Jaune knew he had been staring at the girl too long, but he couldn't help himself. What were the chances of another Wizard stumbling into him, in the middle of his first Wizardry, right before he activated it, and that too in his secret clearing?
Hey lover boy, this ain't a romantic movie. Staring will get your nothing but a black eye, especially from someone like her.
Jaune shook himself out of his stupor and went into his default 'meeting-new-person-mode'.
"Hey there, pleased to meet ya." He flashed his brightest grin. "Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
If there is a psychic equivalent to a spit-take, his Manual gave the perfect example of it.
"Excuse me?" The girl's expression, which previously mirrored Jaune's surprise, now scrunched into a curious mixture of shock and disgust.
"Er…sorry!" Jaune had no idea what he was apologizing for or why the girl was so offended by the greeting. Most people just laughed it off and at this point Jaune was working too much in autopilot to even analyze it. "Just introducing myself as Jaune Arc. That's my name. Yeah. Sorry again for that. Uh, what's yours?"
His manual's boisterous laughter did not help.
The girl continued to stare at him askance, as if he was from a different species altogether. Jaune just wished she stopped looking at him like that.
"Shut up, just shut up." Jaune obeyed her order. "Answer my question first. Are you a Wizard or not?"
Jaune swallowed hard and nodded, mouth clamped shut.
"You said your name is Jaune Arc? Spelled J-A-U-N-E A-R-C?" She was flipping through the pages of a small red pocketbook like she was a detective verifying facts on a case.
Jaune hummed in agreement, not daring to open his mouth. The girl had a fearsome scowl and looked more dangerous than many of his ex-classmates did in the middle of combat. If she knew what a Wizardry was on sight alone, she was probably more skilled than he was. He did not want to risk turning into a toad.
Wow Jaune, didn't know you believed sexist stereotypes. Just because she's a female magic user who's mad at you, you think she's going to turn you into a toad. That's an offensive stereotype and I'm hurt you would ever think that way.
What? No! I don't, I didn't, Jaune floundered for words, completely out of his depth. "I didn't mean to call anyone a witch!"
And that was out loud. This entertainment almost makes up for your terrible attitude in my class Jaune.
"Did you just call me a witch?" Her voice was ice-cold.
"No, well, yes, but no, I wasn't calling you a witch, I just didn't want you to turn me into a toad you see." The words tumbled out of his mouth like whitewater. "You being a powerful Wizard and all."
Her dark brown eyes betrayed no emotion and were almost unnervingly unreadable. He wondered if she practiced that in the mirror. She stared at him for a few seconds before breaking the silence by clapping her pocketbook shut.
"What the hell are you talking about? Toads? Witches? Powerful Wizard?" She started laughing out loud, startling Jaune. "This is the funniest thing, holy crap!"
She was bent over with her hands on her knees and busting a gut. Jaune's fear turned into indignation. "Hey, what's going on?"
"I think you're the lowest experience Wizard I've seen on here. I thought they didn't list Wizards at all at that level." She straightened up and wiped a tear out of her eye. "Me, turning people into frogs willy-nilly. I wish. How long have you been a Wizard?"
"Er…since this morning?"
That took her by surprise. "Since this morning?"
"Yeah, why? Are you going to start laughing again?" Jaune crossed his arms indignantly.
"No, no, this is a different matter altogether." She took a few steps toward his Wizardry before pausing, grimacing at her pocketbook, and stopping. "May I approach your Wizardry, Jaune?"
"Um, yeah, sure." Jaune pointed at the pocketbook. "Is that your Manual?"
"Yeah. My mentor and guide through the wonderous and unlimited potential of Wizardry." She said in a mocking voice. "A right pain sometimes, let me tell you. Has to do everything by the book."
Jaune glanced at his Manual. "Does each Manual have its own personality?"
She shrugged, walking around his Wizardry circle and checking it against something in her Manual. "Don't know any other Wizards."
"Did you look me up in your Manual?"
"Yeah."
Why didn't you tell me you could find other Wizards?
You never asked.
Jaune sighed and moved on. "So, you know my name. It's only fair for me to know yours as well."
"Saphie." She said without pausing in her analysis of his Wizardry.
He watched her closely as she looked at some term, at her Manual, back to the Wizardry, and then continued on. Jaune licked his lips, almost nervous of whatever judgement she would pass on it before pausing. Why did he suddenly care so much about what she thought of his wizardry? He barely knew her!
