It Started with Slime - Part 1

Interlude VII - Boren, Spell Craft

Boren was on a roll, he just kept shooting off his new spell, and the last couple of weeks had been epic. His new Magic Spell Soil Kinesis having grown rapidly to 12. For the first time in his young life, Boren didn't feel useless...didn't feel like everyone had to take care of him. It was an exhilarating sensation.

"Father, look at this! Look what I can do now!" Putting his palms down and willing the Earth to his hand for the hundredth time that day. The King had come out by Boren's request to see what his youngest had accomplished. He did not have time and the kingdom would not run itself but at this moment he would patiently watch and applaud as appropriate for the accomplishment. Fenwin had already reported the remarkable affinity the lad had with Earth Magic and the first-ever accomplishment he had reached. Normally the Mana consumption would have beggared anyone attempting to level a spell that quickly. Not to mention headaches and other side effects of severe Mana depletion. But there were remedies and potions for everything, the Mana restoration potions and side effect dampening potions that Haemish had been supplying for the Prince had done much to push him forward and allow him to continue to work his magic without rest. Boren had taken full advantage.

"Well done son! You are doing excellent work! How are your Mana reserves?" Borowyn called out. "Make sure to keep your Mana above ten per cent or you will get those migraines. It is very important to be safe!" The training dummies that Boren was practising on were made mostly of straw. However, the trick to bypassing the penalty that was imposed on spells if you used them for training on non-living targets was to have some part of the dummy as a living being. So inside a magical barrier in the centre of each dummy was a small Darter Fish from the Flue River, they were native in the Flue Village close to where Haemish was from, exactly halfway between Brewyn and Pravwell. It made very good living tissue for the dummies as they were small required little and could survive in very small and confined spaces. Inside the torso of each dummy was one of those Darter Fish the magical barrier kept both the water in a sphere shape and also stopped spells from killing the fish. It was annoying to have o keep replacing them when they got fried and so this was the solution. No 50% experience penalty and at the same time no constant need to fish. The Darter Fish did not live long anyway but this way replacing them was required much less often.

Haemish would normally have charge ridiculous sums of money for the potions that he was administering to Boren. But with their new arrangement, Borowyn was realising more and more that this arrangement might not be as bad as he had thought. In exchange for allowing the Potion Master kingdom resources, he had also agreed to continue making these potions. The ingredients were already expensive but with Haemish making them for free the cost had dropped precipitously. And when compared to the average labourers' salary, each one was still the cost of a year's worth of money. The queen remained oblivious to the plans he had made with Haemish. Boren was doing well with his studies and happy for the first time in what felt like his whole life. Breathing deeply the King enjoyed the feeling, fleeting as it was. He would need to get back to the throne room soon. Petitioners waited on him to pass judgement for their petty squabbles.

After a few more castings of the spell, it was time for the King to leave. He had barely spent twenty minutes with Boren but it would have to be enough for both of them. Boren gave his usually sullen and disappointed expression before resuming the mask and demeanour of a royal. Borowyn was honestly proud of the boy for managing it. He was used to pouting and tantrums and other unbecoming behaviour. Perhaps he had not noticed when Boren had grown up. Suffering and pain had an unfortunate way to force one to grow up before their years and Boren had had his fair share and then some.

This progress was not without cost. What Boren had gained in raw strength he lacked in experience, a training dummy did not fight back. Eventually, he would either have to accept that it was not possible to be out in the field with luck in the negatives. Or Boren would master his deficiencies and power through. Borowyn hoped it would be the former. At the moment it looked that way.