Wizardly Woes

ch1

>Be a hedge wizard.
>You don't like people very much, preferring to do research alone in your tower, away from the city.
>You're starting to get old though.
>Already took a life-extending potion, can't have another.
>Maybe now's the time to think about passing down your legacy?
>Something trips your alarm ward, knocking at your door.
>Ugh, must be another envoy from the duchess wanting to buy potions or magic items.
>You've already sent three away this month.
>Grumbling, you get your unseen servant to open the door and pour tea while you throw your robe and hat on over your comfortable flannels.
>Gotta look wizardly for the guest.
>Taking your staff from its resting place by your laboratory's door you walk down the spiral stairs.
>Wait, that doesn't look like an envoy.
>It's a kobold, polished silver scales gleaming in the magical lights of your foyer.
>It wears a simple, unadorned blue robe and holds a delicate teacup in its small claw as it sits, shaking nervously.
>Not familiar with the unseen servant then.
>Most curiously of all this kobold has a thick, iron-bound book on its lap, a spellbook by the looks of it.
>Is it another wizard?
>Clearing your throat, you tap your staff loudly on the last few steps down to get its attention as you enter the room fully.
>The kobold stands suddenly, spellbook falling from its lap.
>It reaches for it, but with the hand holding the teacup.
>Tea spills all over the book and the floor, the cup shattering into pieces.
>It looks aghast, you think, its purple eyes wide as it stares at the mess.
>You let out a snort, putting your free hand over your mouth and beard.
>It looks up to you, some fear evident in its gaze.
>You shake your head slowly, gesturing silently with your staff.
>The shattered remains of the teacup move together, fusing back into a whole.
>Meanwhile the spilled liquid begins to evaporate, steam rising up as the floor and book both dry.
>The kobold looks amazed as it watches your simple magic at work.

>With even magics like that amazing it, the kobold must be a new mage if it's one at all.
>"So," you say, voice dusty from disuse, "what do you want?"
>It may be a little rude jumping to the subject like that, but you don't care.
>The kobold looks back to your face, trepidation now clearly written on its own.
>"Kralla say greetings to great, powerful wizard," it begins, voice high.
>"Kralla want to ask question to wizard if okay?"
>"Go on," you prompt.
>It scrambles for the fallen spellbook, picking it up and flipping through its many pages quickly while speaking.
>"Kralla sees... see spell on scroll and... aha!"
>It finally finds the page it was looking for, turning the book towards you and pointing with a silver claw.
>Just once glance is all it takes for you to recognize the inscriptions upon it.
>After all, you had come up with the formulas yourself.
>You had been an adventurer in your youth, and had noticed that the force missile spell was lacking in penetrative power.
>So you had modified it, elongating and sharpening the energy so it could pierce through obstructions instead of merely smashing against them.
>You hadn't ever published the spell.
>How had this kobold gotten a hold of it?
>"Was wonderings if great wizard make spell?" the kobold asks.
>"How did you come across this?" you ask back, perhaps a bit too menacingly.
>"K-Kralla win scroll in game! From dwarf!"
>You close your eyes quietly, sighing.
>Of course it was Durof, that old dwarven buddy of yours.
>Probably gambled away all the scrolls you had given him by now.
>Must mean this kobold's female, guy couldn't ever win when playing cards against the opposite gender.
>"Yes, I created the spell," you say a bit more gently, opening your eyes.
>"Now is that all?"
>She sputters for a moment.
>"Kralla wondering if... if can be apprentice!" she yells, dropping the book and prostrating herself on the floor.
>"No," you reply easily, poking her with the butt of your staff.

>Sending the small, scaled creature away after that was quick, mild threats hasting her departure from your tower.
>You reset your wards and head back upstairs to get to work.
>Hopefully that distraction didn't ruin the potion you were working on.
>Some hours later your alarm ward activates again.
>The hell, twice in one day?
>You take several minutes to make sure your concoction is stabilized before finally throwing your robe and hat back on, thumping down the stairs.
>Pulling your front door open, you stop midway and sigh in exasperation.
>It's the kobold.
>You really need to get some kind of scrying portal for your door.
>"Kralla can do magics!" she shrieks upon seeing you.
>Her fingers waggle in a rudimentary, unpracticed way, but you do see the motions of a basic pyrotechnics spell somewhere in there.
>You slam the door in her face before she finishes.
>Does she not understand what "leave or else" means?
>Ignoring the frantic knocking and begging that follows you make the journey back up to your laboratory, shrugging off your robe.
>Hopefully she'll take that reception as a sign she's not wanted, as simple words don't seem to work.
>She'll go away soon enough, and if she tries breaking in your defensive wards will make short work of her.
>Well...
>You recall a certain young man with a similar ambition.
>Maybe you'll set your wards to immobilize rather than kill.
>Just in case.

