Chuck has us having fun with all kinds of links and this week is no different. This link is great! I was given 'My character is a fucking: modest tiefling wizard from a pompous wizard school who parties hard, way too hard.'
Now it went in a totally different direction than I expected.
enjoy!
“Wake up, Zoltar!”
His head throbbed as
his world spun, “Oh… crap in a Fire Drakes dungeon, what in Orhan’s name
happened?”
“Phew! You stink! And
to think you attend the best Wizard School around… if your parents were alive
today, they’d – I don’t know what they’d do, but it wouldn’t be good.” Rake
groaned, “Come now. I would not be your best friend if I didn’t pull you back
onto your feet and take you home.”
“Where am I?”
“Prison.” He threw
his cloak at him and turned, “Come now, Largos the Great commands your
attendance in the Great Hall. This time it’s going to be a public humiliation.”
“It’s not going to
be that bad is it?”
Rake turned and
showed him the guards from the Royal Baltic Wizard Scholarship standing in wait
outside the cell, “Yes it is.”
The whole class of
the R.B.W.S. was in attendance for this special assembly. Nobody was permitted
to their classes until Zoltar was dealt with – and yes, he was being treated as
an example to the rest of the class.
Rake stood by his
best friend in front of Largos the Great – the owner, Dean and Head Wizard of
the Royal Baltic Wizard Scholarship – and the guards were at attention around
the two. Zoltar wondered what he was in for, because he had never had this kind
of treatment before, normally he was taken into the office and reprimanded then
sent away to ‘think about what he had done’ with a few of his powers reduced
for two weeks or so.
Somehow, he thought,
this was going to be different.
“Zoltar, son of Fouad
the Miner of the Coal and of Gretle of the Princess of the Lands Across the Horizon
– which I’ve never heard of – brother to Stormester, the greatest Witch this
side of the Western Junction of the Darkness Ranges, I understand you have been
out for the last three nights without permission.” Largos’ voice thundered
around the Great Hall, echoing around the place, causing him to feel alone, even
though it was full of students, staff and guards.
“Three nights? Has
it been that long?” he asked, “Um… it seems so.”
“You came to this
wizard school on a recommendation by your friend, Rake, who told me you were a
natural wizard – just as your sister has her powers from the Gods.” Largos
said, “You didn’t buy them, you didn’t barter with the Devil, nor did you make
a deal with anyone of Power to obtain them… they were naturally instilled
within you.”
“Yes, Great Wizard.”
He answered.
“Seeing you cannot control
your … urges… I have no other choice but to take your powers from you until you
can control yourself.”
Zoltar’s gut turned
into a knot, “No!” then he remembered where he was, “If that is your wish.” Tears
blurred his vision as he glanced at Rake, whose expression was the same as his –
shock – then he was led away into the back chamber where he would be relinquished
of his powers.
He woke in his bed
with Rake laying a cool cloth over his head and horns. Pain racked his body as he shook, “Why
am I in so much pain?”
“It’s the withdrawal
of having your powers stripped of you.” Rake said, “You’re being suspended from
this place. I have been placed as your carer and you must leave; so I have
packed all of your things and your wagon is waiting outside. Once you’re
healthy enough to leave, we will.”
“I don’t know any
other home than here.”
“Not so far.” Rake
said, “This is a test… let’s see how far you can go.”
One of the guards
handed Rake a map and a pouch of money, “My old house is a few miles from here.
You can have it as I live here now. It should be in good shape for you both to
live in. It’s near a stream and it’s around good hunting grounds.”
“Thank you, Fouad.” He
pushed the map and money into his vest and climbed into the driver’s seat, then
urged the horses on.
The first month wasn’t
easy.
Zoltar was sick all
the time. He caught a cold, which turned nasty and he almost died. But Rake
promised Largos not to use magic unless it was absolutely necessary. And in the
end, he went outside and found herbs in the forest to make a tea to help Zoltar
with his illness. It took a while, but his friend drank a large mug of it every
night and he kept him warm by the fireplace, cooked all the right foods and
made sure he ate more than once a day. Eventually, Zoltar got better, just as
the first leaves were turning amber for Autumn; and this caused Rake some doubts,
thinking that his friend’s illness might come back.
Instead, he found
Zoltar looking around outside working on talking to nature. He caught him
moving rocks from one side of the path to their cabin to the other.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes I am. I am
stronger than I ever have been.” Zoltar smiled, “This is good.” He dipped his
bread into the pheasant stew and ate it, “Really good, Rake.”
“Thank you. Glad you
like it.” He watched him, “But I watched you today moving rocks.”
“Yes… I know Largos
took my Powers from me. But you see, my Powers aren’t his to take. They are
mine – deep down inside – and always have been. The pain I felt was from him
trying to take them. I was weak from the fighting.” Zoltar smiled.
“Fighting?”
“Yes. When I was out
the back of the Great Hall, Largos tried to take my Powers from me. But as he
said, they are natural. I didn’t buy them, make a deal or bargain with anyone
to have them… they were with me when I was born. Nobody can take them from me.”
“So, why did you
party so hard?”
Zoltar grinned, “Because
he expected me to. That place was too…” he rubbed his fingertips of his left
hand together, trying to find the right word, “…pompous and rich for me, just as
it is for you. We need to use nature like it is now, out here to make our
Powers work properly.” He looked around the cabin, “I still don’t know how you
found this place.”
“One of the guards
gave it to us.”
“Which one?”
“Fouad.”
“Oh… my father’s
name was Frouad.”
