《BladeMage》 Chapter 1: Leaving Home Arenya Azural, newest accepted student at Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s Academy of Adventurers, grinned as she finished the morning prayers. She gingerly unwrapped the straps from her fingers, then those bound around her forehead. Removing the small cubes - one against her forehead, the other on her forearm - Arenya placed them into their velvet-lined case and closed it, before putting them in her bag with her other valued possessions. Mayhaps it wasn''t normal for women to use them, but her family had always pushed the boundaries just a bt. With that complete, she turned to her next obligation: breakfast. Her azure tail waved as she stabbed her fork into the first pancake in the stack, muttered a few words of blessing, and brought the whole thing to her mouth. ¡°Ari!¡± chided her mother. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your manners. You¡¯ll be eating with a crowd starting tonight, you know. It¡¯s one thing to eat too quickly in front of just your father and I, but you don¡¯t want to embarrass yourself in front of all your peers, do you?¡± Arenya resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ¡°I know, Mom. It¡¯s just that I won¡¯t get to eat apple pancakes again for months, right? I should enjoy them while I still can.¡± Alavian looked at her daughter, brown eyes through brown bangs. ¡°All the more reason to eat slowly and savor them, then.¡± ¡°Oh, let her be,¡± called out a baritone voice from the hall. Arenya''s father Talvun, dressed in his finest (and indeed his only) brown suit and tie, walked into the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s Ari¡¯s last day here.¡± He sat at his prescribed chair - customized to fit a half-dragon, with a higher back for his muscled figure and shaped to fit his green wings and tail. Mom gave Dad her most soul-piercing glare, reserved for when he and she had a parenting dispute. Arenya saw that glare rarely, but like clockwork she knew what came next. Wait for it¡­ three, two, one¡­ Both her parents burst out laughing. ¡°You know,¡± Mom said, chuckling, ¡°my parents told me not to go out with a Follower. It¡¯ll never work out. You¡¯ll disagree on everything. Just stick to normal humans.¡± "Yes, I''ve heard the story. Two years later you had a daughter together, and twenty-three you''re still together." Still, the grin on her face didn''t fade. She resisted the urge to flap her wings, knowing they¡¯d simply hit the chair. The conversation continued as Arenya ate her last breakfast with her family. They laughed at old jokes and old stories, reminiscing about times on the farm (¡°Remember the beetle infestation? We had to call in all the neighbors'' help to save the harvest!¡±) and thinking how things would be so much quieter now that Arenya was leaving. For Arenya¡¯s part, she smiled and laughed along, pushing her nervousness to the side. With breakfast complete and the dishes in the sink, Arenya began to stride up the stairs to change into her nicest dress when her father asked the question she¡¯d been dreading the most. ¡°You know, you still haven¡¯t told us. Have you decided a major yet?¡± Arenya¡¯s grin vanished as she turned around. ¡°I have, yeah¡­¡± She started toying with her hair, twirling it around one finger, took a deep breath, gave her wings a few flaps as she prepared herself. ¡°I¡¯m thinking BladeMage.¡± Silence greeted her. I knew this would happen. They won¡¯t approve. ¡°Honey?¡± said Mom after an agonizing pause. ¡°You know about BladeMages, right?¡± Arenya bit back a sigh. "That they''re an old combat specialty that nobody cares about now? That they''ve been rendered obsolete by magitech? That the last true BladeMage was two centuries ago, and everyone since has given up? Yes, I know." Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "But they also say their power was extraordinary. That one who mastered those arts could was celebrated as a hero. And that they could easily hold their own against even the strongest of magitech today, if only someone were to try once more!" It wasn''t lost on her that BladeMages being regarded as heroes meant that even back then it was viewed as impossible and hopeless, and their lack today was due to far more reasonable options rather than a recent laziness. Arenya tried not to think too hard on that. ¡°I know it will be difficult, and I know I¡¯ll need to do well to keep my scholarship, but I just want to try. I promise that if I think I can¡¯t do it I¡¯ll switch to something else right away, not wait until I¡¯ve lost all the scholarships and it¡¯s too late!¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°No way,¡± muttered Dad. ¡°You won¡¯t do it.¡± Her heart sank. I knew they wouldn¡¯t allow it, I just knew it! ¡°You won¡¯t ever have to switch.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She looked up. ¡°You¡¯ll go out there and become the greatest BladeMage you can be! And when you become the hero you dream of, I¡¯ll be at the market telling everyone who¡¯ll listen whose daughter is out there! You understand me, Ari?¡± Arenya blinked back tears. ¡°I understand you, Dad.¡± Even Alavian couldn¡¯t bear to glare at her husband this time. ¡°Let us know when you¡¯re all packed and ready.¡± --- Arenya had to admit as she brought her last suitcase down, her mother¡¯s judgement was good when selecting this dress for her. It was nothing too ornate, just a few floral designs here and there, and the blue matched the azure scales of her wings and tail, while being just a shade darker blue than her hair. She held her hair back in a ponytail (her mother tried to insist on a fancy braid, but Arenya managed at least to convince her that that was an unneeded step too far), and overall she did indeed look like a refined student from a wealthy family of scholars and sorcerers, rather than the farmgirl she was. Well, if you ignored the sun-weathered skin, callouses, and muscled arms, at least. She shook her head a little sadly at that. She''d never been to a large city before, and had no experience spellcasting, but the other students there probably were at least a bit capable of magic. At least she was probably physically stronger than most of her peers, she mused to herself. Time spent farming has at least paid off that way. But still, was it the right kind of workout? Plowing dirt didn''t exercise one the same way swinging a sword doe- ¡°Bwa!¡± she stepped on the hem of her dress and nearly tumbled down the last couple steps, but managed to right herself and keep standing. Her father hoisted two heavy bags up over his shoulders, while her mother grabbed another. Arenya grabbed her backpack, supplies, and the final suitcase. She stopped for a moment as she passed through the doorway, to run her hand along the talisman affixed to the frame, and with that, they were off. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, birds chirped, and the plants she and her parents worked so hard to tend to were growing excellently. Arenya resisted the urge to flap her wings and fly around for a few moments. The three of them would be walking for a good half hour, so the nice weather was a fantastic boon. ¡°Did you ever consider going to an academy, Mom, Dad?¡± Mom laughed. ¡°I thought about becoming a scholar when I was your age and leaving farming behind, but we couldn¡¯t quite scrounge together the money. You know how hard your father and I worked to save up for your education? My parents never did, so I didn¡¯t get the chance.¡± ¡°If I do well,¡± said Arenya, ¡°I¡¯ll send back some money I get from freelancing and battle pay. It¡¯s never too late, if I can help you pay for it!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to send that much money to us, dear. We do fine he-¡± ¡°Put your hands up return to your residence!¡± cried a higher-pitched voice, clearly magically amplified to reach the entire farmstead and handful of nearby families. ¡°We¡¯re beginning a demon raid in five minutes, and those caught out will be killed without remorse!¡± Arenya sighed. ¡°Oh, for the love of The One Above.¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Daniel, where are you?¡± ¡°What the -¡± A young man, a year or two Arenya¡¯s senior, crept from under some nearby bushes. His clothes were the black and red of a typical demon underling or bandit, and his brown hair was cropped short. With pale skin, dark gray eyes, and thin limbs, he looked frail, but looks could be deceiving. His voice amplification, done with no focus or other external item, was proof enough that he a decent grasp of magic. He snapped his fingers. ¡°How did you - oh, hi, Arenya!¡± His voice returned to a normal, unamplified tone. His lips curled in a smile - that, she knew, was genuine. Dad looked back at Ari. ¡°You know this man?¡± ¡°Remember that time last year I stayed out too long during the raid and almost lost your favorite hat?¡± Arenya gestured to Daniel. ¡°Daniel¡¯s the one who got it back. He''s with the demons, but he''s friendly, I promise - until he tries to scare us with fake raids, at least." Arenya turned back to the demon. ¡°It *is* a fake raid, right?¡± Daniel nodded. ¡°We''re off this month. I keep trying to convince them that it isn''t worth it to burn down your apple trees, but this is the first time I actually got someone to listen to me. I think you may still have to deal with a few angry demons, but only a few. But when I saw you walking by, I knew I had a golden opportunity to ruffle your feathe - erm, scales." Arenya grinned at that, before saying, ¡°I¡¯m actually about to head off to Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s. I was finally admitted.¡± At Daniel¡¯s downcast expression, she said, ¡°We can meet up there, once I¡¯m ready, in a few months. Maybe I can show you the things I learned? I''ll get you a pass so you can check out the library, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m holding you to that!¡± Daniel smirked. "When next we meet, I fully expect you to be a master spellcaster... Ari.¡± And with that, he dashed off, leaving Arenya exasperated at his use of her parents¡¯ pet name for her. ¡°So, Ari,¡± asked Mom, ¡°Do you think he likes you?¡± Her tone left no room for questions. Arenya barely suppressed a laugh. "I''ve tried to explain to him that he''d have to become a Follower. I don''t think he really understands. He''s nice enough," she said, barely refraining from adding "and cute". "But I''m not interested in him that way." ¡°Seems like a good kid. Let¡¯s keep going.¡± Dad strode along toward the train station, as though nothing at all had happened. Arenya silently thanked him for the change of topic and followed along. Chapter 2: The Train Arenya Azural, overlord general, gazed at the battlefield. Discarded bodies lay around, evidence of their latest battle. What can I do, what can I do...? she wondered. She couldn''t lose this, not with so much on the line! She contemplated further, before the solution struck her. A tactic she ignored far too often and for far too long. "I castle," she said, switching her rook and king''s places. Arenya''s father moved his bishop, deftly blocking the rook''s path. "Checkmate." Arenya frowned, looking at the board. "Sure enough..." She sighed and began resetting the chessboard. "I''m terrible at this game. Three wins to you, now." "You were close, Ari! I''m sure you can find a Chess club at Cedric''s and beat me easily one day." Arenya picked up the last piece, then stood. "Maybe... I think I''ll stretch my legs for a bit. See you in a few!" The train was enormous, hundreds of cars long. There were cars with diners, cars to rest in, cars with large tables for playing games (like the one Arenya and Talvun had chosen while her Alavian took a nap), cars with people reading books aloud, empty cars and cars packed with people... If the option existed, Arenya would stick her head out the side of the train like a dog and feel the rush of air against her face. Sadly, the windows couldn''t be rolled down. Still, the fun of traveling in such an fantastic device couldn''t be understated. For the most part, anyway. It was a little cramped, Arenya was forced to admit, with all but the largest traincars not quite wide enough to fully unfurl her wings. It was tolerable for the first few hours, but she found herself all but needing to stretch them out. At last! she thought to herself. A large room - by the train''s standards, at the least - with nothing but chairs on the sides and no passersby to disturb. She strode right to the center of the room, turned to the side, and extended her wings fully. A series of pops resounded out as the joints cracked. "By The Six!" Arenya turned, looking around the plain brown seats, then blushed. In the corner of the traincar sat a young woman with dark blond hair; a black shirt and trousers; and a large, dark blue book with an unadorned cover. The woman stared openly at Arenya, gaze focused on her wings. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Oh, I''m sorry," said Arenya. "I thought the train car was empty." "It is no matter." The woman spoke with a thick accent that Arenya couldn''t quite place, one that heavily emphasized hard T sounds. "I confess, I am caught a bit off guard... I have never seen wings like yours before now. Quite impressive, I must say. You would be a... half-drake, then?" Arenya managed to hide an annoyed expression. "Quarter-dragon. Drakes'' wings are more like webbings attached to the arms, and half-drakes don''t have tails." "And a tail, too! Remarkable!" Arenya suppressed a slight sigh as the strange young woman walked around her in a circle. Dragons and drakes aren''t that uncommon, are they? Can she really not have met one before? "I''m Arenya. Are you a student at Cedric''s?" "Indeed. I''m hoping to become a theoretical magitechnician." She returned to her seat and held up the book she''d been reading. "I wished a bit of study done before returning, so I looked for the quietest car I could find. You are the first person to stop by here for more than a brief moment." "Right..." Arenya vaguely recalled looking over the requirements to become a magitechnician. It sounded interesting to her at first, creating incredible weapons and armor or massive war machines, but it also involved heaps of mathematics, a lot of precision and attention to detail, and horrific amounts of memorization. Arenya decided not to pursue it. "What''s your name? And you follow The Six, then?" "Cartalis," said the woman offhandedly, already looking back at her tome. "And not especially, though my family does observe the major days." Ah. One of those, then. "Umm... what book is that?" "It is the Principia Mathemagica. Would you care to take a brief look?" Arenya crept around to glance over Cartalis'' shoulder. She looked at the page in the strange book, then nearly stumbled back. "What is that!" she yelled. "There''s no words! It looks like nothing but masses of symbols, letters, and arrows." Even the Ancient Writings of the Dragon Sages looked easier to read than that... mess. Cartalis hid a grin. "More or less. It''s a seminal work in theoretical magitechnology, which influenced much of what we understand today, but few have even heard of it, let alone attempted to read it. The theoretical underpinnings of our modern magical society are forgotten, because it''s such an incredibly dense and difficult text. It takes hundreds of pages to establish even basic theory. That is, in no small part, why it is so important to me to read it entirely. This book must not be forgotten, lest a deeper understanding of theory be lost, and then where will we be? Nevertheless, it took me months to make it even a hundred pages in, and this is only the first volume..." Arenya couldn''t tell if she liked this strange woman or not. "Shall I leave you to your reading, then?" she asked. "If you wish. Should we meet again at Cedric''s, I hope you wouldn''t mind if I question you a bit about part-dragon culture?" Arenya managed not to roll her eyes. "It''s not dragon culture, it''s Follower culture. We''re more than just our wings, and plenty of people who have no dragon blood at all are still Followers. And anyway, we''re really not that interesting, or that different from full humans, but if you insist, sure." She gave Cartalis a friendly wave, furled her wings back up, and headed back to the traincar her father waited in, to lose yet another game of Chess. Chapter 3: An Arrival Arenya Azural, with five chess matches and no victories to her name, sighed in relief when the train stopped. "I never realized just how far the school is." Her mother, freshly awoken from her nap, nodded. "Time seems to flow strange when you''re about to go somewhere new. Are you nervous, Ari?" "I''m not too worried," Arenya lied as she headed over to the baggage car. --- Arenya''s eyes widened at the size of the city. Large apartments on one side of the street, restaurants and stores on the other, and so many people! The buildings seemed to stretch on forever and tower towards the sky. Wide streets large enough for even Grandmother to land in crossed every which way. "I wonder how hard it is to rebuild after an attack here..." she mused aloud. "Attacks in a place such as this are rare," came a familar voice from behind her. Arenya turned, as did her parents, to see a familar face with dark blond hair and a terrifying book. Cartalis carried with her a single suitcase and the Principia Mathemagica, which she carried under one arm easily despite its massive size. "Fancy meeting you along the way, though we are indeed moving in the same direction." Arenya suppressed a pang of irrational nervousness tried to put on a smile. "Hello, Cartalis. Mom, Dad, I met her in the train while I was taking a walk. She''s a second year student." "Making friends already?" Dad chimed in. Cartalis'' eyes grew large as saucepans at the sight of Arenya''s father. Arenya could see her resisting the urge to start asking all sorts of questions about his appearance. "Why don''t you show us around?" asked Arenya, less out of thinking Cartalis would be a good tour guide and more to keep her occupied from fawning over them in the middle of town. "Certainly. You may follow me, and I can remark on interesting sights and destinations." --- The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. As Cartalis led them toward the school, pointing out the best restaurants and stores, Arenya noticed something she hadn''t before, too distracted by navigating to realize. People were staring at them. Not openly, thankfully, but people would always give her family a second glance or a double take when passing them. She couldn''t figure out why at first, until it hit her as she looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of her wings from the corner of her eye. There are no part dragons here at all! Or drakes, or anyone like us. I''ve only seen a couple tails and no wings at all... Perhaps Cartalis'' interest could be forgiven after all. The magnitude of the strange new place only then settled on Arenya''s shoulders, tight as a prayer shawl and heavier than the year''s crops. Or maybe the place isn''t what''s truly strange, is it...? Her worries were soon forgotten, as soon as the magnificent school building entered her gaze. Taller than any other building in town, with grand spires for each department, she couldn''t help but gape in awe. The bricks were a deep gray, but flashes of color - reds, blues, greens - could be seen on each tower, marking the wing''s name. Arenya lost count at a dozen spires. She had read the list, of course, yet even so it hadn''t truly dawned on her just how many departments there truly were. Theoretical departments to study the nature of magic and mana, those oriented towards practical spellcasting, the physical arts, the creation of magical weapons and armor, alchemy, even a wing just for the creation of massive war machines that stood thousands of people in height and required dozens to operate. "It''s so massive..." Arenya managed to hold herself back from rushing in to explore. There will be time for that later. Cartalis grinned. "Most have a response along those lines upon first seeing the school''s magnitude. Massive is the proper word, indeed. I have only explored a portion of the grounds myself." Arenya looked at the spires for housing students, far in the distance. "Do you know where Gryphon Wing is?" She asked Cartalis. "It borders Serpent Wing, which is where I stay. Our rooms will be but a short walk from each other, it would seem. Follow me and we shall reach it shortly." --- The scale of Ba''al Cedric''s Academy of Adventurers'' buildings somehow seemed even greater when Arenya was inside a wing. Room after room after room, both for individual students and group rooms for study, sparring, or simply playing games or reading together. The walls were painted deep and rich colors, and the floors of stone and wood were so clean Arenya could eat off them. The building was gorgeous. The countless flights of stairs, however, were not. Her room was on the sixth floor, and and ceilings weren''t quite high enough to simply fly there and not deal with the stairs at all. Cartalis had left her at the entrance to go up to her own room, which meant some getting turned around as well. At last, though, on the sixth floor Arenya and her parents reached room 540 and began to unpack her things. It was a small room, and the walls were bare and painted a somewhat dull beige. Even so, there was space for all her things and a comfy looking bed, plus a bath and shower not far from her room. With her things all unpacked and her mezuzah upon the door frame, she found herself standing by the door to her room, waving goodbye to the parents she''d soon be away from for longer than ever in her past. "You''ll do great, Ari," said her mother. "You were made to come here." Arenya hid her nervousness behind a smile. "Thank you," she said. Her father gave her a hearty bear hug and wished her well. One more wave, and they vanished into the hallway. Arenya nearly fell to the floor when they did. She¡¯d thought the full weight of change had already struck her twice that day, but only now did she truly realize it, now that she was alone. She was alone. Chapter 4: Dinner Arenya Azural, sleep-deprived student-to-be of the Adventuring Academy, found one particular issue she had not anticipated, at least not so soon. She was bored. She¡¯d been here only for one evening, but after unpacking and setting up her things she felt more antsy than she could remember feeling in months. She¡¯d done every exercise and stretch she knew, played a game of Chess against herself (a draw), and double- and triple-checked every item she packed, but still time only inched by. Part of that was nerves and excitement for her first classes, but that couldn¡¯t explain all of it¡­ could it? Arenya had at least tried to take a nap, but the mattress felt hard as a rock compared to the bed she was used to. Arenya ended up doing her wing exercises a second time just to work out the soreness the bed gave her. It was a comfortable enough room other than the mattress, she supposed, but it felt so alien and unfamiliar. The barren walls and empty shelves stared back at her. Perhaps I should have brought a picture or two from home after all, instead of just the mezuzah. The clock moved forward at an agonizing pace, but at last the time for dinner arrived. The dining hall wasn¡¯t far, so at least she had a place to meet some fellow students.
I¡¯ll never get used to such a large place, will I? The whole walk to the dining hall, Arenya¡¯s eyes jumped from building to building, marveling at the sheer scale and scope of the towers, and the apartments far in the distance. How can the other students not be just as impressed? What else could they be looking a- She spotted a group giving her a sideways glance when they thought she wasn¡¯t looking. Oh. They¡¯re looking at me again. A small crowd had formed within and without the dining hall by the time Arenya arrived. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the few people pointing out her wings to their friends, and instead doubled down her focus on the architecture around her. Arenya found her excitement to explore the grounds rekindling inside her. She stayed at the outskirts of the crowd, a bit too scared to enter the mass of students. Arenya couldn¡¯t spot Cartalis anywhere, a fact she noted with no small amount of trepidation - a friendly face, new or not, still seemed superior to lonesomeness. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Still, her growling stomach convinced her to enter the building eventually. Arenya crossed her fingers and uttered a brief prayer that something tasty would be available, before entering the line to the brown shelf where food was being given to each student in turn. A stern-looking man wearing all black greeted her after a few moments waiting at the line. Arenya attempted to smile as she looked the food on offer¡­ Hrm. Her mouth closed at the strange food she saw before her. Perhaps it shouldn¡¯t be surprising that an unfamiliar place might serve unfamiliar food, but even so, she found herself caught off guard. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked. The man grunted. ¡°It¡¯s pork chops.¡± Oh. Well, that would explain why she never saw this dish before, at least. ¡°Do you, umm¡­ Do you have any other options? Chicken, maybe? I can¡¯t eat pork.¡± The server looked at her with a gaze she couldn¡¯t place. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between pork and chicken? The food is almost all created from ambient mana these days anyway. No animals are involved anymore. There¡¯s no way you couldn¡¯t know that.¡± Arenya found herself at a loss, gesturing vaguely to her wings. ¡°I mean, well¡­ I can¡¯t eat it. That¡¯s the difference.¡± The man gestured to a student behind her to take a serving of the food. ¡°Take a step to the side, please, Miss, let¡¯s not hold up the line.¡± As a few students passed by to take the food, unaware of the one they passed by, the man¡¯s stern expression softened just a bit. ¡°You¡¯re a Follower? We don¡¯t get many of those around here, and the only ones I¡¯ve ever served don¡¯t have any problems with whatever food we have. I don¡¯t decide the food we have each day, and it¡¯s been planned out for the next month. We always have apples, though.¡± The man pointed to a table past him, one other students passed without a glance. ¡°The pork is all I¡¯ve got tonight. Tomorrow we¡¯ll be having lobster, will that work?¡± Arenya shrugged. ¡°I think so,¡± she lied, as she walked off to The Apple Table. She grabbed one and sat at the nearest empty table. The apple was a darker red than those from the farm. It didn¡¯t have qute the right texture, either - a little less firm, a little smoother in her hand. At a glance it looked almost like wax. Still, if this was dinner¡­ It was a struggle not to spit it out. The apple was poorly washed, incredibly bland, and had a bitter aftertaste. Nothing at all like the ones her family grew, with the vibrant flavor and mouthwatering sweetness. No wonder the others avoided it. Arenya forced herself to swallow. It felt mealy on her throat. She took another bite. The rumors started the next day, of the strange new student with the wings and the blue hair. Nobody was sure of her name, though most agreed she was called Arvalya or something to that effect. She spent over an hour doing nothing but sitting at a table in the dining hall, all by herself, staring at nothing, refusing the food in favor of apple after bitter apple. In the end, so the rumors said, she just grabbed the cores, threw them in the trash, and left the room without a word. Chapter 5: The First Day Arenya Azural, trepidation flooding her mind, gathered her bags and headed to her first course. Parents¡¯ reassurances from before she left vanished from her mind to be relaced with a tightness in her chest. Not even the morning prayers helped take her mind off things. Stepping outside of Gryphon Wing, Arenya managed a grin at least. The sun was bright and the light warmed the academy. She extended her wings, intent on catching every last ray of light she could¡­ ¡°Is that her?¡± Arenya spared a glance for the trio of students leaving Serpent Wing. They were too distant to make out any identifying marks, but not so far away that she couldn¡¯t tell they were staring at her, or so far that she couldn¡¯t hear them - at least not when they shouted so. ¡°Of course that¡¯s her - how many other students with wings are there in this place?¡± ¡°Ask her how many apples she ate. Come on, I¡¯ve gotta know if ate five!¡± ¡°At least six!¡± she yelled back. ¡°I lost count!¡± The trio of students froze. Even at this distance, the shock was evident in their bodies that she¡¯d answered. It occurred to Arenya at that moment that she really should have ignored them. She tried to turn, continue on her path, close her eyes and the students would just vanish, but some sense of humiliation kept her glued to the spot. One of the students whispered something, far too quiet for Arenya to make it out. ¡°Greetings, my brothers in learning.¡± A familiar voice, one that made Arenya sigh in relief. The accent was as unmistakable as the sarcism dripping from her words. ¡°Is it your intention to gawk at Miss Azural all day?¡± Cartalis strode from Serpent Hall towards the trio of students. She wore dark breeches, black mechanic¡¯s boots, a blue tabard, and the most brutally piercing scowl Arenya had ever seen in her life. With the silence between them broken, Arenya finally managed to turn and stride away. While she couldn¡¯t make out the response the other students, Cartalis¡¯ raised voice was clear as day. The degree to which Cartalis tore into them was nothing short of disturbing. She threw out names of The Six left and right in swears so harsh that Arenya felt like her ears were going to fall off. Arenya didn''t believe in them - perish the thought! - but even so, hearing such harsh language used so brutally was uncomfortable to say the least. Arenya trudged on towards her next class, but her strides were not so large as before. The spring in her step was gone. ¡°Apologies, Arenya.¡± Cartalis appeared next to her, seemingly out of nowhere. Though, she is breathing hard. Did she run to catch up to me, or get tired from all the yelling? ¡°Those three mean well, but they¡¯re ignorant. They were... I don¡¯t think they realized they were staring at you so, nor that they made you so uncomfortable in the process. I informed them.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Arenya attempted a sheepish smile, folding her wings behind her. ¡°I mean, you were staring at me too on the train, s-¡± Cartalis flinched and nearly tripped. The blood drained from her face. ¡°I¡­ My apologies. I did not intend to¡­¡± Arenya suppressed a sigh. The first day of life here, and already I¡¯ve insulted the closest person I have to a friend. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You didn¡¯t mean anything by it. They did.¡± Cartalis¡¯ grin was lopsided and muted. ¡°If you insist. Nevertheless, I would very much appreciate you being forthright with me as you were just now. If in the future, I do something you find unacceptable, tell me.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Arenya proceeded to violate that rule immediately by not saying anything about Cartalis'' outburst to the others. As they continued to walk toward the main buildings, Arenya desperately fished for a new topic. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re a magitech, right?¡± Cartalis nodded, smile returning to something Arenya found more normal. ¡°In training, like all of us here. It is the most common class for students incoming, but the majority merely dabble a bit before finding a path in the alchemical or incantorial fields.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Arenya could feel the excitement radiating from Cartalis as she continued. ¡°I, however, am what is oft considered a born and bred magitechnician.¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°You mean your parents were magitechs too?¡± Cartalis¡¯ quizzical gaze gave Arenya a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°My father is. My mother is a culinary sorceress. They''re both quite qualified in their fields. Nevertheless, they support my siblings and I in whatever we wish to pursue. Why do you ask? Were neither of your parents BladeM¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°¡­Right. Of course they were not. What is your backup plan?¡± A moment of silence passed between them. It shouldn¡¯t have been nearly as awkward as the encounter with the trio of students surprisingly invested in Arenya¡¯s apple-eating habits, but Arenya felt no less uncomfortable. Deep in her soul, she knew it to be a terrible idea, but no convincing lie came to her. All that was left to her was to tell the truth. ¡°I might try looking into becoming an incantorian, but if it would require too many additional classes and we can''t afford the switch... I would go back the farm and help with the crops again. Money is tight, even with my scholarships.¡± It wasn¡¯t until after Cartalis covered her mouth with eyes wide as saucers that Arenya remembered she could have simply said the question was ¡°unacceptable¡± and refused to answer. A few seconds of silence longer, and Arenya spotted the building of her first course of the day and an opportunity to break away from the conversation. Despite how foolish she felt, and her internal hope that Cartalis would forget the conversation if only they kept away from each other for the day, the thought of wandering the intimidating hall alone to find the room felt like a punishment. And so, when Cartalis admitted that she¡¯d neglected the course on her first year and was taking it as well, a weight lifted from Arenya¡¯s chest.
