Alex and the town... (Patreon)

Devon frowned as he considered the merits of staying the hell away from the crazy realm and the merits of trying to make friends with people in his power range. He also wanted to make a good impression on his aether control teacher and chickening out probably wouldn’t accomplish that. He decided that helping her explore her new realm was probably the best chance he would get to make friends, plus it would give him a chance to see just how powerful the monsters were. “Can I come?”

Abby said happily, “Sure.”

Alex stuck her doorknob into her pocket. “I'd rather have a group the first time we walk in there.”

Dark Flame shook her head. “I’m tapped out. If you find that it’s safe enough come back and get me.”

The guard that was leaving to go on patrol left without a backwards glance.

Devon sighed as he pulled a slightly battered silver bracelet out of his pocket and slipped it on. His mana battery didn’t hold that much mana but it had enough that he could power a shield or toss a couple of large fireballs before it ran dry. “Let’s get this done.”

Cameron chuckled as he realized that he would rather jump through an unknown gate into a likely dangerous realm than work on his paperwork. “Let’s get to it.”

The guard that was staying said, “Of course sir. Nothing like a bit of danger to get the flames burning brighter.”

Devon glanced at the guard wondering how sane the creation was.

Abby smiled as she walked over to a wall and placed her doorknob against the wall. She turned the doorknob then pulled as if she was going to open a door.

Even though Alex knew what to expect she was still somewhat surprised that a door shaped section of the wall opened just like a door to reveal a barely lit path. “It’s dark and creepy, nice job Abby.” She walked through the open doorway and took a few steps down the path.

Professor Cameron chuckled as he watched the tall girl walk into a different realm with a look of delight on her face. It was times like this that he really enjoyed teaching aether control. He was looking forward to actually getting these students into his classroom so that he could see what else they could do when properly trained. He stepped through after Alex. He took a quick look around the courtyard after he cleared the threshold and sighed in relief that what little of the realm he could see appeared deserted rather than filled with monsters. The only light came from a faintly flickering purple flame in an old fashioned street lamp across the courtyard from the black stone archway. He wasn’t overly bothered by the darkness as his glasses allowed him to see in the dark. “So far so good.”

The guard stepped through after the professor.

Devon was relieved when nothing jumped out at them as Abby and him stepped through the doorway. His eyes darted around the courtyard trying to see through the darkness. While the streetlamp and the guard’s flames helped a little bit he still found that he couldn’t see nearly as well as he would like for what was potentially a monster filled nightmare realm. He felt a chill go down his spine as he realized that anything could be hiding in the darkness. He could faintly hear cheering off to his right. He was slightly relieved that the air smelled fresh though he would probably have been more surprised if it had smelled like a crypt or something. He bent down and touched the slightly dusty black stone that made up the courtyard. “Interesting… are you sure that you aren’t taking the creepiness too far?”

Abby snickered. “Hopefully it won’t look so creepy once we get some lights in here. Although, if things worked out like I planned, all of the buildings including the castle are made of the same dark stone as the pathway here. Alex can you conjure some light?”

Alex held up her hand then after a couple of seconds she shook her head. “No… let me try something else.” A second later a floating ball of purple fire appeared over her hand. “That works. I can‘t make normal fire but I can copy the fire from the street lamp well enough,” she replied in relief.

Professor Cameron nodded. “Well it is a realm of shadow, it makes sense that you can’t just cast a light spell or conjure regular fire.”

Alex nodded then fed a touch more magic into the fire to increase the illumination. “Let’s head to the arena, that’s probably where the fun is.”

“Lead the way,” he replied with amusement as he continued scanning the area around them for trouble.

Alex started walking down the path toward the faint cheering. Within fifty feet she noticed that there were a number of second story black stone buildings lining the path. She could just barely make out the shapes of old signs and broken doors on most of the buildings though some of them didn’t even have doors. Only a couple of the windows in the shops even had glass bits in them let alone a full pane of glass. “Nah, that’s not creepy at all,” she said sarcastically.  

Abby giggled as she looked over a number of the broken street lamps that lined the path. “Don’t forget the broken streetlamps.”

