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Dexter

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With most of my injuries fixed, it took ten minutes to stroll back down to the barn. I slowly smiled as I swung the crowbar aimlessly around my torso, letting the muscles stretch out and enjoy a sense of recovery. “Wait until Amelia hears about magic being real. We don’t exactly have proof of that. Isn’t the fact that our wounds are gone proof enough? You also forgot to ask Dubak about the Amulets.” I stopped in my tracks, twenty feet from the front door. I cursed under my breath as I realized my mistake. “At least we don’t have to wait for the wounds to heal, that would’ve taken at least a month. Yeah, but now we’ve got to try and explain the whole situation to her, title and reckless idea included.” I sighed and stretched as I walked the last few feet towards the door. “No point in putting it off.” I pulled the door open and put on the biggest grin possible. “Honey, I’m home,” I said cheerfully. I saw a swirl of auburn hair as Amelia whipped her head around to look at the door.

Her eyes went wide when she saw me waving the crowbar at her, gripping it with my once broken hand. “What the Hell have you done?” She shouted at me. I continued to grin as Amelia jumped up and rushed over, avoiding what was left of her scattered operation. “Don't tell me you've taken medicine from the orcs.” She said as she tried to take the crowbar from my hand.

I raised it up and out of her reach. “I haven't,” I replied. “But I've made a phenomenal discovery.” I used my free hand to lift the side of my shirt up. She looked down at the bare stretch of skin, devoid of any cut or scar. Her eyes widened as she brought her hand up to feel where the wound once was. I tensed as her cold hand pressed into my torso.

She rubbed the spot, searching for any indication of the wound. “H-How?” She asked, looking up. “I stitched it up this morning. There’s no way anything the orcs have would’ve fixed it.” I smiled as I lowered the crowbar and allowed her to examine my hand.

She pushed hard along the skin, trying to find a break, as I told my story. “Garahk was waiting for me when I got to the Great Hall. She wanted to talk to me about what I did this morning. When she saw that I was still sporting some of the injuries she convinced me to let her treat them.” Amelia looked up at me with a stunned expression. “I know, dangerous and irresponsible. At first, I thought it was some nerve point thing, but when I found out it was legit I asked her to fix the rest of me.”

Amelia began gesturing. “Could you to the point of the story?” She asked.

I nodded. “Right. Anyway, magic is real and they’re going to teach it to me,” I said with glee.

Amelia’s eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open. “Magic?” She asked. I nodded. “That’s how she fixed you? Like, summon lightning magic, magic missiles magic?” I nodded again. Amelia stared at me for a minute. “Are you just on some weird herb that makes your skin seal shut?” She asked.

I laughed at the notion. “No,” I replied, still laughing slightly. “Look, I know it’s farfetched and I know you don’t believe me. But just trust me this one time.”

Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose. “It seems like I'm trusting you on a lot of things here.” She said, annoyed. “I trusted you when you snuck away to the Great Hall. I trusted you when you ran headlong into a battle. I trusted you to not do something stupid when you left this afternoon yet here you are, wounds magically healed with a poor explanation on how it happened.”

I shrugged as I moved to put the crowbar back in the bucket of tools. “To be fair, I improved the situation in all three cases.” I countered. “Yes, some of them could have gone better, but it's still an improvement on what would've happened had I not been there.” I arrived at the table and put the crowbar back where I found it. “But that’s not the end of my news,” I said turning back to Amelia.

She crossed her arms, an expression of exasperation crossing her face. “Please tell me it’s good news.” She said. “I don’t want to have another heart attack worrying about your safety.”

I grinned. “I’ll give the whole thing, in order, if you promise to not interject,” I said.

Amelia stared at me then reluctantly nodded. “As long as you’re not planning on doing anything stupid.” She said, slightly aggravated.

I nodded and clapped my hands together. “Depends on your definition of stupid. Alright, here goes.” I started, speaking quickly. “The orcs I helped this morning want to give me a title, but the council doesn’t want to give it to someone who isn’t a ‘declared warrior’. The way someone becomes a declared warrior is going through a rite of passage. Unfortunately, the next scheduled passage isn’t for a few months and I lose the title if I’m not a warrior by the time the battle is cataloged. The battle is going to take a month to catalog, what with a particular event I caused that turned the tides of the battle. In that time, I’m going to be trained by Bulak to prepare myself for a preemptive rite of passage, achieve a state of ‘declared warrior, and earn the title.” I finished. Amelia cycled through a range of emotions as I talked.

She settled on dumbfounded when I finished. “Are you insane?” She hissed at me. “Things like that take months if not years to prepare for, and you’re going to do it in a single month?”

I waved her and my own doubts about the idea off. “I’ll be fine, I’m going to be trained by Bulak.” I retorted. “With that, plus the martial arts lessons, I should be ready with whatever they throw at me.”

Amelia let her head fall into her hand. “Did you at least find out more about the amulets?” Amelia asked.

I pursed my lips guiltily. “I honestly forgot, what with the whole magic being real and all,” I replied, scratching my head. “But given the context, I’d say they’re some sort of place holder. Because of what I did I can go to them for a favor. Once they’ve done the favor, the debt is paid.”

