My bedroom in the wizard’s apartment was actually quite spacious with its own bathroom that featured showers, running water, a toilet. Amenities I hadn’t dreamed existed. The very next morning I joined Master Anstrom for breakfast in what felt like a wide great hall. It could have seated perhaps sixty people but only Master Anstrom and myself we dining.

“I haven’t slept that well since before the war my dear boy.” Master Anstrom greeted me

“I’m glad it worked; I should learn the words to more divine spells.” I offered.

“Everything in its own time, lets first educate you as to what a spell is.” Master Anstrom intoned, already beginning a lecture over breakfast.

“A Spell is anything that uses mana to supersede natural laws.” Master Anstrom put it succinctly.

“Can a spell do anything to supersede those laws?” I asked

“With enough mana and knowledge about natural law. Virtually anything.” Master Anstrom explained.

“So, with my ability to learn or cast nearly any spell I should be able to make some money right?” I asked suddenly hopeful.

“With your talent the kingdom would be remiss in not retaining you as a baron or other large titled lord. I think you being chosen of the world maker its possible the king might offer you the hand of his eldest daughter.” Master Anstrom said wistfully.

“It’s good I don’t want to be a king then, no need to tell them and then turn them all down.” Andrew started.

“No, I’m oath sworn to tell my king and honor bound no less.” Master Anstrom began.

“We can wait until I’m more than just a glorified apprentice to tell him, can’t we?” Andrew begged.

“Afraid not, I already drafted a letter to the king that left this morning.” Master Anstrom explained.

“Considering you told me to keep it in my own confidences, and then you go and do what?” Andrew said, as he began to continue, he was interrupted. “I thought I was have some say in th--.”

“Andrew how old are you?” the old master asked.

“Ten.” I said feeling as if I were lying to the man

“I’ll not be berated by a ten-year-old, surely you can see the wisdom of deferring to your elder when it comes to better judgement.” The elderly man practically lectured down to me.

“How long until the king hears of me?” I asked calculating.

“Some time I have no doubt, it isn’t as if I could pen a letter to the king directly. I just sent a letter to colleagues at the royal archies that I have a student of unmatched potential that may be of interest to the kingdom. I didn’t give your name or anything, it may be months before we are called on to make an introduction.” The old master prattled.

“Do I need to worry?” I wasn’t worried yet, just concerned with a side of unreasonable suspicion.

“By the time they see you at court I’m sure you’ll be a masterful magician.”

“Magician, what’s that? Its different than the others.” I asked quizzically

“Sorcerer is anyone who practices one branch of magic, magician is someone who practices many.” The old master expounded.

“Are you a magician?” I asked him.

“I am Magus, Wizard, and Mage. I lack the propensity to cast spells from scrolls or I’d be considered for a high magician seat at court.” The old man foundered a bit.

“Surely you can learn to become a Magi right?” I asked him

“No, there’s not hope to develop latent skills at my age.” Master Anstrom shot sourly.

“Is casting spells from scrolls that important?” I asked not understanding what the limits or capabilities of any of this really.

“Ones mana is limited, but spell scrolls hold their own mana added at the time of creation. Additionally one may only cast spells they know unless they use items in the case of sorcery or spell scrolls the magi.” Master Anstrom said.

“Where do magic items come from?” I asked suddenly intrigued by the lack of magical creation

“Enchanters, a type of magic you lack the propensity to cast.” Master Anstrom said succinctly. I was suddenly glad he didn’t go into some birds and bees mumbo jumbo because I really had left myself wide open.

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My eyes were suddenly open to the idea that there were going to be magical things I couldn’t do. “Master, how hard would it be for me to become an enchanter?” I suddenly blurted

“If you trained at solely that for the rest of your life, I’m sure you’d be an enchanter by forty or so.”

“Are there any other branches of magic I don’t have access too?” I asked also concerned about my potential ineptitude.

“Rune carving is much like enchanting but subtly different, enchanters work with magical materials and craft magical objects, rune carvers cut runes into masterwork objects and fill the runes with functional mana.” Master Anstrom looking winded.

As long as he kept talking, I kept eating. Berries and grapes from trays joined heaping portions of meats and eggs. Sadly it looked like our long breakfast lesson was coming to an end.

As we shuffled down the hallway he brought me to a room filled with dummies and other kinds of target ammunition.

“We shall take a few of these out into the country side and let you reign in your power as a sorcerer.” Said master Anstrom

I carried two dummies and master Anstrom brought something that looked like a disc throwing device with a box of white clay tile discs. We made our way down the stairs and around the back of the building where master Anstrom kept a small cart which I pulled as best I could for awhile until master Anstrom had to take over. Getting out of the city was easy, there was little to no foot traffic headed out of the city this late in the morning.

