Carrot and Stick: How to Practice Responsible Witchcraft in a High-Crime Neighborhood - Chapter XIII

Chapter XIII

Look, art!

By https://zarwilsonart.format.com/

Also, still no internet at home. Got this feeling in my gut that the technician won't show up, either :(

***

Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.

He’d heard the expression plenty of times, but he wasn’t sure if it was ever meant to be applied quite so literally. 

In any case, he currently fell squarely into the ‘can’t’ side of things, so it was up to him to teach. After making sure that the doe was safe and sound--Carrot insisted, even if he thought it was a poor idea to let an animal that was already susceptible to daemonic energies free--they had made sure that the woman working in the nail salon was in decent shape.

She was a little rattled, and very confused, but in the suggestive state she was in, it wasn’t hard for Silas to convince her that a strong gust of wind had blown into the shop and tossed everything around. 

It was... nonsensical, really, but she nodded along and accepted it.

Given a few days she’d be returning to normal, and by then any traces of wizardly involvement would be long gone. 

So, he and Carrot returned to his place. She skipping along and he... not doing that. He wasn’t even thirty and yet it hurt his knees to watch her bounce like that. 

“We did good today!” Carrot said.

“I suppose we did,” he replied.

She glanced over to him and blinked. “You don’t think so?”

“Huh? No, I do. It’s just that... well, we stopped some sort of plot, but the very fact of its existence implies a lot. That was a complicated scheme for a daemon, even one capable of speech and more advanced magic. The hints about a master are obviously concerning as well. And not to put too fine a point on it, but we haven’t recovered my phone yet either.”

Carrot smacked herself on the forehead. “I forgor!”

“Forgor?” he repeated.

“It’s like forgetting, but for cute girls!” She stuck her tongue out at him and made a weird gesture with her hands on her head. 

Magic almighty, he really was getting old.

“Are you free tomorrow as well?” he asked as they made it to his place. 

She nodded. “I can be!”

“Good, then we’ll continue what we did today. Eventually we’ll find this master person and take them out. But first... let’s see about your spells?”

Carrot grinned from ear to ear as she led her in, then they moved to the backyard. It was a little cold to be standing around, but that was just too bad. He wasn’t going to practice magic indoors. “Alright, let’s start with something simple. Do you know what a hacky-sac is?”

“Yeah?”

“Good. How much control do you have over those petals of yours?”

“Plenty! I’m quite good at aiming them,” Carrot said with confidence to spare.

“Can you keep a can in the air with nothing but strikes?” he asked.

She stared. “I can try?”

While she figured that out, he cleared the seat on the back porch of snow, then sat down on a blanket to watch and give some advice. Part of him was very much tempted to push Carrot towards learning newer and stronger spells. He could probably walk her through something like Thadeus’ Frosty Fang, or a simple cantrip like Fire Bolt. Maybe even something like Zoufii’s Sphere of Mirrors...

But no. Better she perfect what she had. That petal spell wasn’t particularly special, but it was flexible and straightforward and had lots of room for improvement. 

Guiding her through the spell one step at a time reminded him a little of his time at the academy, though the school had been a lot slower with its curriculum.

Every year about five hundred students would join the academy. The vast majority from the fringes of magical society. It wasn’t exactly an obligation, but one would be foolish not to join. The first couple of years were... wasteful, and yet very much necessary.

Silas had never made very many friends there. The classes were rarely with the same groups twice, and the general atmosphere of the academy leant itself more towards competition and seeking excellence rather than making friends. 

The first two years barely taught any magic at all. He was afraid that if Carrot somehow managed to squeeze her way in, she’d be terribly disappointed. Her tiny repertoire was bigger than most students already.

Still, those two years were important, they taught history, the rules and regulations, the dangers that came with using magic, the importance of the Ordos and one’s place in magical society. 

A lot of rituals, and not of the magical kind. At the time he chaffed with them, but he had studied and done well and eventually made it into the third year where actual spellwork was taught. The first two years were there to weed out the fools and the rebellious and to instill respect. 

Carrot, he decided, would hate it.

He watch as she repeatedly cast her little spell, twisting the magic around with her will so that it clinked against the bottom of an empty can over and over again, sending it bouncing up into the air only to be intercepted again. The unpredictable changes in its trajectory, the need to understand three-dimensional space, and the need to cast quickly... It wasn't bad training.

