133, 1/2

“It is a fact of magic on Veird that everything follows the Elements.” Erick said, “This was how one is able to create a spell that generically counters ‘all Blood Magic’, or which destroys all of a specific Elemental magic, or, in extreme cases, destroys enough of the magic inside of a specific spell that you have countered the entirety of that spell.”

Jane watched her father speak, then she turned to the other Archmage in attendance.

Tenebrae scowled, then said, “There are so many holes in that theorem that I don’t know where to begin, so let’s start with the most obvious. [Force Boulder]. A spell composed of Force and Stone. Counter one half of the spell and you still have the stone hurtling toward your skull.”

Erick calmly said, “Generalized theories are never the whole story, but what you asked for—”

“Your daughter is already ruined enough with your crazy ideas. It’s a good thing I demanded this nonsense, otherwise you’d ruin her even more!”

The sun had risen an hour ago, but before that happened, Erick was awake and Palodia caught him in the courtyard. She asked him about what he liked to eat, and almost right after they started talking, Jane, Teressa, and Poi, who were awake as well, joined in the conversation. Palodia was happy to talk of food. She promised to serve some ‘pizza’ and ‘fries’ after they stopped moving and a Rocky went out for resupply, but breakfast would be ready in just another hour, after she got started on it. Did they have anything in particular they wanted, today? Jane wanted fried toast and sausage, and so, after explaining what she meant by ‘fried toast’, which was just french toast but that naming convention wouldn’t mean anything to anyone on Veird, Palodia went back to the kitchen, promising that Jane would get her request.

And now, they were at breakfast. Tenebrae joined them, of course, seeming to need to force himself to come out of his tower while complaining about ‘fried toast’ all the while. Tenebrae sat down at the table, of which everyone had a nice chair this time, while Palodia served them all in the same family-style dinner as yesterday.

Spicy sausages, fluffy eggs, crisp fried toast, and a hearty breakfast tea. It wasn’t the most lavish of meals. It was not a feast. But it was perfect, and that mattered more than anything else. Palodia was a Cook, with the Class Ability, Perfect Meal. It helped her to make everything just a little bit nicer, a little bit more rounded and healthy.

Breakfast looked to be great!

And then Tenebrae opened his mouth and spoke of how he wasn’t happy that Erick was stealing secrets out of the little words that he had let loose. The older archmage used harsher language than that, and there were threats regarding souls and minds and blood, but Erick let those threats wash over him, as he tried to play nice. He even suggested that they engaged in a [Strike]-for-[Strike], as Arbor Nosier had called it. A hint for a hint.

Tenebrae instantly latched on to that idea.

He declared that Erick was already down at least two [Strike]s, even if he hadn’t perfected his [Anti-Blood Charm], or made an [Appraisal] spell. And then he demanded Erick start divulging everything, from the beginning. What was the most basic bit of information Erick had on magic. How did he approach magic? That sort of thing.

Erick calmly reminded Tenebrae that he had only picked up tiny hints from Tenebrae, not full magical essays, but then he rushed forward, and started talking. Maybe, Tenebrae would be nicer after they talked for a while. That was the idea, anyway.

But then, Erick had barely gotten past answering Tenebrae’s first question, and Tenebrae was already complaining, and in a way Erick never expected! To declare that Erick was ruining Jane’s magical aptitude? What!

Erick was now personally offended.

“I have not ruined my daughter.” Erick huffed. “I have—!” He continued, more calmly, “My methods work.”

“They work because you have uncommonly deep delusions that they will work.” Tenebrae said, “You see the same sort of savant-like ability in the criminally insane who go around making the best [Force Trap]-derivative spells in a generation, where most people are barely capable of making [Stone Trap], or anything of that nature. You also see it in those who partake of mind altering substances in order to solidify a spell they’ve been workboarding for years. Anything to get them over that final hump. Anyone with enough intent can cause all sorts of strange phenomena.

“This is, in fact, one of the ways that mages usually end up killing themselves. They desire something so strong, like the casting of a spell which obliterates a target without care for the collateral damage, and thus the mana responds, accidentally killing them in the process. It is this ‘deep intent’ that will strip away the Script’s safeguards and cause blood and soul damage larger than normal.” He added, “It’s not your fault you have undertaken this flawed methodology. People are emotional creatures, and no mage becomes a mage without some sort of deep desire to change the world, and then believing that they are capable of achieving such a thing. But it is your fault if you continue on this path! I retract my previous question. I don’t want to listen to your delusions about magic. Where you claim to start your spells is not where one should start their spells.”

