Chapter 54 — Exploding Scrolls

Jess had been leery about accepting Ria’s request. The witch girl annoyed her. The girl looked like a scared little rabbit that first day, and already, she was acting like she owned the place. It made Jess want to be mean and knock her down a peg, but for some reason, Ria just took her attempts in stride and acted like she wanted to be friends. It was creepy.

Really, Jess had good reason to hate the girl. Probably because of the smoke weed, she had laughed when her brother got himself hurt acting like an idiot. Only later when Nana was stitching him up did they realize how close he had come to dying.

Jess doubted that Jarrel bastard would have cared in the slightest. His eyes had been cold. The eyes of an experienced killer. Thinking about it made her shiver.

And now here she was, in the house of that killer and his family. It was an odd feeling. She couldn't hate them though. Even if this butcher family did have the money and happiness that her family lacked, Miss Fana reminded her of her own Nana, and Jess couldn't help showing the proper respect.

Her Nana's pie was something Jess always looked forward to, but it couldn't compare to the starfruit pie that Miss Fana served her after dinner. Not only was this family wealthy enough to eat starfruit, but they even offered it to strangers like herself. It made her mad… and grateful.

Ugh. Why were they being so nice to her?!

"Jess?"

The witch girl was looking at her with those expressive blue eyes, concern showing. Concern!

Jess' frown twitched a bit. "…what's up?"

"That's what I want to ask you. You've been making this really serious face with your eyebrows all scrunched together and just mindlessly agreeing to everything I say," Ria said and reached out with a small finger, rubbing Jess' forehead like that would make her worries go away.

"What are you doing?" Sometimes the girl's behavior was stupid cute to the point that Jess didn't know whether to snap at the girl or laugh.

The girl shrugged and looked away embarrassed. "My mom used to tell me that my forehead would get wrinkles if I kept frowning, so I was rubbing away your wrinkles."

Jess snorted.

Seeing that the little witch lived like a normal girl with a caring family and had an ordinary girly bedroom had surprised Jess. Sure, the glowing lightstone lighting the room, the shelf with strange books on magic, and the ridiculous oval mirror weren’t ordinary things, but there weren’t any bubbling cauldrons or skulls or creepy symbols drawn in blood. Even her familiar was just some gray dog lounging around and watching lazily with his head on his paws.

“Here, Jess. Hold this pen for me.”

“Uh, sure.”

Jess didn’t understand why the girl wanted her to hold a pen when there was plenty of room on the desk, but whatever. Ria was supposed to test if Jess could learn magic, but thus far, all the girl had done was take some strange glassware out of her satchel and set it up against the wall.

After handing her the pen, the girl had gone back to organizing the things she was taking out of her satchel, placing fancy wooden cases and a fancy leather journal on her desk this time.

“I’ll be right back, Jess. I need to get some things from downstairs,” Ria said and left her alone in the room.

What the heck? At least take your pen back before you go! Was the girl actually an airhead? What was with this ridiculously fancy pen anyway?

Jess looked down at the expensive pen decorated with white and black dancing storks and pink flower petals. Did Ria hand it to her just to show off? Still… there was something odd about the pen. Well, wouldn’t be unusual for a witch to have an enchanted pen.

Come to think of it, the crystal-topped staff leaning against the desk was clearly a magic staff, so why wouldn’t other things in the room be magical?

The more Jess thought about it, the more worried she got about holding the pen, until she decided to reduce the risk and placed it on the desk. Jess also thought the mirror might be enchanted, but couldn’t help going over to look at herself in it.

When Ria returned, she saw Jess looking into the mirror and said with a rueful smile, “That cost more than my armor, but I’m glad I bought it.”

Was she bragging again? In the reflection, Jess watched Ria carry a small sack and a bowl filled with grass over to the desk. Weird.

“Ah, thanks for holding my pen. Here, hold my staff for a moment while I set this up,” Ria said and tried to hand her the staff.

“Is that safe?” Jess protested.

“Yep. It’s just a casting aid. There’s no danger,” Ria insisted and pressed the staff into her hands.

