Aether's Guard

by Schinhofen, Daniel

  Mawic frowned for a second before she smiled. “Oh, good. When Novice Petak bumped me, I was worried.”

  Novice Petak had a nasty smile on his lips. “Sorry. I caught a foul odor and my near-retching made me bump into the adept.”

  “What did you smell?” Dunn asked, having come to a stop a few feet from the fire group.

  “Refuse, offal... something that doesn’t belong in a city, but would be right at home on the fringe,” Petak snickered.

  Dunn nodded in understanding. “I see. If it happens again, we might need to remove you from the class, for your own good. Can’t let a novice get sick in class.”

  Petak’s face went blank. “What?”

  “If you’re incapable of managing to not get ill, I will remove you from the class,” Dunn said.

  Mawic sneered. “You think that you can go that far, Dunn?”

  Dunn met the woman’s eyes and nodded. “As the instructor of this class, I am well within my purview to remove anyone who is impeding my class.”

  “Then why is the magicless novice still here?” Mawic hissed.

  “Because Pettit has not interfered with others,” Dunn said simply. “He’s been trying to do what the academy has failed to do for him.”

  Mawic looked like she had swallowed her tongue for a moment. “You would insinuate the academy has failed?”

  “The Keeper of the Blade, Master Damon, has yet to find out what the ryuite means. No one has been able to assist Pettit with finding his magic. If that isn’t failure, what is?” Dunn’s calm monotone voice laid out the facts simply.

  “How—?” The bell chiming the hour cut Mawic off.

  “It seems we’ve run late,” Dunn said. “Due to the fire, I would say. You’re all dismissed.”

  Gregory gathered his unburned things and got ready to leave. Yukiko was there a moment later, picking up her things, too.

  “Greg, are you really okay?” Yukiko whispered as the class began to break up.

  “Yes. I’ll explain later,” Gregory whispered back.

  “Lucky fringer,” Petak sneered as he went past. “You’ll be getting yours in time.”

  Gregory met the other novice’s eye. “Anytime you want to challenge me, feel free.”

  Petak sniffed and kept walking. “There’s that stench again.”

  “Now that class is over,” Magus Aldum said, approaching the pair, “I want to once again offer you the chance to truly learn shadow magic by joining the clan, Yukiko. Your friend would be welcome to join us, as well. It would deter… things.” The last word was tacked on to emphasize what was going on.

  “We appreciate the gesture, sir,” Yukiko said. “We’ll come to a decision soon.”

  “Not before it’s too late, I hope,” Aldum said before the shadows swallowed him.

  Chapter Seven

  Making it to the blue arena, Gregory and Yukiko took seats against a wall, eating their snack as they slipped into meditative states. Dimly aware of other novices showing up, Gregory sat in his aether cavern, working on the economic problems Marcia had posed to them earlier in the day.

  “Gregory?” a feminine voice pulled him from his meditation.

  Blinking, he saw Jenn kneeling down a few feet away from him. “Something wrong?”

  “Thought you might want to be awake when Shun and his friends get here.”

  “Hmm, that’s a good point,” Gregory said. “Thanks.”

  “Of course,” Jenn gave him a smile before standing up and walking away from them.

  “Yuki?”

  “I’m aware. I came out of my meditation when she woke you, but I wanted to hear what she had to say. She has a good point, though. Being aware when Nick and the others are around is a good idea.”

  “That’ll cut into our training time,” Gregory said.

  Yukiko looked over to where Jenn was limbering up. “Maybe.”

  A burst of laughter from the nearby tunnel caught Gregory’s attention. Nick, Jason, and the others were laughing as they appeared. Nick found Gregory looking their way and his laughter died.

  “Do you have a problem, Pet-tit?” Nick asked, breaking and stressing Gregory’s family name in a derogatory way.

  “I don’t,” Gregory said as he stood.

  “Then stop staring!” Nick snapped.

  Gregory shook his head, looking away from the volatile novice. “Yuki, we should get ready to line up.”

  “Yes,” Yukiko said, rising smoothly to her feet.

  “Taking your pet for a walk?” Michelle snickered.

  Yukiko gave Michelle a soft smile. “The only one collared and chained here is you.”

  Michelle’s face went white and she made it a step before Jason grabbed her. “I’ll make you pay for that!” Michelle screeched.

  “Pet-tit, if you can’t keep your beast civil, we’ll have trouble,” Nick said flatly.

  Gregory’s muscles tensed, but Yukiko put her hand on his shoulder. “Ignore him. He’s mad that you don’t bend to his every whim like those who follow him.”

  “Fall in!” Magus Paul shouted as he walked out onto the arena floor.

  Gregory and Yukiko ended up in line behind Jenn and a couple of others. Nick and the others who had joined the Eternal Flame had a line all to themselves. The lines shifted without being told, separating for stretches.