>The alarm ward activates for a third time a mere half-hour later.
>You conjure a ball of ice-cold water above where you know your front door to be, and let gravity take it from there.
>A high-pitched scream from outside lets you know your deterrent worked.
>You work in blissful peace for the rest of the day, and even finish brewing the potion you were working on!
>The day wasn't wasted after all.
>Your stomach grumbles, reminding you that you haven't eaten anything since breakfast.
>Making your way down to the rather simple kitchen, you smell something.
>Something delicious.
>It's coming from outside, so you open the door to investigate.
>The kobold is sitting a short distance away, roasting some kind of small game rotisserie-style over a fire she had built.
>Maybe a rabbit?
>Smells like rabbit.
>She notices you opening the door and jumps from her seat, the turning of the meat forgotten as she makes her way over to you.
>"You're gonna burn it," you say loudly.
>She stops in her tracks, turning around and sheepishly walking back to the fire.
>You wrestle with yourself, but eventually your hunger wins out as your stomach gurgles again, harder, and you approach her.
>"I would like to purchase a haunch from you," you begin.
>You haven't had a chance to buy food for a while so all you've been eating recently is gruel.
>"Yes! Or, no's!" she says, surprised as she keeps turning the meat.
>"No?" you ask.
>"Kralla mean... is free!" she explains.
>"Have a silver," you say, ignoring her protests as you take one from your enchanted pouch and flick it over.
>"O-okay," she finally agrees, going silent.
>The two of you sit for a small while, the crackling and popping of the fire and the fat on the rabbit the only sounds between you.
>She pokes the browned, herb-rubbed skin with a claw.
>"Is done," she says, removing the meat from the fire.
>You nod as she carves the meat with a small knife, a large haunch filling your hungry mind.
>Finally she offers the cut to you between two trembling claws.
>"Thank you," you say politely, taking it from her and standing.
>You take a bite as you walk the short distance back to your tower, unable to hold yourself back.
>The skin crackles between your teeth, juices running down your beard.
>Salt, herbs and spices!
>It's just as delicious as it smells.
>"W-wait!" you hear a voice squeak from behind.
>"No," you answer, anticipating the question.
>Food like this is good, great even, but if you really needed it you could always have your unseen servant cook some for you.
>Once you get the ingredients of course.
>You close the door behind you without another word, eating quickly as you take a seat.
>Now that you've had a few bites, you wish you hadn't given in to your hunger.
>It'll be that much harder to get rid of the scaled troublemaker now.

>The next morning you start work on modifying a lesser scrying spell, tying a small hand-mirror to the area just before your front door with a minor enchantment.
>You work through breakfast, and in fact the hour approaches noon before you finally succeed.
>There, you can now see who's approached the tower without having to open the door!
>You should have done this years ago, but it wasn't until now that you were annoyed enough to bother.
>Now to see if it works...
>A vision appears in the mirror, showing the expected sight just outside your tower... and the kobold, sitting far enough away not to trigger your alarm, reading a small book.
>She's still here, then.
>You had expected such but it still disappoints you.
>Doesn't she have anything better to do?
>You roll your eyes and head downstairs to make breakfast - er, lunch.
>The rest of the day passes quietly, with you occasionally checking on the mirror whenever you have a break in your work.
>Occasionally she would disappear for a small amount of time, but she was always back soon after.
>Usually she would be reading her small book, but sometimes she looked between it and her large spellbook.
>You had caught her "practicing magic" once, which elicited a chuckle.
>Well, at least she's leaving you alone now.
>In the evening you smell more meat being cooked.
>No, you won't be tempted again.
>Your leftover porridge from lunch seems all the more tasteless, and you have a hard time forcing it down, but your willpower wins out as it usually does.
>You go to bed, unsatisfied.
>You don't know if you'll be able to get through another night like this, so if she's still there on the morrow...

