Magic has Benefits Ch. 03

The prospect of leaving Riley's home was truthfully an incredibly heart breaking circumstance. Yet Oskar couldn't help but feel his spirits rise again as he began to answer the call to action. The feeling of making his skillful way through the woods with an objective in mind was a circumstance he was used to. He had always been a man of action, so he was most in his element when he had a clear goal he was attempting to achieve.

The only difference was the company of Riley. This came with certain pros and cons that Oskar wasn't really used to. Though naturally, the good outweighed the bad.

Still, he found himself having to move more slowly than he would have by himself. Riley wasn't a bumbling fool, but he wasn't the skilled ranger that Oskar was. Oskar spent a lot of his time making the terrain easier to navigate for the young wizard, cutting

through thicket and pointing out easier to traverse paths.

However, Oskar was enjoying the travel through the woods more than he would have without Riley's company. Despite his obvious lack of physical skill, Riley had entirely regained his casual attitude. Oskar had never had a travel partner he could banter with so easily. On top of that, Oskar was learning a lot on a subject he was very unfamiliar with.

Magic.

They had been traveling for a few hours before Oskar had broached the subject with Riley. They had finally made it to the stream and following it was easier than trudging through the thicket of the thicker woods. With the sudden ease of their travel, Oskar glanced at Riley.

"I have a few questions, if you don't mind answering them," He claimed, stepping lightly across the loose stones on the edge of the stream.

"Oh no, questions!?" Riley gasped in mock astonishment, "It's not like you've been full of those since we've met. How will I ever adjust?"

Oskar chuckled a bit before continuing, "You seem to be struggling a bit with our travel through here. Is there not any... magic you can do? Something that would make this easier for you?"

Riley shrugged, wobbling a bit on one of the stones, almost losing his footing. Oskar reached forward quickly, letting Riley use his arm as support.

"Thank you darling," Riley breathed. There was clearly a bead of sweat building at his hairline from exertion. Still, he rook a deep breath and launched into his explanation, "There are certainly some spells I can think of that would be useful for traversing these woods. But they wouldn't last very long."

Oskar scrunched his brow a bit in confusion, "Then couldn't you just... use the spell again?"

"To a certain extent, but..." Riley contemplated his phrasing for a moment before saying, "Think of it this way Oskar. You are a strong man, with plenty of muscle. Obviously," he patted the forearm that Oskar was keeping out for support, "But if I told you to sprint from here to Hillgesin, could you manage that?"

Oskar shook his head, "I could possibly march there, though I would arrive exhausted. Sprinting there would be impossible."

Riley nodded, "Think of it like that. I have what could be considered a set of magical muscles. I can do small feats of magic and it barely feel like I'm using them at all. But bigger and bigger feats would require more and more energy. Think of it as the difference between picking up one of these stream pebbles and lifting a large boulder. Knowing your strength, I'm sure you could manage both. But one would leave you considerably more weary and you would be more exhausted and therefore unable to use your muscles as effectively or as often until you get a proper rest. Does that make sense?"

Oskar grunted a bit, "So your more impressive spells take more out of you? You couldn't cast them infinitely."

"Precisely," Riley smirked, "I have a more impressive endurance than most. Though you're fairly familiar with that by this point."

Oskar knew it was a double entendre, but his curiosity on this matter outweighed his willingness to respond in kind.

So instead he said, "What kind of spells take more out of you?"

Riley tapped his chin in thought, "Well... let's use compulsion effects for example. They range pretty wildly."

"Compulsion effects?"

"Getting people to do as they're told, darling," Riley's smirk took on it's mischievous light, "I could get the average person to do just about anything I told them to. Though the energy expenditure depends on the task, which is why I usually prefer to use Thaumaturgey when casting such spells. Anyhow, if I told you to do a simple action, it would take less energy than something complicated. There's a big difference between getting you to drop your sword into the dirt and chopping down a nearby tree."

Oskar frowned. There was something deeply disturbing about this knowledge. He didn't like the idea that he wouldn't be able to control his own actions if a mage were to cast such a spell on him.

He shook his head of these troubling thoughts and instead clung to the other word he didn't know, "Thaumaturgey. You've used this word before. What does it mean?"

