The Aspect: The Cessation's Harbinger

by Ajax Lygan

  Ella’s ears dropped, and her tone was direct. “Stop.”

  “Or yet, we have this pink vial. It’s this season’s hottest potion. One sip will elongate your ears like the beautiful elven Queen you were always meant to be.”

  “I said stop it, Riika!”

  As Riika and Ella’s banter turned into a full-on argument, Saïgra leaned into Tempest’s ear. “Are they always like this?”

  Tempest chuckled as he scooted closer to the dryad. “Sometimes,” he whispered. “They have a lot of history together; long before me.”

  “They act like they hate each other.”

  “Oh, they don’t hate each other. If anything, they are madly in love with one another.” Tempest leaned over and raised a finger, pointing between the pair. “See, Ella, as much as she wouldn’t admit it, is very maternal. However, she expresses it with little emotion. She’s quite grounded and would do pretty much anything if it meant advancing her academic pursuits. Whereas Riika is overly emotional, though she would never admit it. She’s blunt and straightforward, influenced primarily by basic needs such as food, money, etcetera. Underneath each of their hard exteriors, though, they are a couple of softies.”

  “Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, do something to get them to calm down?”

  “Normally, I’d say that would be a terrible idea, but they’ve been on edge all day. I think I have just the thing.” Tempest leaned to his side and opened the satchel on his hip. He pulled out a book and something wrapped in cloth.

  After closing up his satchel, he smacked his hands together to get Ella and Riika’s attention. “Hey, now that I have your attention, I have something for each of you. I’ve been holding on to these since we left the Firegrove.”

  Riika and Ella gave each other one last glare before scooting closer to Tempest. Tempest handed Ella the book, and Riika the item wrapped in cloth.

  “What are they,” Riika asked.

  “Well, for you, I grabbed the last bit of your uncle’s everything bars.”

  Riika’s eyes went wide as she hurriedly unwrapped the fist-sized treat. She gasped, but not long enough to keep her from stuffing the entire thing into her mouth. Her words slurred as her jaw smacked with the thick caramel. “So good…” Riika said, her eyes fluttering in a state of sugary bliss.

  Tempest turned over to Ella, who had already cracked open the book. Her eyes darted through each line and was clearing a page within seconds.

  “And Ella, I’m sure you can already tell what that is.”

  “Where did you find this?” she asked, not looking up from the page.

  “There was a room in the tree that Queen Maileath had hidden, but before we left, she opened it for me. It was the personal living quarters of Norra. That book was sitting on her nightstand. I read through the first few pages, realized what it was, and knew you’d love to read it.”

  “Is that what I assume it is?” Saïgra asked, pointing to the book.

  Tempest nodded confidently. “Yeah, that’s her original diary. I believe it’s the one they used to make the herbalist’s tome.”

  Saïgra’s voice cracked, and she began scratching at her bark. “Ella, please be careful with that. It’s one of the most priceless artifacts we have in the Firegrove. If that were to be lost, I’d hate to think about the despair Queen Maileath would fall into.”

  Ella closed the book and brought it close to her chest. “I will treat this with the utmost respect, and I shall never let it leave my person. You have my word.” Ella looked over at Tempest. The potion’s light in the center of the room enhanced the brightness in the blue in her eyes. She batted her eyes at him, eyeing him the way that sent warmth throughout his body. “Thank you for this wonderful gift, Tempest. I will never forget it.”

  “Yeah,” Riika blurted out, tonguing the remains of the treat in her teeth. “Thank you.” She bounced her eyebrows in quick succession as she looked at Tempest, which resulted in a shared chuckle among the group.

  Queen Vatia’s booming voice quickly silenced their laughter. “We’re coming up on The Academy. Hold on.”

  Everyone braced their arms and legs against the rock like scales that surrounded them. Queen Vatia’s turbulent landing silenced Riika’s yelp as they settled on the ground. Her hand opened, revealing their next calamity.

