Magic
Chapter 2
Kate came running down the stairs, ready to start learning magic, and saw Rick standing there waiting for her.
"Sorcerers come in a lot of varieties. How they use their magic, for example, is highly varied. Some require emotion to create energy, while others only need will. The same might be true of using energy, while some can merely shape it with their thoughts as a mage does," Rick began to tell her.
"While some sorcerers are merely people with spirit abilities, they still may be thought to count as sorcerers since most spirit abilities, by default, are activated using a will, which is of the heart. In addition, people with spirit abilities are more able to become full-fledged Sorcerers than those without them.
"Sorcerers have magic in their blood and cast spells spontaneously from a short list of spells they know. They are born with their magical abilities, or they develop them from having a magical heritage in past generations. Be it from Dragons, Demons, Angels, Fey, or only raw magical energy, someone in the family tree of a sorcerer became touched by magic, manifesting in its bloodline.
"We need to find out if you are a Sorcerer or a Wizard. Wizards are intelligent, often lawful, and generally very logical. They are much like the classic mage, whose magic knowledge comes from studying and applying oneself to discovering magical power. A Wizard is only as good as his spellbook; while without it, he can do very little, but with it, he can change the world around him," Rick told her.
"All right, how do we decide which I am?" Kate inquired.
"Practice. Lots and lots of practice. I am going to ask you to cast a spell. A sorcerer can cast a spell by her strength of will. That said, I want you to open and close this door and concentrate on opening and closing this door. Don't get upset with yourself when it doesn't just happen. It may take you days to open and close this door.
"Now, sit down and concentrate on opening and closing this door. Keep in mind that it may take you days to do it. But if you can't, then we will know you are a wizard," Rick told her. "In the meantime, I'll be writing and caring for Alexis. We'll take a break for lunch, and then, you'll be right back to sitting here, willing for that door to open and close."
Kate sat down. "Make the door open and close he says." She concentrated on making the door open first.
Rick left her alone, went to write, and cared for Alexis.
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Kate broke for lunch. "Nothing so far," she said.
"It's only your first day, Kate. I warned you that it might take you days to find your power. Remember what I told you. Sorcerers have magic in their blood and cast spells spontaneously from a short list of spells they know. They're born with their magical abilities, or they develop them from having a type of magical heritage in past generations. Whether from Dragons, Demons, Angels, Fey, or only raw magical energy, magic touched someone in a sorcerer's family tree and manifested in the sorcerer's bloodline.
"Maybe it was your mother or your great-grandmother. Maybe you were touched by Dragons, Demons, Angels, Fey, or just raw energy. But we won't know for days, perhaps weeks, when you can't do it. But if you can, you're well on your way to being a Sorceress," Rick told her.
"Days, huh? I hope I have the patience for this." Kate sighed. She was a typical teenager who wanted things to happen now. Like right now.
"That will be your first test. Patience. If you're a Sorceress or a Wizard, that will require patience."
Lunch was over, and she continued to sit there and think about her mother or grandmother and if magic had touched them.
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It was three days later.
Kate was sitting there on the floor while Rick played with Alexis.
"IT MOVED! THE DOOR MOVED!" Kate shouted and got up to look at the door. Sure enough, it was open. It wasn't wide open, but it was open. "I OPENED THE DOOR!" she called out proudly, which got Rick to show up with Alexis in his arms.
He checked the door. "It's open. Very good, I'm impressed. You're a Sorceress. Now, make it close. Remember how you opened it, and you can close it again." Rick left her and went back to sit down.
"Close the door. That's all I get? I got the door to open." She wanted to celebrate by doing something. Instead, he told her to close it. "Yes, taskmaster," Kate sniped as she sat down, willing the door to close.
Three more days have passed.
The door was partially open. She wanted to be able to see the door close when it closed. If it closed. Suddenly the door slammed shut. "I DID IT. I ACTUALLY DID IT! I CLOSED THE DOOR!"
"I CLOSED THE DOOR!" Kate called out getting Rick to show up.
"Very good. I'm impressed. You truly are a Sorceress. Now, do you know how you did it?" Rick queried.
Kate shook her head. "Not really, no. I was thinking of my great-grandmother's spirit and the door slammed shut."
"Spirit abilities, by default, are activated using will, which is of the heart. So now you've found your ability, Kate, it's your heart. You're capable of being a full-fledged sorceress.
"You can cast four 0-level spells. Close and Open Doors is now one of your four. I'll get you a list of the other 0-level spells and let you decide which one you want to learn. Once you learn it, you can't unlearn it." Having said that, Rick retreated to his bedroom.
He came back with a list. "Study the list and decide which five you want to know. You can cast four per 24 hours, but you know five 0-level spells."
"Can we celebrate now, Rick? I did it," she reminded him.
"Certainly," he agreed. "You've earned it. What do you have in mind? Keeping in mind, it will need to involve Alexis."
