MARIN, SATURDAY, SCRIBALAI 14TH
When Garrus joined the study group, the trio became a quartet. Garrus didn’t provide much practical arcane knowledge, but he had some valuable insights for the upcoming fights once he thought as a team. Garrus provided insight into how to fight Aeromancers, how to use the wind to make fire spells more effective, and even how to make Syn a better fighter.
His presence also immensely helped when preparing for the bonfire. Syn felled trees, Garrus cleared brush, and Behngi and Marin chopped the wood.
Throughout the ten days leading up to the bonfire, the quartet distributed flyers for the event, even to Bren, Flair, and Alyviah. Syn ultimately decided that not inviting the trio would likely cause more problems than their presence.
On bonfire day, the four students cleared a portion of the forest of trees, brush, stumps, and flammable debris. Marin put the excess fuel to the edge of the clearing and used Aquamancy to pull much of the moisture from the wood. The final touch for the bonfire was Behngi artistically arranging the wood he had cut into a replica of Spire, including the great wings of Phoenix that wrapped protectively around it.
Syn handled getting refreshments for the gathering: Barrels of Cider, Beer, and Mead. Behngi requested that Syn avoid spirits, and Syn begrudgingly agreed not to bring any hard liquor.
Some students showed up early throughout the morning. The first were Gaff (ranked third), Gallier (ranked fifth), and Barrakaz (ranked thirty-seventh). All three wore red clothing, indicating they were in Professor Kaira’s class. Each man was more burly than the last. Barrakaz was an incredibly formidable physical specimen. His tunic was too small, leaving much of his sculpted abdomen on display.
Marin thought that a man as terrifyingly built as Barakaz didn’t even need to cast magic to win a fight against most of the students at Spire.
The next group to show up were all from Granite Guardian’s class. They all wore brown clothes: Justice (ranked fourth), Chennu (ranked tenth), and Velatha (ranked forty-eighth).
As the students showed up, they helped set up for the bonfire. Gaff used Geomancy to make proper seating a safe distance from the fire. Velatha was an Aeromancer and improved on Gaff’s uncomfy chairs by cutting fresh pine boughs and using them to make cushions.
By the time the sun started to set, there were almost forty Freshmen in the clearing, including Terra (ranked first), Rone (ranked twenty-eighth), Rone’s friends Kyrine (ranked forty-first) and Misla (ranked forty-second), Bren (ranked seventh), and the entirety of Professor Niall’s class except Paris.
The sun started to dip below the horizon, and the clear evening sky cooled in color to match the biting early winter air. Syn stood up to be the master of ceremony. “Fellow apprentices, friends, bitches, and bastards. Tonight, you have been invited here so that we can relax a bit before the brutality during the appraisals.”
There were cheers from the audience, and Marin heard Kyrine shout, “Light it up! I’m going to freeze my tits off.”
Syn laughed and gestured to Terra, “How about our number one does the honor?”
Terra stood up and walked over to the wooden replica of Spire. She gestured to a young Cryomancer named Amile (ranked fourteenth), and Amile started to play a simple ballad on her flute, ‘The Fire Maiden’s Hair’. It is a ballad about sailors exploring forbidden waters for the treasures beneath a blood-red sky.
Terra moved with the gentle, happy melody of the song. As the song's second line settled, she cast a fire cantrip, and a glow began at the base of the wooden replica. Terra’s movements were fluid, and her casting was swift and part of the performance. As each bar of the happy melody resolved, another floor of Spire glowed from deep within.
The Fire Maiden’s Hair picked up pace with the chorus. Terra cast subtle and beautiful spells as she danced, bringing life and light to the center of the forest clearing. When the second chorus finished, lights flickered within the wooden Spire's windows. The bridge of the song was suddenly slow and somber. The part of the song where it’s revealed that a terrible fate had befallen the enterprising sailors. Terra’s movements were improvised, but she moved with the music perfectly.
Amile played her heart out when the chorus erupted again, and Terra’s body glowed in the firelight. As the fire grew stronger, so did the radiance in her movements. She threw her body around and gracefully caught herself each time. With a final leap, the burgeoning flame roared and exploded upward. The wings of the wooden phoenix burst into flame, and the flame's heat spread physically and spiritually over the gathered Freshman.
