Chapter 11 Part 1 of 3 (Patreon)

Chapter: Rising Tensions

“We can’t let them continue to stroll through our corridors as if they’re above the Imperium!” Gars slammed his hand on the desk.

He sat at the head of the table, the other department heads sat in the seats around the table, broken into sectors based on what they taught and by generation and ranking.

Teachers worded their agreement. Mueller held back from responding, looking at Academy Head Serkin. He sat back in his chair, holding his elbow as his finger traced down the blue and green scar running down his cheek into his salt and pepper beard.

“We cannot go too far, this is the academy of Avegaaren,” Wahida said in a stern tone. “While many of us are from the Associations, the school exists to prepare people to fight in the Tenth Realm to defend the Realms. It does not matter where someone comes from.”

“Training? What training have they had? They go to the lectures and the library to suck away our knowledge!” Meng, a fighting trainer, said. “This is a play by the alliance to make us look bad and establish their strength. We are dealing with a big problem indeed.”

“So they’re strong and talking to their people in the lower realms. So what? Do you not send information to your family?” Wahida asked.

“Of course I do, but they’re stealing our information!”

“What makes it ours? Are we not the caretakers of the academy?”

Meng grasped for words as Gar came to his rescue.

“We are all training people to fight in the Tenth Realm. There have been problems with the lower realms in the past, and we must make sure that we are not being pulled into a fight that could affect our mission to defend the Realms.”

Wahida looked like she’d sucked a lemon while Meng tilted his head in thanks to Gars.

“Alva has their own academies. They don’t teach the same principles we do. This could be a play for them to try and bring more students to their ranks, away from Avegaaren. Those that do not make it into the academy now have an option,” Gars said.

“People who have not gained their will, that do not know why they do what they do. If you do not know who you are, how do you know what you will become?” Meng shook his head.

“And what about their four-star ranking, or are we turning a blind eye to that as well?” Wahida growled.

Some of the teachers shifted uncomfortably, looking at one another with unspoken questions.

“They reside in one of the Gnome Dungeons. They’re lucky the Gnomes didn’t take it back from them for stealing it,” Gars huffed.

“What the Gnomes do is of little consequence to you,” Kronin, an elderly Gnome’s words were light and his smile soft, taking all the wind from Gars’ sails.

“Sorry, Master Gnome, I was too hasty, angered that others might steal your lands.”

Kronin gave out a breezy laugh and shook his head.

Gars cleared his throat. “They activated the dungeon created by the Gnomes, a master work creation. All they did was power a drill and it opened up the ley lines. It affects the whole of the first realm, I won’t disagree, but if we were to just supply mana stones to machines then couldn’t we all be four-star heroes?”

The teachers muttered to one another. Wahida grimaced as they fell on Gars’ side.

Serkin rapped his knuckles on the table, all eyes moving to him.

“A time of change is upon us. To excel or fall behind, it falls on our shoulders to usher our students into this new future. I will remind you that Avegaaren’s purpose is to teach anyone that makes it into our academy, to rise up the Realms and make sure that we can defend against the Shattered Realms.”

He sat back in his chair. “For the next three months all challenges will be stopped. A tournament will be held with all current students. It should shake up the rankings and we can see exactly where students stand.”

A ripple of mutterings ran through the room. His raised hand stalled them.

“The lower realms are uniting in a way that we have not seen in the past, ushering in peace. Whether it will last remains to be seen. We have had more incursions and tears in the Ninth and Tenth Realm than in any previous year and the number of people that come to the academy has continued to decrease.” He glanced around the table at each of the teachers. “Even among the Associations many do not want to reach the Ninth Realm, knowing that they will have to join the academy. They feel that they will be forced to serve in the Tenth Realm away from their families. Our students are mostly people trying to escape from the lower realms, rather than the Associations. Make sure to keep that in mind, the way it was in our generation is not how it is in the current.”

***

Rugrat sat in Weebla’s forge, tucked into a side room off the training room, the door looking like a section of the wall.

“Now you’ve been forming blades of mana and elements, don’t forget that you have other elements at your disposal, and you can use them to make enchantments. You don’t need to make blades of just mana.”

Weebla held out her hand and the flame from the forge twisted and turned into a swirling blade as water daggers condensed from the air. A stone spear flowed from one hand as lighting traced the outline of an arrow. “Every element, while they are different, are stronger or weaker in different situations. While you are disrupting people’s mana and the elements around you, someone can easily do the same to you. You need to know how to adapt and use what is around you.”

“Still a lot to learn.” Rugrat laughed.

Weebla smiled and dismissed the weapons. “There is always more to learn, it is one of the greatest things about living. Now, you create some elemental weapons.”

Rugrat raised an arrow of fire, a spear of earth, and a round of mana.

Weebla studied their fuzzy features. “As you grow you will start to incorporate more of your smithing into your skills. They will be sharper, their form stronger, the enchantments using greater power. You’ve learned how to forge mana into different shapes, now you need to do that with the elements. Use what is around you. Forge the Ten Realms into what you need it to be.”

Weebla got up from her chair and patted Rugrat on the shoulder. “It’s been a quick two months, Master Smith Rugrat.” They shared a smile. “But I think your combat teacher wants to have a few words by the way he’s hopping around out there.”

Rugrat followed her out of the forge, nearly hitting Xun Liang with the door as they exited.

Erik was standing in the training room behind him.

“Alright, well that was a productive two months!” Xun Liang clapped his hands together. “Now you two need to get ready for the coming tournament.”

“Tournament?” Erik asked.

“You hear that? I think there’s an echo in here. Yes, the tournament! It’s the talk of the Academy!” Xun Liang beamed.

“Been busy with other things,” Rugrat said.

“Polite way of saying there’s no one but you and Weebla that would tell us anything that’s going on in the Academy,” Erik said.

The mood stagnated quickly.

“Well you’re hearing it from me. This is your chance to show just what you can do.”

“One big middle finger,” Erik laughed dryly.

“They aren’t going to look to kindly on you helping us and if we didn’t have a target on our backs before we sure do now,” Rugrat shook his head.

“Are you just going to bow out because some people don’t like you? This is a challenge, a way to show them that they’re wrong to shove it in their faces. You just going to roll over?”

Erik and Rugrat’s glares made Xun Liang’s smile widen. “That’s what I thought, win or lose, forget them, fight for yourselves and dig deep.” Xun Liang’s smile was reflected in Rugrat and Erik’s faces.

“Alright then, so Telarri?” Erik asked.

“Naturally, need to make sure you two haven’t gone soft.” Xun Liang led them towards the teleportation formations. “You’re only allowed to use attacks that meld with your crafting techniques. Each time you come out you will switch roles, one long range then short range.”

“Got it.” Erik said.

“Copy.” Rugrat said.

“What have you been working on?” Erik asked Rugrat before they stepped onto the formations.

“Shaping elements and forging mana into weapons and spells. You?”

“Creating elemental and mana beasts to perform alchemy. Flames are still my strongest. Do you want to just work on fire element, then compare notes, then mana, then earth element, allow us to go through them all in greater depth?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking that our knowledge of our elements and mana isn’t as deep as I want it to be.”

“Same here. How did your tempering go?”

Rugrat smiled and held out his hand, metal spread from his shoulder and down his arm. “Workable.”

Erik laughed. “All right, here are a few tips and tricks I found with the Metal element.”

Xun Liang and Weebla added in what they had learned about the elements that went the rest of the afternoon.

Erik tested out what he’d learned in the forests, coming out to discuss it with Rugrat and with Weebla and Xun Liang adding in their knowledge, then they went back in again to continue fighting and testing out what they had learned.

***