Amelia sighed. “Anyone can figure that out.” She said, annoyed. She paused, seeming in thought. “You’re all better?” She finally asked. “There’s nothing majorly wrong with you?”

I nodded as I flexed my fist. “Fit as a fiddle,” I replied. “Outside of a few sore muscles she couldn’t fix.”

Amelia nodded sternly. “Good.” She suddenly brought her fist back and punched my stomach. I tensed up as she hit. I let out a pained cough and clutched my side as she nailed a soft spot in my torso. “That was for making me worry about you.” She said angrily. I let out another cough as I lifted my shirt to see if she had bruised my torso. No such mark was left where she had hit me. I looked up as I heard Amelia let out a groan. She was gripping her wrist in pain, rolling it to try and mitigate the damage.

I let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded. “I deserved that, but you could do with some self-defense lessons yourself. That was a rookie punch, you didn’t lock your wrist correctly. Punching doesn’t usually hurt like that.” Amelia continued to rub her wrist. I thought about my upcoming training. “You could probably learn a bit from Bulak. It’ll be hard learning about magic when she and I inevitably spar. You can learn with Bulak while Garahk’s mage teaches me about magic.”

Amelia seemed to consider what I said for a moment then reluctantly nodded. “I suppose you have improved the situations we were in.” She began to pace. “If magic is real then that means other people can use it against us. It’ll be a good idea to find out more about magic in case we need to defend against it.”

I nodded and gestured at her. “Excellent point. You might want to learn a bit about magic as well then. If we know more about what’s possible with magic we could create ways to defend against it.” Amelia stopped pacing as I glanced at my watch. “But for right now I’m dead tired. What’s say I help you clean the rest of this up, plan a bit for tomorrow’s lessons, and then we hit the hay?” Amelia nodded and began moving again. I followed her as we finished cleaning the barn.

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I entered my kitchen, bright-eyed and bushy tail. My wife was standing behind the stove, preparing a plate of eggs for me. Two of my children were sitting at the dining room table, eating their cereal and discussing what they were going to do at preschool today. I quietly crept up behind my wife and wrapped my arm around her. I kissed her on the cheek and she smiled. “What did I do to deserve you?” I asked her. Her dark red hair felt soft and comforting on my head. She turned to me. She radiated beauty. Her deep brown eyes shined with joy.

She beamed at me as she returned my affection by pecking my cheek. “You know I can’t get distracted right now, Dexter.” She said in her adorably powerful voice. She suddenly handed me one of her signature bread rolls.

I took a bite. The pastry tasted like sweet buttery heaven. “Nothing can beat your cooking, Brooke,” I said, taking another bite.

Brooke smiled as she put my pancakes on a plate and handed it to me. I began moving to the table as she asked a question, her voice echoing loudly. “Is Shel awake.” I stopped in my tracks as the name echoed off the walls. My heart began racing. I was no longer in my dining room. I was in an alleyway, kneeling, with a dead child in my arms. Death and carnage surrounded me, and tears streamed down my face. My voice burned with hatred as I screamed for revenge. I saw blood and guts, soldiers dead in the streets by my hand. I saw a dark figure looming over the horizon, aiming a cannon towards the city. I blinked, and I was suddenly sitting at the table, my wife to my right and my children to my left. I looked down at the plate of scrambled eggs, spoon in hand.

I turned to my wife, hesitant of what I was about to ask. “What did you say, dear?” I stammered, unsure if I’d heard her right.

She smiled as she looked at me with her blue eyes. Her auburn hair swayed as she turned to me. “I asked you if Sheila was awake.” She replied.

I smiled as a wave of relief washed over me. I quickly shook my head. “I don’t think so, I’ll go check.” I stood and moved to the hallway, my footsteps echoing slightly in my home. I hesitated as I came upon the hallway. I stood at the end of it, gazing at the doors on either side. I could see various bedroom doors, a bathroom door and a door that I didn’t quite remember a dark, charred, almost demonic thing. I looked down the hallway as the door seemed to give off a menacing aura. I approached the door cautiously. I felt compelled to get closer to the strange thing. A single eye stared at me from the center, twitching as it fixated itself on me. It gave me an uneasy feeling as I approached as if it didn’t belong. I averted my path from the door just before I reached it and opened one of the bedroom doors, expecting to see Sheila still in bed, still tired from a playdate yesterday. Instead, I found the bathroom, pristine, clean, and innocent. I shook my head as I realized my mistake.”Right, I’m in the wrong room.” I closed the door, turning again to the demonic door. My gaze was drawn to its charred wood. I slowly reached out a hand to where I thought the door handle would be. Instead, there was just a pitted surface. I stared determinately at the spot, inexplicably drawn to what was beyond the door. “Come on, open up, I know you can hear me.” I thought as I let the hand float there. A slow cracking gradually filled the hall. A handle slowly materialized from the door, twisting and turning out of the splintering wood. It formed a jagged and grotesque handle just within my fingers. I waited patiently as the handle grew from the wood. When it solidified I grabbed it and pulled. The door moved slightly but didn’t open. I felt a wave of annoyance as I berated myself. “You’re an idiot, this is a push door.” I pushed this time, hard. The door let out a sharp crack then slowly creaked open. The doorframe revealed a dark and smokey interior and I wasted no time in stepping headfirst into the strange mist.

