AELLARIA, FRIDAY, MERCHANTUS 20TH
Aellaria did not cast the spell again since learning of Callo’s sins against her daughter. Zenithor’s daughter, she amended. The minds of Zenithor, Lilium, and even a hint of Callo had been thrown into the mortar that was Aellaria’s mind, and no matter how much she ground at the experiences– Aellaria felt like a different person.
Aellaria mainly had felt like a mind influenced by, but different than, Zenithor’s. However, Aellaria struggled to differentiate her original thoughts from the words of Lilium, Callo, and Zenithor. Four bards all singing at once and over each other.
No. She could not cast the spell again until she could cope with the person the spell made her: Lilium’s fear, Zenithor’s rage, Callo’s cold stare. Aellaria wanted to extinguish all of them; she wanted a moment to think clearly.
Aellaria only left the dorm room for classes. Every time she saw the real Callo, she panicked. After his fall, he looked twenty years older than the boy who had crushed Lilium’s heart, even though it had only been two. Aellaria focused on the differences between the old and new Callos. He was taller and thinner, and his skin was still paler than it should have been. These subtle differences made Callo a different person than the one responsible for his daughter’s death.
After four days, her emotions were raw, and her mind was tired. The mind could only grieve and panic so much. She knew Callo by his legs, and she learned to use the wide-brimmed hat as a shield, not from the eyes of others, but to stop herself from seeing him.
The only reprieve was when she would spar with Terra. Terra wasn’t as skilled in technique as Aellaria, but Terra had already begun infusing her element into her being. Terra didn’t overheat; her body seemed inexhaustible. Worst of all, Terra still had a young mind filled with ideals. This matchup was exactly what Aellaria needed. When Aellaria fought Terra, the raven-haired woman could go all out with every action and was humbled four of every five times.
Sparring with Terra had a dual effect. Terra was undoubtedly the strongest of the women in the class, and by quite a bit. Seeing Aellaria best her, even twenty percent of the time, was enough to prevent challengers in the lower half of the class. A part of Aellaria was happy to be safe, but another part cursed Zenithor for his arrogance.
A big announcement came at the end of Niall’s class that Friday: “Before my precious Freshman leave, I must tell you we have decided on a format for the upcoming midterm appraisals. You will be tasked with escaping from the deepest dungeons of Spire, a place where daylight is a distant memory. A place where only one of the strongest from each professor’s class will emerge. You fourteen will be locked in a desperate cage match for not only your future here at Spire, but your very lives.”
Drakon, Niall's lowest-ranked Electromancer at sixteenth, commented, “You are going to lock us in a dark basement cell, and it will be a free-for-all until one student remains?”
“It’s more of a labyrinth… really, but yes, that is basically it.”
Olyza, the stunning Aeromancer ranked just ahead of Aellaria at twenty-fifth, said, “What are the rules for these fights?”
“Questions like that put the wind in my sails, Olyza. Magic is allowed, but only with implements you prepare yourself. No enchantments you hadn’t cast yourself will be allowed, with the exception of your arcane focus. Finally, we will be able to figure out murderous intent, so if you try to kill each other, you will be removed from Spire permanently. If the enchantment on your student card fails, you lose.”
Flair was the next to ask, “Are there going to be like… enough healers? I’m gonna light this bitch up, sooo…”
“ All Spire’s healers, including myself, Cryonolon, and his Juniors and Seniors, will be available for the fight. Our class will be the first to fight at 6:00 in the evening on Scribalai thirtieth. You have seven weeks to prepare; your opponents are every other student in this room.
Most students scoped out the other students, sizing each other up. Who could they beat? Who should they avoid? Only Paris looked confident as he scoped out the competition. Aellaria saw he had an expression like a hunter standing before a canyon filled with legless deer.
Aellaria looked down before she accidentally looked into Callo’s deep purple eyes. The tip of her hat flopped forward.
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She expected a variation of the classic free-for-all. She looked at her hands. The chaos of the midterm appraisals would be the perfect time for her to kill Callo. Callo’s life was on a seven-week timer, and no fisherman would nurse him back to health this time. Not even the healers of Spire or deities of Element could stop her.
MARIN
At lunch, there was a strategy meeting among the three friends at their regular booth. Behngi raised a privacy bubble to allow them to discuss strategies for the midterm appraisals. Their thoughts were scattered, and they hardly knew where to start.
Syn looked at her two friends, “We hafta work together, right? There's no way I‘m gunnin’ for y’all if I can help it. Unlike Aellaria, I take no joy in hurtin’ my friends.”
Marin responded in a whisper despite the privacy bubble. “Give Aellaria a break, she died on Monday.” The sounds of dozens of other students were completely mitigated from their little world.
“We will not be able to avoid her if she decides to fight us in the Midterm,” Behngi noted. “Regardless, the two of you have something bigger to worry about.”
Syn and Marin watched the elf, waiting for him to continue.
“Electromancers dominate from day 1. We dominate year one because no one knows how to deal with us. We cast faster than you; our spells are devastating, and if an Electromancer gets to Spire, they already have control. There’s a reason only Six Electromancers are at Spire.”
Syn smirked, “Easy. The Aquamancer in the Sophomore class was able to redirect electricity. We just have you n’ Marin practice that, and I’ll be safe between the two of you.”
“Syn, you are just as likely to find Drakon or Paris as you are to find us. Plus, Aellaria has potential with electrical magic.” Behngi said. “Factor that in, and with the right situation, she could probably knock either of you out if you aren’t paying attention.”
Syn rested her head atop a fist and replied, “Well, how do we counter ‘em then? Does it matter if they are stronger than us anyway?”
Marin answered, “We need to have the best possible performance. We only get so many opportunities to be on equal footing and show the teachers what we can do. Every advantage counts this time.”
“This is precisely why, Syn, we need you to buy us leather helmets and vests. If that is something okay with you.” Behngi said.
Syn thought momentarily, “That should be pretty doable, but is somethin’ so simple going to make that big of a difference?”
Behngi laughed and smiled. “Being an Electromancer is difficult. We know how much electricity shocks, how much stuns, and how much is close to the edge. If the amount of energy is thrown off, it could mean making the fight last or allowing you the upper hand for your counterattack.” Behngi said. “If you lose to Paris but take a couple of hits, it will look much better than beating Flair or even Ozyid.”
Marin seemed to have an idea, “What about Cryomancers? There are three in our class, all ranked pretty well.”
Syn giggled and responded, “Babe, you’re the Cryomancer here. You are supposed to tell us.”
“Oh,” Marin said softly.
Behngi agreed, “I lost to Pierce in my third fight. Whatever strategies I thought I had for Cryomancers are out the window. We might be able to watch some fights or practice our sparring. We should use most of the afternoons after sparring to practice and study.”
A real plan made Marin hopeful. She could finally feel like she wasn’t just treading water. Between Niall’s lectures, Tilly’s calisthenics, and Behngi’s training, Marin felt like she might actually make progress. She would either be pulled under or rise to the occasion.
Syn slapped the table with an open hand. Outside of the privacy bubble, nothing was heard as Syn shouted, “Let’s fuckin’ go!”