Obviously, I accepted Merlin's offer. First of all, Merlin was experienced in magic. Although he was a wizard, he did say that wizards were not all good on his world. Besides, I could learn from him even if it was how to counteract wizardry. Second, Merlin was a wolf; there were few monsters I had to worry about with him next to me. And third, I had no idea how to find Magnus, let alone defeat him. "Before I begin teaching you, I need to eat," Merlin said. Excited to be useful for once, I picked up my wand and pulled my last lump of clay out of the bag. "What is it you want?" I asked. "Meat, obviously." My excitement was doused. "Oh... well... meat isn't very good for you. Are you sure you wouldn't like---." "I am a wolf, young sorcerer." "My name is Ayden Dracre." His eyes widened. "Interesting. You are not by chance related to Ilvera Dracre, are you?" "That's my mother. You know her?" "I might have... heard of her. If she is your mother, then... oh, yes. Caldaca has a matriarchal society." "I read that it used to be otherwise, but then sorceresses and witches rebelled and created a widespread curse so that all the women of the layld could only have daughters. When the first generation of daughters reache the age where they had to fight each other for the few men left, the curse was broken. My father said it cut our population in half and set us back by hundreds of years, giving magic a chance to shape the world. My mother said men were insufferable and didn't deserve to rule anyway. If I got married, I would keep my name, but my children would have my wife's family name." "I applaud your knowledge of your world's history. Anyway, young sorcerer, if you would be so kind as to conjure my meal, we can begin our excursion."
"Alright." I set the clay on the nearby high root, closed my eyes, and waved my wand. Please give me meat. Please dont embarrass me. Change into meat. "Hmm," Merlin said thoughtfully. I opened my eyes and groaned. A green apple and three stalks of broccoli were in the place of the magic clay. "I told you I'm a bad sorcerer. I can't even conjure any food other than this." He studied the food thoughtfully. I studied him thoughtfully. "I see your predicament," he finally said. "Did you make your wand, buy it, or inherit it?" I noticed he didn't ask if I had stolen it. My brothers stole their wands from the best-known wand-maker in all of Akadema, but I could never do that to the poor old man who made his living by providing high-quality, intricately carved tools of magic. "I made it." I explained exactly how I tried to make it and how it transformed the first time I used it. "I see," Merlin said. "I cannot understand how anyone could use a wand they bought. Your wand is created with your magic and uses your magic. Conjuring meat is the same as hunting; it requires a sacrifice of life. The magic inside you is incapable of that, so your wand is incapable of that." I clenched my teeth to keep my mouth shut until I cold keep the whining out of my voice. "There is no wizard in my entire family, so I can't possibly have light magic!" He sighed in my mind. I know that occultism on Caldaca is wue, but you seem to misunderstand the foundation of magic. I see that I have uch to teach you before you can face Magnus." "If you want Magnus's help, why are you helping me knowing I want to defeat him?" "I have my ways, young sorcerer." He then nodded to the apple and broccoli. "Eat while you can and I will hunt for myself" He disappeared into the darkness of the forest without another word. I grimaced and scooped the apple and broccoli into my satchel for later, along with the magic box.
