Gula Invidia: Black Market (VII): Magic Training And Train Boarding

  --- Booker H. Freeman ---

  “Draw the power in, feel it flow through your very bones, and then will it to do what you wish.” He tried explaining once more.

  And to her credit he could tell that Lydia was in fact trying to do as he said, no matter how much she struggled, faint sparks of power building but never quite forming either.

  (Wrath: Will is not the aspect of this she is lacking.)

  The fact that she was still trying in spite of her clear failure.

  (Pride: She’s willing to improve herself, and that does deserve credit, but…)

  (Envy: But she has next to no affinity for Curse magicks.)

  After a few more moments, he placed a hand upon the bone charm and gently pushed it down. Preventing his young companion from continuing on with her exercise in futility.

  “W-what’s wrong? I… I almost had it.” The poor girl lied, a (hideously) worried frown marring her face.

  “No, you did not…” He sighed with a shake of his head. “It’s a shame, but ultimately a common enough problem with this sort of thing.”

  “What…” Lydia swallowed, as if expecting him to deliver a death sentence when she finally managed to ask, “What problem?”

  (Envy: Let me explain. We’re going to need a bit more detail than what you’re aware of…)

  (Alright, give me the lesson to teach.)

  “Every school of magic possesses a different… mindset. A mindset so ingrained into a person that it influences all magics that they are capable of, accelerating their ability to use some while making others near impossible.” He explained, before drawing a bit of cursed energy into his hand, not quite forming a Shadow Bolt. “Curse magic, the kind both this bone charm and myself revolves around ‘suffering’, ‘vengeance’, and ‘rebellion’ each being… not quite a sub-affinity, but still a piece of the overall puzzle. Do you follow so far?”

  Lydia licked her lips as her face scrunched up in thought. “Curse magic… the stuff you’re trying to teach me… I need to know about… suffering, vengeance, and rebellion to use?”

  (Envy: Yes, but no…)

  He considered how better to explain this. “You don’t simply need to know of them, or have experienced them, you need to understand them in a way that is a step further than simple sympathies. And even then you don’t need to understand all of them, truly understanding just one aspect is more than enough. Though understanding each will offer greater power, that’s more of a long term goal than we’re currently looking at.”

  “I… I lived in Ira Invidia, I know what suffering is and I…” Lydia’s face darkened. “I know about vengeance and rebellion.”

  (Lust: Ooh, someone has a story~)

  (Gluttony: A fun one.)

  (Sloth: Not the time.)

  “As I said, it’s not a matter of simply knowing them you must understand them.” He tried to reiterate. “For instance to use, fire magic…”

  (Lust: You need to understand the warmth of life! To exist and burn for that fleeting moment of joy!)

  “For ice…”

  (Wrath: You must feel the creeping cold that chills the veins, and keeps you in control even as its bitter bite nips away at your mind.)

  “Electricity…”

  (Pride: Is movement and power, both fueling the ever growing progress of one’s will. A refusal to still one’s self even if it burns you out.)

  “The might of nature…”

  (Gluttony: Is but the beast within, the instincts engraved into your blood and bones. Your place in the food chain, be it predator or prey.)

  “Mind magicks…”

  (Greed: Are not some physical force to be bended, but a subtle influence meant to inspire both one’s greatest heights and falls in pursuit of the perfect deal for the moment.)

  “Arts of the soul…”

  (Sloth: Use your own as both fuel and power as you walk a too long road not meant for mortals, but still the easiest way to the most impossible of dreams…)

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  He blinked, his mind suddenly coalescing after shattering upon those rolling thoughts, words spoken more out of instinct than intent.

  After a moment to process his own words, he turned towards his young companion, and asked, “Does any of that resonate with you?”

  Lydia was pensive for a moment. “I… I don’t know…”

  “It’s fine if you don’t.” He assured her. “While these are the paths I’m most familiar with, they do not represent the only paths to power. Each affinity has many routes to its core, and there are many many affinities that could call to you my dear.”

  (Envy: Sixty-seven thousand, seven hundred and eighty three and counting… I think… I’m not actually sure where that number came from?)

  He had no idea, he was honestly still trying to catch up with his own thoughts from before let alone whatever obscure little facts his voices could only half-remember.

  “Regardless, we’ve plenty of time to sort out which magicks best call out to you. The fact that one I’m well suited to doesn’t is a shame, but not some impossible impasse.” He promised his young companion with a confident grin. “In fact I’m sure with a bit more work we could even overcome this block of yours, regardless of your actual affinity.”

  (Gluttony: Heads up.)

  “Though I do believe that lesson will have to wait a bit longer.” He admitted, before turning towards the Inferni approaching them. V notably carrying a large bag on her hip.

  “Shit, the fuck did you two do here?” Beez’el asked, looking over the wall covered in carvings and more.

  “Oh, just a bit of magic practice.” He smiled, with a pat of Lydia’s head. “The kit is still learning after all.”

