A Single Spark [open]

[upupatomway]

Who: Atom & you
What: Baby's first spell attempt. Please give him advice (or kick back with some popcorn)
Where: Outside on the beach near Flotsam
When: November 9, after lunch
Warnings: None


Atom balances a spellbook for beginners on one of the numerous rocks on the beach and raises his arms in front of him, facing out towards the ocean with a frown of concentration. He holds this position, squinting as he tries to do as the book instructed.

It's the simple task of summoning the ether energy to one's fingertips and then pushing it out to visually show the magic power, usually as some kind of spark or glow. His hands show no sign of any extra light, however. The book describes a sensation the magic has that makes this process easier to track for most readers, but for a robot any feelings in his body are limited by his sensors and his comprehension.

He squints harder, face scrunched and turning red. His creator had gone out of his way to make it so Atom could blush, though he probably didn't have this expression in mind. There's a sound, like a squeak, that might imply a spark, only for it to get lower and clearly recognizable as the robot straining.

Comments

[upupatomway]

"You heard that? Sorry..." Atom cringes a little, easily heard in his voice. He shifts on his feet, feeling incredibly awkward explaining himself to a talented spell caster.

"I was um... Trying to see if I have the potential to use ether for magic. I guess I might have been trying too hard." He gives a nervous laugh. Maybe they can both laugh it off?

[redprayer]

Despite Atom's obvious discomfort, Rezo's curiosity only grows. Magic is, after all, his foremost area of interest. "Did you use magic in your previous world?" he asks, trying to discern if Atom is a complete newcomer or if he's another person trying to adapt to a different system.

[upupatomway]

Atom shakes his head. "We don't have magic where I'm from. This is all new to me."

"Whether I can use magic is what I'm trying to figure out. An ether stone is now built into me so I can use it for energy just like an armor or other machine, but I don't know if I can use it for spells. I'm um... not exactly a living being in the traditional sense. The books I read said that nonliving things don't usually absorb ether, except for ether stones."

[redprayer]

Rezo very nearly blurts out 'Oh, you're that robot child people have been talking about!' but he has enough empathy/sense of tact remaining that he realizes how uncomfortable that might be to hear.

"I see. We had robots called {golems} in my world that weren't 'living' in the usual sense either, and were unable to use magic. But they were also rudimentary creatures. The inability may have been a matter of intelligence, or lack of autonomy. Neither of which seems to be a difficulty for you."

[upupatomway]

"True. Ether stones clearly have ether that can be used in spells, just no will to do it. If I have the ether like the stone does, and the autonomy of any other person, why should my will be incompatible? The only things I can think of that might get in the way are my brain being artificial and my body lacking some of the sensitivity that organic people have..." Atom rubs his chin with one hand, eyes darting around as he gives it all consideration.

He doesn't have the knowledge base to calculate an answer to this one. He'll have to keep trying and learning. It's a bit like art class stumping him all over again.

"Mr. Rezo, when you cast magic, does it have a feeling? Or can you feel the energy inside of you, even if you're not using a spell?" Atom asks, hoping the topic isn't somehow too personal.

[redprayer]

"That is a difficult question to answer, particularly in the Imperial tongue. There is a sensation but it's subtle, felt more in your spirit body than your physical one. And a physical but inorganic body can still have a spirit body."

(Rezo thinks briefly back to Pokota, and Ozel in particular. He's sure Ozel had a spirit body, as she had had a will and consciousness of her own, though Rezo hadn't intended her to. Or at least, he hadn't fully thought through the consequences of giving her a bit of her own will.)

Well, Atom's issue is more pressing. "It's much easier to feel magic when it's in motion, such as by casting a spell. Perhaps a demonstration would help?" he suggests.

[upupatomway]

"Robots can have spirits? Humans back home would have all kinds of opinions about that, but we don't have magic so nobody has proof."

The subject would be downright offensive to those who insisted on seeing robots as machines instead of people. Such conversations were often a can of worms when they started up. Atom can't help being taken aback that someone could have a confident answer, and they might be on the edge of discovering that it's true.

"A demonstration would be great! Please, when you're ready..." He smiles and nods enthusiastically.

[redprayer]

"The exact nature of the spirit isn't fully understood by humankind," Rezo admits, "And much of the knowledge we do have is obscure. But my personal theory is that if something is capable of making its own choices, then it has a spirit as a natural consequence." It's certainly clear that there's a connection of some kind between the mind and the spirit, based on what happens when a person's spirit is damaged.

Fortunately, there will be no dangerous astral magic demonstrated today that might illustrate such a terrible point. "I'll demonstrate a basic light spell for you," Rezo says, holding his hand out, palm up. "This is one of the first spells they teach priests, or really any magic user. Watch closely- er, but perhaps not too closely, if you're sensitive to brightness."

Rezo begins to incant in his native tongue. "{Light which burns beyond crimson flame, let thy power gather in my hand! Lighting!}"

Ordinarily Rezo doesn't even need to use words for this spell, but since this is a demonstration it wouldn't do to skip the basics. As he incants, he can distantly feel the mana- ether- shifting, a light sensation akin to the touch of a snowflake in terms of how easy it is to miss. Before he's finished saying {lighting} a ball of light is already flickering into existence, floating above the palm of his hand. When he's finished, it's fully there, glowing steadily and brightly as a street lamp.

