"I don"t teach people new spells-" Lucy began, startling Eric. With a cry he whirled around, losing his balance. Windmilling his arms furiously, he nevertheless tilted precariously upon the edge of the platform. Feeling himself about to fall, Eric looked at Lucy, eyes open wide pleading for her to a.s.sist him.
Folding her arms across her chest, Lucy stared impa.s.sively at the half-elf, not amused by his antics. Unable to keep his balance any longer, Eric fell, hurtling towards the stone floor below. Just as he was about to turn into a b.l.o.o.d.y splatter on the ground, a gentle wind wrapped around him, violet feathers rising from his body as his falling speed slowed to a crawl. With a soft b.u.mp, he landed on the floor, the violet feathers disappearing as Lucy looked down at him from above, an expression of amus.e.m.e.nt visible upon her face.
"If you"re done playing the fool, you can make your way back up. This counts as part of the time for your lesson in case you were wondering," said Lucy, her head disappearing as she retreated from the edge of the platform.
Hearing that he was being billed for this, Eric scrambled to his feet, dashing for the ladder. Climbing up the ladder at lightning speed, Eric found himself face to face with the mage, her arms folded as she observed him. Before he could open his mouth, she cut him off, "I"m not sure how you managed to learn Wind Dart already, but it"s clear that you"ve never been properly trained in magic. Your technique is crude, your knowledge of magical systems is clearly zero, and you"ve taken absolutely no safety precautions. Did they teach you otherworlders nothing when they summoned you?"
Eric"s mouth hung open as he listened to Lucy"s verbal evisceration of his abilities as a mage. While it was true that he had only received about an hour"s worth of teaching, wasn"t that a bit harsh of an evaluation for a beginner?
"Arthal taught us how to cast Arcane Strike. That was about all they had time to do," Eric mumbled. Lucy snorted at this, "I thought so. The way you infuse mana is crude. Effective, but far too crude for a real mage. If you continue in this manner you"ll never amount to anything more than a journeyman mage."
Pausing, Lucy made sure that the half-elf was listening before she continued, "If you want me to teach you, you"ll have to work hard. I refuse to teach students who won"t help themselves. I also don"t teach students spells that are beyond their capabilities, for you at this time, that would be any spell beyond the most basic of cantrips. Are you still willing to become my student knowing this?"
Eric frowned, Alistair had told him that he needed to get stronger if he wanted to help with the goblins. Presumably that meant that the follow up quest required him to increase his level and overall strength in order to partic.i.p.ate. But if Lucy was to be believed, his magic wouldn"t increase in power at all, or at least not in a tangible way like it would if he was to learn new runes or train his archery.
"Will I become more powerful if I learn from you?" Eric asked bluntly, looking Lucy in the eyes. His green ones meeting her steely gray ones.
"One shouldn"t approach magic with the goal to become more powerful. Unlocking the mysteries of the arcane and discovering the secrets that rule the world and can alter the very essence of life itself is a task both n.o.ble and rewarding. The study of magic is its own reward," Lucy snapped. Seeing the half-elf hesitating, she continued in a softer voice, "However, I can understand the desire for power. If you truly do thirst for power, that can be a powerful motivator, especially when it seems that everything is simply too complex to be understood. So to answer your question, yes, you will become more powerful if you study under me. However, this power will not be readily apparent. And you must have patience, I can teach you how to conjure powers you wouldn"t dare dream of, to wrest control of the very fabrics of time and s.p.a.ce themselves, and even how to challenge death itself on equal terms, provided of course that you"re not as simple as the idiots I normally teach."
Hearing this Eric made his decision. While immediate power was needed for the quest, this seemed like a route that would allow him to grow exponentially stronger. Even if the gains were small at first, the sheer power of the spell Lucy had cast almost haphazardly earlier had been enormous. Small sacrifices now were worth it for long term gains, he thought, clenching his fist as he bowed towards Lucy.
"Please take me as your student. I promise I will not disappoint you."
Lucy smiled at this, "I hope you won"t, boy."
As Eric raised his head, Lucy"s face hardened once more, the smile vanishing as if it had never appeared, "It takes most mages weeks if not months of training before they are allowed to cast spells beyond the basic level. Before I can teach you anything, you need to learn the basics."
"The basics?" Eric asked, tilting his head slightly to the side, "I know the basics. That"s all that Arthal had the time to teach us."
"Those aren"t the basics," Lucy snapped, "You really think the basics of magic are something that could be taught in an hour? Did you learn to walk in an hour? How to speak? Or read? I"d ask you if you"d learned to think but clearly that is still far beyond your capabilities."
Eric winced, he"d hoped that him becoming her student would lessen the venomous nature of Lucy"s tongue, instead it seemed to have made it more potent.
"Fine, if you think you know the basics, then answer some of my questions. What would happen if you combined a pair of elemental runes?
Two elemental runes? Eric glanced at the walls, as if hoping for the answer to be written upon the runes that glowed from their surface. But to no avail.
"I"m not sure..."
"I"m not sure, Professor," Lucy corrected him, "Let"s try again. Kystfyr, where would you look if I asked you to find me a silver bough?"
Eric didn"t have a clue what a silver bough was, thinking hard he stammered, "A birch tree perhaps?"
"Wrong again. One last chance. What is the difference between infusing and enchanting?"
"I don"t know," said Eric with a defeated look, "Is this all standard stuff for mages?"
Lucy"s lips curled upwards at this, forming a sneer, "No. It"s standard learning for children whether they become mages or not. For your information combining a pair of elemental runes will create a split spell, infusing one element with the properties of another. A silver bough is the branch of a sacred apple tree and can be used as the material for wands that tend towards bardic magic, as well as granting pa.s.sage to the underworld. And infusing is the act of infusing mana into an object to give it temporary magical qualities, while enchanting provides an item with a permanent magical effect."
Seeing that Eric was nodding understandingly, Lucy grabbed his hand and threw him off the balcony, casting the same spell she had before to allow him to land softly on his back. Jumping down herself, she landed with a good amount of grace, landing almost catlike next to Eric"s p.r.o.ne form.
"If you want to learn magic you"d best get up and follow me. Otherwise I won"t be held responsible for any of the manors defenses that you set off while trying to find your way out," she informed him. Ignoring the mute half-elf"s reaction, she began to walk at a brisk pace, heading for the door to the tower. Scrambling to his feet, Eric made to follow his new teacher, wondering where they were headed as they descended the stone stairway.