So to celebrate the latest DLC I bring you five spells Roland thought was a good idea to try. I know this is not what we're using the Wizard's Companion for in nnk2 but I just wanted to write something silly.
Also Werecat deserves a moment to shine.
Its not even midnight on my end yet. So technically last minute and whatnot.
Note: In the event we finally learn the name of Roland's son, all chapters before this one will be left unchanged and keep using Sean.
Stick to the Script and Other Stories
By Bilbo-sama
Magical Mishaps
1. Broom Broom
"That's a Wizard's Companion," Roland heard Leander gasp as Roland approached the steps to the throne, "There is only three copies in existence!"
"That you know of," muttered Lofty.
"Where did you find this?" asked Leander who barely registered Lofty's words.
"It was given to me in a dream!" explained Evan as he held up a book, "I woke up and it was on my desk!"
While Leander spluttered in response, Roland got closer to the young king and eyed the book, "Who gave you a rare spell book?"
"Um, he called himself the Conductor," said Evan, his tail swishing as he recalled the dream, "he said I will be needing it someday."
"That sounds ominous," commented Tani.
"And incredibly dangerous," added Leander once he got over his shock, "the spells contained in this book are millennia old. The correct method to casting them has been forgotten."
Roland had a stray thought that perhaps Doloran knows how and he shook his head to clear away that thought. Why would they consult that mad sorcerer?
He suddenly felt curious. What spells did they use in past? He had very little magical talent so it was unlikely he would be able to cast any of them.
"May I see this?" he asked, tapping on the spellbook. Evan nodded before handing it over.
The Wizard's Companion was fascinating. It contained a map of what the world looked like thousands of years ago. Roland felt a jolt as he spotted an island nation labeled Allegoria. He quickly turned a few more pages to get away from the unexpected feeling and found what he was looking for: the spells.
Roland paused after turning a page. In front of him was a rune for the spell 'Broom Broom.' It apparently could summon a broom.
That could fly.
Giddiness welled up inside him (and so did a sense of irony). He felt let down by the fact that long distance travel was done by sea-faring ships in a world where magic was real. That it took a bunch of engineering inclined people in the east to slowly get the idea of building an air ship and stopping after just one.
But it appeared that wizards and mages used to know how to fly before it was all forgotten.
He traced the runes with a finger absentmindedly as he thought about the books he used to read to Sean in the hospital. His son loved (loves) books about magic and adventure. One of them even had people flying on broom sticks.
It was an absurd wish but he truly wished he could do that. The breeze against his skin. The rush as he soared among the clouds...
Granted, he could ask to borrow one of the planes from the Sky Pirates but...it wasn't the same.
Roland traced the rune again and whispered, "Broom Broom..."
The picture of the spell rune flashed, catching everyone's attention as Roland made a surprised noise.
"What the flip did you do?" yelped Lofty as the spell light cleared.
"Is that a broom?" asked Bracken as she stared at the aforementioned object floating before Roland.
"As you can see," started Leander as he approached the broom to examine it, only to be given the Wizard's Companion by Roland, "the spells contained in the Wizard's Companion are still viable after centuries of disuse. It stands to reason that - Roland, what are you doing?" Roland had grabbed the broom and pushed it down so he could climb on top of it. Leander had never seen anyone look so excited about performing such an action before.
"Oh flip," managed Lofty as a maniac grin formed on Roland's face.
Roland leaned down so he was parallel to the broom and immediately the broom recognized his intentions and took off with him still on it out to the throne room's balcony.
"Roland!" yelled Evan as he and the others ran outside in shock. The Chief Consul let out a whoop of glee as he performed a loop-de-loop over the Spellery roof.
"Well..." said Batu as he watched Roland's movements, "the lad sure knows what he's doin'."
He then muttered, "Unfortunately."
"I give him five minutes before he falls off," declared Bracken.
Roland then crashed into a farm's roof.
2. Werecat
"May I see this?" he asked, tapping on the spellbook. Evan nodded before handing it over.
The Wizard's Companion was fascinating. It contained a map of what the world looked like thousands of years ago. Roland felt a jolt as he spotted an island nation labeled Allegoria. He quickly turned a few more pages to get away from the unexpected feeling and found what he was looking for: the spells.
Roland paused after turning a page. In front of him was a rune for the spell 'Werecat.' It turns the user into a cat. Grimalkin and cats would sense you as one and you can return to your original form if you wish to do so.