With countless tables to study at, dozens of rooms for lectures, martial halls, alchemy labs, and conjuring benches, all adorned with beautiful magic-resistant gray brick walls, Arenya kept having to force herself not to stop and stare through every open door they passed. She¡¯d heard of the contraptions called elevators before, but she expected never to see them, let alone so many or in as frequent use. Her work on the farm involved so much walking, after all - what was a few steps up to the second floor compared with a day of planting? Though, with three entire floors, with much taller ceilings than the farmhouse¡¯s, she could imagine getting too tired even for that if she traipsed up and down the stairs bringing in bushel after bushel of apples. Of course, that was before she left. No more helping with the harvest, at least not for a while. This was her world now, strange as it all was, so she¡¯d best get used to it. Once she managed to wrest her eyes away from the building itself, however, something else caught her attention¡­ ¡°Cartalis?¡± she whispered. ¡°Why is everyone staring at us? Is it my wings?¡± Cartalis rolled her eyes as they passed yet another group of students giving them strange glances. ¡°Not merely that, though given the sheer quantity today I would imagine you are a factor. There are even more gawkers than usual.¡± If asked, Arenya wouldn¡¯t have been able to describe Cartalis¡¯ expression at that moment. Some mixture of annoyance, disgust, and exhaustion? ¡°I¡¯ve turned down advances from what oft feels like half the students in the Academy. They care not about me as a person, or even for my looks. They just know who my father is and suspect I would be willing to ¡®hook them up¡¯ or some such. Why they think that my father¡¯s daughter would be such a fool, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Arenya remained silent. The events of the day so far meant she was trying to be more wary of further conflicts with her friend. And anyway, what would she even say? A question about how Cartalis had learned this was happening? A question about her father? A reassurance that Cartalis'' prettiness probably was at least a little bit of it? She wasn¡¯t even remotely sure why God had seen fit to put that last one in her head. The walk didn¡¯t last long enough for another topic to arise, as Cartalis pointed out their destination: a room with a plaque reading YD209 outside each of its three doorways. The number of chairs alone, each with their own miniature desk attached for note-taking, was breathtaking. The room had entrances on two floors, even, and a staircase for an upper balcony that seated even more. The chairs themselves didn¡¯t quite stack up in quality to the ones her family had bought from the nearby carpenter, and the lack of tail holes seemed like it might make her tail ache after a while, but that seemed unimportant relative to the sheer scale. Arenya didn¡¯t even notice how she was staring until Cartalis started yanking on her arm in an attempt to drag her to a seat. ¡°I recognize this sort of thing is unfamiliar to you,¡± she explained, ¡°but more students are arriving. It is best to stake your claim on the best chairs in the room before they¡¯re all taken.¡± Arenya looked around. All the seats looked the same to her. ¡°Which chairs are those?¡± ¡°The ones near the front, of course! How else shall we manage to ask so many questions?¡± Arenya wasn¡¯t sure she really wanted to ask ¡°so many questions¡±, especially not when she felt so out of place still. It was hard to say no to Cartalis¡¯ earnestness, though, so she allowed herself to be led once more to the very front of the room just in front of the lecturer¡¯s table. It quickly became clear as the room filled that Cartalis¡¯ concern was unjustified. If anything, the front two rows of seats were being actively avoided. ¡°Okay, perhaps I fibbed a tad about the seats being quickly taken, but they are still the best ones. Why risk losing them?¡± Arenya nodded along to the explanation, but her eyes focused on the students. While a few women were dressed in knee-length skirts and full-sleeved shirts like she was, many others wore low-cut shirts and small skirts, or trousers tight enough that she was shocked so few men seemed to be staring. The sort of outfits that Arenya had never worn, and would have been lectured profusely if ever she¡¯d tried. It felt almost embarrassing just to be nearby. She almost expected some men to be without shirts at all, but in that aspect she was happy to learn she was wrong. Still, many wore shorts, or shirts without sleeves on them. A few were quite good looking, Arenya couldn¡¯t help but notice, but the feeling of something being not quite right about it all didn¡¯t leave her. Of course, her family didn¡¯t dress up every day - you wouldn¡¯t want your best outfit to be soiled by sweat and dirt on the farm, and outfits with shorter or thinner sleeves were wondrous on a hot summer day of watering crops - but this was the city. Cartalis, at least, seemed to dress like what she¡¯d been raised to think a city woman would - not like back at home, but at least somewhat modest. She hoped that maybe Cartalis was wrong, and the stares being thrown their way in the halls and here were just because of their outfits, and nothing more. Of course, Arenya didn¡¯t have to ask around to know that was just wishful thinking. She¡¯d never felt her wings a humiliation before, but now¡­ ¡°Greetings, my wondrous students!¡± The room quieted in an instant. The voice¡¯s sheer thunder almost left Arenya¡¯s ears ringing. At the front of the room stood a man, tall and dark-skinned. He wore all black, including a hat of the type Arenya had only heard stories of, and carried a long wooden cane that he clearly didn¡¯t use to walk. His large beard and wide smile were infectious, and she found herself having to force her tail not to wag. Could it be? Could he really be a¡­ ¡°My name is Professor Kazurist. Welcome to Introductory Incantations. Now let¡¯s begin, shall we?¡± Chapter 6: Incantations Arenya was enthralled by the lecture, writing down each and every word spoken by this eccentric Professor Kazurist about incantations of all sorts. Well, she pretended, at least. The writing of every word she could manage was primarily the result of having no idea what most of it meant. It was only now that Arenya realized the depths she¡¯d carelessly thrown herself into. Was everyone else able to completely understand this? Well, she seems to be keeping up just fine, Arenya thought to herself as Cartalis asked her fifth question so far. Something about what would happen if incantations of opposing something-or-other were layered in such a way as to¡­ make one explode? At least, that¡¯s the best Arenya could figure out from the jargon Cartalis used in her question. Cartalis¡¯ notes were neat and tidy, divided into sections and subsections that made Arenya jealous. Sadly, nobody else had come to sit by them in the front rows, so she had no way of comparing to see if Cartalis¡¯ note-taking was normal or not. Glancing around the room, she noticed that the number of students who were whispering to each other or staring somewhat blank-faced at Professor Kazurist was fairly large. A few were diligently writing in notebooks, but they seemed a minority compared to those who scarcely paid any attention at all. Were they all so confident in their knowledge that they didn¡¯t even feel a need to take any notes? There was one bright spot to all this lecturing, though, and that was Professor Kazurist. His excitement for the subject was palpable, so much so that it was hard not to smile alongside him and nod along even if she had no idea what he was talking about. He used large, extravagant hand gestures to demonstrate what would happen if two alike incantations met (their effects would increase greatly) and how that differed from those that had opposed base components (they¡¯d fizzle out, which was apparently a powerful counter against opponents on the battlefield who used incantations frequently, as well as for emergency shutdowns in devices that were malfunctioning). Arenya had never thought incantations sounded especially interesting, and from any other teacher something this unapproachable would have confirmed that, but Professor Kazurist made it sound so exciting that she wanted to learn more and be able to follow along next class. Hopefully Cartalis wouldn¡¯t be too upset at a litany of questions? She almost whispered a question to her, but seeing the determined gaze on her friend¡¯s face made her think better of interrupting in the middle of class. ¡°And that, students, is why an incantation cast with an artificial focus is weaker than that of a natural focus! Next time, we¡¯ll discuss the concerns of having no focus at all.¡± As the students began to funnel out of the classroom, Arenya looked over her notes. Already, she could barely understand the notes taken as the lecture began. She turned to Cartalis, only to find she¡¯d already stood and begun a lively conversation with Professor Kazurist. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I recall reading once that back before artificial foci were common, many people would use various random items in order to focus their energies, heedless of safety. Yet reports of accidents are quite uncommon. Is there a reason why an artificial focus must undergo such careful testing?¡± ¡°Well, there are a number of reasons foci are treated.¡± Kazurist reached into his bag and pulled out a bright white gem with a small crack running down the middle. ¡°The primary reason is that a focus is at its most powerful and safest when each of its channels are of a uniform structure. Gemstones are a standard training item for this purpose, though this one is slightly damaged on purpose so that the damage a careless student can cause is limited. Glass and metal are more common for serious devices. An untreated item can still handle some amount of mana flow, but it will be far more diluted, as well as have a much more serious risk of detonation if the user is truly careless, though usually they won''t be able to hold enough to explode with much force. In addition, the wear and tear on such an object is much higher, so an untreated focus will generally break down quite quickly even if used properly. As such, it really isn''t about the ''accidents'' you describe as much as it is simple efficacy. I did hear of a focus made of bread that lasted for quite a long time, once¡­¡± He paused for a moment, looking at Arenya. Please give me a moment, I think we have some post lecture-questions." The words caught in Arenya¡¯s throat as soon as he turned to her. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Why was she so nervous now? She¡¯d responded to those nosy students without a second thought, after all. Well, she knew where her nervousness came from. The black coat and black hat. Was it just coincidence? ¡°Arenya, do you feel ill?¡± Cartalis asked. ¡°You¡¯ve not hesitated to speak your mind thus far. Perhaps those apples may have resulted in an upset stomach?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just wondering¡­¡± She¡¯d always thought an inability to spit out a question or word was a metaphor, but it truly did take her a moment before her mouth began to move. ¡°Do you Follow?¡± Cartalis blinked and looked at her quizzically. Professor Kazurist¡¯s grin grew. ¡°Indeed! We¡¯re not allowed to ask students about such unless they ask first. Do you practice?¡± And so the floodgates opened. ¡°Yes! My paternal grandmother was full, but my mother converted before I was born. I didn¡¯t think there were many in the city.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t, or at least not actively. Which Teacher do you side with?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t follow a specific Teacher, we¡¯re not an intercessory group. The way you¡¯re dressed, do you follow the Crown of Three?¡± ¡°I do, yes! Most of my family follows the words of The Lunar One, but I found that the Crown spoke to me more deeply.¡± At that moment, the door opened to let in another group of students. ¡°I will need to prepare for my next course now,¡± Kazurist responded, ¡°but I would be happy to continue our discussions another day. You can meet me in my office as the syllabus discusses.¡±
¡°I kind of understand, but I guess I¡¯m still not sure. What really makes a spell an incantation, rather than any other kind of magic?¡± Arenya¡¯s and Cartalis¡¯ notes were spread out on the table. They¡¯d spent the last half hour in review, but somehow she felt almost more lost than when they¡¯d begun. ¡°The simplest explanation,¡± explained Cartalis, ¡°is that an incantation is accomplished through a combination of primary verbal activation and typically but not always the use of a focus.¡± ¡°What counts as primary verbal activation, though? How is an incantation different from a hymn?¡± ¡°Details and Calculus,¡± was Cartalis¡¯ only answer. ¡°I probably should have refrained from even mentioning hymns - they aren¡¯t usually discussed until incantations are firmly understood.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡± She didn¡¯t see. She almost felt like hitting the table in a burst of frustration. ¡°I suspect the feeling you have now is like that which I felt as you and Kazurist went back and forth.¡± At that moment, Arenya saw the funny side of it all and chuckled. ¡°I guess so. I can tell you what the intercessory groups are later if you want.¡± She leaned forward and added the words ¡®and hymns¡¯ to an explanation of the types of magic. ¡°But first, let¡¯s finish this review. I don¡¯t want to fall too far behind.¡± Chapter 7: The Band REVISED ¡°Cannot those damned buffoons keep it down? This is an institute for higher learning, not a party house.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not that bad.¡± Cartalis huffed. The noise really wasn¡¯t that unbearable, she was forced to admit, but when she was trying to go over flash cards with Arenya, untoward distractions such as this were frustrating to say the least. She kept losing track of which of the various piles of cards was which, repeating cards she¡¯d already asked or skipping ones she thought she had. The sound coming from the room two halls down in the Da¡¯at building was quite bizarre, though. It sounded musical, in a manner of speaking, but with an underlying harshness that Cartalis could not describe. Perhaps it was something else, but it was a bit hard to tell, muffled as it was by a few walls between here and there. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go talk to them?¡± The Fiery One whispered into Cartalis¡¯ ear. That she should go there and scream at those students even louder than they did whatever they were doing in there, to give them a piece of her mind so hard that they would never dare to bother them again. As though The Fiery One had not gotten Cartalis into enough trouble by now. Cartalis stamped the urge down, though a flicker of anger escaped regardless. ¡°You think they¡¯ll listen to us? They don¡¯t care about anyone except for themselves.¡± ¡°Well, if you refuse to switch to another table further away, what else should we do? I don¡¯t like seeing you this annoyed.¡± Arenya¡¯s suggestion to change locations wasn¡¯t a bad idea, truly, but it was the principle of the thing. The studious ones such as she shouldn¡¯t be forced to dance to the whims of the partiers! So Cartalis insisted, at least, though she knew she was just being her stubborn self. ¡°You can stay here if you want.¡± Arenya stood. ¡°I¡¯m going in.¡± And with all the blind confidence that only someone with Arenya¡¯s naivete and innocence could have, she walked straight towards the door from which the sounds emanated. Cartalis sighed, smoothed out her skirt, and then followed her. Yes, her skirt. Somehow, somehow, Arenya had talked her into wearing a skirt today, something she hadn¡¯t done in over a year. Her attempt to wear trousers and appear less ladylike didn¡¯t succeed in reducing the number of ¡°heartfelt declarations of love¡± much, but she¡¯d grown so used to them by this point that her legs felt strange in a skirt now. She had to be far more mindful of how she sat, as well - the skirt was long, but she¡¯d grown used to arranging her legs however she wished, Today would probably be the last in a while she wore a skirt, but even she was forced to admit that Arenya¡¯s taste was good - she did look rather fetching in it, if she did say so to herself. The sound stopped a few seconds after the door to the room opened. Those few seconds were enough to make out a cavalcade of clanging noises, as well as a raspy growling sound. Even from behind, Cartalis could tell Arenya¡¯s eyes widened at what she saw. Cartalis mentally prepared herself to see something boorish, took one more step, and¡­ What. WHAT. Nothing could have prepared her for this. The room was, well, not a mess, precisely. Most of the chairs had been pushed out of the way, leaving a large space throughout the far half of the room. There were a number of cans of alcohol strewn near the perimeter of that space not terribly hard to clean the area. That was, of course, disregarding the absolutely bizarre array of instruments that had been placed within that far half. Cartalis noticed the sheer confusion on Arenya¡¯s face - Arenya wasn¡¯t familiar with what modern magitechs had managed to do with music, evidenly, but Cartalis could at least recognized the mana-amplified guitar and bass. The drum set, however, was a chaotic collection of components, seemingly too large for any one person to be able to reach from one side to the other while sitting mostly still. Nevertheless, they were managed by but one person, from what Cartalis could tell. The trio of students here looked¡­ eccentric? No, that was too kind a word for them. One was pale, with a vague bluish tint to his skin. His eyes were a mixture of red and almost black and his hair dark as night. He wore ripped pants and a short-sleeved shirt that showcased a tattoo on his upper arm. Next to him stood a woman holding another instrument. Cartalis found the veil over her face to be ironic, given the rest of her ¡°outfit¡± consisted of barely more than a strap of fabric about her chest and a skirt. She was tall and wispy, but with a surprising amount of muscle on display. She stood before a microphone, and only with a small amount of shock did Cartalis realize that the growling mostly likely emanated from her. The one in back, sitting by the drums, looked modestly dressed in comparison, though not in general. Her green dress ended disquietingly high, and the straps of the dress were down to show her full arms. Curiously, her dress wasn¡¯t the only green thing about her - her hair had a tinge of emerald to it. It was not like Arenya¡¯s vibrant blue locks, though, as this was slight enough that Cartalis wasn¡¯t certain whether or not it was merely a trick of the light. And all three now stared at them, each with a mixture of surprise and amusement in their eyes. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Apple Girl and the Blond Ice Queen!¡± shouted the veiled student. ¡°So, Apple Girl, how¡¯d you manage to convince her to hang out with you?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± said Arenya. ¡°It just kind of happened.¡± The Fiery One seethed, begging to be let out against these students. Dare make such a ruckus at night? Dare call her the Blond Ice Queen to her face? Dare insult Arenya, one too naive to realize what they were doing? ¡°Uhh¡­ We were trying to do some studying, and wondered if you could keep it down a little.¡± Cartalis shook her head no at Arenya, but Arenya either didn¡¯t see, didn¡¯t understand, or didn¡¯t care. ¡°What, our rockin¡¯ was too much for your delicate ears?¡± That was the woman on the drums. She stood and stretched in - Cartalis looked away. The Fiery One begged, she screamed, she sobbed. Cartalis held her back. ¡°This is a misunderstanding. We entered the wrong room. Yes, Areny-¡± ¡°Hey, Apple Girl! I¡¯ve got something for you!¡± Cartalis turned back. While she¡¯d been looking away, The pale one had been rummaging around in a bag. He pulled out a large, smooth-skinned apple. Cartalis saw red. The degree of the insult¡­ she couldn¡¯t even fathom it. ¡°Figured you might want this, given you¡¯re such a big fan of the things.¡± Damn what her family would say. Damn the professors and the repeated talks they¡¯d had with her about her so-called outbursts. ¡°I mean, you love them so much, I bet you have a couple under your dr-¡± Arenya leaped forward, flapping her wings once, moving at an incredible speed. Her feet literally did not touch the ground for over a second. She landed just in front of the pale one, grabbed the apple from his hand, and uttered a few words in the language she always spoke in before eating. ¡°¡­ Peri ha-etz!¡± Arenya bit into the apple. ¡°Oh, this is such a good one!¡± she said with her mouth full. ¡°It¡¯s a bit more tart than the ones my family normally carries, but it¡¯s really good. So much better than the ones the school carries. What breed is this? Do you have any seedlings I can send back to my family?¡± Cartalis¡¯ mouth hung wide open. Everyone in the room stared at Arenya in some amount of shock. Two more bites in, Arenya paused. ¡°Umm, is everything all right?¡± And that was all Cartalis could handle. She fell to the floor, legs splayed out, laughing harder than she had in months. ¡°You fools!¡± she cried, holding her stomach and failing to point at the trio. ¡°You¡­ insult¡­¡± She paused, trying and failing to catch her breath. ¡°You insult my friend, and it blows up in your faces just as you deserve¡­ you buffoons¡­¡± Arenya crouched down and¡­ held her hands by Cartalis¡¯ legs? ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to show anything¡­¡± she said. Cartalis blinked, trying to ascertain what she meant by th¡­ She was wearing a skirt. She had fallen on the floor, legs wildly splayed, and she was wearing a skirt. That Arenya was now holding tight on the ground. Cartalis began laughing even harder than before. ¡°You need not be concerned,¡± she gasped. ¡°I can handle¡­ myself¡­¡± It took over two minutes for Cartalis to regain control of her faculties. By the time she managed it, Arenya had somehow managed to strike up a somewhat cordial-looking conversation with them. The pale one walked up to Cartalis as she stood. ¡°Hi,¡± he said, before sighing heavily. ¡°We¡¯re sorry. You¡¯re right, we did look like idiots there. The name¡¯s Drav. That¡¯s Zelzad,¡± he said, pointing at the veiled one, ¡°and the girl on the drums is Ya¡¯el.¡± Arenya visibly perked up at the mention of Ya¡¯el, though Cartalis couldn¡¯t say why. Cartalis noted with some surprise that The Fiery One was sated. Arenya¡¯s ability to cut the tension so bluntly truly was something to behold, and it led to some amount of¡­ calmness? Cartalis hadn¡¯t felt that in quite some time. ¡°It is nice to meet you,¡± she said. ¡°Pray tell, what is it that you are doing here?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a band,¡± said Arenya, as though that wasn¡¯t obvious. ¡°They told me they play some kind of music called ¡®metal¡¯. I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± Cartalis hrmmed. ¡°I have heard bits of pieces about the genre. Mostly that it is burgeoning in some underground subcultures, but not likely to achieve a large appeal.¡± ¡°Could I stay here while you play a song?¡± asked Arenya. Cartalis¡¯ jaw dropped. Despite all the strangeness that this undertaking had come to, their goal, ultimately, was still to get them to be quieter. And now Arenya wanted them to play more? Mayhaps her friend had truly gone mad. ¡°Sure,¡± said the veiled woman - Zelzad, though something in the back of Cartalis¡¯ head suggested that was not her real name. ¡°After that, we¡¯ll probably wrap up. It¡¯s getting late.¡± ¡°Oh, screw that!¡± The one on the drums started to stretch. Her dress began to - Cartalis looked away. ¡°The night¡¯s still young - you¡¯re only saying that ¡¯cuz -¡± ¡°Shut up, Ya¡¯el,¡± said Zelzad, without even turning to look at her. Arenya and Cartalis exchanged a glance, but Ya¡¯el just laughed. Cartalis got the distinct impression that their friendship was formulated upon statements such as this. With little hesitation, the trio began to play. The song, if one could call it that, was something of a sonic wave hitting them at full speed. Cartalis didn¡¯t know the first thing about music, but she knew that it generally didn¡¯t sound quite so¡­ aggressive. Or loud, for that matter. Cartalis had thought it difficult enough with the wall and door between them, but when in the selfsame room, that impression was magnified tenfold. Cartalis was able to appreciate the talent on display, however, even if she did everything in her power to pretend not to. Drav and Zelzad knew how to play off each other¡¯s vocals and instruments well, and Ya¡¯el jumped back and forth with speed beyond anything Cartalis could expect. Arenya¡¯s eyes sparkled with such enjoyment that Cartalis had never seen on her. When she began to try and dance, only to trip over herself from keeping up with the oppressively fast beat, Cartalis helped her up and then turned away out of a sense of vague embarrassment - though she couldn¡¯t help but peek from time to time. Arenya looked like she was truly having fun¡­ Something Cartalis realized with a start she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d seen before. As the song concluded, Arenya almost fell over, breathing heavily. Cartalis barely managed to keep her face neutral. ¡°You should come by again!¡± said Drav, grinning wildly. ¡°Next time we see you, I¡¯ll bring some more apples. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t realize you were having so much trouble getting food. Shoulda known.¡± Arenya smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± As the two of them headed back to their seats in the hallway, Cartalis noticed that she felt¡­ calm. Excited, but calm at once. The Fiery One, that beast within her that always reared its head and snapped at those she drew close to, had ¡­ had retreated? When was the last time that had happened? Was it just the sheer incongruity of what had just happened, or¡­ Cartalis held back a sigh. It didn¡¯t matter. She had to keep herself rigid, lest she once again invite unwanted attention. So she sat down by the table, grabbed the pile of flash cards, and pretended her mind was not awash with doubts. ¡°That was certainly an¡­ interesting sequence of events. Let us proceed apace. So, tell me, Arenya, what is the integral of the cosine of X with respect to X..?¡± Chapter 7: The Band ORIGINAL ¡°Couldn¡¯t they keep their damned instruments down? Kids these days don¡¯t understand what it means to study.¡± Arenya determined not to break it to Cartalis that ¡®those kids¡¯ were likely older than both of them. ¡°If you want, I can talk to them.¡± Cartalis grimaced. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll listen to you? I¡¯ve asked them politely and impolitely alike to no avail. One might think given the fact that half the school seems so incessantly to desire my companionship, that they¡¯d listen to such a reasonable request from me, but alas. Given that, a new student hasn¡¯t a chance.¡± To be fair, the music was rather irksome. Keeping all these countless cards filled with trivia from five classes of varying subjects straight was hard enough as it was. The aural distraction wasn¡¯t helping at all. It made it almost as hard to focus as the gnawing hunger in Arenya¡¯s stomach. ¡°Let¡¯s go together?¡± Cartalis nodded and stood, smoothing out her skirts. She¡¯d admitted the other day to much preferring pants (easier to move in and less flashy) but agreed that Arenya could pick out an occasional outfit for her. Unfortunately, it turned out that Cartalis was right - half the men, and a good deal of women as well, had practically fallen over each other all day to do minor favors the instant they saw the barest hint of Cartalis¡¯ leg. After shoving the cards into Cartalis¡¯ bag, the two students strode towards the room where the musical group met and pushed the door open. Arenya¡¯s eyes widened. The instruments were of a sort she¡¯d never seen before - six strings, made of arcane metals with runes upon them, allowing for a sound of the sort utterly unlike any her family had achieved when singing around the table after a Grand Feast. The drums she recognized as drums, at the very least, but they were massive structures that could not be moved, rather than handheld or merely placed upon the ground. Six large structures, cymbals¡­ without magic, she struggled to imagine how a single person alone could even carry them. They looked to take a full half hour to even set up. the instruments were clearly infused to produce these sounds - no normally crafted drums or strings could be like this. There appeared to be only one person singing, mostly, but she couldn¡¯t be sure, for the entire group - all six - immediately halted their rehearsal to stop and stare at Arenya. ¡°I stand corrected,¡± Cartalis whispered to her. ¡°You did stop their playing.¡± The first one to move was a student covered in black ink. His skin was not as deathly white as Daniel¡¯s, but Arenya would not have been surprised to learn if he had some demon heritage to give him his pallor. His black hair went down past his shoulders, and his outfit¡­ She tried not to flinch at the holes in his pants, clearly placed there by design. ¡°I heard of you!¡± he exclaimed. The others snickered. Arenya hesitated a moment before speaking up. ¡°We were just w-¡± ¡°We entered the wrong room by mistake, ¡¯tis all.¡± Cartalis grabbed Arenya¡¯s arm and attempted to walk towards the door. She gave Arenya a glance and shook her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Blond Ice Queen?¡± yelled another musician from the back - Arenya wasn¡¯t sure who. ¡°Too busy hanging out with your drake friend to give us the time of day?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a d-¡± Cartalis cut her off with another shake of her head. ¡°Not now¡±, she mouthed. ¡°Before you go, you two¡­¡± The pale inked one reached into a rucksack where spare parts of that nighmarish drum were stored, and pulled out¡­ Arenya gasped. ¡°Want an apple?¡± He held aloft the brightest, reddest fruit Arenya had seen in days. The others snickered. ¡°I mean, since you¡¯re clearly so obsessed with the damn things, I almost wonder if you have apples under your d-¡± Arenya flung herself forward, using a flap of her wings to gain extra height. She snatched the apple from his hands and took a massive bite before he could even think to respond. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± she asked with her mouth full. ¡°So much better than those I¡¯ve found in this city so far.¡± Another bite as she hugged the apple to her chest. ¡°The sweetness is like the Eastern varieties but it¡¯s larger size is more like the tart ones my family specializes in. This must be a specialist variety I¡¯ve never heard of. I need to get some of these seeds and send them to home!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She was greeted with utter silence and stunned stares. The pale inked one stood shock still, eyes flitting back and forth between his still-raised hand and Arenya, before stumbling backward. ¡°Is¡­ is something wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°Sorry I interrupted you. What were you saying?¡± Cartalis toppled to the floor, laughing uproariously. ¡°These fools,¡± she gasped between breaths. ¡°Dare to call me the Blond Ice Queen, you buffoons!¡± Arenya crouched and held down Cartalis¡¯ skirts. ¡°You said you wanted not to show anything¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Cartalis froze. Arenya felt redder than the apple she still held in one hand, wondering how embarrassed Cartalis must feel at how much leg she was showing. Then she burst out laughing even harder. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Arenya¡­ I¡¯ll take care of myself¡­¡± As Arenya finished the apple and Cartalis continued to roll on the floor, one of the pale student¡¯s friends spoke up. Her face was covered by a veil beneath her almost-black eyes, but that was just about the only part of her she seemed self-conscious about. Her skirt was almost nonexistent - with every movement Arenya blushed to behold her. Her shirt barely covered herself, and left her navel exposed entirely. ¡°You certainly know a lot about apples.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the family business. We tend an apple orchard in the country.¡± She sighed. ¡°I never thought I would find an apple I disliked, but the ones here¡­¡± ¡°Then why do you eat them so much?¡± Arenya looked at the ground. ¡°It¡¯s all that¡¯s there I can eat. They¡¯ve served pork and catfish and burgers with cheese¡­ my family doesn¡¯t eat those things.¡± The woman¡¯s gaze traced over Arenya¡¯s wing. Her gaze widened in realization. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t k-¡± The pale inked one spoke up. ¡°So you¡¯re refusing to eat anything there because your parents¡¯ll get their panties in a bunch? Who cares what they think? You¡¯re free of them now!¡± The woman turned to him, eyes in a glare. ¡°Shut your trap, Drav. It¡¯s not about what your parents think, is it?¡± Arenya shook her head. ¡°Mom and Dad would forgive me. It¡¯s God I don¡¯t want to disappoint.¡± She felt a tear drip down her cheek. ¡°They say they¡¯re serving chicken tomorrow - plain, unadorned meat. I still shouldn¡¯t eat it because it was made on the same grill as the pork, but I¡¯m so hungry. I haven¡¯t had anything but those disgusting apples in days. I think I can be forgiven for that¡­ I hope.¡± The pale inked one - Drav - looked at his hands. Any trace of mockery was gone. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry we tried to make fun of you,¡± the poorly dressed woman muttered. ¡°Cartalis is right, we¡¯re the ones who look like fools. I¡¯m Zelzad. You¡¯re A¡¯etheran, right?¡± ¡°Arenya.¡± She looked down. ¡°I guess rumors travel fast here. It¡¯s only been a couple days and everyone seems to know about me.¡± Zelzad hesitated a moment. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a reason. You made a name for yourself faster than anyone. You have wings and striking hair, you dress every day like you¡¯re going to a business meeting, you somehow got the Blond Ice Queen to spend time with you¡­¡± ¡°Are those compliments?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Arenya wasn¡¯t so foolish as no not read the silence. She bit her tongue to keep from a dark frown, and changed the subject. ¡°So what kind of music do you play?¡± At that, Zelzad smiled. Arenya wasn¡¯t sure how she knew through the dark veil, but her posture changed in some slight way, her eyes curved just a bit. ¡°Metal.¡± Arenya blinked. Behind her, she heard the rustle of fabric as Cartalis stood, still chuckling occasionally. ¡°Well, I know that that¡¯s what those¡­¡± She gestured at the instruments. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re made of, but what kind of music is it?¡± Now it was Zelzad¡¯s turn to blink. ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s called. Metal, or heavy metal.¡± ¡°Is it okay if you play a little while I¡¯m here?¡± Cartalis let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Weren¡¯t we here to ask them to stop playing music so we could study?¡± Drav spoke up now. ¡°We were going to wrap up soon, but we can finish the song we were working on.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only be a couple minutes, Cartalis.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Arenya felt, more than saw, her friend roll her eyes a bit. The sound hit Arenya like a wave of force. It didn¡¯t sound the same from the hall, with the door closed. It didn¡¯t sound right. But this¡­ this sounded like nothing she¡¯d ever heard and like everything, at once. The familiar tunes and note sequences, pumped through levels of magic she could scarcely comprehend. Zelzad lifted one of the metal instruments and played it at a rate so fast Arenya was shocked her ears could even keep up. Drav was the singer, she realized, but his voice was hardly singing. It was a growl, a fierce guttural sound that reminded Arenya of the tale of the Greatest Dragon¡¯s fury when he struck the boulder for water instead of asking as he should have. She couldn¡¯t make out a single word. Zelzad did sing the occasional line, however - her voice was a high alto, much more typical singing, complemented by the drum¡¯s deep blasts. It was a chaotic frenzy of a sort Arenya had never heard before. It was beautiful. It wasn¡¯t music to dance to, but she twirled anyway, finding the peace within the rhythm and dancing to it nonetheless. When the song drew to a close, Arenya catching her breath, she found herself at the receiving end of shocked stares fro the third time, though for once the most shocked one was Cartalis. ¡°Can I come by for your next rehearsal?¡± ¡°Not a ch-¡± The one on the drums, who¡¯d said not a word thus far, yelled. ¡°Yes,¡± said Zelzad. ¡°Any time.¡± Her voice was so quiet speaking, a far cry from that of her singing, but it still silenced the one in back. ¡°We¡¯ll be here next week at this time. Right, Drav?¡± ¡°Right. And I¡¯ll try and get some more food. Plain, unadorned chicken, like you said.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Arenya whispered, then turned before they could see another tear roll down her cheek. Back in the hallway, Cartalis muttered, ¡°That just might be the strangest sequence of events I have witnessed in my time here. Are you okay?¡± Arenya took her seat, still catching her breath from her frenzied dancing. ¡°Well? Back to studying?¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± Cartalis poured the pile of flash cards onto the table. ¡°So, for our next card¡­ tell me, what is the derivative of X to the N dx?¡± Bonus Chapter: A Holiday of Study ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m afraid I must confess not understanding,¡± muttered Cartalis. ¡°So you require a certain number of individuals in order to complete certain aspects of your prayer service.¡± Arenya nodded, rubbing her eyes as she leafed through the book Grandmother had brought her. ¡°Yeah. The Blessing of Awareness and a few others.¡± ¡°And if you lack this number, you can proceed but with some aspects skipped.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°And if you proceed, with some aspects skipped, and then another person arrives such that you now have a sucfficiently large number, you may return to the beginning and do those parts which you could not before, but with some slight aspects changed, and they who arrived to complete the grouping is given a particular honor later.¡± Arenya hid a smile. ¡°Seems like you get it to me! What part are you not understanding, then?¡± ¡°But why, then,¡± Cartalis exclaimed, ¡°do the Dragon Sages then proceed to discuss, for several pages, the definition of pants!¡± Holding back laughter, Arenya replied, ¡°Well, you can only get the special honor at the end if you¡¯re in a fully human form and wearing pants, right? So they need to make sure that it¡¯s unambiguous what that means.¡± Arenya was impressed by how well Cartalis was staying awake. To be sure, the dairy meal they¡¯d eaten before wasn¡¯t one that made Arenya as drowsy as one with meat, but even so, this deep into night, it was getting harder for her to keep her eyes open. Yet, Cartalis seemed as awake and alert as ever. ¡°To what end need they even discuss such a case? Was this meant to tell us that one wearing a dress couldn¡¯t receive the honor?¡± Arenya hrmmed, holding back a yawn. ¡°Well... for a ''group'', here, only men generally count." Arenya expected some kind of eye-rolling from Cartalis, but she simply nodded. "And while they knew dress standards would change over time, they assumed no man would wear a dress. So it couldn¡¯t be that¡­¡± She scanned the small text at the bottom of the page, hoping to find a commentary. ¡°It says here that nowadays it¡¯s understood to mean that you have to have your legs covered down to below your knees. So you can¡¯t be wearing tiny shorts or something like that the honor. Of course those weren¡¯t really a thing back then either, so they wouldn¡¯t need to warn about that¡­¡± Nor would I think to wear them to a service anyway. ¡°They... apparently were worried about people arriving to complete the service without any pants or leg coverings at all.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Cartalis looked to be holding back an exasperated sigh. ¡°Was this a common occurrence, for people to arrive to serivces entirely naked?¡± ¡°Not naked, they had underwear!¡± Arenya pointed to another commentary on the following page. ¡°It says that here - if they weren¡¯t at least wearing underwear they wouldn¡¯t be allowed into the room, let alone get the honor.¡± ¡°Fine. Was this a common occurrence, for people to arrive to services with only underwear? And mayhaps a shirt?¡± Tail wagging of its own accord, Arenya held back a giggle. ¡°Probably not. I doubt it ever really came up.¡± The fire in Cartalis¡¯ eyes was like that she used for berating her peers for not working, but somehow more¡­ engaged, was the only word that came to mind for Arenya. ¡°Why then devote so much time to an issue of no relevance?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what they do! That¡¯s what all of this is. They go back and forth, arguing about anything that they can surmise, no matter its importance, because you never know what might end up mattering eventually.¡± ¡°I suppose it at least makes marginally more sense than the last chapter. Your deity attacking the vile demon queen by sending a messenger to remove her tail and almost force her to dance naked in front of the court seems even greater lunacy. Yet even so¡­ You find the Mathemagica intolerable but adore this, of all things?¡± Arenya found herself with no rebuttal to that. Instead she merely continued to scan the page. ¡°Oh, here they talk about whether a child with no pants can be given the honor! Apparently that¡¯s¡­ more plausible than an adult¡­¡± They both burst out laughing. ¡°Okay,¡± gasped Arenya as she desperately tried to catch her breath, ¡°okay, maybe it can be a little ridiculous at points.¡± Cartalis¡¯ wide grin made Arenya almost cry from delight. ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t have it any other way, am I right?¡± Arenya nodded, reaching for another piece of cheese. For her first Receiving away from home, getting to spend the night with her closest friend and study the worlds of the Elder Dragon Sages together wasn¡¯t quite the same as being in a group of dozens, but she loved each minute all the same. ¡°That¡¯s right. So, then the Teachers say¡­¡± Chapter 8: An Introspective Evening Arenya¡¯s lungs were on fire. She coughed and sputtered, barely able to see from the smoke before her eyes. Her mouth filled with a bitter taste. She was overcome with an urge to vomit. And the smell¡­ burning materials she did not wish to know the name of. ¡°Why¡­ why would you¡­¡± she breathed out between hacking coughs. ¡°You took way too big a drag. I¡¯ll show you.¡± Zelzad inhaled on her cigarette, held the smoke for just a moment, then released it over several seconds. ¡°You want to go smaller, especially at first.¡± Arenya shook her head and spat the cigarette out of her mouth. ¡°No way. That was disgusting. And you smoke these every day?¡± Zelzad grinned. She was surprisingly plain-looking when not dressed like she was that first night. In a normal, unrevealing shirt, she looked just like any other student. Her face was tanned and her lips pale. In a crowd of fellow students, she¡¯d not have stood out. ¡°Just one a day, if that. Hardly anything. Now Drav, he''s an addict." Arenya lay back on the grass before Serpent Wing and looked at the setting sun. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back once I have money. I don¡¯t want to smoke this. It¡¯s awful.¡± Zelzad waved her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t pay me back. It was a gift.¡± They sat in silence for a bit as the sky darkened. Zelzad took occasional puffs of her cigarette, but Arenya noticed she was careful to blow the smoke away from Arenya. ¡°Arenya, can I ask you something a bit personal?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I guess so.¡± ¡°How did you get the Blond Ice Queen to be friends with you?¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°Cartalis? What do you mean?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± Zelzad looked away from Arenya. ¡°Please don¡¯t take this the wrong way. Cartalis is kind of an aloof celebrity, you know? Beautiful, rich, foreign. Her family¡¯s well known around here too. But she¡¯s closed off to everyone. She never talks to other students except when she¡¯s annoyed, at which point she''ll just explode at them. She spends hours poring over her work, reading her books, or talking with professors. You¡¯ve seen how many boys have tried to get into her good graces just these last couple weeks. That''s nothing compared to how many chased her around when she first arrived. She¡¯s spurned each and every one, and gotten so furious at some that now only the biggest dolts and bravest fools in the school try to do more than say hello. And then you come along out of nowhere, and from the first moment you two are thick as fiends. When she laughed last week, collapsed on the floor... Even the craziest rumors about her have never discussed her showing anywhere near that much of any emotion that wasn''t cold rage - and there are a lot of rumors about her. How did you do it?¡± A stray cloud moved, revealing the first star of the night. Arenya watched the cloud drift by. She remained silent. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. A minute passed. At last, she said, ¡°We ran into each other on the train here. She was excited about my wings. I expressed interest in her books. It was a little awkward, actually. Then¡­ Then we were friends.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know that isn¡¯t much of an answer. You know, she¡¯s really not that cold or aloof. She gets excited, she shows happiness and confusion just like you or me. She¡¯s just a bit different in when and how.¡± A second star twinkled in the sky as Zelzad lay down. ¡°When you¡¯re around, maybe. But I swear, any time I have seen her it was always with a scowl. I¡¯d say it¡¯s just because I¡¯m a metalhead freak -¡± she chuckled - ¡°but it¡¯s the same story from everyone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same story about me, too, you know.¡± From the corner of her eye, Arenya saw Zelzad blink and do a double take at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°How many other people with wings are there here? How hard is it for me to find food I can eat around here? I don¡¯t think people say I¡¯m beautiful like they do Cartalis, but -¡± ¡°They do.¡± Arenya rolled her eyes. ¡°But other than that, she and I are both outsiders here. We don¡¯t have a lot in common on the surface, but I think she saw through that. We¡¯re both strangers in this place. You have your friends and your band. Cartalis and I only have each other. I think she was just lonely.¡± Silence reigned. Arenya was about to sit up and see if Zelzad was still nearby when she finally responded. ¡°The founder of the academy was a dragon, wasn¡¯t he? I remember reading that.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Arenya allowed herself a slight grin. ¡°Yesod Hall was a giveaway. The hall of the foundational courses, named for the foundation upon which the world stands. It¡¯s half the reason I chose this school. But there¡¯s no Followers here. Just me and Professor Kazurist?" "What about Ya''el?" "Ha. Good one." Arenya relaxed her suddenly clenched fists, took a deep breath, paused a moment. "That was rude. I shouldn''t have said that. You''re right, she is a Follower, technically, but she doesn''t actually follow. She thought her great grandfather was a drake! She doesn''t know the difference between drakes and dragons and she''s descended from a dragon. She''s not... I never realized how few of us there were until now.¡± She looked up at the sky once more. One, two, three stars. A new day. Arenya smiled, or least tried to. ¡°What brought you here?¡± Zelzad hrmmed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What are you studying?" asked Arenya, thankful Zelzad took the bait to change the subject. "What¡¯s your plan in life?¡± ¡°Get something easy to get. Get a job. Fund the band. That¡¯s what I want to do.¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°But what something? What job? That¡¯s why we¡¯re all here.¡± ¡°Whatever pays well.¡± Zelzad shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not here to learn. I just want to get enough that I can focus on what I really care about. That¡¯s why most of us are here, you know. You and the Blo - You and Cartalis are exceptions.¡± Arenya sat up and stared at the grass. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t know if I understand anyone here at all. Maybe not even Cartalis.¡± Zelzad laughed. ¡°Join the club. Nobody understands Cartalis.¡± The two stared at the sky and the slowly gathering clouds for a while. ¡°I should probably get going,¡± said Arenya. ¡°I have something I need to work on.¡± Zelzad stood and clapped Arenya on the back. ¡°Best of luck, my girl. Come by on our next band practice. Drav¡¯ll have some more apples for you. Other food too, I hope.¡± Arenya was torn between a squeak of surprise at being touched in such an odd way and an elated grin, and ended up standing frozen for a few seconds. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you and your friends.¡± Arenya hurried off, glad for the few minutes¡¯ respite from her work. She threw the almost unused cigarette in the trash on her way back to the dorm. She might be in a position to learn much from Zelzad and her friends, but that was one habit she was not intending to pick up any time soon. Chapter 9: Focus A great shadow fell over Gryphon wing, so large it seemed almost to block out the sun. With a thunderous crash, the being landed. She possessed a massive tail and green eyes that seemed to gaze through one¡¯s soul. From nose to tail, the creature was at least ten meters, with a wingspan almost as long. Students began to back away as she roared. All except one. ¡°Grandma!¡± Arenya rushed toward her grandmother, who in the blink of an eye seemed to disappear and be replaced with an old woman with wrinkled cheeks and a glint in her eye. She wore a green dress that matched her eyes and walked with a cane, though she seemed spry enough not to need it. ¡°Hey there, Arenya! I brought babka!¡± She reached into her bag and brought out a well wrapped sweet loaf. It was a challenge for Arenya to keep from salivating at the mere sight of it. She¡¯d not been starving so much as of late - Drav, Zelzad, and Ya''el had been good on their promise to help her get food - but few things were more delicious than those prepared in her grandmother¡¯s kitchen, and it had been far too long. ¡°Thank you, Grandma,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Did you bring the book I asked for?¡± Her grandmother¡¯s smile faltered for the briefest of moments. ¡°I did. It¡¯s right here.¡± She pulled the book out of her bag. The brown cover was old and faded, the title almost impossible to make out. ¡°You know you are dealing with dangerous things, here. Promise me that you won¡¯t try to use this.¡± Arenya nodded. ¡°This is for study and art only.¡± Her grandmother hrrmed. ¡°What have you been up to at school that would require one of the old texts, anyway?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated¡­¡±