I was suddenly storming through the temple, parchment in hand, trying to find the damned mage that created the spell. I walked past statues and altars in my likeness, past dark featureless figures and braziers. “Where Is He?” I roared angrily. “I’ll Have His Head For His Incompetence.” I looked around at the figures. One of them slowly stepped forward. I quickly closed the gap and grabbed the scruff of his collar. “You Told Me This Spell Would Stop Any Soldier. This Was Supposed To Divide Him And Stop His Charge.” I gestured out the temple door. “Is That What Happened At Snakhagr? Did The Outsider Stop His Charge?” The figure began stammering a response. I threw him to the ground, silencing his excuses. “NO, IT DID NOT! SO, YOU TELL ME WHY YOU CLAIMED SUCH HIGH ASPIRATIONS FOR THIS SPELL WHEN IT COULDN’T STOP ONE OUTSIDER!”

The figure gestured pleadingly. “P-Please sir, that’s now how the spell was designed.” He stammered. “I-It’s draws from the lunar cycle. I-It was not the right time to use it. W-When the full moon rises, he won’t have the energy to fight himself, let alone anyone else.”

I threw the parchment at him. “USELESS SARDING SPELL.” “The Full Moon Is Not For Another Month! I Didn’t Want To Stop Him A Month From Now.” I roared at him. The figure cowered before my might. “I Wanted Him Stopped Then And There When He First Began Killing Elves. Your Spell Is Useless In A War. I Have No Use For Such A Conditional Spell! Now They Have Vulen And The Cannons, And Almar Will Expect An Explanation From Me!” I leaned in close. Stared directly into the figure’s eyes. “And When He Asks Me What Happened I’ll Make Sure It’s Your Head He’s Calling For.” I straightened and quickly stormed back out the temple, fuming at his incompetence. “Mental Divide my ass,” I muttered as I walked through the door.

I blinked, and I was suddenly back in the hallway, facing Sheila’s door. I turned to where the demonic door had stood. Instead, I saw a bare stretch of wall. “What was I doing here? Oh, right, Sheila.” I turned back and began to reach my hand out for the door. Suddenly a squeal echoed from down the hallway and put me on alert. “Brooke?” I called out. I began moving back down the hallway, towards the kitchen. The hallway stretched as I continued to run. I called out again. “Brooke!” I heard the cry again. I was making no progress and getting frantic. Brooke cried out one last time, voice echoing through the halls.

“Dexter!” I jolted awake as Amelia shook the hammock again. I panted in surprised as I turned to her. “Garahk’s mage is here.” She said as I regained my senses.

I blinked the bleariness away as the dream slipped from my mind. I shook myself slightly as I focused on what she had said. “Alright, I’m up,” I said, dropping down from the suspended cloth. I stretched as my muscles groaned, the soreness from yesterday still present. “Let’s do this.” I followed Amelia to descend the ladder, donning my glasses as I did. When I got to the bottom I turned to the orc in the center of the barn. He was examining my car with an air of intrigue. He carried a satchel that seemed extremely weighted. He looked up as I approached. He was slightly taller than Amelia and wore a fluffy blue shawl. His deep brown eyes stared at me with cold intrigue. His face had the same British features as the other orcs, but slightly thinner than them. I looked at the fluffy shawl wrapped around him.”Guess the mages have a theme going on there.” I gave him a reassuring smile as I stepped closer. “Hi. My name is Dexter.” I said, holding out my hand.

The orc looked at it, then up at me. “I am aware of who you are.” He snarked. “The whole city knows who you are now.” He moved over to an empty table and set his bag on it. He began rummaging through it. “And until you have demonstrated an adequate aptitude for the mystic arts I will not honor you with my name.” He pulled out a clear orb and set it in the center of the table. “For now, you can just refer to me as sir or master.” I gritted my teeth in annoyance at his demand. “ego alert” I stilled my urge to retort as he turned to me. “Garahk assumed that you are the one that created that mana pulse, the pulse that turned the elves throughout the city into sniveling cowards.” He took a step closer, staring up at me challengingly. “You want to know what I think?” He asked. I bit my tongue as I fought the urge to retort.”Can’t be good if we’re still going on like this.” The orc wagged a finger in my face. “I think you were merely in the right place at the right time for all of those orcs to think it was from you.” I felt my eye twitch at the notion. “There was literally no one around that could’ve done that. Garahk said that herself.” He moved back to the table and motion for me to stand on the opposite side. I reluctantly followed his instructions. “First we shall gauge if you even have any magical ability.” He gestured at the orb. “Try and light the orb.”

I looked at the orb as I took in his words. “How should I go about that?” I asked. “Is there a gesture I have to use? Words I have to say?”

