Menacing Misfits: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (Darkthorn Academy Book 1)

by Robyn Wideman

  Jack nodded. Chadwick had a great point. They needed to make sure Colin didn’t feel left out. His ability to make maps and do research was important, but that wasn’t the only reason he was still with them. Colin was one of them. He was part of the team, and they’d need his support, and maybe one day he’d feel comfortable going out into the Ancient Lands again, despite his disadvantage. “You’re the best, Chadwick.”

  After leaving the repository, Lana turned to Jack. “You want to go see Master Horton? Get these vials filled?”

  “Can you handle that? I want to go see Instructor Brazee, see if he can give us a lesson or two in working as a team.”

  “Sure, I can do that,” Lana said with a bright and cheerful smile. “Hand me your bandoleer and the other belts.”

  Jack put the second bandoleer around Lana’s neck; she looked humorous and badass all at the same time, like an elven sorceress ready to go to war with an entire country all by herself.

  “See you back at the apartment,” Lana said chipperly.

  After a quick walk across campus to the outdoor training area where Instructor Brazee taught, Jack watched as he gave lessons to a second-year class. The lessons were not that much different than what was taught to the first-year students, but there seemed to be more attention to detail, and when the students sparred, they were faster, more exact. It became clear to Jack that the skills they learned in the first year were the foundation and that after that it came down to fine-tuning those skills and adding new ones. It made him comfortable knowing that there weren’t some secret skills unlocked after first year.

  As the class ended, Instructor Brazee came up to Jack. “What can I do for you, Jack?”

  “I’m not sure if you know or not, but I’ve become a quester.”

  “I know where all of my students end up, and I keep tabs on them. If I’m not mistaken, you just came back from your first expedition into the Ancient Lands,” Instructor Brazee said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And what did you learn?”

  “That I don’t know much about how to fight as a team. Would you be willing to give us extra lessons?”

  “Four in your team?”

  “Yes, Sir. Stannerios, Lana, Talia and I, with Colin doing our research until he’s comfortable going back out.”

  “Who’s the leader?”

  “I’ve been voted leader. I thought Stann or Lana should do it, but they said they’re better suited to other roles. I agreed to do it, but I know that I don’t know enough about military strategies to be a good leader.”

  “The first sign of a good leader is admitting when you don’t know something. Bring your team back here in two hours,” Instructor Brazee said, before abruptly turning and walking away.

  Jack felt like he’d just somehow passed some sort of test—he didn’t know the reason, but he felt relieved. He started heading back to the apartment. He needed to gather the others. They had training to do.

  When he got back to the apartment, Jack found everyone sitting at the table.

  Hey, guys, what’s going on?” he asked as he entered the room.

  “We’re debating names,” Colin said.

  “Names? Names for what?” Jack asked.

  “Our squad. All the best questers have nicknames. My favorite is the Flaming Fingers of Death,” said Talia.

  “Flaming Fingers of Death? Who’s that?”

  “You know that blonde we saw talking to Chef Ramsey yesterday? That is her squad’s name. They’re all third-year mages. They all use fireballs as their main attack.”

  “Doesn’t sound very efficient to me,” Jack said.

  “Who cares? We’re talking about the name, not how good they are,” Colin said. “I met Mal yesterday, he’s a pretty cool dude, or she. Mal is fae, so knowing what genre they consider themselves can be tricky.”

  “Fae don’t have genders?” Jack knew very little about fae, they were one of the more exotic races, and while they seemed to share many characteristics with the elven folk, they were a distinct race amongst themselves.

  “They do, but they don’t classify gender like humans do. We look at the body parts and that’s it. Fae have multiple genders, but the fae I’ve met didn’t care what we called them, as long as we aren’t disrespectful.”

  Jack nodded. That made sense to him.

  “Anyways, Mal gave me some hints about where to find the best maps. Mal and the rest of the team turned to questing to get better gear. They’re all strong mages. I’m happy Mal’s not a jerk. Most of the questers we’ll run into will play nice, but not all. But that isn’t important right now. What is important is picking our name.”

  “What have you come up with so far?” Jack asked.

  “The Deranged Deviants, Lord Scratches’s Slaves, Majestic Misfits, and The Chaotic Companions,” Lana said.

  Jack laughed. “Who came up with Deranged Deviants? Wait, let me guess, Talia?”

  Talia smiled. “You would think that, wouldn’t you?”

  “It was Stann, but to be fair, I’m pretty sure he was thinking of Talia when he came up with it,” Lana said.

  Talia turned towards Stann and raised an eyebrow.

  Stann blushed. “So?”

  Talia blew him a kiss. “You know me so well already.” She turned and winked at the rest of them. “I think he means I’m deranged. He’s obviously thinking you all are the deviants.”

  “Well, Jack, it’s up to you. Suggest a new name or pick one of ours,” Colin said. “We already decided to put the pressure on you to decide. Practice for your leadership training.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Jack said. All the names were interesting, but one stuck out as the most appropriate. “Majestic Misfits.”

  Talia laughed. “See, I told you it was just too perfect. We’re a strange bunch of misfits thrown together by a common enemy, but we’ll be damned if we aren’t going to make it into something special.”

