A Witch's Tale IC

[NeoSeraphi]

Varsuvius nods. "Now then...what is your answer? Why do you study conjuration?"

[Diachronos]

"I've always felt like I don't fit in anywhere, and it's been hard for me to make friends. I guess I thought that being able to summon creatures would help me not feel like I'm by myself all the time."

[NeoSeraphi]

Varsuvius nods. "A good answer. Honest. You admit your faults, and admit that you use magic to try and rise above them. Truly, that is the reason all of us do it. There is a reason so few among the population use arcane magic. They seek to surpass their own faults, to hide them or to compensate for them."

He sits Rachel at a table along with a few other students and places an alchemy kit in front of her.

Rachel tries her best to follow his instructions, but it is clear that she needs additional practice to improve her skills before she can really participate in this club.

Varsuvius's Affection increases!

Spoiler

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In order to improve Varsuvius's Affection further using the Alchemy club, Rachel will need to learn how to properly brew potions. She must take the Brew Potion feat.

[Diachronos]

After the club meeting, Rachel heads to the library to see if she can find anything that might help her with potion brewing or item crafting.

[NeoSeraphi]

Sitting in a corner off to the right of the library is Mr. Ferrerus. He is mired in a sea of books. Seven or eight books are discarded on the floor, another four are spread open in front of him, and ten more are stacked quickly to his left. He scans page after page, muttering under his breath to himself.

[Diachronos]

Rachel approaches the man. "Mr. Ferrerus, is everything okay?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"I'm searching for something. Searching, searching...I'll find it. I have to find it. That damn Sanguine girl..." he tosses another book to the floor.

[Diachronos]

'Sanguine girl'? Is he the one Facia had been talking about? "What are you searching for? I might be able to help you find it."

[NeoSeraphi]

Ferrerus pauses. He hands Rachel a book. "I am seeking any and all information on a wizard named Joseph Tells."

[Diachronos]

Rachel looks at the book. "Why are you looking for information on him?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The book he handed her appears to be details about certain famous individuals who died during the First War, a battle that took place ten thousand years ago. There is no mention of a Joseph Tells in the book.

"That man holds the secret...the secret to everything I've been searching for all these years. Why won't she tell me?!"

[Diachronos]

Rachel looks through the book, confirming that there's no mention of him. "If you're looking for information about Joseph Tells, why are you going to Facia?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Ferrerus doesn't answer her, and after a few more minutes he gets up and leaves. He's never acted like this before, and Rachel took classes with him all last year.

[Diachronos]

Rachel sighs and heads back to her dorm. It seems that Mr. Ferrerus isn't likely to tell her why he wants the information, or why he's bothering Facia about it. Maybe he should try asking the witch herself to see if she can find anything out?

[NeoSeraphi]

Rachel heads back to her dorm, tired and unable to keep her eyes open.

When she rises in the morning, it's Saturday. Time for her Intermediate Conjuration class!

When Rachel arrives at the class, she is asked by her professor to explain the difference between demons, daemons and devils.

[Diachronos]

Why me?! "Demons hail from the Abyss and act with the intention of destroying and maiming, and usually only follow the commands of those with some kind of power over them. The devils of Hell follow a more rigid hierarchy and aim to corrupt anything pure or good. Daemons come from Abbadon and seek the eventual consumption of all life; their methods range from deceit and manipulation to direct brute force, and the variety of methods they employ have led to many of their actions being mistakenly attributed to other types of fiends."

[NeoSeraphi]

The professor nods with approval. Her classmates all whisper excitedly and look at Rachel with awe.

Rachel's Knowledge increases!

"Alright then. Next week will be your first practical demonstration. Everyone in the class will need to be prepared to either summon a creature or create an object. Class dismissed!"

Rachel heads to lunch and spies Maya waving at her from an empty table.

[Diachronos]

Rachel heads over to join Maya. "How have you been?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Maya smiles. "Good! I'm great. I'm...sorry for running off on you the other day."

Oh...right. Not class yesterday, but the last time Rachel and Maya had spent time together, Maya suddenly ran away from her.

[Diachronos]

"It's alright. I'm not upset about it or anything." She smiles at Maya.

[NeoSeraphi]

Maya smiles. "Okay! Well, hey, do you like sweets?"

[Diachronos]

She nods. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Maya smiles and sets something down. "I received a present the other day and I wanted you to have it." She lifts the top off the box.

Spoiler

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[Diachronos]

Rachel feels her mouth watering instantly. "Oh, that looks delicious! But... that was a gift, wasn't it? Why are you giving it away?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Maya shakes her head. "People sometimes give me gifts because they want to show their appreciation for the songs I write for them. But...it feels too much like payment to me. I can't refuse their kindness, but I never use the gifts myself because it feels wrong. I write songs to help others speak, and because I love to sing. I don't do it for sweets or potions or play tickets."

[Diachronos]

Is it really right to take the cake, then? "Have you tried telling them that accepting gifts for your songs makes you feel uncomfortable?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Maya shakes her head. "By the time a gift is presented to me, a person has already spent their time and money to acquire it! It would be rude to refuse it and leave them to deal with the aftermath of my discomfort."

Maya isn't a shy person by any means but she seems like the type who doesn't want to upset anyone around her...

[Diachronos]

"I guess you're right." She has a point, but at the same time, this is a cycle that wouldn't end until the people giving Maya the gifts knew how she felt.

[NeoSeraphi]

Maya smiles and hands her the cake. "Here! It looks great, doesn't it?"

She picks up her fork and spears a bit of cake, pushing it forward towards Rachel's lips. "Say 'aaahhhh'."

Rachel realizes with a start that this is exactly what a girl would do at lunch if she was trying to be cute with her boyfriend...and this lunch room isn't exactly private either.

[Diachronos]

Rachel blushes deeply. "M-Maya, that's, uh... that's closer to what a girlfriend would do with her boyfriend." She glances around, hoping that nobody was watching them.