The orc shook his head. “Direct the abient mana at it and it shall illuminate.” He replied. I let out a sigh as I looked at the orb. “Sounds simple enough. . . How do we direct mana? . Did we just use a plural to refer to ourselves? . Yes? . I don’t know. It feels natural. . Hey, back to the issue.” I refocused on the orb. I brought my hand to the top of the orb and focused. “Come on baby daddy needs another orc’s respect.” I concentrated and squeezed my fingers as I tried to force mana, whatever that was, into the orb. I flexed my hand as I imagined my fingers moving mana into the orb. I stood there as I waited for the orb to shine. It remained inert as I continued to focus. The orc smirked as he watched me struggle. “I knew it.” He grumbled.

I looked up at him, angered. “Your instructions weren't very clear.” I retorted. “Not even a cursory explanation of what mana is. Is it something inside me? Is it something around us?”

The orc gritted his teeth as I spoke. “You are meaning to tell me that you do not even know what mana is?” He asked. “And you're the one they claim to have caused the pulse?”

I put my head in my free hand. “It wasn't exactly under ordinary circumstances.” I countered angrily. “I just watched someone die, and I was on a murderous rampage trying to expel the offenders from the city.” I turned to Amelia. “Could you glean anything about how to work mana from his instructions?”

Amelia seemed to consider for a minute, then stepped forward. “I actually gave some thought to the idea last night. I’m not entirely certain of the method, but if my theory is correct. .” She held her hand out, palm facing the orb. “then. .” She closed her eyes, breathing slowly. We stood there for a moment, waiting for her to say something more. The orb suddenly glowed softly. I jumped back in surprise as I realized the implications. The orc grinned. Amelia opened her eyes when she heard the movement. Her eyes went wide as she saw the softly glowing orb. It gradually rose to the intensity of a light bulb. She finally let out a breath and the light died.

The orc gestured enthusiastically at Amelia. “Finally. One with real magical talent.” He turned to Amelia. “I shall begin the lessons immediately.” He reached out for the orb.

I quickly slapped my hand onto the orb, pinning it there. “Hold it. You barely gave me a chance.”

The orc shook his head. “That is no longer necessary. I have found the person that has created the pulse.” The orc retorted firmly. He grabbed the side of the orb, trying to pull it out from under my grip. I pressed down harder in response. “And once everyone discovers you have taken credit for another’s deeds, this entire Champion of Battle nonsense will be no more.” “Oh FUCK No”

I tightened my grip on the orb. “Just because Amelia was able to light the orb doesn’t mean she’s the only one with magic.” I countered. “We’ve been at this for two minutes, just give me a bit more time.”

The orc scowled at me. “Why should I?” He asked. “It is obvious you have no idea how magic works. You do not even understand what mana is.” He tried to wrench the orb again.

I gritted my teeth in frustration. I was really starting to get pissed. “Then Tell Me.” I practically shouted. “I’m not going to get better if you refuse to teach me the basics of magic.” The orc growled in response, still trying to pull the orb out from under me. “Not getting anything out of him.” I turned to Amelia. “What was your theory?” I asked.

Amelia took a step back as she was suddenly brought into the situation. “Umm.” She began. “It’s pretty extensive and will take a while to explain.” “Don’t have time. He’s pulling really hard, and w-I can’t hold out much longer.”

I gestured insistently. “Then give me the cliff notes. What did you focus on to move the mana?” I said.

Amelia paused as she considered for a moment. “It’s not about how strong you are. You can’t physically pull the mana.” She finally said. “It’s a mental thing. The mana moves from mental directions. Enter a meditative state then imagine pushing into the orb and it should work.” I thought about her words. “We’re a dumbass. AGAIN? Not now, focus.” I closed my eyes as I took in a breath. I’ve had to meditate before. This time, I’d be using it to affect the outer world. I let out a slow breath as I felt myself relax. The yanking suddenly stopped. “Good, that gives me a chance. I really hope this works.” I let my mind clear. An unfamiliar chill ran down my spine as I felt . . . something around me. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and stared at the orb. It was far from a complete state, but I had to be fast to avoid the orc’s impatience.”Let’s hope I half-assed it enough to do something.” I started projecting my thoughts outward, affecting the world around me. I imagined a sort of projection of myself, pushing into the orb. The chill ran down my spine again as I focused. At first, the orb remained inert, then slowly flickered to life. I continued to push as the orc slowly let go of the orb. It continued to flicker as I concentrated, never settling on one intensity but steadily rising. After a few minutes, the flickering stopped growing brighter, bouncing up to Amelia’s intensity then back down.

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I glanced up and saw the orc gritting his teeth. “You were saying?” I asked a little angrily. I let go of the orb and let it fade.

The orc continued to stare at the inactive orb, then sighed defeatedly. “Very well.” He grumbled. He reached into his bag and pulled out a book. “But know that that is the extent of how easy it will be.” He opened the book and started searching through the pages. “Spells are not a simple means of moving mana.” He suddenly stopped at a page. “If your talents are comparable to a mere wizard, even the simplest spells will days if not weeks to learn and even more to reliably cast it.” He suddenly pushed the book towards me. “We shall start with the most basic. From there, I can gauge how powerful your magical abilities are.” I looked down at the page. It was an entry on a spell called Illuminate. There was a small table that described different intensities based on how much ‘mana’ was used; one mana for candlelight, two for torchlight, three for brazier light. It described several methods of casting including; gestures, both single and double-handed, a series of nonsensical words, and a symbol within a circle. I stared at the page as Amelia walked over and leaned to look at it.

