Over the next five days of travelling Ted and Cam spent an hour and a half each morning and each afternoon on training, boosting Ted’s Skills towards a point that Cam considered reasonable. In the morning Cam insisted that they run for half an hour, followed by a half hour of sparring with the spear and the staff, teaching Ted new non-magic imbued Techniques and catas. The remaining half hour was spent on practising his agility based manoeuvres, Jumping, diving and dodging through a course that Cam made up from a variety of junk he had in his wagon. At least, it looked like junk to Ted; Cam assured him that it was all very useful and valuable, though he did not explain why he then allowed Ted to jump on it.
A spritz of something akin to some magical deodorant left Ted less reeking of sweat, but still feeling pretty grotty; however it was the best that Cam could offer until each night, where they would either stay in an inn and Ted could shower, or on the road side, where they could warm some water with a fire or heating stones that could be activated through holding it and speaking the name of the glyph on the side.
‘These ones are activated via the word ‘Ondra’.’ Cam explained. ‘It’s a pretty common glyph, effectively means ‘Activate’, or ‘On’.
‘Wait, are you saying there's a whole other magical language?’ Ted asked, bewildered.
‘Oh, yes.’ Cam said. ‘Most magical instruments will require instruction. Learning how to use them is a whole Skill in itself.’
‘That’s crazy!’ Ted exclaimed. ‘So I could buy myself something and then be screwed because I didn’t know the magic word?’
‘It’s normally ‘Please’.’ Cam said, laughing. Ted’s face was unimpressed.
‘No, but really it’s normally Ondra. But if the item is more complicated than just needing to be turned on, it might need more complicated instructions. Normally the person you’ll get them from will tell you how it works.’ Cam explained. ‘It’s like anything; you have to learn how it works.’
‘Can I use Identify to find out the word?’ Ted asked, a potential solution coming to mind.
‘Why don’t you give it a go?’ Cam asked.
Ted focused on the small spherical stone in front of him, and activated Identify.
Identified: Heating Stone - Magical
‘Useless.’ he muttered under his breath, before trying again, focussing specifically on the glyph.
Identified: Heating Stone Glyph
‘Well, I guess the answer is ‘No’ then.’ Ted said, as the complete lack of information appeared in front of him.
‘Right now, you won’t be able to.’ Cam said, cheerfully. ‘But as you keep on getting stronger, you’ll be able to read the basic glyphs; there’s a Skill that you can get when Identify and Magic Sensing get high enough.’
‘Seems like the answer is always ‘Get better and wait.’’ Ted said, trying not to sound petulant.
‘We’re getting you ready for the army my friend; that’s almost exactly their motto.’ Cam had smiled, giving him a pat on the back.
In the afternoons they would focus on Ted’s magic based Skills, using meditative techniques to focus on his Magical Sensing and Aura Sensing to improve his understanding of the magical world around him. Now that they weren’t in a crowded environment Ted found his Aura Sensing ability a useful tool, as opposed to the sensory overload it had been before, letting him sense Cam as a colourful mass of chaos, nearby, and even several small animals near the sides of the road where they stopped. They meant nothing to him, but Cam promised him that, like everything else, it would come with time. His Magic Sensing Technique was coming on in leaps and bounds, at least in Ted’s opinion, and with each level he felt like he got more clarity in viewing the magic around him, and within him, in his mind’s eye.
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At the end of their first day, as Cam set up the tent they were going to sleep in that night; an unexpectedly large affair the size of a small marquee, propped up by a complex scissor frame of wooden struts far too large for the wagon to have held, he brought up what he’d been up to in the city; until that point, Ted had been feeling too sorry for himself to ask.
‘So, I got a good price for those antlers and the hide.’ he said. ‘Come here and I’ll send you over the thousand Centrals that makes up your cut.’
‘My cut?’ Ted asked, whilst internally noting that he had no idea whether one thousand Centrals was a lot of money or a little. Or whether Cam had gotten a fantastic deal, or had been fleeced.
‘I took a small seller’s fee, plus covering your hotel room which you may have forgotten to pay. I also bought you a small something.’
After setting up the tent, he went to the back of the wagon and pulled out a small leather sling bag with a single strap that went over the shoulder
‘Every soldier needs something like this, but they’re not standard issue.’ Cam said, throwing it over to Ted. Ted, for the first time, held back on his automatic question, and used his Identify Technique.
Identified: Small Bag - Dimensional
‘Wow.’ Ted said. He was surprised by how much gratitude he felt, having to stop himself from choking up. This was the first gift he’d been given, not just in this life, but in years. ‘Thank you.’
‘Any time, my friend.’ Cam said, smiling at Ted’s unintended show of emotion. ‘Plus, you know, it came as part of the deal. The seller threw it in as part of the trade. Not bad, though, right?’
‘How does it work?’ Ted asked, slipping the strap over his right shoulder. The sling was flat against his chest, broadening to the width of about a hand; there was a ten centimetre slit stitched along the leather on his chest that looked like it would be used to store paper currency, but very little else. Ted slipped his hand inside, expecting to feel the edge of the pocket before his fingers were all the way in; instead, he found his hand somehow inside a much larger space. The sides were plush, like a satin lined cushion, slightly compressible, but only a little. The sides of the pocket were close enough that he could feel pressure on the palm and back of his hand, but he couldn’t feel the edges or bottom, and he gave up after his whole hand was swallowed by the sling.
‘Magic.’ Cam said, laughing.
‘So very funny.’ Ted said, pulling his hand out.
‘I’m sorry, it’s just an odd experience, teaching someone so new to the world. Like teaching a baby. One that can talk and walk and complain a lot.’ Cam said.
‘Hey! I don’t complain that much.’ Ted protested.
‘Of course you don’t.’ Cam agreed, too readily to be believable. ‘Now, if you open your Inventory Screen, you should be able to see your new bag.’
Ted did as directed, and saw that there was a new line under the Inventory heading:
Dimensional Bag - Small
Empty
Cam explained that when items were put in the bag, they’d show up on the screen; Ted could then use this feature to withdraw items directly from it whilst his hand was inside the bag.
‘Or you can feel around inside and hope to grab what you want, but I think you’d find that a bit difficult.’ Cam added. ‘Fancier bags have better capabilities; they can bond to you in a way that allows you to reach in and think about what you want to withdraw. But I’m afraid this is a basic one.’
‘It’s brilliant. Thank you Cam.’ Ted said, after exploring the features, and trying to look inside the bag, only to find the pocket showing nothing but a dark void.
‘You’re welcome, my friend.’ Cam said, patting Ted on the shoulder.
For the first time, Ted thought about the way Cam had repeatedly referred to him, and realised that it was true; Can really was a friend. He hadn’t had one in a long time; Jerah and Kara had maybe come close, but there’d still been a lack of openness that he’d struggled with.
Cam was actually his friend. Wasn’t that nice.