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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:45 am
Milton Fettua is a young man, and he's very sorry for that. He's in his early thirties and about as plain as one can be. Wizards, he believes, must be gray or white before they can be taken seriously. He is red, a deep, coppery red, hair slicking back to the base of his neck. It was only just last summer he started his beard, merely a flat coating around his cheeks, lips, and chin. But it's a blessing still- his face no longer looks quite so gaunt with his youth.
He was raised an orphan and schooled in the Liberty Center. Among the other students he was very physically... normal, the only abnormality worth speaking of being his slanted, webbed toes, which were a defect and not so much mystical consequence. Not so much smart at first as he was incredibly intuitive and determined, he was a good student. Which is to say, a nerd.
There was never any question that he would finally choose to excel magic. While the programs of his days were not very good, he traveled in and out of connected Gaia as well to fill in the gaps. He's still not excellent at it. But that, he will insist, is because his beard is not yet long enough and he does not yet have a proper hat. Now. There are many things that else could be told about Milton -he tailors most of his own clothes, has an obsession with the sanitation of his nails, talks to rats - but what really matters is why. Why is he finally coming to adopt a patch child?
Milton wouldn't be much of a father, at least not by any normal standards. Hell, he's not even a nice person, really. Everything about the man is sharp; his nose, his toes, and especially his tongue. All angles, the poor dear. And eventually he elbowed his way into the garden and signed the waver for the little plant and for what?
Well, simple. Wishes.
Long before he had heard that the plants had in them the ability to grant a wish. Things were finally settling for the young wizard, and he had pretty much given up on females for the rest of his life, or at least proclaimed to. They all seemed to have done so for him decades before. He was deep in his studies, perhaps there could be something the cabbage could give him to help along the way. He took the plant home and stroked it with greed and ambition and hope.
And this was how it was to be. 433 words
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:30 am
He chose a house with its back to rock in the western part of Gaia. Before him, there was nothing but field, behind him a sheer wall of earth. The houses out here were very few and far between, a good mile or so from one to the next. His neighbors were farmers and shepherds. The so-called saucer had landed not so far from where he was settled.
He recalled that time. No better time for seclusion than the snatching of cows and rambunctious neighbors. Hard-pressed had he been to move; a silencing spell around the house worked wonders. Most of his neighbors were frightened of him anyhow, accept when they needed something rather desperately, and he liked it that way.
One day, he dreamed, he would leave this house and turn to the rock behind it. A tower then he would construct for himself there, as high and higher than the cliff itself. For now he had to settle, settle for a house he had to buy instead of building of his power. Real wizards built their homes from whatever was lying around. Oh, how his limitations haunted him!
After he received his little bundle of leaves, this was where he took it, tucked beneath his arm as he coasted his way back on his carpet. Yes, his carpet. At one time it was a large brown bear, but someone of the business had skinned it and made it into a rug. It was quite good for transportation and catching the wind, although not especially good for aerodynamics. Luckily, Milton was never in any real hurry of getting anywhere. He had far too much time on his hands ever since he was out of school- he just liked to act like any and everyone was bothering him.
The cabbage got a place on the sill of his second story window. Because his house faced the east, it got quite a good bit of sun every morning. It was early evening when he finally settled by it, watering spritzer in hand.
"What do you think?" He asked the black rat, whose name was Celsior.
"I do not think of it at all," It replied honestly, managing to finally pick off the mite that had been troubling his skin for so long. The insect popped cleanly between his teeth, and he swallowed it. It had eaten from him, and now the cycle had finished itself. "It will not be chewed."
"It is not to be eaten," Said Milton airily, "It is a machine."
"Such a waste."
"I should hope not."
"Say you a child will be manifest from it?"
"A wish. A wish will come from it, Celsior." With that, the redhead puffed some mist over the top of the leaves. "In most cases, it is a child, but it is not unheard of for it to be an item. The Doctor's plants work in mysterious ways."
"And what, pray-tell, is your wish?" The rat, who was of a righteous size and would be a terror to owls, clambered up his master's scarlet robes onto his lap.
"It's bad luck to tell."
"Hmm.. I wish for a nice wedge of brie. And perhaps a wife who will not eat our children."
The wizard had to laugh at that, and reaches down to scratch his companion gently between the ears, stroking his sleek black fur. It is the most affection he's shown anyone. Condensation glitters on the cabbage like fat diamonds. His free, long-fingered hand sets atop the bloom.
"It will bring me only success." He leaves no room for objection. The cabbage would not reply anyway. 605 words
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:41 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:50 pm
When it happened, Milton was on his roof.
It was a cloudless night, relatively dry, and the wizard was reveling in it. He had the end of a long-stemmed pipe in his teeth, and as he took a drag the bowl popped and sparkled. The stars above were like a map, and he could pick out several constellations without having to look hard. Beautiful.
Even as a child he had watched them, and knew in some respects he was watched in return. Other dimensions- yes, that was all good and well, but there were plenty of worlds to see right here. Right outside of their very own planet. People could be so impractical.
There came a distinct thump from below, like something falling. Milton thought of his tomes.
