Chapter 3

There was an eerie silence as Andral climbed the steps with Firespit. The battle seemed to be over. For a brief moment, Andral wondered who won before he admonished himself. Of course the Shapers won! How could it be otherwise? And yet, as he entered the ground level of Greenwood academy he was greeted by signs of intense battle. Scorch marks, blood stains and broken masonry littered the walls. Daylight filtered through broken windows and cracks on the ceiling.

Determined to find what happened and the status of the school, Andral decided to visit Mind Hroll, the servant mind administrator of the school. Servant minds were one of the most complicated and useful of the Shapers' creations. They were thinking creatures, bright enough to actually run a town or a school. They were the size of a large watermelon, most of their body taken up by their brains. They had small, atrophied tentacles instead of front and hind legs, a pair of eyes to see and a small lipless mouth to speak and feed. Creations were rarely created with that sort of intelligence. When they were, they were limited in other ways to make them harmless. For example, servant minds couldn't move. They spent their entire lives in stone trays, thinking, talking, and being fed protein goo.

On the way to the Mind Hroll, the novice Shaper and Firespit encountered a few rogue worms they easily defeated. They also found the signs of heavy battle but few corpses considering the number of blood stains. It was apparent the attackers and the defenders made an effort to gather their losses quickly out of the corridors, perhaps to avoid having them eaten by rogues. Entering the reception of the office belonging to Mind Hroll, Andral found the door predictably locked. He knew that there was a lever hidden behind a desk. Using the living tool on the locked lever, he managed to unlock the safety mechanism and pull it, opening the door.

Fortunately, Mind Hroll survived the attack, no doubt because it was defended by two turrets; tough plant-like creations able to shoot poisoned thorns at enemies. Mind Hroll recognized Andral instantly. "Hello, Novice. I see you have survived. This is a terrible time. How may I serve you?" he said with its shrill voice in the court tone befitting a creation addressing a Shaper.

The young Shaper assumed the authoritative tone that Shapers used when addressing creations.

"What can you tell me about the attack?" he asked.

"I do not know many of the details, mighty Shaper. I only know what I have been told by the serviles and guards in my command. It was a deadly attack. What is known is that it was creations that attacked us. It is true! The creations of the Shapers, who owe their very existence to the goodness of your kind, dared to strike at you!" The servant mind replied.

The information was mind-numbing for Andral. Creations attacking Shapers? Not just a couple of rogues but in such a way as to deal heavy damage to a Shaper defended academy? That was impossible. Mind Hroll probably misunderstood what he has been told by the serviles. The simple creatures were created to be very afraid of rogues to ensure their loyalty and they probably mistook the few rogues that broke away during the attack for the main force. That was the only logical explanation.

Mind Hroll continued his report. "The Shapers won of course. Most attackers were slain. A few fled. But great damage was done. Some Shapers are dead, for which I mourn deeply."

Andral bit his lip. The previous day he would have considered such a thing impossible; anyone suggesting otherwise would have faced disciplinary measures by the teachers that would have left him or her sore for a week.

"Are you sure, Mind? Who were killed?" He asked.

"The woe! All of the teachers! All except Master Hoge, who lives. That is what my serviles report to me..." Mind Hroll replied. Angral was left breathless. He didn't pay attention to the list of casualties of apprentices, novices and outsiders like guards (people not belonging to the order). The teachers were dead! Full, trained Shapers were dead. He felt lightheaded and reached to brace himself on a wall. Sensing his fear and confusion, Firespit left a low hiss looking for danger.
Was it possible that the teachers were dead? At the claws of creations never the less? Andral looked at his own creation, Firespit. Given form and life by him less than an hour ago and completely under his control. He could order Firespit to fall in a chasm and she would do it. It was not allowed to mistreat creations that way, but it was possible; that was the power of a Shaper on creations.

"Shaper Andral? Are you all right?" Mind Hroll inquired. Andral admonished himself silently. He was becoming as weak-spined as Therese.

"Of course I am all right!" He snapped to the Servant mind. "What else can you report?"

"I am trying to reorganize the serviles, so that they can be put to work. They are stupid and confused creatures, and they are terrified. So it is difficult. Matters are complicated by the scattered rogues that still roam the halls. I would be careful, Shaper."

Andral frowned. A creation was now telling him to show caution. Was it because of his lapse of self-control when he learned the terrible news? Was it because Mind Hroll survived an attack that Shapers didn't? Was it just his own frayed nerves making more out of a simple advice? Andral decided to let this slide for the time.

"Tell me about the rogues" he said to the servant mind

"The survivors are all minor creatures. I am sure you can dispatch them with a wave of your hand, mighty Shaper. However, the exit from the school is guarded by something powerful. Of that I am confident. Alas, I cannot tell you more, as anything I have sent to investigate further has not returned." The mind replied.

After a small pause, it added. "My advice to you, given humbly, mighty Shaper, is that you should contact the outside world. Tell them what is happening here, and please tell them that we need help. I fear this attack is not isolated. If you speak with the commander of Fort Kentia, could you relay to me what he says?" Fort Kentia was the nearest settlement, on the other side of the island. A journey there would take a couple of days in normal circumstances.

"I'll see what I can do. First I'll try and find Master Hoge and see what is blocking the door; if it was enemies, then Master Hoge would have dispatched them." he replied.

"Good luck Shaper Andral" Mind Hroll said. "You may take everything you need from the school for your journey, including any crystals or pods from the store rooms"

Andral nodded and left the room. It would be uncivilized to thank a creation even if he was thankful for the advice and the information so he didn't feel the need to.

Leaving Mind Hroll and closing the door again, Andral headed towards the store rooms passing through the scorched and damaged corridors, reeking from smoke and ozone from the discharges of magical energy. He dispatched a couple more rogues, including an imperfect fyora that probably escaped from the shaping caves. Firespit got severly injured in the fight with the other Fyora, but Andral had no problem maintaining control and healed her after the battle.

Inside the store rooms, he found some enchanted crystals he could use to attack and a few pods. One of them was an essence pod; containing essence that a Shaper or any other mage could use to replenish the essence stored in their bodies that was required to do magic. He found a couple more living tools, bandages and a baton; a common ranged weapon that was comprised by a creation that was held inside a foot-long metal tube and was trained to shoot thorns similar to a turret once the trigger was pressed. The baton was already filled with thorns. Batons were originally made by shapers, but now their breeding, training and handling was usually done by outsiders like it was with living tools. Guardians and outsider warriors were often trained extensively in the use batons. Although Andral wasn't really trained in their use, he still got the baton thinking that someone may need it.

His stomach growled and reminded him he didn't have any breakfast. Firespit and Andral headed toward the kitchens. Reaching the doors, Andral commanded the serviles hiding inside to unlock them and stepped inside with the Fyora. Predictably the miserable creatures, a little shorter and stockier than humans with long protruding noses and small eyes, were in the verge of panic. Without a Shaper to direct them, they were huddled in corners or wandering around confused. One of them respectfully approached Andral and said in a meek voice, "Shaper? What I do? I scared!" using the imperfect language of the serviles.

"Bring me something to eat and keep hiding here." Andral directed him.

Given a task to do by a shaper, sent a wave of reassurance through all the serviles and they scrambled to grab ornk milk, cheese, bread, cookies and fruit for him while clearing a table to set the food upon. Within a minute Andral found himself surrounded with more food that he could eat in a week. As he started eating, a servile tentatively approached him asking "Shaper? What happen? Where I go?". Looking at her calmly Andral finished his bite and adressed all of them. "There was a problem with the school that we Shapers will solve. Remain here and after I leave, lock the door again. After an hour or two, one of you should hurry to Mind Hroll for directions. In the mean time, sweep the floor of the kitchen and tidy it up" The serviles nodded, visibly calmer now that they had instructions from a Shaper and a task they could understand and have performed many times.

As he continued his meal, feeding a piece of smoked ornk meat to Firespit, Andral noticed a lone servile in the back of the kitchen that was not trying to find a dustpan or broom. Andral thought for a moment that the servile was looking at him directly, but dispelled the notion as his own idea; serviles didn't look at Shapers directly unless spoken to. After a few more bites, Andral stood and headed towards the servile, assuming she was still frozen with fear and confusion.

"It will be OK" he told her soothingly. "What is your name?"

"Hanna" she said simply. No confusion or fear in her voice. Odd. She didn't seem to be scared or waiting orders or reassurance from him.

"You seem strange, Hanna. Are you feeling all right?" Andral asked the peculiar servile.

"I am feeling quite well, Shaper. Thank you for asking." Hanna said in a clear, well-articulated way of speaking. She didn't use the imperfect talk of the serviles; another oddity. She may be one of the few serviles that serve as assistants to scribes or clerks but how would such a servile find her way into the kitchen?

"What are you doing here?" Andral said, still in a soothing voice, expecting to hear how Hanna ended up hiding in the kitchens instead of hiding with Mind Hroll.

"I am waiting, Shaper. I am waiting for the school to be clear of rogues. Then, I will leave this place, and I will not come back."

Andral was surprised by the answer. "Where will you go?" he asked.

"I will not tell you. Perhaps you will find out." was her jaw-dropping reply. Andral was stunned! He was not sure he heard correctly. A servile refusing to respond to a Shaper's direct question was completely outside his experience.