  They were on the beachy shoreline of the island. There was not much open space between the water’s edge and the pink barrier that surrounded The Academy. Unlike the barrier they’d encountered in Honeybrooke, this one was translucent, allowing them to see the massive, educational facility that took up the majority of the island.

  The barrier was bulbous, with a giant beam of light shooting up into the atmosphere. Its shape mirrored a droplet of water that was falling from the sky, except as if its tip was still connected to the clouds above. This barrier also seemed to speak its intentions. Frequent bolts of electricity discharged around the exterior. Tempest could see the black scorch marks that had glassed the sand nearby.

  “We can’t get too close,” Queen Vatia said. “The electrical discharges will fry anyone who does. Several of our scouts found out the hard way. One was flying over and got hit by a bolt. When he hit the barrier, it zapped him and now he is nothing more than ash.”

  “What about everyone trapped inside?” Tempest asked.

  The Queen dropped her head and muttered as she raised her hand, giving the group a better view of the interior of the sphere. Thousands of charred bodies littered the ground surrounding the campus’ estate. Tempest felt a tightening in his chest as he recognized the carapace shapes of his allies.

  “Kiri…Z’Korra…” he whispered. His eyes darted to each body, many with body parts still bright orange from the burning embers. “We’ve got to get in there. Some of them may still be alive.”

  “Can’t you do what you did last time?” Riika asked.

  The Queen pulled her head back and cocked an eyebrow. “Last time?” she asked.

  “Several weeks ago, we helped the apians with a corruption that was spreading in their forests,” Tempest began. “Those who had contracted it went insane, attacking each other before it eventually killed them. It actually infected their Queen, resulting in us having to kill her, too.”

  He paused with a frown. “The corruption was spewing from some opening that was created from the bud of a plant. It was surrounded by a barrier similar to this. However, that one disintegrated anything that it touched. We had to sever someone’s arm off to prevent it from spreading to their body.”

  The Queen’s mouth fell open. Her head turned to the fallen bodies of the apians scattered in the field before turning back toward the group. “This is the first I have heard about this. Headmaster Norumborg sent word of the apians arrival at The Academy, but he never once spoke of such an event. Neither has Queen Kasta, and it’s rare for something to occur without her knowledge.”

  “A discussion left better for another time. Let’s see if I can get through this.” Tempest pulled his swordstaff to his right hand and used his magic to propel himself toward the barrier. He raised a force shield in preparation of the approaching blast, however, a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach told him he was in grave danger.

  The hair on his body raised as the electrical energy around him built up in the air. The barrier sparked with increasingly more violence as his body floated toward it. In an ultimate moment of lucidness, Tempest raised his hands and thrust them outward. He felt the bolt of discharged energy shatter his force shield.

  The smell of burnt hair lingered on his face as he tumbled back across the ground. He heard his companions cry out for him as he rose to his feet. He patted himself down, checking for any still-burning flames, as he turned to his companions. “I’m all right. I was lucky.”

  “Not that Lucky,” Riika said with a glare. “You’re missing most of your hair and an eyebrow.”

  Tempest walked over and stared at his reflection in Riika’s new breastplate. He grunted as he turned back to the ba
rrier.

  “Well, at least that was the only thing I lost. I could tell that if I didn’t dodge that attack, I would have been gone. I think the barrier is increasing in power just like the one near Meadow’s Crest.” Tempest turned and walked over toward Saïgra. He grabbed her shoulder and pointed down toward the ground. “Can you see if this barrier goes through the ground using your Tremorsense?”

  “It’s not as good as Queen Maileath’s, but I can give it a shot,” Saïgra said, taking a few steps toward the barrier.

  Tempest watched as her bark-like armor spread roots near her feet, physically planting her into the ground. It took only a few seconds before her roots retracted and she turned around. The bark armor pulled back from around her face, revealing her deepened frown, telling Tempest the answer before she spoke.

  “It’s completely covered. I honestly don’t know what would happen if we tried to enter from underground. An explosion like we just saw could unsettle the earth, causing water to rush in, or Gods forbid, collapse the entire island.”

