Preparing for the future

Since that day, bad thoughts would constantly creep up within my head. Like a parasite constantly feeding on my concentration, breaking it. I had somewhat come to terms with what I had done and had decided for myself that I had no other choice. Yet my subconscious voices continued to tell me otherwise.

I was thankful for the distance Olgore and Dust gave me the first few days, while I tried to process these feelings.

Having nothing better to do and needing something to distract me, I threw myself into working on a spell structure that would ultimately allow me to have a body again. Even if that body would just be a mana construct, with limited options. I set myself the goal of giving it the ability to sense touch, warmth, and smell. This would take years if I hadn’t studied souls my whole life.

Apart from the constant setbacks I had thanks to my unwelcome thoughts, I realized that I should probably give the construct the ability to bleed. This added an extra layer of complexity to my project. Albeit a necessary one, otherwise, the second I got hurt, my secret would be out. Considering how dangerous this world was…

Yeah, necessary indeed.

One evening, after they had come back, I did a test drive of the rota sequences that would allow me to speak without needing a mental connection. It looked like a mouth, but only the lips, glowing a slight blue. Serving as a visual guide. I hadn’t bothered adding teeth or a tongue yet.

“Uhm Tepin, what is that unsettling thing flying before you?” Dust asked.

“Is that a disembodied mouth?” Continued Olgore.

“Yes, that is exactly what this is, my first test of the speaking module for my artificial body!” My artificial floating lips mouthing the words. It was liberating to be able to speak out loud!

“That looks unsettling, but good for you!” Dust said, and I heard an agreeing grunt from Olgore.

“Tell me, Tepin, how is it possible for you to create such complex spells without writing down your progress?” Asked Dust. I furrowed my conjured brows.

“It’s easy to keep the rota small, so I am designing them within my soulcore. And since they don’t have an activation structure yet, I keep them connected to my mana sphere so they don’t dissipate when I am taking a break.”

“That is possible? Never knew, but then again, I don’t use rota.” Dust said.

“About that, I was meaning to ask, are you using wild magic? Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked.

Mana reacts to emotions, and while it is one way to make it do what you want, telling it through rota is much more precise and safe.

“Wild magic is very safe, I’ll have you know, if you have properly trained for it! Honestly, in fights, casting rota takes way too long.” Dust answered.

“But it doesn’t take long to cast rota. I am pretty sure they can be useful in combat. Emotions are way too chaotic to control magic with!” I said.

“That is something you say because you have no experience with it. You saw the control I have over my spells, did that look chaotic to you?” He said.

“Fair enough, I cannot say it did.” It was still a bit difficult for me to accept. I grew up learning that wild magic was dangerous. But different cultures have different methods.

“I really don’t know much about this world, do I?.” Fitting in would be difficult.

“You are learning, and that is what counts! I am just happy that you are more talkative again.”

I withdrew myself from the conversation and rested for the day.

The next day, whilst I was in the middle of working on my spell construct, Olgore interrupted me.

“Hey Tepin, we need to talk.”

“Huh, why Olgore, I am busy.” I told him.

“We just got notice that all members of the guild starting at rank B are asked to come to Guild’s Rest. Dust and I intend to answer that call. That leaves the question, will you be coming with us? And before you ask, Guild’s Rest is the headquarters of Eventyr.” He knew me quite well. That would have been my first question indeed.

“While I would love to stay with you both, I don’t think I can. You have already done so much for me. But I don’t think that going with you will be the right thing. I want to find a way back home. I think I will be going my own way. My only concern is to finish my body spell before then.”

“That is what Dust said you would say. In that case, I have a proposal for you. I know you probably don’t want to hear anything about this, considering what happened. But you need combat experience. If you want to travel by yourself and not rely on others, there is simply no way around it. So starting tomorrow, I would like to take you outside the city, and don’t worry, we won’t go far. Just to a secluded place in a nearby forest, to train.” He said with a serious look.

I didn’t like the idea, but Olgore was right. If I wanted to avoid what happened last time from happening again, I would need to learn how to defend myself. My core turned pale as the unwelcome thoughts crept back into my mind. I shook myself.

“You… You are right. I do need some experience if I want to go out there.”

“Good, then we will leave tomorrow morning.” Olgore said.

The conversation got me thinking. I would need to prepare more than just an artificial body. Hurting people was not on the board; I needed another way of defending myself. But how? How could I protect myself from people or beasts without permanently hurting them? All I wanted was to temporarily stop them from attacking me. That’s when my mind went to the lightning spell that Dust uses! It looked dangerous at first glance, but that was because it was cast with wild-magic. Paralyzing my opponent could be a valid option if done in a controlled manner. Creating a spell capable of that shouldn’t be too difficult. I need someone willing to be a test object. That in mind, I started designing the rota sequences for a simple lighting spell that would let me change the strength of it on the fly, in preparation for tomorrow. Designing spells calmed me down; it felt like I gained a bit of normality back.

Morning came fast, and together with it, the first warm rays of light, I found myself surrounded by needle trees. We were in a little clearing within a forest. My anxiety was spiking; if someone were observing me closely, they would see that my sphere was shaking a bit. Before me, a few meters away, stood Olgore, with Dust standing by the trees.

“Alright, so let’s start with dodging. In a moment, I will sprint towards you and try to catch you. Quite simple, if I get you, you lose.” Olgore said.

