Prismatic Education Begins With A Spark 15 (MTG/Multicross)

Prismatic Education 15

My grimoire floated before me, opening to a new page, which instantly inscribed itself with a spell.

[Prismatic Magic: Prismatic Compass-Map]

Instantly, a glowing mass expanded from the open pages, shaping itself into a general topographical map, with a glowing dot representing me at its center. Colors began to bleed throughout it, creating a multicolored image before my eyes.

Though honestly, it might be a bit TOO colorful. I almost feel a little nauseous looking at it.

The colors were a representation of the general concentration of life force and magic in that area, with red being the least, and violet being the most. There were a few magical beasts nearby, but nothing I couldn’t handle based on personal experience. What I cared about more was where the people were, which were indicated by the color splotches on the map, usually representing a village. 

I had picked up some small bits of knowledge regarding anthropology from my interactions with Lorehold in Strixhaven, so it was easy to understand why some villages were located where they were. Protections from threats, ease of self-support, and so on… Based on the relatively small sizes and simple lifestyles, these villages were inhabited by the commoners and peasants. From the few interactions I had as I passed through, I learned that I was on the outskirts of Clover Kingdom, with the capital located to the west of the Seabed Temple.

I already knew the basic setting of this plane, but my memories were usually skewed towards the main character, which only gave glimpses of the world itself in general. Experiencing those briefly-shown parts for myself was an eye-opening experience.

“Flee.” I hissed at the large-sized bear, with my ink-formed weapons floating around me threateningly.

It growled at me, but eventually decided that I was too much trouble, and retreated deeper into the forest. I waited for a while until the sound of its departure was almost gone, before dismissing my summoned weapons and turning to the person I had interceded for.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you for saving me, Sir knight!” The peasant standing behind me blubbered.

“You ought to be more careful about venturing off the path like this,” I chided him, “If I hadn’t been passing by…”

From the way he bowed and thanked me repeatedly, he knew what I meant even though I left the sentence hanging. 

As for being addressed as ‘sir knight’, I already knew that this kingdom’s peacekeeping force was made up of several squads of mages, commonly referred to as Magic Knights. They apparently handled any issue that cropped up within the kingdom’s territory, whether it was local incidents or foreign invasions. Because of that, their reputation among the common folk was high, with many being seen as heroes. Clearly, my coming to this man’s rescue led him to assume I was one of them.

“To think that I would see another Magic Knight this far out in the Forsaken Realm…” He said fervently.

Forsaken Realm? I wondered, but kept quiet in case asking about it would give things away. Instead, I asked about the other part of his statement that stood out to me. “Another?”

He blinked, looking uncertain. “The other knight…? Um, is she not with you…?”

I shook my head. “I’m here on my own business. What does this other knight look like?” I inquired curiously.

“She’s fierce-looking, with very sharp eyes, and messy hair. Like you, she wears a red cloak.”

I touched my outfit, which just so happened to be in its red coloration today. So he assumed that we were together because the color was the same. “Do you know where she went?”

“Last I saw, she was flying somewhere um… over there, I think?” He pointed slightly to the north.

“Hm. Alright, thank you. I have to go now, so stay safe.” My staff began to ascend once more.

“I will! Thank you again, sir knight!” The peasant bowed and waved.

Ascending past the tree cover, I began flying in the direction the peasant indicated. It might have been vague, but I had a pretty good feeling I knew the exact location of the person in question. Earlier, when I used my Prismatic Magic to map out the area, there was one mana signature that stood out among the rest, a large splotch of violet compared to the messy mix of oranges and yellows. Said signature happened to be in the direction that had been pointed out to me, and I could easily connect the dots.

Normally, I wouldn’t go sticking my nose into other people’s business like this, but I’m on vacation, and this smells like an adventure. Grinning, I put on a bit more speed.