I glanced at her. “Congratulations on the magic,” I whispered as I ran my finger down the page.

Amelia shifted her feet as she read. “I didn't expect it to do anything, I was just trying to solidify my hypothesis.” She whispered back. “I didn't mean to jeopardize your title.”

I waved my hand. “That's not your fault,” I said. I glanced up at the orc. He was pulling another book out of his bag. “It's his.”

The orc turned to us as he flipped through the pages. “I've been told you wish to learn the defensive and healing spells.” The orc suddenly said, stopping on a page. I nodded as he set the book down. “Unfortunately, our archive of defensive combat spells is incomplete. We have nothing beyond physical barriers and select enchantments.” He ran his finger down the page. “And our healing spells are not much better. We are still uninformed on many processes of the body. Without them, our ability to repair flaws are limited.”

I waved him off. “For right now I just want to learn the spells that’ll allow me to fix any immediate and life-threatening injuries,” I said. He looked up at me. “I might have a textbook that gives some insight into certain conditions, but I don't have time to help you make new ones. If that's at all possible.”

The orc looked back down at his book. “It is possible.” He admitted. “Though mages oft modify old spells instead of creating entirely new incantations.” He pointed at the book in front of me. “Though I suggest you get familiar with how to cast spells before you try and make any.” I looked down at the book and continued to read. It wasn’t helpful in how spells worked in general, how the gestures and words connected to what they did in the world. It only described how the mana could be structured to produce light. Admittedly it sounded like a basic tenant that spells would describe how the mana interacted with the effect, but it still didn’t help much in actually casting the spell. “If mages know how to create spells then there must be a method. . crossing the bridge.”

Amelia and I read from the entry for what felt like an hour. Amelia and I slowly studied the gestures, incantations, and symbols as we tried to make sense of their casting. I tried to get the orc to explain the process to us, but he just waved my questions off and told me to read the incantation. I slowly grew more annoyed at his dismissals as time went on. I stifled my emotions for the moment and submitted to just memorizing the incantation and gestures as I kept the symbol in my head. If one of them was meant to create the effect, then doing all of them gave me a greater chance of doing it correctly. I would probably have to enter my meditative state to do it too. “That’s fine. We can just think of it like Tai Chi. Just find the zen and go through the motions.” Suddenly, Amelia stepped back and began mimicking the single-handed gestures, muttering the nonsensical words as she did. I watched as she reached the end within a few moments and a small ball of light appeared in her palm. My eyes went wide and I smirked as I let out a low whistle.

Amelia let out a small gasp as she saw the light. “This is so freaky.” She said as she moved her hand around. The light followed her palm.

The orc glanced up and nodded. “You learn quickly.” He remarked. “You may have the makings of a great mage.” The orc then looked at me. “But I have yet to see your potential.” He looked back down at the book. “Cannot even maintain concentration for a test.” He muttered. I stifled my annoyance and ignored his remark as I looked down at the book. I felt I reviewed the method one more time then stepped back and tried to cast the spell. I began mimicking the gesture illustrated, trying my best to pronounce the words. I felt myself stumbling over the pronunciation in some places.

I was halfway through when a knock came from the door, disrupting my attempt. I thought for a moment who would be knocking then quickly strode over to the door. “That must be Bulak.”

I pulled open the door as the other orc spoke. “Why would she be here?” He growled angrily.

Bulak evidently heard him as she looked past me and towards the orc. “Because, while magic has a tactical advantage, it cannot get Dexter through the rite of passage.” She said a little angrily.

I turned back towards the orc, admittedly a little smugly. He had a confused look on his face. “Why would he need to. .” He began. He suddenly stopped and seemed to heavily consider something. He suddenly smiled and burst out laughing. I felt my brow furrow slightly at his amusement. “That is right. Ha Ha. The title cannot be bestowed upon a non-warrior. Ha Ha Ha. And here I was worried that he somehow tricked an entire district into nominating him. Ha Ha.” I let out a soft growl as I stared at the orc.”Okay, this guy is a really big douche.”

I turned to Bulak and waved her in as I spoke. “That’s why I’m going to go through the rite and become a declared warrior.” Bulak nodded and carried a sack into the barn. It clattered as she set it down.

The other orc looked at me, dumbfounded. “You expect the council to approve such a thing?” He asked.

Bulak began pulling weapons out of the sack, placing them on an empty table. “My father will be able to convince them to provide Dexter some leniency. Considering he was able to hold his own against elves, I anticipate it would be imperative to discover just how well he can serve the Tribe in combat.” I nodded as I looked at the array of weapons. They looked identical to their normal weapons, but the blades were noticeably flat and dull. At best they’d probably bruise someone, at worst they’d break a bone. Bulak turned to me as she finished emptying her sack. “We shall begin training right away. It is imperative that I determine your combat skills.” I nodded as I looked down at the table of practice weapons, trying to decide which on to practice with first.

The other orc immediately jumped up to interject. “We are in the middle of a lesson. Can that not wait?”

