“Jack, have you thought about what you’re going to do with your reward money?” Vanya asked as the students all patiently waited in line to pass the security checkpoint and enter school.
“Honestly, I haven't given it much thought.” Jack shrugged as he shifted awkwardly in place. It was true. Despite an eight-way split-one for each member of the group as well as three more shares for the home and business-he had a lot of spending money. “Alora says I need to decorate my room, but I haven’t had a good look at what I can buy yet.”
“True, you have been in that hot tub most of the time…” the Chuna shrugged, before giving him a coy grin. “Not that I’ve been complaining! How are you feeling?”
“Still a bit off, but better,” Jack admitted. The time in the waters of the hot tub, blessed with the Lesser Lifestone sitting on the bottom, had served to soothe his wounds and slow the maladies he had picked up during the run, but he was not yet completely cured. “Does seem like things gradually get worse the longer I’m out, but I get the impression it’s fading the more I take a dip.”
“Well then, hopefully a few more dips should bring you back to normal. At least whatever you’ve still got doesn’t seem to be infectious.” Vanya smirked. “And I can show you a few sites when we’re back, and maybe you can pick up a few posters?”
“Sure.” Jack smiled. “But my top priority is going to the Etheria Grand Library and getting a few searches running before I do anything else. I know I need to put money down for that, and I checked the prices for it. It’s not so bad, but I want to make sure I get the important stuff done first. I still need to find out everything I can about why I’m here so I have a shot at seeing my family again.”
I’ll assist you with that. Chiyo softly patted him on the shoulder. Don’t worry, we’ll get there.
“What about you, Chiyo?” Vanya asked. “What are you spending your cash on?”
I want to run a few inquiries as well, the Ilithii admitted. We have a school break coming up in a few weeks and I thought it might be fun to explore some possible leads…
“Oooh! Treasure hunting?” Sephy perked up from where she was drawing some graffiti on a nearby wall with a pink marker.
Shhh! Chiyo warned the Skritta as a few heads turned around. And possibly, as long as we can get there and you all agree to come with me. Though I also wish to buy a few more books on my ‘to-read’ list and will probably save the rest.
“Sounds about right for you.” Sephy shrugged. “I might pick up a few new drones and maybe some more paint, it’s been a while since I’ve properly put a piece up. Might also get some enhancements while I’m at it. I've done some research and I’ve found this nanogen treatment that can strengthen my wings without needing to replace them or have surgery.”
“What would that involve then?” Jack asked, feeling uneasy about where this was going.
“Don’t worry, nothing bad!” The Skritta grinned at him reassuringly, sensing his unease. “They do a full scan of my wings and the medical software programs nanobots to strengthen them. They then get injected into a few spots, then over time they do their thing. It’s not like I’m replacing any parts.”
“Good.” Jack sighed, taking a sip of water. “I guess I don’t like the idea of outright replacing perfectly healthy body parts with metal. It’s better to be comfortable with the way you are…”
“Really, damn!” Sephy exclaimed. “You know, I was really thinking about getting some breast enhancement surgery too…”
Jack spat out his drink in shock at the sudden words. He stared at the Skritta with bulging eyes for a few baffled seconds, before she grinned at him.
“I was only joking!” Sephy laughed. “Wow, the look on your face!”
“Well, it’d save you having to buy padded bras again!” Nika chuckled, causing the Skritta to give the Kizun the finger.
“What about you then?” Sephy asked, returning the teasing. “Platform shoes?”
“Fuck off!” Nika laughed. “Pre-booked some tickets to a few events I want to see. Jack’s coming with me to see BattleDome live next time they host it in Naganai.”
“Sure!” Jack agreed with a shrug, not having actually been asked.
“Apart from that, I’m gonna go for a few rare bottles of booze I’ve always wanted to try, and if you’re lucky I might even share some with you!” The Kizun teased. “Then I’m getting a few things for my home gym. Mats, punching bags and targets, though maybe I can persuade Alora to put that down as a housing expense?”
“Maybe you could with a few of these things!” Alora smiled. “As long as everyone gets the ability to use it, so no hoarding it in your room! Also nothing unnecessary. We’re not buying a treadmill when there’s plenty of space to run outside!”
“How would you know? I hardly see you out there!” Nika grinned.
“Well maybe we can pick up some good habits during our downtime?” Alora smirked back at her.
True, though we can also spend some time fixing up the district, Chiyo pointed out. I know you didn’t want the others going through your family’s ancestral estate, but perhaps the five of us could?
“Certainly.” Alora nodded. “That’ll be some heavy lifting, but I want us to be careful. I still think there’s the possibility to restore some of it.”
