《Twister》


 Chapter 1 - Out of the Frying Pan.

    Well Ed, how DO you cast spells?-  Asked Magus Wade


    It was eerily silent in the well lit auditorium. The rows filled with students wearing expensive, pure white robes, symbolizing them as students of the guild. All of them had well kept hair and well groomed, picturesque faces that would automatically set them apart from the common people you see in the city streets.


    At the end of the small wooden stage stood a man wearing a similar white robe but with streaks of red running along the seams and collar, signifying his higher rank . This man was of an average height with a similar pristine face adorned with a prominent thin ,chiseled nose.


    At this point all eyes were one one person, the one person that stood out and broke the uniformity of the class. He was hunched over , eves looking down. His face was rough and slightly scarred. His hair black and unkempt  and his robes were more of a dull grey that pure white that adorned the rest of the class,


    -Its amazing that they let dunces like you into the most prestigious magic guild of the Eileen Kingdom, plebeians should know their place! - the Magus sneered.


    This was responded with by audible chuckles and condescending whispers in the lecture hall. Ed could do nothing but grit his teeth and bear the insult. He knew that any retort against the upper class would not just end with words. A ''plebeian'' like him would probably suffer much more severe consequences. So he endured, for that was all he could do.


    -James, would you grace this pleb with your knowledge- Asked the magus in a manner that made Ed want to throw up.


    James, the heir to the Salamander house and reputedly a genius Magus in the making, stood up. His face an embodiment of condescension and pride.


    - Of course teacher, you see spells use mana, which is an invisible force that exists around us, within us and is spread throughout the world. Mages can manipulate mana to manipulate an aspect of nature they have affinity with, or even themselves like warriors. -


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.-Perfect! As expected of genius. PLEB ! be sure to etch this into your memory for you have been taught by people in a realm far beyond you will ever achieve- Replied the Magus.


    This was again met with another wave of  laughter.


    At this point , Ed wanted to bury himself in a whole. Since that option seemed to be unavailable to him he had to make do with slumping even more and trying to minimize his size and presence in the class. He had also started to fray form an end to this lecture.


    -Remember! by the start of next summer you must have reached an intermediate level in terms of your magic ! Failures are not welcome in this academy. As the most prestigious guild in this kingdom we also have the most resources. All 4 magic paths are taught here. Yes even wind - He gave Ed a piercing gaze on the last sentence.


    This was followed by murmurs and even more giggling in the room.


    -The Pleb is a wind user , wow talk about being at the bottom of the barrel-


    - Hes not gonna last till next summer is he?-


    Among the four paths available in Eileen , the wind path was usually seen as the weakest and least useful. It definitely had uses , like allowing sailors to have good wind an entire trip or creating fog or mist in a battle field , but , it lacked any serious offensive capabilities. Casting a hurricane or storm took too long and affected allies and foes alike . It was just more efficient to either send a fireball at the enemy or a rock bullet.


    That was not the only reason though, it was because of the 4 elemental heroes that had were summoned to fight against Eileens'' enemies .only the wind user had died . This immediately gave the wind path a very bad reputation.


    But Ed did not give a damn, he was out of damns to give. He would become a magic user even if it killed him. Or in his particular case , gave him amnesia.

 Chapter 2- Back into the fire

    -YOU DID WHAT!!!!-


    The shout froze everyone walking down the as their focus fixed on two figures standing in the hall way. One was in a recognizable white robe, his silky black hair neatly combed. He had a lean , but imposing figure that hinted at a martial arts background. his face matched his figure with a prominent nose and razor sharp eyes underneath his spectacles.


    His eyes were currently boring a hole through a more rough looking student. He had the student held at the wall by the collarbone.  Said student was hunched over and desperately trying to avoid the gorgon like gaze that was upon him.


    - Ed, tell me you did not do what I think you said you did-


    - Jalandar it okay man , the amnesia episodes are only temporary, its a minor setback- Ed stammered out , still avoiding eye contact.


    The grip on Eds'' collar bone tightened. One could see sweat falling from the Eds'' face as he desperately tried to make excuses.


