Professor Puck's Magic Class

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Spiral Flames In Lugnica! Today our heroes try to give magic wielding a whirl along with learning a few other little tidbits about their hosts so look forward to that. Also, feel free to check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! And of course I can't forget to thank my beta reader, Steeler Steelix, for proofreading and editing the chapter. Finally, I'll be working on getting Hailstorm Vol. 2 up some time next week if all goes well so expect that hopefully soon. Now then, it seems we have no guest review questions this week so let's dive on in!

The Night Before: The Mansion of Roswaal L. Mathers

"I don't think we should do that." Nejire stated with a firm look. "We've got no reason to hide anything from them."

She had been surprised when Dabi requested to speak to her privately in one of the other guest rooms. The heroine knew he wouldn't try killing her right now due to their little shared condition, but that didn't mean she hadn't been wary. That wariness, however, quickly gave way to annoyance when he had told her his thoughts.

"We've got no reason that you can see." Dabi retorted. "I know you're not dumb enough to believe we're in some story book fairytale. Just because someone's giving us help doesn't mean they don't have ulterior motives and even if they don't have ulterior motives, what are the odds that witches are looked on favorably in this world?"

"But if we just explain to them that Pandora sent us here against our will, then I'm certain they would understand." The wave motion Quirk user argued back. "The way she talked, I doubt we're hardly her first victims."

"They might understand or they might turn out to hate witches so much that they won't listen to anything we have to say after that." The pyrokinetic pointed out. "Take it from me, I've known some people who can't listen worth a shit when you bring the wrong subject up."

"And just what should we do when they start demanding a more in depth explanation on how we got here?" Nejire asked with her hands on her hips. "It might make things easier for the mage here if we just tell him everything right off the bat."

"I'm not suggesting we never tell them." Dabi explained. "I'm just saying we need to get the lay of the land here first. Once we know for sure they won't flip out at the mention of a witch, you can tell them all about it. Will that work?"

The U.A. student didn't want to admit the logic in his statement as she glanced to the side in annoyance.

He had probably seen it too, the way Rem had wrinkled her nose for a moment with a look of disgust on her face. The maid was a true professional, though, it was there and gone in hardly two seconds. The only reason the two of them had seen it was because Ram had done something similar earlier and they had nearly missed it. Nejire wanted to believe they just smelled bad after fighting it out with an enhanced assassin, but that shouldn't have been enough to warrant such a look.

"Fine." Nejire relented. "We'll try and learn about witches and the role they play in this world first. If we're lucky, then we might find a way around whatever it is Pandora has done to us."

"And still snag the reward she was offering." Dabi couldn't help but smirk as he said that last part.

"Yep, there's the villain we all know and hate." Nejire commented. "Opportunistic as always."

"You telling me you weren't thinking along the same lines?" The flame user asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"I don't want power just to throw around and get my way." The wave motion girl responded. "If I think the so-called reward a 'witch' was offering us would help my friends, then I would consider it."

"Still basically the same goal with different ends." Dabi pointed out. "But whatever, so long as we agree on takin' out the witch that'll be good enough for me."

"Taking out the witch and getting home." Nejire added. "That's what I can agree on."

"Then we got our common goal." The pyrokinetic said with a slight smirk. "So let's do some research and find the right moment to tell them the rest of what we know."


Daytime: The Mansion of Roswaal L. Mathers

"Well, this is something of an annoyance, I suppose." Beatrice commented grumpily as Nejire, Dabi, and Emilia all stood in her library. Puck was also there, currently being held in her little arms. "You expect me to help these strangers right away after just now getting some time with Bubby?"

"Of course you don't have to start this instant." Emilia assured her. "Just as soon as you get a chance. Dabi and Nejire probably have people back in their world who are very worried about them, and that's why I was asking now."

"Betty doesn't much care if their whole world is waiting for them to get back." She replied with a 'hmph'. "Betty will have her time with Bubby first, I suppose."