  As Tempest and the others discussed the current effect of the barrier, an idea popped into Queen Vatia’s head. Queen Vatia whispered a prayer under her breath to Yuria, the Goddess of Justice. A sudden shining golden light surrounded her entire body.

  “You all may want to stand back,” Queen Vatia said to the nearby group. As the others darted back out of the way, Queen Vatia took in a huge breath and released her breath attack. Chaotic bolts of golden electricity burst out of the Queen’s draconic mouth.

  The group quickly shoved their hands over their ears. The resounding echo from the clash of the barrier and her attack resonated to the point where it shattered every window in The Academy. The resulting wind gust blew several inches of sand off the beach from the nearby shore. Tempest and his companions watched as the barrier turned to a lighter shade of pink, not because it was charging for its own attack but because it was waning.

  Tempest reached out and prodded the barrier with his force magic. Sure enough, he was able to puncture a hole after pouring almost his entire power into a focused point.

  After ten seconds of casting, the Queen let up her attack, and the barrier returned to its normal color.

  Tempest ran to the Queen’s side and shouted up at her. “Queen Vatia, it was working! I was able to puncture a hole while you were attacking. If you could somehow maintain the attack, I think I could get through.”

  Queen Vatia’s grin grew into a carnivorous smile. “I have something better,” she said, taking a wide stance. The Queen roared an incantation. The clouds split above, revealing a magical god ray. The light glittered, giving the briefest glimpse of another colossal figure. Once the clouds retreated, a translucent clone of Queen Vatia stood next to her.

  The clone’s inner body sparked with vibrant, divine electricity. As she became familiar with its body, it let out a comparable roar to Queen Vatia’s. This was the genuine power of the Hydra of Halairim. As Tempest stood there with his mouth agape, the Queen turned back toward him. “I’m giving you thirty minutes. If you and your team are not out by then, I am going to assume you all have fallen. If it comes to that, I have to protect the rest of the city at all cost.”

  Tempest turned toward his team and gathered them close. “Okay, I want you to stay as close to me as possible without running into each other. Once the Queen makes her attack, we’re going to run through the barrier and not stop until we get past the inner scorch marks. The barrier is far enough out from the actual Academy that once we get close enough, we should be able to make our way inside.”

  “I know of a servant’s entrance on this side of the building,” Ella added quickly. “It will put us in the basement, but it should get us in without raising too much noise.”

  Tempest immediately noticed Ella’s erratic behavior. Her speech was quick, and her ears twitched uncontrollably as her eyes darted around at their surroundings. Tempest took a step toward her and planted his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Ella nodded quickly. “Yeah, it’s just been a long time since I’ve been here. I’m fine.”

  Tempest could hear the lie in her voice, but now was not the time to press it. He had to put his trust in her, just like she had done with him a hundred times over. His companions gave him a nod of readiness when he glanced toward them. He took his position in front of the group and led them up the embankment as close as he was comfortable getting.

  With nothing more than a simple thought, he put up his force shield and shouted back toward Queen Vatia. “We’re ready, your majesty!”

  “Good luck, your Eminence. I will pray for your safe return.” The Queen’s words were not simple semantics. Tempest sensed his barrier strengthen, as if it was made from the Queen’s own scales. The two held a glance before the Queen turned to her clone. Without speaking a word, the clone took off straight into the air and flew to the opposite side of the island, hovering in the gray skyline.

  In unison, the two dragons unleashed powerful bolts of divine energy. After a few seconds, the barrier’s thickness wavered, casting an off-white hue like a smoker’s smoke bubble released from a pipe. Tempest and the group ran straight through the barrier. He observed the slight resistance as his force shield hit the magical wall. Tiny static sparks illuminated the shield around the group as they passed through the hazy surface.

  Tempest kept them running until the last scorch mark was twenty feet away from them. As soon as they stopped, so did the Queen. They soon found themselves surrounded by thousands of dead; trapped by the repercussions of their own heroics.

