As the train rattled onward through the night I saw a subtle and gradual metamorphosis come over the expression of the staring man. Evidently satisfied that I was asleep, he allowed his face to reflect a curious jumble of emotions, the nature of which seemed anything but reassuring. Hatred, fear, triumph, and fanaticism flickered compositely over the lines of his lips and the angles of his eyes, while his gaze became a glare of really alarming greed and ferocity. Suddenly it dawned upon me that this man was mad, and dangerously so… …It was undeniably a bad moment for me, and I felt pretty close to a horrible death as I recognized the fury of madness in the stranger’s eyes. Events from the past came up into my consciousness as if for a farewell—just as a drowning man’s whole life is said to resurrect itself before him at the last moment.
Excerpt: The Electric Executioner
By HPL
After passing through the gate he entered a cavernous hallway. The hallway lead to stairs that ascended further into the darkness and up the mountain wall. At the top of the stairs he found a large pavilion. Gideon looked around, not knowing what to expect. But what he saw was nothing he would’ve imagined. The pavilion extended a long distance either way. There were small unmanned check points with some sort of Magitek that blocked the path with a Void Shield. Gideon saw Razor to his left with another group, he decided going to the right would be the best option. As he walked up the girl in line turned and smiled at him. “Hello, I’m Primrose Verao, but my friends just call me Prim. You are?” she asked as she extended her hand in greeting.
“I’m Gideon, just Gideon. It’s very nice to meet you.” he said as he accepted her hand. Her grip was sure, her fingers adorned with several rings. Prim looked to be about his age. Her auburn hair and blue eyes were striking features when combined. She stood at a nearly equal height to Gideon, taller than the average girl. However the height came with a slim lankiness to it that made her appear right on the edge of being awkward. She had thick glasses that dominated her face. She held a large book in her hands that she had been reading as she waited in line. Now she shifted it from one hand to the other in random intervals. Gideon didn’t recall seeing her around Rime before. The lower districts were a large collection of lower income areas, but he imagined he would remember seeing someone like her in passing. The glasses she wore made her have a unique and memorable appearance. Maybe she was from the wealthier parts of the city. I bet that is why I’ve never seen her around before. I wonder which house she belongs to? Coming from coin would explain the fancy book. He’d yet to catch the title, though he tried several times as she shifted it around. If she is from a noble house, why was she heading to the academy from the lower districts, he wondered? Something wasn’t adding up.
“Well hello just Gideon.” she said with a false mockery. “I’m so excited. I have been waiting years to finally get to attend the Academy. This is going to be such a great year, I just know it.”
Primrose was so full of life and energy. Gideon immediately took a liking to her and her bubbly personality. He realized the lack of a surname wasn’t quite true anymore, but elected to steer the conversation away from the subject. “I haven’t seen you around Rime, are you new here?” he pressed on with more questions, not allowing her to answer, “So I’ve never actually ridden a train before, how about you?” He asked her nervously as he looked around the station.
“Yes, I’m quite new in fact. Rime’s Academy has such a fine history that my family decided to send me here to study. We didn’t have a train back home, so I’m excited to get to ride it and see how it works. I wish I would’ve had more time to look around Rime, but I’d just arrived this morning. It seems to be a nice city, but I question the intent of some of the design. However, wrapping the city around and through the mountain is ingenious.”
She is an outsider, but she knows and understands the city far better than I do, though I’ve lived here my entire life, he thought with shame. He was a little intimidated by the girl. He tried not to show the surprise on his face, not wanting this girl to think less of him. “You must have had a fun adventure. The idea of getting to travel around the world seems exciting. Getting selected to come here to attend the academy must’ve felt amazing. I hope I get to see more of the world one day as well. But I’ve never left the lower districts, well other than going to the farms on the outer edges of Rime.”
Primrose shook her head as she listened. “It’s not as luxurious as advertised. The scenery goes by in a flash and you don’t get to stop to visit any of the sites. I think I’d like to make the trip again some day, but at my pace. I want to see the sites! Maybe fight a monster or two. Otherwise, what are we training for? Do they intend for us to hide in the cities all our lives? Who knows, maybe you can go with me?”
It was at that moment a new boy arrived behind Gideon. “Whoa look at this Magitek,” the boy said. He eyed the gateway and placed his hand against the Void Shield. “I hope I get to study stuff like this. It would be so cool to build these. Imagine all the possibilities you could use it for. Locks to keep people out, maybe even a portable shield for combat. So cool!”
Primrose giggled. “Oh no, I think we have a TEK Geek,” she said. “And here we are trapped with no where to run. Gideon, prepare yourself; the information overload is incoming,” she told him with an exaggerated pause.
