Streets of Sorcery: Chapter III (Patreon)

Chapter Three

"You got clod in your ears, kid?” Karcen Tuck muttered, jowls shaking slightly with his words. His ill-fitting vest strained slightly against his bulk as the man leaned forward in his seat, each button stressed nearly to the limit. “I said what I said, you're fired. You can leave. Goodbye."

Markus's blue eyes widened in shock, but he quickly composed himself, focusing his attention on the man sitting down across from him. His gaze was hard as he stared down at Karcen Tuck, the owner and "headmaster" of Tuck's Remedial Mage School, who sat behind his cluttered desk, idly flicking a series of desk toys back and forth.

"Why?" Markus asked, his voice a flat, unfeeling tone. I can salvage this, he said to himself in an attempt to keep his cool. Maybe it’s a complaint from Van. Some embarrassment over losing to a student, that’s nothing. I can smooth this over.

Karcen continued to fiddle with his desk toys, the stout man puffing on his pipe and refusing to make eye contact with the mage across from him. "Why what?"

Markus didn’t blink at the implied dismissal nor the attempt at ignoring him, far too used to the heavy-set man’s method of getting under his skin. “Why am I being fired?”

"It is what it is,” Karcen replied, lips puckering around the pipe in his mouth. The man seemed quieter, his usual boisterous attitude somehow more restrained as he glanced at a cupboard stuffed to the brim with magical knick-knacks. “Just business."

Just. business. Okay. "…one more time for me, please," Markus began again, jaw slightly clenched as he kept his emotions off his face. "You're firing me. Am I correct?"

"A bit slower on the uptake than usual today?" Karcen replied, fingers tapping a nervous drumbeat on his desk. “Not like you, Marky.”

Markus felt the fingers on his right hand tighten into a fist, the gems on each individual finger pulsing with a pale blue light as he kept his eyes on his – former – boss. "It seems so." Don’t take the bait. "And again, may I ask exactly for what reason am I being dismissed… sir?"

"Throwing out the sir, are you?” The portly man glanced up from his knick-knacks to meet his former employee’s eyes for a sparse second from behind a pair of round bronzed spectacles. “All that politeness ain’t gonna save you, you know that. "

A man can hope, can’t he? Hope his workplace isn’t run by an incompetent asshat. The mage pushed that thought aside, focusing on the latter part of the man’s statement. It wasn’t a question, and Markus didn’t take it as one as he replied calmly. "I didn’t expect it to, sir. All I can say is that I did my job well, and everyone here can attest to that."

Karcen leaned back in his chair, the wooden frame groaning slightly under his weight. His gaze narrowed as he studied Markus, the pipe smoke swirling around his head. "See, right there. That."

Markus's brow furrowed in confusion, trying to decipher the meaning behind Karcen's words. "I don't understand."

“Wow, for once. Something you don’t understand. It’s a spirits-damned miracle.” Karcen clicked his tongue disapprovingly and flicked his heavy hand dismissively at the young man standing opposite his desk. "You're so fucking sure of yourself. So uptight. For a felon, you definitely have some manners.”

Markus’s flat expression turned slightly downwards at that. “Thank you… sir.”

“I was kind enough to give you this job,” Karcen continued on. “I took you in out of the goodness of my heart and let you tutor some students.”

The oldest students, Markus remarked to himself. With the least potential.

“I kept your status from the parents…”

“As the law requires,” Markus interrupted calmly, “...sir.” After a moment of silence, he followed up by reminding the other man of something just as important. “And I made those students the best of their years. I turned Half-Stars into Firsts in a single year.”

Karcen scoffed as his clear attempt at provocation went nowhere. “Yeah, you brought money into this place, but you're not a team player. You think I can't see you're always looking down your nose on everything? Everyone?"

This again? Really? Markus glanced down at his own attire – a yellow sweater vest over a pale blue button-up, a blue tie, and tan khakis – and thought about how his appearance had always been a subject of ridicule among his coworkers. The constant remarks about how he looked too proper, too put-together for a place like Tuck’s. Perhaps they were right.

Markus shook his head as he took a step forward. "That's n-"

"Don't give me that pile of clod. You're a dickhead, kid," Karcen shot back with a snort. "Plain and simple. The only smile I've ever seen you give in the last two years is to that fucking kid of yours, and he's the only reason I didn't fire you six moons back."

That kid? Markus felt his eye twitch slightly, unable to help the next words that came out of his lips even as he reined in his tone.

"I assume you're referring to the biggest individual source of money your business has had since its inception," replied Markus, voice riding the thin edge between scathing and flat with perfect balance. "The blond one who just pulled off the best spell anyone in this facility has likely ever personally witnessed? The one who chose specifically to work privately with me?" He paused to stare at Karcen, eyes narrowed slightly. "That kid?"

Karcen's face reddened as his hands formed fists on top of his desk. "Yes, that kid. The one who just graduated in six moons because you had to be a spirits-damned overachiever."

So that's what this is all about. Markus couldn't help but think as the line on his face shifted into one conveying something closer to disgust. "You're firing me. For doing my job. Because I didn't squeeze as much money as possible out of your golden goose."

"Don't act like this isn't about money, you little snake," The rotund headmaster snarled, beady brown eyes narrowed as he nearly stood up from his plush seat. "Every second moon, you pipe up about a raise. You’re a greedy rotten clod with more love for coin than any other. Now, get out.”

Markus remained like a statue, completely unmoving. He tried his best to keep the scrutiny from showing on his face but even still, he couldn't help but speak the primary thought on his mind. "None of that was a justifiable reason."