>And there she is, of course, memorizing spells it seems after you wake.
>Persistent little bugger.
>She's squatting on your land, so you have full legal right to force her off.
>The question is: how?
>You could just contact the duchess, she'd send men over posthaste to arrest the kobold...
>But does she really deserve imprisonment?
>She hasn't really done anything besides annoy you, and you did eat from her table, metaphorically speaking.
>No, that's too much force.
>Besides, you don't want to have to owe the duchess a favor; you'll have to find another way.
>Maybe a little rain would drive her away?
>Chuckling at the thought, you dig through a closet full of miscellaneous, not-too-powerful magical items you've accumulated over the years.
>There it is!
>A rod, about the length of your forearm, with a large blue quartz at the haft.
>Still thrumming with energy.
>You haven't had cause to use this for a while, so you take out a thin book you keep on the door of the closet and thumb through it, looking for the incantation.
>Ah, that's right, "Make it rain," how imaginative.
>Melanie had always had trouble coming up with anything creative.
>Your good humor disappears in an instant.
>Yes, that's why you haven't used this particular item for a while, you had almost forgotten.
>Dispelling the memories with a shake of your head, you take up the rod.
>You're only a step away from ridding yourself of your little problem, so you can bear some pain to do so.
>"Make it rain," you say softly, thumbing the crystal in a particular spot.
>Nothing seems to happen, but you put the rod back and close the closet door gently.
>Within an hour there will be a raging storm outside, localized around your tower.
>Hopefully by the time it's all over you'll be back to your peaceful, solitary life.

>Sure enough, a half hour later the sky has begun to darken, winds picking up and starting to whip around your tower.
>The storm is brewing.
>It'll be difficult to concentrate on work—especially anything delicate—with this sort of weather outside, so you resign yourself to merely drinking a cup of tea helpfully brewed by your unseen servant and watching the kobold through your mirror, waiting for the exact moment she will run off.
>It's sure to be entertaining.
>Five minutes later she finally seems to notice the extent of what's happening, her spellbook's pages threatening to tear free before her.
>The kobold closes the book and gathers the things she had scattered around her impromptu campsite, shoving them into a bulging backpack.
>She pulls the pack over her shoulder and looks to the rapidly-clouding sky.
>Yes, here it is!
>She takes a few steps away, then stops and turns around.
>No, what are you doing!?
>The stupid kobold smiles, as if realizing something, and walks to your front door.
>Your damnable alarm ward goes off again, blaring as she knocks at the door.
>She seems expectant.
>You silence your ward as you huff, taking a large gulp of tea.
>Of course, you should have remembered that if the weather's bad enough it's a social expectancy to shelter those caught in it, at least for a time.
>Blasted thing, can't she tell it'll only affect a relatively small radius around you?
>You'll just pretend you didn't notice her, absorbed as you are in your "work" right now.
>You stand up and find something good to read as the unseen servant pours you a second cup of tea.
>Ah, that'll do, a catalog of low-ranking magical fauna.
>Taking your new cup you begin to pour through your light reading material; maybe you'll learn about some new, interesting spell components.

>That was certainly informative; you had never heard of a "blink bunny" before, only of their canid cousins.
>You'll certainly have to get at least one of their horns delivered to you the next time you order components.
>Shaking your head at the thought you see a flash of something out of the corner of your eye.
>Oh, you had left the mirror on.
>Heavy rain washes over the silver kobold, now kneeling in front of the door.
>Her robe is completely soaked through, clinging wetly to her scales, with her leather pack not doing much better.
>She's unmoving.
>By the gods, why did she have to be so stubborn?
>You quickly march to your front door, throwing it open.
>No need to waste a spell on a moment of rain.
>Huge, fast drops pelt you, feeling somewhat like ice against your skin.
>Snarling, you grab the sopping kobold with both hands and drag her inside, laying her just beyond the threshold, before pulling your heavy door closed against the wind.
>It takes a lot out of you, but you manage to do it.
>You would relax if it weren't for the damned stupid lizard now in your foyer.
>Walking over to her, you put the back of your hand on her scaled head.
>Cold.
>Very cold.
>If it weren't for her chest slowly rising and falling you may have mistook her for a corpse.
>Gods be damned, you haven't attempted anything medically since...
>Since...
>No, you aren't about to lose another one.

