Ch 1.11: ss
“So, you’vee to the academy of Endrin, in hopes that you will serve well the nation of Endrin.” The teacher for ina’s first ever ss at Endrin, Practical Aspect Applications, was a gruff woman that looked to be in her fifties, pacing across the ground, arms locked behind a stiffly straight back. She had a strong, angr face, and gray hair speckled with strands of ck that cropped short and slicked back. “I was once Commander Calivahn, but you may call me Madame Calivahn.”
Every first year seemed to have met for this ss, packed into the sand field that served as the academy’s training ground. It was ina’s only ss for the day, and set tost two hours, which didn’t quite add up to her, but she couldn’tin about her first ss being outside on a nice, crisp spring morning. “Now,” Calivahn continued. “You may be wondering why there’s so many of you here with one lonely teacher, how I can teach so many of you. Well, I can’t. Different aspects and different students require different teaching methodologies, so today some of the second-years are going to help me sort you lot into smaller lots that will actually be manageable.”
Three students walked out from behind the crowd of first years. ina couldn’t believe it, but she recognized each of them. Two were the student watch members she’d managed to sneak past only two nights prior, and thest one was the one she didn’t manage to sneak past, the student watch captain herself, Tira, leading the other two with a smirk, ncing across the first years as if they were her prey.
“First, you’ll separate into three groups so we can evaluate you. To my right, those of you with external aspects, my middle, internal aspects, and on the left I want the worldly aspects. If you don’t know which you are, see one of my aides.” External, internal, and worldly. ina’s was ssified as an environmental targeting aspect, by the System at least. She guessed it wasn’t an internal aspect, since she had the ability to augment it to self targeting, but she wasn’t sure if it would be considered worldly or external.
She looked at the movement of the other students, curious about how the groups would be lining up. The middle section, internal aspects, was by far thergest group, with the other smaller sections nking it. Most of the students moved with purpose, and why wouldn’t they? The vast majority of them had been illegally practicing for months to a year. Still, some small number approached the student watch members that had been enlisted as teacher''s aides, and ina decided to join in.
Most of the unsure students were going to the male watch member in front of the middle group. ina didn’t want to crowd him any more, so she walked over to the aide on her right currently wrangling those who had worldly aspects, Tira.
“Alright freshers, if you’re a manifester, on the field. Sole maniptors, off to the side. Those still unsure, see me.” The natural authority in Tira’s voice moved the students along, forming two files of about fifteen students each. By the time ina got to Tira she was just finishing up sending off two students to their ce. When she saw ina, Tira smiled and reached out to mess with her hair.
“Well now, do we get to y together, or are you justing to say ''hi?''’”
ina backed away, blushing at the contact. “I’m not sure where I’m supposed to be, exactly. I don’t think I’m self targeting, err, internal targeting, but I don’t know exactly where I do fit either.”
“Oh, that’s easy. Have you had a chance to mess around with your aspect yet?”
“A little.” It was the truth. ina may have had her aspect for a day longer than most people thought she had, but she still had far less experience than probably anyone else in the school.
“What’s it do?”
“I can create rope. Rope and chains.”
“Alright, you’re definitely worldly Aspected then. You just create, or can you move them too?”
“I can move them, yeah.”
“Sweet!” Tira pped as she beamed. “You’re a manifester-maniptor. I can only manipte myself, actually. Go ahead and get in line on the field for now; I’ll get to you in order.”
“Yes ma’am.” ina winced as she said it, but Tira justughed. She didn’t know why she felt the need to address her like that.
As she turned back to the end of the line ina got a glimpse of the far group from her, the simrly small external Aspected, and the person in front of its file, Waine Ferris. <em> At least I don’t have to be paired up with him. </em>She still had business with him, what with him about to be selling near nude pictures of her to the entire school, but if she was about to spend the rest of her school life in ss with a group, she’d prefer him not be in it.
The rest of Waine’s crowd were simrly absent from ina’s group, save one. Prisma was in the middle of the line of students on the field, chatting away with those around her with a smile on her face, not a care in the world. As ina walked by their eyes locked, and Prisma’s face fell into a frown. <em> She really does hate me… </em>
ina continued to the back of the line. She watched as the group of students in front were tested ording to Tira’s instruction. Manifesters, this group was called. Some would also be maniptors apparently, and those that were only maniptors waited off to the sides.
It didn’t take long to grasp the terminology. Everyone in front of ina, the manifesters, could create something from nothing, at least temporarily, and those who could also control what they created were also maniptors. ina really should have been paying attention during her ss’s Awakening— she knew that— but as it stood this was her first chance to find out about the aspects of her ssmates.