"Celsior!" He barked, smoke that changed three different colors seeping through his lips. The rest was blown through his nostrils as he closed his eyes and stoked his annoyance. Then, gathering his robes up, he returned to his roof and dropped down. At first he wasn't sure what he was looking at- a splayed cabbage, what looked like a lump of mud on his floor, a set of candles burning mercifully far away from his curtains on the sill. Then the mud sat up and began to wail.
Milton was a very expressive man, and his face did all sorts of contorting as the foul sound ripped through the air. For a moment, he hesitated, pinned down by shock. Then he did the only thing he could really think of, instinct, which was to scream right back at the thing.
"STOP THAT INFERNAL RACKET THIS INSTANT!"
And it worked. The muck on his floor paused, and the wizard was able to make out luminous blue orbs that stared back at him in wide-eyed fear and amazement. He could almost swear the thing was making a slack-jawed bemused expression at him, but that was preposterous...
Then he realized it was a child, or supposed to be one. Everything about it seemed stubby and malformed, but there was a definite sort of shape to the earthy thing, indicating a cranium and a hunched four-limbed posture.
After the fear set in, the thing began to howl anew and the redhead was left sputtering for some sort of remedy.
"Hush now, hush." He chided it, picking up his robes around his knees as he dared approach it. If it was a child, it was harmless, right? Milton crouched before the babe, stuck a hand out to where its shoulder would be and gave a light shove. The shoulder squelched wetly, his hand sinking just a little but not entering the body. The effect was what he wanted, rustling the child out of his din enough to pay attention again. "Be quiet. Uh. You're okay. It's alright."
The creature snuffled through its pudgy nose at that, doubtful, its lips trembling with emotion and the threat of another scream. But it was listening. It took in this flesh-clad thing's features, not at all knowing what it was getting into. But the bond was impressed immediately upon it. This was to be its master, and it was now whole. The pact had been made with that touch. With a sigh, the child settled, its look now only of simplistic adoration.
Milton had to flinch a little at the sudden change in attitude, clearing his throat. "Yes, well, I suppose you're to be mine, aren't you?" So it seemed as if he hadn't had the luck of acquiring some all-powerful object like he wanted to. He would blink as color flared in the child's forehead, etching out symbols in burning blue lines. EMET. Truth. It was Milton's turn to be incredulous, babbling as the thing smiled at him.
He was dealing with a golem.
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Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 11:13 am
Things had seemed to settle down some, and Milton found himself curling his angular limbs awkwardly on the floor of his room. Usually the thought of sitting on the floor was preposterous, not at all befitting a man of his stature.
The creature was staring pleasantly into the halo of flame that had been set before him in utter rapture. It had come out of the cabbage with him in the form of a circlet, donned by nine candles which burned brightly without wearing at their wax. Milton watched as the golem passed his chubby hands through the flame over and over, fingers flexing. Impervious, it seemed, or else this was just another ritual that came with forming itself.
It was fascinatingly ugly, Milton thought. He stared at the bald head quite openly and the rounded features that came with it.
He had watched it solidify after the initial ruckus, moving slowly to form fingers and separate limbs. There were orbs in its shoulders just as bright and blue as its eyes now and everything seemed to have smoothed over nicely. Only the impression of his hand remained like a brand upon the left side of its chest and shoulder. Like all babes it was unashamed of its nakedness. The wizard set his chin upon his palm as he studied the golem, his new charge, and tried to decide if it was a male or female child. No genitalia seemed to be present at the moment and...
His brows furrowed suddenly as he thought, what if this thing is a female? The only one less fortunate than the golem would be Milton if that were the case. "You're a male, then," He told the child, as if it were just that simple.
"See here now, what's all the ruckus?" Called Celsior, who had observed everything from his hole in the corner of the room. After all, he was a rat. What did he have to do with the affairs of a broiling pile of dirt, or a child for that matter? No, his wizard could certainly take care of THAT nonsense, thank you!
"It seems my wish has been manufactured at last."
"You wished for a lump of yowling mud?"
"No, you ninny, I did not." The redhead glowered at the oversized rodent, tearing his eyes away from the beast.
Upon spotting Celsior, the child of sorts blinked, its jaw hanging agape with stupid delight and wonder. It burbled, forgetting its crown for a moment to make grabbing gestures at the air in the rat's general direction. If a rat could sneer... But Milton noticed it and his expression became very sly and sharp, as his features were prone to make them.
"Come here, Celsior."
"Ohhh no. Shant. You'll not make me."
"Very well." Milton allowed, his voice dropping to soft as his eyes lowered. "And I suppose some of the unnecessary expenses on my grocery list can go, too." Celsior loved his peanut butter.
"Oh, you nasty curr." But the rat came, sliding free of the hole in the wall and slinking with reluctance toward his master. Milton scooped him up around his ribcage, and extended the rodent to his new charge. "This is degrading," Insisted the rat as a stubby hand patted and wandered his head, leaving smears of mud in some places.
