Chronicles of a Royal Pet

The Majesty of Magic

Ian Rodgers

Text copyright © 2017 Ian Rodgers

All Rights Reserved

To everyone who encouraged me to create and keeping doing what I love.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Knife in the sand

Chapter 2: The next step

Chapter 3: Road to knowledge

Chapter 4: City of Magic

Chapter 5: Parks and recreations

Chapter 6: School Rumble

Chapter 7: School starts, tears drip

Chapter 8: Mind of knowledge

Chapter 9: The Blob

Chapter 10: Weekend outing

Chapter 11: An auspicious meeting

Chapter 12: Warning Bells

Chapter 13: Assault from the Sky

Chapter 14: Cleanup

Chapter 15: Caves and cages

Chapter 16: Divine revelations

Chapter 17: Familiars and new friends

Chapter 18: Pranks and a bloody history

Chapter 19: Vacation planning and a new name

Chapter 20: Wheels begin to turn

Chapter 21: The hunt

Chapter 22: From endings to beginnings

Chapter 1: Knife in the sand

The sun was a burning eye that glared down upon the world below. It heated the sand dunes beyond the walls of the city and inside it baked the stone roads and houses and seared the tents and people. Sweat rarely had a chance to linger before it vanished in the heat. And yet there was movement.

Caravans composed of camels and horses entered and exited the grand city constantly, and money and goods passed in great quantities between merchants. The stink of beasts and men filled the air with a pungent aroma that lingered, even as spices and perfumes fought against it. The shouts of vendors hawking their wares reverberated alongside haggling buyers trying to get just a few coppers off the price tag. It was barely controlled chaos that devoured any chance for peace and quiet.

For Saluda, the great Kingdom in the Golden Desert, this was a just another day in the capital of Kal’Ren-Shar, mighty seat of the Sultanate and City of Golden Dunes that drew wealth and dreams to it like a magnet. For a certain visitor however, it was a messy and dirty annoyance that would have been avoided if she could help it. But there were some things that had to be done in person.

Striding through the maze of stalls and stores that dominated the center of Kal’Ren-Shar, largest city in the hot and sandy nation, was a tall older woman whose dark brown hair was streaked with grey. She wore subdued, light colored clothes that were proper for a female merchant or lesser noble, and her flinty eyes shot glares at every person who tried to impede her way. An aura that repulsed even the most hardened of the bazaar’s merchants followed her, and the people kept well away from her stinging tongue and pitiless gaze.

Although there were countless sights and novelties along her path, not one distracted her or caught her eye. Her purpose was absolute. Her will was ironclad. She had revenge to plan, after all.

Her destination was a simple stall, little more than a cart with a tarp pushed into an impromptu awning. Judging from the smell, it was a food vendor of some sort. It was nestled in a corner of the famous bazaar where people passed by it to get to other places. Public yet out of the way. A perfect spot to meet people if you didn’t want many rumors to spread.

Barely noticeable on the side was a faded drawing of a black cat. The woman hid a vicious grin. Yes, this was the place.

There was a man standing behind it, a native of Saluda, easily recognized due to his swarthy tanned skin and the turban that hid the majority of his hair and head. He looked up and when he saw the foreign woman approaching he gave her a short bow before hurrying off somewhere else.

A few more steps brought the prideful woman to the tucked away stall, and she folded her arms in an imperious manner as she observed the abandoned area.

“Don’t you know it is rude to keep a woman waiting, and then change the location of the meeting at the last minute?” She demanded, staring at the empty stall. Within it, the darkness seemed to shiver slightly.

“We had to make sure you were who you claimed to be, and that your money was not fey gold or some trick. Such actions take time.” From the depths of the shadows around the stall shapes began to thicken and grow more defined. It was an unsettling sight, but she would not be intimidated. The voice that called out to her from within had a scratchy echo to it as well, likely meant to impress or impose a degree of respect. Her glare only hardened and she refused to flinch.

“Are you willing to take this contract, then?” The woman demanded as the shadows moved and became solid. A pair of human men, both wearing white robes and turbans, stepped out from their hiding spot and looked at the person who sought their services. Each was unremarkable, and had no memorable features. That was to be expected of course. In their line of work, it was best to hide your true appearance no matter what. They shared a look before returning their eyes to the older woman.

“The money you’ve offered is no small sum,” the first of the two began. He was the shortest of the duo and had black hair and an unkempt beard. His stance was loose, but his posture was ramrod straight, as if he could burst into action at any moment. His eyes were sharp and calculating. “And given who the target is, it is fair recompense. Still, there are a few issues we wished to discuss before accepting the commission. First off, your notes stated that she has as a guardian a…?”

“A slime, yes,” the woman said. Her haughty attitude was put on hold for the moment.

“And such a creature is worth the extra retainer fee for its death?” The short man pushed, disbelieving.

“It survived Triarch Effect poisoning, and has a confirmed kill against a member of the World Rebellion. Neither of those are feats a mere animal could pull off. The rumors and intelligence I have gathered also claim it has gained the ability to talk and reason. A slime it may be, but it is a fierce protector, and sees the target as a saint, given how it acts for her protection.” The tall woman sneered her words as she thought of the times it had interfered.

“So the pet must die if the target is to be taken care of?” the taller man asked, speaking for the first time. His eyes were vacant and glassy, his words distant. But there was no doubt that he could still swing that sword he had strapped to his waist with masterful skill. Their potential employer nodded.

“Yes. It has foiled several attempts on its master’s life already. It has to die for daring to interfere in my revenge, if nothing else.”

“If it must die, then it will. However, if we do so, do we have the rights to its corpse?”

“Do as you wish. I don’t care if it turns into solid gold after you kill it, or is the source of the Elixir of Life, just make sure it is dead and disposed of. What you do with its remains are up to you to decide. However, the target’s body must be dealt with as I stipulated,” the sour faced woman stated, a glint of cruel madness dancing in her eyes for a brief moment.

“So, where is the target now?” It was time for the final pieces of business.

“She is headed to the Royal Varian Mages Academy, and will attend the Summoner’s school. No doubt she wishes to learn how to create and control more dreadful slimes. One just wasn’t enough,” the employer said, her words devolving into grumbles near the end.

At that revelation, the two shady figures exchanged a guarded look.

“The Academy is the premier scholastic entity in all of Orria, and has generations of wards and defenses, not to mention one of the most powerful mages alive: Arnolt Cantos, Lord of Magic, Master of a Thousand Rituals, one of the dozen or so X-ranked beings in all of Erafore, as its headmaster. The only thing more famous than that man’s magical prowess is his infamous greed and miserly practices, but he does have standards, and no amount of bribery would allow him to break his oaths to protect and serve his students and faculty,” the short man pointed out.

“I’m well aware of the nature of the defenses she will be able to hide behind, but I have other collaborators and options. She will break before me, and I will be taking no chances,” she claimed and a satisfied nod came from the taller of the two men.

“Well, my lady, while it is no exaggeration to say that this request is difficult, you’ve also paid quite well for it,” the shorter man stated, removing a scroll from within his baggy clothing. He unrolled it and showed it to the woman, who for the first time showed a smile. The expression was sharp and void of pleasantness, and without a second thought she pressed her palm onto the blank surface. Instantly a stinging sensation ran itself over her hand but she did not remove it from the contract.

After a few seconds the pain receded, and she was free to remove her hand. Behind, a red imprint lingered on the parchment before fading.

“And with that, Countess Darpel, the accord is signed and sealed. From this moment forward, a member of Nine Lives is yours to use in order to claim the life of Princess Liliana Roan of Varia. Blood shall be spilled and lives will be lost.” The short man bowed slightly before rolling up the scroll and melting into the darkness. All that was left was the tall one, who gave a slight bow to his new employer.

“Let us go. I’ve wasted enough time down here in this dusty country. We’re returning to Varia and meeting up with the rest of your team,” Countess Darpel declared, turning away and walking with what could be described as joy in her steps. Soon, the Lily with a heart of gold would be hers, and nothing would stand in her way. The world would know her wrath.

Behind her the assassin fell in line, following his new master. In his empty eyes no emotion showed, but the corners of his lips twitched as he thought about the slaughter that was to come.

Chapter 2: The next step

Winter was slowly dripping away, the snow and ice turning to slush and melt-water which flowed down the streets of Sanc Aldet. Spring was now budding on the countryside and along the slopes of the Starblind Mountains which the capital of Varia nestled against. Although it was still chilly and brisk, the sun was getting brighter and lingering longer with each passing day.

I took a deep breath of the fresh air and sighed in appreciation. I had been cooped up in the stuffy building for too long and was glad to stretch my tendrils. I’d soon be put away in a different box of sorts, but for now I was going to enjoy this while I could.

In the courtyard of the Palestone Castle, the royal palace of Varia, a bulky carriage was taking advantage of the thawing weather and was being prepared for travel. It was lavishly decorated and loaded with wards for protection and spells for comfort while on the road. The carriage itself was a rich brown color, the wood lacquered to a shine while purple curtains with the Roan Family coat of arms, a rearing stallion within a golden flame, embroidered on them.

Giving it a once over and doubling checking the enchantments I gave a satisfied nod. If I had to travel around, this was the sort of thing I’d want to ride in. I glanced over at the small crowd that was gathered near the steps of the palace, a large assortment of people bidding my owner fond farewells.

“Be safe on your trip, my dear. I know you will do well,” Rene Bluemont, the elderly royal etiquette tutor, said kindly as she wrapped the much younger woman in a hug. After letting her go she offered a piece of dried fruit to the recipient of the embrace, who took it with a partially forced smile.

“Thank you, Lady Bluemont.” The young woman gave a slight curtsy.

“Call me ‘Rene,’ dear,” the matriarch of the Bluemont Family urged. As she straightened up with a nod, I took a closer look at the woman I knew as my owner.

Liliana Augustine Roan, First Princess of Varia, was a freshly minted fourteen year old girl, and it showed. She had an air of innocence about her that was refreshing in a way. Almost constantly smiling and overflowing with kindness, she did not have a single bad-bone in her body.

Aside from her blossoming personality, her body was quickly growing and developing as well. Her shoulder length brown hair was straight as a board and somehow never got tangled.

She had eyes that were a soft emerald green and almost glowed with her purity, which gave her a bewitching allure when combined with her joyful smile. Her figure was modest, not exactly curvy like her mother the queen had, but she was still growing after all. The princess’ height was taller than most her age, reaching about five foot three at last check. She wasn’t a giant like Varda, her godfather and Lord Warden of the Tower of Chains, but then again few humans were taller than seven feet.

However, my owner did lack the pudge most noble daughters would typically have due to a sedentary lifestyle. Liliana took care of her body, and as her magic tutor Petrus reminded her constantly, if you were fit in body you would be sound in mind, and magecraft was mostly intellectual, at least on the academic stage. Many mages would become adventurers and practice their magic as they traveled the world, so they had to become physically adept to a degree.

As for her clothes, they were well made as expected for royalty, but boasted function over fashion. Perfect for riding in a carriage.

As I thought that, I couldn’t help but snort to myself. Not needing clothes was yet another aspect where I was superior to humans. Honestly, how were they able to move under the sheer weight of those dresses I’d seen females wear?

I was not exaggerating, either, some of the outfits those noble women put on were somehow both bone-constricting tight and three times their own size. Silk and cotton were not supposed to weigh dozens of pounds!

I thanked the Divine Family that Liliana was not just humble but sensible. I didn’t know how I’d feel if she started to wear those fabric cake-coffins all the time.

The only pieces of vanity my owner wore were some pieces of jewelry. One was a plain necklace that had five charms, one for each of the Divine Family; a golden dove for Cynthia, Goddess of Mercy, a golden sword for the Knight-God, patron of war and honor, a silver bolt of cloth for the Goddess of Death Selika, a silver halberd for Kardale, the god of justice, and lastly a lily made of silver to honor Nia, goddess of love and purity.

In addition to this, Liliana had a ring with the royal insignia on it to act as a voucher for her identity that was laden with defensive magic, and finally a thin ring that looked like it was made of milky glass. The latter was a gift I had made for her. She’d always know where I was when she wore it, and the same was true for me. Plus, in an emergency she could summon me to her side no matter where I was.

“Study hard at the Academy, Liliana. I expect good results,” Queen Amdora said, her tone stern. I knew she was just hiding her emotions behind an iron mask though. Out of them all, the queen was going to be the more emotional one when her only daughter left. She could lie to everyone else, but I could literally see her emotions when she spoke. If only she could be more honest.

Liliana agreed and gave her mother a strong, heartfelt embrace that conveyed her message. She disentangled herself from the hug a moment later and gave a short bow.

“I will do my best, Mother. I won’t bring shame to the Roan Family or the kingdom,” Liliana promised, and some tears came to Queen Amdora’s eyes briefly.

“I know you will, my dear. But don’t forget that besides studying you’re still a young woman. And that means spending time with others of your age and station,” her father, King Tiberius, encouraged. He offered his daughter a firm handshake instead of a hug, though that didn’t stop my owner from giving him one regardless. He just chuckled at her antics before returning it.

“Oh, and be careful when you’re near the West Dormitory. We don’t want to have a resurgence of the family legacy, do we?” the king teased, causing his wife to huff in annoyance.

“It was one time! Just one! And yet no one will let me live it down! Destroy half of a wing and suddenly they expect you to do it again and again! I swear, if I ever find out who coined that name for me I will…” Queen Amdora quickly descended into angry mutterings, various oaths and vows of vengeance just barely audible to the rest of us. At one point the title “Duchess of Destruction” passed by her lips, as well as “damned old coots!”

With practiced ease everyone ignored her. It was for the best when she was in that sort of mood.

“You’ll write, won’t you?” The final member of the farewell squad was none other than her brother, the ten year old heir to the throne, Prince Julius Augustine Roan. He looked up with sad, watery green eyes that made you just want to scoop him up and cuddle the poor boy.

Thankfully his sister had built up an immunity to that look, and Liliana just smiled and nodded, ruffling his hair a bit. Like her, he had straight brown hair, but was much more waifish and leaner than others of his age might be. He did have slowly developing muscles from the sword training regiments he’d started, though, and in a few years he’d have an athlete’s body, just like his father.

“Of course, Julius. I’ll write every month! I promise.”

“Ok! Then, I’ll do so too! We can be quill-pals!” Julius said excitedly. I cooed a bit at the scene. Adorable little bugger. He’d be a real heart breaker soon.

“Better start hiding the women,” I heard someone beside me mutter as if echoing my own thoughts, and I turned a disbelieving ‘stare’ at my companion.

Next to me Liliana’s personal maid blushed when she realized my sensitive hearing had picked up her comment.

Orleen had served my owner since she was a baby, and was exceedingly loyal. Her age was hard to determine, but I guessed she was in her forties. Her black hair was fashioned in a bun, and though she was dressed in a black and white uniform, she also wore a pair of travel-trousers under the skirt. Carriages were not posterior friendly over long periods of time.

“Don’t give me that look. You know it as well as I and the rest of the staff do,” Orleen said defensively. I just shrugged.

“Well yeah, but some of us can keep our thoughts in our minds, not on our tongues,” I said with a cheeky tilt of my head.

“Keep that up and I’ll inform the princess that I ‘accidentally’ found your ‘tools,’” the maid shot back, and I stiffened.

“You wouldn’t dare!” I hissed, and Orleen just chuckled.

“Wouldn’t I? It’d be a shame if she had to confiscate all those items. After all, you’re not supposed to, and I quote, ‘carry anything that relates to alchemy, Jelly.’ Those were the words, were they not?”

I grumbled to myself but decided that shutting up was the best course of action. Damn maid! Since when did she get so good at blackmailing me! I sighed as I remembered the good old days when she was afraid of me.

However my reminiscence was put on hold when I sensed Liliana finally break off from the group and head over to us. It looked like it was time to depart.

Like a gentleman I opened the door to the carriage and bowed slightly to my owner as she stepped inside. Liliana responded with a demure giggle at my actions before nodding her head in thanks. Orleen was the next one in, and after her I slid on up into the fairly roomy compartment and closed the door behind me.

With agonizing slowness the wheels began to turn as the quartet of horses that pulled us started to move. Their hooves clattered on the cobblestone street as we departed, and a tilting sensation washed over us as the carriage descended the Purple District and headed down the long avenues towards the city gates and the wide world beyond. We bade our goodbyes to the city and rolled on out, trundling onto the Royal Road that linked the capital with the rest of the country. Time for the first step of an adventure!

Chapter 3: Road to knowledge

Leaving Sanc Aldet went smoothly. With the royal crest on our carriage and a quintet of Dire Sword escorts we were waved past normal checkpoints and searches at the gate. And once we were out, I got my first real look at what lay beyond the walls.

Some people might claim that such a view took their breath away, or left them speechless. Others would swoon over their new found freedom.

But not me. It was pretty, I suppose, the way the snow melted off the roofs and bushes and created scintillating rainbow rivers. And I guess the way the sunlight reflected off of the patches of ice here and that gave everything an ethereal semblance was worthy of a painting.

For me, it wasn’t all that impressive. Perhaps my inhuman mindset just didn’t appreciate beauty like others could. After all, I could only see color if I focused. Most of the time my view of the world was black, white, and grey with the only color coming from souls and magic.

Strange, isn’t it? That I’d somehow never been out past the thick shield wall that made up the limits of the city proper? That I’d willingly consider myself and my thoughts ‘inhuman?’ To be honest I was not even a year old yet! I was, at best, an anomaly.

A monster that is little more than a semi-solid clump of magic and is more akin to an amoeba than any other animal that roams the world of Erafore. That is an Ooze. I wasn’t just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill slime though. I mean, I had been at first. But over time I had absorbed a lot of magic, from both healing potions and a few devoured magical items and monsters, and mutated into what was known as a Royal Ooze.

I looked at myself in the reflection of the carriage’s window. In appearance I was a deep, royal purple color with a core that looked like a fist sized sphere of gold in my center. I was currently the size of a human toddler, and in the shape of one as well, for my ability to control my body had gotten to a point where I could reshape myself into a basic bipedal form.

As an Ooze I could form tendrils which acted as semi-dexterous limbs. This was a trick other experienced Ooze could pull off, and for the most part I functioned like any other one. My body was acidic when I wished, and I could dissolve solid steel inside me and eat it. I could flatten out almost paper thin, move surprisingly quickly by rolling or bouncing, and I was able to secrete a magical healing fluid if I’d eaten enough magic that day.

But despite all the similarities, I was different. I had somehow gained a soul. I obtained a mind, and was blessed with the power to think and later to talk. And this was almost all thanks to Princess Liliana. My owner was descended from a long line of powerful mages and revered members of royalty. Ancient power flowed through my owner’s veins. It was this magical gift, her bloodline trait Miraculous Mystery, that had given me everything in the world I should never have obtained. And I would never be able to repay that debt. I loved her, and I would protect her.

“My lady, it should take about three hours to reach the first stop on our journey. I don’t think it’s wise or healthy to be so wound up for so long.” Orleen’s admonishment cut through my thoughts and I gave an audible chuckle.

Once we had passed beyond the gate and the milling crowd of people entering the city for the day my owner had pressed herself up against the window, staring out in awe at the sights as they passed by.

“She’s right. I understand your excitement but we’ll be in the carriage for a while longer. Why don’t you read one of the books you brought?” I added, causing the princess to huff a bit in annoyance. She obliged us though and sat back down on the seat, but kept stealing glances out the window.

After a while she removed a slightly tattered tome from one of her pieces of carry-on luggage. It was one of the books all First Year students at the Royal Varian Mages Academy had to read.

“It is heartening to see you getting a head start,” I mentioned as my owner fell into the text, absorbing the information within.

“Seeing as we are to enroll in such a prestigious academy so we can learn more about magic and magical creatures it makes sense to prepare,” Liliana retorted. “Perhaps you should do the same, Jelly? After all it isn’t everyday an Ooze is made into a student.”

I huffed back at her but wordlessly agreed with a bob of my body. Seeing her mistress settle into a book, Orleen chose to do the same, reaching into her own modest pack and removing a novel. I wasn’t fooled by the cover, though. I knew that at some point she’d switched the insides of the book, and what was supposedly a prim and proper guide for maids was in fact one of the sauciest romance stories around.

I let her have her fun though. She was leaving behind her family for this assignment after all. It was only fair she have her vices, as embarrassing as they may be.

While my riding companions immersed themselves in their books, I began to meditate and focus inwards.

Last year early in the winter, a band of assassins had attacked us, but had been killed before they could harm my owner and her family. In the process of defending her I had taken out one of the assailants, consuming a mystical item in the process. It had been a Bag of Holding, a rare magical sack enchanted to have a much larger interior space than it should have had based on its external dimensions. After ingesting the artifact I found I had become able to store things inside my core as if I had a built-in Dimensional Pocket!

Among other things, this was useful for putting away my excess mass. Truthfully, at this point I was actually larger than a horse, maybe even as large as the carriage we were riding in. But with my new found ability I could control my size, which meant I was allowed to remain an ‘inside pet.’

But I also had taken to keeping various objects within me, and using my Dimensional Pocket as a workshop of sorts. At the moment I was using some basic alchemy knowledge to brew a few potions using my Ooze extract inside my own body. This way I had emergency healing items just in case, and it was surprisingly fun. I liked the mystical art of Alchemy, and was looking forward to studying it in-depth at the Academy.

After several hours of silence, the atmosphere of quiet contemplation was broken by the movement of the carriage slowing down and coming to a halt. The driver banged on the wall behind him, grabbing our attention.

“Your highness, we’ve arrived at our first stop.” The carriage came to a halt at a way station that also acted as a rest stop and a place to change horses. Our own horses and their tack were being swapped for fresh ones and they’d stay in the stables until the carriage made its return journey. They were steeds of the royal family after all.

“Is that so? Thank you. I wish to stretch my legs if that is the case,” Liliana declared, and she placed the book down on the seat as she stood and eagerly opened the door. A gust of cool wind swept through the interior and we all gave a sigh of relief we hadn’t realized we’d been holding in. During the trip the air had become stuffy and now that we were no longer distracted we could appreciate the refreshing change.

“So, this is the Starlight Road?” my owner asked, staring out at our location. As Orleen nodded in acknowledgement, I whistled, impressed.

Before us were the towering peaks of the Starblind Mountains, the very same range that Sanc Aldet brushed up against. Tiny caps of white stood out upon the dark grey of the peaks.

“Yes, your highness. After we left the capital we traveled east for a bit before reaching the Starlight Road,” our driver stated, pointing out the massive passageway carved straight over and across the mountains.

“The whole thing is maintained by legions of workers year round, and is kept clear of snow and debris constantly which allows for trade at all times of the year. It permits merchants to come and go even in the harshest winters, and for adventurers and soldiers to move as needed,” our carriage driver continued, hearing the interest in his princess’ voice.

“And on the other side lies your destination; the Royal Varian Mages Academy and its surrounding city. It controls the Starlight Road and maintains parts of it, mainly the wards that reduce avalanches and other such natural disasters to a minimum.”

“Without this passage way through the mountains, we would have had to travel west and loop around the edge of the Starblind range, then head north-east to get to the Academy. Instead of a mere two days using the Starlight Road, the other method would take at least fifteen days. Given a choice, it only makes sense that people would want to use the shortcut,” Orleen explained, taking over from the driver.

“We’ll rest here for a bit while the horses were changed, and then head into the pass before dusk. We shall stop at one of the accommodations, an inn reserved for the wealthy that lies alongside the road, for the night and then continue on to the Academy in the morning,” the personal maid stated. The princess nodded and took me into her arms as we waited.

As soon as Liliana’s feet touched the sod, the Dire Sword’s who’d accompanied us formed up around her, three of the five dismounting so they could act as bodyguards.

I connected well with them. After I’d gained the ability to talk I’d spent a bit of time with the veterans, learning from them. It quickly became apparent that I would never be able to wield a weapon with any degree of mastery. Most were too difficult for tentacles to wield, and those that weren’t were too heavy for my frail, slime-filled limbs to lift properly.

Still, in pity Sir Blaine, the Dire Sword commander, taught me a few battle-mage spells. H also worked with my other abilities and helped me figure out ways to fight and utilize the battlefield with my unique body.

Behind us, Orleen climbed out and began to check that the luggage that had been strapped to the top of the carriage was still there and in decent condition. As she busied herself, the elderly man who’d chauffeured us clambered down as well and stood respectfully to the side.

“We should be ready to depart in under an hour, your highness,” the driver stated, bowing slightly as he did so. Liliana nodded in understanding, and spared a look around her, curiosity carefully guarded. She was in public now, and had to act properly.

The way station was crowded with other travelers heading both ways, and the arrival of someone who had the royal crest on their vehicle was naturally enough to attract attention. Cautious looks gave way to surprise and then either respectful bows or scheming smirks.

I sighed in my mind. Some people would do anything to become friendly with royalty. And the Roan Family was one of the oldest and wealthiest of them all. It had clout that went beyond mere borders and cultures.

One of the people who’d spotted the carriage made to approach us. His garments indicated he was well off.

I was proved right once he was allowed past the crowd and gave a deep bow to my owner.

“Greetings, Princess Liliana. My name is Ridon, and I am the overseer of this southern portion of the Starlight Road. I was sent a letter some time ago informing me of your arrival and asking to have preparations for your trip made ready.” He handed over a letter made with good quality parchment that still had the wax seal of Varia stamped on it, although broken. One of the Dire Swords took it and gave it a once over. I did the same, and between the two of us we checked for traps of mundane or magical natures. Finding nothing, the princess’ guard passed the letter to my owner so she could read it.

“I see. Many thanks, Mister Ridon. I see here that you’ve been asked to do quite a bit for my sake. I hope it was not too difficult,” Princess Liliana said after skimming the note requesting a change of horses and a room at the Soft Moon Inn.

“Once you are ready to depart, I shall have one of my men guide you through the pass. It’s not a difficult route to follow, but some parts can be tricky for first timers,” Ridon explained. I saw our carriage driver snort a bit at that. He was past middle aged and had probably gone through the road many times before in his service to the crown. Most likely he’d been insulted that a younger person would be doing part of his job for him.

“Thank you once more for the trouble and effort,” my owner replied, bowing her head a fraction of an inch in respect and smiling softly at him. With my unique sight I could literally see the station manager’s heart skip a beat when he saw the beatific smile turned upon him. In the crowd, other people felt their chests tighten at the sight.

And there it was, the reason why almost everyone would say that the royal family of Varia was virtuous and true:

Princess Liliana had a smile that was pure and innocent. It held no malice, no condescension, no hidden arrogance or cruelty. She truly cared for the people, as did her father, mother, and little brother. The Most Honorable and Esteemed Roan Family did not want to rule, they wanted to lead. And they did. They were even and fair in their dealings, and though kind to all they did not hesitate to crack down on criminals and dissidents who would disrupt the stability and peace of the kingdom.

It was because of this peaceful hands off attitude and leadership style that my owner’s life was now in danger though. Not everyone wanted a benevolent lord. Some wanted to rule themselves because they believed they deserved the power, or that they could do a better job than even the current king. That was why the brother-in-law of King Tiberius, Count Darpel, had tried several times to have the princess and the rest of the family assassinated. I had foiled several of those attempts, and finally enough was enough. King Tiberius had marched to war and brought the hammer of retribution down upon the renegade noble and his son. Even though they were family, he did not spare them.

So Liliana had lost an uncle and a cousin last autumn, while her aunt, the king’s older sister, was still alive and in hiding, no doubt plotting revenge. I knew this hurt her. But she was strong and put on a brave, smiling expression to cover up the pain.

“If it would please you, I have a kettle of tea brewing and some fine pastries just baked this morning,” Ridon offered, and Liliana nodded her head eagerly and I bobbed a bit in agreement. A snack sounded like a wonderful way to wait.

A little more than an hour later the horses had been successfully swapped out and we were ready for the next leg of our journey. Our break had lasted longer than planned because Liliana had insisted on sharing her snacks with Ridon and his wife, as well as the guide who’d accompanying us through the Starlight Road. The tea and snacks were delicious and the visit went well, despite the muted and somewhat nervous commoners who’d been invited to dine with royalty.

It was past noon when we trundled out from the way station, our guide seated atop a stubby mule who slowly but steadily preceded the carriage up the pass.

For the next five hours we rolled on down the road, gazing out the windows at the extensive work of architecture.

“Tell me about the pass, if you please,” Liliana requested of the guide. Her voice carried over to the man and he slowed down, allowing the carriage to catch up so we could hear his words.

“The Starlight Road is at least two hundred feet wide and paved with smooth blocks of stone that were once part of the mountain itself before the pass was carved through it. Every twenty or so feet posts of polished oak are set up with large lanterns hanging from them that when lit provide exceptional visibility in the dark. It takes a legion of lamp-lighters to maintain the entire network of lights,” the young man explained.

“Now that winter is passed we’re working overtime to clear out the snow, as you can see.” The guide waved his hand vaguely, indicating the men shoveling snow out of the path, making large piles of it in neat little ditches designed as gutters for water and runoff, though the once pristine white snow was black with accumulated dirt and grime from being churned up by boots, hooves, and wheels all day.

I watched the hustle and bustle of the mountain pass with a detached interest. The road was busy, with an impressive amount of people using it now that the snow was more manageable. It wasn’t just merchant wagons and adventurers who used the Starlight Road. Nobles on their way for business in the capital rode past students of the Mages Academy who were heading back to campus.

Every so often on the side of the road small stalls had been set up, peddlers selling hot food or trinkets to passersby while here and there wandering priests and the occasional Cleric preached about the Divine Family and gave sermons and blessings for a few coins.

The whole scene was lively, and had a warm feeling of community to it all. Liliana especially enjoyed watching the people, a faint smile on her lips. This was what she loved; happy people, be they commoner or aristocrat.

Something caught my owner’s eye and she beckoned one of the Dire Swords who was riding next to the carriage to her. She then handed him a silver coin and gestured to one of the impromptu shops. With a nod the man rode off and soon returned with a bouquet of pale pink and white flowers.

“Buds of Selika,” Orleen noted of the snowdrop-like flower Liliana now possessed.

“Would you mind getting me a bouquet as well? They’re good for making potions that help a person sleep without dreams,” I inquired.

“Only if you promise not to use them before we get to the Academy,” my owner warned and I nodded. Satisfied she ordered some more Buds of Selika for my own use.

She inhaled the scent of the blooms and smiled and waved at the flower-girl and her mother. Enthusiastic waves were returned, as well as a cute little curtsy from the child.

“I think these go well with my dress, wouldn’t you say?” Liliana asked. Orleen glanced up from her ‘adult literature’ and nodded in the affirmative and I did so as well.

“Maybe you should try that preservation spell and wear one of them to class,” her maid suggested and my owner’s eyes lit up.

“Yes! That’s a wonderful idea! Thank you Orleen!” Liliana turned to the flowers and began to experiment with one of her newly learned spells.

I’d have to see about finding some others flowers for her later to brighten up her day. A dorm-warming gift for her. And maybe some for the other students. It never hurt to make a good first impression.

Chapter 4: City of Magic

“Amazing…” these words slipped unconsciously out of the princess’ mouth as she stared out the carriage’ window at the sight before us. I nodded dumbly, surprised by the scale. Orleen too was awed though she hid it better.

Up ahead of us the Starlight Road’s carved and well-trod path gave way to our first glimpse of the legendary school of magic. After all that riding we’d finally gotten to the exit and the view was spectacular.

Situated less than a quarter of a mile from the road were the outer walls; smooth blocks of granite taken directly from the nearby mountains. From our elevation in the carriage and the incline of the pass we could see over them with ease, and the sight took our breath away. Built on the flat plains close to the Starblind Mountains the Academy spilled out, hundreds of buildings rising and giving it a very metropolitan feel. Made mostly of stone, the houses and stores were aligned neatly on straight roads that broke off like the spokes of a wheel from a central point of a piercing tower.

“That there is the Skysoul Tower,” our guide explained as he nodded towards the enormous fortified structure that had been altered and expanded upon over countless generations. “It is the center of the city, both geographically and culturally,”

“Around the Skysoul Tower is an open set of plazas and parks which connect to the other buildings, dormitories and wings of the vast school. These features are surrounded by a moat and forded by half a dozen large and sturdy bridges. Most of the staff live on site, and a city rose up around the Academy over the years. Everyone from grocers to alchemists live down there.”

At the very edge was a fairly small and thin skirting wall, more for defining the borders of the city than actual defense. But, it didn’t need to be sturdy. It was so heavily saturated with spells and enchantments that it was lit up like a ring of rainbow flames with my sight. There was even more magic within the city, and the sheer amount of power made it look like a kaleidoscope to my eyes.

“What happened there?” Liliana asked, pointing at a piece of terrain in the distance. Beyond the walls a little way to the north was what resembled a battlefield. Huge chunks had been gouged out of the earth, scorch marks and shattered stones lay everywhere. I sensed a series of barriers around the area to act as containment for stray spells.

“That’s where the students practice their magic, your highness. Where else would mages who are learning powerful and destructive abilities go to test them out? Certainly not in the city, that’s for sure!” The guide laughed a bit before he remembered who he was talking to and fell silent.

Looking back to the rows of neatly laid out buildings and streets I was impressed by the scale.

“What is the name of the city?” I inquired.

“Officially, the city is known as Manatrem, the City of Magic,” Orleen explained, as our guide was startled by my ability to speak. “The Royal Varian Mage’s Academy campus is so vast, however, that it is a city unto itself, so everyone in Orria calls the city the Academy, even if only thirty percent of it is dedicated solely to that particular function.”

 “In fact the Academy is so intrinsically tied to the city’s well-being that the Headmaster is also the Lord-Governor. This person is granted an honorary peerage rank of Marquis and given free reign. Of course, since the Headmaster is always a talented and accomplished mage, they have other things to do alongside caring for the Academy and tend to delegate day-to-day matters of the city to an elected citizen official. This ‘Mayor’ is the true power in charge of the city life for the people.”

“It’s an impressive sight, isn’t it?” the guide said, having recovered from his surprise. “Even though I see it all the time it never gets old. It really is one of the Great Three Cities of the kingdom.”

“Indeed! Sanc Aldet is beautiful, but Manatrem has its own charm to it. The layout is all so careful and pristine, like a piece of art,” my owner praised.

“It’s also one of the cleanest cities in Orria. Whenever a student causes a mess or gets into trouble they’re forced to use their magic to clean up the main boulevards and plazas or contribute in some way to its betterment,” our guide continued, giving us a heads up of what to expect when we got to the Academy and started class.

“I don’t think her highness plans on making any problems, but we’ll keep that in mind none the less,” Orleen said, outwardly defending her mistress but silently approving of the punishments doled out to troublemakers.

The guide blushed a bit at the reprimand, but Liliana came to his rescue.

“Thank you for the information. I’m certain that it’ll be useful.” Another flash of a smile and the young man’s blush was for a different reason.

“Of course! Glad to be of service, your highness!”

I shared a look with Orleen.

“A female Julius,” I whispered. She snorted at that but just nodded.

“This is as far as I go, your highness. I need to report to the way station on this side that I completed the royal request, but you can continue on to the city,” the guide finally said. The road was growing wider and there were many more people and vehicles trying to enter and exit. From here, it was a slight downwards slope and then a straight shot to the city gates.

“Thank you very much for your assistance,” Princess Liliana said with a polite nod of her head. The young man grinned proudly before directing his mule to the side towards a set of large wood and stone buildings.

Unlike on the other side of the Starlight Road, where a small village had sprung up to deal with the traffic and needs of the travelers to and from the Academy, there were only three constructs here. Because the way station was so much closer to the city there was only need for a small warehouse and stables next to the building that served as the station manager’s office.

Thirty minutes later we were traveling among other carriages and riders heading for the gates. Our fellow travelers kept a respectful distance from us due to the crest of the royal family on our vehicle, and thanks to the five armed and scowling soldiers that guarded us,. That did not stop the other travelers from gawking, as no doubt they wondered why we were here.

We weren’t the only ones that garnered attention, however. Several other high profile entourages were coming up to the walls.

“It’s like a parade,” I mused we watched the traffic around us.

I spotted dozens of carriages with the heraldry of noble houses. Not just from Varia, but also the neighboring kingdom of Brune, which lay to the south, and several others. I even saw one ostentatious carriage carrying the emblem of an important House from Partaevia of all places.

I knew from our geography lessons that Varia’s relationship with the voracious empire far to the south was strained at best. In the past three hundred years they’d conquered several countries and forged a large yet young empire which was not exactly kind to non-humans. Orleen saw my surprised reaction to the Partaevian coach and explained.

“In order to prove themselves to the world Partaevia established their own school of magic to try and rival ours. Then the empire ordered that anyone in Partaevia or its territories who wanted to learn magic had to attend their school,” Orleen elaborated. “However, some territories still send the children of nobility to the Academy because it offers a higher standard of education.”

So the carriage that bore that particular nation’s mark naturally drew curious looks from everyone in the know. That included my owner, but she was soon distracted by a carriage being pulled by a pair of Dire Horses, of all things!

I too eyed this particular group carefully, as did Orleen and the Dire Swords. Why? Because even if they were tamed, Dire Breed were extremely dangerous.

“Are those Dire Horses?” Liliana gasped, and Orleen nodded.

“I read about them in my book. They are a type of monster that is born when large amounts of mana is absorbed or ingested by ordinary animals. They became larger and more aggressive. Most common Dire Breed are predators like wolves and bears that either lived too long in magically saturated areas, or managed to kill and consume extremely magical creatures. Some herbivores can become Dire Breeds if they eat lots of magical plants, but it is rarer to see them,” Liliana said.

The impressive beasts had charcoal black coats with manes and tails that were a dark shade of grey. Like all Dire Breed their eyes were an eerie pinkish red and each snort spurted clouds of steam in the fading winter air. They looked fierce and could probably kill wolves with those enormous hooves!

The carriage that was being pulled by the pair was also impressive. It looked like a miniature house on wheels with the amount of decoration on it, and the windows were blocked by yellow silk curtains. The body of the carriage was painted yellow and red and had an interesting pattern on the doors; a green four pronged swirl like that of a stylized whirlpool with a blue snake curling around the center of the design.

“Orleen, do you know where that carriage is from?” Liliana asked, looking curiously at the other vehicle slightly to rear of us. Her maid shook her head.

“I’m afraid I do not know, my lady. I have not seen that coat-of-arms before, nor that unique style of a carriage. They’re clearly wealthy though, and not afraid to show off if they’re using Dire Horses as draft horses,” Orleen said, a slightly apologetic tone to her voice.

“There’s only two people in the carriage,” I said. “One adult and one about your age, Liliana. The older traveler is extremely powerful from what little I can see, which might explain their lack of guards.”

Liliana and Orleen did a double take, and noticed that I was right; there were no guards around the yellow and red carriage. That was odd. Unless the people inside were truly masters of the mystical arts, they should have had some people protecting them.

“Can you detect anything else?” Liliana asked, still staring intently out the window.

I bobbled slightly in understanding and focused my sight more intensely on the other vehicle. I started to frown to myself the longer I look.

“I can’t see much. They’ve got a number of unknown wards that are making it hard for me to get a better look at them. I can tell they have a few powerful magical items on their person and in their luggage, but beyond that I can only safely state that both of the passengers are female.”

Liliana kept staring and as if on cue the thick obscuring curtain parted slightly, giving us a glimpse of one of the riders. ‘Young’ was the first thought that came to mind, and ‘nervous’ was the second. She only peered out for a few seconds, but when her gaze met with Liliana’s own, she let out an ‘Eeep!’ of surprise and withdrew her head away from the window, even as my owner waved cordially at the other young woman.

“Is everything alright?” I inquired, seeing my owner frown.

“Maybe,” she muttered. I patted her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, you’re not that terrifying,” I assured her. A teasing smack was her mature response.

Twenty minutes later we had finally reached the gates to Manatrem and entered past the walls. There had been something of a wait as people were checked, wagons and carriages were searched, and ne’er do wells were dragged off as contraband was seized.

Some of the transports were waved on through without a search though. Those were carriages that either had prominent emblems of aristocratic Houses upon them, or they were individuals with letters of recommendation and entry.

Once we were through, Liliana’s eyes grew brighter as she took in the sights of the city. Orleen and I were awestruck as well, gazing around at the people and places that lined the streets. We spied more than a few oddities as we passed, like the half-orc playing some kind of instrument on the corner, and a human of indeterminate age and gender wearing a bizarre outlandish costume made of tight leather and flamboyant feathers. But it was a city. For every hundred or so upstanding citizens there were probably a dozen oddballs.

“Your highness, please refrain from getting so close to the window,” one of the Dire Sword escorts requested, noticing that their princess was pressed against the glass pane of the carriage in an effort to see as much of the city as possible. It wouldn’t do to have their charge looking ridiculous, and it was also a safety matter to prevent attacks. Not that they or I actually thought anything could hurt her through the enchanted sheet of glass. But it was their job to worry, and so worry they did!

“Very well,” Liliana acquiesced with the faintest of pouts on her lips, sitting down on the seat.

“He’s right you know,” I began, speaking up in defense of the poor knight who looked like he would have a heart attack after seeing his lady’s displeasure. “You need to have a modicum of decorum while here at the Academy, and there’s plenty of time to go sightseeing later.”

My owner simply sighed but nodded in understanding. She did not have long to mope however. We traveled quickly through the city thanks to our guards’ presence clearing the way, and were soon crossing the bridge to reach the campus. The water in the moat looked cold, with large bits of ice bobbing within. Fresh water fish of various types, both magical and mundane, had taken up residence in the moat and seemed fine where they were. Seeing how clean the rest of the city was, I didn’t doubt that at some point a student’s punishment would be to clear the litter from the water.

Carefully manicured lawns spread out before us once we crossed the bridge. The Academy grounds were much more natural that I’d expected. I wasn’t complaining though. I’d seen enough stark lifeless stone in Sanc Aldet and the royal palace to last me some time. It was nice to see some green, even if there were patches of snow here and there and there was more brown than any other color at the moment.

Following the paved path through the campus and only getting lost twice, the carriage come to a stop outside the large and imposing West Wing Dormitory, one of the all-female quarters for students attending the Academy.

The building was almost entirely made of whitewashed stone and styled after an army barracks crossed with a five floor mansion. The roof was made of bright red terracotta tiles and the door was an enormous slab of age hardened ironwood with a brass dragon-shaped door handle. Each floor was given over almost entirely to rooms for the various students. Some rooms on the top two floors were far more luxurious and open, reserved for the mages-in-training of a higher background or who had achieved impressive results.

The entire structure was easily capable of holding hundreds of people within it, and though it was a tad intimidating, baskets of flowers and brightly colored flags and streamers had been hung along the window sills to give it a more welcoming feel.

And if one looked closely, you could even see the places where extensive repairs had been done a few decades ago due to a certain queen…

“So this is to be our home from now on,” Liliana muttered to herself, a thoughtful and eager look on her face.

“It looks lovely. Plus, there are plenty of magical defenses. I think we should be fine here,” I noted as I observed the state of the wards and enchantments through the dormitory. Some were too complex or shielded for me to make much out of them, but I wasn’t put off by that. It just meant I had something else to work on while I was here.

At our destination the driver hopped down from his seat and opened the door for my owner. She stepped out, holding herself regally. With her dress and the flower from yesterday tucked behind her left ear Liliana gave off a serene aura. Orleen emerged from the carriage next, and then it was my turn. I reverted into my small, portable form and hopped into my princess’ arms, giving a brief shiver as the cold air stung me.

As we exited the carriage the heavy doors of the dorm swung open and an older woman appeared, probably a decade or so older than Orleen. She looked a bit like Rene Bluemont up close, and I wondered if this was a relative of hers.

“Greetings, your highness Liliana. I am the Matron of the dorm, Rose Alderhill. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Royal Varian Mages Academy. I do hope you’ll enjoy your time here,” the woman declared, bowing deeply to my owner.

“It is my pleasure to be here, Mrs. Alderhill. I do hope we can get along,” Liliana said plainly, a smile on her face as she greeted the overseer of the dormitory.

“Do you need assistance with your luggage?” the Matron inquired, looking at the assorted cases and bags that were tied to the roof of the carriage.

“No need, ma’am. We’ll take care of it,” the senior Dire Sword announced as he dismounted from his steed. The rest of the troops followed his example, and soon the knights were unloading their lady’s belongings and carrying them up to the dormitory.

A few people walking nearby looked at the carriage and then at us as we moved towards the building, and I sensed a few students who were already in their dorms peering out the windows as well to see what the commotion was.

“Her room is on the fifth floor. Let me show you,” Mrs. Alderhill offered and she was soon leading the group of Dire Swords inside. Liliana and Orleen trailed behind as well, as we were all eager to see my owner’s new home.

“All students have their own room that they may personalize as they wish,” Mrs. Alderhill began to explain, mostly for my owner’s benefit than any of her other followers’. “Certain limitations are imposed however. Namely, nothing toxic or explosive may be stored in the dorms. No cursed artifacts or Dark Element items or spells either, unless given strict, explicit permission by the Headmaster.”

“Pets are allowed as long as they are clean, do not make much noise, are under a certain size and weight restriction, and of course are not dangerous. Your Ooze has already been cleared by Headmaster Arnolt himself, but try to keep it from getting into any mischief,” the Matron continued, glancing at me as she did. I made no motion or acknowledgement of her words, and she eventually looked elsewhere.

I did not know if the Headmaster, Archsage Arnolt, had told any of the staff about my intelligence so I refrained from speaking while in the older woman’s presence.

Rumors abounded about ‘the princess and her talking slime,’ however. As discreet as the servants of the royal palace were, gossip and conversation over drinks after work were a fact of life, and eventually some tidbits about me had gotten out to the general public.

There was also the political element. Knowing how important my owner was I too was naturally a topic of discussion and curiosity, and foreign agents would likely want to know how accurate the rumors were.

“Here you are, your highness. This will be your room.” After showing us the sitting rooms, side rooms, and kitchenette, we were finally on the fifth floor in front of a door made of cherry wood with a brass nameplate on the front. There were no other adornments, unlike some of the doors we’d passed that had accessories attached to them, from cute pictures and ribbons and the like.

Mrs. Alderhill showed us a small iron key and then placed it into the lock, opening the door and revealing the room on the other side.

It wasn’t bad; small but cozy, with a square window right at the back to let in light and fresh air when weather permitted. A walk in closet took up part of the left side, and there were only four pieces of furniture: a desk, a chair, a dresser and a bed. All of it looked sturdy, although the latter two items were significantly smaller than my owner and I were used to. The princess’s bed at the palace was large enough to hold three people with room to spare. At a stretch, the bed here could fit two. As for the dresser it could probably hold only a third of what we’d brought for Liliana.

“It’s probably much less… expansive than what you’re used to, and for that I apologize. However, if we wish to fit enough people in here, we have to limit space somewhat,” the Matron said in an apologetic tone. It seemed sincere, and she was probably used to spoiled noble daughters complaining so she preempted an apology.

“No, this is lovely! It’s tiny but comfy!” Liliana praised, always able to see the bright side. Mrs. Alderhill smiled gratefully at that and passed the key over to my princess.

“This is your personal key. Please try to avoid losing it, as making a new one can take some time,” the Matron cautioned. My owner took the slender metal implement with a serious face and a nod of her head.

“Pardon me, but may I ask where the bathroom is?” Orleen spoke up, asking a very pertinent question. Liliana flushed a bit, looking and feeling embarrassed by the topic, but thankful her maid had brought it up.

“For, um, personal use there is a basin in the closet and a tap at both ends of the hall to fill it with water. Also, a chamber pot is in the closet and the cleaning staff take care of it every day,” Mrs. Alderhill said, only slightly put off by the question.

“As for full body washing and bathing, there is a bath house attached to the back of the dorm. It has not been opened yet, and will only be available for use the day before classes officially start. I’d be happy to show you the way there later.”

“Again, thank you for your help and guidance,” Liliana said with a polite nod, somewhat relieved the conversation was over. I just snorted to myself. Silly humans and their modesty!

A sudden thought struck my owner and she turned to Orleen. “Where will you be staying?”

“Officially, students are not allowed to have servants attending to them while they’re here at the Academy,” Orleen explained. “However, there are exceptions and ways to go around this rule. On paper, I’ve been hired by the faculty to act as assistant staff for the dorm here. I’ll have quarters in the city off campus and I will commute here. So do not worry, I’ll still be nearby, even if I won’t be able to be with you all that often.”

Orleen gave her mistress a comforting smile and Liliana relaxed slightly, tension she hadn’t known she was carrying leaving her. I would be sad to see Orleen go as well, but like she said she would not be too far away.

“If that’s everything, I hope you will excuse me. I have other early arrivals to tend to,” Mrs. Alderhill said, excusing herself and heading elsewhere. As soon as she disappeared down the hall the Dire Swords stepped in, carrying in the luggage. They would leave the unpacking to Orleen, as that was her job.

After two more trips all of Liliana’s possessions had been brought up. Sorting had started as soon as the first bags were deposited to make the best use of the limited space. I was helping, as my ability to make numerous limbs was most useful for folding laundry and handling several tasks at once.

“This is the last of it, your highness,” the youngest of the Dire Swords announced as he placed a canvas bag filled with makeup and beauty products at the foot of the bed.

“Thank you very much for all your help,” Liliana said as she gave a bow to her escorts. “Will you be here much longer?”

“We plan on returning to Sanc Aldet tomorrow, leaving sometime around noon,” the leader of the quintet informed, giving the younger member an approving nod at the work he’d done.

“I see. Then, could you, perhaps, take a letter back with you?” my owner inquired and got a nod in the affirmative.

“One of us will stop by here tomorrow before we depart and pick up the letter if you wish.”

“Yes, thank you that would be lovely!”

With a smile on her face, she looked around the room but her expression gave way toa frown at the piles of clothes and accessories she had cluttering up the room.

“Perhaps you should take a walk and familiarize yourself with campus layout while I deal with the unpacking,” Orleen suggested. Liliana gave a conflicted look at her maid and friend. On one hand, helping was a good thing to do. On the other, it was boring and there was so much to explore!

“We’d be glad to accompany you on your trip around the Academy, your highness,” the squad leader offered and that seemed to make up her mind.

“Please and thank you,” the young princess said happily. She made to leave and I bounced a bit eagerly before leaping into my owner’s arms once more.

Down four flights of stairs, and soon we came across the foyer and a surprising sight.

There was a fairly substantial pile of luggage and bags sitting off to the side of the entrance. Standing guard over them was a young girl with slightly slanted eyes and tapered ears who was looking around with a nervous and embarrassed expression.

It was the girl from the yellow and red carriage! Even if it had been just a split second I remembered her face, and judging from Liliana’s faint gasp of surprise she too had recognized her.

The girl was short, even more so than Liliana by at least a full head. Her hair was black as ink and looked very soft and smooth, and was short and done in a sort of bowl-cut that looked rather unflattering. Thankfully a crystal hairpin shaped like a lotus made it look better. She wore a plain white silk outfit of unknown design with red and yellow highlights along the hems and not a single piece of jewelry or splotch of make-up. Despite that she was extremely cute and her timid attitude only increased her resemblance to a scared puppy.

She did wear an interesting contraption over her eyes; it looked like someone had taken two monocles and linked them together so they sat on the bridge of her nose and looped over the ears to hold them in place. That was ingenious! Why hadn’t I seen things like that before?

On closer inspection of the girl I noticed something odd; her magic was weak, which was surprising for an aspiring mage. Her mana capacity was closer to that of one of the average maid’s back in the palace.

Near the doors there was a muted but none the less heated argument going on in the door frame between Mrs. Alderhill and an extremely beautiful woman in elegant silks and sleek furs. She carried a rigid fan instead of the more popular folding fans, but it was made of silver and platinum and the gold silk was additionally decorated with eight beautiful feathers of different colors; red, blue, green, yellow, orange, white, black, and purple.

The energy that radiated from the fan was staggering! All eight of the Elements of Magic were throbbing violently within the mystical artifact, barely restrained by the ancient and elegant runes and enchantments that had crafted it. The Elements were sealed inside the feathers of their respective colors, and from what I could tell, just a single wave of the fan would unleash waves of pure mana related to the Eight Elements.

Tthe woman who carried the devastatingly potent artifact was just as dangerous. She was lithe and had similarly slanted eyes and colored skin to the girl, but was taller, at least six foot two. Her figure was shapely, but I could sense she had extremely toned muscles and a most disturbing amount of natural mana of her own. Even without the fan she could probably cast Level Six spells without any problem.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying as the distance too great for even my exceptional hearing to pick up their words. But it seemed to be about getting someone to move and carry the luggage based on the way the dangerous woman gestured to the pile every so often.

There were only a few other people in the building at the moment and most of them were watching the scene with either amusement, pity, or guarded neutrality. The girl, obviously uncomfortable with such scrutiny, seemed to shrink in on herself even more.

Just a few seconds after taking this all in Liliana resolutely put her mind to the task. Before she’d even begun to move I knew what was about to happen. And I couldn’t agree more.

“Hello there. Do you perhaps need some help?”

