Summoner school, p.10
Summoner School, page 10
“I don’t know,” I said and watched the bull-man walk into the ring. “You have to be pretty smart to guess what your opponent is planning.”
“Rarus, welcome back,” the gnome announcer said and then motioned to the other door. “Your opponent may be a small man, but the rumors are that he’s quite adept at magic. Do you think that you can handle him?”
“Of course,” the minotaur snorted. “No one is a match for me.”
“We’ll see about that,” the hype man said.
A man in a black cloak strolled through the other door to the cage and made his way to the announcer. He was about my height, but that was still a foot shorter than the gian bull-man, and the body underneath the flowing robes seemed as thin as an elf’s. A dark red light glimmered underneath his hood, and a gasp rang out through the crowd as he pulled it back to reveal his tattooed face.
“A djinn!” Atlesia whispered in awe. “They’re magic is mostly elemental, but I’ve heard that they can use the desires of their opponent against them and make it into their nightmare.”
“It’s true,” Sarya said in an excited whisper like she didn’t want the djinn to hear. “I’ve seen one in a fight before. The guy lost his mind and killed himself. This is going to go by fast. There’s no way that a minotaur has the mental fortitude to survive a direct attack.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” I said as the announcer left the arena.
The doors swung shut with a click, and the two men faced each other as a bell rang out. The fight started in the blink of an eye, and the first attack came from the djinn. A cloud of red mist hovered over the Rarus’ face and started to take the shape of a thunderstorm. The ring itself began to shift like it was the prow of a ship in the middle of a stormy sea, and a long stony tentacle emerged from the floor of the arena.
“He’s afraid of the kraken,” Mike observed and nodded. “I’ve never seen one, but the textbooks say that they’re huge. I wouldn’t want to meet one. Of course, my people aren’t usually ones to go to sea.”
“Who isn’t afraid of a kraken?” the redheaded elf sneered.
“Why isn’t he doing anything?” I asked and scooted to the edge of my seat.
“Probably because he’s too afraid,” the haughty woman said. “I told you that this would be an easy match.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I said and pointed to the Minotaur’s smirk. “I think he has a plan.”
“Of course, he does,” Ramis’ voice said from behind us. “My brother always has a plan.”
“Fancy seeing you here,” Atlesia said with a bright smile. “And here I thought that we’d be the only rulebreakers.”
“Rarus wanted to come,” the younger minotaur said with a shrug. “And I wanted to watch one of his fights.”
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll die?” I asked.
“No,” the other summoner said and rolled his eyes, pointed to the arena, and then shoved his hands in his pockets.
The stony kraken tentacle had been joined by three others, but none of them had touched the giant minotaur. He stood with a smirk on his face and stared at the djinn with molten-brown eyes that showed no fear at all. A shiver ran down my spine as the mage lifted his hands, and blue light began to dance up and down his beefy forearms.
“And here we have it, folks,” the announcer said in an excited tone. “The one and only Rarus the Minotaur is about to show this upstart how it’s done.”
The djinn looked confused for a second as the red cloud around Rarus began to dissipate, and the tentacles began to move toward him. His bright scarlet eyes began to glow brighter, but it was too late, and he’d lost control of the fake beast. He took a step back as the first tentacle wrapped around him, but another snapped around his neck to hold him in place.
“You really shouldn’t underestimate a minotaur,” Rarus growled. “You thought that you could use my fears against me? Ha! I’ve conquered those since before I was old enough for my first bull ring. You should have stayed in your own realm.”
The minotaur moved his right hand in a quick motion, and the tentacle around the djinn’s neck clenched hard. A snap rang out through the arena and the quiet bar, but was quickly drowned out by the sounds of cheering and cursing that I assumed had to do with the bets everyone placed. Rarus grinned and looked around to find his brother, but then his eyes darkened when he saw us.
The tall man stomped out of the arena and brushed past the adoring fans until he reached us. His chest rose and fell with barely-contained rage, and I wondered if he was about to kill us the same way that he had the djinn. I glanced toward the ring to see what looked like pale-blue glitter lift off the body and float toward the ceiling, but Rarus stomped his foot, and my attention snapped back to the threat in front of me.
“What are you doing here?” the minotaur snorted.
“We came to watch the fight,” I said in a calm tone. “Congratulations on your win.”
“Are you mocking me?” the angry man asked and leaned down to breathe in my face. “I will kill you just like that puny little creature.”
“No offense was intended,” I said and lifted my hands. “I didn’t come here to fight. Just to watch them.”
“Good,” he sneered and then looked at his brother. “Let’s go, Ramis. I need to collect my earnings, and then we’ll go back to campus. And human, if I hear that you’ve breathed a word about this to anyone, then you’ll wish for death by the time that I’m done with you.”
“Naturally,” I said with a shrug. “But it wouldn’t make much sense for me to say anything since I’d get in trouble, too.”
“This is true. I suppose.” Rarus nodded at me before he turned toward the back of the cage, and I turned to look back at the djinn’s body. Someone had already pulled it outside of the arena, but some of the blue glitter-like substance clung to the top of the iron bars. A shadow creature moved around to collect it and then slithered down to the ground behind the cage where the minotaurs had disappeared.