Erick sat in his chair, his fluffy eggs getting cold. He waited.

Tenebrae calmed. Then he said, “I appear to be even more [Strike]s to my favor. So. I will ask this: Tell me how [Cascade Imaging] works.”

Erick considered. Then he gave a non-answer, “Invisible light.”

Tenebrae considered this. He narrowed his eyes and gazed off into the distance. After a moment, he looked to Erick. “But it’s Particle Magic.”

“[Cascade Imaging] is indeed Particle Magic. I hope that satisfies, since it was about the level of the hint you gave me for [Analyze] and [Blood Dummy]. What’s your next question?”

Tenebrae almost frowned, but he did not. Instead, he resumed eating his breakfast. Erick resumed eating, too. It was slightly cold, but that was fine.

Tenebrae did not ask his question.

After breakfast, Tenebrae retreated into his tower.

And then Jane asked for help with her magic. She wanted her father to continue whatever it was he was saying, earlier. Erick had never actually spoken that way about his spellwork before.

Erick happily obliged, almost beside himself with quiet joy that his daughter wanted to learn from him again. He set up a chalkboard in the courtyard, since there was no space in the rooms for this sort of thing and the courtyard was mostly empty, except for the occasional pair of Rockys walking through from one part of the place to another.

He barely got through an introduction to the elements, as Syllea had once informed him, before the door to Tenebrae’s tower crashed open and the old archmage strode into the courtyard. Erick and Jane watched the man rush into their little talk, whereupon he conjured a chair for himself and sat down.

Erick paused in his explanation as he looked at him—

Tenebrae gestured forward, saying, “Get on with it! Let’s hear how wrong you have it all!”

Erick had not been counting on Tenebrae showing up, but he had a plan for that potential event. He said, “This will discharge all of my debt toward you, and then go even further, putting you in debt to me.”

“Nope. Because I’m going to correct you when you’re wrong.”

“Then at least the first half.”

“Again. No. Because I’m going to correct you when you’re wrong. You will owe me even more.” He said to Jane, “You shouldn’t even take part in this correction. You’re completely inexperienced and I have no doubt that your father’s words have damaged your ability to create magic of your own.” He said to Erick, “She hasn’t even made a good [Fireball] spell and you’re talking about countering elemental spells! This is bad teaching. There is the problem of Spatial Magic learning but even worse! There is a reason that we don’t allow the teaching of Spatial Magic in normal classes; all they end up creating is [Partial Teleport], and then they eventually, somehow, cast a basic [Teleport] wrong and kill themselves!”

Erick frowned. “… You can cast [Teleport] wrong? When you’re using the spell you buy from the Script?”

“Yes! My gods you didn’t know that either—” Tenebrae said, “[Teleport] puts you where you could have been. Some people can’t even cast that spell in the direction of the ocean because they’ve never swum that far out to sea and they could never see themselves doing that. Some people couldn’t use the spell to even go three towns over! Why do you think the Wayfarer’s Guild exists! In another example, for almost anyone, [Teleport] won’t let you [Teleport] over the Firemaw unless you demand such from the spell, which from your tone, I see that you demand weird things from [Teleport] all the time, don’t you!”

“I haven’t used [Teleport] in almost a month.” Erick added, “And I never felt or heard of what you’re talking about in all my [Teleport]s before then, so I can only assume you are lying to me or being purposefully obfuscating. That spell has never steered me wrong or put me anywhere I did not expect to be put.”

Jane added, “Me either. Never heard that or felt that.”

Tenebrae almost burst out at Erick, but then he turned and regarded Jane. His tone turned questioning, “Never? You never felt a ‘sticking’ odd sensation when you try to [Teleport] somewhere you’ve never been?”

Jane said, “Maybe at the beginning? I don’t actually recall. If I did, it must have been forgettable.”

Tenebrae focused on Jane. “Tell me: how often have you tried to [Teleport] into places you have never been?”

“A few times?” Jane said, “Mostly just in directions, like: ‘1000 kilometers in that direction, toward Spur’ or in other directions, toward a destination.”

Erick said, “Me too. Same thing.”

Tenebrae frowned. “Almost everyone experiences this ‘stuttering’ of [Teleport]. It is a common, well known phenomena. What was the first spell you experienced?”

Jane laughed, then said, “Uh! Melemizargo [Teleport]ing us to the surface? Yeah. A few kilometers above, actually.”

Erick regarded Tenebrae, unsure. “Are you talking about the problems of [Teleport 1]?”

Erick had had problems with wardlights back when his [Ward] was not max level.

Tenebrae kept frowning. “I am talking about the base spell, fully leveled; [Teleport X].” He asked, “Aside from [Teleport]ing for distance, do you ever try to [Teleport] where you have never been?”

“Never,” Erick said.

“Never,” Jane echoed, with a bit more force than her father.

Erick looked to his daughter. “Really? Never?”

Tenebrae leaned back, and watched Erick and Jane through narrowed eyes.

“I was caught up on the idea of ‘Teleporting Paladin’ when I came here, but that idea was based around many campaigns where my GM back in high school ruled hard for [Teleport].” Jane said, “I respect that spell. [Teleport] on Veird is positively beautiful compared to the [Teleport] I had been expecting. [Polymorph] is awesome, too!”

“But you’re so cavalier about [Polymorph]?” Erick asked.

“[Polymorph] is not scary either, Dad. I don’t understand your problem with that spell, either.”

Before Erick could speak of missing hearts or lungs, or skulls that crushed the brain in an experimental [Polymorph], or the fact that you didn’t have a brain as a slime (how the fuck does that work?!) or any of that, even if he knew there was no actual problem because Magic—

Tenebrae asked him, “You have a problem with [Polymorph]?”

“It’s just a bit terrifying, isn’t it?”

“No, it is not,” Tenebrae said.

And Erick had enough intelligence to shut up about his unfounded fears of [Polymorph]. Fear is the mind-killer, after all, and Jane did not need to take on Erick’s fears.

Tenebrae looked back to Jane, saying, “You do have experience with a lot of magic, don’t you, Jane. Even if it was imaginary. Maybe that is the answer, here. You believe that magic is solid, but in a way that is contrary to how it is. This produces a problem when you’re trying to make magics and all you can think of is how you would have thought of it back on Earth.” He looked to Erick. “You’re open to whatever.”

Erick connected a few dots there, too.

With accusation in his voice, Erick said, “I thought Jane’s report to the Headmaster was confidential.”

Jane suddenly sat straight. “What? That was confidential!”

“And I’m an archmage in league with other archmages, including the Headmaster. What of it?” Tenebrae barreled forward, “I think the real answer here as to why you’re so bad and Erick is… decent… is because you’re pulling at deeper magic, trying to emulate what you have seen your father do, while your father came to the magic quite naturally. Still doesn’t explain why you never experienced the common problems of [Teleport]— Oh! Wait! You’re planar. Ah.” He sighed, and smiled. “That’s it. That grand transition to Veird was likely the first magic you experienced. I got it, now. It’s a common thing in some parts of the world for parents to inundate their children with specific magics, in hopes that they can rise to greatness on those magics. It works, sometimes. I never put much stock in any of that, for all the good outcomes were anecdotal and all the bad outcomes were well documented. In your first moments of magic, you were inundated with Spatial Magic.”

Jane said, “I’ve never heard about any of that, though…”

Erick lost some of his anger, as he considered what had come before.

Tenebrae shrugged. “Blame your own lack of education. Or glance at the people you lived around for the last year.” He gestured to the house behind them, where Teressa was lounging inside, reading a book, then to the side, where Poi sat in a chair, reading his own book.

Poi raised his head to look at the old archmage.

Tenebrae continued, “A nomad adventurer who likely broke herself of the mental block that hampers [Teleport] long ago, and a Mind Mage, who likely had that thought drowned out of him when he came to Spur, where everyone in that city got there either through their own Spatial Magics, or through the Wayfarer’s Guild. It’s no wonder you never heard of this. If you had been born and raised on a nothing-farm in some nothing-part-of-the-world where you never moved outside of a ten square kilometer box your entire life, you would have had a lot of trouble with [Teleport]. But surely you had trouble with some spells. So what were they?”

Erick went with the flow, saying, “I had a lot of trouble with wardlights until I came to magic with an open, unafraid mind.” He gestured to the right, and cast a complicated structure of—

Tenebrae lifted his hand. “[Dispel]!”

The light sculpture that Erick had been trying to make, collapsed. White light broke into motes that drifted into the ambient manasphere like so much disappearing dust. Erick was almost too stunned to be mad, and then he was mad.

Tenebrae glowered. “It’s rude to cast magic in Polite Society without announcing it first.”

Erick clipped off his angry response, and said, “You’re right. It is.”

