Chapter 5: Priston's School Life
"Dad! Dad! Oh, my toe!"
A sudden shout from within the house's kitchen was heard. It was a lady's voice. A large thud sounded as the door opened. "Dad! Someone's here for you! Sir Priston, you need to be there, too." It was Nina, Marcus' daughter, who came out from the door. Yes, it was the sadistic child, Nina, from before. She's become a young lady now.
"We're coming!." Both of them stood up at the same time. They looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement. Marcus went first followed by Priston. Their footsteps quickened as their breathing started to become steady. They hurried towards the room where Nina was at. A young woman greeted them. She has grown splendidly. Her red straight waist-long hair was rested above those slender beautiful shoulders like grapes in the vineyard. A sandy beige-colored cotton dress draped around her voluptuous curves, giving off an extremely alluring sensation that no man could ever resist. Her eyes were peaceful, kind, radiating a bluish hue and her skin is white as snow in the winter season. Within her left hand a small knife and a carrot on the left. It is about lunchtime as the sun is already up in the sky. They did not know who this visitor was, as no one gave them a notice that someone will be visiting their humble abode. They moved through a small corridor and arrived at the entrance of the living room where a certain middle-aged man was seated. The man exudes a very professional aura, similar to that of a businessman. The man saw the two emerge from the door in which in return, he stood up and greeted.
"Sirs, Good day! You must be sir Marcus and sir Priston." The middle-aged man greeted in a warm voice. He offered his right hand for a shake, showing that they are of the same status and that he did not come for anything malicious. If this man is a promoter, the product would definitely sell well. His face showed a tiny bit of aging, as there were a few arching lines right at his forehead. He wore a gray magician's robe covering his entire body, from the neck until about an inch from the ground, like an acolyte, and within those old hands lies a small parchment. In a glance one can see that the parchment is made of quality leather —may be some type of deer or buffalo— that's been hunted about a few days ago. What's very intriguing about it is the lace that is tied around the middle of the parchment. Its color is red as blood, made of fine silk and is embroidered with silvery thread in the middle, glowing with every move the man makes. It looked magical, it is the first time for Priston to see something like this. He never imagined that he will be praising a piece of cloth, such as this, in his whole life.
Marcus stepped forward to shake man's hand. Priston did the same thing then went back to where he was before. His face looked bashful like a young boy meeting a very lovely girl for the first time, he lowered his head. He is not unhappy about anything. It's just his inner child working up. Marcus signed them to sit down and the three of them went to their seats.
"I have come to tell you about a piece of good news. This is tasked to me by principal Trepolos of the Trepolos Warlord School. Please listen to the scroll, sirs." He handed the scroll to Marcus.
Marcus inserted his internal energy into the scroll and took a step back. The lace went ablaze and a red growing flame engulfed the scroll, leaving nothing behind but ashes. Priston's eyes widened as he saw the peculiar event. He could not believe that Marcus just set the scroll ablaze after receiving it. He wanted to protest but he kept his mouth shut. He knew that Marcus wouldn't just burn something important without a reason. A few breathes later, a ball of flame floated from the ashes and into the air as it slowly took form. Its form resembles a bird with very long tails whose body never runs out of flames, a phoenix. The phoenix circled the place where the scroll was activated and breathed. Fire gushed out its beak, leaving an image that resembles a hologram of an old wise person, a magus. The hologram was blurry but all of them knew who the man was.
"Oh! Old man Trepolos!" Priston exclaimed. Both of them were not strangers, in fact, they already have become friends after chatting a bit back in the gathering. He tried to ask how the old man is but nothing came back. Marcus looked at him and chuckled a bit, not letting the child catch him.
