AELLARIA
After Marin’s victory and the end of gym class, Aellaria watched as Marin and Syn headed off to get some dinner.
Aellaria was an Aeromancer in her past life and knew all the potential world-class Aeromancers could have. One of the unique advantages of Aeromancers was their ability to use contraptions. One of these gadgets, a box the size of a light book, would be her gift.
Aellaria typically used a stamina potion for food and continued her training, but a part of her wanted to congratulate Marin on the victory properly. Aellaria made her way to the cafeteria, looking forward to having an authentic meal for once.
Distantly, Aellaria remembered avoiding Syn but couldn’t remember why. Then, she felt out of place when she approached Syn and Marin. Syn glared at Aellaria with disgust.
“Hi, Marin. Syn,” Aellaria said cautiously.
“Hi, Aellaria!” Marin said excitedly.
Syn did nothing but seethe in silence.
Aellaria recalled something happening but didn’t know why Syn would be so mad. Aellaria looked at Syn, confused.
“Good job getting out from the bottom of the class. I wanted to give you a gift.” Aellaria presented Marin with a simple wooden box with a grip on the spine.
“Woah… what is this?” Marin said excitedly. She took it and flipped it over in her hands before gently opening the box. Inside the box were six darts and some type of spring mechanism at the bottom.
Aellaria picked the box up, closed it, and held it by its spine. “It’s a dartbox.” Aellaria slid a front panel down, revealing a dark square opening on the front of the box. She then put her hand on the top of the box and pointed it down at the table. With the cast of a cantrip, a dart launched out of the front opening and embedded itself into the table. “Aeromancers can use tools like this for weaponry. Just make sure you don’t overdo it or it–”
“Will explode!” Marin shouted cheerfully. “I learned that today fighting Garrus. This is perfect. I love it!”
Aellaria wasn’t frustrated with the way Marin excitedly cut her off. On the contrary, she found it endearing. “That isn’t even the best part,” Aellaria said excitedly. “The darts are hollow, and you can add poison to them.” Aellaria then pulled out a vial of black liquid.
“Oh?” Marin said curiously, plucking the dart out of the table and looking at it.
“This is a local anesthetic. If you can get it into someone’s hand or leg, it will be much easier to freeze them. It should remain good, at least until our next Appraisal. However, you won’t be able to use it unless you can prove you can brew the poison yourself.”
Syn scoffed, “After what you did, why would Marin trust your contraption, darts, or poison? As far as I am concerned, we should just toss the whole thing to the bonfire.”
“Syn!” Marin chastised. “Aellaria is the student of a great Aeromancer. I will learn as much from her as I might from the theory books in the library.”
“I'm sorry, Syn. Why are you so mad at me?” Aellaria asked, confused.
Syn raised her eyebrows and straightened her back, pushing her chest and arms out aggressively. “Excuse me, bitch? Do you not remember kickin’ Marin in the head and sendin’ her to the infirmary? Breakin’ my fuckin’ hand? Sendin’ me to the bottom twenty of class? If I don’t kick some serious ass, I am up for elimination because of you.” Syn shouted.
As Syn started her rant, Marin cast the level 1 spell and channeled a privacy bubble.
As Syn outlined everything Aellaria did to piss her off, Aellaria started to remember blurred details: coming back to class angry, sparring with Marin and taking it too far, and brutally punishing Syn in an arguably embarrassing way. “I…” Aellaria started, but she stuttered as the memory flooded back about what happened that day in gym class.
“Yeah, it fuckin’ sucks, and I expected that shit from Flair or Bren, not from someone I thought was my friend!” Syn growled.
“Syn, Aellaria was–” Marin started.
Aellaria interjected, however. “I didn’t consider you my friend, Syn. What I do know, is that you didn’t deserve that, and Marin deserved what I did even less. I was in a dark place after I exhausted myself, and I felt like there was a pressure crushing me, and I did everything I could to relieve it. I’m sorry.”
A fist gently rapped against Aellaria’s shoulder, and she realized Behngi had approached the table with his food. He entered the bubble of silence but tried not to interrupt the severe conversation he could see as he approached.
Syn stared angrily up toward Aellaria, then, as simple as that, let the anger go. “I’m probably not going to trust you after that. It’s super fuckin’ weird you forgot what you did, but I accept your apology and appreciate your fuckin’ honesty. Thank you.”
