A second after I fired, I activated my Dome of Force. However, the lightning bolt Cato fired at me travels too fast. My Dome couldn't form in time, and the bolt strikes me. Pain spreads quickly through my body. My senses are overloaded to such a degree that life feels dull. And this whole time, I've been flying back. I smack against the door to this room with a loud thud.
I groan quietly, and look up. I see Cato has thrown the table aside at some point. It's laying on its side, against some shelves. He doesn't look like he got hit by my bolts.
He points a finger at me, and it glows with purple energy. Suddenly the same color energy starts forming around me. I try jumping up as fast as I can, but that bolt and the door messed me up. I'm struggling to stand.
And suddenly I can't move. I'm consumed with fear. Is he mind controlling me?
Cato laughs and swings his finger to the left. And my body is swung through the air like a doll. I smash through multiple shelves until I crash into another wall. I float in the air for a moment, my face pressed hard against a wall. Then I go limp and fall fast. I barely manage to notice the energy isn't around me when I hit the ground. It hurts a lot.
God, what have I gotten myself into?
"Do you understand yet? The difference in power between you and I. If I didn't see your potential, I would take control of you. Then I'd make laws that are convenient for myself and this guild." Cato says angrily.
I lay in silence for a moment. Then I hold my hands up in surrender.
"I apologize sir. I understand now how powerful you are. Please forgive me and allow me to keep my life." I say with sincerity and fear.
Cato "Hmph!"s loudly. Then he points a finger at me. The purple energy surrounds me once more. My body is forced to straighten out like a board. Then Cato begins walking me out the room, holding me behind him in the air.
As I'm taken out, I see the doorman and a few others. They're pointing at me and laughing quietly. Cato's head snaps in their direction, and they become quiet instantly.
As soon as we're outside, Cato swings his hand without care. The energy around me disappears as I'm thrown through the air onto the streets. I roll a bit, earning some new bruises.
When I'm done and trying to get up, I see Cato at the door of the tower.
"Do not come back until you've learned some lessons in magic in fighting from your friend Deatrix. You'll need them in case you have an outburst like that again. And what just happened, will happen again and again. With even more pain if necessary. Until you learn to be respectful." he says coldly.
Then he slams the door shut in my face. I stare at it for a moment. Then I spit on the ground, and try to storm off. But unfortunately, I'm limping. Everything hurts.
The walk home is depressing. As I walk, people watch. Some laugh. They can tell I just got destroyed.
A group of young men walk past me. One of them pulls out some weird square device that reminds me of a cell phone, and comes up to me. A little blue light pops on in the front.
"Hey man, tell us what happened. Please. I'll give you a few coins man. Do it for the hiveeeee." he asks amusedly.
Ah, he's doing this for some kind of social media. Disgusting. This man is detached from reality or something. He doesn't ask because he cares. He asks for his own amusement and some online clout. Or whatever it's called here.
I try ignoring him. I put a hand up, blocking the square thing, and walk faster.
"Man, don't ignore me. Don't you know who I am? Answer me." the young man says with firm annoyance.
I get mad, and act rashly. I try Air Dashing away, but I can't handle the sudden burst of speed. I stumble and fall against the ground. The young man laughs, recording me the whole time. He gets close again, and circles me.
"Man, just tell us what happened. Don't you want to vent?" he says as if he's tempting me.
"Fuck off!" I yell angrily.
I get up, and start jogging. As I do, one of his friends start yelling at him to leave me alone. He yells back at them, seemingly offended they'd try to stop him. I don't care anymore, I'm out of here.
It isn't long until I run into some Guards. They come up to me, with concern on their faces.
"Hey man, what happened to you?" Guard 1 asks.
I start explaining how I got in a fight with Cato. They watch me for half a minute. Then suddenly they start laughing at me.
"HAAAA! You thought we cared! Get fucked, snitch!" Guard 1 yells with cruel pleasure.
Two of them suddenly push me over, and I fall ass first into a puddle. The Guards flip me off, and walk off laughing. I glare at them as they leave, and stand back up. I'm soaked now. Fucking great.
