Alright time for chapter three. Not much action or anything, but it is a needed chapter. Hope you enjoy either way. As always, thanks for giving the story a read.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, elements, or borrowed plot ideas from any source I acquire them from, specifically KingsIsle. I merely own any original characters I create.
"Blah" = talking
"Blah" = thoughts, writing, sound effects, or flashbacks
"BLAH"= Yelling
(Blah)= scene change
Tick…tick…tick…
Victoria Flaresong stared aimlessly at the ahead of her, just above the rough wooden door that led out into a hallway of the Ravenwood campus hospital. She didn't move and she didn't blink. Occasionally she would draw in a deep breath, but otherwise her eyes remained solely transfixed on that singular, magical clock and the rhythmic movement of its hands.
It was for some time that she had remained like this, Cyrus noted, though he had done nothing to question her admittedly odd behavior. Not even Tala, who sat next to her on the ornate, Marleybonian sofa, had uttered a word as the presiding physicians and nurses wheeled Ty into the emergency room for treatment. The Professor had assured them his wound was shallow at worst, though his proclamation obviously did nothing to quell the children's fears, no matter their efforts to hide them.
And so they sat as seconds lengthened into minutes and minutes into an hour, silence prevailing throughout their private, white washed waiting room. The man noted, however, that their quiet demeanor bore no awkward connotations. Rather, a strange, all consuming unease for the confirmed safety of their friend kept their thoughts preoccupied and their mouths without much to utter. Cyrus, one to enjoy a quiet moment in his normally hectic schedule, found their concern somewhat admirable, though like them he opted to keep his thoughts unspoken. He would, of course, never let them know that. He had appearances to keep up, after all.
It was but a few minutes later, when the professor had admittedly had all he could muster, that the presiding physician entered the room, standing within the door frame and propping the door open with his outstretched hand. The pale skinned, black haired man immediately drew the two students' attention, who otherwise hadn't moved for anyone or anything.
They're breath seemingly caught in their throat at his appearance, and the elder Myth wizard drew first words. "What is your analysis, doctor?"
"He made it through without a problem." Almost instantly, the two teenager's faces morphed from their stricken forms, and both breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The doctor gained a warm smile of his own as he continued. "Like you said, Cyrus, the penetration was shallow. We closed up the wound rather easily, but two to three days of limited activity should prevent any complications."
"Good. That's good to hear. What of the other child?"
"Nothing of note to worry about." The man crossed his arms, letting the door ease gently back until it came to rest on his shoulder. "In fact, none of the injuries he possesses seemed to have been acquired today."
All three gained incredulous looks at his reply. Tala couldn't leave his question unanswered. "Injuries? What injuries? He looked fine when we first saw him, and he hasn't been in any dangerous situations other than this last one."
"Really?" One of his hands rose to rub the stubble on his chin. "Well I don't have much to say, just what Professor Wu told me to pass on. She'll be able to explain more thoroughly."
"May we go see them?" Victoria's voice was still hushed, but the relief was evident. The physician propped the door even wider and stepped to the side.
"Be my guest."
EXSEED
Third Pip: Fate
At his response, the blonde turned to Tala and with a nod of approval both stood from their seats and passed through the door. Cyrus followed shortly after, and with that the four stepped out into the similarly-hued hallway. On their journey down the brightly lit corridors, the two novice spellcasters couldn't help but take in the sights around them. Nurses armed with clipboards and quill pens walked with purpose past them, not even bothering to look up or voice an apology whenever they accidentally bumped shoulders. The sparse doctor population they came across appeared to be wrapped up with some sort of busywork. Most if not all the medical personnel had some form of bags under their eyes, including the man that had come to retrieve them in the waiting room.
The group soon reached their intended room, and it was as the doctor placed a hand on the knob that the worrisome thoughts reentered Victoria's mind. True, the wound was pronounced superficial, though the mere fact of being stabbed was enough to truly shake someone, at least in her line of reason.
Her fears were instantly quelled as they entered and her expression took on a deadpanned appearance, if not annoyed.
"So there I was, on the ground in a pool of my own blood." The nurse continued her checkup while the boy gave his debatably exaggerated account, placing a stethoscope to his cloth-wrapped chest. From what Victoria could see, she was obviously feigning interest in his story, and the girl sniggered inwardly at his lack of notice. "As I'm lying there, I start charging pips without him noticing then as soon as he gets distracted, I…"
"Good to see you're healthy." The Diviner paused as he picked up the girl's less-than-excited voice, and he gave her a sheepish grin as he rotated towards her.
"Eh you know me. One little stab isn't enough to take me down." Even the blonde couldn't help but smile at his response, a warm feeling of relief washing over her.