The young girl’s head snapped up sharply at my owner’s words, and the gazes of the bystanders flickered over to us. Her eyes danced over my owner and then myself with a hint of surprise and suspicion, but eventually she nodded her head.

“H-hen. I do.”

Hen? Was she talking about chickens or was it a foreign word? Probably the later. Though that was curious. Most, if not all, of the human nations on Orria spoke the same language: Merchant’s Common Tongue, often just referred to as Common in day to day conversation. It was an old bastardized tongue, one part Elder Speech, the original language of the humans of Val’Narash, and one part elfish slang from the time when the Second Elfish Domain conquered the continent.

Only a few other human territories existed beyond the continent and thus developed their own altered form of Elder Speech, so this girl had to be from one of them. I could ponder that later. It seemed that now the girl’s escort had noticed us.

“Are you offering to help move my charge’s luggage?” The words from the elegant woman lilted with a hard to place accent, and were laced with unconscious sensuality but also a hint of challenge. The Dire Swords, who’d stayed back a bit when my owner had walked up to the girl stiffened somewhat, partly due to the smooth, exotic way she spoke, but also because of the near hostility in her tone.

“Yes.” Short and sweet but filled with her own brand of kindness and conviction. The tall courtesan woman looked my owner over before fanning herself, which doubled as a tool to hide her smile.

“How very kind of you. If only more of the people in this city were as generous as yourself.” The words were a dig at the Matron who almost let out a growl.

With a nod from Liliana the Dire Swords stepped forward and began to carry the girl’s luggage towards the stairs. Mrs. Alderhill bustled over to show them the way, shooting a scathing look at the other woman before handing the poor young girl her key and leaving.

“…Thank you,” the girl said, her words mumbled and hasty.

“It’s no problem. I am Liliana. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” My owner held out her right hand while supporting my body with her left arm, and after a brief hesitation the girl took it and gave a limp shake.

“…Kine,” the shorter girl said in a way that made it seem as if she was introducing herself as well.

“You should be more polite, child. Especially towards royalty,” the tall woman said, and Kine’s eyes widened in shock and fear, a nervous expression looking up at Liliana’s serene one. So, this woman knew who my owner was. Interesting.

“It’s fine. It seems like she’s a long way from home, and it can take some getting used to,” Liliana said, waving off the concern. In response the woman gave a deep and formal bow.

“Many thanks for your assistance. I’m glad to see that my charge will have good classmates to rely on.”

“Please, no thanks is necessary. Helping people is always right thing to do.” Even if this was a direct quote from the teachings of the Goddess Cynthia, sincerity was in every word and there was not a single hidden meaning.

To my amusement the woman’s mind was in turmoil. How rare must it be to find someone who truly was selfless and kind-hearted like my owner, especially among the upper ranks of the aristocracy? This woman wanted to doubt her own senses, but she was clearly well trained in reading people. And my owner was pretty much an open book with her intentions.

“I am the Lady of the Front for the Imperial Court of Qwan. If you need my aide in any matter, please do not hesitate to ask for me.”

From the shocked look on Kine’s face having this woman give away her blessing was clearly a rare event. The young girl’s own thoughts were slowly shifting, and curiosity towards my owner had been planted in her mind.

After a few more empty pleasantries, the Lady of the Front departed the building in a swirl of silk and a cloud of perfume, leaving us with Kine. Our new friend. Liliana smiled warmly at the girl, and I felt relieved. It looked like things were starting off well this years.

Chapter 5: Parks and recreations

“The campus is quite large. I’m certain I’ll get lost at least once this semester,” Liliana sighed. My owner and I were traveling around the grounds of the Mages Academy to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and buildings. Accompanying us was a single Dire Sword and surprisingly the shy girl Kine was with us as well.

She was quiet and only spoke if directly addressed, but she was slowly, like a glacier sliding across the tundra, opening up to us. Her emotions were subdued and stunted in a manner I hadn’t seen before, as if she was not used to receiving kindness or friendship.

If anyone could help heal Kine’s mental wounds it would be my owner without a doubt. And to prove my point Liliana was practically dragging the poor girl around with her. Like it or not, Miss Kine had become the princess’ friend.

Even the Dire Swords realized this, and had given pitying smiles to Kine as she was pulled off to explore the Academy.

“The Royal Varian Mages Academy is a huge complex that has numerous buildings that are connected by the paths that run through the grounds,” Liliana said, reading off of a flyer the matron had given her. It was so we could learn about the place where we now lived.

Some of the buildings we passed were small, no larger than a shed and were used just for storage, while others were designed for specialty study or for eating, cleaning, and relaxation and were of considerable size, enough to hold hundreds of students at once.

“There are four dorms in the Academy, two for female students, West and South, two for male students, East and North,” Liliana continued, leading our tiny group through the cobblestone walkways cutting through the campus.

“Then there are nine other structures on the campus besides the living facilities which are where the classes take place. Eight of these are named after the Eight Elements of Magic, and are where aspiring mages are taught how to use their magic. Finally there is the Soul Building, which is actually the Skysoul Tower converted into basic offices and administrative sections, and also where the general education classes are held.”

“I wonder what this place will look like when spring fully comes around?” Liliana mused as she took a break from reading, looking at the bare and lifeless branches of the trees and the brown grass that was poking through the snow piles. Here and there though some promises of beauty were appearing, with snowdrops and winter carnations popping up to welcome the warmth.

“…Lovely,” Kine said, hazarding a guess. Her single word sentence didn’t deter my owner and she nodded sagely in agreement.

“You’re right, it’ll probably look amazing! All the flowers in bloom, the bushes and trees becoming green again... ah, I can’t wait to be rid of this dreary weather!” Liliana said, excited and exasperated in equal measures.

I too wanted warmer weather to arrive. Unless specifically bred for cold temperatures like the rare Ice Ooze, my kind would freeze quickly and die in such conditions. Even now as a much more powerful Royal Ooze I still detested the chilly white particles of frozen water.

“I think I need to take a break,” Liliana suddenly declared, marching over to a bench near the Soul Building. I reached out with a tendril and swept away the thin dusting of snow that coated the wooden seat and my owner sat down and massaged her feet with a twisted frown of annoyance on her face. Her shoes, more like slippers actually, were perfectly designed for very little activity like riding a carriage. For walking around a sprawling area like the Academy? Not so much.

I burbled in amusement. She really should have changed them before she left. I even tried to get her to do so while we unpacked back at the dorm, but her stubbornness was a double edged sword in this case.

Kine sat down next to us hesitantly while the Dire Sword took a spot a few steps behind us watching over the area with a stoic expression, but in his heart I could see he too was slightly amused at the plight of his princess.

I took pity on my owner and reached out with a pair of noodle-like appendages and stroked her feet while using the Level One healing spell Soothe. It wouldn’t remove the blisters but it would prevent them from getting worse and it eased her strained muscles. Liliana let out a sigh of contentment at my work.

“Thanks a lot Jelly,” she praised, patting me on the top of my round body. I gurgled in response, still unsure about revealing my speech to Kine. Even if my owner saw her as a friend I was still hesitant.

As for the girl in question, she was fidgeting a bit in her seat, hands in her lap while shooting me strange looks.

“Um, princess, if it’s OK…”

“You can call me Liliana if you want,” my owner offered with a refreshed smile. “And yes? What is it?”

“Could I maybe… pet him?”

Liliana looked confused for a moment before her eyes lit up with joy.

“Of course! Here you go!” She plucked me from her lap all of a sudden and I was thrust into Kine’s own, which startled the poor child. I was surprised too, but hid it better and decided to go with the flow.

Hesitantly, Kine placed one of her hands atop me and slowly rubbed back and forth, unsure if she was doing it right. I twisted a bit at her touch and she stiffened, but I just moved so her hands were placed more comfortably on my head.

“So smooth…” the young foreign mage whispered to herself, becoming more confident with her strokes and petting.

“I know right! He’s squishy and soft, like a big silk pillow full of pudding!” I wasn’t sure if I should be amused or offended by Liliana’s comparison of me, but Kine giggled faintly at it.

“Very silky,” Kine praised and I puffed up a bit with pride. It never hurts to have an admirer.

“I’m really glad someone else understands Jelly’s appeal,” Liliana said after a while and Kine looked over, a curious tilt to her head making her appear even more adorable.

“At home, only Julius –that’s my younger brother- truly appreciates how amazing Jelly is. Sure, the servants like him because he isn’t messy, and the guards approve of him because he’s risked his life to protect me, but no one understands him. They think he’s just a monster. Even after he changed hardly anyone has cared to get to know more about him.” Liliana mumbled a bit at the end, developing into a muttered rant.

Behind her I could feel a twinge of shame from the Dire Sword, but I ignored it. I don’t blame or resent them for their feelings. After all, I am a monster. It’s what I was born as. But Liliana had given me a chance to be something more, and with the blessing of the Goddess Cynthia I could achieve even more if I put my mind to it. I’d change their opinions of me with my own strength. I didn’t care what they thought then, because what mattered was my owner. That’s all there was too it.

Kine didn’t seem to think so, judging by the glare she shot at the princess’s knight. It came off more as a pout though and lost all its string. She then turned back to me and focused on patting me on the head, and I hummed in bliss.

“Don’t worry. I think he’s… cute,” Kine admitted with a dusting of red on her cheeks. It was clear she wasn’t used to expressing herself.

“Oh, what’s this? I see you’ve arrived early. Very good. Time is money after all.”

Kine jerked in her seat at the sudden sound: she had been immersed in my cuddly body. Liliana and the Dire Sword had a more subdued reaction, and I didn’t even bother to show I was aware of the new arrival.

Arnolt Cantos was tall but his age had caused him to hunch over somewhat, and he was supported by an elegant staff of bronze colored wood that broke into two parts and entwined around a fist sized golden gem that emitted rainbow lights. When I saw that jewel, I felt oddly attracted to it. Not in the way I was drawn to magical artifacts, but on a deeper level.

For his appearance, there was a thick white beard that was braided in the style of a Dwarf and though his face was creased his pale blue eyes twinkled with mirth and fathomless wit. Wearing white and gold robes, the man was every inch the stereotypical wizard.

“Greetings, Archsage Arnolt. Or would you prefer ‘Headmaster?’” Liliana greeted, inclining her head respectfully.

Upon hearing the name of the man before them, Kine sat up ramrod straight on the bench and put on a neutral expression. Was she scared of authority figures?

“When you’re at the Academy as a student I would prefer it if you called me headmaster. ‘Archsage’ is for business when I’m out of the city,” the X-ranked mage informed and Liliana nodded in understanding. The elderly man stroked his beard as he looked us over.

“I see you’re already making connections. That’s good. Having someone to work with helps students grow in my opinion. And not just rivalries or surrounding oneself with sycophants, actual comradery,” Arnolt said in approval. He then turned his attention fully to Kine. His gaze lingered on her ears for a moment before he looked her in the eyes.

“You’re one of Wei’s grandchildren are you not?”

“…Yes, headmaster,” Kine replied, voice monotone. The Archsage ignored her tone and nodded to himself.

“Yes, you look like him.” At that declaration Kine’s head shot up in surprise.

“Really?” Her voice broke and the emptiness was filled with something I hadn’t expected: Hope.

“Without a doubt. Your face has quite the uncanny resemblance. And he also wore eyeglasses if I recall.”

Oh, so that’s what those double-monocles were called! Odd to name them after part of what they’re made of and what they cover, but I’ve never claimed humans were good with names.

The girl perked up slightly and I felt that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Headmaster Arnolt remained silent for a moment, observing the sudden spike in joy from Kine before shaking his head.

For a brief moment I felt killing intent roll off of his soul, but it was squashed instantly. Only the Dire Sword and I felt it.

“I was informed of your arrival. I must say that I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish here. After all, your grandfather was one of the best Divination mages I’ve ever met. It will be an honor to have you here,” Arnolt said grandly, bowing his head slightly to the girl. She flushed and stammered for a moment before falling quiet.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some other places to be at the moment. Please feel free to continue exploring, but be back at your dorm before nightfall if you could.” With that, the sorcerer walked off, leaving us to our own devices for the day.

He also left us with an awkward mood to deal with.

“Headmaster Arnolt knew your grandfather?” Liliana asked curiously, sharing a look with me. Kine just shrugged.

“Apparently,” she said in a tone that conveyed her lack of desire to elaborate.

“Well, I’m feeling much better now so why don’t we continue walking around? I don’t think we’ve seen enough, and we really should finish before dusk,” my owner said, overcoming the awkwardness with her unflappable good cheer.

Kine nodded and stood up, passing me back to the princess as she did so. Liliana accepted me with a nod of her head and we were soon strolling near the cafeteria, which was adjacent to the Soul Building and connected by a covered wooden walkway decorated with ceramic tiles.

Sadly there was a lot of space in the Academy grounds and not enough daylight in the day. By the time we had finished wandering the cafeteria and the immediate surroundings the sun was low on the horizon and my Eternal Clock cantrip informed me that it was close to twilight and heading back to the dorm would be a wise choice.

I discretely informed my owner of this by pointing one of my tendrils at the setting sun and then in the direction of the West Wing Dormitory. She nodded and soon all of us were returning, Kine and the Dire Sword included.

“Welcome back. I hope you had a pleasant walk?” Mrs. Alderhill inquired. She was standing near the doorway of the dorms, keeping an eye out for arriving students.

“Yes, it was very peaceful. Unfortunately we did not manage to see everything,” Liliana informed. The matron just gave a knowing nod.

“The campus is rather large. I’d be surprised if you had somehow gone everywhere and seen everything,” Mrs. Alderhill said with an amused smile.

“By the way, there’s a bit of soup and porridge being cooked up right now by your maid, Princess Liliana. She’s making it for everyone so be sure to pass on my thanks to her.”

“Of course, I will be sure to do so,” Liliana said dutifully. A loud groaning rumble sounded just then, and everyone jerked in surprise. I tensed, wary of a sudden monster attack, but relaxed when I saw Kine’s face turn bright red.

“Sounds like someone is hungry. Why don’t you two go on inside and have some dinner,” Mrs. Alderhill said with a grin. She ignored my presence somewhat, but to be fair I was just a pet in her eyes.

Inside the dormitory it was nice and warm thanks to a roaring fire in the foyer fireplace, which forced my owner and her red-faced friend to shed their coats. Some ways past the entrance was a set of double doors that led to a tiny kitchenette and dining room. Currently it was filled with about two dozen young women sitting around and chatting while enjoying bowls of steaming food.

Liliana and Kine’s entrance went unnoticed until they approached the line where others were gathering for Orleen’s meal. She wasn’t trained in the finer points of the culinary arts, but she was still a wife and mother so she knew how to prepare a hearty meal for lots of people.

“Hello my lady. Was your stroll a pleasant one?” Orleen inquired of her mistress when she came to the counter. Liliana nodded happily.

“Indeed it was. Oh, and this is Kine. She accompanied me and Jelly today. She’s also a new student here,” my owner said, introducing the foreign girl to her beloved maid.

“A pleasure to meet you my lady. Please do continue to be friendly with the princess,” Orleen said with a short bow towards Kine. The short girl nodded hastily and the motherly maid gave her an approving smile.

“Here you go, eat up!” Orleen passed over two bowls full of her food and the two young ladies moved over to a table.

“So, what School do you plan on studying?” Liliana asked between mouthfuls of plain yet tasty porridge. Kine shrugged, unsure.

“You know that studies at the Academy are divided between the so-called Schools of Magic, don’t you? Besides the basic spells for the Eight Elements there are also various disciplines that use specific types of magic, techniques and preparations,” Liliana continued, repeating what her magic tutor Petrus had told her about this institution.

“Some of the more well-known Schools of Magic are those of Healing, Divination, Evocation or as it is more commonly known Battle Magic, Illusion and Conjuration. The latter is the School I am interested in.” Liliana blew on her spoonful before taking a sip. After a bit she saw Kine looking curiously at her.

“Conjuration magic, also known more widely as the Art of Summoning, is the ability to call forth not just animals, spirits, and familiars to assist a mage but to create and manifest ordinary objects from raw mana, such as swords and chairs,” my owner explained to the foreigner.

“Unlike some of the other Schools Conjuration required a person to study more than just the spells involved. A mage has to intimately know and understand the being and item they wish to summon and bind. This requires knowledge of anatomy, biology, construction and so much more.”

“I’m rather interested in monsters and magical beasts myself,” Liliana admitted, continuing to speak to Kine. “That’s why I plan on enrolling in the Conjuration courses. We have to learn about the creatures we contract with.”

I saw a glint of interest appear in Kine’s eyes for a moment, and I had a feeling she would consider the same courses as my owner in order to be close to her new friend. That wasn’t a bad thing, but I hoped her mana capacity would be up for it.

“Really, you’re going to be a Summoner?” Liliana, Kine, and I looked up to see some girls that had come over to our table. Their leader looked to be my owner’s age, with medium length blonde hair done up in two braids on the side of her head.

She had a smile that almost looked like a smirk on her face, but I didn’t sense any hostilities.

“Not a lot of noble kids choose to take that path of study because of all the hard work it involves. Kudos to you!” The blonde girl gave a wide grin and sat down.

As she did I caught a glimpse of magic dancing around a necklace she wore. It was impressive, the spells implanted within it designed to reject and repel weak Illusion spells and protect from certain Elemental spells, mostly Fire but also some Lightning. It also was attuned to detect vampires and assorted undead and alert the wearer to their presence, which was odd to say the least.

“I’m in the Divination School. The name’s Tilda. Tilda Gorossi of Katlamar,” the girl introduced, holding out her hand.

“Katlamar? As in, the territory from Partaevia…” Liliana trailed off as she saw the scowl start to form on Tilda’s face. Behind her, some of Tilda’s followers flinched. Ah, touchy subject. But understandable.

“Katlamar?” Kine asked innocently.

“A region currently embroiled in a war,” Tilda said tersely.

Kine wisely dropped the subject, sinking into her chair in embarrassment.

“So anyways, you’re the new girl, and royalty to boot. I feel like it’s my duty to instruct my lovely junior all about the Academy,” Tilda declared. My owner looked confused.

“Oh, an older student? I’m sorry, I didn’t know. My name is Liliana Augustine Roan.” The princess gave a polite nod of her head and Tilda just smiled in understanding.

“Yeah, I get that surprise a lot. I do look rather young. Would you believe I’m actually older than sixteen?”

Liliana and Kine shook their heads which caused Tilda to laugh.

“I like you two. Tell you what. My girls and I are going to be hanging out at the Dream building later. You should come, and we can teach you all about what to expect here. Sound like a plan?”

Liliana paused for a moment and shared a look with me and then Kine. Making friends and connections was an important aspect of being a student, but it was even more so for nobles, as in the future you never know who will become influential, a threat to your own domain, and the like.

Tilda Gorossi was from Katlamar, a province of Partaevia. However, that domain was in a bitter civil war against the occupying government. Joining Tilda’s clique could have repercussion politically for Varia one way or another.

But there was a chance that this faction could be good for her as well. It was a gamble. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“I think that sounds lovely. Kine and I will be sure to stop by later tomorrow. How does after lunch sound?”

“Sounds like a plan. Well, I’ll see you later then.” Tilda rose and headed off, and I took note of the envious looks from a few of the other girls aimed at my owner and the Partaevian expatriate. The noble from Katlamar had made the first move. Now the board was being rearranged as a new pair of players appeared. Joy.

“I see you found your way here, Jelly. Excellent.”

“Oh course, Headmaster. I distinctly remember you stating you wished to meet with me when we saw each other at my princess’ birthday.”

Night had fallen fully across the Academy and the city, and with the stars in the sky I had made my way to the Soul Building and the headmaster’s office. Indeed, I had been told by the Archsage to come to his office the day I arrived at the Academy around midnight. Well, here I was, ready to be taught!

After passing through his door and making sure he was the only person here, I had let my body grow larger, until I was four feet tall and about as wide in diameter. I was still in my spherical form though. It was hard to explain, but I felt more comfortable in a bigger body like this.

The headmaster was seated behind a desk utterly buried beneath piles of parchment and cheap paper, all of them likely related to the continued functioning of his vast scholastic entity. He rose, grateful to be given a chance to escape the paperwork.

“First, I want you to look at my staff.” He removed it from a spot under his desk which revealed it to my sight. There were quite a few places in the Academy I could not see through, due to wards or various construction materials.

That was an odd request, but I complied and peered intently at it. The energy in the golden orb was familiar, somehow…

I gasped in shock and recoiled slightly from the staff. Arnolt nodded at my reaction, as if he’d expected that.

“Do you know when a Royal Ooze was last spotted?” He asked, tracing a finger down the length of his magical foci.

“Fifty years ago,” I responded, having read that with my owner back in Sanc Aldet when we’d been research Oozes.

“It was actually fifty three years ago last winter, but I won’t be nit-picky,” the Archsage said, memories playing through his head.

“And you were the one who fought it?” I asked, curiosity overcoming my apprehension of the core of a dead kin being used as a magical tool.

“No, it was not me. Not entirely. It was a joint effort, pulled off with my old adventuring companions. I won’t go into the details today, but suffice to say it was one of the hardest battles I’ve ever had, and I can firmly count the Royal Ooze as one of the top five foes I’ve fought.” Arnolt gave a grim smile my way. “I claimed its core and made my staff with it, as you can clearly tell.”

“And you’re telling me this because?”

“I am one of the few people alive who has encountered a Royal Ooze and lived to tell of it. Therefore I am one of the only people who can teach you about your powers.” The headmaster began to pace around his office as he organized his next words.

“We will explore your powers together, Jelly. I will try to instruct you on how to wield your innate abilities, but I will also teach you some advanced magical techniques. Like Planeswalking and communing with the gods themselves.”

Arnolt looked over at me with a neutral expression. “This will not be easy, and I will not be a lenient teacher. I expect excellence from every student I personally oversee and you shall be treated no differently. But the rewards you shall reap will be great. So, what do you say?”

“Do you even have to ask?” I morphed into my bipedal form and stuck out a hand.

“Let’s do this!”

Chapter 6: School Rumble

“Blurg…”

“Jelly, are you OK?” I looked up from my basket-bed and just moaned a bit.

I had spent last night with the Archsage until it was nearly dawn. I only managed to grab a few hours of sleep before my owner woke up all peppy and joyful.

“Lessons with the Archsage, sorry, Headmaster Arnolt, were not what I was expecting,” I revealed cryptically, extremely glad I didn’t need as much sleep as an Ooze.

That fossil had spent the five hours I was with him forcing me to get to know my own powers and their limits. We’d done nothing else but testing my abilities over and over.

“Anything new?” she inquired.

“I have learned three things; my body can create up to twenty one tendrils that can each extend up to five feet, I can produce a gallon and a half of Ooze Extract, either as Regular, Healing, Poison, or Royal varieties in one setting before needing to eat, and the headmaster is a draconian taskmaster who delights in milking me for all I am worth,” I groaned.

“Well, shall we go see what we have for breakfast in a bit?” Liliana offered as she started to get out of her nightwear. I bobbed in agreement, before reaching out and grabbing a tin basin from under the bed and filling it with water drawn from a quick Summon Water. I then grabbed a sponge and helped clean my owner.

Once she was washed she hastily dressed in a simple pale yellow dress, a pair of trousers to wear under her skirt and then some thicker, better shoes than the slippers from yesterday.

“Thanks for the help, Jelly. Now, shall we go and find some food?” I quickly jumped up and down eagerly and my owner laughed at the sight. She scooped me up and we left the room together, making sure to lock the door behind us. Down the flights of stairs to the lower floor we found the kitchenette awash with tantalizing aromas of bacon and eggs. As we took a seat at one of the tables other hungry girls and young adults were stomping down the stairs to feed, drawn by the smells.

Among the hungry horde we spotted a sleepy looking Kine, and when she saw us her tired expression brightened and she hurried over to join us.

“Did you sleep well?” Liliana inquired, and the tiny girl nodded silently. She gave me a look, then another to my owner, and the princess passed me to her, understanding her unspoken request. A smile broke over Kine’s face and I rolled imaginary eyes. Why were the only women I knew either adorable and sweet or stoic and professional?

I didn’t say anything as Kine began to pet me though, and Liliana gave me a confused look. I gave a minute shake of my body. Not yet. I didn’t want to reveal my ability to speak this early. Even Kine, as cute and friendly as she seemed, was still a stranger. True, Liliana appeared to want to change that status into ‘friend’ and I too was all for it. But I wanted to wait a bit.

Plus, if I was honest, it was nice to be treated as a regular pet. No expectation, no fear from witnessing me talk-- this was pleasant, and I wanted it to last.

“So, are you girls ready to meet some fun new people?” We looked up at the familiar voice and saw the young woman from yesterday, Tilda Gorossi, carrying some plates over. She was accompanied by a few other older girls.

Liliana gratefully accepted the food and Kine gave a mute nod in thanks. I chose to do nothing other than reach out and snag some slightly burnt crispy meat from my owner’s plate. She gasped in mock disbelief and playfully slapped my reaching tendril.

“Don’t be rude, Jelly. All you have to do if you want some bacon is ask,” Liliana teased and I warbled in reply, digesting the breakfast food in front of me.

“Huh. That looks really weird,” Tilda commented as she eyed my body as she watched the food break up and disappear inside my slightly transparent body.

“Is it? I think it’s neat,” Liliana protested and the aristocrat from the south shrugged.

“Eh, to each their own. I suppose I can forgive his odd eating habits though. He’s rather cute.”

“Right?”

Interestingly it wasn’t Liliana who had spoken up in a giddy tone but Kine, who looked down at her lap, and thus me, in embarrassment when everyone at the table turned to look at her.

Tilda laughed, not unkindly, and held out a sliver of bacon to me. I accepted her offering and scarfed it down. Yet another woman succumbed to my charms!

“You’re totally correct, little missy. This Ooze is super cute. I don’t think we were properly introduced last night. In case you forgot, I’m Tilda Gorossi, Second Year.”

“…Kine Ro. First Year.” Tilda nodded at the introduction.

“Where ya from? I don’t think I’ve met anyone like you before,” Tilda asked, surreptitiously examining her junior’s skin tone and slanted eyes.

“Qwan.” Her explanation was short and slightly curt.

“Far to the east, past Par-Orria where the elves and dwarves live and across the Silvermoon Ocean, lies a continent. Distant Qwan, or just Qwan to those who live there, is inhabited primarily by humans who broke off from Val’Narash generations before the Great Calamity,” Liliana said out loud, mostly for my benefit but also for some of the confused girls who had joined us.

She continued, “It is dominated by a massive empire that has assimilated several smaller tribes and vassal states, and it is an abundant land and possesses many valuable resources. Silk is its the most famous export. People from Qwan are a rare sight in Orria because of the sheer distances between the two. Some Qwanese adventurers wander beyond their own borders, but mostly the only places you’ll find them is in the elfish ports, as the two races have a fairly good trade partnership.”

“The Qwanese are also seen as people with too much honor and pride, and because of this get on famously with those arrogant and uptight elves,” Tilda joked.

Kine flinched somewhat at the blonde’s words, but did not refute it. Which was telling. After all, it was clear that Kine had some family issues. The Second Year finally noticed Kine’s ears at that moment and coughed awkwardly.

“Oh. A half-elf. Apologies if my comment was rude.”

The tense moment was broken when I hopped out of Kine’s lap up onto the table and grabbed a mug of watered down coffee. Laughs filled the air as the students watched a slime try and drink a cup of ‘breakfast juice,’ as King Tiberius once jokingly called the bitter brew.

I smirked to myself. Now that the previous oppressive mood was gone the girls were able to discuss their plans for the day.

In the end Liliana and Kine agreed to follow Tilda and meet her other friends. Then, my owner and new friend would decide if they wanted to join the clique.

“Aggrllbl…” A muffled gurgle of suffering reached us as Tilda led our merry band to the place where the group tended to gather. There on the dead grass two older students were sparring, though one was being pinned down by a glowing barrier, pressed face first into the dirt.

There were about two dozen other students on the grounds near the Dream building. Most of them were male. A few watched the fight while the rest looked at tomes or coursework before their gazes drifted to us and the rest of the new arrivals.

“As you can see, when the classes are out and the day is pleasant, our group likes to spend time here, on the grounds between the Dark and Dream Buildings,” Tilda explained, utterly ignoring the fight scene in front of us. “When the weather sucks though we hang around in the Dream Building ground floor.”

“Hey! Boys! Stop measuring magical trouser snakes and meet some new friends!” Liliana and Kine both flushed at the older girl’s crass language, but it just raised some laughs from the students lounging around.

The barrier vanished and the winner of the duel helped his opponent up. They shook hands good naturedly and turned to face us.

“Greetings. I’d apologize for Tilda’s behavior if I thought it would change,” the winner said. He was large and somewhat muscled, not at all what a mage normally looked like, with wild and unkempt dark red hair, and his face spattered with freckles. He looked to be the eldest of the group.

Tilda just stuck her tongue out at the older student and spun to introduce us to her group.

“So, this is Kine Ro, from Qwan,” Tilda began, pointing to the smaller girl, then gestured to my owner. “And this is Liliana Roan, whom you may know as the princess of this kingdom.”

Shouts of shock and surprise echoed through the gathering, the boys and young men wondering loudly how Tilda had managed to convince my owner to visit them. Only the oldest looking student remained unimpressed, a slight quirk of his eyebrow the barest hint he was interested.

“It’s an honor to meet you, your highness. My name is Crosus, Fourth Year student.” The young man introduced himself, bowing respectfully to Liliana who returned the bow.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Crosus.”

Without a surname it was obvious that this man was a commoner. Never the less, the other students clearly saw him as the leader. That spoke to his skills, as without a notable lineage he’d have to prove himself to be acknowledged, even here where talent was valued above blood.

Still, my owner was polite and treated Crosus as if he were a minor noble like a knight with her reactions. That did not go unnoticed and an approving look crossed several faces watching the interaction.

“And this is Jelly! I’m sure he’s pleased to meet you as well,” Liliana said with a smirk, holding me out to our senior. I stretched out a limb, and to both our joy and amusement Crosus took the tendril and shook it. There was barely a look of discomfort on his face upon doing so.

“Never met a slime before. Or would you prefer I call you an Ooze?” he asked politely, and I gurgled my agreement to the latter.

“Well, let’s get you all introduced to the rest of this motley crew. Let me start off by saying that if you’re looking for political or economic connections in this group, I’d suggest hanging around the Knights, the Ladies, or the Purse Factions. We’re not exactly nobodies here, but we aren’t interested in all the strife that being popular brings. We just want to be left alone, because some of us don’t have the best pasts or backgrounds.”

He looked back at us, gauging our expressions. Kine looked excited at his words while Liliana and I stayed neutral in expression but with a glimmer of hopeful interest appearing in my owner’s eyes.

“As I said, my name is Crosus. I’m in the Evocation School, but with a focus on wards and barriers.” He gestured to the rest of the group.

“You’ve already met Tilda, the groups’ resident Inappropriate Jokester. Don’t treat her like one of those bimbos in the Lady Faction because of her attitude or humor,” Crosus warned, and we nodded hastily. “Anyways, she’s not bad with magic, and is currently studying Evocation as a Second Year. And I’m sure you know why she’s not exactly popular elsewhere.”

We nodded in understanding and Crosus smiled at that.

“This is Markus Torgaav, fourth son of Duke Torgaav of Brune. He’s in the Conjuration School and a Third Year. He’s also my second in command of sorts,” Crosus went on, introducing us to the boy he’d smacked into the dirt earlier.

Markus was stick thin, just a few inches taller than Liliana and probably a year or two older as well. He had pale brown hair bordering on blond, with a few wisps of peach fuzz on his chin and around his lips. Next to his larger friend he looked even ganglier, and the oversized robes with dirt stains he wore didn’t help his appearance at all. In spite of that he had a warm smile on his face and a distant but happy look in his eyes. His slender frame and boyish face made him appear a handsome youth, if a bit androgynous.

All in all, Markus looked like what some might label a ‘Dreamer,’ less concerned with the now and more interested in higher truths. Or, just lazy. Either could apply.

Curled at his feet to compliment the lazy look was a tubby green furred feline with a white fleur-de-lys shaped patch on its forehead.

“Oh! A Lily-Lynx!” Liliana cooed.

It was a popular pet amongst noble women for its cuteness. They were also considered sacred by some due to the fact that the Martyred Saintess Liliana Ar-Varia had kept one as a pet. I felt a twinge of jealousy that was soon stamped out.

Under my sight, the magical animal had a thin length of mystical chain tying itself to the duke’s son, which indicated it was a Familiar to the boy. It looked bored, like all domesticated felines did, and gave me a haughty, imperious look before deciding that licking itself was of far greater importance than a being made of solidified magic. Just like a cat.

“Greetings, Princess Liliana, Lady Kine. And, um, Jelly. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Markus said, bowing to us before taking the women’s hands kissing their knuckles in welcome.

My owner and Kine turned red, but the duke’s son just gave an innocent smile as if he didn’t know why they were imitating tomatoes.

Had I just found a grown up version of Julius? I snickered in my mind, knowing I’d have a lot of fun teasing material to amuse myself with for a while. I also saw the Lily-Lynx look amused as well, obviously used to its owner’s antics.

“What can you tell us about these factions?” Liliana asked as she took a seat on a bench.

“Students here tend to divide themselves up into cliques,” Tilda explained. “Mostly to find common ground, partly to make connections.”

“The Lady Faction is composed of noble ladies from various countries who study here. It’s a common practice to send daughters to the Academy because it is a prestigious institute and it tends to be very useful to have a trained mage in the family as so many things rely on magic, and it makes an excellent bargaining chip for political marriages as well,” Markus offered. “But sadly because they understand their own worth and value, the members of the Lady Faction often become highly arrogant and bully the weaker cliques.”

Grimaces and reluctant nods accompanied his words. Kine looked particularly offended when she heard that.

“How so?” my owner inquired.

“The ladies use their inflated ego and self-worth to bully other students, mainly female mages from lesser lines or commoner backgrounds to become their servants, essentially,” Tilda elaborated. Liliana sighed. She and I knew that this was how it often played out in actual Court, so we had unamused frowns on learning that tidbit. Some things never change in the world.

“The Knight Faction, the second of the major groups, is made of second, third, and so on sons of nobles, mainly from lesser aristocratic lines or of children descended from notable military lineages. Most of them are trained in some form of combat and end up in the courses to learn how to become a Battle-Mage, Magic Knight, or a Spell-Sword,” Crosus said, continuing the explanation of the faction dynamics.

“Most of the Knight Faction are a decent sort. They’re easily some of the strongest fighters on campus, and many try to live according to the Knight-God’s Code Chivalric, though some members like to use their power to push around other students not unlike what the majority of the Lady Faction does. They end up disciplined sooner or later though by their own group.”

“And last but not least we have the Purse Faction. The children of merchants one and all, they do their best to ingratiate themselves to the students of high standing one way or another, and run a few ‘Black Markets’ in the Academy for students who want banned substances like alcohol. They’re all rich and proud of it. If you cross them they’d do all in their power to make life unpleasant for you. But if you don’t make enemies of them, good for you. They’re the most neutral. Besides our own group, of course.”

“And what is your group?” my owner asked, Kine echoing her curiosity with a tilted head.

“The Stranger Faction,” Crosus said proudly. “Misfits and oddballs the lot of us. Some, like myself, are talented but lack any notable lineage to be invited to other groups. Or, like Markus, they’re considered the black sheep of the family.”

“The Torgaav’s are a military family, but I lack any sort of physical strength,” the fourth son proudly proclaimed.

“We’re weird, but in a good way. If you want to avoid all the infighting and strife of the other students, hang with us. We’ll show you how awesome we are,” Tilda announced, patting Kine on the shoulder.

Liliana smiled eagerly and I also couldn’t help feel pleased. This seemed like a good way to start off the school year.

The rest of the day passed by nicely. It was warm, and I sat in the brown grass in bliss as Kine rubbed my head and Tilda kept trying to feed me different things. The blonde aristocrat found my ability to eat and digest any kind of matter hilarious, and ended up stuffing sticks, rocks, grass, and one unfortunate student’s quill to me. I didn’t consume the later and just passed it back to its owner. Even that made Tilda roar with laughter. She really was easily amused.

“Could you please stop feeding Jelly, Miss Tilda? I’d rather not spoil his appetite,” Liliana spoke up, looking over at the blonde who just shrugged.

“Eh, alright. I ran out of fun stuff, anyways. Also, you can just call me Tilda. No need for titles or formalities. They get in the way.”

“Thank you. And I will take that into account,” my owner said with an uncomfortable twitch in her lips. She was polite by nature and speaking to people with respect and proper titles was also ingrained into her by her etiquette lessons.

I don’t know how she’d handle all these people around her who wanted her to be informal. My bet was a few long months of mumbling and stammering and embarrassment. If Prince Julius was here I believe he’d bet on his sister exploding from being so prim and proper.

Crosus was looking me over from where sat and spoke up with a question. “What on Erafore does it, I mean he, feel like?”

This inquiry was perhaps to be expected. Kine had such a peaceful and content expression on her face as she pet me that one had to wonder if I secreted drugs from my body. I mean, I could do that, but I haven’t experimented with what I could produce yet. Still, something to think about for the future.

“Soft,” Kine said after a moment of thinking. “And silky. Reminds me of my father’s robes, or my mother’s scarf.”

I shivered, partly at her touch and partly from the praise, and I caught a hint of a pout on Liliana as she watched me enjoy myself. In order to remedy her mood I rolled out from under Kine’s hands and next to my owner, who picked me up with a growing smile on her face.

Of course, leaving Kine made the tiny Qwanese girl frown in sorrow. I swear I heard a few of the young men grunt in actual physical pain at the sight of such an adorable face suffused with sadness. A few of their hearts even skipped a beat.

Not one to leave someone alone in a situation like that, Liliana rose and scooted over to her friend.

“There’s enough of Jelly to go around,” she said as she plopped me down between them with a grin and Kine smiled thankfully. The two of them began to pet in tandem and I trembled in joy under the treatment.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Liliana asked, glancing at Kine. The smaller girl played with her eyeglasses for a bit before speaking.

“For being nice to me.”

“Of course I’d be nice. You’re a friend. To me and Jelly.” Well, that was that. There was no escape for Kine now! I snickered to myself at that thought.

Kine’s mouth opened and closed like a fish for a moment before it relaxed and a relieved look crossed her face.

“…Thank you,” she said again, quieter and with a peaceful smile on her lips.

“Ugh, too much sweetness!” Tilda proclaimed, rolling her eyes and gagging playfully at the duo as they shared me.

All good things come to an end, and a look at the sky showed that dusk was approaching. The students started to gather up their belongings and drift off.

“Seems it’s time to start heading back to the dorm,” Tilda mused, getting up and helping my owner and Kine to her feet. I remained on the ground, and rolled along after the female mages-in-training as they headed back to the dormitory.

Only the thought that I would soon have to have another lesson with Headmaster Arnolt stifled my mood, but I inched along regardless of the lead weight that seemed to manifest in my belly. At least I could have a nice dinner beforehand.

For the next five days I trained with Archsage Arnolt to master my powers as a Royal Ooze. The first task he always made me do was stretching to outrageous sizes then shrinking down, doing it repeatedly so I could grow faster and learn to control it better. Then was creating dozens of tendrils and then using them to wield weapons, tools, or quills. The latter was done by request from the Archsage to exploit my multi-tasking ability to finish his towers of paperwork. I didn’t mind that much. It was good practice.

My final task was brewing various concoctions made from my own extracts. Partly to improve my abilities as a brewer and potential alchemist, mostly because I could make the potions cheap for my mentor.

While I worked on my alchemy the headmaster would just talk, regaling me of his days as an adventurer while passing on tips for vanquishing monsters and casting high-level spells with less mana by using common reagents and materials. The old mage had a wealth of knowledge that I was proud to learn.

As for what I did during the day? I accompanied Liliana and Kine wherever they went. Mostly it was hanging out with the Stranger Faction as a whole, but sometimes it was just Tilda and the other girls.

Kine fit in well with the group. Her shyness was accepted, and though we weren’t sure of the full story, it was clear she was a child from an affair of sort. She was a half-elf, and rarely did they come from marriages, sadly.

And perhaps unsurprisingly in hindsight, Liliana made friends quickly with the others as well.

Why? Because she cared for and doted on me. I was an Ooze. A Royal variant sure, but I still was seen as the lowest class of monster in the world and regarded as a poor choice for a pet, especially for a princess of a prestigious nation like Varia.

And that meant that the collection of oddities and ‘freaks’ the Stranger Faction gathered utterly fascinated her.

The carefree days before classes started were enjoyable. We explored, got to know each other, and lived as young students should.

However, all this peace and pleasantness dulled my caution until it was almost too late.

The day before classes began everything seemed fine and dandy. There was a faint overcast sky, but it was slowly growing warmer and more of the grounds were erupting with new plant life. Liliana and Kine were with some of the other soon to be 1st year students looking over their class schedule.

“So we all have to take the General Education in Magic class?” Liliana inquired, a pensive look on her face.

“Yeah, that seems weird. I mean, don’t we already technically know about magic? Isn’t that why we were able to attend in the first place?” one of the others said scratching his chin.

“Is it theory or practical lessons?” Kine asked. Ever since she had joined with Liliana and the Strangers Faction the tiny girl had become more talkative.

Tilda, who was sitting nearby, nodded at the question.

“The class is a mix of theory and then applying those theories. It’s not a bad class but you’ll probably already know a bit. Still, there’s a few interesting things to learn,” the Second Year informed us.

“Like what?”

“Sorry, but it’s an unspoken rule for upperclassmen not to spoil anything and inform Firstys about what to expect. It would ruin the surprise and make the point of struggling to overcome challenges pointless,” the renegade Katlarmarian lady said with a chuckle.

Groans and pouts from her juniors brought an even louder laugh from her, and I gave a silent guffaw in my mind.

A scream broke through the quiet spring air and I went still, stunned. Out of nowhere a coppery scent flooded the campus grounds! Tilda sat up ramrod straight while Kine curled up in on herself in fear and Liliana gripped me tighter. The other students, those of our group and different cliques, all started milling about in confusion, wondering what was going on.

But I knew. How could I forget the foul smell of blood? I had fought and killed a heretical assassin who had tried to murder my owner. I spilled their blood and feasted on their guts. Liliana hadn’t forgotten the smell either, and judging from Kine and Tilda’s reaction they too had experienced death and violence.

Something flashed in the corner of my sight and I leapt out of Liliana’s arms and bounced to stand in front of her friends. I quickly expanded, growing to be five feet tall while retaining my spherical shape. My sudden expansion startled everyone, but I didn’t have time to worry about their reactions. There was an object hurtling itself at the group.

“Everyone, stay back!” I roared, causing even more shock to roll through the area.

A body slammed into me, forcing me back a few inches, but I endured. I had to hold the line!

I thrust out six tendrils and they wrapped around the object which had thrown itself at me. I then picked it up and tossed the offending assailant down onto ground as hard as I could, making a dent in the somewhat soggy earth. There was a stinging sensation in my limbs and I was forced to pull back as I felt burning pain travel up along the tips of my tentacles.

I got a good look at what had just attacked as it got up, movements jerky as it recovered from what I hoped was a concussion.

It was a human male. That much was obvious. He was completely hairless though, head shaved bald and lacking eyebrows or chest hair. He looked to be middle aged, but was fairly toned judging from the well-defined abs that could be seen through his thin shirt. For some reason he was barefoot. His olive complexion and features made it look like he was from the south, perhaps Partaevia or thereabouts?

What was really disturbing were the eyes. Dead and void of emotions or interest. He looked at me as if I wasn’t a foe or a threat. I was just an obstacle in his way.

The assailant settled into a brawler’s stance and without a word the man lunged. But instead of aiming for Liliana, the target I assumed he was after, he was angled towards none other than Tilda! Still in shock from the sudden heady scent of blood the lady didn’t even move an inch even though an attack was aimed right at her!

I moved faster than something my size should have been able to and appeared in front of the man, swinging five of my tendrils to hold him back while gathering a spell in the sixth.

My efforts were in vain though as when the palm of his hands struck my lash-like limbs there was a dull popping sound followed by a squelch and a spurt of goo as my tendrils were severed with each blow!

I flinched and recoiled as somehow he had managed to break me into pieces with just a few well-placed blows. Four of my limbs were reduced to stubs, the separated pieces slowly dissolving into puddles of purple-black sludge. I retracted my fifth ‘arm’ when I’d sensed the attack and my assailant missed, overextending himself as the target moved out of the way.

I still had my spell primed and ready, and I fired it off point blank, straight at his torso. A single point of light spat forth from the tip of my sixth tentacle with a crackle.

Magic Arrow, the most basic offensive spell to exist. Just raw mana that is expelled as a small projectile designed to puncture flesh, armor and minor magical defenses. Simple, but effective. And I had supercharged it with excess mana. At this distance it would be able to punch through stone. Against a man wearing too few clothes for this time of year my spell should have cut through him and emerged on the other side, ripping apart internal organs and causing massive damage in the process.

Yet when my spell hit him there was a burst of greenish energy and my Magic Arrow fizzled out of existence, only burning through a mere inch of skin and ruining his shirt!

The shot staggered the man but he was only out of it for a second before he was back to trying to reach our upperclassman!

My spell snapped Tilda out of her confusion and the aristocrat raised both her hands, calling on her own stores of magical power.

“Precognition: Ten Seconds!” the blonde young woman shouted, and I felt a spell try to touch my mind. I didn’t have much choice so I accepted it, praying that Tilda knew what she was doing.

And then, I did know.

I saw several different versions of the attacker, moving in different directions to react to several factors. Sometimes he leapt backwards, other times he swerved and attacked another student to get past me and reach Tilda. One of the actions I witnessed was my owner shooting off a barrage of spells would all failed to harm him. It clicked. I was seeing the future! Or at least, several possible events!

And if what Tilda had shouted was correct, then I had ten seconds of being able to see ten seconds into the future. Perfect!

I lunged forward, gathering speed before expanding a bit more but also flattening out, like a giant sheet made of purple gelatin. I shifted my core away from the reach of the man’s unnatural hands and then wrapped around him. I knew thanks to my temporary precognitive gift a single touch from his hands would shatter my core and kill me instantly. I couldn’t let that happen, but I also had no choice but to do this drastic attack. I had to protect my owner and her friends!

As I became a massive literal wet blanket I started to rapidly secrete my most potent acid solutions. The moment my jiggling flesh struck his toned olive skin a dreadful hissing erupted and instantly his body started to melt.

Unfortunately whatever magical resistance had been built into his body reacted badly with my own. Even as my target howled in agony I let out a scream of pain as his powers affected me like mine did to him.

I’d done what was needed and released him after my ten seconds of precognition were finished. I slipped off, flooding my system with restoratives I had brewed while with the headmaster.

Half of his right side was gone. Not just flesh and muscle, but his entire right arm, ribcage, and fifty percent of his upper thigh! Acid burns extended all around his body as if I’d given him a giant, evil hug and even his inhuman resilience was unable to cope with a quarter of his body missing. He collapsed to one knee but kept struggling, trying to drag himself with one hand to Tilda.

She didn’t let him.

“Freezing Lance,” she hissed, fury in her words as she raised her hand, palm out towards the crippled assailant. A giant spike of ice appeared in front of her, and in a blur it imbedded in the man’s skull. A faint flash of green light appeared before the blow hit, but there was too much power behind the spell and it cut through whatever defenses he had and impaled his brain.

At long last the body stopped struggling and died, a death rattle the only other sound he emitted during the whole fight. His entire upper torso soon turned to ice from the spell and it fell apart into chips of frozen meat.

We weren’t given a reprieve for long as suddenly a second figure appeared, almost identical to the first attacker! On his heels was a familiar face, thankfully. Crosus was chasing after him, throwing bolts of magic at the invader. Still, the spells didn’t even slow him down as the intruder’s green light absorbed and deflected the magic.

“Behind us!” I shouted, rolling into position so I could block this second foe. I tensed, and saw that this one also angled towards Tilda. Dead eyes had locked onto her position, and nothing would stop him short of death.

“No you don’t!” Crosus shouted in the distance, and wall of shimmering brownish yellow energy appeared, blocking the second assassin’s path. He just slammed into it palms first, but this barrier was made of stronger stuff and only cracked where his anti-magic hands touched it. A flurry of consecutive blows landed on it after that, and it shattered into motes of burning light.

But the delay was enough to give our upperclassman the chance to get even closer and cast an even stronger spell.

“Crushing Wall!” A second barrier appeared, also yellowish in color, but above the assassin instead of in front. It slammed down on top of the attacker, and his magic resistance was not enough to instantly break the spell.

He was pushed into the damp ground and soon was flat on his face, being crushed into the earth by the barrier pressing down on his back.

“Is everyone alright?” Crosus asked, panting heavily as he maintained the spell. The man was not taking this lying down and was struggling violently to get out from under the wall of magic. As soon as cracks appeared Crosus repaired them, but it was clearly taxing him, and I did not know what he’d had to do to delay this bastard from joining with his first comrade.

“We’re fine, thanks to Princess Liliana’s pet,” Tilda said. She’d been staring with a shocked, glazed look at the corpse she had made but tore her gaze away when Crosus spoke up.

“That’s good. But can someone go call the professors? I don’t think I can hold this one down much longer,” the older student pointed out.

“No need to do so. We’re already here.” The voice came from above and we all looked up in surprise to see the headmaster floating overhead.

A furious expression danced on his face and he growled angrily as he looked at the trapped assassin and then the partial corpse.

“Earth Impaling Pillars,” Arnolt intoned, and soon four spear-like objects appeared in the air above the last invader. They looked like they were made of mithril or some other silvery metal and resembled giant stakes more than pillars or spears. Some intricate runes and designs were carved along their surface and broken lengths of chain were dangling from the tops. Each stake was eight feet long and about a foot in diameter.

With a dismissive gesture, the Headmaster sent the four spears plummeting clean through the barrier and the assassin, pinning him to the ground! Two of the pillar-things went through the arms, one through a leg, the last clear through his spine. Even though he struggled, he was trapped. The barrier shattered and Crosus staggered back from the rebound of his broken spell.

Headmaster Arnolt spared an apologetic look to the older student before he descended and stalked over to the imprisoned criminal.

“Who sent you?” the Archsage growled, raising his staff and pointing it at his head. The man said nothing, just tilting his head. A faint glimmer of pain was in his eyes, but he quickly smothered it.

“I failed.” As soon as these words were spoken, his eyes bulged in their sockets. His head hit the dirt and a trickle of blood leaked from his ears and nose.

Arnolt Cantos sneered at the corpse before banishing his magical constructs.

“You’re late,” the headmaster said in a dangerous tone to three other teachers who’d appeared.

“Apologies headmaster. We were securing a third assassin and making sure the injured people were safe,” one of the faculty explained.

“It’s pointless. There was a Death Contract on these men. I’ll bet the individual you grabbed is already dead,” Arnolt growled in annoyance. He then turned to us, who were still in the background.

“Good work, Jelly. You as well, Miss Gorossi,” he praised. “And of course amazing job yourself, Crosus. I’ll want to see you all in my office later for debriefing.”

The Headmaster looked away and gestured towards one of the approaching teachers. “Escort all of these students to the Soul Building and contact the infirmary. I want them all checked over.”

“Of course, headmaster.” Now that the immediate danger was over and adrenaline and tension was bleeding away, several people turned to look at me in surprise.

“Holy flying chamber pots, you can talk?!” Tilda shouted, pointing at me. I shrunk down in size, partly in embarrassment, partly to be able to nestle in my owner’s arms.

“Um, teehee?” Liliana and I said in tandem, the princess making a cute ‘who, me?’ face while I just tried to look cute and innocent. Personally, I think I pulled it off!

 “Thank you all for coming,” Archsage Arnolt Cantos began, looking at the people assembled before him. Beside him, there were ten others. The faculty heads of the Eight Elemental Buildings, Renos Goyn, head of the Barrier Corps in charge of the wards around the city and Academy, and a man in a long grey hooded cloak that obscured his facial features.

“I’m sure I don’t need to explain that what is spoken of down here is not to be repeated without my approval.” Archsage Arnolt swept his gaze over the group, and not one flinched. Good.

The bare stone chamber the group was in was damp with chill. Fifteen stone slabs, in three rows of five, were placed in the center of the room while the professors stood in a corner. Nearest to the adults three of the slabs were occupied by a trio of corpses. Two had few external wounds, while the third had a large portion of its right side dissolved and the head and shoulders encased in ice.

 “Today at approximately 15th Bell a group of men intent on performing violence upon our students entered the campus grounds. One of our staff, the head gardener, encountered them and while trying to confront them had his left arm torn off. This happened in clear view of several other students, who saw this and naturally panicked.” Arnolt glanced over at the corpses and scowled.

“One of our students, a Forth Year Evocation School member by the name of Crosus, engaged the invaders and held off two, eventually capturing one with the help of some of our faculty. Unfortunately, the third member of this band broke through and nearly managed to harm one Tilda Gorossi, a Second Year in the Evocation School. Thankfully no one was hurt, due to the actions of Princess Liliana’ pet.”