“And yes! You cannot be afraid of magic if you wish to be a mage!” Tenebrae laughed right at him. “It’s a wonder you got anywhere at all! Your methods are not applicable to everyone. Your magic is not foolproof. You are not the archmage you pretend to be! So! Continue with your basic lesson, Erick, and I will point out more problems and their roots.” Tenebrae smiled. “This is fun.”

“…” Erick gestured to his chalkboard. “So as I was saying, all magic is based on the Elements—”

“Wrong!” Tenebrae said, “Shaping is just as important as Elemental usage. For instance, Spatial Magic is not Elemental, at all! Many magics are not Elemental. [Teleport], [Mend], [Telekinesis], and more! If all you deal with is Elemental magic, then you are only learning half of the story—”

Erick interrupted, “Force is an Element. Spatial Magic is therefore based in Force.”

With a greater smile, Tenebrae said, “Force is the absence of Elemental power! Your conventions are not normal conventions, Erick! And I bet you can’t even shape— No. Wait…” He looked at Erick, and saw something there that made Erick worried. Tenebrae said, “Ha! Your problems are even more basic than that. You just never considered the shape, did you?” Tenebrae instantly recanted, “No. That’s wrong. You must have considered the shapes of your magic otherwise you would never have gotten anywhere. When you make a magic, how do you shape the magic?”

Erick found himself figuratively stripped bare.

First of all, Force was an Element, for sure. Erick had no idea what Tenebrae was smoking, but Force was definitely an Element. It was even in that book of Elements that Syllea recommended. And, also, Erick was adept at making magic. He had made Force Element spells before. Force was an Element!

But.

Shaping was important. Possibly even more important than the Elements that would occupy the shape of the desired magic.

Shape was so important, that Erick had never really considered the shapes of his magic, at all.

Of course you would need a canvas before you began painting. Of course you needed a turkey for Thanksgiving, or a car before you considered going on a road trip, or a house before you considered hosting a house party. These were just givens that Erick had never truly considered more than ‘oh yeah, this is what is necessary’. Therefore, the shapes of Erick’s magic was exactly what it needed to be.

But had Erick ever truly considered the shape before? Yes, and also no.

Erick answered, “I shape the magic in the most cost-effective way I can think of for any particular spell.”

“Boil a stew to burned residue!” Tenebrae laughed. He demanded, almost joyfully, “How do you actually shape your spells? Let us discuss [Ice Spike]. And no! Not you.” He looked to Jane. “You. You’ve heard from your father. You’ve had lessons before this, for sure. So! [Ice Spike]! Tell me where you would begin.”

Jane looked to Erick, and Erick gave a ‘whatever’ face.

Jane paused in thought, then said, “[Force Bolt] with Mana Altering for Ice, then infusing the idea with… Motionless thoughts of motion, touching and impacting the target.”

Tenebrae nodded, then said, “Basic start, muddling middle, basic ending. A failure of a spell. Perfectly normal. Not good enough for an aspiring mage.” He looked to Erick. “Now you.”

Jane sputtered.

Erick almost warned Tenebrae off from talking to his daughter like that, but that would lead to a deterioration of everything; ruin lay in that direction. He did glance at Jane, though. She glanced back at him, and calmed, putting her own professional facade back on. She handled herself just fine.

Erick turned to Tenebrae, and said, “Mana Altering for Ice and [Force Bolt], channeling the mana for both through my hands to hear them—”

“What is this nonse—!”

“You asked. Let me finish. Tear apart the whole thing, after I am done explaining. Please.”

Tenebrae scowled. “… Continue.”

“First, I decipher Elemental Ice, which is a variant element of Water, which is technically the sound for Water but slightly larger, since frozen water is larger than ice. There’re also connotations of deepness and spreading and the leeching of all heat in there, and some Particle ideas, but I need not go too far for those when it comes to [Ice Bolt], which is the kind of spell I would prefer to make; not [Ice Spike]. I like actually hitting my target, and—”

Tenebrae interrupted, “Not what I asked for, but sound reasoning and not everyone can aim properly, though you give up most chances to critical when you do this. That you have this failing is not the largest of your failings. I will allow it.”

“… And then I take the sounds of [Force Bolt] and join them with the sound of Ice, and create a cohesive whole, which I then shape into something that is sure to touch the target, and to bypass all defenses. In this way, I make an Ethereal, Inexorable [Ice Bolt], which is probably upgraded to [Glacial Bolt], or something. I haven’t actually tried that particular one yet.”

Tenebrae smiled, showing off white teeth. “You haven’t made this one? Lying now, are we?”

