Chapter 21

Riley was making tight loops, hopping in a wide series of circles around Tobias' legs in a vaguely forward motion.

"That was so cool! It was so cool you'd have to go back to the 80s and get those funny wrap around shades, you know, like the ones in that movie," she rambled, spinning up like a top, "the potions kept changing color, and there was that one lady that got her tumors zapped. I even saw somebody fly! It was just oodles of rad!"

While her voice trailed off, the strange, somewhat tribal dance she was working with her fits and fidgets did not ebb.

"And I saw a dragon! A real dragon! Not in a fantasy book, dragon! This is sooo cool!"

"It's just magic. You take such joy in mundane things; it's inspiring," Tobias chuckled, enjoying the warm sun and clean air. All around him, the birds were singing, and there was nary a cloud in the sky. The bucolic location worked upon him like a balm, offering relaxation and respite from his troubles.

Riley stopped, her ears going asymmetrical. Her nose began to twitch as if signaling Morse code, "Just magic?"

"Yes, and now it's your turn," Tobias looked down at the twitching beast and grinned savagely.

Riley's ears went stiff and alert, "It's my turn…"

Her words trailed off towards the infinite possibility in those few words.

"Well, what are we waiting for! Load me up! I want to fly!" She cried, putting on a burst of speed, paws digging into the dirt, launching her forward.

After a few dozen feet of travel, she cocked her head back towards Tobias and drummed her hindpaw furiously.

"Come on! Come on! Justinian is this way, right?" She projected.

"You have it exactly right," Tobias said, fuzzing her ears as he passed.

Cresting the rise, Justinian, in an almost perfect recreation of their morning meeting, was leaning against a tree with his hood up.

Riley briefly reflected on every drug deal and nefarious dealing she had seen in any movie as Justinian lowered his hood and pushed off the tree.

"There he is! I was wondering when the dark cloud would show up," Pulling Tobias into a sidelong hug, he took him in a gentle head lock and messed his hair.

Tobias pushed off from his ribs, but not before poking him hard, "Ya goon, shove off."

They both fell to easy laughter, and, for a moment, Tobias didn't seem to have a care in the world.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"You two are like brothers," Riley chuckled, watching the little drama; all the while, the excitement bubbled within her like a cauldron.

"I'm never going to get used to you speaking. A second tier sapient companion. That's just wow stuff," Justinian grinned, "how was your first day?"

Tobias grinned, "Brace yourself."

"It was whiz bang! There were dragons, people fly here, and get healed like on those morning gospel shows and just… wow!" Riley set to fidgets again, unable to contain her wonder.

"You'd think she'd never seen magic before," Justinian shrugged.

"They didn't know where she came from," Tobias replied.

The artificer's jaw dropped.

"How would that even work? You need magic to sustain creation," he began rubbing his chin in a slow, curious motion as Riley stopped.

"We have technology, science, and stuff. There's all kinds of novel ways to push electrons through circuits or use gearing to power machines. My world is built on those principles like yours is built on magic," Riley replied.

They both regarded her as if she had grown a second head.

"What?" She wondered.

"Electrons? What the hell is an electron?" Justinian looked to Tobias as if he had all the answers, but he only shrugged.

"It's… well... it's physics…science! Tiny little particles smaller than anyone can see that make up everything! I don't know exactly how it works, just that it does work, most of the time," she trailed off, lost in the weeds of her own thinking.

"Well, you're an experience," Justinian chuckled before looking towards Tobias.

"She is, but the hour grows late, and we still need to cast a circle, or rather, you need to cast a circle for ritual, set out the crystals, and all that. After the day I've had, I'd like to get home, get my work done, and try to sleep for about six hours. Six hours would be nice," Tobias rambled, changing the subject.

"Can I see them?" Riley asked, her ears going stiff as she rocked up and down on her hind paws.

Justinian pulled out three crystals and set them before her; within, Riley could see shimmering prismatic rainbows of color pulsing through them. Upon their surface were numbers.

"Oh, these are pretty," Riley using her front paws and forelegs like chopsticks, captured the first one and cocked her head to get a better look at it.

A prompt flared to life.

"I'll go get the ritual circle set up. This should be as private a place as any this time of day," Justinian said, casting his glance around suspiciously.

You have been given a cram crystal: Level 1, fundamentals and basics of magic. Consume Y/N?

Riley could not help herself. Without thinking, she reached out, projecting towards the Y as there was a brilliant flash.

It felt as if knowledge was a physical force, a speeding bus of data smacked into her brain, sending her thoughts flying, as concepts she had never conceived of before took root, flowering into new ways of thinking and perceiving. Esoteric concepts, the basics of casting and channeling, all became second nature in an instant as if she had spent years at the academy.

"By the dead gods!" Tobias exclaimed as Justinian came running over from his work.

Riley was on the ground, twitching, drool leaking out from her muzzle.

"More," she rasped by mental projection, "that was so cool."

"She consumed the crystal…. Without a ritual… Just what in the realms is she?" Justinian ran his fingers through his hair, checking Riley over.

"Dizzy...." Riley's words came out like a groan.

"None of this makes any sense. She's only early two tier by assessment, but this is higher order magical creature stuff. Only a first or beings of the deeper astral should have that ability," Tobias puzzled, going down on one knee and petting Riley's ears back.

"Are you certain you're ok?" Tobias asked.

"Could it be her electrons?" Justinian asked nonsensically.

Tobias looked up and shrugged.

"Fine…give, give," Riley replied, pulling herself up on shakier paws. New connections were still being made as revelation after revelation rocketed through her mind, "this day is so rad!"

A host of exclamation points were having a strobe party in the upper right hand corner of her vision.

"Just take it easy. Catch your breath, I think dinner can wait," Tobias said, sounding intrigued.