"Is it recording? Yeah? Okay. So Priston, my boy, I am here to tell you that there is no more slot in the knight's department. I am sorry about it, boy. I can't do anything about that, the swordsmanship teachers have all been drafted into the Empire's army. The Emperor seems to be readying for something we know nothing about. There's no war yet and there he is, getting nervous and all." Priston frowned. He always wanted to go to mister Trepolos' school as they were acquaintances and that they are from the same organization, thinking that he might get a few 'friendly' assistance and benefits. Before Priston could say anything, Trepolos rubbed his gray beard and continued. "The thing is that I can get you into the magic department. You have talent, with that talent you can become a great mage. You can also practice some swordsmanship with Pedro and Khalil while you learn martial arts with Marcus, right?" The old man grinned. Trepolos planned this thing thoroughly. He deliberately sent some of his swordsmanship teachers to the Empire in order to lure Priston into the magic department. "Also, sir Marcus Farlake, I want to appoint you as a martial arts instructor at Trepolos Warlord School. Will you accept? This thing can't record much so I can't talk for long. You can just talk with Jethro there." The recording faded away as a red mist permeated the air. Soon after, the air became clear again and the three of them stood face to face.
'This sly old man, I knew he's up to something. He didn't even finish saying everything I wanted to hear. Well, I've already planned to learn Magic, so it's not a bad thing to go, right?'
Before he could answer, Marcus got up from his seat and knelt. His arms at his back, he bowed down and said, "I am willing, my lord."
"I'm also willing to be a magic student, master Trepolos. I have thought this through before. My parents are great magicians and I also want to become like them. I am willing to learn the ways of a magician." His hands at his chest, he bowed down as a form of courtesy.
'I know that normal attacks cannot defeat the Demon King. I will learn magic and destroy all of your people. Mwahahahaha! I will then elope with the Demon Queen and hide underground for a thousand years. Oh, why would I have to hide underground? I can just show off to the entire world that I killed the Demon King and they won't do anything to me even if I maim one of the Demon King's sons. Of course, I will properly take care of the princesses. I'm such a genius! Mwahahahaha!'
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Then, so be it. Both of you are now part of Trepolos Warlord School. Sir Marcus Farlake, son of Nirsus Farlake, you are appointed as a martial arts instructor. Starting this day, you will devote your soul and strength in cultivating the strength of our future generation. Sir Priston Farlake, you are now a student of Trepolos Warlord School. Starting this day you will devote your soul and strength in learning everything that the school will offer. That's all. Ehem. Classes will start in two weeks, you should be ready, prepare everything that you need for you will be living in the school from now on. It's a boarding school so, you know what I mean." Jethro smiled. His face delighted as he took out a few more parchments for the contract signing.
. . . .
Dusk is approaching when a shadowy figure emerged from the entrance of the dark and damp rock cave and slipped through the tiny cracks on the wall. Behind the wall was a space the size of a park, the shadowy figure walked past the crack and into the spacious hall. The floor is damp, cold, and reeks a mossy smell. A wild fragrance of burning flesh permeated the air as the figure dragged his foot towards the center of the hall. A ten-wheeler-truck sized altar made of rock was built at the center of the hall. On the corners of the altar stands four large columns, having a height of 4 to 5 meters and a width of 3 to four feet, marked with symbols of unknown origin, each glowing a velvet light. The Shadowy figure was then surrounded by around 2000 people of the same shape but with varying sizes, as he walked up the stairs to greet the larger figure standing atop the altar. He took out three large beasts from his dimensional pocket and into the altar. Fire danced as the three large beasts were roasted by 6 burly figures until cooked. They hoisted the large boars up and into the altar as the figure atop the altar stopped and took out a dark rapier in order to cut the large beasts into smaller pieces. Each beast, the size of an elephant, was cut into fine pieces and was then distributed among 2000 people. The whole crowd began to howl a joyous roar. The larger figure floated into the air and shouted, words that are unknown to any human being are heard. After a few more seconds, the larger figure vanished out of thin air. The crowd went silent for a second then went back into partying. The figure with the rapier went out of the cave as the world started to be wrapped by darkness. He rode his mount and drove into the deep dark forest.
. . . .