¡°I suggest you begin to find partners for your focus creation projects soon,¡± said Professor Kazurist as the lecture concluded. ¡°Remember, you will be graded primarily on the qualitative elements, such as how well it handles mana flow, but aesthetics will not be discounted. I expect a summary of the design two weeks from today.¡± There was no need for Arenya to find a partner, as she and Cartalis had already decided to work together - Cartalis focusing on the channel creation and technical work, and Arenya on the design and setup. As the other students began to mill around and find partners, Arenya stood, grabbed her notebook, and approached the front of the room. ¡°Professor?¡± ¡°Yes, Arenya?¡± Kazurist paused in putting his papers away and retrieving his notes for the next class. ¡°Cartalis and I were discussing the focus design. We decided we wanted to do something a bit fancier than a gemstone. We were thinking a martial focus.¡± Arenya didn¡¯t mention the reason why - that Arenya didn¡¯t have the money for a focus or a weapon and this was an opportunity to solve those problems using the school¡¯s supplies. ¡°And I was thinking something that¡­¡± she paused for a moment, looking for the words. ¡°We wanted to make something really beautiful, and striking. Not just fulfill the requirements, but really go above and beyond.¡± Arenya cringed. She must have sounded ridiculous. She decided to stop dancing around it and get to the point. ¡°I started to think about something based on some of what we discussed in your office hours. About being a Follower - some of the things taught by The Honored Roaring One.¡± Arenya took the notebook and showed him the most recent page. ¡°Something like this.¡± Professor Kazurist ran a hand through his beard. His eyes narrowed as he skimmed the page. Arenya felt a slight chill when she realized that she¡¯d manage to bring pause to someone so boisterous as Kazurist. ¡°Have you shown this drawing to Cartalis yet?¡± he asked after a moment. ¡°No,¡± Arenya admitted sheepishly. ¡°I, um¡­ I was drawing this up during lecture because I couldn¡¯t follow along at all anyway.¡± Kazurist frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t suggest you do so again. Today¡¯s topic was channels, after all.¡± ¡°I know what a channel is and how they work,¡± said Arenya. ¡°Each one diverts and controls the flow of mana, making larger works of magic easier to control. I figured that if we wanted to make something impressive, we would want a lot of them.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°You have the basics correct, but you¡¯re missing a key detail. Each channel allows for a much larger amount of control than the one before, but is also much harder to create. Power goes up with the exponent law here.¡± He pointed to a group of equations written on the board. ¡°And the number of channels you suggest here is¡­ let¡¯s just say, a few more than is reasonable.¡± ¡°Even when one of the people working on it is Cartalis?¡± Kazurist began to laugh, then tried - and failed - to hide it with a cough. ¡°Even when one of them is Cartalis. Bring it up to her and you¡¯ll see. As far as the aesthetics and idea¡­ You told me you haven¡¯t studied the texts yourself, correct?¡± Arenya remained silent and tried not look too embarrassed. ¡°This is going to be rather difficult. It is not impossible, provided you reduce the number of channels, but if you really want to make this, you should expect to be challenged.¡± Kazurist¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°And if you invoke the Lords on it, I expect you to do so accurately. I will not tolerate a bastardization.¡± Arenya blinked. When she opened her eyes again, Kazurist looked the same as he always did, exuberant smile and all. She wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d imagined his momentary seriousness. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, Arenya, but it might prove too advanced.¡±
¡°And you ignored him and went for it anyway?¡± Arenya¡¯s grandmother asked. Arenya nodded. ¡°I need the old texts so I can make sure I get it all correct. Cartalis promised to help, and she¡¯s a genius. And, well, if I want to become a true BladeMage, I need a focus. A good one.¡± Her grandmother tsked. ¡°If you want to become a true BladeMage, you¡¯ll need the grades too. Getting distracted by things like this is dangerous, you know. I know you¡¯ve never been so keen on studying the old texts like this - oh, don¡¯t give me that look, you know it¡¯s true - and I don¡¯t want you to overreach and ruin your chances.¡± Arenya bit back a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. I promise.¡± Her grandmother smiled. ¡°Good. Now, how about you show me around? I could tell from your letter how excited you were about the main building¡­¡±
It was late at night when Cartalis arrived. Arenya sat at a table in one of the side rooms of Yesod Hall. Arenya had turned down most of the lights as her eyes had begun to ache after hours of poring over sheets of paper and her grandmother¡¯s old book. The room was small and cozy, and she''d almost fallen asleep more than once. When Cartalis opened the door, Arenya was taking a break and eating a piece of babka. ¡°The idea is here,¡± she said with her mouth full. Cartalis picked up one of the pieces of paper. ¡°A sword, pure and impure¡­ channels are st -¡± The blood drained from Cartalis¡¯s face. She turned to Arenya with a shocked look on her face. ¡°Two hundred sixteen channels! Arenya, have you lost your wits?¡± She threw the paper back on the table. ¡°Teams of dozens of experts, working for years, can¡¯t make more than fifty. The record for a two-person focus is twenty channels. And the amount of energy released if we were to fail¡­ we¡¯d probably destroy the building if we tried to make thirty! With this many, we¡¯d literally destroy the whole city if we succeeded, and perhaps the country if we failed!¡± Arenya blushed as she swallowed her babka. She¡¯d gathered that the number of channels in her first attempt was too great, but she¡¯d not realized by how much. ¡°Check the other side.¡± Cartalis turned the paper over. That side contained a drawing of Arenya¡¯s second draft of the sword. Beautiful and elegant, with a thick blade with over a dozen lines running along it. The hilt was a silvery color, and covered with intricate inscriptions. Beneath the diagram, she¡¯d described each component in detail. At least, that was the intention. Her ability to draw was strained at the best of times, so the design was clumsy and the lines only parallel in theory. The component description would not have been nearly so long otherwise. Cartalis stared for a long time. Her eyes widened. ¡°This is a fascinating idea,¡± she murmured. ¡°I think we may need to cut down on the channels more, however. I think it is beyond our skill to manage sixteen, though at least it is possible this time.¡± ¡°Nine.¡± Arenya stood and walked behind Cartalis, pointing out a few dots on the sword design. ¡°These seven aren¡¯t active. They¡¯re just for show. I describe that over here.¡± Cartalis followed Arenya¡¯s finger to a note near the bottom of the page. ¡°I see¡­ One channel for permutations of the Worlds of Emanation, yet those related to¡­¡± Cartalis squinted. ¡°¡­Whatever that word means¡­ are uncutting and inactive.¡± ¡°Atsilus,¡± said Arenya. ¡°What language is this?¡± Cartalis asked, pointing at some notes on the side of the paper. ¡°Ancient Draconic. I¡¯ve been writing it in the common letters here, but it uses a different alphabet typically.¡± ¡°I¡¯m beginning to grow concerned for where you are deriving your inspiration for this from. This strikes me as a very bizarre task indeed.¡± Cartalis hrrmed, then picked up another page from the table. Arenya felt her heart drop into a pit in her stomach as Cartalis began reading. ¡°Surrender yourself to me¡­ havee heh heh¡­ ya yah veh¡­ hayo heh yah-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t read it out loud!¡± Arenya almost yanked the paper out of her friend¡¯s hand. ¡°These words are dangerous! If you read them aloud without proper preparation, it could kill you.¡± Cartalis paused for a moment. ¡°Do you truly believe that, friend?¡± ¡°No.¡± Arenya sighed. ¡°But I promised my grandmother I would treat these texts with care. And Professor Kazurist. They believe, and so I do too.¡± Cartalis remained silent for several seconds. She slowly sat down at the table. ¡°So. Shall we proceed to create a plan?¡± Chapter 10: Lab Day ¡°If we had created a one hundred twenty channel focus,¡± asked Arenya, ¡°what would its power have been?¡± Cartalis frowned. ¡°You¡¯re still on that? Truthfully, nobody knows. That amount of mana in one location has never been observed. There are different theories. Most believe that the laws of physics as we understand them would cease to hold - gravity would bend, spells would amplify in ways as yet never observed or perhaps just fall apart, et cetera. It might be unstable, such that any substance imbued with so many channels would simply shatter when the mana density reaches a critical point.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Having said that, if the equations do hold¡­ Even typical spells brought through a focus of that power could rend nations. It would spell destruction on a cataclysmic scale.¡± Arenya¡¯s embarrassment at trying to create something of such power increased with every word. ¡°I suppose we should hope it isn¡¯t possible then.¡± Cartalis nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡± The two were in the undergraduate laboratory. The sterile white walls and plain tables were covered with mechanical implements of all kinds - devices for measuring ambient mana concentration and temperature, fluid injectors, specialized materials for conductivity, and countless things Arenya had no name for. The straps for the protective goggles dug into Arenya¡¯s neck, and her wings and tail ached from being tucked inside her clothing and unable to move, but she supposed it was better than getting something corrosive on her. For once, all the students nearby were wearing very covering clothing and not just her. Although Arenya knew it wasn¡¯t modesty motivating them, she still felt like she didn¡¯t stand out quite as much here. Despite the noise, the room still felt relaxi - BOOM Well, perhaps not that relaxing. Arenya turned to see another pair of students stomping out a small fire from their own failed focus creation, then grabbing brooms to sweep away the ashes. ¡°That is why I suggested we imbue the raw metal with power before we forge it,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°It would have made it harder to get the blade to look as you wanted, but were we to go the other way, the risk of failure would require us to forge again.¡± Arenya laid out the hunk of metal, with interlocking gray and white streaks. ¡°Yes, you were right. At least I only did some early forging. If it gets too damaged, our next attempt we can work with the raw metal like you said.¡± Cartalis nodded, then grabbed many vials seemingly at random. ¡°We should do a per-channel imbuing for the sixth onwards. The first five we can do in bulk. There¡¯s no risk in those.¡± Arenya watched as Cartalis effortlessly spread compounds across the length of the metal, made minute etchings in the surface, and used some bizarre testing apparatus to see how the mana flowed through the lines. Even some other lab students stopped in their tracks to watch Cartalis at work. ¡°Care to do the honors?¡± Arenya blinked, noticing Cartalis¡¯ light smirk. ¡°You want me to¡­¡± ¡°To finalize the first five channels. You remember this from class, yes?¡± ¡°I do, but I¡¯ve never had any practice with it. Don¡¯t you think you should do this? There¡¯s less chance of failure.¡± Cartalis shook her head. ¡°An overload won¡¯t do much for the earliest channels. At worst, the metal will melt a bit. It won¡¯t detonate or combust.¡± She pushed the metal toward Arenya. ¡°Review the notes. Remember the lectures. You¡¯ll succeed.¡± Arenya took a deep breath and scanned over Cartalis¡¯ notes from the channel creation lecture, cursing herself for not having paid closer attention that day. ¡°Clear out extraneous thoughts from your mind,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°Focus on the mana flow in your veins. Place your hand on the device, and fill each prepared channel slowly. Clear out each of its impurities, and fill just to the point of overflow, but no further.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Arenya closed her eyes, trying to force out the stress of the day¡¯s activities and of her concern for the project. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, only for everything to return just before she placed her hand on the metal. A slight fizzling occurred, but she failed to fill even the first channel with more than a minute amount of mana. She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m trying again.¡± Once more she closed her eyes and focused. Once more she could not rid herself of unwanted thoughts. But an idea came to her. Instead of merely closing her eyes, Arenya placed her right hand before her face, the fingertips just barely touching her forehead. ¡°Shema¡­¡± she whispered, as she began to recite each word of her most beloved prayer by heart. The sounds of the room seemed to vanish in her ears. Each stray thought left, replaced with utmost focus. Arenya thought of nothing but the blessing, of each word and its meaning. At that moment, nothing else mattered. ¡°Elokeikhem, emes,¡± With that, she opened her eyes, placed her hand upon the barely forged metal, and focused on the energies her God had placed within her. The metal began to glow with light. Arenya felt the mana filling the first channel with ease, washing away all impurities so quickly she didn¡¯t have to try. As soon as the channel became full, she felt the walls bounding the mana beginning to fracture, but she redirected the flow to the second channel just in time. Arenya focused on each individual impurity here, breaking it down and absorbing it into the flow. Sweat began to flow down her face - even the slightest lapse in concentration could mean the channel failed to fill. By the time the channel was full, she¡¯d started to breathe heavily. The third channel seemed difficult to even start. No wonder Cartalis had - No! No thoughts of Cartalis, or anyone or anything else. Arenya gritted her teeth and continued. The channel filled agonizingly slowly. The mana drain on Arenya was almost painful. About halfway through the channel, she ran into a large impurity, felt by her as a massive blockade preventing mana from flowing. Her fist tightened around the metal as she tapped into her inner reserves. Her eyes began to sting as the words of the blessing resounded in her head, as she slowly, slooooowly eroded the impurity with beads of mana, until it finally dissolved. As the third channel neared completion, felt herself beginning to sag. But she did not come this far along the third channel to falter here! She did not utter a prayer of the heart out of insincerity! She felt the will and the desires of The One Above, He Who led them from captivity, He Who saved them all from certain doom. She willed the channel to be full, and it was. She willed it to almost reach the breaking point, almost overflowing with mana, and it was. She willed the mana on to the fourth channel, and it wasn¡¯t. The design of the martial focus was for nine channels, with seven more false channels for artistic reasons. The first of the false channels lay after the third channel and the fourth, and so the difficulty in bridging between them was much harder, not to mention the increased resistance from having already filled the first three. The last vestiges of mana drained from her, and Arenya removed her hand from the piece of metal and sagged. She was covered in sweat. An unnoticed tear had run down her cheek. Her breathing was heavy and ragged. Yet, a smile dawned on her face. She¡¯d done it! She¡¯d not managed the full five channels that Cartalis had intended, but on her very first attempt, she¡¯d done three whole channels full almost to bursting! Scattered applause shook her out of her thoughts. The lab¡¯s sounds hadn¡¯t gone ignored by Arenya in her concentration, she realized - everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch her. A few walked by and clapped her on the shoulder - a sincere, if not precisely pleasant, expression of congratulation. She saw one student she didn¡¯t recognize snicker at a mere three channels, only for one of the elder students watching over the lab to chastise him for it. Cartalis¡¯ arms wrapped around Arenya in a brief hug, so surprising Arenya nearly collapsed. ¡°Are you aware your eyes began to glow with spare mana? That only happens when one is tapping into mana at a very high efficiency, such that it is flowing through one''s entire body." Arenya''s voice caught in her throat as she tried to respond. After a moment, she managed to ask, "How did the channels turn out?" ¡°The third channel is a little less full than it could be, but the first two are at their peak capacity. Your aptitude is impressive.¡± Cartalis released the hug. ¡°I shall handle the next two. You get some rest.¡± Arenya stumbled over to a nearby chair. She felt endlessly proud of her accomplishment, but nonetheless knew it wasn''t her who''d filled the channels, not really. She looked up to to heavens and uttered another quick prayer. Chapter 11: Zander ¡°Hey, Arenya.¡± Arenya turned in her seat at the dining facility to face the young man. Her eyes widened. He had close-cropped blond hair, a cocky smile, piercing green eyes, and an outfit that showed a lot of care went into him trying to look like he had put no care into how he dressed. He appeared to be a couple years older, though Arenya wasn''t quite sure how much. He looked familiar, but she couldn¡¯t quite place where she¡¯d seen this person before. None of that was what caught Arenya off guard, however. Rather, it was the flowers he held in his hand. ¡°Hello. How do you know my name?¡± The young man laughed. ¡°Everyone knows your name, Arenya! You¡¯re the talk of the school. Everyone who didn¡¯t see how well you filled those channels yesterday heard it instead. I was there, you know. Great job.¡± Arenya nodded. ¡°Right... You were the lab manager at the time. You know, it was only three channels. I don¡¯t think that would be impressive enough to get the entire school talking about me.¡± ¡°Okay, so it wasn¡¯t just that,¡± the young man admitted. ¡°There¡¯s also the part where you¡¯re gorgeous, and hang out with the Blond Ice Queen everyone else is too scared to approach. But anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?¡± He casually held out the flowers. What. Arenya stared, mouth hanging open. Every piece of the man''s bearing exuded pure confidence. At last, she found her voice. ¡°Are you a Follower?¡± The young man¡¯s smile vanished for a moment, then returned, but looked almost frozen and forced. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I asked if you¡¯re a Follower. Or interested in becoming one.¡± ¡°Well, umm, you see¡­ I¡¯d do it for you! How hard is it to become a Follower?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t something you just do. It¡¯s a serious commitment. Followers are the scions of the will of The One Above. The One Above created our world, our past, our future, and He sees all that was, is, and ever shall be. He wishes for justice, and bringing His vision of the world to fruition is the task of the Follower. Much is asked of us, but we fulfill each request as best we can. We eat only the permitted food, for instance. - well, that''s the idea. I''ve had to rely on some leniencies lately, since it''s hard to find decent stuff at the school. We follow His teachings and the teachings of the Dragon Lords who interpret His will. It¡¯s tough, though, because so many people don¡¯t agree on what the ancient dragons actually said. Some people really push things and say that they may not even have existed, and they just do whatever makes sense to them, but my family is more traditional. Each day, we¡­¡± She trailed off as she realized the young man was looking away. ¡°You aren¡¯t listening, are you?¡± ¡°Well, I''m trying, but I don''t know what most of those words mean.¡± The young man¡¯s smile fractured a bit more. ¡°But come on, why does any of this matter? I¡¯ve got a great place we can go and everything.¡± Arenya chewed her lower lip for a moment. ¡°I only date Followers, or people interested in becoming one. It¡¯s one of the teachings of the ancient ones.¡± The young man¡¯s smile took on a hint of aggression. He held out the flowers again, more forcefully. ¡°Come on, it''s just getting coffee or something. How much harm could that cause? Ya''el was willing to have some fun, and she''s a follow-whatsit too. She told me the sages or whatever were just a bunch of senile old men anyway. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Arenya stood, took the flowers from his hand - ¡°Great, now that¡¯s what I¡¯m t-¡± - and threw them to the ground. ¡°Never call me a ''follow-whatsit'',¡± she muttered, fists clenched. ¡°The Ancient Ones were the wisest dragons who ever lived. If you don¡¯t want to listen to them, fine, but they were not a bunch of senile old men.¡± As the young man sputtered in inchoate rage, the people Arenya had been waiting for finally entered. Cartalis, Drav, Zelzad, and Ya''el approached the table. ¡°Drav!¡± said the young man. ¡°Good to see you. Can you get a load of this chick? She¡¯s just like the Blond Ice Queen, giving me the cold shoulder for no good re-¡± ¡°Shut it,¡± said Drav. The young man stopped in place. His jaw worked up and down, but no words came out. His eyes went back and forth between Drav and Cartalis. ¡°I see you have yet to break your habit of incessant womanizing.¡± Cartalis looked at him with a fire in her eyes Arenya had never seen in her before, a quiet fury that would still the heart of anyone who saw it. ¡°Do yourself a favor and get out of my sight before I take the choice away from you.¡± The young man turned to Arenya. ¡°You¡¯re no better than her!¡± he shouted, pointing at Cartalis. ¡°When you find yourself alone wondering why you¡¯ve nobody there to keep you company, don¡¯t come crawling to me.¡± He stormed off, slamming the door to the dining hall behind him. Only after he left did Arenya realize how quiet the room had become, or how many eyes were on them. She slowly sat and gestured to the others to do the same, as conversation began to resume around them. Zelzad sighed. ¡°Such a tool,¡± she muttered. ¡°Zander¡¯s not always like that, but he¡¯s so used to getting his way and having any woman he wants throw themselves at his feet that he doesn¡¯t understand what no means.¡± ¡°You might be the first woman who¡¯s ever rejected him,¡± said Drav. Cartalis grimaced. ¡°Second. He was nicer to you, Arenya, if you can believe that. He didn¡¯t even wait for my answer and instead took me by the arm, so sure he was that I¡¯d already agreed.¡± Arenya hissed. ¡°What did did you do?¡± ¡°I kicked him. In the testicles. Hard.¡± She smiled. ¡°He couldn¡¯t walk straight for days. I believe he was the one who gave me the Blond Ice Queen moniker after that.¡± Ya''el gasped. ¡°That was you? He always said he got into a fight outside a dorm building and beat up three other students.¡± She clapped Cartalis on the shoulder. ¡°That is so aweso-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± The look Cartalis gave Zelzad was a shadow of the one she¡¯d given Zander, but Zelzad flinched back anyway. ¡°Listen,¡± said Zelzad. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me or my boyfriend, but you don¡¯t have to be a jerk about it.¡± ¡°Get your friends to stop calling me the Blond Ice Queen, and we¡¯ll talk.¡± ¡°Stop talking like you¡¯re trying to show off that you know so many words, and we¡¯ll talk.¡± Arenya held up a hand. ¡°Let¡¯s lay off each other, okay? I called us here because I have an idea.¡± Everyone turned to her, though Arenya noticed Zelzad and Cartalis were still glaring at each other out of the corners of their eyes. ¡°I was thinking we could collaborate with your band.¡± Cartalis¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°You want me to what?¡± Drav blinked. ¡°You want her to what?¡± They looked at each other. Arenya couldn¡¯t tell who was more surprised. "Yo, let''s do it!" "Ya... Ya''el?" said Cartalis. Now everyone looked surprised. "Well, Cartalis, you were working on focus design, right?" Cartalis hesitated, and then nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°And Drav, Zelzad, you were looking into better effects for your show coming up, right?¡± They nodded. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Drav. ¡°Arenya, I bet you were thinking that Cartalis could help your group out with effects. Specialized focuses for smoke creation, or lights, or sound amplifying, you know?¡± Arenya forced her jaw to close and nodded. "Yeah, that''s exactly the kind of stuff I was thinking of." Cartalis grimaced, but nodded. ¡°I shall do this. Conditionally.¡± Zelzad said ¡°No way¡± at the same instant Drav said ¡°We¡¯re in¡±. They each looked at the other for a moment. ¡°Come on, honey,¡± said Drav. ¡°She¡¯s a genius at focuses. Put your rivalry aside for a moment.¡± Zelzad sighed. ¡°Fine. What are your conditions, Cartalis?¡± ¡°I have two requirements. My focuses may be used only on songs I approve. I wish to view all lyrics and any I find too... insipid, you shall go without my help.¡± Zelzad sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll show you the list later. And your second?¡± ¡°Arenya and I just finished our main focus construction for Professor Kazurist¡¯s course. It requires testing. May one of you spar with Arenya while she uses the focus so that I may view it under load?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Ya''el extended her hand. ¡°Deal?¡± Cartalis took it and shook. ¡°Deal.¡± Chapter 12: Weapon Testing ¡°Come on, Arenya.¡± said Ya''el. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you were in good shape?¡± She held up her sword - a long, thin blade of a sort Arenya didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Another round, let¡¯s go!¡± Arenya gave Ya''el a look somewhere between a glare and a grin. ¡°Yeah, for tending trees and picking fruit! Farming didn¡¯t require a lot of swordfighting.¡± The two of them stood in one of the school¡¯s various sparring chambers. This one was on the third floor of Malkhus Hall, and wide windows near the top let in sunlight. A door near the side led out to an an empty balcony, for students who needed some air. The gray stone floors and walls were covered in scratches and scuffs from previous matches. There was a slight hum in the background, courtesy of the enchantments protecting students from serious injury. Cartalis had inspected the enchantments and called them a work of art, and Arenya could only just recognize some things she¡¯d seen in her classes, layered and combined such as they were. Cartalis nevertheless assured her that she could go all out testing Shamir without any worry of hurting herself or Ya''el, before taking a seat next to Drav by the benches in the corner and taking notes. ¡°And anyway, when I was working on the farm¡­¡± The enchantments, useful as they were, did have a consequence, though. ¡°It was never this hot!¡± Arenya was covered in sweat. Her dress stuck to her, and she kept almost tripping over herself. The room¡¯s enchantments kept in heat, and it would have been uncomfortable even without the windows near the ceiling letting in so much sunlight. She kept trying to use her wings to fan herself, but it didn¡¯t help. Nevertheless, she channeled power through her sword and flung a bolt of mana at Ya''el. Shamir looked rough, figuratively and literally. The edges needed more sharpening, and the metal wasn¡¯t a smooth, clean shape. Each stripe was a bit misaligned, and the thickness of each channel wasn¡¯t quite uniform. Spells focused through him were sometimes jagged. He wasn¡¯t a perfect sword, or a perfect focus - but each time Arenya held him, she filled with a bit of pride that she¡¯d forged his blade and filled his first three channels. ¡°Ya''el, recall that we are not here to see who the better fighter is,¡± said Cartalis. Her voice was slightly distorted from being on the other side of the protective enchantments. ¡°We are here to see how Shamir holds up under strain and what steps shall be required when reforging.¡± Ya''el immediately tried a high blow that would bite into Arenya¡¯s neck were she struck. Arenya¡¯s arm still ached from the last time she tried to block such a strike - the enchantments prevented death or serious injury, but not pain. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be training in that dress,¡± she said as Arenya ducked the strike. ¡°I¡¯m hot enough in just this.¡± Arenya barely ducked under the blow. Ya''el, the brave soul, had a point, she admitted - Ya''el looked uncomfortably hot also and was wearing much less - but Arenya still squirmed at the thought. She arose from her duck and attempted an amplified strike, filling the blade with mana to improve its sharpness. It could provide a burst of momentum and even increase range a few inches if released at the right time, so she heard, but the timing was too difficult for Arenya to manage. ¡°I couldn¡¯t dress like you! My smallclothes are more modest than your outfit!¡± Ya''el wore what seemed like a few straps around her chest and what could generously be described as black shorts. The straps prevented much movement, but scarcely hid a thing, and the shorts ended so far up the leg that Arenya blushed even to think of wearing them. Despite this, Ya''el seemed to have no embarassment at all, even with Drav right there. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Yeah, but who¡¯s the one who can barely fight?¡± Ya''el held up a hand to indicate a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°Come on, just roll up your sleeves at least.¡± Arenya paused, considered, looked at Drav¡­ and then hesitantly began to roll up the sleeves on her blue dress. ¡°This does give me more freedom of movement,¡± she admitted. ¡°You can also try hiking up your skirts!¡± called out Drav. ¡°It must be hard to move around in that dress and your legs must be smoking!¡± Arenya looked at him while Ya''el tried not to laugh. ¡°How far up?¡± she asked. ¡°They are hot, but I¡¯m not going higher than just above my knees while you¡¯re here. And I¡¯d say given the kind of heat, they would be steaming, not smoking. There''s no fire that would -¡± Arenya saw Cartalis glare at Drav out of the corner of her eye. ¡°That was a double entendre, I suspect. The term ¡®smoking¡¯ is often used to indica-¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± Arenya buried her now-crimson face in her free hand as the meaning hit her. ¡°I think he meant up to here,¡± said Ya''el. Arenya glanced through her fingers to see her gesturing all the way up to her hip. Ya''el''s smile proved she was teasing, but Arenya still swung at her with all her might. Ya''el''s eyes opened wide and she barely blocked the strike. ¡°Drav doesn¡¯t really care, you know,¡± she said after regaining her balance and launching a counter. "Our concerts get wild sometimes. Heck, he''s seen Ya''el and I naked before. Why are you so upset by showing a little skin?¡± Arenya focused another mana bolt through the sword, hoping to catch Ya''el off guard with a ranged at point-blank, but was so startled by the admission of nudity that the bolt fizzled before it properly formed. ¡°Why does everyone here have so little modesty? Boys are going to be lusting for you nonstop. Doesn''t Zelzad care that Drav has seen you like that? Doesn¡¯t that make you uncomfortable?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ no? I love it when guys fall over themselves for me.¡± Ya''el feinted a few strikes before a swift side blow that Arenya barely blocked. ¡°As far as Zelzad..." Ya''el let out a wicked cackle. "She thinks it''s hilarious. And anyway, you''ve got wings and a tail. It doesn¡¯t matter what you¡¯re wearing; you¡¯ll always be drawing more eyes than me.¡± CLANG ¡°But a different kind!¡± CLUNK ¡°No, people are after you.¡± BANG ¡°All the more reason not to dress like I¡¯m trying to sell my body!¡± ¡°Nobody cares, Arenya! People won¡¯t think you¡¯re a harlot just because they can see your legs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s indecent! I don¡¯t care how hot it is. I¡¯m already showing too much since Drav can see my arms.¡± Out of the corner of her eye, Arenya saw Drav stand and walk towards the exit. ¡°I¡¯ll knock before entering so you can be decent. Only girls in here without me. I could go for a smoke anyway. Will that help?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m not going to hitch my skirt up no matter who¡¯s here.¡± Arenya flapped her wings to gain a burst of speed and closed in on Ya''el, flinging another mana bolt as she did. She barely managed to strike Ya''el on her torso. A massive grin spread across her face as she realized it was the first in their training she¡¯d landed a hit. Ya''el grunted. ¡°Nice one!¡± She paused for a moment, breathing heavily. ¡°Damn it all¡­ you know what, it¡¯s too damn hot for this.¡± She began to pull off the wraps around her chest. ¡°You will do no such thing!¡± ¡°Ya''el, we shall have some shred of decency here today!¡± ¡°All right, ¡¯El, go for it!¡± Arenya and Cartalis both stared at Drav, paused by the entrance to the room, with shocked expressions. ¡°Oh, come on,¡± he said, chuckling. ¡°She¡¯s my bandmate. I can say things like that.¡± Ya''el burst out laughing. ¡°Seems you¡¯ve been outvoted.¡± Drav made a show of looking disappointed. ¡°Oh, poor Drav¡­¡± said Ya''el in a slightly mocking tone. ¡°If you¡¯re really that desperate, when we¡¯re done here, I¡¯ll really need a shower, so you and Zelzad -¡± ¡°So Cartalis!¡± Arenya yelled. ¡°What are the results so far?¡± Cartalis, trying not to burst out laughing, skimmed over her notepad. ¡°Overall, performance is solid. The glow flickers when you are firing mana bolts, however, which suggests that it may need another soaking. I also think we could straighten the channels.¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°Isn¡¯t channel straightening not possible after we fill them?¡± Cartalis hid a smile. ¡°Not with traditional methods, but I found that if you attempt another filling with an uneven amount throughout, channels made of a softer material can be bent a bit. I will show you. But for now¡­¡± Cartalis wrinkled her nose as she looked over at Ya''el and Drav, who now appeared to be finding ways to discuss inappropriate topics using bizarre metaphors Arenya didn¡¯t understand. ¡°There is one thing you two have in common. You could use a shower.¡± Arenya laughed. Chapter 13: Songs ¡°How many songs have you written?¡± Cartalis looked at Drav and Zelzad in disbelief. ¡°Not a ton,¡± said Zelzad, chuckling. ¡°Most of these are covers.¡± ¡°Are they all the same sort of¡­¡± Cartalis paused, looking down. Arenya looked up from her increasingly full page of notes and ideas. She had never seen Cartalis struggle so long for words before. ¡°The same¡­¡± Cartalis let out an almost imperceptible sigh. ¡°Graaaaagh whuuuuuu -¡± Cartalis started coughing as Arenya almost choked on her own tongue in shock. ¡°You know, that,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°It hurts my throat to try it.¡± Drav applauded. ¡°That wasn¡¯t bad! Careful with your vocal chords, though. Maybe if you want to learn some techniques sometime, we could -¡± ¡°No.¡± Zelzad sighed. ¡°Come on, Cartalis, have some fun. And no, not all our songs have uncleans. Some are just metal covers of popular music. We pared down the list to not have the worst offenders, so probably you¡¯ll think these are all fine.¡± Cartalis scanned the list. ¡°The Mare of - hmm, what¡¯s this one about?¡± Arenya noticed Drav and Zelzad exchange a glance. ¡°It¡¯s about a man who meets a mysterious woman in the woods,¡± said Drav, ¡°but she turns out to be an evil, uhh¡­¡± ¡°¡®I pray she won¡¯t play the¡­¡¯ Oh, eww," murmured Cartalis. "What did you think I was going to say to this? No, you¡¯ll not play this one." Arenya looked over Cartalis¡¯ shoulder and went pale. ¡°Is she -¡± ¡°Yes, I believe she is,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°Pray tell - did you truly believe I would have any reaction other than disgust to this?¡± ¡°No,¡± muttered Drav. ¡°I thought I removed that one¡­¡± Arenya turned back to her notes, crossed out a line reading ¡°A man but so too a slave¡±, scribbled another underneath it. ¡°Not a man, merely a slave.¡± It still wasn¡¯t good enough, so she crossed that one out too. Cartalis flipped to another page. ¡°Mayhaps this one shall be better¡­¡± She proceeded to read in a deadpan tone. ¡°¡®I¡¯m hot. My b¡­¡¯¡± Cartalis paused, squinting at the page. She gestured vaguely toward her chest. ¡°¡®and b...¡¯¡± She grimaced. ¡°This is just a woman singing about how beautiful she is. Crassly. She is mostly drawing attention to her anatomy in the most lewd fashion possible. The only way you could possibly deliver this song properly - ahem, properly - is half undressed, and I suspect even you are above that. Only a man could have written this. Or Ya''el, I suppose.¡± Only a man¡­ Only a slave. Arenya nodded and wrote it down, finally happy with the line. Drav facepalmed. ¡°Why was that song there? I thought we took that one out!¡± Zelzad shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s really not that bad, Drav. And it was actually written by a woman, too. I thought maybe Cartalis wouldn¡¯t mind so much.¡± ¡°Well, I do.¡± Cartalis harrumphed and turned to the next song. ¡°¡®When the mood sways me¡¯¡­¡± Cartalis went pale. Her eyes widened. ¡°What in the seven hells is this song? This is¡­ These may be the most depraved lyrics I have ever read in my life! ¡®I want to¡­ TO DEATH¡¯?¡± Cartalis¡¯ hands almost began to shake as she dropped the page. ¡°Oh, by Arela, Sultis, and Xelax! Zelzad, if you actually sang these words, the entire audience would think you were a whore!¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Arenya sat up so quickly she knocked her her page of notes off the desk to land next to Cartalis¡¯ song sheet. She¡¯d never heard Cartalis swear like that before. She peered at the page on the ground, before covering her quickly reddening face. The lyrics appeared to describe a woman whose singular hobby was dragging men to her bedchambers and murdering them through acts so unspeakable Arenya couldn¡¯t believe anyone had dared to think them, let alone put them to music. ¡°Oh,¡± said Drav, ¡°is that ¡®I want to-¡¯¡± Cartalis nodded. ¡°Zelzad, I thought we already agreed we were never going to play that song again! She¡¯s right, it¡¯s depraved. Even for us.¡± Zelzad nodded. ¡°We did¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°That song sucks anyway. Not sure why we even had it in the list. There was no way we were going to play it.¡± Drav shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s strange. All three of those I thought we¡¯d removed already.¡± As if on cue, the door opened. Ya''el walked in, holding a collection of loose papers. "Hey, y''aaaaaaall," she said, smirking as she drew out the line. "I stopped by our workshop and noticed our song selection was still there. The rejected ones were gone, though." Arenya noticed Zelzad subtly smirk. It was a brief gesture, lasting only a fraction of a second, but at that moment, Arenya realized what had happened. Evidently, Cartalis did too. She stood, fists clenched. ¡°You gave me the wrong list! You did not hand me the songs you approved, but the ones you rejected! And I bet you did it on purpose, too, Zelzad. You just wanted to see my reaction!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± A moment of stunned silence settled on the five of them, broken by Arenya, Zelzad, and Ya''el all bursting out laughing. Cartalis glared at Arenya. ¡°It is kind of funny,¡± Arenya said once she caught her breath. Cartalis¡¯ gaze held for several seconds, but her stern gaze faltered as she cracked the barest smile. ¡°I suppose the second one was rather humorous¡­¡± Arenya could tell Cartalis was trying not to give Zelzad the pleasure of hearing her laugh at her prank. Ya''el rolled her eyes. "I can''t believe you guys wanted to take out some of those. That one is so much fun. I''m hot! My b-" Even Cartalis joined in on the laughter that time. ¡°All right. Ya''el, you can hand over the real list now,¡± said Zelzad. Cartalis picked up her and Arenya¡¯s sheets of paper from the ground. She paused, looking at Arenya¡¯s. She gulped. ¡°You wrote this?¡± she asked. There was a quavering element to her voice. ¡°Yes¡­ Do you like it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well¡­ Relative to that last song I looked at¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°This is worse.¡± Drav, Zelzad, Ya''el, and Arenya turned to Cartalis and said ¡°What?¡± in perfect unison. ¡°I have got to see this,¡± said Drav. He walked behind Cartalis and looked over her shoulder. His eyes widened. ¡°¡®He who claims to be a king, great and brave, is only a man, only a slave, and with those words she cast herself off the roof? Hardel - whoever that is - took her body and¡­¡¯¡± "Yo," said Ya''el, a devilish grin on her face. "That is sick." "Sick is right." Drav shook his head. "I''m surprised you''d write something this depraved, Arenya. It doesn''t seem like you." Arenya tried to hide her deepening blush. ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s Hardel. He¡¯s supposed to be vile. At least it¡¯s not making light of it like those ones all were.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Cartalis looked over the page carefully. ¡°So he killed all the dragon lords except for one, whom he blinded and clipped the wings of, and ¡­ and he rebuilt the Palace?¡± Arenya nodded. ¡°Yes, that was him. It didn¡¯t last long.¡± Ya''el blinked. ¡°The Palace. That Palace? It was rebuilt by this bozo?¡± Arenya paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± she admitted. ¡°This story might be a parable. I¡¯m not sure. But Hardel was heavily involved, definitely. That¡¯s what makes this story so fascinating. My father and I were studying it together a few days before I left to come here. I didn¡¯t understand it all that well, but I thought it might make a good song.¡± ¡°About that,¡± Cartalis muttered, ¡°I suspect you are wrong.¡± Drav took another sheet of paper and began to make notes on it. ¡°No, I think there¡¯s something here. A complex, morally dubious tale of an evil slave trying to rise to a king? Destroying the holiest people of the land just so they wouldn¡¯t speak out against him? His eventual return to the good by creating The Palace? This is as metal as it gets.¡± ¡°He did not return to the good,¡± said Arenya. ¡°He was a fool tricked into it by the Lord he left alive.¡± ¡°Mayhaps we should study this together,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°In the meantime, though, perhaps I should get back to checking this song list. Hopefully this next batch is less objectionable than the last one.¡± Chapter 14: Tests ¡°So.¡± Professor Kazurist folded his hands together as he inspected the sword. ¡°Shamir. Arenya, I assume you¡¯re the one responsible for his name?¡± Arenya nodded. ¡°Because he can cut through anything.¡± She and Cartalis stood in Professor Kazurist¡¯s office. Countless books lined the walls on brown wooden shelves, mostly massive tomes with names ranging from Practical Statistics in Electromagitechnical Construction to Flamescrolls: A Primer. They¡¯d finished the field demonstrations of Shamir''s mana blasts and channeling, and now were undergoing a close scrutiny of the details of his structure. Arenya had no idea how Cartalis could look so calm and collected as they were having something they¡¯d worked so hard on analyzed by such an expert. Professor Kauzrist grinned, and at least some of Arenya¡¯s tension melted. ¡°Clever. Who filled the channels?¡± ¡°Arenya did the first three,¡± said Cartalis, ¡°and I did the other four. Channels four, eight, and twelve through sixteen are aesthetic and non-functional. Arenya insisted we have sixteen visible.¡± Arenya handed Professor Kazurist one of her diagrams labelling each channel. ¡°This is why I wanted sixteen. I was also hoping we could go back and add the rest later, when we¡¯re more skilled.¡± Kazurist¡¯s smile vanished and Cartalis jolted. Arenya¡¯s heart froze. ¡°Miss Azural, have you been dozing in class again? Adding additional channels to an already completed focus is very dangerous and should only be done by professionals.¡± Arenya grimaced. ¡°Well, the core of the focus is pretty small. I thought maybe it wouldn''t be so dangerous then. And sixteen is a lot, but lots of talented people have gotten up to seventeen before, right? The dangerous limit is after eighteen, you said last week.¡± ¡°I see you have been paying attention after all," said Kazurist. ¡°Still, I wouldn¡¯t trust the materials in the laboratories you have access to. Speaking of which¡­ Can you tell me which lab you were working on Shamir in?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ The normal one on the third floor of Yesod Hall. Why?¡± Kazurist steepled his fingers. ¡°The truth, please.¡± Silence reigned. Arenya and Cartalis looked at each other. Cartalis closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. ¡°Some of the modifications I made myself I conducted in a different lab. I was attempting to straighten the channels, and -¡± ¡°You WHAT?¡± Professor Kazurist looked at the two of them aghast, eyes wide. ¡°Tell me you didn¡¯t fill it backwards.¡± Arenya took a step back, blinking back tears. She¡¯d never seen the professor like this. ¡°I didn¡¯t try any backflow. I am well aware of the consequences. I had an idea that if we filled a bent channel beyond its standard limit and placed no mana into any others, the force would pressurize the metal and reshape it. I suspect it wouldn¡¯t work with tungsten or steel without much finer control than I possess, but as Shamir is made of iron, I felt it would reshape without difficulty.¡± Cartalis, despite it all, cracked a self-satisfied smirk. "And I was right." Professor Kazurist removed his spectacles and began to clean them. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ve heard the idea discussed before, but most people aren¡¯t willing to try it. Cartalis, did you tell Arenya the risks of overfilling a channel?¡± Cartalis gulped and went pale. ¡°I know what I am doing,¡± she said. ¡°I knew how to keep the focus from exploding. At worst, I would have burst a channel and needed to reforge it.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Is that so. Do you care to tell Arenya the full story now?¡± Cartalis sighed and turned to Arenya. ¡°If I were sloppy and made mistakes, the overfilling could have caused Shamir to detonate¡­ explosively. If I couldn¡¯t have contained the explosion, it might -¡± She put a grand emphasis on that word - ¡°have overwhelmed the third floor lab¡¯s safety wards and, ahhh¡­¡± ¡°Killed you and anyone else within ten feet?¡± suggested Kazurist. ¡°Mayhaps with the slapdash, barely functional safety wards you provided!¡± Cartalis turned back to the professor. ¡°It is not my fault that I¡¯m not allowed into the graduate rooms with the real equipment!¡± Kazurist chuckled. ¡°And now, the truth is revealed.¡± Kazurist replaced his spectacles. ¡°Tell me, Cartalis, and tell me straight and true. Did you break into the graduate labs with their advanced wards in order to make these improvements?¡± Cartalis hesitated¡­ and then nodded. Arenya took another step back, only to bump into the rear wall. ¡°Why did you take such a risk to improve Shamir? He was fine before you straightened the channels! You were there when Zelzad and I were testing him!¡± ¡°Listen to your own words. He was fine,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°Decent. How is he now?¡± Arenya stopped for a moment. ¡°¡­ Excellent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Cartalis looked behind her, hesitated. ¡°I do not talk like this overmuch, but allow me to be personal for a moment. You poured much into this sword and his designs, and I know you did not grow up around focuses nor had the money to purchase one. I wanted to see you using something worthy. So I¡­ took some calculated risks.¡± Arenya felt tears welling up in her eyes again, though not for the same reason as before. She wrapped her arms around Cartalis. ¡°Thank you, my friend. You really shouldn¡¯t have done it. But thank you anyway.¡± Kazurist politely looked away until the two of them let go, before proceeding. ¡°Your work is good. The channels are mostly straight, though I can tell that your control wavered after the fifth one when straightening them. The initial filling was done extremely well, though, especially on the first three.¡± He looked pointedly at Arenya for a moment. ¡°Aesthetically, it¡¯s one of the best I have seen. Under normal circumstances, I would have you both an exemplary grade. However, under the circumstances of using illicit equipment¡­¡± Arenya and Zelzad exchanged worried looks as Professor Kazurist paused for the longest three seconds Arenya had ever experienced. ¡°I will be penalizing Cartalis ten points. Arenya, you get ninety points. Cartalis, eighty.¡± Arenya sighed in relief and noticed Cartalis doing the same. She knew Cartalis had been aiming for one hundred, but the punishment could have been much worse. ¡°Now, Cartalis. As punishment for illicit use of equipment, I am banning you from all school laboratories for one month, except under requirement by classes. Do you understand?¡± Cartalis gasped. Arenya wasn¡¯t sure, but it looked as though a small tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°I understand, Professor.¡± ¡°At the end of this time period, you will write me a one-page essay on why you deserve access to the graduate laboratories with Arenya as your assistant.¡± Cartalis froze. ¡°Pardon?¡± Kazurist laughed. ¡°You attempted a rarely done method for altering focuses after their creation, did so successfully, and you think I am going to not let you continue your work? A few points and one month ban are enough of a slap on the wrist for the dean not to ask too many questions, but after that, I will need something to convince them that you deserve to continue your research. You are both excused.¡± ¡°Thank you, Professor!¡± Cartalis¡¯ eagerness was palpable, and Arenya couldn¡¯t help but wag her tail. "Do any other undergraduate students have access to the graduate labs?" asked Arenya. Kazurist nodded. "There are two others. It''s not an honor we try to publicize, though, so forgive me for not saying their names." A few moments of thanking and collecting themselves later, Arenya returned Shamir to his sheath and they left the room. Just before they closed the door, they heard the voice of Professor Kazurist. ¡°One last thing. Cartalis? Next time, wear gloves. We check for fingerprints.¡± As soon as the door to the office closed behind them, both Arenya and Cartalis let out massive sighs of relief and all but collapsed to the floor. ¡°That,¡± muttered Cartalis, ¡°was perhaps more exciting than I anticipated.¡± ¡°Did you really sneak into the labs?¡± asked Arenya. ¡°How did you do it?¡± Cartalis let loose a brief chuckle. ¡°I asked Zelzad for suggestions. She told me how to break the lock by kicking it.¡± Arenya¡¯s eyes widened and she covered her mouth. ¡°And did you?¡± ¡°It seemed too crude. I melted it with acid instead.¡± Chapter 15: Planning Cartalis peered at the document. ¡°You¡¯re sure this is permissible by school policy? Actually, a better question - you¡¯re sure this is legal?¡± Drav nodded as he lit a cigarette. It was a nice day - the sun shining, the plants green - so they could meet outdoors, but it did mean Arenya would have to ignore the secondhand smoke. She was working on homework, as she had little to contribute to the meeting, and Zelzad was busy, so it was just the three of them. ¡°People carry martial focuses around all the time,¡± said Drav. ¡°Us having weapons on stage isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°True, but what people carry around are concealed martial focuses,¡± said Cartalis, ¡°only to be removed when modifying or testing them. Wouldn¡¯t you say that waving them around onstage is a bit dicey?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk it over with the joint. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Arenya took another bite of her apple. ¡°What¡¯s the sword for?¡± she asked with her mouth full. ¡°Well,¡± said Cartalis, ¡°They asked for a partial invisibility spell, capable of functioning on skin, clothing, and an unsheathed sword martial focus, which tells me they¡¯ll need them for something¡­ Ahem. What, pray tell, do you need the blood effects for?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s for the stabbing.¡± Arenya nearly spat her half-chewed apple on the page. ¡°The what?¡± Drav laughed. ¡°Partway through the show, we¡¯re gonna have one of our backup guys sneak onto the stage with a sword cloaked, then he¡¯s gonna cut the cloak, stab me in the back, and take over for a couple songs. After that, I¡¯ll get back up through the Power of Metal or something, we sing a duet while we pretend to fight, and then I kick his ass and everyone cheers for the finale. But we need the invisibility and a lot of blood. Not too much, though, we need it to look real.¡± Arenya¡¯s jaw fell. She had absolutely no words to say. A glance at Cartalis suggested she was in the same boat. Drav looked so, so¡­ so excited. His was the face of a man who had complete and utter faith in his ideas and couldn¡¯t wait to put them into practice. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not sure about this,¡± said Cartalis. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Arenya closed her eyes. Cartalis was livid, surely, and she was going to blame Drav, and then blame Arenya for giving them the idea to involve Cartalis in the first place. ¡°I don¡¯t think full invisibility is a good idea. Too much suddenness might cheapen the effect.¡± Arenya opened her eyes to see Cartalis scrawling tiny notes on the margins of the paper, so fast her normally perfect calligraphy started to become looser and loopier. A smile played across her face. ¡°What if I included deliberate flaws, so that there¡¯s some flickering or distortion?¡± Drav hrmmed. ¡°So that people can kinda see that something is there, but they won¡¯t be able to tell what¡­ I like it! What color should the cloak be?¡± ¡°It needs to blend in with the clothing of the rest of the group, but the clothing should contrast. What are your uniforms?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any unifo-¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! You can¡¯t put all this effort into the cloaking but none into what you¡¯re wearing! Your band should synchronize the outfits so that the invader is distinct. What color is¡­¡± Arenya turned back to her homework, but she was too stunned by the increasingly excited discussion between Drav and Cartalis to focus on it much. The two jumped back and forth describing increasingly elaborate setpieces and costume ideas. Cartalis continued scribbling notes on single-purpose focuses and amplifiers to release steam or fire as they walked onstage, shift between different colors between songs, and other ideas that swiftly left Arenya in a daze trying to keep up. ¡°Hey, honey.¡± Arenya turned from the staggering display to spot Zelzad walking towards the table. ¡°Class was such a drag today, I¡­¡± she trailed off, frowning slightly as Drav didn¡¯t turn. ¡°Drav!¡± she shouted after a moment. Drav blinked. ¡°Oh, Zelzad. Sorry, I was distracted. Hey, are you all right with being the Mistress of Decay on stage?¡± He showed her the paper, now covered in notes with no rhyme or reason to their placement, and pointed to a corner that described their newfound ¡°stage personas¡±. Zelzad didn¡¯t even look at the paper. ¡°I¡¯m not going by Mistress of anything if we¡¯re cutting all the songs that a mistress would sing.¡± ¡°Ah, I had not considered the subtext of that kind of mistress¡­¡± Cartalis thumped the back of her pen against the table a few times, deep in thought. ¡°I had intended it to be a mere moniker for a young woman. Princess of Decay? The regal air it lends gives some possibility¡­¡± ¡°Queen of Decay. I¡¯m no princess.¡± Zelzad sat down by the table. Two seconds later, she did a double take. ¡°Wait, Cartalis? That was your name idea?¡± But she and Drav had already become distracted discussing the implications of the extended royal family. ¡°Uhh¡­ What exactly spurred this on?¡± asked Zelzad, looking at Arenya. ¡°I have not the faintest idea.¡± Arenya suppressed a giggle, but couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°At least you and she managed to talk without any raised voices. You might want to join in their discussion, unless you want everything about the Queen of Decay decided for you.¡± Zelzad grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should interrupt them right now- they look like they¡¯re having way too much fun. What class is¡­ oh, applied Mana Chemistry? I was never great at chem, but since we¡¯re here and they¡¯re busy, maybe I can help you with¡­¡± Chapter 16: Memories of Home An hour later, Arenya was writing in the final answer on her homework. Drav and Cartalis had each headed off to their next class, leaving her and Zelzad to finish the work alone. They sat silently for a moment, enjoying the afternoon sun, when Zelzad asked, ¡°So what was it like growing up?¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Zelzad hesitated a moment. ¡°I mean¡­ you didn¡¯t grow up in the city. Almost everyone here did, though. And you¡¯re a Follower. So what was it like growing up?¡± Arenya grabbed her water bottle and took a long sip before answering. ¡°It was nice, but a lot of hard work. There was a lot of work to do on the farm, but a lot of enjoyable times, too. I remember spending hours with my Dad showing me how to do the morning prayers.¡± ¡°I thought¡­¡± Zelzad looked away. ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t ask that.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Well, I really don¡¯t know much about Followers. Most of it I realized was pretty wrong when I met you. Like, how Followers are always sitting on piles and piles of gold from dragon hordes.¡± Arenya winced. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear that one much growing up myself, but almost everyone I know has a story of the time they were accused of hording wealth.¡± ¡°Right. Lotsa crap, I realized, some of it just made up.¡± Zelzad paused. ¡°So I¡¯m sorry if this is another fake one, but you said you did the morning prayers. I thought Follower women weren¡¯t allowed to pray because the men rule the household?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s complicated.¡± Arenya reached into her bag and took out her prayerbook. ¡°Women are in charge of the household, usually, but they usually don¡¯t say most of the morning prayers, and if they do in a group of men they¡­ It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t matter, but¡­¡± After racking her brains for a few seconds trying to find the best way to explain, she simply said it bluntly. ¡°If you¡¯re doing something that needs a whole group, they have to all be men, usually. I asked my mother about it once and she said that she used to think it was a punishment until she realized that she got to spend so much time with me growing up while my dad was always so busy, and she realized she was actually rewarded with time to raise her daughter.¡± Arenya bit back a sigh, looking out at the grass. Zelzad shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Are you saying she came to terms with being not important enough to count because she was a woman?¡± ¡°No¡­ You won¡¯t get it. Nobody in this school is going to.¡± She paused. At that moment, even though she¡¯d hated it last time, Arenya found herself craving a cigarette to take the edge off the conversation. ¡°Men have to do them every day, but women don¡¯t. Some people say they shouldn¡¯t, some people say it¡¯s all right.¡± She opened the book to a well-thumbed page and pointed to the text. ¡°But I wanted to, and my parents said it was okay, and so do lots of people. My parents encouraged me to say them all, though my mother didn¡¯t do more than the first part, which everyone says. My friends generally thought it was weird that I did them all, though. You start here, and they go to¡­¡± She pointed about fifty pages further. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°That must take forever to do.¡± Zelzad peered at the book before grimacing at a particular line which was marked ¡°Men say¡­¡± with a corresponding ¡°Women say¡­¡± to its side. ¡°Wait, your father would say that? And you were okay with it?¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°What if someone isn¡¯t a man or a woman? What line do they say then?¡± Arenya shrugged. ¡°They would just pick one, I guess. It never really came up.¡± Zelzad looked both extremely confused and extremely interested. Arenya was startled to realize this seemed so alien to others, when this life and this book seemed so utterly normal to her. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d feel so out of my element here,¡± muttered Arenya. She tried to keep the frustration out of her voice, but she could hear it in each word. ¡°I knew it¡¯d be different in the city, but not like this. You and Cartalis are the only people I can talk to about these things, and even then I have to defend it every damn step of the way.¡± Arenya bit back a single tear. ¡°What about Professor Kazurist?¡± ¡°I like him, but he¡¯s so much older and comes from a totally different sect. Some of the stuff he does is totally different from what I did growing up, which is fascinating but not that familiar. We can have fun talking about these things, of course we can, but he¡¯s not a friend like you are. Not really.¡± A deep breath. ¡°I should have known I wouldn¡¯t have any Follower friends here.¡± Zelzad was silent for a moment, before abruptly asking, ¡°You said you had friends back at the farm who thought it was weird that you did all the prayers?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± Arenya wasn¡¯t sure whether Zelzad had changed the subject deliberately or not, but was thankful for the opportunity. ¡°I had two really close friends there. They were both three years older than me. Bachshesmatz and Tzegas.¡± Zelzad blinked. ¡°Those don¡¯t sound like traditional Follower names that I know of.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t. Neither is Arenya. My parents just liked the sound of it. But those weren¡¯t their real names, just silly nicknames we came up with. They called me Tagtematz.¡± Arenya barely suppressed a giggle remembering the ridiculous way they came up with those nicknames. "They were both half-dragons, so a lot scalier than me. They were never all that religious, and didn¡¯t want to go out of their way to do more prayers than they had to. They always thought it was strange I tried to do so much. I was usually the only woman there who did all the morning prayers. ¡°Still, we did a lot together. They often came by to help on the farm, and I helped out with their animals sometimes. We studied together and spent time together during the holidays a lot, up until they both left for a different school. I haven¡¯t heard from them in a while¡­ I wonder how they¡¯re doing now.¡± Arenya¡¯s stomach grumbled as she thought of the farm and its massive collection of apples. ¡°I wish I could go back there for a bit and see how the apples are coming along. We¡¯d just gotten some new seedlings that were supposed to make this big, sweet red apples. I hope the trees are growing well so I can try one when I visit.¡± ¡°And when are you going to visit?¡± At that, Arenya paused for another moment. ¡°¡­I wish I knew,¡± was all she could say. Zelzad was quiet for a moment. ¡°Must be nice, having grown up in the same place the whole time. We never had much money - my parents were always having to pick up odd jobs to make ends meet. We kept moving around to wherever we could find work, so we never stayed in the same place for long.¡± She lit a cigarette before continuing. ¡°At least it gave me practice for when we tour. Hope my parents won¡¯t be too pissed when they find out that¡¯s my plan.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Arenya took a deep breath. ¡°I never really thought about the idea of someone in the city not having a lot of money. This was always where the rich people lived, who didn¡¯t have to spend hours on farmwork every day.¡± Zelzad grinned sardonically. ¡°That¡¯s what the city folk want you to think, that we¡¯re all aristocrats. But it isn¡¯t true.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve come to realize the city isn¡¯t what I was told it would be.¡± ¡°Few things are.¡± Zelzad stood and stretched. ¡°Maybe we should follow Cartalis and Drav now. We¡¯ve still got a bit of time left before they stop serving lunch.¡± Arenya smiled, stood, and followed. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± But the smile was only skin deep. Her frustration at - well, a lot of things - remained as a core in her chest. Chapter 17: Trial ¡°Arenya, you are called to report.¡± The Dean was not much like Professor Kazurist. He was short, pale, balding, humorless, and wore a perfectly tailored suit over his robe. Arenya could not possibly imagine him smiling. Of course, the situation they were in did not help. She couldn¡¯t even focus on where they were - it may as well have been a black void for all she could focus on in the room. The peering gazes of all the professors made Arenya want to curl up into a ball and cower¡­ but of course, that was not an option. Instead, she stepped forward. ¡°Yes, Sir Dean.¡± ¡°You stand accused of unauthorized access to the graduate laboratories and malpractice therein, including the use of improper magic with intention to incriminate a fellow student. How do you plead?¡± Arenya gulped. ¡°Not guilty, Sir Dean. Not to most of it.¡± The Dean tsked. ¡°Not to most of it, you say. Let us consider the charges. Did you enter a graduate laboratory?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Dean.¡± ¡°Did you enter the laboratory with the proper permission of either a graduate or equivalent, or an exemption from such rules?¡± ¡°S-sort of, Sir Dean.¡± Another professor, one Arenya couldn¡¯t see behind the tall lecturn, handed a paper to the Dean. This seemed to be normal procedure - all on the council could present questions, but they had to be asked through the speaker. ¡°Sort of? Elaborate.¡± Arenya stopped for a moment. She¡¯d schooled herself on ¡®proper talking¡¯ when the accusation came in, but it was so much harder when everyone stared at her so. ¡°I do not have independent permission to enter the graduate labs. I entered as lab assistant for Cartalis, who let me in. You already spoke to her.¡± The Dean nodded. ¡°While in the lab, did you use improper magic to incriminate a fellow student?¡± ¡°No Si - Yes, Si - umm¡­ Not really, Si¡­¡± What did Kazurist tell me it was called again? ¡°Permission to elaborate, Sir Dean.¡± ¡°Granted.¡± ¡°Magic was used to be made aware of whether a student did so¡­ took a particular action. It was Cartalis¡¯ idea, but I didn¡¯t argue against it. The magic was not improper. I didn¡¯t want to report it to you, but we felt it important to know for ourselves if he did this.¡± Another piece of paper was passed to The Dean. ¡°He. There was one particular student you were worried about, and one specific action you believed he would take. Is this correct?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Dean.¡± ¡°What was the action?¡± ¡°Mal¡­ malfeasance and, umm¡­ improper¡­¡± When Arenya searched her mind for the sterile, official terms, her brain stumbled and her mouth failed her. She sighed. ¡°We thought he might screw up Cartalis¡¯ research.¡± Several agonizing minutes passed as Arenya watched professors exchange notes. When The Dean spoke, it was with a different tone of voice. Although Arenya could not quite tell what the difference was, she knew things had - somehow - just gotten more serious. ¡°In light of this accusation, we demand you tell us precisely what happened within and near the lab. Leave out no detail you can recall.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Dean.¡±
¡°Ruby.¡± ¡°Ruby.¡± vmmmmmm ¡°Arcane flame.¡± ¡°Arcane flame.¡± Arenya stifled a yawn, trying to rub her eyes before remembering she wore goggles. Fascinating things were going on, she was sure, but she had no idea what they were, and Cartalis - for once - wasn¡¯t bothering to explain. Well, that was unfair. Cartalis hovered over a piece of increasingly molten metal, staring at it with utmost focus as she tried to focus a very narrow strand of mana through only the fourth channel¡­ or something like that. The explanation before they¡¯d entered mostly went over Arenya¡¯s head, but she had the gist of it. It apparently took either extreme attention to not make a mistake or specialized equipment, and given Cartalis had invented the process herself, the latter didn¡¯t exist. As such, Cartalis was so focused she couldn¡¯t spare the time even to get items herself. Arenya wasn¡¯t sure whether that was true, if it was just an excuse to justify getting Arenya access to the graduate labs, or if Cartalis was so excited to be working in a lab after a month that she didn¡¯t want to waste even one second getting equipment if she didn¡¯t have to. Either way, the end result was that Arenya stood next to an increasingly large pile of items and handed them to Cartalis as she asked for them. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. She was almost relieved when she saw the door open, until she saw who stepped through. ¡°How¡¯s it hanging, Arenya? Blond Ice Queen?¡± ¡°Fine, Zander,¡± Arenya forced out through gritted teeth. Cartalis didn¡¯t seem to notice he¡¯d even entered. Zander approached and began placing supplies at the station next to theirs - unnecessary in the otherwise empty lab. ¡°What¡¯re you newbies doing in these la-¡± ¡°Tongs.¡± ¡°Tongs.¡± Arenya contemplated, just for a moment, ¡°accidentally¡± flicking her tail in his face as she turned to retrieve the tongs. ¡°If you must know,¡± she said after Cartalis had taken the tongs from her, ¡°Cartalis has been granted special permission for the graduate labs so that she can experiment with post-forge channel straightening. She¡¯s testing whether a reheated blade helps with her current technique. I¡¯m her lab assistant.¡± ¡°Mana conductor.¡± ¡°Mana c-¡± Zander grabbed the mana conductor from the pile and moved it to his station just before Arenya could take it. ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own equipment?¡± ¡°Yeah, but this one was closer. We share the equipment, don¡¯t we?¡± He took the opportunity to take a step closer to them. ¡°Mana conductor,¡± Cartalis repeated. Arenya wasn¡¯t sure if she was even aware of what was happe - ¡°I refer to you, womanizer. Give me the Zorniz-damned mana conductor and then return to your station, or I¡¯ll wrest it from your hands like your namesake.¡± Well, that answered that question. Even Arenya couldn¡¯t help but find that a little harsh, until she remembered the story of how they¡¯d become enemies. ¡°Fine, sheesh. Give a guy a break.¡± He handed Cartalis the mana conductor before going to the chest of spares in the corner. Now that Arenya thought about it, it was made creepier by the fact that he had access to the graduate labs. How much older was he? Most likely just four years or so, but still¡­ The next few minutes passed in a tense silence, broken only by Cartalis asking for one or two more tools as the process began to wind down. Arenya couldn¡¯t help but glance at what Zander was working on. It looked like some assignment for one or another class, especially since he was using several sheets of paper as a reference for his work. Arenya sighed and looked around the lab. It was a sight more impressive than the lab all students used, or at least much cleaner. The equipment was newer, the safety wards much more potent, and a variety of chemicals and devices were available that the regular labs didn¡¯t have access to. It was all safe as long as you knew what you were doing, she¡¯d been assured, but nevertheless it was a bit unnerving to be in the same room as items that - if mishandled - could explode in their faces. A lot of the equipment was far beyond anything covered in class. Arenya wasn¡¯t even sure what a mana conductor was, other than a way to focus channels more precisely. ¡°All right,¡± Cartalis said after a few minutes more passed. ¡°I¡¯ve set the metal in the kiln. It will cool over the next day and a half, and then we can return to see how the channel straightened. Let¡¯s put things away.¡± Arenya began returning the items to all their locations throughout the room, but as she returned from returning the third, she noticed Cartalis slipping a pen and piece of paper into the pile. She looked at it. Tripwire? Zander gets close so he can ruin it, we¡¯ll know. Y/N Arenya grimaced. Cartalis was so confident Zander would try to ruin the experiment that she wanted to set a tripwire? She hesitated¡­ When she closed her eyes, the memory of their first meeting played on her eyelids. She picked up the pen and circled ¡°Y¡±. As they exited the room with the final items put away, Arenya whispered, ¡°How confident are you that¡­ it¡¯ll be needed?¡± Cartalis waited until they were safely in the hallway to respond. ¡°Almost entirely, I am afraid. He¡¯s not above such petty things. If he does, I want to know.¡± ¡°Do you want him to, so you can get him in trouble?¡± Cartalis stopped walking for a moment, then stared at the wall. She sighed. ¡°Do you think I should want him to?¡± ¡°Well¡­ didn¡¯t he try to, you know -¡± Cartalis interrupted with a derisive snort. ¡°The tale grew in the telling. He tried to drag me to a date he¡¯d planned at the park, not his bed. He¡¯s an idiot, a womanizer, and petty, yes, but he¡¯s not a molester. We needn¡¯t involve the higher-ups, at least not yet. Now let us get something to eat. My brain needs nourishment after so much reshaping.¡±
¡°While we were eating, Cartalis reported the wire was tripped. She said we could check tomorrow to see what he¡¯d done, because if he¡¯d broken it it was too late anyway and maybe it was a false alarm. Then the next day we were stopped by a professor and, umm¡­ told we we¡¯d done something bad in the lab and we had to report to the council that afternoon. Then it was now. Sir Dean.¡± Arenya cursed herself for her awkwardness telling the tale. The Dean folded his hands. ¡°So you never looked at the lab after you left. You do not know what happened in it?¡± ¡°I have guesses, Sir Dean. Permission to elaborate?¡± ¡°Denied. You a-¡± ¡°Grant it, Ben.¡± That was another Professor - Arenya hadn¡¯t the faintest idea whom, though it sounded like a woman¡¯s voice. The voice was followed by several gasps. The Dean - Ben - rubbed his temples. ¡°Fine. Granted.¡± ¡°I believe¡­¡± Arenya cleared her throat. ¡°I believe that Zander approached the kiln with the intention of subtly disabling it to throw off Cartalis¡¯ work. He found the tripwire only after he tripped it, but he must have been doing a mana analysis on the kiln or the metal and found it then. Cartalis is good, so she wouldn¡¯t have made something he could see without looking closely. If he was just adding his own work to cool in one of the other bays, he wouldn¡¯t been looking for that kind of thing, and anyway we would have figured out he hadn¡¯t done anything when Cartalis checked the focus. So when he saw it, he knew we¡¯d caught him, and then he must have reported us to get us in trouble.¡± ¡°Do you believe that Zander did, in fact, sabotage the work? Permission to elaborate granted.¡± Arenya shook her head. ¡°No, Sir Dean. Cartalis said that he probably did, but I think that he tripped the wire and changed his mind.¡± The Dean leaned back in his chair. ¡°We shall begin our private deliberation phase now. Normally, this takes about one hour, but this case has proven to be complicated. Expect to be there some time. You are dismissed.¡± Arenya was led into a small side room, with one door back to the questioning hall and one door leading to who knew where. Both were locked. All that was there was a small bench and a few old textbooks. After a few minutes, she heard a knock on the door. ¡°Arenya, you have a visitor,¡± called out a voice. Arenya sighed in relief - the voice was Professor Kazurist. ¡°Normally the rules don¡¯t allow visitors, but he¡¯s from out of school and definitely wasn¡¯t involved, and you might be in there for a while, so I managed to convince Ben that it wouldn¡¯t hurt. You get the final say, though.¡± It dawned on Arenya who the visitor must be just after she said ¡°Let him in.¡± She found herself blushing madly as he entered. ¡°So, uhh¡­ Not how I expected to find you. Things going well in the city?¡± Arenya found herself trying to hide behind her hair. ¡°Hello, Daniel.¡± Chapter 18: Sentence ¡°And then I got pulled into a room filled with glowering professors and had to explain everything to them. Then they said they¡¯d talk it over, led me here, and then you showed up.¡± Arenya sat on the bench at the far end of the room, Daniel on the ground near the open door. Professor Kazurist sat outside out of sight - he simply nodded when Arenya mentioned she needed the door open if a man was inside with her for Follower rules, and promised he¡¯d do his best not to listen in. Still, the first few minutes were spent going over information Professor Kazurist likely had already heard, even though he wasn¡¯t on the council. Daniel had insisted on knowing why she was under watch. Daniel grinned, though it looked a bit forced. ¡°Sounds like the kind of crap I would get into, except I really would have tried to mess with that creep Zander.¡± Arenya sighed. ¡°Why are you here, anyway?¡± Daniel took the hint and changed the subject. ¡°I was passing through the city because my clan needed me to do some stuff here. Your parents insisted I had to visit you - not that they had to, since I would have anyway.¡± ¡°You were talking to my parents?¡± Arenya wasn¡¯t sure whether she should be concerned or just confused. ¡°They said they could use some help around the farm now that you were gone, and that normally they¡¯d ask your older friends, uh¡­ I can¡¯t remember their names, but they were funny. Your parents said they called you Tagma or something like that. Anyway, they found me and offered to pay me a bit to tend the trees.¡± Arenya groaned, eliciting a chuckle from Daniel. ¡°Mom and Dad knew about the nicknames? The one thing I tried to hide from them. But yes, Bachshesmatz and Tzegas. Anyway, I¡¯m surprised my parents weren¡¯t worried about backlash from other Followers having a demon helping them out.¡± ¡°They knew a demon and Follower working together would look weird, but said that nobody they cared about would call them on it.¡± ¡°So how are the trees doing?¡± Daniel shrugged. ¡°Your parents say they¡¯re doing well, but I don¡¯t know what to look for. They gave me a bunch of apples to bring you, and a letter they made me promise not to read, but the school made me hand in my bag when I entered this building. Once they let you off the hook I can get them to you.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯re going to let me off the hook?¡± ¡°Of course they are - you don¡¯t do the kind of crap they¡¯re accusing you of. And even if they don¡¯t, what are they gonna do, expel you?¡± ¡°They might.¡± Arenya stared at the floor. Daniel¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Not for a first offense, they won¡¯t,¡± boomed a voice from outside. ¡°Disbarment from being a lab assistant is the worst they could do, and if they try to go that far, I¡¯ll fight it.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t listening? And are you allowed to tell me that?¡± Despite her slight annoyance, Arenya couldn¡¯t help but smile at Professor Kazurist¡¯s words. ¡°I wasn¡¯t, until your friend said ¡®expel¡¯. And if I hadn¡¯t been listening, how could I ever answer your second question? No, I am not supposed to tell students what their sentence will be, but this is an exceptional investigation. But since you asked, I will go back to ignoring your words.¡± There weren¡¯t many words to ignore for the next minute or two, though, as Arenya sat glumly worrying nonetheless. ¡°So what do you want me to tell your parents when I get back?¡± Arenya started. ¡°I hadn¡¯t, uhh¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought about that. Just tell them I¡¯m doing well in my classes, please. Don¡¯t breathe a word about my getting in trouble or the heavy metal band or -¡± The ¡°what?¡± shouted Daniel. Professor Kazurist coughed loudly outside - Arenya was pretty sure he¡¯d not been making good on his promise not to listen and needed to mask his own surprise. Arenya wished there was a mirror in the room, as she wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d just gone deathly pale or beet red. ¡°It¡¯s, uhh¡­ Cartalis and I ended up stumbling into a handful of musical students on campus who are into some kind of music called that. I¡¯d never heard of it before. We agreed to help them out with one of their shows and they helped test out my new martial focus in return. I¡¯m not playing with them, of course.¡± The thought of playing an instrument in the background with them had begun to hold some slight appeal to Arenya, but she could tell that now was not the right time to own up to that. Daniel sat there, hands covering his mouth. He started to quiver. It took Arenya a moment to realize what was happening. Arenya bit back a retort and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can laugh.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not you, it¡¯s just -¡± At that moment, Daniel lost it and sprawled on the floor in a fit of giggles. Arenya thanked The One Above that she didn¡¯t need to hold anyone¡¯s skirt down like the last time someone laughed this hard in front of her, though Daniel took a humiliatingly long time to compose himself. At last, he managed to sit upright. ¡°Just, you know, that¡¯s our kind of music - demons¡¯, I mean. I never in a million years would have thought a straight-laced Follower like you would have had anything to do with it.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± she admitted. ¡°It was kind of an accident. Just, please don¡¯t tell my parents. I don¡¯t want them worrying I¡¯ve gone apostate.¡± Arenya shuddered. ¡°You, apostate? Never.¡± Arenya heard footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the doorframe. ¡°Miss Azural, you are to be escorted to the council room for final determinations. Guests are not permitted in during the proceedings.¡± Arenya felt immensely thankful that she was saved from explaining anything more to Daniel while Professor Kazurist was within earshot. ¡°We should talk more when this is done,¡± she said as she stood and smoothed out her skirts. ¡°You can tell me what your clan sent you here for, too.¡± Daniel flinched at that. ¡°It¡¯s confidential. I¡¯m not allowed to say any details.¡± Arenya frowned. ¡°I¡­ see. Well, I look forward to seeing you when this is done.¡± If it ends well, she thought to herself as she and Daniel were each escorted in an opposite direction.
