Tutorial's End

The New Arrival's Guide to Common Things

by Jorbon Delivas

Coming out of orders, it only makes sense to talk about cults and religions. They're largely interchangeable, with one major difference.

At their root, both cult and religious organizations (officially recognized by the UICI), are essentially orders dedicated to a being instead of an ideal. One would be forgiven for wondering what exactly the difference between an order with a symbol and a cult or religion is. The answer is simple.

Cults and religions follow direct commands and dogmas dictated by the being they are sworn to. Orders follow the perceived lessons and statues embodied by a being, not the being themselves.

So saying, what then is the difference between a cult and a religion? The primary difference is one of its member's expectation. A religion aims to serve their patron, while a cult desires to benefit from theirs. One has faith that their chosen idol is worthy of their ardor and worship, the other serves with the expectation that they will be rewarded handsomely.

Piper

Camp

Sitting on top of Willow's pod, Piper kicked her legs freely over the ledge. A small smile graced her face as she waited to be approached by her supplicant.

It took a bit, maybe a half hour after the others had gone to sleep, but he came as expected. Madrick appeared as suddenly as always. How he did that without being able to teleport with Step Back, she had no idea. He wouldn't tell her, or teach her any new spells.

Doing her best to contain the manic grin that wanted to pop onto her face, Piper instead maintained a neutral expression as she looked up at the big man and nodded a solemn greeting. Her swinging feet may have sped up just a bit, though.

"Alright, construct small. It looks like I need your assistance to find the interlopers you detected prior."

The softest of snickers slipped her control, just barely. She quickly sucked it back in, regaining her regality, she nodded. Having a few days to carefully think through how she wanted this conversation to go had given her enough time to look past her initial impulse. She still REALLY wanted to gloat and brag and laugh in the proud 'master's' face.

However, there was something she wanted way more and this was an opportunity to get it. "Okay, I'll show you!"

She hopped off the ledge, using her wings to hang in the air. "Want me to take you through Step Back, or would you rather run and I can point?" She asked with an entirely innocent and, hopefully, calm tone. The excitement bubbling inside of her was trying so hard to break out, but she wouldn't let it! There was too much at stake!

"How far away are they?" Madrick asked.

Tilting her head from side to side, Piper estimated, "Mejah, or the guy I think is Mejah, is pretty close. Maybe a kilometer away?" She had to suppress another bout of giggles as she saw Madrick's jaw tighten at the news that his quarry was so close. Quickly continuing, Piper didn't let herself think about how funny the wrinkles above his eyebrows were when they met in a tight V underneath the ever-present dimple-like indents in his forehead. His forehead totally looked like it was smiling when he was upset.

Only a small giggle preceded her continued explanation, "Katha is… A long way away. She found a tunnel earlier today, finally, so she's not on the surface anymore… But she's like… Maybe a thousand kilometers?"

Breath blowing out sharply, Madrick decided, "Take me with the spell."

Suppressing the desire to nag him with 'what's the magic word?', Piper instead nodded and landed on his shoulder. She hadn't taken anyone with her spell before, but Madrick had brought her with himself, so she knew it was possible. It could only work if you're carrying the other being though? Nahh, he'd have mentioned it if that was a thing. It's probably just part of the 'intent' I need to keep in mind when I cast it.

Narrowing her eyes as she focused on not only holding the intent to find the sneaky people, but also bring Madrick with her, she formed the sigils on the soles of her feet and sent her mana into them. Taking two steps forward, she was relieved to find a broad shoulder shoulder still beneath her dainty pink feet.

Looking around, the man who'd taught her the spell was clearly impressed, although he didn't praise her properly. Instead, he pointed, "That one is the man you said is nearest?"

"Yep! Wait…" She frowned, looking between Madrick's face and the observation bubble containing Mejah. "Can you not feel the distance and direction of him in relation to us and the other bubbles?"

His eyes slid to the side to regard her, "No. You can sense that?"

"Yeah! Can you feel how far away I am from you?" She asked, fluttering off his shoulder and positioning herself exactly two meters from him.

He looked somewhere between annoyed and curious. It was clear the big guy didn't like to admit how much better Piper was at doing things than he was, but he was also interested in learning new things. "I can see that you're about a meter and a half away."

