Budding Magic [B - Reserved]

Assignment:

---

Ari was nervous as she entered the school, part of her scared to come back to the place she had first encountered Lilly. But if she wanted to move past what had happened, she knew she needed to face this place. She had agreed to take a few children under her charge to teach them the basics of magic after they had displayed an innate gift for magic through the appearance of a borg. She was always happy to share her knowledge of magic and with Magnostadt so far away, she did not want the children to flounder with their newfound abilities.

When she walked into the classroom, she was grateful for the fresh coat of paint that had erased any evidence of the psychotic art Lilly had left behind. She could still hear her playful, taunting tones, but she shoved them to the back of her mind as she greeted the children. There were five students seated at the tables, three girls and two boys, varying in ages from six to ten. They were all smiling brightly and greeted her with friendly voices.

“Hello, kids. I am Ari and I am here to teach you a little bit about magic!”

The children cheered and she gave them each a chance to introduce themselves and tell her a bit about them. All were from the less well-off areas of Remano and they all seemed very excited at the prospect of learning something that could bring them success and popularity in life. Ari chuckled, first introducing herself and explaining she was from Magnostadt and came from a family of magicians.

For her first lesson, she started off simple, explaining to them about the ‘little birds’ they saw and what rukh was. It involved a bit of side topic discussion, trying to help the younger children understand about the cycle of creation, but once they all had a basic grasp on rukh being the cornerstone of life, she moved on. As her next explanations would be a bit more in depth, and were easier to understand when it was written out, she picked up a piece of chalk and turned to the board. There she sketched out a large circle, dividing the large circle up with eight smaller circles.

“This is basically the wheel of magic. Each of the smaller circles represent a magic type and shows its interaction with the other magic types.”

In the top small circle, she wrote out the symbol for heat before turning back to the children.

“This is the first magic type – heat. Most people associate it with fire, but heat it so much more than just flames. Magicians that use heat magic are called Red Mages. My dad is actually one of these, he can do some really cool stuff!”

The kids looked interested, their attention glued to the board and Ari grinned. She had forgotten how interesting magic had been when she had first started studying it. As a child, there was not much as exciting as knowing you could do stuff other kids could not do. She moved her chalk to the right, writing the symbol for water.

“Now, who can tell me what this symbol is?” When they all shouted out water, she smiled and nodded. “That is right, it is water! Water magicians are known as Blue Mages. They can control the water in the air or from other water sources. Then they can do cool stuff like make a fountain or they can freeze it and make an ice cube!”

She moved to the next small circle, writing out the symbol for light. Just the symbol made her think of Azix and her chest warmed as she lightly touched the necklace at her throat.

“The third magic type is light! People who use this are called Orange Mages. They can make it really bright or they can absorb all light to make it really dark! It is also important to know that light is kind of light heat, it can cause burns, too.”

In the next small circle, she drew the symbol for Lightning.

“Now, this one is my personal favorite. The fourth magic type is Lightning and that is what I first started using! I am known as a Yellow Magician. I can make strikes of lightning come down, or I can give someone a little shock. Lightning can also make it so people’s muscles don’t work right, so they have a hard time moving.”

The children gave ‘oooh’s of fascination and she was glad their attention span was better than hers had been at that age. Moving on to the next circle, she drew the symbol for wind.

“Now, the fifth magic type is wind! White mages can make it super windy out and knock people over or use the wind to keep things like clouds from reaching them. Pretty nifty, huh? I bet they don’t have to deal with unexpected rain very often, they can just blow the clouds away and boom, no more rain on their heads!”

The children giggled, bouncing in their seats a bit as they waited for the next magic type. Ari turned to the board and wrote the symbol for sound.

“Sound magic is the sixth magic type. It is really cool. They can make sounds come from all around them or throw their voice! Green Magicians can also make a super high pitched sound that makes ears hurt or can make people dizzy.”

Scribbling out the next symbol, strength, she turned back to the kids again.

“The seventh magic type is strength. Strength magic is cool because it is super hard to see if you aren’t a magician. It uses pure force and also can deal with gravity and magnetism. Black Magicians can be pretty scary, but also really cool. And whenever you see a magician flying, they are actually using a type of strength magic that allows them to alter gravity, which lets them float!”

