The troll ripped towards me, and as it got closer, I reached into a pocket and pulled out a small bag, flinging it towards the troll. It impacted with the creature’s slobbering mouth and exploded, white dust filling the air. It was freeze powder, an icy dust that hung in the air and chilled the air to slow down things caught inside. The troll became noticeably slower, and instead of having a second before it murdered me, I had a second and a half. That was fine, I didn’t need any more time. I just wanted to make sure the fucker couldn’t dodge.
I reached beneath my cloak and pulled out the flintlock pistol I’d purchased from the blacksmith for an obscene amount of gold. In all honesty, it probably wasn’t too out of reach of many students here. I cocked back the hammer to the sounds of gasps from the students at the troll’s proximity to me. I didn’t hear Merlin’s gasp of surprise, and assumed that he was confident in my ability to handle the troll. In one fluid motion, the pistol left its place hanging near my ribs and came to rest a couple feet away from the troll’s roaring face. Its claws were inches away from my skin when my pistol exploded into life, a searing jet of flame launching the bullet into the troll’s brain.
I could see, practically in slow motion, as the troll’s eyes widened. Its head moved out of the way, but it wasn’t fast enough through the freeze powder. The bullet rocketed through its skull and lodged itself in the cavity of the skull where the brain was. The impact of the bullet stalled the troll’s momentum and I ducked out of the way of the now-mindless claws.
The troll collapsed forward as its head was engulfed in flames. The piercing cry of a phoenix sounded in the air as the troll’s regeneration shut down at the fire damage. I glanced down and redeposited my pistol into it’s holster, using the motion to hide my shaking hands. I gave a slight cough, as though that wasn’t the coolest fucking thing anyone had ever seen. The students stared, slack jawed.
“Now, could anyone tell me what the greatest strength of the mage is? Thomas was on the right track?” I asked. Merlin’s eyes twinkled as he looked at me, fighting silent laughter.
The students stared, dumbfounded.
“No?” I smiled.
“The answer is in preparation. That is a spellcaster’s greatest strength. Magic takes time to cast. Sure, I can summon a pillar of flame on a whim, but preparation is what allows a spellcaster to take on enemies that outmatch them in terms of power or skill. Every single one of you could take on a troll with the method I just demonstrated. Why?”
Arthur shook his head.
“We don’t know any weapon enhancement spells!” He protested. Dunce. No wonder all his friends always died. I shook my finger at him.
“I cast no spells during that exchange,” I told him, and a couple of the students murmured to each other, their isolation forgotten for the moment.
“Then how did you slow down the troll?” Morgan asked. I frowned slightly. Didn’t they see the freeze powder? Just how dense were these students? Or, perhaps more importantly, just how incompetent were the other instructors?
“I used something called freeze powder. It’s easy to make and very cheap. The bag I used on that troll cost me five silver,” I explained. I wasn’t precisely sure of the value of money, but I knew the ingredients and they shouldn’t have been too out of reach.
“This is where Thomas’ answer comes in. I, being an inexperienced mage, conducted plenty of research beforehand using resources available to me. Not being a meathead warrior, I visited the library and discovered that trolls have a weakness to fire and occasionally take on aspects of Death or Chaos. Knowing this, I avoid any offensive preparations related to those elements and focus on fire. Having established that trolls have no connection to ice, I prepare countermeasures for troll’s strengths. What are a troll’s strengths, Arthur?” I gave the boy an opportunity to redeem himself. He straightened up and opened his mouth, brows furrowed in concentration.
“A troll is about 8 feet tall and has minimal fat. It’s why they don’t hibernate. Their primary strengths are their strength, speed, slashing ability, and healing,” He said. I couldn’t tell if he was reciting a passage from a book or if that was just his analysis, but it wasn’t bad either way.
“Very nice. So to combat those strengths, I prepare. To combat the strength and slashing, I create distance. A hammer does no damage if it never hits, after all. A sword never hits the backline. I prepare a ranged offensive option as part of my defense. The air itself is my defense. You may say that I won’t always be able to guarantee distance against a troll, and I’d say ‘good point’. Here, I can though, and the pistol guarantees me the option of distance no matter what. I prepare the freeze powder to nullify the troll’s speed. That speed gives it the ability to dodge out of the way, even at almost point blank range.
Its strengths covered, I focus on its weaknesses. Fire. Acid too, but I focused on fire. I created a bullet with a phoenix trapped inside, a creature at the epitome of fire. The bullet would stop its regeneration, but it wouldn’t do nearly enough damage. Luckily, I am aware of troll physiology. That means that I know a troll has a brain. Many humanoid creatures do, and many of them are located in the head. If you don’t know where the brain is, you can almost always bet that it’s in the head. Why?” I questioned the class again, and this time Morgan answered.
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“The brain is usually closest to the primary sensory receptors to minimize downtime between perception and reaction,” She said, and I nodded.
“Excellent, Morgan. Yes, that’s exactly correct. So I aim for the brain. I wait for the moment when I can’t possibly miss, because I only have one shot, and then I shoot it in the brain with my explosive bullet. The troll loses its head and its ability to regenerate, and I get a nice set of troll claws to sell in the market,” I winked at the students, and a couple gave wry smiles. Merlin stretched out his legs and stood up.
