Chapter 45: Lair (Patreon)

Aether stomps from the campus as the students around us stare in confusion. Their eyes widen while their arms slacken. Without the same curse of constant surprise, I dash across campus with purpose guiding my steps.

The stomps crack the earth underneath my heels as I generate my own inhuman speed. The wind flares across my skin as no fatigue burns my limbs. Each breath passes with ease before I funnel to the side of two students blocking my dorm’s entrance.

I reach our dorm opening the door. Finding Luke sleeping, I whisper my words sniping my voice by emphasizing each word I say, “Luke, we need to leave.”

His eyes flare open before he scrambles looking towards each corner of the room. He holds his stilted arm at his side as he says in a groggy voice, “Why are you waking me up right now? I’m fuckin tired man.”

I walk over leaning beside his bed before I say, “We must leave this place.”

Luke rubs his eyes before his gestures pop with sudden urgency as he says, “Oh shit. Did you figure out about Helfeston?”

I nod my head as I say, “That and much more. I’ll help you carry your possessions.”

Luke stammers in surprise, “Uhm. Alright. Let's go then.”

We gather up an assortment of goods utilizing the same method used for carrying Sophia’s belongings. Books of combat and swordsmanship, parchment with pens, and clothes comprise the vast majority of what he wished to keep.

After we make a pile in the center of the room, I say, “I want you to hide within these sheets.”

Luke squints his eyes while ruffling his lips as he gasps, “What? How is that supposed to help me escape?”

I open a palm as I state my words with authority, “It will help you to disguise. I need you to be unseen. I will carry you within this once you lie within.”

Luke frowns before he says locking his words with sarcasm and a hint of spite, “You think you can carry me and all this faster than I can run?”

I shake my head before I meet his eyes. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I say with a grin, “I know I can.”

Luke rolls his eyes before I sigh for a moment. I grip the edge of his shirt before I lift him with one arm before I set him down on top of the outstretched fabric.

Luke blinks several times before he says, “How the hell did you lift me like that?”

I outstretch a hand before staring at my palm as I say, “I’m not the best gemchainer at Mareovosa because of technique or tactics.” I clamp my hand into a fist for a moment before I release it as I gaze towards Luke.

Funneling a meager amount of self mockery into my words, I say, “I simply suppress my enemies with strength.”

Luke bites his lip for a moment before he nods saying, “I could see that...” He replaces his momentary surprise with a grin before he says, “Then please carry me oh dashing prince.”

A laugh escapes my lips before I say ,”You are one ugly princess then.”

He shrugs as I tie the sheets over him. He says with the covers muffling his voice, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right?”

I roll my eyes before I lift the bumpy ball of stuff saying, “That’s only if you don’t turn the pair of eyes to stone, medusa.”

We both chuckle over the banter before I dash out of the room towards the female’s dorm with the green torches and basalt entrance coming into view within seconds. I place Luke down as I say, “I’ll be gone for a moment. You’ll have another princess there with yousoon.”

Luke says, “Oh great. Sounds lovely.”

I grin as I crawl across the pillars of the walls chipping stone with claws on my fingers. Even under the veil of darkness, the insane action draws the attention of others before Luke shouts,

“What are you doing?”

I shout back over the sound of clipping stone, “Improvising.”

I leap over the black, iron guard rails at the top of the dorms before I dash across the flat expanse of interlocking stone towards the doorway at the top of the roof. The dorms host these areas so that students could spend their time here, but few students take the offer.

The tops of the roofs harbor cold winds while the tall fences gating the edges of the room remind the viewer of a prison rather than a recreational area. Since so few come and go, this leaves the tops of the dorms empty the vast majority of the time. This prevents the dorm managers from locking the door at night.

I use these facts to my advantage before I open the door and slide down the girls hallways. Their dorm reminds me of the guys dorm, but the lack of body odor surprises me. Instead, an assortment of alluring scents fill my nose while an assortment of giggling and animated chatter fills me ears.

