Chapter 5: Merlin The Wingman
(Fate)
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"Hey lad, you seem dead tired, couldn't sleep?" Gerald asks from the side line with a concerned tone, to be honest one would think that I should be getting enough sleep and having less duties means I shouldn't be tired but Merlin literally eats away my mental energy.
I don't know if it's because he's an Incubus or because he's just that annoying sometimes.
"I came to realize why King Uther keeps Merlin away unless he's needed."
"Yeah, he has that kinda effect on people. You'll get used to it, but I suggest you get some rest your form is pitiful." He actually let me off, am I looking that pitiful?
"I'll do that, thanks Gerald." I give him a smile that's been labeled as cute by maids.
"Oh you'll do double later on to catch up now go and rest." There he goes crushing my dreams and he said that so casually too.
Letting out a tired sigh I was planning on going back to my room so I can actually have a proper sleep but I realized that Merlin would probably know that I fell asleep and came creeping in my dream so after coming up with a plan I quickly located Morgan.
"Hey Ethan, you look like a ghost what happened?"
"Merlin happened, can you keep him busy so that I can have some sleep?"
"What's in it for me?" Wow that innocent face doesn't look that innocent anymore...
"Fine I will cook something new but I can't guarantee the taste." I relent, she has been asking me to cook new things ever since fried chicken became popular not that I know that many dishes but I can still improvise from various take outs I had over the years.
"I am sure whatever you cook it will taste awesome, thank you Ethan now go get some sleep." Morgan gives me the brightest smile I ever saw, making me unable stop myself from patting her head. Before she can react I made an escape and left for my room.
I slept after breakfast meaning it was around 9 AM and woke up at dawn... Yeah I nearly slept for 24 hours. Nice~
As I was going through the process of waking up it hit me, Merlin was inside my head on a regular basis which means that he knows I am interested in Morgan and that I am planning to take her with me which, if successful would stop Artoria's fall or at least delay it...
Bastard has been playing me and now I owe Morgan food and it's also an excuse to get closer.
In short he's been playing the wingman but this is too brutal, at least give me a heads-up.
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I went to Merlin's room for my daily reading the only spells I was allowed to use without supervision so far has been Structural Grasp and Projection but today he promised to show Reinforcement which is something I am really interested in.
As someone who is an hack and slash fan, Magecraft will mostly be used to enhance my body so I can fight up and close.
Getting inside I can finally see that glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
"Merlin I am 12 and I don't need a wingman so please stop torturing me."
"If you didn't need it I wouldn't have helped, for now let's start with your lesson first. We will have time to talk about your hopeless love life later hahaha."
"So what am I going to reinforce, paper? it's not like we can waste glass."
"And what makes you say we can waste paper come on sit down and let your sensei guide you to the path of a legendary magus but before that can you randomly choose some cards from this deck."
"I am really regretting having you watch anime by the way what's up with these tarot cards?" I mumble while sitting at my usual chair but to my surprise after I sat down I got bounded by purple glowing ropes.
"Reinforcement 101, those ropes are strong enough to hold an adult but if you reinforce yourself you can break them. Also don't worry about the ropes they haven an enchantment on them, they fix themselves on their own, quite useful in the bed for some peculiar partners."
Fuck! I am being tied by Merlin's S&M ropes and I have to reinforce myself to get out but there's a reason you don't start with reinforcing your body.
"What's going to happen if I explode or lose a limb or something!?"
"Tiny details, but don't worry I am also calling Morgan she can heal minor stuff like that ohohoho." With that Merlin leaves leaving me dumbfounded, I honestly forgot that this guy isn't human, won't think like a human and won't teach like a human.
After about five minutes Morgan came in to the room with an amused smile.
"Doing Reinforcement?"
"Yeah... Was it like this for you as well?"
"Nope I started with reinforcing glass." Well it seems I am the only one getting special treatment.
"Any tips?"
"Don't explode."
"Got it."
I decided to use Structural Grasp on my body to see the gaps between my cells so I can fill them with prana as I was going to start Morgan asked another question.
"By the way what's up with these ropes? I can sense enchantment on them."
"Trust me my lady you don't want to know, I am going to scrub off my skin afterwards." She just nods but I can see that she's still lost about the ropes.
"Here goes nothing." Trigger on and I broke my arms...
"Oh dear let me fix that." Morgan approaches with a soft smile her hands glowing green.
It's official Merlin is a shitty wingman.
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It took me three hours and six bone fractures to get reinforcement right, at first Morgan was a bit scared by how many bones I broke but I got it right in the end, now I can focus on reinforcing aspects of my body, like just the durability, just agility and such things.
ALSO NOTHING EXPLODED WOOHOO!
"Oya you finished earlier than I expected." Merlin walks in with a shit eating grin.
"Yeah no thanks to you."
"Well, you're welcome I do my best, while you were getting out of those ropes I calculated your elements." That got both me and Morgan excited, after all elements define a Magus' path for specialation.
"Calm down young ones, Ethan you have affinity with Wind and Earth, it's not like you can't use other elements but I suggest learning enchantment which I can help with if you had water as well I could even teach you my flower magic for a small price but Wind spells is a bit tricky. Nothing I can't teach but they're not fabulous as mine."
"Why is it tricky? isn't it just kinetic forces and static energy or just wind itself, I dare say I can even control gravity with it to some degree." I argue but the blank looks the two magus are giving me made me realize that they don't even know what's gravity.
Come on Merlin you've been in my head! You should know this.
"Define gravity." To this I just took a book and dropped it.
"This is gravity." I shit you not I have never seen Merlin this giddy about something before and it's making me and Morgan nervous.
[-Earth: Earth element spells relate to grounding, cultivation of energy and energy embedding.]
[-Wind: Deals with air, kinetic forces, static energy, free energy and directed movement.]