"Don't worry, Betty." Puck said. "I promised we would spend the day together and I intend to keep my word on that. But, if you don't help Emilia's new friends, then I can't be so sure about next time."

"No!" The short blond exclaimed. "Betty will help Bubby's friends, don't worry! Betty just wants to play with Bubby for a while today, I suppose."

"I think we can work with that arrangement." The feline agreed before turning to the other worlders. "What do you think? Can you wait at least another day?"

"We can." Nejire replied. "Would it be okay if you lent us a book or two in the meantime?"

"I don't think that's going to help us right now." Dabi reminded her as Beatrice handed the blue-haired girl one of her books.

The U.A. student quickly skimmed through it and realized a fact she had forgotten until just recently: neither she nor Dabi could read a single word of this world's language.

"Oh, that's right." Nejire laughed nervously. "We're going to need to learn how to read and write all over again."

"Add yet another mark on the list of pain in the ass stuff we have to deal with in this world." The pyrokinetic said dryly. "So what in the world are we gonna do all day?"

"Well, Ram or Rem can give you a tour of the rest of the mansion." Emilia began. "You might consider getting a nicer coat, Dabi, we have several you can try here."

"Ain't a damn thing wrong with what I got on right now." He huffed while crossing his arms.

"You might not think so, but you might scare the children down in the village if you visit them in an outfit like that." The half-elf girl replied.

"My face and several parts of my body are covered in burns and skin patches." He pointed out. "Unless you got some damn good magical makeup sitting around in this place, I think I'll scare the little brats down there no matter what I wear. Of course, if you want them scared I can accommodate that request easily."

"We don't have makeup." Emilia replied with a finger on her chin. "But I do have a cloak that hides the face of the wearer."

"Keep talking." The burnt man encouraged as his interest was piqued. "And do you have more than one?"

"I only have one at the moment." The silver-haired girl replied. "Ram can show you while you're touring the mansion."

"Please do." Dabi said while trying to hide a smirk. There were a lot of things he could think to do with an item like that.


A Few Minutes Later: Large Wardrobe within the Mansion

"I should've guessed there was a catch to this." The flame user grumbled as he saw himself in the mirror.

Ram had wasted no time when they arrived, positioning him right in front of the mirror before swiftly throwing the cloak on him. And it worked as advertised. He couldn't recognize his own face in the mirror. The downside, though, was that it was not only too short for him, but also had white and purple pointed ears sticking out of the hood. In other words, it was "cute" and looked absolutely ridiculous on him.

"Ah, don't say that." Nejire chirped. "It's adorable and really brings out the color in the rest of your outfit."

"I concur." Ram sarcastically agreed. "In fact, I propose a full wardrobe change based around the hood. Even your almost constant look of annoyance shall be drowned out by the ensemble of adorableness."

"Do that and I torch every last one of your little maid uniforms." Dabi threatened. "You won't be so cute when you have to work in your night gowns."

"On the contrary, Lord Roswaal has expressed that my sister and I are adorable in a number of outfits." The pink-haired girl informed. "But very well. I can put in a word with the master if you wish for a magical cloak like lady Emilia's, but do not expect any sort of delivery. Metia like it are not the most common items around."

"Metia." Nejire repeated. "What are 'metia' supposed to be? Are they all clothing or are there some in different forms? What do they do? Do you have any others here we can see? Are metia made of metal?"

"I'm afraid it would require permission from the master in order to view any other metia in his collection." Ram answered the moment Nejire stopped to take in some air, and the maid's professional neutral face was still present. "Metia come in countless different forms from crystals to handheld items to whole articles of clothing. What they do depends on the type of enchantment they have from passive abilities to offensive powers to strong defensive capabilities. And some are made of metal but not all."

"Guess we'll look into them some other time." Dabi commented. "Unless one of them is for sending us back to our world."

"I'm afraid I couldn't say." The pink-haired maid replied. "The only ones knowledgeable in such matters would be Lord Roswaal and Lady Beatrice."