“Ah, Professor, an excellent lesson. But a question from the class, I believe. You say you trapped a phoenix in that bullet?” He asked, eyes twinkling. Whatever doubt he’d experienced at my tardiness had evidently faded. I nodded.
“Indeed, I did, Archmage.”
“I don’t believe I’m familiar with the process. Will you be instructing the students on this?” He asked. I nodded.
“Indeed, I will, Archmage.” That set some excited murmuring, “Though not today.”
Merlin nodded sagely.
“Perhaps I will come and sit in on that session,” He said, as though it were a possibility rather than an inevitability.
“I would be honored to have the Archmage sit in on my class at any point,” I said magnanimously. Merlin bowed and stepped away.
“And I would be honored to learn how you learned such a thing,” He said, “After this session, I expect great things from you, Professor Blackwood. Great things, indeed.”
I returned to the class and continued to go over a troll’s strengths and weaknesses, discussing various theoretical methods of attack based on a mage’s capabilities and resources. What if the troll was ambushing them? Well, then they’re probably fucked. Why didn’t they set up an alarm spell? Why didn’t they do research into the ecosystem of the place they were traveling? There was no excuse for ignorance, I informed them. Pride was no substitute for prudence. Just because they were a big strong mage didn’t mean a dragon couldn’t show up and fuck their whole day up.
An hour passed, and I wrapped up the lecture on the troll. Figured I could wrap up the whole class for the day, actually.
“Hey Thomas, how much longer we got?” I asked him, snapping my fingers. He jumped as I pointed at him, and checked his own pocket watch.
“About five hours, Professor,” He told me. Are you shitting me? What the fuck? Oh well.
“And what days do we meet?” I questioned further. I knew I looked incompetent, but I’d make up for it quickly. Thomas thought about it for a moment, but it was Morgan who answered.
“Just Mondays and Thursdays, Professor!” She said, batting her eyelashes at me. I gulped. That was trouble waiting to happen.
“Thanks, kid,” I said gruffly, and she deflated.
“Looks like we have plenty of time to demonstrate then. I’ll meet with everyone up here and you’ll demonstrate every spell you know for me. Got it? Good. Who wants to go first?” I smiled. Thomas shot up like a bullet.
“Me, Professor!” He said, walking forward before I’d even said yes. My eyebrows shot up almost as much as he did. Maybe I was wrong about the shy kid.
“Sure thing, Thomas. I want you to start with a Shield Spell. Does everyone know that one?” I verified that everyone was familiar with the basic spell and nodded once in approval.
“Pay close attention. Thomas, go ahead and cast it,” I commanded, and Thomas cast a glimmering shield into the air. I pulled out a rock and pelted it at the shield. The shield held, and the rock bounced off.
“Nice shield, Thomas, keep it going,” I said, pulling out another rock and throwing it at the shield. It held after that one, too. On the third, however, the shield shattered. The rock fell to the ground at Thomas’ feet, rebuffed enough that it didn’t hit him, but Thomas still looked dazed from the spell feedback.
“Three rocks is Thomas’ limit. I tried to throw them about what the average person of your strength could, so you can practice this later with the others if you want. Thomas, cast your shield again,” I instructed. Thomas shook his head and focused, another translucent glimmer of force appearing between him and me.
“Thomas, project your spell formation.” Thomas obliged. I pointed to it. It was a normal circle with a triangle formation of slots and no orbits.
“A perfect first-tier spell formula. Let me ask you a question. What determines the spell tier?”
“The complexity and power of the spell,” A young girl with brunette hair answered. Not someone I recognized. Probably unimportant in the grand scheme, and therefore much more likely to become my prized pupil.
“You’re completely right and still half wrong,” I said, getting a chuckle from several students.
“What’s your name?” I asked. Katrina. Pretty name for a pretty girl. She’d go far, I was certain.
“Nice to meet you, Katrina. You’re right about complexity. Spell power is a common misconception. Generally, spells are more powerful and costly as you get to higher tiers, but it’s only about how complex they are. Believe it or not, there are plenty of third tier spells cheaper mana-wise than Thomas’ shield spell right here,” I said, and she frowned. Several students did.
“But how’s that possible?” Some dark-haired kid demanded.
I pointed at the spell formation in response.
“Look at how brittle his shield was? It’s big and janky, and it crumbled after I hit it in three different locations with the rocks. You can make higher tiered shields that are flexible, that encompass your whole body, that learn about attacks, that break apart adaptively, etcetera. You’re only limited by your ability to learn the spells and cast them on the fly. Do you understand that? There’s a common misconception that mediocrity is the result of limited talent. This is not the case. Remember, you heard it here first and last: Mediocrity is the result of habit. Make it a habit of settling, and you’ll never be able to reach greatness. Is there anyone who wants to be mediocre here? I’m not condemning it, by the way, I just want to know. I’ll help you become a solid mage and not push you,” I let the words hang in the air. A pregnant pause. I was, of course, condemning it. I needed to make one of these kids into a god. There wasn’t much mediocrity on the path to godhood.
“Good. Then let’s get started in earnest. In one month, you’ll be in groups of three to kill a troll like that one. And before you ask, no, you can’t use a pistol,” I winked.