Karcen shook his head and threw up his hands. "I don't know what you expect, Kaine. You strut in here looking for a part-time, then you show up all my other teachers doing a quarter of the work with a fraction of the students."

The former tutor felt his jaw tighten. "A quarter? I spend hours—"

"Yeah, and they spend days," Karcen shot back. “You spend hours and you turn some Half-Star brat with deep pockets into a Second-Star in six moons and I’m supposed to field the complaints from parents and the other Half-Stars wondering why that can’t be them? Why they can’t get you?” The man slammed his pipe down, the red smoke emanating from it dying as the pyreweed inside it scattered across his desk. "What else do you want me to say? You make the rest of the workers look bad and I can’t have that."

“Ah.” The young man felt himself twitch, fingers and wrists growing cold as his temper spiked for an instant. “So, they're lacking at their jobs and I take the blame. That doesn’t seem fair.”

Karcen shook his head, his jowls quivering as he did so. "Fair or not, I can't have you outshining everyone else. Above everything else, it’s causing tension."

Markus's eyes flashed blue, the cold around his fingers making his knuckles pale as he squeezed them. "If anything, that should be a reason to keep me on, to raise the standards of this school. Alden's progress is a testament to what can be achieved here."

Karcen scoffed, rolling his eyes. "This isn't some prestigious academy, Markus. We’re not even good enough to be a regular school. We’re remedial. Our students are adults who aged out of being something and kids with poor parents who saved up enough scratch to teach their kids basic magic. We're not here to churn out prodigies. We're here to get these people up to par and collect their tuition. Now, your little show today is gonna cost me clients because someone’s going to look into you, trying to get you to teach them, and I’d rather not have it get out that I hired a criminal to teach these good people.”

The young man simply stared back blankly. "You don't have to tell th-"

"You can come back Monday to pick up your last check and the bonus the kid's parents put in your contract," Karcen interrupted, the man sinking back into his seat. "For now, you can leave. Just…" The old man seemed tired as his head sunk into the cushion behind it, a sigh escaping him that bore no relief. “...please get off my property.”

Please? Please? Markus remained still for a few long seconds, blue eyes unblinking behind his own square spectacles. Eventually, the young man nodded back at his former boss again, a bit more quickly than before. He forced a tight-lipped smile, voice cold and controlled. "I'm sorry that I raised the standard of your business to a level it can't keep up with. I don’t know what I should have expected from a former gym. My fault, truly."

He turned on his heel, walking away from the cluttered office filled with magic knick-knacks and books that made Karcen look more worldly, knowledgeable, and wise more than the man ever actually was.

Wise? Powerful? Skilled? Markus couldn't help but sneer at the thought of Karcen considering himself anything near any of that when the man barely topped out at a First Star. Maybe a First Star, Gold Rank if one felt like being generous. More than likely a solid Silver, let's be realistic here, Markus thought to himself as he left the man’s office.

As he closed the office door behind him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation at leaving this relatively cushy job behind, especially with the semblance of legitimacy it granted him. That and the fact that it allowed him to catch up on his sleep had been the majority of the reason he had put up with Karcen's incompetence and his coworkers' petty jealousy for so long. Finding another means of employment near his home would be a struggle, let alone a legal one.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he made his way towards the door, his anger slowly being replaced by a quiet determination. "I never needed this job anyway."

He paused for a second in the dimly lit hallway, glancing around at the building he had spent a good portion of the last three years of his life. So, you’ve just been fired from the only remedial mage school near you that would take you on as a tutor. Markus thought to himself. Excellent work, Mr. Kaine. Would cracking a smile once or twice have killed you? He tilted his head at that, pondering that idea. Honestly, having to pretend I like these idiots feels like more work than the actual tutoring.

"Markus?" A familiar voice chimed, the concern in its tone palpable. The man in question turned slowly on his heels to see Ariel, his now-former coworker, standing behind him. "Hey, I heard Karcen was giving you a hard time in there. Don't worry about him, though, he's always been a grouch."

Markus hesitated as he glanced back at the closed door, wondering whether or not to tell her the truth. A moment later, he turned his attention back to Ariel, head tilted slightly with a ghost of a smile on his lips as he let the news out. "Actually, Ariel, he just fired me."

Ariel's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"It doesn't matter," Markus said, only slightly surprised by how unbothered he was as he replied to her. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

Ariel bit her lip, the look on her face pulling at his own heartstrings. "That's... I'm really sorry, Markus. But hey, you know what? A few of us were planning on going out after work for a little bit at Trixie’s. Why don't you come with us? We've never gotten a chance to hang out with you outside of work."

Markus took another moment to consider her invitation. God, no. "That sounds…" His mind raced as he tried to think of how best to turn down the offer. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

Ariel leaned in, her fingers brushing against his arm. “C’mon, Markus. It’s just a few drinks.”

Drinking? With those idiots? I’d rather do almost anything else. Still, though, he couldn’t help but feel some degree of hesitance to turn her down. He had always kept to himself, never taking part in any of the after-work activities they had organized. Now, though, considering it might be the first and last time he'd have the chance to spend time with Ariel outside of work, he found himself weighing his options.

"Please, Markus," Ariel pleaded, baby blue eyes sparkling with sincerity as she looked up at him. "It'll be fun, I promise. And it's not like you have to worry about work tomorrow, right?"

“Ouch,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

She giggled back. “Sorry, but please.”

Markus sighed, unable to resist the warmth in her voice. "Alright," he finally agreed, forcing a small smile. "I'll go. Just have to head home and change first."

"Great!" Ariel beamed, looping her arm through his as she led him down the hall. "You'll see, we're not so bad once you get to know us.”

“If you say so.”