Soon, the sun peeked over the horizon and Merlin returned. Light streamed through the gaps in the leaves of the trees above and glowed softly against his multi-colored fur. As if he realized how the light accentuated his arrival, he posed for a moment. "What's the first step in making me a better sorcerer?" I asked. He sat on his haunches. "Are you trained in fighting?" he asked. I shook my head. "Im very good at running away and hiding from my brothers." He tilted his head a little bit as he considered this. "Very well. To defeat the wizard, you will need to know enough magic to defend yourself and to fight, as well as some powerful weapons and some minions." "Weapons? Like swords?" I asked, hoping I never had to tell him that I turned a bunch of swords into flowers. "No. You are not ready for that. I am referring to magical weapons. Your wand is an instrument of your magic that will be incapable of doing anything malevolent unless your soul itself is cruel. Therefore, you will need tools that have their own essence." "We can go to the wand-maker." I pulled the jewelry out of my bag "I have something we can sell to buy a new wand." The wolf looked at the jewelry and sighed heavily. "You understar what being cruel and devious is, right?" I frowned. "Right. I'm supposed to steal. But do we have to steal every time? Lorthton is a kind man who doesn't make a lot of money." "I will not force your hand; I will only tell you what you must do if you want to be a malicious sorcerer. I personally think you would make a better wizard." I glared at him. "Don't call me a wizard." "As you wish. What is it you plan to do as a sorcerer?" "Well, I want to be scary and have lots of gold and women and make my brothers afraid of me and... you know... sorcerer stuff. Hey, maybe I could just steal from rich people. That's bad, and I could just say that everyone else doesn't have enough to interest me. IfI get too much, maybe I can give some of it to---" "Stop right there," Merlin interrupted. "I can live with myself after shaping you into the most powerful sorcerer this world has ever seen because that is the way of the land here. I will not, however, bring about the next Robin of Loxely. Finish that thought and I will rescind ny offer to assist you." I slipped the loot back into my bag as I made a mental reminder to neve mention it again. Apparently, wolves despised charity more than sorcerers did. "Okay." Merlin decided we needed a place to practice my magic where I didn't have to worry about people getting hurt. He then said that he knew where we could go, but wasn't in the mood to tell me where, so we got back to the dirt road and started the journey to somewhere. It seemed like he forgot about me getting a new wand, which I was secretly glad for. That was until I found out what he had in mind.
Most of the day was spent in silence. I wanted to know about Merlin's world, but he wasn't in a talkative mood. I hoped it was because he had just escaped from the syrus and not because this was as friendly as he got. "What was it like in the syrus?" "Like I was asleep," he said easily. "How long were you in there?" "There is no way to be sure until I return to a world that keeps an accurate calendar system. It does make world-travel difficult." "So youre saying you don't know?" "Yes, that is what I am saying." "How many times have you been to Akadema?" "While I have not been to this particular area before, I have been to this world twice. Of course, twice was quite enough. I find the fact that nearly everyone on your world has magic of one form or another tedious. Necessary for your way of life, yes, but tedious all the same." Although it really sounded like he was insulting everyone on this world, he didn't seem to realize he was doing it. "What's wrong with magic? You're a wizard. "Yes, well, that is quite different here. Ifyou fall ill, you go to a mage. If you get pregnant, you go to a seer to find out what gender the child is. If you want to speak to long dead loved ones, you go to a necromancer." "Actually, if I became pregnant, I wouldn't be going to a seer. I don't know about your world, but men don't get pregnant here."
He gave me a look that simultaneously irritated and confused me, as if he was judging me and wasn't terribly impressed. At that point, I decided not to talk any more.
The sun was low in the sky when the path abruptly ended at the gates of a massive, old, rundown mansion. A massive mansion which hadn't been there a moment before. I looked behind us, then back at the mansion, then behind us again. It was not something I could have missed; it was massive. "The manor has an illusionary ward over it," Merlin explained. "Until you come upon it, you cannot see the mansion. Fear not; this fort belongs to an old friend of mine." «You have friends?" I asked, earning quite the blood-chilling glare in return. He didn't answer and instead motioned for me to go through the gate. I did, but not without the appropriate amount of complaining and begging that we run as fast as we could in any direction that was away from the mansion. The gate was old and opened easily, since it didn't have a lock. Merlin's friend probably thought he would never have a problem with bandits on account of the mansion being so creepy that any sane man would run as fast as he could in any direction that was away from the mansion... like we should have been doing. A cracked stone walkway, overcome with weeds, led to a very grand porch. Thorny vines tried to wrap around my ankles as we made our way to our certain and painful deaths, "Merlin, your friend isn't a cannibal, is he?" Merlin frowned as thoughtfully as a wolf could. "Not the last time I saw him." I opened my mouth to ask why that didn't reassure me, thought better of it, and shut my mouth. We reached the porch, which was also cracked and overgrown. When Merlin looked at me impatiently, I reached for the brass knocker on the solid, huge, and faded wooden door. The sound echoed loudly. Slowly, the door opened on its own. "I am not going in there." "Suit yourself. Stay outside with the rabbits." "Rabbits?"
