The Andre Miller Saga

Andre Miller 4 The Eviction

"Can I learn magic?" asked Frankie.

It had been 6 months since the Conclave, finding Frankie, and freeing him from his infernal contract. Andre looked at him, "What brings this up?"

"Well," Frankie replied, "You and Caleb know magic and you guys saved me. I don't know how to fight but I'm a quick study and I can pick up things pretty easy. I was just remembering the fight we had outside the café in Utah and I was wondering if I could learn that."

"That's a big ask bud," said Andre, "what happened back there was a desperation play. Combat magic isn't my or Caleb's forte, but everyone who can do magic knows a little bit. We're summoners. You wouldn't do well as a summoner with your bad karmic load. You might be able to deal with elementals, but celestials wouldn't work with you."

"Oh, ok, well I figured I would ask because maybe it would help me pay you guys back, you know before I die of old age."

"Well, give me a minute, there are other types of magicians than just summoners. There are combat mages, that would probably not be for you, they tend to be aggressive and very assertive, which you aren't. There are rune smiths, they make magic items, talismans for defense, and stuff like that. There are defense specialists, the name pretty much covers it. They do wards, circles, and protective spells. What else?" Andre thought for a minute, "Stage magicians have a little true power that they use for showy effects and tricks. Alchemists, they handle potions and turning one thing into another. Necromancers, yeah, we'll stay away from that one. Enchanters deal with mind magic and controlling thoughts, emotions, and memories. Then there are the seers, they make prophecies and see portents and signs. I think that about covers it."

"I suppose some of those would be bad ideas for a guy with a lot of bad karma like me, huh?" he said as he sat down across from Andre.

They were at Andre's apartment where he and Frankie lived. Andre had cleaned out his den and turned it into a spare bedroom for Frankie. It was small, but it got the job done. Things were still a bit cramped, but Andre was slowly moving stuff out to a storage locker nearby or his office.

Frankie was doing odd jobs for Andre and their friend Caleb and had a part-time job at a local fast food joint to have some spending money.

"Yeah, Combat magic, necromancy, and enchantment are right out. Too much of a temptation to abuse those. Stage magic wouldn't be a bad thing, but there's not much of a call for that around here. We don't have room for an alchemist's or runesmith's gear. That leaves defensive magic. That's harder to learn, but can carry a lot of good karma if you do it right."

"I could use all the good karma I can get. I'm not afraid to work hard." Said, Frankie.

"Oh, I know you're not. But that would require a teacher. Caleb and I can teach you some basic protective spells and runes, but that's about the extent of what we know. I'll tell you what, you save up $500 as a payment to get gear and a potential teacher, and Caleb and I will look into finding you a defensive magic coach."

"OK! I can do that." Frankie said with a big grin.

Later that day they were at Andre and Caleb's office. They had decided to merge their practices about three months before and offer increased services to their clients. Andre specialized in working with the Celestial Union, while Caleb usually worked with the Elemental Courts.

Frankie was in one of the back rooms straightening up supplies and polishing the runes in the floor.

"Frankie wants to learn magic," Andre said to Caleb.

"What brought that on?" Caleb said as he refilled his coffee.

"He wants to do more than just be a janitor and a burger jockey. Hanging out with us he sees it every day so that was probably the start of it. We talked about it a little and we concluded that if he was going to learn anything, defensive magic was his best bet."