Devon shivered slightly as he looked at the abandoned looking buildings that would fit right into a ghost town. “I think some of the gamers would love this place.”

Cameron glanced around at the broken architecture as they walked through the town with a slight smile on his face. “It’s certainly creepy enough.”

Alex stopped as she came to a fork in the road, “So what’s off to the right?”

Abby shrugged. “I’m not sure. If it’s what it’s supposed to be then it’s the lake. I’m not sure if it actually has water in it right now or not.”

Devon laughed. “You took the whole energy saving thing a bit far.”

“I was thinking that I could get maybe three or four people to help other than Alex, I wasn’t expecting to have forty some people help. Anyways, let’s at least go check to see what’s there.”

Personally Cameron wasn’t sure how much help most of the people had been. As scary as it sounded Abby probably could have pulled things off with just Devon, Dark Flame and Alex for help. It might not have been as impressive but it would still have been better than he had come to expect from freshmen. He walked along side the guard as they followed a few steps behind the teens as they headed down the path to check on the small lake. He spent his time glancing around the deserted shops as he walked along with the group. The black stone path turned into a pitted and broken dirt trail that ran along the edge of where a lake was supposed to be. “It doesn’t look like there is much of anything here right now.”

Abby frowned as she stared down into the huge pit where the small lake should be. “Point. Let‘s hit the arena then we can see about getting back to the school for a late lunch.”

Cameron sighed. “I really should get back to doing paperwork but I want to make sure things are working before I leave.”

The guard laughed. “You just don’t want to do your paperwork.”

“Does anyone?”

Abby smiled at the professor, “Still, it’s nice of you to help out.”

He grinned as he thought of some of the interesting places her brother had created. “It’s nice to see students motivated about learning.”

Alex took a last look into the darkness then turned and headed back up the path then turned right and followed the path until it branched again. Straight ahead she could see two flickering lamps hanging next to a door. She could also see the first sign of life other than themselves since they walked into Abby’s world. A weathered looking doorman in a black suit stood leaning against the door to what she suspected was the arena’s main entrance. It was hard to tell from where she was standing if he was human or not, especially with his wide hat pulled down. She glanced at the fork in the road that went off to the left. “Do we want to check out the castle first?”

Cameron shook his head. “Nah, the drawbridge is out. I’m guessing that before we can get to the castle we’ll have to destroy some monsters in the arena.”

Alex chuckled as she pulled Abby into a hug. “You really are a computer geek aren’t you?”

Abby giggled as she looked at the huge stone walls of the arena. “Yeah.”

Devon looked at the man standing against the arena door, “So, what do we do?”

Professor Cameron said, “I’m going to assume we ask him about the arena.”

The doorman looked up with a smirk on his ashen face, “I can hear you, you know.”

Cameron walked toward the arena as the rest of the group followed cautiously. “That makes it easier.”

“What’s your pleasure?”

Alex looked at the strange doorman. The man’s hair was jet black and his skin a very pale white, it was hard to tell what color his eyes were but she suspected that they were a dark brown or maybe even black from how dark they looked though that could have just been the light, “Meaning?”

“Meaning, are you a contestant or a spectator. I would ask if you’re a summoner but I’m afraid the arena doesn’t currently have a summoner on staff to accept your challenge. We’re supposed to get one any day now but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

Abby glanced at the professor. “I… we should probably watch before we take on one of the monsters.”

Devon nervously ran his left hand over his bracelet hoping that he wouldn't have to use his mana battery. “That sounds good to me.”

Professor Cameron nodded once. “Sounds good to me. After all, we just came to check things out. You can always come back after you’re better supplied.”

The doorman shrugged as it didn’t matter to him. “Suit yourself, through the doors and up the stairs. Find a seat wherever you like.” Light poured out of the doorway as he opened the door. He stepped out of the way of the group and gestured for them to enter.  

