It was late at night and I was in my rooms testing spell words. No luck yet. “Enhance luck” I said, but nothing happened. It was getting increasingly distracting from the sleep I was supposed to be getting. “Sleep” I said to myself trying to get comfortable and I did.
I dreamed of earth and my parents, two bookish shut ins with no real aspirations. I dreamed of returning to my old world using my new found magic. Telling my parents in person how amazing I had become. I woke to find the sun barely cresting the horizon and feeling hollow. At that moment I missed my old quirky earth family. I had a few new ideas for spells.
“Identification” I said pointing my mana towards my sword.
Non-Magical Sword. I heard in my head by an emotionless robot voice. I was disappointed nothing about who owned it, crafted it, or gave it to me. Just the bare minimum, I guess.
Enchanting my sword with fire the previous day hadn’t made it magical. I guess I would need to find a Rune crafter or an enchanter about getting a magical blade. I showered and changed. Glad for warm water once again. I made my way to breakfast.
“Good morning.” I said greeting what must have been ten people in the dinning room. I wasn’t entirely sure where I should sit. I was taking in all the different people and then I realized the man seated right of master Anstrom was wearing a crown.
“My liege” I stumbled lately bowing my head.
“Rise” someone behind me said.
The queen was behind me, suddenly royalty abounded everywhere. I stumbled over to the wall. It may have been a large room but it was suddenly feeling very small. I met master Anstrom’s eyes and he indicated I should sit across from the king. I suddenly felt very faint. I sat down across from the king of the kingdom of Valorium unaware of what his name or title was. No clue into proper forms of address.
As I took my seat the king who was wearing furs mostly said “You must be Garrick’s boy Andrew.” The king said.
“I am your majesty” I said awkwardly.
“His majesty was telling me he’d like you to travel around to distant places so that your portal skill could connect our realm to other kingdom’s but then the queen reminded us of the importance of the other eighth level spells. Today the kingdom would like to offer you a job Andrew.”
“Royal Magician.” said the king.
“Or a special post for one so young, Apprentice Royal Magician.” Said the queen.
“I am honored” I said. Thinking about the gilded collar they were offering me.
“Good then, its settled.” Said the King.
“But I decline.” I said sternly
“What?” Said the king
“Why would you throw away this opportunity?” said the queen.
“I am sworn to non-interference in the kingdom’s affairs to the goddess Lyddya.” I lied
“So its true, he is blessed by the first one.” Said someone from further down the table.
“So you’ll not be our high magician?” The king said perplexed.
“How come I didn’t hear of this before.” Said master Anstrom.
“I remembered meeting with Lyddya in my dreams last night, and she reminded me, perhaps due to this very encounter.” I told him. The only way I was going to be a traveling merchant adventurer is if I made it so.
“I don’t mind working for the kingdom as a contractor, but my obligations lie elsewhere I am afraid.” I really hoped this path was the right one, something about thirty years of service to a kingdom I didn’t really know didn’t sit well with me. Counting my past life, that was more than all the years I had already come to live.
“Perhaps I don’t understand what you mean by contractor.” The king said. “But are you saying you will work for the kingdom just not exclusively. Or are you saying you want a separate contract for each job enterprise?” the king asked.
“Both non-exclusively and not for war your majesty.” I stated.
“That will still be extremely useful, my dear.” The queen said to the king hopeful.
“You wont work on behalf of another kingdom against us?” The king asked me.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Never, your majesty.” I addressed him directly.
“I must also ask that you cast divine revelation on me and my wife.” The king told me.
“I don’t know if I can do that.” I answered, not knowing what that would entail or if that’s something I would come to regret.
“You can’t or you won’t.” the king asked me but master Anstrom cut in.
“He doesn’t know that sort of spell yet I’m afraid your majesty. He also doesn’t know from the vague name it lets you commune with the gods or the dead but is not quite necromancy.” Master Anstrom familiar rattling put me at ease.
“Ok, teach him, we’ll wait.” The king said.
“Just what is this about your majesty?” Asked master Anstrom.
“The old royal vault has been sealed for two generations. No alive knows how to open it.” The king answered tepidly.
“If you’ll give us a moment, majesties, we will retreat to my study where I have some diagrams to show young Andrew that will help him visualize the process of casting the spell.” Master Anstrom bade them to stay and enjoy what meager accommodations he could offer and they would return post haste. I missed most of it having left at the first occasion to bolt.
“Shrewdly handled Andrew.” Master Anstrom told me privately in his study.