A few minutes of quiet hallways later, Arenya found herself back in front of the council. To her surprise, Cartalis and Zander were also there, though the distance between them was too great to talk without shouting. Arenya gave a half-hearted wave to each of them, and received one from Cartalis in return. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The Dean broke the silence after several agonizing moments. ¡°We have reviewed the evidence. The situation proved to be somewhat multifaceted, leading to a decision to give the ruling to all involved in front of the others.¡± The dean stood, followed by the rest of the council. ¡°Cartalis Kelveth, Zander Sulnach, Arenya Azural. Each of you have been found guilty of Minor Animosity Towards a Fellow.¡± Arenya covered her mouth, eyes widening. All of them? That made no sense at all. ¡°You shall each receive the same punishment: A reading of your offense to the others, and a sincere apology owed to the one you wronged.¡± Then, the impossible happened: The Dean smiled. ¡°This is not a typical punishment, but we determined that this is the method that best fits this situation.¡± Arenya covered her mouth again, but this time to stop from laughing in sheer disbelief. The smile vanished as quickly as it arrived. "Here are the facts as we have them. Cartalis Kelveth, Arenya Azural, and Zander Sulnach were all permitted to be in the laboratory at the time of the incident. The two parties immediately behaved antagonistically towards each other, and repeatedly assumed the worst possible motivation for all behavior. Cartalis Kelveth and Arenya Azural conspired to place a magical tripwire to determine if Zander Sulnach was to sabotage their work. ¡°The tripwire was triggered by Zander Sulnach as he added an item to the kiln with no intention of sabotage. As Zander Sulnach is a known hypersensor, he was able to detect the tripwire as it triggered without a deliberate search.¡± Arenya blinked and tried to remember what a hypersensor was. Someone who was acutely sensitive to even very small changes in mana? Something like that. Apparently it meant that even someone as good as Cartalis couldn¡¯t mask a spell from him. "Zander Sulnach then proceeded to report the incident to higher authorities. This was an appropriate action, but he grossly exaggerated the magnitude of the spell improperly cast, declaring it to be a banned spell that students may not cast on school grounds. He also accused both Cartalis Kelveth and Arenya Azural of violating policy of being in a disallowed laboratory, despite having been explicitly informed of the former¡¯s granted exception and the latter¡¯s role as assistant. This exaggeration led to a much more complicated investigation and holding of all three involved parties than was initially warranted. ¡°During our investigation, we found that both Cartalis Kelveth and Arenya Azural were strongly convinced of intent to sabotage, and repeatedly spoke antagonistically of Zander Sulnach. They both clearly assumed the worst justification for his behavior in the laboratory and failed to consider any alternative.¡± The dean paused for a moment. One council member began to write notes on a sheet of paper. ¡°Nobody has left this situation looking good, as you can see,¡± the Dean continued. ¡°Each party shall now be called up. Cartalis Kelveth, please step forward.¡± Cartalis was frowning, but Arenya could see the relief in the slight spring in her step as she walked closer to the council. ¡°Accounted for.¡± ¡°You acted on suspicion of desire to sabotage without proof. You behaved antagonistically towards Zander Sulnach, and chose to try and resolve the situation yourself instead of through official channels. In so doing, you roped Arenya Azural into your scheme. Do you confess?¡± Arenya could only see the back of Cartalis¡¯ head from here, but she could still tell her eyes narowed. ¡°That was a prompt, not a question,¡± said The Dean. ¡°I confess.¡± ¡°Cartalis Kelveth, please step back. Arenya Azural, please step forward.¡± Even though the worst of the danger was past, Arenya still felt a bit of sweat down her spine her heart begin to beat faster, and her knees shake a bit as she took her first step forward. The slight smile Cartalis gave her when they locked eyes passing each other helped steady her. ¡°A-accounted for.¡± ¡°You acted on suspicion of desire to sabotage without proof. You supported another¡¯s intention to subvert our official channels and take the rules into your own hands. You acted antagonistically toward Zander Sulnach. Do you confess?¡± ¡°I confess.¡± Arenya dimly noted that the one council member had just finished writing, but held onto the note. ¡°Arenya Azural, please step back. Zander Sulnach, please step forward.¡± Zander, curiously, seemed the most confident of all of them. He strode to the front of the room with ease and seemed to be smiling as he and Arenya passed. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°You behaved antagonistically towards Arenya Azural and Cartalis Kelveth. When reporting their rule violation, you greatly exaggerated the magnitude and invented one violation with the intention of worsening their punishment and sabotaging their position at Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s Academy of Adventurers. Do you confess?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Cartalis Kelveth, Arenya Azural, please step forw-¡± The long note was finally passed to The Dean. ¡°Hold.¡± He raised the letter. ¡°One of us would like to say the following to Zander Sulnach: In addition to that which you are accused of here, you have also engaged in improper pursuits of the women standing here. Demanding dates from them, antagonistic behavior when refused, once leading to undesired physical contact that is barely not assault. The punishments for these would be severe, except that both Arenya and Cartalis have expressed no interest in trying you for them. These two are¡­¡± The Dean faltered in his reading, before putting the paper down. ¡°Consider yourself fortunate.¡± ¡°Read the rest, Ben!¡± The voice that echoed there was the same as the one who insisted The Dean let Arenya continue during the interrogation. The Dean breathed in sharply. ¡°For Sultis¡¯ sake, Doris, you can¡¯t really expect me to say that!¡± ¡°Then I will.¡± The owner of the mysterious voice - Doris - took a step forward. She had a stern expression, a strong aquiline nose, and eyes so dark there was scarcely a difference between her pupils and her irises, at least that Arenya could make out from this distance. She was tall, and looked ageless and imposing. ¡°Zander, these two are letting you off the hook for your trying to forcefully drag them on dates. You¡¯re a damn lucky son of a bitch.¡± Arenya decided she liked this woman. About half of the council burst out laughing, while the other half gasped. The Dean alone stood stoic¡­ For a few seconds, before cracking a smile that he spent the next few moments trying and failing to wipe off his face. ¡°Order, order. Cartalis Kelveth, Arenya Azural, please step forward.¡± It was much easier to approach the second time now that the tension was broken. Cartalis was hiding a grin, while Zander sported an annoyed frown. ¡°Each of you shall apologize to the other party for the offenses committed. There is no prescribed order.¡± ¡°Zander,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°I apologize for assuming poor behavior of you when you had no intention of such. I further apologize for my setting alarms to act on those unjustified suspicions, and I apologize for assuming that simply because you¡¯d detected the tripwire, that meant my suspicions were correct.¡± Her voice was deadpan. Arenya had no idea if she meant it or was just going along with what was asked. Zander forced a grin onto his face and extended his arm. ¡°I accept your apology. Shake on it?¡± ¡°Do you promise this will be the only physical contact you attempt for the foreseeable future?¡± Arenya could feel The Dean flinch. Zander looked like he was about to say something stupid, but to his credit, he kept his composure. ¡°Yes.¡± They shook hands. Arenya took a deep breath. ¡°Zander, I¡¯m sorry I signed off on the tripwire idea. I¡¯m also sorry I got so angry at you just for being in the lab when you were just trying to do your own work. And I¡¯m sorry for saying I thoghut you¡¯d sabotaged it just because you found out what we did.¡± Zander¡¯s grin looked a little more genuine this time. ¡°Accepted. Handshake?¡± Arenya shook her head. ¡°Follower rules. I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh come on, can¡¯t you-¡± Zander cut himself off mid-sentence. ¡°Fine. Arenya, Cartalis, I¡¯m sorry I grabbed some of your stuff in the lab to use, and I¡¯m sorry I told a professor that you were casting improper spells when you weren¡¯t and that you weren¡¯t allowed to be in the lab when you were. How¡¯s that?¡± Arenya and Cartalis exchanged a glance. Arenya thought she detected a hint of sarcasm and annoyance in the tone of his voice, but if today had taught her anything, it was that she shouldn¡¯t be assuming the worst like that¡­ Cartalis nodded. ¡°I accept your apology.¡± Arenya added, ¡°I do too.¡± ¡°Good,¡± said Zander. They stood there in an awkward silence for a few seconds. Eventually The Dean spoke up. ¡°Zander Sulnach, shall you issuing apologies for any other misbehavior?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± said Arenya, at the same instant Cartalis said ¡°He needn¡¯t¡±. ¡°Do you want an apology?¡± asked Arenya. ¡°His agreement not to continue is enough for me. You?¡± Arenya shook her head. The awkward silence stretched on some time longer. Eventually, The Dean said, ¡°In that case, we may consider this case adjourned. You may leave without escort.¡± Arenya was so relieved she could cry. Cartalis nearly ran out of the room, forcing Arenya to take large steps to catch up. ¡°Do you think Zander was telling the truth? Were you?¡± Cartalis shrugged. ¡°As to your second question, the criticism was accurate. While I do find Zander something of a fop, to suggest he¡¯d sabotage our work was a step farther than I¡¯ve ever seen him before. I shall endeavor to be kinder, and see if he deserves it. As to whether he was telling the truth about lightening his pursuits? I suppose time will tell. Now let¡¯s hurry. We need to see how the experiments went.¡± ¡°Can we take a bit before we go?¡± Arenya hid a smile. ¡°I have a few apples from home I¡¯m interested in trying, a letter to read, and someone from home for you to meet¡­¡± Chapter 19: Meeting Greetings. I hope your journey here was not too troublesome? Good, good. Now. Down to business. You must do precisely what I say. Listen carefully. Do you understand? When you first wake up, you will be in the woods outside of the city. There might be a few animals around. You may have to wait a few minutes before the light shines, but it shouldn¡¯t take too long. Until then, look around carefully but do not approach the bushes. Hello? Are you listening? Come on, I told you to listen carefully. In that case, what did I last say? Not quite. I know this is hard for you. It¡¯s hard for me to keep my focus while meeting in the middle of a kitchen just before lunch, too. But let¡¯s try to keep ourselves from getting distracted. I want you to succeed. We all have had to go through this. When you see the light, approach it. It will lead you to a path. When on the path, do not look behind you. Do not look behind you. Yes, I know you were listening this time, but it bears repeating. In fact, I will say it once more: Keep your eyes ahead. Far too many have failed here. Please, don¡¯t be one of them. You trust me, don¡¯t you? I know, I know. But I¡¯m telling you this for your own good. You know that I wouldn¡¯t lie to you. Not on this. Of course. Now, where was I¡­ The path will lead you to the lighthouse. Yes, that lighthouse. I don¡¯t know how they do it. Truly, I don¡¯t. I¡¯d tell you. Whatever the case, this is where you will meet The Dragon. No, of course not! You think we would dare to work with one? It¡¯s just a person wearing a mask. I told you, keep focused. Touche. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Regardless. The Dragon will give you a test. The test is chosen at random ¨C one of three. A test of Love, of Justice, or two eggs. Yes, you can substitute water for the milk but you will get a different consistency¡­ Ahem. Do you hear any more footsteps outside the hall? Good, good. Thank you for playing along there. Now - oh, put that whisk down! No, I don¡¯t know how The Dragon will decide which test you shall be given. The current Dragon is known to be rather eccentric, and will sometimes let you choose or force a choice upon you, depending on his mood. But you shouldn¡¯t have much trouble. It¡¯s designed to weed out only those who made it this far out of sheer luck. I have never heard of someone who¡¯d prepared even the slightest amount failing at this point. Once you have passed the test, you will proceed to the main chamber of the lighthouse. Once you enter, you will be Somewhere Else. No, not somewhere else. Somewhere Else. Why are you so distracted tonight? Did you tell her why we sent you here? ¡­ That was foolish of you. Very, very foolish. I don¡¯t suggest you tell her anything more. I¡¯d prefer you didn¡¯t ever meet her again, but even I¡¯m not so foolish as to think you¡¯d listen to me for that. Be glad no demons caught wind of it. What? Dammit. If he breathes a word of this¡­ Too late now, I suppose. We¡¯ll just have to pray. Here is the most critical portion of the task. If you fail here, this is no returning. If you forget every other thing I have said to you tonight, please remember this. All the clan leaders will be there, and their highest ranking officers. I will be among them. Do not mention our meetings. Do not pretend you recognize me. We are strangers. If there is even the slightest suspicion of our meetings, neither of us will see the light of day again. Did I never tell you? Yes. Yes, I know. I want to see you succeed. I am glad you understand. When the Voice of the Seventh descends he will give you one final question, one final test. Even I have not been told what this will be. It is different for each of us. But if you are pure of heart, if you are pledged to us, the answer will be clear to you. And these last months will not change that, regardless of our private lessons. Can you repeat back to me what I have told you? Just the main points. Excellent. Now get out there and kick some ass tonight, my friend. I believe in you. Glory to the Seventh. ¡­ Hello, Voice of the Seventh. Things are going according to plan for the most part. No, nothing like that. The prospect believes the meeting illicit. No, Voice, the prospect has no idea I will be following. I made it clear that he shall not look behind him. No, he hasn¡¯t figured out our plans for him. He seems to be madly in love with a Follower. I exaggerate. However, after meeting her yesterday he seems far more distracted than on previous meetings. He let his guard down around her as well - he just said he was here on clan business, but I told him to keep details like that to himself. I don¡¯t know. She apparently has other friends in our organization - one, anyway. I took advantage of that and hopefully scared the misbehavior out of him. I think he will, yes. He¡¯s an honest one. No, no, that was not a lie. The prospect is a true friend of mine. I want them to succeed, and I have no doubt they will pass without issue. Nice touch, by the way, walking outside the hall. It helped me test their ability to ad lib. I¡¯ll see you again tonight, Voice. Glory to the Seventh. Chapter 20: Office Hours Arenya stepped into Professor Kazurist¡¯s office, sheaf of papers in hand. The professor looked up from the floor where he was sorting and reordering countless sheets of paper and beamed. ¡°Ah, Arenya! Here to prepare for the exam in two weeks? You¡¯ve outpaced the rush that will begin soon.¡± ¡°No, not quite,¡± said Arenya. She idly ran a hand through her hair. ¡°I actually have some Follower questions.¡± Is that so? Sit, sit. It will certainly be more interesting than sorting all these papers for the next journal." Professor Kazurist gestured towards the one seat in his office not covered in loose sheets. ¡°What do you want to know about?¡± ¡°Two things, mainly. The Levyat and Hardal.¡± Professor Kazurist blinked. ¡°An¡­ interesting duology. They aren¡¯t studied often. What about them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out what Hardal¡¯s purpose was when he captured the daughter of the Hashess. Was he only interested in marrying into the family, or was it lust? I can¡¯t tell.¡± Arenya looked at the top page of her notes, covered in crossed out lines and scribbles. ¡°And how can we talk about him clipping the wings of Barbus without comparisons to Xelax? Were there supposed to be comparisons to Xelax?¡± Professor Kazurist folded his hands. He stared at Arenya. His face betrayed not one hint of emotion. Arenya gulped. ¡°What, precisely, do you need to know this information for?¡± The one question Arenya had hoped he wouldn¡¯t asked. ¡°It¡¯s for, uh¡­ a creative project.¡± ¡°One you¡¯ve written out on those papers?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can I see it?¡± Arenya hesitated. Her hands felt clammy. ¡°Yeah,¡± she said after a few seconds, before placing the top sheet on Professor Kazurist¡¯s ornate wooden desk. The desk too was covered in papers, though a small area was clear save for a mug of a steaming beverage. Professor Kazurist picked up the paper and squinted at it. Seconds passed in painful silence. ¡°What,¡± said Professor Kazurist at last, his voice flat and devoid of emotion, ¡°is this?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± said Arenya. ¡°I know it¡¯s organized terribly. Cartalis gave me some tips on note-taking but I didn¡¯t listen to her until I¡¯d finished the first page or two.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant and I think you know it.¡± Professor Kazurist placed the sheet on the desk again and pushed it back towards Arenya. He adjusted his wide-brimmed hat without taking his eyes off her. ¡°You appear to be writing a poem, with very bizarre meter. You¡¯re marking lines with¡±Queen of Decay" and ¡°The Guardian¡±. It discusses in detail Hardal¡¯s most sickening acts in an almost reverential tone. By the Grace of The One Above, what is this?" ¡°It¡¯s not reverential! Hardal was horrific.¡± Professor Kazurist said nothing. Arenya squirmed in her seat. ¡°It¡¯s a song. Some friends of mine are planning a show and I offered to help them out.¡± Professor Kazurist said nothing. ¡°It¡¯s a weird show, and it¡¯s a weird song, and the song isn¡¯t very good, I know. But I really want to help them out the best I can. I have this one and one about the Levyat and the Bahum.¡± Professor Kazurist said nothing. Arenya said nothing. Professor Kazurist said nothing. ¡°Oh, come on! I know you were listening to me and Daniel at the trial. You know what I¡¯m talking about. Can¡¯t you say something?¡± Professor Kazurist smiled, melting Arenya¡¯s tension. ¡°To what end? My silence led you to say more than I would have asked for.¡± In an instant, the smile was gone, replaced with a stern face. The tension returned. ¡°You¡¯re involving yourself in dangerous things, you know. Things not befitting a Follower. You said Cartalis agreed to help¡­ Does she know about this song?¡± ¡°Yeah. Her notes are on the back of that sheet.¡± Professor Kazurist cocked his head, reached out for the paper he¡¯d pushed back to Arenya before, turned it over. ¡°¡®Two minutes ten seconds, lights go light red. Guardian (Drav) pantomimes the wing clipping. Must ensure blood is of correct color to be seen clearly against¡­¡¯¡± Professor Kazurist rubbed his eyes. ¡°Oh, my child¡­ I know you came here to become a BladeMage, but that is for noble combat, not theatrics. And I see the Queen of Decay has lines¡­ a woman sings in this, doesn¡¯t she? In public? And you, as a properly dressed and behaved Follower, have no issue with this?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Arenya¡¯s voice caught in her throat twice as she hunted for a response. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s art!¡± was all she could bring herself to say. Professor Kazurist said nothing. ¡°Are you going to convince me to give this up?¡± Professor Kazurist said nothing. ¡°What do you want me to confess now?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just trying to find the right words.¡± Professor Kazurist stared out the window, and took a deep breath. ¡°Most of my family follows The Lunar One, as I said some time ago. Are you familiar with the allegations about them?¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re known for being boisterous and excitable, and throwing themselves into projects with great passion. Like the Lunar One himself. And like you.¡± His voice flattened on the last sentence. ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± ¡°Not in and of itself.¡± Professor Kazurist affixed Arenya with a long stare. "But I have seen how that very same passion can drive one astray. When my brother and I went on pilgrimage to the Lunar One¡¯s grave some years ago, I spent most of my time at the grave. He didn¡¯t. He would always find excuses to visit some strange cottage or hotel on the borders of the city. He needed something there, or an old friend lived nearby¡­ Eventually, I began asking questions of those around. I kept denying them, saying they were wrong, my brother would never do such a thing, again and again, even after I knew in my soul what they said was true. ¡°He was sleeping with every prostitute he could find in the light-blinded city, declaring the pleasure of it served The One Above.¡± Arenya sprung to her feet. ¡°How could he - but - why would -¡± ¡°Those were my thoughts too, when I could deny it no longer. Sit down, Arenya.¡± Arenya sat. Professor Kazurist took a long sip of his drink before continuing. ¡°When I confronted him about it, he seemed almost proud - declared that half of those who listened to The Lunar One did the same. The worst part is, he was right. They¡¯d all been misled by their passion and desires, letting their hearts dictate them even in things they knew were wrong. The women - even my own sister-in-law, his wife - they all knew of this, but they¡¯d resigned themselves all to it. They hardly even cared. And that¡¯s why I left and joined the Crown of Three instead.¡± Arenya clenched her fists. ¡°And you¡¯re saying that seeking out harlots while pretending I¡¯m on a sacred journey is the same thing as helping my friends with their music?¡± Professor Kazurist looked away, closed his eyes. ¡°Arenya. I¡¯m not telling you that you¡¯re going to start some kind of harem if you continue on this path, or that you¡¯re betraying The One Above.¡± He took a long sip of his drink. ¡°I will help you. I¡¯ll answer the questions you have about Hardal and the Levyat. But please, be careful. I¡¯ve seen what happens to people who let themselves lead lives of unchecked passion. They find excuses to justify their stranger and stranger acts, not even realizing what they¡¯ve become until it¡¯s too late. Just¡­ just be careful.¡± Arenya tried her hardest not to glare. ¡°Cartalis is here, you know. She¡¯s my friend. She¡¯ll stop me if I¡¯m doing anything wrong.¡± ¡°Cartalis who broke into the graduate labs to help you?¡± Arenya¡¯s face paled. ¡°Cartalis who set a tripwire to catch another student - but only after asking you for approval?¡± Arenya pushed her hair in front of her face and peered through it, to hide her expression. ¡°Cartalis who is devoting herself to vivid descriptions of recreating scenes of the Dragon Lords¡¯ mutilation because you asked her to?¡± ¡°B-b¡­¡± Arenya¡¯s breaths began to hitch as she held back tears. She wrapped herself in her wing and hunched in her seat, hoping Professor Kazurist couldn¡¯t tell how close she was to crying. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask her to do any of those things. She¡­ she decided to set the trap and modify Shamir. I didn¡¯t ask her to write the stage directions, she asked to.¡± Arenya wrapped herself in her wing and hunched in her seat. ¡°Cartalis is such a brilliant student,¡± said Professor Kazurist. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t give just anyone access to the graduate labs, especially if they¡¯d pulled a stunt like she did. She¡¯ll do some incredible things one day, I¡¯m sure. But she¡¯s been acting out lately. The Cartalis of last year would never have even considered breaking into a lab. Do you know what changed? I do.¡± Arenya could feel more than see Professor Kazurist¡¯s cold gaze, hunched up as she was. ¡°She met you.¡± A flurry of anger rose in Arenya¡¯s chest. She stopped trying to hide it, unwrapped her wings from before her face, and glared at Professor Kazurist, heedless that he could see the wetness on her cheeks. ¡°You think I¡¯m corrupting her?¡± she yelled. Professor Kazurist¡¯s voice remained calm but Arenya could hear the tension beginning to bubble through. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. But she¡¯s lonely. The other students don¡¯t like her. You know that. You¡¯re the first person she met whom she felt a kinship with. And when you offered that to her, she grabbed it with both hands. She takes your side in everything and will do anything for you if it means you¡¯ll stay her friend, because the thought of losing you is too painful. That, I suspect, is why she¡¯s willing to break the rules for you an-¡± ¡°Our friendship isn¡¯t fake, Kazurist!¡± Arenya screamed. ¡°Did I ever say it was? She¡¯s a true friend to you, and you to her. But she won¡¯t call you out if you¡¯re doing something wrong. She knows how to call out her enemies when they break the rules. She doesn¡¯t know how to call out her friends. She¡¯ll swallow any morals she¡¯s ever had in order to remain friends with you.¡± A knock on the doorframe jolted Arenya. Right. The door was open. And other students might come by. ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± asked a voice. Arenya dimly recognized him as one of the people who¡¯d asked how many apples she¡¯d eaten on her first day here, all those weeks ago. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± said Arenya. ¡°Just give me a moment.¡± She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her dress and stood. ¡°Thank you, Professor.¡± ¡°If you still have some time, you can stay here and join our fellow here to review course content. We can talk about Hardal afterwards. Let¡¯s shelve the rest of this discussion for the moment.¡± Arenya let out a sigh of relief. Her breaths began to steady. ¡°Thank you. That means a lot. I¡¯ll be careful, I promise.¡± Arenya stood, picked up her papers, and grabbed her notebook from her bag. As the other student began to ask questions for the upcoming exam, she tried to follow and take notes at first, but found herself too distracted. Professor Kazurist was wrong. Drav and Zelzad weren¡¯t corrupting her. Cartalis wasn¡¯t so dedicated that it blinded her. And anyway, Arenya wasn¡¯t Cartalis¡¯ only friend. She¡¯d become far more amiable with Drav, and even seemed to be losing her bitterness with Zelzad. And anyway, there was nothing for Cartalis to warn her about - There was nothing wrong with her having a little fun doing some songwriting on the side. Everything would be fine. She hoped. Chapter 21: Late-night Rehearsal Zelzad¡¯s spectral blade flashed in the dark as she sliced through the oncoming horde of demonic automata. A wave of energy erupted from the sword, launching several of the war machines away. She whipped around just in time to block a sword and flame strike from a new foe. Arenya had heard of models that could cast magic unaided, but she¡¯d never seen one before. The six-meter machine was the color of rust, with two bright yellow balls of light forming eyes. The creature¡¯s useless mouth was shaped in a permanent sneer, showing sharpened yellowed metal instead of teeth - automata couldn¡¯t talk, or at least these ones couldn¡¯t. At such size, staying too close to it would be asking for death. Zelzad took a few tentative steps backward after a glance behind to ensure no others approached too closely, only to notice Drav being pushed back by two more automata behind her. She dashed in, sword held high, and - ¡°So how many more times are we gonna rehearse this tonight? I¡¯m tired.¡± The automata froze around Zelzad and Drav, battlefield growing transparent to show the true shape of the practice room. The one who had spoken was another of Drav and Zelzad¡¯s bandmates Arenya had seen a few times. Cartalis rubbed her eyes. ¡°I concur with Ya¡¯el. These illusion machines are impressively automated, and keeping them active is possible without focusing too terribly much on them, but even that much mana is becoming a challenge at this time of night.¡± How the school had set up the enchantments to have such impressive practice arenas, complete with opponents, and yet not kill their students, Arenya had had no idea. Their time spent here lately had shown her, though: the automata weren¡¯t even real for the most part, instead primarily illusory and given a temporary illusion of life by someone else. Their blades hurt, but they weren¡¯t real, and couldn¡¯t cut. Ya¡¯el had short hair, like Cartalis, and skin the color of untanned leather. Her hair was mostly brown, but Arenya noticed the slightest tinge of deep green - a hint, alongside her traditional Follower name, that one of her ancestors may have been a dragon. Of course, the incredibly short skirt and loose shirt, with sleeves that ended barely past her shoulders, proved she wasn¡¯t a Follower now. When Arenya had asked earlier that day, the answer had been rather dismissive, not to mention her having called Arenya a drake at their first meeting. She was a very enthusiastic drummer, but Arenya couldn¡¯t help but feel that Drav and Zelzad had kept them from meeting too much on purpose. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you want to do a choreographed fight scene during the concert, said Ya¡¯el.¡±How are we gonna have time to play music and do our wacky stuff when we keep interrupting it for all the fighting?" ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, Ya¡¯el.¡± Drav arose from the ground and wiped off some dust from the automata off his pants. ¡°We¡¯re not just musicians, we¡¯re performers, and that means we need to do a performance. We wanna get more serious now.¡± Arenya stayed quiet as the two began to argue - not just because she had seen them argue this countless times by now, and not just because she too was extremely sleepy. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Professor Kazurist¡¯s words the day before. ¡°So we¡¯ll still have plenty of time for that awesome drum solo you cooked up¡­¡± What would her parents think? She wasn¡¯t sure, but that she¡¯d felt a need to tell Daniel not to say anything meant she was nervous. But about what? ¡°You said I could wear any kind of outfit I wanted, but then you insisted it had to ¡®fit the theme¡¯¡­¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Would they get angry at her? They¡¯d all known that the city would have an impact on her, though perhaps not quite like this. It¡¯s not like they¡¯d threaten to disown her, though. ¡°I know you want a role that lets you go wild, but those days are behind us now. It doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t have fun¡­¡± They were friendly with Daniel and she¡¯d never heard them say too much negative about demons. And anyway, they wouldn¡¯t even know what metal was, so how could they judge her for it? ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be uptight royalty or an honor-bound warrior - screw rigid roles, do something bonkers¡­¡± Despite all those logical arguments, Arenya could feel her heart pound harder at the thought of explaining it to them in the half-written letter in her room. Hello, Mom, Dad. My new friends play metal music! ¡°I preferred the old days, when you let me strip on stage¡­¡± But at the end of the day, what is the worst that could happen? Professor Kazurist was surely exaggerating the danger. Sure, Drav and Zelzad could be unpredictable at times, but they were kind in their way and never went that far into depravi¡­ Wait. What did Ya¡¯el just say? ¡°Ya¡¯el, come on! It¡¯s not that much to ask that you don¡¯t flash the audience between songs anymore.¡± Cartalis, now sitting on the floor next to the automaton control cubes, turned to Arenya with a look of sheer mortification. ¡°Pray tell, when you¡­ ahem¡­ what was - how long ago - how far - You know what? Don¡¯t even attempt to answer. Ignorance seems preferable.¡± Arenya, for her part, found herself with nothing to say again, though not for the same reason as before. Suddenly the song about the woman doing depraved acts to her male victims made a bit more sense. Zelzad turned to them, an expression halfway between apology and trying not to laugh. ¡°We liked to get drunk and do dumb stuff on stage. Ya¡¯el would, uh, go a bit further than the rest of us. We got away with it until the school found out.¡± Arenya started to wonder at that whether Professor Kazurist had a point after all. Surely she¡¯d never stoop so low as to¡­ They would never¡­ they left that behind. Of course they had. Right? ¡°Do you promise,¡± asked Arenya, ¡°and I mean promise, that you won¡¯t pull that kind of thing anymore?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Ya¡¯el. ¡°Yes,¡± said Drav. They stopped and glared at each other. As Arenya sat in awkward silence, an idea struck her. A terrible, terrible, terrible idea. One she should just forget about and never, ever share. She shared it. ¡°What if you played the daughter of the Hashess? If we say that Hardal forced you into an outfit he chose, then we can justify it as part of the show.¡± Drav and Ya¡¯el both looked at her, then back at each other. ¡°She¡¯s the one who jumps off the-¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s the one who Hardal-¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ya¡¯el¡¯s face remaind blank for a moment, before splitting into a wide grin, her exhaustion forgotten. ¡°Oh, yes. Now that is an idea. It¡¯s so disgusting! Now that is a performance I can get behind. Drav, why didn¡¯t you come up with that?¡± Drav hrmmed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we were gonna show the princess¡­ Didn¡¯t think Arenya would like that. Just, please don¡¯t go too overboard?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ya¡¯el sighed and muttered something about not being able to have any fun these days. ¡°Carta, we gotta choreograph this!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ call me that, please,¡± muttered Cartalis from her position on the floor. She lay half-asleep now, using one of the automaton control cubes as a pillow. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ handle it tomorrow?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no time to waste! I gotta figure out how to look the most¡­¡± Again, Arenya found herself rather struck. Maybe she really was going too far on some things, if even Drav found them questionable. Ya¡¯el did seem like she was missing the point of the daughter of the Hashess - she was abused by Hardal, not supposed to be enjoying the idea of being forced to dress and dance to his whims. But then again, it was Arenya¡¯s idea! What would Professor Kazurist say to this. Probably that she¡¯d gone too far. She needn¡¯t abandon Drav and Zelzad or all these wild ideas, nor did she think she could bring herself to, but perhaps they could scale it back just a little? Perhaps¡­ Or perhaps not, she admitted to herself as she smiled. She was having so much fun, after all. But despite all that, it truly was quite late. Arenya stood and stretched. Deciding what to do seemed like it would be best as tomorrow¡¯s problem. ¡°Good night, everyone. Cartalis, can you get home yourself or do you need me to walk you?¡± But of course, Cartalis was now thoroughly awake as well, as they discussed in vivid detail what the color of the smoke would be as the daughter of the Hashess cried out her lament and flung herself off the roof of Hardel¡¯s palace. What a strange world she¡¯d found herself in¡­ All that remained was determining whether it was a good one. Chapter 22: Letters Dear Arenya, We are so proud of you! You told us before you left that you wanted to keep up to date on everything at the farm. We bet you¡¯re so busy with all your schoolwork and your new friends that we just seem like a couple of old-timers now, but in case you do still really care about our old apple farm, the harvest is going great. Your friend Daniel has been helping us out so much. We were sure it would be a lot harder to get everything done with one less pair of hands on the farm, but Daniel is super strong and super willing to help, even though he said some of his demon friends don¡¯t like him ¡°hanging out with Followers¡±. But tell us what¡¯s going on with you. We¡¯re sure you have so many new friends now, and are serving The One Above in all sorts of new ways. You know what the Dragon Sages said [The Fifth Gate, Page 3-7-2]: To Serve The One Above in your own town is a high calling, but to bring his word distant even higher. We hope you¡¯ve been having enough to eat, and are learning all sorts about being a BladeMage! Our little dragon is all grown up now! :D (that was your father¡¯s smiley, by the way!) When we heard Daniel was going to the city, we knew we just had to send a letter. It¡¯s hard to get a letter from here to the city, but it¡¯s a lot easier to send one back we hear, so even if you don¡¯t finish your letter in time for Daniel to bring it back, hopefully we can get it soon! Tell us everything you¡¯ve been doing. Don¡¯t leave out any detail! That was your father again - it¡¯s okay, Ari. Don¡¯t tell us anything you don¡¯t want to. You may grow up and move on from us, but remember: The One Above watches over you, and as long as you serve him, he will serve you back. We are so proud of you! Love, Mom and Dad <3
