Chapter 33
Lessons In Magic
“Magic type individual?” Erin asked, wondering what the kobold meant by such a term. “What does that mean?”
“Hmmm? Oh, you probably never had any lessons when it comes to magic, huh?” Lexton asked, to which the redhead simply shook her head. “I see. I suppose it’s not that surprising. There isn’t that much decent education around there parts and magic isn’t all that common either.”
“I don’t know anything about this magic type individual stuff either,” Ryle stated in a slightly smug tone. “Not that I think I’ve ever really needed it. I mean, I’ve turned out just fine as far as I’m concerned.”
“Well, that is obvious. All you’ve ever needed to do is know what to punch really hard!” the kobold said in an annoyed tone. “Honestly, if you were born in any other place, I doubt you would have survived for long.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?” the blonde asked angrily.
“I mean that in most other places you require this thing called intelligence,” Lexton answered. “In those places, you can’t simply punch at your problems and hope they go away. But I suppose you could have made a living as a professional toilet cleaner. That or as a test subject for scientific experimentation.”
Ryle looked like she was about to blow off and get violent, so Erin decided to step in and defuse the situation. Besides, she still had some questions.
“Could you tell me more about this magic type stuff?” the redhead asked. “I would like to know more.”
“I-I would like to hear more as well!” Arkay chimed in. “My parents taught me some stuff, but it wasn’t much.”
“...I suppose I could teach you. It’s not like it’s any kind of a loss for me,” Lexton said after thinking it over for a moment. “However, I think this is going to require some setting up. And we should probably do this outside. It would make it quite a bit easier.”
Erin agreed to the kobold’s suggestion and all four of them were soon outside, ready to start their lesson. Lexton had brought a whiteboard along to use for his lesson and also lit a couple of lamps as well, since it was starting to get dark.
“Alright, welcome to my class, Lessons In Magic 101,” the kobold started with a smile on his face. For some reason, he enjoyed getting to teach others about stuff, which was the main reason he had agreed to the whole thing. “Now, are you all ready?”
Erin, Arkay and Ryle were sitting on some large rocks before Lexton, like they were students in a class. Both Erin and Arkay nodded at the question, looking very eager to start their lesson. Ryle, however, seemed to be rather disinterested, as she was staring off into the horizon.
“Okay then. How about we start from the very basics themselves when it comes to magic?” Lexton asked, not paying attention to the disinterested blonde. “For starters, can anyone tell me what magic is?”
“Isn’t magic the spells and other such things you can do?” Erin asked.
“Not exactly,” the kobold answered. “While such things are often broadly referred to as magic, it’s nowhere near correct calling it in such a way. Spells and other magical abilities are more like magical procedures that use magic itself. What I’m asking about is that last part. What is magic itself? And where does it come from?”
“I think I know the answer!” Arkay said excitedly. “Magic is a force that surrounds our whole world and is within every living being. It’s a mystical energy that is constantly a part of our lives.”
“Correct! I see you’ve learned a thing or two,” Lexton said with a smile. “Magic itself is kind of an energy that exists in every part of our world. Most of the time it is invisible and some may even forget that it exists. However, it’s existence is a proven fact of our world. And because it is in every part of this world, it has become a part of us as well. You might not realize it, but we all have magic within ourselves.”
“We do?” Erin asked to which the kobold nodded. “But if it’s a part of all of us, how come Ryle wasn’t able to use Arnie’s knife?”
“Even if we all have magic within us, it doesn’t mean we all can use it,” Lexton answered as he pulled out a marker and began to draw one the whiteboard. He drew a human figure on it with a small circle in the middle of the body. “We all have what is commonly referred to as a “magical core” within our bodies. This is what gives us the ability to use magical skills, like spells. However, this doesn’t mean we all have the same amount of ability from the start, as the level of your magical core is determined by numerous different factors.”
“What do you mean by the level of a magical core?” the redhead asked. “Do magical cores come in different shapes and sizes or something?”