Suddenly singing fills the air. And I'm filled with annoyance and dread.
"Ooooohhhh, there once was a lawyer. He was ugly and lame. Nobody liked him, not even his teacher. Just got his ass kicked, and everyone liked that. Even his mooommmmmmmmmmm." Cephellion, the Bard, sings with glee.
I start running once more. I hear footsteps behind me. I turn my head back, and see that damn Bard chasing me while playing his ukulele.
"Leave me alone!" I yell with miserable rage.
"Henry Sheeves sure is peeved that no one likes himmmmm! Seems to me he should just leave the city and never come back! Pordrig would lack a major pain, and everyone would gain peace of mindddd! So kindly jump off a cliff and dieeeeeee!" Cephellion sings gleefully.
I scream my head off, miserable and freaking out. I start sprinting to get away from him. He follows me, singing that stupid song all the way till I get home. I slam the door shut in his face as he leave me with a final verse.
"Die die die! Do us all a favor and choke in your sleepppppp! Do us all a favor, and don't even take time to savor your final momentssss! Just dieeeeeeeee!"
"Fucckkkkk offfffffffffffffff!" I scream furiously.
I almost punch my door out of vain rage. But I stop inches from the wood. I storm away, until I land on a chair in my library. It's too early in the damn day to go to sleep.
I'm going to take some time to relax. A nap, maybe. Then I'm gonna go see Deatrix.
I've come to the Crimson Wolves guild. Its members are laughing at me. But I think they've got the wrong idea.
"Look at that guy. Must've failed his first quest."
Something like that.
I see Deatrix in the Guild Hall. He's sitting at a table with a young black woman in black leather armor. And a tanned young man with a black pompadour. Must be friends of his. Maybe I should wait a bit. This was rather impulsive after all.
Deatrix notices me, and he seems shocked by the sight of me. He points at me, and gets up. As he approaches, the young black woman laughs and makes a quiet comment to the tanned man. I assume it's another insult coming my way.
Deatrix reaches me.
"Damn man, what happened to you? You look like you've been struck by lightning. I can see almost all your veins." he says with concern.
Yeah, I look weird. My veins are red and flush against my skin. I've got bright red skin from the burns. It's concerning.
"Try not to worry too much. I bought a health potion from a General Store on the way here." I say calmly.
My whole body just has two different kinds of tinglies going on, but I'm sure it's fine. Probably.
"Uh, sure. So did you come for something serious?" Deatrix asks nervously.
"Yeah, but I see you're with friends. It can honestly wait a bit." I say awkwardly.
Deatrix smiles and shrugs.
"Alright. If you say so. Tell me what it is you wanted though." Deatrix says calmly.
"Oh, I wanted you to teach me how to fight. I just uh…" I say calmly.
I look down shamefully.
"Just got my ass kicked by the guy giving me my Second Trial at the Seekers of Knowledge guild." I admit.
Deatrix's jaw drops.
"Damn, that's rough. And I just heard you whupped some ass earlier too." Deatrix says sympathetically.
"Yeah, but I'll survive." I say calmly.
Deatrix puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a thumbs up.
"Tomorrow, I'll give you some lessons. Alright?" he says warmly.
I nod and smile. A bit of hope entering my heart.
"Yeah, sounds great. Meet up here?" I ask warmly.
"Yeah, in the afternoon. Around one." Deatrix says warmly.
"Sounds good. I'll leave ya to your lunch then." I say calmly.
"Until next time, bro. Try to relax. Don't feel too bad. We all lose sometimes. And you lived to fight another day." Deatrix says warmly. "And don't forget your spellbook."
When I return home, there's a letter in the mailbox. I didn't notice the mailbox was by my door until I saw this letter sticking out of it honestly. It's just a little brown metal box nailed to the wall. I pull the letter out, and open it. I read it quickly, and dread fills me.
It's the dates of all the trials I have. Deatrix's trial starts in a week. And the divorce trials are a week after that. I hate deadlines. And I still don't have checkmate. Plus the divorces are gonna be such a chore.
I decide to just lay down and read a book for the day. Then pass out.