Dear Mom and Dad, You wouldn¡¯t believe all the things I¡¯ve been up to! I¡¯ve met all sorts of wonderful people here. The city is really interesting. There aren¡¯t many Followers, but I met this one professor named Professor Kazurist. He follows the Crown of Three and he knows all about focuses and Followingand ; he¡¯s so smart! But I won¡¯t shan¡¯t go on about him forever. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Do you remember Cartalis? She and I became super good friends. She¡¯s helping me write this letter, too, so I can get all the words rightuse proper diction. We met some musicians, too. Cartalis and me I[1] weren¡¯t sure what to think about them at first but we ended up getting along really well. They¡¯ve even helped test out my new focus! Oh, yeah, the focus! We made a really amazing sword we named Shamir. Cartalis and I worked sooooooo extremely sooooooo extremely sooooooo [2] hard on him, but he¡¯s so beautiful and amazing magnificent! Professor Kazurist liked him so much that he let us into the graduate labs even though we aren¡¯t graduate students![3] But anyway, someone else from the band is also a Follower, though she doesn¡¯t know much about it. She¡¯s one twentieth dragon or so[4] but she even thought I was a drake! I wanna wish to convince her to come to the next Great Feast, but she¡¯s a little unpredictable absolutely Dortald-Blinded Xelax-Wack insane[5], so I don¡¯t know if she¡¯d be interested. So yeah! Things have been good here, though not really what I expected. I can¡¯t wait to see you again, though. I¡¯m really happy Daniel has been so helpful and that you wrote such a lovely letter! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for the apples. They were soooooooo[6] good!!!! May the One Above guide us all through this life and the next, and protect us from the perils of the Overseer as in times past. Love, Arenya Ari Your Little Quarter Dragon [1] A common mistake, so all the more important to correct. [2] She insisted. [3] That¡¯s not what happened. In truth, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Arenya scribbled this out and bade me promise not to write it again. ¡¯Tis not worth the argument. [4] 1/16. I did the math. [5] I wrote this in when Arenya wasn¡¯t looking. Hopefully she won¡¯t notice. It is far more accurate than her version. [6] She did, however, agree to keep the number of Os consistent, after some debate. The elegantly scribed portions are from a friend. Your daughter¡¯s vocabulary is improving, though mine has begun to slip a bit from picking up the odd bit of slang from her. She asked me for any suggestions, thus the corrections above. Most of the letter is from Arenya, however. Fare thee well, Alavian, Talvun. Chapter 23: Not So Great a Day Cartalis couldn¡¯t speak. Well, that was perhaps an exaggeration. Cartalis was fully physically equipped to speak, she¡¯d forgotten no words, and she suffered from no illness that scratched her throat or otherwise prevented her from talking. However, in her current mood, the idea of forming words seemed like it was just so much effort. To talk meant to think the words over in her head, to find the right ways to express herself, to force the ever-changing maelstrom of thoughts into something sensible, and then at last open her mouth and form the sounds. It was a challenging task on the best of days. Today was not the best of days. The classroom environment that she¡¯d grown to love so today felt oppressive. Students sauntered in, happily chatting with their mates about how Teacher such-and-such deserved to be fired or how their girlfriend was so disrespectful or some other nonsense. Normally tuning it out was no great difficulty, but today¡­ Today it was so damned overwhelming. Today she just wished they would all shut. Up. Can¡¯t you see how loud you are? Can¡¯t you see nobody cares about your meaningless struggles? Can¡¯t you see how angry I am? Shut up shut up shut up shut up SHUT UP. It wasn¡¯t rational, of course. Could others see inside Cartalis¡¯ mind to the turmoil she felt? Cartalis knew in her heart of hearts that their struggles weren¡¯t worthless, even if she couldn¡¯t bring herself to care at this moment. Even she didn¡¯t fully understand how the events of yesterday would affect her so, to such an extent she nearly stayed in her dorm and idly read her books - but a straight record of never missing a day of class was still too important to her, so she put up with the torture and attended just as she would any other day. Sit at the front of the overlarge lecture room, notebook and pen before her, ready to take notes, no matter how little she could bring herself to care today and no matter how much she wanted to simply curl up in a ball in some corner and think about nothi- ¡°Hi, Cartalis!¡± Ah. Arenya had just arrived. Bubbly and eager and highly emotive as usual. Her presence was usually a joy, with her eager grin and her creativity and her ever-genuine, if not always successful, attempts to learn everything she could about mana and channeling. Arenya deserved a hearty greeting befitting the friend she was. Her blue dress matched her well this day. How could she remain so excited so frequently? Or was she simply able to hide her emotions will, like Cartalis could on most days that weren¡¯t today? She wasn¡¯t sure. Cartalis raised her hand in a vague impression of a wave. She was glad Arenya was here, of course she was, but she didn¡¯t want to talk. All she wanted was for Professor Kazurist to enter, for the lecture to begin, and then to end, and then she could go home and stew in her own mind in peaceful solitude. But while she was here, having someone next to her, even just silently being there, was a comfort. Just as long as she didn¡¯t try to engage her in c- ¡°So how are you doing?¡± Of course, Arenya had no way of knowing anything was awry and would get up to her usual joyous greeting without a moment¡¯s hesitation. No blame could be placed on her, but Cartalis felt a searing flash of frustration anyway. Cartalis shrugged, hoping that was enough of an answer. Arenya, alas, was unsatisfied. ¡°Have you gotten any more research done?¡± A slight nod. ¡°How¡¯s the costume design coming along with Ya¡¯el?¡± A tilt of the hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°Drav was telling me all about the idea you came up with for how the automata would enter for the fight scene. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing it in action. How about you?¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Shut up shut up shut up shut up sh- No. No, no, no. Cartalis shoved her undeserved anger deep within herself. Arenya deserved better than that. She had no wrongdoing here, merely ignorance that Cartalis was in such poor spirits. To lash out at her would be amoral beyond belief. Just¡­ just answer her, dammit, just - ¡°Are you okay? You look really upset.¡± ¡­ Oh. She noticed. Someone noticed. That mere realization that someone, anyone at all, could be aware of her plight, was¡­ heartening wasn¡¯t quite the right word, but it¡¯s the word that occurred to Cartalis at that moment. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed heavily. Arenya reached out towards Cartalis. ¡°I¡­ Do you need somethi-¡± Cartalis flinched away from Arenya¡¯s hand just before it came into contact with her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Cartalis wasn¡¯t sure what was worse - that those were nearly the first words she¡¯d said all day, or that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel the least bit of remorse for saying it. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡¯T¡¯s all right,¡± muttered Cartalis before laying her forearms on the table and resting her head in them. Normally, when she found herself this upset - a rare occurrence, to be sure - after the first instance where she would force herself to speak, she¡¯d realize that words weren¡¯t so challenging after all and be able to keep up a conversation, at least for a small while. This time, however, that was all the speaking she could muster. She didn¡¯t want to answer any more of Arenya¡¯s questions, even if they deserved an answer. She didn¡¯t not care about Arenya - forfend such a thought! - but to give adequate answers seemed too much effort. Just let her lie there in silence for a few moments, ¡¯twas all she wished. The next few minutes before Professor Kazurist arrived passed in silence between them, though the rest of the room remained raucous. Despite that not a word passed between them, and despite Cartalis¡¯ frustration at Arenya¡¯s (admittedly well-intentioned) attempt to hug her, and despite that Cartalis wished to be alone, there was a comfort in knowing someone else was there, feeling something with her. Arenya did not know what upset Cartalis so, nor would she, for Cartalis wished to keep it to herself. But having someone else to feel concerned for Cartalis, to share with her some sympathy on her behalf, even indirectly so, felt¡­ good, somehow. Her vocabulary failed her here. The room quieted when Professor Kazurist entered. Cartalis lifted her head and took a handful of notes during the opening minutes of the lecture, before ultimately laying her head back on the table and idly listening. It was mostly review anyway, given that the first semester was nearing its end and exams beginning to approach. This too was a comfort, to hear a professor¡¯s excited, but not too excited, voice carry on about a topic she cared about so. Even if she could not bring herself to take notes, pay especially close attention, or even look around, it still relaxed her to hear the familiar terms, the classic equations, the occasional pun¡­ Cartalis realized after a moment that she was crying. At that, she resolved to keep her head down for a time longer. She didn¡¯t wish for anyone else to bother, or to ask the stupid questions they always did about how they could help or provide the same handful of insipid and meaningless platitudes. A hubbub of conversation began. It took a moment for Cartalis to realize Professor Kazurist had asked them to answer a question in small groups before he would provide the real answer. This, thankfully, was a deal more muted than what had occurred before class, so that it was almost relaxing as background noise. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, the footsteps nearby cut through the noise around her like a knife. She knew what was coming, even before Professor Kazurist spoke. ¡°Cartalis, you¡¯re not acting much like yourself. Is everything all ri-¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to talk, Professor.¡± Despite it all, Cartalis¡¯ lips twitched. Finally - finally! - someone understood. And of course it was Arenya, her truest friend she¡¯d found since joining Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s. ¡°I see,¡± said Kazurist. ¡°Well, if you change your mind, know that I¡¯m always here.¡± The footsteps sounded again as Kazurist walked away, presumably to help another group of students with more traditional questions. The buzz of conversation became the only sound Cartalis could hear. Cartalis stayed there for a few moments longer. After some moments, when her tears dried, she finally lifted her head. It felt strange, almost alien, to be seeing again at the moment. Everything looked oddly bright, almost aggressively so. Was the room always this lit? It made her wish to put her head back down, but she grit her teeth and bore it. Whether that was from desire or a stubbornness buried deep within her, she wasn¡¯t sure. Still, for once, she felt a palpable sense of relief when class was over. She barely kept from sighing heavily as the hubbub of conversation erupted around her once more. She put her things away as quickly as she dared and looked to Arenya. Arenya¡¯s smile was obviously forced, but she put one on anyway and waved. No words. Just a slight move of her hand and that was all. Despite their differences, and despite perhaps a momentary confusion, she understood Cartalis in her moment of anger. Cartalis was shocked to find that her smile back wasn¡¯t forced at all. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak, still, but she did mouth a thanks back. And now, back to her dorm. Back to peace, back to a familiar place where she could be alone with her thoughts and have a bath and a meal. The thought occurred to her that maybe she should have the meal with Arenya there. Perhaps she did need some company, even if it was just the presence of another and not a conversation¡­ But in the end she trudged home herself. Chapter 24: Discussions ¡°So why is it that you¡¯re always so uptight?¡± Arenya bit back a groan. Leave it to Ya¡¯el to ask such a question. ¡°Uptight how, precisely?¡± she asked, despite knowing the answer. ¡°You follow all these rules. You can¡¯t eat this, you can¡¯t wear that. Drav and Zelzad told me about how you had to be convinced to even roll up your sleeves. I dunno how you can even live like that. This is one of those Drake things, right?¡± ¡°Dragon. Drakes don¡¯t have tails and their wings are arm webbings.¡± Arenya realized halfway through her correction that Ya¡¯el couldn¡¯t possibly have not figured this out from the past four or five corrections, and was at this point probably making the mistake on purpose to get a rise out of Arenya. ¡°And not all Followers are part dragon anyway, and some even are part drake.¡± Arenya pretended to watch Drav and Zelzad, rehearsing their fight scene once again. They¡¯d done this several times over the past week, and each time Arenya had gone, though as she¡¯d come to realize she didn¡¯t have much to contibute she¡¯d started paying less and less attention. Now, though, maybe Ya¡¯el would take the hint? ¡°Whatever. Great Grandpa was a dragon, apparently, but I never met him and dunno what they look like. But yeah, why do you have all these rules, and why is it so important to you that we can¡¯t go crazy on stage?¡± This was the conversation Arenya had been dreading. How was she ever supposed to explain to someone like Ya¡¯el, whose family had so clearly given up the ways of the Follower, why she did what she did? ¡°It¡¯s¡­ you know The One Above? When He freed us from The Overseer, and He granted His blessing to the first Dragon Lord.¡± Ya¡¯el squinted and looked at Arenya. ¡°Yeah, I think I heard something like that once. Then he said not to torture people and to be nice to your parents or something.¡± Arenya closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°He granted us His rules and strictures, the ways we live and respect Him to this day. How we live, how we work, how we treat ourselves and others. I wear a dress because proper dress is part of His code. I eat the food He commanded us to and live my life in His way.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ why do you care about him? I¡¯ve never met the guy. He doesn¡¯t seem to care about me all that much. I don¡¯t wear a dress and he never gave a crap. There¡¯s been no mana warriors or big giants or whatever coming down to tell me I¡¯m not doing it right. So why does it matter?¡± ¡°Wh¡­ why¡­ I¡­¡± Arenya took a deep breath. ¡°He doesn¡¯t go around smiting people for not doing what He wants. That¡¯s not His way. The Dragon Lords even warned against trying to enforce His will on others like that, unless they did something really wrong. We do it because He asks it of us, and we are happy to serve Him. We are to be rewarded one day, but even were there no reward, we would still follow in His word, because it is His will. That¡¯s how I think about it, anyway.¡± Ya¡¯el stared into the distance. ¡°What do you do if he asks you to do something you don¡¯t like, though? Like you said he wants you to wear long dresses. I hate long dresses. I want guys to stare at me. I like thinking about what¡¯s going through their heads when I walk by and-¡± ¡°Yeah, I get the idea.¡± Arenya squeezed her eyes shut. She considered mentioning that apparently other students were swooning over her constantly even in her long dresses that showed far less skin than Ya¡¯el ever did, but somehow felt that saying that wasn¡¯t going to help much. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Ya¡¯el snorted. ¡°See, that¡¯s exactly what I mean! You¡¯re so uptight that I can barely even bring it up without you squirming. You looked so embarrassed even suggesting the Hashess¡¯ Daughter idea, even though being the corpse of the last daughter of the Hashess revived in a new body to seek revenge against the Hardal is frickin¡¯ awesome. What¡¯s wrong with that, anyway? Is The One Above really so strict that he won¡¯t even let you have a little fun with the old stories and stuff? And if it¡¯s all because he asked you, and not because it helps him or some such, why¡¯d he even bother to ask?¡± ¡°Because we live to serve Him. He has shown us the path that we are to walk, and we find joy and meaning in fulfilling His will.¡± ¡°But if you don¡¯t find joy in fulfilling his will? Then what? Are you just supposed to suffer through it all, wishing you could do something else?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Then what are you supposed to do?¡± Arenya opened her mouth, then closed it again. She sat there for a moment, thinking. Then Arenya, opened her mouth,then closed it again. This repeated two or three times before she finally stated, ¡°You figure out how to find joy in it anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so dumb! If The One Above really cared about us, he¡¯d let us live our lives in the way that we enjoy the most. And if that means going wild on a stage to have a good time and help others also have a good time, that¡¯s gotta be okay, right?¡± Countless responses flitted through Arenya¡¯s head. That The One Above knew what was better for His people better than they did, that superficial pleasure was pointless compared to the majesty of knowing you were doing the right thing, that to forsake His ways was to lose meaning¡­ but Arenya decided to go for something a bit bolder. ¡°You know,¡± said Arenya, ¡°There¡¯s a Great Feast coming up.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah¡­ I think I heard of those.¡± Arenya barely managed to hide her shock. Even with as little as Ya¡¯el knew, surely at least the Great Feast would have come down to her? After trying to disguise her gasp as a cough, Arenya said, ¡°It¡¯s when we have a big ceremonial meal to commemmorate when we were freed from The Overseer. There¡¯s singing, and lots of food, and you¡¯ll get to met a bunch of other Followers. It happens during break. There¡¯s a place somewhere, way out on the edge of the city, where there¡¯s going to be a big group of Followers celebrating. It¡¯s a long train ride, and I¡¯ve never been there before, but Cartalis said she¡¯d come with me. Maybe if you check it out, you¡¯ll understand a bit better?¡± Ya¡¯el didn¡¯t bother to hide her own gasp. Her eyes widened. ¡°You really want me to go to some big Follower thing? Didn¡¯t you hear all the stuff I said? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d even think to ask after that!¡± Arenya blushed and looked down, running a nervous hand through her hair. She knew this would happen, that it was a stupid idea¡­ but she had to try, didn¡¯t she? ¡°S-sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry? I didn¡¯t say no. If I don¡¯t try weird new things, I¡¯ll end up just as uptight as you. What¡¯s the dress code?¡± Now it was Arenya¡¯s turn to have wide eyes once more. ¡°Well, most women will be wearing dresses below the knees.¡± Ya¡¯el burst out laughing. ¡°Like some prude? We already talked about that. No way.¡± ¡°Well, you could probably get away with pants. That¡¯s what Cartalis is doing, but -¡± ¡°Skirt above the knees.¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­¡± Arenya¡¯s ability to form words seemed to just¡­ vanish for a few moments. ¡°If you wear long leggings underneath that aren¡¯t see-through, that¡¯s probably fine.¡± She hoped, anyway. ¡°Skirt and leggings it is! Thanks for the invite. Are Drav and Zelzad gonna be there?¡± ¡°They already had plans over break,¡± said Arenya. She didn¡¯t mention that she¡¯d felt a bit of relief at that - inviting more than a couple non-Followers to something like this could be a bad look, but she knew that asking Cartalis meant she¡¯d have to ask them too. Cartalis would definitely be respectful, and an out-of-touch Follower would be tolerated, but if Arenya brought an entourage of non-Followers there, she wasn¡¯t sure if it would end well. ¡°Try to get into things,¡± Arenya said. ¡°You¡¯ll see how we do stuff. Maybe you¡¯ll get why it¡¯s so important to me to do things the way I do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t count on convincing me of much. But we¡¯ll see. Shake on it?¡± They shook hands - a moment that neither of them likely expected to see, Arenya mused to herself. ¡°Want to get back to writing, then?¡± asked Ya¡¯el. ¡°I wanna know what I¡¯m gonna do in your Hashess song.¡± Arenya bit back a¡­ Well, she wasn¡¯t sure. A gasp? A laugh? A dry spit take? All three? Whatever feeling it was, she just about managed to hide it. ¡°Sure,¡± she said, as she took out her notes sheet. ¡°So after Hardal captures the Hashess¡­¡± Chapter 25: Groceries ¡°How many¡­ channels¡­ does it take to begin¡­ to destabilize¡­ iron?¡± ¡°Seven.¡± Arenya was surprised at how much Cartalis was huffing. The bags they were carrying really weren¡¯t that heavy anyway. It was only a week¡¯s worth of food, and while Arenya was a big eater, she didn¡¯t need more than three bags. Evidently Cartalis¡¯ upbringing in big cities didn¡¯t involve much carrying around of heavy objects. They¡¯d already taken two breaks other than this one on the way back to Arenya¡¯s dorm, and Cartalis still hadn¡¯t caught her breath. Arenya, meanhwile, hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat. Of course, Cartalis¡¯ insistence on reviewing flash cards for their upcoming final exam each spare moment probably wasn¡¯t helping, even though Arenya tried to convince her that they¡¯d be done with this faster if Cartalis ceased with the talking and focused on slowing her breathing instead. ¡°Hey, girlllllls,¡± called out a familiar voice. ¡°Greetings, Ya¡¯el,¡± said Cartalis. Arenya suspected Cartalis was making a point of ignoring that strange greeting. ¡°Next card¡­ if a meterial begins¡­ to strain¡­ under four channels¡­ how many to collapse?¡± Arenya paused for a moment, thinking as she waved to Ya¡¯el. ¡°Umm¡­ Six?¡± ¡°Eight,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°I¡¯ll mark that¡­ as review.¡± Ya¡¯el took a seat next to them on the bench, just in front of a bag of food that Cartalis had placed down before them. She all but stuck her nose in the bags of food they¡¯d strewn around them. ¡°So what¡¯s all this for?¡± ¡°The Days of Freedom. The holiday the Great Feast is for. I have to prepare my own food since I can¡¯t eat at the dining hall during it.¡± ¡°You and your rules,¡± muttered Ya¡¯el as she rolled her eyes. She stuck her face even further in the back, awkwardly kneeling on the bench as she did so. Arenya was about to point out the shortness of Ya¡¯el¡¯s skirt at the moment, but a shake of the head from Cartalis reminded her that not everyone shared her standards of modesty. ¡°Rice, vegetables, fruits, beans,¡± said Ya¡¯el. ¡°There¡¯s no bread in any of these. How come?¡± Arenya once again found herself unsure how to respond to someone who knew so little, despite being a Follower herself. After a moment of thought, she said, ¡°The next week, the rules of eating are very strict. I have to avoid a lot of foods I can eat the rest of the year. The dining hall isn¡¯t really allowed the rest of the time, so really not now. The rules are for no bread or other grains.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Ya¡¯el blinked. ¡°And they¡¯re very strict right now because¡­¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what Followers do.¡± Arenya barely managed not to sigh heavily. ¡°The One Above commanded that we avoid certain foods for this time. I¡¯m allowed to eat rice and beans, at least. Professor Kazurist won¡¯t even eat those.¡± Arenya had no idea how he managed a whole week like that, though she wasn¡¯t about to say that aloud to a skeptic. Shaking her head, Ya¡¯el said, ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­¡± She froze in place, ¡°Wait a minute. Doesn¡¯t this mean we won¡¯t be able to even eat bread at the Great Feast? What kind of feast is that?¡± Now it was Arenya¡¯s turn to roll her eyes. ¡°Plenty of great foods don¡¯t have bread in them. Meat, soup, salad, potatoes, squash¡­ And we can eat some kinds of bread, as long as they were cooked quickly enough and don¡¯t rise it all.¡± ¡°And are those kinds of bread actually any good?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Arenya looked down. ¡°No, not really.¡± Cartalis threw a quick glare at Arenya, though she was smiling beneath it and still panting heavily. ¡°When I¡­ asked earlier, you informed me¡­ that fastbread was quite tasty.¡± Ya¡¯el started to crack up while Arenya hunted for an answer. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good at first. After a day or so it starts to go stale and you get really sick of it. But you won¡¯t have to eat that much since you¡¯re not a Follower.¡± ¡°Oh, and so I will have to eat a bunch because I am one?¡± said Ya¡¯el. ¡°Hah. No way.¡± Arenya decided not to mention that she also generally didn¡¯t eat any fastbread after the Grand Feast and instead just ate rice and fruit for the most part. ¡°So once you¡¯ve brought all this food to your dorm, then what?¡± ¡°Then,¡± said Arenya, ¡°I clean the dorm of any crumbs, put the food away, and then keep studying for finals.¡± ¡°Ah, studying. So you¡¯re not only thinking about the feast stuff and the band.¡± Arenya almost responded to the playful chiding that Ya¡¯el cared more about the band than Arenya did, but Ya¡¯el continued before Arenya could respond. ¡°How long have you been studying for?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Arenya blushed. ¡°Since Cartalis took out those flash cards?¡± Cartalis glared again. Her smile was no longer present, and her gasping for breath seemed to have vanished. ¡°You only just began to study today? Friend, the exams are in but a few days!¡± Ya¡¯el burst out laughing even harder. ¡°Listen, all that writing for Drav¡¯s band has been keeping me busy¡­¡± ¡°So busy you haven¡¯t even found yourself with the time to do more than review our flash cards?¡± Cartalis grabbed two bags - before she¡¯d tired herself out with just one - and began to all but run toward Arenya¡¯s dorm building. ¡°Let us improve the pace - each moment we are standing here is a moment that you are underprepared for your exams!¡± Arenya and Ya¡¯el exchanged a glance, before Arenya took the final bag. Ya¡¯el grabbed a bag too, though it wasn¡¯t really necessary when there weren¡¯t many left from what Cartalis hadn¡¯t taken. ¡°I gotta say,¡± said Ya¡¯el. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be weird to be at the feast or whatever, but you are making it sound interesting. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Arenya found herself grinning. ¡°I¡¯m glad for that. Now, let¡¯s get going. You wanna study some with Cartalis and me?¡± Ya¡¯el shook her head. ¡°Right now? I don¡¯t think Cartalis is gonna let you go for the rest of the day. I dunno about you, but I¡¯ve got stuff to do.¡± Arenya laughed. ¡°Fair enough. See you at the Feast!¡± And with that, Arenya dashed off to catch up to the now-distant Cartalis. Chapter 26: The Great Feast Arenya stared at the papers in front of her. Cartalis insisted they study, even though it was break - something about how the next semester was going to be far tougher and they couldn¡¯t afford to let their guard down. She was probably right, but Arenya couldn¡¯t focus. Not after¡­ well. The equations seemed to swim in front of Arenya¡¯s eyes. Nothing made sense. She was never that good at mana chemistry anyway, theoretical or applied - but this was far worse than anything she¡¯d seen before. Eh, who was she kidding - no, it wasn¡¯t really much harder. She just couldn¡¯t focus. Arenya lay her head down on the table and sighed. ¡°Here is the tea you reque-¡± Cartalis stopped in the doorway, two mugs of tea in hand. She paused for a few moments. ¡°Are you all right, friend?¡± Arenya said nothing, but she did raise her head from the table. Cartalis looked¡­ embarrassed? There is truly a first time for everything. Cartalis placed a mug next to Arenya and looked away. ¡°I apologize for that display. I lost control, and¡­ you see.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Arenya picked up the mug and took a long drink, barely caring about it almost burning her tongue. ¡°It was mine.¡±
The Great Feast had been excellent. She¡¯d been greeted happily, plenty of part- and even full-dragons present, along with many other followers. Each step had been followed in perfect detail, and Arenya took each opportunity to explain the minutiae to Cartalis. Even Ya¡¯el seemed to be having a good time. Despite her frustration at how long it took to get to the food, when everyone started playfully hitting each other with leeks, she broke into a wide smile and joined in. When the meal finally began, Arenya heaped her plate with food and dug in. ¡°What is this event here?¡± I shouldn¡¯t have answered that woman. She¡¯d gone outside for a breath of fresh air partway through the meal, when an elderly lady peering through thin spectacles stopped her. Well-dressed, a bit chubby, in light blue trousers and a shirt so vaguely beige that Arenya¡¯s eye passed over it, as though unable to register the color in her head. Iron-gray streaks of hair ran through the woman¡¯s braid. Still, she looked friendly enough - a slight smile, almost excitement at seeing someone from the Great Feast. Putting on her friendliest smile, Arenya stopped and turned to The Bespectacled Woman. ¡°It¡¯s a Great Feast. There¡¯s one every year. All of us who follow The One Above are united today to celebrate the day we were released from captivity.¡± The woman¡¯s confused expression focused squarely on Arenya¡¯s¡­ shoulder? Arenya gave her wings a light flap. Indeed, The Bespectacled Woman¡¯s eyes followed them. ¡°Ah, like the Banquet of The Six!¡± The Bespectacled Woman exclaimed after a quiet moment, eyes lighting up. Arenya suppressed a sigh. ¡°No, actually. I¡¯ve heard a lot of people say that The Six had a Great Feast, but that isn¡¯t true. Great Feasts don¡¯t have anything to do with The Six. We follow The One Above alone.¡± The woman¡¯s brow furrowed. She looked¡­ not stunned, at least so far as Arenya could tell. But disquieted. ¡°What about The Six? Do you follow them too?¡± There was a slight note of hesitation in her voice. ¡°No, we don¡¯t. We don¡¯t worship The Six.¡± The Bespectacled Woman¡¯s look of horror was burned into Arenya¡¯s vision. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t¡­ How is that possible? I swear I¡¯ve met others who say they follow both The One Above and The Six.¡± ¡°We just don¡¯t.¡± Arenya could only shrug in frustration. ¡°We believe in just one God. The God of all things, who created the world, who freed the ancient dragons from our captivity, and who bids each of us, no matter our heritage, to be righteous. I¡¯ve heard of a group who considers The Six to be deities as well, but that isn¡¯t common.¡± If she¡¯d made at least one good decision that evening, it was her being smart enough not to mention that she and Ya¡¯el both cringed at those so-called Followers, and had been cracking jokes about them on the way here. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± whispered The Bespectacled Woman. The expression on her face was beyond surprise, reaching genuine fear. She looked deep into Arenya¡¯s eyes and said, voice quivering, ¡°I hope you can still be saved from the wrath of the Infernals.¡± Arenya felt her pulse quicken. Whether in anger or fear, she couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°We don¡¯t believe in the Infernals. Not in the same way as you do, anyway.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± The Bespectacled Woman looked over her glasses at Arenya. She wasn¡¯t angry. Arenya would have preferred that. Instead the woman was unsettled, yet somehow calm. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to act the way dragons do if you believed in them.¡± How did she respond, again? ¡°What do you mean, act the way dragons do? We behave righteously. We walk as humble servants in the path of The One Above, and always strive to be our best selves.¡± She recalled with a grimace her next line. ¡°I know, The Six preach that you should always forgive, no matter the sin. But the Overseers had kept us in captivity for centuries. The Fall of the Overseer was sad, but necessary.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read The Fall of the Overseer,¡± said The Bespectacled Woman. "So much brutality and selfishness. ¡°That kind of selfishness is why dragons sit on their hoards of money in their caves, counting their gold. It¡¯s because of your texts, not balanced by the teachings of mercy and forgiveness.¡± The years on the farm. Arenya¡¯s hand clenched as she sat there in the study room, thinking back on that day. The countless hours toiling to make ends meet. Her eyes began to fill with tears even now. The years spent saving, and saving, and scrounging each coin to afford to go to the Academy of Adventurers. Arenya bit her cheek so hard she tasted blood. The promise to earn the life her parents hadn¡¯t been able to, to send back money when she graduated and become a true BladeMage. The countless pressures she faced, that other students went without, for Arenya knew that to let her grades slip one bit would be to cost her the scholarships, and the opportunities, she¡¯d worked so hard for. All thoughts of an objection simply blew past her as she stared, wordless, at The Bespectacled Woman. Her words were a physical blow greater than any battlefield wound. The two of them simply stood there in silence. How long, Arenya was never able to tell. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a head of dark blond hair and a dark suit top. ¡°I think my friend is looking for me. I should probably get back.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± said the bespectacled woman as Arenya turned to Cartalis. ¡°I truly hope you all get your chance to be saved.¡± Cartalis led Arenya back to the feast room. Her plate remained there, piled with food. Arenya took a bite. The taste was muted. ¡°What took you so long?¡± asked Ya¡¯el when Arenya sat down once again. ¡°She was conversing with some strange character,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°What was that she said? May you be ¡®saved¡¯?¡± Arenya toyed with the food on her plate. ¡°She was saying Followers are violent and dragons hoard their gold.¡± ¡°Well, we kinda are, aren¡¯t we?¡± Ya¡¯el gave a goofy smile. Arenya glared. Ya¡¯el quieted down. Cartalis stood. She turned toward the entrance. Arenya had a vague premonition of what might happen, and suspected she should probably try to stop it, but was too upset to care. With each step, Cartalis seemed to grow firmer and colder. ¡°Oh, snap,¡± muttered Ya¡¯el. ¡°She¡¯s bringing out the Blond Ice Queen. You might wanna take cover.¡± ¡°What did you do to my friend!¡± The entire room went dead silent. Cartalis launched into a stream of insults and curses so vile that Arenya had never even heard of half of them. Most of it was frankly incoherent, but ¡°Arela¡¯s areolas have more sense than you, you Benab-brained Xelax-addled moron!¡± was a line Arenya wasn¡¯t going to forget any time soon. One thing was for sure, though - if she could be heard this clearly while standing outside the building, chances were that the entire neighborhood had just been awoken. Several minutes later, a panting, exhausted Cartalis slipped back into the room and collapsed into her chair. Wordlessly she began eating her dinner once more. About a minute passed in utter silence. Ya¡¯el broke the silence. ¡°Yo, that was awesome!¡± That got a few chuckles from the room, but everyone was slow to return to their meals.
Arenya sipped at her tea. ¡°I mean¡­ will I even be allowed back after that?¡± ¡°Of course you will! No part of that incident was your fault. That bizarre bears the bulk of it. And¡­¡± ¡®And me¡¯, was the unstated addition. ¡°Perhaps,¡± admitted Arenya. ¡°But still¡­ I was so excited. That was my first Great Feast away from home. Having¡­ that happen wasn¡¯t in my plans.¡± They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping their tea. Cartalis looked bashful, but seemed hesitant to apologize a second time. Arenya longed for a decent snack, but she was stuck with rice and fastbread for a few days longer. And she was out of decent apples. It wasn¡¯t the same as home. This was going to be a rough break.
Glory to the Seventh. She¡¯s always been overzealous, that one. What did she do this time? Tell me you¡¯re joking. Please tell me you¡¯re joking. She doesn¡¯t understand The Seventh or our tenets well at all, I am afraid. When in the right place, she can capably convince people to learn some teachings, and eventually see that The Six is incomplete. But she should never, ever be given free rein, or she will simply make a fool of herself. Tell me who gave her this freedom - they will receive a stern talking to. I am afraid to ask, but fine: How does it get stranger? Her? Again? This Arenya girl¡­ She is an enigma. I am beginning to sense that she is important, or at least has a knack for showing up in the right places. Have him write her a letter. We will edit it and send it. Mayhaps we can learn more. Glory to the Seventh. Chapter 27: A Mysterious Letter Dear Arenya, How are things going? I know I was over at your school not that long ago, but there¡¯s some important stuff going on I gotta know about. I¡¯d stop by in person but I don¡¯t have the option right now. I heard some weird stuff from ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö my parents. You, or a friend of yours¡­ yelled at someone at a Great Feast? What happened? That person is ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö a friend of my family. They¡¯re not happy. I think it¡¯s dumb, but my bosses my parents care quite a lot about this. They, umm¡­ don¡¯t want me going to help out your parents anymore. Too concerned I¡¯ll ¡°pick up bad habits from the Followers¡± or something ridiculous like that. I heard a bit about your sword. Called Shomer or something like that? Apparently it¡¯s really unique and has some interesting designs on it. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö My parents heard about it and want to know. What are the designs on it? What do they mean? There¡¯s something funny about how the channels were made - can you tell me about that? I think if they get the answers, they may lighten up on me and let me get back to the farm. This may be my only letter for a while, even if you get back to me. But if you can get me the answers to what happened with that woman at the feast and what¡¯s up with the sword, that might help out some. - Daniel By the way, they keep mentioning some guy named Drav. I¡¯ve heard of him. Do you know him?
¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it says, Cartalis.¡± Arenya shrugged. ¡°I know. It makes no sense.¡± Arenya stared at the letter. Drav, Zelzad, Cartalis, and Ya¡¯el sat in around the table in the all-but-empty dining hall, exchanging concerned glances. ¡°Ugh,¡± muttered Cartalis. ¡°Classes resume in but two days. Now is not an auspicious time for dealing with strange crises such as this.¡± Zelzad gestured for the letter. Arenya passed it to her. ¡°Wow, you weren¡¯t kidding. Half this thing is crossed out so hard you can¡¯t even read what it said before.¡± Cartalis rose, strode to Zelzad¡¯s chair, and looked over her shoulder. ¡°One of these was done poorly. You can still make out the writing, though faintly. ¡®My bosses¡­¡¯¡± Cartalis tsked. ¡°I shall go out on a limb and suggest that several of the other excised portions said something similar. Replacing ¡®bosses¡¯ with ¡®parents¡¯. Someone has put Daniel up to this, and it was neither his mother nor his father.¡± ¡°How on Earth did he know about your sword?¡± asked Ya¡¯el. ¡°Did you tell him?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Arenya. ¡°You tell anyone outside the school about it?¡± ¡°My parents? They could have told him about it.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°If they wished to know about it, and he knew your parents were a source of information, they would have let him continue at the farm to obtain it.¡± ¡°That lady you yelled at,¡± said Zelzad. ¡°If she and Daniel were friends¡­ Did she seem like she was part demon or something? She was a Six worshiper, yeah? That¡¯s not a common demon-ey thing to do.¡± Arenya shrugged. ¡°She didn¡¯t look like a demon to me.¡± ¡°Any idea what relationship she might have had to Daniel?¡± ¡°Not a clue.¡± They sat in silence for a moment. ¡°This makes absolutely no sense,¡± said Ya¡¯el. ¡°You can say that again.¡± Arenya put her head in her hands and sighed. ¡°And he was doing such a good job helping out on the farm. The place is too big for just two sets of hands. My parents won¡¯t be able to do nearly as well without him.¡± Arenya stood. ¡°I¡¯ll go write a response. Shamir isn¡¯t a secret, anyway. I¡¯m fine letting his parents or bosses or whoever learn about him.¡± ¡°Permit me to look over the letter before you send it,¡± said Cartalis. Arenya could not quite tell if it was a question or a statement. ¡°I will,¡± said Arenya. As she walked towards the dining hall¡¯s exit, hoping the library had once again opened for the semester with its free collection of stamps, she realized she had forgotten one important aspect. That last line¡­ about Drav. Who were these people and how did they know about Drav? And what did they know about Drav? And why did Drav remain completely silent the entire time? Was that coincidence, or did he know something? Arenya halted in place in the doorway. Birds chirped outside, and the grass was green¡­ She considered going back to ask him, but the day beckoned her. She wanted to enjoy her last days before break ended also. She would go to the library, write the letter, grab a stamp, and find a nice place to relax outside. When she next saw Drav, she could ask him then. That would be fine. This was probably nothing, anyway. It seemed a bit funny, but surely it was just a job of his with some annoying anti-Follower leader, and some word got out about the yelling and someone got on Daniel¡¯s case. Not good, by any means, but nothing horrific either. Still, a small part of her could not help but worry.