Kate considered that. She thought about eating out, but with Alexis, that was out. She could drink something, but with her dad being a drunk, she didn't want to do that, either. "Could we order something to be delivered? Some Chinese would be nice. Maybe a lot of Chinese."
"Here's my cell phone." Rick handed it over. "I'll leave it to you. I'll pay for it. Perhaps you can call your father, find out whether things have changed. It's been a week already. Take it up to your bedroom for some privacy."
"Thanks." Kate took the phone, though she needed a number to call but didn't have any. However, his phone had connected to the internet, so she searched for a place that was close that way.
She went up to her room to make both calls.
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She was back and handed Rick his cell phone. She didn't feel much like celebrating anymore. Her call to her dad hadn't worked out at all well. "Just don't. Don't even ask," Kate told him; she went to her room, where she lay on her bed and cried, weeping like her heart was breaking.
Rick walked up to her room and knocked on her door. "Your Chinese is here, Kate." He listened for a response. When he got none, he tried the door; it was open, so he walked in. He saw her on the bed, crying, and he came closer to sit on the edge of the bed. "I take it the call to your dad didn't work out?"
Kate wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "No, it didn't."
"I'm truly sorry, Kate, so very sorry. Perhaps he just needs time. But he can't stay drunk forever. The man will end up drinking himself to death. Where do you live?"
"Why?"
"Maybe I can talk him into getting help. Maybe Alexis can help him. Never underestimate the power of a baby."
"You think so?" She sniffed and reached for a tissue. "I wanted this so much, and I really tried. But even though I did, I can't reach my dad, Rick."
"I'll never know until I try. And you have a list to look over yet. Now, where do you live?" Rick memorized the address she gave him.
"I'd like you to come down to eat your Chinese food. We're celebrating. You've entered a whole brand new world, one filled with Magic," Rick told her as he stood up and went downstairs.
Kate finally got out of bed and walked into the bathroom where she washed her face and hands. She went down stairs and found lots of Chinese food waiting for her. She didn't feel like eating, but she did anyway.
Then she looked at the list. There were 19 to choose from and she had already learned one of them, leaving her with just four. She chose Detect Magic and Read Magic. She wanted to know what was magical and be able to read magic. "What's 'undead'? Is that like zombies? Zombies don't exist, you know."
"I beg to differ, young lady. There are Zombies, Skeletons, Vampires, and Mummies, just to name a few."
She stared at him, her eyes open wide. "Vampires, like real vampires? The blood-sucking kind?" Kate was beyond shocked.
He nodded. "Yes. I don't know if there are any around here, but yes."
Calmer now, she chose Disrupt Undead, dealing 1d6 damage to one undead, and Ray of Frost, dealing 1d3 or frost damage. "All right, I've chosen my four 0-level spells. Now what?" She looked at him and waited impatiently.
"Now, you practice doing those five spells. You opened and closed one door. So, now you see if you can do it again – instantly, not taking three days. When you can do that, then we move on to one of the other four you have chosen."
She looked at him. "Instantly? Like right away, instantly?"
Rick chuckled. "Yes, instantly. You want the door to open or close now, not three days from now. Remember that you can cast one spell up to five times in 24 hours. Once you use up those five, you need to wait 24 hours to be able to do it again.
"Think of it as you've used up your power in one 24-hour period. Twenty-four hours later, you can regain your power. Now, open or close the door instantly."
So Kate sat down and willed the door to open. She ignored him as he opened and closed the door, strolled into his lab, and created potions. She didn't know what he was making in there, but he was making something.
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It was now three days later.
It took Kate three days to get the door to open again; so much for immediate. She took a break to eat lunch.
"It's taken me three days to open the door. I'm getting it to open wider, but still, it's three days," Kate told him.
"Practice, practice, practice. It will take time to get you to do it immediately, Kate. Once you do, you'll need to do it over and over and over again," Rick said. "It'll become second nature to you. Then you'll be a true Sorceress."
"Got it. Have you gone to see my dad yet?"
Rick shook his head. "No, not yet. Maybe the day you can open the door immediately, I'll try."
"Thank you for everything, Rick. You could have sent me away. You didn't have to take me into your home. You have Alexis to think about. You didn't know anything about me."
"That's not exactly true. I cast a Scrying spell on you," Rick revealed." It allowed me to spy on you from a distance, so I learned something about you before you showed up at my door."
"You spied on me? Really? You spied on me! Why would you do that?" Kate was angry.
"You said it yourself, Kate. I offered you a place to go to if you needed it. I had Alexis and might have to protect her if you did show up or call me. I needed to be sure about you. I learned just enough to know you, but not enough to know about your father."
"Oh." Kate calmed down. She supposed that made sense. "You didn't see me naked, did you?"
Rick chuckled. "No, I didn't see you naked. Not that I wouldn't mind it."
Kate rolled her eyes. "I'll bet you wouldn't." Now that the thought of sex came up, she wondered what it would be like to have sex with him. She wasn't a virgin; in fact, far from it. She had her fair share of lovers, all of them one-night stands.
