Creators Guild: A Wizard's Beginning

by R. W. Weston

  The time for Roland had seemed to go by faster than he had expected. His personal studies had taken much of his time since he had arrived. He felt like he was able to match almost anyone's knowledge on the political situations of the known realms. His understanding on taking the elemental power while remaining focused on reality had improved greatly. He was excited now that Maglin had returned he would be able to start actual training.

  "Apprentice Roland," said Wizard Petron, "you have learned well. I cannot disagree with the other wizards and prevent you from learning what destiny has given us. You will now begin the lessons of magic. Each step will take you closer to who you will become one day. Your first element will be fire under the instruction of Wizard Ylien, fire master."

  He remembered the heads of each elemental order. Ylien had always been patient with him, and the few times he had seen him in the hallways had been pleasant.

  "Remember apprentice, each person learns differently. Having been born with the ability that you have, I imagine you will be able to learn quickly. As you advance through each element, you will be watched even closer," said Petron. "As you may have seen, each wizard carries with him a staff of power. Embedded somewhere are power stones, which will give you a better ability to control the elements. We have had a few staffs made so that you may choose which one feels the best to you."

  The walls were lined with several staffs to choose from ranging from ones that looked like plain tree branches, to black smooth obsidian. Even though it looked like stone it felt as light as a feather. Each one had the pits where the elemental power stones were to be embedded. Many ran along the shank of the staff spaced just far enough apart for the person’s fingers to touch. This helped to bring the power of the stones in contact with the holder. Other staffs had some pattern or design on the top, their lengths ranged from a cane to a full height man.

  He walked around the room, looking at each staff picking some up to test their feel and weight in his hands. There were some that he could barely lift, even though they were smaller then he was. Others he couldn’t even get close to. Each staff seemed to emanate a little power of its own, repelling any unwanted user. It seemed more difficult to find a suitable staff then he had imagined. Lying against a pillar was an unusual looking staff; it was bent and crooked as though it was a rough hewn limb from a branch. It came to about mid arm to him and almost glistened with power. Running down the side was a dark black streak that went the full length of it.

  The top was almost like a knotted pine after having been smoothed to a crystal shine. The pits for the stones were laid around the top with a large indented area; he picked it up feeling a strong surge of power through his body. He felt as though it was fusing itself to his very core. He swung it around the weight and balance was perfect for him.

  Ylien took Roland to a new part of the castle; it never ceased to amaze him how big this place actually was. Each order had its own training center. Located in their separate wings, this allowed them to teach without hindrance from anyone not of their order. The training room for the order of fire was exceptionally large. From what he could see there were many different situations that someone could find themselves in, ranging from a large army to what appeared to be a hospice of some sort.

  "Apprentice, before we start any physical training, you will need to learn the lore behind fire. Why we have it and what it can be used for. Also the dangers it can pose not only to yourself but to those around you.

  Back when you were testing to get in, you may remember me telling you that fire is the hardest and most dangerous of all elements to control. Because it can easily take control of you, and in so doing will consume you and you could spontaneously combust. The main purpose of fire is to cleanse, that is why the Creator gave it to us, but being who we are we use it more to destroy, there are only two things that can stop fire from destroying, water and earth, all else will assist in the destruction.

  When we connect ourselves to fire we are actually tapping into the awesome power of the sun. It has the ability to cleans or destroy all it touches, depending on who is controlling it. As I told you before, fire is not to be played with. You are not to access it without me or one of my assistants around to help you, do you understand?"

  "Yes sir, that is all very clear to me, except, when you say we are tapping directly into the power of the sun, how do we accomplish that?"

  "When you were young, did you ever take a broken piece of glass and try to start a fire with it or kill small insects with it?"

  "I don't really remember, but I have seen that being done."

  "That is the same basic principle. The sun is a key element in our lives; without it we would be unable to function, think of all it does. The sun provides us the light to grow all our plants, heat for our homes for most of the cycle. Throughout your training you will be learning how to control it. Manipulating it for what you want it to do. Once you reach patlin status, you will learn how to use its properties to protect people.

  To start out you will need to learn the basics. When you were tested it took several hours to extinguish a flame. The first thing you will learn is something simple. Take this pitcher of water and heat it up without burning the wood jug that it’s in."

  With all his earlier lessons he could now take control of the element with little effort; however he was unprepared for the amount he was able to take on channeling it through his staff. He focused all his thoughts on controlling the wave of power to enter into the water. When the element first made contact with the water he was struck with a wave of nausea. With that the element took on a little more power then he wanted and the wood began to smoke along the rim.

  He quickly regained the power and once again directed it into the water. The nausea didn’t come as strong this time now that he was expecting it. Slowly steam began to rise from the water. Again he got too excited and sent a large burst of power that instantaneously turned the pitcher to ash.

