Carrot And Stick - Chapter XX (Patreon)

Chapter XX

Shorter chappy? Also, I might just give up on the sub-title for now... urgh!

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Carrot was so giddy that she could almost forget how chilly it had gotten. The morning had been cold, but there was a front of humid air coming in that cut right through her coat. But that didn’t matter! Chilly bones were nothing in the face of new magical knowledge! 

She had followed Iris out of the cafe and across a few blocks to a really nice part of town where the homes were separated by little yards and where to enter they had to cross a big automated gate. There was even a bored guard in a little booth by the entrance! 

She’d never been somewhere where the houses were so fancy, but Iris moved through the space with casual ease until she stopped before one home in particular. “It’s here,” she said before walking not towards the front of the house, but to the side. There was a tall wooden gate in a fence that hid the backyard. Iris undid the latch then gestured Carrot after her.

Carrot could feel the magic the moment she crossed the gate. “Oh, what was that?” she asked as she suppressed a shiver that wasn’t from the cold at all.

“Protection magic,” Iris replied. “After Pappy... I didn’t want to take any chances. Anyway, it should be quiet, we can use the backyard as long as we don’t do anything too flashy.”

The lot behind the house was a thin strip of woods with a large fence on the other side of it. If Carrot wasn’t mistaken, there was a highway on the other side of that, so other than the two homes on either side--which were a little ways off--the backyard was about as private as someone could be in the city. They even had a pool! Though of course, it was covered up for the winter.

“Nice,” Carrot said as she eyed the back of Iris’ place. She was pretty sure it was a mid-century home, maybe? She wasn’t someone who knew all that much about houses and such. It was nice though. Very clean, and well-maintained bushes and flower patches on the side of the house didn’t look too sad, even if they were covered in a thin layer of snow. 

“Okay,” Iris said as she turned around and crossed her arms. “How do you want to do this?”

“Uh,” Carrot said. “You meant learning a new spell? Preferably with great enthusiasm?”

Iris rolled her eyes. “I mean that you’re a wizard and I’m an Ulvent. Our magics aren’t compatible in several ways.”

“That’s okay!” Carrot said. “I’d still like to see. I wanted to make a spell to give myself magical girl clothes, but... well, it’s complicated, isn’t it?”

“Enchanting?” Iris asked.

“No, like... I’d do a little dance, and then there would be lights and sparkles to hide me, and then poof! I’m in a magical girl outfit!”

Iris stared at her, then sighed. “Yeah, I know exactly what you’re talking about,” she admitted. Carrot could tell it was a little reluctant, but there was no reason to be embarrassed about having good taste in media. “Unfortunately, I... well, I can think of some ways to do some parts of that, but not the whole thing together? That would take a lot of energy and in your case, probably a very complex incantation and a lot of focus.”

“It wouldn’t take focus for you?” Carrot asked. 

“No. I don’t use spells. My magic is added to items long before I use those items. I suppose that it would take concentration and energy, probably a few weeks of crafting the magic into a usable shape, but the actual casting would be as simple as snapping my fingers.”

“So cool!” Carrot said. “Alright, I guess I was asking for too much. Maybe... you had spells that made to move faster and stuff like that. Do you have any that heal?”

Iris shifted slightly. “I might? They’re dangerous, however. Healing isn’t far from harming if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Shucks. Um... what about making yourself tougher?” Carrot could still feel her ribs. She’d poked and prodded at them, and was pretty sure that nothing was broken, which was great, but there was a big ugly bruise on her side and it was going to take a day or two for it to fade. 

Iris nodded. “Faster and stronger I can do. Tougher too.”

“Nice! Can I see?”

Iris considered it for a while, then shrugged and raised a hand in a ‘one moment’ gesture before she darted to the backdoor.

Carrot took that one minute to look around herself. There were two sheds in the back, one not too far to the gate and another, smaller one, close to the back of the house and the pool. That one had one of those long-handled pool cleaner things leaning up against it.

Otherwise, the yard was kind of plain, though there were traces along the edge where someone had repeatedly walked on the snow. It circled the edge of the yard over and over again, and Carrot was pretty sure that the footprints there were Iris’.

She supposed that with such a physical fighting style, Iris spent a lot of time working out. That was some impressive dedication.

She poked herself in the tummy. Sure, she was wearing a thick coat to ward off the chill, but underneath there was a bit of slubber on her belly. Carrot pursed her lips, then shrugged. Her mom had a bit of tummy and she was very pretty, so it was fine. 

