Ch 70 MIrAE

"The Conservatory of Sorcery was a repository of all magical knowledge that survived the fall of Atlantis. Understandably when Atlantis fell, people were more concerned with survival than anything else and many different approaches were taken. It was a dark beginning for the wonder we have achieved now."

Kaldur's explanation continued as the group walked out into what appeared to be a small colosseum. "This is where many classes take place, the large room is for accidents when spells go wrong. Though you should spend so much time studying in the classroom that nothing of the sort happens, we have to accept that the first time a person works a spell, it can go very wrong."

"I'll say, that time you first tried the shock spell the whole class had to be tended for burns." A deep voice said.

Kaldur smiled and gestured to the person who spoke, "Ha, ha, fair enough." Looking at Logan and M'gann. "This tiny guy with a large mouth is La'gaan, also called Lagoon Boy."

They looked to see a crowd of about 5 figures.

Beginning the introductions Kaldur said, "These are some of my former classmates. Ronal (looked human), Blubber (Looked like a small whale), Lori Lemaris (She looked like a traditional Mermaid), La'gaan, who you already met (Looked like a green boy with oversized hands and feet and bat-like ears along with solid red eyes with no eyelids.), and finally Nanaue Sha'ark (Looks like a shark man mix.)

Nanaua quickly corrected, "That's King Sha'ark Chum. And don't you forget it."

M'gann smiled in wonder, "You're all so different... It's wonderful!"

Kaldur continued, "As I was explaining, Millennia ago, Atlanteans were all surface-dwelling humans until the continent sank. By necessity, our ancestors used science and sorcery to adapt to life beneath the waves. Since then, the populace of each city-state has evolved along its own course. Now Atlantis is a continent of diversity and our capital Poseidonis is the most diverse of all. The Conservatory here draws the best and brightest from throughout Atlantis."

M'gann spoke wistfully, "It's wonderful! My world could learn so much from such an example if only they could see that."

La'gann looked at them and asked, "Are the two of you the normal or typical version of those on the surface?"

Seeing him swim towards the two of them and La'gann having no irises made it hard to tell just where he was looking but Logan would put his man card on La'gann being a boob guy. Logan was hoping to nip this little rebound in the bud, so he moved forward to get between him and M'gann. "Not exactly." He reached for his hand and shook it with a bit of force.

Little did Logan know that M'gann had left from behind him already and was changing her feet into a mermaid's tail, much to the surprise of the local mermaid Lori. "I have always loved mermaids, what do you think?" she asked as she showed off her new appendage.

Lori raised her hand to her chest, "I am flattered?"

"Now you're just showing off sis." I did not catch the head perk La'gann had at my words.

Ronal spoke with an odd edge, "Well, this has been charming... But I should go!

King Sha'ark seemed to take note of the tone as well, "What's the matter CHUM, don't like the numbers skewed in this direction?" He taunted at the retreating figure of Ronal.

La'gann seemed oblivious to the comments from King Sha'ark. "So, what's it really like on the surface?"

"Other than being dryer." Blubber (The wale kid) clarified.

You have no idea what a talking small whale looks like, especially in a neon green shirt. Talk about a mental adjustment. King Sha'ark swam into Logan's personal space and looked down menacingly (LOL), "And tastier, know what I mean Chum?"

Logan smirked at him, "Nope, it definitely looks Tastier down here!"

"KALDUR" the group heard an excited shout from two figures swimming their way.

"M'gann, Logan. These are my dearest friends, Tula and Garth."

Logan saw Kaldur visibly deflate as he saw the two figures approaching holding each other's hand.

Garth was the first to speak, "You are both welcome to Atlantis."

Tula waved at the surface dwellers, "Yes. Any friend of Kaldur's is a friend of ours."

