✦ ✦ ✦
With my task completed, I couldn’t help but let my shoulders slump in relief. When I looked up from the ground, the setting sun stung my eyes for a moment. “How did I do?” I asked.
“You were already casting the spell on your first try, and I have no notes on your second. It is fair to say that you’ve mastered the basics of cleansing cursed energy. I plan to cover different applications of this technique, but let’s save that for tomorrow. We still need to clean up.”
Even though we were done with the cleansing for the day, my class wasn’t over yet. When Rosenberg raised his hand, Hudom came over with a long and slender wooden box. Magical energy hummed within it, so it must have been hexed.
“This box can contain curses and cursed energy, so we can safely transport them without worrying about contamination. Even if you only use a wand once, make sure to put it in here and not with the other wands. Some warlocks take their clothes off after cleansing, but if you apply the layer of protection magic and follow safety guidelines as we have, there’s no need to go that far.”
“What happens to the tools we put in here?” I asked.
“The wand we used today still has many uses in it, so we will continue using it tomorrow. Wands that have been used to their limit are sent off in the box to a disenchanter I’ve done business with for a long time, who will cleanse the wand there. Unlike warlocks, who use Dark magic, disenchanters use Light. Even though both professions can break curses and cleanse cursed energy, we each employ different methods that suit our element. While warlocks can erase cursed energy, disenchanters are better at it. On the other hand, warlocks are better suited for removing cursed energy as we have just done,” Rosenberg explained.
Perhaps because they wielded opposite elements to achieve similar results, there was a stigma that warlocks and disenchanters didn’t get along...but Rosenberg said that the two professions often worked together to cover each other’s shortcomings.
“I only send my used tools to a disenchanter because I can’t wield Light magic myself. If you can treat them yourself, feel free to do so. Just make sure to reuse the Dark magic crystals as much as possible—they’re very rare.”
So the wand itself was disposable, but Rosenberg recycled the magic crystals, using leather gloves treated with the same magic as the toolbox. Maintaining and properly disposing of tools was another important part of a warlock’s job.
After learning so much on my first day, I was excited to keep this going tomorrow.