Iris came back and jogged over. “Here,” she said as she handed something over.

Carrot took it out of reflex, then stared. It was a bracelet. “A friendship bracelet, already?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Iris said. “It’s an old item I made for practice.”

“It’s pretty,” Carrot said. The bracelet was silvery, had some nice heft to it, and lots of little gems all around. She looked it over before even considering clasping it on. She’d read Lord of the Rings and knew better than to put on strange jewelry. “What does it do? Are these gems real?”

“What? No, of course not, it’s costume jewelry,” Iris said. “I wouldn’t waste money like that. As for what it does, it’s exactly what you asked. It makes you tougher and faster and stronger... just not a lot.”

“Not a lot?” Carrot asked.

“Barely enough to be perceptible, really,” Iris admitted. “If you can bench fifty pounds this will let you do fifty one, maybe, while forcing you to concentrate on keeping it active the entire time.”

“Huh, that is still something,” Carrot said.

“True. I think that the concentration an Ulvent needs is different than yours as a wizard, however,” Iris said. “But what do I know?”

Carrot turned the bracelet this way and that, then extended it to Iris. “Can you show me how it works?”

One of Iris’ eyebrows perked up, then she removed a glove and slid the bracelet on.

Carrot watched as it activated. Without a sense for magic, it wouldn’t appear as anything at all. It was subtle, even. She asked Iris to do it again, then again, then another few times, until the girl started to look a little annoyed at the constant repetitions.

“Thank you,” Carrot said.

“Did you get anything from that?” Iris asked.

“Yup! At least, maybe? I’d have to see it more, and try some things, then see it again to compare, but I get the idea of it. It’s like... looking at a car drive past a few times and turn and do car things. I’m getting a good idea of what the magic is doing.”

“But you don’t know how an engine works,” Iris continued the analogy.

“Exactly!” Carrot said. “You’re smart.”

Iris looked away. Carrot found it fun to see someone blushing just because she told them the truth.

“I don’t know if I’ll have time to figure this one out, so you’ll have to show me how it works a few... hmm, hundred more times, at least!” 

There now she had secured a reason to see her eternal rival again! Carrot gave herself a pat on the shoulder for a job well done.

“Why are you hitting yourself?” Iris asked.

“No reason!” Carrot said. “So, want to see some of my spells? I’ve been learning one with Mister Silas. Shield!”

Iris hesitated, then shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Carrot took a couple of steps back, then raised her hand, holding onto its wrist with her other. She concentrated, moving the magic within herself into the initial position of the spell, then she waved the magic into the second position and started to incant, each bit of the incantation coming with a motion and a different feel to her will. “Stand fast and break upon me, let your force be spent and your strike fail, let every blow find only resistance and nothing beyond it, Exterminator Art: Shield!”

A barrier appeared before her with a snap. It was almost as tall as she was, and... kind of rounded, if she ignored the wobbly bits on the edges. The shield was meant to be mostly transparent, but hers had hints of purple and sections that seemed brighter than the rest.

Then a wave of magic passed though the shield as its energy concentrated in one spot. It was like a pebble striking a pond. The ripples ran outwards and even though she tried to keep it steady, they hit the wobbly edges and the spell went from hard to hold to impossible. 

“That was something,” Iris said.

“It’s a work in progress?” Carrot tried. She wasn’t used to feeling too embarrassed, but magic was the one thing she was proud of herself for being good at, and failing to make a spell work was kind of humiliating. 

“I suppose it’s not too bad for one day’s practice?” Iris tried. “That’s another difference between our magics. Mine is crafted. While there is plenty of trial and error, I won’t usually deploy an item without knowing that it’ll at least work. There’s more practice in the making and using of items than there is in... well, magic itself, I suppose?”

“I think I get it,” Carrot said. “Anyway... I really need to practice more. Did you see how long that took? That fight with the owl daemon lasted like, three minutes. It takes me ten to cast Shield. I guess taking so long wouldn’t be a problem for like, a super strong finisher spell, but Shield  should be more like a quick thing you can toss up to take a blow, right?”

Iris nodded. “I... think I could make something like that,” she said. Her eyes were calculating for a moment, and Carrot suspected that she’d just given Iris a bunch of ideas.

“Sure! Maybe we can work on our own things together? Now that I kinda know how to cast Shield, I think I can start working on my own version. I bet Mister Silas will be surprised when he sees it! I’ll make it so much cooler!”

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