The remainder of the party filed into the room just as the nurse completed her assessment, and with a few simple instructions for her charge, she departed. Victoria sat on the edge of his bed to the left of his covered feet, while Tala and Cyrus took positions leaning against the room's north wall. The doctor stopped to the side of the mattress after picking up the clipboard the nurse had left at the bed's foot.
He stifled out a yawn, skimming over the various numbers inscribed upon it. "Alright, Mr. Stormwhisper, seems that you check out just fine. You've had your blood transfusion, right?" He silently nodded, and the man smiled. "Then it looks like you're free to go. Just make sure to take it easy for the next few days."
"I'll make sure to tell Professor Balestrom that. I could use a vaca…tion…" The storm wizard trailed off and his sarcastic edge slowly subsided as his eyes wandered to the imposing form of Cyrus Drake. His eyes widened, and he gulped nervously, his voice taking on a stuttering quality as he mentally cursed himself for forgetting the man's presence. "I m-mean…I…."
"A vacation, you say?" The Myth professor's tone was livid, all could feel it, though you couldn't tell just by the sound of his speech. "Well then, Mr. Stormwhisper. I'll make sure to let Professor Balestrom know that he should prepare a suitable amount of written assignments for you in your absence." A few muffled giggles and chuckles escaped from Victoria and Tala's mouths, respectively, causing the yellow clad man to direct a sinister eye in their general direction. "Is something funny, Ms. Flaresong and Mr. Mythhammer?" Both teens shook their heads in fright. "I thought not. Need I remind you the level of trouble all of you are in. That will be all, doctor, and thank you." The physician returned with a nod, then walked towards the door, sniggering himself.
As the soft click of the closing door rung through the room, the three students cast glances at one another. Finally, Tala spoke. "So…how much trouble are we in, exactly?"
"Illegally infiltrating a secured area of the school is a grave crime. I would imagine expulsion at the very least."
"Now, Cyrus. Let us not make such rash decisions."
Before the three children even garnered time to form a protest, the room door cracked open once more as a calm, somewhat weathered voice intervened in the conversation. Robes of deep purple, emblazoned with yellow sun, moon, and star patterns and lined with stitches of crimson and gold, covered the body of the moth-eaten old man. His snow white beard came down to the lower end of his ribs, and a wiry hand kept hold of a gnarled wooden staff topped with a crystalline orb. A glass monocle rested on his right eye, shielding one of the two cerulean orbs that rested in his sockets. The elderly man, despite the suggested age of his appearance, held no stagger or unease in his steps. Rather, he walked with the poise and vitality that one of the children themselves could muster. A strange sight, one that seemed to betray conventional logic, though the evidence was never less there before them.
Headmaster of Ravenwood School of Magical Arts: Merle Ambrose
He turned his gaze upon the trio of students, and a smile formed underneath the hairs of his thick mustache and beard. Then, he motioned for them to remain in their places as they each rose or moved to greet him. "At ease, young ones. All of you have had quite the eventful past two days, after all."
"Headmaster Ambrose." Victoria was the first of the three to speak, bowing her head humbly. "I'd like to apologize for all of this. We didn't mean to cause so much trouble."
"What has already transpired cannot be reversed. No ill will is barren towards any of you." The old wizard replied evenly. All grew visibly relieved at his words, though nobody noticed the small huff that emanated from Cyrus. "For now, I would have you relay to me the events that transpired yesterday."
At his request and without protest, the triad began to explain everything. Their tale began with Cyrus's mythology paper, of which the professor scoffed at having even had a hand in encouraging the incident. They told them of the strange, hooded boy that had revealed the location of the secure area and their entrance into the chamber itself, each filling in details that the others would leave off. Next, they recalled with detail the attack of the chamber guardian, their brush with imminent demise at his hands, and how the emergence of the boy from the crystalline seed had saved them, an experience none were sure to soon forget. Last was Ty's skirmish with their mysterious assailant, which Victoria was sure he would exaggerate beyond need. Even now, she never seemed to be wrong when it concerned the boy's personality.
When they finished, each settled down, and a silence space filled the room as Ambrose regarded their tale. Victoria decided to add on a few moments later. "If we had known of all this before, Headmaster, we never would have gone in the first place."
Ty and Tala casted quick, simultaneous glances at each other.
"No, I still would have gone anyway."
"Me too."
Without even looking back at him, Victoria grabbed Ty's feet and ruthlessly bent his toes backwards, eliciting a grunt of pain.
