POV Torsk Forus
Torsk had agreed to Aron’s request of having himself join the recruits training. He had a feeling that Aron would be an excellent addition to form his new charges. He found the young man’s familiar interesting as well. During the short time he had observed them, the skeleton had improved in his bout with his master. Torsk had seen and fought others of its species and they never had shown as much potential, flexibility and adaptability as that four-armed individual. Although it was still dumb and couldn’t talk, it was a significant improvement compared to the normal skeletons. He felt that Aron hadn’t so much as planned to improve himself than to give his minion a platform to learn.
Watching their matches now, his notion got confirmed. Technical-wise Aron performed a level above the recruits. Yet he didn’t trash them but rather let them loose after extended fights, pinpointing their weaknesses in the process. Each of his opponent came out wiser than they had been before.
The skeleton on the other hand behaved like a beginner through and through. It only held on and forced its opponents into precarious situations through the sheer volume of attacks it dished out. Yet it improved every time it sparred. Torsk had also noted its changed appearance. Now it appeared to be made of steel-bones instead of normal bones.
All in all he liked the situation. His recruits could learn a lot from these two. He could use them to mold his charges. And if the two couldn’t keep up anymore, he could stop the collaboration. Naturally he would keep an eye out for any suspect behavior. It was not like a dumb skeleton could outsmart him. Laughing to himself, he walked away.
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POV Aron Brightcloud
Two hours of extensive sparring had worked wonders on my familiar. He thrived in combat. I for myself enjoyed the sparring very much. It felt like going back to the basics. Letting me forget about everything, reveling in moving my body and besting my opponents. Naturally, I didn’t give my all. I also understood that this was only possible as long as the recruits didn’t use their real strength and speed.
Most likely I could still win as I was no normal mage, but that would show my unique build. A part of me wanted to give in and challenge them on their best, but I stopped myself from doing so.
“Stop. That’s it for the moment. Go wash up and get some food into you. In the afternoon we will focus on strength training.”
Torsk’s shout ended the battles. I bowed to my last sparring partner and made my way over to the stout warrior. Together with my little brother, we arrived close to his position.
“Thank you very much for the opportunity, Torsk. It felt great to exercise with the sword. I would be very grateful to visit in the future. Would that be possible?”
Torsk looked pensively at me. “Isn’t it more correct to say you would like your familiar to join the trainings? You have a better technique then my recruits. So it doesn’t make much sense for you to come over repeatedly.”
He had good instincts. I nodded. “Yes, that had been my intention. Bones needs more experience. I had planned to bring it up in the future. It would help me very much. He could train here while I study at the towers. I imagine he would be a great training opportunity for your recruits as well. As he grows, he will challenge them more and more.”
Torsk starred at me for an extended moment before he nodded. “Okay. But in exchange, you will join us for periodic bouts. There you can use your magic to give the recruits practice in fighting against mages.”
I could do that. It would help me as well. “Sure, I have no problem with it. If you want something of Bones, call his name and tell him. He will follow your orders as long as they are not outrageous.”
It seemed that the magicians felt themselves above training with unimportant recruits, not helping them in their training. A naïve decision in my eyes. We could learn from each other.
“Good, to a happy cooperation. Bones should arrive at seven in the mornings and will be back in the evenings. If you have practice training where you need him, inform me beforehand. Does he need some sort of food?” Torsk asked me.
I shook my head “No, he is undead. He needs nothing. Send him back when your practice has ended.”
For sure, I wouldn’t tell them about Bones artifact eating tendencies. Hopefully, he’d be able to hold himself back. I needed to have a word with him after we left here.
“Good, I will inform the guards, so that they will let him through.” Torsk told me.
“Thank you. That will help.”
With a swish of my hand Bones vanished back into his ghost form, upholding the misconception of him disappearing into my familiar ring.
“Let’s take care of Bones’s Introduction to the guards now. We can walk back towards the checkpoint together.
Giving my assent, I followed him back to my old acquaintances. Tate and his friend behave much more subdued this time. They moved to attention instantly when they recognized Torsk. Obviously they had been at the receiving end of his care before.
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I still remembered their jokes on my expanse. A bit of pay-back would remind them that their prey could also fight back. I innocently stepped closer to them.
‘Bones, when you materialize later, surprise Tate and Fors a bit, yes?’
My little brother gleefully agreed. These sorts of jokes were right up his alley.
“Good day Drill-instructor, young mage!”
“At ease. Tate, Fors, inform the rest of your group that this young man’s familiar will come through here for training in the future. Let him through.” Torsk stated in an even voice.
The two guards scanned the surroundings, trying to find my floating towel. Unbeknownst to them, Bones had moved right next to their position.
“Where-” I swiped my hand over my familiar ring and Tate’s question got disrupted by the sudden appearance of Bones’s skeletal frame. The landing familiar missed Fors’s foot by the tiniest of margins.
The two guards couldn’t stop themselves from flinching at the sudden arrival of the four-armed skeleton right next to them.
Bones’s four arms moved left and right and gifted my “friends” with one of his sunniest smiles. The flames in his eye-sockets burned especially high, showcasing his glee. Tate caught himself first and gave me the stinky eye. I watched back, forcing my face to not change while my eyes laughed at him.