Tapping her chin, Piper mused, "I'll have to ask mother if she gave me the ability to perfectly calculate distances or not. Maybe it's part of my mana? Or insight? Or something."

"Perhaps. Now, if you wouldn't mind, let's go visit that man."

Mejah

Home Observation Cavern, Some Planet

Mejah stared into the small fire which he kept lit with a microscopic thread of mana. As someone on the path of the Elementalist, such simple conjuration required no real effort. Likewise, his path was extremely well suited to following and hiding within tunnel systems such as the one he now found himself within. His Sculpt Earth and Earthen Barrier allowed him to create pockets of isolation for himself to hide away from the searching patrols of Willow's party. The large man, Madrick, in particular. Thankfully, the thick stone hid him well from whatever senses he used to search.

He also maintained constant Earth Sense and Wind's Gossiping Whisper spells, which allowed him to track and listen to most of Willow's party.

Madrick, and anything within a dozen meters was impossible to hear unless he shouted. Likewise, Willow and her surroundings became still and undetectable through either spell at times. One was a passive effect, the other an active ability or spell. It wasn't too much of a concern to Mejah. He didn't need every little detail, just enough to accomplish the task his mistress had set him to. Hopefully she would remove the memories again once he'd accomplished it.

The large human shuddered as his thoughts brushed across the surface of the horrible recollections his mistress had graciously suppressed for him for a hundred or more years. His part in the betrayal of… No. He shoved the thoughts from his mind and focused fully on his task. He would be like the fire. Intent on its purpose, careless of all else. Not flightly like the wind. Or like Katha…

Mejah couldn't imagine what the mistress was thinking when she chose that broken woman for this mission. Perhaps she didn't realize how far gone the elf was. It'd be hard to be sure how much of her behavior was due to the mistress' constant suppression of all but the more animal desires, or her mangled psyche. Mejah himself hadn't been aware of how badly shattered his partner's mind truly was until they'd been on assignment for a few days, after all.

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He'd needed time to re-acclimate to the clarity of thought, and higher thinking in general, so it had been natural to assume she was the same.

Clicking his tongue, Mejah realized the tiny being made of some kind of paradoxically dense but light material had vanished again. Madrick had appeared, blotting out his spells. When he'd vanished again, the little being had gone as well. I wonder where he takes it.

His question was answered in the next moment as they appeared on the other side of his fire. A full second passed as Mejah remained seated, mind stuttering to a brief halt. Then he was moving, leaping away from the sudden intruders. The small campfire roared to life and took the form of an angry bear, facing his ambushers.

"Heeeey!" A cheery voice sounded out, "You're Mejah, right? Katha mentioned you! She was super sad you wouldn't let her come with you, you know."

That flute like chirp hadn't come from the man standing just short of Mejah's own impressive height, had it? He stared, fiery guardian and its master both cocking their heads in twin bafflement.

"Why are you following my apprentice?" Vocalized the big man, his tone more appropriately dark and ragged. He sounded like he ate nails for breakfast and washed it down with sandpaper and tobacco.

Considering his options, Mejah took a beat to answer. He could lie, could say he wasn't following them. He could give a half truth. Could act confused.

A soft giggle broke his rapid train of thought. It was girlish. The same high-pitch as before, and it absolutely seemed like it was coming from Madrick! No… From his shoulder. His eyes finally caught the tiny patch of pink sitting near the neatly cut goatee. The figure noticed his gaze and waved. "No need to be so scared! Madrick here only bisects bad people! Uh… And annoying people! And… People he doesn't like? Or anyone that gets in his way. Oh oh! And anyone who might inconvenience him! And-"

"Enough, construct." The man in question broke in, sounding as if he wasn't certain whether he was amused or annoyed.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm just trying to help! You know people are more likely to tell you stuff if they're at ease, right?"

"I find terrified beings are oft amenable to my questioning."

"Oh, okay. Got it. Good cop, bad cop, then? Willow's always talking about that tactic! Let's do it! You do good cop!"

The little pink figure suddenly rushed forward, a zipping line of eye searing neon pink. It blurred through space before stopping a handful of centimeter's from Mejah's face. The figure matched the voice. Girlish, tiny, delicate, vibrant.

