The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

Silence lingered between the two for some time. Coin stared at her in bewilderment, while Scylla's expression remained neutral. "I... don't follow," he eventually replied.

"You have magical potential in you. Are you truly not aware of that?" the witch asked, twitching her eyebrow at him.

"Do I look like a man who is aware of that?!" he asked, flipping his hands upward.

The witch merely chuckled, pinching her chin with her right hand. "Well, late bloomers are not uncommon. Plenty of people who have the potential, but live their lives unaware of that fact. It's just, usually those people have rather modest magical potential. To be expected, when they haven't spent years cultivating and honing their mystical potential. You, however, have the potential of a seasoned wizard."

Coin paled. That didn't seem right to him. How could a mimic have magical potential? Was it something that was naturally possible, but no other mimic had the wits to capitalize on it? No, the more he thought about it, the less likely that seemed.

If mimics could naturally use magic, then in theory any wild animal could. Yet, as he contemplated his prospects, a worrying realisation dawned on him.

The wizard from the temple. He hadn't eaten him fully, but he had still absorbed some of his flesh and blood. A mimic could absorb physical strength and vitality from any living being they ate, compounding their own strength.

But if they ate a wizard or witch, did they absorb their magical capabilities without even realising it? He'd never had a chance to eat a wizard prior to his evolution, and he had to imagine that most other mimics never got the chance. Their trickery, after all, could easily be seen through with the right spells.

Even if a mimic got lucky and chewed on an unassuming or dead wizard, it wasn't like they'd be aware of the latent energy now circulating deep within their bodies. Or have the knowledge to cast spells.

"Fascinating," Scylla said, her expression betraying no inner emotion. Yet, as she regarded him, Coin could almost sense the scrutiny in her gaze. "Ordinarily I would ask for more money to do a service like this, but I suppose you've piqued my interest enough to get this for free."

She whirled around, her dark skirt swishing elegantly, and quickly made for a cabinet near the back of her room, She fished out a lockbox and hastily unlatched it. Coin watched, curious, as Scylla produced a deck of black cards from the box. The material glittered whenever the candlelight struck them.

"Those who are born with the capacity for magic will, inevitably, have one field where their magic is the strongest. Like a gravitational pull, directing the majority of the strength." She unfurled the cards on the table in a ring with an elegant gesture. Then, effortlessly, she twitched a finger that caused the cards to rise one by one until they were all standing on their sides. "The tarot is the means to determine the strength of your magic."

Coin regarded her warily. "Why do you want to know?" he asked, quietly examining the glittering cards.

"Like I said, I'm interested. It's rare indeed for someone to come through my door radiating magic, yet being totally unaware of that. You're some kind of rare prodigy. Frankly," Scylla smirked and crossed her arms, "I consider it my responsibility to help lift you from your ignorance. Lest it cause any problems down the line."

Again he tried to read meaning into her expression, and found himself to be completely illiterate. And Scylla was a professional at guarding her emotions.

The mimic relented, making for the ring of cards and holding a hand out toward them. A few of them twitched and vibrated as his fingertips brushed the air near them. One of them suddenly leapt off the table and landed in his palm. The contact sent a tingle racing up toward his shoulder.

Coin examined the image on the card. A gathering of dark clouds, positioned above a forest that was being torn asunder by roiling wind and bolts of lightning, Scylla leaned around his side for a better look at the card, her eyes betraying nothing.

"Ah. Storm magic, eh?" she asked. "Well, that's interesting. Certainly a potent school of magic to have an affinity toward if you're interested in pure destructive power. Willing thunder, lightning, and wind at your fingertips. Yes, not bad. You could go pretty far if you cultivate that talent properly."

Coin stared at the card, then at his free hand. If such power lurked somewhere inside of him, he had no idea how to call upon it. And if that dead wizard could control the storm, it hadn't done much to keep him from getting cocky and killed by lowly goblins.

"This is... a lot to take in," he admitted.

"I would imagine so," Scylla replied, giving him a look often reserved for three-legged puppies. A look of 'oh how adorable you are, trying your best.'

