by Logan Jacobs
I repeated the spell multiple times until my body shuddered from the icy sensation, and then I took a break. My head was throbbing, and the muscles in my arms ached, but I was pleased with my progress.
I’d only passed out once so far, anyway.
Kane eyed me silently while I sat down, and then he busied himself with some papers on his workbench. Apparently, he was well aware of how tiring spell casting could be on a new apprentice, and I was glad he wasn’t pushing me harder.
When I’d warmed up next to the fire for a bit, I was ready to try again, so I cleared my throat to get Kane’s attention and moved back to the center of the room.
“Trying again so soon?” Kane asked as he crossed to the other side of the workbench and leaned against it. “You are a glutton for punishment, it seems.”
“I just really need to master all of the spells I can,” I explained as I shook out my tired arms. Then I concentrated on the floor, visualized the ice forming, and tried again. “Chs!”
The tiniest flurries of ice dropped from the palm of my hand to fall gently to the floor. My fingernails were tipped with frost, and my hands were so frozen I could barely move them, but the icy sensation stayed in my extremities and away from my torso, so I was pleased with the result.
“Fur!” I murmured, and heat radiated up my body to combat the chill of the ice spell.
Pain split my head, and I swore for a moment that the roof had vanished as I blinked up at stars, but then I realized I’d collapsed onto the cold, stone floor and my eyes were closed.
Chime.
When I respawned once more, I had the thought of making a savepoint at Kane’s door, but I had to admit, flying through the city using my boots was just too much fun. So, I once again dashed through the streets at superhuman speed, and I barely paused to introduce myself to the guards so I didn’t have to activate my boots again. They seemed surprised by the blur of motion that yelled at them as it passed, but I was at the court wizard’s door before they knew what had happened.
I repeated the dialogue again, but I was in a bit of a rush to get to the good stuff, so I probably came off as a little rude. The offer of trade still did the trick, though, and then we began once more.
“What can I do with the ice spell?” I asked before we moved on to the next spell.
“It can put out flames, slow an opponent, or if you are strong enough, you can create a defensive wall of ice to act as a shield.” Kane seemed impressed by my desire to learn, and he was eager to teach me all he knew. “The more energy it takes to create the ice, the more vulnerable it is to failure. It takes a lot of practice to build the kind of arcane power needed to fight in a wizard’s duel, which is why most masters are very old.”
So, I went through another series of attempts to master the full properties of the ice spell. I’d already used my fire spell to negate the icy side effects, so I knew how well the two spells counteracted each other, but I wanted to experiment with the other uses before moving on to the next lesson.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
It took me a few hundred attempts to blast Kane with enough ice to slow down his motions, but once he could barely move, I chimed back to the beginning and tried a different use for the spell.
My favorite ended up being the ice wall, and by the time I felt like I’d mastered the ice spell, I could build a small wall of ice to act as a shield. I only passed out once during the ice spell experimentations, so I wondered if my magical abilities were getting stronger.
“What other spells do you know besides fire and ice?” I asked in a casual tone. The court wizard had been hesitant to share his full knowledge with me right off the bat in my last two attempts, but maybe since I knew more this time he’d be more forthcoming.
“More than you will learn in a lifetime,” Kane laughed. “I began my lessons when I was half your age, and I am an old man.”
“It takes time,” I agreed in a vague tone. “I think you’ll soon be surprised by how much I can learn.”
“Show me oof, then,” Kane insisted with an arched eyebrow. Then he brandished his hand, and a flame shaped like a sword burst into existence in his grasp. “The disarming spell should work the same on a magical weapon as it does a real one.”
I grinned. This was more like it. I took a stance and summoned all my will power as I envisioned the flame sword falling from Kane’s grasp, and then I spoke the magic word.
“Oof,” I said in a firm tone, and all the air in my lungs expelled at once. I staggered backward, but Kane still held his flame sword.
I tried again and managed to keep my stance, but I had no luck in disarming the court wizard. I tried multiple times until my head screamed in agony from the pressure I put on my insides, and then I took a breather.
I was getting stronger, slowly but surely, but I still had to grind away at the word for a while before it seemed to register with my system.
Maybe there was a hand gesture I was missing?
I drew a dagger and faced Kane. “Show me how it works.”
“Very well,” he said as he inclined his head. “Oof!”
My dagger flew from my hand and skittered across the floor until it slammed into the bottom of a bookshelf against the far wall. If we’d been in the middle of a real battle, the blade would have been lost to me for the remainder of the fight. It was a powerful spell, and I was even more determined to learn it.
“Maybe it is more difficult with the conjured flame sword,” Kane mused thoughtfully as he crossed the room, picked up my dagger, and brandished it toward me with a stern look on his face. “Again!”
His expectations of me were growing, which made him tougher on me, but that was just the way I liked it.
“Oof!” I exclaimed with all my might, and the metal blade flew away from the court wizard’s hands just like it had done mine. I grinned at my victory, and I trotted across the room to fetch my weapon.
Another spell added to the arsenal. And I didn’t even need to chime through several attempts this time.
I was getting better.