"To put it simply, it's making something happen on a small scale to recreate it on a larger scale," Riley explained, "This usually causes a spell to use less energy than it otherwise would have. Think of it like using a lever to lift something so it takes less effort. Let's use the aforementioned example of trying to get you to drop your sword. I could simply cast the spell. But it would take less energy for me to pick up a stick and drop it as part of the spell casting, symbolizing my intent. It's why voodoo dolls are so effective."

Oskar chewed on this for a moment, "So if you wanted to cast a spell to make a man's hair fall out, ripping the hair off a voodoo doll would make it take less energy?"

"And it would work better," Riley smiled, once again incredibly pleased with how well Oskar absorbed information, "Safe magic is equal parts science and intent. You 'can' have one or the other, but it's dangerous."

Oskar felt a pang of concern, "I don't know the science or how to channel intent into my amulet. Does that mean it's dangerous?"

Riley shook his head, "Magic items are a different circumstance. You don't have to be a magical practitioner to use them safely. The safety of the item depends on the individual who made it more than it depends on the individual that is in possession of it."

Oskar nodded along with this, feeling reassured.

"Some objects don't have to be magical to be helpful to mages though," Riley continued to explain, "Especially when applying the effects of Thaumaturgey. For example..."

He reached into his bag and produced what looked to Oskar to be a piece of blackened tree bark.

"You saw me fry those goblins in the cave, yes?" Riley checked with Oskar.

"Yes. It seemed to me you were pulling a bolt of lightning from a storm and using it for offense."

"Correct again," Riley smirked, "This right here is a piece of bark pulled from a lightning struck tree. It's not inherently magical, but holding it makes my lightning based spells take less energy while increasing their potency."

Oskar scratched his chin, "So... could holding a whetstone help you cast a spell to sharpen a sword?"

Riley beamed at him. Not a self assured smirk, but a proud smile, "That exactly correct Oskar! Gods, you grasp the concept of everything so easily. I knew actual wizards in school that had a harder time understanding the concept of Thaumaturgey than you do."

Oskar smiled a bit and could feel a bit of blush sneaking into his features, "I appreciate you saying so Riley."

"I'd say I could teach you a spell or two," Riley chuckled, "But I think it would be unfair for you to be able to do everything yourself. I've got to keep you dependent on me somehow."

Oskar gave a chuckle of his own, "I very much doubt that I could even begin to approach your level of magical talent, even if I spent the rest of my lifetime attempting it."

Riley's smile became it's cocky smirk again, "Hmm, you're exactly right about that too. Still, most of your words to me are pure magic anyhow. It's what makes you especially fun to... play with..."

The sultry tone entered his voice near the end there. It had quickly become a very clear indication to Oskar that Riley's mind had found its way back to its favorite gutter.

Oskar raised an eyebrow. He had never met anyone so insatiable. Obviously, he usually didn't have any issues with this, but it did make him curious.

"You think about sex a lot Riley," Oskar decided to be blunt instead of beating around the bush, "Why is that?"

"It's easier than thinking about... most everything else..." Riley said before he could stop himself. He clenched his mouth shut after saying it and stared ahead for a moment.

Oskar sensed the mood shift and stopped walking to look closer at Riley, who was pointedly not looking at Oskar.

"Riley? Are you...." He began to ask.

"Honestly darling, it's best not to really question it," Riley spoke with his usual confidence, but the words were a bit too quick. As if he was trying to get them out fast so he could change the subject, "I'm not really looking to get into a deep psychological evaluation of my nymphomaniacal tendencies. It's best if we just enjoy it and move on."

Oskar frowned deeply but didn't press it. He could sense that pushing Riley to talk about this further would just upset him.

So instead he gave a brief nod and the two of them continued on their journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The small town of Lilly Wallow was nothing remarkable. Oskar had seen more of these tiny hamlets than he cared to count. Still, it had the rustic charm he'd come to expect from such places. Squat little homes of cobblestone and wood with thatch roofs. Dirt paths that stretched between them and the well in the center of town. Farm animals braying and clucking all around them.

They had arrived just on the verge of dusk. In another hour or so, the town would be bathed in orange light. For now, however, there was still plenty of yellow light from the sun to illuminate the townspeople.

Trouble, of course, started immediately.

