Stranger in a stranger land

"Yeah magic.....You didn't know it was real!?"He started laughing at the thought of meeting someone who didn't know magic."How did you not know magic existed?Many people practice it including me.Do you want me to teach you any?"

"I apologize for my ignorance, friend, but where I am from, we have no such knowledge. We have tricks for amusement and illusions, but nothing that we may fight each other with. Such feats are reserved for fantasies and far off lands where great sorcerers would use them to lay waste to each other...

But apparently that's where I am now. This facilitates a change of plans. Now we must find books, scrolls, and stories. And since you obviously know what we're looking for far better than I do, please lead on. Otherwise we'll be at this all day..."

"Well first we need to move to an open area.I have some books you can read but it's much better for you to do it first hand.I'm mostly an Ice,Light,Earth and Spirit wizard.There is a lot for you to learn.Let's go."He finished eating and payed for the meals and began walking in the direction of the forest.(NO NOT THE RAIN FOREST >.<) "Once we find a clearing we would be able to practice at once.First I'll show you how I do magic and you simply try to mimic what I'm doing."

And so they went. It wasn't long before they came upon a clearing outside of the city walls, well away from homes, farms, and anything else a novice mage or alchemist could accidentally break. Soon the duo had set things up to begin the lesson on magic in general and alchemy in principle.

"Alright. We've placed ourselves well away from everyone else. Now please tell me what you mean by magic, as I still believe that this must be something simpler."

"Nope it's magic alright.If you don't believe me just watch me do my magic (pun intended)."He steps away and targets a patch of trees.He places his clutched left fist and puts it to his right palm and he puts them to his side."Ice Make:Spear Dance!"Cold air rushes all around as many spears(about 20) made of solid ice launch from thin air and strike the patch of trees with enough force to knock them down."Magic is real and never forget it.Now I will teach you some simple stuff but first you need to learn the basics of magic and alchemy."He takes out a pencil and paper as Gajeel explains magic's and alchemy's origins and how to use them.He showed Stephan how he can freely use magic and the laws of alchemy.He proceeded to also make him memorize all 118 elements and their properties.As Gajeel finished the sun started to set.

By the end of the day, the clearing hadn't looked quite as different as Stephan had thought. The initial demonstration seemed to be the most dramatic, though the large stone periodic table seemed a bit much, especially since out of the 118 elements discussed, Stephan was already familiar with fifty of them, and already knew that thirty three of the ones he couldn't perfectly recall were hazardous, with nine of those being synthetic and another six theoretical. Though interestingly enough, the practical combat application his teacher seemed to be familiar with wasn't the transmutation itself, but the kinetic energy inherent in reforming objects properly. The same could be said with this "Ice Make" technique used to demonstrate the existence of magic, though the applications of both were lightly touched upon in favor of explaining the theory.

While fascinating, this magic business will require research. Particularly where kinetic control of these shaped elements are concerned...

However, there didn't seem to be anything magic could do to keep the lesson going through the night, so it appeared that the teacher and student would be retiring in the clearing for the night...

"We will start your training tomorrow,meanwhile you are welcome to stay in my cabin for the night.You seem to have a good grip on what this stuff is then we will slowly dig into the more advanced stuff.Let's go."He gets up and collects the pieces of paper and starts heading deeper into the forest as Stephan followed.Nightfall was dangerous in the forest.You never know what might pop up in the dead of night.He was walking carefully."Stay close,you can't see in the dark like I can."

And so the day closes on Stephan and Gajeel's first day visiting the kingdom of Bolitaria. Through the night, however, Stephan suffered from dreams of his home, where magic and werewolves were merely legend and alchemy a fevered dream for the ambitious mortal miser... Where things made sense and the way of the world was known... And where a simple man with a simpler knife would pay heed to his whiles without a thought, as the thoughtless were always eager for sensible opinion in their heads. For him to need the kind of power over the very world itself to keep safe...

This world will be very dangerous indeed.

And thus the first day ended.

Gajeel woke up in his cabin.He started his day off as usual.It was around 5am and it was time to hunt.He put his coat on and pants and went out the door.Stephan was still sleeping.He went out into the deep forest and in hopes of finding a deer to eat.He smelled the air and immediately picked up a scent.He closed in on the scent.
2 hours later (7am)Gajeel comes back with the dead deer.His mouth covered in blood he walks over to the back of the cabin and starts a fire and skins and guts the deer.He hangs the deer on a rack and begins cooking the meat.The smell of cooking meat filled the air.The only reason Gajeel isn't eating it raw is that Stephan can't eat raw meat.He walks back into the cabin and lays down on the couch and closes his eyes.

Stephan awoke the the smell of cooking meat. He knew that smell, though. It was the familiar smell of venison, spit roasted if he wasn't mistaken... But that left for something quite curious: something so familiar as venison in this far off place... And what's more, venison meant deer, or something like deer. And if a deer by any other name could be made into venison, wouldn't herbs by any other name be as true to how he knew them? Forest herbs did make for a brilliant dry rub, which made for tastier venison that a simple deer thrown on a spit.

So at 7:15, as quickly as he dared without letting a wavering breath escape his lips, Stephan found his way out of the cabin and into the woods in search of his herbs.

Gajeel woke up to the sound of the door opening and closing.He lazily got up and check on Stephan and saw he was gone.His scent was near.He headed into the kitchen and grabbed a pot and grounded coffee beans with his steel gloves.He placed the pot with water and coffee grounds in the fire place on a rack to let it boil.He washed off his face and hands which still had blood on them and walked outside.