"Of course. What else would a powerful magician use to guard his estate?" I shuddered at the thought of being attacked by a vicious rodent with sharp teeth and claws before stepping into the dark interior. The door slammed shut behind me and the fireplace lit itself. The room was grand, with a high ceiling and dark colors. Bookshelves lined two of the walls, there were two chairs in front of the fireplace, and a large painting of a black dragon hung over the fireplace. On the wall to my left were two doors. On the right was a staircase that led to a balcony. "Where is your friend?" I asked, turning to Merlin. Then I jumped back with something between a squeak and a feminine shriek, because it wasn't Merlin who stood right behind me. The man was a head or so taller than me with long, black hair, a trimmed goatee, and stone gray eyes. He wore a black robe with a silver crow clasp at the nape. None of this was what made me shout. Instead, what made my skin try to crawl off and hide under one of the chairs was the fact that the stranger was not completely corporeal. "You're a..." My voice cracked. The man narrowed his eyes. "I am Vactarus Firesword!" He held out his hands in a grand gesture and a deep blue glow formed above his palms, which illuminated his face. "You're a..." My voice cracked again. "I am the most powerful magician to ever become stranded on Caldaca." The blue glow formed into twin orbs. "You're a..." My voice cracked for a third time. "I am the master of this castle." The twin spheres of light suddenly burst into blue fire. You're a..." "Ayden!" Merlin admonished. "Ghost!"I finally got out. The flames died and the magician crossed his arms and glared at me. "Yes, I'm a ghost. Do you have a problem with that?" His tone told me in no uncertain terms that there was only one answer that wouldn't result in my immediate death. "Um... no. I'm a sorcerer, so, you know... I see g-ghosts all the time," I lied. Merlin sighed in my mind. "I'm Ayden. If you're a magician, where is your hat?"
"It was stolen by Magnus, the wizard." "He killed you and took your power?!" I asked, horrified. The ghost magician pursed his lips and looked at the fire. "Well, no. I tripped over one of my rabbits and fell down the stairs. Magnus took my hat before I learned to control my new ghost powers. Now I can never leave my home, so I cannot get it back." "Oh, sorry for your loss," I said. Merlin made a sound of disapproval. "I mean... that's not my problem because I'm a sorcerer and I have no sympathy." "A sorcerer knows how to choose enemies and allies. Vactarus is a very powerful magician and although magicians only use illusionary magic here, he was once a world traveler and has therefore attained many artifacts you can use as a sorcerer. You are not yet strong enough to steal from someone like Vactarus, but you havea common enemy." "So I should make an alliance with him?" I asked. "Who are you talking to?" Vactarus asked. "Merlin. He's the wolf and he can talk to me." The ghost studied Merlin carefully. Merlin sat on his haunches and smirked. I shuddered. "I knew a wizard named Merlin once. He stole a cushy job I wanted. We dueled and when I won, he was supposed to buy the drinks. Instead, he ran off and left me with the bill." "He did not win the duel," Merlin argued. "I really don't care," I told the wolf. Vactarus scowled, thinking I was talking to him. "I mean... tell me about it later. I'm going to defeat Magnus and prove myself to be a master sorcerer. If you would be willing to provide me with something I can use to fight him, I'll bring your hat back to you." "You?" He studied me and obviously found me lacking. You have no chance of defeating Magnus." Merlin growled at him and he scoffed. "What are you going to do, wolf, bite me?" In response, Merlin went over to one of the chairs and sunk his teeth in to the leather cushion. "No!" the ghost shrieked in utter horror. "Not my custom relaxed leather! It took fifteen virgin maidens to make leather so supple and smooth that also matched my silk curtains!" Merlin let go of the cushion and glared at the ghost again. So, you'll help me?" I asked. The ghost's shoulders slumped. "Your wolf is as uncouth as the wizard I knew who had the same name.