  “Good. You’ll have to instill that into others in the future. Before we begin, I am going to reiterate: if you have a problem with another novice, arrange a duel. We do not tolerate unsanctioned fights. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, sir!” the novices yelled back.

  “Very well. We’ll start with the legs…”

  The stretching was over quickly and turned into running laps around the arena. As Gregory and Yukiko ran together, they kept pace to complete the run without slowing, which had them near the back to start with. As the laps continued, they moved up when people slowed down to catch their breath. The novices had to get moving again quickly or be met by Paul with his switch.

  The trouble started with Fureno and another novice wearing the emblem of the Eternal Flame. As Gregory and Yukiko went to pass the two when they slowed, Fureno jerked hard to the side. Gregory moved without conscious thought, his arm shooting out to stop Fureno colliding with him. Fureno let out a scream and went tumbling. A similar sound came from Gregory’s other side where Yukiko had done the same to the other novice.

  “Don’t stop moving!” Paul yelled at the novice who had slowed when Fureno and his friend had gone tumbling. “I’ll deal with the problem after the laps.”

  Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a grim look, but kept going. The next set of Eternal Flame novices came to a complete stop in front of them, almost causing Gregory and Yukiko to collide with them. Gregory spun to the side, able to keep most of his momentum as he went around the roadblock. Yukiko fell into step beside him with an annoyed expression.

  “Keep moving!” Paul yelled from the back of the line.

  Michelle and her friend, Gina, became the next problem. The two women dug into the sand hard, flinging a thick spray of it back at Gregory and Yukiko. Blinking away the grit in his watering eyes, Gregory sighed. “Around, at speed?”

  “Yes,” Yukiko said as she wiped at her face.

  The couple split apart and missed the next spray of flying sand as they accelerated past the two women. Coming back together once they passed them, Gregory and Yukiko cleared their eyes.

  The last lap put them behind four people: Nick, Jason, Hayworth, and Clement. The four were busy running and jockeying for first position. Yukiko pointed to an opening near the wall and Gregory nodded, stretching his legs for all they were worth.

  “You’re not finishing first, Nick,” Hayworth snickered. “You should be used to it by now.”

  “You might finish in the top four, which would be new,” Nick snapped back.

  All four were shocked when Gregory and Yukiko slipped past them. Keeping the speed up, the pair raced ahead as the four forgot their argument
with each other and tried to catch up.

  Finishing the run, Gregory and Yukiko peeled into the middle of the arena and began to walk, cooling down and catching their breath. Gregory had a smile on his face when he realized he wasn’t as winded as he used to be from running that much. Yukiko stayed in step with him the entire time, smiling as well.

  “Pettit, Warlin, come here! Fureno, Weyla, Morlit, and Asmit, you four, too!” Paul commanded, moving to the exact center of the arena.

  Gregory and Yukiko approached him as the other four came from Paul’s other side.

  Paul glared at one group, then the other. “I never want to see that again during training, understood!? You do not try to block, stop, or hinder the other novices while stretching and running. If you have a problem, challenge them, but if you act up again, I will come down on you. Understood!?”

  “Yes, sir!” the novices yelled back.

  “Now, did any of you have a challenge?”

  When no one spoke, Paul’s lips thinned. “Fine. Move back to the class.”

  Once the six of them had made it back to the others, Paul moved to the novices who had collapsed to catch their breath. “Last one to get up will be running laps after class.”

  ~*~*~

  With everyone done running laps, Paul had them spar against another novice. Class continued as it normally would at that point, with the only change being the irate looks the Eternal Flame members gave to Gregory and Yukiko. With Paul and the adepts watching everyone, no one tried to do anything but glare.

  About halfway through their normal sparring time, Paul called them all to stop and line up again. The novices exchanged a number of puzzled looks as they did what they were told. The adepts assisting Paul flanked him in rows, all of them wearing knowing smiles.

  “The next tournament is notably different in one major way,” Paul said. “Weapons are allowed. We will be starting your training with them tomorrow. Today, we need to know which weapon best suits each of you.”

  A dozen apprentices started to come out onto the sands, each carrying a weapons rack. As those were being set around the arena, another dozen apprentices started bringing various weapons out of the tunnels.

  “You will move in lines toward me. You are to head to that weapon rack,” Paul pointed to the one to his left. “There, you will pick up each weapon before putting it back. You will then proceed around the arena to each new rack. Once you are done, you are to return here. Stay silent while you are checking— no one is to speak until everyone is done. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” the novices shouted back.

  “Very well. Shun, your line is the closest. Move out!”

  “Yes, sir,” Nick replied.

  Gregory watched them go, wearing a small smile on his lips, as he already knew what was going to happen. Time dragged on little by little as each group was sent to go find the weapons they had an affinity with. Gregory and Yukiko were in the last group with Jenn, walking around the arena slowly. He touched each weapon like he had been told to do, even the ones he knew weren’t for him.