I gritted my teeth as I turned to him, glaring angrily. “You call that a lesson?” I spat. “You barely explained what mana is and how I was supposed to manipulate it. And you gave me three minutes to prove that I could actually do magic. Amelia was a better help than you. And she didn't even know magic.” I picked up one of the weapons, a blunted sword about as long as my torso, and pointed it at him. “So, if you don't mind, master, I'm going to go with Bulak so that I can actually learn something that I can't read in a book.” Before the orc could say anything, I tossed the weapon onto the table and turned to Bulak. “Let’s go. We can train outside.”

Bulak raised her eyebrow at me, then shrugged. “If you insist. Help carry the table outside. We shall need the weapons to practice.” I nodded and moved to help Bulak lift the table, weapons and all, outside. My muscles groaned in protest as Bulak effortlessly lifted her end.

Suddenly, the other orc was by my side as Bulak pulled the door open with her heel. “Surely you do not find this more stimulating than learning magic.” He asked me.

I continued to carry the table outside as I replied angrily. “Given how you treated me, I think it’s better for me to go outside and cool down. I don’t want to interrupt your precious reading time, sir.” We set the table next to the open door, against the wall. “And I think I’ll wait for you to stop acting like a child and actually teach.” I quickly closed the door in his face before he could retort. I stood there and panted for a minute. My annoyance at him seemed to simmer in my stomach. I let out a slow sigh as I turned to Bulak.

She was staring at me with a concerned expression. “Do you require a moment to collect yourself.

I let out another sigh as I shook my head. “No point in wasting time,” I said, moving to pick up a weapon. I gripped the sword again and hefted up an accompanying shield.

Bulak nodded and picked up her own weapon, a blunted battleaxe “Then let us begin.” She said, taking a few steps away from the table. I followed her as she began her lessons on combat.

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We spent the next four hours outside. She went over the basics of combat; the proper stance for various weapons, where to grip them, and how to grip them. I tried to take in as much as possible. After about an hour she decided to try sparing, said she wanted to see what I could handle. I got a metal practice sword and a wooden shield. Bulak picked up her battleaxe again. The sword was a bit heavier than my crowbar, but it seemed to be balanced well enough to swing easily. At first, it went okay. I could use the shield to block some of the swings she threw at me, the rest I either dodged or parried with the practice sword. It went downhill when I tried to retaliate. I parried her sword and instinctively swung my mock blade towards her exposed side. Before I even knew what happened she brought the handle of her battleaxe slamming into the blade, throwing my arm to the side and leaving me wide open. Half a second later the but of her handle met my torso and I fell on my ass. I let out a huff of air as my head hit the ground and the wind got knocked out of me. “Fuck that hurt.” I laid there as I desperately tried to breathe. I suddenly felt pressure on my stomach and I drew in a deep breath. I looked up at Bulak. She was standing over me, her axe pressed into a spot on my abdomen. “Thanks.” I croaked out, slowly sitting up.

Bulak took a step back and offered her hand. “As you outsiders say, do not mention it.” I took it and she helped me to my feet. “You faired better than I expected.” She said. “Though you do seem to lack a few automatic reactions.”

I rubbed my chest as I slowly caught my breath. “I didn’t have that problem yesterday,” I replied. “From what I remember, I just tore through their armor and dodge their strikes. It was like I had a sixth sense or something.”

Bulak nodded as she let her axe rest on her shoulder. “From what I heard, it sounds as if you experienced beginner's luck or some magical instincts.” I looked at her with a sense of confusion. Bulak shrugged at my confusion. “If you were able to create that pulse of magic it is not unreasonable that you were able to bend the mana to allow you a glimpse into the future.” I thought about her words for a minute. “That would be very helpful in a battle. Seeing even one second into the future would mean knowing exactly where to be and how to react. . . Definitely put that on a to-do list.” Bulak suddenly interrupted my train of thought. “You should not be too hard on Brokil.” I looked at her. “He was hit hard when the elves first came. He lost his old teacher. After his farm was torched he was all he had. He practically raised him.” I gave her another confused look. Bulak quickly elaborated. “Brokil is the one teaching you magic. It is odd that he did not reveal his name to you.

I let out an annoyed sigh. “Another parental figure. And I’ve got to handle the fallout. At least his doesn’t affect the whole city. . Might be good practice.” “Maybe.” I finally said. “But he could at least give me some leniency. I’m basically operating blind right now. He gave me vague instructions and put me on an impossible timescale to learn. Worst of all he threatened my title.”

Bulak nodded as she brought her axe down and let the but of the handle rest in the dirt. “I believe that was how Zugorim taught him,” Bulak replied. “He might merely believe his method could work on you.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose.”That’s not how teaching works though. Not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace. If I read the books I might be able to teach myself, but since I haven’t read them yet I’m relying on his instructions to guide me on how magic works. Not to mention I still don’t quite understand the basics of magic.”

Bulak nodded in agreement. “He will learn the error of this method in time. He simply needs to learn first hand.”