    -it was part of my homew-


    -We don''t get homework-


    - It was necessary for my research proj-


    - You don''t have a research project-


    - It was shiny-


    The grip on his collarbone further tightened making his squirming more intensly as he tried to desperately get himself out of this situation. Jalander was seething with anger, it felt like a palpable aura of rage surrounded him.


    -Calm down Jalandar, you are acting like I robbed the dead or somethi-


    Ed stopped as his gaze met Jalandars''. It was like staring into the eye of a firestorm. At this site Ed began to sweat rivers and water falls.


    At this point both students noticed a crowd gathering. At this point Ed was released from  death vice grip which caused him to fall to the floor letting out a sigh of relief.


    - Do you people have business with us?- Jalander stated in a monotone voice, but that did not stop the infliction of irritation and rage that accompanied his voice. This encouraged the students to disperse again.


    Ed tried using the opportunity to quietly sneak away.


    -*ahem*-


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Ed stopped in his tracks as turned around now following behind the imposing Jalandar as they made heir way into the library.


    The Magus guild was extravagantly build. The structure was basically concentric layers of circles with a central tower that was the library. The circles were all divided into 4 for each of the paths. The outer most building being the housing, the second one being the auditoriums for lectures, and the final one being more specialized workshops for each of the paths. There were several connections between the circles and and 4 to the tower , one for each path..


    They headed to the wind section for the library , the reason for this was that the wind section was more akin to a abandoned house than a library. Books were sparse and many that were present were focused on the more commercial applications of the wind path rather than combat.


    The entire section screamed out abandoned and ignored. Chairs were more like splinter applicators and one had to kick the sofas and cushions to make sure that they were not occupied.


    They made their way to a relatively cleaner section with usable furniture, this was maintained by ed as he needed some place to escape from the constant beration due to his class.


    -So Jalandar , been a while right ? Hows the fam- Eds'' words were cut short as a fist landed just beneath his sternum , knocking his breath out and causing him to collapse.


    - So let me get this straight, you decided in your infinite wisdom to grave rob artifacts from sages ? Not only that you decided to rob the hero Faust of the wind? Whose artifacts are known to be cursed?-


    -Robbing is such a strong word. i mean its not like he nee-


    Another punch to the gut silenced Ed as he tried to crawl away from Jalandar. only for Jalandar to squat on him , pinning him down.


    - So, seeing that you aren''t panicking like I am about your condition, you must have a plan  ?- Jalandar spoke , his voice seething with anger and impatience.


    -Yes , Yes, I give, uncle , I tap-


    Finally Ed was released and got up to a vertical base. He had a huge , smug grin on his face.


    -So whats the plan-    Jalandar


    -Its simple, I just need to go back to his tom-


    A thud followed by the cracking of bones was heard after which the library became eerily quiet.

 Chapter 3 - On deadly Grounds

    A heavy mist had settled, glowing serenely in the moonlight night. Not a sound could be heard from this silent tomb. The entrance was an archway meticulously crafted and adorned with smooth patterns and engraving represent the free flowing nature of wind.


    The archway was gated by an ornate door, made of the finest imported wood and polished to a dark hue.


    The tomb itself was placed in the middle of the graveyard . Concentrically, surrounding it were the graves of different wind warrior that had fallen in the line of duty. Further away and nearer to the gated perimeter of the graveyard were other , less ''important'' tombs.


    -They did not even bury him with his comrades in the royal graves.......- Jalandar muttered out , silently observing the scenery.


    -Does not matter, hes dead. I don''t think he is in a position to comp- Eds'' retort was cut short with a swift slap to the back of his head.


    -Respect your seniors idiot, its thing like these that keep getting you into messed up situations- Jalandar spoke through gritted teeth.


    Seeing Jalandars'' reaction, Ed quietened down and stepped into the graveyard through, signalling Jalandar to follow. The both silently trekked their way to the arch-stone. Ed then proceeded to open the door and walked in.


    Jalandar stood there stunned - They did not lock it?-


    -Nope, was easy as robbing the dead- Ed stated , his wide smile smile etched onto his face.


    - Your puns are killing me - Responded Jalandar. he flinched immediately realizing his mistake.


    - Well I am dy-


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.-One more and ill put you in the ground right next to your sage-


    Both men quietly walked in the barren stone hallways of the tomb.


    After roughly an hour Jalandar stopped.