We found a secluded grove and set up the targets. Master Anstrom produced three magical wands. One was long and black and made of some sort of dark wood. One was long and white and made of bone or stone. The last was short and had gilding and fancy swirling runes.

“What do they do.” I asked.

“Aim them at the target and find out.” Said master Anstrom with a devious grin.

I took one of the wands from him, the small gilded one and aimed it at the target, but nothing happened. I shook it a little, wiggled it, I almost dropped it trying to get something to happen and then nothing.

“Will your magic to go through the wand and into the target.” Said master Anstrom.

I still had no idea what I was doing and without some tips or tricks to visualize the process I felt doomed to failure, still I had to give what my master was telling me a shot. So I willed it, and I squinted and I closed my eyes and visualized mana going into the wand and coming out. I opened my eyes and tried one final time to will something, anything out of the wand, but nothing happened.

“Ok, that might happen from time to time, the wand can run out of power and need to be recharged, lets try this one then.” he said holding out a long black wand.

This time the release was immediate, A bright javelin of fire streaked forth from the wand and struck a wooden dummy.

“Woah.” I said idly

“Woah indeed. Care to try the last one?” Master Anstrom replied.

I gingerly handed him back the black wand, which I had dubbed in my head firebolt. I took the long white stone wand in both hands, it was actually kind of heavy.

“What’s this made from?” I asked him

“Chimera bone.” Master Anstrom replied

I pointed the weapon for I knew it to be that now at the target dummy with some relish and I felt it connect with my mana. I felt a little bit of the light headed sensation I had had when I had healed master Anstrom. A ray of red lightning spit forth from the point of the wand in almost a cone ending somewhere behind the target dummy out of sight or view. The target dummy was gone, the area bare of plants, lose rocks, gravel and debris. Just nothing and a vast pit. I solemnly walked back over and exchanged the white wand for the black one and let loose a few fireblasts while master Angstrom looked on in apparent reverence to the white wand he was now holding.

I wanted to see how many fireblasts I could let off before the feeling of lightheadedness overtook me. It was nineteen consecutive fireblasts before I had the slightest hint of lightheadedness. I felt I could continue for awhile at this rate but my symptom’s caused me to ask a question instead

“Why do I get lightheaded when I use magic.” I asked

“When you get to zero mana remaining you may even fall unconscious. This is the state known as mana deprivation. The body regularly intakes mana from the outside world and regenerates your mana back to you, but this process takes time, usually one to two minutes depending on your rate and the size of your pool.” Master Angstrom explained

“How do I tell how much mana I have, do you have a glass or tablet that will tell me?” I asked him.

“Based on your nineteen fireblasts after the disintegrating cone I’d say you have a large mana pool and a high mana regeneration rate, but no Andrew, we have no concrete way to determine exactly what your rate or pool entail.” Master Anstrom lectured

“Dang I was hoping it was based on my acumen, it was really high.” I may have over confided.

“Your what now? Acumen?” Master Anstrom questioned.

“Oh, nothing sir, it’s a story for another day.” I hedged.

“Ok for now lets see if you can hit some flying clay discs with the fire wand.” Master Anstrom began to throw clay discs in the air in a pretty rapid order, first one, then two, then three. It was all Andrew could do to shoot the discs from the air before they made the tree line.

“Very good.” Master Anstrom praised.

I was light headed and panting, hands on my knees bent over wheezing when master Anstrom produced some small shiny widget from a pocket.

“Lets see if you can hit a moving target that changes directions.” Master Anstrom made the tiny ball buzz to life and soon it was sporting a large yellow shield in all directions from the core and it began to move.

I’d like to say I came close, but in ten attacks with the wand, I didn’t manage a single grazing blow against its shield. At which point I felt that lightheadedness creep back for me again.

“I don’t think I can hit it with this wand” I told him.

“I don’t really want you to use the white wand on my drone.” He told me

“Yeah, that little pod does seem pretty cool, I didn’t really fancy destroying it either.” I said as he summoned the glowing yellow tiny ball to his hand and shut it down. He stuffed it into his pocket and shrugged at me. “Where did you get all these wands?”

“I took them in battle thinking I might have a need for them some day.” Master Anstrom confided.

“I’m glad you did, they are quite fun.” I said earnestly.

“Fun you say? Well grab the rest of that dummy and throw it in the wagon then, lets see how far you can pull the wagon.” Master Anstrom smiled in delight as I withered under his words. We wordlessly made our way back to the capital

Divine: Check

Sorcery: Check

Magus, Wizard, Magi, Mage, Wild, Green : …