"Come to think of it, would they be able to bring us here from our world?" Nejire asked while looking through some of the wardrobe present.

"It depends." Ram replied. "As a master of magic in the kingdom, it would not be impossible for him to perform such a feat. However, there is very little reason to believe he would do such a thing unless he felt it would grant him an advantage in a future struggle. Based on what I've seen of you two so far, you would offer him no specific advantage that he doesn't already possess."

"So we probably got dropped here by an evil being then." Dabi surmised, deciding to ignore the maid's hidden jab at them. "If there are people here like a regenerating assassin, then there are definitely powerful beings of dark magic."

"You are correct." Ram affirmed. "You'll learn about them eventually but the most powerful beings of evil in this world are the witches."

"Witches?" Nejire repeated while pretending to be surprised. "Are they all evil?"

"If there ever was a benign witch in this world, then they have been lost to history." The pink-haired girl answered. "The most prominent witches are the ones embodying the seven deadly sins. The witches of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, and most of all: envy."

"What did envy do?" The U.A. student asked with a tilt of her head.

"The Witch of Envy, Satella." Ram began as her voice took on the slightest bit of disdain. "While the accounts differ as to why she performed the acts she did, what is known is that when she was done, half the world had been drained of life. It took a dragon, the first Sword Saint and a Sage to finally halt her rampage and even then they could only seal her."

"Damn, she drained half the world? That would've been awesome to s—UFF!" The pyrokinetic started to say before a shot to the ribs from Nejire set him straight. "The sealing, I mean the sealing would've been awesome to see."

"It was a joyous occasion." Ram agreed. "But the effects of what she did are still being felt even four hundred years later. Dark creatures known as Mabeasts wander the lands, a cult has sprouted up which worships her like a deity, and there are more than a few who have felt the Witch of Envy's presence in their lives."

'That ain't us.' Dabi couldn't help but think. 'We got the vainglory one—wait a minute.'

"It even had unintended effects, such as creating prejudice against half-elves." He added.

"Half-elves? You mean like Emilia?" Nejire asked in confusion. "Why would people be prejudiced against them?"

"Quite simply, the Witch of Envy was a half-elf." The maid answered. "Specifically, a silver-haired half-elf."

"Tch, ain't that typical." The flame wielder remarked. "Seems the people here have got their own sense of narrow-minded bullshit."

"I thought some of those dirty looks we were getting were just directed at us." Nejire realized. "But they were at Emilia."

"Indeed." Ram confirmed. "While I cannot say whether or not she has any actual connection to the Witch of Envy, her appearance alone is enough for many people."

"So that's why your boss gave her something like this." Dabi mused aloud as he examined the cloak before tossing it back to Ram. "If you can find one of those in my size and color, awesome, if not then whatever. I learned how to move around looking like this a long time ago." He turned to head out the door then. "Now we got the rest of this oversized house to look through, so let's get to it."

"I'll tell Emilia you did a nice thing for her, Dabi, don't worry." The U.A. student called as Dabi walked out of the door.

"I said it ain't in my size." The pyrokinetic barked back. "And I don't look 'cute' in hoods with ears on 'em, now let's go!"

"Such an unscrupulous man." Ram commented while hanging the cloak back up while Nejire continued to giggle. "I do hope this doesn't extend to his studies."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine." The blue-haired heroine assured. "At least so long as our tutor is patient with him."

"Nejire." The pink-haired maid got her attention as she finally stopped laughing. "'I' shall be the one tutoring you both tonight."

"Oh, is that so?" The U.A. student replied while laughing weakly. "Then, uh, please be patient with him."


That Night: Nejire's Room

"Hmm." Ram mused aloud as she looked over both Dabi and Nejire's writings. "You both did surprisingly well on the basics of writing the alphabet. Nejire, your handwriting is good if not a little overly elegant. Dabi, if you were planning on performing a demonic ritual, then these jagged symbols would be perfect. As letters, though, they are more than a little hard to read."