“Wait, you mean the Ooze did this?” one of the teachers asked in disbelief, pointing at the melted carcass.

“It’s a Royal Ooze, to be precise,” Goyn mentioned, already aware and fond of Jelly.

“Yes it did, but that is not what we are here to discuss,” the headmaster pointed out, shutting down the conversation before it could begin. “I have asked you all here to discuss what we have uncovered about these attackers. Brother, if you would?”

The grey robed man stepped forward with a tilt of his head towards the headmaster before clearing his throat.

“As you know, I am part of the Order of the Grey Shroud, a sanctioned group of Necromancers who serve Selika, Lady of Death.” Several heads nodded.

The Grey Shroud prepared bodies for burial and used their powers to commune with the departed to solve murders and exorcise ghosts and spirits. Barely tolerated due to their use of Dark Magic, but useful none the less. Manatrem was one of the few places in Orria that allowed the Order to stay within its walls, because the Academy made use of their magic for certain experiments and in exchange for this helped the Necromancers control their powers without losing control of themselves.

“During the autopsy, we found some very unsettling things that had been done to the men,” the man started, gesturing to the remains nearby. “Most obvious is that several runes had been carved into their flesh. Over their hearts is a string of runes designed to grant a minor degree of magical resistance. Their palms had Runes of Sundering etched into them, which I’m sure you know are potent anti-magic runes. Their feet had something similar, but also incorporated the runes for the Spider Climb spell into it.”

“And this was done willingly?” the Head of the Dream Building inquired in shock.

“Hardly. From the examination my colleagues and I performed these men had been brainwashed for several months and their senses of pain dulled to nothing. Trace remnants of a Geas were found on them, and the two men who committed suicide died when the Geas was activated,” the brother from the Grey Shroud said. “They were little more than puppets when they entered the campus, and had been for weeks.”

The hooded man took a breath before continuing. “Worse, it seems someone tried to force a Familiar Contract onto them.”

A sharp intake of breath came from one of the older professors, a dark haired woman with sharp eyes hidden by eyeglasses.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. Their souls had been heavily damaged by it, which is why my brothers and I were unable to extract as much as we’d hoped,” the grey robed priest explained.

“We are investigating the matter closely, as the victims bear the marks of a rogue mage from several years ago who has evaded capture,” Headmaster Arnolt stated, noticing the pained look that crossed the face of the older woman. “As such all information regarding illegal Familiar contracting will be confiscated until further notice.”

The room seemed to become a little bit chillier as the mood plummeted among the staff.

“Do we know who these assassins were, at least?” the head of the Earth building asked after a moment, to which the Necromancer nodded.

“We do, which is also how we know why they attacked Lady Gorossi.”

“Really?”

“Indeed. The men are, or rather were, dishonorably discharged soldiers from Partaevia. Based on what we’ve been able to glean, they were sold as slaves and then bought by an unknown man and ‘converted’ into braindead battle slaves.” The Grey Shroud brother revealed to gasps of understanding.

“She’s from Katlamar! That explains why a hit squad was sent after her!” Goyn exclaimed and the servant of Selika shrugged.

“That’s how it looks.”

“So what do we do now? Should we inform King Tiberius about this?” Goyn asked the headmaster who shook his head.

“Just because the assailants were citizens of Partaevia doesn’t mean much. While the evidence we’ve gathered is against the Empire, it isn’t nearly enough to convict anyone and accuse them of trying to spill blood on Varian soil. Plus, sadly the young lady is technically an expatriate, which means we cannot claim to be protecting her unless she asks for it. At the moment all we can do is heighten security.”

“So those warmongering bastards are going to get away with this?” the Head of the Fire Building demanded.

“Hardly. I will be making an appearance in Ria Royle in a few days to express my displeasure to the emperor,” the Archsage announced and his glacial tone made everyone shiver in apprehension.

“Until then, make sure the students are safe, and that they know we are dealing with this issue.” The Academy faculty bowed, as did the Brother of the Grey Shroud.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lesson to teach.”

“A lesson? Headmaster Arnolt, it is nearly midnight!” Goyn protested. Headmaster Arnolt just chuckled.

“Learning waits for no man. Or Ooze, as it may be.” His laughter echoed down the mausoleum halls as he savored the stunned expressions of the teachers.

Chapter 7: School starts, tears drip

The Academy’s atmosphere the day following the attack was subdued. Even though it was the beginning of the school year after the assault no one was in the mood for celebrating.

I’d been worried that Tilda might be more out of it after having to kill a man, but she bounced back quickly and seemed to latch onto me like a piece of drift wood keeping her afloat. Well, not physically, but Tilda lingered nearby as often as she could, trying to talk with me about various topics, including about myself.

Kine on the other hand wore a look of hurt whenever she saw me or Liliana. It made the both of us feel awful when her sad puppy-like eyes glanced in our direction. She hadn’t spoken to us at all after the events on the lawn, and even though we were walking to our first classes together Kine remained tight-lipped.

We were on our way to the Soul Building with every other aspiring mage on campus, but Kine kept her distance from us thanks to the press of bodies. As we approached the doors, Liliana was pushed close to the tiny girl and took the opportunity to talk with her.

“Kine…” Liliana began, but was unable to continue as we were ushered into a large atrium where several members of the faculty were standing on a stage. We were directed to some wooden chairs and Kine was lost to the swirl of people.

Silence quickly fell once everyone had found a seat. Not because we were eager to listen, but because someone had cast a wide scale Hush spell over the area. Designed to muffle sounds rather than actually silence them, our chatter was none the less put on hold until the teachers had spoken.

Once it was quiet, Headmaster Arnolt strode up to the front of the stage and looked over us. He was wearing his usual attire, but now had a blue and gold cape with white fur trim thrown over his shoulders, as well as a signet ring on his right hand. From where I was, I could make out the fact it was loaded with magic but not much else. I think there was a stylized star carved into the ring, but that was all.

“I had a speech prepared for today but after yesterday’s events I’m forced to redo it,” the headmaster began without preamble, and many students shifted uncomfortably.

“Let it be known I am not a man who can make up inspiring words on the spot, so let me just be blunt,” he said. “You are all here to learn how to use magic. Either for practical purposes or purely theoretical, it does not matter why, only that you are here now to do so.”

Headmaster Arnolt’s tone became sharp, and the students suddenly felt uncomfortable. The Archsage might claim to be a poor speaker, but he certainly got the message across. Through his tone and unspoken promise of pain if nothing else.

“I also do not care as to what your backgrounds are. You can be the Consort-Queen of the elves or a turnip farmers’ brat. That does not matter. Here, I am the law. I am your lord and master. What I say goes. So let me say this; no one will get away with trying to hurt my students in my Academy.”

Kine shifted under the headmaster’s words, something in the speech touching her emotions painfully.

 “I might be retired from an active life, but I still have the power of my youth. I can still wipe out armies with a single spell. I can still tear apart the minds and souls of lesser beings and bend them to my will. I am still the man who slew a dragon after battling it for three days. So let me inform you, my students, that I will protect you. I have the power to do so. This I promise, this I swear.”

A shiver ran through me at that. His words were laced with an Oath that he had placed on himself. Now he really would do anything to protect us. I wasn’t the only who’d noticed, and Tilda, Kine, and Crosus stiffened at his vow, as did some other older students and all of the teachers. Pressure bore down on us all, daring us to doubt him or try something stupid.

The moment of terror passed quickly though, and we all heaved a sigh of relief.

“Now get to class. You don’t have all day to learn, and time is money!” Headmaster Arnolt barked, before dismissing the Hush spell and returning our voices.

Somewhat cowed, the students poured out of the atrium and headed off their various classes. First years like myself and my owner all had General Education classes together, then would separate after lunch to attend our individual courses.

The first class of the day was ‘Introduction to Magic.’ I tugged on Liliana’s sleeve and relayed the information to her. She nodded and followed the other hundred or so First Years up two flights of stairs and half a hallway before arriving at a wide room that looked like an amphitheater but with rows of desks in place of benches.

Standing in front of a blackboard that faced the rest of the room was a bald middle aged man in nondescript light brown robes. Kine flinched a bit when she saw the man, no doubt remembering the last bald persons she’d encountered, but thankfully our teacher had extremely bushy black eyebrows, so it almost looked like he had a head full of hair if one looked at him at the correct angle.

“Welcome to Introduction to Magic. I am Professor Orbel,” the man announced once we had all found a spot.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why you have to take this class. After all, you all had to take an entrance exam to get here, and thus should know magic, correct?”

Nodding heads answered him.

“Well, in this class it’s my job to further lay the basic understandings of magical theory upon you. Practicing magic is not all fun and games, it is hard work and as much learning how to fail as it is learning how to succeed.”

“Normally we’d spend a bit of time going over the textbooks first, but Headmaster Arnolt has instructed us to teach you First Years a bit more advanced material. So, our first lesson is going to be about sensing magic,” Professor Orbel announced. There were some excited expression at the thought of skipping some of the more boring bits.

“How many of you can cast the Detect Magic spell?” Orbel asked, looking over the group. Ninety percent of the students raised their hands and I raised a tendril.

“Good. Can someone examine this object and describe it to the class?” The bald teacher pulled out a bracelet from somewhere in his robes and showed it to us before placing it on the large table in front of him.

At once I felt dozens of pulses of magic pop up around the room. The basic analysis cantrip Detect Magic was extremely simple to use and learn. A mage would just release a short wave of magic at a target and then it would react based on what it encountered. If it was magical, it would glow. If it was a mundane substance, it would not. Simple.

“Depending on talent, a mage can tell what kind of magic is in an object based on the color of the glow the analyzed item gives off,” Orbel explained as the object began to glow. It only gave off a faint corona of colorless light in the end though.

But because several students had cast the spell, the glow was much brighter. A few in the front row flinched and looked away.

“And now you see why I have to teach you how to handle spells. As you are young, it takes a lot of practice even for basic spells,” Orbel explained, before pointing at Kine, who looked surprised at being called on.

“Lady Ro, please tell the class what you saw with Detect Magic?”

“Um, it was rather bright? And there was too much of the light so I couldn’t tell what color the glow was,” Kine admitted, hesitant to answer, but it was the right answer as the professor nodded happily.

“Correct. Detect Magic is a good spell to check if an object is magical or not, but not so much for in-depth investigation. There are more in-depth spells for that.”

“What if we were in an anti-magic barrier? Would this spell still work?” This time the question came from Liliana, and Orbel grinned.

“A very good inquiry, princess. The truth is, yes, it would still work if inside a barrier that negates magic. The reason why is most so-called ‘anti-magic barriers’ are just advanced wards designed to suppress magic and mana and prevent those inside from casting magic externally. A true barrier that completely cuts off magic would have to come from a source that is not magical in nature. Wards are still made from magic, and if something truly disrupted magic it would be impossible to use it or make it with a spell.”

That made sense. I’d been worried about such things before, and was relieved that in most cases I’d just be unable to do much. I wouldn’t die and I could likely still move and shift my body, which were all I’d need to escape my predicament.

The class did not last much longer after that, as a chime rang out from somewhere and our professor dismissed us.

“Our next class is the History of Magic. And after that are a few mundane topics like Arithmetic and Letters, and then finally lunch, the best period of the day!” I declared following a quick look of our schedule.

Liliana giggled and a few other students gave out chuckles. Though some blanched when they realized who had just spoken.

By the time the morning courses were finished, even my owner, who was quite the studious one when it came to certain topics, was mentally drained and ready to lie down and take a nap. Almost like zombies the legion of First Years trudged down to the cafeteria, finally able to relax for a bit.

Older students chuckled at our misfortune as we passed, recalling their own time as Firsties. With poise and grace we ignored them, more intent on feeding then quarrelling.

The wide and airy room reserved for eating quickly filled up with both students and some faculty while various servants wandered around carrying trays with used silverware or laden with freshly made meals.

I spotted Orleen weaving in and out of the tables and diners, but refrained from calling out to her. Instead, I plopped down on the table Liliana had chosen to sit at.

Several other members of the Strangers Faction were here as well, clustered around Tilda, Markus and Crosus and then my owner once they spotted her.

“Oh, hey, Liliana. Sorry, Princess Liliana. You doing alright? Everything going well since yesterday?” Crosus inquired, and Markus spoke up beside him.

“Yes, we were quite worried about how you’d handle the aftermath. I’ve personally never had assassins come after me before, but I can only imagine it was difficult recovering from it.” For once, the noble man from Brune’s eyes were unusually sharp and focused when he looked at my owner with concerned eyes. Liliana smiled faintly and looked down at her lap before nodding shyly.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

A squeal of joy broke through the air, and then I felt arms wrap around me and I was dragged into the bosom of the blonde aristocrat from the Katlamar territory. She grinned widely and rubbed her cheek on the top of my body.

“Oh, you really are the cutest little thing aren’t you? Now my heart feels so much more refreshed!” Tilda sighed theatrically and I chuckled at her antics. My chuckles died away somewhat when Kine sat down nearby, and some other students rushed over to her. She too had been at Ground Zero and seen a man die in front of her. It was no wonder why her new friends wanted to cheer her up.

A strange looked crossed through her eyes when she saw me in Tilda’s arms, before she looked away quickly.

“You should talk to her before it festers,” Tilda said to me under her breath, offering some advice.

“I’ll do so when I have a chance. Liliana as well.”

“Do it sooner rather than later. Trust me, I know all about waiting too long to apologize.” A dark look crossed her face before she returned to her cheery self.

“Is there anything I can get you?” Tilda and I looked over to a woman in a modest server’s outfit who was here to take our orders. I thought it over, trying to decide what I wanted.

“The three meals of the day are free here at the Royal Varian Mages Academy,” Markus explained for us newbies. “It is important to give such valuable assets the best food and resources possible because magic is one of the major driving forces for not just a kingdom’s economy, but also military and public services. If a student doesn’t have enough nutrition then they’d be weak when they left the Academy, and a sickly mage while still useful is often passed over for healthier ones.”

“Steak. Rare. With tripe soup,” Tilda said somewhat shortly at the woman who’d interrupted her ‘Jelly Time.’

“A salad is fine,” I requested, and the server’s smile turned stiff when I spoke. I wondered if seeing that reaction on other people would ever stop being funny.

“A salad sounds good as well,” Liliana piped up, and the maid nodded politely as she acknowledged her highness’s order. After a few more students gave their orders the maid hurried off.

“So, Jelly, princess, how were your first classes?” Tilda asked, cuddling me in her lap.

“Not too bad. We discussed Detect Magic with Professor Orbel. Nothing else of note in the other classes,” Liliana announced, earning some surprised looks from the older students.

“Lucky you. Those invaders must have really spooked the headmaster since us older students were force fed upper level magical techniques,” Crosus said with a sigh of envy. “In Wards and Barriers we were taught to craft defensive spells faster and design them to restrict physical movements. We were even told to research the Level Three spell Magic Chain and the Level Four spell Spell Lock and be able to show it off in the next class.”

“Are those difficult to learn?” Liliana inquired and the Fourth Year nodded his head.

“Fairly complex, at least for beginners. Like most barrier spells they are Power-Light-Dream Element aligned, the so-called Shield Element, so you need a talent with defensive magic to consider using them on the fly. They don’t use much mana though which is useful.” Crosus looked proud to be able to impart some knowledge to my owner, and she seemed glad to have received it.

“Power-Light-Dream? What do you mean by that?” I inquired, which made Tilda titter.

“Just a bit of Second Year magical jargon. Our dear boss is just showing off.”

“Lots of advanced spells have more than one element. Like how the Ice Element is Water magic mixed with a very small amount of Wind and Dark, Wood is Earth and Water, or Metal is Earth and Fire,” Crosus explained, a slight frown on his face as he gave Tilda an annoyed look. The ‘refined’ lady just stuck her tongue out.

“Basically, the Eight Elements can be combined to make other, lesser elements. In theory, a person who can use both Water and Earth magic can cast Thorn Root or Tree Spear, both Wood element spells. But it is harder for them than someone who can naturally use the Wood element,” the talented commoner continued, turning back to me and my owner for his explanation.

I soaked up the information, pleased. I’d learned a lot today, and it wasn’t even halfway over yet!

The day passed by quickly. Classes wrapped up and then dinner was devoured. It seemed to be the beginnings of a beautiful routine.              Back at the West Wing Dorm, I nudged Liliana’s foot when we got to her room. She looked down at me, then over to where I was facing; the door to Kine’s room.

“You’re right Jelly. We need to do this tonight,” she agreed, and we both strolled over to Kine, who was unlocking her door. She looked up when she heard us approach, and a thin frown creased her lips.

“Um, may we talk?” Liliana asked timidly, and after a moment appraising us the shorter girl nodded and followed us into her room. She sat down on her bed and gave us a blank look.

“Well?” Her words were curt and we flinched at them.

“Kine, I’m sorry we didn’t tell you I could talk,” I began, making her focus on me. “We were planning to eventually, but we, no, I was worried about the reception I would receive. After all, how many monsters that can speak do you know?”

“I do know some, in fact, but they’re covered in human skin,” Kine said coldly, and Liliana and I both winced.

“We’d really like to apologize, Kine. We didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re our friend, after all,” Liliana pleaded, turning on the cute. I doubted it would work against our current opponent. “You still are, aren’t you?”

“…I don’t know,” Kine said, and her admission cut into our hearts.

“You know I’m from an important family in Qwan, right?” Kine asked after a painful few moments of silence. We nodded, curious as to where this was going.

“My father was a high-ranked diplomat, serving the Foreign Ministry with dignitary and exemplary talents. He was also the youngest child of my grandfather, who is… also very important,” Kine explained, carefully skirting the issue of her full background. “So when my father had an affair with another very high profile diplomatic guest, I shamed our entire country, not just my family.”

“You?” I asked, incredulously.

“There are several Moral Laws that exist in Qwan which govern honor as well as filial duty. Father broke them by committing one of the Unforgivable Acts; ‘thou shalt not commit adultery.’ He wasn’t married at the time, but the woman was, and it caused problems. Lots of them.” Kine looked away, staring out the window.

“I’ve been raised in secret and in shame since the day I was born, and the only reason I was not put to death at birth was because of who my mother and grandfather are.” I gasped, as did Liliana at that revelation. That was cruel! What kind of people were they in the Far East?

“I was taught what I was supposed to know but little else. Only a few people ever interacted with me outside my family. And of those, my father and grandfather were the only ones who treated me kindly. One of my tutors, Lady Ti, the woman you met who brought me here, was distant and aloof but never cruel, and that was the best I could expect from the others. But when I turned fifteen, I was ordered to come here. Because I would soon be an adult and no longer be granted the protection of my family and thus have to join society and contribute, even though by law I should have died long ago. Therefore I had to be banished, and this was seen as the most ideal location. Distant enough from my father and mother, but close to an associate of my grandfather who would protect me. This is my life now.”

Kine turned to face us and tears glistened in her eyes. Our hearts lurched, and Liliana took a step forward to comfort her but was stopped by a raised palm from the seated girl.

“When we first met, I thought we could be friends. You were concerned for me. Your kindness was beautiful and pure. I’d always prayed for something like that to happen to me, and after so long I thought I could have what I’d never had before. But I’m hurt. Neither of you trusted me enough to even reveal Jelly could talk. That I could have another friend to talk to.”

“I understand why you did so. Fear is a powerful motivator, but my heart still aches from this. I feel betrayed, even though I shouldn’t, but…” Kine said, wiping her eyes clear with the back of her hand. This was the most we had ever heard her speak in one sitting, and it seemed she was at her limit.

The girl from Qwan shook her head and pointed to the door. “Please leave. I, I want to be alone right now.”

“Are we still friends?” Liliana asked desperately. I leaned in, tense.

“…Please leave.”

My princess’ heart broke at that moment. A strangled sob escaped her lips and she rushed out of the room, myself hot on her heels.

An Ooze cannot cry, and I wondered if being able to do so would make me feel better. As I left, I closed the door behind me, shutting off the sounds of crying that suddenly broke out when she thought we couldn’t hear.

Chapter 8: Mind of knowledge

The following days passed by in a blur, both because our classes kept us busy but also because my owner was still heart sick at the apparent loss of her newest friend. Some of our group trid to find out what had happened but gave up after the saw the way Kine acted towards us. They figured it was better if we worked out our problems ourselves.

We’d stewed in our misery long enough, though, and I knew if there was anything to get Liliana out of her funk it would be learning something new and amazing. And if my owner was happy, so was I.

Why was I suddenly eager? Well, today was the first official class of our Summoning courses. Earlier in the week we had gone over safety and the like for using magic, an extension of the General education that the headmaster had pushed onto us, as well as an introductory course for Magical Creatures, also mostly safety and rules. Now though we were going to learn about Conjuration and Summoning for real!

The Dream Building was where the Conjuration School classes were held, alongside the Illusion and Arithmancy Schools. A few other lesser Schools were within the Dream Building, but for the most part it was mostly known for Conjuration and Illusion.

Our classroom was wide and had several pre-drawn circles in front of the desks. The circles were empty, ready for a student to add their own runes and spell matrices for the various rituals required. It was well lit by several regular oil lamps. Magical ones would interfere with the process of the summoning, so the school used mundane methods to illuminate. Such practices were common in other classrooms across the campus as well, since magic could react in unexpected ways if too much was in a small space.

Our teacher, the head of the Conjuration School, was an older woman, black hair streaked with a line or two of grey. Like Kine she had eyeglasses, though hers were semi-circles instead of full ones like the Qwanese girl used. Her robe was dark blue with a stylized silver magical circle with an indistinct quadrupedal animal with the center; the emblem of the Conjuration School. A thin wand made of silver and elm was in her hand.

Professor Helestra swept her gaze over the lot of us as we filed in and found a place to sit. Her eyes lingered on me for a moment, calculating and curious. By now all of the faculty had learned of me one way or another, and so far three had approached Liliana in a desire to study me; the heads of departments for Magical Creatures, Advanced Magical Theory, and slightly insultingly, the head of the Demonology department.

My owner had deferred to my opinions of whether or not to let them examine me. The Magical Creatures professor had been polite and eager, and seeing as Liliana was currently taking his classes I agreed, if only to build connections with him. The other two I had rejected, at least for now. I did not like the look in the Demonologists eyes when he was observing me, nor the way he licked his lips.

“All right students, settle down!” Helestra shouted, her voice loud without need any magical amplifications. Besides me and Liliana there were twelve other First Years in the Conjuration Course. We hastily plopped down in our seats.

“This is our first class together. We should have had one two days ago but Headmaster Arnolt wanted you lot to learn about more practical magic in Gen. Ed. before passing you onto your primary course work. I understand his reasoning, but that means I’ll have to push you a bit harder this week to catch up.”

A few groans greeted her announcement, but they quickly vanished at her glare.

“First things first, we will be discussing what exactly Conjuration is. To put it simply, it is using magic to create something from raw mana or dragging an item or living being across the world or Planes to your side. The former method does not last long. Objects made of pure mana will vanish after a few minutes to hours. Maybe days if the caster is exceptionally powerful. As for the latter, things called forth will remain with you until you either banish them, the spell runs out of power, or the contract times out.”

“Another thing you have to understand before we begin is that Conjuration and especially Summoning are forms of Ritualistic Magic. They follow certain laws of their own, and are extremely dangerous if improperly handled.” Professor Helestra looked around and nodded, pleased to see we were paying attention and taking notes.

“Ritualistic Magic, or more simply Rituals, are extremely complex and powerful. To complete a ritual one needs to follow the steps exactly and completely. If not you run the risk of injuring yourself and others.”

“How different is a ritual to a regular spell?” one of the other students inquired, and the teacher pursed her lips before speaking.

“A mage will cast a spell by using their mana to produce an effect. They may use props and additional materials to create the spell or improve it, but in the end it is dependent on their own abilities and powers. It will also fade over time as the power within the spell dissipates. Rituals, on the other hand, are supported initially by the caster’s magic, but maintain themselves independently of the mage once established.”

The teacher tapped her lips with her index finger as she gathered her thoughts.

“Furthermore, a ritual is made by linking chains of events, items, or actions which, on their own, may do nothing at all. But once performed in the proper manner, they will become a conduit for the ritual.”

“But most importantly, a ritual is something that will never fade on its own. Only in death, completion of certain conditions, or with the destruction of the affected object, will it fade.” Awed silence greeted the teacher and she smiled faintly at grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Enchantments are a minor form of Ritualistic Magic because the process that is used on the spell that is imbedded in the tool or artifact ensures it will not degrade over time.”

“Does that not mean that the magic is sustained by some other source than the mage?” I asked, raising a tendril. Professor Helestra hid her surprise well at hearing me speak. My voice raises eyebrows when people hear it the first time. It is a childish one with a tone that is neither male nor female.

So when I start asking complex and adult questions it freaks some people out. I guess the juxtaposition is too severe for them to handle.

“A good question. Yes, a ritual will maintain itself through one of three different ways once initiated,” the professor said, recovering instantly. That earned her points in my books.

“First, the ritual draws in ambient power from the outside, like with runes and enchantments which sustain themselves from ambient mana. Second, the ritual is maintained through the mana of the being that is affected. The best example would be the process of creating a Familiar or making contracts with extraplanar beings. An ordinary animal is turned into a Familiar by the ritual and the effects continue to work by using the animal-turned-Familiar’s own life-force and magic. Contracts do the same but with sapient and willing entities.”

“Lastly, the third method is the one we barely understand. The ritual continues to operate by virtue of the fact that it was activated in the first place. It draws no power from internal or external sources, but continues to function regardless. Rituals that do this are considered restricted because of their potential and many mages have killed themselves trying to understand them and replicate them,” Professor Helestra said, a note of frustration in her voice as she explained the final method.

This topic piqued my curiosity, and I made a mental note to ask Headmaster Arnolt to tell me more tonight.

“Can you give us an example of the third type?” a student asked from the back, and the professor paused before nodding hesitantly.

“If you have free time, there is an object in the library that utilizes it. The librarian knows what it is, and if you ask politely he might show you. I warn you though, it is a very unsettling sight for even hardened mages. It was created by the Artificer of Miracles, Od. It is one of his Twenty Nine Impossibilities, an artifact that defies common magical sense.”

“Odd?” One of the student’s asked, confused.

“No, his name is spelled with one ‘d,’ not two,” Helestra explained to the student. “Sometimes referred to as the Madman of Creation, Od was a famous artisan who could make anything, and was a famous painter, sculptor, jeweler, mechanist, enchanter, blacksmith, and more! He made countless masterpieces before he vanished one day while working on a secret project. Some say he lives on in the body of a golem somewhere, forever forging and creating. If any more of his legendary pieces were in the Academy, I’d really want to see it!”

Professor Helestra coughed awkwardly after becoming somewhat excited about the topic. Still, her enthusiasm had done its job. Interest had been piqued in several other students by the look of it, and I tapped Liliana on the arm, getting her attention.

“Yes, we can go after classes are done, Jelly,” she assured with an indulgent smile.

“Back on topic. It is traditional that First Year students of the Conjuration School summon their first Familiar halfway through the school year, but this time around I plan to speed up the process to within the next month or so. The headmaster has agreed to this, due to the fact that having a Familiar increases a mage’s potential.”

“Now, I know a lot of you are excited for summoning your very first Familiar,” Professor Helestra noted, and several students murmured in agreement. “But be aware it is not exactly an easy ritual. And part of the requirement is that the mage must either have the animal in question they wish to transform into their magical companion, or they contract one using the Summoning Rite.”

“To that end, I want all of you to spend some time over the next few weeks thinking about how you want to go about obtaining your Familiar. If you wish to use the Rite, please see me a few days in advance so I can go over with you the necessary steps and procedures,” the older woman declared to excited chattered.

Following that announcement the lesson seemed to pass quickly, much to my princess’ displeasure, and the professor called out over the chime that signaled the end of the class that all students were to think about what a magic circle needs to be used properly and prepare to reveal said findings during the next class.

Our final class, a beginner’s guide to common magical beasts, was shared with Kine. After the bell rang we saw the petite young woman walking from her seat towards the exit. Liliana hastily stood up and approached her.

“Um, Kine?”

“…How can I help you?” Kine asked in a chilly voice.

“Jelly and I are going to the library after lunch to look at one of the artifacts there. Would you like to come with us?” I held my breath as the Qwanese girl sunk deep into thought.

“…Fine.” There was a bit of reluctance in her voice but she accompanied us towards the famous library of the Royal Varian Mage’s Academy.

“Oh, the library? It’s in the Soul building. Can’t miss it, ‘cause it takes up four whole floors,” an older student said when we asked for directions. His instructions were helpful though and soon we entered pass the threshold into a bibliophiles wonderland.

Before us stretched dozens of towering bookshelves that were all laden with books, tomes, grimoires, and assorted informational pamphlets. Each shelf was built of thick and sturdy wood layered with preservation spells and etched with runes to note which books were removed. There were also several glass cases standing next to each shelf, containing various articles and objects that were hard to identify from this distance.

But what was truly awe inspiring were the hundreds of literary works that were swooping through the air, shelving themselves or flying into the hands of waiting mages. A faint pink glow caressed the mobile books as they maneuvered around the room.

“So, where do you think the librarian is?” I asked, speaking up. Some nearby students shot me startled looks but we ignored them.

As Liliana shrugged Kine was busy making her way towards a wide desk that rested against a corner of the room, placed in such a way that it allowed for a decent view of the area. A staircase leading up to the second floor was next to the desk, so no one could sneak in or out without someone on duty noticing.

“Sir?” The small young lady had to stand on her tiptoes to get her chin over the lip of the rather large desk. Liliana and I tried our best to muffle our chuckles and utterances of ‘adorable!’ Some nearby students didn’t manage, and Kine’s glare only made her look cuter.

“Hmm? What’s this? A Gnome? Haven’t had one of you blokes in here since young what’s-his-name in Evocation… think he became a bard…” The man who appeared to answer Kine’s call was old, possibly even more so than the headmaster. White hair covered his head like a frozen explosion of pale colorless pudding while his chin and lips remained free of fuzz. Instead of a robe like the other faculty he was instead dressed smartly in a brown dress suit with a pinkish red cravet.

The librarian looked hunched with age, his back bent almost at a ninety degree angle, and with a grunt of pain he popped his back and straightened up by a few small degrees. He peered down at Kine before giving an snort.

“How can I help you?” His voice was very odd, tinted with an accent that was hard to place. Somewhere northerly, if I had to guess.

“We’d like to see Od’s masterpiece, the one kept here,” Liliana said and the librarian smirked slightly.

“Ah, a student of Enchantment perhaps? Or maybe Conjuration? Doesn’t matter, it’s a doozy to look at.” With a wheeze the old man slipped out from behind the desk and peered down at Kine and then over at Liliana and myself.

“Huh. Another Roan. Are you perhaps Amdora’s little sprog?”

“Yes, sir, I am. Liliana Roan, at your service,” my owner said, bowing politely.

“Don’t blow up anything and we’ll get along just fine,” the librarian warned, before glaring at me. “And don’t leave any slime trails in here, either. I have enough trouble with Ink Oozes running amok in the stacks I don’t need a Royal Ooze adding to the chaos!”

I perked up at the mention of a new type of Ooze. It was one that sounded very interesting. Something like myself, but make of ink instead of watery fluids? How unusual.

“Ink Ooze? What’s that?” I asked, almost leaning out of Liliana’s arms towards the librarian. He didn’t flinch, didn’t stumble, didn’t even blink when he heard me. As far as I could tell, he did not care that I could talk, or even find it impressive. Now that is a hard boiled old codger!

“They’re a pain in my ass, eating my books and drinking my ink…” the old man grumbled, stomping down the rows of shelves as we followed behind.

A few twists and turns later we came to a section of the library that had fewer bookshelves but more of those glass cases, and they were bigger and more ornate too. Glass blocked my sensory powers, so I had to switch to using regular, human-style sight. I did so by transmuting my core into a pseudo-eyeball which enabled me to see just like my owner, or any other human.

I didn’t do it often because I rarely needed to with my vast array of extrasensory skills. But glass was annoying that way. And books and paintings. I could see the paint and ink, and the general shapes they made, but I had to use actual sight to observe and comprehend what they said or showed.

Inside the assorted clear boxes were a variety of objects, from pieces of jewelry to artifacts that looked like crude medical tools. There were molding old books and scraps of parchment alongside rusting swords and badges of valor and service.

Amazing! This looked like a museum collection of magical paraphernalia and knick-knacks that had once belonged to famous mages and adventurers, or had been donated by them! Tiny brass plaques near the cases confirmed this, as they proclaimed what it was, who owned or found it, and why it was impressive enough to be immortalized.

The librarian just swept through them, paying them no heed and my owner and Kine had to walk fast to keep up. I knew they’d want to take a closer look later judging by their expressions though.

“Here it is, the Fifteenth Impossibility crafted by Od Geltrem: Akasha’s Brain.” The librarian stopped in his frantic walking pace in front of an object oozing with powerful, primeval magic. We all stared in awe at the object’s magnificence.

The ‘artwork’ was seventeen feet tall and resembled a monolith curved into a Mobius Strip. It looked like it had been hewn from a single block of oddly colored dark yet pale metal that hid sparkling motes of brighter materials within. The effect was like looking at a strip of greying dawn just as the stars were starting to fade to the light of the rising sun. There was a faint white glow inside the sculpture emanating somehow from the inward curves that caused the motes of impurities on the outside to glisten even brighter.

What was even more amazing was the constant flow of books and tomes that swooped in and out of the loops. They were illuminated by a halo of pink light that kept them aloft in the air, tens of hundreds of simultaneous castings of the telekinetic spell Mage Hand moving them to the unceasing will of the monolith. Somehow, the sculpture was casting spells like a human might, but with impossible accuracy and in unimaginable scale. How could it do that?

Each book that went through the mind boggling creation pulsed with a dark purple light before flying off like a deformed bird made of paper towards one of the bookshelves. There, the floating text would slide itself into an open spot and then settle down, the glow around them fading.

“It’s automatically sorting the books in the library!” Kine gasped as she realized what it was doing. The librarian nodded in pride as he watched the artifact work.

“That it is, lass, but that is not all Akasha’s Brain can do.” He cleared his throat, a harsh sickening sound, and then spoke to the object.

“Where can I find a copy of ‘Tarlac’s Journey to the South?” he inquired, and after a moment an echoing, stilted female voice responded.

“Stack 91, Row 55A, Shelf 3. Currently checked out by Tamina Rel, Fourth Year.”

“It can talk?!” Liliana practically shouted, and I felt my mind get blown. This was incredible! Something like this was almost reaching the pinnacle of the art of crafting golems that had been lost millennia ago!

But the librarian wasn’t done, and he had a smirk as he continued to talk. “Where can I find a spell to clean my suit?”

“Molin’s Guide to Self-Cleaning Cantrips, Kobladi’s House Work for Mages, or the ever popular Out, Damn Spot! by Rehem.”

“How many books about chickens and their applications with magic are in the library?”

“There are three hundred and fifty one books exclusively about chickens and assorted poultry and fowl, and two thousand nine hundred eighty eight books that reference chickens and assorted poultry and fowl and their uses with magic.”

“Amazing, isn’t she?” The old man sighed. “She knows the location of every book in the library and who checked it out, and can direct you to what you’re looking for in a snap.”

“She’s named after the Goddess of Wisdom and Magic, correct? Did Od use her powers to create this masterpiece?” Kine inquired, and the man shrugged helplessly.

“Indeed, this beauty is named after the goddess Akasha, but no one can tell how that crafty old bugger made it! On the outside all of his creations are amazing pieces of art on their own, but then they incorporate some impossible trick! Like his lost artwork Depiction of Utopia which can erect an impenetrable force field over an entire city or heal thousands in an instant. The mad genius could make the impossible a reality, and none have been able to figure out the secrets of their creation.”

He sighed sadly as he gazed up wistfully up at the monolith, still hard at work.

“I spent my life researching this, you know? My grandfather discovered it and brought it here, and my family has dedicated vast resources and many years to uncovering its secrets. But that’s part of the charm of a researcher; never giving up when it seems the odds are against you.”

I chuckled at his word use, and he then broke into a short laughing snort at his own unintentional wordplay. Liliana and Kine rolled their eyes at our humor.

The librarian’s mood quickly deteriorated when he saw a tar black blob about the size of a house cat roll up towards the monument. I stared, fascinated at the creature.

It was an Ooze, but pitch black and made of magical ink that sloshed and left a trail behind it where it moved. However, instead of resembling an oil slick in its wake, the goo it trailed looked like words and numbers and symbols!

“Damn blighter! Go on, get out of here! Don’t make me get the broom!” The librarian shouted at the Ink Ooze. It ignored him and kept inching forward.

“What is it doing?” Liliana asked curiously.

“Feeding,” I said at the same time as the old man. He blinked and turned to me, but nodded.

“Yes, exactly right. That creature is an Ink Ooze. They spontaneously manifest from large concentrations of ink and magic. So, places like libraries or private studies with magical tomes can be infested with them fairly regularly,” he explained, and I continued watching my brethren.

“They feed on vellum, parchment, paper, ink, and magic. And Akasha’s Brain is one of the largest sources of magic in the Academy, and where the most book traffic gravitates around. They just sit around for an hour or so soaking up the residual magic from her, and then try and swipe tomes out of the air and eat them. Terrible nuisances.”

As the Librarian was speaking the tiny being had stopped a foot or so away from the base of the Mobius Strip structure, and had raised a single tendril towards it, drinking in the vast amount of Ambient Mana that radiated off of the monolith.

“I’ll take care of it,” I declared, preparing to launch a tendril of my own at the Ink Ooze and devour it. Carefully, I pinpointed the magical amoeba’s core, and took aim.

“No, wait, not while it’s feeding!” the aging caretaker of tomes cried, but it was too late.

My limb fired off like a harpoon, and it sunk deep into the jiggling flesh of the ink-born being. My tendril pierced its core and it died instantly.

That was a mistake.

Mana and information began to flood through my body, the energy the creature had been syphoning now connected to me. And due to the Ink Ooze’s sudden death throes, I was trapped, unable to cut the link to it, Akasha’s Brain, and myself.

I spasmed violently in Liliana’s arms and tumbled out, flexing and pulsating like a giant purple and gold tumor.

“Jelly!” I could hear my owner cry out in shock and fear, as well as Kine’s equally scared voice calling my name.

I couldn’t pay attention to them, though. I needed to finish my meal. I lunged, dragging the slowly dissolving remains towards me even as I sloshed forward.

As if in a trance I consumed the corpse, trying to sever the feedback loop as I did so. It was hard to stay focused with so much information driving into my mind. Somehow I was being told, quite painfully, what was happening with Akasha’s Brain at the moment.

Every book it cataloged was told to me, as was its contents. The number of words, commas, and misspellings. All of it. And I felt parts of me drift away across the link into the monument.

In the handful of seconds since I had attacked, over seven hundred and sixty two tomes had been forcefully shoved into my mind, and more were still coming!

With a scream of stress I yanked at the energy the now digested Ink Ooze had manifested, and felt it tear now that its creator was completely gone.

With a lurch I felt myself fall, plunging into oblivion as everything around me vanished, only to slowly be replaced by a place that was utterly alien to me.

A grey, colorless sky stretched into infinity. The horizon was wracked with angry clouds the color of bruises that disgorged black and purple lightning onto a cracked, lifeless ground that resembled old terracotta.

Here and there acid green vines covered in wicked thorns lay or flailed like listless tentacles. Trees like bloated, rotting willows scampered about, propelled by roots and drooling from a maw that hid below, lashing out at anything in their path.

Underneath me sand the color of bleached bones shifted, and my weight made an indent in the ground. Lapping against the shore was a placid sea the color and consistency of ink. Vast and impossible to see where it ended or began, the dark waters swallowed up the horizon.

In the distance on a bluff overlooking this bleak, pitch black ocean was a fortress made of weapons and armor, bent and torn and stained with blood. A cloying scent of death and rot drifted over on the wind, somehow still tangible over vast distances.

I turned away, unwilling to accidentally attract the attention of whatever dwelled there. I began to observe my surroundings, only to find my senses had all been limited to human-sight. None of my magical abilities were available, and I was aware that I wasn’t even in my own body, rather it was more of a mental facsimile.

As I continued to explore what I had become and where I had appeared, I unconsciously looked over the endless ocean, and for an instant an ancient thought brushed up against my own.

I tensed, and the foreign entity stopped its probe, a sensation of confusion leaking out of its wandering thoughts.

‘You do not belong. Off with you, my child.’ Words that were more akin to primal instincts melded with intent shoved their way into my mind, breaking through all of my mental defenses as it did so.

Yet there was no maliciousness to it. Instead, a strange feeling like I was being praised by a father while simultaneously being hugged by a mother washed over me and then with another lurch I was sent hurtling backwards, the desolate landscape receding until I was watching reality itself flash before me…

Chapter 9: The Blob

A soul-searing pain assaulted me as I returned to consciousness. I winced and felt my body jiggle in response. However, for some reason when I moved I felt heavier and bulkier. Like there was suddenly a lot more of me than before.

Opening my senses too fast and all at once was a mistake. The sensory feedback stunned me for a moment and I let out a warbling groan of annoyance at the army of red hot knives that danced around inside me.

Once the agony passed I started to feel better. Strange phantom aches lingered in me but I was able to ignore it for now.

The first thing I noticed was my body. It was enormous, about half that of the royal carriage I had ridden in. My internal flow of mana seemed thicker and more viscous than before and my Pocket Dimension was larger, but all in all my inner workings were up to snuff.

Next on my list to investigate was my surroundings, which were dour to the extreme. Cold bare granite greeted my tentative examinations. The air was damp and cold, but not enough for frost to start forming thankfully. Strangely I felt warm, my internal mana warming me and preventing any chill from penetrating my gelatinous flesh.

The place was dark, lit by a handful of faintly crackling flames inside large wrought iron lanterns whose flames were just a tad too bright to be natural, yet with no overt magical energy. Oh wait, there it was; a tinge of alchemically altered lamp oil that hung about the light sources as they burned.

The room was vast, dozens of feet wide and long with the ceiling arching up into the distance and vaulted like a chapel. Runes and wards littered the area, each pulling off different duties, ranging from isolating magical intrusions to preserving flesh. Most of those seemed to be centered around fifteen slabs of marble which could each fit a full grown man lying. They were unoccupied, but faint smears on a nearby slab revealed something had lain there and bled not too long ago.

This was a crypt, or perhaps a mortuary. If it wasn’t, then I’d eat my… well, I didn’t have a hat, but I could probably find one that looked tasty. But that raised a question. Why was I down here in this corpse storehouse?

“Where am I?” I moaned out, taking everything in. No one answered, which was a relief since no one was there, and if an answer had arrived I had a feeling I’d panic.

The silence was interrupted by soft footsteps coming towards me, and a corridor soon lit up as a hand-held lamp appeared, carried by a man in grey, all covering robes. Under the hood I could see him blink in surprise as I shifted to ‘look’ at him.

“I see you’re awake. I’ll inform the headmaster, and then hopefully he’ll move you from my crypt.”

“Or I could just come with you and do it myself,” I offered, and the man twitched upon hearing my voice.

“Only if you shrink down a tad. While I am sure you can squeeze through the passages it might be best to not do that. For various reasons,” the robed man stated.

I bobbled in agreement, and focused on sucking up my excess mass back into the Dimensional Pocket it had somehow spilled out of. With a sound not unlike a wet balloon letting air out, but also somehow in reverse, my body gurgled and wobbled and shrunk down until I was a healthy three feet all around.

Rolling along after the grey clad priest I took the time to examine our surroundings. Numerous halls littered this underground sanctuary, with deep echoing chambers interspersing them. The whole complex seemed to be a repository for a surprising assortment of objects, all of them powerful and likely dangerous for mere students to use. I could feel curses brushing against me as often as I did blessings.

“What is this place?”

“We are beneath the Soul Building, in what is known as the Crypt. The Academy stores various artifacts here, as well as things that are in need of preservation.” I hadn’t expected my question to be answered, but I was grateful all the same.

“I can feel cursed items down here, as well as objects possessing potent blessings. What does the Academy use them all for?” I asked, and the man paused for minute before deciding to respond.

“Mostly to keep them out of the hands of others. Varia and the Adventurer’s Guild make sure the more dangerous objects, as well as those of mysterious origin, are kept out of sight. Some are brought out for study, but that is rare.”

I hummed to myself as I pondered that.

“Why was I down here?” I broached the major question that had been on my mind and I could feel the man roll his eyes.

“You were in the throes of a magical backlash. You somehow expanded to enormous proportions, making a bit of a mess in the library during the process. We stuffed you down here because there was nowhere else to safely store you while you were unconscious.” We approached a large, locked door made of solid lead layered in plates of iron as the grey priest spoke.

“We couldn’t store you in any of the classrooms or the Menagerie where the other magical beasts live because for a while you were almost radioactive with the amount of mana you were leaking. The Archsage ordered you to be brought down here to prevent the student body from being harmed.”

“I’m glad Arnolt did so. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Not unless they deserve it,” I added to myself. “Are Princess Liliana and Lady Kine alright?”

“The two ladies you were with are fine. Shaken, but fine.” The robed man broke off the conversation to remove a thick iron key from a chain around his waist and inserted it into a lock. A few turns later he placed his shoulder on the door, heaving it open. It groaned in protest and I slithered on through into the antechamber beyond. A small waiting room lay before me, though made entirely of grey, uninviting stone and cast iron, along with a spiral staircase leading up to the surface.

“Just head up the stairs all the way to the top. There’s a secret entrance to the headmaster’s office through there. Ignore the other doors on the way to go straight to the Archsage,” the priest instructed, starting to close the door behind me, locking himself back into the Crypt.

“Oh, and by the way, it’s been four days since you blacked out.”

I jolted where I was, turning to give him an incredulous stare, and I swear there was a smirk on his lips before he was sealed off.

Huffing in annoyance I plodded up the stairs, wishing there was someone to carry me. If you ever encounter an Ooze and need to escape it, just find some stairs and go up. Seriously, it’s damn easier for me to go down. Stairs are something only animals with legs can appreciate. For us non-walkers they’re a chore and a half to maneuver.

But just like when I struggled up to the headmaster’s every evening, I endured and made my way up several flights of stairs and bypassed at least six doors before reaching the very top.

For a secret door it wasn’t very inconspicuous. Wooden panels over inch thick lead with gold and silver inlay don’t seem good for secretiveness. I reached out to rattle the doorknob, testing to see if it was locked. Sighing when it didn’t open I proceeded to rap on the surface. I quickly gave that up as my puny little tendrils didn’t even let out so much as a muffled thump on the surface.

“I see you’re awake, Jelly. Good to see you’re in control of yourself once more. Slide back an inch or so, and I’ll open the door for you.”

I heard Headmaster Arnolt’s voice boom out from the door in front of me, magically transmitted from his office I assumed. Complying, I waited patiently for the door in front of me to open.

Only it didn’t. Instead, right next to the gaudy portal a faint outline of a doorframe appeared and soon a second one manifested!

This door was plain wood with a single silver door handle shaped like a wing. I hadn’t even noticed it! I hastily checked the surface around it, and spotted an amazingly intricate Illusion spell upon it, making it utterly invisible to the senses, be they magical or mundane. You’d have to look for the ‘absence’ of magic to even start to find what the illusion hid, and I was so impressed by the spell work I completely ignored the headmaster when he stepped out of it to greet me.

“Impressed? This was one of my best works, if I do say so myself,” Arnolt said proudly before he bent down and plucked me off the floor.

He peered at me for a few seconds, scrutinizing me with sight both magical and ordinary before beaming at me.

“You gave us quite the scare. Also, the librarian wanted me to inform you that you’re banned from approaching Akasha’s Brain until he says so. He wanted to ban you from the whole library but we talked him out of that.”

“Thanks for that. I don’t know how I’d catch up with four days’ worth of homework without access to some books,” I said with a tilt of my body in an approximation of a bow.

“Don’t mention it. Now, let’s discuss what happened before I let your princess know about your recovery.”

I fidgeted a bit at that, every fiber of my being longing to rush out and find my owner, to let her know I was okay. But the headmaster had a point. He needed to know what had happened from my side of things, and if I was going to become a problem later on.

“Of course. So, what do you want to know?”

Stepping over to the desk, Headmaster Arnolt placed me on top so he could stare at me from almost eye level. He sat down in his own lushly padded chair and leaned back, folding his arms in his lap and gave me a long look.

“What happened in the library? According to witnesses, an Ink Ooze appeared and you attacked it in an attempt to clear it away from Akasha’s Brain. But immediately after doing so you experienced what could only be described as a seizure, and then you ate the Ink Ooze and proceeded to expand rapidly. You then passed out and entered a coma-like state for several days.” Arnolt waited for me to fill in what had gone on from my side.

“When I attacked the Ink Ooze, I killed it and absorbed its core with a single strike. But immediately afterwards I realized that the Ooze had not stopped syphoning from the artifact. I was stuck inside a feeding loop, the mana it had been leeching now pouring into me,” I explained, and the headmaster nodded slowly.

“I’d have thought you’d know that damaging a slime’s core when they are feeding directly on magical energy can cause serious backlashes. Explosions being the most common result. After all, are you not one yourself?” he asked teasingly.

“Does every human know how to lick their own nose just because one other person can do so?” I retorted, a mite angrily. How was I supposed to know any of that? Most of my research into my own kind was limited to what few books there were and my own encounters with them. The latter of which was a whooping two times, and the second and latest put me into a lot of trouble here at the Academy.

“Fair enough,” Arnolt murmured.

“Afterwards, while I was in the thrall of the feeding loop, I somehow became connected to Od’s masterpiece. Words, names, and information about various texts filled my mind,” I continued after I was sure the elderly mage was properly chastised.

“It was painful, but I managed to sever the bond the Ink Ooze had made with the monument, and cease the flow of mana. It hurt a lot, though.”

“I see… Jelly, do you know if we have a copy of the ‘Demonologist’s Dogma’ in the library?”

“Yes, it is in Stack 77, Row 23, Shelf 91C,” I replied automatically, before I realized what I had actually said.

“Hmm,” Arnolt mused. “It seems that becoming linked with Akasha’s Brain had some side effects. I don’t know how deep your connection to it actually was, or still is, though, so it will be necessary to do some check-ups and tests.” The headmaster said, looking at me with scholarly interest ablaze in his eyes. I wiggled nervously under his stare, and he chuckled in apology.

“That can come later. For now, please continue with what happened.”

“Of course.” I was still a bit unnerved by his expression, but I mustered up my will and went on.

“Once I was freed from the link I felt a sensation of vertigo and ‘fell,’ for lack of a better term, into darkness.”

“And then you woke up?”

“No. In fact, I appeared in a strange, otherworldly place. Or at least a mental projection of myself was there. Everything was grey except for a castle made of blood stained weapons and armor near a beach that led to an ocean seemingly made of ink.”

The headmaster’s face darkened when I mentioned the place I’d seen, and I shivered under his gaze.

“Did anything approach you while you were there? Did anything speak to you or offer you anything?” he hissed, leaning close. I leaned back under his anger.

“N-no. I mean, I heard a voice…”

“What did it say?”

“Um, that I did not belong, and then the disembodied voice told me to leave. And then I did. I zoomed through the cosmos and woke up,” I said, and Arnolt narrowed his eyes as he tried to detect any lies. When he found only truth, he sighed and began to massage his temples, propping his elbows up on the desk.

For the first time since I’d met the legendary ‘Lord of Magic,’ Archsage Arnolt Cantos, was not a powerful sorcerer and master of a prestigious institute but merely a tired old man with a great weight on his shoulders that burdened him daily.

“From what you’ve told me, it appears you may have done a rudimentary form of Astral Projection and ended up in a very dangerous place.” He stood from his chair and made his way to his personal bookshelf. He leafed through a few thick tomes before deciding on one and bringing it over to me.

“When people die, where do they go?”

“According to what I’ve heard from various religious services those who are good are escorted by Selika to the Heavenly Realms, also just known as the Heavens. But those who are evil end up falling into Hellish Planes of Pluton, or just the Hells,” I said, thinking back to my limited experiences on that matter.

“What most people don’t realize is that these places not only exist, but can be traveled to without being dead,” Arnolt whispered, pointing out some text from the book to me.

Inspecting it with my human-sight, I read the details of a place of violence and madness, where devils roamed and the dark gods reigned. Six dark realms of reality where souls of the damned ended up, trapped and tormented until their essence faded and they re-entered the Cycle of Karmic Reincarnation.

“Such places truly exist?” I whispered back, and the man nodded.

“The ability to travel between the realms of reality, known as Planeswalking, is a rare one, and also carefully guarded. After all, terrible creatures dwell beyond the veil of time and space, residing in the Aether. Astral Projection is a lesser form of Planeswalking, allowing one to appear like a ghost across boundless distances instantly.”

“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, horror growing with each page I read of this blasphemous text.