  “I don’t like the word ‘majestic.’ Makes it sound like we think we’re something special. I think it should be something that says we aren’t to be taken lightly,” Stann said.

  Jack nodded. Talia was right, but so was Stann. He’d been put into Colin’s room, but who knew how their friendship would’ve formed if it weren’t for Isaac being a common enemy. Then all four of them had failed the exams because of Isaac and Cara. And he was a half-dwarven lowborn, only in the school because of his mother. Colin was a highborn forced to redo his first year as a scholarship student, and Stann was one of the only orc students who wasn’t a champion. Talia and Lana were the most “normal” of the group, but even they had characteristics that made them stand out at Darkthorn Academy and made it even stranger that they would be on the same team. Talia was independent, snarky and highborn. Lana was cheerful and outgoing but driven and dedicated. They really were a group of misfits. “OK. I like the Misfits, it is too perfect to change. What word are we going to use that says we’re not to be messed with?”

  Lana grinned. “Menacing.”

  “I like it,” Stann said.

  “I really did like Lord Scratches’s Slaves,” Colin said. “No other questers have a dragon familiar.”

  “Lord Scratches should be our mascot,” Lana said.

  “I’ll make an emblem,” Colin said.

  “Good idea,” Jack said. “Meanwhile, the rest of you Misfits need to get ready. We have a training session with Instructor Brazee in an hour and a half.”

  “Fun times,” Talia said. “What do you want to do with our profits from the corn, seeds and the rest of the farm stuff?”

  “I don’t know. How much is there?”

  Stann smiled. “Six hundred and forty gold.”

  “How about a hundred gold each and put the rest in our account at the Academy?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Talia said. “I have to save up my gold. There’s a pair of boots that I want to buy that are just to die for. They’re knee-high leathers, they look like a cross between something you’d see a pirate w
ear and what you’d see from the girls on Fifth Street if you know what I mean.”

  Lana wrinkled her nose. “You want boots that look like what a pirate hooker would wear?”

  “Exactly,” Talia said. “Keep them guessing. Is she sexy, is she dangerous? They’ll never see what’s coming.”

  Lana laughed. “Maybe we should be called the Deviants after all.”

  “Hey, they are actually really comfortable boots, magically enhanced and have an armor rating higher than steel boots.”

  “Good shoes are important,” Colin said. “I should toe.”

  Jack groaned. The conversation was deteriorating fast. “OK. I’m going to do a little reading. I’ll see the rest of you at the training grounds.”

  “You going to the library? I’ll join you,” Colin said.

  Together they walked to the library.

  “How’s the foot?” Jack asked.

  “Sore. But I’m adapting, slowly. What are you looking for at the library?”

  “I wanted to research warrior healers. I want to see what can be done.”

  Colin nodded. “Warrior healers are a subsection of the warrior mage class, with the specialty of healing, obviously. But my understanding is that warrior healers are one of the most multi-skilled classes. The only standard skill is the healing, everything else is kind of optional. You can be heavy on the mage skill, or the regular warrior skills.”

  “Interesting,” Jack said. “What about you, anything in particular you are looking for?”

  “No, I’m always looking for more information on the Ancient Lands, and now I’m focusing on finding you guys good areas to explore, but mostly I wanted out of the apartment. It feels weird there being the five of us now, instead of just you and me, and Lord Scratches of course.”

  “It is a little weird, but it’s good. I think being a team will be good. Talia seems to fit in with us pretty good.”

  Colin hesitated. “Yes, she’s good.”

  Jack turned and stopped walking. “Hey. She is good, but she isn’t replacing you. You are a part of the team no matter what. She’s just a new part of the team.”

  Colin smiled. “I know. I’m just having a little bit of a hard time adjusting to the idea that I’m just the researcher. But I know I can’t go back out there, not yet. I’d just be a detriment. Besides, I think I’m just jealous about the way Stann looks at Talia.”

  “You want Stann to drool over you? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “I just want that sweet orc love,” Colin said with a grin.

  “I am going to have to change my vote on our team name. Deviants is sounding more appropriate all the time.”

  “I don’t mean that I’m into Stann. I’m not even into Talia, she’s too intense for me. What I mean is that he looks at her like she’s shiny and new, and I’m the team member that is going to get left behind.”

  “I doubt she makes a good map,” Jack said.

  “You think?” Colin said.

  “Yup, terrible maps, so bad she can’t even read them. Face it, buddy, you’re stuck with us. Unless Lana can make maps, in which case you just got to go.”

  Colin laughed. “Jerk.”

  As they entered the library, Librarian Carr spotted them. “Hello, boys, what can I do for you today?”

  “I want to research battle healers,” Jack said.

  “Finally decided to embrace your destiny, did you? Good lad. Colin, I’m assuming you know where everything you want is?”

  Colin nodded.

  Librarian Carr turned and walked away.

  Colin laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Jack asked.

  “You. Even the librarian knew you were destined to be a healer. You’re like the very last person to come to that conclusion.”

  “It’s not my fault,” Jack protested.