"Do you have any idea how little writing I actually needed to do back in my world." The burnt villain said dryly. "We typed more stuff than we wrote, didn't even need a pen for it unless you had one of those electronic ones."

"I'm afraid I am unaware of what an 'electronic' pen is supposed to be." The pink-haired maid stated. "There perhaps exists a spell that would allow you to enchant a quill to write for you. Although, if such a spell does exist, then it is either quite useless or so intricate and complex that not even Lord Roswaal himself is capable of such a feat."

"Seriously, you have people who can conjure ice and talking cats out of thin air, but you don't have magic writing quills." Dabi rolled his eyes. "Sounds like a rip off to me."

"And do you have such a thing in your world?" Ram questioned. "From what I've seen, at least Hado here is able to make objects float when necessary."

"We have people with Quirks who can do that." Nejire answered. "Some can move things with their minds, others can move objects of a certain type. There's even a boy at my school who can make shadow tendrils to move things."

"And we had a guy who walked around on weird ass teeth that extended out of his mouth." Dabi added. "Almost glad you caught that one, could never understand a damn thing he said when his Quirk was active."

"His name was Moonfish." The big three member reminded him. "And he could've hurt Bakugo and Todoroki pretty badly if Tokoyami hadn't arrived."

"Oh yeah, bird boy." Dabi said with a slight smirk. "Nearly had him and Hawks until my own overexcited Lieutenant made a mess of the place with a fucking glacier."

Nejire was about to retort before the sound of Ram clearing her throat got their attention.

"I'm certain you have a myriad of stories the two of you could tell." The maid said. "But the night will not remain young for much longer and there is still a lesson to get through. Now, shall we get back to work?"

Hado nodded with a "yes ma'am" while Dabi simply rolled his eyes, but at least stopped talking.

Ram then continued their lesson while also mentioning the occasional bit of Lugnican history. Before long, it was time for them to retire to bed, though Nejire found it rather hard to sleep that night. After all, tomorrow would be their first magic lesson.


The Next Morning: Large Grass Area within the Mansion Grounds

"Alright, good morning new students!" Puck cheered as he floated around excitedly in the air before stopping to hover right in front of the hero and villain. "Hope you're both excited to learn some magic today."

"Oh, what are we gonna learn first?" Nejire asked happily as she floated slightly above the ground in her own excitement. "Are we gonna make things disappear? Do card tricks? Do we need a big top hat? Can rabbits pull other rabbits out of a hat? Can we learn to do some of that ice stuff that Emilia does?!"

"I ain't pulling shit outta no hat." Dabi said tersely. "The League already has one guy that can do something like that, it doesn't need another."

"Why don't we start with the basics." Puck suggested. "To begin, what you'll be learning is different from what Emilia does. As mentioned when we first met, Emilia is a Spirits Arts user who forms contracts with spirits and then casts magic by drawing in Mana from the atmosphere. What you'll be learning, though, is how to utilize the Mana within your own bodies."

"Oh, I kind of do something like that already." The blue-haired student realized. "My Quirk functions by turning the life force in my body into energy."

"Then perhaps you got a method for visualization that'll help here." Puck replied. "Now, the main thing that allows a magic user to wield their magic is through the use of their gate." He curled his tail into a circle in front of him as he explained. "You draw Mana in through the gate in your body and then expel it out." He breathed in and blew through the hole made by his tail to demonstrate.

"So it's like a pipe or a dam." Dabi surmised. "We just gotta get the flow going."

"That's one way to look at it." The flying cat affirmed. "But before we do any of that, it would be best that we find your magical attributes."

"What exactly are magical attributes?" Nejire asked while having her hand raised in the air habitually.

"There are four categories when it comes to the attributes of magic users." Puck answered. "Fire, water, wind and earth along with two bonus categories, shadow and light."

"Bonus categories?" The pyrokinetic repeated. "How do you have bonus categories in magical attributes?"

"It mostly comes down to rarity." Puck explained. "Shadow and light are not the most common attributes out there. They can be learned but learning one's own attribute is usually recommended."