"Alright, buster!" She waved a tiny finger under his nose with one hand, while the other rested on a cocked hip. All the while tiny wings buzzed too fast for his eyes to make out more than the occasional blur. "I'll have your secrets, and I'll have them now!"

"You… What?" The panic Mejah had felt upon his campsite being effortlessly infiltrated had been replaced by terror upon realizing who the large figure appearing from nowhere was, only to be usurped once more by confusion.

"Ahhh, tough guy, huh? We've got WAYS of making tough guys talk!" A wicked smile spread across the cute little pixie's face, lips splitting just slightly further than seemed natural. White teeth contrasted harshly against the vibrant pink of her skin and features.

Then, the smile turned sharply to a frown and she spun around, "Cm'on Madrick! You're supposed to hold me back! Tell me not to hurt the poor sap, y'know, do good-cop stuff!"

A deep sigh resonated throughout the tiny cave and Madrick stepped forward, waving a hand dismissively through the confusedly standing fire-bear as he passed. The fire was snuffed as if suddenly within a vacuum.

The fear was back. "I think you are confusing him more than terrifying, Piper."

"You used my name!" The tiny creature crowed excitedly, zipping up to spin around the man's head. His face fell further, looking oddly lost and resigned. While Mejah's intel on Madrick was surface-level at best, it was strange to see a previously god-ranked being apparently defeated by a tiny… Fairy?

"It was a slip of the tongue."

"Still said it! You acknowledge I'm a real person! Whoohoo! Even if I'm not, I fooled you! HAH! Get wrecked! I… Uh…" She cleared her tiny throat. "I mean, we should be serious and professional. Please excuse my excitement. I am young and… and… What's the word, Madrick?"

"Distracted?"

"No, I know that one… It's like… Excitable, but a word without 'excite' in it, since i already said 'excitement.'"

"Spasmodic? Melodramatic?"

"Noooo! Passionate!"

"Hyperactive?"

"Passionate, Madrick! I figured out the word! I don't need help anymore!"

"Emotional? Flighty?"

"Gaaaaaah!" The little pink woman flopped over mid-air, miming her own death. She remained suspended, perfectly flat on her back, midair. Either casually breaking the laws of physics, or displaying superhuman fitness.

"… So we were asked to follow the dark haired woman due to her similarity to someone who recently skipped out on her contract. I've been keeping my distance to observe and confirm she's the target before making any moves. I wouldn't want to inconvenience an innocent, after all." Mejah finished his elaborate, but premeditated, lie. He'd had a plausible story ready since the end of the first week, in case someone noticed himself - or more likely Katha - acting suspicious.

To think it wasn't Katha to be caught first, but him… Except, didn't the pink fairy called Piper mention Katha earlier? He'd been scared and confused out of his wits, so maybe he'd misheard…

"That's not what Katha said" Piper pouted, arms crossed over her chest, chin almost touching them as she stared down at him with a disappointed expression.

He shrugged dismissively, "Katha's not fully stable. She was sent with me as a test run of her ability to work in the field. I left her topside after assessing her as absolutely not capable of subtlety. I would guess whatever she said had something to do with one of the raven haired woman's companions, Willow. She's developed an unnatural obsession with that one."

Squinting his eyes, he pulled his cheeks and nose up in an expression of disgust and discomfort, "She has some strange conspiracies regarding her, regardless of us having no intel suggesting she's a person of interest."

Piper tapped her foot in the air, expression still stern, but seeming contemplative. Madrick sat across the reignited fire, boot draped carelessly near it, as he stared at Mejah with an intense gaze.

His only hope was the man didn't have truth seeking ability or spell active. At least not one which could overcome the greater truth obfuscation enchantment woven into his fabric bracelet. It was the only piece of his old gear he'd still been wearing when the mistress reawoke his higher mental faculties. He was suddenly quite grateful it had somehow remained when everything else had been lost at some point.

Standing, Madrick noted, "The girl is my apprentice's attendant. If you gather evidence that she is, actually, whoever you're hunting you will present the evidence to myself first. You will also include the price to pay off her bounty and we will discuss."

"Certainly." Mejah immediately agreed, not daring anything else.

