Path of the Arcane

Aligria walked through the streets of Stormwind City at a lively pace, her hooves clipping as she strode along the cobblestone pathways. Behind her, Susie was jogging along as quickly as she could to keep up with the draenei. They stepped through an archway out of the Old Town where they had dropped Moe off.

Looking around at the canals that ran throughout the city, Susie asked. "So, where to, now?"

"The guard said to head toward the Mage Quarter." Aligria looked around and hummed. "Problem is, he didn't say where it is located."

"I thought you lived here." Susie replied. "Shouldn't you know where everything is?"

Aligria sighed. "I didn't exactly live here." she said. "Most of my time in Stormwind was spent recuperating from my journeys, or resupplying and pawning items. And as I do not dabble in the arcane, I've had little reason for being in the Mage Quarter."

"The Mage Quarter is on the other side of the city - directly across from where we are, now."

Susie and Aligria turned to see a night elf woman gesturing down the street. Aligria nodded to the elf. "Thank you for the assistance." she said.

"You're welcome." the woman replied. As she strolled by, she caught a glimpse of jewelry hanging out of the shaman's satchel. "Pardon me, but is that jewelry for sale, by chance?"

"Certainly." Aligria shrugged the bag off her shoulder and held it before the elf. "Feel free to look around."

So the night elf began rummaging through the satchel, examining the various rings and necklaces it contained. "So, what is your business in the Mage Quarter?" she asked.

"I am taking this girl in to learn mage training." Aligria answered, simply.

The elf turned to Susie, looking her up and down and humming thoughtfully. "And you believe you have what it takes to be a mage?" she asked the girl.

Susie was a little taken aback by the question. "Er,... well… I was told had… potential for it…"

"There is no question that have potential in the arcane." the elf countered. "The question is, can you handle it?!"

"What?" Susie stammered. "I… I don't…"

The elf woman sighed, turning to her completely. "Dear girl, this is not something one simply jaunts into carelessly! the path of the arane is fraught with peril!"

Susie gaped at the elf with wide eyes. "What… what kind of peril?"

"Peril from your own mind." The woman responded, pointing a lythe finger between Susie's eyes. "If you don't master yourself, the arcane will master you!"

"You make it sound like some kind of drug…" was Susie's meek reply.

"It is, in every way, a drug!" the elf answered in a chastising tone. "When you cast a spell, it will give you a sense of euphoria. When you bend the laws of nature to your will, you will feel empowered, as though you could do anything; and when the feeling fades, you will desire to cast more magic so you can feel that euphoria once more! That feeling of empowerment, if left untempered, will bring about your corruption!"

Susie turned pale as the night elf ranted. What the woman described was indeed a frightening idea. "But, aren't there lots of people who use magic? Don't night elves use it?"

The woman sighed. "That's true. Most of the world's inhabitants utilise magic in one form of another - but not all magic is the same!

"We druids utilize magic from the earth, shaman's magic is channeled through spirits and priest's magic is derived from the holy light. But the arcane is derived from the twisting nether!"

"Okay, well that sounds… weird, but it doesn't sound really dangerous, or anything."

The elf's expression changed then - to what looked like an expression of pity. "Oh child, you don't know your history, do you?"

Susie managed to look bashful at the remark.

The night elf continued. "It is exceptionally dangerous! The twisting nether is where the burning legion - the most horrible demons in existence - originated from!"

"Demons?!" Susie was aghast.

"Yes, demons! And their only access to this world is by corrupting the people through the reckless use of magic! I'm sorry girl, but there is little leeway here; if you cannot temper your actions, then you too will succome to corruption."

Before the woman could continue, Aligria stepped up to her. "Not that your warnings aren't appreciated, but I fear you may be overwhelming her."

The elf turned to her, looking a bit disdainful; but the moment passed and the elf relented, ruefully.

"Now, was there anything that caught your interest?" Aligria asked, offering the satchel to her.

Susie let the two women haggle as she contemplated the night elf's warnings; was practicing magic really as dangerous as she made it out to be? should she still pursue it?

Soon enough, the elf concluded her business with Aligria and bit the two of them farewell.

"I thought you were trying to sell your stuff?" Susie said to the draenei.

"Ideally, yes. But trading is always an option." the shaman replied, swishing a bottle of blue-green liquid in her hand. "One never knows when a trolls blood potion might come in handy!"

"TROLLS blood?!" Susie nearly gagged on the word.