>She's too cold and wet to simply evaporate the water away; she'd be gone by the time it takes full effect.
>You slide the pack from her first, unceremoniously picking it up and... oh wow that's heavy.
>You push it away rather than throw it like you'd planned.
>Now the robe needs to come off.
>You untie the sash from her waist first, then sit her up and pull the neck of the loose garment down from her shoulders.
>Her torso is completely uncovered, revealing a slightly lighter-scaled silver belly.
>You're partially surprised she's not wearing anything underneath, but that's unimportant at the moment.
>Now that her elbows are bared it's a simple matter to pull her arms the rest of the way from the robe, then to spread it open from the center.
>She's only wearing simple linen shorts and wool socks, both soaked of course but thin enough garments to work with.
>You slide the drenched robe out from under her, leaving her on the cold stone floor.
>Damn damn damn, you had forgotten about the floor.
>You scoop her up in both arms, putting one hand under her shoulders and the other her legs, just below her tail.
>Little thing's heavier than you had thought!
>You have to strain for it, but you manage to walk her up the stairs to your room.
>After practically throwing her onto your large bed you take a few moments to catch your breath.
>You're certainly feeling your age and lack of physical ability now.
>With a touch you set the warming charms on your bed to the maximum setting, then immediately work on evaporating the cold water still on her.
>After that's finished you check her with the back of your hand again.
>A little warmer, that's good.
>Let's see, what did Melanie always do?
>Ah, feel for a heartbeat!
>You put your hand on the kobold's small chest, and eventually you find a weak pulse.
>Okay, heart beating.
>She shouldn't die in the next few minutes at least.
>What you need is a potion, something to liven her, get her warm...
>Ah, a potion of inner fire!
>That was the potion you had just finished brewing the other day, in fact, so it's still fresh and at maximum potency.
>You walk upstairs to your laboratory as quickly as you're able.
>Good thing you hadn't moved the potion down to your collections yet.
>You snatch the vial from the desk, bright amber and yellow liquid inside dancing, reminiscent of a flame.
>It's some fine work if you may say so yourself.
>You move back to the door, taking the stairs down to your bedroom.
>Your legs burn from the continued exertion you've been putting on them; maybe it's time to invest in a single-story structure.
>Entering the room you notice the kobold moving slightly.
>Her eyes are still closed, but she's rolling her head and twitching her feet.
>Oh, that's good!
>You touch her bare shoulder with your hand.
>"K—," you begin.
>You forgot her name!
>"K-kobold girl," you recover, "open your mouth and drink this potion, it will make you better."
>She seems to understand and opens her mouth slightly, her eyes still closed.
>You pour the potion inside, and then quickly close her mouth as tightly as you can when she begins to sputter.
>Yes, the potion's hot and hard to drink, but you won't let her waste any of it, not one of your quality.
>After what seems like too long she finally swallows, and then relaxes, breathing normally again.
>Great!
>You let her go, holding a hand with your other as you attempt to massage the pain away.
>Now you just have to wait while the effects take hold.

>You have a seat on a chair by a desk, watching the bed as the storm rages around you outside.
>A wizard can never have too many desks, you never know when inspiration will strike and you need to write something down quickly.
>Now's a good time to note the exact effects of the potion anyway; you haven't exactly tested it on a sapient species yet.
>Taking out some paper and a lightly-enchanted quill you begin to write.
>Several minutes pass, the kobold appearing to be in a light sleep as she wiggles slightly about.
>Slowly but surely, her motions increase until finally she stirs awake, sitting up suddenly.
>"Where am Kralla?"she yells, whipping her head back and forth.
>Yes, that's her name.
>You make sure to note it for future reference before responding.
>"Calm down," you say, standing.
>"You're in the tower."
>Her eyes find your own.
>You realize you aren't wearing your robe and hat, only your pajamas.
>What a powerful wizard you must appear to be.
>"Is... is you wizard?" she asks, disbelievingly.
>"The very same," you say curtly.
>She jumps out of the bed, and before you can react has already run into your legs, gripping them tightly in a hug.
>Good thing the impact didn't make you fall over, though it was a close call.
>She looks up into your eyes, her purple ones glistening with moisture.
>"Thank you thank you!" she exclaims repeatedly.
>Her body is warm.
>Very warm.
>Perhaps unconsciously she starts to rub her body against your legs, up and down.
>"Kralla... Kralla feel weird," she says, a curious note entering her voice.
>"It's the potion, you can sleep it off," you dismiss, attempting to shake her from your leg.
>"But Kralla not tired, is mornings," she complains, resisting your efforts to remove her.
>Right, you had forgotten what with the darkness of the storm about you.
>"You can cook, right? Make breakfast then," you say.
>Even as she agrees she starts grinding herself against your leg, wrapping hers around it.
>Is she really..?
>You clear your tired throat uncomfortably.
>Finally she looks down at herself, appearing to notice her state of undress and what she was doing.
>She jumps quite a ways back from you with a satisfying yip, reaching the corner of the room.
>"Where Kralla robe?" she asks, voice still very loud.
>"It's downstairs, had to remove it to warm you," you explain.
>She tears off through the door, faster than you can now move, and you hear her claws pitter-patter down the stone steps of the tower.
>Well at least she'll be clothed now, though you'll likely have to cast another drying charm.
>You make sure to sit down and write that she said she "felt weird," and that you'll have to investigate just how in the near future.
>It may be related to what she was doing to you, but then again for all you know that may be a traditional kobold greeting.
>You never really knew any of them before now.
>Tucking your notes into a pocket you stretch and begin the journey downstairs, this time at a much more leisurely pace fit for an old man such as yourself.
>You have a sinking feeling your life as you know it has just changed.