It didn’t take long before I found the person I was searching for in a burnt-out clearing; just as described, she was a redheaded female, young adult in age. What was more important was that she was beating up a horde of wild beasts in the area with her fists and magic, howling like a wild animal herself. The literally fiery aura that cloaked her occasionally shaped itself into lion paws, which swatted away any would-be flankers. I also noticed that she was doing it all without her grimoire.

The Green mana in the area had some effect on the wildlife, making them grow bigger and stronger, but she was handling them like nothing even though they outsized her by at least twice. 

“Who’s the one spying on me from over there!?” Her shout reached me, very audible despite the distance.

And her senses are sharp too. I hesitated for an instant, before deciding to approach. Wouldn’t look good if I just noped out of the area, especially since she already noticed me. 

As I drew closer, I noticed the man had described her perfectly, though he left out a few other features that stood out to me. Her sharp-looking eyes had red markings at the corners, and one of her canine tooths was more pronounced, fitting in with her wild character. Most of all, the feeling of Red mana pouring out from her was stronger than quite a few of the Strixhaven professors, despite her young age.

“Noticed someone throwing magic about here, and decided to investigate. Who are you?” I raised my voice to ask as I descended into the clearing. 

“Huh, so you’re a busybody,” She remarked, “You… you’re not a Magic Knight, are you?”

While her attention was mostly focused on me, the woman spared a quick glance off to the side just to smack away a pouncing wolf.

“No, I’m not.” Shield-Water-Cold-Rock!

I leapt down from my staff, summoning my elements and combining them into spherical mines that floated around me. As the staff fell down without my mana to sustain its lift, I caught it and twirled it around my body, sending the mines out to hit several of the animals. The impact triggered the mines, engulfing the animals in swirling pillars of ice and rock. The force of the mines, enhanced by the Spin I imparted to them, made the remaining beasts falter, and finally flee.

“Heh~” She hummed approvingly. “No grimoire for that? You’re pretty good.”

“You’re no slouch yourself, lady.” I retorted.

THWACK.

She smacked a fist into the palm of her other hand, grinning fiercely as she stared at me, the fiery aura starting up again. “You’ve earned my curiosity. Let’s see what else you’ve got!”

Oh fuck. A battle junkie. I didn’t bother considering the idea of fleeing, but readied my magic as I brandished my staff. “Then let’s exchange some pointers!”

The ground beneath her feet exploded as she shot at me, from a combination of her magic and leg strength. Despite expecting it, her speed still surprised me a little, but not enough to fail to defend.

Shield-Cold-Cold-Rock-Rock!

Chilling pillars of stone burst from the ground in her way, but I quickly turned to the left, throwing up another shield spell. It cracked from the punch she threw, but held up despite the sudden flanking maneuver she had pulled. The next moment, the shield fell, and she dodged the sudden spray of water I shot her way.

When she stopped a short distance away, the smile she had was gone, replaced by annoyance.

“Are you looking down on me? What’s with that wimpy spell?” The woman demanded.

Looks like she’s the type to prefer clashes of power. “I prefer setup moves. It hides my cards to keep the other side guessing.”

“Is that so? Then how do you deal with THIS!?”

Her flames exploded in intensity, focusing into her fists. I barely managed to react in time, casting my spells just as she blurred into position in front of me. This time, an orange grimoire was floating off to her side, glowing with powerful mana.

[Fire Magic: Calidus Brachium!]

Lightning-Arcane-Fire! [Haste!]

Burning fists of fury pummeled at me, as I blocked and parried as best as I could. Even with my accelerated state, her attacks were still very fast, leaving no window to counterattack. The few attempts I did were shattered by her strikes, their imbued Red mana burning up the nascent magic.

“What’s wrong?! Can you only defend!? Then let’s go even harder!” She roared.

Oh, come on! Are you- My eyes widened as I felt the surrounding mana change in its nature. Wait, you can do that?! Crap, can’t counterspell like this!

[Mana Zone, Fire Magic: Calidus Brachium Barrage!]

