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The Magic in the Spear
“That’s it? Nothing?” Bao asks Fos in disbelief. After all this buildup, he has no magical affinity.
Fos scratches his head trying to process it, “Well magic affinity is very rare to begin with. Testing four random people would more likely not have any results. When Letz, showed affinity, that was already beating the odds. I guess two out of four was too much to hope for.”
He rests a hand on Bao as he makes his way past them and slowly walks out of the study, “Don’t let it get you down too much young man,” he looks more dejected than anyone right now.
When everyone makes it outside, Keyon talks to Jun about any payments the school requires for testing services. Jun explains that the Zultanite ‘stone’ charged with Letz magic is the payment. The school can use it for any classes or training they want. Once it’s been used, it will go back into the chest for affinity testing.
Bao thanks Jun for his help before getting into the carriage. He doesn’t approve of his family’s methods, but he still appreciates his help regardless. Maybe he is like Keyon and Maria. Good people living in a misguided society. If Bao could help them change a little, maybe he shouldn’t give up on Jun either.
The carriage leaves the school grounds, and they enter the busy city once again. This time they are headed to a weaponsmith.
“I’m sorry you don’t have magic,” Kikka tries to comfort Bao a little. She doesn’t care about magic but she’s picked up that Bao had his heart set on it.
“It’s fine, thanks Kikka. I just wish I had some answers to give me some peace of mind. Why does everyone think I use magic when we can be certain now that I have no affinity?”
Keyon gives his understanding of the situation, “It’s because of your spear. It has so much magic it’s alarming to anyone who sees it. Usually, weapons can be empowered by a user during their attacks. When we fought at the ruins, assassins were invoking Crow, the god of murder, to give their weapons more power. You’ve also seen me use wind magic on my weapons a few times. Even so, magic like that only lingers in a weapon for a shot while. It isn’t supposed to linger like it does in your spear,
“During my first few days with you, it looked to me as if you were constantly pouring your magic into the weapon. I started to think you were a dangerous mage. Now that we know it isn’t you, we need to learn more about your family’s spear. We’ll find out soon,” Keyon looks out the window as he tries to think through the situation, “Honestly... None of this makes any sense.”
First the ancient necklace found by Prince Raul, and now Bao’s spear. Items aren’t supposed to be able to store powerful magic like this. Zultanite eyes are extremely valuable precisely because they can store small magical effects in limited amounts. Keyon just assumed it was because they came from a living human. If methods for storing even stronger magic exist, they would require techniques unknown to most masters. Keyon wonders if a weaponsmith can even help them at this point.
When they reach their destination, it is nothing like the grand spectacle of the magic school. They arrive at a simple brick building in the middle of the city. The street is busy, so Bao holds Kikka to make sure she doesn't run into the street and get run over. All the buildings are the same stone and concrete and are lined up alongside each other.
Everyone follows Keyon inside one of the buildings. This is the weaponsmith he told them about. It's a single room in a building with stairs going up to the second floor. The first floor is a dedicated workshop for smithing and the upper floor is for finished products and customer shopping. The furnace isn’t running now and so Keyon leads his group to the second floor.
“This shouldn’t take long,” he assures them, “We’ll need to leave your spear here and give him time to inspect it. He’s busy so I don’t think he’ll be able to check it right now.”
When they enter the second floor, they only see a young Redmane boy attending to another customer at a counter. Bao wonders if this boy is another slave or servant. He is getting tired of seeing this kind of thing. The boy greets them as they walk in.
Keyon responds, “Hi kid. Is your father around?”
“Sorry, he had an emergency errand come up this morning. He told me you would be coming by though. I can take the item and put it in the back. My dad says he’ll look at it as soon as he comes home.”
“It can’t be helped, I guess. Go ahead and let the boy see your spear, Bao.”
Bao feels a little uneasy about leaving his family weapon with a stranger, but he decides to follow Keyon since this seems to be routine in the city. He hands the boy the spear wrapped in a simple cloth.
Keyon wasn’t lying when they said they wouldn’t be there long. They drop off the spear and make their way back to the carriage. The boy tells Keyon his father will send a messenger to the palace when he finishes looking at the weapon.