ch2

>As you make your way down to the kitchen you see the fire already on, a black iron pot hanging over it.
>Kralla the kobold stands near it, now clad in her still-wet blue robe.
>She's stirring the pot, her back to you.
>"I trust you found the porridge?" you ask.
>She jolts, apparently not having noticed your approach as she turns towards you.
>"Y-yes, Kralla finds," she says.
>"You haves any sugar? Brown?" she asks.
>"I don't concern myself with such things," you dismiss, waving your hand as you take a seat at your small table.
>"Okays..." Kralla says dubiously, stirring the pot once more.
>You sit in awkward silence for a few moments as she continues cooking.
>Really, what are you supposed to say to an unwanted guest?
>Even if it is your fault she's here.
>It's her who begins speaking again as she removes the pot from the fire.
>"Here, is... is ready."
>She take a ladle from its hook by the fire and scoops the both of you a bowl.
>"Thank you," you say courteously, accepting it.
>Of course you won't mention that your unseen servant could have cooked it all for you, it's better she doesn't know.
>"C-can you," she says nervously, gesturing to herself as she stands by the chair opposite you.
>"Ah, very well," you reply.
>You quickly cast the drying charm and the moisture on her robe starts to evaporate.
>Should all be gone in the next five or so minutes.
>"Thank you, master!" she yells, bowing her head repeatedly.
>Oh gods.
>You hold out a hand vertically for her to stop.
>"I am not your master," you clarify, "nor do you owe me anything."
>"But you save Kralla from storm," she protests, stopping her motions and staring at you confusedly.
>"Uh," you pause.
>You don't want to admit the storm was your fault in the first place.
>"I did nothing worthy of note," you finally say.
>"Now sit down and eat before it gets cold," you instruct, taking up your spoon.
>She hops onto her chair and seems uncomfortable as she adjusts her posture, finally ending up sitting sideways on it.
>Ah yes, the tail's getting in the way.
>You quickly think of a few solutions to that problem, maybe chairs that only support the upper back would have enough room for such an appendage...
>Wait, what are you doing?
>She won't be here for much longer, no need to worry about her comfort.
>You clear your throat.
>"Dig in," you say, taking a scoop of porridge into your mouth.
>It's pretty good!
>At least, as much as porridge can be.
>She must have found some kind of fruit (blueberries?) to put in it.
>Huh, you didn't know you had blueberries around your property.
>You grunt in satisfaction as you swallow your spoonful, then open your eyes to see the kobold staring at you.
>"Well aren't you hungry?" you ask.
>"Yes, yes, Kralla..." she trails off, looking away from you quickly as she takes a large spoonful of the stuff into her maw.
>That was odd.
>You compartmentalize the scene for later analysis.
>Need to eat after all.