[upupatomway]

Atom can't help smiling at Rezo's personal theory about the spirit. It had always been reassuring when the smartest of his organic friends and comrades wanted to believe that robots could be people in every sense of the word.

At Rezo's warning, Atom's pupils shrink the way they do when he flies in the direction of sunlight. He doesn't intend to do any blinking during this demonstration. Despite being in this world several months, magic still hasn't lost its dazzling effect on him yet, and Atom makes a small gasping noise when the light appears in Rezo's hand. He resists the urge to clap.

"Wow..." Atom stares at the ball of light. Here come the questions! "At what part of that spell do you start to feel the energy moving? Is it in a certain part of your body?"

[redprayer]

Rezo thinks briefly on the questions, considering not just the experience of casting a lighting spell but of the more powerful spells he's cast in the past.

"From the beginning of the incantation, with the sensations growing stronger until you finally release it. Strictly speaking you don't need to recite a spell aloud to call upon the forces of magic, but it's much easier if you do," he explains. "It's not localized in any particular part... It's more of a feeling beneath the skin, and the more energy you gather the stronger it is."

[upupatomway]

"Words must help with concentration... And it makes sense more energy would have a stronger feeling..." Atom nods slowly, considering. "I do experience something kind of like a tingling feeling when I charge my power source. It's too subtle for anyone else to notice, but when I'm low on energy, my movements are not as fluid as when I am fully charged. I guess it's like how humans would describe feeling loose and precise instead of stiff and tired. When power enters my body as I charge, I can feel that full fluidity return to my body, and I think that's where the tingling feeling comes from."

[redprayer]

"Humans have a limit to how much magical power they can safely channel through their bodies in a short period of time," Rezo cautions. "I would assume the same is true for robots."

[upupatomway]

Atom nods. "Robots have to worry about overheating just like humans. We're lucky to built with the ability to track things like heat and damage. I'd think that ether works similar enough to electricity to track in a lot of the same ways... I can handle a lot of power..." He pauses, not sure how much Rezo would understand terms like advanced AI. "Uh. Basically I need a lot of power to run to begin with. But you're right- I should try to get a sense of how much ether energy I can realistically handle."

He squints at another thought that comes to mind. "Is part of mastering magic gaining a higher tolerance for the amount of energy that can be handled?"

[redprayer]

"One can gain a higher tolerance by improving ones own physical health and stamina," Rezo says, "Although that helps most with how many spells you can cast in a row rather than how strong an individual spell you can use. I... am not sure if this would be of any help to you."

He doesn't think a robot would get much benefit out of 'eating right and getting regular exercise.'

"Besides that there are artefacts that work as amplifiers for a spellcaster's magical power. They are exceptionally rare and difficult to create, however."

[upupatomway]

"Good to know! Though I have a long way to go until that's a concern." He laughs. He can hope for now that if the time comes his other skills will make up the difference in whatever situation is at hand. It's irrelevant if he can't do magic at all though.

Atom picks the book he had brought up off the rock where he left it. "What was your first spell, Mr. Rezo?" he asks, glancing again at the instructions for the exercise he had been trying. Maybe different people were naturally better with some spells than others? He should try a variety.

[redprayer]

"Truly. Most sorcerers go their entire careers without needing them." It's really only the most ambitious- or power hungry- ones that do, the ones who make a habit of calling upon the most powerful mazoku and spirits for their work.

Now there's a question that harkens back to the distant past! There's a bittersweet edge to Rezo's smile as he blows the metaphorical dust off some memories. "A healing spell," Rezo says. "{Recovery.} It's the most basic one there is."

[upupatomway]

Atom nods. It's not surprising considering where Rezo ended up. "It sounds like you knew you'd heal people from early on then."

Perhaps Rezo was one of the many with the admirable aspiration to heal others from a young age? So many fascinating and helpful forms of magic to choose from!

[redprayer]

"Yes. I was apprenticed at a shrine when I was about-" Rezo nearly says your age but remembers the robot thing. "-When I was ten years old." It's an old, old story, and there's not a person left alive who knew Rezo back then.

"Are you planning on trying different spells?"

[upupatomway]

By Atom's country's standards ten would be young for most kids to decide what to do with their life. But there were a few exceptions, mostly in traditional arts, that started at that age. Still, the pressure of becoming a healer might be tough for someone so young. Though maybe Atom was projecting some of his own experiences from his earlier years trying to help people and represent robotkind.

"I've only tried the one so far, but talking to you made me realize I should probably try some other beginner spells. Maybe one type of spell or magic is more naturally suited to me than another. And right now my goal is simply to confirm if I can do any kind at all, rather than choose what to pursue long term."

[redprayer]

"I think that's a wise approach," Rezo agrees. "There are many different approaches to magic-" Especially since it turns out there are many different worlds beyond the Staff. "-So you needn't limit yourself."

[upupatomway]

"I better keep reading then!" Atom says, nodding his head. "Thank you so much for your insight, Mr. Rezo! Would it be alright if I asked you for advice in the future?"

[redprayer]

For a moment, Rezo hesitates, and even he's not sure why- it would hardly be of any trouble for a former sage to answer a few questions about magic! So he smiles benignly. "Of course. I'd be happy to be of assistance."