The attacks no longer came from the front; she was casting directly from all around me as though she needed no origin point for her spell, a literal barrage of flaming impacts meant to set its target aflame with every hit. 

I gritted my teeth and endured the strikes on my body, using Life magic to recover from the damage. Even with all the mana she was using to sustain this spell, she still had enough to empower her own physical ones. The dried ground beneath my feet cracked as I weathered her blows.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who don’t hit a woman!” Her words were punctuated with a swift strike that slipped past my guard, and landed on one side of my chest. “Hrgk!”

She winced slightly as the response from the impact returned to her, causing her expression to shift into a questioning one. I met her gaze with a grin, which widened as her eyes dropped to where the metal ball was spinning against my side. Reinforcement magic wasn’t the only one to increase one’s defenses.

“Unfortunately…” I felt the dispersed energy redirect itself, gathering and flowing down into my free hand. “I too believe in TRUE GENDER EQUALITY!”

Like a fired bullet, my fist rocketed out, slamming into her cheek with the combined strength of our strikes. Unlike the strike I took from her, mine was enough to turn her head and make her stagger slightly.

Though it’s definitely not enough! I could tell from the light in her eyes as she refocused back on me, despite my fist still grinding against her cheek. Gotta follow up! 

In our few exchanges, I had quickly learned one thing. She was the type to grow in combat, and almost explosively so. If I gave her the chance, she would somehow find a way to grow beyond my expectations. The only way to counter that… was to surpass my limits and grow as well!

Leaping back, I called upon my other magics. Gripping my staff with two hands, I made a stirring motion, manifesting a semisolid black mass around its end. From a stir to a twirl, I swung the staff around as though waving a black flag, before aiming its end at my opponent. A loudly hissed word helped shape the magic further, just before I struck.

[Prismatic Magic: Black Drilling -“Sssspear!”]

I could feel Lyric letting me know that my grimoire had recorded this spell, but the majority of my attention was on the woman, who was howling with fierce glee. She caught the spinning top between both hands, with feline paws laid over them. It was both an attempt to halt its momentum and to crush it completely. Solid fire ground against solid ink, creating a noisy din as we struggled against each other.

Twisting my wrist further, I added a bit more to my attack. “Sssstrike!” 

“Wha-!?”

The small blot of black that pierced through her defense was far weaker than the one that she landed on me, but it was enough to knock her back by several meters. Instead of pressing the attack, I halted, letting her regain her balance.

The redhead lifted a hand to touch where the ink had struck her, giving me a look that was both thoughtful and approving. 

“Not bad.” She finally said. “You’re not just a normal mage, are you?”

I don’t think Planeswalkers are normal in the first place. Though I think she’s referring to something else. “I guess not.”

“How did you not burn?” The fire mage asked me curiously.

“A magic aura meant to counter fire,” I admitted to the same tactic I had used to win against Gio, “But even then, your hits hurt.” Not to mention that my staff is looking a little charred… 

She grinned. “Heh. So, what’s your name?”

I relaxed my stance, planting my staff into the sooty ground. “Roy D. Staff, Prismatic Mage.”

“I’m Mereleona Vermillion.” She declared proudly in response.

Fitting name for a redheaded fire user who’s like a lioness.

…

After several more rounds, we finally decided to call it a draw. I probably had the larger mana pool, but Mereoleona had better physical stamina, so things were relatively even. The only loser was our surroundings, which we totally wrecked with the magic we threw about. So after I finished healing the both of us, we sat down and began to talk. With words instead of fists.

As it turned out, Mereleona was from one of the biggest noble families in the Clover Kingdom, though she bluntly told me that she didn’t give a shit about that, because of all the politics and backbiting that went on in the Royal Capital. 

Instead, she preferred to pursue strength, going off into the wilderness to test herself against the wildlife, and to immerse herself in the natural mana, which improved her magic abilities much more efficiently. 