  “Huh, maybe this isn’t such a shit idea after all.” V said as she considered the damage to the wall.

  “Ha! Told you!” Beez’el preened.

  “I said maybe, this all could still turn to shit.” The pink Inferni warned. “The people fighting in the pit are going to hit back a lot harder than a brick wall.”

  (Gluttony: They’ll also bleed a lot more.)

  “I’m sure I can handle it.” He grinned as he straightened out his clothes. “That said, if you’re here I’m guessing you’re ready to leave.”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be for this shit show.” V groaned with a shake of her head, before motioning for them to follow. “There’s a train moving to one of the other markets, it’ll be passing by the station the pit ‘s built itself into. We’ll have to hop off quick but it’ll still get us there.”

  “Fantastic!” He laughed, following after.

  “Say that if no Hellbeasts have spawned wherever we hop off.” V scoffed.

  “Hellbeasts?” Lydia (hideously) frowned.

  V gave his young companion a considering look, before sighing. “Hellbeasts form wherever there’s a dense and unused bit of magic. Topside or in any settlement really, they aren’t too bad since people mess up whatever is going on there, but the places that don’t have people… they have Hellbeasts instead. And Hellbeasts don’t like people.”

  “They also aren’t shit worth worrying about.” Beez’el added, disrupting whatever warning the other Inferni was trying to form. “I mean look at that shitshow over there.” Their guide pointed at the front of a nearby train, one that had a spiked guard covered in various bits of dried blood and half-rotted meat. “The ones outside the city walls can get big, yeah, but the ones that form on the tracks are just waiting to become roadkill.”

  “How delightful!” He grinned, just imagining the gory little explosions that resulted in such a mess.

  (Lust: Oh, yes very intriguing. I mean if we could splash that onto a canvas…)

  (Gluttony: It’d be a waste of good meat.)

  (Pride: I’d like to think we’re above eating roadkill please.)

  (Gluttony: Spoken like someone who's forgotten their hunger.)

  After a few minutes of walking, V stopped them in front of a train covered in graffiti of all kinds. “Right, this is the one we’re taking.”

  “A merchant’s track?” Beez’el (grotesquely) frowned.

  “ Pulled a favor to find an empty cart passing the pit.” The female Inferni explained, before grabbing the door to one of the carts and struggling to open it. “Hrr… The fewer people who can trace me to the coming clusterfuck… the better…”

  (Wrath: Be a gentleman would you?)

  Stepping forward he grabbed onto the cart door, prompting V to take a step back, before wrenching the thing open enough for all of them to enter.

  “Oof, a regular Sa’tyr aren’t you big man?” Beez’el laughed, pushing past V and leaping inside the cart.

  With a grin he offered a hand towards V who simply rolled her eyes and climbed aboard on her own.

  Lydia by contrast let him help her onto the cart, with him following shortly after to find the dark cart illuminated by a pair of lights coming from this dark squares in the hands of the Inferni.

  “Tch, nothing worth swiping in here.” Beez’el grumbled, looking around.

  “I’d stop you even if there was. Unlike you I don’t like burning bridges.” V told the smaller Inferni, before turning towards him and Lydia. “Once the train gets moving we’re about ten, maybe fifteen minutes from the pit. We’ll hop off quick, get to the door, I’ll talk you three in, and then get out. Whatever happens after that, you lot are on your own.”

  “That’s more than fair.” He nodded.

  (Greed: Really, because I figure with everything we did to get this ride we deserve a little more.)

  (Envy: She’s taking a risk for us. Arguably a bigger one than we took for her given what we’re planning.)

  (Sloth: Besides, getting her out would just be more work for us later.)

  “Right, now then Smiles turn around.” V ordered, reaching into her bag and pulling out a large piece of fabric. “If I’m talking you idiots in, I'm going to need to be dressed for the part and I’m not letting you perv on me.”

  “Ah, of course!” He nodded, spinning on his heel so that his back was respectfully to the changing female.

  (Envy: Don’t forget the idiot.)

  (Lust: Hey! I’m the last one to want to look!)

  (Envy: I meant the other idiot.)

  (Lust: Ah.)

  His hand shot out and grabbed Beez’el by the scruff of his neck before forcibly turning him away from their female companion.

  “Blood and brimstones!” The male Inferni cursed. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before!”

  “And we’re not dating so you won’t see it ever again asshole!” V shot back, a clearly (beautiful) sadistic smile to her voice.

  “Like I’d want to, you may be hot but you're nowhere near hot enough to put up with that attitude of yours, bitch!” Beez’el scoffed, beginning to struggle in Booker’s grasp as the pair began to bicker.

  Still his grip remained like iron, even as the train around them began to move them deeper into the darkness of the railways.

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  -Rush99999

  -Kcx1

  -Spheal Lover

  A/N: No choices this time, mostly just a transition chapter to get us to the actual fight club.