Chapter 7: A Book of Mischievous Curses
Glancing at Paladin Took beside him, Corwin silently gave the command in his mind.
"Attune."
[Attunement Successful! You have received: Mischievous Curses for the Modern Wizard.]
Mischievous Curses? The name of the spellbook immediately intrigued Corwin. However, mindful of his host, he mentally tucked the book away, deciding to examine it later when he was alone.
"This is my wife, Eglantine," Paladin Took said, introducing a kind-faced Hobbit woman. "And this is my son, Ferumbras."
"A pleasure to meet you both," Corwin said with a polite smile. "I am the wizard Corwin."
His attention, however, was drawn to the seven-year-old boy. This must be Pippin's father, he realized. The boy had the same curly, golden-blond hair as his own father, which even covered his feet in a soft down. He hadn't met any members of the Fellowship yet, but here he was, meeting Pippin's father and grandfather. It was a strange and wonderful twist of fate.
Paladin's wife was a gentle soul. After serving Corwin tea and cakes, she excused herself to the kitchen to prepare a grand feast for their guest.
Ferumbras, however, was a bundle of energy. He stared at the tall wizard with wide, curious eyes, and as he listened to his father speak with Corwin, his darting gaze betrayed his restless nature.
"Wizard Corwin, what kind of magic can you do?" the boy blurted out.
"Ferumbras! Do not be so rude," Paladin chided, before turning to Corwin with an apologetic look.
Corwin just smiled and shook his head, signaling that he didn't mind. By now, performing magic upon arriving in a new place had become part of his routine. He even mused that if the money Bilbo gave him ever ran out, he could probably make a living as a traveling magician.
With a slight lift of his hand, he sent young Ferumbras floating gently into the air.
The boy let out a squeal of surprise, which quickly turned into a fit of giggles as he kicked his feet happily in mid-air.
Paladin watched the scene, struck silent with amazement.
That evening, after being treated to a magnificent feast by the Took family, Corwin was shown to a guest room.
Finally alone, he eagerly summoned his reward from the day's attunement.
He opened Mischievous Curses, and the more he read, the brighter his eyes became. The book contained exactly what its title promised: spells designed for pranks and disruption. It detailed five curses: the Tooth-Growing Curse (Densaugeo), the Dancing Feet Jinx (Tarantallegra), the Tickling Charm (Rictusempra), the Stinging Hex, and the Leg-Locker Curse (Locomotor Mortis).
While they seemed harmless on the surface, Corwin immediately saw their potential. Against someone who couldn't perform magic, these "pranks" could be devastatingly effective. He was tempted to try them out immediately, but being a guest in someone's home—with no suitable practice targets—he decided to wait.
Over the next few days, Paladin introduced Corwin to the rest of the sprawling Took clan. The family was massive, numbering in the hundreds, and they all lived within the labyrinthine tunnels of the Great Smials. Every one of them was curious and welcoming, and each family insisted on inviting him to their home for a meal.
In the Great Smials' banquet hall, another feast was in full swing. This time, however, a dozen Hobbit children were lined up before Corwin, their faces alight with anticipation.
Corwin smiled. He pointed a finger at the first child in line.
"Tarantallegra!"
A jet of red light shot from his fingertip and hit the boy. The child's body stiffened for a second, and then his legs began to dance uncontrollably.
"Wicked!" the other children shouted, their eyes wide with glee.
"Next!" Corwin called out.
"Me! It's my turn!" the second child yelled, waving his hand frantically.
"Alright, settle down, your turn is now!"
"Tarantallegra!"
The second child's legs flew into a joyful tap dance, and he laughed as he spun into the middle of the hall. The other children in line pushed forward, their eyes shining with eagerness. The adults in the crowd, far from stopping them, looked on with expressions of barely contained excitement, as if they were ready to join the queue themselves.
Corwin had to suppress a grin. Practicing jinxes on spiders was one thing, but practicing them on willing, laughing Hobbits was far more effective. If he had a character sheet, he was sure a notification would be spamming "Proficiency +1" in his mind.
After a few more days in Tuckborough, it was time for Corwin to depart once again. This time, the famously wealthy Paladin Took gifted him a sturdy pony and a small cart. Corwin was delighted to have a mode of transport. The Shire ponies were remarkably intelligent and well-behaved; he barely needed to touch the reins, as the pony would follow the road on its own.
Corwin sat comfortably in the cart. Before him, in a small cage, was a mouse he had asked Paladin to procure for him. It was the perfect, discreet target for practicing his new curses.
These "mischievous" curses had immense practical value. Densaugeo could stop an enemy wizard from speaking incantations. Rictusempra could incapacitate a foe with laughter, while Tarantallegra could make them dance helplessly. The Leg-Locker Curse could stop an enemy from advancing or fleeing, and the Stinging Hex would be an excellent distraction, inflicting a sharp, burning pain. He was determined to master them.
"Rictusempra! ... Rictusempra!"
His voice droned on as the pony trotted along the flat road, the wheels of the cart creaking rhythmically.
After what felt like a hundred failed attempts, his throat growing dry, he finally got a result.
"Success!"
The mouse in the cage began to twitch and squeak, convulsing as if being mercilessly tickled. Just as the poor creature looked ready to expire from exhaustion, Corwin managed to cast the counter-curse, saving it from laughing itself to death.
"Whoa," he said, gently pulling on the reins.
He looked around and noticed the landscape had changed. The rolling green hills had given way to endless, neatly-tended fields of pipe-weed. He squinted at the horizon.
"Does this mean I'm nearing Longbottom?"