"So how do we find our attributes?" Nejire asked while practically bouncing where she sat.

"Simple, just hold still for a moment." The spirit instructed as he floated down close to the U.A. student's face before placing his tail against her forehead. He then started a cat-like chanting as the spot where his tail was touching started to glow white. It took only a few moments before he stopped and removed his tail. "All done, it seems you got one of the rare ones, Nejire. You're a light magic user."

"Yippee!" She cheered as she floated into the air several feet while waving her arms excitedly.

"You don't even know if having a rare attribute is a good thing." Dabi pointed out before turning to Puck. "Is it a good thing?"

"I've seen some pretty powerful light magic over the centuries." The cat spirit replied. "Light magic users are actually able to increase their physical abilities along with firing off powerful beams of light. One of the most powerful spells in the light attribute category can lay waste to whole areas with enough skill and Mana."

"So it's basically what she does already, but scarier." The pyrokinetic summarized. "Great."

"No need to be down about it." Puck encouraged. "We still haven't done your element yet." He floated over and placed his tail against Dabi's forehead.

"It goes to show the kind of weird shit I put up with that I don't find anything odd about this." The flame wielder couldn't help but say as the tail glowed for a few moments.

"And done." Puck declared. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised, but you've got a fire attribute."

"Can I do more tricks than just shoot flames out of my hands." Dabi questioned.

"You can do all kinds of things, actually." Emilia said suddenly as she came walking over. Up until this point, she had been sitting at a bench conversing with several small balls of light that were apparently spirits too. Puck had explained that it was part of her contract to do so at least once a day. "You can manifest and send out fireballs, call down fire from the sky, suspend fire in the air, and if you get really good, you can do what I do?"

"But you use ice." Nejire pointed out as she finally landed on the ground. "Doesn't that make you a water attribute?"

"Actually, it's another branch of fire magic that I'm using." Emilia explained. "What I do is manipulate the temperature to create ice formations."

"Wait a second." The pyrokinetic said as his eyes widened. "You're saying I can learn to wield ice?"

"I can't say anything for certain right now." Puck replied. "The first thing to do is for you both to actually try a spell."

"Oh, me first." Nejire pleaded while waving her hand in the air. "I can do slightly more complex things with my Quirk, so casting magic shouldn't be too much harder."

"Either way, we'll be doing the beginner's course." Puck replied as he led them over to the stone path that led to the mansion. "We'll start off simple. I'll act as a support and use the Mana inside your body so that the magic itself is coming from your own gate. But just in case, Lia, you should probably step back. Don't want to get your clothes dirty if Nejire's magic happens to go out of control."

Emilia nodded with a look of concern on her face before stepping waaaaaaaay away from Nejire and Puck with Dabi standing next to her.

"That's like a hundred feet away!" Hado exclaimed. "How big of an explosion will I make if I mess up?!"

"You just worry about relaxing." Puck replied as he landed on her head. "Now to begin: first, visualize the flow of Mana within your body, and then expel a part of it out of your body through your gate. And before I forget, you'll want to use the magic word associated with light magic: Jiwald."

"Got it." Nejire said as her face actually turned a bit more serious. She closed her eyes and then concentrated, visualizing rings of yellow light flowing through a gate. It was a strange feeling like she was channeling her Quirk, yet it came from a different place. Even so, she still directed the energy much like her Quirk and raised her hand in the air as she prepared to use her spell.

"Jiwald." She chanted while opening her eyes. A beam of yellow light then shot out of her hand, cutting through the air as it temporarily brightened her surroundings. It only lasted for a couple of moments, but it was long enough for her to know that something had indeed happened as an excited smile broke out on her features.

"Wow, nice going." Puck congratulated as he floated off of her head. "You weren't kidding when you said you used your superpower in a similar way! That was a great shot for a beginner!"

"Aw thanks." Nejire giggled while putting her hands behind her back. "I'm not one to brag but I was among the top three students at my school."