Oskar and Riley barely made it into the town limits when a familiar barmaid made eye contact with them. First, her eyes lit up at seeing Oskar, the far more obvious of the two.

Then, they landed on Riley.

Her eyes instantly widened and her mouth opened wide, "See! I told yall she were real! It's tha witch!"

The surrounding towns folk all began to turn towards them to see what all the screaming was about. Something about the increase in attention made Oskar uneasy.

Riley turned to her, seemingly unable to recognize the girl for a moment. Then he raised an eyebrow as she approached. The woman was hurrying along as fast as she could, lifting up her ragged dress away from her ankles to get to them as fast as possible.

"I kept tellin' folks that the witch in tha wood were real!" The barmaid claimed as she got closer to the pair, "Ain't nobody believe me! They's got tah believe me now! Here you is, in the flesh! And yer as beautiful as I remember yah!"

The familiar self confident smirk graced Riley's face, as well as a glint of irritated indignation, "Thank you dear. But though it is hard for the ill informed to spot the difference, I am actually a wizard. Not a witch."

The woman's expression faltered a bit, the obvious traces of confusion lining her features, "But... you is a lady user of magics, ain't you? Lady magic people are witches."

Riley's smile began to fade slightly and his tone grew less cheery, "Wrong and then wrong again. First and foremost, I am not a lady. I'm a slight man. Second, witches and wizards differ not by gender, but..."

"No you isn't," the barmaid interrupted him, "You ain't like any man I've ever seen."

Oskar immediately learned something new about Riley. He hadn't found this out over their time together because Oskar is a very thorough listener and has very rarely interrupted anyone in his lifetime.

But Riley HATED to be interrupted.

The small wizard's face instantly filled with extreme distaste and annoyance as he now openly glared at the woman. His tone shifted to icy anger as he spoke, "Well, I AM. It is not for you to decide the gender of others and I will..."

"You still don't look it."

"You little bit...!?"

It was Oskar's turn to interrupt him. He placed a hand on his shoulder and said in an urgent tone, "Riley!"

While the wizard had been busy with the barmaid, he hadn't realized that a circle of townspeople were beginning to envelope their conversation. Looks of distrust, fear, and now anger at Riley for yelling at one of their own were plastered on every face.

Riley seemed to finally notice and he clamped his mouth shut. But Oskar could still see his jaw clenching and unclenching underneath his lips.

The barmaid was seemingly oblivious to all of this and simply smiled, "Ima tell everyone tha witch I was tellin' em about is in town!"

With that, she began to hurry excitedly away, slipping through a couple of the men that were now glaring at the duo.

Riley was in turn glaring back, as if he was preparing to fight the two dozen men that were clearly unwelcoming.

Oskar spoke first however, "Gentlemen," he stood up tall and spoke clearly, "Trust me when I say we are not looking for trouble. Instead, we are looking for a horse so that we may leave here as quickly as possible. I think we can all agree that would be the best for everyone here."

The crowd seemed to be so focused on Riley, they were just starting to notice just how big and dangerous looking Oskar was. The fighting spirit in the men dropped drastically, but there was still clear animosity.

One man approached slightly. An older man that out of all in attendance looked the calmest. Distrustful maybe, but not angry.

"I have a horse I'd be willing to sell to yah, orc kin," he claimed in a gravely voice, "But only if yah leave immediately once I sell it to yah. We don't want any trouble with witches around here."

Riley's irritation flared up again, "I'm not a witch!"

Oskar squeezed his shoulder a bit harder, "That would be most kind of you. You are wise even for your years, good sir."

"Indeed... follow me..." the older man said, walking out of the circle and near the edge of town.

Oskar kept a firm grip on the fuming wizard and began to walk him into following the older human. The circle of townspeople parted reluctantly and let them pass through. Oskar kept a small calm smile, but while one hand held Riley's shoulder, the other was on his sword hilt.

They followed the man to the edge of town where a small house sat. A fence was attached to the side of the house and there were a few animals within. A small chicken coop, where insistent clucking was coming from, and two horses.

The old man leaned against the fence and produced a pipe. He put some substance within and lit it with a match. He toked at it for a moment as the pair approached him. He gestured his pipe at the slightly larger horse of a chestnut color.

