Fight for a Living

by Sophia Schmidt

  Seeing as Lith was struggling, Solus started to use a monotone, lecturing tone.

  "Chore magic is the very foundation for magic, it teaches you everything you need except how to activate the mana core. Fake magic is like a crutch, a foolproof 'magic for dummies' spellcasting method.

  You only need to learn a few words and gestures and it does everything by itself, as long as you have enough mana. My hypothesis is that chore and fake magic are taught in this order as a training course towards true magic.

  But only few, like the Magi, understand that fake magic is not about finger movements and spelling words, is about perceiving the mana flow and learning how to control it.

  Your breathing exercises are a crutch as well, but a good one, since they helped you accessing the mana core, making you aware of the mana flow. Fake magic, instead, is a bad one, since it makes its users too reliant on its power.

  Most fake magic users are so obsessed by details like hand signs and pronunciation, that live their whole lives without noticing what lies beyond. Fake mages, especially those with great talent, become so complacent being able to do what no one else can, that they never stop for a moment to ask themselves why. Is kind of ironic."

  Lith was astonished. Everything made perfect sense.

  But if you had all this figured out, why didn't you tell me? What are those holes in your theory you mentioned earlier?

  Solus was embarrassed, but replied nonetheless.

  Because I can't answer some key points of my own theory. If I am right, why is fake magic the only one available for everyone? Why true mages kill whoever tries spreading it to the whole world?

  Say what?!?

  Solus merged their minds, showing to Lith all the things she had noticed reading the history book. How so many theorists and rising mages had all died in accidents or mysterious circumstances, often right after announcing to the magical community a ground-breaking discovery.

  Others, instead, would be dismissed as frauds, before going mad and disappear.

  Lith could only laugh his heart out.

  "Oh, my. Solus, you are so smart and yet so naïve in the ways of mankind. The answer is really simple. Do you know why back on Earth we had traffic jams? Because everyone could get a car.

  Would you really let any madman, any naïve fool gets his hands on this kind of power? Fake magic is a mean to control the masses, it's not the final test like you think.

  After one discovers true magic, the final test is proving to be smart enough to silently join the club and reap the benefits. And if you don't like the club rules, the only way out is death."

  Chapter 30: True Magic and Fake Magic (2)

  When they finished comparing notes about Solus' explanation for true magic, it was already late. Lith had to rush to get out of the woods before it became too dark. He wasn't afraid of night time predators, his mother Elina, though, were another story.

  If I come back too late, I'll get grounded for weeks. Darn it all, I hate curfew so much!

  He did not want to come back home empty handed, so he took out of the pocket dimension a couple of fat blinkers he had saved for moments like that.

  The next day, Nana informed Lith that the Count had agreed to help, and that some of his best books were on their way.

  Lith was forced to pretend being still engrossed in Nana's history book, it was too big to finish it in one go. He spent that day abridging all the tier one spells on his grimoire, keeping only the name, hand signs and pronunciation instructions and a short description for each spell.

  "I don't need to waste precious pages on this cr*p. I can fake out the hand signs by moving my hands fast, but I still need to remember each new magic word when I pretend to use fake magic.

  Also, if Nana wants to put me to test, I need to show her my proficiency. Sigh, all this brainless memorizing will drive me crazy. The silver lining is that by learning this stuff I can predict an enemy's spell and counter it if necessary."

  More than once, Lith found himself wishing Solus could move his body at will. She had a much better memory, and it would save him a lot of time and effort.

  The only spell Lith was really eager to try was the air magic Floating Body. With this incantation one could make float in mid-air anything or anyone weighing less than one hundred kilograms (220.5 pounds).

  It had many uses, like braking a free fall, moving a severely injured patient without bumps, or moving without leaving traces and making noises while hunting or on scouting.

  This was something that Lith had attempted many times on his own but with no success. He could easily make others float with spirit magic, but not himself. It was really hard balancing his whole body while focusing on the spell, the same could be said about using air magic instead of spirit magic.

  A minor mistake would make him float upside down or make him spin like in a washing machine. Lith never managed to float properly, let alone moving.

  If Solus is right and fake magic is a training course, I can use this Floating Body to learn how to float for good. Then, the most natural step is evolving it into a flight spell. I can't wait to soar through the skies like my childhood heroes!

  Right after lunch, Lith went back into the woods and started practicing. Floating Body's magic word was "Brezza Ri Lak", so he had no problems with pronunciation. The hand signs, instead, were quite complicated.

  Having learned from his mistakes, Lith first made sure he had got the magic word right before moving to the hand signs. He took it slow and easy, he didn't need to learn how to fast cast it, only to learn from the spell how to distribute the energy.

  After only a few tries, Lith managed to cast the Floating Body properly. It was an odd feeling, much different from what he had expected.

  To float it did not require a single strong updraft, but hundreds of them at the same time, each one pushing upwards with the same force to keep the balance in check.