"Alright warrior, it's time for your first day of training." Deatrix states eagerly.
We're standing outside in a training yard. That is part of the Crimson Wolves fort. There's a few racks of steel weapons, and wooden ones as well. A few hay bales with paper bullseyes covering them lined against a wall. There's bolts and arrows sticking out of them. And several target dummies that glow with a dull gray energy. They're made of straw, shaped like a basic doll with thick bulges around the joint areas and the head. Some are set up in unique formations. Like there's an impromptu square ring nearby made with lines in the dirt. And a straw dummy standing at every corner. There's a thick circle of them, and they all have a shield for some reason. And there's a triangle formation of them right in front of a wall.
Jacob is holding a wooden sword, and grinning widely. He seems excited to be teaching me. I'm almost worried by that, but also relieved. I thought he might be annoyed about this.
However, he is making me wear a set of leather armor. It feels light, but it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. It makes what I'm signing up for set in.
"Today, we're gonna start with some basic lessons. After a bit of that, I'll help you make some good spells to help yourself do better in fights." Deatrix says warmly.
I nod.
"So, I have no idea where to begin with you since it seems you're a bit competent already based on what I heard. So we're just gonna have to figure that out the hard way." Deatrix says warmly.
He suddenly points his wooden sword at me, and I tense up.
"Get ready, we're sparring." Deatrix states warmly.
"Uh, uh. Deatrix, are you sure we can't find someone more my level? I think it's clear you're stronger than me." I say nervously.
"Don't worry, I'll only use my physical abilities and this wooden sword. Which admittedly, I do have a powerful body. But you'll have magic. Take advantage of what you have. I remember you explaining them. They're basic, but they're good basics." Deatrix says warmly.
Fuck. I charge lightning into both of my hands, and point them at Deatrix. He grins at me with wild eyes.
"Good. Now fire first. I want to see if I can dodge them." Deatrix says warmly.
Oh God. Well… I do as he asks. The lightning bolts zoom out my fingers, and Deatrix somehow dashes to the left even faster. A thick cloud of dust is kicked up in the space he was just in. I barely follow him with my eyes, charging more lightning.
I see another cloud of dust explode, and I already know Deatrix is coming at me. What else would he do? I Air Dash to the right, and fire my bolts. Another cloud, and Deatrix is suddenly in front of me. We're both still dashing. Our eyes meet.
His grin grows wider as he swings his blade horizontally, aiming for the side of my stomach. I grit my teeth, and bring my hands in front of it. The blade inches away from my hands, I manage to cast Gust. Powerful winds blow out my hands, keeping the blade away from me.
I look at Deatrix, fear entering me as I see he isn't phased by what I've done. He isn't even being pushed back. But the blade isn't moving further.
OW! He fucking just headbutt me! I stumble back a bit, then feel my legs kicked out from under me. I fall on my butt with a thump. I groan with annoyed pain.
"You were too focused on your magic. Don't forget you still have a body. You could've kicked me back or something." Deatrix states calmly.
"Could I? That wind wasn't doing shit, and it's not like it was only focused on the blade." I complain, annoyed.
Deatrix chuckles a bit.
"Okay, maybe it would've been like hitting a brick wall for you. But still, it's worth considering. Let's try again, you had a good start going." Deatrix says warmly.
I stand up, and charge lightning into my hands once more. This time I start forming a ball in my hands. Deatrix glares at me and yells firmly suddenly.
"Hey, don't precharge a spell! Nobody will let you do that in a real fight unless they're a fool!"
I stiff up for a second, then dispel the lightning ball.
"Sorry. Won't happen again." I say sheepishly.
"Good." Deatrix says firmly.
Deatrix smiles sheepishly and scratches the back of his head.
"Sorry if that came out too firm. I was just trying to be like my teacher." he says.
"Pfft. It's fine. I'm not a baby, I'm a lawyer. I'm used to getting yelled at by my bosses and clients." I say amusedly.
"Really, are they that bad?" Deatrix asks curiously.
"Ehhhh…kinda." I say awkwardly.