“The place you described is almost certainly the Plane of Suffering, the second realm of the Hells. Here, countless souls are tortured and cruelly treated. But, it is more famous for two very unique landmarks; the Fortress of Arrogance, and the Ocean of Ink.” As the headmaster spoke, those names struck a chord with me at a fundamental level, and I felt like I had to vomit. It was a novel sensation for someone without a stomach. I didn’t like it.

“The former is the palace of Vandalore, god of murder and betrayal. Had he sensed you, that vile deity would have tried to coerce you into serving him, or just killed you outright. And even being in Astral form brings about great dangers as a god’s powers transcend the limits of mere mortals.”

“Urgh,” I groaned, feeling sick just hearing that name. On a spiritual level, I somehow knew that particular god was a monstrous being who cared only for slaughter and mayhem.

Nodding in sympathy Arnolt continued, pointing me to a spot in the text where I could read more about the Plane of Suffering.

“The other location you probably saw was the Ocean of Ink, a primordial location filled with magical ink and bizarre magical beings. Of them, the Ink Ooze is perhaps the most common.”

“So, when I ate the Ink Ooze, you think I somehow was drawn to its birthplace?” I inquired and the elderly mage smirked as I got it.

“Exactly. Ink Ooze are one of the strangest Ooze sub-species to exist because they have unusual properties no Erafore-born Ooze has. In particular, the slime trails they leave somehow form words and symbols, which relate to either books they’ve consumed, or in rare cases, impossible mathematical algorithms, long lost texts, and more. No one can truly explain them or their intrinsic link to the written word,” Arnolt said, his tone changing to a more upbeat one as he discussed a topic that did not involve malevolent deities.

“Then, am I fine? I won’t become tainted by evil or anything?” I all but begged, and Arnolt smiled as he patted me on the top.

“If you had been possessed by a devil or filled with curses or dark magic the wards in the Crypt would have activated, imprisoning you and alerting me to that fact. And then, I’d have had to destroy you.”

I smiled in relief. Some might be worried that he could so easily have killed me if I’d been tainted. But not me, for I knew that it would be for the best if my owner did not become harmed, and if I was a threat it was best I be removed from the picture as soon as possible. I had felt the vileness of that realm and I was glad to have a man like Arnolt willing to put the safety of others over my own.

“What does this mean for me?” I asked after a moment of silent contemplation.

“It means I’ll have to start teaching you more about Planeswalking and Astral Projection to protect yourself now. Once you step onto that path you cannot easily cut yourself off from the Aether. Best that I allow you to learn how to manage these new powers,” Arnolt elaborated.

“More homework,” I griped, making the headmaster laugh.

“Sadly, that’ll be the case. So, you’ll have to start coming earlier for lessons now. Let’s say two hours earlier.”

I groaned loudly making Arnolt’s laughter become even louder. After it petered out, I looked to the sorcerer.

“Any other things we should discuss?”

“Not right now. You’re free of any taint that I can detect, so perhaps you should head on down to your princess? I’m sure she’s worried.” a kindly smile worked his way across his lips while a twinkle of amusement continued to dance in his eyes.

“Thank you, Headmaster Arnolt. I’ll see you tomorrow night, I guess.”

I leapt off the desk and squirmed my way over to the door. The real one that led to the rest of the building, not the secret entrance.

Opening the door with a tendril, I slid out into the waiting room that lay beyond where visitors would wait for an audience with the headmaster, only for my non-existent ears to be slammed with a shrill squeal of joy and I was somehow tackled while still being a foot or so tall.

“Jelly! You’re Ok! I was so worried! So very worried!” Princess Liliana sobbed, cradling me in her arms as she dropped to the carpeted floor. Her face was stained with tears and she was wearing a dull, unimpressive outfit that was crumpled from her wringing its hem in worry.

Behind her I could make out Kine, Tilda, and even Orleen, all of them looking on with relief as they saw I was alive and well.

“Oh, I forgot to mention, I informed the princess and her friends about your awakening when I sensed you outside the door,” Headmaster Arnolt snickered, having far too much fun with my plight.

Oh well. I sunk into my owner’s arms and wrapped two tendrils around her back in a hug. It was good to be home. Everything was going to be OK.

 “You complete and utter idiot!” The sound of something fragile and likely valuable smashing into dozens of pieces echoed through a rundown manor.

Within a room that was mostly draped in shadows a woman with dark brown hair and a fine dress was panting heavily as she glared with barely restrained fury at a man in black robes. He held a hand to the side of his face, clutching a bleeding wound and looking with equal amounts of hate at the woman who’d hurled the vase at his head.

With only a modest sized candelabra providing light, one other figure watched the scene play out without expression.

He wore garbs more suited to the desert than any other part of the world including a turban coiled around his black hair. His tanned skin made him look like a typical Saludan man. His eyes were lifeless and dead, yet he took in what was happening before him with calculating thoughts running through his brain.

“I did not order you to dispatch those experiments of yours to the Academy! Now that old bastard is on the lookout for any more problems that might interfere with his precious school. How do you plan to sneak in anything to kill that whore niece of mine now?!”

“In your absence, I thought it would be best to test out my latest modifications,” the black robed man claimed, trying to argue his point. His palm glowed pink and the weeping red gash on his face started to heal. Upon closer inspection, he was an overweight individual whose robes badly concealed a potbelly and flabby folds. He had a distinctly greasy complexion overall which did little enhance his looks.

“I was gone because those uppity sand crawlers wouldn’t agree to the contract without my presence down there,” the disgraced countess snarled, not in the mood to take any sass from the man who knelt in pain before her. She didn’t particularly care that one such ‘sand crawler’ was in the room with them at the moment either.

“Do not worry, my lady! Even if security is tightened, I doubt they will realize that Princess Liliana is our true target,” the mage continued.

“Only because you released them on unrelated students,” the other man interrupted, snorting from where he lounged against the wall.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” the robed figure sneered. “I assume you know all about the wards that surround the city and school, then? Apologies, next time you can scout it out yourself!”

“Enough! Continue bickering and I will have you both punished!” Countess Darpel scowled, shooting a warning glare at the swordsman and mage.

“Our spy is fine. They are not harmed,” the woman stated, sweeping her gaze across the two men before her. Satisfied they were in line, she straightened up and rearranged her outfit to fix its disheveled appearance.

“The plan will continue as discussed. In spite of Koldel’s ‘mistake’ there will be no major changes. As much as I am displeased that he acted without my permission he is correct that the eyes of the teachers will not solely be on my niece. That means we have a chance to worm our way in and strike when she is unguarded.”

“Koldel, you shall continue your experiments. I want the ritual to be perfected by Fruit Month so we can begin live trials. But do not step beyond my orders or I will find someone else to finish your work.” The pudgy man nodded, standing up off the floor as he wiped the last trace of blood from his face.

“You, Fourth Dagger, will infiltrate Manatrem as planned. Find Koldel’s confiscated research and send it to us.” The Saludan assassin gave a minute nod, still expressionless. Satisfied that her dress was back in order and her minions were on the right track, she grinned viciously.

“What sort of distraction do you want?” the assassin inquired.

“A good question. It needs to be flashy. Terrifying. Brutal.” A painted nail tapped the countess’ chin. “Koldel, we no longer need to use the cloning project, so use that to stir up trouble in the region.”

“As you wish, my lady,” Koldel simpered, trying to brown nose his way back into his employer’s good graces. The other just nodded in understanding.

Despite being the oldest of the group, her words had the temper and zeal of a person half her age. It made her servants tremble at her wrath, and even this misfit gathering of rogues understood that while she lacked physical or magical might, her wealth and her cruel mind made her a very potent threat.

She glowered one last time before huffing in disgust and stalking out of the room.

“Now it’s time to go to work. I will get my hands on the Lily with a heart of gold if it’s the last thing I do!”

Chapter 10: Weekend outing

Another week passed by in agonizing slowness. I’d been unconscious for a while so class work had piled up in my absence. Finishing it took all my spare time, and with additional lessons with the Archsage on top of regular classes I barely had time to sleep and eat!

Thank the Gods whatever had happened to me with Akasha’s Brain had filled my mind with a sea of knowledge. At best guess, the contents of nearly two thousand books seemed to have been transferred to me, and a slight connection to the filing and book sorting feature the masterpiece possessed still remained, so searching for what I needed to complete my late assignments was not a problem anymore. It felt strange, though, as if it were a separate entity from myself that had taken up residence in my mind.

Another plus was that Liliana’s relationship with Kine had improved somewhat. It wasn’t like the tiny Qwanese girl had suddenly warmed up to us again and everything was fixed, but she was less stand-offish and cold.

My owner did what she could to try and repair the friendship, and it seemed to be working slowly and surely.

As for the others in the Strangers Faction, they were glad to see me back on my feet, so to speak. I was a part of their strange little group, Ooze or not.

Tilda nuzzled me whenever Liliana wasn’t doing so, and Kine would pet me tenderly once in a while before retracting her hand with a conflicted look when she realized she was being overly friendly.

Crosus fed me little bits and tenders during lunch and when we met during breaks, while Markus helped me with homework. The others also contributed here and there with tiny gestures of kindness. It was all a very warm return to my life.

Best of all though? It was the week’s end! Nulday, that one day off a week, was expected to be a wonderful time for students to explore and enjoy the sights of Manatrem and relax.

This would be my first Nulday here at the Academy. Or at least my first one conscious. Just my luck to be rendered comatose during the initial weekend, huh?

“Don’t run off, alright Jelly? We can’t have you getting lost.”

“Yes, yes, princess. You’ve told me eight times so far since we woke up,” I said, rolling my core around like an eyeball at her clinginess. That part of my owner had only gotten worse since the ‘accident.’

“Well, maybe if someone didn’t keep getting into trouble every week I wouldn’t have to worry,” Liliana shot back in a sarcastic tone as she peered down at me.

I was rolling along next to her today, choosing to be the size of a greyhound instead of my typical handheld form. I wanted to experience the city from the flagstones up. Markus was with us as well, as was Kine and Tilda and handful of other from the faction, mainly other first years. The older members were off on their own shopping trips.

Crosus wasn’t joining us as his mentor, Sir Goyn, had requested his help with an experiment. The older student had agreed to meet us up at a local pub for dinner though.

“Don’t sweat it, Princess. Manatrem may have its share of problems but this place is one of the safest cities in Orria. After all, no one wants to make a mess that attracts the attention of a man who can summon meteors that flatten fortresses,” Tilda said breezily, waving off any of her fellow student’s concerns.

“Yes, and I’m sure if Jelly does get into trouble he can just roll off back to the Academy for help,” Markus added, with Kine nodding beside him.

“What’s the first stop, then?” I asked, looking around. We had just crossed the South-west Bridge and exited the campus grounds. A small crowd of other students were flowing past and around us. Though the young mages had seen me enough times around the Academy my presence drew looks from the regular citizens of the city. It was partly amusing, mostly annoying to be viewed with suspicion or outright fear.

“Yes. We had a bit of an argument about where to take you newbies first but someone,” at this Tilda cut off her sentence to shoot a death glare at Markus who whistled badly in an attempt to feign innocence, “thought it would be best for you lot to be acquainted with the stores that cater to students.”

A few grumbles rose up, and one mage called out, “Why does he get to decide where we go?”

“Because I beat Tilda’s quiz scores and won the right to choose,” Markus cheerfully declared. “Also, Crosus and I felt that taking you all to the Velvet Glove would be inappropriate.”

Several students blushed violently at that, Liliana and Kine prominent among them. I chuckled aloud at their reactions. Only Tilda looked disappointed.

“A brothel is the best place to blow off some steam after a hard week of school!” The blonde argued, only making the red faces glow even brighter.

“Tilda,” Markus began, his voice soft but stern. “What have we told you about this?”

“‘Just because I like it doesn’t mean other people will,’” the Katlamarian aristocrat mumbled.

“Good. Now behave or I won’t pay for your dinner.”

“Well, now that we’ve seen Markus get one over on Tilda, shall we head out now?” I inquired, to many eager bobbing heads.

“Certainly. Now, down this way is a nice bookshop that also sells writing supplies at a decent price…” the Brune native began, leading us off.

“So do we want stall vendor food or actual restaurant food?” Markus asked, looking around.

We’d been walking for several hours and noon had rolled up. We were enjoying ourselves being out in the city. Sure, it was cold and mushy as the last dregs of snow and ice melted away, but the sun was warming us up nicely.

“As long as if it is meat, I don’t care. My belly has the rumblies,” Tilda said childishly.

“I saw a stall with rabbit skewers back near the fountain,” one of the other First Years mentioned and the older-than-she-looked blonde smiled widely.

 “Rabbit sounds good,” Kine mumbled, offering her input. Tilda put an arm around the Qwanese and grinned.

“You’re currently my favorite tiny little gal pal, you know that, right?”

“Do we have enough money for lunch?” I inquired innocently.

And with that, the mood deflated, as students looked at each nervously.

“Do we at least have enough for dinner?” I asked, exasperated. Nodding heads bobbed at my question.

“OK, give me a few minutes and I’ll foot the bill,” I said, before heading off down one of the streets. “We’ll meet at the food stalls.”

“Are you going back to the dorms to grab some coins?” Liliana asked.

“Not exactly.” With that, I rolled down away into a side alley out of sight. Once I was certain no was following me or looking I started to quiver and twist, my body bulging into a humanoid form. I rose to about five feet tall, and carefully proportioned my body to be as close to human as possible. Then, reaching into myself, I pulled at the mana that flowed in my body.

A spell grew into life, and I was soon enveloped in a soft purple light. After it faded I looked myself over.

“Ah, looks good. Very human.” I no longer was a purple, featureless form with a golden orb where my heart would be. Now, I was a human wearing black student robes. With messy brown hair and eyes, I looked as nondescript as possible without arousing suspicions.

An illusion, designed to hide my appearance, was something I’d been working on with Headmaster Arnolt. But it needed to be more than just a basic veil that clouded sight. I had a lot more magical energy than a human and it had a unique signature.

Regular illusions would slowly be eroded by the existence of magic in the target and the atmosphere, and stronger beings would resist illusions quicker. As for me, casting an illusion on me would decay quickly. I wasn’t immune to them, and I could still use them myself, but it had to be carefully tailored to my own specifications.

In this case, Arnolt had taught me a few tricks to blend my own internal supply of mana with the power of the spell that currently existed. This way no one would notice the abnormal energy I exuded with just a brief glance, and they’d also be unable to detect the fact that I was wearing an illusion like a full body suit.

Slowly, I left the alley, walking slowly to avoid tripping over my own foot stubs.

I meandered through the streets and entered a moderately upscale ingredient shop. Certain magical processes, namely potions, used various substances to work. To supply these materials shops dedicated to procuring and selling magical ingredients were everywhere.

This particular shop had been one Markus had shown us earlier, claiming it to be a place which would purchase from students. It would be a good place to unload some of my merchandise.

“Welcome, how can I help you?”

“I have some alchemical reagents for sale.”

“So, what do you have? Solids or liquids? Perishables or otherwise?” The middle aged clerk asked after looking me over and deciding that I was in fact a student.

“I have four liters of Ooze Essence, freshly squeezed,” I announced, removing some bottles from my ‘robe’ and placing them on the counter in front of the store keeper.

With practiced ease the shopkeeper examined my extracts, before smiling in the way of merchants the world over.

“Good quality Essence you have here. I’ll give you one gold and ten silvers.”

“Deal. But I want it all in silvers.” My request made him give me a slightly dirty look but he shrugged and went to get the appropriate amount of coins. I understood why. One hundred copper coins to a silver, fifty silver to a gold, ten gold to a platinum. That was the standard conversion rate in Varia. Making anyone count out that much coinage would make enemies.

He returned with a hefty looking cloth bag full of silver which had a minor weight reduction charm on it, standard for all money purses.

“Do you wish to check the contents?” He asked, and I nodded, pointing a ‘hand’ at the bag and mumbling a spell to myself.

Instantly the silver coins flowed out of the tiny sack and arranged themselves in neat stacks of five each, and after looking them over I was satisfied. The Level One spell Counting was an odd duck as far as spells went, but one of the most commonly sought after in scroll or sealed form. After all, who wouldn’t want a spell that would automatically count out and sort the number of items you have?

Satisfied it was all there, I ‘smiled’ and ‘pocketed’ the money before walking out the door and slipping into a nearby alley. Once I was sure none were observing I released the illusions and let myself fall back into my regular spherical shape.

Rolling out along the gutters and around the back roads I finally managed to reach where the rest of the group was.

“I’ve returned. And I come bearing cash,” I announced to my owner, pulling the bag I’d stored in my Dimensional Pocket out and passing around a silver coin to each member of the party.

“This is a lot of money. Where exactly did you get it?” Kine asked, suspiciously peering at the metal disc as if it would suddenly disappear or turn into tin.

“I sold some of my Essence to a shop. They pay good money for quality ingredients around here.”

Some of the students blanched at the thought of me selling what was essentially my own excretions of waste to someone. I just snorted. Humans! Such prudes.

Wait a second, something, or rather, someone, is missing…

“Where’s Tilda?” My question caused some of the group milling around to look up in surprise as they noticed that the girl was gone.

“Did she go to the bathroom?” My owner mused, and Kine shrugged. Markus squinted his eyes at a point in the distance.

“Is that her over there by the Apothecary?” We looked at where he was gazing and sure enough there was a head of blonde hair done up in twin braids somewhat hidden by another group. It looked like a scuffle was taking place.

Worried, I reached out with my senses and tried to examine what was going on a broader scope.

“I think she’s being harassed!” I cried pointing a tendril over to where she was being surrounded by a group of men.

My assertion was based on the fact that one of the men had a big knife drawn in a threatening manner, while the rest of the quartet loomed menacingly.

Tilda didn’t seemed worried at all, though. She wore a bored, slightly amused smirk as the thugs cornered her, and her posture was relaxed. Was this such a common occurrence for her that it had lost all impact, or was she hiding her emotions? Either way the harassers were the immediate problem.

“Someone go get the city guard,” Markus called over his shoulder to one of the First Years milling about. They nodded and darted off while the rest of us moved as one entity to back up Tilda if she should need it.

“Do you have any business with our friend?” Markus’ words made the thuggish men look up in surprise. Did they really think they could get away with blatant harassment in the middle of the city in broad daylight?

“Back off, brats, you don’t want any trouble,” Mr. Knife growled, his minions nodding.

“You must be fools to think you can bother an Academy student and get away with it,” one of the group sneered, and some fellow members of the Stranger Faction backed him up.

The knife wielding man seemed to realize he was in over his head, and motioned for his crew to back off. They then quickly slipped away in the crowd as we gathered around Tilda to ensure she was safe.

“What was that all about?” Kine inquired and the blonde just flipped a bit of her hair over her shoulder in disgust.

“Those brutes were just some hired muscle someone sent to mess with and intimidate me. No big deal.”

“Really? That seemed like it could be a problem later on. Is this because you’re from you-know-where?” I asked. To my surprise Tilda shook her head.

“No, this is school related. Those four were just hired by a dumb bitch who wants to make a statement to me.”

“If Clara is bothering you…”

“If she is that’s my problem and my business. And I’ll take care of it myself,” Tilda stated, cutting of Markus from revealing anything more. Naturally we got curious, but the Third Year just sighed at the antics of his junior.

“Fine. But I’ll be discussing this with Crosus later. He should know that the Lady Faction is still trying to start something with you.”

The Katlamarian lady waved her hand dismissively and the issue was dropped for the moment.

Still, I was worried for the blonde, and I could tell the rest of us were as well. I didn’t recognize the name ‘Clara’ but if they were antagonistic towards Tilda that meant they were not friends of the Stranger Faction.

We ate our rabbit meat skewers in relative silence. Tilda viciously tore hers apart as if it had wronged her at some point in its short life.

From that point on the rest of the day was subdued, and though Markus tried his best to lighten the mood and continue showing off neat little spots around Manatrem it was with somber hearts and heavy footfalls that the group trudged into the Vermillion Fox, a moderately up-scale establishment that was both inn, tavern, and Adventurer’s Guild gathering point. Guild members often met up here to collect quests and missions or drop off confirmation they had finished an earlier one.

I listened in on the various conversations that were going on around us, curious to find out what was happening beyond the walls of the city.

“Lots of activity from the beasts and monsters in the Starblinds recently...”

“Heard that a Hydra was spotted near Parish Lake…”

“Urgh, the price of healing items rose again…”

“Someone robbed the Duke of Ardel last month…”

“There’ve been more wyverns around lately, has anyone noticed that?”

As I let the voices and information wash over me I could tell that my owner was overjoyed to be in this place where adventurers wandered around the lobby. Many were graduates of the Academy who were training to improve their skills in the field. Markus called out to a few and introduced us making the princess practically swoon.

“Looks like the rumors about the royal family are true,” Crosus chuckled as he waved us down to where he sat, having requisitioned a number of chairs and tables for our large group.

“Yes, the Roans really adore adventurers,” I agreed, plopping down onto the table after shrinking to a manageable size. I drew a few surprised stares from the other clients as I spoke.

“You should have seen Liliana when she met Tomas Nierz. I thought her heart might stop beating she was so awed,” I said, snickering at the indignant huff from next to me.

“Hold up, you actually met the World Paladin?” a shocked young man uttered, and I bobbed my body in my version of a nod.

“Yes, he was at the Adventurer’s Advent Ball last year.” A few winces greeted my reply, as word about what had happened then had already circled the globe twice, as the saying went.

“What was he like?” Markus leaned in over to me, and I noticed several others do so as well.

“Bright. So very bright. I have never seen a soul so vibrantly colored or beloved by the gods and magic.” Even after all this time I could not forget the purity of his soul, nor the myriad colors that washed together to create a scintillating rainbow within his very being.

“You heard that he saved my life, using a rare Elixir to cure the Triarch Effect poisoning I’d gotten saving the party-goers last year? I do not think I will forget that any time soon. Nor will his glorious soul fade from my memory.”

“Wait, you can see souls?” This came from Tilda, who had a worried yet interested look in her eyes.

“To an extent. I can see magic in the world around me, as well as the way a person’s mana flows through them, and a few other things about an individual’s magical capabilities. And, since one’s soul is the source of mana, if you see the product you can understand the origin. I guess the answer is ultimately yes and no.”

“So it’s true that he can use the magic of different gods?” another student inquired.

“Yes.” Excited chattering broke out around the table and soon the princess was swamped by questions about what it had been like to meet the living legend. A few of the girls, and some eavesdropping female adventurers, all grew envious when they learned about Liliana dancing with him.

“Alright everyone, let’s give her highness some breathing room,” Crosus spoke up, calming the group with ease. “Now then, shall we order some dinner? I don’t know about you, but erecting dozens of barriers makes me hungry.”

“What exactly did Master Goyn need your help with?” Kine asked and the older student paused for a moment before answering.

“I can’t say much, but what I can reveal is that I was helping reinforce certain parts of the campus’ wards. New levels of defenses and detection protocols have been inset, and hopefully this way there won’t be another surprise attack like before.”

I hummed at that, pleased to hear the teachers were taking the headmaster’s desire for safety seriously.

Food and drink was ordered, merriment was had by all, and somehow I ended up stuffed into a cask. Empty, but still. The things I’ll do on a game of truth or dare. Yes, we started to play several rounds of silly games as the night dragged on. From dice to simple truth-or-dare our group became rowdy and raucous and soon we invited other patrons to join us. Most of whom were graduates who knew Crosus and others in the Stranger Faction.

We would have to return to the campus before curfew, but that was still an hour and a half away, and with me as timekeeper and drunkard chaperon, I felt we’d be able to go back in good order.

All in all it was a pleasant evening, only slightly marred as I realized I had to be the one to escort drunk young adults back to their dorms. Thankfully Crosus and another older male student offered to take the boys back with them to their rooms, which allowed me to focus on keeping the women in the group safe and not tripping over their own feet in a stupor.

Tilda was the least tipsy of them, and was a great help taking some of the burden off my shoulders. It was when we’d returned to the West Wing Dormitory that she leaned over to me.

“Jelly, meet me at my room after you tuck the princess in. I want to discuss something with you.” I said nothing to acknowledge her whispered words, but she seemed content that I would comply and visit her later that evening.

I was curious as to why she’d need to speak with me in private, so once Liliana and Kine were safely put to bed, I slithered my way down two floors and rapped on Tilda’s door.

As she let me in I noted that her room was a mixture of dark, almost morbid grimness and painful girl-ness. Thick black out curtains covered her windows, but they were a hot pink that made me recoil from looking at them for too long. Her bed, while a single, had been outfitted with a frilly black lace canopy and sheets. Oddly purple-pink pillows sat on the mattress. A gilded box full of make-up was open on the desk and sat side-by-side with partly finished homework assignments. A rather hefty looking nail file was somewhat obscured by a few bottles of what I assumed were perfume judging by their smell.

Her closet was slightly ajar, and I could see strange, unlady-like clothes within that seemed much more appropriate for a very different line of work alongside modest outfits for school and noble settings.

The room had a very mishmash feel to it, and yet I couldn’t deny it perfectly fit the blonde aristocrat.

“Close the door.” Her tone was stern and I obeyed, facing her once I was done.

“Is this about that ‘Clara’ woman that was mentioned earlier?”

“It is. Long story short, she’s a Second Year like me and is part of the Lady Faction. She’s been trying to curry favor with the other members by putting me down in various ways, but I’ve thwarted each one. I feel she’ll either step up her game or move on to a new target. She wouldn’t dare target your princess, as not even Clara is stupid enough to try to anger members of royalty, so that just leaves Kine. I want you to keep a close eye on her, and make sure that nothing hurts our mutual friend. Can you do that for me?”

Her words were curt but I could feel the concern Tilda had for the tiny Qwanese mage-in-training. I bobbled in agreement.

“Certainly. But, who exactly is Clara? I need more than just a first name.”

“Her full name is Clarabel Dormid Palaron, granddaughter of the Pontifex himself.”

“…Who?”

“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know, would you?” Tilda said with a sigh.

“Let me explain. Pontifex is the title of the head of the Church of the Divine Family and the lord of Cathedral City, the independent religious city-state in which all deities and beings sanctioned as worthy of human worship keep their main temples.”

“His authority is on par with a king’s, and only the Pontifex can declare a Crusade, though that hasn’t happened in about four hundred years. Not since the War of Fallen Gods.” She shrugged a bit at that.

“Naturally any descendants of the Pontifex would have a degree of status equal to a prince or princess. That means that Clarabel Dormid Palaron, his granddaughter, has all the standing of a high noble. And if she wants to be a brat and a bully, there isn’t much that can be done about it.”

After a few more lessons on history and culture Tilda allowed me to leave. My mind swam with thoughts as I returned to Liliana’s room and my tiny bed-basket. Tilda’s unsettling revelation about the foe she was up against occupied my mind and I cast a worried look to Kine’s room. The wards lay undisturbed and I sighed in relief. This was going to get complicated.

If I wanted to help Tilda and protect Kine, I would need to be smart about this. I couldn’t openly proclaim my intentions since that would be akin to shouting out I was challenging her. To that end, I would plan and scheme. I’d been raised for a year in the royal palace of Varia. I’d seen and heard rumors, backstabbing, and political maneuvering from all levels of the court. And as the inquisitive youth that I was, I had learned.

Time to test my hard won skills. Tomorrow. Right now I had a bed with my name on it. Nuldays were the one day I did not have to meet the Archsage, which I was glad of. I planned on taking some much needed quality time with my pillow.

The plan Tilda and I came up with was simple. Step One, don’t tell anyone, except perhaps Crosus and Markus, what we planned to do in order to deal with Clara. Step Two, run interference with any of her tricks and plots. Step Three, make them explode back in her face somehow. Easy to remember and implement.

The next day was Cynday, and there was a slight flurry of activity on campus as students recovered from hangovers or other such fun past times and crawled their way back to class. In this tumultuous early morning period I began to keep a closer ‘eye’ on Kine. Even though she still kept a slight distance from me and my owner, she was a friend regardless of the fight we had gotten into. I believed that in time we’d reconcile, and I wanted her to be in as good a condition as possible for that to happen.

After Summoning class I felt it was safe enough to leave for a bit and visit the professor with Liliana. We both had some questions about our assignment to preparing a Familiar so we went up to Professor Helestra as the rest of our classmates filed out of the room.

“Professor, we had some questions for you, specifically about Familiars,” I began, and she nodded like she’d been expecting this from me.

“Let me guess, you wanted to know if you could become a Familiar for Princess Liliana?”

“Spot on, professor. But I also wanted to know if I could even perform the Summoning ritual considering I am, technically, a monster. Is the ritual even designed for use by one such as I?”

Helestra pursed her lips before waving her hands and a crackle of thick, treacly magic rolled into existence. From the silent casting three silver-blue chairs made of solidified mana appeared, one for each of us. We each sat, Liliana in hers, the professor in her own, and I on a stool.

It was eerie to feel the crackle and hum of raw energy to be so tamed beneath me. I could still sense the magic, but it was akin to frozen lightning now. So deceptively simple, the art of Conjuration. Unless one could actually see the way reality itself was twisted by the spell it almost seemed mundane and casual to make solid furniture.

“I will admit to having some concerns of my own in that last regard. Non-humans have used the spell before. All one needs is a soul. But monsters typically don’t have those. You do.” Professor Helestra leaned back in her seat and faced us. “Tell me, what is the difference between a magical beast, a monster, and a regular animal?”

“Magical beasts are creatures with magical abilities. A Unicorn is a magical beast, as is a Pegasus, a Griffon, and to an extent the Dire Breed. Though the latter are normal animals that ingested too much mana and mutated. Sometimes magical beasts are called monsters if they are violent and aggressive towards humans, like the Urdrai or Yedos Claws,” Liliana began. “The one thing they have in common is a soul which is separate from their physical form yet is directly entwined to it. If the soul leaves the body, they die. Just like any animal. But, their soul is strong, and produces mana automatically.”

“Regular animals, like all living things, also have souls, but theirs is a more passive type. They do not actively produce mana, and so it is possible to have a dog use spell-like abilities if trained, but they’re not built to withstand magic flowing through them, and will likely mutate in a Dire Dog.”

“Monsters, true monsters, however, are very different,” I spoke up when I saw my owner hesitate. “We are beings formed directly out of raw energy. Our souls are our very bodies. There is no distinction between flesh and soul.”

“Demons, Devils, Exarches, Angels, and even the gods themselves are technically monsters. They have no physical form, for they are pure mana given a shape and a mind. Oozes, like myself, are mostly magic that has congealed into a form. I should not, by my very definition, possess a separate soul. Yet I do.”

“And therein lies the issue. “Professor Helestra said, steeping her fingers and she stared into the distance. “A monster cannot have a soul in the way you do, Jelly. You’re a unique anomaly. The experiments you and the Archsage have conducted tell us that.”

I shivered as I remembered those times. The procedures hadn’t been painful, just invasive and embarrassing. Why would anyone think a turkey baster was a good tool to use on me? Why?

“So yes, you could become a Familiar, Jelly, to the princess. If you were not sapient, that is.”

“Pardon?” I looked back up to the professor as she spoke.

“You can talk and reason and think. That implies a fairly sophisticated soul. Cats, though they have a soul, cannot talk or act like us because their soul is in some way inferior. The Familiar Ritual works by taking a piece of the summoner’s own soul and imbedding it into the subject’s own. To continue the example, a cat’s soul is small and frail and the summoner’s soul shard would bind with it quickly. But sapient beings have a stronger soul, and the shard would end up being targeted as a foreign influence. They would attack each other, damaging themselves. Normally this would not be too bad, but since the soul shard was made and transferred with a spell, then the backlash of the spiritual conflict could strike both parties.”

“Performing the Familiar Ritual upon a being who is sapient would either cause it to fail, or permanently damage both parties. It is illegal to even try. Such an act is worse than enslaving someone, for not even their soul would be theirs to do with anymore should it succeed. I’m sorry, but it would be impossible for you. And illegal. I would suggest looking into other options.”

“I see. Thank you for your insight,” Liliana said, nodding her head towards the older woman.

“Of course, since being a Familiar is out of the question, it is possible the two of you could pull off a Contract.” Liliana perked up at that, and we leaned in.

“Not just dumb beasts can be made into a summoner’s companion. Beings like Elementals, fairies, demons and spirits can be bound to our will. And they are, in many cases, sapient to a degree. Summoning Contracts are deals made with such creatures to use their power in exchange for the summoner’s mana. After, they are creatures made of the stuff, so more of it only makes them stronger,” Professor Helestra explained.

“But, I would recommend you two not to do so. The Academy frowns upon binding other students to each other for any reason. And in regards to your second inquiry, since you cannot become a Familiar yourself I see no reason why you could not contract your own,” Helestra said to me, a faint smile trying to work its way onto her face through her stoic mask.

“I’d be very interested to see what kind of creature you could manage to call forth.”

“I’m sure it would be as cute as you,” Liliana assured as she reached out and pinched me affectionately.

I huffed in annoyance. What was it with the women of this place all finding me adorable? It was weird and disconcerting at the best of times.

“I’m not cute.” My resolute announcement did not nearly have the persuasive power I’d hoped for, what with my voice being closer to a toddler’s than the adult I felt like.

“Of course not,” Professor Helestra said, and I could almost taste the falseness in her voice.

“Was there anything else you needed help with?” she asked after my owner removed her hand from me.

“Not at the moment. Please excuse us though, we need to make it to our next class soon.”

“Very well then. Off you go!” Once we rose from our seats the professor waved her hand and turned the hardened clumps of energy into nothingness, reducing them back to sparks of pale light that faded away.

“Amazing,” I whispered, taking in the sight of the spell. No time for more staring, though; classes wait for no man, woman, or slime!

“Everyone, gather round! Today we’re going to examine a very rare and unique creature.” Blott, the teacher for the study of magical creatures, was practically bouncing up and down on his feet. The man was one of the youngest professors at the Academy, and was well liked by the other students for that. Of course, ‘young’ meant he was closer to his late thirties than the students, but he carried within himself an exuberance and love for animals and creatures that made him almost childish in an endearing way.

Blott, as he preferred to be called, was a Druid, and anything that excited him was likely magical and rare. The Academy’s Menagerie was chock full of unique creatures but most First Years rarely got to see the more impressive specimens.

“Now, normally this particular fellow is off helping other classes with studies, but he wished to meet you all today,” the professor began, waving his undecorated wooden staff around like a conductor’s baton as he led us through the zoo-like area that housed the minor beasts.

We arrived at a small meadow where numerous animals were roaming about behind a white washed picket fence. From deer to peacocks to assorted other herbivores and typically non-violent creatures, they strolled around in non-judgmental harmony. I could feel a faint calming effect layered onto the area thanks to a few wards lining the fence, which likely helped contribute to the peace.

“Now, I hope everyone will be quiet and polite when he appears. He’s tied to the Academy, but there’s no reason not be respectful,” Blott cautioned as he opened the fence’s gate and ushered us in.

The animals glanced up before turning away, unimpressed. We did not have food, thus we were not worth their time.

On the breeze a strange tone began to echo about. It was faint but grew in volume every so often. As it came closer we could tell that whatever it was, it sounded like a dainty crystal bell.

Professor Blott’s smile widened as he saw something in the distance approaching. We looked in the same direction, and it was I who saw the source of the sound next.

It was a tiny humanoid, only half a foot tall but properly proportioned. Its skin was the color of lead, but its wings -- similar to those of a dragonfly but made of stained glass -- graced its back and carried it aloft. In the center of its forehead was a shining emerald that surrounded the creature with a corona of greenish tinted light. This caused the wings to refract the glow into a dazzling dance that raced across the ground as it flew towards us.

However, the size and beauty of it belied an incredible magical energy. The gem pulsed with Light and Earth magic intertwined in harmonious balance, and the being had ten times the amount of mana as Blott did. And as a trained adult mage, the Druid had a great pool of mana that was nearly on par with my own.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Verd, a carbuncle who has lived in the Academy for many centuries. He tends to the gardens and the Menagerie in exchange for food, shelter, and protection,” the energetic teacher introduced, bowing respectfully to the fairy-like creature as he did so.

The rest of us echoed the action. I even shifted into my bipedal form to do so. This was a powerful creature, and old as well.

“Does anyone here know what a carbuncle is?” Blott asked. My owner raised her hand eagerly and he pointed at her.

“Carbuncles are fairies born from gems instead of flowers or plants, and they are prized for their jewel embedded in their body as a source of powerful magic, but also as pets for the wealthy because they are physically beautiful and have both a charming singing voice and an ability like a parrot to repeat words,” Liliana said.

“Correct, your highness. And you mentioned an interesting point: They are fairies, and thus beings born of the chaotic, untamable dimension known as the Feywilds. For all their charming and innocent looks a feykin if insulted can hex and curse a person with debilitating conditions or maliciously ruin homes and businesses. But if honored and treated properly they are benevolent caretakers and guardians. One does not anger the fey and leave unscathed, but one will also be rewarded for any kindness offered.”

While Blott explained about the little being I looked at it in wonder. I hadn’t once spotted it on the campus before now, which was strange seeing how magical even a young specimen was. But my question was soon answered as it appeared to flicker and all its power that was radiating outwards vanished, sealed within its body.

The glow faded from the emerald, and the light receded. As it did the magic retreated back inside the gem, hidden from conventional detection. This close I could still see the magic, albeit muted and hazy, and I knew what to look for in the future, but if it didn’t want to be spotted, it wouldn’t be in my power to seek it out.

Verd let out an airy giggle and swooped down to examine us, nuzzling cheeks and rubbing noses. The girls cooed at the carbuncle who soaked up the praise before it turned its attention to Kine, Liliana, and I.

At Kine, he flew down and sat on top of her head, playing with her eyeglasses a bit by removing them and trying to put them on himself. When he toppled over to their size the students chuckled at the scene. He eventually returned the sight aide to the Qwanese girl who took it and tickled him under the chin.

When he flittered over to Liliana he also sat on top of her head but contented himself with playing with her longer hair. He began to braid it, and when he was finished my owner’s normally iron straight hair had been teased into a pleasant looking braid.

“Thank you,” Liliana said, pleased by the result, and kissed the carbuncle on the top of his head when he appeared in front of her face. Verd beamed in joy and I felt a flicker of jealousy.

As it sensed my emotion the fairy paused before peering down at me in surprise. He began to make a flurry of gestures, pointing to me, then to him, then back to me. I tilted a bit, trying to make sense of it all.

“We… are the same?” I hazarded, and Verd grinned, nodding rapidly.

Well. That’s interesting. We’re the same? Does that mean he was granted a soul by a contract or a gift like Princess Liliana’s bloodline trait Miraculous Mystery?

“Who was your contractor?” I asked while the others watched our conversation in awe. Another blurred session of wild gestures occurred, and if I could frown I would have.

“OK, you either got a soul by stealing it from a pirate, or you were a Familiar for one of Princess Liliana’s ancestors.” Verd quickly raised two fingers, signifying which option had been correct.

That made sense. But why was my soul so much more complex than his? Did his Contractor not have the same gift, or was the soul of a carbuncle already too advanced and thus unable to ascend further?

“Verd was the Familiar of Third Prince Taborn Roan about four hundred years ago,” Blott supplied and we all turned to look at him. “During the decade or so before the War of Fallen Gods Prince Taborn attended the Academy. I believe he was also a summoner like you are studying to become, your highness.”

“Is that so?” Liliana mused, looking at the hovering gem fairy with a thoughtful look. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for looking after my ancestor all those years ago.”

She bowed in thanks towards the delicate being, and Verd patted her head in response. I felt a strong blessing flow forth and envelop my owner, and she smiled at the warmth suffusing her.

“So, is he fully sapient and using the contract system?” I inquired and Blott scratched his chin.

“Oh, I assume Helestra mentioned something along those lines, correct? Well, carbuncles are known as lesser fey. They aren’t technically completely sapient. Verd just acts like it because of the Familiar Contract he once shared with a human. A regular carbuncle is slightly more childish and instinct driven. It is possible to make them a Familiar, but they must agree to it. Basically, if you befriend them and agree to certain stipulations they’ll offer to form a Contract,” Blott explained to me. “You know, the modified Familiar contract used for dealing with Elementals or Demons, seeing as they have their own goals and rules to follow?”

I nodded in understanding. So the emerald fairy really was more similar to me than I’d first realized. It was interesting, to say the least.

“Before we continue any further, let’s go over two spells that will help,” Blott said excitedly. “The first, Animal Call, allows a person to perfectly mimic any sort of call for an animal. If you shout ‘Food!’ while under the spell’s effect whatever animal you were sounding like would understand you.”

“Calm is the second spell I want you to practice today, and as its name implies it releases a soothing wave of peaceful intent towards a target and quickly causes a creature to stop rampaging and settle down. If the target is already calm, there’s a chance to put it to sleep. It won’t be as effective against some of the larger magical beasts or other people, but it has been used to contain riots in the past,” Blott taught. “They’re both Level One, so they shouldn’t be too tricky for a First Year to pull off.”

Liliana was beloved by the animals, her kind and calming nature easily perceived. A strong urge to cuddle her assaulted me over and over, more so than usual when she played with the smaller beings. The animals in the pen didn’t have any hesitation and all but swarmed her. Anyone else who wanted to pet them was free to do so, but the princess was the preferred student at the moment. I wanted to blame Verd’s blessing for this, but I knew full well my owner was just that adorably desirable.

While I practiced my Calm spell on a rather ornery peacock, I felt Verd watching me curiously. The tiny carbuncle had become fascinated with me, observing my every move as if I was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Which, to be fair, I might have been, at least in a while. On the grounds of a facility designed to teach and study magic odd things were bound to show up from time to time.

Yet he looked on. Confused, amused, and intrigued.

“Stop! That is not proper livestock handling!” Blott suddenly cried out, and I looked over to see one of the boys had straddled a pig and was acting like it was a pudgy pink mount. Clearly, he was trying to show off to his friends and girls in class. The beast, unamused, tried to throw the foolhardy child off its back, eventually tossing him into a pile of feed.

However, as he fell the pig continued to rampage, violently trampling anything in its way. The nearby students, which included Kine, were startled by the stupidity of their fellow student which lead to an enraged porcine attacking them.

Thankfully no one was hurt. I grew a bit bigger and used some tendrils to move students aside while Blott channeled an overpowered Calm spell to placate the troublesome animal.

“Idiot!” the professor cried out when he was finished calming the sow. He bopped the boy over the head with his staff while he gave an annoyed, chastising frown. “What on Earth possessed you to do something so stupid?!”

“I thought it would be funny,” he mumbled, which earned another smack on his noggin.

“Let this be a lesson to all of you. Animals can be tamed, they can be made companions and partners, but they are still living creatures. They have their pride and their dignity, and anyone or anything that tries to take that from them ought to be prepare for the consequences,” Blott said, turning to face the rest of us. “We do not live with nature. Rather, nature lives with us. Our cities and swords and cultures are young compared to the forests and mountains we use to create our civilizations. Show respect to everything, because nature might just either save you or kill you depending on how you treat it.”

Blott stared us all down, his usual childish attitude gone. He was focused and imparting important knowledge, and he would be damned if we made light of it!

“Gaia, the Goddess of Nature, is not cruel, but she is not kind. She helps those who help themselves. She answers few prayers, and expects us to do the work when we receive a response from her. I am a Druid, and that means I understand this as the way of the world. If you think it would be funny to ride an animal for a joke, then you can join the knight brigades.”

“I am a Druid. I am a mage. And that means it is my duty to teach you how to not kill yourselves using Gaia’s bounty.” Panting slightly from his impassioned speech, Blott made sure we all paid for the wayward troublemaker’s antics by mucking out the pen. 

It was smelly work, and despite the grumblings I could hear I also could tell that this lesson was taken to heart, if only because they did not want to have to deal with this punishment again.

Some though had a fire in their eyes as they worked. Something about our mentor’s words had resonated with them, and I saw that look in Kine’s own gaze. I would almost swear that her inner light was glinting off of glasses at that moment.

After we were finally released from class, we were all dirty and tired and ready for a bath. Many of the students made a bee-line towards one of the two communal bathhouses. The one in the North-East was for the boys, the South-West one reserved for the girls. They were open every day, but the full features of the bathhouses were permitted only on Niaday. Any other day students had to draw and heat the water themselves.

The faculty claimed it was to help ‘build character’ but I knew that Headmaster Arnolt was trying to save every copper coin he could. I could almost hear the smug old man giggling as he rubbed two coins together.

I’m not joking, I saw him do that once when I was early for a lesson. I didn’t bring it up, and he was kind enough not to immolate me for seeing something I probably shouldn’t have.

As I inched my way down the path from the Menagerie I saw the reckless brat who had gone bareback on the pig. He was looking around furtively, as if trying to hide. Acting suspicious doesn’t help you avoid suspicions though, and I was instantly curious. Slipping away from the crowd I followed him to a part in the enclosure where no one else was.

Wait, no, there was something there, by an empty holding pen. A woman, if I had to guess from her dress and make-up. I think there were two others, also female, hiding just out of reach from my senses. I could have extended my detection towards them, but it was possible they might notice me trying to spy on them so I reigned in my impulses. Instead, I rolled behind one of the cages and shrunk down to spy.

“Well?” the mysterious woman asked, impatiently. “You stink and look like a mess. What happened? Where was the signal?”

The boy fidgeted. “It, uh, didn’t work. My distraction backfired a bit. I’m sorry.”

The sound of a slap rang out, barely audible over the sounds of the zoo animals. The boy massaged his cheek which now had a faint red imprint on it.

“Idiot. Well, we can try again some other time. If you want to, that is.”

“Is this really the right way to do this? I mean, Kine…”

“Is just perfect. So, I want you to do as I say. Alright?”

The young man nodded dejectedly and I tensed. My worry heightened even further when the would-be trickster replied.

“Yes, Lady Clara. I’ll try harder next time.” He gave a short bow, and then hurried off to clean up. As he left, the woman turned and exited from a different path accompanied by her two comrades.

I remained utterly still and silent behind the cage, processing everything. So, Tilda had been right. Not that I had doubted her, but to actually hear that she was trying to do something to Kine made me boil with anger.

Slinking back to the dorm, I doused myself with water from the Academy’s moat in a quick fashion and washed out the stench that clung to me. I didn’t have time to waste.

Inside the West Wing Dormitory I checked the status of the wards around Kine’s room. Still untouched, just like yesterday. I planned on letting Tilda know about this development as soon as I could, and then work with her on a plan to protect Kine.

Childish pranks are one thing, but I’d heard unpleasant rumors from other people about the members of the Lady Faction. They told some real horror stories, and I’d be damned if Kine got hurt because of some petty grudges.

Honestly, the year was turning out to be a lot more trouble than I had expected. Was this the price I paid for a soul?

Chapter 11: An auspicious meeting

The next two weeks passed by slowly, at least for me. The only item of particular note was that the Familiar contracting ceremony was planned for next month and I had yet to properly find a creature to use for it. There was a chance I could just use the ritual and hope it summoned a suitable partner for me instead of binding one of my choosing, but what kind of being would be brought to me? It was frustrating, but that wasn’t all I had to deal with.

Kine truly was being targeted by bullying. Instigated by one Clarabel Dormid Palaron due to a childish squabble with Tilda Gorossi, I had been running interference all the time, stopping simple tricks like nails in her shoes to countering and dispelling minor hexes and cantrips designed to humiliate. Strangely scented letters had started arriving for her as well, delivered to her cubbyhole and slipped under her doors, but I removed them before Kine ever spotted them.

I’d been doing well thanks to some back up from Tilda, but all my efforts seemed to be for naught when the culprit in question approached us during lunch.

The weather was finally pleasant, with the last traces of winter fleeing and making way for spring. Already the plants were alive again, and many students chose to take their noonday meals outside to enjoy the sun and fresh air.

Kine was sitting with Liliana and me, going over notes for Blott’s last class. Our relationship had finally warmed back up as well, and though she hadn’t fully forgiven us for hiding the truth from her, she was willing to give our friendship another try.

Liliana had been deeply pained by the separation, and more than once she had cried herself to sleep in those early days. Now the situation looked better, but the arrival of Clarabel didn’t bode well.

The young lady neared us, flanked by two girl’s from her clique. The granddaughter of the Pontifex was dressed in a very modest and conservative outfit. It resembled a nun’s habit but was much more richly appointed and lacked several features that would mark its wearer as a full member of the clergy.

Only a single piece of jewelry adorned her; a necklace with a charm made of silver, shaped like the lily of the Maiden Goddess Nia. It was worn proudly and was clearly well cared for judging by the barely noticeable traces of polish on Clara’s finger tips.

One other accessory was carried with her, and that was an elegant paper fan in the Qwanese style that she had raised to her face, partially hiding her mouth and only showing us her eyes.

“Hello there, Princess Liliana.”

“Greetings. I’m afraid I am at a disadvantage here, as I don’t have your name,” my owner stated politely, standing up to properly greet the student.

Kine remained seated and I moved from the princess’s lap to hers. I watched the new arrivals like a hawk, alert for any tricks.

“My name is Clarabel, a Second Year student in the Healer’s course. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Clarabel… are you perhaps the relative of Pontifex Palaron?”

“Indeed I am. I’d heard that the Princess of Varia was attending the Academy but I’m afraid I haven’t had the time to visit until now.” Clara did a short bow which was mirrored by Liliana.

This was not an uncommon occurrence. Many children from the nobility and the upper strata of society had approached my owner before now. Some wanted her to join their own faction, others just wanted favors. None of them actually succeeded, and so they’d drifted off for the most part.

However, Clara was a different sort. Dangerous, based on what I’d protected Kine from so far, and arrogant. Getting close to my owner was just an excuse! I could see her eyes shifting ever so slightly towards the Qwanese girl while she spoke with the princess.

I silently cursed to myself. Not for the first time I lamented the sheer amount of free flowing mana in the air. It interfered with my more subtle senses, like my empathy. I used to be able to clearly read the emotions of other people with ease, but the overwhelming energy in the air released by hundreds of mages both amateur and master clouded my senses. So I had to contend with using my own talents of people watching to understand what Clara was scheming and thinking.

“I must say that it is an honor to make your acquaintance. I have heard so much about you. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Of course not. Please, have a seat,” Liliana said, and the Second Year removed a handkerchief from a hidden pocket and placed it on the ground as a makeshift cushion.

“I do not believe I’ve met your companions,” Clara claimed, looking over to Kine and myself. The Qwanese girl’s shyness returned full force and she looked down bashfully. I saw a glint of something flash within Clara’s eyes, but it was gone too quickly to analyze.

“Yes, of course. This is Kine Ro, a fellow First Year. She is currently undecided for a path as a mage. And the one in her lap is Jelly, also a First Year and a member of the Summoner’s course,” my owner stated, gesturing to each of us in turn.

Kine bowed politely and offered a murmured “Greetings,” while I was more vocal in my response.

“Hello, Lady Clarabel. It is a pleasure to meet you. Is your grandfather well?”

Clara sucked in a deep breath as I spoke and I savored the moment of shock that she wasn’t able to conceal. Her companions gaped at me in fear with a hint of awe.

“…A pleasure,” Clara muttered. I reached out with a tendril for a handshake and after only a brief mental struggle she took it and gave it a limp pump.

When she thought no one was looking she wiped her hand off in the grass. I was insulted. I’m not slimy, despite my appearance.

“Yes, grandfather is just fine. Now, I hear you are from Qwan, is that correct?” Clara said, turning her attention fully to Kine. The bespectacled girl nodded.

The young lady’s lips twitched, concealing a smirk at my friend’s submissive attitude.

“I’ve always found their culture fascinating. What is it like, living over there?”

“I’m afraid I lived a very sheltered life, so I do not know if I can answer your questions,” Kine replied.

“Whatever you can tell me is fine,” Clara assured. The interloper paused, a memory nibbling at her mind and the Second Year leaned forward slightly towards Kine.

“I just remembered. ‘Ro’ is the surname of the Imperial Family, is it not? Does that mean you are related to Wei Ro, the Celestial Emperor of Qwan?”

The look of petrified fear that appeared on Kine’s face made everyone flinch back. It was like Clara had just kicked a puppy!

“Ah! I’m sorry for presuming! Don’t mind my words, I was just thinking out loud!” Clara protested, almost comically trying to take back what she’d said.

“…I am. He is my grandfather.”

Kine’s words froze us in our place. That was unexpected. Although I’d guessed she was from a highly ranked family I hadn’t thought that she’d be related to the emperor! And Headmaster Arnolt knew this? He must have, or else he wouldn’t have mentioned her grandfather’s name when he first met her.

Ugh, political intrigue! It gave me stomach aches.

“I did not mean to bring up any bad memories, Lady Kine,” the Pontifex’s granddaughter pleaded, and I’d have found it funnier were I not still reeling over Kine’s past.

“It is fine. I am here now.” Her words were stiff, and there was a trace of shame in her eyes. But my owner reached over and placed a comforting hand on Kine’s shoulder.

“This doesn’t have to change anything.”

Kine a flicker of a relieved smile at Liliana’s gesture of kindness, and her shoulders relaxed slightly. She looked over at Clara and offered a weak grin.

“What would you like to know about Qwan?”

