Rosha sighs, “Being able to throw a small fireball wouldn’t even be that powerful of an ability in the modern world. And depending on the range? Even in the past, it would have been more flash than not. Despite all that, the bloodline would have been regarded as a direct gift from God himself.”
Jason nods, “Even in a place where having the ability to throw a fireball isn’t the hardest thing to develop. Being able to innately do so is powerful.”
Rosha, “Well, whatever. How did your little test go? How am I reacting to your methods?”
Jason meanders over to the stairs and looks down. “Well, we should probably go and eat dinner. It looks like things are about set up.”
Courtney calls up, “We are ready whenever you are! The dishes were ready a bit ago, but I was letting you two finish up.”
Rosha, “Wait, what? Wasn’t that more like ten minutes of stretches? I figured Courtney was going to spend a few hours cooking since we have a proper kitchen for the first time in a while.”
Jason gestures up at the sky, “Well, if you’ll notice the sun, it has actually been a few hours.”
Rosha looks up and is gobsmacked. “When did that happen?”
Jason shrugs, “Side effect of the system I was raised in. While cultivating the body was important, it was also seen as a hassle, so all the moves are focused on getting in the zone and letting time pass as you practice. At least, when you’re practicing it under instructions.
“I would compare it partly to being in the zone with a dose of self-hypnosis. And very specifically, self-hypnosis. No proper technique would ever apply hypnosis to others if it isn’t meant as an attack.”
Rosha, “So exercise time will fly past?”
Jason shakes his head, “I was specific about it happening when practicing under someone else’s instructions. Later on it may be possible, but to start the act of remembering what comes next and the precise position will keep you out of the zone. So yeah, a good method of teaching and something that people wished to extend to self-practice, but it simply isn’t in the cards for the moment.
“Anyway, dinner! I’m a bit peckish.”
And so they headed down after grabbing Lily from the box of greens she was resting in.
Downstairs, Courtney is putting the last dish on the table. “Okay, we’ve got fresh bread. It was hard keeping the starter on the way here, but it survived! Anyway, there is also a nice stew to go with it. I used the last of that pig lion thing we smoked and we should probably pick up more beans. I wonder if there is a local specialty? Oh, and I ran out and grabbed some fresh greens as a salad, mostly for Lily, but you’re all welcome to it. I made enough.”
Jason smiled, “Something other than cabbage?”
Courtney raises an eyebrow, “I know for a fact you like cabbage.”
Jason shrugs, “I love cabbage in a salad and what not. It is just that cabbage is quite compact, so out in the Deep Wilds, that was the most common thing to find in town. And like? As much as I love the stuff, a bit of variety is appreciated! We’re in an actual city now. There should be lettuce, spinach, and other leafy greens.”
Courtney, “Well, you aren’t wrong. Though there’s a bunch of cabbage as well. Where do you think it was all coming from? Those previous towns and cities all had grains growing.”
Rosha frowns, “Why here?”
Courtney shrugs, “Water, or rather, water miracles. We’re actually living in the district that supplies it. More than a few of the clerics make their money watering field after field of crops that require a ton of water.”
Rosha, “Why specifically miracles? Couldn’t spells or what not manage it?”
Courtney, “A miracle-induced rain delivers normal water in quantities not found in the local atmosphere or ground. Spells tend to either pull the water out of local sources or summon it in. So stealing from Peter to pay Paul or simply paying with counterfeits.
“Not that water magic can’t be made to work for this. It is just that faith-based magic cheats at it by using their deity as the backend of their spells. What matters to them isn’t the complexity of a spell, but rather how much faith they can use with their magic to pass the buck.”
Jason scoffs, “Warlocks by another name.”
Courtney tosses a piece of radish at him. “You better not let anyone in the city hear you say that. They’re a bit prickly about such subjects.”
Jason nods, “Well, duh. The truth hurts and it isn’t like I’m going to be spouting it outside these walls.”
Rosha points her spoon at him, “Besides, it isn’t quite correct. Warlocks draw power from their patrons. There can be warlocks devoted to a deity, after all. The distinction might seem small, but it is important. A warlock won’t ever run out of magic for their basic spells. That’s why they’re the darling of armies for their use on the front line.
“Oh sure, siege mages are literal artillery, but they sit back behind the line or even all the way back at the last town. A warlock on the front line is a flashy symbol of power. Tossing out small bursts of magic, waving a flaming sword, and generally making a non-stop display of power.
“Clerics still depend on their own power to cast spells, for the most part. They simply use faith and their deity to allow for complex spells on the cheap. That’s why they have such a stranglehold on healing. Those spells are complex if you want them to heal without a scar of chance of things not healing right. Precision with healing reduces the cost by a magnitude.”
Jason shrugs, “Okay, fair enough. Though I do have to wonder at the divide in the first place. If a cleric is already using faith and offloading calculations on their deity, it shouldn’t be impossible to grab some power.”
Courtney shrugs, “They are otherworldly, even if an accepted part of the world, so channeling their power isn’t the healthiest thing ever. By limiting what they can pull on, their road to power is clear and straightforward. After all, it isn’t like they have to spend hours researching a new spell. They simply have to know it exists and ask for it. Admittedly, they also have to hope their deity grants it, but that is rarely a problem.”