"So, can I not use other kinds of magic?" This was, after all, entirely new to him.

"You can, but it's tricky depending on what field of magic you're trying to tap into. Particularly for a field of magic that lies opposite your own. Earth magic, in your case. And since your power has a natural affinity for destruction, schools of magic focused on creation and restoration will be weaker in your hands." She motioned to the cards, which neatly shuffled themselves back into a deck at her command. "Think of it like trying to write a letter with your weak hand. You can do it, but your penmanship will be awful."

Coin nodded, even though he had zero understanding of what the witch was talking about. Humans had weak hands? "I really wouldn't know where to even start when it comes to magic." But, if he had the capacity for it, then he could benefit greatly from it. Perhaps, even, find a way to use magic to make money. If anything, it would make fighting much easier if he got a good handle on it.

The mimic inspected his free hand, repeatedly flexing his fingers. If there was any magic in him, he couldn't feel anything distinct.

"Consider this a gift, then," the witch said, making for her rows of bookshelves. She quickly returned, holding in her hands a leather bound tome, the spine a faded purple colour and nearly as thick as Coin's forearm. An image of crossing silver lightning bolts was printed on the cover, above which was written the title, which Scylla spoke aloud: "The Sensible Young Warlock's Guide to Basic Vetramancy - Ponderances on the Creation and Control of Thunderings, Lightnings, Voices, and Similar Phenomena." Silence hung in the air between them.

"Bit of an older guide," Scylla admitted. She blew a bit of dust from the cover and winced at the volume that emerged. "But it is the most fundamental guide on storm magic you are likely to find."

"These are... the fundamentals?" he asked, lifting the book and weighing it in his palm. It made the guild charter feel like a piece of tissue.

"Nobody ever said magic was easy. And if they did, they were lying," said Scylla. "Keep it. Free of charge."

Coin flicked through a few of the pages, only to find his eyes assaulted with strange symbols and tightly printed blocks of text. Wizard children must have had it rough if these were the types of books shoved in their face.

"Why?" he eventually asked, looking back toward the witch. "Just... for the sake of your own curiosity?"

Scylla sipped her tea again, letting the question hang in the air as if to keep Coin on edge. Eventually she peered into his eyes from the rim of her cup. "Curiosity, you'll come to find, is a defining trait of most witches and wizards. And a natural potential like yours? I'm deathly curious to see it cultivated."

She offered her hand to him, and Coin decided to oblige her. A spark radiated between their digits, sending waves through every muscle in his body. The feeling persisted, even after their hands parted, and he found himself staring at his own fingers in awe. Electricity hopped briefly between his fingertips, before hastily fizzling away.

"What... was that?"

"I reached in and gave your power a bit of a nudge, just to confirm its presence. Indeed, your potential is quite potent. But I should warn you to start slow in actually using magic. Draw too much out in one go, and things could quickly go haywire for you. Which, in turn, would prove problematic for other witches and wizards. There are always people looking for an excuse to distrust our ilk." She lifted her hands into view, letting Coin see the chromatic rings on her fingertips. "And while you can use magic with your bare hands, it's generally advised to buy a conduit of some kind. A staff, a wand, an amulet, a ring... whatever. So long as it has promethium mined from a meteor, it will be able to conduct magic. Alas, I have no such catalysts to sell."

The humming of Coin's limbs grew faint, then vanished entirely. But he already wanted it back, wanted to feel the rush of power coursing through his flesh again. Tucking the book under his arm, he offered her a nod. "Thanks. I really owe you."

"No need to thank me. I'll just be content to see your progress."

Scylla stood back watching the young man as he left. She remained in place, even after the bell above the door stopped ringing.

The witch hummed to herself. "Fascinating," she muttered under her breath. She raised her right hand, a plume of shadows blossoming into existence at her command. It quickly morphed and took shape, like black clay being moulded on a pottery wheel, forming into a shape of a jet black wren.

The tiny bird twittered, watching his surroundings with crystalline blue eyes. It took to the air, flying a few laps around his creator before flying out of her side window. In pursuit of her fascinating new customer.