“Plus we’ve still got the shuttle,” Sephy added, reminding them of the carcass of a craft they picked up from Tagrilla after the Pallid Pit. “We can totally get it fixed up!”
“That too,” Alora agreed. “I’m sure some of the budget can go towards that!”
“What about your share, Alora?” Jack asked curiously. “Can’t just be for the house, right?”
“Certainly not!” Alora smiled. “I’ll likely see if I can pick up some rare plants I can cultivate. Some artwork too! And maybe some new shoes, and maybe some…”
‘Alright, maybe I shouldn’t have asked that…’ Jack thought to himself upon hearing the typical ‘girly-girl’ answer from the Eladrie.
“Well, I guess we’ve all earned it!” He finally chuckled the moment he heard Alora come to the end of her extensive fashion list. “Even Dante got something!”
“Yes! He got a Collar of Protection!” Alora confirmed. “We worked out what it was when we got back and you were dozing in the tub!”
“Nice, maybe I can buy some dog toys for him or something…” Jack pondered as the queue began to move, and they got closer to the security barrier.
“What’s a dog?” Vanya asked as they got moving.
“Well…” Jack began.
*****
“Did you hear!? Word on the street is someone geeked The Redeemer!” Jack heard a whisper from one of his classmates hiss out.
“Yeah! People have been saying it was Commander Cocaine that killed him!” Someone else responded. “Fucking awesome!”
‘Motherfucker…’ Jack thought to himself as he lined up for Music class, joined by Sephy, Nika and Vanya. Though he had attended this class before, it had been a sort-of limbo for him as he hadn’t officially been inducted by the teacher yet due to the Killer Klown attack.
“Already sent our evidence to the Church of Siros,” Nika whispered with a slight hint of amusement, almost like the Kizun knew what he was thinking. “They’ll know it was us, and that’ll be some extra pocket money!”
“Hope so,” Jack whispered back, looking around to see if anyone was listening in. “Wouldn’t that be thrown into doubt if someone else is claiming the kill?”
“Maybe.” Nika shrugged. “People have tried before, but you’d have to be very good to try and scam people, and if you’re caught it rarely ends well for anyone dumb enough to try. Besides, Commander Cocaine hasn’t tried to claim your kill, it’s just dumb rumours so don’t worry! It works in our favour anyway since we don’t want to be attracting any attention right now…”
“Alright everyone, in you come!” A melodic voice called out from within the classroom, and the students quickly filed in.
As Jack stepped into the music classroom, he couldn't help but notice how wildly different it was from any room back on Earth. The walls shimmered in translucent colours that shifted with the ambient sounds from students filtering in, creating a gentle hum that reverberated through his chest. Instruments of all shapes and sizes - some of them somewhat vaguely resembling violins or drums from Earth, others completely alien to him - were set on stands around the spacious, well-lit room.
“Ah, you must be the great Mr Frost I’ve had the pleasure of hearing so much about!” The same voice chirped out flamboyantly as Jack put eyes on the speaker. This was his first time seeing Mrs Trillivar in person, and she was…different than he was used to. A coral-like, column-shaped figure at least two heads taller than him, Mrs Trillivar had six arms, each one holding an instrument, or at least what Jack guessed were instruments, that emitted various colours and tones that matched their movements.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Yes, Mrs Trillivar.” Jack nodded dutifully, looking down at the two back orbs he assumed were her eyes in the middle of her torso, where he also saw a small mouth containing few teeth. As his gaze looked even further down, he was almost taken aback that Mrs Trillivar didn’t seem to have any feet. “Um…I’m Jack, pleased to finally meet you in person!”
“Indeed this is a long-anticipated, long delayed greeting!” Mrs Trillivar exclaimed happily, and Jack started in surprise as the teacher suddenly zoomed to her desk, picking up a clipboard in the process. Getting a good view of it, Jack noticed that her lower half was some kind of hard, fleshy spherical foot that was covered by her lower torso as a partial sheath, the foot quickly rolling as she zipped back. “It is a shame we were unable to meet before now, sadly I was a casualty of the latest Killer Klown attack…”
“No apology needed, Miss,” Jack interjected politely.
“Thank you.” The alien smiled, handing him some papers. “Here is some supplementary material that will help catch you up on the curriculum, though I do not know what musical education you may have received previously from your homeland…”
“I can read sheet music, though I don’t know if that translates well here.” Jack admitted. “Much of musical theory where I’m from is traditional and a lot of what we covered was the history of it, so I guess I’m coming in here as a complete noob.”
“I see.” The teacher ‘nodded’, which was literally a tipping motion with their entire body. “Have you any experience in playing a musical instrument?”
