Summoner school, p.7
Summoner School, page 7
The coiled serpent easily dodged the attack and then raced up the golem’s arm. The huge rock creature moved too slow to catch its opponent, and the water snake bit down hard on the stony neck. The crunch echoed around the stadium, and the big creature stumbled backward a few feet.
The ground shook as the golem fell to the ground, but it yanked the snake away and then crushed it under a huge fist. Dirt spilled out over the earth creature’s chest like blood, and amber-colored veins raced over its skin like it was about to crack apart. The golem glowered down at the still writhing water snake, and then lifted the serpent up to its mouth.
“Oh, no,” the pixie girl whispered. “Sylvia, you have to make it summon water.”
It sounded like the snake may have a special ability, but Sylvia moved just a little too slow, and the golem ripped her creation in two. I felt bad for the little dude until a blue light burst out of it and shards of stone fell to the ground at the golem’s feet. The pieces of gem sparkled like sapphires, but the blue was just a little too pale, and they disappeared before I could get a better look at them.
“She should’ve used a sapphire,” Sarya said. “It’s a rookie mistake. A water snake needs a more powerful gem if it’s going to use its full powers.”
“Not everyone can afford sapphires,” the pixie girl defended. “And what do you expect against a golem? That dwarf had an advantage from the start.”
“Sylvia’s creature has been defeated,” Zenlar announced. “Marvus is the winner.”
Applause went up around the stadium as the two summoners shook hands and exited the field to let two more seniors step forward. My mind raced with all of the possibilities, and I barely even noticed the next battle. One of the opponents was a plant user, so my new friends were enraptured, and my hand was almost crushed in Atlesia’s when the air mage nearly won.
A plan had started to form in my mind for after graduation, and battle magic would play a huge role in that. I could fight with summoned creatures and never have to feel the damage. At least, that’s what it looked like from way up in the stands, but Professor Lovelace would be able to tell me more in class.
“That was so amazing,” Atlesia said as the last fight ended.
“It was,” I agreed. “I’m definitely ready to go to class now. Maybe even sign up for the battle magic program. Though I’m not sure why it’s even needed.”
“To protect the royal families, obviously,” Sarya said with a flip of her ponytail. “Mages love working for families like mine.”
“I’m sure you have plenty of enemies,” I said. “Maybe you should join the battle magic program.”
“That’s beneath me,” the redheaded woman said. “Besides… that’s not even real fighting. There’s no risk. The healers are always waiting to help.”
“We’re in a school,” I said and rolled my eyes. “It would be idiotic to let the students kill themselves. And they need to practice. The real world will be dangerous enough.”
“Whatever,” the haughty elf said. “It’s not nearly as fun to watch. I prefer the real thing.”
“The real thing?” I asked.
“Of course,” Sarya said and studied her nails. “I know a place where the fights are real. I could take you there… if you’re not scared.”
Chapter 5
If you’d like to see a map of Magia Schola, you can see it on my Patreon (search Google for ‘Patreon Eric Vall’), or you can find it in my Facebook group (Search for ‘Eric Vall’ in Facebook Groups). It’s also linked on my website at www.ericvall.com
“You?” I laughed and looked her up and down. “You don’t really seem like the type to know about something dangerous. Maybe where the nearest fashion boutique is, but not where to find a fight.”
“How dare you.” The silver-eyed woman looked around to make sure that no one else had heard us and then flipped her ponytail. Her jewelry jingled with the movement, and I lifted an eyebrow in challenge. “I can hold my own. I’ll have you know.”
“It looks like you’ve never even broken a nail. You probably have servants to do everything for you, and I sincerely doubt your parents would let their precious little girl go to a real fight.”
“You are pushing your luck, human,” the redheaded woman seethed and leaned forward. “You should know better than to anger me.”
