Chapter Forty Five
“Teach me magic!”
“No!”
“Do it!”
“I don’t wanna!”
Shuka was chasing Melia around the common room of the guild trying, and failing, to get Melia to teach her magic. It was… a bit embarrassing, but she the witch wasn’t cooperating so she had no choice. Well, actually, she could have given up, or asked someone else, or tried a different method, but she was already chasing her so it was too late to change methods now. Melia leapt onto an occupied table and kicked a full mug of ale behind her, towards Shuka, as she continued to run. The booze splashed onto the floor, with only a bit hitting her boots. That was fine, Shuka didn’t mind her shoes getting a bit dirty, but the problem was now the floor in front of her was very slippery, much more so than was natural. Shuka slid uncontrollably into the table in front of her, much to the displeasure of the man sitting at it.
“Hey, watch it! Can’t a guy drink in peace?”
“Sorry!”
Shuka grabbed onto the table and used it to push herself across the now ice-slick floor to dry ground.
How the hell did she cast a spell on the booze just from kicking it? If witch magic is really that quick and easy then I have to learn it.
With the exception of those who got their drinks spilled, most people were enjoying the show, laughing and cheering at the antics. They were having such a good time they didn’t even notice when Asheli walked into the room. They definitely noticed when she got caught in the crossfire though. A mug, which had been animated to fly towards Shuka, decided the best way to do that was to go through the large gnoll in its way. Asheli caught the mug before it hit her, but the drink spilled out and splashed onto her. The entire room went silent in an instant and the chase ended. Asheli looked around the room analyzing the situation before speaking, a hint of displeasure in her voice.
“You got an explanation for me Melia?”
“Err, well… Shuka has been chasing me all over the guild, I was just trying to get her to stop!”
Asheli turned her gaze over to Shuka, expectingly.
“I asked her to teach me magic and she told me ‘If you want me to teach you, then you’ll have to catch me first.’ And then she started running around the guild.”
The glare that Asheli gave Melia looked like it could incinerate her.
“Couldn’t you have just told her no?”
“But that would have been booooring.”
“How childish. But I guess that’s the point, isn’t it? Very well, as punishment, act your age and teach Shuka what she wants to learn.”
Did… did Asheli just take my side? It feels nice to be trusted again.
*
A short time later Shuka found herself in Melia’s room. The place was a mess, and the dump that Shuka had dug through the day before was probably more hygienic, but Melia refused to teach her anywhere else.
“Alright, so you wanna learn magic from me?”
“Yes. Specifically, I was wondering if I could learn witch magic.”
“Eugh. I don’t suppose you’ll just take a tip or two?”
“No.”
Shuka knew that Asheli had given her an opportunity, forcing Melia to teach her, and she wasn’t going to waste it.
“Alright, fine. Why do you want to learn witch magic?”
“Magic isn’t fun for me anymore, and I don’t have enough time to practice it. Witch magic seems like it would… ease the burden a bit.”
“You mean it would be easier?” Melia spat out with more venom than Shuka expected. “Witch magic isn’t easy, and if you're just coming to me because you want to be lazier with your magic then you can forget about the lessons.”
“No! That’s not it, I just think… I want to give it a try and see if it’s for me. I don’t mind if it’s hard, as long as it’s more enjoyable to do.”
Melia looked at Shuka with a searching gaze, trying to discern the truth in her words. Shuka was worried about what she would find, because the truth was, she did think witch magic would be easier. But she wasn’t just being lazy, what Melia did filled her with a sense of wonder she had forgotten, and she wanted that wonder back.
“Gah, fine I’ll teach you. But I’m telling you right now, I don’t think you have what it takes to become a full witch.”
“I don’t? Why not?”
“You’re too… normal. Like, I hate to say it, but you are just too reasonable and well-adjusted to become a witch.”
“Uhh… thanks?”
Shuka was confused, she didn’t understand how being normal was related to her ability to be a witch.
