New world. New magic. Same goal.

[copycast]

Temple wakes up on a grassy hill. His body, he notes, is currently human and all of his equipment is human-sized. No big problems there, he looks around and tries to identify the closest signs of civilization and feels around for the closest signs of magic.

Comments

[copycast]

"The magic that is moving me between worlds is sort of aiming for ideal conditions, which helps me trust you people a great deal, but the Guardianship magic demands some care. On top of general caution, of course. I just need to hang out around candidates for a day before divining if they are good enough. I won't mind helping a little if you want help. I can do some healing."

[witchwatcher]

"Luckily we don't actually need healing right now."

"He said he can verify whether your clan banner really has a blessing on it."

"Ooh, excellent! I'll go get it."

She returns in less than a minute, with an intricate two foot wide cloth banner. There is something faintly magical about it...

[copycast]

Assuming he is allowed to, Temple touches the banner.

"Magical, but very faint. I should be able to improve and preserve the magic, if you allow it. Getting students is the priority, but once that is settle... Would it be too complicated to arrange it for me to have contact with it for about a hour per day during a week? and then once a month afterwards?"

[witchwatcher]

Morgana is grinning. "Oh, yes, definitely. I knew it, I knew this thing had magic!"

Gren smiles indulgently. "Yep, you sure did. Here's my report on the a Neuroi I encountered down by Unsensk, by the way. Local militia helped me."

She takes the report. Gren marches off to the rewards office.

[copycast]

"I would like to stay here and finish memorizing my spell, but I should eat something soon, is there a way to arrange that without magic being involved?"

[witchwatcher]

"You can eat from the mess hall. I'll let them know you're to be fed."

"I'll find you for cards later," Gren reports.

And they leave.

[copycast]

Temple goes back to memorizing.

Read, read, read, read. The spell magic snaps into place. Great.

Temple finds the mess hall to have a light meal, and then go find Gren again.

[witchwatcher]

The mess hall's offerings are thus: Rice. Fish. Potatoes. Rice and fish. Potatoes and fish. Not exactly great variety.

Gren is in the main hangar area, talking to some people who are working on her machine.

[copycast]

Right, war times. Supply problems.

"Hello again, Gren." Temple says when he has a opportunity to do so without interrupting anyone.

[witchwatcher]

"Ah, hello. Look, just change out the parts. I'll deal with the supplies office, but I need the maneuverability. Temple, this is Jerome, another potential student, but he's not off work yet. Recreation room is over here."

And here are a bunch of people sitting around a wide table, only Gren and one other having magic.

"You probably don't know the rules of Witchrun?"

[copycast]

"Hi," Temple says to Jerome "I would like to talk to you when you have free time."

"Nope! The deck itself isn't familiar, but I am always willing to try new things."

[witchwatcher]

They explain pretty well. They form teams of three, and game is about assembling 'teams' of Witch cards in the middle. The Witches each have three different numbers - flight, focus, fire.

Each team's witches goes up against the other team's selection, and points go to whichever side has the post points in this round's chosen stat.

It's fast paced and cooperative, and easy to pick up.

[copycast]

Temple likes it instantly.

After a few minutes of playing he asks the other Witch's name and special power.

[witchwatcher]

"I'm Daruna. They call me Dragon 'cause I have something like four times the normal level mana. I can just keep blastin'. Bit of a shame I don't get anything else though."

[copycast]

"I can understand." Temple says agreeably "Plenty of my students wouldn't get the kind of power they wanted. Are there actual dragons in this world? I mean winged-reptile people with powerful magic?"

[witchwatcher]

Daruna looks at him strangely. "Nooo... Those are, you know, legends. I'm not stupid just 'cause I didn't get much school, you know."

"He's apparently from another world."

"What, really? Wow."

[copycast]

"This is the fourth world I have been in," Temple says smiling "I have met a couple of actual dragons."

[witchwatcher]

"Now I kinda want to make a dragon card and add it to the deck. It'd still be fair, they're random."

"You'd have to take it out for other games, though."

"Still."

[copycast]

"That sounds like a interesting idea," Temple says "personal game changes can be really fun."

If allowed Temple won't mind playing this game for a couple of hours.

[witchwatcher]

The rest of them are having fun too. They introduce new rules a couple of times.

Eventually everyone here wants to go to sleep. Gren delivers him a small pile of coins, declaring it the militia reward.

"Captain said she'd give you a bunk if you don't want to walk into town and find an inn."

[copycast]

Temple accepts "I will try the bunk and tomorrow I can divine about your learning my magic."

He will find the bunk, remove the outer layer of clothes and encase the entire thing with a spell. No reason to leave his precious spellbooks where anyone can steal them.

[witchwatcher]

His spell is undisturbed. His sleep is not, a piercingly loud bell wakes him in the middle of the night.

In less than two minutes all the magic people are flying away from the castle, and south.

[copycast]

Temple gets confused since he doesn't know what the bell means at first. When realizes he bolts trying to search someone that will take his magical help.

[witchwatcher]

He's too late. None of the Witches are still here, unfortunately.

They come back in three hours, all 28 of them, in various shades of 'tired' and 'battered'. The commander gives a speech about how this was a victory since they didn't lose anyone from their wing and stopped the Neuroi when it had only destroyed half of that trade fleet.

Gren looks frustrated. "She wouldn't let me find you. Because we had to be there as soon as physically possible."

[copycast]

Temple uses those three hours to make arrangements so he can offer healing for the wounded. He also memorizes a handful of spells, mostly different forms of healing.

"I didn't realize the attacks are that common or I would have offered."