Aellaria looked to Behngi next, “I’m sorry to you too, Behngi. You have been kind to me, and I have avoided most of you for a while now.” Aellaria locked eyes with Behngi and recited the elven words of dishonor. “My negligence has lowered my head, and I take no pride in my behavior.”
Behngi was taken aback by the formal elven custom displayed so far from Arcane. He responded, “Raise your head again with eyes toward the horizon.” It simply meant, ‘You made a mistake, try not to again.’
“And Marin…” Aellaria started.
Marin cut her off. “Aellaria, you already apologized to me. Like two weeks ago.”
“I did?” Aellaria asked.
Marin nodded. “You were distancing yourself and tried to convince me to stop selling your potions. You apologized and said we were even, but I needed the money.”
Aellaria had no recollection of this. She distantly remembered going to town and picking up supplies. Ordering the incubators, but most of the morning was fuzzy. The Forgetful Poison hadn’t just made her forget the hurtful memories related to Lilium. The poison also affected memories that caused her pain since then—at least many of them. If hurting Marin and Syn caused Aellaria pain, then Syn and Marin must have meant something to Aellaria, or at the very least, Aellaria regretted hurting them.
Aellaria turned around to leave, feeling too awkward to eat, but Marin grabbed Aellaria’s hand.
“You can stay and eat with us. You have to teach me how to use this thing.” Marin said, pointing at the box.
“I will,” Aellaria said.
Syn added, “Just not for any strategy meetin’s. We are going to kick your ass if we see you durin’ the Appraisal. You deserve it.”
Aellaria smiled and responded, “Deal.”
MARIN
Marin had decided on her comfort food. The chef’s stew wasn’t exactly like her mother’s. It had more texture, flavor, and spice diversity. Marin worried that she wouldn't appreciate Mom's stew when she went home at the end of the year.
It wasn’t just about the stew. It was the culture of living closer to a city and having gold, the comfort of the expensive robes and tunics provided by Spire, and the convenience of hot water enchantments and magelights.
“Congrats, Slayer.” A young mage wearing the light green of Aeren’s class said to their table as he walked past, his tray empty of any food.
What Marin loved most were the intricacies of memorizing Aellaria’s prices for potions, poisons, poultices, and concoctions. Then, she pretended she knew what she was talking about when bulk selling to the local apothecary– Haggling. She haggled with the jeweler who made her arcane focus. Marin enjoyed negotiating for discounts on couriering letters and packages back home.
Marin knew that every copper piece mattered back home. She marveled how easy it was to spin up a believable narrative where a seller, buyer, or service provider could reasonably be talked away from their asking price. It was exhilarating.
Marin daydreamed about returning to the apothecary the next day and getting to haggle again when a second student, this time the large Geomancer Gaff, said, “Well done. You really rocked it today, Slayer.”
Gaff’s statement pulled Marin out of her somewhat trance. “Huh?” She asked. However, Gaff had already continued toward the front of the cafeteria. “Why did they call me slayer?”
Behngi responded, “You used your healing flames…chaos magic. They must have figured out you killed that Nature Revenant. Did you go out the next morning alone for that?”
Marin started telling the story of Aellaria’s Illicit Adventure, but a glare from Aellaria said multiple things: first, to simply say Aellaria helped, and second, to play down the danger. So, Marin told a simplified and idealized version of the events—one that didn’t mention the second Nature Revenant.
“I shoulda remembered to get that for you.” Syn said, “You put yourself in a lot of danger goin’ back out.”
“I had Aellaria,” Marin responded.
“No offense, but you’ll need someone who hits a little heavier on your side if you’re goin’ to risk facing another monster,” Syn responded.
Marin wanted to say what Aellaria could do. Aellaria killed a Nature Revenant in the dead of night using just three cantrips and two concoctions. It took Syn, Behngi, and her every ounce of effort to kill one, and even then, there was definitely luck involved. Marin didn’t say anything. If Aellaria was happy with her secrets, then she could keep them.
Marin thought of the word Slayer. It rolled around in her mind. She wasn’t a slayer. She struggled and got lucky. Aellaria was a slayer, not her. Marin thought about what it would look like wearing a vest like Granite Guardian, but instead of a heroic moniker, it just said ‘The Struggler’.