After fifteen minutes, Gajeel spies Stephan trudging back to the cabin, looking quite upset with his take in his fists, swinging river onion and crow garlic aplenty as they were easy enough to find, but with no other herbs but a single confusing pepper. A mind boggling red pepper that should not have been found for a thousand leagues outside of a port market. And of all things, regardless of what he couldn't find that he thought he should have from his own worldly knowledge, it was this pepper that vexed him to no end, sitting in defiance of everything that still made sense of this place.

However, only upon spying Gajeel in return does Stephan swap his grimace for a grin before asking "Good morning friend. I thought I would do something on my own to contribute to our meal. I don't suppose you have a mortor and pestel with which I can grind these up into powder with some salt, do you?"

"It's in the top kitchen drawer.The middle one."He walked back to check on the deer.It was still raw on the inside.It would take about 3 hours for it to cook.A total of 5 hours cooking about 300 pounds of meat.He walked back to Stephan who was rummaging through the top drawer."If you wanted herbs look in the back garden I have plenty."He looks at the counter to see what Stephan had brought back and to his amazement Stephan brought back a blaze pepper!A pepper so rare it's worth gold.It is widely known for it amazing taste in stews,rubs,and meat."WHERE THE HELL DID YOU FIND A BLAZE PEPPER?"He got the idea of cutting the pepper open and taking it's seeds and planting them.

Stephan scowled. "I KNOW! Everything about this pepper says that it should be tens of thousands of leagues away across the sea, growing in the untouched wilds of some waterlogged jungle and certainly not in the woods in this climate being picked at by deer and rats! At any rate, this is all I could find is the one. The plant is half dead, the rest were taken long ago, and you're not likely to grow anything from that here." At this, Stephan started to grind up the garlic and onions together in the mortor bowl and relaxed his pained rage into a straighter face. "Now if you can, would you mind using your alchemy to make to small blocks of salt? One rock salt, the other sea salt. I can grind them up in here with the meat of that pepper once it's been seeded and then we can rub the powder into your venison for a bit of flavor in breakfast other than iron and plasma."

He clapped his hands and slaps them on the ground as he pulls out the sodium and chloride to make salt blocks."By the way I can make that plant grow.You just need the right soil and alchemy does rest."He hands the blocks over to Stephan as he stares at him."300 pounds of deer meat should last us about a week."He can smell the deer as it's scent filled the air.

"Then if you would not mind seeding the thing before I've completely finished grinding all of this up..." Stephan responds as the new strain of breaking up the salt along with the herbs showing it's effect on his furrowing brow.

He seeds the pepper before he grind the remains.He puts the seeds in the sun to dry since planting them right away doesn't work."Where did you learn how to do this?"He wondered since he saw him make the powder so skillfully.

Stephan takes a moment to look up while finishing his work. "Oh, I haven't. I know how to work a mortor and pestel for collecting oils, I know where to find plants in the wild based on the environment, and I've read a few cook books for better cuisine, but I've only ever seen a dry rub applied once and this wasn't it. However, it's not too far off from a marinade recipe and all of the basic ingredients are here. It won't be as sweet without some sugar, but it won't have nearly as much kick with only the one pepper. Now as I've heard the one time I had pork like this, it should help preserve the meat a bit while giving it a bit of flavor. And from what I've had of slow roasted venison, I can tell you this can't hurt. Takes to what I usually make with what I'm used to like oil to water. But rubbing this right into the meat might do the trick. Especially if it hasn't been an hour since you started spit roasting the whole beast."

"Oh, though you might want to take care to keep it out of most of your fur. It's not going to do anything, but it'll be harder than sand to get out."

"True,if you want you can do it.You seem to be familiar with this kind of stuff and I don't usually cook like that.Sure I am a good cook but I don't really do it much.Plus it will be a pain to get it out of my fur."He walks out to the deer and pokes it with a knife.It was still bleeding.Of corse it has only been about 45 minutes and it takes 5 hours to make.It's the best time to put the rub in.
"While you do that I'll go ahead and make something like a stew or soup and maybe rice to go on the side.I grow some red peppers in the back if you wanna add some spice,I haven't caught a deer this big in a long time and it's a special occasion especially with your training.I will postpone your magic training for today just so we have a little time to celebrate."

Stephan just stares blankly for a moment. "No, no.... I believe we should continue today. The sooner I can create a hammer with which to brain myself for missing a vegetable patch full of peppers, berries, and herbs I could use for spices." And with that, he takes the powder outside to begin rubbing it into the now lightly flared corpse.

"Don't feel bad about it.I have never them hidden so you would't see them.Loosen up and have fun.Tomorrow is going to be very intense for you so relax while you can."He walks over to the deer and takes a deep whiff of it enjoying the smell.

"Regardless of my feelings concerning your vegetable garden, I don't quite see why things have to wait a full day..."

"It''s going to be your last day to relax for a long time.After that prepare to be pushed to your limit.That's why I'm giving you one last day."What exactly should I teach him first?

Stephan stares at Gajeel, and Gajeel stares back... "You're not that familiar with teaching, are you."

"I have taught people before but not in magic.I'm just deciding the order of what to teach you.Magic something that is difficult to teach."First he needs to actually use magic.I'll teach him one simply move and teach him step by step on what to do.His face suddenly saddened at the memory at the last person he taught."You are not turning out like him..."He shuts his mouth as the phrase accidentaly slipped out.