Marin watched the burning phoenix in awe. It almost looked like the licking flames were flapping wings and flaming feathers. Marin realized she was holding her holy symbol. High in the sky, Darluke’s Moon waxed. Marin hoped The Scribe recorded everything tonight. She worked hard and wanted everything perfect for her growing new family.
The class applauded the two women's performance, and the talented women both gave a bow. With the arrival of the phoenix, Syn finally tapped the barrels of alcohol, and the night began unraveling into chaos.
FLAIR
Flair fell into the cups of sweet mead quickly. She had been practicing hard lately, pushing her sparring with Bren to the limit every day. Yet, Flair still had lingering doubts. Her mind wandered as it often did to the memory of Aellaria’s fist closing in rapidly. Every other person in class was competition, and Flair was aware of this more than any other student. Almost every other girl there was ranked higher than her. They all deserved it more, too.
‘It’s okay, you’re still a bad bitch,’ Flair thought to herself.
Then Flair saw the woman that is a bad bitch. Terra– ranked first. Flair filled her mouth with the sweet mead once again, hoping the burning of the alcohol could dull her thoughts. ‘If you were truly a bad bitch, you would be the top Pyromancer.’
Flair tried to stay close to Callo. He would keep her on track and take care of her. Callo was the guiding star she needed to make it through this night and the rest of the year. He would guide her if she stayed close to him, and no one else would steal him from her.
Cassen ranked eleventh, and Amile ranked fourteenth.
If Flair failed, she wouldn’t be able to stay with Callo. Callo was going all the way. He would only actually show her his love when they both graduated. Callo was stubborn like that. If she dropped out, another girl would spend the next three years by his side, and Flair would be a burden. Flair didn’t dare say it because that negativity would make him push her farther away, but she could feel him slipping away regardless. His perfect purple eyes weren’t for her, and he would never look at her how she wanted.
Olyza ranked twenty-fifth, and Rone ranked twenty-eighth.
Flair refilled her mug.
‘I’m not a badass. I am weak and sickly-looking. When Aro sculpted me, she forgot the tits and ass.’ Flair thought with venom. Bren was by her side and told a joke. Flair laughed because Bren is always funny. ‘Maybe it’s Bren’s fault… I spend too much time around someone so much better than me…’
Phia ranked twenty-ninth, and Chlora ranked thirty-fifth.
There were more of them. Women that didn’t need the reprieve. Women that Flair didn’t know. Alyviah leaned in and asked if she was okay. Flair nodded and returned to her drink. Her mug was empty again. Those women would be the ones staying—the ones with talent, tits, and tenacity.
She refilled her mug again, and…she saw Aellaria.
Aellaria ranked twenty-sixth.
Flair still felt what it was like to be dazed and destroyed by Aellaria. The words Aellaria said that day haunted Flair still. ‘...broken and humiliated by a real bad motherfucker.’
Flair knew deep down that her status had never been earned. She was close to Bren, which kept her afloat, but Flair wasn’t real. She wanted to be a burning fucking comet. She was a shadow.
Aellaria ranked twenty-sixth.
Flair went to sit down, but her legs didn’t move like she wanted, or maybe the chair wasn’t where she thought it was. She fell onto her flat ass, and the refilled mug fell to the dirt, spreading sweet mead everywhere. Bren puts a hand on her shoulder. Bren is standing above her, silhouetted by the flames of the bonfire. It solidified the fact in her mind further: she was a shadow.
Flair remembered reading Callo’s journal. Callo was excited to get closer to Aellaria. Callo thought the hat was fucking cute and quirky. He was even happy to see me hit by Aellaria. Flair started to cry. Why couldn’t Callo get past that fucking Lilium bitch? She died two years ago. Move on!
Flair felt herself being helped to her feet by Bren, and Bren started leading her back to Spire. She looked and saw Aellaria, ranked twenty-sixth. With her fucking hat. ‘A REAL bad motherfucker, not just a shadow drowning in the night’
AELLARIA
Aellaria sat in her chair next to Phia. Phia was the only other person in class who preferred watching and listening to speaking, which made her the ideal drinking company. Phia and Aellaria watched the people of the party in peace.
Aellaria reveled in Zenithor’s memories of similar events from his youth. Those years at Spire were some of the best in Zenithor’s life. They were some of the few memories that Aellaria welcomed. Some of the songs played by the apprentice bards and musicians of the first-year class were the same as they were sixty years ago. Amile and Barakaz were performing a rendition of the lively drinking song A Copper for Each of Us.