Alex was glad to get out of the dark and be able to stop concentrating on maintaining her ball of fire. She let it vanish as she stepped inside the arena. Other than the torches that lined the walls of the entrance hall there were two staircases that led up and one that led down. The shiny black stone walls reflected the torchlight and gave the place an almost haunted feel. The creepy feel was helped by the ashen faced old man behind the counter. He was wearing an old black nineteenth century suit complete with a top hat. He looked rather skinny and a little on the gaunt side but that could just be because he was easily taller than she was even without his top hat. She noticed that his hands rested on a large tome. “Huh…”

“Wow.” Abby grinned as she looked around the arena. “He’s probably the person we arrange the fights with.”

The man nodded slightly. “That is correct. Only by being in the arena will you reap the rewards. Feel free to enjoy the spectacle of the monsters fighting each other as much as you want as they will not die or weaken unless they fight someone from outside. If you choose to fight and defeat the monsters we have collected then you may by ancient law claim ownership of the land. Something else to note, as you destroy monsters more of the town will be restored.”

Alex asked, “Are the monsters random?”

“If you want, you may also work on something specific if you would like, such as the street lamps or the castle.”

“Nice.” Alex wanted to get the street lights working as soon as possible because the town was rather creepy right now.

“We also had someone that used to take bets on the fights but they seem to have wandered off… maybe if you destroy some monsters he‘ll come back,” the man replied sarcastically.

Alex found the fact that the man or whatever he was didn’t have a good grasp on reality to be a bit creepy. “Ah…”

“So what will it be?” asked the man behind the counter.

Abby shrugged. “I think we want to see a fight first.”

The man’s smile only caused his lips to upturn slightly. “I suggest goblins to start with.”

“That would be fine…” Abby was sort of curious about how scary a goblin could be.

The man nodded. “As you wish. Head up the stairs and enjoy.”

Devon shook his head in disgust as he marched up the stairs with the rest of the group. Goblins, there was no way the fight would be worth watching. “Yeah, because goblins are so scary.”

The professor chuckled as they walked up the stairs. “We’ll see.”

Alex was hoping that the stone benches that lined the stands would be upgraded at some point but considering the ancient arena theme she wasn’t really expecting them to change. She figured she would just bring a pillow next time. She took a couple of seconds to look over her side of the arena. They were the only ones sitting on their half. The other side of the arena was filled with shadowy shapes, not all of which were even humanoid. She watched as two goblins entered from opposite sides of the arena. “At least we’ll have some idea how powerful they are after this.”

Devon shook his head, “They’re goblins what can they possibly do…” He gulped as he watched one of them blur forward and slam his club into the other goblin’s face which sent the goblin flying. “Holy crap…” he trailed off as the goblin crumpled to the ground twenty feet away from the other goblin.  

She stared as the goblin that had gotten hit in the face stood back up. Half of the goblin’s face was a caved in bloody mess but it didn’t seem to matter to the goblin as he screamed a challenge and charged the goblin that had hit him. “That can’t be good…”

Abby watched the fight between the two goblins with concern. They both had clubs and they both seemed equally determined to bash and break the opponent in new, creative and painful ways. She knew she was more durable than normal people thanks to her magic but she didn‘t think she could survive a hit like that without her armor spell up and even then she might have some issues. “Yeah… I’ll second the holy crap.”

Devon stared at the fight. “I knew supercharging things was a mistake but damn, goblins…” He glanced at Professor Cameron and sighed, “Sorry Professor…”

The professor snorted as he stared at the goblins. “I’m right there with you.”

The school guard watched the goblins beat each other silly with the clubs, “Shall I destroy them for you professor?”

The professor shrugged. “Up to you.”

Alex frowned as she watched the fight. “If you ignore the fact that they’re goblins, it doesn’t look like anything a little combat magic can’t fix though I expect the monsters to get harder fairly quickly.”

The guard’s smirk was hidden by the blue and green flames that covered his head. “That’s the spirit. With your permission I would like to fight at least one before we leave to judge the danger level.”

Abby grinned, “Go for it. One less monster for the rest of us to fight.”

The guard looked at Abby. “Is there anything particular you want me to work on?”

“I‘d like to get the streetlamps working first, so if you don‘t mind?”