In return, I told her a few of my secrets, explaining that my magical method of travel had brought me to this land, and I was currently exploring the place to get a better understanding of it and its magic. It was a similar situation to hers, so Mereleona could empathize. Even more so when I told her stories about how some of the mages I knew grew better from practical experience in the field, like Lorehold archaeologists or Quandrix augmenters. Given her preference for personal improvement, she naturally approved of my decision to go on an adventure like this.

Another topic our conversation touched upon was the magic itself in this plane. Powerful currents from the Grand Magic Zone where the Seabed Temple was located were just one possible phenomenon that arose from heavy mana concentrations. According to Mereleona, sometimes magical creatures could spawn because of it, like living lava in a volcanic area. On my end, there was no point in hiding my ability to use multiple forms of magic after she had already seen me use them.

“The Magic Emperor would love you,” She told me. “That guy is fascinated with all types of magic. Someone like you who can use so many different ones? He’ll be begging you to show off everything you can do.”

“Mmm… I think I’ll put off meeting him now. I’m still attending school.”

“You can go back to where you came from?” She asked me.

“I can’t use it consecutively, but yes.” Not to mention that I can’t say I’m fond of the experience.

“Tell me more about the place you came from,” She demanded forcefully.

“Sure. Firstly, the land itself is called Arcavios, but my school is called Strixhaven…”

Despite not sharing this Magic Emperor’s obsession with magic, she still showed a good deal of interest when I told her about the five colleges of Strixhaven, and how they pursued education through the clash of conflicting philosophies. Someone like Mereoleona was definitely a Red-aligned Lorehold mage of Chaos, solely focused on the use of magic in battle. Heck, I doubt she was anything else but Red, because she definitely didn’t have any Green or White in her.

Though I didn’t make any remarks, I still had to lean out of the way to avoid the swipe she gave me.

Likewise, she told me about her own experiences with education. Unlike the academic-focused setting of Strixhaven, education in the feudal monarchy of Clover Kingdom largely revolved around tutors. Being from the nobility, Mereoleona received a good education that covered all her bases; general knowledge, etiquette for the nobility, and most of all, magic. Whoever her teacher was, they clearly knew how to handle her, letting the wild girl off the leash to grow better than she would have under a strict tutelage. Considering that she could beat the average Magic Knight without a grimoire, that success was evidence enough.

After receiving her grimoire, she joined the Magic Knight Squads, under the Crimson Lion Kings. However, when offered the post of captain, Mereoleona had refused, choosing instead to go off on solo training trips like she was now.

“Alright, I’ve decided!” She hopped to her feet. “Since both of our journeys are still ongoing, we’ll travel together!”

“Huh?”

“You’re coming along.” The way she said it was like it was a foregone conclusion, and she wouldn’t hear any arguments against it.

I had the premonition of her grabbing my head with one of those flaming lion paws of hers, and decided that I would rather not experience that. So instead, I just stood up as well, meeting her gaze squarely.

“Alright. Where to?”

She grinned. “There.”

Mereoleona pointed at the mountain in the distance.

Some time later, shortly after we began climbing the mountain, we watched as a mess of stone buildings somehow began growing out of the ground, with a large entrance appearing right before us like an invitation. I could tell some weird mana effect was responsible for this, but I had no chance to ask any questions.

“A dungeon. Perfect. Let’s go in.” The redhead didn’t wait for me to reply, but started walking already.

I guess what they say about being careful about what you wish for because you might just get it, was absolutely right. Shrugging, I followed her. After all, I did ask for this adventure.

Afterword: You have to admit, Mereoleona is quite a memorable character, both in strength and behavior. I find it funny when some of the other BC characters call her Sisgoleon, just because she’s the SISTER of Fuegoleon. Anyway, she makes for a good foil for Roy, because she’s like a pure Fire-focused mage, while Roy has multiple magics he can call upon. The shared experience will help hone their own strengths further. At least, that’s what I hope my muse will help portray.

Do let me know your thoughts on the fight scene!