Out in the woods [King]

The school of staves held many advantages over the other schools. It was less dangerous than the school of the words, and could use magic faster than the school of the chants. But it came at a cost. Not of energy, but of effort. In order to use magic at anything beyond an elementary school level, Enelen needed a staff to channel it. It had to be his own staff, carved and refined by hand. No two staves were alike, and each one reflected who he was when he'd made it. It had been custom to keep each staff, even if broken, but he'd been forced to leave his collection behind. They were simply too big and bulky to carry with him.

His current staff was in perfect working condition, and he imagined it would last at least several more months. He wasn't doing nearly as much magic as he'd been back at home, and was still trying to learn how people did things without magic.

It was trickier than most might imagine.

He wanted at least one backup staff in case something happened to his existing one, so he'd set out into the woods with only his staff, an axe, and a few small carving tools. More detailed work would have to be done back in his dorm, but it was worth checking a piece of wood before hauling it all the way back.

He wasn't expecting it to be easy. Finding a good, straight branch that was taller than he was and still usable as a staff was always... well, a challenge. It wouldn't be the same if it wasn't.

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Tag to @"King" ​

There was a very unfortunate part of the scarecrow's plans, although there was really no way that he could have known. After all, people from other worlds were relatively rare, and Enelen was far from well known on the island. If it had been anyone else, no doubt they'd have carried on walking, completely unbothered by the scarecrow.

Enelen did not. Enelen stopped the moment he saw the scarecrow, his brow furrowing in confusion.

If his world had never had need for scarecrows, that need had long since passed. Magic had eliminated the need for them hundreds of years ago, and they'd been almost entirely forgotten. Making a rudimentary man with sticks in order to scare off birds (often poorly) was simply so much less effective than casting a simple spell to ward off pests.

So he had no idea what he was looking at. It was... well, a thing. A thing with clothes and gloves and a pumpkin where it's head should be. It was so beyond what he was used to that he could only stand there and stare for several minutes, the way he'd stood there and stared the first time someone had tried to demonstrate a computer to him.

Was it alive? It was awfully still, but he couldn't figure out why someone would set a thing up in the woods, so he opted to be cautious, taking a single step forward while clutching his staff.

"Hello?"

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Tag to @"King" ​

There was nothing for several long seconds. Just the thing, standing there. Or... resting there. He wasn't sure if it could be counted as standing, since it looked more like it had been propped up.

And then it was gone. There was no movement (or perhaps it had moved and it was just too fast), and his brain seemed to catch, trying to figure it out. Had it vanished? His head twisted to each side, and when it twisted back the other way he caught a glimpse of it in the corner of his eye, completing the spin so he was facing it.

Most people might have wondered if it was alive. Instead, Enelen immediately ran through his mental list of spells that could be causing... that. Perhaps it was a warden, enchanted to scare people off. Perhaps it would animate if he pushed in past where it had guarded. His face was stony, with no sign of fear, and he held his staff tightly at his side, still considering his options.

Combat was not his forte, but even a child on his world was capable of basic spells. Would a concussive blast be enough? Possibly - but it might just as easily trigger much more powerful spells if was indeed an advanced guard.

He cleared his throat, prepared to cast at a moment's notice. "I am not intending to trespass here." He said clearly, doubtful that it would work but willing to give it a shot. After all, if it was a ward, it must have had at least some basic understanding.

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Tag to @"King" ​

It was all wrong. Even though Enelen knew what was happening - even if he understood that it was magic - that didn't suddenly make it less scary. Understanding was only a ward against fear - it couldn't stop it entirely.

So when the thing began to glow and move, Enelen backed up, taking a few hasty steps backwards. And when the thing was suddenly in his face, faster than he could think, he lashed out. He swung his staff hard, trying to knock the thing away, frantically trying to scurry away. There wasn't a scream, but there was certainly a loud yelp as Enelen tried frantically to put distance between himself and the... the thing. Whatever it was.

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Tag to @"King" ​

He couldn't tell what it was. A sentient being? A ward? But when his staff smacked into the pumpkin, knocking it right off, he got the faintest whiff of the truth. Magic. There was magic in it, and that at least helped him calm down a little bit. Magic was something he understood. Magic was something he could wrap his head around. Magic was something that had been part of his life forever, and often it was easier for him to make sense of a magical phenomenon than it was for him to make sense of something that had no magic at all.

He only jumped a bit when the head started talking to him, and he took two quick steps back, holding tight to the staff.

"Jumping out at me was rude." He snapped back, trying to let his fear turn into anger (although not terribly successfully). "You're not a ward." No, not quite right for a ward. "More like a golem." But what, exactly, was a golem doing out here?

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Tag to @"King" ​