Rubbing my forehead, my training began in earnest. Agnes had me sit in front of her shack and concentrate on circulating my mana.
"The biggest shortcoming of mages is that once their concentration is broken, they lose control of their spells. So, in the mornings I will drive the importance of concentration into you until you don't have enough mana to continue." She said walking around me and pelting me occasionally with small stones. I continued to focus, trying to ignore Agnes's provocations.
"Well, well, what do we have here? A human who thinks he can learn magic? How quaint."
… being pelted with more rocks …
"You are the dumbest, ugliest and utterly worthless disciple I have ever seen."
… Thwack, hit by her staff again.
"Stupid human, what good are you, you just sit there taking this old lady's badmouthing."
This continued until I was sprawled out panting, trying not to through up from mana depletion. After a quick lunch of fruits and nuts, I was led into the decrepit hut, and contrary to Agnes's belittling and insults, she seriously taught me about magic formations and alchemy. This went on until the sun started to set, and I was unceremoniously kicked out of the hut.
Sitting around where the goblins set up camp and munching on fruits, the fairy that first barraged me with questions sheepishly approached. "Hey, I am Isabel. Why are you still here? Zarra already left?" she asked.
Smiling at the young fairy that actually introduced herself before berating me, "I am going to stay while I learn from Granny Agnes," I said, my mouth full of fruits.
"What, that mean old lady is teaching you? I begged and begged, and she would only shoo me away," Isabel pouted.
She started her apparently normal deluge of questions, and I would occasionally slip in answers as I dropped food scraps for my slimes. Eventually, I had to shoo her away to go to sleep.
While my training continued relentlessly, I couldn't help but notice the small improvements in my mana circulation. The tingling sensation in my fingertips grew more pronounced, and the flow of energy became steadier with each passing day. Even though Agnes's provocations were harsh, they no longer broke my concentration as easily. This routine repeated for about a week, with me learning the basics of alchemy and enchanting, and gaining a better grasp of spell casting. Eventually, Zarra, Ies, and Sonx returned.
---
Isabel hurriedly flew towards me yelling, "Hey Adam, Zarra is back!" in the middle of my concentration training. Pausing to look up, I was suddenly struck across the back of the head by Agnes's staff.
"What do you think you are doing? I didn't say you could stop," the elderly fairy muttered as she paced around me.
Staring at her with reproachful eyes, I replied, "Why do you still have to be so mean? I am already improving," while rubbing my head. Standing up, I ducked as more swings came my way and followed Isabel to meet up with Zarra's group.
Approaching the camp, I had been using for the last week, Zarra and the others were there, covered from head to foot in mud, with branches and leaves knotted in their hair. Turning to look at me, Zarra flashed her pointed teeth as she smiled, they appeared shockingly white against her mud-covered face.
"We gathered all of the herbs," Ies said proudly, pushing out her small chest in pride.
"Good job, sorry I didn't accompany you," I replied, smiling, and patting Ies's head.
Zarra's smile wavered as she asked, "How long are you going to stay here?"
Thinking back to how eager the goblins were to send us off to gather the fertility herbs, and Zarra's general eagerness. With images of me being tied up and carried away in the middle of the night flashing through my mind, I mumbled, "I am planning on leaving in a few more weeks, I promise I will return as soon as I can."
With this, all the goblins' moods seemed to sour a bit, but immediately improved as I started working on lunch. Still limited by my ingredients, I only made a stew-like dish using wild greens and herbs as seasoning.
The smell seemed to draw away the ever-talkative Isabel from berating Zarra and the others. Propping herself up on my shoulder as I stirred the mystery meat stew, she asked, "What are you doing?"
"Making stew, unlike the fairies that eat mostly fruits and nuts, and the goblins who would eat anything put in front of them, even if it is raw, humans prefer to cook their meals, and if done well, it can even make them taste better."
After dinner, we talked for a bit before heading to bed. Early the next morning, I saw off the goblins, with Zarra turning to say, "Hurry up," before rushing off into the forest. Returning to the hut to continue my training, Agnes was there waiting.
"So, you are planning on leaving, huh? Normally my tutelage would take at the very least a year." She remarked before continuing, "If I only have a few more weeks with you, then I am going to have to push you even harder," with a sinister-looking smile.
The next couple of weeks went by in a blur, that hateful old lady force-feeding me stamina potions to keep me alert as she poured information into me 24/7. If it wasn't for my familiarity with obscure occult teachings and me refusing to let her win, I would have run away screaming.
As the days passed, I also had the chance to interact with some of the curious fairies who had observed my training from a distance. Isabel, the spirited fairy who first barraged me with questions, proved to be a persistent friend. She often perched on my shoulder, asking about my progress, and sharing tales of the forest.
Despite the grueling training, I found myself growing more determined and resilient. The physical toll of staying awake for days on end was evident in my sore muscles and persistent fatigue, but I pressed on. Each day, I was a step closer to mastering Agnes teachings.
On the last day, Agnes said, "How do you think my reputation would suffer if I willy-nilly took on a human as a disciple?" Her contempt for my race evident in her words, before she continued, "But I am surprised you managed to persevere and actually learn from my teachings; I was planning on making you quit."
After her little tirade condemning me, and humans in general, she handed me a leather-wrapped collection of loose pieces of parchment, saying, "Here you go, it is a collection of alchemical recipes and magical arrays. It would be beyond shameful for a legitimate disciple of mine to be found lacking," before turning around and slamming her shack door behind her.
Confused by the old fairy's behavior, and already wasting daylight, I quickly went around saying goodbye to the fairies who had become my companions. I expressed my gratitude with heartfelt words, and they showered me with fruits and nuts as parting gifts. The elder treant, Greyroot, acknowledged my growth and wished me well on my journey.
With a leather-bound collection of alchemical recipes and magical arrays from Agnes in hand, and gathering up my things and tracking down my slimy companions, I set off for the first, and most important resource I asked Greyroot about, salt.