The kids thought that was the coolest thing so far, making whooshing noises as they moved their hands through the air in a flying motion. Ari laughed as she wrote out the last symbol, life, her mind briefly flitting to her mother.

“The final magic type if life magic. It is one of the most versatile magic types out there. It is one of the only ones that can heal you. My mother was a Purple Mage and helped to make people feel better. She could make scratches and broken bones go away! But life magic also deals with [i]anything[i] living, like plants or bugs! You can do all sorts of fun stuff, like this!”

Ari pulled out her wand and waved the kids over to the window. Outside the window was a large area used by the kids to play in. With a murmur, Ari cast Field of Flowers, a large patch of flowers growing and blooming to the sounds of amazement from the kids. Deciding it was time for a break to let the kids run around for a bit, she clapped to get their attention.

“Alright, let’s go outside and you guys can play for a bit. And we will have the rest of the class outside in the flowers!”

The children cheered before running out the door, making a bee line for the flowers, gently touching them as though afraid they would fall apart or disappear. She followed a bit slower, enjoying the unusually warm day that was clear of any clouds. At least they had good weather for being outside. She let them play for several minutes, running out the excess energy children always seemed to accumulate. Once they seemed to settle down, she gathered them all in the field of flowers, deciding to continue the lesson outdoors, wanting to avoid the classroom for a bit longer.

“Now, something important to remember about magic is that you must respect it. It can be really fun, but it can also be really dangerous! Or have unintended side effects. For example, my brother played a prank on me when we were kids, he gave me a cat tail. And still, to this day, I have it. Not even my parents could figure out how to undo the spell. But, there are other, very real dangers to using magic. Magic takes a part of you, drawing on your magoi. Think of it like our energy. When you run around, you burn off extra energy. But if you run and run and run, you get really tired, right? Magic is kind of the same. The more you use at once, the more tired you get. It can make you pass out or even kill you. So it is not all fun and games!”

The kids’ attention was raptly turned to her as she explained what could happen if you suffered magoi exhaustion. When she allowed them to ask questions, she was impressed by some of the things the children asked, showing they were being attentive and curious. She answered all questions as honestly as she could and then laughed when one of the kids asked to see her tail. Barely lifting the edge of her skirt, she allowed the kids to see the twitching black appendage and then answered questions about it, like if she could move it on her own or if she had feeling in it.

“Alright, kids… before I can teach you any more, we need to get you some wands. So it is field trip time!”

The kids cheered and jumped up and she led them down the street to a local magic shop. As the children followed her, she reminded them they were to be on their best behavior, or the shop owner might not let them come back. As the door was opened, they all immediately quieted down and filed orderly into the building, soft sounds of awe coming from their mouths as they looked around at the foreign atmosphere the shop owner had created in the shop. Ari smiled at the shop owner as she shuffled them through the aisle, pausing to talk to the kindly old woman.

“Hi there. As you see, I have several budding magicians and I would like to see about purchasing them all starter wands. Just something small and basic as I teach them the basics.”

The woman brightened and smiled at all the children, happy to assist with the needs of new magicians. Leading Ari to a selection of basic wands, she showed Ari several before Ari picked one and the woman brought down five boxes, one for each of the children. They all stared as she brought down the boxes and took them to the counter to arrange payment, which Ariella paid without thought. Once she was done, she handed each of the children one box and led them from the building, promising the kindly woman they would be returning soon. The children were giddy at receiving their first wand, chattering excitedly as they returned to the school. When they arrived, Ari herded them into the classroom, chuckling at their excitement.

“Alright, children. Now, you have to keep the wands at school, for now. Don’t boo me, it is to make sure you don’t accidentally hurt someone until you learn what you are doing. I promise, tomorrow, we will be learning all about basic spells! So, put your wands in the closet and then you can go home for the day. Make sure to eat a good breakfast tomorrow before coming in and be ready to learn!”

The children groaned at having to leave their wands here, the two boys having already pulled the wands from the boxes and making noises at each other in a mock magic battle. Ari made a sound of disproval at them and they pouted but put the wands back in the boxes and obediently put them in the closet. As they left the room, Ari smiled gently at the excited conversations as the children discussed everything they had learned.