Jess felt that creepy feeling again. The one she felt when a monster was nearby. She bit her lip slightly with worry and glanced at the reflection of herself holding a mage’s staff.

Could she really learn magic? Could she cure her mom’s illness if she did? Or maybe earn enough money to buy a cure?

“Bring the staff over and sit with me on the bed, Jess. I want to teach you something.”

Turning, Jess saw Ria sitting cross-legged by the head of the bed and waving her over.

There was no telling what she had just gotten herself into. With a sigh, Jess scooted onto the bed opposite the cheerful girl. There was no doubt the girl was up to something.

“Cross your legs. Then lay the staff across your lap and hold your hands together like this,” Ria said and pressed her hands together like she was praying.

The staff bumped against the wall as Jess moved to sit like the girl showed her, but Ria didn’t look upset. At least it wasn’t the end with the crystal that hit the wall.

Once Jess was mirroring Ria’s pose, the girl nodded. “Now I want you to close your eyes and concentrate.”

Jess couldn’t help scrunching up her brow worriedly, but she did as instructed.

“Take a deep breath. Focus on listening to each beat of your heart. You don’t have to count them, but just note each one. Slow and steady, pumping life throughout your body.”

Jess took that deep breath and slowly let it out. The witch girl’s voice was calm and steady, deceptively soothing. There were times when Jess was practicing her combat skills that she had become strangely aware of her body—at those times she felt like her movements were much more precise. Was this supposed to be something like that? Could she have been closer to unlocking her inner energy than she realized?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

This sort of thing might actually be good for her combat training as well, and with the money from tonight she should have enough to pay for another session with Burtan.

“Good. Now I’m going to use magic on you. Keep your eyes closed and stay focused. Try and sense the magic.”

Gulp. She agreed to this. There was no backing out now.

Her heartbeat grew louder as she felt the witch lean closer and tap her on the forehead. The touch lingered and the creepy feeling filled her body. Jess almost shivered, but didn’t want to give the little witch the satisfaction.

The heartbeats stretched on, and after several minutes, the touch withdrew. The creepy feeling filling her body dissipated until she was only feeling it from the staff still sitting in her lap. Jess hoped she hadn’t just let the witch charm her, or worse.

“You can open your eyes now, Jess.”

Jess took one more deep breath before opening her eyes. The witch was looking at her with a genuine smile. It threw Jess off, and she wasn’t sure what to think.

Ria reached out and pulled Jess’ calloused hands into her small delicate ones, looking proud of herself as she announced excitedly, “It’s faint, but I think you have an attunement to both earth and water!”

Wha-?

Jess sucked in a breath. “Does that mean…?”

Ria nodded. “I think so, but your inner energy was hard to sense. I don’t think you have a lot right now.”

Tears threatened to well up in the corners of her eyes at the sudden possibility that she could actually learn magic, but… if her inner energy was that weak was it even worth trying?

“Can… can I increase my inner energy?” Jess asked timidly.

Ria squeezed her hands reassuringly. “Of course! You’ll have to work really hard at it though. Can you do that?”

Crap. Jess felt something wet drip down her cheek as she nodded. She really hated the way she kept dropping her guard and getting swept up into this girl’s pace.

Suddenly the girl glomped onto her, giving her a hug. “I’m so glad, Jess.”

Jess took the opportunity to wipe her cheek dry.

After cutely giving a big squeeze, the girl drew back and grabbed Jess’ hands again. “I only have one other mage friend. Er… wait. Two now, if you count Leon. You have to promise me that you’ll work hard.”

Making a wry smile at the girl’s intense gaze and overly serious expression, Jess asked, “What do I have to do?”

“Lots of things, but mostly meditation and practice exercises,” Ria replied and then frowned. “And no more smoke weed!”

The little girl’s disapproving face was so cute Jess couldn’t help laughing and flicking her in the nose. “How do you know smoke weed doesn’t help with meditation?”

Ria looked unsure for a moment then scrunched up her face in determination. “I’m serious, Jess! And you should have Priest Dohan cure the damage to your mind before it becomes permanent!”