“Ha ha ha,” the boy mimicked a laugh, the cadence slow and drawn out. Then he introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Riley. I’ll not bore you with the details now, but later might be another story. So, did you know a void shield can absorb and withstand an attack that generates up to ten times the amount of energy used to create it?” Riley stated in the form of a question. He apparently assumed Gideon in fact did not know, so he provided him with the answer and the question at the same time.
“Oh boy, here we go, and I thought we weren’t going to get bored with the details,” Prim said. Gideon stood back and watched the two interact. Now that he had the time, he examined Riley closer. The boy had blond hair, was shorter than Gideon and had a thin wiry frame. He looked built for swift movement and speed. Then Gideon spotted something strange. A small Magitek device strapped to each of his hips by a harness. He’d never seen items like this. Before he could ask what they were, Prim let out a squeal, then she sent a barrage of questions Riley’s way, “Oh my goodness, he is so cute! Can I hold him? What is his name? What does he eat? Can I hold him?” Thats when Gideon saw it. A small ferret was sticking out of Riley’s bag. It popped its head up higher, looked around and yawned.
“HER name is Lucinda,” Riley said emphasizing the her, “She responds to Lucy though. She will eat just about anything you give her, but she especially likes these treats that I got from the market.” He dropped some treats into Prims hand. She held them out and Lucinda jumped to her opposite arm, ran up and around her shoulders, then slowly crept down the other arm to carefully take the treat from her hand. Lucinda then climbed back up to Prim’s shoulder where she perched and ate her treat. Prim looked delighted as she pet the soft fur of the ferret. With Lucinda preoccupied, Riley turned to Gideon and looked him over. “Nice Sword. Looks a little big though. You overcompensating for something?” Riley said with a laugh.
Gideon laughed uncomfortably with him. “Thanks, I just got it as a gift. I have no clue how to even use it.”
“That’s okay, you’ll learn. I was being serious on the “nice” part. That looks like some good craftsmanship. Not my choice of weapon, but I know quality when I see it.” Riley told him.
“While we are on the choice of weapons, what in the world are those?” Gideon asked as he pointed to the items hanging on the sides of Riley’s hips.
“Specialized Magitek for my alpha ability. I call them Peace and Judgment. When the time comes, I’ll tell you all about them. The short of it though , I can turn void energy into a weapon with these beauties,” he said as he patted them lovingly.
A distant noise could be heard, it seemed to attract everyone’s attention. The light at the front of a small train shone bright as it pulled into the station. There were four cars in total. The front and the rear cars looked similar, but pointed in opposite directions. The two cars in the center were identical to one another, two large box cars. Gideon had seen the train glide along the mountain side from the lower districts, but seeing it this close was completely different. He heard Riley talking to anybody that was willing to listen. “The two cars on the ends are the engines. There are large void crystals in each engine car to power the Magitek drives.” Riley said excitedly. “See the glowing lights on the wheels? That is void energy burning away as it is being used to propel the train one way or the other. It also helps hold the cars to the track, allowing for it to travel at odd angles or even on the side of a wall for short periods of time. Isn’t it Magnificent?”
Gideon was impressed and grateful for the knowledge, because he knew nothing about trains, but he thought they might be his new favorite thing, at least for the moment anyway. The wheels were glowing like Riley had said. The front and back cars the wheels glowed a dark red, on the middle cars, they glowed a light pulsating green. “Why are the wheels in the middle glowing a different color?” Gideon asked.
“Oh, That’s an easy one. Those cars are only enchanted with the magnetism. So the void energy being used is much smaller than the wheels driving and braking the train.” Riley told him.
Prim had lost fascination with the little ferret. She perked up hearing this information. “That makes so much sense. So when void energy is used in Magitek, the purpose and strength can cause different colors of energy? We should have classes on Magitek? I wonder if we have them in the first year?” she asked.
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“Oh we better! It’s the main reason I traveled here to attend Rime’s Academy of the Awakened. They have one of the best in the business. Professor Taggart Paxton is thought of highly for his Magitek skills. He designed and developed this train and now the design is used all over the world.” Riley told them.
“I never thought much about TEK before, but it might be interesting. Just one more thing to be excited about. I honestly have never heard of this Taggart Paxton before. I’m from this city, I would think I’d have heard of him?” Gideon said.
“That doesn’t surprise me. When I passed through the city, I came from the docks. I saw very little Magitek other than street sweepers. I expected so much more.” Riley told them as he shook his head questioningly. “You would think Professor Paxton’s creations would be throughout the city, but it just isn’t the case. The city doesn’t seem very developed dockside.”
“I thought the same. I didn’t come by ship, but by a trade caravan. I traveled to the warehouse staging area, we stopped outside of town near the farms. There were a few storage systems I saw in the warehouse to discourage rodents and preserve food. Not much else. I bet thing will be different at The Academy of the Awakened.” Primrose said.