The day had been tiring, but fun, and she was always happy to help teach people about magic, so it was rewarding to know they wanted to learn from her. Making her way from the room, she locked the door before heading into the city, intending to relax for the evening and think about the next day’s lessons.

[2063/1500]

Assignment Name: Budding Magic II
Assignment Rank: B
Assignment Location: Reim
Assignment Rewards: 200 XP/15,000 Huang
Profession Prerequisites: Budding Magic I
Assignment Overview: Now that the students are properly equipped, figure out which magic type each is aligned with and teach them each a basic spell.

---

Ariella grinned as the children poured into the classroom, all of them brimming with excitement at the opportunity to use their wands today. Ari tapped on her desk, clearing her throat to get the attention of the five students.

“Now, I know you are all very excited to use your wands, but first, we need to review! And don’t groan at me, it’s important that I know you all understand the basics before you pick up a wand and start waving them at each other. Okay, who can explain what rukh is to me?”

Ari waited for their groans to die down, calling on the youngest girl in the class when she timidly raised her hand. The girl stood, explaining in a nervous, squeaky voice about what rukh was and how it affected magoi. Ari gave her a friendly smile and nodded before looking to the other students.

“And what is magoi, my dear magicians-to-be?”

The oldest boy raised his hand and stood, explaining how magoi was life force that could be manipulated and used to perform spells. Ari nodded, continuing her question session until she was sure they all had a basic understanding of the magic types and how each worked. All five of the students appeared to have paid attention the day before and seemed to have a good grasp on the basics, so Ari gave them all an excited smile.

“Alright, I suppose, since you all paid attention so well yesterday, we can move on to the next part. Before I let you guys handle these wands though, I want you to remember something. Magic can be used for good and for bad, and you need to be VERY CAREFUL with what you are doing. It is not a toy, it is a tool and remember that you are essentially asking the souls of the deceased to help you do things. Respect the rukh and respect your wand! If I think you cannot be responsible with it, I will take your wand and put you back in the regular classes, okay?”

Her face was stern to show she was serious and the children mimicked her look, all of them becoming serious, even with their excitement, to show they understood how serious she was. She chuckled and shook her head before moving to grab the wands out of the closet and handing them out. She would then have them all line up single-file and lead them from the room, not wanting to risk property damage. Once they were outside in the open field by the school, she told them to take out their wands. She kept an eye on how each student approached even this simple task, most of them opening them slowly, with reverence, like uncovering a most-desired present. One of the boys simply tore into the box to carelessly grasp his wand, but a stern look from her had him handling the wooden object a bit more delicately. She had them gather around her in a circle before continuing her speech.

“Alright, now, as I touched on yesterday, all mages have a… calling, more or less. A magic type that is natural to them. For me, it was lightning. I eventually learned to handle other magic types, but Lightning was my calling. I have to figure out what each of you are aligned with. In Magnostadt, we had this nifty little crystal that would tell everyone what their natural magic type was, but I don’t have one of those. So, we have to do this in a bit more of an old-fashioned way. I am going to help each of you learn to ask the rukh to gather magoi and cast a spell and it will tell me what your magic type is. Now, I want you to line up, girl boy girl boy girl in order of age, alright? And I know it will be a little boring, but I want you all to watch as I go through this with each of you, okay?”

The older ones were grumpier about the idea of having to wait, but were not too vocal about it and they lined up as she requested. Ari started with the youngest, a little girl and sat down next to her.

“Now, Izzy, I want you to look around you really hard, okay? Do you see the little birdies?”

When the little girl nodded, Ari smiled.

“Those are the rukh, okay? Now, if you listen really hard, you can kind of hear them flutter. I want you to whisper back to them, alright? Ask them to gather and do something for you, can you do that?”

Izzy nodded and got a look of pure concentration on her face as she listened for the fluttering sounds of the rukh before whispering out to them in an absurdly loud whisper, asking them to help her cast a spell. Ari watched as the rukh responded in a seemingly confused manner, gathering at the tip of the wand and making a ball of light form before it fizzled out as they were unsure what to do with it. Ari grinned, ruffling Izzy’s hair.

“Good job! Looks like you will be a light magician! Now, let’s see if we can’t make it do something cool.”

She looked to all of the students with a smile.

