44 44 Practical Jokes
”I swear you cheated somehow. I’ve done that spell a thousand times, and the fingers have nothing to do with it.” She mumbled, glaring at her Familiar, who was rolling on the floor laughing at her frustration.
“That wasn’t the same spell. They’re both playing a practical joke on you.” Cassie informed the second-year Witch.
“There is a better [Flame Strike]?”
“I don’t know if it’s better, but that spell Wolfe used wasn’t Flame based. I can sense the spell circle as he activates it when we’re touching, and there were no Fire Element runes in the spell he used.” Cassie explained.
“You. You’re going to pay for that later.” The Witch told her Familiar, who was still on the floor, laughing so hard there were tears in the little Imp’s eyes.
“You wouldn’t believe the things this little Demon has done to undermine my confidence. Be careful with that Familiar of yours. He looks like he is going to cause a lot of trouble later.” She informed Cassie.
“Have you tried hugs? I’ve found that they’re very effective at keeping Familiars in line.” Wolfe suggested.
Both the Witch and the Imp looked horrified at the prospect, making Wolfe laugh and Ella shake her head.
“You have no idea. Wolfe even radiates mana in his sleep, so you never want to get out of bed in the morning. Plus, his mana transfers are glitched out and feel way better than they should.” Ella explained.
“You know, I’ve heard of three different types of familiars that can do that. An Incubus, a Life Fae or a Cursed Magi. Either way, you need to be careful. A humanoid Familiar is the doom of most Witches who Summon one.” The second-year student replied in barely more than a whisper.
“Has it happened recently?” Wolfe asked, and the Witch nodded.
“Five years ago, when the seniors who graduated last year summoned their Familiars, one of them got a full-grown Winged Demon. According to the seniors, even the teacher couldn’t compel it to obey its Summoner, so they were forced to call the Headmistress to break the Familiar bond and banish it.
I don’t know if you’re aware, but the backlash on the Witch from a broken bond is severe. It can destroy their aura and make it nearly impossible for them to rebuild it.
She failed out at the end of the semester, so none of the students knew if she ever recovered.”
“That’s a bit sad, isn’t it? Stronger Familiars make stronger Witches, but too much of a difference and everything goes wrong.” Ella sighed.
“Wolfe is really strong, though. Just look at how fast we’re advancing. Could that just be because he’s not mad about being summoned, so he didn’t lash out and cause a huge issue?” Cassie asked.
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“I get two beautiful Witches, and the bond will only grow stronger,” Wolfe replied with a wink, then gave Cassie, who was still held in his arm, a kiss on the forehead that made her blush.
“Wolfe, behave,” Ella complained before he grabbed her in a hug with the other arm.
“See, I’ve got it good,” Wolfe told the senior, making her chuckle in amusement at his antics, being quite used to her Imp playing pranks to embarrass her.
Flame looked up at Wolfe from his spot in Reiko’s arms and then gestured to his own head, demanding that she give him more attention.
“Even the lizard thinks you’ve got it too good.” The Imp pointed out as Reiko petted Flame’s head.
“We should go practice [Flame Strike] so we can show the teacher tomorrow,” Reiko suggested, bringing them back to the reason that they were here in the first place.
Cassie was up next, and she led Wolfe back to the bench to sit before entering the shielded practice area.
“We agreed. Today, we practice drawing mana from a distance.” Cassie reminded him.
“Fine, I can wait.” Wolfe agreed.
Cassie focused on drawing the mana in for [Flame Strike], and Wolfe began to feel a faint pull as she connected with him. It wasn’t nearly as intense or as powerful as when they were touching, but it was surprising to him that she managed it at all on her first attempt.
Now that she had made the connection, Wolfe focused on strengthening it and allowing more mana to flow through as she pulled. The gentle tug turned into an easy flow like Wolfe had dug a small stream between them, and Cassie’s aura was quickly filling with mana for the spell.
Finally, she released it, creating a thin pillar of fire at the target and startling their neighbouring Familiar.
“She’s pretty good. I’ll bet that once you’ve finished training her, she will be one of the strongest Witches in the Academy.” The Imp informed Wolfe with a hint of joy.
“How many times have I told you it’s the other way around? I train you, and if you would just listen, we would both be stronger.” The Imp’s Mistress reminded him in a long-suffering tone.
“You see what I put up with? Every day is the same thing. Just give me mana, more mana. You would think that just once, she would give in and let me have a little fun, but no, she’s always got to be in control. Silly Witches, thinking that they know the best ways to gain power.” The Imp complained.
“So, are you going to listen, or do you think you should be training me?” Cassie asked Wolfe as she left the barriers around the target range, panting with exertion from casting the high-level spell.
“Come here and sit down. The first thing we need to work on is your stamina. One and done just isn’t my style.” Wolfe teased, pulling Cassie into his lap and gesturing for Ella to go practice.
“Most Witches skip cardio training, thinking that a bit more mana is more important, but spell casting is physically exhausting when you’re using a lot of mana. In that aspect, the Sporty group has it right. I go to the gym twice a week to keep in shape.” A Witch who had just walked up to join their second-year neighbour informed them, totally missing the double meaning of Wolfe’s words.
“I’m Noor, and you all have met Parker. We were roommates last year. So, is the bet won yet?” The new girl asked.
Wolfe shook his head. “They’re still trying to decide if Demon, Fae or Magi is more likely. Most of the students seem to have discounted Fae, though, which is a shame.”
“So you’re saying you might be Fae?” Noor asked.
“I’m not saying I’m not Fae.” Wolfe agreed.
“See, this is why it’s so hard to find the answers. He only speaks in riddles and sexual innuendo.” Parker complained.