PART IV: PLANT MAGICS
Around them, Callie could hear multiple conversations regarding Pixyl, and to a lesser extent Vanis. Most everyone was in awe, while a few questioned whether Pixyl really deserved a medal. The doubters were quickly put down, though, most everyone rising to the Pixie’s defense.
And then the rumble started. It was quiet, almost a whisper, and all saying the same thing. “If a tiny Pixie could do it, then so can I”. The Elf with her? He was known to be the Prince and pretty much expected to excel at everything. But a Pixie? She had killed a Demon; in hand to hand combat no less. She had saved lives, maybe a lot of them. And she did this in spite of being the tiniest of all of them. If she could do all that, then what excuse did they have to not do better? One by one, a great many unsure recruits suddenly found themselves no longer doubting themselves.
Across the table, the three monosyllabic Elves seemed downright stunned at everything, as if their entire worldview had just been flipped sideways. Callie chuckled inwardly, adding a pointed, “I guess size doesn’t matter, does it,” to Jesca, but obviously directed to the anti-social Elves.
With a light chime of the bell, all eyes turned front as Pama returned, her Goblin assistant behind her holding a tray. “Be sure to place all your used items back on your plate and take your glasses, It is time to mix you all up again,” the Gnome cooed with a smile. “This time, all the males will sit at this table,” Pama gestured to the table on Callie’s side of the room, “and everyone else will be over here,” and she gestured to the other. “Trainers, please pick the appropriate table if there is space, otherwise, wherever you are able to fill in.”
With the sound of chairs scraping the stone, people started rearranging themselves to the appropriate side. Those that were already seated at the proper table largely stayed where they were, though a few took the opportunity to move just to get a fresh location and meet more people. The bussing-of-dishes flash blazed briefly as the soup and salad dishes were cleared, making way for whatever was to come next.
“I believe I am going to sit with a new group, to meet others,” Shul’an said, nodding to Callie and Jesca, before walking off into the crowd.
Seated alone, about two-thirds of the way down the table the trio was relocating to, sat a female Goblin. She was dangling her feet, swinging them nervously in the air. It seemed as if people were going out of their way to sit elsewhere, the seats next to and across from her noticeably vacant.
“Hey, Jesca?” Callie said. “Let’s go sit by that Goblin. She looks sad.”
“I was thinking of sitting with some others, too. Is that okay?” Jesca said, wincing. “I mean, since we’re supposed to be mingling around.”
“Oh, sure! Go ahead,” Callie said. “We’ll meet up later.”
Callie walked up to the lonely Goblin. “Is this seat taken?”
With a gasp, the little green Goblin squeaked out, “It’s… It’s you! No, it’s not taken!”
“Thanks!” Callie said with a smile, setting her drink on the table and then navigating the gauntlet to sit on her booster.
“I’m Callie,” she said.
“I know!”
“You do?”
“I mean, I didn’t know your name, but we all know about the Little One Ranger! I even saw you sparring earlier. We all did.”
“I remember! I saw you, too,” Callie said. “There were four of you, right? I appreciated you cheering me on. What’s your name, by the way?”
“Oh! I forgot to tell you? I’m Lhawni.”
“It’s good to meet you, Lhawni. You say ‘we all know’ about me. What did you mean?”
Lhawni frowned briefly. “Well, you know, a Little One that is a Ranger? I’ve never heard of that happening. We are all really hoping you do well. ‘We’ being the other Goblins and some of the Fairy I’ve talked to. You’re an inspiration.”
Callie shook her head dismissively. “You want inspiration? Look at Pixyl. Look at what she was able to do. I mean, she got a medal for it.”
“Oh yes, her too! You are both really special. My only hope is that you do so well people stop thinking we are so … useless. When it comes to the small races, we don’t get a lot of respect sometimes.” The little Goblin looked down, seeming ashamed. “We aren’t very strong.”
Callie frowned at that. Seeing the resignation in Lhawni’s eyes, that the Goblins and other small races were assumed to be weak, was painful. Callie was starting to see what her being one of Xera’s ‘anomalies’ could actually mean to people, and to see what Fizzlebek was talking about when he said everyone was rooting for her. She reached out and touched Lhawni’s arm. “I can’t make promises, except to say I will try my best, and I don’t give up.”
Lhawni smiled, seeming to relish the statement.
“Hello, Little Ones,” a voice said, and Callie turned to see a female Elf had taken the seat across from her and Lhawni. She wore a silky green robe with white trim and a lovely necklace of mixed, polished stones drawn tight to her neck. Her eyes were green, much the shade of her robes, and her hair was a vibrant silver, cropped close at the sides, but the top and back long enough to be drawn into a ponytail that hung to her shoulders.