I thought about her words for a minute then reluctantly nodded. I smiled as an absurd notion crossed my mind. “If only the gauntlet had something for that,” I said jokingly. “Maybe someone critiques everything about a person when they go in. You could even have them do it during their run. The only way to stop the taunts is to shoot back with some of your own. ‘You’re a disgrace. My mother would find your display disgraceful’ ‘That’s not what she said last night.’” Bulak laughed at my hypothetical gauntlet. I let out amused laughs of my own as I thought about the absurdity of the situation. For once I saw Bulak smile. My heart quicken as I realized she looked good like that, her eyes beaming with joy. She slowly stopped laughing as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

She seemed to notice my stares and quickly composed herself before getting into a ready stance, blade of her weapon directed at me. “Back to training.” She said firmly, a smile still creeping at the corner of her mouth. I smirked as I took my own stance, shield in front and sword drawn back behind me. We stared at each other for a moment then burst into action as we continued sparring.

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By the time we were done, I got knocked down seven more times. I got a few lucky shots in, but Bulak never fell. I was even sorer when we finally decided to go back inside, both from the strain on my muscles and the bruises I collected that day. I didn’t expect the scene that was in the barn. When I opened the door I immediately noticed about half a dozen floating orbs. They gave off a faint glow as they floated around the barn. I turned my gaze towards where Amelia and Brokil were standing. Amelia seemed to be concentrating on something. Suddenly one of the books lifted off the table and floated towards Amelia. “Holy Shit,” I exclaimed.

Amelia turned to me, startled. The book fell to the floor and one of the lights flickered and went out. “Don't scare me like that.” She said.

I slowly walked towards them, tapping one of the orbs gently. My finger met a soft and fleshy resistance as the orb gently floated away. “Sorry about that,” I replied. “But I thought I'd let you know me and Bulak are finished outside. If you want to learn some self-defense, now's the time.”

Amelia let out a sigh and the orbs disappeared. Bulak turned to me. “I wasn't informed of this plan.” She said.

I raised my eyebrows as I realized my mistake. “Shit, sorry. I hope you don't mind. We weren't planning on more than basic hand to hand combat. Like it or not, I can’t spend all my time protecting her. She might need to defend herself at some point.” Bulak seemed to consider for a moment. I quickly continued. “Given everything I've seen in this world, I think it’s kind of important to be able to defend yourself. I don't want Amelia to find herself in a situation she can't get out of.”

Bulak thought about the scenario for another minute then nodded. “I believe I can spare some time.” She finally replied. “Though I think she shall be well defended if she is able to hold so many spells at once.” I nodded as I looked back towards Amelia.

She started walking over as she gestured at Bulak. “Better safe than sorry,” Amelia said as she strolled over. “I don't want to find out there's a method to nullify magic the hard way.”

Brokil suddenly walked over. “There is indeed an enchantment to prevent spells from being cast, but that method belongs to the elves. The Institute does not possess such knowledge.” I thought about the idea for a minute. Of course, such a thing could be possible. If mana is abient, then it’s likely that there would be a way to spot mages from casting.

I gestured towards Brokil as I shrugged. “If I learn a bit I might be able to offer a hypothesis, but for right now you might as well ask me about quantum physics.” Brokil And Bulak turned to me in confusion. I gestured as I explained further. “It means I have no idea how it works.” I suddenly waved at Amelia and Bulak. “Either way, I'm physically tired, and at least partially mentally energized. You can teach Amelia some self-defense, while I stay in here with Brokil to learn some magic.” Bulak nodded and waved Amelia over to the door. She followed, waving goodbye as she closed the door. I turned to Brokil. His lips seemed to be pursed slightly as he stared at me. He didn’t seem too upset that I knew his name, but he didn’t seem pleased with it either. I repeated my knowledge on his name as I walked over to the table Brokil and Amelia were at. “All right, Brokil, let's get started.”

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I spent the next three hours learning Illuminate. I don’t know what happened while I was outside, but he engaged a lot more than before. He was more willing to answer my questions and clarify aspects of spell casting. “Where does the spell get the energy?” I asked.

Brokil gestured about as he responded. “The mana in the air provides energy.”

I looked at him skeptically. “So, spells are cast by manipulating the mana around us?”

“Partially, the ambient mana provides most of the energy, but the caster must provide a portion of their own mana to cast and maintain the spell. Casting spells will drain from their mana pool.”

“So, if a caster doesn’t have the mana to use a spell they’re unable to?”

“In part, they could delve into their other energy reserves such as stamina or vitality. And if the mage is skilled enough they don’t have to provide mana for less powerful spells.”

“So that’s what Garahk was talking about when she said I delved into deeper reserves?”

Brokil nodded. “If you were the one that created the pulse you’d likely feel nauseous and tired shortly after creating it. I do not anticipate such a spell being used without a great deal of mana in return.”

I nodded. “That sounds about right. So, I have three pools I could draw from?”

Brokil raised a finger. “Not necessarily, you really do not want to actively draw from your vitality pool and one tends to pass out when they deplete their stamina pool. Most orc mages use up their mana pool then a few points in their stamina pool to retreat from the conflict if necessary. They could physically run the two or three miles they’d get with the stamina, but that tends to take more stamina and be the upper limit of orc running distances.”

I looked at him, confused. “That doesn’t sound very far. Do all orcs tire that fast?”