"I am not uncouth," Merlin assured me. "He's not my wolf," I assured Vactarus. "In the basement of my manor is a secret room full of riches I attained from many different worlds. You may have one artifact, only one, and you cannot change your mind later. You can also use the field behind my house and my ritual room to practice your attack. In exchange, you will bring back my hat. "" I glanced at Merlin and he nodded. "Deal." "Then I will return shortly." He vanished. I grinned widely. "Yay! I got my first accomplice! Or are you my accomplice?" Merlin just sighed. I didn't care: I was ecstatic to be getting a real magical weapon. A moment later, a young girl appeared right in front of me. This time, I refused to scream. Instead, I mustered every ounce of manliness I could... and squeaked quietly. Because the young girl was also a ghost. Her hair was blond and pulled up in pigtails, her blue eyes were huge and doll-like, and her pink cheeks were emphasized by her pale skin. The blue dress she wore was rough on the edges and dirty. She smiled at me. "My name is Kisha." Vactarus appeared beside her and I squeaked again, less quietly. "Kisha, my daughter, will show you to the vault." Kisha blushed, smiled shyly at me, and played with the hem of her dress. I squeaked louder until Merlin frowned at me worriedly. That was quite a sight to see, but Merlin seemed to have mastered wolf expressions. Kisha waved her hand and started towards one of the doors. "Follow me." Merlin and I did. I opened the door, which revealed a dark hallway. «So... how long have you been... Vactarus's daughter?" I asked, using my natural talent to make everyone in the room extremely uncomfortable. She laughed. "I'm not really Vactarus's daughter. I was already a ghost here when he took control over the manor. When he died, he sort of adopted me." She walked through another door. I heard a soft click as the latch released before the door swung open. Merlin and I entered cautiously, immediately having to step down some old, crumbling, stone steps. We followed the steps down until we reached the bottom. I pulled out my wand and let energy flow through me. Since I was very against being trapped in the dark, my magic instinctively knew what to do. The tip of the wand lit up with bright white light that chased away the darkness. "No white magic to see here," Merlin muttered sarcastically. In front of us was a stone wall with magic sigils on it. Behind us were only the steps we had descended. "What do we do?" I asked. Kisha was gone and there wasn't another door. "Unlock the entrance the same way you did with the syrus." I waved my wand at the wall with the sigils on it. Reveal your secrets. Nothing happened. I tried again. Please open. Again, nothing happened. *These sigils are not weak, but this door can be opened. You have to really want this." I glared at the wall and thrust my wand towards it like I was going to stab it. "Open!" I demanded out loud. Suddenly, a vertical crack formed in the middle of the wall and grew larger. It was a very straight crack, so I knew it was intentional. I was very glad I wasn't bringing the manor down on top of us. Once was enough for me. More cracks split the wall until they formed blocks instead of a solid mass. Then, the blocks rearranged themselves to shape a doorway to another secret room. I held my wand out to see inside, since the tip was still glowing. Inside was a larger room, piled high with treasure chests, weapons, and magical items. "Very good," Merlin said. "Now, pick out something that feels right to you." "What if I pick out something that only does light magic?" "There is nothing associated with white magic in this room. Trusting him, I got to work scouting out the magical items. There were crystal balls, staffs, talismans, rings, etc... I opened a chest and promptly jumped on a nearby table, only to sigh with relief when I saw that it was merely a mummy. At the angle it was stuffed in the chest, it had looked like a large doll. "I don't know what this stuff does." "Listen for what speaks to you." I opened my mouth to argue, only to trip and hit the floor with a harsh grunt. Instinctively, I reached for the staff I had tripped over. Two things happened when my fingers wrapped around the wooden rod: I felt an electrical tingle shoot from the staff, through me, and into my wand; and clouds formed above us. It began raining inside.