“Alright,” he said after counting ten hits in a row without the can hi “I think that you’re well on your way to making something of that spell.”

“Yup!” Carrot agreed. “I just need to figure out how to cast it even faster. Should I do more of them after, or make them stronger?”

He worked his jaw, he was about to change the subject, but the question was valid. “Stronger is relative. The spell seems to mostly deal damage kinetically, as opposed to something like a Fire Bolt which does have a small kinetic component, but which also burns. In that case, faster would mean better, both in terms of faster casting time--which will come down to practice and making the spell as efficient as possible--and fasting movement. Then... the shape might play a role as well.”

“Yeah! I’m making them petal-shaped, but that’s also kind of the shape of a knife, you know?”

“Sure. what’s the edge-geometry like?”

“Edge... what?”

He chuckled. “Look that up in your own time, then. It might help your spell cut a little deeper.”

“Okay!”

“Now, let’s look at that chain spell of yours. Binding spells are pretty common, especially for nonlethal takedowns. I think the Ordo Concordiae has an entire book of them, but I’ve never seen anything quite like your... what do you call it?”

Carrot bounced up. “I call it Chains of Darkness! Because they’re like... dark and shadowy, and they represent my repressed inner self!”

That might have carried more weight if she didn’t say it in a tone that reminded him so much of an over-caffinated kindergarten teacher. “Alright. Let’s see you  bring that chair over there, yes, that one, to the middle of the yard then cast your spell on it.”

“Okay!”

In his third year at the academy he had been taught all of three spells. Summon Flame, Light, and Distress Flare.

The first created a small fire that was short-lived but relatively hot. It was... kind of useless as a spell. Even that Academy had lightbulbs, even if the people running it loved their traditions. 

Light created a small, temporary light. It was handy, and he wasn’t upset about learning that one.

Distress Flare was a spell that created a burst of very obvious magical energy meant to attract the attention of nearby wizards in case of danger.

Basically, all three spells were about what the Academy believed a bunch of teenagers and young adults could handle responsibly. 

A year spent on civilian-grade spells. The next year had Minor Telekinesis and Send Word and a few other utility spells. Basically, the Academy only taught that the society at large wanted normal civilians to have access to. 

If one wanted real spells, then they could either be born in a large enough family, or they could join an Ordo and learn a few there.

The kind of one-on-one training he was giving to Carrot now was basically nonexistent, and he was genuinely curious to see how far someone could go if taught by a more experienced wizard directly. Like they used to do way, way back in the distant past with masters and apprentices.

“These links of yours lack refinement,” he said. “They’re quite crude, and it looks like they don’t all match each other in size and shape. If you’re going to make this spell more efficient--which you’re going to want since this seems hugely wasteful--then you’re going to have to practice spell-shaping.”

Carrot seemed a little disappointed, but when he started to show her through some basic exercise, she took it without complaints. 

It wasn’t much, but he showed her a few tricks that he’d picked up along the way to solidify her hold on her magic and to create a more precise image out of it. It was enough that by the time a few hours had passed, she had improved to the point that he could tell that the links in her chain were more solid and more uniform throughout. 

The girl was a faster learning than he had been at her age. Or maybe he would have been just as good with such a fine tutor?

***

“Hi Bathemious,” Carrot said as she slipped into her room.

She’d only just arrived home like... twenty minutes ago, tops? It was already dark out, but it was also winter so that was kind of normal, and it was wasn’t really late. Still, she got home and refilled on Mom Energy by giving her mom the biggest squeeze ever, then she told her about the day she’d had. Her mom was the best! 

Carrot wasn’t sure if her mom really believed everything she said, but she was very supportive all the same. 

“That is not my name, stupid!” the bat hissed.

“No, you’re right, too formal. We’ll work on it some more. Did you have a nice day?” Carrot asked.

“I am imprisoned here and tortured! Tortured!” the bat said. He reached over to a small bowl which contained the remains of some melons and grapes and what looked like a nicely cut-up apple. 

“Did you like the snacks mom brought you?”

The bat might’ve glared. It was hard to read his cute little face. “When I escape this foul place and take over the world... her death shall be quick and painless.”

“It’s hard not to get along with her,” Carrot agreed with a nod. “She’s my idol, you know! Well, one of them! Hey, I have to practice more magic tonight! Want to watch some Sailour Moon? For some reason I’m in that kind of mood!”

***