Until lunch ended, Clara and her minions sat with us while Kine enlightened us about Distant Qwan. It was fascinating to hear about the political and social structure, but it was clear to me her knowledge was almost all second hand; a clear sign that she had learned this all through books instead of living freely.

For me it had been nerve wracking to spend time around the person who’d been set on harming Kine in various ways. I couldn’t help but wonder what was next on Clara’s agenda.

Later that evening, I crawled up to the Soul Building. Inside the headmaster’s office I all but slumped to the floor, exhausted. I pushed through the weariness I felt and picked up my assignments for the evening. Let’s see what he wanted me to do.

The only time I felt safe from my worries and the madness of the student body was during my private lessons with the headmaster. It saddened me to think that the place I once dreaded approaching was now my sanctuary.

Chapter 12: Warning Bells

“Welcome, class! I do hope your Nulday was a good one.” A chorus of ‘Yes, Professor Orbel,’ answered the instructor, and he smiled warmly. The weeks had gone by exceedingly well so far. It was nice to have days like this.

“Wonderful! Rest is important for a body. Can’t work too hard or you’ll break,” he cautioned, before reaching for the chalk and turning to the blackboard behind him.

“We’ve gone over some basic theory so far, as well as a smidge of practical,” Orbel began, scribbling out some notes from last class. “Today, however, we’re going to examine a staple of magical learning and cooperation; Joint Casting.”

A ripple of excited murmurs went through the First Years and I wiggled excitedly in my seat. Professor Orbel’s classes were always interesting. He just had a flair for teaching. That he encouraged hands-on practice made him a favorite among the students tired of endless theory in other lectures.

“As you know, a spell has two components. The ‘ritual,’ that is, the incantation or magical symbols, and the mana, which is the fuel source. And, there are two main methods of casting a spell; speaking the incantation or drawing out the magic array. But what if someone has only a small amount of mana but needs more? This is a common problem among mages who perform research on large scale and advanced spells, or have to raise barriers and defenses over a wide area.” Orbel turned to us, gesturing with his chalk with each word.

“The answer is Joint Casting. It is a technique which pools mana into a collective font and then is used by multiple mages to shape a single, massive spell. Of course, it isn’t as easy as it sounds.”

Orbel’s explanation was soon joined by diagrams and various notes upon the board. He jabbed his writing tool at a student in the upper rows.

“You! What might a problem of this method be?”

“Um, too much mana means much more concentration is needed?”

“Correct, Joint Casting requires sharp focus to be pulled off. The heat of battle is not a place where it often happens unless the mages want to explode violently,” Orbel cautioned, earning some audible gulps from the students. “Anything else? Princess, what do you say might be another problem?”

“Everyone has to know how to cast the same spell,” Liliana hazarded, and Orbel nodded slowly.

“To a degree. While it is preferred that all mages involved understand the spell being cast only one person actually needs to know the spell in question. That is what we’ll be focusing on today.”

“Find a partner. Someone who you know well and would trust.”

I reached out to Liliana and she nodded, turning slightly so she could face both me and the teacher. Through the room the sounds of students shuffling about reverberated before quickly dying down. Out of the corner of my ‘eye’ I saw Kine partner up with a member of the Stranger Faction.

“For this practice, we are going to have everyone Joint Cast a Dancing Light spell. First, join hands,” the professor instructed. I placed a tendril in Liliana’s palm and she did the same.

“Next, one of you must chant the spell, but not supply any mana. Instead, your classmate will be in charge of providing the energy necessary for the spell. Use the Mana Exchange technique we practiced last week for this exercise.”

After a bit of debate we decided Liliana would chant while I provided the magical power. Since Dancing Light was a cantrip, it only had a short incantation and a very low mana cost. Only ten points of it, in fact. The hard part would be getting Liliana to accept and use my energy.

“Glow and rise,” Liliana intoned softly, her voice muffled by the chorus of countless others in the room. I quickly poured the mana in, only to find my owner had unconsciously provided her own for the spell. The tiny glowing ball appeared as a bright orb for mere seconds before it popped out of existence in a bright purple flash as it was overwhelmed.

Dancing Light was such a basic cantrip hardly anyone actually had to say the incantation after a few uses. So accustomed to just activating it instantly, Liliana had, without meaning to, used her own stores of mana along with my own.

We weren’t the only ones to fail. Faint pops could be heard all over accompanied by small bursts of multi-colored light.

“Now you see how tricky it can,” Orbel said with a chuckle. “Just for a bit of trivia, students who pursue making barriers and wards need to be able to perform Joint Casting smoothly and efficiently. After all, one person might be able to shield a single room, but most defenses have to be set-up over larger spaces.”

The lesson gave me a new respect for Petrus and Crosus. I was more mentally drained after class than usual. Trying to use a magic spell without actually using magical energy yourself was an odd experience, all things told.

“Excellent work class! I see some of you are getting the hang of it quickly. There’s no shame in not being able to pull this off just yet. It is a tricky process, but the rewards are worth it. Starting in your Second year many of you will be learning more complicated and mana-intensive spells, so this will be indispensable for you later on. Now, off to your next class!”

A loud groan escaped from nearly every student, Liliana and myself adding our own voices to the chorus. The next lesson was not one any of us were looking forward to.Orbel just chuckled.

“Well, at least Orleen bought that salve we asked for,” Liliana said weakly, trying to smile but failing. I just whimpered and curled up in her arms.

“Come on you lot! Pick up those feet! Move it, move it, get that blood pumping!”

A trail of suffering and devastation lay before me. Dozens of First Years rushed around, red faced and panting, moving in time to the bellows of the beefiest mage I’d so far encountered.

In order to ensure a degree of good physical health amongst the student body at the Academy all students were required to have a period of time in which to stretch their muscles and move around, an exercise class that was, in theory, supposed to keep them fit. Starting in Seed Month, when the last dregs of winter had vanished from the land, all mages-in-training donned exercise garb and were told to run around.

The First of Seed Month had arrived, and that meant it was time to work out. Unfortunately for the students, the faculty member assigned to this class was none other than the professor for the Magic Knight course, a muscled mage by the name of Sir Flint. He was a taskmaster and no one could find it in their hearts to appreciate him.

All First Years were subjected to his harsh teaching methods. Not even I was safe. I had to take on my bipedal shape and lumber around the track, slowly plodding along and tuning out the ‘encouragement’ Sir Flint shouted at ear splitting volumes.

We were on our second week of ‘training.’ Only the huffing and panting of limp mages could be heard, and the sight of dozens of red faced, sweaty young adults in modified Academy garb was all that could be seen in the Main Field.

“Is he always like this?” I heard a student gasp out to one of the older students nearby. They did not have to endure Flint’s coaching, the lucky bastards, since they had already survived it in their first year. They still had to work out, but it was less strictly monitored.

“Yup. Crazy old man is worse than a drill sergeant,” a Third Year asserted. Groans of despair greeted the casual pronouncement.

“Keep it up, kiddies! If you manage to pass this then you never have to suffer again!” An older girl called out, and some spirits were buoyed.

“How can she be so fast?” My owner grumbled as she drew level with me. I glanced where her gaze was, and snorted in agreement.

Kine was the fastest of all of us, and had the most stamina as well. The Qwanese girl had already completed five laps to our three, and barely seemed out of breath. Only the faint sheen of sweat on her brow revealed her exertion.

None of us were able to envy her for long, however. A sudden series of obnoxiously loud bells began to ring, their ear numbing sound echoing across the entire city.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and shared worried looks. The bells that were ringing were not the kind used for festivals or fanfare. No, these were for a very important warning; imminent monster attack.

“Everyone return to their dorms immediately!” Sir Flint bellowed, his magically amplified voice rolling across the field, and the students scrambled to obey, some panicking, others just looking confused. It had been many years since the warning bells had sounded.

Normally the dangerous beasts around cities were culled at a steady pace by either the military or adventurers, so only under extreme circumstances would the monster population rise to become an actual threat.

I reverted back to my charming pudgy self and quickly rolled in the direction of the walls. I wanted to see what was going on. Amid the stampede of other students I went by unnoticed. Well, for awhile at least.

“Nice try Jelly, but when Flint said ‘everyone’ I believe you were included in that,” Professor Helestra said, smirking down at me. She and Professor Orbel blocked my way on one of the bridges as I tried to leave campus.

“There’s always a student or two who tries to run off and watch when something goes wrong,” Orbel said with a knowing look before shooing me off. I grumbled under my breath, annoyed at having been caught but complied. With teachers on the prowl for wayward students there didn’t seem to be anything to do about investigating.

My thoughts were interrupted when a green light flew down into my face, halting me in my tracks.

“Verd? What do you want?”

Hovering in front of me the emerald carbuncle held a stick in one hand and pointed at a bare patch of dirt off to the side of the paved path. If I had eyebrows I’d have raised them as I watched the fairy start to draw.

No, wait, actually, Verd seemed to be writing! Was it a message?

“If I show you a way to get to the walls to see what is going on, will you do me a favor in exchange?” I murmured to myself, reading what Verd had written. I looked at him and he flittered around nervously.

“What sort of favor? If it’s illegal or could get my owner in trouble I’ll have to decline,” I stated. Verd nodded hastily in understanding and continued writing.

“A rescue? You want me to save someone?”

More scribbling, and then I felt a new emotion grow inside me. Righteous anger was not a feeling I was overly familiar with. Even when Kine was being bullied I hadn’t really felt this way. But now, reading Verd’s words, made me understand what it really was like.

“Yes, I will save your daughter. Hells, I’d do so without wanting anything in return,” I exclaimed, and Verd beamed happily at me. He then erased the words in the dirt and flew off.

Following the flitting fairy was not easy, and it was only because I could see his bright soul that I was able to keep track of him. He took me through hedges and bushes until a small badger mound appeared before us in a copse of trees near the southernmost bridge.

With a wave the carbuncle dove into the hole in the ground and I sighed before following him.

It wasn’t a short cut by any means due to the fact it wound and twisted in the ground, but the subterranean tunnel led underneath the wards of the Academy and eventually into the city. We emerged in a flowerbed near the bridge on the civilian side of Manatrem, and as I exited I absorbed the clumps of damp earth that had stuck to me.

Verd gave me another wave before diving back down into the abandoned badger tunnel, perhaps to perform a job on campus. It didn’t matter to me, and I started to move stealthily down the quickly emptying streets and alleys towards the walls of the magical city.

City guards rushed past in groups of two and three, ushering people indoors and into shelter, while mages from the Academy and adventurers from the Guild poured out to man the defenses against whatever was coming.

I could vaguely hear people shouting to each other as they hurried around.

“Bring up the arrows! Get as many as you can!”

“Does anyone have any magic scrolls? Healing potions?”

“Damn! Of all the days my armor had to be at the blacksmith…”

A current of fear pulsed through the streets as the people ran to their positions or hiding spots. Such feelings being felt by so many people gave me a sensation of physical illness. I shut off my ability to sense emotions to prevent being overwhelmed.

After ten minutes of rapidly slinking in a roundabout way I reached the wall. Along the way I had encountered a group of looters and thieves trying to take advantage of the chaotic situation. I made sure their unconscious, naked, tied up bodies would be found by the guards once this was all over by propping them up near the walls of the buildings they had tried to rob.

Staring up at the city wall I felt slightly daunted. Its magical energy was bright, and for the first time in a long while I turned off my magic sense. I couldn’t risk being blinded.

That didn’t stop me from feeling a sudden inexplicable sense of claustrophobia once I was restricted to regular human sight. I was so used to seeing in 360 degrees that being so limited scared me, so I pushed that worry deep down inside myself where it couldn’t distract me.

Using adhesive I secreted on the surface of my body I inched up the solid stone face and snuck into one of the primary watchtowers.

“Damn it, this looks bad.” The tower was occupied by two armed guards who stared towards the mountains. One of them was fiddling with a bolt thrower, carefully checking it and making sure he had plenty of ammunition. The other was nervously clutching a crossbow to his chest.

“Yeah, but we have the mages on our side. And the Archsage himself! They’ll be able to repel the monsters, right?” the nervous soldier asked. He was clearly younger than the first, who just snorted.

“They’re strong all right, but if we actually want to have a landscape when we’re done, we’ll have to pick up the slack.” The gruff soldier handed the younger one some crossbow bolts. “Magic isn’t a fix-all, and battle magic can do more damage than the monsters if they aren’t careful. They won’t be able to go all out, not with all those refugees down there.” He waved a gloved hand vaguely in a downward gesture, and I inched to the edge to see what was below.

“That’s where we come in. The infantry. The foot sloggers. It’s our job to hold the line and make sure as many innocent lives are saved before the mages start flinging spells.” The veteran clapped the boy on the shoulder, and tried to give a confident smile. It seemed to work, as the younger defender ceased his trembling.

As I listened to them talk, I slipped by the two men and positioned myself on the roof of the watchtower, peering at the mass of activity going on beneath me.

The main gate faced the convergence of roads from the pass through the nearby Starblind Mountains; dozens of wagons and carriages had stopped at the gate and people were clamoring to be let in. Women and children were being given priority and guards were trying to get them inside in an orderly fashion.

It wasn’t going to be enough. I could see that. The defenders on the walls could see that. The people themselves could see that, and struggled all the harder to get to safety. Shifting my sight to the horizon, I felt a sinking feeling in my core.

There, on the not distant enough snowy peaks, a vast black cloud had gathered that was slowly drawing closer.

With the screams of terror from the civilians below, and orders being shouted by the soldiers as they brought up all sorts of siege weapons, I felt a thrill of terror go through me.

Massive leathery wings beat the air. Their twenty foot wingspan carried sinewy, brown scaled bodies that resembled a lizard. A whip-like tail covered in sharp spines lashed about while a long serpentine neck supported a head filled with razor sharp teeth. Acidic drool dripped from between their fangs and combusted into small bursts of flame as it struck the earth below, creating a trail of scorched earth where the creatures flew.

Hundreds of wyverns had appeared, and they poured forth from the peaks in a vast, ravaging storm.

Chapter 13: Assault from the Sky

“What is the situation?” A familiar voice reached my ‘ears’ and I peeked over the edge of the watchtower’s roof. Some distance away on a section of the wall stood Headmaster Arnolt, the Archsage of Orria, with the Captain of the Guard and their respective senior staff.

“The wyverns attacked earlier this morning,” the captain stated, eyes glowing as he enhanced his vision with a spell. “The pass is utterly devastated. I don’t know how many survivors are there on the other side of the Starlight Road, but there were too many of the bastards for the handful of patrols on our side. Far too many.”

“Casualties?” Arnolt inquired, gripping his staff tightly.

“Unknown at the moment. But I doubt anyone’s alive down there.”

“How can you be so certain?” Helestra demanded, and I saw her hands clenched into fists, her wand close to snapping from the pressure.

“Because that big mass of wyverns you see on the horizon? It’s only half of the full number. Those are just the ones that aren’t feeding,” the captain snarled. “The rest of the draconic bastards are still in the pass, ripping apart anyone or anything they can find.”

I heard gasps from the assembled spell casters and terrified mutterings from the soldiers.

“How in the Hells did so many wyverns manage to propagate this quickly?” Orbel demanded, turning to Blott. “I thought we sent in annual hunting parties!”

“We do! The last adventurer group had twenty one confirmed kills for breeding females and over twice that in males. And that was a third of their known population in the region! I have no idea how their numbers jumped to this size so quickly!” Blott cried.

“Magic. Look closely,” Arnolt claimed, waving a hand. A shimmering opaque wall appeared in front of everyone and soon images of the approaching wyverns popped up.

Someone threw up. I couldn’t tell who. And I sympathized with them. What I saw was grisly. The wyverns looked sickly and pale, their brown and dark green scales falling off and their leathery wings almost entirely in tatters. They looked emaciated while their beady eyes carried a malevolent light and their jaws dripped black foam.

“Those beasts have been tampered with. Just by looking I can tell they were subjected to some manner of forced breeding and aging, as well as forced magical cloning.”

“Cloning? Really?” the captain asked.

“Replication spells aren’t that high level, but to make the copies permanent or to create organic doubles requires lots of spare matter. Transmute some rocks and water and you’ve got all the materials you could want to use. And the Starblinds are full of ice and stone that could be transmuted,” Arnolt declared.

“But how could anyone operate in secret on such a level without us knowing? The magical power needed to produce this number of wyvern clones should have been easily detected!” Orbel declared, disbelief in his voice.

“Right now the ‘how’ does not matter. We can figure that out when this swarm is dispatched. Captain, how long until the wyverns reach us?” Arnolt demanded, and the captain frowned into the distance.

“Fifteen minutes, give or take.”

“And how much longer till all civilians are brought into the city?”

“An hour. Give or take.”

Despondent, horrified silence filled the wall, and I winced. That wasn’t good at all.

“Then we don’t have a second to waste. Set up the cannons and ballista, and make sure their is plenty of ammunition. My fellow mages, start preparing your spells. The wyverns will be within range soon, and I will open the fight with a spell of my own,” Archsage Arnolt declared, tapping his staff into the ground for emphasis.

The teachers hurried off to find a place to meditate and sort their magic while the regular soldiers finished their preparations on the larger, heavy weapons. As for myself I took the headmaster’s advice and started to go over the spells I knew and decided which would be best for combat. I was here now, and it was unlikely I could make it back to the campus in time before the lesser dragons struck. If I wanted to survive I would have to fight for it.

I moved back behind the tower’s roof when I felt Arnolt’s gaze flicker towards me, and I sensed he knew I was here regardless of my hiding skills. As long as he didn’t tell Liliana!

Six minutes passed in agonizing suspense. The distant swarming twisted wyverns were closer so that their ear splitting screeches now could be heard at the city’s edge. This caused more panic among the refugees, and liberal doses of the Calm spell were needed to settle them down. Still, there were too many people trying to enter Manatrem and time was running out.

Now the mages began to alter that. On the battlements Arnolt stepped forward, raised his elegant staff, pointed it at the oncoming swarm and declared:

“The world moves! The sky is forever above and the stone forever beneath! Ye who dares to intrude upon the Heavens, fall from grace! Bane of Wings!” With a roar, the headmaster’s spell tore apart the horizon in a violent, crackling wave of pale white light. The Level Six spell designed to paralyze winged creatures caused dozens of wyverns to plunge out of the air, their bodies shattering upon the hard earth. It was but a drop of water in a desert though. There were still hundreds left in the sky.

Arnolt was not discouraged though, and a cheer went up from the defenders seeing their lord draw first blood. A second swell of power grew from the legendary X-ranked mage, and from the energy being gathered I could tell his next attack would be even more devastating.

“Bind all upon the world with your immutable chains! Gravity Crush!” Many more of the scaled monsters plunged to their deaths, but this time the gravity spell crushed their bones and tendons to pulp on the way down, so they were dead before they landed.

I winced as the plop of several dozens of pulverized bodies crashing to the surface of Erafore carried over to us. But that was soon secondary to the roar of other spells and the cannons suddenly beginning to fire.

“Rise from the earth and impale the Heavens! Stone Pillars!”

“Burn away impurities! Fire Burst!”

“Upon the word of the Contract, I summon thee! Come forth, Elemental of the Storms!”

On top of the city walls scores of mages chanted and unleashed wave after wave of potent magic. I observed some of the teachers I was familiar with joining the battle as well.

Blott, the Druid, summoned forth numerous jagged stone pillars that ripped apart the low flying wyverns, while Professor Orbel unleashed bolts of crackling flames that erupted into explosions, wiping out three at a time with each spell. As for Professor Helestra, she summoned a creature that looked as if it was a storm cloud compressed into human form and wielding a javelin made of lightning that flew about diving at the wyverns while conjuring gale force winds.

Dozens of wyverns fell as the volleys of iron and magic rained upon them, but each one that was slain merely represented a pebble in a landslide. More of the horrific creatures joined the flock as their feast in the pass ended.

We could hear screams of terror and pain from the outer ranks of the refugee trail as the vanguard of the wyverns fell upon them in a whirl of fangs and claws. I felt sickened as I saw blood and limbs go flying as the tainted monsters tore into the innocent people.

But the lesser dragonkin were now close enough for my own spells. And I took that chance to retaliate.

“Magic Arrow!” It was the only combat oriented spell I was confident enough to use as well as the simplest. Just a sharpened shard of mana, flung at the target.

It doesn’t sound like much, but I could create dozens of arrows before running out of mana, and my aim was nothing to sneeze at, especially with them all clumped together. I was effectively sniping the wyverns with precise shots to their necks and wings. It felt good to be able to strike at these monsters for what they’d done.

One, two, three, and more perished from my magic. Others were constantly approaching though, and it wouldn’t be long before they reached the walls. And there were still people trying to get into the city!

I wanted to look away from the massacre but I couldn’t. I had to keep attacking in order to give the remaining humans time to flee. Damn it! There had to be something else I could do! Maybe I could create a poison that would work only on wyverns?

~Notice: Wyvern are resistant to many kinds of poison due to their status as lesser dragonkin. Furthermore, the males even secrete a potent paralytic from their barbed tails during mating season to obtain food to impress their mates.~

…Wait, who said that?

~Explanation: This information was not said, rather transmitted telepathically.~

I paused, ceasing my assault on the wyverns and going still as I tried to find out where that voice had come from. It was somehow stern but bland and monotone, and distinctly feminine. Why did I picture Queen Amdora when I heard the voice?

~Answer: Due to your actions with the Ink Ooze and bonding to myself, Akasha’s Brain, you are now able to ask questions. Addendum: Apologies: I am unsure of why I remind you of a stern woman based on your memories.~

“Why didn’t you manifest earlier?” I demanded, slightly peeved. This would have been rather useful for catching up on my late assignments!

~Error: Unknown reasons. Possible Answer: The time required to establish a link was the cause? Will begin diagnosis.~

“Fine, whatever! I have you now, so please, what can you tell me about wyverns?” I inquired, staring out at the hundreds of scaled beasts before me.

~Explanation: Wyverns are a subspecies of ‘True Dragons,’ an imperfect descendant that have the wings and hindquarters of a dragon but lack forearms and have a more serpent-like neck. They also lack an elemental breath attack, but can spit corrosive fluids,~ Akasha’s Brain continued. ~Wyverns live at high altitudes, are resistant to fire but also cold, and have hollow bones like a bird to assist in flying.~

“What are their weaknesses?” The wyverns were closer now, and the guards on the wall were firing crossbow bolts and arrows at them. Surprisingly, the weapons were doing more damage than I’d expected. The scales were soft and the mundane projectiles pierced them easily.

~Explanation: Wyverns have several weaknesses, however these creatures appear to be the result of hasty Replication processes, thus the easiest way to destroy them would to dispel the magic holding them together.~

“How can I do that?”

~Possible Solution: Cast a wide scale magic suppression barrier, which would seal the energy keeping them alive. They would decompose rapidly within the barrier.~

“Can you give me something that I can do?” I repeated, getting annoyed with the blunt tones of the voice in my head.

~Searching… Solution Found: There is an advanced alchemical substance known as ‘Null Water’ which is able to temporarily negate magical effects and seal mana. However, it is a Level Five potion, and some of the reagents required can be expensive.~

“But could I brew it inside my Dimensional Pocket on the fly?” I inquired, a crazy idea starting to form in my mind. Akasha’s Brain was silent, and I was afraid she had vanished from my thoughts.

~Answer: Yes. It is possible that if you had the proper ingredients you could produce Null Water using your unique physiology.~

I sighed in relief when I heard her respond. “Great! What do I need?”

The list she gave was extensive, and while I could make a few of the materials myself or substitute some of them, in the end I was forced to leave the wall to seek out the rest.

As I scurried around the various deserted shops I made sure to leave some silver coins or a hastily written IOU note letting them know they could take up the matter of their missing stock with the Archsage.

While I looked for the final substance, several hundred pounds of lead, the first wave of the wyverns breached the defenses and flowed over the walls. One of them circled for a moment before diving down at me.

“AHHH!” Up close the emaciated, almost rotting form of the monsters was even worse, and the mad glint in its eyes drove a wedge of fear into my soul. I thrust a tendril forward and pierced its throat before the jaws could close around me. I drained its blood and consumed its flesh, slurping the meal up through my limb.

It collapsed, the life fading from its eyes and I gagged as the taste of its corrupted flesh hit me. Whatever magic had been used to make this creature gave it the flavor of boiled leather stewed in treacle and feces. It was unbearably foul, but I consumed the rest of the body regardless, clearing the street of its mass. One less body to dispose of in the aftermath. And in spite of the foulness the wyvern was still a magical creature and I could process its mana for my own purposes.

“Alright, now if I was lead, where would I be?” I mused to myself. I wasn’t expecting Akasha’s Brain to answer. So far she had been content to just explain to me the brewing methods of Null Water.

~Answer: Powdered white lead is used as a base in certain women’s cosmetics, and some brands of paint contain lead as a thickening agent.~

“Huh. Why would they use poison to decorate – you know what, I don’t have time!”

~Response: Lead is cheap and easy to obtain and process. Furthermore, poisoning caused by lead can be easily purged from the body with a Moderate Healing Potion or a Minor Antidote.~

“Interesting.”

~Additional Information: Perhaps not talking out loud when speaking to me would be for the best. Research shows those who communicate with voices in their heads are labeled as ‘insane.’~

“And whose fault is that?” I grumbled, but wisely chose to follow her instructions. More wyverns were starting to appear, and I didn’t want my voice to attract their attention. I lashed out, tearing them from the sky and devouring their bodies as I slunk around. I hoped I wouldn’t spoil my appetite for dinner.

Twenty or so minutes had passed since the wyverns had begun their attack on Manatrem, and I had acquired slightly more than half of the lead needed to make Null Water. I’d stripped walls bare of their coverings, raided perfume and makeup stores, and drank gallons of paint straight from the barrels, but it just wasn’t enough!

Searching the areas grew more difficult as well, as soldiers and adventurers now roamed the streets taking down the wyverns that bypassed the wall’s defensive line. As an Ooze I’d likely be attacked, no questions asked. After all, it was monsters that were attacking, what was one more?

Worse, consuming the lead so I could place it in my Dimensional Pocket caused me bouts of physical pain. Lead is one of the few materials that is almost completely immune to magic which is why it is the main ingredient of magic-piercing armaments.

As an Ooze is mostly composed of magic, lead burned my flesh on contact. But I struggled on, healing the damage by eating wyvern corpses and continued to absorb the toxic mineral by the pound.

‘Isn’t there any way I can find something to substitute lead for something else?’ I begged Akasha’s Brain.

~Pondering: Perhaps. It would be a very diluted and weaker version, but with the materials at hand you could make a decent quantity of Null Water. Additionally, due to the severe damage already done to the wyverns even a small amount might be sufficient to defeat them.~

I quickly began synthesizing my potion. As I worked the immaterial voice of the monument spoke to me again.

~Query: How do you plan to administer the Null Water to douse all two thousand, nine hundred, and sixty five… sixty four… sixty… wyverns?~

‘Oh, that’s the easy part! Blott, as a skilled Druid, should be able to perform the Level Five spell Rain Storm, which generates a bout of torrential rainfall. If I can get him to infuse the spell with the Null Water I’m making, it will spread out across the whole battlefield. The other mages may get hurt slightly, but it will do much more damage to the wyverns.’

~Surprise/Praise: That’s quite clever! And, since Druidic spells draw power from nature and Ambient Mana, the Null Water won’t affect the magic of the spell as much!~

‘Exactly! Now, let’s get brewing!’

Half an hour later I was squirming back to the wall seeking out Professor Blott. With all the Wyverns and combat spells being tossed around my magic sight was useless for pinpointing individuals in the siege, but thankfully the magical beast taming Druid was still where I had last seen him on the walls.

“Blott! Professor!” I cried, hopping over to him. The young Druid looked the worse for the wear leaning against the crenellation of the wall, a long gash down his left arm trailing bandages; his left hand clutched his wooden staff while his right was holding a wound shut on his leg.

“Jelly?” He gasped, confused at seeing me in front of him. “What are you doing here?”

“Helping, of course! I found a way to take out the rest of the wyverns!” I cried gleefully.

Blott risked a glance over the parapet and winced as he saw there were still hundreds of wyverns. Some looked healthier than the first arrivals, and clearly were either superior clones or actual wyverns.

“Fine, I’ll bite. What’s your plan?” Blott inquired, swallowing any misgivings he might have had asking a student for help.

“I spent the last hour or so making Null Water,” I explained, and I saw a light appear in the professor’s eyes. He quickly gathered what I wanted to do.

“How much do you have?” he breathed, eagerly leaning forward.

“Almost a hundred gallons, but I couldn’t find enough lead so it’s somewhat weaker than a typical dose.”

“That’ll be more than enough to cause havoc on these beasts,” Blott assured me, and he removed a tiny glass vial from a pocket in his ragged robes. It was full of bluish liquid and as he drank it, mana stirred within his body and the energy he had expended over the battle slowly trickled back into him.

“Give me a few minutes to recover my mana. I’ll need your help to set up the spell beforehand though. I assume the Null Water is inside you?” When I nodded he smiled weakly. “Excellent. Here’s what I need you to do…”

“Headmaster, please inform everyone I’m about to cast a Rainstorm laced with Null Water,” Blott uttered, his words magically carried towards Archsage Arnolt. The Druid then gestured to me and immediately I began spraying all the Null Water inside me into the air like a fountain. I had shaped an extra-large tendril to act as a hose, and the potion quickly dispersed into the air. As Blott raised his staff the air hummed with static and the smell of wet leaves filled my senses. Clouds started to form in the sky which moments earlier had been filled with spells and beasts.

The clouds turned dark and threatening as the Null Water filled them. Blott’s face was scrunched up in concentration, and tremors ran through his left hand as the alchemical potion fought against him and his spell work.

But his will was greater than the pain and suddenly there was a sound like cracking glass and the sun disappeared. The last of the Null Water vanished into the heavens and I slumped to the ground, my jiggly flesh itching with irritation from the stream of alchemical fluid. Following a deafening roar of thunder everything fell silent. Even the wyverns paused their attacks, flapping around in confusion.

“Plip!” Heads turned upwards as tiny droplets started to fall from the sky. I pushed myself through the fatigue and scurried under cover, finding shelter beneath the roof of a nearby watch tower. The mages, too, who had been informed through the Whisper spell about the plan, darted into cover.

For the dragonkin, the results of the tainted rain were disturbing and quick to manifest. As the Null Water fell upon them scales bubbled and ran like melting wax, flesh hissed and steamed, the membranes of their leathery wings dissolved and the monsters toppled from their lofty positions in the sky.

Many of the most twisted of the beings couldn’t even scream as their magic dissolved. Even the more durable and healthy wyverns found their own bodies becoming harder to lift without magic to alleviate their considerable weight and they too plunged into the mud below. The adventurers and guards cheered as they redoubled their efforts to destroy the creatures. Some of the more eager warriors even leapt off of the walls to tackle the wyverns on the ground!

Across the city the scene was repeated, the rain quickly washing away the corrupted lesser dragons. A few brave and vengeful citizens emerged from their hiding spots and attacked the dying wyverns as well while the beasts thrashed about in the streets.

Exhausted, Blott fell to his knees and his staff fell from slack fingers. He managed to give me a thumbs up however along with a wild grin. “We did it, Jelly! Ha! Showed those beasties who the real masters of the sky are!”

“And while I should be furious that you disobeyed orders and broke a few laws, I suppose I can be somewhat lenient.”

~Notice: Oh, dear. It seems you’ve been caught red… tentacled?~

‘Not now, Akasha’s Brain,’ Jelly thought and the presence in his mind retreated.

Approaching me and the collapsed Druid was the Archsage and an entourage of other professors and the guard captain. Everyone had some sort of damage on their bodies, even the normally immaculate headmaster.

Part of his elegant braided beard was missing, and looked to have been sheared off by a claw swipe. His clothes were ripped and his pointed hat was missing, letting the rain flatten his hair to his scalp.

“You did well, though. Without your quick thinking the damages and loss of life would have been unacceptably high.”

“If I apologize from break the rules, can I get less of a punishment?” I asked, and the smirk on Arnolt’s face made my core sink in dread.

“HA! Ah, just what I needed, a laugh after that battle,” Arnolt chuckled, before he reached down and plucked me out of my spot like a disobedient pet. Which, from a certain standpoint, I was.

“No, I think you will become very acquainted with the Academy’s janitorial services in the coming weeks.” The Archsage stuffed me under his arm so I wouldn’t get wet. I grumbled at the treatment but otherwise stayed silent.

“Your first part of the punishment will be helping with the disposal of the wyvern’s corpses. I hope you like the taste of burnt chicken-lizard!”

Damn that sadist! I’d almost gotten the taste out, now I had to have another helping?!

The sight of the teachers laughing along with the headmaster did nothing to soothe my feelings, and I sagged a bit in the loose grasp. Maybe I could run into a puddle and dissolve for a bit and get out of work on account of sudden melting?

Chapter 14: Cleanup

Dealing with the aftermath of the wyvern’s siege was the most unpleasant task I had undertaken to that point.

It wasn’t just that I had to “eat” the corpses of the lesser dragons, but it was also due to the damage they’d left behind. Buildings close to Manatrem’s walls had suffered severe damage; a few had collapsed outright. Many trapped citizens had to be rescued, and in a few cases I and the other workers were not able to get them out in time.

It was hard seeing a young child the same age as Prince Julius die in my arms just as I managed to extract him from the rubble. I felt helpless each and every time I wasn’t quick enough to save someone, and it hurt in a way I hadn’t known I could experience.

Just as bad was the time I worked my way through the streets with some junior faculty from the Academy and I came across the spot where I had left the wanna-be looters. The unconscious bodies were missing, and the red stains and clumps nearby told me exactly what my attempt at dealing justice had wrought. Even if they had been criminals, no one deserved to be eaten alive while being unable to fight back.

I was thankful Arnolt hadn’t put me on one of the teams for cleaning up the front of the gate. There had still been far too many people who hadn’t been able to get inside the city fast enough, and the bloodbath had practically turned the entrance into a red swamp. I’d seen enough death and gore already.

One bright side I could see from this mess was that none of the wyverns had penetrated to the Academy, and the campus was untouched by fighting. However, because it had a lot of undamaged open space the grounds were now housing a temporary field hospital to deal with the wounded.

While cleaning up I’d see Liliana, Kine, and numerous other students rushing around carrying supplies and trying to be helpful. Many of the injured were awed and beyond thankful that their very own princess had come out to aide them, and she was stopped constantly by random people giving her praise and sometimes even prayer.

And there was something else. While the taste of hundreds of tainted lesser dragonkin  made me wish for a gag reflex the effects of consuming them gave me some interesting new abilities.

I’d noticed in the past that when I ingested objects with high magical energy I gained some manner of power related to them. When I devoured the Poison Oozes in the palace cellar I was able to secrete poison and acid of my own. After consuming the Bag of Holding that the World Rebellion cultist had possessed I gained access to my Dimensional Pocket. And now, thanks to the wyverns, I could grow scales similar to theirs which boosted my defenses immensely.

Though I looked ridiculous with dark purple scales popping out, I was able to resist magical and physical damage to a greater degree. Plus, maybe I could masquerade as a new type of Ooze if I wanted to be incognito? The legendary Scaled Ooze!

The second ability I manifested was creating a copy of myself. It wasn’t like the high level Cloning spell or even Replication, I just used some of my mass and magic to produce a mini-Ooze. It was a fairly limited technique though. The extra body I made was utterly braindead. It wasn’t like I was reproducing and creating new Oozes, instead I made a second form that just sat around unless I commanded it to do something. The only benefit to this new trick was the ability, for a few hours, to put my consciousness inside the secondary body and use it as if it was my own, only it lacked my Dimensional Pocket, most of my secretions, and two thirds of my mana. So more of a recon form. I didn’t know what would happen if I died while inside this other body and I was naturally hesitant to experiment with that particular function.

The final result of feeding on seven hundred and sixty eight wyverns (thanks to Akasha’s Brain I knew the exact number) my mana had grown explosively. I now had twenty three times more magical power than before the battle, and was nearly on par with the Archsage himself!

Not that having all this power was always a good thing. If I wasn’t careful my spells overloaded from excessive power and failed, often in spectacular fashion.

Cleaning up the corpses took the better part of a week, and even with the entire city helping out and my own selfless eating, a sickly stench clung to the gates and locales close to the wall where the wyverns had assaulted.

Classes were canceled during that time, and I knew that countless letters and correspondences were flying between the headmaster and the nobles who’d sent their children to the Academy. I did not envy the man for his paperwork.

Anyways, I was finally released from my punishment on Nulday and to celebrate I was lounging, exhausted, in my owners lap. It was nice and soft, and she was taking a break from her volunteer work as well. I rumbled in pleasure at the stroking Liliana was giving me and she smiled.

“Such a brave little boy. But reckless. What will I ever do with you?”

“Feed me peeled grapes like a Saludan lord?” I offered, and she giggled.

“No, I think not. Perhaps Kine will if you ask politely though?”

I turned to the petite Qwanese half-elf and whimpered pitifully in her direction. She put down a book she’d been reading before tilting her head in a cute manner while she scrutinized me.

“Hmmm… nope,” Kine said, drawing out the ‘p’ so it came off as a pop. “But maybe if you don’t break the rules next time there is a crisis I’ll consider it.”

“With a Saludan outfit and everything?” I asked eagerly.

“If you weren’t an Ooze, I’d slap you and call you a pervert,” Kine deadpanned, earning a laugh from my owner.

“What’s this about the garb of Saluda?” Markus asked, as he and Crosus approached with other members of the Strangers Faction.

“I was trying to get Kine into a skimpy outfit while she fed me grapes,” I explained, and was greatly amused to see Kine blush and bury her face in her book. Crosus and some of the others went red as well, and only Markus seemed unaffected by inappropriate thoughts. He just kept wearing his slightly dopey smile.

I wasn’t surprised. Honestly I don’t think the Brune born mage could be shocked by anything. Or show it outwardly.

“That sounds nice, actually. Maybe we could get all the ladies from our group to wear something like that? I’m rather partial to the belly dancer costume,” Markus said, causing more blushes. His comment earned him a smack upside the head by Tilda.

“Sweet Cynthia, I leave you alone for a few minutes and you’re already hitting on other women,” she scolded playfully as the blonde noble joined the group.

“Are you alright, Tilda? I haven’t seen you since before the wyverns attacked,” I said, breaking up the awkward moment with my question. Something flashed across her face before she gave me a thin smile.

“Some ‘issues’ came up and I’ve been conscripted to take care of them. Those monsters really made a mess of things,” the noble sighed in annoyance and everyone nodded. Students were just free labor for the headmaster, and if he made it seem like they were learning life lessons or some such claptrap the press-ganged mages-in-training couldn’t exactly complain. In the end, everyone on campus had been busy with various tasks.

The afternoon was winding down and it wouldn’t be long before dusk came. I wobbled back to the dorm with Liliana and Kine, our work for the day over and the rest of the group had separated as the day progressed.

I was ready for a quiet evening when Matron Alderhill approached us from across the lobby, a small parcel in her hands.

“Lady Ro, a package came for you,” the motherly dorm caretaker said, holding out the wrapped object. Kine hesitated a moment before accepting it, her eyes glued to a small symbol that was stamped onto the surface of the cream colored paper.

Liliana’s eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw the emblem over her shorter friend’s shoulder. “Thank you,” Kine murmured, before hastily rushing up the stairs. Carrying me, my owner hurried after her, a worried look on her face. It seemed to be due to the symbol on the package.

“Kine, is everything alright?” The princess caught up to the Qwanese girl with ease and cornered her near the half-elf’s room.

“Yes, if there is a problem we can help you,” I added, patting her shoulder with a tendril in what I hoped was a comforting manner.

“It’s not a problem. It’s just… this package is from my mother,” Kine admitted. I think Liliana let out a gasp, but she choked on it a bit so it came out as a strangled cough.

Kine looked at my owner with a tiny twitch of a grin on her lips, but quickly returned to her neutral expression. She opened her door and beckoned us inside. It seemed she wanted to talk. I was glad. She was finally getting back to normal around us.

I discreetly raised a sound proof barrier around the interior, and adjusted the wards I’d placed earlier in the year to prevent eavesdropping.

“Your mother is an elf correct?” I asked once everything was settled. If this package was from her mother, than it was possibly some sort of elfish object. Kine took a seat on the bed while Liliana sat on the chair. I was plopped down on the desk, though I first moved her stuff out of the way.

“Yes, she is. But I don’t know why she bothered to send me anything,” Kine said morosely. “I barely remember her because as soon as I was weaned I was sent to live with my father in Qwan. After that I hardly ever saw her. Once every two years if I was lucky.”

“And she never sent you any gifts or things like that?” Liliana inquired, surprised. Even among the commoners it was common to give simple presents to children on their birthdays or on special holidays. For a noble woman not to do so for her own daughter was just wrong in my owner’s eyes.

“Once or twice. Never more than a note and a book of some sort,” Kine explained.

“Kine, may I inquire if your mother is related to someone in the upper echelons of the elfish court?” Liliana asked, leaning forward in the chair. “I only ask because that mark on your package is one that belongs to the royal family of the Second Elfish Domain.”

I took a closer look at the sigil and made a note of it. It was a complicated silver knot further twisted into a diamond set on a gold background. It had a regal and domineering feel to it, and the craftsmanship that had gone into just that emblem showed a level of pride and wealth that even the Varian royal crest hadn’t been able to carry.

“She is.” That was the only answer Kine gave before she just looked with a pained expression at the gift.

‘Akasha’s Brain, are you there? Can you start looking for information on the Second Elfish Domain and their laws and culture?’

~Confirmation: Of course, I’ll begin looking right away.~

I gave a mental grin as the strange monument spoke to me. She still hadn’t left my mind, although technically she was just telepathically communicating rather than residing inside. She was a strange, but helpful, sort.

~The Second Elfish Domain is the successor state to the Grand Elfish Domain that once existed on Par-Orria and parts of Orria. However, the same disaster that ruined Val’Narash also toppled that once mighty elfin empire. Now, there are three separate elf kingdoms that compose the current Domain,~ Akasha’s Brain had informed me after barely a second passed. I nodded at that, then turned my attention back to Kine as she stared at the still wrapped parcel.

Slowly she opened it, careful not to tear the fragile paper. Once the paper lay to the side a box was in her hands. When she opened the container her hands shook as she tried to remove what was inside. Her grip faltered and a beautiful shirt fell out to the floor, slipping from insensate fingers.

“Mithril,” Liliana whispered in awe. The candle light and fading sun from the window made motes of twinkling sparks fly around the room as it collided with the metallic shirt.

~Explanation: Mithril is one of the so-called three Holy Metals alongside adamantium and orihalcum. Only elves possess the knowledge of forging and shaping this mystical ore. It is light yet hard, but does not retain an edge well. Best for defensive gear like chainmail and shields or small weapons like daggers or arrow heads.~

‘Thank you, Akasha,’ I mumbled back to the voice in my head as she explained what I was looking at. The light dancing off the mithril was hypnotic, and I couldn’t help but feel attracted to it. Perhaps the magical nature of it was what drew my attention?

“Hmm?” I saw something nestled in the shirt and reached out with a tendril to grab it. As I did I observed the countless fine interlocking rings that made up the shirt. I was impressed. They were so small you couldn’t tell from a distance that the material wasn’t solid.

“Here, there’s a note,” I revealed, passing the envelope to Kine who was still shell shocked at the contents of the package. She quickly shook her head and took the object from my tendril, opening the letter written on the same cream colored parchment as the wrapping paper.

Her eyes darted over the page before a flash of anger flickered to life in her eyes. Kine gritted her teeth and her hands trembled as she silently read the words.

“Kine?” Liliana asked hesitantly. Her head jerked up and my owner twitched slightly in shock. I pressed up against the wall, trying to avoid being in the line of fire from the tiny girls glare.

Suddenly all the anger left her and she slumped forward, the note falling to floor next to the mithril shirt. Sobs started to wrack her petite frame and tears began to drip down her face.

Without caring at all about status or appearances Liliana leapt up and wrapped Kine in a tight hug, letting the Qwanese girl cry softly into her shoulder.

As if floodgates had been thrown open all of her repressed rage and sorrow spilled forth, and she let my owner comfort her.

I reached down and plunked the note from the ground, curious as to what had made Kine so upset. Reading the note, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anger on the half-elf’s behalf.

‘Dear Kine Ro, I am pleased to hear you are unharmed after the dreadful attack on Manatrem and the Academy. This mithril shirt should fit you and perhaps add a degree of protection while you attend that decent institute.’

‘However, I am disappointed to find you are as of yet undecided as to what path of magical study you wish to pursue. You may be a half-born but you are still my daughter and thus you should never show weakness or indecisiveness. Do keep up with your studies as well. Ralesha T. L. Stargleam.’

~Notice: The current Consort-Queen and wife of the Hierarch of the Second Elfish Domain is named Ralesha Turnis Lewol Stargleam. Odds of this letter being written by her: 87 percent. Odds of Kine Ro being her daughter: 91 percent.~

‘Oh by the Divine Family this just gets better and better!’ I screamed to myself. A lot of questions fell into answers.

If what Akasha’s Brain said was right, and she usually was, then Kine was the illegitimate daughter of not just the son of the Emperor of Qwan but also of the wife of the ruler of the Second Elfish Domain! This was more than just scandal, this could be grounds for war!

I had no idea why nothing had happened between the two massive countries yet. Maybe it had and I didn’t know about. I was only a year or so old. Secret deals were also likely.

And it was clear that Kine’s own mother held little affection for her. The note was cold. I could feel no emotions in the words and that scared me a bit. Surely there must have been something?

The chainmail shirt was also void of love. It was an obligation from the Consort-Queen, nothing more.

Damn it, why did I have to like the most messed up people?

I hopped off the desk and proceeded to wrap some arms around the two girls, giving them a hug of my own. Kine’s tears had mostly dried by now, so I took out a silk handkerchief from my Dimensional Pocket and wiped her face a bit. It was tough to work around her eyeglasses but it was better than letting her eyes stay red.

As I remained in the comforting embrace of the two, I felt something tap against the wards around the room. I raised my senses toward the interruption and saw Verd the carbuncle hovering outside the window.

‘What do you want?’ I asked reaching out with a tendril and writing out my inquiry on the window with a bit of magic. The words glimmered on the glass pane for a bit before fading. In response the tiny jeweled fairy held up a stick of chalk. He then blinked in a cute manner and looked at the tool in his hand. Chalk didn’t write well on glass.

In exasperation the tiny being began to pantomime its desires and after a bit of charades I got the gist.

‘You want me to come with you now to rescue your daughter?’

Verd bobbed his head excitedly and gestured to the outside. I really didn’t want to leave Liliana and Kine alone, but I had made a promise. And you don’t break promises made to a fey. Terrible things tend to happen to those that dare to do so.

‘Fine. A deal is a deal. Let’s go.’ I carefully disentangled myself from the pair of young women and carefully slipped out the room. They barely seemed to register my departure and I was somewhat disappointed by that. Still, if the two managed to reconcile this way all was forgiven.

“Orleen, can you take care of the princess and Kine for a bit? I need to go out for the evening,” I asked as I passed by the maid on my way out of the dorm. Though she gave me a curious look she just nodded.

“I shall. Is everything alright?”

“Kine received some bad news from home,” I said, careful not to say any more than was needed. “Liliana is comforting her right now. As for me I have a prior engagement I cannot avoid.”

“Very well. Have a good evening then, Jelly.” Orleen bobbed her head towards me and proceeded up the stairs. Even though she was visibly tired from working at the field hospital her main duty was still towards the princess.

“Alright Verd, where do we need to go?” I asked, briefly observing the flittering form of the emerald carbuncle as I stepped outside. He flew down towards me and pointed off to a part of the campus not being used for relief aide.

I followed him to the menagerie, still full of animals both magical and mundane. Many had panicked during the battle with the wyverns; some parts of the zoo were damaged and a few animals had managed to escape. the whole area was closed off for the time being until repairs were done.

“Is this where your daughter is?” I asked, confused. Verd shook his head and held up the chalk from earlier before scrawling a fairly large and complex looking magical array on the ground.

“Verd?”

~Observation: This appears to be a Planeswalking transfer ritual array, used for moving between dimensions and planes of reality. Only those beings who have done so before can utilize this particular array.~ Akasha’s Brain explained what I was seeing the fairy create, but her voice seemed unusually worried.

‘Are you alright?’

~Warning: It is unknown whether our mental connection will last across multiple realities.~

‘I see. Well, even if you can’t keep up with me, I’ll have Verd for help. Don’t worry too much and I’ll be back here in a flash,’ I replied, trying to cover up my own concerns.

The only time I’d visited another realm was by accident, and I had ended up astral projecting myself onto Pluton’s Hellish Plane of Suffering, one of the dreaded levels of the underworld. This time around it seemed I would be physically and intentionally going to another dimension.

~Query: Have you had much experience with dimensional travel?~

“The Headmaster’s given me the barest overview of Planeswalking and what other domains exist. I know some of the theory of how to do astral projections and travel across planes of reality, but never actually done it,” I admitted. It was a high level of magic, Level Seven at a minimum, and the average mage could only pull off Level Five spells or techniques. It was elite magic.

~N-Notice: But-but I don’t want to be alone again…~

‘Akasha?’ The monument had uttered something odd, and I tried to contact her again but her presence slipped away as if embarrassed she had been heard. I didn’t have more time to try as Verd gestured towards the completed magic array.

I slid into the center of the circle and Verd landed on top of me before the array began to glow and pulse with an overwhelming amount of magic. I was blinded, both in my physical senses as well as magical, by the sharp explosion of energy that enveloped me.

I was picked up and slowly pulled apart into tiny little pieces, and then those chunks of me were tossed down a narrow tube. I was twisted and squeezed and pinched and pulled in darkness. I could see nothing, hear nothing, smell and taste nothing. Only the discomfort of dimensional travel seemed to exist, and then I fell into existence with a heavy thump.

“Next time we’re taking the carriage,” I snarked to my travel companion, and I’d swear I could hear Verd laughing at me. Oh wait, he was. Damn little fairy. I reoriented myself and looked around, gazing at the place we had ended up.

“Well, we’re certainly not in Varia anymore.”

After all, last time I checked, my home kingdom didn’t have a cave that was full of thousands of carbuncles.

Chapter 15: Caves and cages

For a moment I was overwhelmed by the luminous cavern Verd and I had appeared in. Countless carbuncles darted around, their glows melding into a rainbow medley of light that turned everything into a kaleidoscope.

As for the cave in question, the roof was lost as it soared upwards beyond my senses into the gloom. The stone all appeared to be pure white marble and in part of the walls I could glimpse tiny crevasses and nooks where carbuncles tended to piles of scrap metal and ore.

The feykin noticed our presence and silently swarmed around us, all sounds of merriment and play gone in a flash when our intrusion was spotted. However, Verd made a series of hand gestures while speaking in a tongue that was impossibly musical. Even the elfish language, a beautiful and lilting one, paled in the emotions the fey speech invoked.

As Verd communicated with his kin I quickly realized why he never spoke around the other mages; his voice was enchanting. No wonder people captured carbuncles for their ability to sing!

After my companion’s conversation ended he flew down and scribbled onto the floor with the leftover stub of chalk in his hand.

“I’m not going to be attacked? That’s good,” I said in a joking tone, eyeing the tiny fairies. I wanted to dismiss the threat, I really did, but I had turned off my magical senses lest they be overpowered. If they all worked together these carbuncles could topple a city or two with their raw power alone.

“Are they going to help us find your daughter?” I inquired, looking around. Verd shook his head sadly and scribbled something out.

“It’s her fault for being captured, so they don’t care? That’s awfully cruel,” I complained and Verd shrugged and wrote a response.

‘It is the way of the fey. If you make a mess, you clean it up yourself.’

“Fine, that makes sense I suppose. Where are we? And where is she being held?” I asked, looking around for a passageway or landmark or something.

‘We are currently within Gaeum, the Elemental Plane of Earth,’ Verd scrawled. ‘Specifically, the hidden carbuncle village in the Marble Region of the realm. As for my daughter, she was captured by dwarf hunters a few weeks ago, so we need to move now to reach their base before they leave.’

“Okay. Akasha, what can you tell me about Gaeum?” I asked, speaking out loud since no one besides the carbuncles was around. There was a long pause, and for a moment I was worried the distance was too great, but after a bit her voice came to me, albeit extremely weak.

~Explanation: Gaeum is the Elemental Plane of Earth, one of the primary realms within the Aether. It is the source of all that comes from the soil. Any and all metals and ore can be found here, as well as numerous spirits and creatures that dwell below the dirt,~ Akasha’s Brain said before her voice took on a relieved tone. ~Notice: I missed you. Confession: I was afraid we had become separated.~

“I’m glad we’re still connected as well. Now sit back and enjoy the ride,” I said with a mental smirk, and followed the impatient Verd.