Then Aellaria watched as Flair fell on her ass and stewed in her own spilled alcohol. Aellaria felt a deep pleasure in Flair’s fall. Aellaria wondered when she would be comfortable reading Lilium’s history with Flair. The Pyromancer deserved the struggle if it was anything like her own.
Bren picked Flair back up and walked with her toward the edge of the clearing, back toward Spire. As they walked past, Aellaria realized Flair was crying and failing to hold back sobs. The situation left Alyviah and Callo confused, alone together, likely discussing whatever had just happened.
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Once Flair cleared the treeline, Phia softly recited, “When drowning sorrow, I have two tips.”
Aellaria finished Rieth’s saying, “A steady pace, and only sips.”
The two women took small sips of their respective alcohols of choice. Then, Behngi walked over and softly settled into the free chair beside Aellaria.
“Are you finished dancing with your roommate?” Aellaria asked.
Behngi leaned into the stone seat. “Syn has built enough courage to let Marin introduce her to Rone. I will save Syn a seat if she needs it shortly.”
The trio watched as Syn talked to Rone and Marin closer to the fire. Marin spoke first, then Syn, and finally Rone. Syn looked embarrassed, an emotion Aellaria hadn’t seen on the stoic, silly, and strong woman.
Amile and Barakaz finished ‘A Copper for Each Of Us,’ a new student pulled out a guitar and started to play their rendition of the slower song, ‘Let’s Make It Two.’
Then Rone looked embarrassed. Marin stepped away. Syn and Rone then held hands and became one of the first couples dancing in the clearing. Aellaria caught Marin and Garrus dancing slowly as friends as well.
Aellaria noticed Behngi visibly relax. She was surprised by how much the elf invested emotionally in his friends. “You put a lot of stock into your friend’s human interests.”
Behngi responded, “Syn is my friend. Would you not care about your friend’s interests?”
Aellaria clarified, “It is unusual for an elf to have so much empathy for human feelings.”
Behngi nodded, “It is, but I am not an elf. I am just a half-elf.”
Aellaria felt a pang of sympathy. Half-elves were abominations to elven society, especially high-elven society. Great battles were fought over the existence of half-elves. Yet, the half-elf sitting next to her was almost entirely indistinguishable from the full elves Zenithor spent decades living among. “That is a tragedy,” Aellaria said with slight sorrow.
Behngi took his eyes off Syn and Rone dancing to look into the eyes watching him under the wide-brimmed hat. “What do you know of it?”
Behngi’s straightforward demeanor took Aellaria aback. “Just that I have taken too many sips. I do not mean to offend.”
Behngi did not relent. “No. Seriously. What do you know of it?”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead softly. Behngi still didn’t take his eyes off of her. She thought about how to respond, but the pause stretched on too long.
“You seem to know a lot about elven culture. What does it mean to you?”
Aellaria sighed, “I just mean that– it is a tragedy to be a ‘ward’ when humans are probably more accepting of who you are than elves are.”
Behngi’s assertive demeanor melted back into passivity. “Yeah. Humans just see an elf, and elves just see a human. Element has me as a ward, but the more accurate name would be exile.”
Phia added, “That’s rough.”
Behngi looked at the two women before continuing. “It isn’t. My father always loved me more than my mother ever attempted to show. I am lucky to feel how humans feel. I can tell it isn’t exactly the same, but I couldn’t imagine living life with the dull emotions of an elf.
Aellaria felt for the half-elf. Before she could stop herself, she comforted him: “I think your mother loved you just as much as your dad did. Humans, even half-humans, don’t have the patience for elven emotions.”
“What makes you the expert on elves?” Behngi asked again.
Aellaria didn’t answer that question. She continued to explain her previous point. “It’s like a child growing up on cheap and easy food, unable to taste the intricacies behind certain flavor profiles, spices, or textures. Humans have… a different emotional palate than elves. The emotions are still there.” Aellaria said, a hint of mourning in her voice.
Behngi took his eyes off Aellaria and returned to watching Syn and Rone dance. Marin and Garrus stood off to the side like excited chaperones. Behngi closed his eyes and responded, “How do you know?”
Aellaria wasn’t sure if he was still fishing for more of her story or wanted comfort. Aellaria decided to only address the latter. “No one ever knows, not until you feel it… Parents can’t always communicate their love for their children, but never assume it doesn’t exist just because you don’t feel it.”
