue, he was getting stronger.
Robaru activated his iron eye to appraise the boy once again. There was no explanation for it, but the eye never lied. The boy’s mana was climbing even as the ambient energy around him dimmed. He was somehow siphoning power from the world around him.
“This one is curious.” The dwarf said, parrying a blow that was at least twice as powerful as the one he had taken earlier. “But the variable is unacceptable.”
The dwarf rolled behind one of Zell’s straight blows and delivered a short punch of his own to Zell’s temple. To the dwarf’s shock, Zell did not fall unconscious but merely staggered a bit and rebounded into another flurry of increasingly powerful attacks. All signs of consciousness had left the boy’s face and he now fought with a blank and vacant expression.
“Fall, fool! This one has no use for a dead boy!” The dwarf growled, showing his first hint of frustration in many decades.
Robaru caught Zell for an instant by both shoulders and slammed his steel plated skull into Zell’s once, twice, and a third time. The boy finally slumped into unconsciousness and the dwarf growled out a flustered sigh.
He shouldered the boy’s limp body and produced a small orb which was covered in a spiral pattern of tiny runes which he dropped to the cobblestone ground. It landed as a solid object but instantly liquefied and spread out into an inky black puddle which the dwarf hopped into, disappearing along with Zell and the puddle itself.