Aligria pocketed the bottle, looking at the girl patronizingly. "It doesn't contain actual troll blood. You see, trolls are capable of regrowing nearly any extremity that gets severed."

"Oh, that makes me feel loads better." Susie groaned.

Aligria either didn't notice or didn't heed the girl's complaint. "This potion, while it won't regenerate any lost limbs, will accelerate the growth of new cells, quickening the healing process."

"Still doesn't make it any less gross." Susie grumbled.

The two continued their trek through the city's canals until they passed under an arch that led to an open, grassy area.

"This should be the place." Aligria mused.

Susie dutifully followed after the draenei. The moment she set foot on the springy grass, she stopped in her tracks. She felt herself besieged by an unusual sensation; almost like the feeling one gets after eating ice cream too fast, and at the same time it was warm and tingly. It cascaded through her being like a torrent surging out of a burst dam. The sensation buoyed her; she felt as though if she wanted to, she could leap up and sail away into the ethereal blue.

"Susie?" The sound of her name being called brought the girl back to the present. She looked over at Aligria, who was now several paces ahead of her, looking back with a concerned expression.

Sheepishly, Susie trickled over to the shaman's side, looking up at the imposing woman with a guilty little grin.

"Problem?" Aligria asked.

"What? Oh, no! Nothing at all! I was just, um, thinking is all!" Susie feebly stammered an explanation.

"About?"

Susie's mind quickly scrambled to come up with an explanation. Uh,... Just… about what that night elf said…. That's all."

Aligria regarded her for a moment, then gave an understanding nod. She knelt down to better look at the young girl. "If you no longer wish to train - "

"I want to!" Susie answered, realising she sounded a bit too anxious. "I want to, I… it's just… she gave me something to think about, is all."

Aligria looked at her a moment longer before nodding and getting back on her feet. "Well then, best not keep the trainers waiting any longer!"

Susie nodded, wordlessly following along. What she had said was a complete fabrication; but now that she thought about it, it really did give her pause. That sensation she felt when she first stepped into the Mage Quarter was exactly like the elf had described - and she hadn't even tasted real magic yet! She meekly followed the shaman in complete silence. Surely that errant thought had just been simple paranoia - there were mages all over Azeroth, after all - and most of them were probably just fine. No need to worry at all!

But still, a little voice somewhere in the back of her mind couldn't help but question if the elf woman was right. What if she really was setting herself on a path toward corruption?

They strolled through the manicured park, looking for a mage trainer. Eventually, they approached a woman in a purple robe. Her appearance was very similar to the night elf they had met earlier; however, Susie noticed that instead of the violet tint of the night elves, this woman's skin was white, just like her own skin tone. When she mentioned it, Aligria stated that the woman was a high elf.

Aligria hailed the high elf as she and Susie strode over to her. The shaman began speaking with the elf, discussing Susie's training. The woman, who introduced herself as Elsharin, amicably agreed to be Susie's instructor in the arcane arts.

With the agreement made, Aligria bid farewell to Susie, saying she would return for her in the evening. Susie wished her good luck with her sales as the draenei turned to leave.

"Now then," Susie's attention snapped back to Elsharin. "let us get down to business, shall we?"

"Alright." Susie quietly nodded.

The elf turned and started walking toward a spiraling ramp that led into a tall tower, beckoning Susie to follow after her.

"How much do you know about magic?" Elsharin asked as they walked along.

"Um,... well, nothing really." Susie replied in downtrodden voice.

"I see…" the elf woman mused. As the reached the tower's entrance, she stated. "The first order of business; you will need to be outfitted. Come this way, and we'll fit you with an acolyte's robe."

Susie followed the elf through the various rooms of the tower, all the while a steady hum vibrated throughout her body. As she walked, she could just barely sense another faint hum that seemed to reverberate from the very walls, thrumming in harmony to the buzzing within her.

In a matter of minutes, Susie had replaced her street clothes from Earth with a robe made of airy, loose weaved fabric. "Do I really have to wear this?" she asked. She didn't want to sound churlish, but she did feel a little ridiculous wearing it - and whenever she moved, she could feel breezes in places she wasn't used to feeling them.

"You need not wear that one, specifically." Elsharin replied in her smooth voice. "But you will want something of similar design and make. We don't wear leather or mail as they impede our connection to the neather. It may offer little protection, but cloth has proven time and again to be the only real clothing we mages can utilize."