Nodding, the large man's palm rested on his thin sword's hilt, fingers tapping it. After a moment he continued, "You are not to interfere with any of my apprentice's party under any circumstance. You are not to harm, or aid. If you do, I will seek you out once more. In such a circumstance, our conversation will not be so… Cordial."

Ducking his head in a bow, Mejah agreed once more.

"Very well, I will leave you to your voyeurism, then. Tread lightly, Mejah." The man himself shuddered at the warning.

"Piper?"

"Right! Uh, before we go - MEJAH!"

His head snapped up as his name was shouted a hand span from his face. His eyes met the glowing peridot gaze of the little fairy. She glared at him, "If you see Katha before me, be nice to her!" So saying, she poked his nose saying, "Boop!" Before zipping onto Madrick's shoulder. The duo vanished in the next instant, leaving the elementalist feeling drained and confused.

Piper

Stepped Back!

"Boop?" Madrick asked, once they were back in Piper's step-back place.

She shrugged, "Mother said it's fun to 'boop' some animal noses."

Shaking his head, Madrick asked, "Well? Bring us back."

"Right, right! Uh… First, could I ask you something?" this was the moment of truth. She'd tried SO hard to not be annoying… But she was pretty sure she'd failed. Her will had broken on several occasions while talking to that Mejah guy. He was just way too easy to mess with! And then Madrick was being all uppity and… Urgh.

"Very well, let's hear it."

Oh! Nice! He didn't demand I just take him back! "Sooo I… It's just…" She frowned, How do I approach this?

"Just spit it out, construct of apprentice mine."

"You said something weird again." She pointed out, since Willow mentioned it to him he'd grudgingly asked her to let him know if he continued to 'slip up.' Whatever that meant.

Continuing immediately, she blurted her request, "Another spell!"

He stared at her, waiting. She wasn't sure what for, until he clarified with a sighed, "What about another spell?"

"Oh, can you teach me one? Please? Pretty please! I was being SOOOOOO good tonight! I didn't even gloat or anything!" She dropped to her knees mid-air, wings keeping her up as she begged with hands clasped. Wait, wasn't I trying to play it cool and mature? Oh shit. I fucked up.

"Ah, I see. Yes, I suppose a reward is in order for your attempted good behavior. It wouldn't do for you to believe acting well isn't rewarded…" Piper held her breath as he pondered further.

Wait, do I breathe? She sucked in air, then let it out. Then she stopped doing that and waited. Huh, it doesn't really feel much different. Weird. Why does everyone bother breathing anyway, then?

"A support spell, I think." Madrick finally answered her begging, breaking her away from the lofty question of why beings decided to breathe.

Eagerness nearly caused Piper to burst. She let her feet fall down into the air and flew around in a happy circle. "Yeees! Gimmie a spell to make Willow three stories tall! No, one that lets me cover her in steel so she's invincible! Oh, no, one that'll make her hit four times harder! Or-"

"I'll teach you Minor Spacial Fold."

She stopped flying around and stopped, looking into one of Madrick's weirdly horizontal pupils with eager anticipation. "That sounds awesome! Let's do that! What's it do?"

A wicked grin spread across the man's face, an expression which would normally be worrying. In this context, Piper could only feel excited. If this maniac was grinning about the spell, it had to be something incredible! Probably dangerous, too!

"It'll take you longer to learn this one." He informed her, "Likely over the course of several sessions."

"Pft, I have perfect memory!" She bragged, "It'll be easy."

Piper slumped onto the top of Willow's pod half an hour before Madrick would wake them all up. He'd said something about fighting a swarm or something.

Her entire body felt weirdly distant, like it wasn't really responding to her commands like it should. Her mind also felt really drifty and odd. Learning the spell had not, in fact, been easy. It'd been really hard. She hadn't managed to master it as she'd thought. She didn't even know what it did, actually, Madrick wouldn't tell or show her. The meanie.

Somehow, the little sections of the spell Madrick had taught her had drained her more than anything ever had before. Her mana wasn't drained, it was just really hard to picture all of the constantly moving lines making up the squiggles and sharp lines of the spell.

Madrick had said they'd continue tomorrow night. She'd probably finish learning it then, and then it'd be easy as pie to cast.

Exhausted, Piper closed her eyes and fell asleep for the first time in her life.