"Settle down, young ones." Ambrose gently chided, chuckling at their antics. "Your description seems to correlate with what we've found, but your story brings an additional set of problems." All three donned confused looks, which impelled him to continue. "Firstly, I would do better to explain a few things. As the legend states, one thousand years ago Bartleby planted a crystal seed no larger than a coin, and over time that seed had grown into what you saw last night. The three of you are most likely aware by now, but that boy you released from the chamber's crystal is indeed the Exseed of lore."
"The Grandfather Tree never explicitly stated what was inside the seed." Cyrus picked up where his superior left off. "To think that it would be a mere human; with the body of a twelve year old, no less."
"He was not intended to be twelve, I assure you Cyrus." The Professor raised an eyebrow at Ambrose, who in turn gazed in the student's direction. "Your bout with the Chamber Guardian had some unfortunate implications. You see, the Exseed was fashioned in the same manner as any other seed. The treant's claw must have torn through the nutrients section, and that in turn shunted the embryo's growth. As a built in defense mechanism, the seed ejected the embryo and broke apart, leaving behind the boy you have become familiar with."
"So he wasn't meant to come out yet?" Tala queried after a momentary silence.
"No, he wasn't." The old man raked his free hand down his beard. "He still had quite a few more years of growing left, though fortunately his most vital functions were already installed in the past." The three young wizards were a little more calmed after knowing that the extent of their unintentional meddling hadn't reached too far.
Ty leaned forward slowly, alternating his gaze between Ambrose and Cyrus. "Now that that's out of the way, I'd like some information on my attacker. Do you know anything about this?"
"Only pieces." Cyrus answered. "Naturally, the Exseed's primary purpose is to unify the Spiral. Of course, there are people who don't agree with this course of action. I suppose your assailant was of this category."
"We had already been expecting attacks in the future." The Headmaster admitted with a grimace. "Though it is troubling for one to happen within only half a day of his release." He turned to Ty, that same grave look still evident. "Only students are allowed on campus for any extended period of time. It is harrowing to think, but my hunch is that the man who led you to the Exseed and attempted to kill you may very well be a tenant of this school. As such, it is imperative that the Exseed not take up residence here."
"We will have to assign the best students to guard the Exseed at all times. I'll also increase guard patrols around the city as …" Cyrus began, though he was quickly cut off by Ambrose.
"No, that will not do. The wizard who attacked Ty was quite powerful, and we are unaware of his identity. Furthermore, we have no evidence that he was the only assassin sent. There could very well be other agents amongst the higher echelon of students. I'm not about to take chances with this."
"Increasing guard patrols around the Exseed's location would only tip off this mysterious group as well." Tala speculated calmly. Cyrus leveled a displeased look at him.
"Then what do you suggest we do, Mr. Mythhammer?" For this, the dark haired boy had no answer, and his gaze slowly wandered to the floor. A silence ensued, and at length Victoria, steeling herself, rose from her seat on the bed and looked Ambrose straight in the eyes.
"I'll….We'll take care of him."
"Preposterous." The Myth Professor scoffed. "The only one of you who's had the training to even cast a proper spell is Mr. Stormwhisper, and rudimentary spells at best. The people after the Exseed wouldn't send pushovers. They are definitely all high class spellcasters."
"Then I'll get stronger!" She blasted back, complete throwing him and the others off guard. "I'll take extra classes. I'll train every day if I have to." Her voice lowered into a whisper, but her words still bore the same emotional intensity. "We broke into the secret chamber. We hid the Exseed without telling anyone. Whether we want to admit it or not, most of this was our own fault. I'm not sure about them, but I'm willing to take responsibility for this. I'll make it right somehow."
Another silence ensued after that, and soon after Tala's voice grabbed everyone's attention. "I'm with Victoria on this one. It became our job the moment the Exseed was freed."
"I don't know about all of that." Ty smirked, cracking his knuckles. "But if there's one thing, I definitely want to lay a punch right in the face of that hooded guy. Count me in as well."
At length, with both Ambrose and Cyrus's faces stunned, the former's lips soon curved upward into a pleasant grin. "Alright then."
"Headmaster, you can't be serious!"
"Relax, Cyrus." He shifted his attention to Victoria. "I hope you…I hope all of you understand the gravity of this situation." The three, after some time, firmly nodded. "Very well. The Exseed is in your care for now." He turned around with a flourish, the ends of his robes swaying in the process, then motioned for Cyrus to follow him before making towards the door. "We will provide what we can for you. Report to my office first thing tomorrow morning. For now, you may rest, but remember this. The enemy knows his face, and yours." His last words as he fully exited caused looks of worry to appear across their faces. "The storm will come soon enough."
A period of quiet emerged in the wake of the powerful wizards' exit. Each only cast glances around the room and towards each other, not quite sure of what to do next. Eventually, Ty removed the blanket that covered his legs, shifted his legs, and stood, his warm soles contacting with the cool hardwood floor.