“The level of your magical core refers to your ability to use magic,” the kobold answered. “In a basic sense, the better the quality of your magical core, the better you are at using spells. Not only will you be able to cast more spells overall, but the overall effectiveness of your spells also raises. However, like I said earlier, we don’t all have the same level of quality for our magical cores from the start. Things like the genetics of your parents, your species and even the place you are born in can affect this very heavily.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ryle asked while scratching her head from confusion. “You mean to tell me it’s the fault of my parents that I can’t use magic? Also, why would the place where I’m born affect it as well?”
“Well, I’m certain your parents did have an effect on how you turned out, since I’m certain you were dropped on your head when you were a baby,” Lexton said as he rolled his eyes. “What I meant was that if your parents had a high quality magical cores themselves, that would naturally pass on to you in some capacity as well. When it comes to where you’re born, there are different levels of density of magic flowing through the different areas of the world. So a place with a higher level of magic is more likely to bring about children with far higher magical skills than others, as the magic energy is more likely to flow into them in a larger quantity. As for species, some species, like elves, have a better natural born ability to utilize magic, while others, like orcs, do not have this. They can still use magic, but their innate ability isn’t as high as with others.”
Erin looked down at her hands in deep thought, wondering if she would be able to use magic? She knew that it was probably not possible for her, as she hadn’t even lived in this world for a full year. It seemed like the only way for one to even have a chance to use magic in this world, they would need to be born here.
“Can… Can those without any magical powers ever learn how to use magic?” the redhead asked, wanting to find out if she had any hope to learn such skills. “I’ve never had any training in the area and I wasn’t born in an area that provided much magical energy, so…”
“It is possible. It might be difficult, but possible,” Lexton answered. “Even if one doesn’t have a high innate ability for magic, that doesn’t mean they can’t become very proficient in the use of magical abilities. There are numerous cases of people who had very poor skills in magic at the start who then became some of the most highly-regarded magic users in the world. It took them a lot of hard work, but they were able to achieve it. It’s mostly a question of whether one has the determination to put themselves through far more work than others.”
“So even Ryle and I can do it, if we work hard enough?” Erin asked with a glint of hope in her eye.
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“Why are you dragging me into this?” Ryle asked, confused by the redhead’s choice of words.
“Well… I suppose even miracles can happen with enough effort,” Lexton said while staring at the blonde, who in turn flipped him off. “There are of course those rare cases of people that can’t use magic at all. The reason for this is still unclear and there are numerous theories flying around, but some rare individuals can’t use magic even for the simplest of things.”
“Oh… I see,” Erin said in a somewhat saddened tone, which didn’t go unnoticed by the others.
“Hey, don’t look so down! It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything!” Ryle exclaimed cheerfully as she put an arm around the redhead’s shoulders. “I mean, who needs stupid magic anyways, when you can simply kick ass without it!? I mean, just look at me! No magic, yet all badass still!”
“While I don’t fully agree with the idiot, it’s true that you don’t necessarily need magic in order to become powerful,” Lexton said. “There are numerous tools that provide just about the same level of power as spells, but they don’t require any magical powers for their use. Not only that, but if magic doesn’t work out, you can always go for the use of ki, like Ryle over there.”
“Huh? The hell you’re talking about?” the blonde asked. “I’ve never even heard of that. How am I using it?”
“That’s not really surprising. You just use ki unknowingly,” the kobold answered. “You see, a person can manifest their innate magical powers in two ways. One is magic, which is used for spells and numerous other things. However, there also exists another way for your innate magical power to manifest. This is called ki, which is a power that manifests from your body’s magical powers by using it as a conduit of sorts.”
“Wait, if it uses the same power source, then how is it any different from magic?” Erin asked. “So far it sounds the same.”
“It’s actually very different in many ways,” Lexton said. “Let me ask you a simple question. Has there ever been a magic user that can lift a tank with just their bare hands?”
“Of course not!” Ryle replied as she was picking her nose. “No one could do such a thing! It’s impossible!”
“While such a feat is impossible to most, you shouldn’t go calling it impossible right away,” the kobold said with a chuckle, earning confused looks from the people that were listening to him. “In fact, you’re the type of person that might be able to pull it off in the future.”