“Right, I guess I never fully told you what a witch even is, did I? It’s a bit more complicated than just using emotions in your magic, a witch has gotta follow a theme. The theme can be anything, mine is ‘mischievous raccoon girl’ and I’ve seen even weirder themes before. You said you wanted magic to be fun, right? Well, that’s fine, you could totally be a witch of fun if you wanted. The problem is you have to become your theme, not just follow it when it suits you. A witch of fun would have to be able to laugh and joke, even at a funeral. I don’t think you can do that.”
That’s true, I can barely smile when I’m just being chased, how could I be happy if Xorvos or Maryam died?
“Besides,” Melia continued. “witch magic comes with its own flaws, that mages like you don’t have to deal with. Like how you might cast magic accidentally, or what form your magic takes might change based on how you’re feeling. It’s also really restrictive based on what your theme is. Like, I can’t actually kill, or even seriously harm anyone with my magic, only annoy or inconvenience. Normally that’s fine, 'cause I’m not really a murder kind of person, but if my life depended on killing someone, my magic would let me die.”
“But wait, if your magic changes based on how you’re feeling, wouldn’t it change to be what you need most in a situation? Is your theme really that set in stone?”
“Well, no your theme can change, but it's slow. It might take months, or even years for your theme to change into something actually different, and it’s never something you make a conscious decision to do. Also, it will only ever change to something related to the original theme, not to an entirely different concept. The problem is that your theme affects more than just what your magic looks like, it is the very core of your being. There is nothing inherently anti-killing about my theme, so I could change it into something less restrictive for the sake of survival. But then I wouldn’t be a mischievous raccoon girl, I would be a feral beast, backed into a corner. That is who I would become, and it would stay with me past whatever forced me into that state.”
*
5 years ago.
Melia was glad to be on solid land again after a month at sea, by the time she learned boats weren’t to her liking the ship was already an hour out to sea. She could’ve asked the captain to turn around and return her to shore, but her being a stowaway reduced her diplomatic options greatly. The bounty on her head didn’t help either. They found her after a week, nibbling on orange peels inside a barrel, but they couldn’t catch her. The first day of giving them the slip was fun, and so was the second. But ships, even the big ones, were a lot smaller than cities. She had nowhere to escape to, and as long as they looked for her, they would find her. She was able to continue giving them the slip over the following weeks, barely surviving on scraps, but it had a definite effect on her, mentally. It was tiring, and after what happened with Xalru in Draconian she found herself on the run, making her even more tired. She could still hear the sound of his red claw tapping on the contract she had refused. Hopefully, a new continent would be enough for a fresh start. It was the dead of night and Melia was looking for something shiny or interesting to snatch. Sadly, there wasn’t much trash around, at least not in the open, and the streets were too unfamiliar for her to know where all of the best scavenging spots were. So she used magic instead. The witch looked deep inside her soul until she found that oh-so-familiar raccoon, the one that was always smirking. But… was it always so thin? And his smirk, now it could be mistaken for a snarl. Melia felt off, but her magic heard her request and answered it. A thin blue string appeared in front of her and trailed off into an alleyway. Melia followed and found the string led to an unopened trash can.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Nice, the spell came out a bit boring, but I won’t complain about a treat like this.
Wasting no time, the eager witch tossed the lid off the can and found it full of… food. Just food, nothing shiny or broken, just half-eaten food that was starting to attract flies.
Not what I was hoping for, but I am hungry so I don’t care.