An electric charge passed between us, and I couldn’t help but glance at her lips. They looked soft, and everything in me wanted to move just a little closer to claim a kiss, but Atlesia and Mike were right there, and I would put money on that being part of Sarya’s plan. If she could make the human attracted to her, then it would prove that I was just an animal and couldn’t possibly be a decent summoner.
“What are you going to do?” I challenged her as I lifted my chin. “Send a servant to come beat me up for you? Or maybe you are going to rub my back with your foot again.”
“I did no such thing!” she hissed.
“Uh-huh,” I snickered.
“The seats are close together!” she tried again. “I was just adjusting my foot to—”
“We should get going,” Atlesia interrupted. “If we stick around, then we’re all going to be late for our first class. Besides, even if Sarya knows where to find one of those fights… they’re illegal.”
“Illegal?” I asked.
It was like cold water had been dumped over my head, and I pulled my attention away from Sarya’s silver eyes. A fight with higher stakes would be interesting to watch, especially if it could tell me if the battle magic program was worth it, but if it was illegal, then it might be a bad idea. I didn’t want to be kicked out of Magia Schola in my first week, and there was still too much to learn.
“Yes,” Mike said and stretched like his bark was too stiff. “The council has outlawed all fights outside of the authorized arenas. Something that a daughter of the head of the council would know.”
“Of course, I know that,” the redheaded woman said. “My father is very interested in rooting out and destroying any of the cage fights. But that means that he has a list of potential threats, and I learned a long time ago how to make the right contacts. It’s part of being a Kaylen. One must know which unsavory element is worthy of your time… and which ones aren’t.”
“So, I’m unsavory now?” I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m not sure that I believe this whole rebellious act. But I’ll give you a chance. When’s the next fight?”
“It just so happens that there’s one tonight,” Sarya said. “I can get you in. If you’re not too scared. Nymph girl is right, they are illegal. But I was under the impression that the one redeeming quality of humans is their ability to break the rules.”
A group of elves called out for Sarya and motioned for her to hurry up. They all looked at me like I was nothing more than pond scum that had decided to cling to their precious princess, but the redhead held up a long delicate finger and told them to wait. She turned back to look at me, and a mischievous grin tugged on her lips as she waited for my answer.
“Can I bring my friends?” I asked as I gestured to Mike and Atlesia.
“No,” Sarya scoffed. “They don’t want to come. Nymph girl already said she is scared.”
“I didn’t say that, Sarya.” Atlesia frowned.
“This sounds like an excuse for Sarya to get some alone time with me,” I teased.
“Ugh,” the beautiful elf forced herself to gag. “As if I want to have anything to do with you. Whatever. Bring your friends.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll bite. When and where should I meet you?”
“I’m going,” Mike said. “I’ve always wanted to see one of these things.”
“But they’re dangerous!” Atlesia exclaimed. “People fight to the death. And I’ve heard there aren’t any healers.”
“See?” Sarya smirked at Atlesia.
“When and where?” I asked.
“Meet me on the north wall of the campus at sunset,” Sarya said and looked Atlesia over. “And maybe leave the little nymph at home. I don’t think that she’ll be able to handle it.”
“Sarya,” the blonde elf woman said. “Quit playing with the little human. He probably doesn’t understand half of what you’re saying anyways. I want to go back to our room before class starts.”
“Uhhh, yeah.” Sarya glanced back at me, and her eyes briefly flickered to my lips. “Sooo… see you at sunset? Or in class? Whatever.”
“Yeah,” I said, and then she cleared her throat, gave me a quick nod, and walked away.
“I cannot stand elves,” Atlesia sighed once Sarya was out of earshot.
The petite nymph had her hands on her hips as she glared at the tall elf. A breeze played with her lavender hair, and I wondered if my new friend could manipulate the weather and plants. She certainly looked like she’d hurl a lightning bolt at Sarya if it was possible.
“They are insufferable,” Mike said and started toward the dorms. “But I’m intrigued to find out if she knows about a real cage fight. I read about them in a book on illegal mushroom sales. There are several varieties that I cannot find without the right contacts, and sometimes the fights are a cover for more dubious trades. I might be able to meet someone who can help me.”