By now it is lunch time, and everyone is ready for a meal. They decide to eat in the city and explore a little more before heading back to the palace. They discuss some of Keyon’s recommendations and settle on a small tavern resting alongside one of the primary rivers.
Keyon explains that where most taverns are more for resting and travel, this tavern decided to capitalize on its scenic location and focuses more on a fine dining experience. The room and board side of things quickly took a back seat as the tavern has gained more popularity.
The group finds seats outside and has a perfect view of the river. Surrounded by pleasant flowers, a cool breeze, and warm sun, they enjoy their lunch while they watch the ships sail by. They take their time eating lunch before heading back to the palace and spend the rest of the day waiting for word from the weaponsmith.
It’s not until evening that word finally reaches the palace. The children are already preparing for bed, so Keyon and Bao decide to visit alone. They take a simple carriage and make their way through the streets as the city begins to rest from its busy day. They arrive at the shop later than what would normally be considered acceptable, but they were invited by the shop owner, so Keyon knocks on the door without reservation.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The Redmane man opens the door, greets his two visitors, and invites them inside. Together they walk upstairs, and the man pulls out Bao’s spear form behind the counter.
“I was surprised when my son showed me the weapon you left for me. The handle is made of wood but it's just as strong as any iron or steel weapons I’ve worked on. I don’t know for certain what type of tree does this, but I have an idea.”
Bao is eager to finally be able to get some answers.
“You said it has magical properties? I’m no mage but there’s only one place where a weapon of wood is made that can fend off magical effects. Of course, I’ve only ever heard stories so I can’t be certain,
“In the mountains far to the West, there is a clan of warriors who devote their livelihoods to cultivating themselves and mastering methods of combat. Here, they’re said to craft weapons from a tree with special properties. These weapons assist them when fighting against magical attacks. The trees absorb magic and dampen their effects. It’s said that as the wood absorbs the magic it gets stronger over time. Not only that, but the more of a single type of magic the wood is exposed to, the greater its dampening effects are against it,
“This clan keeps to themselves from what I understand. It’s rare for anyone to have the opportunity to examine one of their weapons. It’s a great honor for me but sadly I can’t offer you any more resolution than that.”
“No, that’s a lot more than I had to go off of a few minutes ago,” Bao is getting excited. He might not have an affinity, but if he has a weapon that’s specifically designed to counter magic, that might be all he needs.
Keyon still has questions, but it looks like this man won’t be able to answer them. They thank the man and pay him for his troubles. He’s more than happy to have seen such a rare item but they insist on paying him properly.
Back in the carriage, the two share their thoughts on the revelation.
“It’s feels so good to finally have a lead. Maybe I can figure out how to avoid any more trouble. Who knows, maybe I can learn how to bring out my weapon’s full potential and actually defend myself against magic.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually,” Keyon’s voice is trailing off while he thinks about something else.
“What’s on your mind? We have a lead. That’s exactly what we hoped for isn’t it?”
“It’s just something he said about your spear. ‘The weapon gets stronger the more it absorbs one specific kind of magic’ or something along those lines. He can’t use magic, so he probably doesn’t know, but the amount of magic stored in your spear right now would take either a long time to build up or it was exposed to a tremendous amount of magic within a very short time.
Bao thinks for a moment. He doesn’t have an answer for Keyon’s thoughts, “You said before the spear is soaked in the blood of a magical beast, didn’t you? What does that mean? Could that have anything to do with it?”
“Just like how some humans have access to an affinity, some animals become infused with magic as well. They react to magic differently than humans do though, their bodies change, and they become a completely new and unique species. Their temperaments also change to match their new affinity,
“You said you were given the spear when your brother died fighting a giant feline. It took him and two others to bring it down? I suspect that was a magical beast that had taken on an affinity for death. If that’s the case, I’m amazed he was able to take it down with him. Maybe when the spear killed the beast, it took on the same affinity. That would make the most sense.”
Bao feels a little sick inside. He’s always known the circumstances around his brother’s death, but to think the spear he’s been carrying all this time still has a lingering connection to that moment makes him ill.