It's that self-confidence of hers. His manual's voice was serious. It's one of the most important qualities in a Wizard. How can you hope to convince the Universe to bend to your will without believing what you are doing is right?
Jaune observed her with this newfound insight. He had to agree with his manual there; she looked as if she was a professor grading his work and Jaune had slipped into the student role as a result.
She has an exceptionally strong conviction and a stronger will. I'd stay on her good side.
Jaune sat down and waited as she finished her circle, practicing the Speech. It was a few minutes before her voice broke his concentration.
"Was this Wizardry your idea or did the Manual suggest it to you?"
Jaune decided to fully slip into the role of the student. "My manual suggested it, saying it was the best fit for my skills."
"How much of this was template?"
"Pretty much everything but the request and my name were copied. The formatting was all me, however."
"And you said you became a Wizard this morning?" Disbelief was woven into her words.
"Yeah."
"Are you confident in this Wizardry?"
Jaune took a breath and reviewed his work, as he had already done twice before and after writing it. Self confidence is important. "Yes."
"Go ahead and cast it then." She stepped away from the Wizardry.
Manual?
Yes Jaune?
How do I cast it?
I was going to save the actual casting until we covered the theory of casting and how to debug the Wizardry before execution.
I'm sensing a but coming up.
Honestly, she's right. Even I'm a bit surprised at how well you've managed to pick up and use the Speech. If you think you are ready to skip straight to casting, I won't stop you. Casting is simple. Visualize the changed universe in your mind and read aloud the Wizardry. Maintain your will throughout to ensure a successful casting.
Jaune rolled his shoulders and stretched before opening his Manual to where the Wizardry's exact description lay. He read through once more and focused his mind on his self-image. The Wizardry began by describing all entities involved and the very first was himself.
The moment he started speaking, he became rooted and unable to move. He ignored the effect and kept reading, focused on the Speech and his will. He felt the Universe bend inwards as if he were its center. He could acutely feel every photon in his immediate area and their paths. Energy flowed through him and into the air surrounding him, shaping its properties according to his will. The difference between what was asked for and what was real diminished until the two concepts coincided as he finished the Wizardry. The Universe went back to normal and Jaune fell to his knees panting. It was utterly exhausting.
"Holy shit it actually worked." Saphie's voice was full of surprise and wonder. Without the hard edge to it, it almost sounded like it was someone else's.
Jaune stared down at himself. Or rather, at where he would have been. The only thing remaining in the space that his body appeared in was a slight shimmer, like a localized mirage.
It was very disorienting. His manual was floating in midair and was his only idea of the location of his hands in space. He took a step backwards only to fall flat on his rear as he misjudged his feet placement. He tried to get up twice and failed miserably both times, landing in a tangle of invisible limbs.
He sat down and waited for the rest of the minute-long spell to run its course. He wasn't enjoying losing all sense of physical context and he definitely wasn't enjoying Saphie giggling at his semi-transparent body flailing on the floor.
As the spell came to an end, he faded back into merciful opacity.
"So?" he cocked his head at Saphie. "Am I still the weakest Wizard you've ever looked up?"
She shook her head and guffawed. "Yeah. But." She toed his fading Wizardry on the ground. "You're not completely useless."
Jaune gathered his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. "Thanks?"
She stared at his melancholy expression for a moment before walking over with a sigh and offering him a hand. He looked at the extended hand in confusion before grasping it and allowing himself to be pulled up.
"Listen. I'm going to be real with you here." She crossed her arms and stared into the trees. "I wasn't lying when I said you were the only Wizard I've encountered so far. My Manual told me to find the Area Wizard for advice after casting my first Wizardry, but I never really got around to it."
Protocol checks out. I was going to tell you the same thing, but honestly, I was thinking I shouldn't. You'd just embarrass yourself in front of them.
Yeah, yeah, haha laugh it up. Either be useful and search for this 'Area Wizard' or shut up.
He turned his attention back to Saphie, the conversation with his Manual taking only a couple of seconds through the mental link. "So, uh, Saphie. How long have you been a Wizard?"
"A couple months now."
Jaune blinked. "How did you manage to be able to read my Wizardry in that amount of time? The explanation for half those terms were locked behind dozens of prerequisites! And a half dozen warnings about customizing them!"
"Oh that? Ha. I was only looking up what you wrote in the manual, same as you did. I can barely piece together a translocation Wizardry half the time." Her tone was off handed but there was a bitter undercurrent to the words.