“Ah… Wait.” Erick just remembered, “I have made this one. But it was long ago, and…” He looked up his Status. “Ah. It’s called [Ice Spike]. I made it back when I was first starting. I would make a different one if I was doing this today. I must have barely tripped the line toward the naming conventions… Or something. I made [Glacial Crash] using this spell and then Mana Altering for fire, and that one does not have ‘unerring’. I could probably remake that one, too.”

“Let me see. Both spells.”

Erick… decided to show him.

 

Erick watched as Tenebrae read. The man obviously wanted to tear Erick a new one, but his joyful sneer vanished, replaced by a small frown. And then Tenebrae’s smile returned.

Tenebrae said, “Over four times the original cost for what is surely a fraction of the damage of a four-times [Force Bolt], depending on your Willpower. And no ability to Slow the target; which is the purpose of Ice Altering. A failure of the spell. The second is even worse! The only impressive thing at all is that you have managed to combine the diametrically opposed Elements of Ice and Fire into this [Glacial Crash] while managing to retain the ‘pure’ designation. If I were you, I would rip these up and try again. They are a disgrace for any archmage, even if the archmage in question is you.”

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“You’re right.” Erick deleted the spells immediately, saying, “I have erased them. I will be remaking [Ice Bolt] at my earliest convenience.”

Tenebrae narrowed his eyes. They flickered grey. He nodded. “And barely a shift…” He sat up. “At least you were aware enough of your own shortcomings so that you didn’t need to uproot a whole tree of spell failures.”

“Yup.” Erick said, “I only ever made the two, and that was way at the beginning. I have only been at this for a year. Please forgive me for my failures.”

“Not forgiven. Not yet. Maybe not ever.” Tenebrae said, “Especially when you talk of ‘musically combining spells’! Even the Songstresses of the Songli Highlands use some maths in their magic.”

Erick felt his heart sink. “Oh, gods. Math.”

Tenebrae laughed. “Yes! Maths! I have decided where we shall begin with your reeducation!”

… He was getting a reeducation?

Tenebrae declared, “We will work on proper spell matrices! Gridwork! This would enable a clarity of shaping and elemental designations much more than your ridiculous ‘hearing the magic’ ever could. Not everyone hears properly, and emotional magic is insanity waiting to happen. Your methods are deeply flawed, even if they have —somehow!— worked for you.” He stood and flicked his hand at Erick. “Get away from that chalkboard. I will speak of the true basic start to any spell creation! I will speak of gridwork, and you will learn.”

Erick… thought he might have heard of gridwork before, but he wasn’t quite sure. It might have been in some of those math classes at Oceanside. But! Whatever! This might as well be happening. Erick walked to the chair beside Jane and sat down.

Jane raised her hand, hoping to ask a question.

Tenebrae glowered, then warned, “If you dare to say some variation of ‘Doesn’t the Script do it all for me’, then I will end this talk now and you’re not getting dinner for a week.”

Jane kept her hand raised. She did not flinch under Tenebrae’s glower. She did, however, put on an even nicer, more congenial smile.

“… Ask your question.”

Jane asked, “Isn’t all math just a representation of the real world? Or do maths have some actual, intrinsic function upon magic? Does 2 plus 2 have a basis in this reality?”

Tenebrae paused, as though he had walked into an [Invisible Force Wall]. He asked, “What? Where would you ever get that idea? Mana is possibility, and maths have a direct effect upon the world through the act of sympathy, which is the oldest and best known way in which magic functions, as its most core. Mana is possibility. Magic is the shaping and condensation of possibility. Maths are how you turn Possibility into Reality. Maths are magic, and they’re also not. Maths are sympathy at its most core. Maths are representative, and also so much more than that. I could repeat it a few different ways, but you get the idea. I hope.” Tenebrae added, “But while 2 plus 2 does not have a basis in our reality, it does have a basis in our subjective, personal Reality, therefore it does have a use when considering the symbology we erect in order to enact sympathy with the mana in order to create magic. Do you understand? I cannot make it more basic than that.”

Jane nodded. “Sympathy. Right. Makes sense.”

“… Do you know of sympathy?” Tenebrae asked, almost dumbfounded.

Jane said, “Like-works-as-like.”

Tenebrae found his footing again, saying, “Okay. Yes. For a second there I thought I would need to talk to you as if you were a complete idio—” He rounded on Erick. “Did you know of sympathy, before now?”

“Yes.” Erick said, “I knew. Which is why I never bothered to learn the math. I got plenty of sympathy already. Just, not with the maths.”