Inheritor Of Magic: The Magi King

Wolfe walked over to the stall where the cat eared man was waiting for his grill to heat up, eager to ask him how he learned to do that.

"Good morning. I think you know what I'm going to ask." Wolfe commented with a smile as the vendor looked up at him.

"I do, and it's a great trick. You see, once we got used to using the mana crystals all the time, we realized that if you focus on energy, like when you burst out your stored energy, you can pass that feeling through a mana crystal, and use that energy to activate the spell without touching the inscription.

It has to be a magic item, we're not Magi, but we can still use the crystals from over here. You'll likely see a bunch of vendors with bags or crystals on their necklace. That's for the mana and using our equipment. It's a huge time saver." The vendor explained.

"Oh, so it's an expression of something that you could already do. That makes sense. I was wondering if we had awakened some new species of magic users." Wolfe joked.

"You know, maybe that's true. I mean, we're not really human anymore, and we kind of are magic users, just not quite the same as others. As long as something is magical, we can USE it." He agreed.

Wolfe smiled. "Well, I'll bet that is making everyone extra popular with the Demons and the Fae. They're all magic users, and with a proven magical bloodline, they won't have to worry as much about flirting with the beastkin."

The vendor snorted with laughter. "Can you imagine? Well, I suppose some are the right size, but more of the Fae wouldn't dream of it. The Demons, on the other hand, are probably game to try. The Lust Demons are huge fans of the bunnies and their propensity for constant reproduction, but I'm not sure about the others."

As they chatted, the grill came up to temperature and the vendor oiled it up in preparation for the first batch of the day.

"What are you selling?" Wolfe asked.

"Breakfast sandwiches, Incubus Kingdom style, with scrambled eggs, hot sauce and shredded onions and carrots. They're pretty good, and I also sell battered toast sticks with cinnamon sugar for the sorts that don't like spicy. It's a big hit with the Elves."

"I just ate, but I'll take one of the spicy sandwiches. I can't just miss out on the new specialties of the festival."

The vendor layered up the sandwich, which drew the attention of a group of slender, pale skinned Demons.

"Spicy sandwiches?" They asked hopefully.

"With extra spice, just how you like it." He agreed.

"Silly Demons, you don't need to burn your mouth just because it isn't warm enough outside. I will take two of your cinnamon toast sticks." A Faerie laughed from overhead.

"Is there anything else that I should try, since I just got back?" Wolfe asked the flying Fae.

"The Honey Buns. Definitely try them, they are incredible. Where did you leave your witches, though? Shouldn't they be out here by now?" The Faerie replied.

"They're getting to know the demons that came back with me down in the underground dining room. They'll be up eventually, but likely only after giving them a proper tour of the place. We got in late last night and I didn't have a chance to show everyone around. If you need them for something, you can ask me, or go visit them downstairs." Wolfe suggested.

"It should be fine. I just wanted to make sure that they were going to make it to see the bunny dance today, it's the first time that we're doing the special effects for them."

Wolfe smiled up at the tiny flying creature. "Oh, we will make it to see that. I have heard great things about it already."

The vendor passed out the sandwiches in a thin paper wrap, and then handed the cinnamon toast sticks up to the Fairy in a bag with handles, so that it could carry them while flying. Fairy dust sparkled in the air, making the demons sneeze as it flew away laughing, and the vendor shook his head in amusement.

"They do that every time because they know it irritates the Demons. The dust has Fae magic in it, so if they're feeling petulant, they will use it to make the food sweet instead of spicy, and then I'll have to do it over again. But they'll come to pay for their prank later, Khalifa makes sure of it." He explained.

"It sounds like it's been quite the hassle trying to keep everyone in line. Are there any rules that might need changing to prevent abuse?" Wolfe asked.

"Nope, the witches got everything sorted out right at the start. They said that dealing with you was a good enough guideline to know what a trouble making Demon was likely to get up to."

Wolfe laughed and waved goodbye as he bit into his sandwich and stepped into the flow of people wandering around the festival grounds this early in the morning.

Most of the shops weren't open yet, and wouldn't until the vendors finished breakfast, but there were always some early birds, and some nocturnal species that were just about to go to bed and wanted a light snack. That seemed to be enough to keep the festival going at all hours of the day, even if it was at a quarter capacity during the morning hours, when the overlapping schedules didn't encourage anyone to be energetic.

Katerina waved to Wolfe from up by the stage, holding a breakfast burrito in one hand while urgently gesturing for him to come join her hand her friends. Wolfe could see from here that most of those young witches were already very close to Rank Two, while Katerina herself had already broken through.

Even in the short time that he was gone, the changes here had made for huge progress, it seemed.