This never prevents me from focusing on my task however. I notice a particular scented mixture of expensive dress paired with rose oil and the beeswax that Antoinnette uses for covering her lips in the morning.

It surprises me at times. Girls find such creative methods for maintaining their appearances and image regardless of the limited resources available to them. Even though the idea of maintaining a singular scent at all times fills me with apprehension, most females on campus do so not only with absolute perfection, but they do so without ever revealing the specific secret of their success.

Regardless, I knock on Antoinnette’s door for a moment before a surprised pair of yelps escapes the room. After a moment, a girl says in a high pitched voice, “You can come in.”

I open up the door before another series of surprised yelps escapes their lips. The fluorescent lighting of orange and yellow flowers blankets the room in a relaxing light like oranges and canaries. Antoinette and another girl lean on the floor on their bellies while they use their arms for holding themselves up.

Their sleeping clothes reveal more skin than I’m used to seeing, but I find focus by remembering my purpose for being here. I say, “Good to see you both.”

Antoinnette stammers as she stands up saying, “Wh-what are you doing here? This is the girl's dorm and you aren-”

I move my hand in a circle as I say, “T allowed in here. Yeah I get the gist.” I open my arms placing the most charming grin of mine available on my face as I say, “Wouldn’t you like to go on an adventure?”

She looks around as both the girls blush before I drag my left hand across my face as I say, “Let’s try to keep our thoughts rationale please.”

The girl besides Antoinnette says as she stands, “You’re the guy that just randomly bursts into a lady’s room without an explanation.”

I lean against the edge of the doorway as I say, “Just because something is unexpected doesn’t make itrandom. We as mortals can only know and do so much, so events occurring outside our predictions should be expected at least some of the time.”

Antoinnette places her hands on top of her friends shoulders as she says, “This is Jack Donovan. He’s the guy I told you about. Most of those rumors floating around school are probably true, so this really isn’t that weird at this point.” She taps her cheek as she says, “At least not really anyways.”

Her friend’s face wrinkles as she glances between us saying, “Are you serious? This is Jack?”

I lift my arm out to my side as I say, “The one and the only.” I let my arms slap on my sides as I say, “We need to leave Antoinette.”

She glances at her roommate before she says, “Right now? Really?”

I sigh before I inject fire into my voice, “I am not one to tear through the life of another without reason. Please, I mean what I say whenever I voice my concern - both our lives are in danger.”

She blinks for several seconds before her posture changes as she says, “Can I gather a few things first?”

I nod before her friend raises her hands and stammers in disbelief, “Why are you going along with this? He could be taking you somewhere to kill you!”

Antoinnette turns towards her as she says, “Whenever I came to this university, three fassars attacked our carriage of only seven people.”

She points at me as she stares into the eyes of her friend saying, “He killed all three of them barehanded. He saved my life. I should trust him at least this much.”

Her friend reels back before I spread one of their sheets on the floor saying, “This is what I will be carrying most of your possession in. Try to keep it light.”

Antoinette sighs before she puts her pillow along with an assortment of perfumes, different spices and alchemical ingredients. The books she carries with her surprise me their variety as well since I find a series of violin manuals included. She truly wishes to improve. Admirable.

I tie the expanse of knick knacks together as her friend continues rejecting my suggestion, but Antoinette only explains how the guard beside her had started crying whenever the Fassars attacked. I never guessed my killing the fassars gave her such a deep respect for me.

I scrambled until they died, and I rubbed my misery in her face at the end. I don’t understand her admiration over the act, but with that sense of respect, she gives me an easy outlet for getting her away from danger.

Saving her life allows me to save her again. The irony brings a grin to my face before I grab the bundle lifting the expanse by clamping my arms on the side of the ball while pulling with my back.

As we walk out of the room, her friend says, “How long will you be gone? Where will you be going? Do you even know?”

I smirk as I say, “we’re going somewhere protected, but it won’t seem that way at first. She may be gone for days or months. I don't really know. It will be as long as needed to ensure her safety.”

I turn towards the walkway upstairs before meandering my way through the hallway. Antoinnette says, “You came in through the roof?”