“Not at all. This will not take long.” He headed down to register.  

Devon glanced at the professor after the flaming guard had left. “How much danger is he in?”

“From the goblins? It would take more than what we’ve seen to give him a hard time.”

Alex sighed in relief. “Good, I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

Abby said, “He's rather neat.”

Devon frowned as he realized that Alex and Abby were both rather calm considering the situation, “How come you aren’t worried? If the goblins are the least of the supercharged monsters then you‘re going to have a problem clearing everything out.”

Alex turned and looked at Devon. “At some point we probably will but I got top ranks in my destruction class for a reason and I can fight besides we have all summer to clean the place up. If we take it slow and plan carefully we should be fine. I’m not really looking for one hundred percent completion here anytime soon. You’re welcome to help if you want.”

He gulped, “We’ll see… I’m not going to step into the ring until my magic recharges in a couple of days. I‘m surprised you aren‘t more worried about your magic recharging.”

Alex shrugged. “I’ve still got a lot. Professor Cameron stopped me before I could put all that much magic into the realm.”

Cameron moved talking to the principal about Alex higher on his to do list. “The guard is entering the arena now.”

Devon gulped as he watched the short brutal fight and decided that he never wanted to get into a fight with any of the school guards. The guard had conjured a flaming sword and waited for the goblin to blur toward him. It happened so fast he wasn’t sure what the guard had done but a second later the guard was a couple of steps to the left of where he had been and the now headless goblin had slammed into the ground several meters past him. He shivered as he watched the goblin's blood pouring out of the creature’s neck into the sand. “That’s scary…”

“One of the many reasons that the school stays safe.”

Devon asked nervously, “Time magic?”

“Probably…” Cameron shrugged. “Either that or just boosted reflexes and speed.”

Devon sighed as he realized just how far he still had to go to be the best. “Damn…”

Professor Cameron grinned. “Now that we’ve found that the realm is stable we really should get back. I could do with a steak.”

Devon stared at the headless corpse and found that he suddenly wasn’t all that hungry.

0o0o0

Abby giggled as she used her spoon to smear ice cream on Alex’s nose while she was daydreaming about something. “You’ve got ice cream on your nose.”

Alex smiled as she leaned closer and stared at her friend‘s bright green eyes. “Well, whose fault is that?”

She smiled as she leaned in and licked Alex’s nose. “There, all better.”

Alex tried to ignore the crowd in the school courtyard. She was just hoping that people didn’t make a big deal of her having a girlfriend that was as touchy feely as Abby was. Still, she wasn’t going to quit being close to Abby just because some people might get their feathers in a bind over it, not that it had happened yet on the magical side of things. “Great. We got more done than I thought we would.”

“Heck yeah, we got our realm built and we already have a working streetlamp… well, one that wasn’t working when we created the realm.” Abby took another bite of her ice cream.

“Not to mention that the guard found out that we can have a group when we fight in the arena which is useful and should be less dangerous.” Alex used her spoon and stole a scoop from Abby’s ice cream cup.  

Abby stuck her tongue out at Alex then pushed her cup of ice cream into the middle of the table not that she could actually put it anywhere on the table that Alex couldn’t just reach out and steal. “That’s probably the second best news today after learning that the realm worked. My sister is going to be so jealous.”

Alex shook her head. “Now you’re just being mean.”

“Nah, she can come visit once we get a couple of the stores and the inn working.”

“Good.” Alex liked Abby’s sister Sarah. It was going to be weird not seeing her around school. At least this way they could still spend some time together.

“So are we going to clear out more monsters tonight or wait for tomorrow?” Abby asked curiously.

“I’ve got to eat dinner with the family and then I want to read some of my new books or at least start. As for fighting monsters, I don’t know, part of me wants to but I’m a bit worried about being in there by myself and I sort of want to read my book on body enhancement spells before I step into the arena.” She took another bite of ice cream.

Abby nodded. “I can see that. How about we plan to do some more fighting tomorrow?”

“I’m sure I could swing that.” Alex figured that would give her enough time to look through some of her books.