¡°Speak.¡± Cartalis stared over the table at Drav. They had switched to a small room in one of the campus buildings, ostensibly because Cartalis wanted to ask Drav a question about the band¡¯s storyline. A bold-faced lie, of course. Drav looked a bit nervous. ¡°Speak about what?¡± Cartalis narrowed her eyes at him. She said nothing. Better for hiding the indecision in the back of her mind. Deep within herself was a¡­ a bluntness. She called it The Fiery One. Others called it a callous, uncaring piece of herself that pushed others away. She didn¡¯t wish for it. She didn¡¯t entirely understand it, either. Time after time, she¡¯d had to be taken aside, had it painstakingly explained to her why calling her siblings idiots wasn¡¯t appropriate or why she couldn¡¯t call their ancient family ritual a meaningless confusing mess in front of their houseguests, taught to push back against that part of herself, and eventually she¡¯d learned to put The Fiery One to the side, to not listen to her. Her parents were proud of her great progress, and Cartalis was proud of it too. Then school came, and Cartalis left her home city. Despite her success academically, the stress of being apart from where she had been raised was so significant, and the stress of dealing with so many vapid, meaningless ¡°declarations of love¡± so tiring, that she¡¯d let The Fiery One out once more. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. She remembered the look on one would-be-suitor¡¯s face when she told them where they could stick their request. That she knew they only wanted her money and that they cared not one whit for her, and she could see through the charade without difficulty. The feeling of finally letting out that frustration was good. She¡¯d grown to relish The Fiery One at first, and then resent her. Certainly, after a time the money-obsessed idiots stopped bothering her, but so did, well, everyone. She¡¯d gained a reputation for being impossible to approach, always studious and never rule-breaking, yet liable to fly off at another student for a perceived slight. Eventually The Fiery One led to her being the talk of the school and ignored at once. The irony of being called the Blond Ice Queen was not lost on her, but she did her best to never let show the pain that that name caused her, how much she hated the persona she¡¯d deliberately built around herself. And then, Arenya had arrived. A new leaf had turned. Cartalis could tell quickly that the two of them were both outsiders. She knew, somehow, that Arenya would not be pushed away by her reputation, that they could enjoy each other¡¯s company without the gossip getting in the way. The draw she had felt was inexplicable, but she knew they could be friends. And that had led further, somehow, to new friends as well. The Fiery One had gotten in the way, as she was ever wont to do, but eventually, with some practice, she¡¯d managed to put her in the back of Cartalis¡¯ mind where she belonged. The Fiery One had not vanished, to be sure. She still broke free sometimes, or whispered strange ideas in Cartalis¡¯ ear. Now Cartalis found herself doing strange antics, like when she broke into the graduate lab (a moment she¡¯d laugh about with her grandchildren one day, she hoped), in part in order to let out some of the latent energy The Fiery One gave off that Cartalis had no other outlet for. But for the most part, she had been tamed. The Fiery One now came at Cartalis¡¯ beck and call, for when she needed that burst of adrenaline or wanted to make it clear she was unwilling to take whatever the other person was giving. But she¡¯d grown incautious. At the Great Feast, she¡¯d given The Fiery One far too long a leash. She¡¯d torn into that woman, an act that Cartalis kept telling herself was just to protect Arenya, but she knew that was a lie. And now she had to reap the consequences. Daniel was up to who knows what, but Drav was involved with him. She¡¯d unwittingly taken her new friends, her greatest treasure for which her family¡¯s old wealth was naught but dust, and pitted them against each other. And now she sat here, staring Drav in the face, about to let The Fiery One out to play with him. As though she thought that was a good idea, and not at all liable to blow up in her face. But for all that¡­ She had to know. It was obvious that the letter had been badly censored on purpose. Whoever had written it, they wanted them to ask. Arenya, joy as she was to be around, was too naive to realize it. But Drav knew something, and whoever had written this letter wanted them to find out. The scrawling of Drav¡¯s name looked like it was done in haste, however, perhaps at the last moment before the letter was sent. Unlike most of the letter¡¯s idiosyncrasies, that appeared to be a genuine mistake, and Cartalis would capitalize on it. If that meant flirting with releasing The Fiery One, so be it. Hopefully she could manage this without sabotaging all she had gained¡­ But she found herself with no choice but to take the risk. ¡°You will speak.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°You know something about that letter and about what happened.¡± She prepared her best glare - one meant to cut through a person¡¯s face, through their soul, and out the other side of their head. ¡°Do not deny it.¡± She opened her eyes. She could see Drav simultaneously sit up to look larger, and wither slightly beneath her gaze. ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on.¡± Drav¡¯s voice held the barest hint of a break in it. ¡°So he knew my name. Whatever. What does that prove other than that someone there heard of me once? And anyway, it¡¯s not like Drav is the rarest ever name for a part demon, right? It might have been a different guy.¡± ¡°How long do you wish to keep up your charade of ignorance?¡± ¡°Come on, Cartalis. If I tell you they¡¯ll have my head.¡± Cartalis let the glare recede some. ¡°Ah. So there is indeed a ¡®they¡¯?¡± Drav froze. His mouth moved up and down, as though he attempted in vain to speak. Eventually, he simply smacked his fist against the table and muttered ¡°Dammit.¡± Cartalis took a slow, deep breath. As she exhaled, The Fiery One receded. Her purpose was fulfilled, and the damage mercifully small. Almost as though Drav wanted to be found out, to release whatever burden he was carrying. She hoped, anyway. ¡°Care to discuss?¡± Drav nodded. ¡°Fine. I suppose it¡¯s too late anyway. Promise me though, you won¡¯t tell Arenya?¡± At that, The Fiery One sent out one final spark, one that insisted she refuse. She bit it back. ¡°I shall try.¡± Would that she could hold herself to it. Provided he didn¡¯t say anything too concerning, she could probably manage it. Perhaps she might even handle it herself and not worry Arenya any further. Drav took a deep breath. ¡°Daniel and I belong to a group. It¡¯s small and pretty much all demons, though there¡¯s a few who aren¡¯t. We¡¯re pretty small, still, but the group has been around for a few decades now.¡± ¡°Is Zelzad involved?¡± ¡°A little. She hasn¡¯t been fully initiated yet, but she wants to be.¡± ¡°What kind of group is this?¡± ¡°We worship The Seventh. The one beyond The Six, and savior of demonkind.¡± Cartalis had to physically bite down on her tongue to keep from crying out. Drav had just admitted to blatant heresy. A seventh god? A demonic god? Foolishness, she knew, to react that way. After all, Arenya was a heretic, and that didn¡¯t bother Cartalis one bit. And further, Cartalis was a heretic - she wasn¡¯t convinced The Six even existed, and while her family had insisted she attend with them for services in her younger days, she¡¯d gathered eventually that it was more for appearance and social decorum than out of any zeal for worship. She¡¯d long since stopped paying attention when she was forced to attend, and the occasional swearing by one of The Six was the extent of her religiosity now that she attended Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s - a school started by yet another heretic, for that matter. And further, And further beyond that, she¡¯d known the instant she laid eyes on Drav and his group that there was no way they followed The Six in any traditional fashion, and neither did most of the students at Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s. So in a very real sense, this wasn¡¯t much of a revelation. So why should any of this be bothersome? Nevertheless, she still swore by The Six on occasion, and she still felt a lurching in her innards at Drav¡¯s proclamation. An absurd artifact of her upbringing, she knew, but despite that it remained there like a thin fish bone stuck in the back of her throat. All that passed through her head in the briefest of moments. Drav grimaced. ¡°Now you see why I didn¡¯t want you to tell Arenya. She has enough trouble as it is.¡± Evidently her poker face needed some work. ¡°We¡¯re not crazy, I promise.¡± Drav looked away. ¡°Okay, so maybe I¡¯m a bit crazy. But the rest of us, we¡¯re just regular demons trying to get by in the world and we have our god just like the rest of you. But it¡¯s too dangerous to speak up about it. If everyone reacted the way you did, it¡¯d be frustrating, but lots of people would react worse. A lot worse.¡± Cartalis felt a pang of guilt. Drav was right, after all - those with strong beliefs and little tolerance for others might not stop at a concerned look upon hearing of this new religious group. The pang ended when her memories returned to the night of the Great Feast. ¡°Such as by attempting to forcefully convince others of the wrongness of their ways? Making them morose on their holy day of joy?¡± Drav cringed. ¡°If that lady is who I think she is, nobody really likes her. She goes around trying to find others who like The Six and convince them to join, no matter how many times she¡¯s been told to knock it off. The leaders are getting sick of her. We don¡¯t talk to others like that.¡± Cartalis detected the hint of a lie in the inflection of Drav¡¯s voice, but she determined that pursuing it now would be fruitless. She let it remain for the moment. ¡°We may discuss the details of the theology later,¡± said Cartalis. She found with some surprise that she was genuinely curious about what sorts of changes they would have had to make to their liturgy. ¡°Through this group, you met Daniel?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never met him. Maybe I saw him once at a meeting, but we were never introduced. I did hear about him from time, though. He¡¯s kind of a big deal. I¡¯ve been hearing more about him lately, though I dunno why exactly. I think they want him to be a leader of some kind.¡± ¡°And that makes them so concerned about Arenya that they would write a letter like this? Why?¡± ¡°Man, I don¡¯t know.¡± Drav laid his head in his hands. "Most of the people there I¡¯ve met don¡¯t like Followers much - you know, we demons and they never got along well. Most of them never met a Follower. Neither had I, before Arenya. Maybe they think she¡¯s a bad influence? ¡°Look¡­ I¡¯m sorry about all this.¡± Drav clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to someone, I promise. I¡¯ll get it sorted out. But please, can we move on?¡± Even The Fiery One could get her heartstrings pulled sometimes. Seeing Drav¡¯s eyes barely begin to well up told Cartalis she¡¯d done more than enough this time. ¡°I have learned what I feel a need to know, for the time being. Might we continue to discuss, under¡­ less strenuous circumstances another time?¡± Drav nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± And with that, he stood, turned, and left the room. Cartalis sat back, thinking, trying to access her logical faculties through the guilt she felt at pushing Drav so. Some parts of this seemed a bit, might she say, cult-like? A focus on mystery, preparing someone in some obscure way, trying to put obstacles between their new members and their former friends¡­ She could not quite tell if her concern was well-formed or if she was merely overreacting to something she did not understand. Either way, Cartalis determined to keep a closer eye on Drav for the time being. Hopefully this would prove unnecessary. Just before she stood, Cartalis noted to herself that one notable question remained unanswered: Why did they care about Arenya¡¯s sword so much? Perhaps just the religious designs on the side caught their eye, and it was nothing more than interest in a sort of colleague. Or maybe there was something more. Chapter 28: Benya ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± said Benya. He leaned over the bench Shamir was placed on to get a closer look. ¡°The designs on the hilt are incredible. How many channels did you say this has, again?¡± ¡°Nine. The other seven are false channels.¡± Arenya felt that there was something subtly off about this man Benya, something that went beyond him being the first full-blooded demon she could remember meeting other than Daniel. Maybe he wasn¡¯t blinking as often as she felt he should? Whatever it was, it made her feel vaguely uncomfortable. Benya wasn¡¯t especially unusual-looking, beyond his pasty skin. His clothes were all gray and completely skin-covering except for his pale hands and head. Gray pants, gray shirt, gray belt, gray coat over the shirt¡­ Even his eyes were gray. With a start, Arenya realized that was probably what was tripping her up. She hadn¡¯t met many half-blooded demons either, but everyone with a reasonable amount of demon heritage she¡¯d met had red eyes - every single one. Benya¡¯s were gray. Why did that bother her? They stood in the same practice room that Arenya and Zelzad had first tested Shamir in. They hadn¡¯t turned on any of the wards or protective spells. It was a cooler day, so the heat wasn¡¯t a problem this time, but with no intention of using him, Arenya felt it wasn¡¯t necessary. She had, however, insisted on the door to the room staying open - or rather, she was about to when Benya left it ajar anyway, before she¡¯d said a word. Was that his habit for his own reasons? Did he simply not think about it? Or did he know something about Followers? His demeanor left her hesitant to ask. ¡°How did you make the lines so straight?¡± ¡°The channels were overfilled after forging.¡± The instant Arenya said that, she regretted it. That was Cartalis¡¯ research, her pride and joy, and she was just blurting it out to some strange demon? Well, some strange demon who was a friend of Kazurist¡¯s from when they were both students. One who had researched focuses for years, and was visiting the school to catch up with his old friend. That wasn¡¯t that strange. But why then did he insist on seeing Shamir almost immediately after running into her? And why did he insist on seeing Shamir alone? Arenya shook her head. Maybe Benya just felt anxious when in a large crowd and felt more comfortable this way. Maybe he¡¯d had a bad experience with someone who didn¡¯t like demons and since then he¡¯d tried to avoid being out in public too much. She shouldn¡¯t presume. Benya took her answer in stride. ¡°You overfilled the channels to straighten it? Safely? Nicely done.¡± His face was now a mere few inches from the blade. ¡°What are the designs meant to be of?¡± ¡°Religious stuff,¡± Arenya said. The vague feeling of unease she had led her to gloss over it quickly. ¡°Nothing that affects how the focus works.¡± Benya nodded. ¡°Wonderful work overall¡­ Can you make another?¡± Arenya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I, umm¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to make the designs the same. In fact, if you could do different ones - I can tell you what I¡¯d like them to have.¡± Benya chuckled. ¡°Nothing too crazy, I assure you, if you have an open mind. How about the channels? Can you make all of them active instead of just nine?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°How about different materials? I¡¯d like to see one made of steel. Can you do that?¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m not-¡± ¡°Can you make the coloration different? What if you group each set by subtypes that held certain types of mana, so that -¡± ¡°I barely helped!¡± Benya blinked. ¡°Pardon?¡± Arenya took a deep breath. She was on edge from this man - she liked seeing people interested and excited, but she just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling he was up to something. ¡°I did the designs and the basic idea, but I only filled three of the channels. My friend Cartalis is who actually made most of him.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Benya grabbed a notebook from his pocket, jotted something down with a pen, then switched to a different page which he tore out. ¡°I see. Well, the offer stands. Can you and this Cartalis person make another? I¡¯ll write what w- I would like to see down here.¡± He began writing on the torn-out page. ¡°It might take a while¡­¡± Benya grinned. ¡°Take as long as you need. I¡¯ll pay if you can manage it. I¡¯ll cover your full costs for school for a year if you can manage everything - courses, Follower food, and supplies. Both you and your friend.¡± A year? Of everything? Arenya gasped. Her parents had to keep scraping things together to keep her fed, even after her scholarship. If she had a full year free of charge, Mom and Dad would be able to relax! She¡¯d still have to be careful since she¡¯d need the scholarship when things were over, but the offer was still nothing short of incredible. Arenya jumped from foot to foot as Benya continued to jot things down on the page before handing it to her. ¡°I¡¯ll be giving lectures around the school for another week. Let me know what you decide.¡± Arenya gulped and nodded. ¡°Just one thing. Can you keep this on a need-to-know basis?¡± ¡­ ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I want it to be a surprise. The fewer people know of it, the better.¡±
Professor Kazurist steepled his fingers. ¡°This situation is certainly interesting.¡± Arenya kept flexing her hands and hoping she looked less nervous than she felt. Cartalis sat next to her, frowning slightly, but after spending much of the last semester together, Arenya had learned to tell when she was excited. Cartalis knew everything. Her first reaction to the list of requirements was to blanch. She insisted that while his request was much more complicated than Shamir, it was mostly the same sorts of techniques with only minor differences and so should be doable with the right equipment. Arenya suspected that was bravado. Cartalis had, however, then made the astute observation that Benya could easily be lying through his teeth about the payment. Professor Kazurist, on the other hand, she¡¯d kept a good bit of information from. She¡¯d told him just enough to explain the situation and ask for approval, at which point he¡¯d said he wished to talk to both Arenya and Cartalis in his office. ¡°Benya is not the same man I remember from our time in school. Then again, neither am I.¡± Professor Kazurist leaned back, though his eyes didn¡¯t leave the two students on the other side of his desk. ¡°We got along well - our differing faiths brought us into disagreement at points, but our shared love of magitechnology always overcame. In the last few years, though, he became¡­ eccentric.¡± Arenya bit off laughter. Eccentric seemed an understatement. ¡°He came into a lot of wealth - a lot of wealth - and has used it to fund very odd projects. He also changed his practices slightly, though he refuses to explain why. It¡¯s probably not relevant. He¡¯s still brilliant, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Professor Kazurist pushed his glasses up on his face, something Arenya was coming to realize was a nervous tic of his. ¡°I can tell you this: If he promised you a large sum of money to create his focus, he¡¯ll follow through.¡± A sense of elation filled Arenya. She leapt from the chair in excitement and - ¡°But I still stress some caution dealing with him. He¡¯s a real character.¡± Arenya blushed and sat down again. ¡°Is there anything else we should know?¡± Professor Kazurist looked to a corner and stroked his beard. After a moment, he said, ¡°I believe you¡¯ve heard enough to make your own decision. I grant you permission to use the labs for this, if you decide to go through with it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Professor,¡± said Cartalis as they stood. Arenya shot a grin at her friend as they left the office. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Cartalis nodded, but there was a moment of hesitation. ¡°Indeed. I have two requests I would like to make of Benya, however, one I believe you will appreciate. I hesitated to mention it until we had decided what to do, so as to not get your hopes up.¡± Arenya paused. ¡°My family is quite wealthy, as you know. I have no need for a paid year. I care about the art and the research, not the money. I shall ask him to give the full payment to you.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Tears began to stream from Arenya¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t care that a few confused students walked by. ¡°You¡¯re such a good friend, Cartalis. Thank you.¡± Cartalis smiled, or at least it looked so through Arenya¡¯s blurry vision. ¡°You are welcome, my friend.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the second request?¡± Cartalis¡¯ smile faded. ¡°It¡¯s a more complicated one. I will ask him myself. You needn¡¯t worry about it.¡± Arenya was too excited to notice the slight tremor in Cartalis¡¯ voice. Chapter 29: Sword-Making Challenges ¡°Damn.¡± Cartalis sighed and swept the lump of softened steel off the table. ¡°It¡¯s too impure, still.¡± Arenya arose from her position hunched over the lab equipment. As she did, one of her wings twitched. ¡°Ow. My back aches from staring at this so long.¡± ¡°We have been at this for some time now, indeed¡­ that was our sixth attempt, I believe.¡± Cartalis cracked her knuckles to try and restore some feeling to her stiff fingers. It didn¡¯t work. ¡°Let us return to the lounge and analyze the plans. Perhaps there is another method we may use.¡± Next door to the graduate labs was a nice, small study area. It featured a small fireplace (magical and carefully sealed off to ensure the heat never reached the sensitive lab equipment, of course), and tall, dark wooden chairs with red plush backing. The chairs were far more comfortable than the hard wooden ones most of the students were forced to deal with. More advanced equipment wasn¡¯t the only perk of being admitted into the graduate labs, Cartalis mused. Even Arenya admitted she didn¡¯t lament the lack of a tail-hole, since the seats were so soft. The table was of fine, scratch-resistant and magically sealed wood, with ornate designs carved into the table legs. Several sheets of paper were arrayed upon it, each describing some aspect of the design of this new, as-yet-unnamed sword. The lab and the lounge were both empty aside from them. They were generally quieter in the late afternoon when most students were eating dinner, but even so, Cartalis found it curious that she hadn¡¯t seen anyone in the last while. The lab had been empty except for them for the past hour, at least. Cartalis watched as Arenya chose the nearest chair and gingerly lowered herself onto it, wincing. Did her back truly hurt that much? ¡°Let us consider our options,¡± said Cartalis, looking at one sheet of paper. ¡°We could-¡± ¡°Mind filling me in later?¡± asked Arenya. ¡°I just need a moment to let my mind clear.¡± She shifted a bit, leaving a clear dusty imprint. Cartalis blinked as she realized Arenya was covered in crystal dust. Upon running a hand through her hair, a veritable cloud drifted around Cartalis. She barely managed to avoid coughing. Maybe they¡¯d been trying this too long after all¡­ She glanced out a window. The sun was¡­ No longer up. Oh dear. Too long indeed. No wonder there weren¡¯t any others nearby at this hour. Well, no matter. Cartalis would continue to think on it. She leaned back into the seat and stared at the ceiling, thinking. Sixteen channels. Sixteen channels in steel. Sixteen overfilled channels in steel. And they had to overfill each one, one at a time, post-forging, carefully enough to ensure that the steel didn¡¯t rupture in the process. Thankfully, the labs here had powerful wards, easily capable of containing such an explosion. Cartalis hoped, anyway. But even if the explosion didn¡¯t kill them, it would still ruin the sword and force them to start over. The steel had to be nothing less than perfect. With the perfect amount of structure, hard enough that straightening one channel wouldn¡¯t bend another, but not so hard that they couldn¡¯t be straightened at all. Pliable enough that even after being set it would bend, but without rupturing when being overfilled. Martial focuses were generally treated with crystal dust for this purpose. When melted into steel, it would act as a counter to the magically resistant metal, allowing mana to flow through it and fill channels more easily. The issue, then, was that a very, very precise amount of crystal dust was needed. The steel the school had on was treated, to be sure, but not thoroughly. It was slightly brittle and thus easily broken. Even slightly oversaturating the steel would render it too hard to straighten the channels and missing the mark in the other direction would cause the steel to crack, or worse. Further, the crystal dust they had was rough. Even in the graduate labs, they allowed rough crystal dust? The Fiery One flared up. Cartalis shoved her back down. These were the materials she had. They would do. So, Cartalis found that they had to grind the impure crystal dust themselves. She¡¯d done that before, but not to a precision like this. They¡¯d ground the dust, then weighed it, using the weight and average impurity as a heuristic for the mana dust. Then they warmed the steel and folded the crystal dust in. For most focuses, especially ones made by students as training exercises, that was fine. The variance in impurity was quite small, and so within an acceptable margin of error. This wasn¡¯t most focuses. The amount of crystal dust they needed was extremely specific. Overshoot even slightly, the sword blade would not hold. Undershoot even slightly, the sword blade Would. Not. Hold. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Deep breaths. In. Ou - An uncontrollable coughing fit ensued as Cartalis breathed in a mouthful of dust. At that moment, she realized - this wasn¡¯t going to work. Ever. They could keep trying over and over, but it would take dozens of attempts to succeed. They¡¯d both choke to death on crystal dust before they¡¯d get it right at this rate. The impurity wasn¡¯t even. Sometimes a randomly selected kilogram of impure crystal dust was almost completely pure. Other times, it was nothing but waste and filler. Sometimes it was in between. Thus, the problem. If each time, Cartalis could be assured of obtaining a precise ratio of pure to impure materials, she could simply factor that into her calculations and proceed. Could she ask Professor Kazurist for completely pure crystal dust? It was horribly expensive, but surely a professor would be able to obtain some¡­ Cartalis shook her head. No, Kazurist was concerned enough about this project already. If she started requesting such expensive materials, he¡¯d shut it down. What would be truly lovely was a way to measure the purity of a given sample, and determine exactly how much crystal dust was in it. If she could measure the ambient mana, and then measure the mana in the sample, the differential could be used to figure out exactly how much crystal dust was in the sample. But such finely ground crystal dust was going to give off only a very, very small amount, so the differential would be minuscule indeed. No machine could sense such a minute difference. So that wasn¡¯t going to work either. Damn. Cartalis closed her eyes. She¡¯d just lie there for a couple minutes, and no longer. Perhaps an idea would come to her¡­
¡°My demands are three.¡± Benya laughed. ¡°Is that so? And your three requests are so personal that you sent Arenya out of the room to ask them?¡± Cartalis sipped at her mug of steaming tea, surreptitiously brought into the practice room despite the rules against food and beverages. ¡°I believe you will find my demands reasonable.¡± She sat at a bench and crossed her legs, hoping she looked proper enough to this eccentric man. ¡°My first demand is a transfer of reward. You promised both Arenya and myself one year of school expenses, all paid, in return for a sword to your specifications. I have no need for this reward. I wish for Arenya to receive my year as well.¡± Benya steepled his fingers. For the briefest of moments, he looked just like Professor Kazurist. ¡°Agreed.¡± Strange¡­ this man before her seemed not the same as Arenya had described him, nor how he was when Arenya was in the room but a moment ago. He seemed more¡­ calculating, she would say. ¡°My second demand is to request assistance from others. Arenya and I created Shamir ourselves, with no outside assistance, but your requests are far more challenging. It may be necessary to request help from additional students, or possibly a professor. I demand the right to request that help at our discretion.¡± Benya¡¯s lips curled in a frown. ¡°I believe I have made the need for secrecy clear.¡± The Fiery One waited beneath the surface, but she knew that now was not the right time to let her loose. ¡°You have made the need for doing this right clear as well. This will, of course, be kept to a minimum. I simply wish to acknowledge that the design may pose unexpected challenges, and may require extra pair of hands.¡± ¡°Provided it is kept to a minimum, I suppose that is acceptable. Agreed.¡± Cartalis closed her eyes for a moment, controlling her breathing. She let the silence settle for a time. ¡°And your third demand?¡± Cartalis directed her gaze as directly to Benya¡¯s pupils as she could manage. ¡°Answers.¡± Benya cocked his head to the side. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You heard me,¡± said Cartalis as she stood. The man towered over her still, but she did her best to look severe and imposing regardless. ¡°First we receive a mysterious letter with obvious tampering from Daniel¡¯s benefactors - oh, excuse me, parents.¡± The Fiery One was let out just enough to give that last word a hint of spice. It felt good. ¡°This letter hints at blackmail in return for information about Shamir, and then not long after, you show up, asking more about him and wanting one of your own in return for some exorbitant reward. Arenya may be willing to take you at face value, but I¡¯m not. Don¡¯t even try telling me these have nothing to do with each other. Who are you really, and why do you want this sword?¡±
Cartalis blinked awake. Arenya still lay in her chair, snoring softly. The sky through the window was just beginning to change from black to dark blue. They¡¯d been asleep most of the night. Why she¡¯d dreamed of the deal with Benya, she wasn¡¯t sure. He¡¯d denied any involvement with the letters, Drav, and Daniel, all without even the slightest hint of lying. Cartalis knew it to be false, but he was good at keeping a straight face. When Benya pointed out that if she walked, Arenya would be heartbroken¡­ He¡¯d had the advantage and he knew it. And they had Kazurist¡¯s approval as well. He¡¯d cornered her. Damn. Whatever. She¡¯d made her demands, and he¡¯d accepted them. At least outside help was still an option. She wondered idly if there was someone else, someone who could help with fine mana sensing. One who can easily measure the amount of crystal dust in a sample to a high degree of accuracy. Was there anyone else working on a project like that¡­ Oh. Oh, no. No no no. Her mind flashed back to the case in front of the student council. What had Zander said? No¡­ Sigh. Yes. He had something that could sense, without any doubt, the amount of mana in a tripwire. And that was just an early prototype. Whatever he¡¯d made¡­ it would work. And it was their only hope. She¡¯d have to ask Zander. ¡°Arenya? I have poor news..¡± Silence greeted her. Right. She was asleep. Perhaps Cartalis should wake her and escort her back to her dorm, so they could sleep the last few hours before classes in their rooms¡­ but the chairs here were comfortable, and nobody would bother them here. And, well¡­ sleeping by a lab had always been a goal of hers. There was something exciting about being so busy she couldn¡¯t even stand to head home. Cartalis adopted a position much like Arenya¡¯s and snuggled into the chair. It took her a long time to fall asleep again, the concern of having to ask Zander running through her mind all the while. Chapter 30: A Meeting ¡°So.¡± Zander stood in the student lounge, arms folded. His gaze swept back and forth across them. ¡°You turn some of my friends against me, set up traps in the laboratory to try and catch me doing something I didn¡¯t, accuse me of sabotage, nearly get me busted in front of a council, and then, a few months later, you come crawling to me. Promising some awesome project I won¡¯t be able to say no to. And that my research is the only thing that¡¯ll help. And that if I do, you might be able to negotiate even a free year for me.¡± His frown was slight, but it cut Arenya deeply regardless. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± Arenya closed her eyes and looked down. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what happened,¡± she said. ¡°We didn¡¯t want to get you in trouble for sabotage that you didn¡¯t do. But we were acting out of line.¡± Zander didn¡¯t move. ¡°So I exaggerated a little. Fine. Your point is?¡± The words all but caught on Arenya¡¯s throat, but she forced them out. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry.¡± A bit of a smile broke through Zander¡¯s face. Arenya couldn¡¯t help but admit, that smile could probably melt the hearts of some women, though she and Cartalis were thankfully immune. ¡°Glad one of you feels that way.¡± Cartalis looked to the side. The expression on her face was unreadable, but Arenya could tell she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to also apologize. Zander walked over to one of the lounge chairs and kicked his feet up. ¡°So tell me the project and why I should help.¡± Cartalis finally spoke up. ¡°The project is to create a martial sword focus of steel, with sixteen channels. We wish to use some highly unorthodox techniques to straighten them post-production.¡± ¡°Cool, cool. So you¡¯ll need to imbue the steel with a very specific amount of mana, yeah?¡± Cartalis¡¯ jaw dropped. ¡°You certainly figured that out quickly¡­¡± Zander shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been working in this lab a lot longer than you. I know the materials.¡± ¡°If you know the materials so well, you can probably imagine what concern arose next.¡± Cartalis pointed to one of the various scraps of paper on the table. ¡°I listed each of our attempts thus far here.¡± Zander stood and walked over to the table. ¡°EMD-NM? IMD-F?¡± Arenya spoke up, glad to have some insight on the technicals for once. ¡°That first one means it had too much mana dust and wasn¡¯t pliable enough, and the second one means it fractured when we made the inital channels. Those were the only results we could get.¡± Zander nodded. ¡°Indeed. You try adding the dust slower?¡± Fury contorted Cartalis¡¯ face. ¡°Of course I did, you little b-¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I tried adding it in small increments, indeed. The filler is too unevenly distributed. We need something that can measure the amount of mana dust to an extreme precision.¡± ¡°And that something is?¡± Zander ran a hand through his hair, a ridiculous-looking grin on his face. Arenya barely managed not to roll her eyes. Zander knew the answer, and they all knew it. He just wanted to hear them say it out loud. Cartalis¡¯ jaw seemed not to be working, so Arenya spoke up. ¡°Your device. The mana sensor that you used to detect the tripwire. You said that it was extremely sensitive and could measure even very small amounts of ambient mana really, really well, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So it could measure the amount of mana in a sample of crystal dust almost perfectly.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯d have to reconfigure it a bit, since it¡¯s set up for active focused mana right now, but that should be doable.¡± ¡°And,¡± said Arenya, ¡°then we could get exactly the right amount of crystal dust into the steel, and it¡¯d be exactly right for the sword.¡± Zander nodded. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯d work to me.¡± Even Cartalis¡¯ eyes seemed to sparkle a bit as Arenya exclaimed, ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡± The smile on Zander¡¯s face vanished in an instant. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Arenya¡¯s heart sank. ¡°I mean¡­¡± Zander returned to his seat and kicked up his feet once more. He looked almost bored, somehow. ¡°What you¡¯re proposing is to use my research for your project. I worked hard on that, and haven¡¯t set out any results yet, you know? I¡¯d need something decent in return.¡± He smirked. ¡°And no, the free year of schooling won¡¯t cut it, if that was even true to start with. I don¡¯t need it. I got cash to spare. How¡¯s first name credit sound?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Cartalis looked like she¡¯d just swallowed a needle. ¡°This sword is a private commission. It is being given to a singular party, with whom we have already worked and agreed that Arenya and I receive equal credit, with any other assistants as third.¡± Zander blinked. ¡°It¡¯s military, then?¡± ¡°Personal ownership.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± Zander burst out laughing. ¡°You want me to use my one-of-a-kind, experimental mana sensor on some private art piece you¡¯re making? That¡¯s just gonna sit on some shelf looking pretty and gathering dust?¡± Zander righted himself, still chuckling. ¡°Not a chance.¡± He stood. ¡°¡¯Fraid you¡¯ll have to figure out the rest on your own.¡± Arenya closed her eyes. So he refused. So they couldn¡¯t use the machine. Cartalis would have an answer. She always did. And if they couldn¡¯t do it¡­ Well, her parents would surely be able to make do, right? Maybe they wouldn¡¯t be able to hire anyone. It¡¯d just be the two of them on the farm. How badly would that cut into their work? Would they be able to make it, still? Would they eventually need to call her back, saying they just couldn¡¯t afford another year - that the harvest was too low, that they needed a third hand, that they just didn¡¯t have the money to pay for her room and board after all? She opened her eyes, turned and looked at her friend - Cartalis¡¯ cheeks were wet. ¡°Zander, stop!¡± He did not turn as he strode toward the exit. ¡°Reconsider! Please!¡± He didn¡¯t even slow. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll go on a date with you!¡± Zander froze. The room was silent of all but Arenya¡¯s heartbeat. Slowly, he turned. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Cartalis wiped her face on her sleeve. ¡°You heard correctly. If you agree to help us, upon completion of the sword, I agree to a date of indeterminate but reasonable length. We may go to various locations, including dinner of your choice.¡± She took a deep breath, her chest shuddering. Zander stared at them. The silence stretched for one, two, three seconds. ¡°I will permit physical contact. You may hug me during it.¡± ¡°Cartalis, please.¡± Arenya felt her own eyes beginning to water. ¡°We¡¯ll find another way.¡± ¡°Not in time, we won¡¯t.¡± Cartalis stood firm, her face a look of determination despite her cheeks still glistening faintly with wetness. Zander grinned. ¡°Anything else?¡± Arenya¡¯s fists clenched. ¡°Anything else? Anything else? ANYTHING ELSE?¡± Cartalis raised her voice to such fervor that Arenya almost thought the windows would shatter. ¡°You want more, you pig? You want a kiss? Fine, I¡¯ll give you an Arela-blasted kiss too, in front of the whole Six-damned school if you please. And tell you what, then you can drag me to your dorm and have your way with me and then brag to everyone right in front of my face about how, because you¡¯re so very smart, you managed to impress the Blond Ice Queen so much she gave you her fucking virginity! How is that for more, you - you -¡± Cartalis fell to a knee. She was crying again, breathing heavily. Her face was red. Arenya reached a hand out to lay on Cartalis¡¯ shoulder, but thought better of it at the last moment. Zander¡¯s eyes were wide. It looked almost as though he had stopped breathing. ¡°You don¡¯t mean any of that,¡± said Arenya. ¡°You¡¯re just¡­ upset. Right?¡± Cartalis sniffled. ¡°I meant it. I¡¯d do it all and more if that will convince you, Zander.¡± Zander closed his eyes slowly. ¡°You mean that? You¡¯d give all that for a friend you just made a few months ago?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the only reason I have any friends at all, you know. There is not much I would not give.