“You want to go to a death fight to make friends?” I laughed.
I had to hurry to keep up with the tall tree-man, but the pace wasn’t much faster than what I was used to, and thankfully my legs weren’t too short. Atlesia had to practically run to keep up with us, but it looked more like a skip, and I almost laughed at the adorable bounce. It was so different from the scowl on her face, and I had to fight the urge to take a picture of her.
“Not friends,” my roommate said. “Acquaintances. It might be a good idea for you as well. There are a lot of creatures that a summoner will need access to, and who better to tell you where to find them than someone in the illegal trading business?”
“You do make a good point,” I said as we reached the dorm building. “I’m still not convinced that the princess even knows where to find one. I guess we’ll see tonight.”
“This is a terrible idea,” Atlesia panted and tried to catch her breath. “Really. They’re illegal. If we get caught, then we could be expelled. No one in my family has ever been arrested.”
“You don’t have to come,” I said with a reassuring smile. “Mike and I can go check it out and then tell you all about it. Assuming that you even want to hear about it.”
“Absolutely not,” the petite nymph said. “If Sarya Kaylen is going, then I’m going. I can’t stand how haughty she is. She and all the other elves are always looking down on us nymphs. Besides, some plants survive on blood.”
“Scary,” I laughed and strolled into my room. “Then it’s settled. We’ll go to classes today and then meet up with Sarya tonight. I’m kind of excited. Do they really fight to the death, though? That seems a little wasteful. And like, it would get them caught in no time, right? It would be pretty obvious if a bunch of mages just went missing.”
“It’s probably people that no one cares about,” Mike said as he gathered books for our classes. “There are a lot of summoners and mages that hire themselves out for freelance work. No one would notice if they went missing.”
“I’m sure their guilds would,” Atlesia said.
She stayed outside of our room, but her dark brown eyes searched every inch of the place. The trees near Mike’s bed seemed to be the most interesting, but she did look over at my bed with a curious expression. I thought for a second that she’d come in and poke around, but she just leaned against the doorframe and twirled a lavender lock of hair around her finger.
“Guilds?” I asked and grabbed my gear.
I’d packed a backpack with pens and notebooks for notes, but there wasn’t much else for me to take on the first day. The teachers would probably just give out syllabi and go over the curriculum like they did in high school, and I doubted that everyone had the textbooks already. I’d managed to find an old edition of our Introduction to Magic course in my grandmother’s attic, but a trip to the bookstore would be in my near future.
“Yeah,” my roommate said. “Everyone signs up for a guild. Most people carry their symbol around on a patch or a chain of some sort. The more hardcore mages have tattoos, but that’s always seemed ridiculous to me. What if someone wanted to change guilds?”
“Would all the guilds report missing mages?” I asked as we left the dormitory and headed to class. “And are they all on the up and up? In fantasy books there’s usually some kind of pirate or thieves guild. If the fighters are from there, then it’s unlikely that anyone would report it to the proper authorities. If anything, I’d expect them to go for some kind of vigilante justice or revenge.”
“Stuff like that doesn’t really happen,” the nymph beside me giggled. “Papa talked about some of the more unsavory guilds, but I don’t think it’s quite so clandestine.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Mike said. “Our world might not be a hotbed of illegal activity, but how much do we really know about the other dimensions? I wouldn’t put it past some of the pixies to eat someone to get rid of the evidence.”
“They do actually eat people?” I asked as we reached the classroom.
“Sometimes,” a pixie with bright green hair said and flitted around the side of my head.
The girl was no bigger than the size of my hand, but she still scared the crap out of me. Her gossamer wings kept her in the air right next to my head, and a mischievous smile revealed rows of pointed teeth. The pixie’s eyes were a dark blue with no pupils, and it felt like they stared right through to my soul.