I can't explain it to Deatrix, but back in my world, I was asked to make a lot of unreasonable, questionable things happen. You have to, in order to make the real money as a lawyer. And my bosses and clients were always mad when I even slightly disappointed them.
"Damn. Sucks for you man." Deatrix says sympathetically. "I'd just tell them to fuck off and get a new lawyer." he says calmly.
I laugh.
"Would if I could, but I need money." I say warmly.
"Heh. Yeah, I suppose we all do. Kinda." Deatrix says warmly. "Anyway, let's get back to sparring." he says quickly.
I groan, and ready my hands at my hips like a cowboy. Deatrix holds his blade at his left hip, blade pointed behind him. His knees bend and he leans forward a bit. He will dash at me.
"Are you ready?" Deatrix asks calmly.
After a moment's hesitation, I answer "Yes."
Deatrix dashes immediately. He's a black blur coming my way. I activate my Dome of Force to block him. His wooden blade smacks against the invisible dome with a loud thud. I feel an enormous amount of mana drain from me. I still try creating a bolt of electricity but I can feel how empty I am.
Deatrix laughs, and takes a step back.
"Wow, did you just run out of mana?" he says amusedly.
… I sigh, shamefully tired.
"Yes." I admit.
Deatrix laughs again.
"Damn, sorry. Guess I used too much of my strength." he says warmly.
"It's alright. Are mana potions a thing? Cause I'm suddenly exhausted." I ask tiredly.
"Oh yeah. Let me get you one. Stay here. You're not allowed to wander around the Guild's fort." Deatrix says calmly.
"Oh, gotcha." I say calmly.
Deatrix exits the training yard through an opening in a loggia. An outdoor hallway of sorts, made from a frame of stone pillars with lines of wall shrubs blooming with black and crimson roses along the edges of each floor of the fort. I can still white stems weaved within the shrubs.
I lean back against a wall, and breathe heavily. I try to relax. But the smell of a cigarette fills the air. And I really miss those. It's distracting me.
I hear footsteps, and turn to them. I expect Deatrix, but instead I see the young black woman that was with Deatrix at the Guild Hall before. She's wearing black leather armor with crimson shoulder pads. She has golden eyes, and blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She's looking at me with an amused smile.
"I was watching your sparring match with my friend Jacob. I'm impressed you didn't get knocked out by him yet. Especially with that uh…lean body." she says nicely.
I give her an annoyed look.
"I know I'm skinny, but I don't need muscles. We have magic." I counter.
August scoffs, and takes a hit of her cigarette. She exhales a thin cloud, and the smell washes over me.
"I disagree strongly with that. You need to work out. A strong body is capable of holding more mana." she says, polite but firm.
I blink with surprise at that, then smile sheepishly.
"Ah. I didn't know that." I admit.
"It's fine, most people don't. It's not a common fact. It's kept hidden to an extent even. People like to hold knowledge like that away from the weak." she says nicely.
That makes me angry, which shows on my face. Which makes me want a cigarette more. So I finally give in.
"Can I bum a cigarette?" I ask sheepishly.
She smiles politely. She reaches into a pouch on her leather cuirass. She pulls out a red cigarette case with golden edges. Painted on both sides is a golden crest, split into three sections. On the top right is an ibis. Top left, a crow. And the larger bottom piece has a crab. Unique. I'm tempted to learn the meanings of those crest symbols.
August opens the case, and pulls out a cigarette. She hands it to me, and I take it with a thankful smile.
"You're the best." I say warmly.
"I try to be. Literally. My parents would be mad if I didn't." she says with good humor.
"Oh God. Sounds annoying." I say warmly.
"It is. Never satisfied, even when I basically run this guild for them." she says warmly.
I was about to make a flame in my hand to light the cigarette when I stop and stare at the young black woman.
"Ah, you suddenly seem a bit important. Maybe we should do some introductions." I say nervously.
She snorts amusedly.
"Of course. I'm August Caeser. Daughter of the leaders of this guild. And you're Henry Sheeves, Jacob's lawyer and new friend it seems." she says knowingly.