I drag my feet across the floor as I pace with small, controlled steps saying, “Yes. It’s the easiest way in without tearing a door down.”

Antoinette vocalizes a tisk before she catches up with me. She finds herself walking up the spiral walkway saying, “So why did you leap from the roof that day?”

I release one of my hands from the bundle as I snap my fingers saying, “That was what I’ve been forgetting to do the past couple days.”

She stares at my arm as it holds the 50 pound bag with ease for a moment before she says, “Well?”

I grin as I say, “You’ll be seeing the reason soon. You and it may even become friends if you meet him with an open mind.”

She rolls her eyes as she says, “You and your poet talk. Whatever.”

My grin takes on a teasing tone as I say, “Try to have fun here Antoinnette. You may even live a little life while we’re away from study.”

Her composure cracks somewhat as the beginnings of a smile appear on her face. Whenever we reach the edge of the walkway, I peer downwards as a student and a teacher talk around a pillar while several other students back the claims of the student closest to the professor. I say with a tone of revelation,

“Alright, would you mind being carried for several miles through a dark forest?”

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We reach the edge of the cave as I carry two unhappy riders who complain about their numerous possessions pressing into them. My shoulders and arms burn from keeping them across my back while my legs scream not at the sheer heft on my shoulders, but the difficulty of balancing such wobbly weights.

This causes more than a eager amount of discomfort, so I say panting while drops of sweat pour from my forehead, “This is our stop.”

I squat downwards before I collapse the last foot of the distance onto the ground. The cool earth chills my skin while my breath scatters leaves around my face. The familiar sound of nightingales fills my ears as Antoinnette and Luke untie their bindings.

Turning onto my back, I heave for air as I struggle with each breath before they appear at my sides. They lay down with me before Luke says, “This is kind of fun.”

Antoinnette turns towards him saying, “Why would you say that? We were just dragged from our dorms without any warning. Now we have to go into some nasty cave.”

Luke grins as he says, “It’s like we’re convicts or something. I don’t know really. It just seems fun to camp out somewhere with friends...At least it’s exciting right?”

She purses her lips for a moment before she says, “I guess so...It might get boring though.”

I shake my head as I say, “I doubt that’s a possibility.”

She glares at me as she says, “Why would you say that?”

Luke raises his unbroken arm as he says, “Everything enters a crazy vortex of weirdness near Jack. I’m expecting talking dragons, bare minimum.”

Antoinette giggles for a moment before she chimes, “Yeah, that makes more sense than being dragged out here in our bed sheets.”

I snap, “I wouldn’t have had to drag you if you lost some weight. What do you weigh now? 4 tons?”

Luke and I laugh as she slaps my shoulder before I stand up saying, “Are you both ready to go now? It will be a difficult transition from living in a cozy dorm, so be ready for some hardship.”

Amidst the light of the moon, Luke shows a smile with his white teeth showing through the darkness while the hunched silhouette of Antoinette informs me of her lack of enthusiasm. Walking past them, I start tying their belongings back into sacks as I say,

“We’ve many miles to go before we sleep. Come on, let’s go.”

We pass through the entrance of the cavern as we pace through a darkness unlike the darkness of a room or the black of a new moon. The fact that any source of light lies miles from us pierces the soul of the inexperienced with fear. This tidbit and the dual set of chattering teeth tells me of my friend’s fears, so I stomp the ground as I shout filling them both with fright.

They both yelp before I explode with laughter. A fist connects with my jaw before I hear several fingers pop as Antoinnette yelps. I suppress further laughter before I say,

“I just wanted you to both calm down. Hearing both of your teeth chattering made it hard to even hear my own thoughts, let alone any dangerous creature’s comings and goings.”

Luke leans towards me as he snaps, “You nearly busted my eardrums with that stomp. That was way too fuckin loud.”

I squint my eyes as I say, “Really?”

Luke says with a growing reservation, “No, but it scarred me to death. I thought I was dead there for at least 3 seconds.”