It was Brokil’s turn to look confused. “That is the farthest an orc has run without needing rest.” He replied confidently. “What is the farthest an outsider has run without resting?” I cast my mind about as I tried to come up with an answer. “How long is a marathon? The orcs would be booking it, not going at the mild pace of a marathon.”

I finally shrugged as I turned to Brokil again. “Given ample time many humans are able to easily run twenty miles. If they were given adequate motivation they could try to outrun someone for between five to seven miles After that damage to the knees increases and rest is usually required.”

Brokil raised his eyebrows. “You outsiders must have large stamina pools if you are able to accomplish that.”

It was my turn to raise a finger. “I think it’s more our stamina recovers quickly. We can’t get far with a full out sprint, but we can stretch that out and use our stamina as fast as we recover it. Kind of like filling a barrel as it’s being drained. Though that does make me wonder the comparison of pools for orcs and elves.”

Brokil seemed to consider for a moment, then nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. It would certainly be intriguing to have such an ability. As for the comparison; we are fairly certain that elves have more mana and orcs have more vitality. If this is true, it would follow that outsiders receive more stamina in comparison.” He suddenly pointed back at the book. “But we are distracted. Try and cast the spell.” I looked down at the entry again, reviewing the order of gestures and words. I began going through the process, trying to pronounce the words as best I could. My tongue seemed to have trouble forming some of the syllables. When I got to the end I tried to put a bit of emphasis on the final gesture. Nothing appeared in my palm. I growled in frustration. “It’s okay, that was one attempt.” “Try again.” Brokil suddenly said. I looked up at him. He gave me a reassuring look as he gestured at the book. “Try not to deviate from the illustrations until you’re used to casting the spell. That level of leniency can only come through repetition.” I nodded and began again. This time I tried to follow the book as closely as possible. When I got to the last gesture a small ball of light appeared in my palm.

I stared at it in amazement as it flickered slightly. “Holy shit,” I gasped. It was the weirdest sensation. It was like I was doing a continuous calculation, demanding my mind to concentrate on maintaining the spell. I moved my hand from side to side, carrying the orb with it.

I suddenly noticed Brokil leaning towards me as he gazed at the flickering light. “Maintain concentration,” Brokil said encouragingly. “There should be a steady glow when the spell is cast.” I nodded as I tried to focus my mind. The feeling slowly grew and the flicker slowly died to a steady glow. Brokil nodded enthusiastically as he clapped his hands together. “Perfect. Now try and position it in the air.” I looked up at him, confused. He gestured with his hands as he continued. “Just imagine hanging the orb from an invisible hook and it should remain in place.” I nodded as I followed his instructions. I envisioned a hook in the air and brought the orb to hang from it. It stuck there as I brought my hand away. I continued to gaze in amazement as I felt my mind maintaining the orb. Brokil laughed encouragingly. “Excellent, now try and cast another.” I nodded as I began to cast the spell again. A new orb flickered in my hand when I finished. If flickered like the first, up and down in an unstable fashion. I concentrated, trying to achieve a steady glow. I eventually reached it and hung the orb a few feet from the first one. Brokil nodded again. “Excellent, now we can attempt to improve your mastery of the spell. Skip the first word and gesture. Ensure you keep the symbol firm in your mind.” I nodded at his request and began casting again. Brokil explained the idea as I brought the new orb into existence. Evidently repeated casting could allow mages to skip certain parts of an incantation before casting the spell. I continued to practice the spell through this pattern. By the time we were done half a dozen orb hung in the air and I was down three words and gestures.

I had just cast the spell again when Amelia and Bulak walked back inside. “How’d it go?” I asked as another light appeared in my hand and one of the ones in the air went out. I glanced up annoyed at the disappearance.”Guess there’s an upper limit to how many can be maintained.”

Amelia smiled slightly as she walked over. “I think I did pretty good.” She said cheerily. “I got better at punching.” She suddenly brought her fist into my side, faltering my concentration and causing three of the lights to go out. I let out a cough as I rubbed the spot she hit. It was definitely better than this morning and she didn’t hurt herself delivering it. “But how’d you do?” She asked.

I looked at the floating orbs. “I’ve got down to five steps and can almost consistently cast it with a steady glow,” I replied thoughtfully. “It’s not much, but it’s a start.” I glanced at my watch, 4:56. “Though I doubt I can go much longer.” I turned to Brokil. “I say we call it a day pick up where we left off tomorrow.”

Brokil nodded in agreement as he opened his satchel and began packing his things away. “I shall leave you the spellbook. The Institute has plenty of copies.” He finished packing his satchel, save for the book, and left.

I turned to Bulak. “Same time tomorrow?” I asked.

Bulak nodded as well. “I shall have news of the rite by that time.” She said. “If all goes to plan you shall complete the rite the day before the battle is finally cataloged.”

I nodded as Bulak picked up the empty sack. “Then let’s hope the plan works out,” I replied hopefully. Bulak nodded and waved goodbye as she made her way towards the door. I turned towards Amelia, then glanced at the book.

She smiled as she turned back to me. “I guess it’s time for some after-school study.” She said, walking over to the table. I smiled slightly as I followed her.