I'm a bit annoyed that she already knows who I am. I'm gonna try to assume she heard of me from Deatrix, and not because everyone and their mother in this city knows who I am now.
For now, I force a polite smile on my face.
"Yes, indeed I am. Pleasure to meet you." I say calmly.
"Pleasure is all mine." August says warmly.
More footsteps come our way, and this time it is Deatrix. He holds a blue vial in his hand. I eye it with displeasure. I can already imagine the fuzzy lightning.
Deatrix smiles at us.
"Hey guys. Surprised to see ya, August." he says warmly.
August smiles and takes a hit of her cigarette. She exhales smoke while talking.
"Yes, I couldn't help but watch. I never saw you attempt to teach anyone anything before." she says warmly.
"So you're here to make fun of me?" Deatrix says warmly.
"Only if you're bad at your job. Your friend needs someone with a brain here." August says with good humor.
Deatrix clicks his tongue. He approaches me, and hands me the potion.
"Here, drink this. It'll make ya feel better within seconds." he says warmly.
"Thanks Deatrix." I say warmly.
I open the vial as Deatrix gives me a bemused look.
"Deatrix? My first name is shorter, ya know." he says.
Hmmm…
"I dunno. Just feels weird to call you Jacob at the moment. You're still my client." I say calmly.
Deatrix laughs and shakes his head.
"Yeah, whatever. It's fine." he says warmly.
I smoke my cigarette, and exhale a bitter cloud. I can't help but admit I missed the taste. I can feel stress leaving me.
"So Henry, I've had some thoughts. Your mana supply sucks. It's at best average." Deatrix says bluntly.
My stress flows back into my body. I frown, but can't deny it.
"I'd say he has decent battle instincts at least. Perhaps it's time you approach that spellbook of his while he's resting." August advises nicely.
"Ah, right. Good idea. Henry, your spellbook." Deatrix says calmly.
I walk over to a black bag I brought with me. It's been leaning against the wall near me. I reach in, and pull out the spellbook. I put it down on a nearby hay bale bullseye. Deatrix and August get close to me. August opens the book up, and I see her eyes quickly skimming the contents.
"God, his lawyer magic really is dumb. They're the only powerful things he has, and he has no way to activate them realistically until it's too late and terrible damage is dealt." August says with mild disgust.
"Yeah, I never looked at them, but damn. They suck." Deatrix says bluntly.
I groan annoyedly, but don't say anything. It's not my fault this continent only has 12 laws. … Besides all that divorce stuff I helped make.
August reaches into a pouch, and pulls out a quill with a tip that has a black aura. She begins writing in my spellbook.
"Um, can I at least know what you're writing in there?" I ask annoyedly.
"Don't worry, it's a good spell." August says calmly.
I sigh annoyedly, but am ignored. A minute passes, and August steps aside. She looks proud of herself.
"Check it out. Your first real win condition." August says confidently.
"Win condition? What is this, a card game?" I deadpan.
August snorts amusedly with a smug smile, hands on her hips, head held high.
"A fight with magic is something like a card game. If you're good enough, that is." she says, trying to sound wise.
"Yeah, if you're a silly nerd. I fight with my blades in the thick of it. There's only room for skill and the instincts of a warrior." Deatrix says confidently.
"Pfft. Sure Deatrix. For people like you, maybe. For people like me, skill also involves using your brain." August says confidently.
I decide to ignore them, and look at the spell.
Three Step Seal: This spell has three stages.
First, the target must be struck with a ranged mana bolt. This mana bolt will plant a magical seal on the target. This will start Stage 2.
Stage 2 will begin with the mana in the seal beginning to make that part of the body seemingly magnetic to the target's own body. This will cause the target to slow, and have to stop themselves from being pinned to their own body. However, this is still resistible as Stage 2 isn't very strong.
To activate Stage 3, a large amount of mana must be concentrated within the target. This can be done in one of two ways:
Five or more bolts of mana must strike the target and successfully establish more seals.
A strong burst of mana injected at melee range with a melee blow must successfully land. And time must be allowed for the mana to settle in the target.