Antoinnette snarls with spite oozing from her words, “I just wish one of us was dead, though I won’t say who.”

Rolling my eyes, I say, “We won’t be in the darkness for long. There’s much to see still besides neverending black.”

My premonition comes to pass as we see the horrifying insects and the violet bats who hide the shining blue worms attached to the ceiling. The shards of jewels send them both aghast while the corpses of slimes forbode their future. As we reach the area that Aether smashed a hole in, Antoinnette asks,

“How are you guiding us?”

I say offhand, “I memorized the pathway whenever I walked this way before.”

In the lavender light of the cavern, Antoinnette blinks before she says, “I can’t believe you can memorize so well. It took over fifteen turns to get here.”

I turn towards her with the two bags across my shoulders as I say, “Think of me as two minds rather than one. Everything starts to make sense then.”

She gives me a look of confusion while Luke nods his head feigning understanding as he says, “Ah, of course. That makes perfect sense.”

I beam a sly grin as I say, “Doesn’t it though? You would have to be an idiot not to understand.”

Luke lifts his casted arm as he says, “A complete dunce some might say.”

Antoinnette reddens before Luke pats her back saying, “He’s just joking Antoinnette. Don’t take it so seriously. Lighten up. I mean, you can’t say this hasn’t been fun so far, right?”

She squirms for a moment before she snaps, “Did you see those scorpio-spider-things. That was scary as hell!”

Luke shivers for a moment before he says, “But the gems and those glowing worms. They were so cool.”

She glances downwards as she bites her lip saying, “True. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that stuff.”

I slice into their conversation as I say, “Get ready for it then.”

I leap down the hole before I freefall for a moment. My feet smash into stone before I crouch onto the floor preventing anything from breaking on my back. After I walk over to Razor and Aether who sit around the glowing corundum, I see Sophia sleeping within a portion of the cave.

She lays on a bed in a room from a chipped corridor. It leads into a dug out area of stone lined with fresh marks from Aether’s hands. He moved through the stone with enough force that his touch disintegrated the stone in his path creating a smooth hallway with four rooms within the expanse.

A giant pile of dust lays beside the hollowed out cavern while a plate of foggy amethyst covers most of the entrance of Sophia’s room. Besides the other rooms lays a plate of garnet, topaz, and sapphire. I never asked Alistair how Mareovosa managed to obtain so many gems, but after seeing such excessive amounts within this cave, a foggy idea forms into one with a rock solid base.

The infinite labor of the golems combined with such a bountiful display of resources would fuel almost any amount of luxury. This combined with the abundance of expertise in both soul forging and gemchaining fuels the internal economy of the entire city if not this whole region.

That same economic power grounds itself withna single primary resource - the creatures roaming the hills near here. The animals of this area prove dangerous to all who live here spawning the need for gemchaining while the soul forging of the area starts with the same monsters that spawned from the Remnant of Gaia.

Thoughts race and click into place as the motive of my adversaries becomes clear. The people of this area use the shards of Gaia as an engine for the very economic might that causes such widespread suffering for the populace and souls involved.

This operation results from the same greed that allows such sadistic acts as soul forging and chaining.

With this understanding ripening in my mind, a dreadful spire of coagulating and fearless hatred grips my heart as I stomp the ground cracking the stone beneath me. I heave for breath before I bite my lips using the taste of blood as a sort of calming agent.

The practice seems strange, but at least it works. Regardless, I’ve dwelled on my thoughts for long enough. I place their belongings in each room after I notice beds of moss covering softened dirt. Aether handled the domestic problems with such a quick, inquisitive speed that I can’t imagine him having the mind of a tree.

I shake the thoughts from my mind as I pace outside. Aether and Razor glance at me before I walk over saying to Razor, “Is there someway you could appear less...terrifying?”

Razor nods in silence before all of her orbs collapse into a single, enormous blob that writhes with blades jutting from every angle. I say with a measure of exasperation pouring from my voice,

“That’s actually, somehow, more terrifying.”