¡± She looked straight at Zander. ¡°Perhaps that is something you will never understand.¡± Arenya tried to resist, to tell Cartalis that nothing, nothing could be worth that price. The words caught in her throat, as she realized she was sobbing. Zander smiled again. For the first time Arenya could recall, he looked sheepish. ¡°Way to make a guy feel real bad, you know¡­¡± He extended his hand. ¡°Tell you what. I don¡¯t need anything. You convinced me. The project sounds cool enough that working on it is enough. I¡¯m in.¡± Cartalis stood on quivering legs and shook Drav¡¯s hand. ¡°G-g-glad to have you on board,¡± she sniffled. To Arenya¡¯s shock, it sounded like she meant it. ¡°So when do we start?¡± Chapter 31: Sword-Making ¡°Ruby.¡± ¡°Ruby.¡± ¡°Arcane flame.¡± ¡°Arcane flame.¡± Arenya recalled many of these items from when they were experimenting before the trial. She was able to follow Cartalis¡¯ work more easily now, at least. Well, if she wasn¡¯t so exhausted, anyway. ¡°Mana conductor.¡± ¡°Mana c-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± There was also the presence of Zander. Arenya still wasn¡¯t used to him being here, but true to his word, once he¡¯d agreed to join in, he¡¯d been here just as diligently as Arenya and Cartalis. It had taken him a couple days to refit his machine for ambient mana, but according to Cartalis, it worked extremely well. Arenya had secretly been hoping that meant they could just measure out the required amount of crystal dust for the whole experiment and call it good, but the process turned out to still be extremely arduous. They had to fold in an exacting amount of dust, often requiring remeasuring two or three times, then treat the steel, then test the steel, and then do it two or three times more. For each channel. Of which there were sixteen. Arenya didn¡¯t know what time it was at this point, or how long they¡¯d been at it. Hours, surely. But they¡¯d gotten the process down well enough, and were setting the fourteenth channel by now. Nearly done with this step, then. Arenya wanted to be excited, and she was, but at that moment all she could really think about was getting a good night¡¯s sleep. ¡°Just two more channels,¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°Two more and we¡¯ll be done with this part.¡± A knock at the lab door startled Arenya out of her thoughts. ¡°Oh, Xelax!¡± Cartalis¡¯ hand shook and released too much mana dust into the pile she was creating. ¡°Zander, what¡¯s the reading?¡± Zander glanced at his machine and turned some dials. ¡°Spilled too much in. If we scrape it off now it should be fine, but we¡¯ll need to redo the round.¡± Cartalis grumbled to herself as she dusted off the heap of hot steel. ¡°Who would knock to enter this lab? It is open to all students who are qualified. Let us take a break after I finish scraping off this sample and see whom it is.¡± Arenya unclenched her fists, put down the expensive tools she was holding, and walked towards the door. She wasn¡¯t sure who she expected, but not who she saw. ¡°Drav? Zelzad? Ya¡¯el? What are you doing here?¡± Drav couldn¡¯t quite meet Arenya¡¯s eyes. ¡°We were checking in on you,¡± he whispered. ¡°Checking in on us why?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ because you missed our meeting?¡± Zelzad, for her part, all but shouted. ¡°And you missed all your classes today?¡± Arenya blinked. ¡°Wait. What time is it?¡± ¡°Dinner closed an hour ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± Arenya nearly fell over. ¡°We¡¯ve been in here all day? How did you know where we were?¡± ¡°We asked Kazurist.¡± Ya¡¯el ran a hand through her hair. ¡°He always knows what¡¯s up with you, so we figured he¡¯d know where you were. He was pretty pissed, actually.¡± Drav shook his head. ¡°If by pissed, you mean worried, then sure. Worried enough to tell us to go into the graduate lab areas to find out what you were up to the instant we asked. You two never skip class!¡± ¡°We were granted an exception,¡± said Cartalis.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°You were?¡± asked Zander. ¡°We were?¡± asked Arenya. ¡°No, but my intention was for you two to play along.¡± Arenya watched as Zelzad¡¯s breath caught in her throat. ¡°Wait¡­ what is he doing here?¡± Zander didn¡¯t turn away from his machine as he tightened one piece while reconnecting a loose wire. ¡°Nice to see you again too, Zelzad. And I¡¯m helping them. What does it look like?¡± ¡°Uh, Zander? Your fingertips are bleeding.¡± ¡°Screw off, Ya¡¯el.¡± Arenya noticed he did seem to be leaving small red smears on the occasional screw. Evening already¡­ dinner closed¡­ Arenya dashed to the lounge. ¡°I almost missed the afternoon prayers! Can you two hold without me while I do them?¡± ¡°The sample should remain stable for about a week. We can spare five minutes.¡± Arenya bolted past scientific implements to the lounge, grabbed her bag, and pulled out her grandmother¡¯s prayer book. Her fingers shook and ached as she turned to the right page. While she normally did the prayers standing, the instant she entered the lab she felt her legs give out as she collapsed onto a chair. She barely managed to finish the last blessing before the shouting got too loud for her to focus. She looked up to see Drav and Zelzad dragging Cartalis into the room. ¡°Let me go! We are not in a position to be interrupted!¡± Despite her words, Cartalis seemed to be letting them carry her. Given her irritation at being touched when she didn¡¯t wish it, and how quickly she would turn her tongue against anyone doing something she didn¡¯t approve of, her attempts to free herself being so weak said a lot. It looked to Arenya as though she was more resisting out of a sense of obligation than any real desire. ¡°You aren¡¯t even permitted to enter these labs!¡± ¡°Kazurist gave us an exception tonight,¡± said Ya¡¯el. ¡°And unlike you, we¡¯re actually telling the truth. Now sit down.¡± Cartalis sat in one of the chairs. Zander, for his part, chose to seat himself on the floor. Arenya barely noticed Zelzad smirking for a split second before her face turned to one of stern neutrality. ¡°How much longer will it take you to finish the metal?¡± she asked. ¡°An hour? Maybe two?¡± said Cartalis. ¡°But mark my words, we shall finish it and we shall do so tonight.¡± Zelzad rolled her eyes. ¡°Not before you get some food and an hour of rest, you¡¯re not. Drav, honey?¡± Drav opened his bag and brought out three bags. He handed one to Cartalis, one to Arenya, and one to Zander. ¡°You know, your being here does explain why Kazurist told us to bring three meals instead of two.¡± Zander shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a bit surprised he knew I¡¯d joined in. I certainly didn¡¯t make a big deal out of it.¡± ¡°Kazurist keeps a close eye on the labs,¡± said Arenya. ¡°They even check fingerprints. It makes sense he would notice who was in here.¡± Drav stared at her blankly. ¡°You wanna say that again but in a way that we can tell what you¡¯re saying?¡± Until that moment, Arenya hadn¡¯t realized how she¡¯d been wolfing down her meal out of hunger and exhaustion. She swallowed. ¡°I said that Kazurist pays a lot of attention to who comes in. We learned that the hard way. Right, Carta-¡± Cartalis was curled into a ball on her chair, meal untouched. Her breathing was slow and even. On the table a note was placed reading Wake me in a few minutes. Zelzad massaged her temples with her fingers. ¡°You three are insane, you know that? Why are you working yourselves so hard for this?¡± Arenya gulped. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s hard to explain. But I really need to see this done. Cartalis and I have worked so hard to make this project happen, and my family is relying on me to get it finished. If we don¡¯t¡­ they might have to sell the farm.¡± Four sets of eyes stared back at her, with expressions ranging from confusion to concern. ¡°I¡­ I see,¡± said Drav. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± said Zelzad. ¡°You coulda asked us for some help,¡± said Ya¡¯el. Zander laughed. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why Cartalis was so desperate to get my help she offered to make out with me!¡± ¡°Dude.¡± Ya¡¯el threw him a glance that even Cartalis would struggle to match. ¡°What. The actual f-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I told her I didn¡¯t need it.¡± Arenya opened her mouth, planning to tell them that that wasn¡¯t even close to all that Cartalis had offered. The mirth fell of Zander¡¯s face in an instant. ¡°Still, that I pushed ¡¯em far enough that she felt a need to offer that just to get me to listen¡­ Makes a guy wonder, you know?¡± Arenya closed her mouth. Now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°Well, we almost certainly have a couple months, at least,¡± she said instead. ¡°We really don¡¯t need to finish the project quite this quickly. It¡¯s just that every day this is looming over my head, I¡¯m worried. Cartalis said we could do this in one day, and so I agreed.¡± ¡°Well,¡± said Zelzad, ¡°Do it in one day if you really want to. But don¡¯t get yourself hurt over it. Your parents wouldn¡¯t want that, right?¡± Arenya took a deep breath. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right.¡± She grabbed some more of the food. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry I didn¡¯t even bother to check if this is Follower appropriate¡­¡± ¡°It is. I asked Kazurist for some help.¡± Ya¡¯el grinned. ¡°See? You are rubbing off on me a little bit. Now maybe once you¡¯ve made your cool sword, I can show you some of my dance moves.¡± At that, they all began to laugh. Even a slowly rousing Cartalis. ¡°Permit us a few minutes more to eat. Then we may continue?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking us for permission?¡± said Drav. ¡°If it was up to me, you¡¯d be dragged back to your dorms until tomorrow.¡± Cartalis gave a weak smile. ¡°Thank you for the obligation to take a few minutes¡¯ rest. It will enable us to complete the final channels more effectively.¡± Arenya closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. Even just being here, silent and enjoying the laughter and casual comments, was enough to revitalize her. She¡¯d just take a few minutes and relax. The break was over far too soon, but as she stood and stretched and their three visitors said their goodbyes Arenya felt refreshed and ready to continue. ¡°Two channels left. Ready to kick their asses?¡± Zander smirked. ¡°Indeed,¡± said Cartalis. ¡°Let us continue. Arcane flame.¡± Arenya dashed to the lab bench and picked up the tool. ¡°Arcane flame.¡± Chapter 32: Tired Arenya and Cartalis watched the rehearsal. Cartalis was not certain which of the two of them was more exhausted. The sword would be ready in two weeks¡¯ time, according to Cartalis¡¯ schedule. It accounted for unexpected mishaps, testing, Arenya¡¯s art designs on the blade in accordance with Benya¡¯s requests, and a post-straightening reforge. Cartalis¡¯ parents said they would not need the money for several months, so even if something went disastrously wrong and forced them to start over, their schedule was excellent. Even so, Arenya¡¯s desire to move quickly was strong enough that Cartalis scheduled out a brisk pace, but she nonetheless assured Arenya that a break of a day or two was well within reason. Within reason and necessary, both to accomplish their other requirements and to give their bodies and minds time to recover. Even as Benya¡¯s sword loomed over their heads, Zelzad, Drav, and Ya¡¯el¡¯s concert was planned for a month and a half out. They¡¯d put instrumentation to Arenya¡¯s song and practiced some of their lines, and were eager to see what Arenya thought of it. Arenya¡¯d wanted to continue to working on the blade after finishing imbuing the sixteenth channel, but Cartalis - and even Zander! - had insisted she get to her dorm room and get a good night¡¯s sleep. Thankfully, Arenya saw reason and acquiesced without too much of a fuss. The instant Cartalis hit her own pillow she was fast asleep, and barely awoke in time for a quick breakfast before her first class. She¡¯d barely managed to stay awake through her lectures, let alone take notes. Even if she¡¯d been awake and alert, her hands ached from all the precise additions of mana dust and holding of small beakers and other measurement devices. Her vision swam as well, an unfortunate consequence of staring at so many tiny labels and minute bits of crystal dust. At least her hands hadn¡¯t bled, she supposed. She hadn¡¯t seen him, but the word had gone around that Zander had hurt his hands in a fistfight. She hoped that this was the result of other students¡¯ rumormongering rather than Zander. Cartalis curled up on the bench as the band proceeded with their routine. She knew she should be paying closer attention, but she was so tired that even The Fiery One was too fast asleep to care much about anything other than some rest. Arenya, for her part, at least attempted to watch them, but she sat in a way that was a hair¡¯s breadth from lying down, and occasionally closed her eyes for a bit too long to be just sinking into deep thought. Ya¡¯el said something. Or did she yell it? Cartalis could not be certain. She didn¡¯t stir as Arenya murmured something in response. ¡°Uhh, hello?¡± Cartalis didn¡¯t move, but she awoke herself enough to hear Arenya¡¯s response. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± "I asked if you liked how we were performing your song. The one that you wrote the lyrics for. The one we just. Did. ¡°Oh. I was a bit tired and wasn¡¯t paying much attention, sorry.¡± Perhaps ¡°attempt to watch them¡± was too strong an expression. ¡°Listen.¡± That was Zelzad. ¡°Are you two all right? We know you worked yourselves hard yesterday, but you were almost done when we left. Cartalis, you said it¡¯d only take another hour or two, so it wasn¡¯t that late.¡± Finally, Cartalis uncurled herself and opened her eyes. The world seemed strangely bright after spending so long with her eyes closed. ¡°It did indeed not take terribly much longer,¡± she said, ¡°but it is exhausting work to make such precise measurements. A typical job of that nature would be done over several days, to avoid wrist and eye strain.¡± ¡°Eight, you said, right?¡± Damned Arenya. Always proferring the information Cartalis hoped would stay secret. Now the three others would panic and fawn over the two of them like they were stray kittens.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°You did eight days worth of work in one day?¡± Ya¡¯el shook her head slowly. ¡°Y¡¯all need to chill before you work yourselves to death.¡± ¡°We are fine,¡± said Cartalis. Drav sighed. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t. Arenya, you look like you¡¯re on the verge of passing out. Cartalis, you did pass out. And Zander cut his fingers, even! You¡¯re really acting super unhealthy right now.¡± The Fiery One emerged from her slumber for the briefest of instants. ¡°It is no less healthy than your incessant smoking, at the least.¡± Zelzad winced, but Drav laughed. ¡°Point taken. Maybe it¡¯s a takes-one-to-know-one kind of thing. But either way, you two need to get back to your dorms.¡± Cartalis looked down. At the bench, at her legs, at her feet¡­ She felt a subtle ache in her legs as she stood. ¡°I¡¯d rather stay.¡± They all turned toward Arenya, who¡¯d adopted Cartalis¡¯ former curled-up position. ¡°I think I¡¯d rest better if I were around people,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to, you know, do much. But just being around others would help some. Like it did yesterday.¡± Zelzad cast her an aside glance. ¡°You sure?¡± Arenya nodded. ¡°I need rest. You¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t want to be alone. Just being here, hearing others talk, is good for me. Can I just stay here while you continue to practice?¡± Zelzad shrugged. ¡°You do you, I guess.¡± ¡°I, on the other hand, will return to my dorms. I suspect a soft bed is what I need right now.¡± Cartalis chose not to mention that she¡¯d been sleeping in that same bed yesterday and it hadn¡¯t helped yet. It¡¯s not like everyone here was not already aware, regardless. ¡°I shall see you all tomorrow,¡± she said as she walked towards the door. ¡°Cartalis, you look like you¡¯re practically limping,¡± said Zelzad. Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?" Cartalis shook her head. ¡°I can handle myself. Good night to all present here. I shall see you all tomorrow.¡± Ba¡¯al Cedric¡¯s remained crowded this early in the evening. Students returning from evening classes to grab dinner, or walking to nowhere as they flirted with their significant others. Most gave her a wide berth, thankfully. Unlike Arenya, she was finding the social contact to tire her more, not less. She did notice a handful of askew looks, however. The legendary Cartalis, tired? Not taking notes in class? Almost falling asleep? They said she never slept, only studied, and would break the leg of any who interrupted her with nothing more than an angry look. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh to herself at the absurdity of the image, not caring that she must look half a step from pure insanity at the moment. After nearly losing her balance to a wet patch of sidewalk by the school¡¯s fountain, Cartalis paused, looking at the gushing water, and found herself wondering if perhaps she should have taken the offer of a walk home after all. Anything more than a three meters away looked a bit blurry as well, it seemed. She stared at the water, thinking of the way it flowed. Like mana into the metal sample - both were fluids, she supposed, and both had no particular spatial property. Perhaps if she investigated mana in its liquid form, she could refine the process some. It was typical to use either mana in crushed crystals, or ambient mana in a gaseous form, but it could be stored as a liquid as well, albeit with some difficulty. Why was this done so rarely? Perhaps this was a question to ask Kazurist¡­ Her head hurt. For once in her life, she desperately wanted to not think about mana or research, at least for a bit. All she wanted now was to lie down and think about nothing. But then why couldn¡¯t she move? Why was she stuck, sitting here, staring at this fountain, when her dorm room was so close? When did she even start sitting? Last she could remember, she was standing. Why was she sitting on the ground instead of on the bench so close, at least? Was walking truly that difficult at this point? Was she really that tired? Maybe Cartalis was just lazy. Maybe the idea of putting in any kind of effort for anything at all right now was too much, even effort as simple as walking a handful of steps. ¡°You all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I am. Thank you for your concern.¡± It was ten seconds longer before Cartalis realized a student had actually approached her and asked if she needed something. Surely someone who had just started, who hadn¡¯t heard the rumors. She turned to see the person walking away, but couldn¡¯t tell who¡¯d said it from the crowd. None looked like they were lost or unfamiliar, though. Maybe someone thought they could get some added respect from their friends by being able to help out the Blond Ice Queen. Maybe her reputation was beginning to soften after a year and a half. Maybe she just looked terribly confused or upset, staring at the fountain shock-still while sitting on the ground, so much so that even someone who knew her reputation was too taken aback to withhold an offer of assistance. Could she really look that out of sorts? Cartalis stood and nearly collapsed in the process, before turning her eyes toward Serpent Wing. Just a few more steps and she would be able to collapse into her bed, where none would bother her. Just a few more steps. Chapter 33: Finished? Arenya had expected that as she spent more and more time in the lab working on the new sword, she¡¯d grow more comfortable there. She was right, though not in the way she¡¯d anticipated. On the one hand, she¡¯d learned the tools much more thoroughly by this point than she¡¯d gained through lectures, and felt confident at this point that she could handle most any project Kazurist or any other professor might think to throw her way. Arenya still had a long way to go to reach Cartalis¡¯ level, but her progress had been excellent. On the other hand, every time she entered, an almost zenlike state enveloped her. This room had become her life. Nothing seemed to exist outside of it by this point. Classes were a distraction. All the rest only served this one purpose. On some level Arenya knew this wasn¡¯t a healthy outlook, but she and Cartalis were so deeply embedded in this project by now that it was hard to think about things any other way. Perhaps that¡¯s why Arenya¡¯s hands shook as she finished up the final round of diagramming. The blade¡¯s intricate designs were already finalized and carved into the metal. One final draft remained of the pattern Benya wanted embedded on the hilt. After that, they would attach the hilt to the blade¡­ And they¡¯d be done. Of course, in reality they¡¯d only worked on this for a month and a half at this point. It really hadn¡¯t been that long. And yet, Arenya had put so much into this, that the idea that she¡¯d be done soon left her feeling strangely empty. Was she going to feel accomplished? Exhausted? Both? Arenya took the unadorned piece of metal that would become the hilt, held it up next to her diagram, and began making a few small cuts to create the seven-pointed star design Benya demanded adorn the hilt in seven places. Somewhere deep in Arenya¡¯s mind, she laughed at the fact that she was even in the graduate lab doing this when specialized equipment wasn¡¯t at all needed for the hilt designs. Cartalis was in the lounge working on an assignment for some other class, more there as an excuse to let Arenya stay than because Cartalis¡¯ help was needed for this part. No magic was involved, just a bit of fine motor control. There was no reason Arenya couldn¡¯t be in a regular lab, or even in her dorm room with a carving tool, but she¡¯d spent so much time here at this point that the lab became like a second home to her. Arenya moved on to the second star. The work was tedious and mind-numbing, a raw copying of designs from one medium to another, so Arenya¡¯s mind wandered as she worked. Seven of sevens, Benya had insisted multiple times in his notes about this design. Something about that sounded familiar to Arenya from her grandmother¡¯s book, about the seven fundamental states of being, but the star was something she wasn¡¯t familiar with. Her mind wandered, wondering what Benya¡¯s intention for this sword even was. It was all so strange, still. They¡¯d been so busy creating the blade for the promise of the money to save the family farm, but never bothered to ask why. It¡¯s not like he would have answered anyway, most likely, but there was clearly something deeper at play than an interest in a fine piece of art to hang over his mantle and show to eccentric guests. Benya had a purpose for this. What could it be?Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Well, maybe it didn¡¯t matter. Maybe all that mattered was getting the sword finished and the farm saved. ¡°My work is completed. How is the carving?¡± Arenya closed her eyes, keeping them shut for a few seconds before opening them again. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± She stared at the hilt. Six completed stars, with the final one finished except for the surrounding circle. ¡°Nearly finished, I think.¡± Had she been holding the almost-completed hilt, with but one circle remaining, just staring at it unwilling to make the final cut? For how long had she been here? ¡°Let me just finish it now.¡± Arenya¡¯s steadied her shaking hands and cut the final circle. And with that, the hilt was completed. Cartalis picked up the hilt. ¡°I shall attach it to the blade now. It will take the better part of the rest of the week to fuse, so there is no benefit in waiting.¡± Arenya noticed Cartalis¡¯ steps were unsteady. They were exhausted. A few minutes passed with no words, only the dull crackling of the kiln and the sound of metal scraping against metal. When the kiln door thunked closed, Arenya turned to look. She¡¯d been simply staring off into nothing for a while before that point. ¡°Well?¡± asked Cartalis. ¡°Do you wish to write a letter to Benya informing him of our success? We shall have to mention Zander¡¯s involvement. Hopefully, he will not be so terribly upset.¡± Arenya shook her head. ¡°Not now. I need a bit to think.¡± Arenya and Cartalis trudged back to the lounge. Cartalis¡¯ work was all packed - she anticipated leaving soon, it seemed. Arenya collapsed into one of the chairs. ¡°Can we stay for just a few more minutes?¡± Cartalis frowned. ¡°Why, pray tell?¡± ¡°Because¡­ Because once we leave, we¡¯re done.¡± Cartalis took a deep breath. ¡°Strictly speaking, that is not quite true, but I understand your meaning regardless.¡± She sat across from Arenya. ¡°Have you learned some about the wonders of research and magitechnology, Arenya? Have you grown accustomed to spending your hours poring over equipment and raw metal? It is a wonderful time, albeit exhausting.¡± Arenya detected a hollowness in Cartalis¡¯ voice. ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because you feel like you¡¯re supposed to, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Cartalis shifted. ¡°Truth be told, I am as exhausted as you. I hope for a week or two of not having to even glance at a lab! Thus why I packed up all my items before asking if the carving was completed.¡± Arenya couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°So even you need a break sometimes!¡± A comfortable silence settled over the two of them. After a few minutes, Arenya stood and stretched. ¡°All right. I¡¯m ready to go.¡± Arenya gave one last wistful look back at the lab as the door closed with a final thunk. As they walked back towards their dorms, Arenya asked, ¡°So, what do you think Benya wants the sword for?¡± Cartalis paused for a brief moment. Arenya almost didn¡¯t notice. ¡°I am not certain,¡± she said. ¡°But you have a guess?¡± ¡°I do. But personally, I¡¯m somewhat hoping we never find out for certain. I hope to recieve our reward and be done with the man.¡± Cartalis grinned. ¡°Well, if he speaks highly of us and earns us a few more commissions of this level of wealth, that might not be so terrible either.¡± Arenya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait¡­ you mean we could have more people coming to ask us? If people keep paying us this much, we¡¯ll be rich!¡± ¡°Let us not get ahead of ourselves. We do not know if we will get further commissions, and I doubt they¡¯ll all pay nearly this well if we do. And I, for one, do not intend to overwork us like this a second time for most any price.¡± Arenya nodded. Her excitement dwindled a bit. Cartalis was right, of course. No matter how well they paid, they¡¯d work themselves to death if they continued like this indefinitely. Possibly literally. But still, to just imagine the rewards that would await with that kind of money. She could finally get her mother the money to return to an academy herself, or funds to hire a dozen assistants. But questions like that could wait until tomorrow. Right now, Arenya didn¡¯t want to worry too much about the distant future. Instead, she hoped for something simpler: lunch and a bit of rest, the largest project she¡¯d ever undertaken behind her, and her family¡¯s farm secure. And at the end of it all¡­ she felt good about it. Chapter 34: Rewards Arenya, Cartalis, and Zander waited in silence. Before them lay the new sword, wrapped and carefully contained within its box. Shamir would always be special to Arenya, but this new one was a true work of beauty. It had no name yet, but its presence commanded nonetheless. It was a bit larger than Shamir, the edges sharper and more refined. Each of the sixteen channels was active this time, enabling an incredible amount of mana to be poured through it. Unlike with Shamir, the blade was almost completely straight, and the channels full. Still, the designs on the hilt were not as interesting in Arenya¡¯s opinion. Various seven-pointed stars in concentric rings, all meaning something obscure that clearly mattered to Benya but not so much to them. Overall, while this new blade might be the better sword and the better focus, Shamir remained special to Arenya. Still, it reminded her how far she¡¯d come, and made her wish to go back and reforge Shamir, maybe add some of the channels they¡¯d refrained from on the first design. Once everything was said and done, once the money was obtained and the farm secure, once they¡¯d had a chance to rest, maybe they could go back and work on Shamir some more, or remake a new blade in Shamir¡¯s style from scratch? Maybe Zander would keep working with them so he could refine his design a bit more¡­ Arenya was surprised by her own willingness to continue working with Zander. Maybe he wasn¡¯t such a tool after all, if you were willing to work with him. Or maybe he was merely a mortal like the rest of them, prone to mistakes and character flaws, like all creations of The One Above. But for now, they waited. Benya wasn¡¯t here in the practice room yet to look at and test the sword. Or to give it its eventual name, whatever that would be. Until then, the three of them waited, too nervous to do more than th- ¡°Yoooo!¡± The door to the practice room burst open. ¡°Arenya, I¡¯ve been looking all over for you! You gotta check this out!¡± Arenya¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°Ya¡¯el?¡± Arenya had never seen Ya¡¯el so excited. Given this was Ya¡¯el, that said quite a lot. And yet, her outfit surprised Arenya even more. ¡°You¡¯re wearing a modest dress?¡± It was a greenish blue that complemented her hair, had a high neckline, and extended to well below her knees. It was, completely and utterly, un-Ya¡¯el. Zander burst out laughing. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize you, Ya¡¯el!¡± Ya¡¯el ignored their remarks as she reached a hand into her dress pocket, took out a faint blue crystal with a few bands of metal hooked to it with small nails, and placed it next to Arenya on the bench. Arenya peered at the specialized focus, noticing the crystal faintly pulse as Ya¡¯el tapped it on the side. A strange hum emanated from the crystal, followed by a tinge of static, clearing up into¡­ ¡°Is that Ancient Draconic?¡± asked Cartalis. A single man spoke through the crystal, his voice muffled but clear. As far as what he actually said, Arenya hadn¡¯t the faintest. ¡°I think it¡¯s Western Seltian? That was spoken by Followers who lived in the Centaur lands. But that was centuries ago, and almost nobody speaks it anymore.¡± An eruption of sound came from the crystal, as though dozens of people stood and shuffled at once. The same crisp voice called out again. Dozens of other voices echoed in enthusiastic response. All of them were male. These words, Arenya recognized. ¡°Now it¡¯s Neo-Draconic.¡± She cocked her head to the side. ¡°I think. But the dialect is bizarre. The pronunciation is unlike anything my family uses.¡± She turned to Ya¡¯el. ¡°What is this?¡± Ya¡¯el jumped up and down in excitement. ¡°It¡¯s a one way communication device! Whatever is on the other end, we can hear it anywhere in the world. The other end is at the Korlat headquarters!¡± Other than the voices from the crystal, the room fell into silence. Two faces looked confused, but Arenya¡¯s was nothing short of flabbergasted. At last, she found her voice. ¡°The Korlats? That infamously closed-off group of intercessory Followers? The one that prays in a dialect of Ancient and Neo-Draconic their founder created specifically for their group, just to make it harder for others to join, and is one of the only groups in the world to still speak Seltian? The one that refuses to talk to almost anyone outside their community, and especially not women?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ya¡¯el beamed as she tapped the focus again to turn it off. ¡°How did you get this?¡± ¡°Oh, I just asked for it.¡± Cartalis massaged her temples with her fingers. ¡°A bit more elaboration than that may be needed, Ya¡¯el. Speak slowly, please.¡± Ya¡¯el took a deep breath. ¡°So you remember those two guys dressed funny at the Great Feast? The ones who were total hunks?¡± Arenya decided she did not like where this was going. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come on, I remember you nudging me in the side and whispering something like ¡®I wanna see those two sway back and forth¡¯ and then told me that that was a sign of se-¡± ¡°Yes, now I remember!¡± Arenya¡¯s cheeks felt hot as the memories returned. She desperately hoped Ya¡¯el wouldn¡¯t finish that sentence. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°So I went over and talked with them some. Turns out they were from Korlat and ended up there. And¡­¡± Ya¡¯el began to laugh. ¡°It turns out that those guys don¡¯t even, like, see women most of the time. So when they saw a gorgeous gal like me at their table, they flipped out asking me all these questions about life outside Korlat. They were clearly staring at my legs and stuff the whole time but you know, whatever. We kept meeting up after that - they told me I had to at least pretend to look like one of them to not get too much attention - and then when they told me these things exist, I just asked for one and they handed it over.¡± ¡°Do you¡­¡± Arenya stopped for a moment and organized her thoughts. ¡°Does the Korlat leader have any idea about this?¡± Ya¡¯el burst out laughing. ¡°Nope! These two guys said they¡¯d practically be kicked out of the group if he had even the slightest idea and especially if he knew what I had to do to get them to give me this thing.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Ya¡¯el?¡± Zander ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say all you had to do was ask nicely?¡± Ya¡¯el paused and looked away. She actually seemed a bit bashful for once. ¡°Well¡­ It actually wasn¡¯t quite that simple. I did have to show them a teeeeeny bit of leg.¡± Arenya buried her face in her hands as Cartalis said, ¡°And?¡± ¡°How did you kn- Okay, fine. There¡¯s this thing¡­ You need to have an esroig, and -¡± Arenya broke her silence. ¡°You know what, Ya¡¯el? I really, really don¡¯t want to know.¡± Ya¡¯el sputtered. ¡°But¡­ but I was about to get to the best part!¡± They all burst out laughing at that point, as the ridiculousness of the situation fully settled on them. Arenya could barely remain seated, all but falling off the bench. ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± All trace of humor vanished from Arenya, Cartalis, and Zander. Arenya smoothed out her dress and stood. ¡°I see you made it to our meeting,¡± she said to Benya as he stood in the doorframe. ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± Benya gave the barest hint of a smile. ¡°Not too long. It sounded like you were having fun in here, however.¡± His grin vanished. ¡°So, I have two questions. One, where is the sword? And two, who are these others?¡± Arenya pointed to the box containing the sword. Her hand shook. ¡°The sword is here. As for the others¡­ Zander helped us out with its design. We needed one of his inventions in order to treat the metal. Ya¡¯el didn¡¯t assist, but she is aware we were working on it.¡± Arenya noticed Cartalis flinch at Arenya¡¯s explanation. ¡°Were you not aware of my instructions to keep the fact that you worked on this to as few people as possible?¡± Benya¡¯s voice was quiet, almost calm. Arenya suspected that to be a mask. ¡°We were of course aware.¡± Arenya breathed a sigh of relief that Cartalis answered. ¡°However, we collaborate intensively with Ya¡¯el and two other friends, Drav and Zelzad, on various activities. It was not possible for them to be unaware that we had another project. Mayhaps if we¡¯d been prepared with a suitable cover story, we could have pretended we worked on something else, but alas. Regardless, Kazurist, Ya¡¯el, Zelzad, and Drav are the only ones who know of the sword who did not work on it - excepting yourself, of course.¡± Clever Cartalis, finding a way to subtly blame Benya for not having given them a convincing lie to tell others. ¡°I see, I see.¡± Benya picked up the box and gingerly removed the lid. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Arenya couldn¡¯t see Benya¡¯s hand, but she could tell he was running his finger along the designs on the side of the blade. ¡°This is truly a remarkable device. Your work on the design is excellent.¡± An enormous knot of tension Arenya hadn¡¯t realized she was holding loosened. ¡°So you¡¯ll take it?¡± ¡°I still need to test it, but I have no doubt this is a marvelous design!¡± Benya¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°You can expect to hear from the heads of the school today, if I can get a meeting in. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I test it out here?¡± They each stood back as Benya practiced with the sword, firing a few blasts at the defensively-enchanted wall, testing the blade¡¯s weight and heft, seeing how it handled under strain. His smile grew as he did so. ¡°This is truly an exquisite work,¡± said Benya after a few moments of quiet practice. From his pocket he took a scroll, carefully wrapped with a lace ribbon tied in a bow. He turned to Arenya, holding out the scroll to her. ¡°Bring this to the dean of the school and tell him it is from Professor Nercuz. He¡¯ll know what to do with it.¡± Arenya accepted it with shaking hands. ¡°M-may I read it?¡± At Benya¡¯s nod, she untied the bow and unfurled the scroll. ¡°In accordance with formal university policy of schools,¡± she read aloud, ¡°as outlined in section three, financial policies, subsection seven, student funding, subsubsection¡­¡± She skimmed for a bit. ¡°¡­The student Arenya Azural shall be funded by the amount necessary for a total of four semesters, from the government-approved financial sources described below, including both upfront and reported costs¡­¡± Cartalis peered over Arenya¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The document is appears fine to my eyes.¡± She breathed out slowly. Arenya glanced at Cartalis, eyes narrowing for a brief moment. Was Cartalis worried that Benya would renege on the deal? If so, why hadn¡¯t she said so earlier? Arenya wrapped up the scroll again and retied the ribbon, though not nearly as nicely as before. ¡°I wish you all a wonderful day.¡± Benya replaced the sword in the box, putting it back as carefully as one would handle a small child. ¡°I will be staying here today a bit longer to catch up with Telus, I think. Enjoy your funded time, Arenya.¡± Benya¡¯s gaze switched to Zander. ¡°I confess I had nothing prepared for you, but if you have a request in mind, find me by the day¡¯s end.¡± Zander nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got something in mind, but I¡¯ll tell ya later.¡± Arenya and Cartalis both rolled their eyes at that - Zander had clearly told them that he was in it just for the research - but, admittedly, Arenya couldn¡¯t really blame him. ¡°As for you, Ya¡¯el¡­ You are friends with this Drav individual? I wish to meet him. May you bring me to him?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Sure?¡± Ya¡¯el looked to the side, by the door. ¡°How come?¡± ¡°I simply wish to chat with him.¡± ¡°Follow me, I guess.¡± Arenya, Cartalis, and Zander watched as Ya¡¯el led Benya out of the room. A few seconds passed before Cartalis spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t like him. He¡¯s up to something.¡± ¡°But, look!¡± Arenya held up the now-clumsily tied scroll. ¡°He got me two free years! And Kazurist said we can trust him, and even you said it was real! With this, my parents won¡¯t have to worry about selling the farm anymore!¡± Arenya wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡± ¡°It is, my friend, but I suspect he has some ulterior motive.¡± ¡°But who cares!¡± Zander covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. ¡°Arenya¡¯s got the right idea. You got what you needed, he got what he needed, so what¡¯s the rest matter?¡± He turned to Cartalis. ¡°You¡¯re so worried about everything. If you changed your mind, maybe I can help you relax a bit over di-¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, just a joke!¡± Cartalis stuck her tongue out at him. They both chuckled. The tentative peace struck between the two archenemies felt even more bizarre to Arenya than the letter she held in her hands. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to go bring this to the dean¡¯s office. No point in waiting any longer!¡± Cartalis and Zander both waved. ¡°Best of luck!¡± ¡°Peace.¡± With that, Arenya turned and left the room, clutching the scroll close to her chest as she all but ran to the dean¡¯s office. Tears began to run freely down her cheeks as it settled on her that, in just a few short minutes, things would be set right.