Hegatha chewed on leaves, ignoring the bitter tang while feeding the energy into Asra’s wound.
Asra gasped as her skin began to tear and knit back together, and after a moment her furrowed brows softened in relief.
Hegatha breathed out slowly, her body feeling lighter. She jumped to her feet, not exhausted like she usually was after one of their healing sessions. Hegatha exited the shack, feeling the sticky mist on her skin. The fog was back. More sticky and smelly than it ever was; the rain and flooding somehow made it worse.
She looked around the shoreline, about to run some errands on the island, but her gaze landed on a white object. Jay’s bone room was hard to miss.
As she drew closer, she realized it was a giant white cube. Her steps slowed as she approached the giant object, wondering how it could have washed up from the storm, or how it could even exist—It was much too large to store inside an inventory.
Each of her heavy steps were measured. The skeleton standing at attention outside the white box came into focus, its skull swiveling back and forward looking for threats. It was clear that Jay had already claimed the cube.
The skeleton guard suddenly twitched, it skull clicked and locked onto Hegatha. She narrowed her eyes and took another step forward, defiantly challenging it.
It response, its body snapped into a combat stance. Red raised its shield and crouched. It planted a threatening step forward, its bone foot stamping into the mud and kicking up muck while pointing its sword as a warning.
Hegatha halted in her tracks. Red’s shining armor filled with awe and splendor was arrayed against her. But Red was not to the only skeleton on alert.
Behind her, Sweeper still followed, but like Red its stance also changed—it was crouching as if about to strike; its bone sword pulled back alongside its chest and ready to spring forward, the tip pointing perfectly at her spine as if it had done this a million times.
Hegatha froze and held her breath for a moment, not wanting to test the creations of the one supplying breaking shards. The tension was palpable as her arm hairs raised. One step too far would be all it took.
She leaned back and dragged her foot backwards over the dirt, and the skeletons went back to normal as if nothing ever happened.
She quickly left the strange structure, glad she didn’t anger the undead any further. Thankfully their forgiveness was as decisive as their aggression.
Hegatha went to check her two traps and gathered whatever else she could from the shoreline. Mushrooms, driftwood, reeds, stones, clay, bugs—all had a part to play in her purposes, and she usually considered them prizes after the storm swept them up, but ultimately they paled in comparison to getting more of those sweet, sweet amber shards.
Walking around, Hegatha flexed her legs and stretched her shoulders back, feeling much more nimble than usual. The twinging pain in her knee and the dull ache in her shoulder disappeared after absorbing her powers back from over 50 shards. She knew she would get more of them, and at any cost.
If he cares about healing Asra’s shifting wound, then there will need to be more wounds. She thought, her lips curling slyly.
***
Smiley’s rapier sliced through the air with a swift, controlled motion, the blade flashing as it tore through a jagged, bamboo face of a demon. The creature's yellow spines and green body shattered into a thousand splinters, falling to the ground with a soft rustling sound that echoed through the silent forest.
Smiley stood there, watching as the remains of the demon scattered in the wind.
With a calm, measured gaze, he scanned the forest, searching for any signs of movement, making sure it was safe before he turned his sword away.
At his side was only one student—Loki, who looked down the edge of Smiley’s sword which was now pointing at him. Smiley’s eyes glared at him, filled with murderous intent.
“That’s three levels. My warp charge. Now.” Smiley demanded, the rapier was held perfectly still.
He was not only able to slay Loki, but willing. Smiley had no problem taking out another weakling, another reminder of his own weakness.
Loki kept calm. Without even stepping back he raised his palm, and the miraculous object appeared.
Shaped like a wooden keg, its sides were jade green glass while its ends were sealed with a deep green lichen metal.
Inside the glass cylinder a powerful energy hummed away, though it seemed like two energies rather than one—in one moment the energy was an orb of lapping blue waves, in the next it was a red lightening storm of chaotic crackling power. The two energies fought each other for existence but neither side could win.
Smiley’s eyes widened and he paused for a moment, enthralled by the unending battle of the energy barely trapped behind glass. His sword even lowered by a hair’s thickness—perceptible only to himself. Seeing Smiley watching in awe, Loki’s cunning grin began to show itself.