The writhing blob condenses as Razor shrinks in size. Her heaving frame densifies until she takes the shape of a slicing seductress. If I were to envision the words elegant and deadly, her new form would embody those words.

She mirrors the form of Petra, lithe and athletic, but razor emboldened Petra’s womanly features for reasons unknown. It’s hard to notice these attractive features though when she carries so many blades embedded in her back and arms.

She keeps her lower body free of these golden blades however, and the three spinning wheels of golden sabers rotating around her express how dangerous she still is. I find the form easier on the eyes however, since she no longer occupies the majority of my vision with her hulking mass.

The gray blue and glow of her center even make her aesthetic in a sense. This new form accompanies an even newer voice as she says cascading her words against each other, “Is this better? I aimed for mimicking the people I saw earlier.”

I hold my index finger against my thumb as I ease my hand saying, “Absolutely. They'll warm up to you without having to have nightmares first.”

Luke shouts from above, “We can hear you guys.”

Antoinette follows his words, “I don't appreciate the dozens of creepy spiders up here or whatever weird sounds are coming from below. Please just let us settle for the night.”

I jog over to the opening in the roof before Deluge enhances the muscles in my thighs for a moment. As power builds in the bones and muscles of my legs, I crouch before I crush my feet against the floor. My clothes pull and whip on my skin before they float as I fall onto the outer edge of Aether’s hole.

Antoinette and Luke express surprise, but I slam them from their stupor as I clap my hands together saying, “please.” I open my arms, “Just stop being surprised. Instead, express wonder or delight. I tire of being looked at as a freak.”

Luke shakes his head before he says, “You’re not a freak.”

Antoinette nods saying, “But how did you do that?”

I blink before I say, “Think of me as an anomaly instead of normal. Expect the unexpected. If you can alter both your perceptions to that by even the tiniest amount, I believe you will both find this transition easier.”

Luke smiles in response, but not with the normal smile that you give whenever you’re pleased with what was just said or done. He smiles inwardly as if pleased with himself as he says, “That sounds like more fun anyway.”

Antoinette shows her own grin, but at Luke's words instead of her own thoughts as she says, “I suppose we could think of this as an adventure rather than an annoyance.”

I nod once before I say, “Alright. Ladies first then.”

I scoop her up in my arms before I say, “Get ready to fall.”

“What are you-aghhhhh!”

The familiar exhilaration of freefall brushes me as Antoinnette screams at the newfound sensation. After we land with my feet mincing a slab of stone, I walk her over to her room before I set her down using a smooth placement.

She heaves for air for a moment before she collects herself. She says, “Good Gaia. What just happened?”

I say, “A little fall.” I point towards the gems at the corner of the room before I say, “Just cover those and lay down whenever you’re ready to sleep. I’ll handle the other problems with both of your usual living standards before moving on.”

After I carry Luke down the same way, I repeat the same message, but he wears a look of excitement instead passing out the moment he touches the bed. As I turn to leave his room, he says, “What were all those things down there?”

I shrug before saying, “Let's leave that for tomorrow. It's late, and you should tackle those new concepts with a fresh mind.”

He purses his lips and squints his eyes before he says, “Alright. I can wait I suppose.”

After pacing outside, I grab the foggy plate of topaz before I lift it in front of the entrance of his room. The plate weighs around 50-70 pounds, so even Sophia could move it, albeit with great struggle. The moss beds even keep the air fresh instead of stale and muggy despite the gem plates covering the door.

Pondering, I cover Antoinette’s room before I tread towards my own dragging each of my steps. All in all, these living conditions aren't distasteful even in the slightest. The novelty overcomes the missing utilities usually present and even I can't help but feel the light air of anticipation at the thought of being somewhere so new and vibrant.

This feeling fades though. The mental tension of the day overwhelms me in a sudden wave as numerous events cause a chain reaction of exhaustion in my mind. I fall into slumber while standing before Deluge takes over saying,

“Ever the willful one. I’ll make sure to handle any loose ends while you rest. Goodnight Jack.”

Those words make me feel better and worse at the same time as black consumes all that I see.

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