The Academy may not have made him Beacon-ready, but it had given him more than enough experience to read self-doubt and the various ways people tried to cover it up. He'd employed half of them himself from time to time. And right now, all that experience was giving him a pretty clear reading. He would have to be tactful.
"Is that why you never went to the Area Wizard?"
Never mind. Foot, meet mouth.
Saphie stiffened. It was a tense moment before she finally spoke. "No. Well, yes, but it wasn't the entire reason." She turned away from the forest and looked at him. "Don't ask me that again."
Jaune put his hands up to placate her. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry." He wasn't sure why she got so defensive about it but he could let it slide. He moved on. "By the way, what were you doing here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how did you come across my clearing?"
"Your clearing?" she guffawed. "I've been coming here for the past 3 years. If anything, it's my clearing."
"Try 6 years. Found this clearing before I even got into Signal."
"You're a Hunter? No offense," she said, indicating she was going to be offensive. "but you don't exactly look the part."
"Not a Hunter, not yet. Was supposed to graduate this year but things didn't, uh, work out." Jaune nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Now ain't that relatable." Saphie looked up at the sky.
"You went to Signal too?" Jaune perked up.
"No, never got the chance to. Always wanted to though."
"Huh." It felt good to have something else in common with the first and only Wizard he had met so far.
They sat in silence for a while, just absorbing the events of the past half hour.
"Did you flunk out?" Her voice was curious and free of judgement.
"Not exactly. I didn't meet the combat requirements for graduation." Jaune put his hands behind his head and lay down on the sun-warmed grass. "Four years down the drain."
She arched an eyebrow. "How did you manage to pass in everything but combat? Isn't that the entire point of going there?"
"Hey! It's not like I can't fight! I even have my own…" Jaune sat up suddenly, causing Saphie to flinch. "CROCEA MORS! How could I forget?!"
"Woah, Jaune, what happened?"
Jaune stood up, full of sudden energy. "Crocea Mors, it's my sword. Well, my dad's but he gave it to me for my final year. I, er, I got mugged yesterday. It got stolen then."
"You, a final year Signal student, got mugged?" Saphie asked sardonically.
"I failed the combat certification by a good margin, ok?" he defended.
"Maybe your power rating in the Manual isn't a mistake after all…"
Wow, she doesn't give a flying fish. Imagine if she knew the truth, Jaune. I don't think she'd leave you alive.
How the hell do you know what happened last night?
We're sharing our thoughts moron.
"I take offense to that." he said out loud to her.
"I don't care."
"That's rude."
"I don't care."
"Fair enough." Jaune gave up on that topic. "I need to get it back as soon as possible or my dad is going to suspect something is wrong."
"From the guys who mugged you? Alone?"
"I was thinking of asking a friend from Signal…" Jaune said, convincing neither of them.
Saphie ran a hand over her face. "Ok listen, this is against my better judgement, but my Manual is pretty much forcing me to do this. Since you're the only Wizard I know, I'm willing to help out."
Jaune perked up. "Thank you so much! Maybe you can teach me a few things too!"
"Calm down, let's take this one step a time. I can call in sick tomorrow and we can go get your…"
"Sword."
"Your sword then. Find out where those punks hide out and everything will be much easier."
"Sounds like a plan!" Jaune was buzzing with excitement. "Alright let's meet up near…hey where are you going?!"
Saphie was already at the edge of the clearing. "I took too much time here. I'll get fired!" she yelled back as she disappeared into the trees.
"No, wait, stop! How am I going to contact you? Dust damn it!" Jaune kicked the ground.
Jaune.
What?
I literally have the details of every Wizard nearby, remember? That comes with contact details as well.
Jaune rubbed his eyes. Right. Of course. So I just call her up?
The Wizardry Manual also contains transcommunication features, including, but not limited to text, 2D and 3D images and video, and even smell. Try them out today!
You're a real sarcastic jerk aren't you? I bet her Manual is much nicer than you are.
Aww, love you too.
Jaune shook his head, communicating good-natured irritation, and hurried back to his waiting family, his mind filled with wonder at finding a fellow Wizard and the plan they'd made to get Crocea Mors back. He could feel tomorrow would be an important day.
AN: I'm still alive! Yay!
A few clarifications about Jaune failing graduation. Jaune wasn't the only one to not graduate. As his parents stated last chapter, Signal has been tightening its standards to put out lower quantity, higher quality batches of graduates. As a result many students have been failing in each year, Jaune being one of them. If you have any more doubts or questions, please don't hesitate to PM me and we can have a chat!
As usual, do review and PM, I love hearing from you guys!