  4

  Assault on The Academy

  Ella slowly pushed the door open, bracing her left arm up to make sure anything that tried to get the jump on her would be filled with her crossbow bolts. She turned around and waved at her companions, who were slowly making their way down the stairwell that led to the underground entrance. Save for the pink hue of the barrier, little light made its way down the stairwell, and surprisingly, the ever-burning torches were no longer lit. Ella quickly combined some reagents in several of her vials and slotted it in one of the free spots on her chest, creating a directional lantern for her to see. She turned and handed one to Tempest, who gladly accepted it, and offered the second to Saïgra.

  “I am unsure if you even need this,” Ella said. “My apologies. I am not too familiar with dryad physiology; something I hope to rectify in the future.” Saïgra smiled as she took the vial and placed it to her upper chest like Ella. Thin vines protruded from the bark anchoring it to her armor. Her bark armor was now covering her entire face, save for her blood-red eyes, but her warm tone conveyed her appreciation.

  “Thank you, Ella. I can see in normal and low-light situations. However, in complete darkness, I have to rely on my Tremorsense. I’ll be the first to admit, though, that I have not yet mastered it.”

  Ella smiled and nodded as she spun back to the hallway that led into The Academy. She had volunteered to do so as she had the most familiarity of the facility, having spent years here honing her skills. They crept in a single file line with Riika behind her, followed by Saïgra, and Tempest covering their rear. As they approached the first set of doors, Ella paused and turned to the group.

  “These doors are the living quarters for the staff,” she whispered. “There is a kitchen and dining room further down the hallway.”

  Riika shifted her body and pointed at Tempest and Saïgra with two fingers. “Ella and I will clear this room. You two clear that one. Let’s try to keep it quiet, but don’t hold back if there’s trouble.”

  Ella rolled her eyes and flicked Riika in the chest. “You realize your plate armor is echoing through the hallways like a child’s music band.”

  Riika just smiled and shrugged, sending another metallic ringing down the stone walled corridor. The two groups lined up against the doors with Ella and Tempest taking point. Ella counted down on her fingers before the two groups opened the doors and stepped in.

  T
he rooms were identical. Wooden bunk beds lined the walls like makeshift chicken coops. The hay lined interiors were hastily made with nothing more than a white sheet covering the bedding. They were single sized, a necessity for the bureaucratic requirements set forth by The Academy’s board. Tables and chairs filled the middle of the room, making the room claustrophobic for someone of Riika’s size.

  The room’s hidden contents were not quite apparent when Ella first stepped in. It wasn’t until she walked further into the room, allowing her light to scan over the beds, that she found herself filled with trepidation. Contorted bodies filled the beds from floor to ceiling. Their petrified remains revealed the last moments of their torment. They all shared the same form: solid white eyes, mouths agape like they were screaming, visible veins blackened as if filled with tar, and tightened muscles along their arms and legs.

  “Gods…what happened to all of them?” Riika asked.

  Almost immediately Ella’s curiosity conquered her fear. She approached the closest body, a mousefolk man. She poked and prodded his body before gripping it, checking for signs of life. He was dead, just as she thought he was. As she moved to the man’s head, she noticed a blackened ooze that was leaking out the side of his mouth. Ella and Riika turned toward the door at the sound of the light footsteps approaching. Tempest peaked his head in with the expression of urgency but went dead panned as he recognized the familiar sight.

  “It’s a similar story next door,” Tempest said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. “They are all dead.”

  Ella grabbed a piece of cloth and wiped the black ichor from the dead body and placed it into one of the many vials on her person.

  “What are you doing?” Riika asked.

  “I am taking a sample so I can hopefully figure out what happened here. We need to find the source.” Ella moved back into the hallway; her peers followed closely behind her. As they reached further down the corridor, it opened up with the kitchen on the left and the dining room on the right. A familiar scene of contorted bodies lined the rooms. Ella took a quick once over to confirm their similar fate. She stood for a moment scratching her chin before addressing the group.