“Onet!” Atlesia exclaimed with a bright smile. “I didn’t know that you were coming to Magia Schola. Why weren’t you at the ceremony?”
I relaxed a little since my new lavender-haired friend seemed to know the pixie, but the hairs on the back of my neck still stood on end. Atlesia waved to a few more students as we walked to a row of seats in the middle of the class and sat down, but Onet followed along with us and took the seat next to Mike. I gave the big guy a smile as he sighed and pulled out textbooks, and my roommate just shook his head like he’d expected it.
The classroom looked like every college lecture hall that I’d visited during campus tours with amphitheater-like seating that led down to a desk and a slightly raised platform. There was a chalkboard that stretched across one wall and a floating lamp that hovered in the direct center. The desk was covered in random gems and papers that I was sure the professor planned to hand out, but the teacher was nowhere to be seen.
“I couldn’t make it,” Onet said and lifted one tiny shoulder in a shrug. “Pops needed me to get rid of a body. But did you see the schedule? It looks like all of us freshmen are in the same exact classes even though we have different affinities. I was really hoping to take a course on storm making.”
“That will come later,” a deep voice said from both everywhere and nowhere.
“What the--” I muttered and then stopped.
The lamp above the chalkboard slowly lowered, and a white mist drifted out toward us. Swirls formed in the cloud until a humanlike shape emerged and stared up at us with hollow eye sockets. The ghost teacher looked like he’d been a Victorian gentleman with his high neck collar and black vest, but the fog that had held him drifted around the floor as if we were in some sea shanty about a man lost to the ocean.
“My name is Mr. Edinbock,” the teacher said with a too-wide smile. “Welcome to your first class at Magia Schola. I’m sure many of you find that an Introduction to Magic is unnecessary. But I assure you that this will be pivotal in your future endeavors. Ms. Kaylen, Ms. Rilan, so nice of you to join us. I assume you simply lost your way?”
“Yes, sir,” Sarya said with a bright grin.
It was the first time that I’d seen the elven woman smile, and my heart skipped a beat at how gorgeous she was. The black eyeliner around her silver eyes made them pop, and the golden chains woven through the braids in her ponytail made it seem like her hair shimmered on its own. If I hadn’t known that she was such a snob, then I might have been tempted to ask her out.
“We were so excited about the battle magic that we lost track of time,” her blonde friend purred. “Forgive us, Mr. Edinbock. It won’t happen again.”
“I expect better from you, Ms. Kaylen,” our ghostly professor said. “You have big shoes to fill.”
“Of course, Mr. Edinbock,” the redheaded woman said.
“As I was saying,” the hollow-eyed man said and turned to look at all of us. “You no doubt think that this class is beneath you. However, you’ve likely only been exposed to the magic of your particular dimensions. In this class you will begin to see what the different types of affinities can do. You’ll also learn about what your beginning rank is and what will be required of you to move forward in your field of interest.”
“Rank?” I whispered to Mike.
“Ugh, humans,” Sarya said from behind me.
The two elven women had taken the open seats behind us, and Atlesia shot an irritated look at Sarya. There was a tense look between them that I was pretty sure had something to do with me, especially when my new lavender-haired friend scooted closer to me.
“What did I do now?” I asked to break the tension.
“You really know absolutely nothing about our world,” the beautiful redhead laughed. “You really need someone to teach you the ropes.”
“And that person should be you?” Atlesia groaned.
“You don’t seem to be explaining anything to Andrew,” Sarya said.
“Oh, you know my name,” I snickered. “I thought I was going to be ‘dumb human’ for the rest of our time here.”
“Of course, I know your name.” The elf beauty shrugged. “That doesn’t mean anything. Definitely doesn’t mean I like you.”
“I didn’t say that at all,” I chuckled. “You seem to be projecting, Princess. How long are you going to keep pretending you don’t have a thing for me? It’s the first day of school, and you are already cracking at the seams.”