    -Ok , Ed this is enough, I know we have been looping in this corridor for the past half hour. Where in the world is his tomb, i swear ill kill him- Jalander barked out in irritation.


    - Last time I found out by accidentally stepping on a trap that threw me down a pitfall, so im not quite sure-


    -Wait, this place is booby trapped,?-


    -.....Yeah , i guess-


    -And you did not think that this information was pertinent to our well being-


    -.........-


    - I have half a mind to just allow you to meet your dear sage-


    -Oh come on if there were any traps , we would have ripped the- Ed was interrupted by audible sound of string being snapped due to tension.


    He looked at his feat and realized that it was exactly what had happened.


    -Ed, If i live through this , im gonna kill you-


    - I know-

 Chapter 4 - Tomb Raiders

    -Ow , my head-


    Jalandar wearily sits up, shaking his head trying to alleviate the pain and confusion . Slowly he gets a better understanding of his surroundings. He seems to be in a four walled room. The walls made from simple tone bricks, with an exit in the centre of each wall. The room itself is illuminated by torches flanking the sides of each exit, giving of a soft yellow glow.


    His attention is brought towards the centre where he lay. What he sees causes tears to begin building in his eyes. At the centre of this seemingly mundane room, lies a coffin which one could only say was a work of art. Nay,  it could be considered a national treasure.


    This coffin was sized for the average man , it was made out of the same imported wood that was present at the entrance of the tomb. The wood itself was given a gentle grey colour and polished to such perfection that one could mistake it for silver instead. The borders were engraved with flowing and wavy patters not unlike the entrance to the tomb. On closer inspection one could see that even after all this time, dust had not settled on any part of this piece of art. The air around it seemed to be still, perhaps in respect to the prowess of the man that lay with in.


    And the lid of the coffin, was thrown haphazardly to the side, with the distinct figure of a man rummaging its contents.


    - Not useful, .....not useful.......not-


    Ed stopped suddenly as he felt the air grow cold around him.Literally. A shiver runs down his spine as he contemplates the decisions he made to reach this scenario . He regrets them deeply. Alas it is too late.


    One beating later.


    - So my tomb raider, what did you find?- Jalandar says , his mood visibility uplifted, while stretching like a load had been lifted from his shoulders


    Ed lies on the round, looking even more scuffed up than he would normally.


    - Well just before I got violently assaulted ....-


    - When in the world did that happen, poor you !-


    Ed glared at Jalandar who returned a beaming smile.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    - As a matter of fact I did!- Continued Ed , pushing recent painful events out of his mind .


    - You see I figured out the cause of those stupid amnesiac episodes! It was because this- Ed states as he hold up the ''artifact'' .


    In Eds hand lies a stone , its colour a misty blue with specks of shimmering silver. The stone had the shape of half an oval which had been roughly broken away leaving jagged edges. Ed then pulls out a medallion which he just ''scavenged'' from the coffin.  The medallion itself was unremarkable, Especially among the jewelry present  inside the coffin, some of which would have been enchanted with some of the most potent magics. The medallion itself and its chain were both made of cheap brass, the medallion itself was simple with none of the fancy carvings or designs that both of them had observed prior.


    Embedded in the medallion was the other half of the stone.


    - Well , here goes nothing -


    -Ed wai-


    Before Jalandar could complete his sentence , Ed jammed the stone into the medallion. At the same time Jalandar took cover behind the coffin and waited .


    -......-


    - You know, disaster doesn''t really ALWAYS follow my ac-


    Eds'' gloating was cut short by a shock wave from the medallion itself, promptly knocking him out.


    - Yes it does- Jalandar replied smugly as he stepped out from the side of the coffin. He grabs Ed by the ankle and starts to head for one of the exits.


    - I swear, if guardian skeletons start popping out I am going to bruise our ribs-


    As if on cue , the stone bricks near the exit gave way, and out emerged undead corpses, their flesh having decayed to give it a putrid purple colour. Their faces a collection of rotting bone, sinew and maggots. Their eyes shining a crimson red, indicating the use of necromancy, a path of magic long though to be forgotten.


    - Zombies......close enough. At least i get to vent some stress-


    A smile spread across Jalandars'' face.