>The meal is short.
>Throughout it the kobold seemed very nervous, and opened her mouth to presumably begin conversing several times... but never did.
>You much prefer to eat in silence yourself so it was quite enjoyable not having to listen to any blather.
>Pushing the empty bowl forwards, you lean back in your chair and sigh, closing your eyes.
>Although you don't like it, you need to talk sooner or later.
>"Alright, get it out," you tell her.
>As if a dam has burst she springs from her chair to the floor and runs up to you.
>"Kralla be real good apprentice!" she yells, taking your wrinkled hand into her claw.
>"Kralla cook foods every day, Kralla clean, Kralla help carry stuffs or-or helps with learnings!"
>At this point she looks down to the floor, energy bottling back up inside her as she continues.
>"Kralla even... even do other stuffs for wizard, if want," she says, much quieter than before.
>To further her point she puts your hand on her slightly damp but warm chest.
>She stops speaking, looking up to you through lidded, purple eyes.
>"Are you done?" you ask imperiously.
>"Y-yes," she stammers.
>"Good."
>You pull your hand from her chest, her grasp suddenly loosening.
>"I have an unseen servant to cook and clean for me," you begin.
>"Furthermore, I can summon a simple floating disc for any heavy transportation needs."
>"I have no reason to trust you would be of any help to my research, more likely hindering it than anything."
>"As for your final point, I've no interest in such things," you wave your hand.
>"Now tell me, is there anything you have that is actually of use?"
>Your voice grows a bit cold by the end, but such was necessary.
>She needs to know the harsh truth of just how much you don't need one such as her.
>Moisture appears in her large eyes as she looks up to you, attempting to blink it away.
>"K-Kralla sorry," she says tearfully.
>"Kralla useless."
>Ugh, you hate it so much when people cry!
>Especially if it's because of you.
>"Listen," you say, a bit less sternly.
>"I had been considering finding an apprentice soon."
>"Was going to have a look over the nitwit graduates of the University in a few months, see if any of them meet my requirements."
>"But," you take a lungful of air, knowing you may regret this, "I suppose since you're here already I can give you the same sort of tests."
>She sniffs, leaky eyes wide.
>"R-really!?" she asks, voice loud again.
>You wince at the volume.
>"Would certainly be convenient for me if you were to pass, save much effort on my part," you explain.
>A quick moment passes.
>"Thank you thank you!" she repeats for the second time, running into and hugging your seated legs, nearly knocking your chair over.
>"Stop that immediately!" you scold, attempting to push her away.
>She listens, thankfully, pulling herself off of you.
>Good girl.
>You stand, walking out of the kitchen while you speak.
>"Follow me to the study, bring your spellbook. Backpack's in the foyer."

>As she scampers off to the foyer you shake your head, making your slightly slower way to the study.
>Of course you have no hopes for the kobold passing any of your tests, let alone all of them.
>Wherever she had learned before hadn't taught her well in the least.
>All the somatic components to the spells you'd seen her practice were over 100% inefficient, with twice the necessary motions.
>Plus her verbalizing was full of nonsense words.
>It's really a wonder she had managed to cast anything at all.
>You grab a spare grey robe hanging by a hook as you enter the study, thrusting your arms through the sleeves.
>A few simultaneous mage hands are all it takes to start rearranging the room to one better suited for an interview, your dark, exotic wooden desk moving to the center with a chair behind it and a smaller one before it.
>Usually you don't like wasting magic on banal tasks such as this but it's necessary in this case, you don't have much time before she comes in.
>You take a seat behind the desk just as she enters, nervously clutching her heavy iron tome.
>"Sit," you say, gesturing to the other chair.
>She hops up to the chair, and immediately you notice a problem: you can barely see her head over the wide desk.
>You roll your eyes, using one of your still-summoned mage hands to grab a spare pillow.
>"Put this under you please," you tell her, nudging her with the seemingly-floating pillow.
>She takes the pillow from the air, seeming slightly fearful of it, and then puts it under herself.
>That'll do.
>"Place your book upon the desk," you continue.
>She does so, the thick book dropping onto your desk with a mild thud.
>You take up a fresh sheet of paper and a quill, getting ready to write.
>"Name?" you ask.
>"K-Kralla," she stutters.
>"Surname or given?"
>"No, just Kralla," she says.
>"Given, then," you make a note of it.
>"Kobold, I assume?"
>"Yes, yes," she answers.
>"What did you do before this?"
>"Kralla... Kralla work at inn," she says, seeming embarrassed.
>"Doing what, specifically?"
>"Kralla cook, and help cleans."
>"Manual labor then," you mutter, pursing your lips as you write.
>It's not looking promising.
>"And where were you taught? Don't tell me it was with Hornsbury, the hack."
>Man can barely use magic himself and yet still advertises lessons, preying on fools with too much money and too little sense.
>He certainly is charming though, you'll give him that.
>"Taught?" she asks.
>Has she not heard that word before?
>"Where did you learn magic?" you rephrase.
>"Oh, at inn!"
>"So a traveling magician of some sort then?"
>Even worse, scum like that promises to teach the arcane to barmaids in the hopes of receiving free drink.
>She's lucky she learned anything at all if that was the case.
>"N-no," she says, seeming confused.
>"Kralla always want to be wizard, saves up gold buy book," she gestures to the spellbook between you.
>She stops speaking, looking up to you.
>"Go on," you say, annoyed.
>"Uh, Kralla learns magic then?" she says, upwards-moving voice turning her statement into a question.
>"Are you saying you purchased this ordinary spellbook and were suddenly able to use magic?" you ask, harrumphing.
>"No, no!" she yells, waving her arms all over the place.
>"Then go into detail," you sigh, putting a hand on your face.
>"Kralla works hard after buy spellbook, quits job at inn," she explains.
>"Writes down while tries different thing, was long time until Kralla finally move magic in air but Kralla dids!"
>"The book," you say, "show me."
>She opens her ponderous tome to the first page, turning the book around for you, and you reach for your spectacles.
>Sure enough it's covered in tiny, messy scrawling that appears to all be experiment notes on magic creation to your practiced eye.
>The second page is more of the same, and you flip through the book slowly to find twenty, no, nearly thirty pages alike before finally getting to another familiar type of page, a formula.
>It's crude and unpracticed and full of unnecessary things, but it works, creating a spark of fire upon the caster's fingertips in exchange for a pinch of ash.
>"You're saying you created this spell?" you ask, voice mysterious.
>"Yes, is call Spark!" she exclaims.
>Your heart starts beating faster.
>"How many fingers am I holding up?" you ask, thrusting your hand in front of yourself.
>"Two?" she asks.
>You let out a breath of disappointment as you close your eyes.
>"Five finger if you includes magic hand," you hear her say.