I handed the dagger back to Kane with a small bow of my head, and we ran through the exercise again. I repeated the process several more times until I felt like I had the disarming spell mastered, but by that time my breaths were coming in ragged pants.
Time to move on.
I reset back to the inn, and I dashed through the streets of Castle Bullard with renewed enthusiasm. Learning spells was completely addicting, and I pictured myself weaving webs of wonder for my two beautiful women as I crossed the distance to the western tower.
I repeated the dialogue tree that ended with him agreeing to teach me, and I ran down the list of what I already knew.
“I’ve got fire, ice, and disarm down,” I explained to the court wizard. “I’d really like to expand my skills, though, so what else can you teach me?”
“I know a spell very similar to disarm,” Kane informed me in an excited tone. “It’s been a while since I had a skilled apprentice who already knew so many words of power, forgive me for my enthusiasm.”
“No problem,” I chuckled, but then I gave him a pointed look. “You were saying? About the new spell?”
“O-Oh, yes, of course,” Kane stammered. He steepled his fingers together and pressed them to his lips. “Do you know the negate spell? Nin?”
“What does it do?” I asked in a curious tone. I had a pretty good guess, but I wanted to hear it straight from the wizard’s mouth.
“If you cast it at just the right moment,” Kane explained in a conspiratorial tone, “it will cancel your opponent’s spell before they can even cast it!”
“Sounds powerful,” I remarked with an arched eyebrow.
“It may take you some time to master it.” Kane shrugged his shoulders. “Do not feel bad if it takes you several years.”
“Time isn’t important.” I grinned. “Just help me get it right, and I bet you’ll be surprised at how fast I learn it.”
/>
“What do you mean, time isn’t important?” Kane’s eyes shot wide open at my words, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Everything takes time.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I chuckled. “Let’s just get to the spell work, shall we?”
“Very well,” Kane said as he shook his head in awe. “With the negate spell, you will want to move your hands across the space in front of you like you are wiping a slate clean. Do it smoothly, and your spell work will be easier.”
The spells grew more and more complicated the more I learned, but that just made me even more excited about what I would learn next.
So, I stood in the center of the room, and I waited for Kane to cast a spell. I guessed he would use fire, and I was correct, but I slashed my hands through the air the second he raised his palm.
“Nin!” I shouted, and the flame on his hand fluttered out.
I whooped and pumped my fist up into the air. It was the first spell I managed to cast successfully on the first try. Then the headache came crashing in, and I moaned as I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.
“That was remarkable for a first try!” Kane congratulated me. “How is your head?”
“In an incredible amount of pain, but worth it,” I laughed, and the motion jarred my brain even more, which caused me to wince.
“Here, I have some chocolate stashed here, somewhere…” Kane turned to rifle through the contents of one of the nearby shelves, and then he brandished a small package. “I found it. Eat this, it will help with the headache.”
“Why chocolate?” I asked as I unwrapped the paper and popped the small bite of dark chocolate into my mouth. It melted immediately and spread throughout my mouth with a soothing smoothness. The tension behind my eyes eased, and I let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Don’t you know, boy?” Kane chuckled. “Chocolate is a wizard’s balm.”
“That is very good to know.” I nodded sagely. “Where can I stock up on more of this?”
“I will keep you supplied for as long as you are my apprentice,” Kane explained, “but if you want your own, you can find it in the pastry shop on the Bullard street.”
I tucked away that little bit of knowledge for later, and I motioned to start again.
“I’m ready,” I said with a curt nod.
“So soon?” Kane arched an eyebrow at me. “Take your time, boy.”
“Nah, I feel better already,” I persisted. “Conjure your flame, old man.”
Kane laughed and pulled up the palm of his hand.
“Nin,” I commanded, and the flame sputtered out an instant later.
I still didn’t feel fast enough, though, so we repeated the process several more times until I mastered the negation spell, but I had to munch on several more pieces of chocolate in between.
“You are such a quick study,” Kane observed after my fifth successful negation spell. “I have always dreamed of such a ready apprentice!”
I almost felt bad for the kind old man, since he’d already taught me so much, and I wasn’t even his real apprentice. I satisfied myself with the knowledge that he wouldn’t remember any of this, though, and then I reset back to my save point.
Chime.
I dashed through the city, greeted the guards, and raced up the spiral staircase to Kane’s study. Then I sped through the introductions and got straight to the point.
“I want to learn more,” I insisted after I’d shared what I’d already learned.
“You know almost as much as I do,” Kane argued with a shake of his head. “I believe there is only one spell I know that you do not.”
“Teach me,” I persisted in an eager tone. I was close to being as strong as the court wizard, and nothing would stop me from completing my mission. “Teach me all you know.”
“Like I said,” Kane repeated, “I only know one other spell. It is a magical barrier that acts like a shield. It will deflect both material attacks as well as spells. A very strong spell, indeed. Are you sure you want to attempt it?”
“What’s the power word?” I asked as I moved to the middle of the room and took up my spell casting stance.
“Hur,” Kane answered with narrowed eyes, and he watched me closely as I attempted to summon the shield.