Most seemed… Generic? Underwhelming? ina realized hers kind of was as well, now that she thought about it. Endrin students were supposed to be like the Stormshines,manding thunder and lightning, leveling armies. In this group, sure, there was a guy that could create a sword, a girl that could conjure and shoot a crossbow bolt from her hands. Those were impossible feats, fantastical, but still so <em> mundane </em>pared to the stories.
Prisma walked up. “Alright, fresher,” Tira said. “Show me.” Prisma closed her eyes and took one deep breath, simply standing there. She seemed nervous, and ina began to sweat, both from anticipation and the humidity. <em> Does she have stage fright? </em> The entire field of students watched Prisma, each of them sweating in the scorching field. ina herself was almost drenched now, the sweltering air of the… The sweltering air of the early morning? In the first week of spring?
“Heat,” Prisma said, waving her arm in an arc towards the sky, a plume of fire erupting from her hand as she did, a me magnitudesrger than the bonfires that would grace ina’s vige on the winter solstice, an inferno that would have engulfed numerous of her ssmates if it were directed anywhere but straight up, still threatening to engulf those standing near Prisma even as she directed it away from them.
This was the power ina had imagined. The others would get better, learn to do more with their aspects, but there was a level of mastery that Prisma had innately, that factor that ensured the top families of the nation remained at the top. These were the types of people that ina heard stories about, and the gap between them and even the middle-tier students at Endrin was astounding.
The crowd of students watching gasped in unison, the air around them returning to the natural brisk chill of early spring as Prisma released her aspect. “I can control the ambient heat around me,” Prisma continued. “Sorry for any difort, but that’s the only way I can demonstrate that. I also produce fire, and I’m still working on manipting existing mes, but I can do that as well.”
Tira was flustered, pulling at her cor with one hand and using her jacket to fan herself with the other. “Well, your cement is obvious, at the least. You can go stand with the other maniptors for now, but off to the side. You’re in a group of your own for now.”
ina felt bad for the boy who came next and showed what was admittedly an impressive disy of conjuring a trio of dogs that looked ready and willing to dobat, but it still felt hollow andcking. After Prisma’s disy, anything would be a disappointment, and ina was just d she didn’t have to be the one to follow it up.
Eventually though, it was her turn. “Right then, ina, you’re thest one of the manifesters.” Tira smiled at ina as she crept forward. “Let’s see what the faculty were all abuzz aboutst night.”
The faculty? Right, ina’s Awakening had been, <em> unusual. </em> ina didn’t think that Tira was trying to freak her out, but the pressure wasn’t helping. It wasn’t embarrassment, which would actually be a good thing, just anxiety.
ina swallowed, raising a hand. “So, my thing, my aspect is Restraint.” She conjured a length of rope, only a few feet long, dancing it around in the air. “I can make rope, I guess. And also chains.” She let the rope disintegrate before creating a chain, the metal falling to the ground. “Oh yeah, uhm, those are kind of heavy, so it’s hard to lift them. I can still move them though.” The chain slithered like a sad snake.
Tira pursed her lips as the students waiting in the wingughed. “Err, anything else?”
“Ah— No, not really.”
“Well, go stand in with the other manifesters, the regr group.”
ina bowed her head, the chain dematerializing as well. “Yes ma’am.” She started to walk away before Tira’s hand fell on her shoulder.
“You haven’t had the head start the others have. Your cement isn’t set in stone, so work hard and prove them wrong.”
ina stormed off to the side of the field without responding, joining the others, the “regr group.” She knew Tira was right, that even having a ss didn’t mean her aspect was inherently stronger. She needed training, and that’s what she was here for, right? It still stung.
“Now then, you three,” Tira said, motioning towards Prisma and two others that had been grouped with her, the dog boy and a girl who could make and control water, “are going to be in Advanced Maniption. The rest of you that have been tested will be in Standard Manifestation or Standard Maniption. I’ll consult with Ole’ Calivahn to make sure you’re in the right spot for your aspect. Alright, sole maniptors, rally to me by the equipment stand over there so I can see what you can do. If you’ve been tested, the next hour or so is free training. Actually work, don’t ck off.”
The students dispersed, the tested students grouping off on the field as the untested maniptors went off with Tira to a rack with all sorts of weapons and mundane instruments alike. Since they weren’t able to manifest anything, apparently they needed to have something to use their aspect on.
ina ended up alone, again. She wasn’t going the let the time go to waste though. Face flush with both embarrassment and anger, she conjured up a chain again, a real chain with actual length, and whipped it into the sand. She wished for a target dummy, anything to actually attack as she repeatedly pounded the ground with the metal links she’d made.
She did that for only a minute before she wore herself out. <em> Damnit, if I’d been able to do at least that… </em>She’d still not be on the level of Prisma, not even the dog boy or the water girl, but she wouldn’t have looked so pitiful. She wiped sweat off her brow, looking up to see if Prisma was heating the area again. She wasn’t, it was just exertion.