  This is much worse than I had anticipated. No wonder I always failed in the past. Now, according to the book, Floating Body makes me weightless, standing in place. To move I need either external support or air chore magic.

  Lith started to generate weak winds, moving around like a toy drone.

  This feels great! This spell has countless applications, I wonder why it's just a tier one despite being so elaborate.

  Because it lasts only one minute Solus reminded him while Lith was already falling to the ground.

  After experimenting with Floating Body a few times, Lith used his own mana flow to replicate the spell. Soon it became apparent that he wouldn't be able to do it in a single afternoon. True magic, after all, was really more difficult than its fake counterpart.

  Angry and frustrated, Lith started grumbling non-stop.

  "It's all so annoying, having to learn two kinds of magic for every damn spell. I'm telling you, Solus, I have seriously considered using Floating Body instead. But if I am stupid enough to do so, then I would be forced to learn all its upper tier versions, and who knows at what step lies actual flight.

  This way, instead, once I get some solid foundations, everything else should come easy. Or at least I hope so."

  Lith spent all day and night practicing his new spell, Levitation, but when morning came, he had yet to succeed.

  The following day, a small crate of books was delivered to Nana's house, and she promptly handed it to Lith.

  If they were mine, I would never allow you to bring them out of my house. But the Count explicitly told me you are free to bring them home as you see fit. Lark is a very generous man, don't abuse his trust.

  At first, Lith was really pissed off. He had completely forgot about his plea from help, and now he was flooded with useless books that he had to pretend to read. After two whole days as a shut in, his body was craving for some action.

  But then he noticed that there weren't that many history books, most of them were biographies and autobiographies of past and present prominent mages, archmages and Magi. He finally had at hand the i
nformation he needed about how much talent he could reveal safely.

  Lith could finally see a light at the end of one of the many tunnels he was stuck in. So far, his apprenticeship had only added more problems to his life, getting lucky for once, made him feel really good.

  He took note in his grimoire of all the feats his role models accomplished and at what age they managed to do it. Then it came the most serious part, deciding how far to push his act.

  I'm of humble origins and with no backer. Mimicking a Magus is like courting death. If even revealing less talent than Nana brought a noble to try to kill me, showing so much skill would put me on the hit list of all the major families.

  Agreed. Solus chimed in.

  The best choice is to keep being below Nana's talent. If Count Lark starts protecting you, you can ramp you up to her level. A male mage of that skill would definitely be noteworthy. From then, is better to adjust your power talent based on how things develop.

  My thoughts exactly. Lith mind nodded.

  During the following weeks, while at Nana's house, Lith and Solus split the tasks at hand. Lith crammed all the tier one spells while Solus would read the Count's books and take note of every relevant detail.

  Lith gave her control over both spirit and water magic, making her possible to flip books and write an appendix on the grimoire.

  During the afternoon, instead, they would try to make Levitation work. Little by little they were working out all the problems, sometimes even improving Floating Body foundations.

  Lith completed Levitation after over a month of hard work, and by that time he had also already mastered all the tier one spells, but he was forced to wait. According to the Count's books, that was a feat worthy of a future archmage.

  So, he had to wait for another half a month before revealing to Nana the fruits of his endeavours. She was truly impressed by Lith's skill and determination.

  Nana had told him that back in the day she had needed less than a month to memorize all the book, and despite Lith being of lesser talent, he had managed to accomplish the same result with just two weeks of delay.

  Nana had expected that it would take him no less than two whole months.

  Nana offered him to help her during the busy hours, and Lith gladly accepted. Until completing Levitation he had not hunted for over a month. Not only the reserve of game he kept in the pocket dimension was almost depleted, but that huge break had also costed him a lot of money.

  Lith needed to make up for the lost time. Officially he only knew two tier one light spells, Vinire Rad Tu (the illness/injuries detecting spell) and Vinire Dan, a basic healing spell, capable to treat coughs, light colds and not too deep cuts.

  Hence, most of the times he would only get the diagnosis fee, since it would be Nana treating the patients. He could only get to heal minor injuries, yet his profits weren't that bad.

  Nana's business had deep roots, people from all the neighbouring villages would come to seek her aid.

  By spending more time in the front office, Lith discovered that Nana was so much more than a healer for the people of Lutia. She was also their protector and the strongest law enforcer.

  Simply by living there, most bandits would avoid the village, and those who were brave enough to attack would quickly meet their maker before doing any real damage. Nana was also the shield for all the local merchants and population.

  No foreigner merchant, young master or young mistress could bully the people of Lutia without incurring in her wrath. Sometimes she would be called even to put an end to a drunken brawl.

  Lith found hard to believe she had such disposition toward the people she served, always standing ready to intervene whenever was necessary.

  One day, after Nana taught a lesson to a young noble and his bodyguards, believing that he could forcefully take any maiden that suited his taste, Lith decided to find out the truth.

  The old hag had already proven that she cared about money more than everything. Lith had fallen for her kind act more than once, so he wanted to know what her real angle was.