Melia grabbed the first thing in reach, grabbing a bone with a hunk of meat hanging from it, shoving it into her mouth. She followed that with a handful of roasted potatoes and a mostly intact turnip. She lifted an apple off the top of the pile and bit into it as she continued on her way. Food was nice, but it wasn’t what she was looking for. It didn’t take long for her to see something shiny through a window. A mirror shop, of all things, stood before her, with a large display window that showcased several full-length mirrors to the open street. One of those mirrors was in the perfect position to reflect her, but something was wrong with the reflection. Melia didn’t look how she normally did, she was taller, older. Her robe was less baggy, and her hat felt less comically large. She didn’t look like some teenage brat, she looked like her actual twenty-seven years. Melia realized what that meant, and it filled her with all the anger and frustration that had been chasing her ever since her encounter in Draconia and the month spent simply trying to survive on the boat. In a blind rage, she threw her half-eaten apple at the offending mirror and watched as the fruit passed through the window unharmed, only to splat against the mirror, causing it to shatter with a loud crack. She did not mean to cast the spell that made the apple pass through the window, it had happened against her will. No… not against her will, it followed her will exactly.
Break that fucking mirror.
“You know, the destruction of property comes with a hefty fine here in Sidus. You could get in trouble with the guards if you’re not careful.”
Melia whipped around to face the newcomer, a feral snarl making her look barely human. The witch could practically feel her nature change, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She found two piercing orange and yellow eyes that glowed in the dark. A gnoll stood before her, and Melia doubted she was just enjoying a midnight stroll.
“Why do you care? You hardly look like the local law enforcement.”
“I might as well be. My name is Asheli, I’m in charge of the Thieves Guild around these parts.”
“What, looking to recruit? Fuck off, I’m not interested.”
“Refusing already? You don’t even know what I have to offer yet.”
This wasn’t the first time a criminal had tried to get Melia to work for them. She had never accepted though, they never offered her anything she wanted.
“Let me guess, gold? Don’t need it.”
“What about a game? One you play with the city guards. It goes like this, you commit a crime and they try to catch you. If they succeed, you have to spend a few nights in a cell, until you escape or I bribe you out. But if you manage to find your way back to the Thieves Guild without getting caught, then as a member, all charges against you will be cleared. It will be like you had never committed the crime at all.”
It almost sounded too good to be true, so of course Melia had to ask.
“What’s the catch?”
“While in my guild you must follow my rules, and I am a fair bit less merciful than prison. There will be no murder without just cause, no rape no matter what, and no stealing from those who need it more than you.”
“And if I ever want to leave?”
“Then leave. I’m giving you a deal, not a contract.”
Cleared of all crimes… leave whenever I want? That might not be so bad.
“Alright,” Melia said with a smirking once again. “I’m in.”
*
Shuka thought about what Melia told her.
Sounds like becoming a witch isn’t as simple as I thought. Even if I choose a better theme than ‘fun,’ Validus chasing me will probably force my theme to become ‘desperate survivor’ or something similar. That’s not who I want to be.
“So is that it? I’m too reasonable to become a witch, so this whole thing was just a waste of time?”
“Ehh, not quite. Mages and witches are two ends of the scale of how much emotion you put into your magic. Mages say none, and witches say all of it, but there are other options. You said you wanted to find the magic that fit you best right?”
“Sure, but what other options are there? Ones that are viable for me I mean.”
“Well you don’t look too religious to me, so becoming a cleric or priest is probably out, and you need something big to draw mana from to be a shaman. Maybe a druid? Nah, your best bet is to probably just be less stuck up about being a mage.”
“Less stuck up? What do you mean?”
Shuka was under the impression this was all to find her a new spellcasting style, not retry her old one. And as talented as Melia was, Shuka doubted she could teach her mage-style magic better than Ralisdor.
“Ughh, so I know I just said mages put no emotions into their magic, like, ten seconds ago, but that’s not quite true. It’s more like most mages go emotionless, but you’re still considered a mage if you only use a bit of emotion.”
“Really? Does that help? If it’s just a bit, wouldn’t the unpredictability just get in the way of a mages carefully laid out spell circle?”
“Nah, it actually fills in the gaps and fixes mistakes for you. Magic may be dumb, but it ain’t stupid.”
“Wait, then why don’t all mages do it then?”