"Alright enough sulking, you two. Let's go see that kid and go home."
Victoria and Tala gave weak smiles, and with that the trio also filed out of the room, albeit a bit slower due to Ty's recovering body. It was a short walk, only two rooms down and easily found due to the wide open door and the boisterous voice of its female occupant radiating from within. Before entering, the students peeked in, spying two figures.
The first could only be described as a cow, though not in a derogatory sense. She was literally anthromorphic bovine, outfitted in the greenest of silk kimonos overtop a brown tunic. Her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow, and black hair was neatly tied up into bun. She seemed the only medical personnel the children had seen that didn't look as though she was about to pass out from exhaustion.
Head Professor of Life Magic and President of the Wizard City Medical Corps: Moolinda Wu
After initial confusion, Victoria recognized her, moving into the room without further hesitation. The female cow, upon hearing her footsteps, turned to her and elicited a warm smile. "Ah you must be the three students. Don't mind me; I was just finishing up here. Please, come in."
Tala and Ty soon followed in the female companion's footsteps, their eyes wandering to the bed bound, black haired form of the mystery boy now better known to them as the Exseed. Bandages wrapped around his neck from the top of his Adam's apple down to just above his collarbones, though other than that he did not seem to have any more visible injuries.
"Your friend here is just fine." The professor continued. "For some reason, his vocal cords were not completely formed, but a quick surgery was able to amend that problem. He should be able to speak just fine from now on." The trio nodded happily, and with that the bipedal bovine stood to her feet and made her way towards the exit, humming an upbeat tune under her breath.
A pregnant silence bared its head in her absence, the shuffling and speech of the staff outside the door filling in as white noise. The Exseed boy kept his head down as much as his recovering neck would allow, and his fingers gripped firmly on the white sheets covering his lower half. Neither of the two groups, the boy or his rescuers, dared to look at each other for the space of at least dozen seconds. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Victoria, the boy spoke.
"I'm….I'm sorry. I've caused you all a great deal of trouble." It was the first time any of them had heard him speak before, and it was unfortunate that his words had to be so full of regret. Ty touched on this verbally.
"Oh come on now. We finally get to hear you talk, and that's the first thing you say?"
"But…but Lord Ty! I…"
"Whoa…." Victoria's head snapped around to the Diviner, and she leveled an accusing eyebrow at him, Tala mirroring her action to the letter. Both spoke at the same time. "Lord Ty?"
"Why do you instantly assume that I came up with that? Maybe he just recognized my greatness." Flaresong and Mythhammer turned back around slowly, not even gracing his words with an answer, though the female did elicit an exasperated sigh. The storm wizard picked up where he left off. "Listen, kid. Don't feel like you owe us something. If it weren't for you distracting that guy, I wouldn't even be here right now."
"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have come for you at all." The boy shot back with a slightly raised voice.
"You're wrong." Everyone's attention turned to Tala as he interjected calmly. "From the moment that guy left the map to your chamber with us, he was definitely intending on killing us off later. That much is clear. We were already apart of this before you even came out." The boy opened his mouth to protest, but found he couldn't argue with the student's logic.
"Do you remember anything?" Victoria queried.
"Nothing of my own memories before this morning. Only what Headmaster Ambrose explained to me half an hour ago, and that wasn't much." He leaned back into his pillow and released a dejected sigh, rubbing his temples with his index fingers. "This…It's all just a lot to take in at one time."
"You won't have to take it by yourself, though." The blonde girl reassured with a smile as the boy raised his head. All three students gathered around his bed. "We'll help you get through it. We're all in this together now."
"Of course, if we're going to be comrades, we'll have to know your name first." Ty added lightheartedly.
The boy's emerald eyes wandered to the foot of his bed for a moment before coming back up to stare into the Diviner's own. His lips formed into a shy smile, and his voice was just above a whisper. "Fate. Ambrose said it was Fate."
"How appropriate, don't you think." Tala said with a chuckle.
"Well then, Fate." The storm wizard moved around Victoria to stand directly next to him and held out his right arm before him, his hand curled into a solid fist. Fate, catching onto the gesture moments later, copied his action and their knuckles collided with a soft tap. Tala, Ty, and Victoria all smirked concurrently. "Welcome to Ravenwood."
(Author's Notes)
Okay, chapter three down. If anyone is curious, this is going to be a long story. Scores upon scores of chapters probably. That said, I hope you'll enjoy it.
Again, I didn't want to plot dump tons of information on you, so some minor questions will be answered in future chapters. I also plan to introduce some elements not present in the game. Hopefully I present them in a believable way.
Until next time!