Training on the Road (2)
The orc narrowed his eyes and leaned back on the tree again. He sighed deeply, and Alex waited anxiously for his answer. After ten seconds, Bogath finally said,
"I commend you for your interest, young elf. I can teach you the fundamentals but can't tell you how to perform magic. This is an exclusivity of the professors of Nightingale." The orc seemed disappointed by it as if he considered the rule stupid, "But fret not if you show me you are a good student, I'll write a letter recommending you as a student. How's that sound?" Terrible, Alex thought. He had no time to enter a school of magic. He needed to learn now,
"Sounds great," Alex replied. Any knowledge was better than zero knowledge.
"And you, Tina? Are you interested in magic, too?" The orc asked, once again getting out of the tree,
"No, sir. But I'm interested in potion making and fighting,"
"That's fair," the orc replied, "I can definitely teach you alchemy— not the magical kind, of course. For that, I can also write you a letter eventually." the orc then looked at the girl from head to toe before continuing. "I know how to handle sword and shield, but Ravi is the best teacher. He fought hundreds of battles on the shield wall back in Maltovia. Ask him,"
The girl grimaced at the suggestion,
"That will pass, kid. Just talk to him. I promise he'll teach both of you," The orc said, already passing them and strolling towards the carriage, "I'm hungry, Valther. I'll talk magic with you as soon as I eat. Now, please, don't ask me questions. I'm obliged to answer them by guild laws and am too tired. I spent last night reading a great book, and I can't think straight right now, alright?"
"Alright," they replied in unison, and the orc accelerated his pace toward Little Heaven,
"He seems to be the most sane of them all," Alex commented, stepping towards their carriage.
"Yes, he seems to be quite nice." Tina replied gravely, "It has to be Ravi, the teacher? The guy's an ass!" Tina complained, and Alex couldn't agree more. He wished to study magic as much as possible, but fighting with his dagger or a sword was his second priority. He would prefer to train with Tal'Dore but learn from Ravi and then eventually be able to defeat him? That would be better,
"I bet he's just in a mood after all that wine," Alex lied. Deep down, he thought Ravi was just an ass, but he considered it to be better to calm down Tina. There was no use in having someone on the edge as an ally.
"I hope so," Tina replied, and they kept walking.
When they arrived at the carriage, everyone was helping to load a wooden wagon now connected to the main bulk of the vehicle. Everyone except for Bogath, who sat on a bench and ate what seemed to be a sandwich while reading another book.
Even the teenager in monk robes helped load some sacks of groceries inside the wagon, then came wood, clothes, and sleeping mats. Alex and Tina helped them with some packs. Ravi demonstrated more rush into finishing the job, probably eager to sleep more. After five minutes, everything was inside the wagon.
"Okay, you both will sleep inside the wagon," Ratamir said. Alex immediately got inside the vehicle and started organizing everything, putting the food on one side of the wagon. He piled all the wood in a different corner, tied them up with a rope, and picked a place to lay the sleeping mats. After three minutes, it was all in the right place, and when Alex looked over his shoulder, Ravi looked at him, but he had something different in his eyes. Is that approval? Alex thought, You can shove it. He kept his grim while leaving the wagon.
Tina walked toward Ratamir, and Alex stepped in Bogath's direction. He stood before the orc for a couple of seconds before the mage finally shifted his attention from the book to him.
"Can you teach me now?"
The orc sighed and put his book down on the bench, cleaning all the leftovers that had fallen upon his leather vest,
"Oh, you are one of these, aren't you?" He said, mildly annoyed but with a smile on his face,
"Yes, I'm one of these,"
"I feel you, kid. Being an outcast isn't easy, but learning magic will not make you perceived better suddenly. I've been there." the orc said, trying to catch something inside Alex's eyes. Still, he would find nothing since his intentions were hidden. Yes, Alex's desire to be stronger had a tiny part of altruism, but most of it was his eagerness to be powerful. Being an outcast wasn't good, but he had been one his whole other life. There was nothing new to it.
Seeing that Alex wasn't going to engage in the topic, the orc continued,
"Okay, follow me." He got up and walked towards the carriage. Inside it, he opened a large crest and started to remove several books from inside. Alex read some of the titles, "Forbidden Love: An Orc Tale," "The Harem of the Sacred Orc," "To Defy the Emperor, I Shall Conquer all the Beauties," and others nastier. Alex muffled his chuckle, and the Orc didn't seem to listen to it. There were other titles mixed with them, "The History of Tevia," "The Dogmas of the Bloodmoon Church," "Bestiary Vol. 1", "How to Get Away with a Monster Dungeon Delving," and other titles.
"You are a man of culture," Alex muttered, and Bogath laughed at it with his head deep into the crest,
"Yes, I am an orc of culture, Indeed." He said, getting up in a fast motion and exaggeratedly holding a book, as if he found a precious and old relic, "Aha! Here it Is!" the orc handed the book to Alex. He read the title,
"Basics of Magic," he muttered, passing his fingers on the book. The cover was made of leather, and it was definitely old. Alex opened it and felt dust entering his nostrils. He sneezed loudly and closed the book,
Quest: [Read the Whole Book]
Time to conclude: 24 hours.
Reward: A permanent buff in Intelligence.
Punishment if not concluded: Inability to read for 7 days.
Alex kept looking at the screen before his eyes for a couple of seconds before realizing the orc was speaking with him.
"Okay, let's find a place to sit and talk," Bogath said, lazily putting all the books inside the crest again,
"Can we speak after I read it? I prefer this way. It's how I was taught."
"Oh," the sound left Bogath's mouth. He was about to protest when he looked to the carriage seat and glanced at the book he was reading before: "The Trials and Tribulations of Orguh and his Thirty Wives." He then looked again at Alex and completed,
"If that's how you want to do things, I'll accept, Valther. But know that I'm disappointed with you," the orc was already walking towards the bench, not looking disappointed at all. Alex ran towards the wagon and entered it.
The wooden compartment was quite simple, all made of wooden boards with two windows on each side. A plate of metal stood above the wagon to protect it from rain. The wheels were made of wood and were quite extensive. On each internal side of the wagon, benches extended for people to sit while traveling. Alex gladly took one of the seats and opened the book.
The system was pushing him hard. He had never been such a reader in any moment of his life. When Alex was a kid, sports were his thing, and reading time was time he could have spent playing baseball or tag. As a teen, he cared only for girls and sports; books became a necessary chore when he started his adult life. He had studied a lot to become a detective and had plans to finish law school, but reading was an obstacle to it, never a pleasure.
But Alex had never read about real magic, so he was thrilled to read it. The only problem was how difficult it was to read in the new language. Yes, he could understand everything, but he needed deep concentration to read even a simple sentence thoroughly.
With the book open, Alex started flipping through the pages. The book had been written by Arch Magus Vitorian III in 130 a.W, whatever that meant. Alex looked over his mission and saw he needed to read the whole book. In that fashion, he discovered that the Arch Magus had fought in the holy war on the dark elf side and was a true hero. At the time, he had surpassed every magic circle and was in the 9th. That must be impressive, I guess.
The book was finally starting for real, and with joy and excitement in his heart, Alex read the words that would begin his journey as a wielder of magic,
"Magic, much like the art of war, is a complex field. This book outlines the essential principles needed to perform magic at any level. Though we will explore these principles in detail across many pages, the essence of magic can be summarized in one fundamental idea:
'True magic requires the Trinity of Magic: Arcanite Light, Runes, and a Token.'
Understanding this critical concept is the first step on your journey to becoming a mage."