“Did you see that?” I asked and looked at my friends.
“The death? Yes,” Atlesia said with a shiver. “I can’t understand why anyone thinks this is fun. It’s barbaric.”
“It’s a real fight,” Sarya said with a roll of her silver eyes. “You flower-people just don’t get it. This is how you can show that you’re a real mage.”
“They should still have healers,” the nymph huffed and crossed her arms. “And they should be able to tap out if they want. It shouldn’t always end in death.”
“It doesn’t,” the haughty elf said. “It only ends like that when one of the mages doesn’t want to give in. Of course, most of the guys that come here aren’t about to admit a loss.”
“How much longer are we going to stay?” Mike asked with a look around. “I think that I’m going to try to find some traders.”
Rarus walked back around the side of the cage with a massive bag in his hands. The clink of coins was loud enough that I could hear them as he passed, and the minotaur flipped one of the golden discs around his fingers. If that whole satchel was filled, then he’d made a lot of money, and an idea started to form in my mind.
“The next fight is something that we can all enjoy,” the announcer said as he re-entered the arena. “We have a special treat. There are two summoners here, and their pets are ready to battle.”
“At least until this fight is over,” I said. “I want to see how this goes. It might give me a few ideas about what I can summon and how to fight.”
“Sounds good,” the tree-man said and stood. “But I’d like to leave after that. I don’t like being underground.”
“I don’t, either,” Atlesia said.
“We’ll leave right after this,” I promised.
“You sure that you don’t want to join?” Sarya smirked and flipped her ponytail. “I’m sure that we can sign you up for something. Summoners battle each other with their pets, and sometimes they get mauled and minced into bits.”
“I only brought enough mana for one spell,” I said and tried not to visualize a summoner dying. “But maybe next time.”
“Sure,” she laughed.
I was pretty sure that she didn’t believe me, but this place was exactly what I needed. If I could win a few fights, then it would be the perfect way for me to earn money, but I’d need to know how to control my mana output. I could win a couple battles and pay for my grandma to be moved to a new nursing home, find a really nice apartment, and buy some new clothes.
The fight between the two summoners started, and I watched intently while my mind tried to avoid the long list of bills to be paid and spells I’d need to learn. I watched as the sorcerer summoned a wolflike chimera that blew fire from a ruby while the elf mage used an emerald to call forth a mossy creature.
I’d definitely need to find out what creatures went with what gems, what part of the creatures I’d need to use, and what puzzles would summon each one. But once I had that down, I was sure I could match wits with the other mages in the ring.
There was a gasp from the crowd, and I realized that I’d gotten so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn’t been paying much attention to the match. I refocused on the fight and pushed aside my daydreams for the moment.
The chimera was covered in moss and trapped on the floor of the arena. Its fire arched out to hit the green creature, and a scream rang out that echoed from the roof of the cafe. The summoner that owned the mossy creature had burst into flames like his pet and danced around until he and his pet both collapsed in a pile of smoldering ash.
It was such a good battle that I almost didn’t notice the shadow creatures that slithered around the top of the arena. No one else seemed to pay any attention to them, but they creeped me out, and I started to purposefully ignore them. I did notice that every time they were close my amulet would grow hot in my pocket and then cool down when they went away.
“Hey,” I asked Atlesia as the fight ended with a win for the elf. “Are you having trouble with your amulet?”
“No,” the nymph said and pulled hers out. “It’s fine. Why? Is yours giving you trouble?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a look at my own pendant.
The blue swirls moved counterclockwise instead of toward the center the way it did when I was about to be transported, and the heat was more intense than it had been when I went from the school to my world. I looked up to see one of the shadow creatures hovering over the cave roof directly above me, but it hissed and slithered away when it saw my amulet.
“You should ask whoever gave it to you,” Sarya said as she stood. “It may be defective.”
“Right,” I said and shoved it back in my pocket.
There was definitely something weird about the amulet, and it seemed to have something to do with the shadow creatures. I was tempted to ask Sarya if she knew anything about them, but the elf would probably be insufferable, and a quick look at my watch said that it was still early in the night.
There was still plenty of time for me to visit my grandma and get some answers.
The old woman had a lot of explaining to do.
I just hoped she remembered me.
Chapter 7
The trip back up the slippery limestone stairs was a lot easier than going down them, and soon our little group was back in the same side street where we’d first appeared in this realm. The party in the apartment above it was in full swing, and a few elves were out on the balcony, but they were too interested in each other to notice us. Still, I made sure to hug the wall and hide in the shadows until Sarya opened the door.
“So?” the haughty elf asked as we shipped back through the north gate.
“So, what?” I asked.
“Are you ready to run back to your little human realm?” she huffed and crossed her arms. “You’ve seen what a real summoner can do. I’m sure you’re terrified. It took a lot of mana and skill to summon the chimera, and the moss elemental was even more amazing. You’ll never have that level of talent. You really should just throw in the towel now.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed at the elf. The first fight with Rarus the Minotaur had been crazy, but not enough to make me run for the hills, and I wanted to learn how to summon even more now than when I had first arrived at the school. The underground fights could be the exact thing that grandma and I needed for a better life, and no one had to die for me to earn money. At least, as long as my opponent tapped out.