“...Huh? Hey, I know I’m all cool and badass, but I think you’re putting way too much faith in me here,” the blonde said. “A feat like that is going to require the strength of an insane monster, not a human like myself.”
“It’s not that I’m putting faith in you, as it’s rather just a prediction based on observing your barbaric talent in fights,” Lexton began to explain. “There’s a general difference between those who are strong in magic and those who are strong in ki. Magic users are often logical and more academic by nature, while ki users are more instinctive and passionate. This kind of goes into what type of powers these two sides of the same coin bring about.”
“So it’s a question of personality whether you can use magic or ki?” Erin asked.
“Not exactly. It’s more like a general rule that’s come about from a long time of observation by numerous scholars,” the kobold answered. “However, it goes to show just how different these two forces can be.”
Lexton began to draw with his marker again. This time he added lines that went from the human figures magic core to its hands, where he then drew an image of a fireball.
“This is how magic works theoretically. By bringing up magical power from within your magic core, you can use it to bring different effects outside your body’s limits,” the kobold explained, as he traced the marker from the magic core, down the lines and to the fireball. “Basically, everything you do with magic, happens from the outside of your body. You bring out the magical energy and then change it’s nature to suit your needs. Whether it’s to turn it into flames, electricity, ice or anything else, you need to first bring it out and then change the very nature of the energy you’re using to suit your needs. Even healing magic works in a similar way, as those who can heal, have to first bring magic to their and change its nature, before it can work at all.”
“Does ki work differently then?” Erin asked.
“Exactly! You’re catching on quick!” Lexton said happily, as he began to draw on the figure once again. This time he drew differently colored lines moving from the figure’s magic core, but instead of going to the hands, they went straight to the surrounding areas of the body. “Now, with what you’ve learned so far, can you guess what’s happening here?”
The redhead looked at the picture and thought very carefully about it. Thinking back on what she had just learned about magic and then applying that to the picture, she was able to figure it out.
“So… If magic is a power where you affect the outside of your body, then ki is a power that affects your body on the inside?” Erin said with wide eyes as she realized it. “Is that what you’re getting at?”
“Correct! You are a smart one, Erin!” Lexton said with a smile, before pointing his marker at the recently drawn lines. “As you can see here, the magical energy doesn’t move outside the body like before. Instead, it moves into the body itself. Where magic operates in changing the world around you, ki changes you. Things like strengthening muscles to accomplish incredible physical feats, making your body as hard as steel and many other feats can this way be achieved through the use of ki.”
“So you mean to tell me that through this ki thingy, I could do crazy comic book stuff like breaking metal with my bare hands or lifting tanks!?” Ryle asked with an excited glint in her eyes. “That’s awesome! Where do I learn this stuff!?”
“...I really wish you wouldn’t use words like “thingy.” It sounds so stupid,” the kobold said with a small sigh. “However, I’m afraid I can’t really show you how to do any of the ki stuff myself. While it’s possible for anyone to learn it with enough work, you need to know what to actually work on. All I can tell you is that a lot of times, in order for you to fully utilize ki, you need to have a very strong body. As such, I’d suggest that you work on physical exercises for now, until you can find someone that can teach you more.”
“What!? So you’re telling me that you’re completely useless then!?” the blonde shouted in disappointment and frustration. “Also, how is simply working out going to give me cool super powers!? The way I see it, all that is gonna do is make me able to lift tanks without any supernatural junk!”
“First of all, it’s not supernatural! Second of all, have you ever seen someone perform crazy feats of physical strength without the aid of some sort of a cybernetic implant or special power!?” Lexton shouted back, angered by the disrespect shown towards him. “No matter what you’re born as, no matter how much natural talent you might have, there are some limits that your body just can’t surpass no matter what. That’s when you have to turn your attention to other sources of power. Some go to science and use things like cybernetics and gene manipulation, while others turn to magic or ki. If you want to get stronger than you are now, I suggest you pick your choice and stop whining!”