There was a partition between their booth and an identical booth. A familiar, albeit unwelcome, head of curly brown hair bounced into view. “Congrats, Slayer! I would feel terrible, but maybe I underestimated you.” Bren said cheerily.
“What do you want, Bren?” Syn asked.
“What do you mean? Why should I feel terrible?” Marin asked.
Bren let out a derisive, petty little chuckle. “You targeted the weakest boy in our year, outclassed him, destroyed his weapon, and healed him yourself. I thought I had a sadistic streak, but you went and humiliated that poor boy from every angle.”
Marin shook her head, “It wasn’t anything like that. I broke the tube by accident. I didn't know. The healer said my healing would help. You weren’t even there.” Marin struggled out. She was throwing argument after argument about why it wasn’t THAT bad. However, Marin knew what it was like being at the bottom of the class. It was that bad.
Bren smiled. “All I’m saying is, thank you. If you keep chewing up the class like you did with Garrus, then none of us will have to even worry about Appraisals this year.”
“I didn’t chew up Garrus. We fought, and honestly, it was close. If he had hit me again, he would have won.”
“From how Callo tells it, you were in control the entire time. You healed your leg. Then you tricked Garrus into trying to get around your shield, stole his weapon with your ice, blew it up, broke Garrus’ rib, and then healed it for him.” Bren listed Marin’s accomplishments.
Marin thought about those words and wanted to contradict them, but she had planned out much of the fight. She did trick Garrus. Marin disarmed him on purpose. It was an accident to break his weapon, but she humiliated him using his specialty. “I… I guess. Garrus will be fine, though.”
“Not at Spire, he won’t. He’s already quit.” Bren responded. “Thanks for the favor, Slayer. Less competition has made Alyviah and Flair feel better about the year.”
Marin’s heart dropped. She wanted to climb up one rung of the ladder. Not climb up and kick the loser off. Immediately, she stood up, “Where is he now?” She asked Bren, Syn, and Behngi.
“I don’t actually give a shit,” Bren said as she shimmied away from the group.
“Maybe he’s packing in the boy's dorm?” Syn suggested.
“If he plans on leaving for Mistfall tonight, he might be waiting for a carriage already,” Behngi said.
Marin put her hands together and pleaded. “I don’t want to be responsible for someone dropping out… can you all help me?”
“Let’s go to the front gate, Marin,” Aellaria said. “Syn and Behngi can go to the male dorm, right?” Aellaria asked.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Syn and Behngi both nodded in the affirmative.
Aellaria and Marin left for the hallway of the front gate, taking the first local teleportation circle to be free and headed to the Heroes Gallery and out the front door of Spire.
Sitting atop a trunk just below the steps of Spire was Garrus. He wore class robes, and the green fabric seemed almost too long. Garrus looked over and saw Marin and Aellaria. He turned away.
Marin bounded down the steps, still wearing her tunic and wraps. “Garrus, you can’t just quit.”
Garrus looked at Marin. “I can just quit. When I told Professor Aeren, he said it was a simple thing. All I have to do is leave.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” Marin said. “I just wanted to practice and was so scared to fight you. I spent so long telling myself to do it. The worst thing that could happen is I lose, but learn from the match…”
Garrus looked into Marin’s eyes. “So much for cutting off limbs and sleeping like a baby, huh?”
Marin nodded. “The worst thing would be hurting you and stunting your growth. I didn’t really know what I was doing today, and I can understand why it would look so bad. Why it would feel bad.”
Garrus shifted on the trunk, making a second seat on the makeshift bench. “It isn’t just you, Marin. I know you’re a lottery apprentice. Those girls outed you early on. It helped me go under the radar. I tried hard, but I’m surrounded by people who are better than me. At least I was the best Lottery Apprentice in school, but you killed a monster. You used three elements like it was nothing. You even healed me, Marin…”
“You’re a lottery apprentice too?” Marin asked, shocked.
“Yeah. My family couldn’t afford to send me to the academy, but I guess I got ‘lucky’ with the Lottery Apprentice draws. My mom cried when she learned I would attend the most prestigious sorcery university.”
