Dharc tried to ignore Meda Bat's claws digging into his shoulder as he clung to his seat for dear life. Around him, various other people were doing the same thing, hanging on to the nearest bolted down object to keep from being thrown out a window.
These things tended to happen whilst riding Dekoichi, it was called the Battlechanted Locomotive for good reason. It was the fastest way back to the Magical Citadel but the crazed train had no consideration for the people riding.
Dharc tried to bring his elbow over his arm rest for a better grip as the Locomotive took another sharp turn fit to send the whole machine toppling off the rails.
"You're insane!" Meda Bat shrieked directly into Dharc's ear, "What's wrong with a nice peaceful walk? Why did you have to take the psychopathic train maniac?!"
Dharc flinched as his ear ringed, "It's fast!" he shouted back.
"A fast way to get yourself killed!"
Ducking as a large trunk fell from the luggage rack, Dharc pulled himself back into an upright position, "I'm not walking day and night to get back to the Citadel, it's not that bad!" he protested.
Just as the words left his mouth, Dekoichi came to a grinding halt. Instantly everything violently lurched forward. Dharc was thrown against the far wall and sat up just in time to catch Meda Bat who came hurtling down like a mini cannon ball.
"Thank you for riding Dekoichi, the Battlechanted Locomotive. Current station: Magical Citadel, Magical Citadel of Endymion. Next stop, Mausoleum of the Emperor. Have a nice day." said an infuriatingly pleasant voice from the intercom.
Struggling to get to his feet-his knees seemed to have turned to jelly-Dharc reached up and pulled out his staff which he had lodged tightly in the gaps of the luggage rails. Then, using his staff as a crutch, he stumbled out of the train before it started again with him still on.
"See, that wasn't too bad." he said triumphantly, releasing his death grip on Meda Bat.
"Speak for yourself." said the mortified bat.
Once regaining the proper use of his legs, Dharc walked from the train station to the city gates. The market place was flooded with spellcasters and tourists going about their business, a glaring contrast to most worlds of darkness where everyone seemed to live in caves.
Even if it lacked the comfortable dim atmosphere, the excitment of the city was infectious.
Further into the residental section of the Citadel, he headed for a dome shaped house.
"Do you want to come inside?" he asked Meda Bat.
"Nah, I think I'll go stretch my wings. I need to make sure that that train ride didn't liquify my bones." with that the bat fluttered off.
Shrugging, Dharc tried to open the door but the knob refused to turn.
"Stupid old thing, the enchantment must be wearing off." he mumbled as he waited for the magical door knob to recognize him.
Eventually the knob began to work and allowed him into the house.
"I'm home." Dharc called softly as he stepped into the brightly lit house.
Instead of an acknowledgement, there was an angry yell and a doll looking suspiciously like a Flamvell Baby hurtling at his head. After getting a face full of the orange doll, and slightly annoyed at his reception, he leaned his staff against a corner and headed into the direction of the shouting.
It was in the kitchen that he came across his fellow Charmers, namely Hiita with her fist gripping Eria's coat, in mid yell and her livid hair nearly on fire from rage. Aussa, Lyna, and Wynn were busy cowering behind the counters.
"Hi Dharc!" Hiita yelled, her voice still angry and her eyes still glaring at Eria.
"When did you get home?" Eria asked, waving nervously as she could not move any other part of her body with Hiita still holding her collar.
"Just a moment ago, but don't let me interrupt you, carry on." Dharc said, trying very hard to keep from smiling.
Hiita wasted no time taking his invitation and resumed shouting incoherantly. Dharc walked over to where the other three charmers were; where there was a smaller risk of being caught in the cross fire.
"So, what is it this time?" he asked, surveying as Hiita waved her free arm wildly and Eria held up her hands in exasperation.
"Eria might have 'accidentally' pushed Hiita into a puddle." Aussa said tentatively.
"Yeah, but that was after Hiita sent Fire Fox to lock Gigobyte in her closet." Lyna piped up.
Dharc shook his head, Eria and Hiita pratically had scheduled regular intervals to get into some kind of disagreement. But even with Hiita's fiery temperment and Eria's more serene one, he had yet to see a true argument. Things tended to reset after some half hearted glaring over the dinner table.
"Right, I'm off. Call me if someone's about to die." he said, giving Wynn a hefty pat on the shoulder before making himself scarce.
Once back in the sanctity of his own room, he threw himself down onto his bed. Without the distraction of his friends, he shut his eyes and tried to settle a problem that had been nagging him since morning. It had been nearly literally knocked from his head during his ride in Dekoichi, but now home, he had to make a decision.
After successfully performing his Spiritual Art he had gone at once to inform the Shadow Priestess of Ohm. She had shown a rare moment of delight and hugged him, the shock of which nearly made him jump out of his skin. Dharc liked to think that he could control himself and remain humble but he couldn't help but feel a stab of pride.
But whether he should mention it to Doriado was another matter.