"Oh. I see."

"But never fear, a sufficiently skilled mage can wreak all manner of devastation on the battlefield, regardless of their lack of armor!"

"Battlefield?!" Susie gasped. "Oh, no, no, no, no… I really don't intend to do any fighting!"

"You may not have the choice." Elsharin rebuttled. "The world is a dangerous place, after all.

"And on that note, have you given any consideration to what sort of weapon you'll use?"

Susie felt her face go pale and her jaw fall slack. "W,w,w,weapons?..." She squeaked. "We need weapons?! But what about skilled mages being able to wreak devastation on the battlefield?!"

Elsharin's face remained stoic as she calmly replied. "That is true. However, a weapon is still a prudent investment. Battle can be unpredictable; an enemy might jump you, giving you no time to prepare a spell, or you could exhaust your mana reserves, leaving you vulnerable until it regenerates."

Susie was aghast. "Oh. Uh, no I haven't really thought a, about it…. Um, what… kind of weapons do mages use, anyway?"

"Most mages prefer staves; though daggers and swords are also common." The elf stated. "But don't worry about it, you have plenty of time to decide. In the meantime, I think we've dallied enough. Shall we start learning how to use magic?"

"Yes, please!" piped Susie, excitedly.

They returned to the central room of the tower. Elsharin gestured to a large cushion on the floor and bid her to be seated. Susie obediently complied, gazing up at the elf expectantly. Meanwhile, the elf looked her pupil over in a contemplative manner.

"To start out with, would you say you are more emotional, or more logical in your dealings?"

The question had surprised Susie. She wasn't sure how it applied to using magic, but the way Elsharin had asked, it seemed as if it could be very important. But how should she answer; she liked to think that she was an intelligent person, she prided herself for being able to reason and rationalize through almost any problem - that was certainly logical. But then, whenever she interacted with other people (particularly Calvin) she certainly did so quite emotionally. (Lord knew that boy could rile her up no matter what he did.)

So which trait was more prominent; her rational side or her emotional side?

After a moment of consideration, Susie responded. "Well,... I guess… I'd consider myself more… emotional."

Elsharin made a thoughtful hum. "If that is the case, then perhaps fire would be the best exercise for today." When Susie looked at her quizzically, the elf elucidated. "You see, fire is connected to the emotional realm of your being; that raw passion sends energy through the body which then ignites into flames that will bend to your will. Contrariwise, frost is connected to your rationale; that logical part of the mind, where emotion is bridaled. The coldness of that region is then manifested into the air, forming crystals of ice and snow.

"That isn't to say mages are restricted to one branch or the other. Mages who are more emotional can still utilizes frost spells, and mages who are more logical are still able to cast fire, it's just a tad more difficult is all."

"What about arcane?" Susie asked. "That's the third branch, right? What's it connected to?"

Elsharin smiled cunningly. She liked this girl's inquisitive nature. "The arcane is ever present in the mage, it flows throughout the body constantly, in fact it fuels all of the mages abilities. In some ways, this makes arcane spells the easiest to use; however, only mages who truly and completely balance both their emotional and rational aspects can gain mastery over the arcane."

"Oh, I see!" Susie was enthralled. "Y'know, now that you mention it, I think of myself as as being pretty balanced like that! Maybe I could master arcane!"

Elsharin grinned and seated herself across from the enthusiastic girl. "Time will tell. For now, let us focus on fire.

"Now, utilizing magic is very much a mental exercise. Your mind is the key to harnessing your power. To summon fire, you must think of fire. Focus on heat and flames with all your might! Concentrate! Will the flames into existence!"

Susie dutifully did as instructed. She closed her eyes and thought as hard as she could about anything related to heat - fire, embers, lava, sweltering deserts, the molten core of the earth, the sun, toaster ovens. But no matter how hard she concentrated, how furiously she focused her will, no flames appeared - not even a spark.

When she got to the point where she felt like her head would rupture from how hard she was forcing her will, she slumped over, panting hard. She looked up at her tutor with shame and sorrow all over her face. "I'm sorry." she heaved. "I,... couldn't do it."

To her surprise, Elsharin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling softly. "Don't despair. I hardly expected you to conjure flames on your first lesson - let alone your first try! But it was not in vain; feel your hands."

Perplexed, Susie placed a hand on her thigh. Her eyes widened when her hand made contact - it was much warmer than it ought to have been.