“My mom said that I would be better off finding a well-off boy, and you know. My dad was the one that thought this was going to be an opportunity, but it is just so tough,” Marin said. She reached over, offering to take his hand. “It is tough. I couldn’t even cast any spells when I got here. I was useless. Aellaria made me practice daily and hammered me into a better mage.” Marin said, gesturing to the still-standing Aellaria.
“I didn’t force you to practice, and I certainly didn’t fight you on the weekends.” Aellaria clarified.
Marin looked between Aellaria and Garrus, “Yeah, well… I guess I just mean that it has meant a lot having strong people like Behngi, Aellaria, and Syn nearby to kick me into shape.”
Garrus sighed. “I guess there is a part of me so worried that the others will discover that I don’t belong.”
Marin put an arm around Garrus. “You don’t belong. Neither do I. Not until we make ourselves belong. You know?”
“You think that with an attitude adjustment, I can start outperforming everyone else in Aeren’s class?” Garrus said in disbelief.
“We will never really know if we belong until we make the choices that clinch it. This place is so full of opportunities to learn and grow.” She whispered in Garrus’ ear. “To get real coin.”
This is the first thing Marin had said that caught Garrus’ interest. “You’re earning silver here? How?”
“Aellaria here is making potions, and I am selling them in Mistfall. Soon, I will be getting almost 150 gold per week that I can courier back home. My parents are going to actually have to tithe this year because of how much I am sending back.”
Garrus looked at his hands as if he were just realizing something. “You’re right, Marin. This is an opportunity I can’t waste. If I go home now…” Garrus breathed in deeply and exhaled. “I should be cutting off limbs and sleeping like a baby.” He repeated.
“Everyone else can choke in the ashes while you rise up,” Marin said, trying to hype Garrus up enough not to leave. “Also, there will be a kickass bonfire in a couple of weeks, and you’ll miss it if you leave now.”
Garrus smiled at Marin, “Would you like to go with me?”
“I already have a boyfriend, but I would happily invite you to our study group. Since you’re in another class, Syn won’t see you as competition.” Marin responded.
“Yeah… I will. Thank you, Marin.”
“One more thing…” Marin started. She slyly showed the box of darts to Aellaria. Aellaria just nodded. “I really am sorry about your stick. I hope you will accept this as my apology.” Marin said, handing off the little box and vial of poison.
“By Hitaru’s claws… Is that a dart box?” Garrus responded, invoking the goddess of blood. Garrus opened the box and looked at the darts within. “I accept your apology… this is beautifully crafted.”
Marin watched Garrus admire the craftsmanship of the box. She looked at Aellaria and mouthed, ‘thank you.’
AELLARIA
Behngi and Syn emerged from Spire shortly after. Syn offered to help Garrus lug his trunk back up to his dorm room, and the remaining three stood around the rings waiting for Syn to return.
Aellaria looked at Behngi and Marin. “You have a boyfriend?” She asked Marin.
Marin smiled nervously, “Not really, but my mom says that any chicken that wanders from coop to coop deserves the wolf’s teeth.”
“What the fuck?” Behngi said, taken aback by the human expression.
“It's not literally wolves' teeth. I think it means sexually transmitted diseases,” Marin explained.
Aellaria started to laugh. The implications of Behngi thinking Aro’s own, the sluts of the world, were being thrown to the wolves by people like Marin’s mom was too funny to let pass.
Behngi and Marin joined in.
Everyone was still laughing when Syn teleported into the gallery with them. “What’s so funny?”
Behngi looked a little embarrassed, having so much trouble with what should have been a simple human expression.
Marin responded,” Nothing, just a cultural misunderstanding.”
Aellaria smiled deviously, “You didn’t miss the most exciting part. Marin was just about to tell us which coop she has been visiting.”
Syn looked like she still wasn’t caught up on the joke but looked for Marin’s response.
Marin looked at everyone in the group one at a time. Aellaria could tell she was looking for an out, but none of her three friends were giving it to her. “Fine. I’m not embarrassed. It’s nothing serious, but I have been seeing Jeff, the junior on guard that night.”
“The creep with the goggles that can see through clothes?” Aellaria asked.
“A Junior?” Syn asked.
“Not really… and yes,” Marin responded, blushing with embarrassment she just said she wouldn’t feel a second ago.