“Hi!” Callie said.
“I saw you both alone, so thought you must both be far too fascinating for the others, and thus two I must get to know. I am…”
Before the Elf could introduce herself, the dinner chime rang again and those few remaining standing quickly found seats. All eyes turned expectantly towards the front, where a beaming Pama was putting the final touches on the next course being held by her assistant.
“Our next course is a special one,” Pama called out. “Grilled mussels from Sweetwater Lake topped with a rich butter and herb drizzle, with a side of wine-braised mushrooms. Both to be dipped in a light cream sauce should that be to your palate’s liking. Please hold your glasses and good eating to you all.”
With the now-familiar flourish of light, new delights appeared in front of everyone. The small plate had three pieces of a white meat that looked very similar to scallops, lightly grilled with a buttery sauce over them. On the other side of the plate were six slices of cooked mushroom, glistening with a thick reduction. In the center was a small bowl with a thick, white sauce for dipping with a garlicky, butter flavor. At once, the smell overwhelmed Callie’s senses and she couldn’t help but be a little uncouth and simply inhale it deeply with a hearty ‘mmmmmm’ sound.
Stolen story; please report.
“Oh how delightful!” the Elf said. “Pama always has such amazing fare.”
“Everything I’ve tried has been so good,” Callie concurred. “I’m Callie, by the way.”
“I know of you, Little One,” the Elf said. “The Ranger with no memories. Have any returned to you?”
Callie shook her head, being ready for this question if it came up this evening. “Only bits and pieces, and many that make no sense.”
“A shame,” she said with a frown. “And you are?” she asked, gesturing to the Goblin.
“Me? I’m Lhawni.”
“Splendid, I am Trainer Eirlys. I am the Sylvan instructor.”
Callie furrowed her eyes. “Sylvan? What class is that?”
Eirlys held up a finger as she finished chewing. “So good,” she said swallowing, before continuing, “Sylvans are Wizard specialists. We are formally called Floramancers, but Sylvan is what we tend to use instead, it sounds much less … academic. Our specialty is plant magic.”
“Does that overlap with Druids?” Callie asked. “I’m housemates with Tazrok, the Ogre Druid.”
“Ahh! The Corporal of Punishment!” Eirlys said excitedly, before shaking her head, her ponytail swishing. “Not really the same. Druids learn some plant magic, but their realm tends to be focused on their forms and spells derived from Nature magic. Sylvans just create and control plants, but do it with Arcane Wizard powers.”
“What could plants do in combat?” Lhawni asked, confusion on her face.
“Imagine a twenty meter tall tree charging across the battlefield? Or a flower that grows to the size of Callie’s Ogre friend and devours someone? That’s what Sylvan magic does.” Eirlys popped a sauce-dipped mushroom into her mouth, grinning mischievously and waggling her eyebrows.
“Tell me, Recruit Lhawni,” Eirlys continued, “what class are you training for?”
“Me? I’m a Shaman, as are two of the other Goblins.”
“Hey, my housemate is a Shaman, too,” Callie said. “Her name is Xin; a Lizardkin. She’s very nice.”
Lhawni frowned. “We are not used to their kind. We may have treated her rudely yesterday. But if you say she is nice, I will make sure to make up for it.”
“Well,” Eirlys said, biting down on a piece of mushroom, “Trainer Cheena is a magnificent instructor. As is Trainer Maugra, although she can be a little … short with her students. She means well, though, and has a lifetime of experience. You would do well to listen closely to her instructions.”
“I just hope I can make my Totem summon tomorrow,” Lhawni said with a worried and sad tone. “I tried drawing it, but I just didn’t seem to have much inspiration. The other two didn’t have much luck either.”
“Talk to Xin,” Callie suggested. “She did some great drawings, so she might have some ideas.”
Lhawni nodded. “I will do that, maybe when we move chairs again.”
The three chatted some more, Eirlys talking some more about combat tactics using plants that truely sounded horrifying in Callie’s mind. Ogre-sized flowers eating people was one thing, but walls of brambles that could spurt dissolving acid when touched was the stuff of nightmares!
In time, a chime sounded again, and this time Xera returned to the podium. They were wearing a big smile, as if coming out of a fun conversation. It was then that Callie noticed that both Vanis and Pixyl, along with Terrin and Olin, had joined Xera and the other senior officers at the front table, their backs to the room. Despite everything, Pixyl seemed to be enjoying herself as Vanis animatedly told some story to Thorn, sitting across from him, with others listening in. The Pixie was smiling and sipping on her wine, her wings on display and not drooping at all. She almost seemed … happy.