He wanted her to know that he was making progress, especially considering that she could only teach him the fundamental skills and nothing specific. But she had never seemed to approve of his dark spells, who knew what she would do if she knew that he built his Art around ambition?
What could she do? She couldn't keep him from performing magic, he was a spellcaster! But she probably could keep an annoyingly close eye on him; or if worst came to worse, keep him from ever going back to Ohm and the Shadow Priestess.
But if he kept silent then she might end up thinking that he was just lazing about doing nothing. Then sooner or later the other Charmers'll probably start to think badly of him.
Grabbing a nearby pillow he pulled it over his head, trying to drive out his thoughts.
Fine, he just won't tell her. Being thought of as a weakling was better than being under house arrest. If he wasn't going to tell Doriado then he would also have to keep quiet on the subject with the other Charmers. He couldn't trust certain spellcasters to keep their traps shut.
Indignation was starting to boil in his chest, it seemed like his hard work would just have to go unrecognized.
"Dharc!"
Dharc sat straight up at the loud banging sound that followed the shout. His room was now pitch dark. The banging started again and this time he saw his door rock on its hinges.
"Come on! Time to eat!"
It was definetly Lyna, he decided as he reluctantly swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He must have fallen asleep as the view outside his window was now one of night. Groggily he got up off the bed.
He narrowed his eyes against the lights in the hall way and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, trying to make it a little more presentable. Everyone else was already at the table and Eria was just setting down the last bowl. He slipped silently into his seat and set his head down on the table.
"You've slept all day, you don't need another nap." Hiita grabbed the hood of Dharc's coat and pulled him upright.
"Leave it Hiita, it's hard work traveling on Dekoichi." Dharc answered sleepily.
"Dekoichi?!" Lyna slammed her fist down in mock horror, "Why didn't you tell me? I've always wanted to ride on that train."
"That train's a maniac, one day it's going to fall off the tracks and down a chasm." Meda Bat flew in from an open window.
"I've always wanted to ride on a maniac train that will one day fall off the tracks and down a chasm!" Lyna shouted.
"So how was Ohm?" Eria asked, ignoring Meda Bat and Lyna as they began to debate whether getting thrown around in Dekoichi like a rag doll could be considered fun.
"Not that much different from last time, dark, scary trees, fiends roaming around everywhere." Dharc shrugged, digging into his bowl of rice, "It's great."
Not a hint of sarcasm was in his voice, he meant every word he said but Eria still raised an eyebrow.
"How could you like a place like that? It sounds positively dreary." she said gently.
"You've never been there, it's not all that pretty but...well, it must be something in the air. It's right up against Dark World, the dark energies are so pure." he replied.
"I don't think we'd be welcome." Wynn said, "Only dark attributes live there."
"You could visit", Dharc insisted, "You don't see only spellcasters here do you? Though I will admit that the tourism isn't the best around."
Casting a sideways glance to Aussa who was reading a book and absently stuffing food into her mouth, he said, "The library's amazing."
As expected, the girl's head popped up.
"Well, while you were enjoying your little vacation, we were all hard at work!" Lyna said cheerily, "You wouldn't believe how far I've come with my magic."
"Mistress Doriado has been working us rather hard." Eria added.
"Slave driving more like." Hiita grumbled
"Do you think she'll give us the day off if we all just decide not to show up?" Lyna asked.
Wynn shook her head as Dharc took care of the verbal part of the protest, "She'll kill us, every last one of us. She'll cast Fuh-Rin-Kah-Zan on us and use our magic to do it."
"But we'll still be alive." Lyna said brightly, "You don't need dark or light magic to cast Fuh-Rin-Kah-Zan."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Lyna." Aussa said from behind her book which she had now propped up agaisnt the napkin holder, "It's just an intensive course, once we all get some consistency with our Spiritual Arts we'll go back to normal training."
"You say that but some of us don't like sitting around with our heads shoved into fifty textbooks." Hiita shot back though most of her attention was now focused on the food.
"I bet my Spiritual Art is more powerful than yours!" Lyna shouted to Hiita.
"You want to test that out?" Hiita asked, a big grin on her face, "How about tommorow?"
"Please, you can't do it in the city." Wynn said quietly, "Last time you nearly destroyed the neighbor's lawn."
"Oh alright, we won't do it." Hiita waved her hand, "It's just a little competition Wynn, if Doriado is going to shove our faces into the grind stone then we should at least be allowed to use it."
Dharc set his food aside, his appetite was gone. He was also beginning to feel anxious, if they were practicing their Spiritual Arts then he might be forced to show his Dark Art. Then he would be up to his knees in trouble.
He opted not to speak anymore until dinner was over and the dishes washed.
"Alrighty!" Lyna stretched her arms, "Off to beddy byes, another day of hard core training tommorow!"
AN: And that's chapter two.
For this particular story I would imagine the charmers older than how their portrayed in their original Chamer cards. I don't think even Yugioh monsters would let, what, ten year olds just wander around different worlds?
I'd think of them more in their mid to late teens, with "Chamer" just as a title.