It suddenly made sense to him why the Companion was so rare these days. Relations between the grimalkin and mice may have mended a little but in the past, it would be difficult to know if the grimalkin you were speaking to wasn't actually a disguised spy. But if that were the reason, then why not just remove the page instead of the whole book?
Roland absently traced the runes needed to cast the spell as he started to wonder if the description instead meant a cat cat. As in, the Earth-based animal that he was more familiar with.
Did the cat as he remembered them exist in this world long ago? Did the grimalkin become the more dominant species?
Or was he overthinking this instead of finding out the answer himself?
...Oh, what the hell.
Ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that perhaps he shouldn't do this, Roland traced the runes with more intent and whispered the words of the spell. The book immediately flashed and Roland yelled in surprise as his vision turned white.
"Roland!" yelled Evan as his Chief Consul seemed to vanish into the bright light. The Wizard's Companion landed on the floor with a loud thud.
The light of the spell dissipated and where Roland was standing was a pile of clothing.
...Something beneath the blue coat was moving.
Ignoring the sudden giggling from Lofty, Evan tentatively lifted the coat. A black longhair cat with streaks of grey in its fur looked up back at him wide-eyed.
"Roland?" asked Bracken as she crouched down to look at the creature on the ground better, "Is that you?"
The cat shifted into a sitting position and refused to look at anyone. She had the feeling that the now feline Chief Consul was embarrassed.
"...Meow," he eventually said. Yes.
Lofty's giggling jumped straight into guffaws.
"What happened, Roland?" asked Evan, his tail swishing.
Roland meowed again and Evan stared at him incredulously, "You...wanted to see what would happen?"
"What were you expecting to happen?" asked Tani.
"...Mrrph," was Roland's reply. He made a movement that appeared to be an attempt at shrugging. No one needed Evan to translate to understand what the cat meant.
"This isn't permanent, right?" Bracken pointed out. Leander hastily picked up the book and read this page.
"No, he's like this as long as he wishes it," he revealed in a relieved tone. He adjusted his glasses and looked down at Roland, unimpressed.
"Really, I thought you knew better than to try cast magic no one has used in centuries. You're lucky this is not permanent, Roland."
Roland hissed, his eyes' pupils thin.
"Oi!" Lofty pointed a finger at the cat, "No need for that flippin' attitude!"
"Mrow," said Roland sulkily.
The Kingmaker started to shine with golden power, "Fine, if you wanna be a cat then...ABRA KAZAAMOOOOOOO!" Everyone dived out of the way to avoid the worst of Lofty's wrath.
There was a flash and when it cleared, Roland was still a cat.
"Enjoy your week!" said Lofty cheerily.
-MEANWHILE-
A white haired cat toppled over the golden snake headdress it was wearing moments ago. Doloran screeched in rage at his soul mate's stupidity.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt a wave of the Horned One's amusement.
3. Werefish
Roland paused after turning a page. In front of him was a rune for the spell 'Werecat.' It turns the user into a cat. Grimalkin and cats would sense you as one and you can return to your original form if you wish to do so.
It suddenly made sense to him why the Companion was so rare these days. Relations between the grimalkin and mice may have mended a little but in the past, it would be difficult to know if the grimalkin you were speaking to wasn't actually a disguised spy. But if that were the reason, then why not just remove the page instead of the whole book?
Roland absently traced the runes needed to cast the spell as he started to wonder if the description instead meant a cat cat. As in, the Earth-based animal that he was more familiar with.
Did the cat as he remembered them exist in this world long ago? Did the grimalkin become the more dominant species?
Or was he overthinking this instead of finding out the answer himself?
"Thinking hard?" said Bracken suddenly and she watched as the startled Chief Consul jumped. His hand accidentally flipped a page over the one he was reading.
"Maybe a little," Roland admitted once he calmed down.
Bracken glanced down at the rune on the page, "...Were you trying to cast magic? Come to think of it, I've only seen you cast a spell outside of fights like...once." And that was because he wanted to try out Spring Lock on a treasure chest they had found. Bracken had been around long enough to realize the slight twitch on his face before he calmly opened the chest meant he was surprised by the spell working.
"I rarely find the time to practice," excused Roland, who wasn't sure how to explain that he came from a world that had no magic. He still has no idea how he can do it.
"Wow, you and Leander need to relax once in a while," Bracken raised an eyebrow at him. In the corner of Roland's eye, he noticed that Leander had taken a few steps away from them. He wasn't going to help his colleague get out of this, that traitor.