Xera cleared their throat and the room quieted. “Hello everyone. It’s me again.” A light ripple of laughter flowed through the crowd. “I do have a few things I'd like to share as we embark on this training term. I promise, it will not take long.” Someone let out a whooping sound. “Oh, I’ll find out who that was,” Xera added, pointing in the general direction of the heckler.
Looking down at what Callie presumed was notes of some kind, Xera straightened. “First, I would like to once again welcome you all to advanced recruit training. The road ahead of you all over the next eight weeks will be challenging, but in the end, it will be rewarding. For those here as a volunteer, the Army thanks you for your service. For those here for other reasons, the Army thanks you for your service. It does not matter what brought you here, we are all grateful for your presence.
“When I first proposed the idea of investing the time and resources needed for training select advanced classes, and more importantly, incurring the expense of Symbiotes for them all, I was nearly laughed out of the room. It was even suggested I had lost my mind on the battlefield, along with the arm and wing I left behind. Eventually, probably just to get me to shut up and go away, I was given five Symbiotes and told to prove their worth. We did. Those five recruits have gone on to become some of the finest soldiers I have ever seen. One of them, a young Bladedancer recruit, has been awarded no less than eight medals for valor in battle, including the Radiant Cross.” Xera turned and gestured to the table at the front. “That young Bladedancer recruit is now a Major, and serves as both trainer and as the finest of officers. Major Celeste, we humbly thank you for your continued service to the Free Folk.”
The Major had stood when gestured to, and bowed her head slightly as applause rippled through the crowd. Down the recruit table, Callie saw Lena stand, along with a Tigerkin with white fur, and clap in support of their trainer. Soon, two more stood on the other side of the aisle, another white Tigerkin and a short, multi-colored Catkin, who added a sharp whistle to the noise. From Lena’s description the day before, these must be the other three Bladedancer students.
“That brings up something important that all of you should know,” Xera continued, as everyone settled. “Before traveling here, you met with a panel of three, maybe more, people who asked you questions about what you might do in this or that circumstance. That was all for a purpose, and that was to find those that are special. It is not enough to be an advanced class to come here. No, we are looking for something greater. A spark. A drive. A potential to be something more. We seek not soldiers in this camp. If we did, we would be making you march in straight lines and yelling at you. No, we seek leaders, thinkers, and strategists. We seek those that might have the aptitude to become field sergeants and even officers, like our very own Major. We seek those that will, with guidance, become the best.”
A collective murmur went up around the tent as the audience digested what Xera had said. Everyone had assumed it was simply being a hybrid or specialist class that brought them here, but to know there was more to it than just that caught many off guard.
“Something else for you all to be aware of. Every trainee can be assured that they will leave here as one of our finest. But also know, for the first time we are offering a unique opportunity for exceptional individuals to extend their training period by four weeks. This extended term will involve rigorous leadership, strategic, and special forces combat training. We will prepare these select few to become the very leaders we require to ultimately defeat the Demon scourge. Should this be something you wish to aspire to, you need only excel and the opportunity will come to you.”
Again, a murmur rumbled around the tent.
Xera smiled and allowed the chatter to continue for a few moments. Finally, they spoke again. “I would like to conclude my remarks by once again welcoming you all. I know each and every one of you has the courage and the spirit to become the very best of yourself, and we, the officers, trainers and staff look forward to aiding you in becoming just that.”
Again applause sounded out, with many people rising to their feet as Xera stepped down and away. Quickly, Pama returned and the din subsided, most returning to their seats.
“For this next round, everyone please stand and join together in the center,” the Gnome instructed. “Remember to put everything back on your plate and take your drinks with you.”
The throng of people all stood, working their way to the wide aisle between the two tables. As expected, there was another flash of plates and utensils being whisked away to somewhere. Callie and Lhawni kept close to each other, trying to make sure they weren’t stepped on as everyone joined together in a big crowd.
“Now, everyone mix yourselves up,” Pama commanded, waving her hands frantically in the air. “Keep moving randomly until the music stops.”
With that, one of Pama’s Goblin assistants, this one wearing a white apron with some grease stains on it, stepped up. He raised a flute to his lips and began to play a perky melody that vaguely reminded Callie of ‘All Around the Mulberry Bush’. A few chuckles rang out from people that seemed to recognize the simple tune, and everyone started moving randomly in a chaotic throng. After thirty seconds or so, the music stopped. “And now,” Pama said excitedly, “Everyone find the closest available seat!”