Once Stage 3 is reached, it can be activated at will. The target's body will forcibly be put under the user's control. They can not be used as an slave. They can only be forced to do basic motions with the body in order to facilitate basic things such as leading the target around, or to make it easier to restrain them.
I smile and nod happily.
"Yeah, I actually like this a lot. Thanks August." I say appreciatively.
August's eyes twinkle as her grin grows wider. Deatrix looks at it, and shrugs.
"There isn't much power to it though. It's nothing that can kill." he says calmly.
He holds his hand out to August.
"Yo, give me that quill. I've got an idea." Deatrix says with determination.
August turns to him with suspicious eyes.
'
"Please tell me it doesn't require him sacrificing something stupid, like blood or some of his lifespan." she says with firm doubt.
Deatrix doesn't look at us. He turns around and walks away from the book with a sad face.
"I don't have any ideas." he admits sadly.
I sigh with relief cause August got me out of a truly stupid spell. Then an idea hits me.
"Can't we just use a gimmick to make the spell stronger? Like perhaps it has a long charge time?" I say eagerly.
"I mean, yeah. But that's not very good unless you plan to have friends with you while you charge the spell. It's better to do some kind of set up with your spell like what I did previously." August says calmly.
I stroke my chin and try to think of something good. … …
"Then again, Henry's mana is pretty average. Maybe he does need to sacrifice some of his blood or something." August says thoughtfully.
I look at her with fear.
"Can we maybe focus on gimmicks?" I ask nervously.
August gives me a smile that tells me bad news is coming.
"Henry, unless your gimmick is utterly ridiculous and makes the spell near impossible to cast, at your level you can't kill anyone with a single blast of a spell." she explains nicely.
I groan with pure disappointment, hunching over and head drooping.
"What if we got Henry a good magical focus or something?" Deatrix asks calmly.
"I mean, he's your lawyer. If he wants paid with a good wand, I'll give him one for ya. I think you're supposed to be paid soon for a quest anyway. I can take it out of that." August says calmly.
Deatrix strokes his chin and thinks for a second. Then he turns to me.
"Henry, how much am I paying you for this case anyway?" he asks curiously.
I am frozen with the pure stupidity I feel when he asks that. I can't believe I just dived into this case without establishing my pay.
I hear Libra laughing in my head.
"Libra, please tell me what's a good paycheck for this stuff." I beg in my thoughts seriously.
I see Libra with her eyes swinging around wildly, with a few formulas forming around her head in the directions she's looking. Then her eyes look ahead with certainty.
"1000 gold coins." she says firmly.
"1000 gold coins." I say quickly.
August whistles appreciatively at that number.
"I'd almost say you got a good lawyer for cheap, but we haven't seen how Henry is in a trial. Hopefully he doesn't choke." she says wryly.
Deatrix gives me a serious look.
"Henry, please don't fuck up. I'd have to leave the continent. And the edges of it are so far. We're basically on the center of the continent." he says with serious desperation.
August laughs, a hand over her mouth.
"Oh Jacob, you couldn't make it that far. They'd get you for sure by then." she says confidently.
Deatrix glares at August with defiant determination.
"If necessary, I could wage my own war to escape. Count on it." he states confidently.
"Didn't you get knocked aside by a Meat Golem a few weeks ago?" August teases.
Deatrix stomps his foot and anger fills his face.
"That Golem was ten feet tall! And we still killed it!" he argues defensively.
"Keyword being 'We'. Without Lucius and I, you would've been crushed in his hands and that sheathe of yours stolen." August says like a firm teacher. "Please remember you aren't a one man army, and focus on helping Henry win this case." she advises seriously.
Then she turns to me with a bemused look.
"How is this helping anyway?" she asks curiously.
I sigh sadly and give a strained smile that shows my shame.
"I'm in this Trial with the Seekers of Knowledge Guild. I'm doing this trial to gain information on this Wizard that's a friend of the Adventurer Balgor that Deatrix fought on the street. He already seems sketchy, but I need definitive proof. The man overseeing my trial is willing to give me this information if I complete the Trial. However, we keep arguing over various moral things. And we ended up fighting last time. I…lost. Badly. And he told me to come back after learning how to fight in case I had another…outburst." I explain with utter shame and embarrassment.