  Colin gave him a look that Jack had no trouble interpreting.

  “OK, maybe I’ve been a little stubborn about it. It isn’t like it was obvious that I should become a healer.”

  “Jack, you literally took a magic test that said ‘this kid should be a healer.’ They might as well have stamped healer on your forehead.”

  “That might be true. But no one told me healers were actually badass. I didn’t want to be the guy waiting around for people to get hurt. If they’d told me I could still be a warrior I might’ve felt different.”

  “Really?”

  Jack thought about it, he actually hadn’t even been sure he wanted to be a warrior when he came to the school. “OK, maybe not. But if they’d told me my mother had been a warrior healer, I would’ve been more interested.”

  “Now that I believe,” Colin said. “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t die this year, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a warrior healer.”

  “Your words inspire,” Jack said, his words dripping in sarcasm.

  “Hey, I almost died my first trip into the Ancient Lands, I forever am allowed to make jokes about dying and losing toes,” Colin said.

  Librarian Carr returned with two books. She handed them to Jack. “These will help you. The first will help you understand a little better the role of a warrior healer, while the second will give you some of the tools you’ll be needing. Discuss the second book with Professor Cyr before trying any of the spells.”

  Jack looked at the titles. Surviving the Ancient Lands and Trees of a Feather Grow Together. Jack scratched his head. “What kind of book is this?”

  Librarian Carr smirked. “A powerful spell book. The writer thought it best if her work wasn’t readily available. By hiding it in plain sight I’ve managed to keep it all these years without it falling into the wrong hands.”

  “That is just weird,” Colin said. “Who would give their book such a weird name?”

  “I don’t know, you should ask Jack, he might know better than I.”

  Jack frowned. “Why would I know better?”

  “Well, your mother wrote it,” Librarian Carr said.

  Jack stared at the book. “My mother?”

  “Yes, she and Professor Cyr both wrote books. It was part of the deal I made with them. I’d do their research, and they would write about their work in the Ancient Lands. Professor Cyr wrote the first book in your hands, you mother wrote the second.”

  “Why now?”

  “What do you mean?” Librarian Carr said.

  “Why wait until now to give me these books?”

  “Young minds are easily influenced. The path of the healer isn’t an easy one. You had to come to that choice on your own. What would’ve happened if I’d given them to you on your first day? You would’ve jumped down that path because it was the one your mother chose. We hoped that you’d come to the decision of being a healer on your own. I will admit we’d nudged you in that direction, but ultimately it was your choice. We would’ve supported you in any decision you made, but I can say I’m glad you are pursuing the healer path. Your mother was a Great Warrior healer, and you have that same potential. I had hoped it would be a slower process for you but becoming a quester changes everything. You need to gain skills and experience as fast as you can. Your life, and the lives of your companions, depends on it. That is why I’m giving you these books now, to give you insight into how a healer works with her or his team, and insight into who your mother was. These books don’t tell you nearly enough about her. I wish they showed more of her personality, she was a wonderful person, but it is the least I can do.” Librarian Carr paused for a moment. “Normally, these books are to be returned in a timely fashion, but I wouldn’t take exception if you forgot to return them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  Jack looked at the books. He didn’t know what to say.

  “That was intense,” Colin said. “I can’t believe she did that.”

  “What? Show me books about my mother?”

  “No, I mean that was special, it is awesome that you’ll get to use your mother’s spells and learn how she and Professor Cyr wor
ked together, but she just told you to keep the books. Librarians never do that, ever. She must’ve really liked your mother, that or she really likes you.”

  Jack wanted to start reading the books, but he didn’t have time, he had a training session with Instructor Brazee to get to. It was time for the Menacing Misfits to learn to fight as a unit.

  31

  “OK, bird brains, listen up. Questing involves unique fighting situations. The Ancient Lands are filled with all sorts of different enemies and terrains. As questers you’re going to be spending a lot of time in confined spaces. Temples, building, tomes, all sorts of creepy spaces with little room to work. You will also be in open spaces where you are fighting at a distance. This formation I’m going to show you will work in all these situations. Now, get ready to memorize this, because it has a real fancy name. The triangle.”

  Jack smiled. The triangle was the least fancy formation name he’d ever heard. Instructor Brazee was low-key a bit of a smartass.

  “The triangle works by putting the three best fighters on the corners, and the soft gooey member in the middle. This formation also takes into account the fighting styles of this team.”

  Jack’s smile disappeared. He was the soft gooey middle? He looked down at his belly. Ever since he’d started training with Ramy his body had been changing. More muscle, less fat. He certainly didn’t feel gooey.

  “I’m not talking about your body, bird brain,” Instructor Brazee said to Jack. “I’m talking about using the three fighters to protect the leader or most vulnerable team member. In the case of you four, Jack is the healer. During fights there are going to be plenty of times when his sole focus is going to be on keeping the rest of you alive. He won’t be much use offensively. His role is to be the focal point of the triangle. He needs to move within that triangle, keeping to the middle, moving to help the corner team members when needed—but he needs to stay inside of that formation. Any questions so far?”

  Jack raised his hand.