A witch telling her to see the priest. Heh. The girl really didn’t have any self-awareness, did she? “Fine, fine. I’ll think about it.”

At Ria’s unsatisfied pout, Jess pulled her hands away and went for a tickle attack. “Some smart-alecky little girl isn’t showing proper respect to her elders!”

“Hey!” was all Ria could get out before writhing in giggling shrieks.

Having practiced on her brother since he was little, Jess was an expert and took glee in destroying the little witch’s composure until the girl could barely breathe. Satisfied at having avenged her pride, Jess tussled Ria’s hair.

Between ragged gasps, Ria tried to glare at her, but couldn’t help grinning and stuck her tongue out. “You… got me.”

Much as she hated to admit it, there was something about this overly cute girl that brought out Jess’ protective instincts. “I’ll do it. If you promise to teach me, I’ll go see Priest Dohan.”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“Yep. Really.” Jess knew plenty well enough that there were things that Priest Dohan couldn’t heal. Getting him to examine her sooner rather than later was probably a good idea anyway. “So, what’s next?”

“Ah, give me a minute,” Ria said and scooted over to her desk to root around in the drawer and one of the fancy cases only to scoot back holding a vivid red quill and a blue stone.

Jess smirked. “Let me guess, you want me to hold those for you.”

Ria nodded as she handed them over and said sheepishly, “You noticed?”

“That you keep handing me magical items to hold?” Jess replied with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve been testing me the whole time, haven’t you?”

“Does that mean you can sense the energy?” Ria asked excitedly.

“Maybe,” Jess admitted.

The feeling she got from holding the quill was different from the creepy feeling she got from the staff, but she couldn’t tell how it was different. The blue stone, on the other hand, felt comfortable somehow.

Just going by appearances, the quill was fire and the stone was water. Ria had said that she was attuned to water. Maybe that really was true.

Ria was gazing at her expectantly, so she asked, “Is there something I’m supposed to do?”

The girl shook her head. “No, it’s fine like that. Do you notice anything odd or unusual when you hold them?”

Wouldn’t it be easier if the girl just told her what she’s supposed to notice? “The quill makes me feel weird and the stone feels comfortable, I guess.”

Apparently that was the right answer, because Ria grinned and nodded. “And the staff and pen?”

“Creepy, like when monsters are nearby. It was the same when you touched my forehead.”

“Ah, sorry about that,” the girl muttered and looked away suspiciously then looked back with an excited grin. “That’s great though, Jess! It means you are a natural talent!”

“How so?” Jess found that rather hard to believe. Unless smoke weed really did unlock her magic? If that was true, every parent would make their kids get high on smoke weed. Whatever.

“Learning to sense magical energy is the most important and usually the most difficult step in becoming a mage,” Ria explained earnestly.

“Okay? So what now?” Jess handed back the stone and quill.

Ria placed the items on her desk and got out largish parchment with strange symbols and geometric shapes drawn on it. Jess had no idea what that was, but it clearly looked like illegal ritual magic.

“Um…?”

“No worries, Jess. It’s healing magic that restores your stamina. I’m just using different types of magic, so you can practice figuring out how each is different and hopefully learn how your magic sensing works,” Ria explained as she placed the scroll between them.

Healing… scroll? Just how rich was this girl?! “Can’t you just tell me how magic sensing works?”

Ria shook her head. “No. It’s different for each person. Though it is often connected to the normal senses such as touch or sight.”

The hell’s with that?!

“Ready?” Ria asked.

Was she really going to waste a healing scroll?!

“Activate #40”

Suddenly, Jess was wrapped in something and a gentle strength slowly filled her, gradually erasing her fatigue. She couldn't believe Ria would waste such a scroll! Wait… the effect didn’t seem to be stopping… “How… how long does it last?”

Ria tilted her head for a moment then said, “Probably more than 50 hours if previous testing is accurate—and this version is much improved over the earlier versions.”

Wha-?! It was crazy expensive!!! Wait… “Testing?”

“This scroll is an improvement over my initial design, so it should last a fair amount longer,” Ria said proudly.

