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 Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:49 pm
Thomas stood over the front desk of the magic laboratory, rubbing at his eyes with a heavy, drawn out sigh. Five private lessons to run. It was part of the job requirement and he couldn’t rightly say he was incapable of doing them. He was obviously tired, fresh out of the hospital. He had a few things set up to use as props for the lesson. A small set of weights, a large ‘hamster wheel’, and a pile of rocks.
Cody… a bull headed bovine child. The only thing that seemed to function more than his teenage…urges was his mouth. About as intelligent as a brick and about as capable to perform decent magic. If anything… at least it should be entertaining. Maybe he’d put out his other eye.
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 12:38 pm
Cody moved into the classroom with Tex at his heels. He really wasn’t sure what to expect. Last class was a bit odd. They’d learned about how stupid or shallow they were then the teacher passed out. He couldn’t help but smirk a bit as he entered the classroom, seeing the teacher standing near the desk. However, the look faded quickly as the man looked up, those golden eyes ‘snapping’ something in the back of the bull’s mind.
“Take a seat.” Thomas said sharply. The door slammed shut, triggering a jump out of both the bull and his bronze.
Cody stuffed his hands down into his pockets and moved to the solitary desk standing in the middle of the front of the room. Seating himself stiffly, Cody slowly turned his eye up to the teacher. Tex took a seat right beside the desk, resting his claws across each other.
“Very good.” Thomas moved away from the desk, “We didn’t get to touch on a lot of things during our last session so-”
“We didn’t go over s**t.” Cody snorted, folding is arms across his chest.
“…we learned one thing.” Thomas countered, though he doubted the child would catch on. “Anyway, we will have to extend our time here to get you caught up with the criteria that’s required for your completion of this course. So- first. Any questions so far on your magic type?”
“Ya said it was body. Nothin’ tah ask.”
“Very well.” Thomas shrugged, it saved them time. “The first thing you need to understand is that this is not for fun. Magic is a privilege, not a right. Like any privilege you need to use it only for good. If you abuse the privilege it will ultimately cost you. Even the most experienced mages will face temptation, some fall into it, and all of them are consumed in time.”
“Like what they said on dat Spiderman movie.”
Thomas grunted under his breath, “…quite….moving on.” He glanced away once more. The kid’s mind was so scattered. “Before you do anything… you must consider the good and evil that will come of it. If the good outweighs the evil then it’s your duty to act on it. If the evil outweighs the good- even if it seems good at that time, you must avoid it.”
Cody didn’t seem to follow. Of course not, it involved thinking…
“Anyway… the abilities that we will be covering today are linked directly to the natural abilities you already have. Enhance what’s already there through stimulation of chemicals that your body naturally produces. The only real ‘magic’ about this form of magic is forcing your body to stimulate that reaction and directing it into where it needs to go in order to accomplish what you need to do. For instance, in order to run faster you’ll need to stimulate the chemicals and direct them into the joints in your legs, to your heart, and lungs. It will give you a quick burst of speed. Now, naturally, such things are taxing.” He glanced over to the bull. “Do you follow?”
“Kinda…so yer sayin’ that if I gotta run faster I gotta put brain juices intah all them parts an’ I’ll start getting’ tired.”
“In a crude translation, yes.” He continued, “Like anything, before you act in magic or otherwise, you must consider your actions. What good will come of them, and what evil. Everything you do in life is influenced by the power of your will. Learning to walk as a toddler came from your desire to move from one place to another, to follow your mother, or in your case flip the channel of the tv.”
Cody chuckled a bit, “Sounds true ‘nuff.”
“Quite…”, Thomas shook his head. “Anyway, just like walking, Magic requires willpower, energy, and control. Mind body and soul. You must tame these elements within yourself. Learn what you need to do in order to accomplish your task, work with your ability more and more. It will be taxing, but it’s something you can build up over time. And dominate the magic to your will.”
Cody nodded a bit, “Kay.” It didn’t sound all that hard. The guy was using bigger words than he really needed to. Tell your body what you want it to do, do it, and work out. Easy enough.
“Very well. Now close your…eye.” Thomas folded his arms. “Focus. We’re going to have you lift your own desk. It’s a small step, but one none the less.”
“Aww shoot I can do that.” Cody snorted, getting himself up and taking a grip on the seat. A heavy desk, but he could lift it.
“Over your head.”
Cody paused and glanced down. He could get it waist high perhaps… but over his head? It was pretty solid. “…uh…”
“Focus.” Thomas moved to the side of his own desk. “In order to lift your desk you’ll be using the strength of your arms, your grip, and your back then as you lift it higher, you’ll need to focus down into your legs. Focus. Close your eyes and feel the flow of your own blood moving from your heart to your arms. Focus on that, nothing but that. Nothing in the world exists outside of that feeling. Slowly start to will yourself to be stronger, open your mind, force yourself to start lifting. The more you focus on that, the more you’ll direct that energy, your brain will be forced to react, your body will be forced to produce the chemicals needed for this task. Direct those chemicals into your arms and back, then down to your legs. Once you lift the desk, set it down, throw it down. Whatever.”
Cody glanced up to the teacher. He made it seem so complex… but he was true enough. It was like body building. If he wanted to lift weights he had to steady himself, straighten his back, and throw the weight into his legs and arms. “Right…”
The bull snorted, closing his eye and crouching down to grab ahold of the base of the desk. His ears pulled back against his head as he focused. As the boy went silent, Thomas invaded his mind long enough to block out all his other senses. Smell, hearing, taste, nothing but feel existed for him. Cody didn’t seem to notice the crutch offered by the magic teacher. He could almost feel his own pulse throbbing through his ears. Soon his heartbeat was apparent, the flow of blood through his body down to his fingertips became more and more a part of his awareness.
Lift it…right. He could lift it. His grip hardened on the legs of the desk, only two. Four legs connected by a metal bar that rested against the floor. Perhaps the teacher had chosen that model for a reason. Cody began lifting upwards, grunting as his body registered the weight of the desk. His heart started pounding harder, his muscles tensed up.
Focus on that strain, move it into your arms.
Cody grunted again at the teacher’s voice. He tried again. Concentrating on the strain in his arms, the blood needed to go there. In his arms. He repeated it over and over. Soon he had the desk about waist high, still crouched and sweating up a bit. It was heavier than he thought- perhaps the teacher was somehow adding mass to it…that or the desk was heavier than he thought.
The more he focused, the higher the desk went. He could feel his muscles screaming in agony. Maybe he was over-doing it? He knew the pain, the burn of a good work-out, but it was coming sooner than normal.
“Grraa!” Cody finally threw his hands over his head, glancing up at the desk. Then his knees started to knock together. Desk and bull both toppled over backwards, slamming down onto the ground with a loud crack.
Thomas wasn’t phased. He’d expected it to happen. If the desk started to come down he would have taken over, sometimes falling over was necessary. “Very good.” Thomas stepped forward, glancing down to the now very sweaty and near-breathless bull. “Keep practicing. I want to see you lift that desk and put it down without falling for your final.”
“…Tarnation…” Cody groaned. His arms felt like putty, legs like glass…. What did that magic stuff do to him!?
The door clicked and swung open, “Class dismissed.”
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