“Academy of the Awakened.” Gideon repeated reverently. “We are actually going today, I still can’t believe it. I haven't been planning for this nearly as long as you two, but I am still excited. Of the three of us, I’m the only one from Rime, yet I seem to know the least about everything. This sucks.”
Primrose and Riley walked closer to him, each taking a side. Then each put a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering him support. “It’s okay,” they both said in unison. Then they giggled together as well. Unable to fight off the merriment, Gideon joined in on the laughter. They both went back and forth about their surprise in the condition of Rime. In their opinion, it seemed far behind where it should be, impoverished. They both told him that his upbringing had put him at a disadvantage and it wasn’t his fault. It was Gideon’s turn to laugh. Oh, if they only knew, he thoought.
The door of the train opened and an older man stepped out of the engine car. Gideon thought he had the look of someone powerful. He had short black hair and a beard, small wire framed glasses that sat upon his nose. His clothes were indistinct, but comfortable looking. He eye the crowd of awaiting students.
The man cleared his throat and in a strong clear voice he began. “Students, while you have been awakened most of your lives, today will be the first day you open your eyes.” The man raised an eyebrow and Gideon felt as though the man’s stare locked on him. The “awakened most of our lives” part of the speech bit deep, he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat again and continued. “I am the Occult Master at the academy, Professor Orpheus Hemlock. I know we have a few students this year that have traveled far from other cities. I’d like to say welcome to Rime, I hope it has treated you well thus far. As for the rest of you, some of you have never left the lower districts, that changes today."
The professor paused and took in the students. "We are going to travel up to Rime Proper, the walled portion of the city first. While at Rime Proper we will visit the market district. While there, any last minute items you may have forgotten can be purchased. Take this time to check your lists and we’ll be off.” The Occult Master returned to the front car of the train and disappeared inside.
The void fields blocking the gateways disappeared and all the students entered the station boarding area. Gideon, Prim, and Riley walked toward the front car and boarded the train. Once inside the train he saw that booths lined the walls on both sides with a small aisle down the middle. He caught a view of the Occult Master as he disappeared into what he could only assume was the void crystal room and the Magitek Drive. Gideon lead the group to a booth at the back of the car. His anxiety rose having the Occult Master in such a close proximity in their car. I’ll put as much distance between him and us as possible, he is creeping me out. After the group was seated, the train lurched and they were underway, Their first ride would be a short trip up and around the mountain to their first stop.
“So who needs to go shopping!” Primrose said, the excitement evident on her face.
“I’m good” Riley said. “I’m just going to look around the city. Maybe there will be more Magitek in this section. I have been sorely disappointed so far. ”
Gideon pulled out his list. Captain Daniels had assured him he had gotten most of the things he would need. He never thought to double check the list. He read through it and everything appeared to be in order, he had all of the basic supplies. He got to the bottom of the list and discovered there were optional items listed that he didn’t have.
Optional Items: Spacial Ring, System Archon Interface Module, User Interface Upgrade Module.
Gideon took a breath and decided that hiding his ignorance wasn’t the road he wanted to take. Sure he might catch some flack for it, but that is better than falling further behind than he already was. “Do you guys know what this stuff is? I’ve never heard of any of it. I assume it is adventuring related, but the stories I grew up on never mentioned any of it. Not to sound stupid, but it says optional. Am I going to need any of this?”
At that moment another student sat down in their booth. He was tall and slim. He wore an unbuttoned dark jacket with a white button down shirt underneath. He had a hawk like nose and sharp features. He shuffled cards in his hands repeatedly. Gideon wondered if it was a nervous tick or did he just really like cards. The boy introduced himself. “Hello. I’m Hank. Do you mind if I sit here?” the boy asked.
“Not at all. The seats all yours,” Riley said. “We were just discussing the item list and some of the optional items. We’re trying to plan our shopping. I’m Riley, that is Gideon there, and last but not least, Primrose,” he said as he pointed to each of us in turn.
“Ah, nice to meet all of you. I’ve already got the User Interface upgrade. It is pretty neat. It makes connecting and communicating with the system a breeze. I really like the display you are able to overlay across your vision,” Hank told them. “ I can’t wait until I can get some combat training with it. I bet it will make fights a lot simpler and will assist with targeting. ”
Primrose eyed the new boy. She seemed to be studying him. Gideon didn’t really see anything special about him, but who was he to say one way or the other. Riley on the other hand continued educating the table as if Hank had never spoken. “As our new friend just eluded to Gideon, the user interface module is a small Magitek implant that allows you to interface with the system easier. Of course there are a large variety of user interfaces. They all specialize in different things. The higher the tier interface, the higher the capability. My interface specializes in measuring distances to targets and displaying known weaknesses. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford more than the base model without creature logs. So I’ll need to discover weaknesses before it will overlay them on enemies.”