“You made this?!” Jess exclaimed and then realized—a magic pen and quill!

“Yup!” Ria nodded. “What do you think? Is the effect too strong or too weak?”

“T-that’s incredible… it seems fine to me,” Jess trailed off, her thoughts racing. Something like this… “Is… is there any way that you could make me one?”

“Sure. I don’t mind,” Ria agreed immediately. “But the materials are expensive. Will you be okay with that?”

Ah! Of course they were. Jess looked down depressed. She could never afford something like that.

But Jess couldn't let her pride get in the way. “I-I can’t afford it. Could you make it anyway? I… it’s not for me. For my mom.”

When Jess looked up, Ria was staring at her with concern. “Is she sick?”

Jess nodded. “For a long time now.”

Ria’s brow furrowed and she looked away.

Begging like this to a girl younger than her was pathetic, and Jess hated it, but she was also hopeful. Her mom was so weak these days. Just feeling the effects of the scroll, she knew it would help her mom.

“I came across something at the library today, and there might be a way to do it with cheaper materials. A cost of 2 copper coins should be doable, I think,” Ria said with a wink. “Though normally I’d want at least a silver for something like this. It should be fine since you’re helping me test it.”

Jess’ head snapped up. No way…

“Want to watch me make it? I mean… it’s restricted magic, and I’m probably not supposed to show you, but you’re going to be able to see the finished scroll anyway, so…,” Ria offered.

Unable to control the emotion welling up inside her, Jess got up from the bed and turned away, clenching her hands around the staff and screwing her eyes closed to hold back the threatening sobs. “Please.”

“Alright. We can work on your magic perception and affinity testing another time,” Ria said.

While Jess struggled with her emotions, she listened to Ria move things around and take a seat at the desk. After Ria wasn’t making anymore noise, Jess noticed something strange. There was a faint sound coming from several places in the room. The sound was like a weird pressure, but it seemed more imagined than heard.

Jess looked around to see what the girl was doing, and as would be expected, Ria was at the desk inking a large square onto the paper. Several books were set out on the desk and one was still open.

The closest source of the strange sound had moved with Jess when she turned. Which could only mean… Suddenly, she realized what one of the sources was. She was still clenching onto Ria’s staff! Moving the staff in front of her confirmed the staff was strangely humming in her head.

Ria had said something about magic sensing being connected to a normal sense, Jess remembered. Could it be as simple and bizarre as her ‘hearing’ magic? That those strange feelings she would get were really the sound of magic nearby?

Jess glanced down at Ria and the scroll. There was no way she could interrupt Ria from making the scroll for her mom to ask.

As Jess watched on, Ria drew a strange character inside several connected geometric shapes nestled into one corner of the outer square. Her brush didn’t get far before the paper around the symbol started to turn brown and crumble.

“Whaaah craaaap!” Ria suddenly exclaimed and held the disintegrating paper up in the air by a far corner as the air around it rippled strangely and a terrifying black fog started coming out.

"Woof?!" Ranger barked with concern.

“Window! The window!” Jess squeaked and made panicky motions toward the window.

“It’s fine, I think… there, see. It’s dying down now,” Ria said as the rippling stopped and the paper was no longer disintegrating. “Good thing I drew the fail-safe first. The link to the place of power was way stronger than I expected.”

While Ria was talking like everything was fine, Jess took a few steps back as the black fog continued to pool around Ria’s feet.

“A-are you sure that’s safe?” Jess stammered worriedly, pointing at the fog.

“Huh?” Ria asked and then saw where Jess was pointing. “Oh. Yeah, that’s just shadow fog. It’s harmless.”

“Shadow fog?” The heck was that?

A knock came at the door, and Miss Fana poked her head in.

“Everything okay up here? I heard-” Miss Fana’s eyes grew wide as she saw the half-destroyed scroll and the black fog. “Ria. You promised not to make any scrolls that could blow-up the house…”

“It’s fine, Grandma Fana. The fail-safe Master Rigure taught me worked properly and safely dissipated the magic,” Ria hastily explained. “There wasn’t any danger. I was just surprised.”

