It was time for him to confront one of his glaring weaknesses: Mobility. He could dash around a battlefield fairly easily, but if cornered in some kind of alley way, as had happened a time or two, he was basically a sitting duck. His magic was definitely suited for fighting, but it seriously sucked when it came to the more utilitarian needs. So, he had decided to set some time aside to work on that.

He had made his way deep into the forest so as not to attract much attention. He knew his magic possessed the kind of property necessary for what he was looking to do, but aside from occasionally making a sword, daggers, or staff, he hadn’t really ever thought about what else he could make with it, those had always suited his needs. But that wouldn’t always be the case. What he needed now was something that could seriously help him in a pinch, something that could help him reach a higher ground quickly and evade enemies.
Once he reached a deep enough point in the forest that he was sure was plenty secluded he summoned his magic, a black flame with cackling black lightning appeared in the palm of his hand. He manipulated the form of the flame with his mind; the fire and lightning dancing to his whims, swirling and morphing as he thought about what he really needed. Some kind of hook should do the trick. He looked around for some kind of ledge or thick branch that could work as a target. As soon as he found one, a massive branch off a nearby tree, he envisioned his magic forming a grappling hook. The lightning and flames obeyed, forming into the object he needed. Mikajia then morphed his magic into a long thick rope attached to the end of the hook.

He spun the hook around and around several times before launching it at the large branch. However, though he managed to latch the hook onto the branch, it was far from steady, he could already tell that it wouldn’t work. His aim was decent, but not great. Plus, if he didn’t get a good swing off with the hook, it would never reach high enough to do much good for him.

“No, that definitely won’t work. I need something with more of a spring to it.” He told himself as he let the previous magic disappear, losing himself in thought. He began to think about bungee cords, capable of stretching extremely far, and once released they instantly spring back to normal. That was definitely what he needed, something that could reach far and then easily pull him to that location.

Mikajia summoned his magic again in his palm, imagining the flames forming a hand with long elastic fingers, capable of wrapping around the target and gripping tightly, then imagined the cord part of the spell winding up like a coil and tensing. He aimed for a spot on the tree roughly twenty feet in the air and when he had the spot picked he released the coil. The black hand of fire and lightning shot from his palm, the fingers wrapped tightly around the branch and he could feel the grip was sure and unwavering.

“That’s more like it.” He said with a grin. He could feel the cord of the spell was stretched almost to the max and wanted to retract, but was a little apprehensive considering the other branches around.

“Welp, here goes nothing.” He said as he released the tension on the cord, causing the spell to bring him to the hand still gripped on the branch. He instantly regretted his decision as he was brought sailing up toward the massive branch he’d hooked before with the grappling hook.

He had just enough time to think, ‘Oh shit’, before slamming into the side of the branch. This caused him to lose focus on the spell and sent him falling back towards the ground, landing with a heavy thud and more than a few expletives. He knew better but just couldn’t help it. He wasn’t done though. It may not have worked exactly how he wanted, but he knew he was on the right track. He just needed to make sure he found a more wide open area and that nothing was in the way. Mikajia could also tell that if he was at the actual max distance of the spell, it would have a stronger pull on him, so he wouldn’t have to worry so much about things being in the way.

He spent the next multiple hours testing out his new spell on branches and cliff edges. At the end of it he was bruised all to hell, but could execute the spell almost perfectly now. Mikajia now had a small smile on his face as he made his way home. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry too much about getting cornered in another alley way.


WC = 831/750

Spell Learned: