Eliot's Eventful Day
Eliot
Eliot expected to fall asleep with no worries after resolving his housing problem. Instead, he was restless in his bed, unable to stand closing his eyes.
He lay awake, staring at the ceiling. It was molten under the furs and freezing out of them, Eliot danced between furs on and off for hours. Their tower was the east dorm, and the night’s full moon glazed in from the window with no regard to sleep quality. Eliot felt a force rise in his chest and the fireball rune blazed to life. Eliot stopped himself and took deep, calming breaths. Eliot from a year ago would have succumbed to lashing out and burned their dorm to the ground, luckily Master Camble stressed Eliot’s control over his emotions, anger especially. The bed moaned under Eliot’s shifting weight and the boards creaked as he got out of bed. Eliot cast cleanse on himself, the soapy-water like mana washed over his body refreshingly, and he got dressed. Eliot stopped moving and peered towards Henry. His chest rose and fell steadily and shallow breathing graced Eliot’s ears. Eliot unhooked the window and carefully pushed in open with a shrill creak. Why was everything so loud at night? Eliot stepped over the window sill and cast the fly spell before closing the window behind him.
Eliot drifted listlessly with the clouds, watching the Metropolis, still bustling and crowded, even at this time of night. What do I do? Eliot usually loved sleep. He would get his required amount of sleep each night, even if he had to sleep through a dragon attack, and was completely new to insomnia. Eliot resolved to joining the clouds and letting the wind take him. Eliot once tried sleeping on a cloud, like so many children and adults alike have dreamed of. The clouds dispersed upon contact and it was uncomfortably damp, a huge let down.
Eliot looked down to the Metropolis, all the buildings that towered over him at every second of every day were so small in his view, only specks of white or grey. His attention wandered to the largest speck of them all. Tall buildings were plentiful in the Metropolis, the noble manors in the noble district all boasted two or three floors, large workshops in the trade district were oddly shaped and not organized into floors but comparable to a five or six floor manor, spaced wizard towers soared over their surroundings, and the Metropolis walls stood like mountains over the others. However, the largest by far was the castle. It dwarfed even the walls in stature and brushed against the heavens. It was the largest structure on the Feral continent, and- as far as anyone living on the Feral continent was concerned- the largest non geographical feature in the world.
The sheer amount of stone and metal poured into the castle would trump some mountains. All of those resources were perfectly stacked and carved into boundless towers and halls. The halls were sharp rectangles of red trapezoid capped polished stone and more than long enough to qualify as runways, only the royal family knew what extravagant, luxourish treasures and adornments were stored in them. Towers grew from choice intersections of halls and towered over their surroundings stoically. Their tops were a mix of level areas with checkered brick railings and dark blue cones with flags jutting proudly from their tips, waving in the wind fearlessly.
Eliot gravitated toward the tallest tower, it was directly in the center of it all and had a cone with the largest flag. Eliot scrutinized the orange and blue flag with interest. Eliot spun and faced toward the sky, crossing his legs and folding his hands behind his head. His eyes drooped and Eliot wondered how much history this building had witnessed throughout time, and all the history it will be exposed to in the future. Eliot slipped into unconsciousness.
Zues
High in the sky, in a palace made entirely out of solid clouds, and in a large and mostly empty room, Zues reclined in a lazy boy while munching on grapes. Zeus cherished the blissful taste of grapes, savoring the sour juices like he would never taste it again, despite having an infinite supply. A moan escaped his lips, grapes were too amazing. Zues finished the stem of grapes and incinerated it. As a gust of wind swept through the hall and dispersed the ashes, Zues stood up.
A playful sigh of disappointment suddenly sounded, “When I heard you moan, I thought I would see you having a fun time, but it’s just you and your grapes.” Zues spun around in a start, his grapes were sacred, everyone knew that, but clamped his mouth shut when he saw who it was.
“C-Camie, what are you doing here?” he asked in bewilderment. Zues resisted the urge to wipe his brow in relief, if he insulted her, things could have ended badly. She could have taken away his grapes. Camie ambled over and collapsed sideways in zeus' lazy boy like she owned the place, which she kind of did.
“I can’t just drop by for a visit?” asked Camie rhetorically as she rubbed her face against the soft skin of the chair. Zues crossed his arms and gave her a look. “Fine, I need a favor. I’ll make a new species of grapes if you help me.”
“What do you need?”
Ellulia
Ellulia stretched comfortably in the pale morning light. She hoarded the thin air of the higher atmosphere delightfully, fresh and crisp as she blew it out. A noticeable gathering of mist wafted through the air, and Ellulia pulled her furs snug. It was getting colder and colder, quickly approaching the Festival of Birth; the church says, based on their calendar, The Goddess of Life created the first human on December 25, 3812 years ago. Ellulia dreaded the Festival of Birth because it was one of the few celebrations where she was forced to participate. It wasn’t that she was anti-social, on the contrary, she loved being social and she understood people well. However, she despised most nobles. Most of them have zero personality and pride themselves on their status. Ellulia also had contentious opinions on status: what made the nobles better than anyone else? Of course, she knew they were better than a peasant, but if that peasant was given the same power and money, wouldn’t they be the same? She believed that people should prove that they’re worthy of their status, put all of their advantages to use. Ellulia shared her thoughts with Henry when they were younger, to which Henry called her a hypocrite. Ellulia knew he was right, but lashed out anyways and called him an idiot that would never understand. That was years ago, though, and since then she’s come up with all sorts of excuses. Her strongest argument being, she didn’t have any real power. As the princess, she held no authority over anyone that mattered, the only thing she’s taught is etiquette, and she doesn’t have real freedom. Henry’s allowed to attend the Arcane Academy of Everveil and live outside of the castle, while she isn’t allowed to ever leave the premises. Being restricted was one of the reasons she created her alter ego, Beelzebub. None of that mattered, though. She would never have the audacity to publicly act on her beliefs, nor would she be given any opportunity to. She decided that living as lavishly as she did and sneaking away every so often to play Beelzebub was enough for her. She admired the breathtaking sunset and tried to comprehend the fact that most people would never be able to experience something as simple and magical as being so high up. A small shade entered her peripheral vision. Ellulia moved almost as fast as Master Camble did when he knocked Eliot unconscious and no one present even saw him move. Her blades were instantly in her hands, but stopped short on Eliot’s neck and above his heart. Ellulia stood breathing fumes of mist as her brain caught up with her body. What the Abyss? Why is Eliot sleep flying all the way up here? The black shade that was in her peripherals was Eliot, asleep but with the fly spell still in effect. Mostly due to an annoying older brother that loved flying, she was familiar with what they dubbed sleep flying. Ellulia spun around frantically, looking for potential threats or explanations. None showed themselves. Ellulia started feeling light headed as she started comprehending the situation. She dashed over to the tower door and gave it a tug. Still locked. If anyone, with the exception of the monarchy and some nobles, opened the door without knocking first, it was grounds for execution, but it was better safe than sorry.
A mushroom cloud of carbon dioxide filled the air as Ellulia breathed out and sank to the floor against the railing, knees pulled to her chest and furs wrapped around them. For what felt like an eternity, Ellulia stared at Eliot in disbelief and anxiousness. As if he was a figment of her imagination and he would disappear any second. What do I do? She repeated over and over again in her light and throbbing head. Ellulia felt the urge to move closer to Eliot, bask in his warmth to repel the tendrils of cold. She stood and crossed the distance in a trance. Eliot was right in front of her face, asleep and unable to protest against anything she wanted to do to him. His lips look so soft. Stop! What am I thinking, I’m the princess of the Crucible Empire, how can I… how can I…. how can I stop myself? Ellulia moved imperceptibly slow as she bent over and lowered to kiss him. Ellulia yelped as Eliot suddenly stured, Eliot’s hand clamped down on her arm and he pulled himself closer. Ellulia’s first assumption was that Eliot had woken up, and she pressed her daggers against his vitals again, not sure how she would bluff her way out of this. Eliot wrapped himself around Ellulia’s fur protected arm the way you would a pillow. Ellulia wasn’t able to hear it before, but now that Eliot was so close, she could pick up the small whisper of Eliot mumbling in his sleep.
“... Come back here…. I’ll get you…. Beelzebub…,” were Eliot’s random murmurs. Ellulia’s heart beat as fast as a chain saw spun. I’m not ready for this! This is too much, he’s too warm! Ellulia began hyperventilating as Eliot’s embrace, even while asleep, was too much for her to handle. Ellulia’s body elicited a smack as she collided with the sturdy stone of the tower, she fainted.
Eliot
A feeble whisper sounded in his mind, “Wake up...” Eliot complied with the voice’s beckoning and his eyelids flopped open. Eliot surveyed the area dazedly. His memories returned to him as he frowned. There was nothing but sky, clouds, the sun, and more sky. He noticed that he was carrying something rather heavy and looked down to see Ellulia. Eliot flailed in panic and dropped her, he watched with shaking eyes before he realized he needed to save her. Eliot only saw this face once, a year ago, but he could never forget it, his recurring dreams made sure of that. Eliot cradled Ellulia in his arms gently, trying not to touch anything with his hands but greedily drinking in her figure with his eyes. Eliot realized he transgressed when he felt a shifting in his pants. He shoved her to arm’s length and turned away in embarrassment. That’s when it hit him. The scenery, the girl he’s been chasing for a year suddenly being in his arms, and the freedom to do to her as he wished. This was a dream, a lucid dream. He read about lucid dreams before, everything felt completely real and you could do whatever you wanted. Eliot’s eyes wandered close to her bosom before he turned away again. Even if this is a dream, I can’t do that! Eliot needed some breathing room and tried conjuring a floating bed with his imagination. Eliot frowned slightly, it wasn’t working. Maybe, I’m not lucid dreaming, but just regular dreaming? Eliot pondered the thought before trying again, using magic this time. A large bed with red blankets and fluffy pillows appeared floating in the sky. Eliot gingerly tucked Ellulia under the covers and flew a few meters away.
Eliot conjured himself a chair, facing opposite Ellulia, and sat with a sigh. He wasn’t sure why he would dream of this, but all dreams came to an end, he just needed to wait it out. In the meantime, Eliot could get some reading done. By this point in time, Eliot has read his grimoire more than ten times. Eliot has stated before that he could recite the grimoire in his sleep, now it was time to test that. Eliot willed the book to appear and he grew giddy as it was exactly the same as reality. Despite reading it so many times, he still hasn’t fully comprehended what was written, he could feel more knowledge waiting to be accessed. Eliot grinned at how convenient storing things in you soul is and opened the book to pick up where he left off.
Eliot learned an everest’s worth of knowledge over the past year, the spiritual body was not exempt. Similar to mana, every living being has a spiritual body, no matter what. In fact, the spiritual body is where a being’s mana pool resides, along with their soul. When Eliot dug deeper, he was a tad miffed that the spiritual body was so simple, an empty space one hundred times bigger than a being’s physical body that houses your soul and your mana pool, just under the soul. A soul is only the size of an apple, while the size of a being’s mana pool varies drastically, however, the spiritual body is big enough that no instances of a being having a mana pool be constricted because of their spiritual body has ever been recorded. Of course, that is in part because the spiritual body was only recently discovered twenty years ago, further testing and experimentation is required. There was one thing Eliot stumbled across that is insanely useful: storing items in the soul. Rather obviously, the first thing mages tested when the spiritual body was discovered was the soul. They explored the soul and its properties. Much to everyone’s shock, the soul is also a container full of empty space, so huge that its exact size hasn’t been discovered yet, no one has even come close to discovering it. The natural first reaction of many mages was to use this empty space for something, anything. Unfortunately, there is no recorded or well known way to store anything in the spiritual body. However, it is possible to store items in the soul, all it takes is a simple spell to deposit and retrieve the item. Alternatively, and the route Eliot chose, you could engrave the spell on the item for quick and easy access. The only known downside is, the weight of whatever item you store in your soul is applied to your physical body as if you were carrying it on your shoulders. That was hardly a problem for Eliot, though. He only needed to have a few things in his reach at all times. Eliot slowly dozed off as the hours passed.
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Zeus
Zeus had no idea why Camie wanted to meddle in the relationship of humans, but Camie’s always been this way, so he didn’t think much of it. Some strong winds here and there is an easy way to have an entirely new species of grape, the thought of it made his drool.
“Camie! What the abyss are you doing?!” shouted an anxious voice.
Camie smirked beside zeus and said, “Looks like she caught me.” Kelly stomped across the room and started berating Camie. “Calm down,” pleaded Camie. “Look, nothing bad happened, neither of them acted on any desires. In fact, I think you would be proud of Eliot’s conduct.”
“That isn’t the point,” growled Kelly.
Camie sighed in surrender and turned to her side, “Zeus, you know what to do.” Zeus complied merrily and hummed an upbeat tune as he nudged Eliot and Ellulia apart.
Zeus looked at Camie and asked, “What new species will you make? Is it going to be spicy? I don’t think I can image how spicy grapes would taste, that settles it, make me spicy grapes!”
Kelly rolled her eyes and left, her voice called from out of view, “You better make good on your promise, Camie!” Zeus drooled like a Pavlov’s dog when it heard the bell. Camie sighed and started walking away.
“You’ll get your grapes in a couple hundred years,” Camie waved lackadaisically.
“B-B-but!” Zeus stuttered, his heart was crushed.
“Sorry, I can’t do anything but put it into the DNA and wait for it to show,” shrugged Camie as she sprouted dragon wings and flew away. Zeus collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down his face. The poor God just wanted the grapes he was promised.
Ellulia
Ellulia jolted awake and her daggers found her palms as if they were magnetically drawn together. She panted as she surveyed her surroundings. Eliot was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go? Did he recognize me? Shit shit shit shit! What do I do? Ellulia had more free time than everyone but the Gods, she put that to use by ensuring she would never be caught and revealed as Beelzebub. Her every move was calculated, until Eliot came along. She’s made more mistakes in the past year than she’s made in her life. Now she was going to be unmasked. Abyss! This is what I get for being attracted to someone hellbent on catching me.
Ellulia reached out, seemingly grasping empty air. Her hand blurred with shadows for a split second, and Beelzebub’s quintessential blue cloak appeared in her hands. She let the layers of furs slide to the ground and threw the cloak on. My only chance is to catch him before he can spread the word!
Eliot
Eliot’s eyelids opened lethargically. He felt horrible, his body was numb and his head pulsed with surges of pain. Eliot breathed in sharply as he tried moving around.
“I will never sleep in the air again,” groaned Eliot as he stretched his dormant muscles. Eliot cast his attention outward and realized how lucky he had been, had anyone caught him trespassing, he could be facing execution. Eliot thanked the tower for generously shielding him from the shining sun, high in the sky. Eliot jolted as he realized that he might be late for his training with master camble. “Oh, Abyss!” he shouted as he entered a portal leading to his dorm room, and clumsily got ready, tripping over invisible objects. Eliot ineptly pulled on his clothing and practically collapsed in front of the concerned Henry as he stumbled over his own feet. Eliot assured Henry that nothing was wrong, and he expressed his regret for making him worry when he wasn’t there in the morning. Eliot did one final check and called goodbye before jumping into a portal.
Master Camble was repose, sipping his tea indifferently. A flashing blue portal expanded and Eliot collapsed to the ground. The edges of Master Camble’s lips tugged upward as he observed his discipulus.
“Right on time,” heartened Master Camble. Eliot gasped in relief as he righted himself and mirrored Master Camble, patiently sipping his own steaming tea. The green miracle liquid flowed through his veins and energizing his lethargic muscles while his brain snapped into action.
“Today, we shall spar,” Master Camble stated abruptly. Eliot’s face lit up in excitement, his lack of sleep completely forgotten. Sparring with Master Camble was a blast, and it meant that Master Camble felt he improved enough to be tested again. Master Camble stood up with his unnervingly natural movements, perfectly in tune with his surroundings. Eliot’s problems were momentarily washed away like a picture in the sand as his heart beat with fervor and his muscles twitched in anticipation. Eliot hopped to his feet and followed Master Camble some meters away from the coffee table before getting into a stance. Master Camble taught him that most Martial Arts lacked specific stances and the stance he should take was whatever he found most comfortable. Eliot’s chosen stance was simple. He planted his feet, left in front of right, and held up his balled fists. As far as Eliot knew, Master Camble refrained from taking a stance, he stood normally with his hands clasped behind his back.
Eliot stomped forward and used the first form of his Martial Art, that he still didn’t know the name of, Master Camble refused to share it or the names of the forms. Eliot found it easier to use the forms if he called out the form number.
“Form one!” announced Eliot as he extended his left arm and smashed the air as it flew towards Master Camble. As always, Master Camble remained stationary and took the hit with his guard up. Eliot’s fist slammed into Master Camble’s protective forearm and pushed him back a few steps, off his balance. “Form three,” Eliot whispered as he dropped to the ground and attempted to sweep Master Camble off his feet. Master Camble sighed heavily before short hoping to Eliot’s right and delivering a devastating kick to the side of his head. Eliot’s world spun as he collided with the ground before flipping crazily.
“You repeat the same two forms in the beginning of every sparring session. That won't do,” said Master Camble harshly. For the first part of every sparring session, Master Camble would allow Eliot freedom to attack him and Eliot fell into a bad habit of treating it like a warm up.
Eliot strained the world straight and said, “apologies, Magister, I’ll switch it up.” Master Camble nodded patiently and waited for Eliot’s next offensive. Eliot shot to his feet and coordinated a plan in his mind. Eliot pushed himself in front of Master Camble and used form five. Form five was a series of three swift jabs with eight possible targets that Eliot could choose from and swap each time he used it. Eliot’s arms snaked through Master Camble’s defenses and successfully struck the side of his head, his abdomen, and his shoulder. Master Camble’s body twisted right from the force to his shoulder, he was disoriented from the strike to his head, and struggled to breath with his injured lungs. Of course, Master Camble didn’t feel that way at all, but the sparring was still in the first part, so he followed the motions. Eliot pushed off the ground and spun himself with his hands. His feet smacked Master Camble in quick succession and Eliot mentally labeled his movements, “Stance six.” Master Camble decided that enough time had elapsed, and moved to the second phase of sparring by launching his first attack. Eliot seized the opportunity to use form nine. Eliot leaned to his right and pulled Master Camble’s outstretched right arm with his left as he aimed for Master Camble’s stomach with his other arm. Master Camble flowed with Eliot’s forceful pull and turned right to doge Eliot’s punch before jabbing him in the chest. Eliot wasn’t able to breath for a few scant seconds as he shuffled backwards. Master Camble extended his left arm for a punch to the stomach and Eliot crouched while lowering his arms to defend. Master Camble’s right arm flashed like thunder and struck Eliot’s face. The second Eliot’s arms lifted in response to the blow, Master Camble punched his undefended mid section. Eliot’s wounds pulsed with pain as he quickly backed away from Master Camble. Master Camble followed hot on his heels.
“If you are already struggling to this extent, how will you fare in the third phase?” Master Camble half taunted, half scolded. Eliot knew Master Camble was right- he always was- and Eliot knew he could do better. Eliot stomped to a halt and faced Master Camble with ferocity. Eliot thrust his hands out and shoved Master Camble a good distance before drop kicking him. Master Camble was pushed back some distance, but received little damage. Master Camble scoffed and high kicked. Eliot lifted his left arm and blocked the blow, but still staggered slightly left. Eliot retaliated by using form two; his fists blurred as he punched a countless amount of times and forced Master Camble to defend. An unstoppable bloodlust filled Eliot as he latched onto Master Camble’s raised forearms and yanked them apart. Master Camble’s eyes widened in horror and he moved before he could stop himself. Eliot’s body instantly went numb from the sheer force of the attack and followed the curve of a parabola, landing forty meters away. Master Camble panted shakily and was wide eyed as he watched Eliot struggle to recover. Master Camble realized what he just did and flashed to Eliot’s side.