“We’re on the right track I think. A spear that absorbs magic, and a magical beast with death affinity. Still,” Keyon clicks his tongue in frustration, “Something is missing. To have this much power the spear would still need,” he stops. He looks Bao dead in the eyes, “That’s it!” he taps the back of the carriage and speaks to the driver, “We’re going to the School of Magic.”
Keyon won’t tell Bao what it is they’re going. He is still processing his own revelation. When they arrive at the school, it’s well past reasonable visiting hours. Regardless, Keyon bangs on the doors to the main compound and instructs a servant to get Master Fos. The old man meets them and on Keyon’s insistence, they make their way back to Fos’ study to test Bao one more time.
“Listen, I’m happy to see you taking an interest in magic again Keyon, and I assure you, I’m just as disappointed as you are about Bao, but trying again in the middle of the night won’t change the result.”
They open the chest and prepare to place a Zultanite eye around Bao’s neck.
“Wait Bao. First, hand me the spear.” Keyon holds out his hand expectantly. This is the key to the second test.
“What are you talking about?” Fos knows that a weapon has no bearing on affinity. Even Keyon should know that.
Bao hands over the spear and puts on the necklace. They still need to wait an hour before they can check the results.
“Now will you tell us what's going on?” Bao has done everything asked of him and he’s getting tired of running around.
“Master Fos, this spear allegedly has magic dampening effects. I’ve actually seen it myself. Times when I though Bao was using death magic to nullify magic was actually power stored within this spear.”
“Incredible,” Keyon has Fos’ full attention.
“The two of us have narrowed down the key moment to when this spear killed a magical beast with death affinity. Still, that should only account for about half of the magic within this spear. I suspect Bao really does have death affinity like we’ve all thought. This spear has just been drawing it out of him his entire life.”
Fos takes the spear from Keyon and unwraps it, “So this is an Ashwood weapon. The possibility didn’t even cross my mind. I’ve always been a little emotional. I was too excited this morning to imagine the odds, and when Bao tested as no affinity, I was too disappointed to think clearly.”
“You know about the weapons?” Bao is sitting on a couch waiting for his time to run up.
“Only the name and region. Their manufactures craft these weapons to fight against magic foes. They’d never let mages inspect their processes. I only know the basic theory, but Keyon is on track. If this is an Ashwood weapon, then there is a very real possibility that Boa’s natural magic is being dampened by the weapon.”
“Would that be harmful? It’s not poisoning me, is it?”
“That’s unlikely, we’re talking about magic. It’s not directly related to your vitality. Even life and death magic don’t work on those levels until someone reaches a master’s level.”
The hour goes by and Bao hands the necklace to Keyon.
“Just what I thought,” he hands it to Fos.
“It’s unmistakable young man,” a large smile unapologetically comes over the Corsac’s face, revealing a row of small canine teeth, “You have death affinity!”
“Is it true? The test worked?” Bao is almost afraid to let himself believe it.
“It’s clear to anymore versed in magic,” Keyon reassures him.
“Indeed, it's an extraordinary coincidence. The spear takes on death affinity only for its wielder to supply it with the same type of magic. I doubt the ones who made this weapon intended for this to happen, but here we are,” Fos is giddy with this new development, “If you want to learn how to reach your full potential, I can see to it that you start classes first thing tomorrow morning if you’d like. Of course, eventually, you’d need to find the people who made the spear. I can teach you magic but they’re the only ones who can tell you more about Ashwood weapons.”
Bao accepts Fos’ offer to learn magic at the school, but he won’t adjust his schedule to stay longer. He still needs to help the children find a home. He has plenty of time to work on his personal goals after that. This means he won’t be admitted as a formal student of magic, but he can come and go as he pleases during his time in Tab. Keyon says this is the best situation since one’s magical pursuits are never finished, and Fos is the type to always look for a reason to extend someone’s stay at the school.
Bao and Keyon return to the palace late into the night. Neither can sleep much now that their minds are racing with this new discovery. A mysterious weapon to negate magic, a magical beast of death affinity, and a young man emerging from a secluded jungle, yielding the powers of both. All the possibilities, and all the potential this combination holds keeps them up tonight. It’s all they can think about.
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