>"Most wizards," you say, pacing behind your desk, "require years of tutelage and accumulation of knowledge before being able to merely cast their first spell, no less craft one themselves."
>"And yet you," you pause, turning to the still-seated kobold, "created your own spell while having no prior experience with the arcane."
>"Yes?" she asks uneasily.
>"Tell me, how long has it been since you began work on this spell?"
>"Maybe... year? Yes, year," she says, nodding.
>You blink.
>"A-and, uh," you clear your throat, "how many more spells have you created since?"
>"Two!" she shouts.
>You turn around to hide your surprise.
>Sure her work is less than amateur, but with the amount of time she's been doing it...
>"You can see magic all the time then?" you ask, pretending to search through a bookshelf.
>"Yes, since hatch."
>"I see."
>Your simple, clipped words belie your shock, your suspicions confirmed.
>Natural mage-sight is an extraordinarily rare gift, and you are only aware of two alive with such an ability.
>Well, three now.
>"Kralla do... do somethings wrong?" you hear from behind you.
>Gotta hold it together...
>You turn around, wearing your best gruff, unimpressed look.
>"You've passed the first test, congratulations."

>While you attempt to calm the excitable girl your mind works overtime.
>Of course that interview wasn't a test, merely a questionnaire, but you won't tell her that.
>You can't lose this opportunity no matter what, but you have an image to uphold.
>She has to feel that she barely met your expectations, thus making her less complacent and more willing to work hard through your future apprenticeship.
>Your tests are quickly scrapped; with her current self-taught knowledge and lack of experience she wouldn't pass any of them.
>You'll have to make it all up as you go then.
>"Kralla, sit down and stop squirming!" you scold.
>She plops down in one of the larger, more comfortable chairs around your study, bouncing up and down in her seat as she looks up to you.
>You suppose that'll do.
>"Your second test is on memory and reading comprehension," you say, running your fingers along the spines of some books, looking for... aha!
>"An Abridged History of Lost Magical Artifacts, Collected and Illustrated by L.C. Chaser," you say softly, smiling in remembrance as you pull the thick, well-used book from the shelf.
>You had received the book back when you were an apprentice yourself, a very, very long time ago.
>Naturally, by now several of the artifacts have, in fact, been recovered, and others lost, but you've found more current publications to be lacking the imaginative, fanciful prose Chaser had used.
>To a younger person such as this kobold, the book should be quite interesting; plus it's useful as testing material, as many of the words used within are no longer in the general parlance.
>"I would like you to read through this, cover to cover," you tell her, carefully handing the book to her.
>"We will discuss at length one artifact of my choosing from the tome, with no notes allowed."
>Her eyes go wide as she looks at the book.
>"You have until noon," you say.
>"Begin."