"...Perhaps," said Roland cautiously.
"Do you still want to give this spell book a go?" asked Bracken, "I mean, it's rune-based so there's no phrases to memorize."
"...Well..."
"Give it a go, Roland!" she encouraged which brought everyone's attention to the pair.
"Oh, you're going to cast magic?" Evan asked as he bounded over, his tail swishing in interest.
"Can't hurt to try, lad," said Batu.
"Do you have a wand?" Leander pointed out.
Bracken retrieved a Smart Stick from her arms band and handed it over to Roland. The worst that could happen is that the energy required for this spell causes the Smart Stick to overload, she figured.
After showing Roland how to activate the device before casting anything, she stepped back and watched with the others as Roland quickly noted the name of the spell and tapped the book. He traced the rune with the wand and the book glowed blue, waiting for him to say the incantation.
"Werefish...huh?" he spotted the mistake too late and was only able to let out a "Oh no" as the spell consumed him.
The book and smart stick clattered to the ground as the light flashed. When it cleared, all they could see was clothing on the ground.
Something was wiggling under the blue longcoat.
"Roland?" said Evan worriedly. He lifted up the coat and yowled in fright when a sucker-covered tentacle touched his wrist and he let go of the coat.
The hair on his head and the fur on his ears and tail instinctively fluffed up as he hissed at the socktopus emerging from the coat.
4. Levitate
"Honestly?" said Roland as he floated a foot off the ground, "This is pretty disappointing."
"Can you move around?" asked Evan.
Roland attempted to step forward and was startled when he instead moved as though he was merely dragged and clicked to a few inches away from where he was originally standing.
"Looks like a bust to me," commented Bracken as she shrugged.
5. Form Familiar
The Wizard's Companion was full of insights as to what the world was like hundreds of years ago. It kind of made Roland's head swim. Alchemy genies? Transformation spells? Maps detailing the history of the world? The stories the book contained were fascinating. And the spell Gateway...!
But what everyone wanted to try out was Form Familiar, a spell that creates a being from the depths from one's heart. Unfortunately, it also said that it wont work on rulers who have formed a bond with a Kingmaker for reasons it never explained. Therefore, Evan had to sit this one out. Nobody, including him, wanted to discover why.
A shame. Roland figured the boy's familiar may end up being a Purrloiner. Or perhaps a Mite. That one seemed to suit him as well.
It was decided that they would go out into the fields near the Rubbly Ruins. If anything goes wrong, Evermore would be unharmed. This decision helped ease the anxiety Roland was feeling as something urged him to use the spell or else.
One by one, the group watched as someone summoned their personal familiar. Leander's was, unsurprisingly, a stingray-like creature the book called a Springray. Bracken was given a Sprog Cog. Tani a Tu-Whoo.
A red and yellow boar materialized into existence the moment Batu cast the spell, tethered to him by a golden rope from his chest. Evan, who was holding the Companion, flipped through pages before finding his answer.
"Oh, its a Full Boar!" he announced.
"Yer turn, Roland," Batu handed over the Smart Stick to Roland, who steadied himself as if in defiance of the DO IT NOW urge he felt.
"Well, here goes nothing," said Roland before carefully forming the rune in the air before him.
Meanwhile, Doloran grinned as he simultaneously performed the spell. Form Familiar can be used to forcibly summon a Kingmaker into the caster's plane of existence. The Horned One's wildness meant it needed more than one person for this ritual. His soul mate's bond to the Horned One was weaker than Doloran's but it will do.
The four Kingsbonds he had acquired in the past year were for a different summoning ritual but if he used their power, it will give the boost needed to bring the Horned One back into this world.
"Alisandra, my love," he said as he finished the rune, "it is time."
Meanwhile, Roland saw something form but it suddenly blinked out of existence when his concentration was broken by a triumphant laugh that rang louder than a jet plane in his head. And then everything else began to hurt.
Everyone gasped and he powered through the pain to see clouds and tempests forming in the distant ocean.
There was a black-purple line coming out of his chest that lead to the Horned One.
Broom Broom is brought to you by one of the journal entries where Roland is disappointed by the fact that nobody flies on brooms and instead uses more mundane transportation like small planes and ships. Immersion was ruined. :(
I just randomly chose familiars for everyone. Not sure if the ones I picked fit anyone. *shrugs*
Originally I was going for Second Self but nothing was coming to me so I replaced it with Form Familiar.