“Eliot, how injured are you?” Eliot chuckled, and respect that Master Camble could ask that instead of are you ok, welled up inside his broken chest.
“I-I think my ribs are broken… and I’m having trouble breathing,” Eliot wheezed as he grasped his chest. Eliot laughed lightly before wincing in pain. He thought he was approaching Master Camble’s level. Now, Eliot realized that the difference between them was like Paradise and The Abyss.
“Listen, Eliot. I’m truly sorry. It was an accident. I-” started Master Camble.
“I’m ok. Trust me. I’m happy to see your actual strength,” Eliot laughed wearily, stopping Master Camble from spiralling. Master Camble’s sigh betrayed his old age as he ran a hand through non existent hair. It wasn’t an actual rule that monks were required to shave their heads; students started shaving their heads to show respect to their wisened elders that were more often than not bald. Eliot momentarily forgot his pain as he wondered how old Master Camble actually was, and how much history he had been able to witness, or even participate in.
Master Camble bent down and lifted Eliot in a princess carry. Eliot grunted when he was reminded of his injuries.
“I can still walk, and this is a little embarrassing,” said Eliot.
“Don’t fret, I’ll be swift,” assure Master Camble before dashing out of the room and arriving at the infirmary before Eliot could realize they were moving. The backlash of moving so fast made him grimace. The hired Support Mage did a double take when he saw the HeadMonk and momentarily stood slack jawed.
“No time to be dazed, my discipulus is in critical condition!” Master Cambled snapped the Support Mage out of his stupor.
“Ah, forgive me,” apologized the Support Mage as he helped Master Camble lay Eliot down on a bed. Pure, marble white mana gathered around the Support Mage’s eyes as he cast an observation spell. The inside of Eliot’s body was devastated, ruptured organs, shattered bones, massive hemorrhaging, and more painted his insides.
“O-oh my Gods…” whispered the Support Mage in shock before he frantically began treatment. “How did he end up this way?”
Master Camble shifted uncomfortably before answering, “I mistakenly used full force while sparring.” The Support Mage eyed Master Camble with as much horror as awe, unable to decide if Master Camble was a monster or messiah.
“Please call Jeramiah in, I need some help,” asked the Support Mage. Master Camble nodded and ran off before returned with Jeramiah, the second Support Mage staffing the Monastery of Cloud’s infirmary.
Eliot basked in the wash of comforting mana, balancing in and out of consciousness.
“Hang in there, Eliot! If you fall asleep, you’ll die!” shouted the Support Mage. Unfortunately, the Support Mage’s warnings were hardly loud enough for Eliot to hear. Death… That doesn’t sound so bad. I’ll only rest my eyes for a second, promise… Eliot’s eyelids drooped and he reached for the comforting light on the other side of the veil. Shockingly, the light dodged him. Eliot jolted awake.
“Good, just like that. Stay awake and I promise you’ll live,” said the Support Mage. Eliot was wide awake now, half sitting up. He couldn’t sleep if he wanted to. Eliot’s head bounced against the pillow as he sighed and reasoned that he was probably experiencing near death hallucinations. The pair of Support Mages collapsed on their own beds after finally stabilizing Eliot, completely exhausting their combined mana pools to do so.
“Will he have any permanent damage?” asked Master Camble from the side.
The Support Mage was beaming as he said, “Nope! And he should be fully recovered in three days.”
“Thank the Gods. I’ll see to it that you two receive a commendation of sorts,” nodded Master Camble. Master Camble asked if Eliot needed anything else and left after Eliot responded negative. I can’t wait to brag to Henry and Penelope about this. After all, I forced The Master Camble to use his full strength.