  Being rude to his mentor was definitely a bad idea, so he went with a subtler approach.

  Master, I really don't know how to express my admiration for you. Taking care of the safety of the village, basically all by yourself, and asking nothing in return. It's really impressing of you.

  Nana laughed out loud, sounding ominous like the plumber, back on Earth, that once Lith had been forced to call during a national holiday.

  You really are hilarious, kid. Sometimes you are so wise I almost forget you are just six years old. But whenever you come out with this nonsense, you really look like a naïve child. Of course I get something in return. Have you ever wondered why my treatments are so expensive?

  Chapter 31: Kindness and Retribution

  Actually, yes. Many times. But I always thought those were the normal fares for a healer. In the moment he said it out loud, Lith remembered how ignorant he was in the ways of the new world.

  They are not. Nana shook her head. "Listen, little imp, in a few years you are going to get out of this village and face the world. Not everyone is kind as your parents, and most nobles are not like Count Lark.

  For the average person life is hard, most of the time unfair, and hard work means nothing without luck and opportunity. I don't tell you this because I want to scare you, only because I don't want you to make my same mistakes.

  You need to wise up, so let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, a mage fallen from grace decided to return to her old village, to settle in and forget about her failures. At first, people were scared of her, thinking she would abuse her power and authority to settle old feuds.

  But the mage was too tired and bitter for petty revenges, she only wanted peace. So, when she became a medicine woman, doing nothing but tending to the ill and wounded for a fair price, the villagers were really happy

  And when they noticed that since her arrival brigands, merchants and nobles treated the village with much more respect, they became ecstatic. But bad things kept happening from time to time, since the mage had no interest in playing hero.

  So, the people in the village offered her a deal. They would pay her a certain sum in exchange for her help. Everything was perfect, and everyone was happy for a while. Then, the villagers, the only ones whom benefited from her protection, decided to make a little change to the initial deal.

  Sure, peace and quiet were doing wonders for business, and the presence of the mage brought so many people from the neighbouring villages to get treatment, but that sum each year was a burden to their profits.

  Not even the fact that the County's most important noble had made the village the permanent seat for the local spring festival was enough to satiate their greed.

  So, they decided to convince the local farmers that it was in their best interest to help the villagers cover the sum they had agreed to pay to the mage. You may ask how did they managed to do it. Well, let's just say not appealing to the goodness of their hearts.

  They simply threatened the farmers to change the exchange rate of their goods to the point of making their life a living nightmare. And what could the farmers do about it? Nothing.

  They needed the blacksmith for their tools, the merchant to buy and sell cattle and crops. You can easily imagine the rest. Without the villagers, the farmers were cut off from the rest of the County.

  By refusing, every single farmer would have to travel for days, each year, even to buy a new plough. Not to mention how hard and perilous would it be moving the cattle and the crops to the nearest merchant, all while leaving family and fields unattended."

  Lith nodded, a ferocious expression on his face.

  Let me guess. According to the new deal, every time the farmers needed the help of the mage, they would pay a share of the agreed sum.

  Just like everyone else. When Nana had finished her story, she, could read the rage and disgust in the eyes of her disciple.

  "There, there, Lith. I didn
't mean to make you angry, the purpose was to show you what normal people, even good people, do to each other on daily basis.

  We are good friends and all, but that is until our pockets or families get involved, then one own's priorities come first.

  Life is hard for everyone, but for mages is even worst. Normal people see them as monsters, nobles as something to submit or exploit.

  But the worst comes always from your own. Even in the magical academy you will find hidden ranks, hierarchy, and the competition will be tougher than you can imagine.

  The pressure both families and teachers put on those poor kids quickly turns them into ferocious beasts. They get measured, judged and looked down upon for every mistake they make.

  Social status, wealth, talent, the more they have the higher the expectations for them."

  Lith was starting to get confused.

  So, do you want me to go easy on them? To don't judge hastily? To try making friends rather than enemies? He was inwardly scoffing.

  Gods forbid it! The very opposite! Nana yelled in desperation, flapping her arms like a hysterical bird.

  "I already told you, you need to wise up. Don't fall for the first nice act someone performs. How do you think they will treat a dirty poor country bumpkin?

  How do you think they treated me? At first you will easily make friends with the students from the lower classes, but as soon you'll reveal any talent, you'll be surrounded by only two kind of people.

  Those who want to destroy you and those who want to suck up on you. Stay away from the former, and ever further from the latter, otherwise you'll end up like me.

  Naively believing to have lots of important friends, until you make one single mistake, and then they pile up on you like everyone else, leaving only scorched earth around you. When she finished talking, Nana looked really tired and bitter, staring at the floor with watery eyes, she seemed to have aged about twenty years."

  Lith pondered for a while on her words, before giving her his answer.

  I appreciate the thought and will treasure your words forever. But I also hope you'll understand that your story kind of pissed me off big time. So, here is my plan for the immediate future…