"It's odd. A golem is usually made into the form of an adult. I do hope this one will grow, or else I don't really see the point in keeping it. While a golem is certainly a feat..." Oh, WHAT a feat. He was extremely jealous of this little piece of machinery and vegetable. Not even some of the greatest wizards could boast about making a golem, and here he was having one dumped onto his bedroom floor! "I've little use for a pint-sized servant. That I need to raise him is a bit irritating as well."
Well. Beggars couldn't be choosers.
"What are you going to name him?" Celsior asked, doing his very best not to bite the child when it tugged one of his ears. It hurt!
"I've not decided." Milton admitted. "I suppose I could sit and research it, but it seems a bit trivial considering the circumstances. Golems are not at all known for their intelligence, you know. Something simple."
He mused over it for a moment, watching in the meantime as the child just had his dandy way with the rat. He looked like he was just having the time of his life. Innocent.
"Adam." The wizard decided finally. "After the very first man, born of clay and ash. Adam."
"How poetic of you." Celsior grumped. But it was done.
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Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 11:15 am
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:59 am
"I do hope that this is a good investment." Milton mused aloud to the wind. He and Adam were flying home after making a trip down to the Liberty Center, where they had gone through the fiasco of getting the golem signed up for future care and classes. Hell if Milton was going to watch the boy all the time, despite him having all the time in the world to do it. He hadn't asked for a child! While he was completely aware that he might end up with one (as the majority did), he was still banking on some sort of answer to his current problems. An inorganic answer.
But Adam had been born on a wish, and Milton knew it was far beyond him to understand all the forces at work in the universe. That was why he was tolerating the boy for now. And no "son" of his was going to be running amuck in the world without a proper education. Even if Adam WAS destined to be dumb, he did not have to be a complete and utter idiot. He would see to that, most definitely, whether it meant by rod or by staff. He could suffer no embarrassment.
Adam was bright with interest, as he always was for the world. The sky was bright and he could see all sorts of things from his spot on the bearskin rug. He was sitting just behind the head of the great pelt, seated just in front of Milton's cross-legged posture. One of the wizard's long hands was gripping the back of his shirt, securing him. The world flitted by beneath them, and he drank it all in with untainted pleasure and wonder. His bonded was the best!
The Liberty Center... it had certainly been a blast from the past going back there. Not much had changed about the school since he went to it, aside from the teachers. And from what he understood, they were a bit understaffed, especially in the elective department. He had made an offhand inquiry and was horrified to find they had no one teaching any aspect of magic. Preposterous! Although... it wasn't all that surprising. Not just anyone can do it, and it seemed to be quite underappreciated or otherwise abused these days. It was a sad affair.
For one moment, he had the horrible thought that he might be able to teach magic. Of course, he quickly reminded himself that he had a reputation to keep and that, oh yeah, he hated people. As a magic user, he was destined to be ostracized from normal society, or else rigorously hunted by it. When he was young (because he didn't think of himself as young now, at thirty-two), he had a great deal of the former. Silly simpletons with more concern for sports and sex than by knowledge. Picking him last in recess, alway, until he finally decided he should not bother. Stalking him between classes, stealing his things and ruining his books...
Milton's face flushed with silent embarrassment and rage for those times, and he quickly pushed the memories away. There were not many fond memories of his awkward childhood for him, and there were even less toward those that grew up with him. It made him bitter and even more cold for the world of humans and any other thing possessing their qualities. And while highschool, he realized, was not a proper criteria to judge all the waking world on, it was a great foundation for it. The small idiots only grew up to be big idiots.
"At least you don't seem mean," He grumbled down at his ward. No, Adam was more of an eager puppy than a stupid brute. He was simple and dumb, but somehow very endearing. Kind of like a pug or a sharpay, or any other ugly-but-somehow-cute dogs.
"Perhaps with my help, we can make something suitable out of you."
And wasn't that what parenting was supposed to be?
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:59 am
Milton only knew that it was time to stop feeding Adam formula when the n****e on the bottle didn't come back. Turning it over in his hand, the wizard studied the frayed edges of plastic where the device might have been, somewhat incredulous. In the meantime, the golem was chewing happily, enjoying the bit of texture he could sense by biting down. And before Milton could stop him, he swallowed it.
"When did you get teeth?" He wondered, reaching over to pry the boy's lips apart to study what he had. Not just one, but about six of them! "By the stars..."
"I thought you said you had read up on this child thing?" Celsior inquired from his breakfast.
"I lied..."
"Well I knew that as soon as you began to ignore the fellow after the first nights." Adam, while usually placid, did have his bouts of crying out in the night for some sort of attention. "Perhaps now would be the time to read up on it."
Milton frowned. This was not a bit of research that should require his time and effort in his opinion. It wasn't as if he had baby books just lying around the house in his library either. And there was no internet. Confounded newfangled contraptions...
And that was how the wizard ended up in the Liberty Center library, shifting Adam idly from knee to knee while he sat at one of the computers. He didn't have a carrier for him (that was much too much an expense), and he was getting a few strange looks from the other people. He assumed it was because of his robes. He had tried not to be too auspicious today!
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:00 am
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:21 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:22 pm
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:24 pm
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