  “Now, I want each of you to go to the rack that had the weapon you felt the most affinity for,” Paul said after they had all come back together.

  Yukiko and Gregory exchanged a glance before they split up. Gregory and all of the crafters stood in front of the polearms. Gregory looked to where Yukiko was standing. She was in the largest group, consisting of everyone with a high sword affinity.

  “Starting tomorrow, the sparring time will be as short as it was today. The rest of the class will be training on how to use the weapons you are with right now. The arenas you will report to for weapons training will be posted along with the arena the class will be in.” Paul paused, “Any questions?”

  Jenn raised her hand. “Sir?”

  “Bean, go ahead.”

  “Why these weapons, sir?”

  “The weapons you stand before are the ones best suited to you, either by magic type, personality, or some other factor. For instance, the crafters all have polearm affinity, as that extra reach might be what saves their lives.”

  “What about the fringer?” a snide voice asked.

  An adept blurred up to Fureno, staring down at him. “Did you interrupt the instructor, Novice?”

  Paul looked over and grunted. “Good question, Fureno. Pick up the weapon you felt suited you best. Once you do, come here.”

  Fureno picked up a pair of wakizashi. With them in hand, he moved to Paul with a slightly wary look. “Sir?”

  “Pettit, pick up your preferred weapon and come here.”

  Fureno’s eyes grew large and his face paled, “Sir, is th—?”

  “Are you questioning me, Novice!?” Paul roared at Fureno from a foot away.

  “No, sir!”

  Gregory picked the su yari instead of the naginata, hoping that the tale of his duel during the tournament could be overlooked. With the spear in hand, he went to where Paul and Fureno waited.

  “You will fight until first blood,” Paul said simply.

  “Fight him? With him using that?” Fureno asked.

  “Did I stutter?!” Paul bellowed.

  “No, sir!”

  “Until first blood only,” Paul said again. “I will be the adjudicator for the fight. Adept Klim will be ready to heal you if the first blood proves a bit more dangerous than I think it will.” He stepped back two feet. “Novices, bow to the watchers.”

  Gregory turned to the class and bowed. Fureno did as well, but was a bit slower.

  “Turn to me and bow,” Paul said.

  Gregory turned and bowed calmly, but Fureno was looking increasingly nervous when he did so.

  “Novices, bow to your opponent,” Paul said.

  Gregory stared into Fureno’s eyes and bowed. Fureno’s face was pale as he bowed back.

  “Fight!” Paul called.

  Fureno rushed forward and Gregory was able to step aside, using the haft of the weapon to guide Fureno past him. Turning with the deflection, Gregory brought the weapon around as Gin had taught him. Fureno screamed and fell to the ground, blood dripping onto the sand. The adept nearby rushed forward to heal the deep wound on Fureno’s backside.

  “The fight is over,” Paul said calmly. “Winner is Pettit.”

  “What was that supposed to prove?” Hayworth asked.

  “Nothing, besides that you should think before speaking in my class. No, the point is about to be proven now.” Paul bent and picked up the two swords. “Pettit, you will face me. It’s going to be to blood.”

  Gregory went cold as he met Paul’s gaze. “To blood? Yes, sir. I ask that you try not to maim me.”

  Paul’s lips twitched. “I’ll do my best, but that depends on how hard you make me work.”

  “Understood, sir.”

  “Bow to the crowd,” Paul said.

  When they finished bowing to each other, Paul called the fight to begin. Paul didn’t rush forward— he shifted his stance and began to pace to the side.

  Gregory felt a moment of worry. Should have brought the naginata, he thought. As he continued to mirror Paul, he watched the magus, looking for a hint of when he would attack.

  “Cautious? Good, Pettit,” Paul said before raising his voice so the class could hear him easily. “It’s always wise to be cautious when you know your opponent is better than you. Doing that, however, plays into the more experienced fighter’s hand.”

  Gregory nodded, as Gin had said the same thing before. With no warning, he attacked, giving a single quick thrust before resetting to defense.

  “Good. A probe, but it was the most obvious attack, Pettit. Going back to the defensive was smart. That would’ve been when most would attack back, trying to capitalize on your shift of balance.”

  “Why didn’t you, sir?” Klim asked, having finished healing Fureno and knowing Paul wanted to be asked.

  “Because I am testing Pettit and showing everyone that it’s not the size of the weapon, but the skill of the user, that influences
the fight more.”

  Gregory swallowed, seeing Paul’s face become still. He’s coming, Gregory thought. A brief moment of knowing came to Gregory and he acted on the impulse. The attack was nearly a blur, but Paul and Gregory separated again. Paul looked a little surprised, and Gregory was breathing fast.

  “That was expertly done,” Paul said loudly, before he dropped his voice. “I see Armsmaster Gin has been teaching you well.”