>On second thought that test may have been a bit too difficult.
>You had forgotten just how easily distracted the young mind is, and you had never been quite as high-strung as this little critter yourself.
>Currently you sit in your laboratory, the place where you do most of your creative thinking, the kind of which you desperately need right now.
>You had just finished penning the questions for a third test, and the fourth should be easy enough, barely requiring any planning on your part, but the exact nature of the final test eludes you.
>Blast it, you'll just go down now; maybe getting a good look at her spellbook would give you a more accurate representation of her abilities and therefore allow you to create a better test.
>Plus you can see how far she's gotten in her reading.
>Descending the stairs, papers for the third test in hand, you again think of knocking this damned tower over and building a single-story home.
>You only built a tower in the first place because you were expected to, and it really was quite the sight when you were younger, freshly retired from adventuring.
>Nowadays you mostly spend your time on the top two floors—your room and the laboratory—which works out alright with your failing body, but these last few days have seen you go up and down and back and forth; it's simply exhausting!
>You'll have to draft up a design when you get a chance, perhaps on the morrow.
>Finally you come to the cracked door of your study, stopping short.
>Through the door you hear an odd noise: a quiet, wet, squishing sound joined by a high-pitched, sporadic vibration reminiscent of a cat purring.
>Is that..?
>You push the door open.
>Kralla sits back in the chair, facing away from you with bared knees touching her chest, socked calves and digitigrade reptile feet in the air.
>You can't see exactly what's happening from this angle, but you can tell that one of her hands is down between her legs as she purrs.
>Your book lies open and forgotten on the floor near her.
>She hasn't noticed you.
>Perhaps it's herself being oblivious, or perhaps it's your being light-footed (you had been a pickpocket as a boy, long story), but either way you have a choice to make.
>Should you leave and let her finish?
>By now it's apparent the potion had an unintended effect on her, so her current state is your fault.
>Plus you weren't supposed to be back here for another two hours; maybe she just couldn't hold it in any longer and felt like she had the privacy to do so.
>On the other hand it's your chair she's probably getting wet, your book on the floor.
>Ugh, you're gonna have to be delicate with this one, you really don't want her to run off in shame...
>You clear your throat loudly, purposefully creaking the door and stepping heavily into the room.
>She lets out a small "eep," putting her legs down and fiddling with her robe before standing, quickly turning to you.
>The blue robe, gathered a bit too hastily, hangs open, allowing you a clear view of the dripping, pink slit between her legs while she stands, not knowing what you can see.
>"I trust you finished the book already, and needed to kill time?" you ask, your sarcasm cleverly disguised as doddering obliviousness.
>"N-no!" she exclaims, backing away.
>"Then you should get back to your reading, should you not?"
>"Yes, yes! Sorry!" she yells, turning around and bending over to pick up the book.
>The slice on the bottom of her robe cut for her tail parts with the motion, revealing to you everything.
>Everything.
>The show is over soon as she takes the book into her arms, sitting back on the chair and glancing to you nervously before sticking her head into it.
>You clear your suddenly dry throat again.
>"I will be taking your spellbook now for study, will return for the test," you say.
>When she doesn't respond you take her heavy spellbook from the desk with only a little difficulty and abscond with it.
>An unwanted protrusion in your pants guides you back up to the lab.
>Why are you this way?
>Nothing excites you anymore, not since...
>Well it's been a long time.
>Sure, every morning it becomes turgid, but you've become accustomed to ignoring it these last few decades.
>Perhaps it's the exotic, unfamiliar form of the small kobold, or the simple fact that it's been so long since you've seen such things.
>If you were only a younger man...
>You shake your head, clearing your clouded mind.
>No, with the nature of your master-student relationship it wouldn't be appropriate for anything to happen.
>In fact any displays like that, accidental though they may be, will need to be curtailed.
>You'll have to warn her against such things in the future when you become more comfortable with one another.
>For now the best thing to do is to wait for the effects of the potion to fade.
>If not you'll have to find her an outlet for her desires.
>After all, you know from experience that it's very difficult to learn in such a state.
>Your resolve found, you begin perusing her tome.
>You have a final test to create.