“Yes.” Jack nodded. “I played something called a trumpet for a time. It’s a metal contraption that I blow into, like a horn?”
“Ah, I see!” Mrs Trillivar chirped in amusement. “Well, we have such instruments here, though I do not know if they are configured for your biology. Certainly we shall try and discover your calling among them, though if they are lacking I am sure I can find something suitable for your twin manipulators!”
“Okay…” Jack began, then a thought came to him. “So how does this class work? What kind of things are expected of me?”
“For now, just follow along as you can. This one shall begin with an introduction to several disciplines, followed by a practical session with the instruments, where I will endeavour to match your spirit with an instrument that calls to you!”
“Uh…sure….” Jack nodded politely, having not understood the teacher at all as she motioned for him to take a seat with the others.
“Welcome, young harmonics!” Mrs Trillivar’s voice rang out to address them all once they were all settled. “As you likely know from your other lessons, we have a new presence among us, from a species with music that has travelled far from the world of his ancestors. Jack, the human. Welcome.”
Jack nodded dutifully, though inside felt annoyed at being put on the spot like that as several heads turned to look at him, despite most of his fellow students having gotten used to him already.
“Today!” Mrs Trillivar began as she turned to address everybody else with an air of showmanship. “We shall explore three of our core disciplines! They are Empathic Resonance, Temporal Imprinting, and Tactile Harmonics.”
The teacher paused for a moment as she allowed her words to sink in before continuing. “Now who can tell me about Empathic Resonance?”
Jack didn’t raise his hand, not having a clue about any of this. Previously their lessons had been covered by a substitute teacher who simply got them to read out of a textbook, but none of that had covered whatever was being taught now.
Alora raised her hand and Mrs Trillivar indicated for her to answer with a gesture of one of her arms.
“Empathic Resonance is when we align our emotions with sound,” the Eladrie dutifully answered. “With certain instruments, it creates different tones if we feel for example joy, sorrow or even anger.”
‘Huh?’ Jack thought to himself. He hadn’t heard anything like that in his music lessons back home, and he did kinda play an instrument.
At least whenever his mother had forced him to practise instead of playing video games…
“Excellent!” Mrs Trillivar nodded as she held out a hand holding what looked like some kind of orb, concentrating for a moment before a gentle, soothing hum filled the air, as the walls of the classroom shifted to a warm yellow, almost like sunlight. “We resonate with our feelings, making the music change with us! Now who can tell us about Temporal Imprinting?”
Vanya raised her hand. “Isn’t it similar to Empathic Resonance where you’re channelling a memory or experience rather than an emotion?”
“Yes, though that is quite a basic way of putting it.” Mrs Trillivar nodded. “By imprinting, we can layer music with complex thoughts, like recalling a moment in time…”
The teacher held up the orb again, and this time a sad, haunting note emerged. He thought he saw flashes in the corner of his eye of flames and destruction of the city. He blinked, stunned as the images disappeared.
“That is the power of Temporal Imprinting,” Mrs Trillivar spoke up. “A single note can carry lifetimes if played correctly. Now, Tactile Harmonics?”
Nobody answered, though the teacher didn’t appear bothered by this as she didn’t pick on anyone.
“Well perhaps I should rephrase, for the term is merely a scientific way of explaining the physicality of playing an instrument. This could be the tapping of a drum, the strumming of a string, or the blowing of a horn, to give you some examples. In the case of my Phalarie…” She motioned to the orb. “The Tactile Harmonic involved is psionic in nature, so I manipulate it with my mind. Combining this with Empathic Resonance and Temporal Imprinting, we can make some wonderful music that transcends the physical. Now then, open your textbooks to page 162 and we will go over this in greater detail before we disperse for our practical sessions…”
As the theoretical part of the music class wound down, Mrs Trillivar clapped her hands, which to Jack sounded almost like wind chimes gently ringing from a light breeze, and the walls shimmered to a neutral beige colour. “Now, students, it is time to put this lesson into practice!” She announced, her many arms gesturing gracefully to the racks of instruments along the walls.
Not knowing what to do, he watched as several students got out of their seats: some of them beelining for specific instruments and claiming them before returning to their seats, while others took some more time with their selection, perhaps looking for some novelty.
“Ah, Jack!” Mrs Trillivar spoke up as she approached him. “I’ve taken the liberty of choosing your instrument for you for today. In the supplemental material I’ve given you, it explains what each instrument is, just in case you don’t have them where you’re from, but for now, you can try the Kelyrian.”
The instrument she handed him was similar in shape to a violin from Earth, but only vaguely so. Its body was sleek and elongated, translucent like frosted crystal, and instead of traditional strings, there were three glowing lines of energy, each pulsating with a soft, colourful glow, with one being a deep green, one a vibrant blue, and one a pale, flickering gold.
