Presence
Status (academic)
Corn feels rejuvenated. It was a deep trance he had the previous night. One of many. The call of Stygia was there as ever but his connection didn't grow much stronger. His understanding of the world though increased through his efforts. The understanding of the world but also of himself and what he wants. And here he is today, ready to go for what he wants.
"Only amateurs want to have their cake and eat it too." he said to nobody in the empty Athenaum with a self-satisfied smirk. He was no amateur. Not anymore. He will create the cake.
He pulled out his lead necklace and passed it over the empty tray, speaking in high speech again and again as the imago, the powerful image formed in his head. A big cake, an impressive cake, a delicious cake.
And then, the roar of the Abyss! Threatening to enter the reality and corrupt his magic as he brought his will - and the cake - in the world!
Corn considers himself a wise mage that wouldn't threaten the tapestry unnecessarily. But sometimes, a wise mage just wants to eat his cake in peace, without a punch to guts. Dozens of mages miss their spells every day for millennia and the world is still there. What's the worse that can happen?
You win this time, Corn thought as he didn't fight too hard for control and the spell slipped out of his control.
1 success
The cake appeared but not on the tray. It came through the world but 6 feet over a nearby desk and fell with a loud "flop" spreading cream and spongecake everywhere. At first, Corn thought to simply "repair" the cake. But eating an Abyss-influenced cake was a step too far.
He simply willed the spell to end and the evidence of his ... slight indiscretion with it.
As the cake disappeared from existence, Corn was still smiling. He did create something from nothing, even if the Abyss had its way with it.
Not deterred and completely dedicated to create some cake, Corn repeated the previous steps: Chanting in high speech, focusing through his necklace and forming the imago of the delicious cake... this time using a little mana to ease the passing of the imago in the Fallen World.
And it worked!
For half a day, well before Maria would return from her trip, that cake would be there. His cake. A cake that would completely disappear in 12 hours (or less) and with it? The calories. The sugar. Everything. The dream of many women (and men) he has met: Cake that doesn't make one fat even if you eat the entire thing. But... that was not a cake one could have and eat it too.
YET.
Corn rubbed his palms together in greedy glee. He could feel his mouth watering as he chanted in High Speech again and focused on his magic tool, forming the imago of the self-replenishing cake! Again with a little something to keep the Abyss at bay. Sure, some people would claim that wasting half your mana over cake that, if one wanted to be sincere, Corn could afford to buy was ... unwise. These people would be correct, but Corn was experimenting. It is important to know one's powers and limits.
And this is cake that doesn't make one fat nor rots his teeth.
The Abyss came out in force this time. This was not a punch in the gut. This was a thorough beating. Corn grit his teeth and as he held back the abyss at the expense of severe pain. The Lie wouldn't just let him eat in peace! As the fury of the Abyss washed over him like a dozen kicks, bites and punches, Corn managed to wonder what would have happened if he has NOT used the mana to make the passing easier.
And of course, he lost his spell as he failed to hold his concentration through the beating...
There was always going to be a second time. Three pounds of cake would have to be enough. Apparently, today the Abyss won't let him have his cake and eat it too. The Lie is too strong.
Somewhat disappointed, with a bruised ego and bruised body, Corn grabs a fork and a knife to try the cake that cost him a beating and a week's-worth of mana.
It was good, but not too good. Not the kind of cake one would get a brush with the Abyss for. Still, it was cake that would disappear in a few hours, along with the calories.
For the next 30-35 minutes Corn gluttonously indulged in the cake as he read the news on his phone, eating two pounds of nice-but-not-that-nice cake. Rubbing his belly that held easily a full day's worth of calories, satisfied, sipped some water and let the spell end, sending the remains of the cake, and the calories, away.
There was nothing left from the cake in this fallen world...
Corn felt dizzy. Was it the Abyss? Some lingering effect? He sipped more water as he felt cold sweat covering him...
..........
Corn found himself on the floor. He felt quite fine but a bit sleepy. His watch told him he was out for a good 20 minutes. Still, he quickly used life to check himself.
When his spell failed, he got actually worried! His life spells failing was not THAT rare but considering he suddenly dropped unconscious it was concern.
He tried again, focusing much better this time.
"Low blood sugar? Low blood sugar?!" He asked himself loudly, surprised by the reason his self-diagnosis returned.
How can it be? I ate an entire cake by myself...
And it disappeared. The cake, the calories, the sugar disappeared. But his metabolism, heavily working to produce insulin wasn't apparently ready for the sugar to suddenly vanish! He had a severe sugar crush!
Corn, beaten by the Abyss, dusty from the floor and having spent more mana than some of his peers held on their pattern on the stupid cake got up in wobbly feet. He drank some water and looked for a piece of candy to stabilize his sugar levels - and stave of his hunger as he went for the cake, an hour ago, with an empty stomach to eat more of it.
This experiment didn't go well.
Draft this Post