M'gann spoke in Logan's head, {Do you feel that, Logan?}

{Yes, his longing for Tula radiates off him in waves. As does his guilt for longing for his best friend's girl. It does happen rather often, I am afraid. When feelings develop in a group of friends it usually isn't a pleasant ending. It also explains Kaldur's lack of focus, being Aqualad and leaving Atlantis guarantees he cannot fight for her favor.}

As Kaldur has trouble looking at his closest friends his eyes notice another of their class. "Topo?"

A small blue boy with the head of a squid picked up speed like he wanted to run but Kaldur reached out and caught hold of his hand. "Topo, I want you to meet my surface friends."

Topo tried to pull himself free, "Uh, maybe another time Kaldur." He tried again to swim away but his movement revealed a cut on his chest previously covered by his tentacles. MIrAE is cut crudely into his skin.

Kaldur reacted in shock at seeing this, "Topo! Who is responsible for this? Who did this to you?"

Lori swam forward and removed Kaldur's hand then pulled Topo towards a building saying, "It does not concern you Kaldur'ahm." Blubber and La'gann swam away with them.

King Sha'ark swam in a different direction, looking at Kaldur as he went, saying "Squidboy is Chum. And Chum gets what it deserves. SWALLOWED!"

M'gann asked, "I couldn't read those markings?"

Tula hesitated but in the end answered, "It was ancient Atlantean Runes."

"Spelling what?"

Garth supplied the answer, "IMPURE!"

Tula quickly changed the subject, "Let us show you around the city, I would hate for you to think this dreary old practice field was the normal scenery of Poseidonis."

Logan came up with a great idea, "Could you by chance show us some of the more visually appealing flora? Maybe something I could contain in a small globe I could change the water in to help keep it fresh?" (That would be a perfect gift for meeting Pam. Any botanist would give a limb to study the flora at the ocean bottom but it's just something I can randomly pick up here.)

As they were being shown around, Logan saw Kaldur approach Garth. His bearing showed him to be in his 'Aqualad' mode not the lovesick teen Logan had seen earlier. "Speak to me of Topo, Garth."

Garth sighed, "He was a victim of the Purists. They are a group that considers themselves the direct descendants of the ORIGINAL Atlanteans."

Tula cut in, "They attempt to scare anyone they consider impure into leaving Poseidonis."

M'gann asked, "What qualifies you as impure? You all breathe water."

Garth replied, "Tula and I appear human and thus are considered pure..."

Kaldur added, "But my visible Gills render me impure."

Tula was quick to come to his defense, "But only by the most rigid and ridiculous standard Kaldur."

Logan, {Hmm, she doth protest loudly in defense of one not her beloved don't you think M'gann?}

M'gann, {You think she has feelings for him?}

Logan shrugged at her question.

Kaldur thought a moment and then protested, "But I was just here not long ago and there was no word of this."

Tula just shook her head, "The old prejudices have always lurked under the surface Kaldur."

Garth added, "But the clash between skin and scales, flesh and fins has escalated rapidly and seemingly without cause, into violence and intimidation."

"LET GO OF ME!"

The shout drags their attention to a group of young people who appear to be at odds. In the group, there is almost everyone from Kaldur's old class on one side, apart from Ronal who is on the opposite side with three other fully human-looking teens.

King Sha'ark had a fist full of Ronal's outfit and was looking at him with every intent to do him harm very soon.

Lori, "We know your group are the purists, you can't hide behind your robes and hoods forever!"

A female in Roanl's group shouts "Do we appear to be hiding BARBARIAN?

Another boy, "Your kind already infects Tritonis, Nanauve, Neptunos, Lemuria, Shayeris, and even Crastinus."

All four of Logan's group swam in that direction quickly. Kaldur called out, "Sha'ark, what are you doing with Ronal?"

King Sha'ark gave a toothy smile, "Preparing supper!"

M'gann used her telekinesis to separate Sha'ark and Ronal, "You will let him go!"

King Sha'ark turned to M'gann, "Careful EARTHER! Come between a shark and his meal and you will become the meal."