A crack rang out from behind, and ina moaned, pleasure radiating from her groin as an equal amount of pain struck across her leg, [Pain Response] activating. She whipped around to see Waine Ferris standing behind her holding a literal whip in his hands, smirking his stupid face.
“The worldly Aspected sure do have some fun toys over here. What’s a dud doing with them though?”
ina gritted her teeth, exhaling through her nose. “What do you want?”
“I’m actually not here for you.” He motioned behind him, to a short girl with sses and shoulder length, messy ck hair, her green eyes as wide as a deer who just realized she’d identally walked into a butcher’s shop. She was, well, notrge, but soft, filling out her uniform fully in a way that most others didn’t. “I’m here to introduce Prisma to your recement. She’s got an external aspect like me. You know, something actually useful.”
“Hey!” the girl squeaked out. “I— I didn’t even—”
“What the fuck is going on over here?” Tira shouted, storming over from the equipment rack, eyes drilling holes through Waine.
Waine threw his hand up,ughing away. “Just having some fun with my ssmate. Is teasing a crime now, officer?”
“Give me that whip now,” Tira said, extending her hand, “and you won’t have the displeasure of learning what I can do with it, Ferris.”
Waine cocked an eyebrow. “Wow, you know who I am and still have this much guts.” He tossed the coiled whip, Tira snatching it out of the air. “I’m honestly impressed, especially for someone of your pedigree.”
Tira rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be bothering your own teacher’s aide?”
Waine threw his hands up. “I’m tested already, Advanced External Targeting, and I have business here besides. I’m meeting one of my practicum partners to introduce ourst group member,” he said, pointing his thumb to the girl behind.
The girl shook her head. “I— I still—”
“ina,” Tira said. “Are you really practicum partners with this kid?”
“No no,” Waine said. “Not her. I was just saying hi to her as we walked to Prisma. We’ll be going now.” He turned back to ina. “By the way, if you ever want to do some modeling again, let me know.”
Tira cocked her head. “Modeling?”
Waineughed, grabbing the arm of the girl he was with and dragging her off as he spoke. “Ya, she was kind enough to do some underwear modeling for me. If you want any pics, they’re five gold a pop. Just gotta offload ’em to the printerter today.”
ina’s heart sunk. She’d hoped until now that it was just a rumor, that it wasn’t actually happening. Later today though? There wasn’t even any time to stop it.
<em> CRACK! CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK! </em>
The field froze, everyone turning to Tira. ina hadn’t seen what she’d done to make such a sound, the repeated, near continuous cracks of the whip, but she saw her face. Tira’s nostrils red, eyes crunched into the shape of knives as she stomped towards a dumbstruck Waine. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Hey hey!” Waine said, stumbling backwards and falling on his ass in the sand. “She agreed to it! It was entirely her idea, even! Right<em> , </em>ina?” Waine looked at her, begging, pleading, all confidence gone as Tira stopped in front of him, looming over.
“Is that true?” Tira asked.
“What the hell is going on here, Waine?” Prisma’s voice. She was running over from her group, panting as she trudged through the sand.
“ina,” Tira said. “Is it true?”
ina bowed her head. There was fear in Waine’s eyes, and she had power now. But that power was temporary, borrowed power from Tira. If she had her own power, something that could stand up to him, put fear into him, she might’ve been able to tell the truth. Tears streamed from her eyes as she uttered her response, “Yes, it’s true. I volunteered so they’d let me hang out with them.”
Waine got up, chuckling nervously. “See! We’re all good.” He brushed sand off his uniform pants, shaking his head. “Thanks for telling the truth, ina. <em> Really </em>appreciate it.”
“Bullshit!” Tira said sticking a finger into Waine’s chest. “I know what you’re doing, you sniveling little shit. I’m the head of the student watch, and—”
“Now now, <em> officer, </em> let’s not be too hasty. I’m sure you know that nothing here can be proven as untoward. If a student wants to be a little slut, I guess you’d be in your right to write <em> her </em> up for unbing conduct, but when it was all her idea, can you really go after the guy she pressured into doing it?” He pushed her finger off his chest. “Do you really think that’s going to work?”
Tira ground her teeth, pushing his hand away. “A duel,” she said. “A duel, and you erase the pictures, all of them, if you lose."
“What?” Waine looked dumbfounded. “You don’t have anything to offer me, and even with my power I’m not stupid enough to challenge a second-year worldly Aspected.”
“You’re not going to be dueling me,” Tira said. ina was the one dumbfounded now. If it wasn’t Tira that was dueling, who was it? And why was everyone looking to <em> ina </em>of all people for the answer?
<em> Oh. </em>