“This is used with two manipulator limbs like you have,” the teacher continued “The strings, as you may have noticed, are not made of mere wire but of harmonised energy. Each string will resonate not only with your touch but also with your emotions and intent.”
“Right…” Jack began, looking around. “And you want me to just…play it?”
“Just play it for now.” The teacher smiled. “Have a feel for it. I don’t expect you to be able to test out the lesson objectives right away, but I can at least see what I have to work with!”
Jack gave a hesitant nod. He’d never played a violin back on Earth, though he had tried playing his brother’s guitar once when he was younger, thinking he’d look cool, but this was a whole different beast. As he carefully took the instrument into his hands, he was surprised to feel it respond, the glowing strings humming softly as if greeting him. The instrument was light, almost weightless, yet it felt warm against his skin, as if it had a life of its own.
“Begin slowly.” The teacher advised him. “Feel the Kelyrian. It will not sing for you if you force it, but it will respond if you let it flow through you.”
Nervously, Jack raised the bow-like object that came with the instrument. It was not made of wood but rather a thin strand of some iridescent material, almost like woven light. He drew the bow across the green string, but the resulting sound was more of a harsh, grating squeal than the soft, melodic tone he was hoping for. Jack flushed with embarrassment as several of the others around him winced.
Alora chuckled softly from next to him. “Jack, you’re trying too hard! It’s like trying to yank sound from it rather than letting it come to you.”
“In my defence I have no idea what the hell I’m meant to be doing!” Jack grumbled. “Back on Earth I just had to blow air and fiddle with my fingers to get a trumpet to work!”
Taking a deep breath, Jack tried again, this time closing his eyes. He thought of something peaceful, like the gentle patter of rain on his bedroom window back on Earth, with the warmth and security of his former home. He focused on that memory, letting the sensation wash over him.
As he drew the bow across the string again, this time a gentle, resonant note filled the room. It wasn’t perfect, but it was far smoother, and the energy string responded by glowing brighter, shifting to a deeper, richer green, though of course he couldn’t see it.
But somehow, he could feel it.
He lost track of time as he continued to experiment with the Kelyrian. The longer he played, the more natural it began to feel, as if the instrument was learning him just as much as he was learning it. He was almost disappointed when the bell rang, and as he handed the instrument back to Mrs Trillivar, he felt a sensation almost like…contentment.
Perhaps there was something else he could buy with his share of the reward after all…
*****
“Ah! Looks like that’s all we have time for today!” Mr Sparrel perked up as they heard the school bell ring at the end of their History lesson, which also marked the end of the school week. It had been quiet and relatively uneventful since the music lesson they had, but considering everything they had been through, uneventful, boring and mundane was perfectly fine with all of them. Even Sephy wasn’t complaining about the lack of anything interesting happening for a change.
As they all began packing up their bags, the teacher carried on.
“For your homework I want you all to write me an essay of at least three pages on a galactic-scale conflict of your choice among those we have discussed.” He spoke up over the sounds of the students rummaging around. “Detail the causes, key events and the aftermath. You have two weeks to get it done!”
He ignored the resulting groans from the students. Though Jack had hungrily taken notes during class, always eager to learn more about the alien galaxy he found himself in, he knew he still lacked context outside of the classroom, so he would need to pick his conflict carefully.
“Also, Mr Frost, Miss Glenphyranix, Miss Dhasii, Miss Hawker and Miss Falos, please remain behind after class,” Mr Sparrel added almost as an afterthought.
The five of them all looked at each other, nodding without speaking. They knew they hadn’t done anything wrong, so it was probably something else…
“You wanted to see us, sir?” Alora asked as the group walked up to Mr Sparrel’s desk, having waited for their fellow classmates to leave ahead of them.
“Ah yes, please sit.” The Squarri nodded, motioning for Jack and the others to do so as he handed the human a letter. “You’re going to want to read this, Jack.”
Seeing that Mr Sparrel wasn’t going to elaborate, he opened the letter and began to read.
To the esteemed Jack Frost.
Word of your remarkable deeds has reached my ears, carried upon the elusive whispers that traverse the shadows of our city, as well as that of my former colleague, Hensel Sparrel.
Your exploits have piqued my curiosity. In my line of work, few stories are wholly believed until proven firsthand, and fewer still are worth the time it takes to uncover their truth.
To that end, I wish to meet you, where we may converse freely.
Enclosed are the coordinates for a secure meeting location, as well as instructions on how to reach it. I expect you there tonight.
With utmost curiosity and regard,
Sable Krynn.