The two of us slipped through the tiny fairy tunnel and proceeded for close to five hours, meandering through side passages, crossing over other caverns, and at times hopping through spatial distortions that, according to Verd and Akasha’s Brain, were Warp Portals that allowed a traveler to move vast distances instantly. Apparently the realms of the Aether were infinite, or at least so massive no one had ever found their limits. As such short cuts were often needed and used.

~Back Story: Gaeum in particular is exceedingly hard to navigate as everything is underground. There is no sky, only a roof of stone. You could dig upwards for years and never penetrate it. ‘Up’ and ‘down’ only exist thanks to the gravity which holds you down,~ Akasha’s Brain helpfully supplied as we traveled.

After a lengthy journey we emerged from countless tunnels and Warp Portals in the ceiling of another cavern. It was massive, wide enough to fit a modestly sized town, and as tall as twenty feet in some spots. Below were a number of crude stone structures, ranging from squat homes to larger warehouses and shops. There were only two entrances that could accommodate a human; one to the north was heavily guarded and seemed to be a tollbooth, while the second, smaller one was in a place that was harder to reach. An emergency exit by the look of things.

The village was inhabited by all manner of folk, mainly dwarves, but I spotted a few humans and gnomes. I think an orc walked by, but I was fairly high up and not sure. Maybe just a human wearing green armor?

In spite of our distant vantage point none of the villagers looked like calm or kind individuals. They seemed rough and crude and were all equipped with a mismatch of armor and weapons.

‘This is an outlaw town, one of several in Gaeum,’ Verd explained with some chalk. ‘They illegally harvest minerals and capture creatures.’

“How did they get here? Are they all Planeswalkers?” I whispered, surprised by the number of them. Thankfully none of them had the sense to look up.

‘No, there are natural dimensional rifts here and there on Erafore that lead all across the Aether. Planeswalking is extremely complicated so natural portals are guarded and prized.’

~Confirmation: The Emerald Carbuncle is correct. Most portals are controlled by a kingdom, but some small ones may be held by criminal elements. Judging by their attire these men likely belong to one such faction,~ Akasha’s Brain chimed in.

“Alright, they’re criminals. Where would they keep kidnapped carbuncles?” I asked and Verd pointed down at a large mansion that dominated the town.

“Ah, yes. All the good loot is kept at the heart of the operation.” Of course throwing ourselves into an unknown place and situation would be risky so we spent a few minutes discussing tactics.

“Verd, stay at our landing spot and draw up a Planeswalking array so our group could flee as soon as we retrieve your daughter and any other kidnapped carbuncles. I’ll do most of the leg work by infiltrating the manor.” Verd had done a bit of snooping around before he enlisted my help so he was able to sketch out a simple floor plan of the building.

‘Very well, I procured some additional chalk.’

I oozed down the ceiling. Thankfully Verd helped a bit by grabbing onto me and gently slowing my descent.

We landed atop the flat roof of one of the larger buildings. It was located fairly close to the manor, literally a roof jump away.

“Alright. Akasha’s Brain, you’re with me.”

~Sarcastic Retort: Because I have so many other options.~

It wasn’t a bad plan. I did have far more versatility with movement and sneaking, plus I could use a variety of spells and tricks that would help thanks to my existence as an Ooze. But I couldn’t help but feel that Verd was pawning off all the hard work onto me.

That didn’t matter at the moment though. There were fairies to rescue!

Sliding off the roof, I wiggled toward a hole that from the smell of it led into a sewage system of some sort and maneuvered through the pipes the riddled the mansion. Thanks to traveling through the tunnels of Gaeum with Verd I was now an expert at squeezing through small spaces.

The pipe had deposited me in a bathroom. I summoned globs of water and used a few cantrips to wipe myself off and eliminate the stench of the pipe, partly to prevent being sniffed out by the thugs, and partly because I wasn’t interested in remaining filthy and rank any longer than I had to.

I hurried out of the bathing room as fast as I could. The inside of the building was not luxurious, but was of a higher quality than I had expected. The stones were all smooth and identical in size, from the flagstones to the bricks in the wall, evidence that a lot of work had been put in. Alternating between granite and limestone, the manor was four stories tall with a basement, the latter serving as the warehouse for the best of the loot. It was the largest building in the outcast village, and more than once I had to squash myself into the shadows of a corner or decoration to hide from guards that patrolled the halls.

I could have used illusions to cover myself, but according to Verd and my own observations there were wards around the basement that would alert the patrols if someone tried to use illusions or magic to bypass the defenses. Better to just deal with the whole mission using my natural abilities rather than risk discovery with spells.

At long last I located the stairs leading into the basement and I nudged the door open a smidge so I could slip past. I decided it would be easier to roll down the stairs than to take them one at a time so I reached the landing slightly dizzy from the tumble.

“Impressive,” I murmured, looking over the vast underground storage area. Dozens of crates sat in neat stacks alongside casks of wine, beer and strong liquor.

Further beyond, past the perishables and everyday necessities, was a row of cages and glass cases as well as sturdy boxes and chests. In them were various creatures and organisms likely taken from Gaeum’s subterranean ecosystem.

I saw an Ooze that looked like it was made of silvery liquid metal bottled next to a pair of purple bats that fluttered weakly inside a birdcage, while ferocious snarling emerged from a lizard seemingly made of rubble as it gnawed at the bars of its container. A sad snuffle came from a massive golden furred mole which followed my sneaking with blind eyes.

Amid the captive menagerie I spotted a number of carbuncles, each in their own separate filigree cage. At first glance their prisons seemed flimsy, but on closer inspection each slender cage was made from mithril. The price of each cage alone was a fortune, but a single carbuncle could sell for a lot more and was worth the extra protection.

That reminded me that there were supposed to be magical defenses. Reaching out with my senses I felt a number of wards and runes placed along the ceiling, walls, and some of the containers. From basic alarm charms to surprisingly complex anti-magic seals, the basement was full of traps and tricks. A lot of them were centered on the illegals spoils of the Elemental Plane.

Breaking the carbuncles out was going to be harder than I thought, especially since there were quite a few defenses designed solely for use against feykin. Seems like Verd really couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to. If he so much as touched anything countless spells would tear him apart.

Slithering over to the carbuncles I drew some attention from the other imprisoned animals, but for the most part their glances were bestial and carried no intelligence behind them. I felt slightly bad when the Quicksliver Ooze in the oversized bottle tried to communicate with me and I ignored it.

“Is one of you the daughter of an Emerald Carbuncle named Verd?” I inquired in a whisper, and there was a slight flurry of surprise from the trapped fairies. One of them timidly raised her hand, and I took note of her appearance.

Like the other carbuncles I’d seen this one was lead grey and looked just like a miniature elf. However, her features were feminine and there was a ruby set in her chest that made the glass-like wings bathe the area around her in a crimson light. That glow was faded thanks to captivity, but other than that I could see no damage on her body.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your father sent me to get you out of here,” I said kindly in a tone I hoped was soothing. The Ruby Carbuncle leaned forward in her cage, eyes wide and hope glimmering inside. The other trapped fey fluttered about and let out bursts of excited words in their tantalizing language at the news.

“Stay calm and I’ll have you all out in no time,” I declared, and reached out towards the lock on the cage containing Verd’s child. Cautiously I slipped my tendril into the slot and let it expand slightly before fiddling around with the mechanism inside. After a tense moment there was a soft ‘click!’ as I undid the lock and I let out a sigh of relief. Success!

A normal lock pick would be too small to fit inside the miniscule lock, and any attempts to use a spell would light up the alarms and draw every thug in the manor towards the basement. But I had a semi-liquid body that could seep into even the smallest spots and with a bit of effort it was possible to unlock it.

To be honest, I hadn’t had much practice with this technique. Once or twice back at the royal palace in Sanc Aldet, and a few times at the Academy I’d tried this for fun, but I’d never really trained myself to do this, and I was grinning inside my mind at my minor victory.

The Ruby Carbuncle shot out of the now open cage and desperately hugged me in thanks, weeping softly now that there was a chance at freedom. The others started to clamor and I shushed them hastily before reaching out and unlocking their own containers.

“Now, before you come out, be very careful! There are still wards set up, so unless you want to be captured again, be still and silent,” I warned, getting some nods.

Once they were free the feykin started to fly around and rejoice, mostly keeping their actions on the down low.

But we still needed an exit strategy. Verd’s portal could take him, his daughter, and myself, but the rest of the carbuncles would have to make their way back to the nest the long way. And that meant running from bandits and thieves on their home turf. A distraction would be best.

And then I found the answer! Smirking in my head I raised a tendril and pointed at the other trapped animals.

“Be calm and at peace,” I murmured, and the Calm spell I’d learned from Blott back in class came to life, bathing the underground with a soft glow. The beasts all fell still, some yawned and even fell asleep!

Belatedly I remembered the wards, but they hadn’t activated. I guessed that the smugglers used that spell often enough to handle their cargo so it wouldn’t be registered as a problem.

Then I got to work, unlocking the cages of the remaining animals before ushering the carbuncles out of the basement. Once the spell wore off, many of the animals would end up breaking free, and all manners of joyous havoc would occur, distracting the thieves from the real prison break!

Until then I would escort the jewel fairies back to the rooftop. It was a lot harder trying to make the carbuncles do anything though.

‘Trying to make a fey do something it does not want to is like herding cats,’ so said a famous diplomat and traveler. I fully agreed with their sentiment. The carbuncles, even Verd’s daughter, wanted to explore the basement and touch the stuff that interested them. In the end I had to wrap my tendrils around them to keep them from wandering off.

Thankfully they did not take offense to this. In fact the feykin seemed to find this hilarious and all part of a game.

It was strange. Surreal in a way. Here I was, barely a year old, and yet I had to act as a mature parent figure to a bunch of creatures that were probably at least a century old at the youngest. Life truly was weird at times.

“Yes, yes, I know it is fun. We can play more when we get out,” I said softly, my voice taking on a crooning tone.

‘Ugh, by the gods, humans actually like to do this baby talk? I feel like my core is about to tear itself from my body out of sheer embarrassment,’ I said to myself, wincing as I heard my tone. The carbuncles enjoyed it though, probably because they found the image of me making a fool of myself hilarious.

~Conclusion: Odds of the carbuncles being amused by your antics are 96%,~ Akasha’s Brain uttered. I had a feeling she too had joined in on the teasing.

~Protest: How could you ever think such a thing? I’m hurt!~

‘Just keep a lookout for any unusual magic please, Akaska. I have enough to deal with here already without your sass,’ I replied and I felt a laugh bounce around in my head for a bit before her attention focused elsewhere.

Sliding through the corridors and hallways of the mansion was slow, as the half dozen carbuncles were making it hard to move easily. Still, they seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and settled down once we avoided a patrol at the last minute thanks to Akasha’s warnings.

I allowed the sentient monolith access to a few of my bodily functions, so she could manage the more advanced sensory abilities I possessed while I focused on the fairies. This wasn’t an ideal situation though, as the physical distance between the two of us meant she reacted slower. Not to mention this was our first time to try something like this.

It was honestly very uncomfortable sharing my body with another mind in this way. Like I was trying to fit two people into a single tunic. One wrong act could burst it all open, and I wasn’t keen on finding out what that would mean for me.

But at the same time it was the best option. There was a lot I had to do in order to escape, and she’d saved our posteriors more than once from guards.

~WARNING! Two living signatures detected coming from the left!~

Akasha’s Brain’s warning came too late this time. A pair of male figures, one human and one dwarf, had popped out of one of my major blind spots: a corner. Those damn sharp edges mixed with solid stone and several wards dulls my echolocation and limits my magical senses.

“What in the…?”

I don’t give the dwarf a chance to say anything more before I plunged a tendril into his throat, piercing and dissolving flesh. He was shorter than the human and thus an easier target for me who was low to the ground.

“Breakout! We’ve got a breakout!” his human partner screamed, a hand flying to his belt to grab something. I barreled past him as the carbuncles giggled at the unexpected skirmish, though the sight of me killing the dwarf made Verd’s daughter wince and look away.

‘Sorry little girl but I can’t afford to play nice right now!’ I made a mental note to apologize to her later though.

All through the manor a stinging wail erupted, the sound sharp and utterly grating to my mind. It didn’t seem like the noise felt any better to the carbuncles either, their hands over their ears, faces scrunched up in pain.

~Note: The Level Three spell Mass Alarm has been triggered. Only individuals who are carrying the counterspell charm will not be affected. The spell is a sonic attack to render others comatose. Evacuate the premise quickly!~

“No need to tell me twice!” I growled, quickly cutting off my ability to hear. The vibrations still sent tremors through my jiggly flesh, but it was much less painful. On the brightside, the carbuncles had fallen unconscious from the noise so they were easier to handle!

That was where the good luck ended for me, however. The sound was booming across the entire village and the thugs were swarming like bees from a kicked hive. Both exits were closed and all the buildings were sealed tight.

“Hiyaah!” A man with alcohol soaked breathe burst out of a door to my right swinging a knife randomly. He was drunk, and thus easily evaded, but more and more of the smugglers were combing the halls and most of them were sober.

“Burn you monster!” A fireball was hurled at me from a mage who was standing at the end of the corridor. I countered it by using an overpowered Summon Water cantrip to turn his flames into steam before it could strike me or the jewel fairies. Through the sudden mist I plunged and ended the mage’s life with a poison drenched tendril to the heart.

“Thwip!” I recoiled as a crossbow bolt laced with sedatives thudded into my body. The impact was more harmful than the narcotic though, and I sent a volley of Magic Arrows toward the dwarf assailant. As for the bolt, I ate it, eagerly using the wood and metal to replenish my energy by even a meagre sliver.

I could have eaten the people I’d slain, and probably should have given how much energy I was using to make this escape. But I refused. I would eat monsters and beasts without intelligence, but I would never consume another thinking, feeling creature like a human or dwarf.

I didn’t want to be like the rest of my kin: eating everything endlessly without remorse. I had been blessed with a mind and soul and by the gods and Liliana I was going to keep it as clean as possible!

Soon I realized the alarm had other effects too, though not ones the bandits had expected. The noise shattered the effects of my Calm spell and after a minute or so I could hear screaming as angry monsters burst out of the basement and ran rampant around the ground floor. I was on the third level myself, trying to reach the roof to jump across to the building to where Verd was waiting.

There it was! The door to the roof! To freedom! I blew the door into splinters with some Magic Arrows and bounced up the stairs with a speed I hadn’t known I possessed.

Over to the right! I could see Verd, a tiny green dot, down on the roof nearby, about two stories below and fifteen feet across. We could make it!

Now that we were outside the sound from the shrill alarm abated and the carbuncles began to stir. Alright, just a few more feet…

~WARNING! Jelly, jump!~

‘Huh?’ Confused, I did as she commanded, but felt something flash beneath me.

I’d barely gotten one inch off the ground before it felt like heavy chains had grabbed me and I was pinned to the roof, only able to wiggle about helplessly.

WARNING! The Level Four hex Immobilize has been activated! Your movements have been limited!~ Akasha cried and I tried to thrash about.

It was useless. The spell was strong and I’d used up a lot of energy to get in and out of the smuggler’s headquarters. I wasn’t able to draw forth enough power to break out!

I had plenty of mana but I’d only just begun to master it and my mind was strained and exhausted from using multiple tendrils at once as well as a myriad of other spells and abilities.

“And you said it was a waste of gold to layer the entire roof with that hex,” a sneering voice called out from behind me. I moved my sight to observe the speaker.

Coming up to the roof was a finely dressed dwarf accompanied by a human in black leather armor.

“I’ll admit, I was skeptical. But the results speak for themselves,” the dwarf said, sparing me a look before turning his attention back to his human companion.

The dwarf was slightly rotund but had none of the unhealthy pallor of an overweight individual. In fact his skin was bronze colored, like a deep tan. His beard was jet black and judging from the braiding and how its length reached his belt buckle he was a merchant or perhaps an administrator. His clothing was ornate but it was clearly meant for someone taller and it made him look like a fancy pillow. He had no visible weapons but I could detect a number of magical items on his person.

As for the human, his skin was pale and his head was shaved bald. Not even eyebrows could were visible. Leather armor the color of tar had a faint sheen to it, and a few tarnished silver buckles held up a bandoleer of throwing knives. At his waist a short sword was sheathed while a claw-like gauntlet was strapped to his left arm, giving his hand a brutal, bestial appearance.

The man’s taunting grin flickered slightly as he took in what exactly his trap had captured, but it quickly reasserted itself.

“So, what in the Hells did we catch? It looks like a slime,” the black-clad man mused, peering at me with suspicious eyes.

“That’s a Royal Ooze! They’re very rare and worth thousands!” the dwarf exclaimed, a greedy look entering his eyes as he appraised me.

“Seriously? I always thought they’d be bigger. This thing must be the runt of the litter,” the thief sneered, folding his arms across his chest as he looked me over. I shivered under his gaze. There was nothing pleasant or wholesome in that look. I wanted to be as far from him as I could.

“Well, go tell the boys downstairs to fetch the carbuncle’s cages. I’m going to pluck this slime’s core and end this,” the bald man declared, striding towards me. The feykin I was still clutching started to struggle in fear. They too saw the ugliness of his soul.

However, the wards on the roof weakened them, and the hex had sealed their movements as well. Even if they could move though, without magic a carbuncle is extremely weak and barely more mobile than a human toddler.

“Wait! Creatures like that are worth more alive instead of dead!” the dwarf protested.

“This thing managed to break into our base, sneak out six pieces of our merchandise, and released the others. Which, by the way, are still making a mess,” the bald cutthroat snarled. “I’m not taking any risks by keeping this monster alive. Plus, he killed three of my own men. His death is a fair price to pay.”

The merchant looked like he wanted to argue some more, but the human was intimidating, and even if they were allies it was clear who had the real power in this relationship.

“Fine. Just keep the core intact. That can be sold for several hundred gold at the least.”

Shit! There wasn’t anything I could do! I was trapped, and if I didn’t find a way out, the carbuncles would be dead! And me as well! Damn it, I just three feet from the edge! If only I could get closer…

A crazy idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. I suddenly began to laugh, startling the two people on the roof as well as the fairies I was holding.

“It can speak?” The merchant was both incredulous and excited, while the human was suddenly wary. ‘If it can think, it can fight’ was one of the most well-known tenets of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“I can. But, I’m afraid I can’t let you go, knowing this. After all, it would cause my owner a lot of trouble if it was revealed I was going around rescuing creatures from smugglers,” I declared, which made the thief scoff. He didn’t relax though, and drew his sword. The blade oozed malevolence.

~Warning! The metal of the sword has been tempered in blood, and carries a curse to cause any wound it makes to bleed heavily and heal slowly. It is Blood Iron, an illegal crafting material.~ I pushed Akasha’s alert to the back of my mind. Now was not the time for trivia.

“Amusing. But this Immobilize hex has enough power to completely stop the movements of a Giant. So just lie there and die.”

“You know what’s really amusing? The fact that you were right about me being smaller than normal,” I retorted, before activating my trap. Step one, secrete some glue-like fluids from my skin so the carbuncles don’t get loose. Step two, let it all out!

Have you ever run head first into a fluffy mattress or futon? No? Well, the impact was sort of like that, but the mattress was running into you instead. In less than a second my natural shape reasserted itself as my excess mass, which had been sealed inside my Dimensional Pocket, gushed outwards, expanding me to several times my smaller size. I was huge now, taking up more than half of the roof and large portions of me were now sagging over the edge.

My soft and supple body slammed heavily into the thief first and the merchant second. Because I was coated in a sticky substance they were stuck to me, face first and suffocating in my goopy flesh.  I quickly put them out of their misery by wrapping a bit of myself around their heads and melting them to mush before spitting their corpses away. I did steal the merchant’s items and devour the cursed sword. The artifacts could be useful and, well, you could never have enough tools. The latter tasted unpleasant, like grave dirt mixed with a sickly sweet coppery tang.

But I had won. I was quite proud of myself to be honest.

~Praise: Your actions were quite devious and you made excellent use of your foe’s overconfidence.~

‘Thanks Akasha. But couldn’t you call me ‘clever’ rather than devious?’ I asked with a grump.

As for the carbuncles, they were safe, their bodies stuck to me even once my tentacles receded into my expanding mass. Giggles and laughter told me they were enjoying the experience of being glued to me.

Our mood of celebration was interrupted by a sudden creaking groan from the roof.

~Caution: Your mass has now reached half a ton in weight! Sudden distribution of weight is compromising structural integrity of building surface!~

“What?! I’m that heavy?! No, wait, how is this breaking the roof? It looked far sturdier!” I cried, suddenly very worried.

~Report: Even a well-made structure can suffer strain if unexpected weight suddenly appears. Also, one of the stolen creatures was a Great Golden Mole, which is known for being able to dig through solid stone quite quickly. It is possible it has undermined the integrity of the foundations during its escape.~

“Joy,” I uttered. Thankfully the hex that had trapped me was released as the roof started to crack and its magical array was disrupted. Freed, I sucked my mass back into myself and hurled myself over the edge towards Verd before the roof could cave in. Ultimately it didn’t. Though it did sag slightly. To be honest I wouldn’t have minded if it collapsed. Just not with me on it.

“OK, Verd, I got your daughter,” I said, panting slightly as I unstuck the ruby carbuncle and her friends from my side.

A look of pure joy and happiness appeared instantly on the emerald fairy as he swept up his daughter into a crushing hug. Judging from the way she struggled in his grasp and her abashed look she was completely embarrassed by it all.

The other five carbuncles laughed a bit at their comrade’s plight before they flew down giving me hugs, or at least trying to do so. I chuckled as I patted their heads fondly, and they suddenly began to glow.

THE EARTH SEES MUCH AND REMEMBERS ALL THOU WHO ART WITH A HEART OF GOLD SHALL FOREVER BE A FRIEND OF THE JEWELED FEY

It was a voice unlike any I had ever heard. It echoed deeply within my very soul and the words came to my mind from the stones of the roof, ceiling, and cavern itself, transmitted by the will and blessing of the carbuncles.

After a moment the feykin ceased glowing and released me before flying up into the hole on the ceiling.

‘Erald, the Primordial of Earth, has spoken. You are now blessed by his bounty,’ Verd said, drawing my attention by using the tiny stub of remaining chalk to scribble a final message. Before I could ask what that meant he cut me off with an addendum to his words.

‘We must go now, before the slavers think to search the roofs.’

I nodded in agreement and slipped carefully on the magical array, which was nearly identical to the one Verd had used to bring the pair of us to Gaeum. There were subtle differences here and there, perhaps because there was an extra passenger, or we were leaving instead of entering? Whatever the reason crackling green and gold sparks popped up and swallowed us all, with Verd clutching his daughter and myself feeling utterly exhausted.

But, there was a feeling of pride within me regardless of my weariness. I’d done some good today, and the smiles of a reunited family was worth it all in my opinion.

Chapter 16: Divine revelations

As soon as we popped back into the material plane I had a feeling something had happened. First off, it was dawn, so I had already broken curfew.

Second, the moment the glow of the Planeswalking array faded and deposited us into the outskirts of the menagerie, the three of us were surrounded by faculty who were pointing staves, wands, rods, and canes at us.

Verd and his daughter shot their arms up into the air in the universal gesture of surrender, while I shrank in on myself and kept low, trying to avoid looking like a threat.

“Stand down, it’s just Verd and Princess Liliana’s slime!” one of the teachers called out. Professor Orbel pushed his way to the front crowd, who didn’t look relaxed even though our identities had been revealed. I saw Blott and Professor Helestra standing to one side, and recognized a few other staff members in the group. Their gazes were on the second carbuncle, but seeing how she clung to Verd they seemed to be willing to group her as an acquaintance of some sort.

“What’s going on? Has something happened?” I asked haltingly, afraid to draw attention to myself.

“You could say that,” Orbel said slowly. “I’m afraid that you need to be escorted to the headmaster so you can explain what you were doing throwing around dimensional magic like that. All of you.”

He fixed Verd with a sharp, knowing look and the tiny green and grey fairy had the decency to seem abashed.

He and another teacher, the Arithmancy professor if I was correct, led us away to the Soul Building and Arnolt’s office while the other faculty members broke off into teams of twos and threes and continued to patrol the grounds.

Professor Orbel kept silent the whole way, and even though I tried to get information out of him no answers came forth. The other teacher mentioned something about a theft before the Magic Theory instructor shot him a warning glare.

At the Soul Building there were even more people scurrying around. I saw Petrus dashing about, raising and checking wards and was about to give a wave to him but we were bustled off to the headmaster’s room without ceremony.

“Playing around with alternate worlds is something I thought we had talked about in detail, Jelly. Or perhaps there’s another reason I felt Planeswalking magic being activated?” Headmaster Arnolt demanded, anger clear in his eyes while I trembled. Even the carbuncles, though not in the line of fire yet, were afraid.

Verd took a deep breath and flew in front of me, making gestures with his hands. Apparently the headmaster understood their meaning and his rage subsided before he looked at the ruby-studded carbuncle hanging back near me.

“We’ll have a talk about your actions later, Verd. Good intentions or not, taking my students on dangerous adventurers without my permission is not something I can overlook. For now though I suppose I cannot punish you too harshly, Jelly,” Arnolt sighed. He then slumped in his chair and withdrew a large bottle of whiskey from his desk.

The tiny caretaker of the Academy gave a quick bow before escorting his daughter out of the room. She waved farewell to me before the pair disappeared through a ceiling vent, likely one of the many ways Verd moved about the campus in secret.

“So, what exactly happened to stir up all this activity?” I probed. I had stayed in the room since he had not dismissed me, and I felt he wanted to speak with me based on the way he kept glancing at me.

“Someone broke into the Academy close to midnight,” the headmaster said without preamble. “Research pertaining to very unsettling rituals were stolen. Not to mention that the corpses of those assassins back at the beginning of the year vanished as well.”

“Someone actually stole corpses?” I asked, confused. “For what purpose?”

“You can do a lot with a dead body,” Arnolt said darkly. “Necromancy is the most obvious use, but the bodies of powerful warriors or mages can be dissected and their talents ‘harvested’ for lack of a better word. Bloodline Traits are a favorite target for many Black Market dealers. It’s why nobles tend to have elaborate defenses for their crypts and tombs. Some lineages have powerful and dangerous secrets and skills that could be worth lots to the right person.”

“That’s-that’s sick!” I cried, unsettled by the thought of someone plundering the dead just for some advantage in battle.

“Yes, it is. But these circumstances are worrisome for another matter. The assassins had been heavily modified, and the research that was stolen pertains to what was attempted on them.”

“Why are you telling me this? This sounds like nothing I should be involved in,” I interrupted, cutting off the headmaster. Arnolt looked more like a tired old man than any instance before, and he took a long gulp of the potent alcohol before looking at me.

“A matter has recently come to my notice that might put the princess in danger. I have a feeling that what happened last night was connected somehow.”

I understood what my mentor was trying to tell me. The more I knew, the better I could protect my owner. I bobbled slightly in understanding and Arnolt dragged a hand over his face.

“The men who attacked all those weeks ago had been made into pseudo-Familiars.”

“I thought such a thing was impossible! Professor Helestra said humans couldn’t have that happen to them because of the nature of their soul!”

“True, but there are those who still try. The benefits of a slave-like human or other such individual who could bolster a mage’s magical potential is too much of a temptation for some, sadly. One of the more talented men to come close to succeeding in this matter was a former teacher at the Academy. He went rogue and fled once we found out he was using students and kidnapped children to perform his experiments on,” Headmaster Arnolt growled, tipping back more whiskey into his gullet before continuing.

“His data was seized and should have been destroyed, but despite his madness there was a chance his work could benefit the Conjuration School. In the end, I chose to allow the work to be sealed and studied only rarely. That was a mistake.”

“How does this relate to Liliana?” I demanded, inpatient.

“Do you know what the Bloodline Trait of the Varian Royal Family is?” Arnolt inquired.

“It is known as Miraculous Mystery. It supposedly can make the impossible happen, and it is unknown how it works or knows when to activate. It just does.” Unsaid were my suspicions that it was the source of my own soul and mind.

“Indeed. But that is just the tip. Recorded in history are instances of the Roan family, and first the Ar-Varia family, doing odd and impossible things. Like calling down a rain of meteors to shatter a demonic invasion back in 2230, or healing a city of a plague.” Arnolt’s lips twisted in a grin, and then a grimace, as he recalled the ancient tales. I slowly began to comprehend the implications.

“Miraculous Mystery can do things beyond what the owner of the Trait can possibly do. But, if the owner of the Bloodline Trait were to be made into a Familiar, such an ability would become the Contractor’s to use as they wished,” the headmaster said.

“And because a Familiar is a being that is bound, body and soul, to the mage, the mage can use even sealed, passive Traits at will,” I finished for Arnolt, horror filling my mind as I realized what this could mean if my owner, or any of the royal family, were turned into a puppet; devastation on an unprecedented scale.

“But we don’t know if that could even work!” I protested. “If Miraculous Mystery only works when it has to, then shouldn’t it be safe from tampering? And why is the princess in danger all of a sudden because of this?” I hopped onto the headmaster’s desk, scattering a few papers in the process. Neither of us cared; we were too engrossed in our conversation.

“‘A child, newly bloomed and born of royal blood, will seep and stain the world with their will. Wrapped in purple with a heart of gold, none may deny their truth. The Lily will be their sigil, their mother, their sister, their savior. The Golden Dove will bless them. Knowledge will flow to them, the earth will tend to them. Should they deem the world impure, so shall the Void claim it. Yet if they die with love in their soul no force on Erafore may sever a millennium of peace.’”

“What is that?”

“That, my dear Jelly, was a Gods-Damned prophecy,” Arnolt grumbled, draining a third of the bottle before stopping. “It was spoken two years ago by the head Oracle of Cynthia’s temple. Then again by the head Oracle of Nia, Selika, Kardale, the Knight-God, Gaea… pretty much every deity that exists on Erafore has conveyed this message. When a single god gives a prophecy, you listen, but try not to worry. If two or three gods give the same prophecy, you start to pay attention because this is clearly an important issue. But if every single god, from humans, to elves, to dwarves, to even orcs, has decided to pass on these exact words, then you start panicking because something that will destroy the world is going to happen soon.”

“No one has any idea what it means though. Some parts are obvious. ‘Wrapped in purple’ is often a metaphor for royalty. But other than that, we have no clue. Some think it relates to someone named after the Martyred Saintess, the original Liliana, your princess’ namesake, because the lily flower was her emblem and where her name was born. She might be targeted because of this.”

“And because she possesses Miraculous Mystery, the odds are a lunatic might try and kidnap her to use her Bloodline Trait. And, if this lunatic were to have a way to gain control of her powers, like through a Familiar bonding…”

“We’d all be doomed,” I finished for Arnolt. He just snorted, but did nothing to show he disagreed.

Some parts of the prophecy felt uncomfortable to me, as if there was a ringing in non-existent ears after I was told it.

“Who was the mage whose research might be a problem in the future?” I inquired after a moment of silence, and the headmaster looked at his hands for a while, remembering the past.

“Koldel, a bright student and one of Professor Helestra’s coworkers. Now, I believe you have class in a few hours. Perhaps it would be best to get a smidge of sleep beforehand,” Arnolt said, declaring the meeting over.

As I open the door and slipped through, I caught a glimpse of the legendary X-rank mage staring hard at his drink. Just staring.

I left, feeling like I had let him down somehow.

 “I still can’t believe any of this.”

“What you believe matters little. Only that the client has what she desires.”

“Are you serious? This crazy bint has spent so much gold on this when she could have run away and lived elsewhere, or better yet, done a much more simple and cheap revenge scheme!” A portly man threw up his hands in annoyance, his patience stretched thin by their employer’s aggravating commands.

“And what does she have to show for it? Nothing! Plus, she made you return immediately after stealing when we could have just taken the princess too! Now we have to go back and forth trying to get past heightened security each time!”

A noncommittal grunt came from the second man. His rich, bronze colored flesh was tanned and hardened by a lifetime in the sands of Saluda. Dark eyes stared ahead with unwavering purpose. The oddly matched pair marched quickly down the halls of the worn down manor that served as their base.

“Is that all you have to say?” the mage demanded. The Saludan assassin merely shrugged.

“Do you think any of this will even work?” Koldel asked with a sigh.

“I too am curious as to the validity of her assertions. I am aware of at least three other royal daughters with the name of Liliana who could fit this prophecy. Including Tashel’s Crown Princess if I recall my facts correctly,” the assassin mused, stroking his goatee with weathered hands.

“It is true that the Holonburg Family could fit the list, however certain tests have been made that point to Princess Liliana Roan as the most likely candidate for the one spoken of in the Oracle’s words.” Koldel knew he had the assassin’s attention now and he turned to his companion.

“There’s a way to locate those who are involved in a prophecy. It is known as the Quest spell, and is fairly complicated to pull off, mostly due to the massive cost in mana. Basically it gives a general direction of what a prophecy refers to. It isn’t perfect, but I have cast it twice, and both times the spell points to Liliana Roan, or at least her general location,” Koldel explained.

“Interesting,” Fourth Dagger said. A few moments of silence later and they arrived at the tea room the pair had been in before, still musty and with the furniture covered in dust cloths.

The former countess stared darkly at the duo as they entered. And no matter how dangerous they might have been, no matter their individual kill count or atrocities committed, there was something unsettling about Liliana Darpel, aunt of their target.

It wasn’t her clear obsession with revenge or her declining mental state. In their line of work such things were not uncommon. It was the fact that despite all the madness leaking into her, all the cruelty and vileness she was willing to perform for her goals, she still had the will of a mother in her. A single glare from her eyes while her greying hair was tied up in a bun and her arms were folded across her chest was enough to cause her minions guts to wrench, and for guilt, an emotion they had long since discard, to worm into their minds.

Somehow she had taken her insanity and used it to sharpen her motherly aura. A trait which should have died the day her son and husband were killed on the battlefield in their rebellion against her own brother. And yet the countess believed she could be reunited with her family once more. If that did not speak of true madness, nothing else would. And it had only gotten worse over the weeks.

“Our apologies, Lady Darpel, for the wait,” Koldel said, bowing quickly while the mercenary stepped into a corner without a word yet with unusual haste.

“At least you are here. Now tell me, Fourth, did you manage to steal the documents?” the disgraced countess inquired, turning to face the Saludan.

“I have, my lady. Getting out proved difficult, even with our inside help. The Academy put the whole city on lockdown and scoured the area for hours as soon as I was detected. If it hadn’t been for the teleportation array we set up beforehand it could have been unpleasant,” Fourth Dagger reported. “And may I ask; why risk stealing something and putting the Academy and the kingdom on high alert when we’ll just have to break in later to grab the girl?”

“It takes time to do magic properly, and with the research data we can finally complete the Human Familiar Contract. Without that having the princess would be too dangerous. They’d spare no efforts tracking her down and it might not be enough time to finish preparation!” Darpel stated, flabbergasted at the sheer ignorance of her minion.

The countess took a breath to calm her nerves before giving her full attention to the tall man.

“Your concerns are noted, however. But do not worry. Our associate has yet to be uncovered and she shall be the tool who will deliver my niece to me. Now go. You all have things to do.”

The pair filed out quickly, leaving the aging woman alone in the dust of her family home. As they departed, Koldel couldn’t help but shiver at the words she muttered to herself as the wooden door swung shut.

“Yes… soon I’ll have my Lily with a heart of gold. And then I’ll have my family back… yes… or the Void will feed…”

Chapter 17: Familiars and new friends

“Alright, alright, settle down you lot!” At once, the already subdued class fell even quieter as Professor Helestra strode into the class room.

A mix of worry over the recent break-in of the Academy vaults and nervousness over the upcoming Familiar Contract Ceremony made the first year students of the Summoner’s course eerily silent.

“Now, I’m sure a lot of you are wondering when we are going to actually do the summoning for your Familiars. Let me alleviate your worries. It will be now,” the middle aged woman declared and a ripple of surprise ran through the room. A lot of the students looked eager while a few seemed worried. I shared a look with Liliana and she seemed excited. As for me I was intrigued to find out what I would end up summoning as a partner.

“It may seem sudden, but the Headmaster has determined that it would be best to have as many extra lines of defense as possible. So, we shall perform the ceremony immediately. If you have an animal or creature you wish to use for a Familiar, you may go and retrieve it and meet the rest of us in the Large Practice Hall. Now, follow me.”

Students poured out of the room in a wave, some heading towards their dorms or stores near the Academy while others followed the professor towards one of the major rooms in the building. It served as a hub for major lectures and live demonstrations and practice. As such it was heavily warded and lined with large plates of magic resistant lead.

As we waited for the class to reconvene Professor Helestra led the rest of us in drawing the magical arrays necessary for the ritual.

Finally the professor announced, “Now that everyone is set up, we’ll begin. First up will be the students who have their own animals ready. This is because the Familiar Contract is easier and faster to perform if you don’t need to summon one from another location. Let’s go people! We don’t have all day!” Professor Helestra clapped her hands and we organized ourselves.

I watched the proceedings with interest. My owner had decided to let the magic choose one for her, as had I.

Several students stepped forward since we’d drawn about a dozen or so identical Summoning circles intertwined with the all-important magical arrays for establishing the Familiar Contracts.

“Ye soul whom is bright, I commend thee and command thee. I establish this bond with blood and trust. Contract Familiar!” A student called out as his tiny Pitbull was wrapped in flickering energy that boiled up from the array.

The incantation was filled with power and ancient oaths of magic. I knew that the actual words for the spell had changed over centuries, in order to conform to new runes or advances in magical study. Yet they still thrummed with arcane might and I watched in awe as the ritual went to work.

Using my sight, I was able to see dozens of tendrils of magical energy seep out of the array and sink into the puppy. They latched onto the animal’s tiny soul and shored it up with traces of additional mana from the contractor and the ritual itself.

It took less than five minutes, but in that time the dog had undergone an explosive change that made it almost entirely different from what it had once been. On the surface, nothing was new or had changed; he was still the cuddly, drooling puppy as before. But on a fundamental level, this Pitbull would never be what it once was, now that its soul was completely altered. It was still its own being, but there was so much that had been added on, like the link between mage and Familiar, that if I hadn’t seen it happen with my own sight I wouldn’t have believed it was still the same creature as before.

That frightened me slightly, and I hoped that whatever I summoned would be fine with the process. I mean, the spell wouldn’t just rip a normal creature away from its own life and family, would it? Urg, I suddenly felt bad about this whole thing. Just think about other things. Like the new lessons Headmaster Arnolt will be shoving down my non-existent throat… wait that’s even worse!

The other students began their contracting and after about twenty minutes the pets were all turned into Familiars. Now it was our turn.

Liliana and I, along with a half dozen other students, stepped up to the premade magical arrays. Some of them required touch-ups because chalk and ink inevitably vaporize with enough magic running through them.

“Is everyone ready?” Professor Helestra asked. As we nodded in confirmation I noticed two figures floating over to us from the ceiling.

“Professor, Verd and his daughter are here,” I announced. Everyone craned their necks back to peer up at the tiny fey that were approaching. It wasn’t every day you got to see the diminutive creatures.

“Verd, is there a reason you’re here?” Helestra inquired as the emerald-bearing fairy floated towards the teacher. Rapid-fire hand movements signed out the carbuncle’s intent, during which her eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Are you sure? Both of you?” Verd nodded as did his daughter, both with smiles on their faces. The teacher thought for a moment before shrugging.

“Fine, if that is what you want. Princess Liliana, Jelly, I need you to step out of the magical array.”

“Yes, Professor Helestra,” Liliana replied dutifully, my own response not far behind. As our teacher led us away from the other students my owner and I shared some confused looks. Our classmates looked surprised as well.

“This is unusual, but Verd and his daughter wish to enter into a Modified Familiar Contract with the two of you,” Helestra said without preamble once we were in a more open space away from the other young mages. “As such, I will need to draw up a special magical array for this. Wait here for a bit while I set it up.”

“You truly wish to bond with us?” I asked, surprised. The ruby carbuncle nodded shyly while her father patted me and my owner on our heads.

“Such an honor! I hope to live up to your expectations, and to honor the legacy of my ancestor,” Liliana said politely, bowing towards Verd. He smiled and settled down into her hair while his as of yet unnamed daughter landed on me and sat cross-legged upon my dome-like top.

“Well, it’s a pleasure. I also hope I can be a good partner for you,” I announced, rubbing the tiny fairy atop my head with a tendril. “But is this what you want? I don’t even know your name.”

Verd and his daughter flashed a series of complicated hand signs at me, and I mentally frowned as I tried to decipher the meanings.

“You do not reveal your names until you make a contract?” The two feykin nodded and I simulated a shrug. I focused my thoughts inward and spoke to my other ‘partner.’

‘What do you think, Akasha?’

~Answer: Having a carbuncle has a Familiar has many benefits. You obtain a loyal follower as long as you yourself as good to them, and your magic takes on new traits to match. You will likely be able to use Earth Element spells with greater ease.~

‘I meant about whether or not she should rush into this. She’s young, I think, and…’

~Interruption: You are worrying too much about this. You saved her life, and her father likes you. She trusts you more than any other person. This is her decision as well. I also understand her desire to connect with you. You are a strange being, and have changed many lives. I did not exist before you melded with me. Thanks to you I have realized there is more than just books. Thanks to you I can see the outside world.~

‘Akasha…’ I was touched by her words, and sent back some warm and fuzzy feelings to her. She truly was a unique enchanted artifact of unfathomable depth and ability.

~Continuation: Also, having another girl to talk to would be nice. It is rather boring only being able to talk to a single male all the time.~

And there went my respect for the library’s magical monolith. I huffed to myself in mock hurt, trying to send the sensation of rolling my eye at her. It didn’t work, but I did get her to give a dainty chuckle.

“Alright you two, step on up. This modified array will allow you to pull off the contract and make the carbuncles your Familiars. Step lively now!” Professor Helestra instructed.

Liliana went first, stepping into one circle while Verd floated into the other. The array’s design was similar to the original one, though now the diamond intersected with another. It now resembled an oddly shaped six-pointed star-like shape containing the two circles and numerous runes.

With a firm voice, Liliana intoned the altered incantation for this particular situation.

“Ye soul whom is bright, I beseech thee to be my partner. I establish this bond with blood and trust and promises of loyalty. Verd, accept my Contract!”

With a glow the ceremony began, and I watched carefully as Verd was subjected to the spell. This time very little changed inside him. Instead of the mana stitching itself onto his soul, it instead nestled close to it and enveloped it, like the yolk of an egg surrounded by a new shell.

When the light faded Verd fluttered over to the princess and the two cuddled for a bit. A flash of jealousy spiked in me but I was able to overcome it. He was just a new friend, after all.

It was my turn once Liliana and Verd left the array, and I started to wiggle up to the circle. Before I entered the female fairy leaned down and whispered something into my ear. I paused for a moment before uttering a soft “thank you” toward her.

Soon I was facing the ruby-baring carbuncle across the premade ritual and checking it for any damage. Finding none I bobbed a bit before starting to speak.

“Ye soul whom is bright, I beseech thee to be my partner. I establish this bond with blood and trust and promises of loyalty.” I gave her a look, not that she could tell, yet she smiled happily and gave me a minute nod of reassurance. “Rosa, accept my Contract!”

As I spoke her name the runes ignited with my potent magic, and the last thing I saw before the light swallowed the both of us was my new partner mouthing “thank you” back at me.

Summer had finally crawled along out of spring and the weather was improving. The sun was warm and there was nary a cloud in the sky to spoil the rolling blue.

At the moment the Strangers Faction were all eating lunch in the grounds outside the dining hall.

“Rosa, stop playing around!”

A cheeky giggle was the response to my demand and a carbuncle with a ruby imbedded in her chest flew past me while sticking her tongue out.

(No! I want to play!)

“Verd, can you please control your daughter?” I begged, but the emerald studded fairy just shrugged and leaned back atop my owner’s head.

It had been a full day since the two carbuncles had chosen to bond with Liliana and myself. Kine, Tilda, and the others of the Strangers Faction were introduced to the pair during yesterday’s dinner.

However because it was break time and a beautiful day the energetic ruby feykin was darting about and frolicking in the warm grass.

Rosa was adorable, there was no doubt about that. Her elfish features were only enhanced by the permanent smile she seemed to wear. Highlighted by her crimson aura from her gem she looked like a giant cherry that wanted to play.

“Markus, do you have any tips for getting a Familiar to listen to you?” I inquired, looking at the older student as he stroked his Lily-linx.

“Sorry my friend, but Blossom here has always been pretty tame and docile. Barely cat-like at all, honestly!” That earned him a half-hearted scratch from his comrade, only making the noble’s son chuckle as he was proved right.

“How about yourself Crosus? I know you’re not a student of the Summoner’s course, but you know a lot. Got any advice?” I practically begged while Rosa began to use her cute charms to mooch food off of my friends.

“Can’t say that I do. If you want tips on barriers or wards, go ahead and ask. Magical animals are not a subject I know much about,” the fourth year student replied with an apologetic nod of his head.

“Just be firm but polite with her,” Tilda offered while giving a piece of barley bread to the carbuncle in question. “I mean, she’s just a kid after all.”

“I agree. Be kind and everything will be fine,” Kine added, giving Rosa a blueberry from her lunch.

~Assessment: I too agree that Miss Tilda’s idea has the most merit.~

(Thank you Akasha! You’re so nice to me and master!)

‘Dang it I’ve told you not to call me that!’ I retorted in my mind. The only problem besides Rosa’s energetic actions was her tendency to call me ‘master.’ I didn’t feel comfortable being referred to as that. I wasn’t a noble or someone with a lot of status and I felt that title didn’t fit me at all.

A side effect of the contract I now shared with Rosa was that she could telepathically communicate with me. As a result she could communicate with Akasha’s Brain inside my mindscape. The two became fast friends as the young carbuncle considered the sentient monument an older sister of sorts.

Since a carbuncle’s voice was enchanting to the point of almost being a magical spell she refrained from speaking out loud. In fact, I hadn’t heard her voice once since she revealed her name to me yesterday during the ritual. Despite that her mind-voice had a soothing yet childish melody which fit her well in my opinion.

Still, despite that everything was wrapped up nicely. With Rosa and Akasha’s Brain at my side I knew I could take on whatever the Academy threw at me. And my studies with Headmaster Arnolt were progressing well. In fact, he had promised to show me more about Planeswalking this evening.

“Does anyone else want to go out on the town this Nulday? I think we all deserve a nice night out after everything,” Tilda suggested and everyone clamored in agreement. The field hospitals from the Wyvern attack were finally emptied of patients and repairs were progressing well in Manatrem where the lesser dragons had damaged the city. The Academy was getting back into the educational groove, the only bump in that particular road being the recent theft.

I could certainly use a bit of relaxation after everything with the clean-up and my unplanned trip to Gaeum. I could still taste the rancid, altered flesh of the tainted Wyverns on my non-existent tongue.

“Then it is settled! It’ll be a fun night out!” Tilda cried, throwing her fist into the air in a victory pose. Rosa copied her stance and I smiled at their antics.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said, before turning my attention to Kine.

“By the way, is everything all right now?” I hadn’t had time to check up on her after her meltdown, though Liliana assured me she was better now.

“Yes, thank you for your concern,” the tiny girl said with a bow of her head. I waved it off with a tentacle, feeling bashful, when Crosus spoke up.

“Does anyone know why Clarabel Palaron has been watching us lately?” I snapped my attention over towards where the senior’s thumb was pointing and indeed, the Pontifex’s granddaughter was near, surrounded by members of her clique.

Clearly she was trying to sit close to us without looking like she was doing so, though the effect was spoiled by the way she kept trying to sneak glances over at us.

“No, not really. Maybe she’s still hung up over what happened with Tilda?” Markus mused, glancing over to the blonde aristocrat.

“What did happen? All I’ve heard is that something went down and it soured everything in the last month or so of the previous year,” Liliana noted and other members nodded a bit.

Attention quickly turned towards the noble of Katlamar in question who looked annoyed at the sudden scrutiny.

“We had a disagreement. End of story.” Her voice was sharp and cold and we all flinched a bit at her tone.

“Alright, alright, sorry to bring up bad memories, Tilda,” Markus placated.

“Just keep your eyes open for anything out of place, OK everyone? Her group and ours are not on good terms, and though the bullying has slowed considerably, likely thanks to our resident princess’ presence, I don’t like the way Clara’s been hovering over us,” Crosus cautioned, and a wave of bobbing heads greeted him.

On my end, I was miffed at Clara, mainly because her small attacks on Kine still continued. I’d foiled them all, and thankfully they hadn’t escalated beyond mere pranks. But it was getting on my nerves. I did have a plan though. Tilda and I had been brewing one up for a bit now. Part of it involved getting supplies from town, and the Nulday outing would be the perfect cover for it.

In the distance a series of bells chimed, alerting students that lunch was almost over and it was time to hurry off to classes.

We all gathered our stuff, tossed our trash, and made our ways to our various lectures. For Liliana and myself, it was time for some bonding with our Familiars in the Conjuration lessons. Professor Helestra wanted us to become more in tune with our new partners before we tried anything new and complex.

“Now Rosa, try not to do anything that might disrupt class, ok?” I pleaded with my fairy friend, who simply tilted her head innocently to one side.

(Me? Be disruptive? How could you ever think such things about me?)

I just sighed as Rosa giggled and settled down onto my head while I made my way to class. I had a feeling something would happen regardless of my best efforts. I wondered if this was what being a parent was like?

“And then what happened?”

“She created a mud slide and somehow convinced all the other Familiars to play on it,” I sighed, regaling Arnolt about the events of class from earlier in the day. Somehow, Rosa had managed to turn the class into one set of mishaps after the other. From stealing wands to making the assorted animals do tricks to amuse her, the red carbuncle was a terror and a half.

Verd was utterly no help at all. Apparently he was a doting father and didn’t have the heart or willpower to tell her to stop.

The headmaster however found it all hilarious and he was busy trying not laugh out loud as the exploits of my Familiar continued.

“I think the worst part was when Rosa ‘accidentally’ got some mud on Professor Helestra and oh so generously helped her clean off. By blasting her in the face with a torrent of water.” I whimpered a bit as I remembered the older woman’s eyes boring into me with extreme displeasure. Even sopping wet she was a fearsome person.

Only one student had been stupid enough to wolf whistle her, and had ended up in detention faster than Rosa could make a mess. At least his actions took the heat off of me.

When I told Headmaster Arnolt about that the X-ranked mage finally was unable to hold his mirth back and he collapsed at his desk, wheezing for air as he chortled and chuckled at the fate of his staff member.

“Oh, I’ll bet she was absolutely livid!” Arnolt gasped out. “I cannot wait for the next faculty meeting. It’s going to be most enjoyable having this over her head!”

“That sounds like a bad idea,” I cautioned, aware of Professor Helestra’s temper, though the old sorcerer waved me off dismissively.

“You sound just like Rene when we were together. I love that woman, truly, but she really knew how to be a worrywart. ‘Don’t use that spell inside!’ ‘Don’t sell those jewels, they’re cursed!’ Hmph. What does she know? I mean, yes, she’s a royal tutor, but still…”

“Is common sense a sort of contraband around here?” I mused. Not just the headmaster, but all magic users seemed to enjoy living on the edge. It wasn’t often, but every once in a while the mages –student and teacher alike-- would do something ridiculous like set off the fire detection wards by blowing up a part of the dorms with a spell, bring in highly dangerous materials to show off and experiment with, or nearly poke out eyes with a poor wave of a wand or rod.

The very nature of a mage seemed to be getting involved with strange and potentially dangerous projects. So far Liliana and Kine hadn’t done anything outrageous but it was only a matter of time before my owner followed in her mother’s footsteps somehow with the Qwanese girl tagging along for the ride.

“Whew! Ahh, I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. I needed that,” Arnolt claimed, reaching into his desk of mysteries and removing some candied fruit, and then passed the treat over to Rosa.

“Here you go little lady. A reward for all your troubles,” the headmaster offered. The feykin took it with a grin and nibbled at it.

“Don’t spoil her, Arnolt! She’ll never learn not to be a troublemaker if you reward her for it,” I protested.

(Oh, come on, Master Jelly! Lighten up a tad!) Rosa replied. She tore off a chunk of the candy and tossed it to me. I ate it and sighed at her attitude.

~Agreement: I also think you should lighten up,~ Akasha’s Brain added, joining in on the teasing.

‘You two…’ I grumbled, before turning back to the headmaster.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight’s lesson?” I inquired, turning my attention back towards the original purpose of my visit.

“Hmm? Oh, right. Well, I’m planning on showing you how to perform a proper Astral Projection. So, get comfortable.” Arnolt sank into his chair before leaning forward to peer down at me. “Before that why don’t you tell me about this topic before we begin.”

“It is the art of having out of body experiences, essentially moving one’s conscience towards a location of their choice. This can be dangerous as an improperly done Projection can trap someone out of their own body.” My own study along with Akasha’s repertoire of knowledge had helped me answer his question.

“Correct. Now, most people are unable to separate mind from soul, and so wandering about in an Astral form can be dangerous because any damage done to you will be done to the soul, and thus death can occur if one is not careful,” Arnolt warned me. “To prevent that, you will need to master the first step of Astral Projection: ‘Separation.’ This is the technique to divorce one’s thoughts and then mind from their body. You’ve read the book I gave you, right?”