  "What happened?" demanded Ylian.

  "I messed it up. When I saw the steam start to rise I lost control and too much power went in. It will not happen again, I promise."

  "Very well try it again, but focus this time. Watch your emotions they can be both your greatest strength as well as your greatest weakness," he explained.

  "Before I do it again, I need to know something. When the flame touched the water I felt as though I was going to vomit and pass out, what caused that?"

  "When each element comes in contact with another there is always an influx of power. Each element changes just a little to accommodate the other. Your body will quickly become used to the changes. Each time that happens it will change your body chemistry a little as well," he answered. "There is nothing for you to worry about. In fact you will come to enjoy the changes after a while."

  “Before you take up the power again, use this little spell, Dal Shaleel,” Ylian told him. “This will help to reduce the amount of power that flows through you.”

  Roland took up the power one more time, whispering Dal Shaleel. He felt the power flow through him, but this time it was different it was controlled. It felt limited. He became determined not to fail. He wanted to learn all he could as quickly as possible. He wanted to show them that he could become one of the most powerful wizards there has ever been.

  He focused the power on the water willing it to heat up. He braced himself for the nausea that would come. With the lower power level the feeling and disorientation was greatly reduced. This gave him the ability to focus and control the power stream better this time allowing him to heat the water up quickly, judging when it was at the point of boiling he pulled the power back and released it.

  The pitcher itself was a little warm to the touch, but looking inside he could see the small bubbles that had formed along the inside, right at the point of boiling. He poured them both a cup of tea and they sat there talking about the day’s lessons and the magical world as they slowly drank it.

  He studied fire lore for the next few we
eks. The main emphasis on his training at this point was to learn control, knowing how much of the power to use, how to place it in the right spot and when to use it. His understanding about the properties of fire grew each day; he also enjoyed the company of Marcl the patlin who was placed over him as a guide and teacher.

  Marcl was a few cycles older than Roland or so it appeared. He too had grown up on a small farm, taken in by the wizards when his family was killed by the Crioltians. They had not only become student and mentor, but friends. They shared their secrets with one another. Marcl allowed him to work harder than most mentors allowed.

  Through all the training he had grown to trust Roland, he also knew of the prophecies of the bringer of light. With as much power as he could hold Marcl had himself convinced that Roland was the one.

  “Pull it back in,” Marcl yelled at him.

  At that instant the pig skin that Roland was trying to cauterize started to boil, the layer of fat just under the skin pushing it out causing the skin to bulge. Within a few seconds the stomach exploded throwing entrails around the room. He had been focusing his ability at the healing arts, or trying to, knowing his mother was a great healer so he should be able to master that skill pretty easily. This however was proving very difficult; he had already completely disintegrated three pigs, burned up half a cow and nearly burned himself to ashes as well.

  Roland continued to study under Marcl for the next several months, preparing for the final tests he would have to pass with Ylian. The basics would cover things such as creating a light, heating water, closing and cleansing a wound. What he was finding that the more he connected with the power the stronger he was becoming. He found the more complex the spells were the more draining they would be. There were times he would come out of the void dripping with sweat.

  "Wizard Ylian, Apprentice Roland has achieved all the necessary discipline and skill for an apprentice of fire. He is now ready to be moved into a new discipline. We seek your knowledge and approval on this matter," said Marcl, giving the speakers’ floor to the Ylian.

  "I thank you for your assistance with this young apprentice, now let him be brought forth to be tested and tried, let us see what he has learned."

  He was brought before the fire council, a small group of wizards that belonged to the order of fire. They tested his knowledge and skills, recognizing all that he had accomplished during his training. As a council they agreed that he had sufficient knowledge and control over the element to be allowed to pass onto another order. He was then presented with a brilliant red ruby.

  Ylian waved his hand over the staff causing the ruby to burn bright and melt into the staff. Ylian walked with him to the hall of joining. This was a large room where all four of the elemental wings met.

  The room was spacious with a high domed ceiling. Looking up you could see a giant gold inlay of the sun, the natural lights making it shine. The walls were a white marble; they were plainly decorated with a few chairs and tables along the walls. The floor was a brick inlay with a large mural on it; he only caught a glimpse of it as he was presented to Wizard Alren, the water master who was waiting across the hall.

  "Wizard Alrien of the Order of Water, I present to you Apprentice Roland der Causland," said Wizard Ylian.

  "I will receive the apprentice; let him now be joined with us."

  Following the change ceremony they walked in silence down the long corridor. The walls in this area seemed to flow as though nothing was truly solid; the stone had the appearance as though it was covered in water. There were paintings and tapestries covering the walls. Something he noticed that the fire in the wall sconces looked more blue than red or orange that he was used to seeing.