"Oh damn. Jacob, he got whupped for you. Give him more gold." August says sympathetically.
"Me!? You give him a good wand like you said you would so this doesn't happen again!" Deatrix says with shock and concern.
Ugh, I hate seeing people be like this over me.
"I'm fine, it's not important. I'm a lawyer after all." I say politely.
August gives me a serious look.
"Henry, in this world, might makes right. If you're not strong, you could die a lot earlier than you'd like." she says kindly, but serious. "I'll get you a good wand as thanks for helping Jacob. In the meantime, perhaps you should pursue a different avenue of investigating this Wizard." she says nicely.
"Yeah, but what? Everything I know about him involves that sketchy guild." I counter annoyedly.
"Yes. Indeed…Jacob, can we talk amongst ourselves for a moment?" August says calmly.
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." Deatrix says calmly.
I'm confused a bit, but I just stand silently and watch them head down the loggia, and into the fort.
I decide to just enjoy my cigarette and try to just zone out. Think of literally nothing but how good this nicotine is.
August and I stop in a nearby room. Looks like a dining room. August turns to me with a serious face. But her eyes are looking through me. She's in the middle of planning, it seems.
"Your friend needs that information. I'm willing to use my spy network to obtain it, but it'll take time from what I've heard. Thankfully, there's a week until your trial." August explains quickly.
I click my tongue annoyedly. August read my mail again. I hate it when she does that. August shoots me a split second glare, and continues speaking without acknowledging my annoyance further.
"In the meantime, you should train your friend. I know the Seekers of Knowledge have a more impressive spy network than this guild. I can probably figure out what's going on with that stupid Wizard thanks to the fact that party of Adventurers are chaotic fools who leave a burning trail of destruction, but they will figure out what we're doing. And eventually they'll target Henry since he's literally the weakest link here." August explains seriously.
"Ah, I gotcha. Works with me." I say agreeably.
August nods quickly.
"Another note. Do not tell Henry how I'm obtaining this information. He may be your friend, but he's still a wild card. And I don't need him or anyone else knowing this guild has even one spy, let alone a whole network." she says seriously.
I nod calmly.
"Of course. I'm no fool, August. I understand your need for secrecy." I say warmly.
August smiles confidently. There's a glint of passion in her eyes. August does enjoy making her plans. I just like the parts where she sends me to fight. Everything else is a chore.
A few minutes later, Deatrix and August return to me. August is holding a small black wooden box. It's about a foot long, and a few inches wide. She gives me an eager grin.
"Here. I looked around the armory, and found a suitable wand for you." she says warmly.
I smile, with some excitement like a child opening a present. Except it's a magical wand. I open the box, and see it. It's a…fucking…black and white wand. The colors swirl around the entirety of it, up to a gray crystal that's an inch tall, and as wide as a dime. I sigh annoyedly.
"No offense, but I don't like this color scheme. Is it possible to get something else?" I ask honestly.
August snorts amusedly.
"I mean, if you really want, I will. But maybe you should experience what this specific wand can do first. It's quite impressive." she says warmly.
I give it a doubtful look, but pull it out. Instantly I feel a connection, and see an image of Libra giving me a look of pride. I can feel an enormous amount of mana inside. It feels like I'm holding a smooth, heavy stone. But it's not heavy with physical weight, but a spiritual weight.
"What can it do?" I ask seriously.
"It holds a lot of mana, for one. Two, it enhances magic that is influenced by justice. And I bet it'd enhance your um…" August explains warmly. "Lawyer magic." she says delicately.
I grin widely. It's like I've got a big gun suddenly. Then an idea strikes me.
"Justice. Of course. I bet I could make magic affect things on a moral level." I say excitedly.
August gives me a skeptical look. Deatrix facepalms.
"Henry, I really doubt you can do that. Morality is a complex thing. It's not solid at all. It's more like an opinion than something that a spell's logic can be based on." August says.
I hunch over and sigh sadly. But the weight of this wand quickly distracts me. I have to try it out.