Logan didn't take well to the threat from the shark, "Watch how you speak to my sister Sha'ark, or I will prepare you some of your own shark fin soup and force you to eat it through your broken teeth."

Kaldur asked, "Who started this?"

"THEY DID!" Both sides said at the same time.

Ronal told his side of the story, "My friends and I were minding our own business when these FISH-HEADS attacked us!"

Lori shouted, "And what was Topo doing when you and your friends attacked and mutilated him?"

Topo seemed to want to turn invisible as he shrunk into himself as much as he could. "Please leave me out of this."

Ronal sneered, "You cannot know that was us!"

A girl behind Ronal spoke up, "But if YOUR KIND does not like your treatment here, you are welcome to leave Poseidonis."

Logan decided to get in a few diggs "Easy Lori, he is correct. You can't claim these are the cowards that only know how to gang up on the smallest member of your group. Surely even these four strong and able Atlanteans would look down on such craven acts. It would be unfit for anyone who had any self-respect in their bloodline to attack only when outnumbering an opponent by more than triple. Don't you four agree?"

Ronal who he directed the question to, looked like he wanted to explode but couldn't without exposing his group as the ones that attacked the defenseless Topo and then suffer the repercussions from that act.

"What do you know of it EARTHER? Your very presence pollutes the waters of Poseidonis."

Logan smiled and spoke to the figure beside him, "See Bubbles, that settles it. There is no way they are purists because they want to look like the original Earther Atlanteans, right? To answer your question, I know the nobility of the Atlantean people from working with heroes like Princesses Mera, Kaldur here, and the Prince of Atlantis Arthur Curry."

"That pathetic half-blood is not MY Prince!" he said with a sneer on his face.

Kaldur reached for his weapons and everyone else took a deep breath at what was said. Logan, however, reached out with his hand as quickly as he could and grabbed him by the neck, then pulled him close.

Ronal and his friends looked like they were about to jump in but when they saw his skin change to dark green fur and Logan's fingers become claws, they looked on in horror, having never seen something like this before. Logan's face became a snout full of long sharp teeth, and he was careful to keep the lung and gill setup so he could breathe still. But other than that, these native, water-borne Atlanteans were seeing a Werewolf for the very first time. In fact, this may be the first time a Werewolf ever went this far underwater. Deciding this wasn't enough impact, Logan grew to the height of 16 feet and made his body shape match and show the power of this form.

He started with a hand around Ronal's friend's neck but now Logan simply pinched it with two fingers, and he still couldn't breathe. His form exuded power and ferocity the likes that none of these sheltered children had ever seen. Even Kaldur's friends looked at Logan with fear and trepidation.

Kaldur spoke, "Easy Logan, don't do anything rash."

Logan pulled the guy closer to his face and said in a growly scratchy voice, "If you EVER disrespect Prince Arthur in my presence again, I will grow to a size that would allow me to swallow you whole, so I can feel your struggles as you slide down my throat and into my belly still conscious. Then I would pause to listen to your screams as my stomach acid started melting you alive and you went mad with the horror of it all." Done speaking, Logan let him go by tossing him at Ronal. His group collected him and quickly swam away.

As he changed back to his normal form, King Sha'ark said, "This is not your concern Earther. But I like your style." He reached out and grabbed Topo and said, "Come on Chum, let's swim. The group went the opposite way that Ronal's group went.

La'gann was talking excitedly as they left, "Did you guys see how he grew to such a great size? I want to learn to do that." His excited voice traveled back to us as they swam away.

M'gann looked at Logan, "That scared me, big brother. I wasn't sure what you were going to do."

Tula tried to add some humor to the situation, "Well I know what I would be doing if I was that guy, looking for a clean pair of swim pants."

Everyone laughed at Tula's attempt at cooling the atmosphere, but Logan laughed at something more. When M'gann used telekinesis to force apart Sha'ark and Ronal, he heard the sound of a door creaking open in his mind.