“That explains why you have been getting back so late on Tuesday and then again on Thursday,” Aellaria said.
Marin slapped Aellaria’s arm, “You don’t have to tell them my schedule, too!”
“I would be getting Junior dick, too, if I wasn’t such a throbbin’ lesbian,” Syn said. “Juniors are already in the money. Just be aware of the power dynamic, and have fun.”
“It’s just a physical thing,” Marin said. “I don’t want any of you to read too much into it.”
Other students teleported into the Gallery, and Marin raised a privacy screen out of embarrassment.
“While I am proud of you for learning to do that. I should let you three meet up with Garrus and start your practicing.” Aellaria said, going to dismiss herself.
“Wait, you don’t get to go off for free after opening up my sex life. You lose something for that.” Marin said, regaining her composure.
“Take your best shot. There is nothing to embarrass me with.” Aellaria responded.
Marin looked at Behngi and Syn, then said, “There was a second revenant that night when Aellaria and I went out. I was scared witless and almost died again, but Aellaria killed it on her own. She is much stronger and smarter than anyone gives her credit for, and her competence makes me scared for my future.”
Aellaria looked at Marin and gave her an annoyed glare. That wasn’t embarrassing. Aellaria would have been shouting her own praises in a world with no other goals.
Syn didn’t say anything, shocked.
Behngi responded, “How? You have no magic. Did you use enchantments?”
“All she did was cast three little spells and use two concoctions, and it was a melting, bubbling mess—like a jack-o-lantern with a volcano inside.”
Aellaria shook her head. “I can’t make enchantments yet. Not enough mana.”
Behngi responded, “You could have bought enchantments, though.”
“I don’t want to waste time or money on things I can’t use in official matches and appraisals.” Aellaria countered.
It was the truth. Aellaria probably could have purchased expensive enchanted weaponry to let her make easy work of monsters, but that wasn’t the point. Aellaria wanted to outclass, embarrass, and kill the people who harmed Lilium. Murdering with a purchased enchantment or scroll would tie the action to Aellaria’s purchase, and worst of all, it would be unsportsmanlike.
Behngi thought for a moment and remembered something odd. “Why did you stop at one win on the first day of classes? You should be higher than me if you can kill a Nature Revenant.”
“I don’t like losing; when you test your limits, you lose eventually,” Aellaria said. Zenithor was a proud man, and Aellaria remembered all those decades when Zenithor was the most brilliant and strongest man in the room, no matter the situation. “I want to make it through Spire without drawing too much attention… My fight with Syn was impulsive, and I regret it.”
Syn shook her head, “Not yet, you don’t, but I’ll change that during the appraisal.”
Aellaria wondered why she was even entertaining any of this. She should go back to her room or track Callo. Then she looked at Marin and saw the partially apologetic, nervous grin on her face, and she knew she was doing it because Marin was her friend. ‘Marin is my friend.’ Aellaria thought again. It wasn’t the first time she had the thought. Aellaria wondered if this resulted from whatever fractures existed in her mind. Zenithor wouldn’t have been this weak. If she were just Zenithor, she would be practicing, preparing, and visualizing what needed to be done to Callo and the rest.
The silence held, and Marin walked up to Aellaria. “You are welcome to join us for the bonfire, even if you aren’t going to be on our team during the appraisal.”
“I would love to join you, Phoenix worshippers, at your bonfire. I hope you can live up to his radiance.” Aellaria thought for a moment, unsure if she wanted to kick the hornet's nest that little bit. “It’s okay if Syn doesn’t want me on the team. I know she’s probably a glutton for punishment and wants another taste of what I already gave her.” Honestly, Aellaria would avoid Syn if possible, but it couldn’t hurt to stoke the Pyromancer in the name of friendly competition.
This taunt had the desired effect. Syn didn’t lose control or overheat. She grinned at Aellaria. “I hope those healers react fast enough. I might not let go when I get my hands on you.”
Aellaria turned to leave, and Marin dismissed the privacy spell.
Aellaria turned around and offered one more friendly threat to Syn, “The only reason you wouldn’t let go would be because it’s a death grip.” Aellaria saw the smile hold on Syn’s face, as genuine as possible. The last thing Aellaria heard from the trio was a question from Behngi, immediately followed by a loud slap.
“Is this courting?”