"When it was functioning as a school." The villain dryly commented upon coming into earshot. "Wonder if any of your grades are even intact anymore?"

"We've pulled through before." The heroine responded with conviction. "And when we pull through again, we'll find out exactly where every U.A. student excelled."

"Why don't we find out where I excel then?" Dabi replied as he walked into position. "Alright, tell me the magic words, cat."

"You need to remember I have a name." The spirit said as he landed on Dabi's head. "It's Puck, and if you want my lessons then you'll either refer to me as Puck, teacher or, if you're feeling respectful, master."

"I might have a boss but I don't have a master." The pyrokinetic grunted. "But fine, Puck, teach me some magic words."

"Guess your attitude is something we'll work on too, but later." Puck commented. "Now, do exactly what I told Nejire to do. Relax, visualize the flow of Mana through your body being expelled out a part of your body through your gate. And the magic word you need for fire magic is Goa."

"Goa huh, alright." Dabi thought aloud before closing his eyes and raising his hand up in the air. He stood that way for a few moments, visualizing flames passing through a circular gate before suddenly opening his eyes and angling his arm. "GOA!" A blue fireball formed and grew on his hand until it was twice the size of a basketball before firing off. It traveled several feet before exploding in a shower of flames that rained down on the path and the grass around it. "Fuckin' A! Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"And now we see why I had Lia stand back." Puck sighed as he summoned a blast of water to put out the flames that were quickly spreading on the lawn. "In case the magic, or in this case the caster, went out of control."

"Hate to say it but that's actually somewhat restrained for him." Nejire revealed. "Remember what he did to that loot house?"

"I was asleep at the time but Lia did tell me." The spirit replied. "The good news is it looks like your gates are functioning well enough. Although, we may want to consider moving our training to an area less likely to catch on fire."

"Tell ya what, Teach." Dabi said with a smirk. "You get to showin' me how the ice part of fire magic works and I'll scale things back, a little anyway."

"Do you promise not to freeze anything you're not supposed to?" Emilia asked as she walked over.

"I promise I'll give it a shot." The pyrokinetic replied. "But I can't guarantee I won't freeze anything I shouldn't on accident."

"That's the best you're gonna get out of him." Nejire informed. "Just don't keep anything important out while we're training."

"Fair enough I guess." Puck said with his arms crossed while nodding his head. "Alright then, let's get this training on the road!"


A Week Later

"Ah, what a beautiful day." Hado praised as she sat up in her bed and stretched. "I wonder what we'll learn today in our magic training?" She then blinked a couple times as she realized that she wasn't alone in the room. "Oh, good morning Rem and Ram, how are you both feeling today?"

"We are well." The both of them said before bowing. "And once again, we would like to welcome you to the home of our master, Lord Roswaal."

"Oh, is that something you do on a weekly basis?" Nejire asked. "You did the same thing the first morning I was here."

"It appears you are confused, honored guest." Ram said. "You and your friend arrived only last night."

"Huh, what are you talking about?" The blue-haired wave girl asked. "Dabi and I have been here for a week."

"Then you are most assuredly confused." Rem spoke up. "You and the burnt man came here only yesterday with Miss Emilia. Perhaps the journey was more taxing than any of us realized."

"That can't be." Nejire protested. "I was down at the village just yesterday with Rem, take a look at….."

She trailed off as she looked at her hand. Nejire had gotten a small wound there yesterday when she was visiting the village down the road from the mansion. Or at least it had been there when she had gone to sleep because she didn't think it was serious enough at the time for Rem or one of the others to heal it. Now she didn't need to, because it was gone.

'No, it can't be, I couldn't have.' She thought with dread. 'Did one of us really…die last night?'

So much for a peaceful time learning magic. Now our heroes have a mystery on their hands to solve and a question as to whether or not they were the only ones who died. But before we get to that, feel free to leave a comment or review about the current chapter along with what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Also, don't forget to check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Finally, be sure to stop in next time as our heroes go through the list of suspects and circumstances to figure out just what happened the night before! 'Til then.