“This is a really good example of what happens if you aren’t specific enough with your direction to the rukh. It gathers and tries to do as you ask, but if it doesn’t know, it just kinda gives up. So, now Izzy… Let’s have you try to ask it to form a ball of light that will hover in front of you, okay?”

Izzy smiles and nodded, concentrating on listening to the rukh before asking it form a ball of light for her. The rukh seemed to follow the direction, but the ball formed and then disappeared just as quickly.

“Okay, that is another thing. We want to keep it simple, too. Try using the commands for light, ball, hover.”

Izzy nodded, her eyes squinting in concentration as she whispered the commands, this time, the rukh gathering magoi to form a ball of light about the size of Izzy’s hand in front of her, the ball just hovering in front of the child. Ari clapped and smiled.

“Very good! Now, do you feel a little tired?”

Izzy nodded as the ball of light faded away.

“And that is the price you pay for casting spells. Each one takes energy, or magoi, to cast and this magoi comes from you. As you become more experienced, you will be able to cast more spells or hold on to a spell longer without getting tired. But in the beginning, it can be pretty exhausting. Okay, Izzy, I want you to try doing that a couple of more times while I help Freddie, alright?”

Izzy nodded and focused on her wand and the fluttering of the rukh as Ari turned to Freddie.

“Alright, Freddie. Let’s see what the rukh have to say about you! Focus on the rukh and then ask it to do a spell for you.”

Freddie nodded, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he stared at the end of his wand, listening for the flutter of the rukh. When he heard the rukh flutter, he whispered to it, asking it to cast a spell and the tip of his wand glowed slightly and a tiny flame popped out of the end before disappearing.

“Oh-ho, Freddie here is going to be a heat mage! That is fun, my dad is one of those. Now, remember what I told Izzy. Be specific but simple when you ask it to do something, okay? Try asking it to have a sustained flame on the end of your wand. Then you can use that to help light your mom’s cooking fire!”

Freddie nodded, his tongue sticking out again as he murmured ‘flame’ and ‘stick’ to the rukh, a small flame burning on the end of his wand as his face lit up in success.

“Very good, Freddie! Okay, I want you to move over to practice with Izzy, okay? And don’t touch anyone with that flame, alright?”

Freddie nodded and moved over to sit by Izzy and shook his wand as though it would magically light itself again. When he looked at Izzy, he noticed her whispering the commands each time and followed suit, realizing he couldn’t just wave the wand around and expect things to happen. While they practiced, Ari moved on to the next student, Sally. Sally had an affinity for life magic and Ari had her practice growing flowers with the other two. Next came Johnny, who yelped when he asked the rukh to cast a spell, claiming his wand shocked him. Ari smothered a chuckle behind her hand before shaking her head and explaining that the wood of the wand allowed electricity to travel down the conduit to shock him. She then explained to him how she had learned to keep the charge focused at the tip of the wand to keep from shocking herself.

She sent him to practice, fighting back a chuckle every time she heard him exclaim from a shock he had not directed well. She remembered the days of constantly giving herself small shocks and felt for the boy. She turned to Natalie, her last student and helped her to gather her focus and cast a spell, Natalie showing an affinity for water magic.

“That is nifty, I have a friend that is a water mage and he can do some really cool stuff, like make a water dragon that follows his commands!”

Natalie’s eyes lit up and she went over to practice making small water balls. Ari simply sat back and watched as the children practiced, stepping in when one appeared to be getting too tired and making them rest to recover magoi levels. Once all of them seemed to have a decent grasp on their basic spells, she laughed as Natalie began using her water orb to splash the other students. Ari finally stood, trying not to laugh as she shook her head.

“Okay, okay, enough fun. Remember what I said, you need to be careful with your magic. A prank every once in a while is understandable, but remember, they can have permanent side effects, like my cat tail. But I think we are done for today, you guys need to get some rest. It’s the weekend, so I want you guys to practice talking to the rukh over the weekend. You will have to leave your wands here, but building a deep connection with the rukh is very important. So spend a little bit of time each day trying to communicate with it, alright?”

The kids nodded, disappointed that they still could not take their wands home but eager to prove they were responsible enough to do so. Each of the wands was placed back in their individual boxes and then put up in the closet which Ari locked before dismissing the students for the day. It had been another good day and she was really enjoying the chance to teach the children.