After they had gotten a good look at my familiar, they nodded. “Yes, drill-instructor, we will let him through when he visits in the future.”
Standing behind Torsk I winked at them. They would get back at me, at least their fiery stares told me as much. We would see. Grinning evilly in my mind, I moved my hand over the familiar ring again. My little brother vanished once more. Our bond allowed me to time my move perfectly with his disappearance.
Saying good bye to Torsk, Tate and Fors, I made my way back towards the towers. I needed some food. In the afternoon the first group training with my new teammates would start.
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POV Inquisitor Andra Deepborn
Looking down on the empty castle of marquess Redwood, Andra felt perplexed. Her subordinates had found no signs of a struggle or remains of the inhabitants. The entire castle had been emptied of people as if they had simply stopped to exist.
Walking down the ledge, she arrived at the entrance of the defensive structure. Walking through it, she appraised the defensive fortifications. From outside they looked like they hadn’t been in use, but checking the magical batteries connected to them she realized that every one of them had been burned out.
Something or someone had broken its way in and it had done so with such force that the considerable defensive formations had buckled in an instant, not giving the defenders a chance to actually defend themselves.
Lead by her scouts, she soon arrived at the portal-chamber. She checked the state of the portal and all the wares that lay around. Someone had tried to flee. They hadn’t succeded.
“Categorize everything and transport it back to my estate. Get the entire investigation team on it. I want to know what could have led to the sudden obliteration of one of the kingdom’s strongest marquess.
“Yes inquisitor Deepborn.” One of her subordinates bowed and set forth to execute her order.
Taking in the chamber for one last time, Andra made her way towards the office of the now absent lord. Maybe she would find more evidence there.
The first difference she found when she stepped into the room was the exotic formation inscribed in the floor. The complexity of it uncountable levels above the ones she had seen throughout the castle. Observing the lines she tried to decipher the function of it, her formation knowledge not as profound as she wished it to be at that moment.
It was still enough to get a certain understanding. This had been one hell of a defensive light formation. Even an Archmage would have had problems biting his or her way through such a defensive structure. Yet it had buckled as well.
One of her subordinates returned. “Inquisitor Deepborn, the second sweep has been unsuccessful. We couldn’t find a single person. It even feels like this had happened quite some time ago. There is dust everywhere.”
Hearing the words, Andra was confused at first. The marquess of Redwood had mailed her often in the past. The topics varied from requests to messages where he assured her his innocence and non-participation in certain endeavors. His last message had come recently. Much too soon for dust to have settled over the castle…
Dust… a piece of knowledge floated at the edge of her mind. Where had she heard this before…Dust…Dust?!
Like a hammer crashing into a bell, the memory suddenly resurfaced in her mind. When she had been still growing she had been forced to read the books of her predecessors where they told about their most important hunts and discoveries. One of them had reported about a surreal experience… It had been long ago. They had been fighting against fallen gods worshipers and had been loosing. They had barricaded themselves in a chapel surrounded by the evil brood. Already prepared to die, they had prepared for a last stand, but the attack never came. Stepping outside the entire village had been emptied. They couldn’t find a single worshiper. The only thing they found was dust, spread everywhere.
Her ancestor had theorized about a hidden order of wizards, dedicated to the empire, hunting down their enemies in the shadows. Could that be it? Had such a member made his appearance here? Had this something to do with fallen god worshipers? The importance of the data suddenly rose to another level. She had to find out if her notion was true!
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POV Aron Brightcloud
Since Anna had died, my stay here at the academy had become much more comfortable. Before most people had looked at me like I was the plague, now most of them left me alone or even greeted me in passing. I still counted to the weaker magicians, but they didn’t oust me anymore.
I sat at a table in the canteen when Olivia chirped mentally in glee and made her way down my shoulder, vanishing between the legs of the surrounding unsuspecting novices. Her camouflage did a superb job adapting to the changing surroundings. At first I wanted to order her back, but she moved so stealthily that I decided against it. Until now, she had always behaved well. I trusted her to take care of herself. Not long later she returned with a compact bundle of something in her front legs. Maybe it was a mouse? I couldn’t recognize it. She had wrapped it completely in her webs. Happily, she moved below my table where she ate her prey.
She was such a sweet thing. Even taking care of the rodents here in the canteen. Happily, I ate my lunch. Yet I couldn’t enjoy it for long. Some seconds later, a commotion erupted further down in the hall. Scanning the situation, it looked like one of Stonewall’s cronies had become upset. I think it was one of the commoners. Their group was too far away for me to listen and find out about their problem. I only heard the word familiar. In the end, it didn’t matter to me. I had better things to do than pay attention to such trifles.
Olivia had finished her meal and scuttled back up onto my shoulder. I petted the huntress. My sweet darling.
Ending my lunch as well, I stood up and left the canteen. Did I forget something? I was sure I had wanted to do something. A task or a topic I needed to talk about. I shook my head, I couldn’t remember it anymore. It should be okay, it couldn’t be that important if I forgot about it.