"The fact that you could summon so much heat on your first attempt is quite impressive." Elsharin reassured the young girl. "Now then, let us proceed."

The day proceeded in similar manner; Elsharin described the the various magics and means to invoke their power. Susie listened in rapt attention, occasionally asking questions or seeking clarification on certain points.

As the daylight started ebbing away, Susie asked a question that Elsharin wasn't quite expecting. "It is safe, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Elsharin asked.

"Magic, the arcane!" Susie clarified. "Is it safe?!"

The elf tsked. "Of course it's safe. Why do you ask?"

"Well,... see, I met this night elf earlier today, and she said that using the arcane was inherently dangerous! She talked about corruption and demons and stuff like that!"

Elsharin considered her with a dour expression. "Was this night elf, perchance, a druid?"

"Erm,... yes, I think that's what she said."

Elsharin scoffed. "The thing about night elves, druids in particular, is that they're excessive worry-warts when it comes to the arcane!

"It is true that it takes a strong mind to master spellcraft. And those of weaker fortitude often do succumb to terrible fates. A prime example would be the Sin'dorei."

"The Cindy-who?" Susie questioned.

"Sin'dorei. You might know them as blood elves. they lived for centuries utilizing magic, weaving it into everything they did, so much so that now they literally cannot live without it!"

"My goodness!" Susie gasped.

"Never fear. As I said, the blood elves incorporated magic into everything in their lives. So long as you temper your use of magic, you will be fine." Seeing that her pupil was still visibly worried, Elsharin decided to switch tactics. "If you're really concerned about this, you might consider taking up meditation."

"Meditation? Would that really work?"

"Certainly. It will also be of benefit as it will strengthen your mind and provide mental clarity, which in turn will increase your spellcasting abilities. We can discuss this further on our next lesson. Right now, it appears you guardian has come to collect you."

Susie looked to where the elf's gaze had turned. Sure enough, Aligria stood at the entrance of the tower with a surly looking Moe right behind her. She got to her feet and thanked Elsharin for the lesson as she went to join them.

"So that's how my day's been." Susie finished her story.

Across from her, Calvin nodded contemplatively while Hobbes growled softly. "Pretty exciting." Calvin mused.

"Yes… real exciting." Susie replied, then fell into a ponderous silence.

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there, somewhere." Calvin interjected with an intrigued voice.

Susie remained silent for a spell, trying to figure out how to express what she was feeling. "It's just… remember what the night elf said about magic's addictive nature?" "The boy and tiger nodded. "Well,... earlier when you first came in and I made all those sparks appear, when that happened, it… well it felt good. I mean really, really good! Like floating through the air and basking in the sun and having a sugar rush all at once! And I,... I was disappointed when it faded. And that's not all. Remember that hum I mentioned before? It's still there. It's real faint now, but I can still feel it."

"So you're worried that using magic really will mess you up?" Calvin surmised. Susie wordlessly nodded. "So, what're ya gonna do about it?"

Susie went quiet for a pregnant moment, contemplating what to say. At length, the words burst from her mouth. "Willyouhelpme?!"

Calvin and Hobbes both looked at her, confused. "...What?"

Taking a few deep breaths, Susie reiterated. "Will you help me?... I mean, if you ever see that I start... going off the deep end, will you do whatever you can to snap me out of it?"

A fiendish smile slowly slid it's way over Calvin's face. "Sure, I think I could help with that."

Susie smiled in relief. She knew what Calvin's idea of helping would be, but strange as it seemed, she was truly grateful for it. Turning to the tiger, she said. "And Hobbes, you can help too. You make sure he doesn't go soft on me, alright?"

Calvin blew through his lips, derisive.

"What?" Susie questioned.

"It's just, between the two of us, Hobbes would be more likely to go soft on you!"

Hobbes looked at her with what she could swear almost looked like a guilty grin.

"Well regardless, you will still help, won't you?" At this, the tiger nodded solemnly.

Susie smiled warmly. "Thank you, both of you." she said with the warmest gratitude she could muster.

The three occupants of the room turned at the soft clipping sound that signalled Aligria's presence. "Susie, please find Moe and tell him that dinner will be ready shortly.

"Okay." Susie got up and went around to the back of the building. There she found Moe with a large stick in his hands, swinging wildly and vigorously at a training dummy. He was really going to town on the poor thing.

Idly, Susie wondered what he had gone through today.