Behngi seemed deep in thought as he watched the young couple dancing in the firelight. Marin put even more wood on the slowing fire, and Behngi never responded.
Then Aellaria felt intuition shouting at her again. Something important was happening, and she needed to see it. Aellaria instinctively looked over to where Callo was. Intuition and Lilium’s forgotten memories told her that Callo was just bad news, and what she saw felt wrong.
Callo held Alyviah close to his chest, and they now danced to some soft song written by the bard with the guitar. Aellaria watched like a hawk, feeling something was wrong with this picture. But any memory of Callo was blurred, fuzzy, or wholly paved over. As Aellaria watched Alyviah and Callo, she saw Callo gently lift Alyviah’s chin until she was looking him in the eyes. Alyviah’s expression was conflicted. Callo’s was not. He leaned in and kissed the Aquamancer with the oversized staff. Then, Alyviah returned it.
This kiss was taboo—another wrong moment. Aellaria thought back to the page in her journal. ‘Callo deserves a painful end’. Then she thought to herself, “What is this piece of shit up to?”
As Callo and Alyviah made out and swayed to the song, Aellaria saw Callo’s eyes open and look straight into hers. Aellaria looked around, but Callo was undoubtedly locking eyes with her as he kissed Alyviah. Then he winked, broke the kiss, and pulled Alyviah back to his chest.
As Aellaria’s mind spun, she watched Callo and Alyviah spin in their dance. Aellaria’s mind settled on one memory. The night of Callo’s fall, he said, ‘I am a virgin. I plan to be until I graduate. This mind and body is on one track, and I am going to be the Archmage one day.’
The body language of Callo and Alyviah did not shout, ‘planning to be a virgin.’ Then the embrace broke, and Callo led Alyviah toward the edge of the clearing. Further into the forest and away from Spire.
“That’s interesting.” Phia commented.
“What is interesting?” Behngi asked.
“Alyviah just gave Callo ‘fuck me’ eyes, and they just went into the forest… away from Spire,” Phia said, her soft voice dripping with interest in the potential drama.
“Oh… that is interesting,” Behngi said.
“I’m going to call it a night,” Aellaria said. “Thanks for the company, Phia.” Aellaria then leaned down and hugged Behngi.
Phia nodded back in her hood, still watching the spot where the couple had disappeared, and Behngi returned the hug.
Aellaria walked toward the real Spire, but once in the cover of the forest, she changed course. A part of Aellaria felt like Alyviah was in danger. The parts of her mind scarred by Forgetful Poison.
Aellaria had no way to track where Callo and Alyviah were. At least she wouldn’t if she hadn’t killed the Nature Revenant. Where the marble awakened healing flames for Marin, it had chosen to give Aellaria a better gift: information.
Intuitively, Aellaria felt the innate elements that mages control. She searched the forest for the cool frost and flowing water mana. Aellaria could feel the mana of all the students in the clearing but focused instead on Callo and Alyviah’s mana.
She could feel them together still a bit further out into the woods. Aellaria channeled Zenithor’s history as a rogue and snuck toward where she could feel the couple. Adrenaline ran through Aellaria’s body, and her eyes and ears became hypersensitive. She picked up on a noise as she slinks through the forest's shadows. Getting closer only made the sound clearer and clearer.
It was the sound of flesh slapping on flesh. Then, she heard male and female whimpers and groans of pleasure—the consensual sounds of two lovers enjoying themselves.
Aellaria was befuddled. ‘Why would I even care about this? What is wrong with you?’ Aellaria cursed at herself. Aellaria heard Alyviah shout out in unmistakable pleasure as the couple’s rhythm continued.
She snuck away from the noise of coupling. ‘So what if Callo lied the night he fell? Virginity doesn’t actually matter to him. Or maybe he changed his mind. This is dumb and not something I need to know.’ As Aellaria returned to Spire, she couldn’t help but think something was significant in that mess of events.
Aellaria couldn’t help but catastrophize what these feelings meant. Did Callo force himself on Lilium? Did Callo use Lilium and abandon her? Then Aellaria made a realization. Alyviah was an Aquamancer like Lilium. Could it be that Aellaria was just feeling protective of the young water mage?
‘Stop being so fucking stupid.’ Zenithor growled within her. But she ignored the voice.
Aellaria went into her room, sat down, and stopped processing.