"I'd be willing tah sell him to yah," he claimed, still apparently uneasy. The pipe was probably to calm him and it seemed to be working. Though only moderately so, "He's a gelding yah see? And that other one there is a mare. I'd like to raise a foal, but I'd obviously need a stallion instead."

"A gelding will serve our purposes just fine," Oskar assured him.

Now that they were away from the crowd, Riley was calming down a bit. He took a deep breath and said, "Excellent, how much are you willing to sell it for?"

As he asked, he started reaching towards his bag. The older man stopped what he was doing to instead watch Riley with a poorly hidden anxiety.

Riley noticed and he let out a sigh of exasperation, "Relax old timer. I'm not about to turn you into a frog."

"T'would be easier, wouldn't it?" He muttered, "Do some witchy stuff on me and take tha horse fer free?"

Riley sneered at him, "Actually, it would be a lot easier to just give you the fucking money."

"Excuse my accomplice's temper, my new friend," Oskar said hurriedly, "You seem wise and surely you could understand how such assumptions could leave a man irritable."

The older man furrowed his brow and gestured to Riley with his pipe, "that right there is a man?"

"For the love of the weave!" Riley yanked a purple silk sack out of his bag, causing what little color was left in the old man's face to drain.

"In this bag is one hundred gold pieces," he claimed, thrusting the bag out to the man, "That would be far more than enough for a stallion, let alone a gelding. Take it so we can get moving."

The old man stared at it for a long moment, puffing at his pipe. It took him a minute to speak, but his voice was hesitant and a bit worried, "I ain't sure I want a witch's coin..."

"I. Am not. A witch." Riley hissed each word, the vibrant pink color in his eyes flaring dangerously as his hair began to wave with a supernatural wind.

Oskar stepped somewhat in between them, "Sir, please. We don't want to cause any trouble and would love to leave your town quickly and peacefully. As a fellow man of no magical talent and only has his own muscles and tools to make it through this harsh existence, I can promise you that the money is good. It won't bring any harm to you or your fellow towns folk. Use this money to get a good stallion and use what is left to make your life here even easier on yourself. What do yah say? You get us out of here and more money than yah need."

He hesitated before saying, "Ain't nobody that knows I accepted coin from her gonna let me spend it..."

Oskar could sense Riley's aggression rising again, so he quickly said, "How about a trade then? It isn't as good as coin, but I have something worth quite a bit of money."

He took off his bag and reached inside of one of its many pockets. Much to Riley's obvious irritation, the old man didn't wince when Oskar went through his stuff. After a moment, he produced a golden pocket watch.

"I got this from a professor who I helped with his research," Oskar claimed, "It's worth about fifty or sixty gold. Not quite the one hundred that my friend here is offering, but it has never been in the hands of a man or a woman of magic."

The man stared at it for a moment, stroking a scraggly beard. He nodded after a minute, "that... would be better..."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Riley almost whispered in an exasperated tone.

"So do we have a deal, my new friend?" Oskar offered out the pocket watch.

The old man nodded and took the pocket watch, "I'll get it ready fer yah."

With that, he went into a nearby shed, putting the pocket watch in his vest.

"Stupid fucking peasants!" Riley sneered, starting to pace a bit, "This is why I live in the fucking woods! Keeps me away from these absolutely braindead, inbred, mud bath taking, rotten teeth having...!"

Oskar put a hand on his shoulder again, causing Riley to jump. Riley briefly turned his glare to Oskar, but the soft amber eyes quickly melted the fury out of him. He relaxed as they stared at each other for a minute.

"I understand," Oskar said in a low, sympathetic tone, "And I'm sorry."

Riley sighed, a small smile appearing on his face as he reached up and patted the hand that was still gripping his shoulder, "Thank you darling."

It took a few moments, but the man returned with the gear for horse riding. The saddle and harness was prepared and it wasn't long before the pair were mounting the horse. Oskar took the reigns and Riley sat behind him, side saddle style.

Oskar gave the old man some courteous goodbyes, to which the man simply waved him away. A small crowd of people had began to gather again and were glaring hatefully at the two of them as they began to ride out of the town of Lilly Wallow as the sun began to set. The orange light somehow made what was originally a welcoming looking down somehow more menacing.