“Yes headmaster.”

“Then get to it! When you manage to separate, let me know,” Arnolt said, before he lay back in his plush, stuffed chair and closed his eyes. I felt energy swirl inside of the X-ranked mage, before something slipped out of his body and hovered over his shoulder.

He had formed his own Astral body and was now waiting for me to do so as well. Even with my magical senses I could barely detect him. It was hard to sense the pale apparition that was watching me in turn. If not for the fact that I knew what to look for the headmaster’s astral form would have been indistinct among the free flowing ambient mana of the room.

With a deep breath I shut off my senses save for a few emergency ones that would alert me if someone approached. I needed a mind free of distractions for my in-depth concentration.

I trembled a bit as my world went dark. It reminded me far too much of my early days, back when I had been a mindless beast. But now I had two friendly voices encouraging me along the way. Akasha and Rosa were with me. I had no reason to fear the emptiness any more.

As the light vanished, I turned inwards towards my soul and inner mind. One of the first lessons Headmaster Arnolt had taught me was the creation of a mindscape. This was a place where meditation and sorting one’s thoughts took place, as well as a realm that was one of the major lines of defense against mental attacks.

To me, it took on the appearance of Palestone Castle back in Sanc Aldet. The region of the mindscape I currently was in was a fusion of Liliana’s bedroom, the classroom we had studied in with Petrus, and the minor dancing hall Rene Bluemont had taught my owner and I to dance.

Some of my most important memories had been made in these real life places, so it was no wonder my mind shaped this place to resemble them.

Taking an appreciative glance around I then turned down to peer at my form. In the mindscape my body was like my bipedal Gel Doll form, but with much more human definition and function. I had fingers and toes and formal clothes befitting a butler made of my own slime. I looked dang fine if I said so myself.

~Question: Ready to try and Separate?~ I looked over to the bed and saw a regal and stern looking woman sitting there, watching me. She resembled a cross between Queen Amdora and Professor Helestra, but wore eyeglasses akin to Kine’s and a skirt and blouse combination patterned after the Academy’s library staff.

Most striking, however, were her physical features, which emphasized her inhuman nature: her eyes were pure black like ink, her skin was pale like parchment and her shoulder length curly hair was in fact sheaves of scrolls and paper, covered in writing constantly being rewritten.

“Of course, Akasha. Will Rosa be joining us in here?” I queried, facing the mental form Akasha’s Brain took on within my mindscape. I wondered, and not for the first time, why each time I’d “seen” her she had chosen that appearance.

~Answer: No, she’ll be outside keeping watch. One cannot be too careful what with the recent actions and what not on campus.~

“You know, you don’t have to put informative statements at the beginnings of your sentences,” I said as I headed over to a door attached to the wall.

~Apologies: It’s a force of habit. I only just started existing recently as well.~ Akasha’s comment made me roll my ‘eye’ but I nodded in understanding. I stepped up to the door, which was an elegant black lacquer wood construct. Opening it revealed a black empty void.

~Remember: To separate one’s mind from body you first must envision the act. Once you step out of that door, which is a mental construct to symbolize the separation, the process will begin. Be sure to keep a firm grip on your sense of self to avoid dissipating.~

“Yes, thank you, I read the book too,” I said with a snarky tone. With a huff Akasha turned away but there was no heat in it.

Another deep breath filled my imaginary lungs, and I stepped into the twisting void of my thoughts.

In the bleak emptiness I trudged along, focusing on keeping my form together and my body moving forward. It was harder than I’d thought. More complex than creating dozens of tentacles and controlling them all.

I was heading towards a small pinprick of light in the distance. It was my mind’s way of signifying where I had to go to exit my body and create an Astral body in the real world. But it seemed far away, and I felt heavy and sluggish the longer I moved forward.

But I endured and finally reached the light. It had grown in size and luminosity and resembled an open door spilling out piercing energy. I could vaguely make out the headmaster’s office beyond the portal, and with a grunt I pushed through the barrier of my soul and with a sucking popping sound I found myself standing next to my body.

“Twenty seven minutes. Not a bad time. But if you want to advance to Planeswalking you’ll need to cut down the time to a minute or less,” Arnolt’s spirit body said.

An Astral form is the manifestation of a person’s ego and mental state. Arnolt’s form appeared as a middle aged man. His face remained wrinkled but his hair, still braided, was a rich brown. A rainbow colored robe covered his body while odd pink chains bound his left hand where his wedding ring sat on his real body.

“Hmm, not a bad form. Nice and solid, with clear definition. Impressive for a first try. Unless you’ve secretly been practice without my knowledge?”

“No, no, I just carefully followed the book’s instructions!” I protested, waving my hands in front of me to ward off his searching look. After a second he shrugged before sitting cross-legged in the air.

“So, let us continue working on your Astral form. It can be an excellent tool for spying, which is why most anti-scrying wards incorporate a formula for rejecting spiritual bodies and astral existences. It cannot touch or interact with physical objects but can, with more experience, interfere with raw mana and magical power and beings akin to spiritual constructs. Ghosts and demons are the best example of this.”

Arnolt went on to warn me about various other dangers of Astral Projection and Planeswalking. The worst one was having your soul directly targeted and damaged, resulting in death. Demons, devils, and the undead were the most dangerous in that regard. Their very existences were caustic towards reality and magic that was not their own.

“I think that’s enough brain work. Come, take a walk with me,” the headmaster instructed. He unfolded his legs and waved a hand at the wall of the office. Slowly it seemed to part, the brick and wood folding back as if they were curtains.

“That is an impressive effect!” I praised.

“Yes it is,” Arnolt said smugly.

I stood up and followed after my mentor and found myself in the sky outside of the Soul Building, looking down on the campus.

For the next hour we wandered the Academy, flying through the air as the headmaster pointed out various things that had been unnoticeable to me in my earthly form. In my Astral form I could see the way the world overlapped with the magic in the air and the wards.

It was like looking at two different sets of buildings, both built into and on top of the other. Very distorted yet carrying an ethereal beauty.

Where the Soul Building was, enough power was concentrated to light up the night as if it was day time. It was a beacon in the astral plane, pure magical energy being concentrated and controlled. It was like an anchor for the rest of the wards on campus.

Some distance away I could see a thin pillar of light rising from the West Wing Dormitory. It pulsed and flickered with the appearance of pale glass containing a large quantity of power.

It was also familiar to me, and after a moment of examination I confirmed it was my ring, the one that Liliana wore. I was able to see my sliver of soul on her person.

“This is amazing,” I murmured. “Everything is the same yet different.”

Headmaster Arnolt said nothing but nodded in silent approval. When we returned to his office after the tour he showed me how to slip back into my body. That was an easier task than leaving it had been, and I was soon standing back in my mental realm looking over at Akasha’s Brain.

~How was it?~

“It was good. I conclude that our assumption that you could not follow me when I go astral was correct?”

~Indeed. I was only able to remain in this place. It was lonely.~ Her sad voice made me wrap my arms around her in a hug and she gratefully accepted it.

“We’ll work on this. We’ll find a way to let you move around. Even if I have to build you a body. And I’m glad to see you’ve started to try working on your speech.”

~You are too good for me,~ the personification of the magical monument sighed into my shoulder.

After a bit we disentangled. She looked pensive, and turned to me.

~Jelly, I want a new name.~

“Why?”

She gave me an incredulous look.

~Because my current name is unwieldy and ridiculous. I understand you have some fondness for those, what with your own name,” at that I scoffed and rolled my eye, “but it just doesn’t feel right to me. I want a better identity. I want to be me, not just some object created centuries ago.~

“I suppose I can understand that. Do you have any suggestions?”

~Not yet. Rosa can help me think of one. Now, I think you should go back to the headmaster and finish your lesson.~

I nodded and stepped over to another door. This one was pale white and marble-like. Opening it showed a white plane and as soon as I stepped through I was back to normal, staring up at the headmaster with my own ‘eye.’

“Good work, Jelly. I think that we’ve done enough for tonight,” Arnolt decided and I bobbed in understanding.

“Got it. Good night headmaster.”

Rolling out of the office with Rosa perched on my head I felt proud of my progress. But I couldn’t help thinking back to the revelation Akasha’s Brain –no, that was what she was, not who- had revealed to me. And I also thought about my own name.

Did I really want to be known as ‘Jelly’ the rest of my days?

Chapter 18: Pranks and a bloody history

“Here Jelly, try this!” A big mug of beer was passed over to me, offered by one of the upper classmen of the Strangers Faction. I sipped at it, giving a hum of approval.

Nulday had gone well. Spending the late afternoon browsing the stores had been a lot fun, and I was able to purchase the ingredients for the prank Tilda and I had planned for Clarabel.

Now the group enjoyed the evening in the Vermillion Fox Bar and Adventurer’s Guild Office. I was in my illusory human form, which had been modified a bit to look pudgier. That way when someone outside of our group heard someone call me ‘Jelly’ they assumed it was a nickname.

Upon our arrival at the bar some of the older students were shocked to hear I had never had beer or much alcohol in general before. They quickly began buying me drinks to sample.

And so I learned that I couldn’t get drunk since I had no organs to be affected in that way. I did find it harder to maintain solidity and my shape, however, so I quickly shunted the drinks into my Dimensional Pocket. I didn’t want to melt into a puddle in front of all these people.

“Yo, Jelly. You here for pleasure instead of business today?” a man in a chainmail shirt over leather asked and I nodded.

“Yes. But if you hear about someone needing more potion ingredients pass it on alright?”

“Of course. I owe you for that healing potion after all.”

I’d actually become familiar with many of the people in here, adventurers and regulars alike. I had a provisional Guild license, as did a lot of Academy students. I had completed a lot of jobs requesting alchemy reagents as well as finished potions and earned a decent reputation as someone who knew how to make good quality medicine for cheap. My hobby had proven to be a good money maker!

“Is that a carbuncle? You’re so lucky to have such a cute Familiar!” A female worker exclaimed, tickling Rosa under the chin.

A lot of extra people had gathered around the table and the party attitude was in full swing. I kept an eye on Liliana and Kine, as well as the other female students with us. I didn’t want any funny business to happen due to excess drinking. Already my owner’s face was getting flushed from the drinks and the atmosphere; Kine however had been nursing a single mug of ale all evening.

Markus, the nice guy that he was, had also taken on the role of chaperon and sat in between the two princesses. Now that I thought about it, perhaps some of the red on my owner’s face was due to the close proximity of the older student.

Tilda just looked grumpy and uncomfortable being surrounded by new, unfamiliar people. She sat at the outskirts of the gathering, next to Crosus. The older student was chatting with other mage adventurers, swapping notes on spells.

Spotting a chance, the blonde aristocrat sidled over to me when Crosus got up to get another drink.

“You got everything you need?”

“Definitely. It was pretty easy too,” I replied, catching on to the hidden meaning in her question.

A cruel smile split her lips and a cackle spilled forth before she caught herself. She coughed awkwardly at having been caught acting like a villain. I raised a fake eyebrow at her and she blushed.

“Leave me alone. I’m just excited to get back at that bitch,” Tilda protested. I gave a chuckle as I turned my attention back to the brand new cup in front of me.

“Hmm, tastes pretty good. I like the honey aftertaste.” I praised the newest drink to a raucous and partly slurred cheer. I realized it might be time to wind down the party before people forgot how to walk back to the campus.

An incredibly loud burp tore through the room and my thoughts jerk to a halt. I, and pretty much everyone else in the Vermillion Fox, turned to the source of the most amazing belch all evening.

“Rosa, I know you don’t really speak, but at least try and do something after something like that to apologize,” I scolded the diminutive jeweled being. She just giggled sheepishly and her red aura turned a deeper shade of crimson in her embarrassment.

A chorus of ‘awes’ could be heard from the female patrons at the sight of the adorable feykin. Verd just shook his head in disappointment at his daughter’s antics before swiping a frothy mug of something. He proceeded to drain it and offered an even louder belch that echoed in the rafters of the building.

Even as the men gave him a cheer Liliana rapped the rude little green carbuncle on the head as punishment.

“Don’t be gross, Verd,” the princess said with only the faintest slur in her words.

“It seems like some of us are getting a bit too tipsy. I’m afraid it’s time to head back,” Crosus declared. He walked over to the group amid groans and boos, but his sharp look cowed the more outspoken members.

As I prepared to escort the others back, I noticed someone moving away deeper into the building. The movement seemed suspicious and I focused on the person more intensely. Only my lack of eyelids kept me from blinking in surprise when I recognized their identity.

“Tilda, I just spotted Clara,” I whispered. She nodded at me.

“Yes, I noticed her earlier. I think she followed us here, actually.”

“Why do you think that?” I inquired and she sighed pityingly.

“Because of the way she shies away when some of our group pass by. She’s trying to avoid being noticed by us. And if she was here waiting for someone else she’d be more aware of the other people in here. No, she’s pretty amateur when it comes to sneaking.”

“You know a lot about that subject,” I praised, but her jaw tightened imperceptibly.

“I’ve had a lot of hands-on learning opportunities.” I quickly shut up and dropped the matter.

As we all left the bar for the Academy Tilda spoke to me one last time.

“Tomorrow during lunch, bring the stuff and we’ll start the prank.”

Nodding, I reached out and patted Rosa on the head. This was going to be fun.

I was right. It was fun. Hilarious in fact! After watching members of the Lady Faction attempting to humiliate my friends for weeks I had finally managed to get back at Clarabel.

Tilda’s plan was ingenious and simple, both in preparation and execution. A substance known as baking powder, that humans used to make bread, cakes, and so forth, caused an alchemical explosion when mixed with vinegar, spilling a foamy goop everywhere. These were the items the Katlamar noble had requested me to buy.

First step was sneaking some raw baking powder into the Pontifex granddaughter’s meal. That was the hardest part of the mission. After all, a flakey white substance is hardly inconspicuous. In the end a carefully applied illusion to turn the baking powder a different color and texture allowed me to hide it inside her salad.

At meals Clara always had a Garden Salad, and added a large dash of vinaigrette dressing to it. And the main ingredient of said liquid garnish is none other than the second component of the prank!

We added an extra dose of vinegar to the bottle of dressing Clara was given just to make sure it would cause a mess, and then sat back to watch the fireworks.

It happened quickly. Almost as soon as the salad dressing touched the tampered meal it bubbled and erupted in a wave of slimy white froth, staining the front of her dress.

Clara let out a shrill shriek of surprise that quickly morphed into disgust and anger. She bolted out of her seat and stared around the dining room with wild, scandalized eyes.

Fortunately for me and Tilda a lot of other people were laughing at her misfortune too so we were hidden in the crowd. It was clear at that moment how deep the divide between student factions was. And that Clara and her group weren’t the favorite of plenty other students.

“Not bad work if I say so myself,” I head Tilda whisper towards me.

“Not bad at all,” I agreed. I leaned back, taking a relaxed pose.

~While I understand the reasons behind your prank, I still feel as if this was a bit cruel.~

‘Akasha, you and Rosa know what she’s been doing to Kine. Or at least trying to do,’ I protested, only to receive a mental shaking of her head.

~Yet she has been foiled. Repeatedly. And not all of the actions were from her. I still hold that this was a bit much, and the better option would be to live and let live.~

I sighed and gave a noncommittal grunt. Even though Akasha’s Brain scolded me about the prank, I felt I had won a small victory.

Nonetheless, as the laughter continued, the sight of the girl in a stained dress with tears in her eyes brought forth a pang of guilt.

Curse your bleeding heart, Akasha! You’re getting to me as well.

‘If I apologize –anonymously, not in person!- will you forgive me?’ I asked after watching Clara dash from the cafeteria.

~Throw in a session with Rosa and me choosing my new name as well, and I’ll accept,~ Akasha said and I gave a mental handshake with the magical construct to seal the deal.

“Liliana, Blott and Professor Helestra want to see me. They wanted to discuss a new schedule for tests regarding my abilities,” I said out loud towards my owner.

“Alright then. Just remember you’re still my research project. Leave some for me to learn, OK?” the Princess said, somewhat distantly.

She didn’t look at me. Instead her gaze was still on the Pontifex’s granddaughter. I felt another twinge of guilt. The princess of Varia had been one of the few not to point and laugh, as had our meek Qwanese friend.

“Could you give this to her?” Kine was holding a delicate silk handkerchief out to me. The embroidered pink lotus lowers were a nice touch.

“Give this to who?”

“To Clarabel. To clean off.”

I paused, conflicted, but eventually consented and grabbed the slip of cloth and hid it in my Dimensional Pocket.

“Alright, I shall be back before class starts, hopefully,” I said, sliding off the stool and rolling out, my Familiar hovering next to me all the way.

(Master, why is mama upset? It was just a joke,) the ruby carbuncle asked. I winced at her word choice once more but continued moving. Thank the gods Rosa communicated telepathically. I’d have had a headache if any rumors started up about her new choice of title for my owner.

‘First off, don’t call me ‘master.’ Second, Liliana is too much of a kind soul to wish harm on anyone, even if it is all in good fun,’ I explained through our mental link.

A twinge of guilt still echoed inside me after what I had done. I knew full well my owner would not consider the prank “in good fun.”

‘And thirdly, please don’t call her ‘mama.’ I get chills every time you do that,’ I continued. Rosa looked down at me with a confused expression.

(What do you mean, master? Mama is mama because she is partners with papa. Isn’t that how it works for humans?)

‘It doesn’t work that way with her and Verd and you know it. Also, your cute and innocent act doesn’t fool me. And don’t call me “master!”’

The feykin just laughed in her soft, bell-like voice. She then landed on top of my head as I moved across campus.

It was not hard to find Clarabel. If the droplets of white foam didn’t give her trail away, the stink of vinegar did.

She was curled up under one of the large trees, silent sobs shaking her shoulders. The early summer air had dried the goop to her clothes in a crusty mess as an acidic scent filled the air.

Now I felt worse. Why did actions have to have consequences? Did this make me and Tilda bullies?

“Excuse me,” I said when I got closer. She jumped in shock, surprised at being caught off guard by my arrival. An expression of fear quickly turned to revulsion, and then to controlled neutrality.

“What do you want?”

I burbled in mute annoyance. It had been so long since someone had openly shown their disgust of me I had almost forgotten what it had been like. Still, I ignored her words and took out Kine’s handkerchief.

“Here. Kine wanted me to give this to you on my way out,” I said shortly. Shock passed through Clara’s eyes for a second and her face turned slightly red.

“For me?”

“Yes, to clean yourself up. She saw what happened back at the cafeteria.” ‘As well as about half the Academy, but you already know that,’ I thought to myself.

“T-thank you. I’ll return it soon,” the clergyman’s granddaughter said softly. I bobbed up and down to simulate a nod before heading off.

The excuse I had given Liliana and the rest of the group could easily be found out as a lie so I decided to go to the teachers and set up an actual schedule.

Perhaps the only positive thing I could say about the two professors was that their experiments on me were harmless. But being prodded and asked to regurgitate various substances is hardly a day in the park.

(She seems nice,) Rosa said in an off-hand manner as I hurried away.

‘Really now,’ I asked, my tone dry.

(Yup. Just confused. And sad.) I wouldn’t admit it, but I had felt that as well. Her emotions were a mess, and without her mask on I could feel all the doubts and negative emotions swirling inside her as well as carefully buried attractions.

Was she really as bad as she seemed? Her actions should’ve spoken for themselves, but were we sure it really had been her putting nails in Kine’s shoes and cruel letters in her books?

“You appear to be upset, and in a ponderous mood. What is on your mind, Jelly?” Arnolt asked me that evening. I was resting on the floor in front of his desk as we ran through some basic Astral Projection exercises.

Well, my body rested. My Astral Form was following the headmaster’s as we explored the campus and its radiant magical fields.

“Did you hear about an incident at lunch today? Down in the cafeteria?” I inquired, glancing to the side at him. He merely nodded.

“Well, it was because of me and another student playing a prank on Clara,” I said. I didn’t reveal my co-conspirator’s identity as I spoke, but I had a feeling he already knew who it was.

“Yes, I heard what happened with Pontifex Palaron’s granddaughter from others. I know her ‘faction’ and yours don’t get along, and it was clearly a harmless ‘prank’ you pulled, but understand that I disapprove of what you did on principal.”

“She has tried to pull off damaging attempts on Kine’s person before,” I protested, but the Archsage silenced me with a gesture. Literally. I found I could no longer produce sounds of any kind. A spell was in effect.

“I do not wish to speak ill of other students, but Katlamar breeds its people strong and tenacious,” Arnolt said, confirming that he did know of Tilda’s involvement. “But it also makes them vicious and driven. Their conflict with Partaevia has spawned countless atrocities on both sides. They subscribe to the doctrine of ‘an eye for an eye,’ and any slights upon them or their honor end in blood. So I cannot fully blame Miss Gorossi for her actions. It’s what she was taught and how she grew.”

“How did it get so bad down there,” I asked once my voice was returned.

“The Partaevian Empire is strong, and it dreams of becoming Glorious Idarna reborn. That is, it wants to be like the old, sprawling empire of Val’Narash that once existed before the Great Catastrophe,” the headmaster explained to my confused look.

“When Partaevia began it conquests four hundred years ago, they were a small and weak country. After all, the War of Fallen Gods had utterly devastated Orria, and few of the southern nations were in any state to do much more than rebuild. When Partaevia began to invade, it swept aside and consumed many smaller and weaker territories until it was many times larger and stronger than before.”

“Partaevia soon became a juggernaut in the south of Orria, and it had few real opponents. Traditionally, all the power and wealth has been concentrated in the central regions around Varia. But times were changing, and Partaevia knew it. As did its neighbors. Many surrendered to the invading generals with little to no casualties. But then the legions of the south reached Katlamar.” At this, the elderly mage sighed.

“A fiercely independent Dukedom for countless years and one with a longer history than Partaevia, it refused to kneel to what it saw as an upstart power. And yet despite that, only a single battle was fought before they signed away their nation and surrendered.”

“Wait, they did what? But I thought…”

“Katlamar was full of proud people but ruled by a weak, simpering lord. The duke had staged the battle then surrendered in exchange for retaining his lands and power. Katlamar was Partaevia’s, but there was one more condition to the surrender,” Arnolt explained over my outburst.

“What condition?”

“That the youngest daughter of the duke was to be given to the agent of Partaevia who schemed up the whole thing. A senator from a wealthy and respected Imperial Family.”

“He would give up his children for his own power?!” I demanded, aghast. The Archsage nodded sadly.

“Not as uncommon as you might think, even today,” he replied. “Needless to say, the people were disgusted. Yet tempers did not come to a boil until three years later.”

“It’s going to be horrific, isn’t it?” I asked with a groan and was rewarded with a dark chuckle.

“Oh yes. You see, it was discovered that the Partaevian senator in question had actually been a vampire, and used the duke’s daughter as a slave and source of food. She died from mistreatment and abuse, and when that was revealed violence tore apart Katlamar from the inside. All led by the vengeful, deceased girl’s older sister. She executed her own father and had his head sent to the emperor as a ‘gift,’ alongside those of Partaevia’s officers and bureaucrats.”

“By the Divine Family,” I gagged.

“Needless to say the Imperial Court did not take kindly to that and sent punitive forces, which were soon crushed by guerrilla raids. Ever since, the Duchess has led the revolt against Partaevia. For fifty years Katlamar has changed hands countless times. It is a war torn land, awash with mercenaries and void of the blessings of any god who is wholesome and decent.”

“And what does this story have to do with Tilda?” I asked as I recovered. The Archsage turned and faced me at last, and I took an involuntary step back.

“Katlamar has been ruled by House Gorossi for generations. Young Tilda is a relative of the ‘Mad Duchess,’ and named after the girl whose death started that whole mess.”

Chapter 19: Vacation planning and a new name

The following week and a half after that chilling revelation had been a quiet one. No explosions, no monsters, no attempts from any faction to do something or other. Just calm and quiet.

I was shaken by discovering Tilda’s ancestry, but the aristocrat in question waved it off with a laugh.

“And you’re not mad about me finding out?”

“Jelly, what he told you could be found in any recent history book or gleaned from anyone who lives down near my home and Partaevia. So no, I’m not mad. But don’t go around spreading it, alright? I have enough to deal with and pity is the last thing I need.”

And that was the end of that. I attended classes, learned, and tried to keep Rosa out of trouble. The latter was harder than the former nine times out of ten. But it was fun, and Akasha was narrowing down her list of names as well. She promised me she would tell me her new identity soon.

“Alright class, let’s review yesterday’s materials for a bit before we move on the main topic for the day. After all, it’ll tie into the subject,” Professor Orbel declared. “Kine, please remind us what we talked about.”

“Yes, professor. We discussed the differences and benefits to the various spell casting aparati mages uses. There are four main ones; Staves, canes, rods, and wands. Staves and wands are the most common, the other two are more highly specialized and have their own uses.”

“Excellent! Can anyone add to what Lady Ro was saying about these tools? How about you, Jelly. Explain to the class what the advantages and disadvantages for each are,” the professor said, pointing at me.

“Uh, a staff is the longest and largest of the four. Usually made of wood, and are best for long ranged and heavy duty spells. A properly made staff can allow a mage to cast spells that are two whole levels above them. Those spells are slow and unwieldy, however, and staves break much easier.”

“Then there’s the cane, which is shorter than a staff and the symbol of the Academy, as well as the emblem associated with mages. This is because canes can be made of various substances and they allow for the power of a staff and the speed of a wand. The downside is that a cane can only allow a mage to cast spells up to a Level less than their actual proficiency. A mage who can cast Level Five spells could only use up to Level Four with a cane, but with a bit more firepower and speed.”

“Go on, you’re doing well so far,” the Gen Ed teacher encouraged as I faltered while searching my memory.

“Rods are slightly bigger than a wand and can be made of anything, be it bone, metal, wood, or stone, but they are designed for use with only one kind of Element of School of magic. A Blasting Rod, for example, is a rod made exclusively for Battle Magic. Barriers and healing spells cannot be cast with it,” I continued. I could have used Akasha’s vast collection of knowledge for this, but that would be cheating. I had to prove I knew this without outside help. This was something she agreed with.

“Last but not least is the wand. It has the fastest casting speed of all the tools yet has the weakness of a cane in terms of firepower. Typically made of metal or wood.” Finished, I sank back down into my seat. Orbel nodded at my recitation.

“Now, does anyone know why we only allow students to use wands here, instead of any of the others?”

“Because if we miscast we’ll do less damage!” A student in the upper rows shouted out.

“Exactly. If you have the answer though, try to raise your hand next time,” the professor scolded. He then turned to the board and began to write out some words.

“Now, what does this have to do with the lesson today? Simple: It’s all about manipulation of mana. A staff on its own is a piece of wood. It needs to be altered to be a useful tool. Once properly made, the mana will flow and can be changed according to need. Let us do some practical work first. Try and cast Dancing Light while changing the color of the spell. It will normally take on a color that resembles your own affinity, but with a smidge of effort the light will change based on the alteration of the mana.”

The classroom was soon full of numerous colored blobs hovering over desks. Mine was a lovely royal purple, while Liliana’s was white tinged with gold and Kine’s a deep shade of orange.

“Now shift them! Understand your mana to use it better!” Orbel declared the side lines.

With a thought my orb went from purple to green and then blue, rapidly changing as I carefully manipulated the structure of the spell. I was the only one able to do it so far.

“Impressive and quick work there, Jelly. Training on your own?” The professor asked. I shook myself.

“No, I just ‘get’ this faster. Probably due to me being a monster. I’m composed of mana more than physical matter. It’s like breathing for me,” I explained, dismissing the Dancing Light.

“Interesting. On another topic, does Princess Liliana have any plans for the summer break?”

“Summer what now?” I looked over to the professor who blinked in surprise before shaking his head in amusement.

“Ah, it seems you’re unaware. Well, the Academy has two long breaks, one in the summer, and then one in winter. The former is for students from a common background so they can assist their families with whatever work is needed. Harvesting and what not. Most nobles or the well-off prefer to take special summer classes at that time,” Orbel explained.

“The winter break is typically utilized by the noble students to return home over the long cold period. The students from lower income stay within the Academy for winter classes. But that’s generalization. Has the princess spoken of any plans? Faculty needs to know before the fifteenth of Flower Month.”

“That’s in a week!” I exclaimed. The professor shrugged apologetically.

“I thought you knew. Didn’t the headmaster mention anything?”

“No. I suppose I’ll have to ask the two of them later today about this.”

Orbel nodded thankfully before heading over to a student in the back who had somehow managed to turn his Dancing Light orb into a fireball.

“Dominik! Put that fire out!”

“I’m sorry! I don’t know how this happened!”

“Liliana, what are our plans for this summer?”

We were walking back to the dorm after classes, Kine trailing behind while speaking with Tilda. The two were discussing shoes or some such female things.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” She asked, confused. I sighed before summarizing what Professor Orbel had told me. She went pale.

“Oh dear.”

I chuckled at that. “Agreed. So, any ideas?”

“If possible, I’d like to return home. It’s been a few months since I saw mother and father. And Julius, of course,” my owner mused.

“What’s this? Our resident Lily trying to flee from us? I’m hurt!” Tilda said with a laugh, draping her arms over Liliana’s shoulder as she dragged Kine over.

“Are you really leaving?” Kine asked and my owner gave a tentative nod.

“Perhaps. What about you?”

“I’ll be here for summer and winter break.”

A damper was put on the mood at that. I winced, recalling the half-elf’s home situation.

“You could come with us and visit Sanc Aldet!” Liliana said, trying to cheer up the somber Qwanese girl.

“Would your parents allow that?” Kine asked curiously.

“Why wouldn’t they? You’re my friend,” Liliana stated, making Tilda and I groan at her naivety.

“She’s the daughter of the Consort Queen of the Domain, and the granddaughter of the Emperor of Qwan!” I hissed at my owner, cursing her obliviousness.

Her eyes widened and she blushed at overlooking Kine’s unusual circumstances.

It was likely some officials would consider the tiny half-elf, as the child of two very powerful factions, a danger to security. They could deny her entry to the castle, or even imprison her. Not that they’d dare to do so, but they could still make threats.

“I’ll send father a letter inquiring about this matter tonight. He should be able to reply before the fifteenth,” Liliana said.

A rare smile graced Kine’s face at the kindness her closest friend was showing.

Tilda on the other hand was wiping away a fake tear. “Friendship is just so beautiful isn’t it?”

“It is, isn’t it? And what about you, Tilda? Spending the break here?” The noble from Katlamar looked down at me as Liliana discussed with Kine the activities the pair could do at Palestone Castle.

“Staying here seems like a good idea. I only left the Academy last winter because I had to visit family,” the blonde revealed. We reached the West Dorm and slipped inside, giving greetings to a few others we recognized.

“Oh, is that so. Are they alright?”

“Just fine.” The frown spoke otherwise, but in respect for her privacy I let her walk back to her room without delving any deeper.

As she entered her quarters I rejoined my owner at her door. There was homework to do before my nightly lessons with the headmaster.

~Don’t forget the essays.~

(Or the extra credit assignments from Blott!)

‘Yes, yes, I know. Thank you for the reminders,’ I muttered wearily to my duo of constant companions.

Who’d have thought having two women in your head 27/6 would be this difficult? The giggles that answered me gave me the answer.

“So, Arnolt, when were you going to remind me about making plans for summer break?”

For the current lesson we were inside a private training room. Designed for testing out spells, it was lead-lined and full of practice dummies.

The headmaster paused for a moment before recognition glimmered in his eyes.

“Is it that time of year already? Honestly, time sure flies. Especially between the wyverns, the assassins, break-ins…”

“It’s been a hard year with a lot of paperwork, I get it,” I interrupted. “But couldn’t you have at least dropped a hint?”

He scratched his beard for a moment, thinking about an answer before shaking his head.

“It’s not technically my job to remind every student about upcoming events. And just because you’re my apprentice doesn’t mean I can give you special privileges.”

“So you forgot, is what you’re saying.”

Arnolt chuckled at my spot-on assessment.

“Correct. You’re getting better at reading people. Soon you’ll be more human than your half-elf friend!”

“Is that speciesist? I think that was!” I gasped, pointing a tentacle at the headmaster accusingly. He growled at me and pointed his staff at one of stone dummies.

“Crumbling Lance,” he uttered, and his mana flared before the stone floor crackled and buckled. A spear made from solid rock appeared around chest height in front of Arnolt before shooting off and impaling the target.

As the mana-compacted earth sunk deep into the dummy, the entire object darkened before crumbling into dust.

“Shutting up now,” I squeaked. Arnolt nodded, pleased.

“Wonderful! For tonight’s lesson I’m going to show you how to pull off a Lance spell. Though they’re Level Four, each one is just a more powerful version of Elemental Arrow, which is itself an upgraded form of Magic Arrow.” He paused.

“Tell me, Jelly, what is your elemental affinity?”

“I seem to be able to use any element with some degree of proficiency, but the Sub-Element of Acid appears to be the one I have the best control over,” I explained.

“Hmm, Acid… Water-Dark alignment. Interesting. I’d have thought you’d lean more towards the Light or Dream spectrum myself,” Arnolt mused, looking me over.

“I’ve been able to manipulate my bodily fluids to be more or less acidic for a while now. I just understand that particular Element more,” I argued. The headmaster just waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s not a bad thing. That you understand your own strengths is important and what really matters. So I assume you’re able to cast Acid Arrow and a few others from that Sub-Element?” Arnolt inquired.

“I can, as well as Acid Fog and Acid Armor.”

“Good. Let us begin then with the Acid Element Lance spell: Dissolving Lance. Like all members of the so-called ‘Lance family,’ this spell takes the destructive power of a single magical Element and condenses it into a devastating attack. As this one is made of acid, any target struck by it will begin to rapidly melt away.”

“Is that why your target crumbled away like it did?” I inquired, looking down the room at the remains of the dummy.

“Indeed. Crumbling Lance takes the power of the Earth Element and petrifies its target before reducing it to dust and rubble. Very dangerous for foes made of softer flesh. Scales and chiton are not so easily affected,” Arnolt explained.

“Now I want you to try creating a Dissolving Lance of your own. Let me show you how you create it.”

As I extended a tendril I was wacked by the butt of the headmaster’s staff.

“No, do it in your Gel Doll shape!” He shouted, smacking me once more for good measure. “Since your Astral Form is bipedal it is better to practice using spells as a humanoid. That way you won’t be caught off guard by the differences between forms. They’re subtle, but even a minute change can be a deciding factor for victory or defeat.”

“Alright, alright, no need to hit me!” I protested while Rosa flew around the headmaster smacking him with her tiny fists. He just laughed at the situation. Placating my Familiar with a small jar of honey Arnolt then turned to the dummies and showed how to perform a Lance spell.

I quickly went into my Gel Doll form as per his instructions. In this mode I was more human-like, my appearance more defined. Nowhere near my Astral form, but close enough. I also adjusted the height, and stood at five foot five inches. It was a good size for me. As an adult, at least mentally, this fit me better. Ever since practicing Astral projection my ability to shape my body had improved. Self-image was important for both, and the experiences carried over.

“Render my foes down to nothing! Melt the flesh, melt the bones! Dissolving Lance!” Uttering the incantation, I watched in awe as a blobs of acid appeared before me, transmuting from the water already in the air. Some of the acid also was drawn from my own mana. The raw energy shifted and altered its state to become the material for the spell.

It was awe inspiring. Observing the primal energy of the world bending to my will… there was nothing else like it.

Less than ten seconds passed from completing the chant. It had been faster thanks to my superior mana manipulation, the ambient magical energy molding like clay under my directions.

The droplets quickly fused and compacted, becoming a two foot long spear-like shape an inch thick hovering around chest height. It was acid green, fittingly, and rotated lazily.

I pushed my palm outwards and the Dissolving Lance hurtled forwards. The aim was off and it merely clipped the target I had been aiming at. The spell splashed against the barrier against the wall and fizzled away into nothing, the acid becoming nothing once more.

“Excellent composition and spell-work. But your aim needs work as does speeding up the casting time,” Arnolt stated. “Do a dozen more Dissolving Lances and work on improving your accuracy and speed. If you run low on mana feel free to just practice with Magic Arrows.”

Doing as I was told, the night passed by in relative peace. My mana capacity was enormous, surpassing most of the teachers due to my species. But constantly casting Level Four spells really drained me.

At least after using Dissolving Lance so often I was able to use it with only a partial chant. And my aim improved. I could now hit the center of a dummy six times out of ten.

“Impressive work. You’ve gotten better faster than I ever anticipated. For an average student, mastering Astral Forms would take at least three to four years. Combined with being able to pull off a Level Four spell, even a simple one, you’re growth is astronomical.”

“Thank you for the praise,” I panted. I reverted back to my spherical shape and gave a grunt of relief.

“Well, I think that’s enough for tonight. You can head on back.”

I bobbed in understanding and slunk towards the exit.

“Actually, there’s one more thing…”

Pausing at the door I turned back to the headmaster who had a pensive look on his face. Stroking his beard, he seemed to come to a decision.

“There is one reason I have been a bit more forgetful than usual. Care to hear it? I believe it might be useful to you to know,” Arnolt claimed. I nodded eagerly.

“In a few weeks, right before the Academy’s summer break, a celestial phenomenon will occur. Known as the Rise of the Dog Star, it is an event where certain types of magic become more potent. In particular, spells involving Familiars and taming beasts.”

“Does this have to do with the stolen research?” I inquired. Arnolt tapped the side of his nose with a wink.

“Right on the mark. If my shameful former student is going to try and use his Human Binding Contract to turn people into Familiars it would have a higher chance of success on the day of the Dog Star. So keep an eye out on your princess and Tilda, since they are the most likely targets,” Arnolt warned. I bowed in respect for confiding in me before slinking back to my dorm.

‘Akasha, can you look up more about this ‘Dog Star’ event? I want to be prepared for anything.’

~Oh course, Jelly. And Rosa and I have finally narrowed down the choices for the name. We will be ready tomorrow.~

‘Excellent! I cannot wait!’

My optimism for the next day was soundly crushed by the morning exercise routine.

At some point between departing from the training ground and breakfast an order from Headmaster Arnolt instructed the teachers that all my classes had to be done in my Gel Doll form.

Officially, this was because I needed to practice my control over that mode in a variety of settings. Unofficially, I think Arnolt just thought it up after our session ended and couldn’t bring himself to call me back and tell me to do it.

So there I was, practicing kicks and punches with Professor Flint and the other unlucky First Years.

“Come on! Punch faster! Harder! I’ve seen wet bread pack more of a punch! You’re way too soft!”

The scarred and grizzled Magic Knight veteran snorted before turning away from the poor kid next to me and placing his attention on me.

“And you! Think you’re so special with your semi-liquid body and your vast size which can be stored inside an extra-dimensional space?!”

“Yes?” I said hesitantly.

“Well you’re exactly right! But that won’t mean I’ll go easier on you! Drop and give me fifty push-ups!”

With a groan I flopped onto the dirt and tried to pull off the routine. It was hard. My Gel Goll form just didn’t bend the way a human’s body could. That meant the exercise looked like I was trying to push myself away from the earth itself in an attempt to flee it.

“Once you lot are finished with your reps you can have the rest of the class to rest,” Flint said, to a chorus of joy. “But! If you can’t finish by the end of the lesson you’ll all have to do double the next day!”

Screams of pure terror greeted his words and everyone picked up speed. From the corner of my senses I could see Tilda and the other older students laughing at our suffering. I boiled with indignation but hastily pushed through.

“Amazing! You people might actually make halfway decent mages by the time I’m through with you!” Flint bellowed as the last First Year completed their routine.

“Why… do we… have to… do this?” A fairly pudgy young man asked in between gasping for breath. To be fair, no one was actually that overweight, not after a few months of Sir Flint’s training.

“Two reasons! A sound body means a sound mind, and mana will naturally flow through a source that is not clogged with fat and gristle!” The Magic Knight instructor explained. I winced at his booming voice so close to me. Sadly, he didn’t appear to have any other volume besides ‘loud.’

“The second reason is an adventurer needs to be strong! If you puny kids try to venture out beyond the safety of the walls, then you’ll never survive if you can’t run or walk!” Flint shouted. “Could you claim to be able to run from a Yedos Claw at the beginning of spring? Could you stand upright while carrying the several pounds of equipment wilderness survival requires?”

The boy the teacher had answered had the sense to look sheepish. “No sir… I could not…”

“Lo, they begin to learn! What a glorious day! Soon you’ll be real adults, not just overgrown man-children! Or man-slimes! Or man-ladies? The point is you’re doing great!”

He proceeded to flash a shining smile and a thumbs up at the collapsed students.

“All right, enough whining! Get yourselves cleaned up! You still have other classes to survive!”

Whimpers were his only response as the young mages-in-training rose and staggered off to the campus bathhouses.

“Good work, Jelly. You did well,” Liliana praised, patting me on the back.

“Yes. That shape of yours is interesting but performs decently,” Kine said. The pair approached, a faint sheen of sweat on their skin from their own exercises.

“How are you both not completely exhausted? I know the girls were given a lighter load, but Sir Flint still drove you hard,” I complained, looking at the almost pristine condition of my owner and friend.

“Kine has been teaching me Qwanese mana circulation techniques!” Liliana said happily. “They use their mana to boost their physical abilities in a way we don’t here in Orria. It’s quite fascinating and similar to the Reinforcement spell.”

“And you haven’t shared with me?” I said, giving a pout to my voice as I glanced at Kine. She blushed a bit and looked down.

“Chi techniques work with muscles and circulatory system. Oozes don’t have that. You would not be able to learn them.”

“Ugh, that makes sense, I suppose. Anyways, you two should hurry over to the baths before they get too full,” I said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll just wallow in the fountain or moat to clean off. I don’t need fancy soaps,” I said, waving off my owner’s question. As much as I liked bathing, it took too long with so many people in the bath house at the same time.

Not to mention the female students had the strangest reaction to me appearing in the communal baths with Liliana. That is, throwing things at me and demanding I leave.

I know my voice makes me sound male, but that doesn’t make me one. Possibly. I didn’t understand their aversion to me seeing them in a state of undress. A strange existence, females.

“What about the boy’s bath?” Kine asked with a tilt to her head.

“They get way too rowdy when I go in. Or when I don’t. Plus, they don’t have nearly as many types of foamy soaps as the female baths do. So it’s hardly worth the effort,” I said with a chuckle. My two companions laughed at that as well.

As we spoke Rosa and Verd flew over carrying small hand towels. As I didn’t sweat I passed mine over to Kine who took it with a thankful smile.

Some distance away I saw Clara clutching a hand towel of her own, staring in annoyance when I passed mine over to Kine. I gave a mental frown. She hadn’t done much exercise, so why did she have a towel?

~Perhaps she wanted to give it to Kine? After all, Clarabel seems like the person to repay debts of all kinds, and Kine did give her a handkerchief to clean up with the other day after your prank?~

‘Repayment, huh? Makes sense.’

~On another note, I’ve done research and found out what exactly the Rise of the Dog Star event is, and when it will occur.~

Akasha continued to speak to me as Rosa and I headed off to splash around somewhere before class.

‘Is that so? Well, what’s the deal?’

~As Headmaster Arnolt said, it is an event that will cause any and all magic related to Familiars and animals work with an increased success rate. Somewhere close to a five hundred percent increase in most cases.~

‘That’s… impressive. And worrying. When will it appear?’

~The Rise of the Dog Star follows the celestial cycle of the Hound Constellation and the star Lupe in the southern sky. When Lupe and the Hound are in conjunction with the constellation of Kurnos the Hunter it creates a magical resonance effect that reacts with Erafore’s ambient energies.~ Akasha continued.

~The event happens for one day every two years in the early summer. As for the date for this one, it should be appearing in roughly two weeks.~

‘Damn, that’s close. And what about this experiment? Could it really be used with the Dog Star to make a human into a Familiar?’

~Based on what I’ve managed to find about this forbidden Human Binding Contract, the odds of successfully creating a Familiar out of a human or other humanoid is at 98.7815 percent.~

I gulped down a bit of fear at that.

‘It could affect Liliana?’

~It could theoretically turn a Demon Lord into an obedient Familiar. So yes, a human, no matter how strong, would be ‘a piece of cake’ as the saying goes.~

(What would happen to papa if mama is, um, ‘bound?’) Rosa asked. Her worry was understandable, and the sapient artifact paused before answering.

~It is possible the Contract for Verd would go to the person who bound Liliana. Or it could free him. Or, the backlash of mana might harm him. Since such a thing has never happened before, at least to my knowledge, I am honestly unsure of what might occur.~

‘Don’t worry Rosa, we’ll make sure nothing happens to either of them,’ I promised, patting her head. I overlooked her choice of title for Liliana this time. Especially since I knew she had said it with her true feelings.

(Thank you, master.)

I sighed but said nothing and continued to pet my Familiar.

~Tonight, after your lesson with the headmaster, please enter the Mindscape. We wish to choose my new name,~ Akasha said as I slipped into the moat around the Academy.

I sent a smile her way and mentally gave her a pat on the head as well. ‘Of course.’

The evening passed by quickly under Arnolt’s tutelage. More practice with controlling my spells and mana, with a bit of theory. Nothing truly exciting.

(I still can’t believe you missed all of the targets, master!) Rosa giggled.

‘They were moving! I’m not used to hitting something that is able to dodge!’ I protested as the ruby carbuncle tittered atop my head.

~Aim for where it will be, not where it was,~ Akasha stated sagely.

‘I was pathetic in the practical part of the lesson. I get that. Can we please drop it?’ I pleaded softly as I slipped into the dorms. Rosa settled down a bit as we returned. For the sake of the tired, sleeping students she controlled her mirth.

Settling down into my bed basket my mana spiraled around inside me and soon my mind opened up and I fell deep within.

~Welcome, Jelly. It’s good to see you again.~

Akasha’s form was the same as last time, though a smile now graced her beautiful face. Beside her was Rosa, and the carbuncle was the size of a human in my Mindscape.

(Hello master!) Rosa grinned. She jumped up and tackled me with a crushing embrace, and I was glad my Astral form had no bones, much like my original.

“It’s been awhile since I saw you this big,” I replied with a teasing smirk. She laughed it off before fluttering over to where Akasha’s Brain was standing.

“So, what is the name you’ve picked?” I inquired, conjuring up a chair and plopping down into it. The two females across from me chose the bed instead. But not before a slip of paper materialized in my hands.

“You’re not going to tell me?” I ask, confused. I unfolded the note as the pair explained.

(Words have power. So do names. It is why I only gave mine to you for the ceremony, master,) Rosa said.

~In addition, I am a being closer in form to a spirit now rather than a mortal. As such I cannot give myself a name. Certainly, I could refer to myself as I pleased, but it would ultimately have no power over me and I could not use it for my own purposes. After all, without a name one cannot form a defined soul,~ the hyper-intelligent monolith elaborated.

~Not to mention that you are the being who gave me life, so to speak. It was only after you merged with me that I began to become self-aware. I thought it was only fitting that you be the one to name me. Even if it was I who picked the name.~ She then smirked.

~Papa.~

“Don’t you dare start that as well, or I will call you something embarrassing like ‘Libraria’ or ‘Page,’” I warned, offering her a single chance.

She wisely kept quiet and wiped the smile from her face. Retooled into her usual cool neutrality, she waited for me to read her choices.

“Hmm. I like them. Hard to choose. Could I give you a first and last name?”

She exchanged glances with Rosa who simply shrugged.

~Let’s just go with one for now,~ Akasha’s Brain decided.

“Alright then. If that’s the case, then I have the name for you.” I took a deep breath and stood; the lighting turned dim and the atmosphere took on an air of ceremony.

The room shifted under my will, and we appeared in a memory version of the Temple of the Divine Family. The altar was a lot larger and closer though, and the quintet of statues appeared even more life-like.

I had seen one of them in person, after all. It made sense they would appear that way in here as well.

As I stood my chair flickered away into nothingness along with the bed. Rosa and Akasha were forced to stand as their seat disappeared. Their glares faded though as the seriousness of the situation hit them. Rosa quickly rushed over to my side to watch her friend achieve her dream.

“Akasha’s Brain, you have shown you have a mind of your own, and a soul. Yet you desire only one thing; a name. And so, as your friend –and possible creator – I will bestow on you what you crave. Please stand in front of the altar!”

I cleared my throat as the embodiment of the Academy’s knowledge stepped in front of the marble and gold artifact.

“No longer will you be known as Akasha’s Brain. Henceforth you shall be Tara, Avatar of Wisdom!”

An explosion of light ripped out from her body and blinded Rosa and I, and I felt mana stir from beyond the veil of time and space.

Someone had watched this, and approved. It wasn’t any of the Divine Family –though I’d swear I’d felt Cynthia and Nia’s presence briefly– but some other entity of equal power.

(Akasha herself…) Rosa whispered, and I only heard her thanks to our link.

As the pale yet blinding light vanished Tara was revealed.

At first, nothing seemed to have changed. But when she opened her eyes I couldn’t help but let out a tiny gasp.

No longer were they pools of ink. Now, infinite cosmos swirled within them and her skin had become a beautiful cream color like fresh parchment instead of pale yellow like dusty paper.

“I-I’m me. I’m not… a fragment. I’m me! I’m Tara!” She began to laugh and with tears of joy upon her face she ran and pulled us into a hug.

“I’m finally me. I’m finally my own person.”

Rosa and I spent the rest of the evening in the Mindscape, sharing in our friend’s enjoyment and new found life.

Chapter 20: Wheels begin to turn

In the days after Tara finally obtained a name of her own she spent her time being giddy and spouting trivia facts about this and that. Rosa became more cheerful and playful, and the two women who talked to me in my head ended up becoming much closer.

Summer was almost upon the Academy, and though the Starblind Mountains poured cool air down onto the plains around Manatrem the heat steadily grew.

And as the temperature rose, so too did security around the campus. The Rise of the Dog Star was near, and the threat of either Liliana or Tilda being kidnapped for nefarious purposes drove the faculty into a frenzy.

“Now remember class, there will be a few more guards from the city watch wandering about on campus and around the borders of the Academy. Please refrain from bothering them as they’re doing their job,” Professor Orbel reminded us as we exited his class that day.

A few students, Kine included, rolled their eyes at his words. ‘A few’ was putting it lightly.

After escaping the confines of the classroom Liliana, I, and the other First Years in the Stranger Faction convened with the upperclassmen in the sunny field near the cafeteria.

“Are the guards really this necessary? I mean, we’ve had some problems, but this is kind of ridiculous,” Tilda groaned. Lying back in the grass she and the rest of the Stranger Faction were enjoying the sun and breeze for lunch.

“Well, first, there were assassins,” Kine said softly, nibbling a slice of buttered bread. “Then a mass assault from hundreds of cloned Wyverns. Finally, someone broke into the Academy’s vaults and stole something.”

“Seventeen years without a single incident and suddenly three of them in less than eight months? The reputation the Academy has cultivated has been badly tarnished. They need to show that they have everything under control.” The diminutive Qwanese girl’s words were all the more impactful in her dry monotone.

Markus chuckled at that, myself and a few others joining in.

“Has anyone seen Crosus recently?” the boy with the Lily-linx asked after the humor drained away.

“He’s been slaving away with the other Magical Defense students raising additional barriers and rechecking the pre-existing wards,” Liliana explained. When the group looked at her she shrugged.

“I saw him with Sir Petrus and Professor Renos earlier in the week. They were scurrying all over the place.”

“Good for him. All that experience will do him a world of good in the future,” I said. As I did so a memory of being trained by Headmaster Arnolt made me shiver slightly. Yes, being trained by someone other than that man would be for the best.

“Are you alright, Jelly? You just started shivering,” Liliana inquired.

“Just recalling an unpleasant bit of training with the headmaster,” I admitted.

“Speaking of unpleasant, has anyone seen Clarabel recently? Normally she’d be stalking us or something,” Tilda mentioned, bringing up a good point: Where was the Pontifex’s granddaughter?

“Ever since that prank at lunch she’s been around less and less. Hardly does anything with the Lady Faction anymore,” a second year noted. “Just goes to class and then follows us around.”

“Maybe she’s lonely and wants to talk with us, but doesn’t know how?” Liliana suggested. Her words brought out snorts.

“Probably not. She’s a stuck-up little girl buried headfirst in the doctrines of the Church. Our group might have a princess but it also has a half-elf and myself. No way she’s trying to be friends with us,” Tilda spat.

“I thought the Divine Family didn’t look down on other races,” I asked.

“Cathedral City lies inside the borders of the Partaevian Empire. It might be treated as an independent city-state but the attitude of the pro-human government in Partaevia influences them nonetheless. A lot of the priests nowadays adhere to the more strict dogma of ‘Purge all but Man,’” Tilda growled. “Not to mention they openly endorse discrimination of non-humans and fund the war against Katlamar. They bring shame to the Divine Family.”

“Despicable,” Liliana said, reaching out and pulling Kine into a protective hug. “How could anyone hate someone this cute?”