“Three levels for this thing. Pretty good deal huh?” Loki said.
Smiley ignored Loki, lowered his sword and reached out. But Loki pulled his hand back.
“Wait a second. You need to ask yourself something: How did I get this warp charge to enter the dungeon without anything happening hmm?” Loki said.
Smiley’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. He grabbed Loki’s arm and spoke slowly, his voice lowering into a threat.
“Don’t waste my time with bullshit. The container and your inventory stopped it. Now hand it over.”
Loki took a nervous breath, “Ah, sorry. Just… Look, to use it, you need to extract it first. A-and I think we both know what you’re planning… but you still need to extract it otherwise you won’t get anywhere. And I can make that happen.” Loki said with a nod—but then his face twinged in pain.
Smiley began to squeeze and Loki let out a whimper. Falling to his knees, Loki handed over the warp charge.
Smiley’s lip curled as he gazed at the warp charge in his hand for a moment. This object was a trophy to his freedom. It disappeared into his inventory and he released Loki from his grip with a push, sending him falling into the splintered bamboo.
“Know your place.” Smiley said, narrowing his eyes with disdain. He willed to exit the dungeon, and as the dungeon exit surrounded him he left with a final comment.
“If I need you again, you’ll serve me.”
Loki frowned, pushing himself off the ground and brushing off the splinters. Dazed, he stood in silence… then his brows crunched, his teeth clenched in scornful anger as he whispered.
“Scum. Outsider. Non-variant, prisoner scum shit.”
He looked out into the bamboo forest and screamed, “Know your own fucking place!”
His voice echoed, and a sound came back from the forest. A cracking branch. Some bamboo trees shifted.
Loki’s eyes widened and he willed to leave the dungeon before another bamboo demon answered his call. When he got outside the dungeon, he was surprised Smiley wasn’t there. He assumed Smiley would be experimenting already, and he scoffed.
“Idiot.” Loki murmured, and headed back to campus grounds, kicking rocks as he went while he planned his next moves.
“I’ll get Heather whatever stupid trinket she wants. Then Smiley will come back and I’ll ready to bargain for more levels with Heather in my pocket.” Loki said, nodding to himself. He left the forest the dungeon was in and saw the third academy’s pointed stone towers and castle windows, each of them giving off a soft glow, inviting him home. But before he could find Heather, something attacked.
*Thud*
A heavy blow landed in his guts. Loki curled and fell back. His head hitting the dirt.
*Crack*
A blow landed in his stomach as he clutched himself on the ground, tasting blood while a whispering voice came to his ear.
“You said you’d steal Asra’s weapon.” The faceless voice said.
Loki frowned and didn’t bother getting up. Instead he continued to cough, letting spit drip from his lip in an attempt to look weak. But he wasn’t worried. He made many empty promises, and knew this invisible person was here to collect on one of them.
The invisibility power was one he used to steal the warp charge. Loki coughed out a plea.
“I-I’ll get it, I just need more time. Please… I can get if faster with your power—if you want it faster?” Loki said, holding his arms across his belly, bracing himself for a beating.
A few more kicks to the body, some begging, along with spit in the face, and it ended.
“I’ll lend you my power once more, but if you don’t get it, I’ll send The Others after you.”
‘The Others’ were a secret student club that originally started as a few friends having fun. One of these variants were be able to temporarily transfer the skills of one person to another. Because of their mischief in times past, each member of the group had their powers blocked while on academy grounds—so they could only negotiate and transfer their powers to ‘others’ if they really wanted something in the academy. This was how they got their name: ‘The Others.’
Sounds of footsteps left. Loki was left alone—yet even after the beating he began smiling.
During the assault, he had not only bought himself more time, but even convinced this person to lend him their invisibility powers again.
Of course, he wouldn’t be using them to steal Anya’s powerful crossbow. No. Loki could snatch that any time he wanted—what he needed was more warp charges.
Loki already had a good understanding of Smiley’s character—Smiley was someone who relied on himself. He would try, fail, and then he would need more warp charges. Only then would he listen to Loki’s new scheme.
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