There is no way there is such a simple method of making magic easier that mages just don’t use. It might be a method that some people may not know about, but Ralisdor would, if he really is an archmage at least. Is there some sort of flaw or downside?
“Well, it’s pretty simple. Most mages are stupid little control freaks who can’t handle even the tiniest of changes to their ’oh-so-perfect’ spells.”
There was genuine irritation in Melia’s voice, and she was gesturing wildly as she spoke. Shuka got the feeling she wasn’t getting the most unbiased opinion right now.
“I mean really, who cares how big your magic icicles are? ‘But Melia’ they say, ‘twenty centimeters long and five centimeters thick at the base has the most optimal mana-to-weight ratio.’ Oh shut up, like that matters in a fight, just make the icicle and chuck it at someone, it’s not like its weight will matter if you stick it in their eye.”
“Actually, changes in its size and shape could affect how aerodynamic the icicle is, which would throw off the mage's aim.”
Melia looked at Shuka with such confusion it was like she spoke a different language.
“…Right,” Shuka continued “so what you are saying is, they don’t use it because even a small amount of variability can mess with a mage's calculations, which the generally very detail-minded group of people don’t appreciate.”
“Weren’t you some country hick? Oh right, you were taught by Sandrin weren’t you? Yeah, that’s basically correct, but there's also the fact if you just put a small amount of emotions into your magic then it stops helping you with some of the more advanced stuff. If you only give your mana a bit to work with then it will only give a bit back to you. Mages who use it as a crutch find themselves unable to progress in magic once it stops helping them.”
No wonder Ralisdor never taught me about this, he didn’t even want me using wands because he was worried I would grow too dependent on them. I don’t mind if this limits how good I can get though, I don’t need to be the best I can be, being the best I want to be is good enough for me. Ralisdor was always ambitious though, I doubt he would even consider an option that would limit how far he could go, and he would assume I thought the same. Or maybe he just didn’t want me getting too good. But then why teach me magic at all? And what problems could I even cause for an archmage with two years of practice, even with shortcuts? How genuine were his lessons?
“Oi! You paying attention?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something.”
“You were thinking? That’s a terrible idea, don’t do that.”
“But then how am I supposed to understand what you are teaching me?”
“You don’t need to understand, in fact, you should stay stupid. The moment you understand magic it dies, so live your life in ignorance and wonder.”
Ignorance and wonder… that doesn’t sound so bad.
“Alright, what do I need to do? I’ll make sure not to remember.”
Melia grinned in mischievous delight.
“Now you’re getting it.”
*
It had been over an hour since Shuka had left with Melia, and Maryam was starting to get worried. Actually, she had been worried since before the lessons had even started, but now she was getting more worried. She was pacing around in front of the witch's door while Xorvos was sitting in a chair with a serious expression on his face. He was worried for her safety, but Maryam wasn’t. Melia wasn’t dangerous, she knew that much, but magic was. Especially for a girl losing hope in it. Would her friend come out of that room with a pointed hat and a different personality? Maryam hoped not, but she knew it was possible. The door opened and Maryam stopped her pacing and found, to her relief, that Shuka left the room hatless. And she looked… happy.
“Oh, hey guys,” Shuka said, looking surprised by their presence. And then she smiled the most genuine smile of wonder that Maryam had only ever seen in a mirror before. “Check this out.”
Shuka held out her hands in front of her, palms facing each other about a foot apart, and scrunched up her face in concentration. Maryam could tell she was casting a spell, both because she could see the mana concentrating between her friends' hands, and because that was the exact same look every apprentice mage had on their face when casting a new spell. After a long moment, Maryam began to hear… music. It was a simple tune with just one instrument playing it, but it was nice, and catchy. And the music was coming from Shuka, or rather, from between her hands. From her spell, her magic. Shuka looked up from her spell, beaming at Maryam even while obviously struggling to keep the music going.
“Magic is fun again.”