“That burnt scroll and the black fog suggest otherwise,” Miss Fana raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t doing anything dangerous like summoning magic, are you?”

Ria shook her head. “It’s just shadow fog from the fail-safe. Master Rigure’s idea. It’s completely safe. Here, watch, I’ll clean it up now.”

In a display that was more scary than reassuring, Ria held out her hand and sucked up all of the wispy black fog.

“See. No problem,” Ria said and gave a thumbs-up.

Miss Fana rolled her eyes. "Ranger, was Ria up to something she shouldn't be?"

Ranger shrugged. "Rowr-rawraow."

Miss Fana sighed. “I guess if Ranger isn't concerned, then it's fine. Be more careful, Ria. Jess, the rain is slowing, you might want to head home soon unless you're spending the night. It’s not good for a young woman to be out so late and worry her parents.”

"Yes. Thank you, Miss Fana," Jess acknowledged.

“Thank you, Grandma Fana. We’ll be done soon," Ria assured her.

When the older woman had left, Jess asked worriedly, "Ria, are you sure that's safe. I don't want to put my mother in danger."

"Yeah, it'll be fine. I'm not sure how well this cheaper paper with hold up, but if it fails, you'll only get the black fog like just now and that will go away on its own after a few minutes," Ria explained.

If her Nana saw black fog coming out of an illegal-looking scroll, she'd probably have a heart attack…

"Any case, I'd better get back to work," Ria said as she prepared another sheet of scroll paper. "I think the earth one under the village is too strong, so I'm going to try the water one by Lord Vorshan's manor instead and attenuate the link more."

Jess had no idea what Ria was talking about… and from the sound of it, she didn't want to know either. She just watched as Ria started inking a box around the paper again.

This time, when Ria got to the glyph that self-destructed, she wrote a different one, writing it smaller and thinner than in the previous attempt. Everything seemed fine at first as Ria waited to see what would happen, but gradually the paper around the glyph seemed to grow wet and warp.

Ria let out a disappointed sigh, but continued on with inking the pattern. "This one won't be good enough to send home, but we can still use it to test the idea to see if it works."

"Okay…" Jess agreed noncommittally.

As Jess watched, Ria repeated that same pattern with the water glyph in the two remaining corners, using her pen instead of her brush and making the lines finer and the glyph smaller each time. The two modified glyphs didn’t seem to have the same problem as the first one.

It really was impressive how Ria’s brush glided over the paper making such uniform lines. Thanks to lessons at the guild, Jess could write legibly enough with a quill, but using a brush… yeah, not happening.

Curiosity eventually got the better of her. “How do you make such clean lines with a brush?”

“There’s magical energy stored in the ink. I’m using that to control the flow. I guess you could say I’m cheating,” Ria replied with a laugh.

“Will I need to do things like that to learn magic?” Jess asked.

Ria shook her head. “Nah. Not unless you want to be an enchanter. With an affinity for earth magic, I’d recommend focusing on body-strengthening. Water creation and curing poison would also be useful spells for an adventurer, I imagine.”

“Hells yeah,” Jess agreed. If she could hit like Tina, didn’t need to carry heavy waterskins around all the time, and could have a bath anytime she wanted… that’d be amazing.

When they tested the new scroll. Jess noticed that the healing effect felt different than the scroll on Ria’s bed. She couldn’t believe it when Ria explained that a health restoration effect was added.

Jess was really glad that she had set aside her pride to ask. She almost choked up again when Ria handed her the finished scroll. It had taken Ria three attempts, but with this maybe her mother could finally be healthy again.

“Did you want extra payment for the wasted materials?” Jess asked, glancing at the ruined paper with the hole and the second attempt that Ria said was no good.

Ria shook her head. “Nah, it’ll be enough to let me know if the magic works on your mom and how long the scroll holds up for before turning to shadow fog. Eventually, I’ll be able to enchant the effect onto something sturdier, like a metal plate or something.”

Jess thanked her, and they agreed to meet again in two days for magic lessons. After Ria saw her off, Jess silently thanked the gods for bringing Ria to Vorshan’s Hills.