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Three more days have gone by.
It was still taking her three days to get the door to open or close. She was beginning to get angry about herself. She could do it in three days, so why could she not do it instantly?
She was getting frustrated when suddenly the door opened. And not just open, but wide open. She smiled and bore down to get it to close. It closed. "I did it. I DID IT!" Kate squealed. "Now to get it to open again instantly." It didn't. "DAMN IT! What am I doing wrong?"
Rick was standing right behind her, holding Alexis. "Your heart, Kate, think with your heart. It is the source of your power."
It took a few minutes, but suddenly the door opened. Kate smiled, but now she needed to get it to close. It closed. Then it opened again, and then it closed again.
"That's five. You're finished for today."
"I did it! Did you see that? I did it and instantly, no less." Kate got up and kissed him right on the lips. The instant Rick began kissing her back, she broke from the kiss. "Oops. I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry."
"Maybe next time you'll let me kiss you back. For now, maybe you can kiss Alexis," Rick suggested. She kissed Alexis, who seemed to like it. Then she kissed her again, but that got her to cry this time.
"She probably just needs a diaper changed. It's not you," Rick assured her as he walked into his bedroom, and Kate followed him.
"Eww, stinky." She made a face and turned her head away.
He got rid of the diaper. "Baby-wipe." Rick held out his hand while Kate looked around for the baby wipes, saw the container, and put one in his hand. "Again." He held out his out his hand.
"Oil." Rick held out his hand and would for each thing he asked for. "Baby powder." He sprinkled some on her. "Diaper, now." Rick put it on Alexis. "There, all set. Good enough to kiss. I think I'll let Kate do that since she's in a kissing mood." He handed Alexis to her and walked out of the bedroom.
Kate looked down at her. "I did it. Were you watching?" Kate kissed her, and she seemed to like that, so she kissed her again. She left his bedroom carrying Alexis and found him. He was in the kitchen, warming up a bottle.
She looked around for a burp cloth, found one, put it on her shoulder, and waited for the bottle. Once she had it, she fed Alexis. Again, Alexis grabbed hold of the bottle and began sucking while looking up at her.
Just like before, she didn't finish the bottle, but came close this time. Kate burped her, then sat down in the living room with her on her lap and started playing with her. She talked to her while she played with her feet. All the while, Rick watched her do it. He smiled at her. "You're getting the hang of this."
"I guess I am. Still not ready to change a diaper on my own, not quite yet, but I can do this." She switched to playing with her hands and let her grab her finger.
She continued talking to and playing with her until she went to sleep. She left Rick to take her and put her to bed. Then he came out and sat down next to her on the sofa.
"So you did it immediately. Tomorrow, we shall see if you can do it again. Then, the next day, do it again, and again, and again until it becomes second nature to you. After that, we move on to one of the other 0-level spells. Once you can do all four of them instantly, over and over, you'll be ready for a first-level spell.
"I would guess your Charisma to be a 17 or an 18 at a minimum. So, you'll be able to do one extra spell per day. That means you can cast three first-level spells daily," Rick explained.
"Are there a lot of first-level spells?" she asked.
"Quite a few. I'll get you a list." He got up and walked into his bedroom, eventually returning with a list. He sat beside her and handed it to her.
"Wow, that's a lot of spells. There are…31 on this list." She looked up at him. "And I can learn three of these spells and cast it four times, right?"
"Correct. I can memorize five and cast five times. But I need to memorize the same spell a second time when I want to cast it a second time. You, on the other hand, can cast the same spell four times. That's the difference between a Wizard and a Sorceress."
"Oh, so I can cast it multiple times, but know fewer spells. Can you cast all of these?" she asked.
"Yep, every one of them," Rick nodded. "But I can only cast five of them."
"Then, you're more versatile than I am, but I can cast them more often. Interesting," Kate mused. "So I can only learn three of these."
"I suggest one of them is Magic Missile. You'll find it most useful. As for the other three, that's entirely up to you," Rick said.
"How do you choose which three?" she inquired.
"That's up to you. What do you want to do? Be offensive, defensive, or something else? Shield and Mage Armor are good spells to know. They'll keep you safe, while Color Spray and Ray of Enfeeblement are good offensive. Then there's Disguise Self and perhaps Charm Person; both are useful.
"Now, if you want to know the capabilities of a magical item, Identify is useful. True Strike is another good one to know; then there is Endure Elements. You really can't go wrong with any of those. It's up to you if you want to be defensive, offensive, or somewhere in between.
"But, you have time to decide what spells you want to learn. You have to finish your 0-level castings first. You'll be ready for first-level spells once you can do an hour of 0-level spells instantly. Then you'll have to decide, Kate."
Kate took a deep breath and looked at the list of first-level spells. She would only get three of them but be able to cast any of those three up to four times. What did she want to do? If she took his advice and did Magic Missile, that left her with two. So which two did she want?