[1500+/1500]

Assignment Name: Budding Magic III
Assignment Rank: B
Assignment Location: Reim
Assignment Rewards: 200 XP/15,000 Huang
Profession Prerequisites: Budding Magic II
Chain Reward: 100 XP/7,000 Huang
Assignment Overview: The students have begun to grasp the basics of their craft, it is time to take them into the field to try out their new spells and to show them their craft can be used in a variety of ways, not just offensively. Expand their views on magic and give them a second spell to learn.

---

At the start of the new week, Ari was ready and waiting in the classroom when the children arrived, each of them chattering in excited tones about what they had done over the weekend. Ari let them get comfortable at their desks and waited until they had quieted before speaking.

“Okay, class. Review time. What is rukh?”

Natalie answered the question after raising her hand and Ari nodded in approval.

“And magoi?”

Johnny answered this one, explaining what magoi was before taking a seat.

“Very good. Red mages use what magic type?”

The class shouted out the answer in unison and Ari chuckled with a nod.

“Okay, I think that has been covered. Now, did you all do you homework of communing with the rukh?”

The resounding answer of ‘Yes, Miss Ari’ echoed through the room and she grinned.

“Very good. I am proud of you. Now, before we go out to practice some more, I want you all to take a few minutes to meditate, focus your energy and clear your mind as you commune with the rukh. This will help you build your bond with the rukh and also make sure you are able to give clear, concise commands when you cast spells.”

Each of the students closed their eyes and quieted down, listening to the flutter and twitter of the rukh as it flowed around them. Ari smiled at the way the rukh danced around each of the students, her own time spent communing with the rukh allowing her to see it sharply as it twirled about. She was glad she had agreed to teach the students, but she had to admit, she worried what would happen as they grew further into their gifts. She was not truly qualified to teach them beyond a certain point. Perhaps she could arrange something with the Academy to send a more formal teacher out or have something like a student exchange in an effort to expose the students to different cultures. She pondered on the idea as the children meditated, finally shaking herself from her thoughts as she went to hand out the wands.

Each of the students received their wand and Ari led them outside to let them practice the spells they had learned last time, offering guidance when necessary to help them cast more efficiently. Once it appeared they each had a good grasp on their first spells, she gathered them around.

“Okay, time for you guys to have a break for a few minutes as I explain this next part. I am sure each of you have noticed how the others are using their magic type. It is very important to remember that there are several sides to magic, though, and each type can be used in a variety of ways. Heat, for example. You can make a flame used to light fire or burn someone. But, you can also use a gentler heat to cauterize a wound, to keep from bleeding too much. So it can help or hurt. For lightning, you can cause pain by shocking someone, or you can use it to numb a limb. This is helpful if someone needs stitched up, or if you just want to slow someone down that is chasing you! For water magic, you can help fill up a well, or you could freeze over a pond to go skating on. You could also trap someone in a bubble of water. Life magic is probably the most versatile of the magic types. You can grow flowers, or you can make a vine wrap around someone, but you can also use it to encourage wound to heal. It is one of the only magic types that can actively encourage healing or even bring someone back from the brink of death. So today, we are going to try to learn a spell that is different from the one we already learned.”

She turned to Izzy with a smile, dragging the little girl onto her lap and bouncing her a couple of times.

“Okay, Izzy. You learned how to make a ball of light, so you never have to be in the dark. This time, I want you to try and make a beam of light that can help defend you, okay? Let’s try something simple like ‘light’ and ‘beam’ for this one.”

Izzy nodded, scooting to get more comfortable on Ari’s lap before closing her eyes and focusing on the rukh, muttering the commands to the rukh as it hurried to fulfill her request. A small beam of light shot out from the tip of the girl’s wand, striking at Freddie who gave a shout before realizing the spell had bounced off his borg.

“Aha, and now we can also cover this. One of the most basic defenses a mage has is their borg. It is made of condensed magoi that forms in a bubble around you. As you get stronger, so does this bubble or barrier, it helps to keep you safe! Now, this barrier can be broken and it takes time to reform it. But if someone comes at you with ill-intent, they want to hurt you, your borg will protect you long enough to fight back or run away. Never become completely reliant on your borg, as it is just the first line of defense. If something gets through that, you can get hurt really badly, so be very careful, okay?”