Hanna, after she allowed a moment for the shock of her rebuttal to pass added "But I'll share with you this. I will seek others of my kind like me. Others who are not weak and obedient, like these." Hanna waved at the other serviles that were sweeping the floors and clearing tables and cabinets. "You probably have not been told that there are independent serviles. Your masters worked hard to keep it a secret. But there are."

Andral was shocked. He noticed Hanna was looking at him directly. Sensing his unease, Firespit tensed. He sent the Fyora a mental command directing her to come stand next to him, not sure why. After all, a servile, even an insane one, would never harm a Shaper.

"What... Why have you not left yet?" Andral asked, lost for words.

" Partly because it did not seem safe. And partly because I wanted to speak with you. I was told I should speak with you. Do not ask me by whom. You have shown yourself to have the makings of a leader among your classmates, someone that could question what he has been taught. I wanted you to know that there are serviles like me, beings who can think and want to be free. I have taken a great risk staying here, because I wanted you to have time to absorb that information." Hanna said to the shocked novice.

It was now in the open, Hanna was a traitor. She seemed ready to defend herself but waited for his reply, and for a moment Andral considered killing her.

Trying to make sense of all this, Andral said " Your kind was created by us! You owe us more obedience than this!"

"Your people created me, and you gave me the ability to desire freedom. That desire will not fade. You are young. Perhaps your mind is not totally closed." she replied to him looking disappointed. The feeling of a servile being disappointed by a Shaper, even a novice Shaper, was surreal.

"I could kill you for what you have done. I should kill you for what you have done" Andral said to the servile.

Hanna tensed. "And I am sure you could manage. It's a risk I have accepted when I agreed to seek you out. But here we are. Are you going to kill me, Shaper?" Hanna looked at him defiantly.

Andral pursed his lips. He considered attacking Hanna. After all she was a traitor that led to the death of his classmates and teachers. But could a servile, even a mad, apparently somewhat smart one, really do harm to a Shaper academy? Andral just turned and left the kitchen without a word.

Chapter 4

Moving around the corridors, looking for wounded survivors and clearing rogues in order to make things easier for Mind Hroll and the serviles Andral reached a classroom. Inside, he found the Agent novice Therese. She was resting and trying to calm her nerves. She didn't seem to have tried to fight any of the remaining rogues. She smiled at him weakly.

" I see you still live" she said to him. "I have been waiting here, hoping that reinforcements will come soon. The corridors of the school are not yet safe." To lurk in the classroom, scared of a few minor creations, was very dishonorable behavior for a Shaper. Andral didn't think Therese would have a good future in the order.

"Do you want to come with me and clear out the school? Mind Hroll says there is something blocking the exit, and I may need your help."

Therese hesitated. "Perhaps later. For now, I need to rest."

"Have you found any supplies we could share?" Andral asked.

"Sure, I managed to sneak in some rooms and find some pods" Therese replied and gave him a few pods and even a small sack of spores. Stealth is important for an Agent and Andral was glad not all lessons have been wasted on the other novice.

"Thank you. I'll be going then." Andral told the petite agent and turned to leave taking Firespit with him.

Therese smiled, either oblivious of the contempt he felt for her or too ashamed to show she understood.

Leaving the Agent novice behind, Andral continued on as before. It didn't take him long to reach the training halls where Guardian apprentices trained in arms with their instructor. As he entered the training halls, he was surprised to see another novice that survived.

Alwan, a young, tall, stout man about to finish his time in the academy and fully join the Guardian sect was standing over the remains of a worm, wiping his sword on a piece of cloth. A couple more skewered worms were beside him. His chain mail and combat skills seemed to have protected him from harm. Andral had spoken with him only a few times in the past. Alwan was a completely dedicated Shaper, completely loyal to the order and focused on his studies. Now, however, he seemed shaken and a little lost even though his combat aptitude didn't seem to have suffered, as evident by the killed rogues in the room.

Alwan's eyes met with Andral and he walked over to him. "Another survivor of this outrageous attack. Good. I am... I... I don't know what to do" the Guardian said to Andral. "I know the feeling" Andral said sympathetically to the other novice. "Do you know what happened?" he asked.

Alwan shrugged "I was here, practicing with my blades. Then the explosions started. I heard screams and fighting from the entrance, and then huge explosions. And the ceiling started caving in. The other Novices and I were going to go help, but our teachers stopped us." he replied. Then, with his eyes lowered he added in a slow, subdued voice "They ran to fight in our place." It was clear that for Alwan to stay back while others did the fighting for him was deeply troubling.

"They are all..." He shakes his head. "Master Hoge is the only one that survived the attack I think.", Alwan continued. "I... despite the orders I snuck up and saw a little of the battle. It was rogues. Rogue creations. I saw battle alphas, and a glaahk, and one sort I didn't recognize. A big lizard that was breathing fire." Alwan took a deep breath. "It doesn't make sense! An attack of rogues, organized! As if a Shaper was attacking us! But that doesn't seem possible." He said exasperated. "At least most of the attackers have been killed. The heaviest fighting was near the faculty office. "

Alwan was rubbing his hands uncomfortably as he talked. His world was shaken and for a man of action like him, sitting around waiting with little to do was torture. The contrast with Therese could not be more apparent. Andral could understand the Guardians' feelings even though he wasn't particularly fond of the man.

