Challenge #04556-L172: Stopgap Year

Reason allowed the young man to follow for a time. Even helped them get better clothing especially footwear. Used did not have to mean bad. They helped the youth find someone who could help them learn. And the two promised to remain friends even parting ways.

-- Anon Guest

Reason could teach more than ritual magic. They could teach basic survival skills. Archery, foraging, how to prepare and clean a kill, basic cookery. Making certain the street rat named Dreg knew which mushrooms were edible more than once.

"When in doubt, don't touch it. Better safe than shitting blood in the middle of nowhere."

"Doesn't exactly t-trip off the tongue," criticised Dreg, who was a lot more relaxed without the overt judgement of everyone around him. "I'm sss-sure there's a ss-snappier way to put it."

"Yeah, but the image is more visceral," said Reason. "You're never gonna forget that, are you?" They had some skins from the latest kills, some bark taken from a very specific tree, and a bucket of unpleasant substances. There was a circle of runes around them that Reason was drawing with their tail. When the last rune was done, the bucket was sparkling clean, the bark was gone, and the skins had become leather. Which Reason set to with a sharp blade and an awl.

They were no cobbler, but they could make something that would protect Dreg's feet until they reached the next town. Dreg had one of Reason's older shirts as a makeshift robe to replace his rags, and the sleeves converted into socks with the same ritual. It was a lot more resilient than the rags. Warmer, cleaner, and definitely free of infestation.

That, a few hot meals, and some cleansing spells had made a marked difference on the kid.

Dreg was watching everything with avid fascination. Committing every instant to memory. He picked up everything he was taught with scary efficiency, often raging at himself whenever his muscles refused to take up the memory. One of the hardest lessons Dreg had to learn was that practice was necessary and valid.

They were still working on it together.

"These won't last long," said Reason. "They'll last until we can get you some better shoes, at least. Or find someone to teach you how to make clogs. I never got the knack."

"You got the rrr-ritual to make the leather. Can't it mm-make clogs too?"

"It only works if you know how to make the thing you're using the spell to do." Reason shrugged. "So I'm terrible at clogs no matter what."

Dreg smirked as he donned the makeshift shoes. "Better than b-barefoot. What nn-next?"

"Town, better gear. Then we seek out a Druid grove. Get you the education that you need. Rather than stopgap me."

"And then you rr-run?"

"Generally. Yeah. I live longer that way."

"It's not ff-fair."

No. No, it wasn't.

[Photo by John Vid on Unsplash]

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