  He didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask why he only figured it had something to do with the use of water and its incompatibility with fire. He was shown to his room which like his previous one was small and unassuming. The bare essentials were there, a bed, table, and chair as well as the small wardrobe. There were not any windows of course, so he figured he would be in complete isolation as he was before.

  The following morning he was escorted down to the training room. It was large and arranged in a like manner to that of the fire, although the testing stations were a little different.

  "Apprentice, please be seated, this is Patlin Germai, he will be the one that will be instructing you throughout this training. But first I will be the one to instruct you on what you will need to know to be able to control this element," he said, "before we start let me see your staff please."

  He gave him the staff and Alrien placed the water crystal in it, once again giving him the ability to control more of the elemental power. While Alrien was setting the crystal, he took the opportunity to visit with Germai. He seemed to be cast in stone, the best that he could see he had no facial expressions and whenever he would answer a question it was short and to the point.

  "Water like fire is one of the life essences that we have, all living creatures have the need for water. Without it nothing would grow, like the heat of the sun each living thing takes something from this element. In your training you will eventually be able to learn to control the rain, as well as learn the hidden possibilities of this element."

  Germai took him down onto the training grounds to show him around and explain the types of tests he would be given. He explained the many different uses of the water element.

  "You have been trained using fire, that is the most difficult to control. From what I hear you are a fast learner, so we will not start you out with something to easy," said Germai, sounding very resentful that he had to be the one to train the new apprentice. "When you first came you had to fill a jug with water; that was easy. One of the most important functions of water is using it as a mask. You know what a mirage is, don't you?"

  "Yes, on a hot day when it looks like there is some water but it’s only an illusion."

  "Very good, well by controlling the many thousands of water droplets around you, you can create an illusion that you are not really there. Watch how I do it," with that he disappeared from sight.

  Roland quickly took hold of the power to join him in the alternate reality. There he was able to see how he was able to mask himself. He pulled a small layer of mist, so small that it was invisible to the naked eye. Each particle of mist would refract the light in a different way, creating the illusion that there was nothing there.

  "That is amazing, can I try it?" he asked enthusiastically.

  "This will be your first lesson. Remember to call on the water is unlike fire, water will become your friend. You will not have to show this element that you are strong enough to control it."

  He took hold of the element and concentrated on gathering the cloak of mist around him. The only problem he had was in his excitement he pulled too much power and as a result was knocked down by what felt like a huge tidal wave. He stood back up soaked to the bone, with Germai actually laughing at what had happened.

  "Now, you will try it again, but control yourself. This will be your greatest challenge in every element. Without proper control you can seriously harm yourself. As you can see, you can be a danger to someone around you," he said, still smiling.

  "Let me give you an example of how you can endanger those around you. Say you are out on the sea for some reason, let's say to save a trapped ship. You can use the power to raise the water level enough to lift it off the reef. If you are not careful you can create too large a wave and destroy the ship and possibly those on it. Do you now understand the importance of control?"

  "Yes, I believe I do," he replied, ashamed that he let his emotions take over once again.

  Roland tried a few more times before he was able to get the mist to form as it needed to. It was a great deal harder than he first thought it would be, but he did discover that if he could see something being performed a few times, it became easier for him to do.

  Throughout his training he was able to learn most of the limitations of the water element. Until that ti
me he was unaware that even the most powerful of things, still have their own limitations. Aside from using water to hide yourself he learned how it could be used to reveal someone that is hidden with magic.

  This was done almost the same way that you hide yourself or the object that you do not wish to be seen. By changing the flow of the mist you can see behind the shield, almost revealing the intents of the person’s heart.

  Aside from this, he found that like fire, it is one of the elements used in healing. Fire cleanses by burning the infection; however you still need to use the water to clean it away from the wound.

  Germai was a quiet person, when the lessons were being conducted he was very stern and rigid in how he explained things. When they were at meals or during the study times he would sit by himself rarely socializing. Every time Roland attempted to make conversation he would close off. He would then force him to focus on his studies or simply tell him he didn’t have time for small talk.

  Roland started to tell him about his father and the friends he had left behind in Kirchwin. He told him about growing up never knowing his mother because she had died when he was so young. Then coming here and finding out that she had been a powerful sorceress. During all this he did start to get him to open up. The small comments that he would make finally broke through when he started to explain what had happened when he was young.

  As a young boy his father was very cruel to him and his siblings. He would squander the families’ money at the town inn with drinks and gambling. The worst part was when he returned home, drunk and angry that he had lost his money. Then he would take it out on the children. He being the eldest of the family received the worst of it.

  It all ended one day though when he found his father dead, hanging from the rafters in the barn. He could only imagine what had happened the night before. His mother fell apart at that point and left the children. He took care of them as long as he could before being selected to come to the house of learning.