“I think I’ll stay,” I said and then looked between the dorms.
The quad was almost completely empty except for a few people who’d already coupled up and wanted to cuddle under the stars. The teachers’ apartments were next to the front gate, but even there, only one or two lights were still on. It was almost too peaceful after the loud bar and the screams from the underground fight, but Atlesia and Mike seemed to relax immediately.
“Of course, you will,” Atlesia said with a bright smile. “Because you’re amazing. Even Sarya has to admit it. The way you summoned that huge rat was fantastic. You did it without even looking at the spell. I wish that there hadn’t been so much violence and blood, but he did try to slap my butt, so he kind of had it coming.”
“A rat is not impressive,” Sarya said and rolled her silver eyes. “Really. I don’t know why I even bothered to take all of you. None of you will make it to graduation. I’m sure of it. Even if you did manage to get rid of that irritating dwarf.”
“Careful,” I teased. “That sounded dangerously close to a compliment. Next you’ll be asking to rub my back with your hands instead of your foot.”
“I-I would never,” the haughty woman said, shook her head, and blushed. Then she flipped her ponytail and then sauntered off to the dormitory on the right. Her hips swayed in the thin flowy dress she wore, and I had to tear my eyes away from her. She was annoying and conceited, but there was no denying how hot she was, and there was something sexy about the way she pretended she didn’t like me.
“No one in my family has ever failed out of Magia Schola, and I won’t be the first one,” the flower-nymph huffed as she glared after Sarya, and then she spun to look at me and grinned from ear to ear. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “Thanks for coming tonight.”
“Of course,” she said. “But I hope that we don’t have to go again. I really didn’t like the violence.”
“Or being underground,” Mike said with a nod. “I hate fulfilling a stereotype, but we tree-people do not belong beneath stones and earth.”
“Fair enough,” I said and then looked at my watch. “Hey, I’m going to go see my grandma. I have some questions for her about my amulet, and I might stay overnight, so you don’t have to worry if I don’t come back to the dorm.”
“Sure,” the tall man said with a shrug that made his barklike skin creak. “See you in class tomorrow.”
“You’re not going back to see a girlfriend, right?” Atlesia asked with an innocent look.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Good,” the lavender-haired woman said. “I’ll gladly take that position.”
The petite woman tugged me down into a kiss that tasted like honey and apples and made my head spin. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer so that her soft body pressed against mine. We were both out of breath when we parted, and I was pretty sure I had a stupid grin on my face.
“Wow,” I whispered and brushed her hair back. “That was amazing.”
“And there’s more where that came from,” Atlesia said with a wink. “Thank you for defending me from that drunken dwarf. See you tomorrow.”
I watched as she skipped off toward the same dorm as Sarya and ran a hand through my hair. She was adorable and sweet with just the right amount of bite. I’d dated cute girls before, but never a flower-nymph, and not one that was so forward about what she wanted.
“Right,” I said and pulled out the amulet. “You need to have a nice long talk with your grandma. You can think about Atlesia later. Before a cold shower. Not after.”
It took a little effort to push away the taste of her honeyed lips, but finally I pictured my grandmother’s room with its little rocking chair and twin size bed. The amulet warmed in my hand as the swirls began to move clockwise the way they were supposed to, and the quad began to fade to become a door at the end of a long tunnel.
My grandmother’s carpet was soft under my feet, and the room was so quiet that the only sound was from the clock on the wall. The lights were all out, and the old woman was laid out on her bed with a hand-crocheted blanket stretched over her. I watched for a few seconds to make sure that she was still breathing and let out a sigh of relief when her chest rose and fell steadily.
Someone walked by the door and stopped for a few seconds, and I dodged into the small bathroom so they wouldn’t see me. A nurse that I didn’t recognize poked her head in, saw that grandma was asleep, and then went back out into the hallway. I waited a few more heartbeats and then snuck forward to stand by the bed.
“Grandma,” I whispered.
She grunted and rolled over to face the wall, but a letter drifted to the floor, and I recognized the same cursive from the envelope. The page was yellowed with age like it had been written long before I was born, and it only had two words, “He’s back.” I looked at it from a few different angles, but there was nothing to say who it was from, but I was pretty sure that it had something to do with my grandmother’s paranoia.
The old woman muttered something in her sleep that sounded like it was in a different language, but it wasn’t the same one that Sarya had used at the portal. I stared at the woman who’d helped raise me and wondered how much she’d hidden from me over the years. She had to have her reasons, but we were overdo for a long talk about magic and whoever the hell the letter mentioned.
I looked at the aged paper one last time and then set it on the nightstand. There was something ominous about the words that made my stomach tie itself into knots, but whoever was back could’ve been taken care of years ago, and the brain tumor had just made it seem like just yesterday. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, stared at the weird amulet, and decided to come back another time.