I repeated the magic word, and I brought my left hand up protectively over my face, but nothing happened. Then pain shot through my head, but I was getting used to that and ignored it. I repeated the power word again, and a blue glow emanated from my hands. It sputtered out almost instantly, but I’d still made some progress.
By the time I could conjure the full-fledged magic shield, sweat dripped down my face, and my shoulders ached from holding my arms up in the air. Even without weights, the concentrated movements took a lot of energy to maneuver over and over again, like planks for my hands.
Once I could summon the magical shield, Kane began to throw things at me to test its strength. I held my own, and I even lobbed out a few offensive spells from beneath the barrier’s protective cover.
Kane leapt over my flame as it tumbled across the floor, and he threw out a negate spell that zapped my shield from existence. Then he shot out a bolt of ice at me.
I met his ice with a blaze of fire, and the shard melted before it came within ten feet of me. Then I shot out my own bolt of frost, and the old wizard conjured a shield just in time to block it.
We danced like this for hours until we were both exhausted from the exercise, and then we collapsed onto the arm chairs like old friends. I was able to hold my own against the court wizard, and I now had five spells in my arsenal to fight with.
No goblin shaman would get the best of me now, that was for sure.
After I visited with Kane for a short while, I decided it was time to reset back to my save point in the inn. I’d really enjoyed the old man’s presence, and we’d formed a friendship of sorts in the short span of time I’d known him, but it would be better for the both of us if he didn’t remember any of our time together.
“Goodbye, Kane,” I sighed before I reset to my previous save point. “Thank you for the knowledge. I wish I could let you remember me, but this is for the best.”
“What do you mean?” Kane asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Chime.
It was as though the entire morning hadn’t happened a million times already, and it was a brand-new day. A world of possibilities had opened up in front of me, and I was eager to explore it.
I was ready to confront Duke Bullard and lay my personal claim to Bastianville.
But first I was going to get my two goddesses some breakfast in bed.
Chapter Fifteen
I crept down to the kitchen, and I knocked on the door before I entered the warm, cozy cooking space. The air was rich with the smell of fresh baked pastries, and I sniffed knowingly at the recipe. They used a touch too much salt, but it was fine for the moment. I’d come back and show the innkeeper a few tricks before we left the establishment.
“Good morning,” I called out as I entered the room.
The innkeeper turned to greet me with a confused expression. She was a plump woman, in her mid-forties, and she had frown lines between her eyebrows. Her hair was also frizzy and twisted above her head into a large knot.
“What do you need?” she asked in a curt voice.
“I’m Bash, and I’d like a tray of breakfast to share with my wives in our room upstairs,” I explained as I eyed the pastries she’d just pulled out from the oven and placed on the cooling rack. “Smells like perfection.”
“Thank you. My name is Elle.” She smiled broadly at my compliment, and color rose to her cheeks. “I’ll make you up a tray. Give me just a bit.”
She turned and busied herself with her task, so I meandered around the kitchen and got into everything while I waited. Elle snapped at me a couple of times when I dipped my finger into ingredients to taste them, but I laughed off her admonishments easily. When she’d completed the breakfast tray, she han
ded it to me with an exasperated flourish and a smile dancing in her pale green eyes.
“There! Now, keep your sticky fingers out of my kitchen,” she commanded as she wiped her hands clean on her floral apron.
“If you would stop making everything taste so good,” I teased, “then maybe I would.”
“Why, I never,” Elle gasped, and she giggled like a schoolgirl.
“Thank you, Elle, my ladies will love it.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her playfully.
Then I took the tray and trotted carefully back upstairs to the room I shared with the two most beautiful women I’d ever met. I entered quietly, and I set the tray down on the table before I crossed the distance to the bed.
Mahini and Elissa were curled up into each other’s arms peacefully asleep. Their legs were sprawled apart with their tender areas revealed, and my cock responded immediately to the image.
I’d spent a lifetime’s worth of mornings rushing off to leave my women asleep in our bed, but this time I would savor their existence for a little while before we went to confront the duke.
So, I crawled forward from the bottom of the bed until my mouth was directly above their hip lines. Then I dipped my tongue and stroked first one, then the other’s, sweet delicious pussy from bottom to top.
“Bash!” Mahini and Elissa gasped, and their eyes shot open in pleasant surprise. Then they blinked down at me from where they laid with their hair tangled together across the bed sheets.
“Good morning.” I shot them a playful grin and then repeated the motion with my tongue and fingers, which made them both buck their hips in an effort to get closer to my caresses.
I was also the god of sex, after all, and I wasn’t about to let them forget it.
I flicked my tongue over Elissa’s clit, and she shuddered with pleasure from the small motion. Then I clamped my lips down over her inner lips and sucked them up and into my mouth.
“Oh, fuck, yesssss!” the red-haired beauty squealed with delight, and she arched her back to drive her pussy even closer to me.
When I had her aching for more, I stopped and moved on to Mahini. I slurped up the desert goddess’ pussy juices like a dehydrated dog, and I explored every fold of her bright pink entrance with my tongue.