“I only did what I thought best for the prosperity of the most.” I answered. Myself included in the most bit. If I gave my life to passionate service, it might benefit more people but I wouldn’t.
“Unlikely actions for a ten-year-old.” Master Anstrom told me.
I changed the subject. “I’m assuming I need to envelope the target in my mana before I chant the magic words.” I asked him.
Master Anstrom sputtered. “Well, actually, essentially yes.”
“I’d still like to see these diagrams of yours.” I told him.
“Of course.” Said master Anstrom
As I looked at the series of black inked picto-graphics, I assumed it meant summon energy, pull energy to your hands, push energy to target. Incantation. Voila.
“Is there a list of incantations that use this format.” I asked master Anstrom
“Perhaps somewhere, but for now we need to tend to the king and queen.” He bade me.
We returned to the breakfast which boasted nine seated people and twenty-one standing personnel wait on the noble’s beck and call. It was a testament to master Anstrom’s hospitality that he could accommodate such a large group of people, but I hadn’t seen the rude serving girl this morning perhaps she was busy cooking in the kitchen.
I cast the spell on the king, and then the queen. The king’s eyes closed and he seemed to be humming. The queen’s eyes grew cloudy as if she wasn’t present at the breakfast table.
I looked about for something to do in the meantime but a servant arrived with a heaping plate of food for me, steaming hot. So, I sat and began to eat breakfast. After my potatoes but before my biscuit was finished his majesty the king’s eyes snapped open.
I don’t know what he saw in his vision but he was crying freely from both eyes. He told something quietly to one of his advisors looming behind him before wiping his eyes with a napkin. Then the king was looking at me.
“I’ll offer you any one item in the treasury as recompense for this minor miracle.” The King told me.
“A magic bag or a magic sword would suit me nicely if you find something like that in there, your majesty.” I told him thinking of my wants and needs to be a merchant trader on the road.
“Theres no need to be hasty.” Said master Anstrom who was probably thinking about the vast wealth in the treasury.
“I’m sure we can find something suitable.” Said the king.
“That was bloody dreadful.” The queen said coming to herself. The king and queen had some quiet conversation between them and then decided it would be best if they departed. The king and queen and their entourage departed within a few minutes after some murmured disagreement between some of their vassals. After the majority had departed two people remained seated the count from the previous day who was towards the end of the table and across from him was a somewhat portly man. In finery I hadn’t previously seen the man radiated wealth.
“Perhaps you gentleman have additional business with Andrew?” Master Anstrom inquired
“Yes, I am count Pallo. I have great need of your apprentice’s services and I offer one hundred ounces of gold.” Said the portly man
“To do what exactly.” Said master Anstrom. His interest was in money before much else my father had told me.
“To cast remove disease on my wife, who has contracted a deadly form of the disease known as gout.” Count Pallo said.
“Why not ask the church, they could do it for much smaller sum of money, I’m sure.” Said master Anstrom.
“My wife is what you would call agnostic. She worships not the gods, and thus the temples see this as a proof of her heresy.
“I cannot in good conscience let my pupil get involved in a fight between you and the temple.” Master Anstrom began but I cut him off.
“I’ll do it.” I said.
We accompanied count Pallo to his residences in the northern third of the city. His wife was just as rotund and perhaps a few years younger than count Pallo. After casting the spell count Pallo paid me in gold coins from the kingdom’s mints, the fat one-ounce gold coins heavy on my belt I returned to my studies. The rest of the day was much as the previous and much like the next.
It would be three days later when a messenger from the palace arrived holding a non-descript cubic looking brown back pack made of some dark leather. It glowed like the sun to my Magi-Sight. Apparently there had been a magic bag among the things in the old vault. I thanked the scribe or whatever the delivery person was called and cast identification.
Magic Back Pack – Special Inner dimensions, Weight reduction 100%, Fast summon at will.
Not being an expert at what fast summon at will might be but having a good idea what it could mean, I put my sword inside the backpack and then was able to summon the sword into my hand from thin air. Not only that, but time it took to summon it to my hand was much faster than drawing a sword. It was so fast in fact that I nearly dropped my sword when it appeared before I expected it would.
I had learned a few new spells but they were all what you would call attack magic. Fire ball, fire wall, fire lance, ect. I was interested in what utility spells I could learn but the old wizard didn’t know many outside of magi-sight, Identification, and something we had yet to practice called networking. I was going to need to do some networking too if I wanted to learn the names of the spells the clerics used.