A human teen has been following a hellkin around town for some time now.
"Why are you following me, human? I'm not doing anything wrong!"
Um...I...um .. sorry but..I...c...can... you t... teach me to d...do magic better? P.... please?
(Yes the stutter in the post is deliberate. Not everyone talks what most people call 'normal'. Just because we stutter does not mean we're stupid.) -- Anon Guest
They called themself Reason Solo. Reason, because there had to be some in the universe, and Solo because they preferred to be alone. For a Hellkin, it was just easier.
The same rule applied to sorcery. It made things easier.
The power to look like anyone or anything helped Reason avoid the Teufel Tax. The power to vanish from one point and appear in another helped them escape many a sticky situation. As for the power to shoot pure energy from their hands... well. Reason was never without an offensive capability.
Their genes were from the hells. So was their magic. Might as well make use of the magic in their bones.
In this city, wearing a magical mask that made them look like a Halfbred Elf with too much frizzy hair, Reason made the mistake of magically jaunting one of the street kids out of the way of a falling crate. The magic mask flickered and fell, and the guards saw. So Reason had to jaunt away again before resuming their disguise.
They managed to walk away without getting arrested.
However, Reason had gained a tag-along.
The teenager Reason had rescued was sharper than the average officer of the Watch. They connected the evidence before them and started following Reason around. Not with a hand out for spare change, but with a wary and watchful curiosity.
Reason hoped they'd get bored, but no. The kid followed them out of the city. All the way over rough terrain to a covert place where Reason felt safe enough to make camp.
The kid's bare feet were bleeding. When they sat without being invited, they started tearing strips off the rags they wore for clothing in order to bind their wounds.
Reason remembered being at their level, and excavated some bandages from their pack. "Use these. You have more hurt than skirt, there." They tossed the kid the roll.
The kid said, "Th-th-thanks." They wound their feet like they'd done it before. Likely around every autumn, when the cold was wont to bite bare feet. The kid hadn't lost any toes to the winters, so they had to know what they were doing.
"I only bought enough rations to last to the next town," said Reason. "Didn't buy any for you."
"Don't nnnn-need it," said the kid. They dug into the matted mess of their hair and produced a single twig. Hummed at it, and made it grow. A little bit of leaf and a single berry sprouted from it.
The good berry.
Until that moment, Reason had believed that cities simply didn't make Druids. Then they realised that the kid might be following them for exactly the wrong reasons.
Like poking at a new wound, Reason asked, "Why'd you follow me?"
"You kn-nnn-know magic. I www-want t-to learn. I www-want to be b-better at th-th-this." They took a deep breath as they chewed their berry. "I. Want. To. Feed. More. Than. Me. I'm not sss-stupid."
And didn't that sound like something they had to prove on a daily basis. "I know," said Reason, "in spite of some recent choices. You're desperate. That leads to regrets. Like learning a little too late that I'm a Sorcerer and not a Druid. I can barely teach you anything."
"Anything's b-b-better than nnn-nothing." Three deep breaths, this time. "Everyone b-back there th-thinks I'm sss-stupid. Just because I sss-stammer."
"Best not to stay back there," said Reason. "There is something I can teach you, but... you're going to have to buy your own silver thread when we part ways."
"Sss-silver th-thread? What c-can you t-teach with sss-silver thread?"
"Ritual magic. Sanctuary's Small Shelter. Though you might not want to say that aloud until you relax a bit."
The kid nodded. "Show mmm-me. I'll lll-learn."
Reason had no doubt.
[Photo by Sheen Photography on Unsplash]
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