The sun can barely be seen as clouds almost filled the endless blue sky. Several birds of different hues flew across the sky, watching the streets be filled with people. Carriages started to emerge out of the gates and a few hunting groups walking went after. It is an exuberant morning full of new stories to be written by different people as they rode their own adventures. A few blocks away from the gates stood a blonde boy, around the age of 9, with him is a tall burly man waiting for a passing carriage to take them inside the gates. They wore a matching blue long-sleeved woolen jacket and a pair of red pants. The blonde boy wore brown leather shoes while it is a black leather boot for the large man. The loud sound of hooves drew near slowly as a large carriage stopped in front of them. The carriage doesn't stand out among the others. It is a simple yet sleek looking coach made of dark-colored wood. The door opened as they were greeted by a familiar face. It was the face of the man who brought them the news a few weeks ago, Jethro. With his hand outstretched, he guided the two to sit down inside the carriage. After a few breaths, Jethro closed the door and signaled the coachman as they heard a sudden whipping sound and some neighing. "Gentlemen, I believe you already know this humble servant." He smiled as he clasped both of his hands together. "I am Lord Trepolos' most trusted aide and I was sent by the Lord, my master, to get you. I reckon that I have already informed you about this a few days ago?" Jethro paused. He looked at the two men and started once again, smiling gently. "I hope not that my presence here will get you bored. I am always called a dull person by my master." He apologized. A stripe of worry marked his forehead. "You do not have to worry because we are already nearing the school grounds. If you need anything just say a word." He politely said as he straightened his robes.
"That's quite quick. I thought it would take longer." Marcus said in a surprised manner. "It's not surprising at all. This carriage was drawn by level 7 beasts called Pegus. They look similar to normal horses but they have an inherent ability that enables them to control the mana around them to cast gravitational magic. They can also learn other spells but this particular one is the most feasible for them." Priston explained.
"The young lord is correct. Seems like you've done your homework seriously. These beasts were tamed by the Great Sage himself. It took him a lot of time to train these wild beasts into domesticated pets. Good thing they are pretty intelligent." Jethro added. The carriage is pretty cramped. There is no window at all. "So that's why I can't feel any bump along the way! We're actually flying! Oh." Marcus exclaimed as his head hit the ceiling of the carriage. "Oh! I want to inform you that we are now going to land. Please refrain from standing up or you might hurt yourself." The coachman shouted in a loud voice as the carriage began to descend.
"Thud!"
The carriage hit the ground softly. Although it only took them a few seconds to land, the whole carriage seemed to be still like water from a well. Within the carriage, Jethro and the two uniformed people within started to move out. They were suddenly greeted by a very spacious lawn as large as a baseball court, brimming with trimmed grass as green as green can ever be. They then went and followed a long stone-guided sandy trail leading towards a huge stone tower. The tower looked like a cylindrical skyscraper that has no glass windows in it. When Priston saw it, he wondered about how advanced the architecture in this world really is. When they neared the entrance, Jethro bowed down to the two and did a gesture as if showcasing the tower.
"This tower is called the 'Divine Retribution', as its name suggests, represents the strength and glory of the natural phenomenon we call lightning. It is made of stone and metal and has a total of 105 floors. The uppermost 5 floors are assigned as the President's dwelling. Magic, alchemy, and enchantment teachers are given different floors to live in as they were doing experiments and such while Swordsmanship, weapon mastery, blacksmithing, and martial art teachers are all given a plot of land around the tower. Students, on the other hand, will be living within the Student Quarters where they will need to share rooms with 1 to 3 people and will be eating together in the Quarter's canteen. The canteen serves free food within the allotted time and is also willing to serve other food as long as one pays even if it is not in the allotted time. Students do not have any authority within the school's premises and must always abide by the school's rules. The rulebook will be given to you by the guard at the Quarter's Entrance, just show this token and you're good to go. The guard will also be the one who will take you to your room. If you have any problems, please tell the guard. He knows what to do." He clapped his hands. "The briefing is complete, we can go on our separate paths now. Sir Marcus, please follow me. Sir Priston, you can go to the Quarters now. It is indicated in the map." Jethro added as they bid goodbye to each other. Marcus went with him towards the back of the tower where his land is located. Priston, on the other hand, opened the map and inspected everything.
"I should get going now. I'm already getting quite hungry." He walked northeast. Large trees acted as columns for the entrance of the pathway. It looked quite eerie as there is almost no visibility within the 'forest'. Both sides of the path seemed to be full of trees and wild plants.
'A very good place for wild beasts and a perfect place for an ambush.' Priston thought to himself as he walked lavishly. He did not know if there might be something lurking around that might be dangerous. He sang a song that he heard from a drama back when he was on Earth when suddenly, something like a shadowy figure launched itself towards him.