He listened attentively to Riley, soaking in as much information as possible. He was way over his head with so many new things he’d never known existed. “That sounds like something I need to get as soon as possible, I need all the help I can get. I’m still having trouble “connecting” to the system, but I think I just need more practice. But the User Interface might help. So what about the other two items?”
Primrose chimed in, “Spacial Rings are just that. A ring with a void space inside that allows you to place and pull items out of its inventory.” She demonstrated to him as she produced the large book she’d had earlier from thin air and held it in her hand. Gideon had completely forgotten about the book until now and tried to read the cover, only to be amazed again as the book disappeared.
“Whoa, I think I need to get one of those first, that is certainly handy.” Gideon told her. He glanced to the overly large sword that the smith had given him, it was leaning against the outside wall of the booth next to him.
“Well that is easy enough. Let me help you get started,” she said and took one of her several rings off and tossed it to him. He reflexively caught the ring and looked at it. “The ring hasn’t been used or bound so you should be able to bind it to you easy enough, you do know how to bind items?” she asked as her glasses slid a bit down her face. A look that wasn’t going to accept no as an answer was plastered on her face.
“Yes, of course I know how to bind,” he said with bravado, having just learned how before he’d left the captain’s quarters today. He gestured questioningly to the ring. “You’re sure, I can have this?
“Of course” Primrose said. The other two boys stared at her. “What, is something on my glasses?” she said as she pushed them back up her nose. “These rings are pretty common back home and I had an extra.”
“Well they aren’t so common here,” Hank said. He held up his hands and wiggled his empty fingers around. “Makes them a bit pricey. Well out of the range of the common folk down in the lower districts.”
“Oh sorry, I didn’t know. I don’t have another to offer, or I’d give you one too.” Her face flushed with embarrassment. Gideon noticed she hid her hands. He didn’t know if she was embarrassed because of the number of rings she owned, or was it because she had no interest in sharing another. His opinion of her rose a little more, because she so easily helped him without a thought. He did feel bad for Hank and his bad luck though.
Riley cleared his throat. “Prim, it is rather odd that a common item is so rare here. In my hometown spacial rings are readily available as well. The low level of Magitek available here is very confusing. There must be a reason of some sort. ”
“There is,” Hank said. “Magitek requires a special permit to sell within Rime. For those of us that live in the lower districts, most will never obtain a license to go into Rime Proper or the upper districts. There isn’t a merchant licensed to sell any level of Magitek, even the lowest, in the lower districts. I got the user interface upgrade because I inherited the Magitek chip from my Grandfather. He was an adventurer and why our family has a license to travel to Rime Proper. Having access to where they are sold and the coin to purchase them is another story though. Prices in the walled city are more than the average lower district citizen can afford.” Hank shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. We’ll all get the upgrades we need after a few missions, except the Archon.”
Riley nodded in agreement to both points. “That would explain things. Not why the city is holding it’s citizens back, but why the citizens don’t have access. I hope the politics in the city don’t cause an issue. I came here because of how highly The Academy of Rime is spoken of. I’d hate to have to transfer because of city politics.”
Prim looked thoughtful. “Politics could make life difficult. Hopefully they aren’t in the school as well. As for the last item. An AIM is an Archon Interface Module that allows the system to do more than display information. It is a communication node that creates a much deeper connection to the system. They are rare and difficult to get to work. Where I come from I’ve heard they aren’t Magitek at all, but created by the system itself.”
Gideon listened as he bound the ring to him with a small drop of his blood. He then placed all his bags and the sword into the ring. “Wow this is so much easier. Thanks Prim, you’re a lifesaver.” The smile she gave him lit up the room. The momentum of the train began to slow, the brake system engaging. Gideon looked out the window. “Oh it looks like we are here. Prim, you ready for some shopping?” Her smile transformed to almost something maniacal. He wondered, not for the first time today, what he was getting himself into. The door to the front of the train slid open.
Professor Hemlock stepped out and stood at the front of the car. He spoke into a magitek crystal that projected his voice through all the cars. “Attention students. We will be arriving shortly at the Market Square. I understand some of you didn’t have access within the walls of Rime before today and may be excited to see the city. Please, use your time wisely. Merchants have been instructed to give you discounts and the school will pay the difference as our gift to you. Now go, shop, have fun. Return here at the sixth bell.” Gideon watched the Occult Master with unease. While his words seemed inviting, his eyes didn’t match.
The students stood in response to the professor’s words. They had made preparations for their shopping trip and were now ready to go their separate ways. He didn’t know if he would be able to afford anything, but he was excited. He wanted to finally see the mysteries that had been hidden beyond the walls and gates. Hidden from him his entire life. They had become open to him, no longer an unobtainable mystery, it was part of his world now.