That sounded simple enough; he forgot one thing, though. He couldn’t fly, but I can. Maybe I should ask them if I can try out my new spell on them now? Or just use it as part of my defense when he attacks? Olgore’s reaction could be quite entertaining if I just hit him out of nowhere. I chuckled. Decisions. Then suddenly, a large leather-bound hand grabbed me. In shock, I looked around me and saw that Olgore had caught me… and that Dust was holding his face in his hands.

A crow was laughing as if mocking me. I really do get distracted too easily, don’t I? Damnit! Air escaped from Dust as he started chuckling. My core turned a tiny bit more purple.

Olgore, who had already gone back to his previous position, said.

“Okay, let’s try this again, and please don’t get lost in your thoughts again.”

“Sorry… It won’t hap…” That’s when he started sprinting.

For a second, I froze, not expecting him to do that. But then managed to shake the surprise off. I pulled up as fast as I could, rising into the sky. The wind was flowing around me as I picked up speed.

“Heh, try catching me this time suc….” And with that, I was grabbed right out of the sky. How? Looking back down, I could see dirt still flying through the air from the force that he had used to jump towards me. Then we hit the ground, Olgore bending his knees to lessen the impact.

“Better, but going in a straight line makes it quite easy to catch you. And don’t forget that anyone likely to attack you is probably capable of strengthening their body with mana, just like I just did. Again!”

Once more, I found myself floating opposite Olgore. And once more, he started sprinting towards me. This time, I started flying to the right, using a quick wind spell to give me a boost. Olgore corrected his course, scattering dirt behind him from the sudden change in movement. Damn! He was fast. I cast another wind spell, this time to quickly divert my direction towards the trees. Maybe I could lose him in the forest. I had barely reached the closest tree when he got me again.

This went on for much of the morning, and I grew more frustrated with each “Again!” Olgore shouted. Meanwhile, Dust enjoyed the show from the sidelines, occasionally cheering me on. Though to my ears, it just sounded like mockery. The longest I was able to avoid him was maybe 15-ish seconds. I had enough!

Forget about asking if I could test drive my new spell, I would just do it. After all, this was supposed to be about learning how to dodge him, right? I secretly prepared the paralyzing bolt spell I had designed the night prior. It was not easy doing so without them noticing, but I managed to draw the rota hidden within my mana-sphere. Tiny bolts of lightning started shooting off the spell.

Olgore once again sprinted towards me, but this time I did not try to dodge. No, I was acting like I was lost in thoughts again!

I waited and tried to stay calm as I saw the overgrown lizard come closer, ripping apart the ground below him through the sheer force with each step. That sight made me shake. Time slowed as he sprinted towards me, his hand already outstretched, trying to reach me. That’s when I took my shot. It was not fully powered; I still had to find out how much was needed to actually paralyze him. Better stay on the safe site. The spell in the form of a lightning bolt shot out of me, sparks flying in all directions along its path.

His eyes widened in surprise. It hit him right into his open, outstretched hand. He quickly pulled it towards himself as lightning ran through him, looking for the shortest way to the ground. What I hadn’t planned for was that he didn’t stop right after being hit. He slammed right into me, catapulting me into the nearest tree. Upon impact, some of the tree bark splintered away. Dazed, I wobbled around in the air. I looked towards Olgore, seeing him standing a few meters away, staring at me. Hmm, so that was not enough force to paralyze him. He looked barely fazed and was shaking the arm I hit, but that was about it. Kind of upsetting. The surprise written around his face turned into a grin.

“Finally! I was waiting for you to pull something like that. You cannot dodge someone forever by running away. You need to use everything at your disposal to do so.” Olgore said.

Wait, he was trying to teach me a lesson the entire time! What’s the point in that? He could have just told me.

“I didn’t just want to attack you outright with a spell. The only reason I did it without asking was because I was fed up with playing catch! What if my spell had been too strong?” I asked.

“Please, I trust you. You clearly have a good grip on your magic, considering what we have already seen.” He said.

From the sidelines, Dust jumped in.

“I didn’t want to say anything because this was your idea, Olgore. But while you are right, you should have considered her perspective. She had to go through a lot since coming here. Maybe cut her some slack.”

“Ugh, yeah, maybe I could have. Sorry Tepin, but hey, it worked out in the end.” Olgore said.

“Thanks, Dust! Well, I can fly better now after all this training, I guess. Does this mean you are okay with me trying my new spell on you? I designed it so it doesn’t do any permanent harm. More testing is required to find the right strength, though.” I asked.

“You talk like a scientist, but that is fine with me. I am quite interested in how much I can take!” He said, fire in his eyes. I took that as a challenge also,
“That’s because I am a scientist!”

But before we started, I turned to Dust and asked.

“Uhm, can I try it on you later or another day too?”

“What why me?” Dust looked up, a bit surprised.

“You already have a perfectly willing test subject right in front of you!”

“Yeah, but if I know how much it takes to take him out, that just means my spell is calibrated for larger enemies. I also need to know how much it takes to paralyze more normal-sized people. You know? Like you.”

“Oh, that annoyingly makes sense. Okay, but not today, I need to mentally prepare for that!” Said Dust.

“Yay, thanks!”

Fire in my eyes rivaling Olgores, I turned back to him, readying my spell once more, little bolts of lightning curling around me.