Izzy’s eyes were wide and she kept apologizing to Freddie, but Ari calmed her down.

“It’s okay, Izzy, you didn’t hurt him and it was a good chance to explain the borg. Now, I want you to go practice your beam spell, okay. And make sure you point it away from everyone.”

She gave Izzy a teasing smile before calling Freddie over.

“Okay, so last time, you learned how to make a small flame. This time, let’s try something a little bit different. I want you to focus on that patch of ground and I want you to work on scorching it, okay? This would be useful for forcing someone to back away because their feet get too hot.”

Freddie frowned in concentration, staring at the ground as though trying to picture what he wanted to do before whispering to the rukh ‘heat’, ‘ground’ and ‘scorch’. Ari was proud of him coming up with the commands on his own, clapping as a small circle of scorched grass appeared in front of them.

“Very good, Freddy. Go find a small patch of ground to practice in and make sure you aren’t in front of Izzy, okay?”

Freddy nodded and Sally moved over, smiling at Ari as she handed her a flower.

“Awww, thank you, Sally. For your second spell, I want you to try and mend the grass where Freddy burned it. A healing spell will work the same basic way, but since we don’t have anyone that is injured right now, you can practice on the grass, okay? Just remember that grass is alive and that you want to repair it.”

Sally nodded, tilting her head to the side as she listened for the flutter of the rukh, whispering out simple commands as she pointed her wand at the burned patch of grass. Ari caught the words ‘mend’ and ‘ground’, watching as the blackened patch slowly began to green up, the grass returning to a healthy state. Ari clapped and directed her over to Freddy, the two working together as Freddy burned things and Sally repaired them. Johnny stepped over and showed that he could finally cast a small shock without hurting himself and Ari congratulated him.

“Okay, this time, I want you to try and focus the shock down into an actual bolt, like this.”

Ari demonstrated by making a tiny bolt of lightning strike the ground in front of them and Johnny clapped in wonder before his face fell into a mask of concentration. When he was ready, he muttered ‘bolt’ and ‘strike’ to the rukh, a bolt of lightning forming and striking from the tip of his wand to hit the ground. Ari smiled and hummed in appreciation, nudging him to an open area to practice some more before turning to look at Natalie. The girl bounced over, holding her wand over Ari’s head and making several droplets fall onto her head. Ari chuckled and shook the droplets away before speaking.

“Okay, for water, you seem to have a good grasp on the liquid part of it, let’s try something a bit different. I want you to try and freeze a small patch of ice. Think you can do that?”

Natalie nodded before holding her wand out and whispering loudly to the rukh ‘freeze’ and ‘ground’. Her eyes widened as a patch of ice began to form and spread rapidly, much further than she intended. It did not take long for the spell to spread so the other students were sitting on the ice and Natalie dropped her wand in surprise. The ice immediately halted its growth and Ari laughed softly.

“It’s okay, it’s just ice. Maybe next time, include the word ‘small’ in your directions. But you showed a very important lesson. Without your wand acting as a conduit, you cannot control the rukh. A mages biggest asset is their conduit. If you lose it, or it breaks, you cannot direct the rukh any longer. So always do your best to hold on to it, okay?”

Natalie nodded, picking the wand back up. The other children were giggling and sliding across the patch of ice Natalie had created and Ari shook her head with a chuckle but had Natalie practice several more times. Each time, the spread of ice was more controlled. Ari allowed the children to practice more, Freddie laughing and melting the ice as Izzy used her beam of light to write her name in the slick surface. Sally went around to the exposed grass, mending it from the scorches and ice while Johnny practiced his lightning bolts. He also discovered that water made the electricity from the bolts travel further and it did not take long for mayhem to ensue. Ari whistled sharply, making all of the students stop their antics.

“Okay, that is enough fun. I want you all to head back inside and put your wands up, you need to rest. Poor Izzy is almost asleep over there.”

She laughed as she watched Izzy’s head dip again as she tried to stay awake, moving over to pick the girl up before herding the other children inside. It had been a productive day and she hoped the children learned from the experience. The next few weeks would certainly be interesting.

[1500+/1500]
[exit]