I take a few steps away from August and Deatrix. I aim at a hay ball bullseye. I feel like I should use an ice bolt since I don't want to burn the hay bale or something.
"When you make a spell while holding a wand, make sure that the intent of your spell includes where you're drawing mana from. Or you'll automatically draw from the wand." August says calmly.
I nod. I'll use the mana from the wand. It feels like I'm breathing in from a phantom lung as I draw in from the wand. I exhale the mana, and the shard of ice forms a few millimeters in front of the wand's tip. I focus, and the ice shard flies off at high speeds. Faster than I've been able to do before by at least 20 miles per hour or something.
The ice shard punches through the upper right of the bullseye. It leaves a fist sized hole behind. However, something terrible happens. The ice shard doesn't stop. It flies through the stone wall, and smashes into shards against the wall behind it. We hear someone yell in shock. Then we see a maid look through the hole I made with shock.
"Mr.Deatrix, were you fucking around again?" the maid asks annoyedly.
August laughs while Deatrix shakes his head no rapidly while speaking.
"Nononono, it wasn't me this time. Swearsies." he says sincerely.
"Forgive our friend for the scare, Lois. He's new to this wand I just gave him." August says warmly.
The maid sighs angrily, and looks at me with disdain.
"It's fine, I guess. No harm, no foul." she says, annoyed.
The maid walks away from the hole. I sigh with relief when she does. Deatrix comes up to me, and shakes me by the shoulders a bit with a grin. I smile sheepishly as he does.
"Now you've got some power. Let's see that bastard beat you now." he says happily.
"We can't say anything like that. It was probably a strong wizard who did this to him. What was the man's name anyway?" August says calmly.
Ugh, I hate that they keep bringing it up.
"It's Cato Tyshira." I admit annoyedly.
August's eyes widen with shock, and so do Deatrix's.
"He let you live after a fight? Why? Did he say?" August asks seriously.
"Ummm, cause I'm an Apostle for Libra. Why is it such a big deal that he did that?" I ask, worried.
"That guy is sadistic. He uses magic that bends and breaks his enemies' bodies. And if he doesn't do that, it's because he wants to make a slave out of you." August explains seriously.
My eyes widen with shock and I become stiff. It shouldn't surprise me Cato was like this, considering the guild he's a part of. But still, it is shocking.
I should be thankful I survived. And also-
"I need a way to strengthen my mind to resist being enslaved. And a way to counter his spells that forcibly controls my body." I say seriously.
Deatrix frowns and August smiles.
"It sounds like you might be receiving a bit more help from me after all. I am an expert in blocking attacks of the mind." she says warmly.
Deatrix crosses his arms.
"I'll warn ya now. It's boring, but an essential lesson. Especially if you plan on seeing Cato again." Deatrix says seriously.
I shrug.
"I'll have to deal with that." I say calmly.
"Regardless, you still have to train with Deatrix today. This has barely started after all." August says calmly.
"What?" I say nervously.
"Yeah bro. We've done the fun stuff. Now for the grind. We are working out!" Deatrix says happily.
I look at them both fearfully. I have flashbacks of high school P.E. Getting laughed at for making a 30 minute mile time. Choking on a 70 pound weight, and needing the teacher to come save me as everyone else was too busy laughing. That one time we did football, I was the quarterback, and I couldn't even throw the ball over the linesmen.
Deatrix looks at me with concern.
"You alright?" he asks.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I say hesitantly.
"Alright, let's begin with a mile run." Deatrix says eagerly.
I can't help but sigh.
"Don't be weak, let's get on with it." Deatrix says warmly.
He begins jogging into the loggia, and I follow him after a few moments.
Two hours later…
"Henry, you did good." Deatrix says warmly.
He gives me a thumbs up as I lay on my back, utterly exhausted and panting loudly.
"I'll be honest though. Your body is barely at the average man's level. And that's assuming they only do a bare minimum of exercise per week." Deatrix says bluntly.
I groan loudly. That's all I can manage right now.
It takes me half an hour and a health potion to be able to get up and walk home. I should get a horse. I'm getting sick of walking everywhere.