"What do you want to do now?" Andral asked.

"I want revenge!" Alwan said suddenly animated, with fire in his eyes. "The creations that attacked us must be destroyed. Those who created them must be destroyed. Those who aided or sheltered them must be destroyed. That is our law, that those who owe their existences to us must submit. It is that law I am ready to go carry out."

Andral hesitated for a moment. Alwan was a skilled warrior but his fanaticism troubled Andral a bit. However, there were rogues around. And while Andral has apparently been used as an example to Agents of someone clear-headed and with leadership potential, Alwan was used as an example of a hardworking, loyal Shaper Guardian, ready to die for their laws. Andral knew that Alwan will fight for the Shapers no matter the odds. He was someone that he could depend on.

"I have been informed by Mind Hroll that something is blocking the door, something powerful. Also, the Servant mind has asked me to travel to Fort Kentia. Would you like to come with me? We will be acting in the service of the Shapers, bringing them word of what happened in here and clearing any rogues that may have escaped the Shaping Caves bellow" Andral said.

Alwan pondered it for a bit. "Gladly. I will help you with your quest, to track down those who would dare harm the Shapers and make them pay! But before we embark in this quest for justice we should inform Master Hoge, the only surviving teacher and get his permission."

Andral nodded in agreement. "If I may ask, how far have you advanced in your studies?" he asked diplomatically the young Guardian as he turned his head and nodded towards Firespit.

Alwan lifted an eyebrow. "As a novice Guardian, my knowledge of shaping has so far been limited to dabbling in the healing arts. My knowledge of other forms of magic is even more limited, to a few minor spells to take care of my gear. I am the best in my class in melee combat" he said simply. Andral didn't doubt the last part; Alwan was not the type to give empty boasts.

"I am trained in the shaping of a couple of basic creations like this Fyora and, theoretically, Thands. From the healing aspect of shaping, I know a couple of spells able to deal with wounds, acid, poison and the like. From the other forms of magic, I can shoot fire bolts and I know a couple of simple battle blessings. I have obtained permission to learn more but I have focused on Shaping so far." Andral said.

"Good. Let's find Master Hoge" the Guardian replied.

The small group headed towards the faculty offices. Approaching, they could smell the acrid aroma of ozone and could feel the released essence nearby. The offices were left shattered ruins. Broken walls, smashed floor tiles, pieces of collapsed ceiling and burned wood were giving a testimony of the heroic last stand of the teachers. Amid the hair-raising feel of released essence and magic power and the haze of the smoke slowly drifting out from the cracks of the walls and ceiling, the students could see the broken bodies of three of their teachers and of a few outsider soldiers. A few corpses of creations were scattered near them; 8 ft tall ape-like battle Alphas covered with red-brown fur, 5' long scorpion-like clawbugs and the green plated Glaahks; 6' long insectoids standing 4' tall on two cricket-like legs and attacking with their stinger tail. Most of the corpses were already looted and it seemed many of the dead have been retrieved as the attackers retreated; or have been already eaten by rogues.

While both Alwan and Andral have heard and realized that their teachers were dead, seeing their corpses was a shock; the time where the abstract realization and fear took form. Alwan was shaking with rage at this insult to the Shapers. Andral, Firespit standing next to him was wondering for the first time whether this was the only place that the order has been attacked. Something inside Andral died at the sight of his teachers. The unshakable trust he had on the Shaper power, that their control of Terrestia was unquestionable, started to crack. Such doubt was dangerous for a Novice and could lead to his expulsion. So he decided to keep those thoughts for himself and not mention anything to Alwan.

"Come, there's nothing for us here to do" Andral said to the Guardian. Alwan for a moment didn't budge. Then slowly, reverently, moved to the dead Guardian trainer that was lying dead nearest to them, and respectfully closed his eyes. Without word, he moved to all other teachers and did the same. "I envy you" he whispered to the corpse of the Guardian trainer. "Dying for the Order while defeating its enemies is the fate every one of us aspires to." Alwan said to his professor. He kneeled and straightened the mangled body, leaving his shield on top of his chest. He looked like he was sleeping now. Andral quickly wiped a tear before Alwan turned to face him. Shapers always show control, even in front of other Shapers.

Silently, they left the destroyed faculty behind them as they went to look for Master Hoge. And yet, something gnawed in the mind of the novice Shaper. From what he had seen in the faculty, he couldn't be sure that Master Hoge defended the school in this fight.