Ryle was about to yell back at the kobold, but was stopped by Erin. The redhead didn’t want to lose her chance at learning more important information.
“I apologize for Ryle’s behavior, Lex. She’s just a bit… headstrong. May I still ask one thing?” Erin asked to which the kobold nodded. “This is the first time I’ve learned anything in regards to magic or ki. How would I go about learning more?”
“The best way would be to either find someone who could teach you how to use either or to simply get your hands on books or other written texts and go forward from there,” Lexton answered. “The problem is that it can be very difficult to find either of those. Ever since The Five Overlords took over the whole world, all magic and ki institutions were forced to obey their will. The ones who do so are under constant watch by the authorities, so I doubt we could get in. And the ones who decided to resist were either wiped out or forced to go into hiding.”
A small, sad frown made its way to Erin’s face upon learning about this. She once again had to come face to face with the consequences of her past actions.
“...What about books and other materials that can teach us about the use of magic or ki?” the redhead asked.
“Kind of the same issue. The Five Overlords knew how powerful one could get from stuff like that, so they have put very strict regulations on such material,” Lexton answered. “Only those with special permission are allowed to get their hands on such things, let alone sell them. We’d need an official license to handle them and those aren’t easy to get. We could try to find such books on the black market, but not only is that very hard and expensive, you are not guaranteed to get anything that could be of actual use. There are a lot of con artists out there selling fake magic books.”
“Takes one to know one, huh?” Ryle asked with a smirk.
“Yes. But I only sold fake magical tools. Not magic books,” the kobold answered.
“What’s the difference?” the blonde asked.
“It’s simple. A magic tool only has one use, while a magic book gives you far more,” Lexton answered. “The selling of magic tools is still somewhat allowed, as long as you don’t make anything too powerful. Besides, magical weapons are often a quick method to gain power that doesn’t help much in the long run. Even if you had the greatest magic sword in the world, it wouldn’t mean much if you can’t use it properly and you’d most likely get yourself killed.”
“So what are we supposed to do then?” Erin asked. “How can we get stronger, if we cannot get better at using magic or ki?”
“Unfortunately, I’m afraid there isn’t much that can be done about that,” the kobold answered. “While I can make you some enchanted weapons, that’s about it. I’ve pretty much taught you all there is that I can teach you about the use of magic. If you want to learn more, I think your best bet is to go to Arnie for lessons.”
Both Erin and Ryle turned to look at the cat boy with surprised looks on their faces. Arkay himself was wide-eyed over being suddenly declared a magic instructor.
“M-Me? But how?” the cat boy asked. “I’ve only been taught very little about magic by my parents. I don’t understand how I could teach others.”
“Those lessons you’ve received are more than any of us have,” Lexton began to explain with a smile. “Not only that, from what I’ve seen, you’ve been born with a natural gift for magic. You should have an understanding on how magic works and you should be able to pass that knowledge to others.”
“I… I’m not sure I can do that,” Arkay said in a sad tone as he looked down. “I’m sorry…”
The cat boy suddenly felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at the gentle smile of Erin.
“It’s alright. Just do what you can and we’ll pick it up from there,” the redhead said. “We are not going to demand you to do more than what you’re able to. Even if you can’t teach us magic, you’re still a valuable member of our group.”
“Yeah, no need to sweat the details, Arnie!” Ryle said happily as she put a hand around the cat boy’s shoulders. “You just do your thing and we’ll do ours! That’s how this team rolls and kicks ass!”
“Besides, Arnie, if you fear being useless, that shouldn’t worry you,” Lexton added. “I’m sure the blonde dumbass next to you has that role filled.”
“I’M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, YOU GODDAMN SCALY BASTARD!”
As Erin had to help Arkay in holding back the irate Ryle, she thought about the things she had just learned. While it was certain that tough times were ahead, she at least had grasped at a possible method of getting stronger in this world. Now all she needed was the first step and then work things out from there.
Hopefully things would turn out for the better.
image [https://i.ibb.co/ctCMWjd/Ch-33-Pic-1.jpg]