“Please stop,” Kine mumbled, red faced. My princess ignored her and began to share her lunch with the tiny young woman.

Companionable silence pervaded the area and we let tension drain out of us.

“Is it really that hard studying under the Headmaster?” Markus suddenly asked and I offered a shrug. I enjoyed this aspect of my Gel Doll mode.

“Not particularly, but he switches from practical to theoretical learning at the drop of a hat! It’s hard to get a grasp on his style or prepare when he’s just as likely to throw fireballs at you as to teach you how to write a grimoire.”

“And yet you can already cast Level Four spells,” Kine pointed out.

“Yeah, take your victories where you can Jelly,” Tilda said with a smirk. “Most of us only get to learn those in our Third and Fourth years.”

Her mood abruptly changed with a frown. Turning to see what she was looking at I gave a hum of comprehension.

Nearby a duo of men clad in leather armor and equipped with spears walked past. Some of Manatrem’s city watch were on patrol through the campus. Tilda’s eyes followed them, a scowl on her lips.

“I still don’t like all these guards being around. It’s insulting they think we cannot take care of ourselves. I mean, we’re all mages here. Even a First Year can use magic to defend themselves!”

“Tilda, I understand your frustration. But the people the Headmaster are afraid of have already shown they’re completely mad. They stole a dangerous ritual, and Blott seems to believe that the Wyvern cloning was the result of the same group. These people are dangerous,” I said.

“How do you know what was stolen?” Liliana asked, more curious than suspicious.

“Headmaster Arnolt talks a lot during my sessions,” I claimed. “Can’t say more than that. Classified and all that.”

They accepted that explanation easily enough. It was the truth too, so all the better. Verd tapped me with an annoyed look on his face. Apparently he frowned on me nearly spilling vital secrets.

“I know, I know. Give me some credit Verd, I know when to hold my tongue. Figuratively.”

That satisfied the Emerald Carbuncle and he flittered over to my owner and began to play with her hair. That appealed to my Familiar and soon Rosa was playing with Kine’s hair.

Kine had begun growing out her hair just for the red carbuncle to enjoy. Her bob cut was now shaggier and her bangs draped across her face slightly. She looked cute, and when she sat next to the princess of Varia it was easy to see that they both shared a sense of regal dignity. And adorableness.

“Ugh, too much sugar this early in the day,” Tilda grumped. She looked away from the pair of royal children with an exaggerated face of disgust.

“But it’s only noon,” Markus pointed out with a tilt of his head.

“Yeah. Too early.”

A chorus of laughter filled the sweet scented air and I smiled to myself in my mind. Life was good.

“So, what’s for dinner?” Liliana asked as she eased herself into the seat next to Tilda.

“Chicken I think,” the blonde said with a shrug. “I just got here.”

“I’m hungry,” Kine mumbled, a faint rumble betraying her state.

“Same here. Who knew caring for animals gave you such ravenous appetites,” I mused as I joined the table.

“Blott’s class was interesting though. It’s not every day you get to see an actual Rumble Boar!” Liliana defended.

“There’s a reason why most people don’t try and tame twenty foot boars with six tusks and needle-like hide. And it’s for the reason’s I just stated,” I retorted. At least our Druidic professor had immense control over over the animal and it had been docile for the entire lesson.

“How did he even get one of those? I thought they only lived in Drakon,” Tilda inquired.

“Got it as a piglet and raised it that way,” I said as one of the maids walked over to take our order. “Kine, you can order first. What do you want for dinner?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a sudden downpour of viscous red liquid from the ceiling.

I could not tell where it had come from. In fact, I hadn’t known that there was any substance above us!

A faint flicker of magic seemed to exist near the ceiling. Spatial displacement… teleportation of some kind? It decayed too fast for me to examine any further.

I directed my attention to Kine as I heard her utter a gasp of shock. I let out my own sound of distress when I saw what had happened. Liliana blanched, her eyes wide and horrified. Markus’s mouth was open as he stared uncomprehendingly at the sight before him. Tilda looked upset and… hungry?

The spell had dropped liters of blood upon the Qwanese girl. The rank fluid covered her head to toe, staining her clothes and body.

“Kine!” Everyone at the table cried out to her. The young woman in question just sat there, staring at nothing in particular. Slowly, she began to shake. Her breathing became rapid and she started to hyperventilate.

On the ceiling I could feel magic resurfacing and on the tiles words scrawled themselves out.

FOR THE MONSTER

As the words carved themselves above us murmuring rushed through the cafeteria. It was confusion and horror. What else could they feel at the sight of gore?

“Kine, calm down, everything…” Liliana reached out to try and comfort her friend. Before my owner could finish her sentence Kine had shot out of her chair and through the door, her speed boosted by her body strengthening magic.

“Liliana, Tilda, let’s go!” I shouted, hopping from my own seat. The two women I called out nodded and rose from their spots at the table and we hurried out after Kine.

As we left I dragged a ‘finger’ through a puddle of the gore left behind. I tasted it and grimaced. Things suddenly became a lot more complicated.

It wasn’t just blood. It was human blood.

I telepathically sent a message to Rosa, and she saluted sharply before flying off to find the Headmaster. I needed her to report on the origin of the ichor. After all, the amount and state of freshness was too great for a single human to donate.

But I also needed to check on Kine. This was a terrible prank, far outstripping the one Tilda and I had pulled on Clara.

Following the droplets of red the tiny girl left behind her made it easy to track Kine down. She had rushed back to the dorm, leaving a sticky trail up the stairs that Matron Alderhill would undoubtedly fume over.

On our floor Kine’s door was slightly ajar and I slipped inside. The other two followed behind quickly.

I found her crouched on the floor, trying to scrub the blood off of her body with a cloth.

“That won’t do,” I heard Liliana chide. “Summon Water!”

Moisture condensed from the air and with deft skill my owner maneuvered the water into the basin next to Kine’s desk. She then knelt down and took the hand towel from her friend.

Liliana proceeded to wash off the cloth and she gently wiped Kine clean, starting with her face.

I contributed by sucking the blood off of her eyeglasses leaving them sparkly and new.

Tilda just stood around awkwardly, unsure of how to go about comforting her younger friend. She settled for leaning over to me and striking up a hushed conversation.

“Jelly, you and I both know who was responsible for this.”

“Clara?”

“Yes. This is definitely pay-back for what we did a while back.” Tilda looked so convinced it was hard for me to offer up any disagreement. But something didn’t feel right about this.

“Is this really her style? The blood, the words, all of it?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Tilda demanded, starting to get angry. Being passive was not in her nature.

“I just don’t think this is her style! Wouldn’t she have retaliated earlier if this was the case? Besides I highly doubt she’d use human blood for the attack!”

“Human blood?” Tilda suddenly looked nervous and I bobbed my head.

“Yes. I tasted it when we were leaving the dining room. There was too much for just a single person and it was too fresh for being stored. Unless preservation charms… no, the point is the whole situation doesn’t make sense!”

“Fine then! If you won’t go confront her I will!” Hissing in annoyance the blonde turned to leave but I grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t do that! You’re too worked up!” I argued. “I give in! I’ll go speak to her! You just stay here and look out after Kine.”

A smirk spread across her face and I knew I had just been played.

“So kind of you, Jelly. Most gentlemanly. Well, off you go, don’t want the perpetrator to flee now, do we?”

“You sneaky fox,” I muttered.

“More like a slippery snake,” she teased, flipping one of her hair-drills over her shoulder.

With a sigh of defeat I slid out of the room and made my way towards the dorm’s exit. Clara lived in the South Wing Dormitory, which was some distance away.

As I moved I cleaned up the blood stains. Passing over them allowed me to drink up the drying gore and scrub the floor clean of it. Plus it allowed me a chance to take a closer look at it.

The blood was human, but from someone middle aged and with very little mana. I’d swear I could feel two other presences inside the blood, which meant at least one other person had been drained for this prank.

Wrapped up in my thoughts I nearly ran into Orleen who was walking into the West Dorm.

“Jelly, I heard there was a commotion with Princess Liliana. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, someone pulled a very cruel prank on Kine so Liliana and Tilda are trying to comfort her.”

Orleen shook her head in despair.

“Again? What does anyone have against that sweet little girl? Non-human sentiments aside, this is ridiculous!”

“I agree. I’m off to confront the person we think did this. I won’t get rough or hurt them, don’t give me that look,” I said, slightly offended when the Roan Family employee raised her eyebrows in a silent challenge.

“Just making sure. With the situation so precarious right now the last thing we need is more foreign pressure if a student gets hurt.”

I shook my head in disbelief. She knew who I was going to visit. Maids are no joke!

“Can you just go up and take care of the trio while I’m gone? Something feels… wrong. I’m not sure how else to explain it. My Danger Sense isn’t going off but my gut is a bit worried,” I said and Orleen nodded politely.

“Of course, I shall tend to my mistress and her friends.”

The prim and proper maid flashed me a smile and I nodded in return. Then my mission continued. It was still lunch time so unless Clara had gone to the cafeteria since we’d left, odds were she was till holed up in her room. Like she had been for the past few days.

(Master, I’ve informed the headmaster about the blood. Is there anything else you want me to do?)

I paused, thinking over my plan as Rosa reported back to me.

‘Not right now. Verd is with Liliana, so come on back to me. We can investigate Clara together. I’m nearly at the South Dorm.’

(Aye-aye, Master!)

~Are you expecting resistance?~ Tara inquired.

‘No. Clara’s just a Second Year and I’ve been trained by the Lord of Magic himself. I doubt she has anything she could do to me. I also don’t believe she’s behind this. But having Rosa’s magic on my side will still be a bonus. After all she’s good at detecting lies.’

~Carbuncles are renowned for being useful for ferreting out the truth. Just be careful, Jelly. I agree with you in that something feels off about this situation.~

Humming in agreement I slipped into the five story mansion style apartment that was the South Wing Dormitory.

Almost identical to the building my owner, Kine, and Tilda lived in, I paused in the doorframe. Expanding my senses I tried to locate Clarabel but the various magical defenses prevented me from peering through the floors, walls, and ceilings. Just like the West Dorm.

‘Rosa, find Clarabel please. Peer through the windows,’ I requested and a mental salute came to me from my Familiar. I only had to wait a few minutes before a response came down to me.

(She’s on the fifth floor, seventh door down on the right. Room 514.)

‘Thanks Rosa!’ I hastily slunk up the stairs and approached the door.

“Knock knock~!” I called out. My limbs were not nearly solid enough to pound on a door so I resorted to just shouting it.

“Go away!” A muffled feminine voice replied to me call. It sounded strange as well.

“Lady Clarabel, it is Jelly. Open up! I need to talk to you about Kine!”

Nothing happened, not even a sound came forth. I sighed and raised my hand to the lock on the door and morphed one of my fingers into a key-like shape.

Sliding it inside I proceeded to fumble around the mechanism and after a bit of fiddling around I unlocked the door.

“Sorry about this, but I’m coming in!”

Shoving the door open I saw Clara jerk in surprise at her desk. Spotting me she hunched over, hiding something with her upper torso.

“Lady Clarabel, I apologize for entering without permission but we really need to talk,” I said giving a short bow towards the young woman.

“Go away! Haven’t you bothered me enough?!” she screeched, anger and sorrow in her eyes.

Pausing, I shared a look with Rosa who sat on my shoulder.

“What do you mean? What have I done to you?” ‘Besides the baking soda and vinegar prank.’ I naturally didn’t say that last part out loud, but I heard a snort from my link with Tara and Rosa.

“As if you don’t know! Every time I tried to talk with Kine or send her something you and Tilda did terrible things! Nails in my shoes, terrible, vile, notes and letters!”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “I’ve never done anything like that, and neither has Tilda!”

“Liar! I know she’s angry for last year but that doesn’t give her the right to do it to me this year!  Nor you! Princess Liliana would be ashamed of what you’ve done!”

“I have done nothing, Lady Clarabel! All I did was buy some baking powder and vinegar for that prank she pulled a few weeks back! And nails in shoes? Cruel letters? That’s what you’ve been doing to Kine!” I shouted, raising my voice. I didn’t care if there were others nearby.

“What? I haven’t done any of that!” Clara protested. “And you ruined my dress!”

“Let me guess, you weren’t the one who poured blood all over Kine either!” I shouted, heated. Rosa was patting my neck, trying to calm me down, but I was too wrapped up in the conversation.

Clara froze. “What did you say? Someone poured blood on Kine?”

“Yes, it just happened at the cafeteria. I’m here because Tilda is convinced you’re the one who did this.”

“No, I didn’t! I wouldn’t do that! How dare you even insinuate that!” The Pontifex’s granddaughter declared.

A chill ran through me, and something started to gnaw at the back of my mind. A frighteningly familiar sensation.

“What happened between you and Tilda?” I demanded.

At that a shameful frown crossed Clara’s face.

“I’d rather not say…”

“Lady Clarabel, something doesn’t feel right. So either explain to me why Tilda would carry such a grudge, or come with me to the headmaster to explain because the blood used to drench Kine? It was human blood.”

“I was in love with her!”

I paused, staring in confusion at the prim and proper woman in front of me. She trembled before sitting up. Her movement revealed an envelope beneath her. With shaking hands she held it out to me and I took it, slowly.

“When I first met her, I was smitten. Tilda was everything I was not. Strong, smart, confident… and she looked so young and cute! I shouldn’t have felt that way but I did. Last year, I spent some time trying to get close to her. To court her.”

I opened the letter and began to read it as I gave Clarabel’s confession an ear. So to speak.

“When she found out I was attracted to her she… took it poorly. Pranks and small yet cruel little things began to happen to me. I forced myself to give up.” Clara looked down with a depressed expression.

“I thought I had gotten over it during the summer. That my attraction was just a phase, mere harmless affection. But as soon as I got back to the campus I saw someone else and my repressed feelings erupted again.”

“Kine? Really? She’s nothing like Tilda,” I said. As I continued to read the letter I sighed.

Damn hormones. They really mess people up. I folded up the love letter and returned it to Clara’s desk.

“I know, but I couldn’t help it! So small, so cute, like a helpless puppy…” Clarabel’s eyes glazed over before she shook her head and broke out of it.

“I would never try to hurt Kine.”

“What about when you were talking to that First Year in the Menagerie? I overheard you talking about how you’d have to find another way,” I inquired.

“You heard that?” Clara looked annoyed before she sighed and let it go.

“I was talking about my plan to show off to her! That boy was supposed to make the animal a bit wild, then when he got hurt I would approach and heal him, showing off my talents.”

“Seriously? That’s it? That was your master plan?”

“Shut up! It was a last minute plan!” Clara shouted with red dusted cheeks.

I laughed, but couldn’t help notice that the niggling sensation in my mind had grown.

“So what you’re saying is that Tilda was manipulating the both of us?” I demanded. The young lady nodded.

Confusion swirled inside me. Why? What was Tilda’s end goal? What purpose did lying have? She turned me against another student, but for what reason? She wanted me to keep my attention on someone else, and to trust her…

Suddenly my Danger Sense started screaming at me and I stiffened. Rosa went still as well.

“Jelly? Is something wrong?” Clara asked, concerned at my sudden lack of motion.

“Liliana is in danger,” I said shortly. “I have to go!”

I darted across her room, throwing open Clara’s window before launching myself out of it. I fell five stories and hit the ground hard. Had I any bones they’d have shattered on impact.

But I was far more durable as a boneless blob and I was sliding over the campus seconds later. Rosa was flying beside me, a worried expression on her face to mirror my own feelings.

“Wait!” I heard Clara shout at me from above but I ignored her. My princess was in danger!

I rushed past some guards who shouted at me to stop but I ignored them. I barreled past a few other students, including Markus and Crosus.

“Liliana’s in danger!” I cried as I went by and they shared a look before jogging behind me.

“Liliana!” I cried as I burst into the West Wing Dormitory.

Ignoring the matron’s squawk of disapproval I rushed up the stairs like a purple and gold tidal wave.

Upon reaching the fifth floor all my fears were confirmed. Blood. It stained the floor in front of Kine’s door which hung ominously open.

The stench was oddly absent though, and only as I got nearer did I spot a barrier made for suppressing sound and smells.  My breath caught in my throat as I opened the door and I saw the damage.

Kine lay face down, unconscious. She was still covered in dried blood from earlier but she appeared completely unharmed. Unfortunately that didn’t relieve me much.

The fresh blood was all coming from Orleen. Someone had attacked her with a blade of some sort and her chest had a large gash in it, while her right arm had been severed and now lay in a pool of gore near the door. It was still clutching her personal defense dagger, which meant someone had definitely attacked them.

“No!” I cried, hurrying over to the fallen maid. There was only the faintest flicker of life within her, and I had to hurry before it was extinguished. I removed a high grade healing potion from my Dimensional Pocket and poured it down her throat, careful to massage her neck to get her to swallow it.

She woke with a cough as the healing magic in liquid form coursed through her body.

“Jelly,” She whispered as her eyes focused on me. “They took her…”

“Who took Liliana and Tilda, Orleen? What happened?” I demanded as I cradled her head in my arms.

“A man… Saludan… sword…” She coughed violently and a trickle of blood leaked out of her mouth.

“What?” I whispered, disbelieving. Orleen just nodded.

A shrill scream filled the room as Rosa collapsed, sobbing next to a tiny figure next to Kine. I looked over and growled.

Verd lay on the ground, a large crack running through the emerald embedded in him, while his wings were shattered and both arms were broken.

My Familiar sobbingly held her father, and I feared for the green carbuncle. That damage was severe, and I could barely sense any magic left in the gem.

My attention was grabbed by Orleen as she reached out and cupped the hand holding her with her sole remaining one.

“I can’t… hold on much longer,” she confessed, a sad smile on her lips. “Verd tried to protect the princess, but the swordsman… was strong.”

“Damn it, Orleen! You’re not going to die here!” I shouted, drawing forth another potion. I forced it down her throat and she sputtered a bit.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood, but we can fix that!” I said, all but begging. She gave a faint grin before slipping into unconsciousness.

Behind me Markus and Crosus stepped inside the room, gasping at the sight before them. I turned to the pair.

“Go get the headmaster! Tell him Liliana and Tilda have been kidnapped!”

“Shit!” Crosus swore before darting off. Markus kneeled down next to me and began to dress Orleen’s stump with impromptu bandages made from his own robe.

“Will she make it?” He asked, worried, and his Lily-linx purred sadly.

“I’ll make sure she does,” I promised, before reaching out to Rosa.

“Rosa, sweetie, it’ll be OK! I’ll heal him up! All he needs is magic, right? I can give him that!” I reached out a tendril and placed it on the crack in Verd’s gem and began to pump mana through it into him.

Nothing happened even as my energy suffused the core of the feykin. A hand on my shoulder brought my attention to Markus who was shaking his head sadly.

“That won’t work. He’s a Familiar now. Only the master can transfer raw mana to use as healing. Without Liliana here he won’t recover since conventional medicine won’t affect him.”

As my mood plummeted the young man comforted me with a smile.

“Don’t worry though, carbuncles are durable. As long as his gem doesn’t receive any more damage he’ll be alright, and when we get Princess Liliana back she’ll be able to fix him up in no time!”

I nodded and Rosa sniffed, wiping away tiny tears that had crystalized into pearl-like jewels.

It took only a few minutes for help to arrive but by then Orleen’s breathing had grown fainter and Kine still had yet to awaken. As faculty escorted them away for treatment Headmaster Arnolt came to speak with us about the incident.

“What happened?” His eyes were flinty and he stared in rage at the blood stains on the floor before focusing his attention back on me.

“As Rosa informed you, Kine was hit with a prank and she rushed back here. Liliana, Tilda and myself went with her as support. Tilda claimed that this was the work of Lady Clarabel so I went to investigate,” I explained.

“But when I got to the South Wing Dormitory I found that she wasn’t the culprit. And just as I was about to leave my Danger Sense activated. So I rushed back here to check in. When I arrived I found Orleen close to death, Kine unconscious but unharmed, and Verd cracked and nearly broken. Orleen said a swordsman from Saluda attacked them and after that it’s all a blank for her. I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough.”

“You did well given the situation,” the headmaster assured me.

“What now?”

The elderly sorcerer frowned and stroked his beard.

“We do what we can to find them. The Divination School will be informed that all students are to use their talents to try and locate the missing pair. I’ll send out riders and notices to the nearby settlements. They cannot have gotten far.”

I nodded.

~Jelly, I think you should try looking for Princess Liliana as well.~

‘I agree, but how can I do that? I have no talent with scrying,’ I replied. Tara just rolled her eyes.

~You gave her a ring made of your soul, remember? Whenever we walked around in your Astral Form you were able to see it, right?~

I slapped my forehead and the headmaster gave me a funny look.

“Headmaster Arnolt, I think I have a way to find her as well!” I quickly explained the idea and he nodded.

“I recall seeing that pillar of light as well. Yes, that just might work! I give you permission to use your Astral Projection outside of my supervision. Find them, Jelly. And hurry.”

I nodded. The Rise of the Dog Star was just two days away. We didn’t have any time to waste!

Chapter 21: The hunt

“Are you keeping track of our location?” I asked and I received a hum of confirmation from Tara.

~Oh course. We’re close to the border of Varia and Damal.~ Tara stated and I nodded.

Twelve hours had passed since the kidnapping, and I had spent most of that time as an astral projection. One advantage of that mode was distance was more of a suggestion than a rule. I could traverse miles in a single thought; all I had to do was ‘want’ to be somewhere and I’d arrive in seconds.

Not to say that this was all safe. There were all sorts of dangers to an astral form. Wild mana storms could shred magic with contemptuous ease, ravenous spirits existed that fed on souls and magical energy, and dimensional sinkholes could transport the unwary to another realm in the multiverse.

Most of the threats I had avoided easily, but there were some close calls. A rather crude and persistent Spirit of Hunger had come close to devouring me. Only Tara’s knowledge had helped me stay away from it.

But the dangers were worth it. After all, I’d quickly found Liliana’s trail. The ring, which contained a fragment of my soul, burned bright to my senses, and I was drawn to it naturally. She was somewhere on the opposite side of Varia, and I was currently trying to scout the area out to pinpoint Liliana’s location.

~I still cannot believe that Tilda was a traitor,~ Tara mused to herself and I nodded solemnly. That news had come as a shock to everyone.

During their investigation the faculty had found a teleportation array in her closet. It had been used several times in the past year, and apparently had been used to get the thief in and out of the Academy.

“But why would she do this? It makes no sense!” I growled, closing in on the beacon of my owner’s location.

~Blackmail, perhaps? She is from an infamous bloodline, they might have some sway on her because of it,~ Tara offered.

“I’m just glad Arnolt decided to keep this information quiet for now. No need to make the students more upset or make false accusations.”

~Agreed.~

I moved on in silence after that. At long last however the pillar of light was fully visible to me and I darted forward with a grin on my astral face.

“I think this is the place,” I said, coming to a halt.

A glorious estate lay before me. A sprawling mansion stood in the center of a lush, well maintained garden. The entire area was completely isolated inside a gargantuan barrier. The magical energy was so thick and the wards so numerous it was difficult to even look through them to see what they guarded.

~Indeed. The number of magical traps would suggest that this place is their base of operations.~ The Spirit of Knowledge then began to mumble to herself as she examined the defenses through my senses.

~This is immensely powerful. And intricate. Trying to disable one ward will just activate another, and the whole set-up is designed to create a magical cascade that will kill anything short of a dragon if it steps inside without permission,~ Tara revealed after a full twenty minutes of investigation. ~There are ways around this, but they’re slow and need a lot of preparation.~

“Are magical defenses of this magnitude common?” I asked. This all seemed excessive for the protection of a single mansion.

~Not at all. In fact, not even Manatrem or the Academy have this many defensive capabilities. It would take thousands of mages to erect even a third of this.~

“Then how? And who? No matter how rich and influential the kidnapper is this is simply impossible to pull off. Someone is clearly pulling some strings behind the curtain.”

~Well, based on the location of this mansion, I believe I know the identity of the mastermind. Or one of them. This is the summer villa for the Darpel Family,~ Tara revealed as she pulled up some maps and archive records. She also pointed out their noble crest etched into the flagstones near the entrance of the compound.

I trembled with rage but held it in. Now was not the time. “How can I get inside?”

~Only someone of the headmaster’s caliber could break through this level of magic. The only other way you could bypass the wards would be to isolate yourself from the spellwork. In that regard, I have a plan. Return to your body and I’ll explain it to you and the headmaster.~

Seeing no other choice I complied, letting my astral body fade. But I’d be back soon. No one would steal Liliana from me!

A few more hours had passed since I had returned from scouting out Liliana’s position and I’d had to wait for the headmaster to gather his resources to launch a raid on the kidnappers. He needed time and effort to prepare a method for dealing with the advanced wards I reported.

“You’re mad, you know that, right?” Arnolt Cantos inquired as he prepared the teleportation array. The plan was simple, but had lots of risks, most of which I’d be taking.

The array in Tilda’s room had been damaged so it wouldn’t be possible to use it to bypass the wards around the Darpel manor. Instead he drew his own array to move himself and a few other teachers to the location I had found.

For the moment I was shrunk down to the size of an apple and nestled on a small velvet cushion inside a lead box. Using lead, one of the few magically inert materials and one of the cheapest, made the plan all the easier. But that didn’t mean I wanted to touch the grey metal. It stung.

“I’m not crazy, just desperate. Now are we ready to go or not?”

“Calm down, Jelly. We want to get our students back as much as you do but rushing will do us no good,” Professor Orbel warned. He, Professor Helestra, and Sir Flint would be joining us in the mission to rescue Liliana.

Orbel Nod, the Multi-Mage. Helestra Palmar, the Contract Witch. Flint Decarn, the Hundred Sword Knight. I knew they were powerful based on their mana capacity and their repertoire of spells, but to find out they were the strongest teachers in the Academy? Astonishing. I hadn’t seen them as anything but kind and slightly aging teachers. To hear their titles and a portion of their exploits was mindboggling.

 “Alright, enough standing around! Get inside the circle,” Arnolt commanded and the trio stepped in. I was carried inside, the lead box under Sir Flint’s arm.

“There’s going to be a lot more turbulence than normal since I’m trying to teleport lead as well,” Arnolt warned as he stepped into the circle with us.

“Just hold on to your lunch and get ready for anything. Who knows what else the Darpel manor has for defenses.”

I nodded, though that gesture went unnoticed. Rosa did so as well, but she was perched on the headmaster’s shoulder. She wanted to be closer to me, but as I was shrunk down to fit in a lead box she had little choice but to keep her distance. Lead, like iron, messed with feykin much worse than people realized.

“Bind the world to a single point. Show no distinction between land and sea. All is one beneath the sky. Teleport!” Arnolt declared, chanting the words for the advanced spell.

As the last syllable left his mouth the intricate array lit up with purple-green energy before a tingling sensation rushed through my body.

I was pulled apart at the same time I was crushed, then spat out after being chewed. The glow of the spell faded and we were deposited on some grass near the edge of the Darpel manor barrier.

“Ugh, that was weird,” Sir Flint groaned, clutching his stomach with his free hand.

“Hurry up, no time to waste!” Arnolt declared. As soon as we’d arrived he had spun around to examine the expansive set of barriers around our target and was frowning while mumbling to himself.

“It looks like your assessment was on point, Jelly. This barrier is incredible. We’ll need to use your plan,” he stated and I sagged with relief. Truth be told it wasn’t my plan at all, but Tara wanted her existence kept a secret so I pretended that knowing how the wards functioned was all due to my efforts and research.

 “Ready when you are,” I said and I winced as Sir Flint placed the lid onto the box. It was dark and cramped but I endured.

“Hup!” With a grunt from Sir Flint I experienced a sensation of flying through the air before plummeting. The box soon hit the ground hard, the lid popped off, and I scrambled out of the lead container.

I was on the other side of the Darpel mansion’s barrier now. Hurriedly I removed a pair of seven-foot-long poles from my Dimensional Pocket and stabbed them into the ground while Orbel did the same with an identical set of tools across the barrier from me.

“Ready!” I called. Behind me I heard an alarm go off, muted somewhat by distance.

Orbel placed his palms on the ends of the staves and channeled his magic through them. At once the pair on my end lit up as they reacted to their partner artifacts, and with a whoosh of displaced air the barrier was torn open, forming a small gate through the defenses equal to the size of the area the spears occupied.

Yes, this plan was easy. First step: get me through the barrier in a lead box. The magically inert material would protect me from any attacks but not prevent the alarms from triggering.

Step two: set up a series of magical items known as Gate Breakers: artifacts designed for piercing wards and barriers, when set up in front of and behind a magical phenomenon, creating a safe passage through it.

And now the third and final step: Rush through before the wards detected an anomaly and closed off the affected region and attack the mansion and its occupants in order to save the victims!

The sound of something flying through the air forced me to slide to one side to avoid it. A throwing knife planted itself in the dirt next to me and I was glad I had moved away. The blade was slick with green slime that I knew with a glance was poisonous. I might be immune to a lot of damage but I wasn’t going to risk ingesting something toxic I couldn’t identify.

I turned to look at my assailant and groaned. Over a dozen men had appeared from the doors of the mansion, all of them exceedingly muscled and armed with a variety of weapons.

What was most disturbing was their complete lack of hair and their dead, vacant eyes. Just like the assassins from earlier in the year.

Sir Flint did not hesitate and he lunged through the gap in the wards, sword raised. He was followed by Orbel and Helestra who were raising their own weapons. Canes for the both of them, each expertly crafted.

“Those men are Pseudo-Familiars,” the Summoning teacher confirmed as she peered at the charging figures.

“Then we have no choice. Cut them down,” Arnolt commanded, the last of the group to step through the hole in the magical defenses.

The headmaster followed up his words with tapping his staff onto the ground and creating a miniature earthquake centered on the approaching men. They staggered, open to the volley of spells Orbel unleashed on them.

Helestra raised her cane and muttered incantations to herself, calling forth a duo of magical creatures. Elementals the both of them, one of stone and one, which she had used during the wyvern assault, of lightning

Lastly, Flint raised his sword and as he swung it, shimmering blades of light appeared in the wake of his swing, creating extra weapons for him to use.

With a cry, the four professors dashed forward, clearing a path for me to slip through the mass of enemies.

As strong as I was, there was no doubt I was a liability in a straight up fight. While the high level mages engaged the Pseudo-Familiars in a brawl, my mission was to extract Liliana and find out the truth behind Tilda’s betrayal.

As I neared the mansion’s double doors I felt my Danger Sense flare up and I reacted, throwing myself away from the entrance.

The wood exploded outward as a blade coated in magic ripped through it, nearly bisecting me. Emerging from the house was a dark skinned man clad in garb suited for a desert. His eyes were completely emotionless, and he looked upon me and the other intruders as if we weren’t even worth acknowledging.

“My contract states that this monster must die,” the warrior announced dispassionately.

Professor Helestra and Sir Flint inserted themselves between them and myself.

“You think we’d let you harm a student?” the Magic Knight roared, a dozen flickering blades flying at the Saludan swordsman.

“Go, Jelly! Find Liliana and Tilda! We’ll hold these fools back!” Professor Helestra ordered. I snapped off a quick salute and slithered into the manor even as the defenders doubled their efforts to catch me.

It was no use. The teachers from the Academy may have been past their prime, but they were still threats to be reckoned with. They were more than enough to hold off the hired muscle. I made it inside.

The interior of the mansion was poorly lit. Only a few lamps and candles illuminated the hallways and many of the rooms were locked or empty.

But there were countless luxuries within. Tapestries adorned the walls and beautiful vases sat on furniture made of rare wood. Antique suits of armor and racks of master crafted weapons sat in niches.

For all the wealth that was displayed, however, the house was lifeless and had an eerily silent. Not a single person or thing, living or otherwise, had appeared anywhere. There weren’t even roaches or rats.

The ozone stink of powerful magic added to the lifeless atmosphere of the mansion. The raw mana pressed down on me from all sides and tingles ran through my body. My sensory abilities were going haywire from all the conflicting signals. I shut them off after a minute inside and relied on my more basic senses.

“Oi, is anyone there? Let me out!”

An extremely familiar voice tickled the edge of my hearing and I tensed up.

~Jelly, take a deep breath. If it really is Tilda, then you should be calm when you confront her.~

I bobbed up and down in agreement and did as Tara advised. My boiling rage subsided.

Following the sounds of Tilda’s shouting I came to a locked door. In seconds my tendril popped the lock open. As the door swung open I found myself staring in a dark room, only a single candle providing light. Thick piles of dust covered the floor and corners of the area. Leaning against the back wall was the blonde Katlamarian noblewoman, bound in rough rope. A piece of cloth was covering her eyes, blinding her completely.

“Is that you Jelly?” she asked as I entered room. “Quick, get me out of here!”

“Where is Liliana, Tilda?” I demanded.

“I don’t know, when the Saludan took us we were separated.” She wiggled a bit sending puffs of dust into the air. Peering closer I saw that her necklace was missing.

“Second question: Why did you lie and pit me against Clara?”

Silence fell across the room. Faster than it took a human to blink she tore her way out of the bindings and slashed at me, her nails lengthening. I slid backwards, dodging the blow. Her strike tore a set of five deep gouges in the floor.

With her other hand Tilda reached up and removed the cover from her eyes, sneering. As the cloth fell away I saw sharp fangs poking out from her mouth and dark purple eyes staring out at me.

“Vampire,” I murmured and Tilda’s grin widened.

“Indeed! Freezing Lance!” A foot and a half long spear of jagged ice materialized and shot out, trying to impale me. I threw myself to the side and felt cold air rush past.

“What did you do with the real Tilda?!” I demanded, shooting off a pair of tentacles tipped with dripping acid. She slapped my attack to the side and her sneer grew even wider.

“I am the real Tilda! Didn’t I say so when we first met? I’m older than I look!”

“If your name really is Tilda and you really are from Katlamar…” I froze as a crazy thought invaded my mind. Only Tara’s warning kept me from getting pieced by another ice spell.

“You’re the girl from fifty years ago who was killed by the Partaevian vampire!” I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her. I also cast a quick Acid Arrow which she evaded.

“Exactly! That bastard bit me and made me an undead when I was thirteen! He made me into a filthy little whore for his sick desires! Oh, my revenge was sweet when I slaughtered him and the rest of those imperial pricks!” She laughed at the shock I exuded.

“And my dear older sister, the so-called ‘Duchess of Blood,’ took revenge for me when I dragged my undead flesh back home. How the slaughter sang to me!” A twisted snicker slipped from her lips as she remembered the past.

“So she knows what you are?”

“And continues to protect me! I act as her hand in the shadows and earn money for the rebellion on the side as a mercenary,” Tilda revealed. The air turned bitterly cold as her magic called up her reserves of mana. “That necklace of mine? It makes me appear human, even under a Level Nine detection spell and adds a small amount of protection from the sun! She’ll never abandon me like our worthless father! So die for her sake!”

“Glacial Burst!” The floor below me erupted in a geyser of freezing mana that quickly solidified into a pillar of ice. Unprepared I was trapped in the spell. I could feel my body begin to freeze.

But with the same trick that had caught the smugglers I unleashed my full size, splintering the ice around me as I swelled to a gargantuan form. The room Tilda and I were in –walls, floor, and ceiling -- ceased to be.

~Try not to get hit by another spell like that, Jelly. You’re body took a lot of damage. The ice almost reached your core,~ Tara informed me and I grunted in acknowledgement. I could feel my energy reserved sapped from repairing the damage I’d received.

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’ I shrank back to my smaller shape and faced Tilda, who had avoided my attack with inhuman dexterity.

“Hmm, not bad dodging my spell. Most people would have their blood and any other liquids frozen solid by that. But I already knew you were special!” the vampire girl said with joy. My empathy easily detected a lust for battle that dwelled within her.

“You said your sister protects you, but how much longer can that last?” I demanded, spinning to block another spear of ice. “She’s only human. She must be in her seventies, late sixties.”

“Shut up,” Tilda snarled as her voice turned dark and her entire appearance took on a bestial tint. Her purple eyes glowed fearsomely in the dark and I shivered.

“You’re a mercenary? Then let’s make a deal.” At my words Tilda paused, hand raised to attack. I reached into myself and removed a tiny vial of glowing purple liquid.

“This is an Elixir. It took nine months to make this, and the only reason I could was because as an Ooze I produce all the materials necessary so cost is nonexistent.” I took a deep breath and began my pitch.

“This much will cure any disease and can prolong the life of the imbiber. If you’re lucky, your sister could have a whole extra decade at her disposal. I don’t even want money for it. All you have to do is cancel your current contract and leave us all alone.” I watched as her eyes traced over the small glass potion bottle, desire burning in her dark orbs.

“If you kill me, you’ll lose it,” I warned, slipping the vial back into my body. A flinch ran through her body as I guessed right. “When I die, everything in my Dimensional Pocket will be destroyed.”

“Fine. I didn’t really like working with Countess Darpel anyways. I only did so because she was very generous with her gold,” Tilda said. She relaxed her posture and the sharpened finger nails retracted. “I’ll even fake my own death at no extra cost! That way none of our friends at the Academy have to know I was a traitor.”

Sadness danced through her expression for just a second before she took control.

“Were we really friends?” I demanded as I removed the Elixir and passed it over to the vampire.

“For a bit, yeah. I really hate having to play the long con. I get too attached to people I shouldn’t,” the undead girl said solemnly. She snatched the bottle from my grasp and stalked out of the ruins of the mansion’s wing.

“A word of advice about the countess. She’s not just trying to bind the princess and control her powers. You could say she’s trying to make the world rebel.” With those ominous words Tilda Gorossi left, vanishing into the depths of the building. No doubt to gather her things and make a run for it.

“Onwards, then,” I muttered, passing through the destruction she and I had made as I moved deeper into the heart of the mansion, heading closer to the overwhelming magical power of Liliana’s ring and the foul ritual.

My travels did not take long, as I was soon upon the source of all the magic I had been sensing. The door was barred, plated in lead, but even through it I could feel the pulsating power. Using magic to get through was not going to be an option. Well, not directly.

I pointed two tendrils at the door and used them as nozzles. I spewed a torrent of potent acid at the barricade and laughed to myself. Acid alone would never be able to melt through that much lead in the time I had remaining. But it was the hinges that were the targets of my liquid wrath.

Smaller and much less durable than the door itself, they gave way in seconds with a ‘blorch’ sound. I increased my size, creating a fist as large as the door and aiming at the weakened portal.

“Clunk!” I hissed in pain as gelatinous limb met lead. I endured. The door, however, did not. Without hinges the force of my blow sent the door flying into the room.

I was immediately met with a burst of magic aimed at my face but I avoided the attack with a quick size change.

“How did you get here? Where’s that vampire bitch?” a woman’s voice snarled at me. I zipped into the room, dodging another blast as I oriented myself.

“I took care of Tilda. She’s no longer my problem,” I said.

My cryptic answer caused the speaker to ooze annoyance. “She clearly wasn’t as talented as she made herself out to be. Still, she performed her primary duties acceptably. At least I don’t have to pay her.”

The spells stopped for a moment which gave me a chance to take in the room. It had once been a ballroom but now vast amounts of intricate and arcane sigils scrawled over the entire floor.

These symbols were sucking in an ungodly amount of raw mana from the area. The air felt thick as treacle and was almost alive with sparks of magical lightning.

And in the center of countless concentric shapes and amidst hundreds of runes was my owner, blank eyed and staring at the ceiling as she lay on her back.

“Liliana!” I cried, fear burrowing into my soul at her state.

“Gale Burst!” A cannonball of compressed wind shot at me from one of the people standing near my insensate owner. As I dodged the spell I took a look at the pair.

One was portly and dressed in standard black mage’s robes. He was conducting the ritual, carefully guiding the spell to completion. As such, he left attacking to the other individual.

An older version of my owner was the first thought that popped into my head. Their faces were extremely similar, though my attacker had more wrinkles and greying brown hair drawn back into a bun. Clad in a dress better suited to a ball than a battle, she held herself with imposing regality as she clutched a silvery rapier while giving me a look of pure loathing.

“Countess Darpel, I assume.” She nodded at my words.

“And you must be the pest that has spoiled my family’s plans up until now. Funny. I thought you’d be more impressive looking.”

I growled at that and took on my bipedal form while slipping into a combat stance.

“Step aside and return Princess Liliana to me. Do so and I’ll consider asking her father to spare you.”

“As if my brother would let me go after all this,” the countess sneered. “He’d execute me himself if he could, instead of having that pet commoner of his do it. No,” she continued, “this is the only way left to me.”

“How could someone so twisted be related to my owner?” I wondered out loud.

~Isn’t that the hundred gold question,~ Tara said.

(One in the bush is worth two in the hand!) Rosa chimed in.

~Go back to smashing apart battle-slaves, dearie,~ the Spirit of Knowledge sighed as I wondered what on Erafore my Familiar was talking about.

(OK! Be sure to beat in that bitch’s face for papa!) the ruby-studded carbuncle demanded, and I shivered at the malice in her voice.

“My blood and its relationships are no concern of yours, monster,” Countess Liliana Roan Darpel uttered, raising her slender sword.

“Hear the storm, fear its wrath. Be driven before darkened clouds! Tempest Sword!”

An explosion of magic rushed at me and this time I was unable to dodge at all. I was almost ripped in half by the razor sharp blade of focused wind magic and it was only reflexes that had allowed me to move my core from the path of the attack.

“Argh!” I reformed and launched a quartet of acid tipped tendrils at the aristocrat in front of me. She deflected with a wall of wind and a smirk.

“Try and keep the spells small, please?” the pudgy mage pleaded, sparing a glance at his employer. “This is hard enough without you tossing around Level Four spells willy-nilly!”

“You really are insane to use high level spells in a place like this!” I shouted, just as shocked as the black robed mage. The equilibrium needed for a ritual as massive as this one was delicate. Too much foreign mana could disrupt it. And the result of the ritual failing would be a crater miles wide, if we were lucky.

“I’m not insane!” Countless Darpel shouted. I rushed at her, trying to catch her off guard but she blocked with another barrier.

“Your madness couldn’t have been hereditary, King Tiberius is far too stable for that to be true! Did your insanity manifest before your wedding or after?” I taunted.

“How dare you insult my family!” She screeched.

“You were willing to unleash an army of Wyverns onto Manatrem just to sneak in a thief! Your husband was stupid enough to try and poison foreign nobles and diplomats to claim the throne of Varia! I think those acts point to your family being utterly disturbed!” I cried, lashing out a spear-like tendril to pierce her. The countess leapt aside easily, flicking her rapier and letting the enchanted blade rip through my gelatinous limb.

“The throne was ours by right! Tiberius was too soft to be a proper king! We were strong, we were worthy!” the countess howled as I retreated her sword’s reach.

“If you’re so worthy, then why did you need someone else to create a barrier to surround the mansion?” I asked. Tilda’s words about world’s rebelling remained with me. And judging from the way Countess Darpel flinched there was a puppeteer pulling her strings.

“They have the power that I need!”

“You’re so blinded by revenge you can’t even see that they are manipulating you!” I shouted.

My righteous anger was shattered by a deep, core-shaking thrum of magical energy that seemed to swallow the world. I collapsed, screaming and clutching my chest where my core was kept. I felt I was being ripped into pieces as a vortex of power descended on the mansion.

Countess Darpel smiled and turned away from me to watch the ritual activate.

“At last… quickly, Koldel! Bind her soul!” The mage nodded and twisted his hands through the air, trails of energy fluctuating brightly.

“No!” I cried, trying to move under the extreme pressure of the swirling mana.

~Jelly, there’s something I need to tell you!~ Tara suddenly spoke in my head. ~It’s about the ritual! I was examining the array and the ceremony is targeting a specific soul…~

The voice in my head wasn’t able to finish. Light erupted and swallowed everything. I could detect nothing, yet instead of seeing darkness only endless white was visible. For a moment I felt for a moment as if I was suspended in the air before sensation returned to me and I plunged back to reality.

“Why?! Why didn’t it work?!” the countess’ screeching was not the first thing I had hoped to hear on returning to consciousness.

I staggered around, finding that I had returned to my spherical shape and I hastily returned to my Gel Doll mode.

“My lady, it should have! The ritual reacted to the soul of the Golden Lily but nothing happened!”

“WHY?!”

“It means Princess Liliana was not the prophesized one! It was another being!”

“Lies! ‘Born of royal blood, the lily with the heart of gold shall possess the power and will to change the world!’ All the signs point to her as being the one spoken of!” Darpel shouted, pointing a figure at my still comatose owner.

The room had been ripped apart by the arrival of overwhelming power. The roof was gone, and plaster and shards of wood lay scattered about the floor. As for the ritual array, it was gone, only faint smudges of ink remained to show where it had been.

“No, no, no! This cannot be true! All my planning, all my effort…” Countess Darpel was looking around feverishly, staring in disbelief at the remains of her failure.

The mage, Koldel, was inching away from his employer. He had seen me moving and a ticked off Ooze would drive anyone away in fear.

“Countess Liliana Roan Darpel, you have been declared a traitor to the throne of Varia. Die.”

I lashed out, swinging an arm like it was a sword. Coated in acid and magic it cut clean through the distracted noblewoman.

“What…? No… he promised…” a spurt of gore later and her two halves slide apart. The marble floor was stained red, and the last of the array disappeared under her blood.

I ignored the ruins around us and hurried to where Liliana lay.

“Liliana? Wake up!” I shook her shoulders, trying to rouse her. I spun towards the mage. “What did you do to her?!”

Koldel ignored me and raised an amulet which flashed blue and he vanished. I blinked, stunned by the cowardly yet clever escape.

‘Rosa, can you hear me? I need someone to check on Liliana! Is the battle outside finished?’

(Yes, master. Sir Flint has subdued the Saludan and the battle-slaves are dealt with.)

Carrying my owner I hurried out of the ruined mansion. Finding the front yard all but destroyed I located the teachers standing vigil over the Saludan swordsman who was bound in golden chains while dozens of corpses littered the ground.

“Is Liliana alright? What about Tilda?” Orbel inquired as he saw me rushing over.

“Tilda is… dead,” I said, using the lie she had wished for. “But Liliana can still be saved! She’s in some sort of enchanted sleep!”

“What of the countess? Or that rogue student of mine?” Helestra inquired.

“Countess Darpel is dead. And if your student was called ‘Koldel’ then he fled with a premade teleportation charm.”

“So, my contractor is dead. Then there’s only one course of action left to me,” the assassin muttered.

“Don’t bother. We removed your poison pill,” Flint sneered. But the swarthy foreigner just smirked.

“If that is the case, then so be it. It won’t be poison that ends my life. At least I’ll go down with you as well.”

Suddenly a cube of transparent purple light encased him and the assassin’s smirk faded to be replaced with a surprised look. The next instant he vanished and the inside of the cube-shaped barrier turned red as a faint boom shook it.

“Nine Lives assassins like to implant bombs inside themselves,” Arnolt explained as we looked at him. He waved his staff and the cube disappeared, letting the gore splash onto the ground. “What is it with assassins and suicide explosions?”

“Let’s go. The princess is fine but she needs medical attention.” We all nodded at the headmaster’s words. “Rosa my dear, is the teleportation circle ready?”

My Familiar bobbed her head eagerly before she rushed over to my side and nuzzled into my chest.

“Glad to see you too, Rosa. Now let’s return to the Academy.”

I stepped into the array and sighed. This had been one hell of a day. Yet I couldn’t help but feel that someone was watching us as we flickered away.

Chapter 22: From endings to beginnings

“Headmaster, I believe you owe me some explanations,” I said, closing the office door behind me. Less than a day had gone by since we had returned and the school routine had quickly returned to normal.

“I suppose I do, Jelly. But first, tell me, how is everyone doing?” the man behind the desk inquired.

“Liliana will be fine. She was just put under a strong sleeping spell. It should wear off in another day or so. Kine is doing well, also. Only Orleen and Verd are still in a bad place. Her arm cannot be fully restored and she will be weak for a while as she recovers. As for Liliana’s Familiar the damage to his crystal is severe. He’ll heal, but it’ll take years.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. This whole debacle is a dark stain on my Academy,” Arnolt sighed. “Speaking with King Tiberius is not going to be fun.”

“I have some sympathies there,” I said with an empathic wince. “But explain to me what all this business about lilies with a heart of gold was about. Countess Darpel mentioned that, and it seemed to be the reason why Liliana was targeted in the first place.”

“There was a prophecy, one given on the day of the goddess Nia’s birth,” Arnolt said slowly, folding his hands and focusing on me. “Much has been lost or sealed in the millennia since, but the gist is that a group of people will gather, each blessed and beloved by the Maiden of Lilies. These individuals, this ‘Order of the Eternal Lily,’ as it was referred to, will one day do battle with the fate of Erafore on their shoulders. One of two outcomes will occur; they will win and preserve the world from the predations of a foul dark being and his minions, or they will lose and all will be lost to the Void.”

“That sounds a lot like the other prophecy you told me about. The same one that caused this whole kidnapping mess,” I said and the headmaster nodded sadly.

“Because they are linked. At first, we assumed Princess Liliana was to become one of the Order. Now evidence points to you being part of this group.”

“Why me?” I asked.

“The research notes we confiscated from the ruins of the mansion point to the ritual latching onto the subject of the prophecy. This would be done thanks to the Quest spell as a focal point. The spell in question allows a person to locate people or objects relating to prophecies,” Arnolt explained.

“Anyway, long and complicated story made short and simple, the ritual failed because Liliana was being used as the source instead of you. Koldel’s data was fascinating, and Helestra agrees with my assumption in this matter.

“Who are the others that were spoken of in the prophecy?” I asked after a long pause as I digested the information.

“I have some suspicions. In the last twenty years two other prophecies besides your own have been passed down pertaining to Nia’s chosen. One is human, the other is a half-human. For their safety, and yours, I’m afraid I cannot tell you who they are. But just know that Tomas Nierz, the World Paladin, is keeping watch on them.”

I nodded and Arnolt cleared his throat. “But I do have some words of advice to share. Become stronger. You’re going to need it for whatever is coming.”

“And what is coming?”

“Suspicions are all I have, but now that the three who have been prophesized have arrived, certain events may now come into motion.” The headmaster looked unfathomably old for a moment before he sighed and looked up at me.

“Then that makes my decision a bit easier. I’m planning on leaving soon,” I announced. Arnolt looked surprised for a moment but nodded sagely.

“Going to travel the world and see what it has to offer?”

“Indeed. It turns out i couldn’t protect Liliana after all, and if even half of what you say is true, my presence is more of a threat to her safety than a deterrent. I have to leave. For her protection, and my pursuit of strength.”

Silence pervaded the room, but it was a companionable sort, with both occupants content to let their friendship do the talking.

“Live well, Jelly. But if I may? Find a better name for yourself while you explore the world. Your current one lacks any sort of punch,” Arnolt said as he finally stood up. Reaching over to me with an offered hand, I took it and shook the appendage firmly.

“Other people have mentioned that same thing,” I revealed, earning a small chuckle.

I slipped out of the room, heading down to the infirmary to check on Liliana. I wouldn’t leave the Academy until I was sure she was fully healed from her ordeal. Plus, she’d never forgive me If I didn’t see her before I left on my journey.

‘Ready to see what lies beyond these walls?’ I asked, and two eager voiced piped up in my head.

~Without a doubt, my friend.~

(Indeed, master~!)

I laughed at their enthusiasm, barely containing my own. Time was marching forward. I felt myself being drawn into the eddies of fate.             

“Your appearance belies a sharp intellect. How many people would have thought to search the very place you fled from?”

Koldel whirled about, raising a rod at the source of the sudden voice. The gloom of the hidden basement only thickened the shadows he tried to peer into.

“Show yourself!”

“Very well.”

The darkness melted and oozed. It parted, and formed a deep, black hooded cloak. All aspects of the wearer were obscured; the face was hidden behind a polished silver mask that had an abstract tree design etched into its surface.

“You… are you here to kill me?” Koldel asked, shivering in terror. The cloaked individual shook his head.

“That depends. You see, we need a man of your expertise. Our little rebellion will not waste talent if it can help it. Of course, you already know that, don’t you?”

“I figured it out once I took a look at the wards around this mansion. No one uses the Void rune for their defenses unless they either expect to lose, or they have a connection to the Source of the End to offset its ‘side effects.’ Your appearance here just confirms it.” Koldel forced himself to lower his rod and relax.

He continued, “Now that the countess is dead, you wish to retain my magical expertise?”

“Astute, Mister Koldel. And correct. Of course, that would mean tossing aside that ratty robe of yours and wearing ours. But I promise you, our master rewards those who serve him.” The silver masked man stepped forward and held out his hand.

“What say you? Can you join us?”

“Let the Heavens tremble. Let the world rebel,” Koldel said, taking the intruder’s offer.

Had anyone been around the ruins of the Darpel Summer Mansion, a person might have heard screams as a soul was torn out and filled with the Void of a darker being.

Perhaps it was for the best that there were no witnesses. The Dweller in the Void was not known to look kindly on those who intruded on his domain. Events were now in motion. Fate had cast its die.